US trade officials on Wednesday announced they were increasing tariffs on certain European Union products, including aircraft-related parts and wines from France and Germany.
The decision comes amid an ongoing civil aircraft dispute between Washington and Brussels.
United States Modifies Tariffs on EU Products in Large Civil Aircraft Dispute
The United States is adjusting tariffs on certain products imported from the European Union. The U.S. was authorized in October 2019 to impose additional duties on approximately $7.5 billion in EU products as a result of the WTO Large Civil Aircraft litigation. The United States implemented its authorized countermeasures in a restrained way and used trade data from the prior calendar year to determine the amount of products to be covered.
In September, 2020 the EU was authorized to impose tariffs affecting $4 billion in U.S. trade as a result of related WTO litigation. In implementing its tariffs, however, the EU used trade data from a period in which trade volumes had been drastically reduced due to the horrific effects on the global economy from the COVID-19 virus. The result of this choice was that Europe imposed tariffs on substantially more products than would have been covered if it had utilized a normal period. Although the United States explained to the EU the distortive effect of its selected time period, the EU refused to change its approach.
As a result, to keep the two actions proportionate to each other, the U.S. is forced to change its reference period to the same period used by the European Union. However, in order to not escalate the situation, the United States is adjusting the product coverage by less than the full amount that would be justified utilizing the EU’s chosen time period.
The EU made another choice that unfairly increased the amount of retaliation. The EU calculated the amount of trade to be covered using EU-27 trade volume (i.e., excluding UK trade). The effect of this was to unfairly increase the retaliation for the 52 days in which the UK remained within the EU for tariff purposes. The EU needs to take some measure to compensate for this unfairness.
The products subject to the additional tariffs include aircraft manufacturing parts from France and Germany, certain non-sparkling wine from France and Germany, and certain cognac and other grape brandies from France and Germany.
Additional details will be provided in a forthcoming Federal Register notice.
BAHÁ’Í WORLD CENTRE — The Bahá’í World News Service looks back on a year like no other, providing an overview of the stories it has covered on developments in the global Bahá’í community that have strengthened resilience and offered hope in a time of great need.
Developments in the global Bahá’í community in 2020
When the pandemic first hit, acts of solidarity throughout the world showed humanity how it could rally around an issue to alleviate suffering. The months since March have demonstrated more clearly than ever that every human being can become a protagonist of change. As people took action, a sense of collective purpose motivated yet more people to do whatever they could to be of service to their fellow citizens—creating a virtuous circle and giving rise to an unprecedented level of collective action.
Slideshow 14 imagesYouth in Sierra Leone have created a film that helps educate their community about preventing the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
In March, the News Service reported on the initial response of Bahá’í communities to the crisis as they quickly and creatively adapted to new forms of interaction suited to public health requirements and found ways to be of service to their societies.
In a suburb of New York City, a group of youth engaged in community-building initiatives turned their attention to pressing needs arising from school closures.
Slideshow 14 imagesLeft: Children in Berlin, Germany, who participate in Baha’i education classes, have made drawings on the theme of hope for the residents of a home for the elderly. Right: Children in New Zealand painting at home.
Children in Luxembourg participating in moral education classes made cards to bring joy to health workers and others carrying out essential services, while children in Berlin, Germany, created drawings on the theme of hope for the residents of a home for the elderly. In Slovenia, the Bahá’ís of Bašelj connected food delivery services catering to restaurants to also deliver to homes. That month also saw Bahá’ís around the world marking Naw-Rúz—their new year and the first day of spring—by strengthening bonds of friendship and conveying messages of hope.
Slideshow 14 imagesBahá’í communities in New Zealand are offering moral education classes online for children.
By April, as the spread of the coronavirus became more apparent, the efforts of Bahá’í communities further intensified. In Canada, participants of a Bahá’í-inspired program for English learners found support in one another through difficult times. In Tunisia, the Bahá’ís of the country joined with diverse religious to call for both science and religion to guide an effective response. In the DRC, community ties enabled thousands of people to be kept informed of accurate information and advice, including on what crops to plant to ensure food security. In Kiyunga, Uganda, radio broadcasts prompted a conversation across households on the importance of prayer as a source of strength. Bahá’í radio stations elsewhere found a renewed purpose, acting as a source of critical information and an anchor of community life to those living in rural areas.
Efforts that month swelled where Bahá’í Local and National Spiritual Assemblies channeled the energy and assistance of very many people into action, disseminated critical information and other resources to where it was most needed, and assisted vulnerable populations to access government services.
In the months since April, it has become ever more clear that service to society and collective worship are essential elements in the life of a community that remains hopeful and perseveres in the face of a crisis. In Romania, participants in devotional gatherings open to all are finding their hearts to be “beating as one”. In South Africa, Bahá’í healthcare professionals, seeing potential in every human being to serve their society, have been drawing on the strength of the community to provide support to those recovering from the coronavirus.
In all places, youth have moved to the forefront of the grassroots response to the crisis. In Sierra Leone, young people created a film on preventive health measures, while in Italy youth explored profound themes related to social transformation in a series of short videos. Amid the pandemic and in the aftermath of the Beirut explosion, youth in the city drew on capacities they had gained in Bahá’í community-building efforts to create a disaster recovery network.
Over this period, the arts have played an important role in casting a light on themes that are captivating the public consciousness. Meanwhile, the Bahá’í World publication has released a series of articles on themes related to the global health crisis and major issues facing societies as they look ahead.
Pursuing long-term social and economic development endeavors
In addition to reporting on grassroots Bahá’í social and economic initiatives in response to the pandemic, the News Service also covered more complex projects and efforts by Bahá’í-inspired organizations as they adapted to circumstances arising from the health crisis.
Slideshow 14 imagesParticipants in a Bahá’í-inspired educational program called Preparation for Social Action in Vanuatu are taking steps to maintain food supplies for their fellow citizens.
The News Service reported on examples of initiatives to improve food security. In Vanuatu, participants in a Bahá’í-inspired educational program called Preparation for Social Action have been taking steps to not only maintain food supplies for their fellow citizens, but also to encourage others in their country to do the same. In Nepal, with many migrant workers returning home amid the pandemic, a Baha’i Local Spiritual Assembly took steps to enhance the community’s capacity to produce its own food.
In Colombia, FUNDAEC—a Baha’i-inspired organization based in Cali—turned its attention to supporting local food production initiatives, while fostering appreciation toward the land and the environment in communities throughout the country.
Slideshow 14 imagesTeachers at the Riḍván School in El Salvador have been offering classes online and through other means, including at a safe distance in neighborhood streets where families have limited or no internet access.
Some of the efforts covered in the area of education include the following: In Bolivia, a Bahá’í-inspired university has been supporting staff and students through challenging times and has given thoughtful consideration to identifying technologies suitable for present circumstances. In the Central African Republic, Indonesia and India—among other places—Bahá’í-inspired community schools have found creative ways of adapting, gaining insight into the role of teachers in times of crises. In the United States, constructive conversations among individuals, officials, and the police on racial equality have helped to create shared purpose among different segments of society toward improving systems of public safety.
Participating in the discourses of society
This past year, the News Service covered a variety of stories on the efforts of the Bahá’í community to contribute to social discourses.
In Jordan and other countries, Bahá’í communities have been creating spaces for journalists and different social actors to explore how the media can play a constructive role in society. In Indonesia, a series of seminars has tapped into a strong desire among officials, academics, and others to explore fundamental principles of a more peaceful society. In Canada and Austria, a podcast series and video blog respectively have been drawing insights from religion to provide new perspectives on issues of national concern. Participants of roundtable discussions in Kazakhstan and the Kurdistan region of Iraq have been exploring how spiritual principles that have drawn people together in this time can help shape public life in the future. In Chile, the Bahá’í community has been creating spaces alongside the constitutional process to examine with their fellow citizens the foundations for a materially and spiritually prosperous society.
Slideshow 14 imagesThe Bahá’ís of Jordan have been hosting roundtable discussions with journalists on how the media can be a source of hope for society.
National conversations about peace and coexistence gained momentum over the past year. At a moment when racial and other forms of prejudice came to the forefront of public consciousness in the United States and across the world, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of that country released a statement that spurred vital conversations about a path forward. In the Netherlands, the anniversary of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Tablets to the Hague prompted reflection on progress toward world peace. In Tunisia, roundtable discussions examined how peaceful coexistence would only be possible with the full participation of women.
This year, among the conferences organized by the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace at the University of Maryland, College Park, was a gathering on the need to address moral dimensions of climate change. The Bahá’í Chair for Studies in Development at Devi Ahilya University, Indore, invited economists and academics to examine how new conceptions of human nature can enhance long-term approaches to urban development in light of the health crisis.
Slideshow 14 imagesIn Australia, a two-year process of gatherings among diverse segments of society culminated in the release of Creating an Inclusive Narrative, a publication that offers insights on forging a common identity.
In Australia, a two-year process of gatherings among diverse segments of society culminated in the release of Creating an Inclusive Narrative, a publication that offers insights on forging a common identity. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo and India, remarkable gatherings brought together chiefs to examine how to transcend traditional barriers and prejudices that keep people apart as they build toward lasting peace.
In Papua New Guinea, the Bahá’í National Spiritual Assembly of the country issued a statement in July on the equality of women and men, speaking to a global concern that has been exacerbated during the pandemic.
The News Service also reported on contributions by youth to social discourses. The Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity has been promoting gatherings for university students in which young people explore together questions concerning social change.
Persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran and Yemen
At a time when the international community has been battling a global health crisis, the persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran and Yemen has not relented.
A United Nations resolution, passed earlier this month by the General Assembly, condemned Iran’s ongoing violations of human rights, including those of the country’s Bahá’í community. This year Iranian authorities have escalated their persecution of the Bahá’ís through scores of baseless arrests, denial of the most basic civil rights, and restrictions in applying for a new national identification card. These actions have placed great pressures on individuals and families already facing a health crisis.
Slideshow 14 imagesSix Bahá’ís in Yemen were released from years of wrongful detainment this year.
In Yemen, a court upheld a religiously-motivated death sentence against a Bahá’í earlier this year. Although he and five other Bahá’ís were later released from their wrongful detainment, the Bahá’í International Community remains gravely concerned and has called for the safeguarding of the rights of all Bahá’ís in Yemen to live according to their beliefs without risk of persecution.
Bahá’í Houses of Worship
The News Service covered stories this past year on how Bahá’í Houses of Worship have adapted to the pandemic while infusing wider segments of society with the spirit of collective worship and service. Stories also reported on advancements in the construction of Houses of Worship in Kenya and Papua New Guinea.
Slideshow 14 imagesDesign for the dome of the House of Worship in Bihar Sharif, India.
Slideshow 14 imagesIn Matunda Soy, Kenya, construction of the local House of Worship is now at an advanced stage of completion.
Construction of the Shrine of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
The beginning of this year saw the first steps being taken to prepare the site and lay the groundwork for the Shrine of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Coinciding with the start of construction, the mayor of ‘Akká and representatives of the city’s religious communities gathered to honor ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at a special ceremony.
Slideshow 14 imagesProgress on the construction of the Shrine of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá continued to be made with the approval of local authorities at each stage.
Although certain operations had necessarily slowed or stopped when the pandemic hit, progress continued to be made with the approval of local authorities at each stage. By April work on the foundations was giving shape to an imprint of the design’s elegant geometry. In September the foundations were completed, allowing the first vertical elements of the edifice to rise.
Blaming the victims is never a good look. As Britain finally leaves the European Union, 1,651 days after the Brexit referendum of 2016, we should try to remember that 48% of the turkeys didn’t vote for Christmas.
Brexit was not exactly a national act of self-harm; it was really an attack by the nostalgic and nationalist old on the young. Some 60% of British over-65s voted to leave the EU, but 61% of the under-35s voted to remain. Having had four years to think it over, most British now think it was a mistake — by a 48-39 majority, according to a YouGov poll in October. Too late. Boris Johnson is prime minister and he dares not anger the English ultra-nationalists on the right of his own Conservative Party. After months of the amateur dramatics that accompany any Johnson decision, on Christmas Day the United Kingdom concluded a pathetically thin “free trade” deal that reflects the real balance of power between the EU and the UK.
It looks pretty good for manufactured goods and commodities, which make up 20% of Britain’s GDP: no tariffs, no quotas. But the EU sells far more stuff to the UK than the other way around: it has a US$45 billion (about 1.3 trillion baht) trade surplus in goods. Of course, it made a deal on that. By contrast, there is no trade deal at all in services, which account for 80% of the UK economy and used to produce a $112 billion surplus for the UK. The UK is entirely vulnerable to whatever restrictions the EU may choose to apply to its banks, insurance companies and providers of other professional services.
Mr Johnson will smear lipstick all over this pig of a deal and declare it a triumph. Those who want to believe it will do so and the only early evidence of the huge defeat that it really is will be some delays at the ports as customs officers learn their new jobs. The real bill will come in later and almost invisibly, in lost trade, investment and opportunities.
The last official estimate was that 15 years from now the British economy will be between 5% and 7% smaller than it would have been as an EU member (but still a bit bigger than it is now). That’s not the raw material for a counter-revolution — and besides, any projection about the economic situation in 2035 is really pure guesstimate. One Covid more or less could make just as much difference as Brexit.
All one can say is that the British economy will not “prosper mightily” outside the EU, as Mr Johnson promised, but it won’t collapse either. And then, in due course, the younger, pro-EU Brits will become the majority thanks to the magic of generational turnover. But until then, if Britain comes knocking at the EU’s door asking to be allowed back in, Brussels should say “no”.
What really happens on Dec 31 is that the EU is finally freed to develop in the way that its other major members clearly want. The goal of “ever closer union”, anathema to English exceptionalists, is back on the agenda. There is ambivalence about the idea of creating a semi-federal European super-state, but in a world where democracy and the rule of law are under siege, most people can see the need to strengthen the EU. Last July the EU’s leaders took a huge step in that direction: for the first time they agreed to borrow collectively on the financial markets.
France and Germany were all for it, and Italy and Spain needed the money to finance a trillion-euro aid programme to help them through the coronavirus crisis. Those four countries now contain more than half the EU’s population, and they outvoted the “frugal four” (the Netherlands, Austria, Sweden and Denmark) that opposed taking on debt to support “feckless” members. If Britain had still been a member, it would have vetoed the measure because it infringed on the UK’s sacred “sovereignty”. French President Charles de Gaulle, who vetoed British applications twice in the 1960s, was right: England does not have a “European vocation”, and it should not be allowed in.
The financial precedent that was set in July opens the door to a future EU that acts much more like a state. Even a common defence budget is now within reach — not something vital in military terms, but a European army would be an important symbol of unity. The US may be back soon, but the world could certainly use a second powerful advocate for democracy and the rule of law. Brexit may be giving us just that by freeing the EU to move on, and we should be grateful.
By Jackson Elliott, Christian Post Reporter Follow
Nick Cannon hosts “Cannon’s Class” with Rabbi Abraham Cooper and the Rev. Johnnie Moore | YouTube
Television host Nick Cannon interviewed the authors of The Next Jihad, a book that details the attacks on Nigerian Christian communities by jihadist terror groups and radical Fulani herders that have led to the displacement of millions and the slaughter of thousands.
Cooper has been a longtime activist for Jewish and human rights causes worldwide and met and co-authored this book with Moore after he learned about the latter’s work to rescue 149 Iraqi Christians from the Islamic State terrorist group in the Nineveh Plains in 2015.
When they met after learning about each other’s work, Cooper told Moore they needed to travel to Nigeria to report on the mass killings happening there.
In the interview posted on his YouTube channel Tuesday, Cannon suggested that some Nigerians might wonder who Moore and Cooper were to enter the country and report on atrocities happening there when they weren’t from Nigeria.
Join over 250,000 others to get the top stories curated daily, plus special offers!
Free CP Newsletters
Join over 250,000 others to get the top stories curated daily, plus special offers!
“When you think about the idea of colonialism, its roots, its origin, a lot of people feel, the people of the land feel defensive, that people have stolen from them in the past,” he said, referring to Nigerians.
“That as we sit here, as people who are not Nigerian, they are like, “What do they know? Who are they to come into our land, report on what we see, and go back and write a book to talk about all the issues? Why isn’t there a Nigerian person sitting there and talking about what’s happening? Why are there two white guys and this guy from television sitting there and talking about what’s happening?” Cannon asked.
Moore, a commissioner on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and president of the Congress of Christian Leaders, said Cannon’s point was “valid.” He then noted that Christianity first arrived in Nigeria with a former slave who wanted to share the Gospel with his countrymen.
“Some people would say that’s not a good thing,” Cannon asserted.
During the hourlong interview, Cooper and Moore shared stories of how Nigerian Christians have faced terrible persecution and have not abandoned their beliefs.
As an example, they mentioned Nigerian Christian Leah Sharibu, who has been held captive by the terrorist group Boko Haram for three years because she refuses to give up her faith in Jesus.
Moore explained that Christians in Nigeria face persecution from three groups.
“It’s Boko Haram, it’s ISIS in West Africa, and there are Fulani militants. And we’re careful about this because the Fulani are the largest tribe in Africa, there are 17 million Fulani in Nigeria. There vast majority of Fulani are just wonderful people. There’s a small group of people, who inspired by Boko Haram and inspired by others, are raiding Christian villages, determined to get rid of every Christian in the country and every Muslim that stands in their way,” he said.
In their book, they tell the story of a Christian priest in training named Michael who preached to his terrorist captors, telling them about Jesus. Because he did so, they killed him.
Cooper, director of the global social action agenda of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a leading Jewish human rights organization with over 400,000 family members, said the stories of the mass killings of Christians in Nigeria by radical Muslim extremists resembled stories of the Holocaust.
“[Nigerian] students in a college dorm were woken up in the middle of the night. And they were told, ‘could you say something from the Quran?'” said Cooper. “And if they couldn’t, they were killed on the spot. They would pull people out of cars. And it reminded me in some ways about what the Nazis did about selecting.”
In the Holocaust, Nazis would test people to determine if they were Jewish, then kill them, he said. In Nigeria, Christians face a similar test.
“I would say the pen of a scholar is much more powerful than the blood of a martyr,” said Cannon, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in Theology and Divinity at Howard University School of Divinity. “To me, humanity outshines religion every time. If we’re keeping score, and I’m talking from Abrahamic faiths to even beyond, religion has done a lot of damage to this world and then humans have to come and fix it.”
Cooper said in response to Cannon’s condemnation of religion that many of the bloodiest genocides of the 20th century have been led by people who hated God.
“Stalin, the Soviet Union, Mao, Hitler, those were all people who were not motivated by religion, they were against religion,” he stressed.
Moore urged the show’s viewers to turn their compassion into action that helps Christians who are being persecuted in Nigeria because they serve God.
“Compassion requires action. It’s not just enough to say that you care about something. You have to do something about it. You don’t have to take on the whole problem yourself. No individual can change the world. But you sure can change a lot more than you’re trying to do.”
Earlier this month, Nigeria’sInternational Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law released a report that documented the killing of 34,400 Christians by radical Islamists since 2009.
In 2019, the Jubilee Campaign, which advocates on behalf of religious minorities across the globe and successfully petitioned the International Criminal Court to indict Boko Haram for their killings across northeastern Nigeria, said the slaughter of Christians in Nigeria has reached the threshold of genocide.
Cannon stirred controversy in July when he said on his program that Jews and white people are closer to animals than human beings.
“The only way they can act is evil,” he said on his podcast, referring to people with light skin. “They have to rob, steal, rape, kill and fight in order to survive. So they’re the ones closer to animals, they’re the ones that are actually the true savages.”
Although he apologized for his statements about Jews, he has yet to apologize for his comments about white people.
Free CP Newsletters
Join over 250,000 others to get the top stories curated daily, plus special offers!
Free CP Newsletters
Join over 250,000 others to get the top stories curated daily, plus special offers!
European Union, China approve ‘in principle’ major major investment deal after seven years of painstaking negotiations.
BEIJING: The European Union (EU) and China on Wednesday approved “in principle” a major investment deal after seven years of painstaking negotiations.
The pact is seen as a boost for investment flows for both sides in a pandemic-hit global economy and a key political win for China ahead of US president-elect Joe Biden’s arrival in the White House.
What is it?
The agreement aims to open China’s market and eliminate discriminatory laws and practices preventing European companies from competing on an equal footing, according to the European Commission.
The sums at stake are considerable: EU foreign direct investment in China since 2000 – excluding Britain – amounted to US$181 billion (RM731 billion). The corresponding sum from China is US$138 billion (RM557.5 billion).
The EU was long China’s largest trading partner, although it was recently overtaken by Asean.
In the third quarter of this year, China nosed ahead of the US to become the EU’s largest partner as well.
What’s in it for Beijing?
China is fighting diplomatic battles on several fronts, the most pernicious with superpower rival the US, over trade, security, tech and human rights. The Biden presidency is likely to see the US try to pull allies – including the EU – into a tighter coalition to box-in China, especially over its rights record.
The deal gives China a diplomatic win and potentially draws the Europeans into its camp before Biden takes office.
“For Beijing, the agreement would provide it with a highly symbolic political win, demonstrating that China is in the business of globalisation with major international partners,” said Mikko Huotari, director of Mercator Institute for China Studies think tank.
In a sign of looming disquiet over the EU pact, Biden’s incoming national security advisor Jake Sullivan issued a cryptic tweet last week urging “early consultations with our European partners on our common concerns about China’s economic practices.”
For Beijing, Chinese tech giant Huawei has been shut out of the 5G equipment market in many EU countries, and Beijing has demanded guarantees of access to public markets in the bloc and to sectors such as telecommunications and energy infrastructure.
Why is the EU signing?
Brussels says the pact will “help rebalance the trade and investment relationship between the EU and China” and provide an “unprecedented level of market access” for European investors.
The deal aims to protect European companies’ intellectual property, ban forced technology transfers and enhance transparency on subsidies paid to Chinese public companies. It also eliminates in some sectors the obligation for European firms to have a Chinese partner when entering the country’s vast market.
All offer a bonus to EU firms at a time of economic distress caused by the coronavirus.
China has also committed to work towards ratifying the International Labor Organization (ILO) conventions on forced labour.
Problems
Allegations of forced labour in Chinese supply chains, a limited deal open to Beijing’s phlegmatic regulators and losing leverage over a bullying superpower – three big reasons critics say the EU should not be penning a pact at this time.
Europe risks losing trust with like-minded partners including the US, Australia and Britain, by concluding the agreement before a wider strategy can be formed to check China’s ambitions.
Moreover, without substantial improvements on labour standards, Europe will also lose credibility as a “normative and principled power”, Huotari said.
China is accused of using forced labour of the Uighur Muslim minority in the northwest Xinjiang region throughout its textile supply chains – an allegation Beijing roundly refutes.
What about the small print?
Rules surrounding strategic sectors remain in place – China maintains a “negative” list of around 30 key sectors in which it excludes or limits foreign investment, particularly in mining, energy, media or culture.
In December, Beijing announced new rules subjecting foreign investments in defence-related industries to scrutiny.
Foreign investment in key areas such as agricultural production, energy and resources, and financial services will come under new regulations, if they involve stakes of more than 50 percent.
Since October, Europe has had a framework for handling foreign investments in strategic sectors, based on the exchange of information between member states, some of which are better equipped than others to deal with them.
And what next?
After the agreement in principle announced on Wednesday, experts from both sides will get down to drafting the final agreement, which will have to be ratified by the European Council and the European Parliament.
Many MEPs take a dim view of a rapprochement with Beijing, with concerns over the erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy and the crackdown on the Uighurs in northwest China. – AFP
… von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel signed … fundamental interests of the European Union and creates stability and … and companies.” The European Parliament also must sign off … between Britain and the EU as sovereign equals.” …
Rival Nepal Communist Party faction hit street of Kathmandu in show of power,
In the past 30 years since 1990, no single Prime Minister of Nepal has served a full five-year term.
The country has seen the governance change hands over 25 times as none of the 14 prime ministers stayed on for the entire term.
Protestors led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Kumar Nepal of Nepal Communist Party’s rival faction marched through the streets of the capital Kathmandu on Tuesday against the dissolution of Parliament.
The march took place even as a delegation from China is in Nepal on a four-day visit to “assess the ground situation.”
Participating in the protest march were three former Prime Ministers – Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhala Nath Khanal. Slogans were chanted against the latest “unconstitutional” move of dissolving parliament by now the now caretaker Government of Prime Minster KP Oli.
Cadres chanted slogans against Oli and President Bidhya Devi Bhandari and also against foreign intervention demanding them to stay away from the country’s internal political matters.
Earlier this week a four-member delegation led by Guo Yezhou, a vice minister in the International Department of Communist Party of China arrived in Nepal and met major political leaders of the Himalayan Nation.
“Presence of people on the streets of Kathmandu and protests all around the nation has truly proved that other political parties, civil societies, former Chief Justice, senior advocates along with other groups associated with the public have collectively denounced this step and called the step as autocratic, unconstitutional, against democracy and its norms,” Pushpa Kamal Dahal or Prachanda, the Chairman of rival Nepal Communist Party faction said while addressing the mass meeting held after the show of power on Tuesday.
Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari had dissolved the Lower House on Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli’s recommendation on December 20. The move has invited 12 petitions in the country’s apex court, claiming it to be “unconstitutional”, including one by Prachanda.
“If there is any kind of uneasy conditions, I want to appeal the court to understand protest and mass meeting which has commenced all around the nation. This is a symbiosis from people’s part not only our political party, but I also request them to understand it in that way,” the former Prime Minister appealed.
After dissolving the Parliament, Oli also proposed elections on April 30 and May 10, 2021, nearly two years ahead of the schedule. Seven cabinet ministers had submitted their resignations after the Parliament dissolution was ratified by the President.
Nepal’s Supreme Court on Friday issued a show-cause notice to the Oli-led government, asking it to submit a written clarification over its decision to abruptly dissolve Parliament.
Meanwhile, the other former Prime Minister and co-chair of Nepal Communist Party Madhav Kumar Nepal said that the latest move of Oli has prompted people to come onto the street fearing the rise of undemocratic forces in the nation.
“He (Oli) has taken the steps against federalism, constitution, democracy, democratic values and norms, people’s right and choice; this is why people now have hit the road,” Nepal said addressing the mass meeting.
Oli claimed of lack of support from party insiders and moves to oust him from post through impeachment as the reasons to dissolve the parliament which he exercised going beyond the constitutional rights.
Protests had since then erupted in the Himalayan Nation which in year 2017 voted for communist alliance hoping for stability as it always was marred with political changes and raging conflict.
The then Communist alliance- Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist and Communist Party of Nepal- Maoist Center had scored nearly two-third majority and formed a single government after swooping the election.
Formally cutting off relations with Oli and taking actions against him for making the latest unilateral move, the rival faction within the ruling party on December 24 decided to take to the streets. Leaders of the rival faction have claimed it to be the first phase of protest and have vowed to make it stricter and stronger as it advances.
“From today, the fire of struggle has been ignited. The sky of Kathmandu Valley is echoing with deafening slogans the voice against regression has already set off,” Jhala Nath Khanal, a former Prime Minister and Senior Leader of ruling Nepal Communist Party, Dahal-Nepal faction said addressing the mass meeting.
The leaders on Tuesday’s protest vowed to fight to reinstate the parliament and correct the unconstitutional move of Oli. Rival faction leaders said they have formed an agitation mobilization committee to launch protests in various parts of the country.
The Lower House of Nepal’s Parliament, called the ‘Pratinidhi Sabha’, has a term of five years unless dissolved earlier. There is no provision in the Constitution that allows the Prime Minister to dissolve the Parliament unilaterally.
Oli’s opponents have now turned to the Supreme Court to challenge his dissolution of Parliament denouncing it as a “constitutional coup”, Reuters reported.
Supreme Court Spokesman Bhadrakali Pokharel told Reuters that three petitions against the dissolution were “in the process of being registered”.
Dinesh Tripathi, who is one of the petitioners, said that according to the Constitution, the prime minister should allow the formation of an alternate government to ensure stability.
If the court registers the petitions it could take about two weeks for a decision, Reuters quoted legal experts as saying.
According to The Print, if the court rules Oli’s decision to be unconstitutional, he will have to resign as prime minister. If not, the interim government will continue till the next elections scheduled on 30 April and 10 May.
EU leaders Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel signed the post-Brexit trade deal agreed with Britain in a brief ceremony on Wednesday.
</p><div readability="127.82628865979">
<div class="m-interstitial">
<div data-readmore-target="" class="m-interstitial__ad">
<div class="m-block-ad " data-tms-ad-type="box" data-tms-ad-status="idle" data-tms-ad-pos="1">
<div class="m-block-ad__label m-block-ad__label--report-enabled">
<span class="m-block-ad__label__text">Advertising</span>
<button title="Report this ad" class="m-block-ad__label__report-link" rel="noopener" data-tms-ad-report=""><svg xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="26.077" height="16.107" viewbox="0 0 26.077 16.107"><g transform="translate(1.325 0.5)"><path d="M6.669,15.107a1.5,1.5,0,0,1-1.5-1.5V10.184H0L5.169,5.637V1.5A1.5,1.5,0,0,1,6.669,0H22.752a1.5,1.5,0,0,1,1.5,1.5V13.607a1.5,1.5,0,0,1-1.5,1.5Z" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1"/><g transform="translate(29.422 15.107) rotate(-180)"><path d="M-2119.5-2724.245v7.84" transform="translate(2134.21 2729.348)" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"/><path d="M-2119.5-2732v1.732" transform="translate(2134.21 2734.165)" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"/></g></g></svg>
The texts were then to be flown to London in a British Royal Air Force jet for the signature of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, on the eve of Britain’s departure from the EU single market.
Speaking in parliament on Wednesday, Johnson vowed that Britain would work closely with the European Union after this Brexit deal takes full effect from January 1, as MPs debated the two sides’ mammoth trade pact.
“With this bill we are going to be a friendly neighbour, the best friend and ally the EU could have,” he told parliament.
London and Brussels will work “hand in glove whenever our values and interests coincide, while fulfilling the sovereign wish of the British people to live under their own sovereign laws made by their own sovereign parliament”.
The government intends to ram all stages of the 85-page European Union (Future Relationship) Bill through the Commons and the House of Lords in one day, before the EU trade deal takes effect at 11pm GMT on Thursday.
At that hour – midnight in Brussels – the UK will be entirely out of the EU, following an 11-month transition period in place since Brexit took legal effect and more than four years after Britons voted to leave in a divisive referendum.
The agreement averted the prospect of a cliff-edge separation that would have seen quotas and tariffs slapped on all cross-Channel trade, exacerbating strains in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, which has hit Britain harder than most.
Consequences taking shape
But not everything in the trade deal was well received in the UK. For one, British fishermen accused the government of selling them out. Secondly, services, which account for 80 percent of the UK economy, were largely omitted, and the City of London faces an anxious wait to learn on what basis it can continue dealing with the Europe Union in the future.
But a faction of arch-Brexiteers in Johnson’s ruling Conservative party gave their blessing to the EU agreement on Tuesday, and the main opposition Labour party signalled its reluctant backing, ensuring the legislation will pass.
Despite misgivings among some of his own MPs, who plan to abstain in Wednesday’s vote, Labour leader Keir Starmer said neutrality was not an option given the stakes for Britain as it unwinds nearly five decades of integration with the European mainland.
“But the consequences of it are yours, and yours alone,” he said, addressing Johnson’s government. “We will hold you to account for it, every second you are in power.”
Indeed, the full consequences of the agreement will only play out in the coming months, and UK businesses will still be grappling with the kind of customs red tape they have avoided for decades in trading across the Channel.
From January 1, there will no longer be free movement of people from Britain to the EU or vice versa.
The UK government is pulling out of the European student exchange programme, Erasmus, that has benefited tens of thousands of young people over the years.
Under the EU deal, musicians are not covered by exemptions allowing for free passage of short-term business visitors, sparking warnings that continental tours by UK bands will become unviable.
The many British owners of European holiday homes are finding that unless they apply for residency permits, they will face limits on how often they can visit their properties.
And Britons will face new bureaucracy if they want to take their pets with them to the EU.
Under the compressed legislative calendar, the European Parliament will only debate the Brexit deal after the New Year.
Pending that, EU member states gave their green light on Monday for the accord to take provisional effect before Thursday’s deadline.
… the issue of freedom of religion. Our Zimbabwe delegation was two … . Even today conflicts based on religion affect vast areas of the … was not so much on religion but on tribe and race …
