Category Archives: News to use

Useful news for all to advance knowledge of the world and how it works

E.U. Agrees to Penalize Lukashenko, but Gives Him Time to Back Down – The New York Times

European Union foreign ministers agreed on Monday to impose sanctions on President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko of Belarus, widely seen as having stolen the recent election — but they also appeared to offer him a way out of the penalties.

The proposed sanctions must first go through legal vetting and may not be implemented if Mr. Lukashenko engages in serious talks with the opposition about new elections and eases a crackdown against protesters.

Some 40 Belarusian officials have already faced an asset freeze and a travel ban. After a violent confrontation in Belarus on Sunday in which the police used water cannons and arrested more than 700 protesters, the E.U. foreign ministers, meeting in Luxembourg, agreed to expand the list to include the authoritarian president and others.

Police leader: Without enforcement of lockdown, coronavirus won’t go away – The Jerusalem Post

Brig.-Gen. Sigal Bar-Tzvi. (photo credit: POLICE SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT) Brig.-Gen. Sigal Bar-Tzvi, head commander of the policing department of the Israel Police, said in an interview on Tuesday that she was beginning to “see light at the end of the tunnel,” in view of reports that the rate of infection has slowed somewhat since the beginning of the second lockdown on September 18. But she immediately qualified this statement, saying that the virus had been “unpredictable” and that there was no way to know for sure what would happen next.

As the coronavirus cabinet debated changes to existing regulations Tuesday, she said the police were keeping abreast of all the changes and so they could continue enforcement.

Source: Police leader: Without enforcement of lockdown, coronavirus won’t go away – The Jerusalem Post

EU to impose sanctions on Russia over Navalny’s poisoning | New Europe

EU’s Foreign Ministers have backed a Franco-German initiative to impose new sanctions on Russia over the poisoning of opposition leader and Kremlin critic, Alexei Navalny.

“We have discussed possible elements of a strong EU common response to the use of a prohibited chemical nerve agent, implemented the proposal by France and Germany about restrictive measures against those linked to the assassination attempt of Alexei Navalny,” EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said in a statement on Monday, after the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) in Luxembourg.

“There has been a political agreement to implement these restrictive measures that will be done by the technical bodies of the Council,” Borrell added.

Source: EU to impose sanctions on Russia over Navalny’s poisoning | New Europe

Two more Pussy Riot members arrested over rainbow flag protests — Meduza

OVD-Info and Avtozak Live have reported the arrest of two more Pussy Riot activists in connection with a LGBTQ rights protest action, timed to coincide with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s birthday last Wednesday.

According to OVD-Info, Pussy Riot member Temuuzhin Sambuudavaagiyn (Tim Bestsvet) was arrested near the Moscow City Court building on Tuesday October 13. He was taken to a police station in Kitay Gorod, where he was written up for an administrative violation. Police officials plan to keep Sambuudavaagiyn in custody pending trial, which will presumably take place on Wednesday, says Apologia Protesta lawyer Mansur Gilmanov.

Source: Two more Pussy Riot members arrested over rainbow flag protests — Meduza

To hell with the Labor Code Moscow is requiring employers to collect and share employee personal data illegally and shift 30 percent of all staff to remote work, no matter the industry — Meduza

The coronavirus is tearing through Muscovites again at a pace not seen since the start of the pandemic. In response, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin has ordered employers to shift more than a quarter of their workforces to remote work, leading to confusion among independent contractors and desperation in industries like foodservice, where remote work is simply impractical. Meduza correspondent Alexandra Sivtsova spoke to several entrepreneurs in Moscow to find out how they’re managing the city’s new demands. Source: To hell with the Labor Code Moscow is requiring employers to collect and share employee personal data illegally and shift 30 percent of all staff to remote work, no matter the industry — Meduza

14th Day of October – Fat Cow Co

The adoption of the Gregorian Calendar was an event in the modern history of most cultures and societies, marking a change from their traditional dating system to the modern dating system that is widely used around the world today.

The Gregorian calendar was decreed in 1582 by the papal bull Inter gravissimas by Pope Gregory XIII, to correct the erroneous assumption in the then-current Julian calendar that a year lasts 365.25 days, when in reality it is about 365.2422 days.

Source: 14th Day of October – Fat Cow Co

More than 50% of over-65s with COVID are from ultra-Orthodox community – The Jerusalem Post

Many infected at High Holy Day prayers • Some 18 Bnei Brak residents died in past week • prominent rabbi Asher Weiss insists community adhere to health regulations, calling situation “shameful”

Source: More than 50% of over-65s with COVID are from ultra-Orthodox community – The Jerusalem Post

EU agrees to sanction Lukashenko over crackdown on protesters | New Europe

Europe’s Foreign Ministers agreed on Monday to sanction Belarus’ long-time ruler Aleksander Lukashenko along with other senior Belarusian officials over a violent crackdown on protesters demonstrating against August 9 “rigged” elections.

“Today, Ministers reconfirmed that Mr Lukashenko lacks any democratic legitimacy and gave their political green light to start preparing the next sanctions package, which will include Lukashenko himself,” EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said in a statement on Monday.

Source: EU agrees to sanction Lukashenko over crackdown on protesters | New Europe