Ottawa mayor asks police services board chair to step down over hiring of new chief

Postmedia News - Yesterday 

© Provided by National PostOttawa Police Services Board Chair Diane Deans.

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson asked the city’s police services board chair to step down Wednesday.

According to a source, the city learned Diane Deans was trying hire a new police chief without competition and was eyeing a former chief of a police force in southwestern Ontario for the job.

The Ottawa Police Services Board accepted the resignation of Chief Peter Sloly on Tuesday following weeks of chaos in downtown Ottawa for almost three weeks.

Sloly resigned on Day 19 of the occupation as Ottawa’s police service continued to struggle to crack down on the settlement of big rigs in the city’s core. He asked for 1,800 more police and civilians from other agencies to help local police handle the occupation and to maintain effective policing for the entire city.

Deans announced a “mutually agreed upon separation” between the board and Sloly on Tuesday, but the board released no other information and Deans said there would be no other comment, citing it as a “labour relations matter.”

Sources said Matt Torigian, a former police chief in Waterloo Region, was being eyed to be the next police chief in Ottawa. Torigian was chief of Waterloo Regional Police Service for about six years before becoming deputy minister of the Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services in 2014 and he held the job until 2018.

RCMP and OPP set up command centre in Ottawa as police chief resigns

Leave now or face arrest: The end to the Ottawa occupation could come quick

Meanwhile, interim OPS Chief Steve Bell said in a statement to city council: “We are going to take back the entirety of the downtown core and every occupied space. We are going to remove this unlawful protest. We will return our city to a state of normalcy.

“Some of the techniques we are lawfully able and prepared to use are not what we are used to seeing in Ottawa. But we are prepared to use them where necessary to bring about the safest outcome and restore order.

“We know that this has left our residents feeling unsafe and abandoned and has tarnished our own reputation and that of our City. We deeply regret this,” Bell said.

“There are many questions being asked about how we got here. We all know that there will be full review and we all welcome it so we can learn from the events of the last three weeks.”

The former chair of the Ottawa Police Services board said Tuesday Sloly didn’t receive the support he needed from political overseers and councillors before he quit as police chief on Tuesday.

“Instead of us standing with the police service and supporting the service, the board was absent, councillors were trashing him publicly every opportunity,” Coun. Eli El-Chantiry said in an interview.

“They want police to be in every building, every corner, and all that he had is limited resources.”

WAIT, WHAT

Unvaccinated truckers delivering vaccines, COVID devices exempt from border rules

 The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — Unvaccinated truckers bringing COVID-19 vaccines and medical devices into Canada to combat the pandemic are exempt from testing and quarantine requirements at the border, a government order says.

The exemption is due to the "urgent public health necessity" of the supplies they are transporting, Health Canada states.

The government has given exemptions from testing and quarantine rules for certain people crossing the border into Canada to help tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.

They include unvaccinated and vaccinated people invited by the health minister to help with the COVID-19 “response."

A spokeswoman for Health Canada said in a statement that this exemption requires a ministerial invitation and had been “rarely used.” She said it had been used, for example, to help with the supply of ventilators.

The exemption is one of a number set out in an order-in-council published last month that outlines decisions made by cabinet, such as regulations or appointments.

Drivers dropping off students on either side of the U.S.-Canada border at a college, school or university are also exempt from quarantine and testing requirements, the order says.

The order makes clear that unvaccinated truckers are not exempt from the testing and quarantine requirement in other circumstances. They must obtain a pre-arrival COVID-19 test, quarantine and undergo COVID-19 molecular testing in Canada.

The restrictions on unvaccinated cross-border truckers have caused much political debate in Canada and are ostensibly a major sticking point for the protesters camped outside Parliament Hill.

But the order reveals that unvaccinated truckers can avoid the border requirements if they are transporting medical supplies, including products with a drug identification number, such as medications and vaccines authorized for use in Canada.

Medical devices are also covered by the exemption. Health Canada did not specify whether it included masks, gowns or COVID-19 tests.

“The purpose of this amendment is to clarify that those involved in commercial transport who are transporting medically necessary supplies remain exempt from the vaccination requirement to enter Canada,” Health Canada said in a statement.

Health Canada said the exemption covered individuals, including those involved in commercial transport, who are delivering, picking up or fixing medical equipment and supplies.

The statement said “any proportion of a delivery that is medically necessary and is being delivered to a health-care facility or supply distribution centre is sufficient to qualify the person for this exemption.”

The Canada Border Services Agency created confusion last month after it issued a statement to media saying that unvaccinated truckers would remain exempt from quarantine and testing requirements after entering the country at the Canada-U.S. border.

The federal government said the next day the statement had been sent in error, but not before some unvaccinated big-riggers had already been dispatched across the border.

The Canadian Press revealed the confusion over whether truckers were exempt stemmed from bureaucrats misinterpreting policy at both the border services agency and the Public Health Agency of Canada, including whether an order-in-council covered truckers or not. They had thought that they would remain exempt as "crew members."

The updated order-in-council makes clear that unvaccinated truckers are not counted as crew members and are therefore not generally exempt from testing and quarantine rules.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 17, 2022.

Marie Woolf, The Canadian Press

Death toll rises to 78 from mudslides after storm in Brazil

PETROPOLIS, Brazil (AP) — The death toll from devastating mudslides and floods that swept through a mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro state has reached 78, Gov. Claudio Castro said Wednesday afternoon.

The city of Petropolis was slammed by a deluge Tuesday, and Castro said almost 400 people were left homeless. Searchers picked through the wreckage throughout the day and 21 people were recovered alive.

Civilians joined official recovery efforts. Among them were Priscila Neves and her siblings, who looked through the mud for any sign of their disappeared parents, but found only clothing. Neves told The Associated Press she had given up hope of finding her parents alive.

And Rosilene Virgilio, 49, was in tears as she recalled the desperate pleas from someone she couldn't save.

“There was a woman screaming, ‘Help! Get me out of here!’ But we couldn’t do anything; the water was gushing out, the mud was gushing out,” Virgilio told The Associated Press. “Our city unfortunately is finished.”

Petropolis is a German-influenced city named for a former Brazilian emperor. Nestled in the mountains above the coastal metropolis, for almost two centuries it has been a refuge for people escaping summer heat and tourists keen to explore the so-called “Imperial City.”

Petropolis was among the nation's first planned cities and features stately homes along its waterways. But its population has grown haphazardly, climbing mountainsides now covered with small residences packed tightly together. Many are in areas unfit for structures and rendered more vulnerable by deforestation and inadequate drainage.

The stricken mountain region has seen similar catastrophes in recent decades, including one that caused more than 900 deaths. In the years since, Petropolis presented a plan to reduce risks of landslides, but works have been advancing only slowly.

The governor told reporters earlier that the situation “was almost like war” and that he was mustering all the state government's heavy machinery to help dig out the buried area.

The state fire department said late Tuesday the area received 25.8 centimeters (just over 10 inches) of rain within three hours Tuesday -- almost as much as during the previous 30 days combined. Petropolis' civil defense authority said moderate rain was expected Wednesday afternoon and evening.

Video posted on social media Tuesday showed cars and houses being dragged away by landslides, and water swirling through Petropolis and neighboring districts. On Wednesday, houses were buried beneath mud while appliances and cars were piled on streets where they had been swept the night before. Some people had attempted to flee the perilous hillsides.

“The neighbors came down running and I gave them shelter,” bar owner Emerson Torre, 39, recalled.

But under torrents of water, his roof collapsed. He managed to get his mother and three other people out of the bar in time, but one neighbor and the person's daughter were unable to escape.

“It was like an avalanche, it fell all at once. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Torre told the AP as rescue helicopters hovered overhead. “Every neighbor has lost a loved one, has lost two, three, four members of the same family, kids.”

Petropolis' city hall declared three days of mourning. Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro expressed solidarity while on a trip to Russia, as did his counterpart Vladimir Putin.

“May God comfort their family members,” Bolsonaro said Wednesday in a press conference in Moscow.

Southeastern Brazil has been punished with heavy rains since the start of the year, with more than 40 deaths recorded between incidents in Minas Gerais state in early January and Sao Paulo state later the same month.

___

Associated Press journalist Diarlei Rodrigues reported this story in Petropolis and AP writer David Biller reported from Rio de Janeiro. AP writer Diane Jeantet in Rio de Janeiro contributed to this report.

Diarlei Rodrigues And David Biller, The Associated Press

Close this content

Despair, solidarity for Brazil storm victims



Louis GENOT
Wed, February 16, 2022

Holding the few possessions they are able to carry, families stream down the slopes of the hillside neighborhood of Alto da Serra, many in tears, fleeing the devastation left by deadly landslides in the Brazilian city of Petropolis.

Their modest neighborhood was one of the hardest hit by Tuesday's storms, which dumped a month's worth of rain on this scenic tourist town in a matter of hours, triggering flash floods and torrents of mud that gushed violently through the city.

"It's devastating. We never could have imagined something like this," says one fleeing resident, Elisabeth Lourenco, clutching two bags in which she stuffed some clothing when emergency officials ordered everyone in the neighborhood to evacuate.

"When the rain was falling hardest, a huge amount of mud came pouring down the hillside, and some tree branches fell on my house," says the 32-year-old manicurist, on the verge of tears.

Nearby is a scene of total chaos. A giant swathe of hillside is covered in mud and strewn with the remains of shattered houses.

Authorities say the disaster killed at least 78 people across the city. There are fears the death toll, which rose steadily through the day, could climb further still as rescue workers continue digging through the mud and ruins.

Watching the rescue operation in disbelief, residents shudder with each deafening pass of the helicopters hovering overhead.

"I was eating dinner when the storm started. My brother came in and said, 'We need to get out of here, the hillside is collapsing,'" says Jeronimo Leonardo, 47, whose home sits at the edge of the area wiped out by the landslide.

- 'Up to our waists' -

Residents of Alto da Serra have been evacuated to a church that sits atop another hill nearby.

From the square outside the small blue building, they can see the disaster zone through the mist.

Dozens of families swarm the church, carting their belongings in bags.

Outside, volunteers unload a truck of bottled water, as others sort through donated clothing.

"Can I have some shoes?" asks a little boy standing barefoot, his clothes stained with mud.

Inside, mattresses line the floor.

"We started taking people in as soon as the tragedy started Tuesday evening. We're hosting around 150 to 200 people, including a lot of children," says Father Celestino, a parish priest.

Yasmin Kennia Narciso, a 26-year-old teacher's assistant, is sitting on a mattress nursing her nine-month-old baby.

"I didn't sleep all night," she says.

She tells the story of how she fled with her two daughters around 11:00 pm.

"We tried to leave earlier, but there were boulders strewn across the path and everything was flooded. We were in water up to our waists. We had no choice but to wait until it went down," she says.

She adds that she is still waiting for news on several neighbors.

"An older lady and her three grandchildren who lived just above us were buried in the mud."

Survivors know they likely face a long wait to learn if and when they can return home -- for those who still have homes left.

lg/jhb/caw

Investigation: Zinke misused position as Interior secretary

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Former U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke misused his position to advance a development project in his Montana hometown and lied to an agency ethics official about his involvement, according to a report from federal investigators released Wednesday.

The investigation by the Interior Department's inspector general found that Zinke continued working with a foundation on the commercial project in the community of Whitefish, Montana even after he committed upon taking office to breaking ties with the foundation.

The report also said that Zinke gave incorrect and incomplete information to an Interior Department ethics official who confronted him over his involvement and that Zinke directed his staff to assist him with the project in a misuse of his position.

The Great Northern Veterans Peace Park Foundation was established by Zinke and others in 2007. Zinke and his wife were in negotiations with private developers for the use of foundation land for a commercial development project that included a microbrewery.

Zinke is a candidate in the June Republican primary for an open Montana Congressional seat, a position he held prior to joining Trump’s cabinet.

Zinke’s campaign called the report “a political hit job” and said his family's involvement in the foundation had led to the restoration of land that was made into a park where children can sled.

Investigators referred the matter to the Department of Justice for potential prosecution but it declined to pursue a criminal case, according to the report.

The investigation into the land deal was one of numerous probes of Zinke that began when he was in Trump's cabinet.

In another case, investigators found that he violated a policy that prohibits non-government employees from riding in government cars after his wife traveled with him, but he said ethics officials approved it. Zinke was cleared of wrongdoing following a complaint that he redrew the boundaries of a national monument in Utah to benefit a state lawmaker and political ally.

During almost two years overseeing the agency responsible for managing 781,000 square miles (2 million square kilometers) of public lands, Zinke’s broad rollbacks of restrictions on oil and gas drilling were cheered by industry.

But they brought a scathing backlash from environmental groups and Democratic lawmakers who accused him of putting corporate profits ahead of preservation.

When he resigned, Zinke said it was because of politically motivated attacks that had created a distraction from his duties.

Zinke and his wife, Lola, declined interview requests from federal investigators who were looking into the land deal.

But emails and text messages from others who were involved show Zinke continued to communicate with developers even after resigning from the foundation in March 2017, when he was confirmed as secretary, according to investigators.

“The communications showed that Secretary Zinke repeatedly communicated with the developers of the 95 Karrow project and negotiated with them on behalf of the foundation by discussing the use of foundation property for the project, specific design aspects of the project, and the development of a microbrewery," investigators wrote.

Matthew Brown, The Associated Press

THE PERILS OF OUTSOURCING

Russian hackers have obtained sensitive defense information technology by targeting US contractors, according to CISA

Corin Faife - © Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Russian state-sponsored hackers have been targeting security-cleared US defense contractors for at least two years, according to an alert released Wednesday by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and National Security Agency (NSA).

According to the alert, Russian-backed actors had targeted cleared defense contractors (CDCs) and subcontractors that supported the Department of Defense (DoD) in a range of areas, including weapons and missile development, vehicle and aircraft design, surveillance and reconnaissance, and combat communications systems. Compromised entities include contractors supporting the US Army, Air Force, Navy, Space Force, DoD, and Intelligence programs.

Through intrusions against defense contractors, Russian-backed actors had acquired sensitive unclassified information as well as export-controlled technology, CISA said. Under normal circumstances, technology subject to export-control laws requires a license to be released to foreign entities, necessitating approval from the US government.

Though there is no mention of classified documents being stolen, details suggest that the nature of the information gives a significant understanding of US military operations.

“The acquired information provides significant insight into U.S. weapons platforms development and deployment timelines, vehicle specifications, and plans for communications infrastructure and information technology,” the text of the alert said. “By acquiring proprietary internal documents and email communications, adversaries may be able to adjust their own military plans and priorities, hasten technological development efforts, inform foreign policymakers of U.S. intentions, and target potential sources for recruitment.”

Given the success of current efforts, the FBI, NSA, and CISA anticipate that Russian state-sponsored cyber actors will continue to target defense contractors for information in the near future.

Although Russia is known for harboring cybercriminal gangs, direct attribution of cyber activities to Russian state-sponsored actors is rare and represents a forceful statement from the US agencies involved. As tensions continue on the Russian border with Ukraine, analysts have been particularly sensitive to state-sponsored cyberattacks from the country.

THIRD WORLD USA 

Majority of Pregnant U.S. Women Were Already in Poor Health: Study

Cara Murez - HealthDay



TUESDAY, Feb. 15, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Once they're pregnant, women have a lot of checkups to make sure they stay healthy. But a mom's health preconception is vitally important, too, and a growing cause for concern.

Increasingly, moms in the United States are starting their pregnancies already having heart risks like high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes and obesity.

A new study finds that 60% -- even higher in some states -- of pregnant women have one or more of these complications of pregnancy.

"We were quite surprised that only 40% of women entered pregnancy with a normal weight without diabetes and without hypertension," said lead author Dr. Natalie Cameron, an internal medicine specialist and instructor at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.

"Even more surprising are the geographic differences we found," Cameron said, referring to lower cardiometabolic health in Midwestern and Southern states. At the low end, just 31% of moms-to-be had good heart health in Mississippi, compared to nearly 50% in Utah at the upper end.

While women in the West and Northeast fared better, they still had plenty of room for improvement: In the West, just over 42% had good heart health and in the Northeast, just under 44%.

The Northwestern University researchers used the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Natality Database from 2016 to 2019, identifying pre-pregnancy heart health risk factors of more than 14 million women between the ages of 20 and 44. To have optimal heart health, the women needed to have a normal-range body mass index (BMI) and not have high blood pressure or diabetes. BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight.

The most common of those three heart health risk factors was being overweight or obese. Only about 42% of women ages 30 to 34 had good heart health, as did 37% of those ages 40 to 44.

Women were slightly healthier overall in 2016, with 43.5% per 100 births having good heart health, than in 2019, when just 40% had good heart health.

The risks can be significant. About 1 in 4 pregnancy-related deaths is caused by heart disease, according to the American Heart Association.

Their babies may be born early or at small gestational age. And the effects of having poor heart health during pregnancy can affect the children for years.

"Optimizing health prior to pregnancy is really important for the health of the pregnancy and also for the health of the baby," Cameron said.

The mothers, too, can experience the impact of having these risk factors years later.

"Entering pregnancy with poor cardiometabolic health increases your risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, and adverse pregnancy outcomes are considered a risk-enhancing factor for cardiovascular disease later in life," Cameron said.

The reason for the geographical differences appears to be social determinants of health, including education, Medicaid enrollment, access to preventive care, ability to afford healthy foods and neighborhood characteristics, such as green space, the researchers noted.

"Women in this age group are generally not evaluated by preventive cardiologists and also are focusing on caring for their families and children," said Dr. Garima Sharma, a heart association volunteer expert who reviewed the study.

"They need to focus on their own health and cardiovascular disease risk factors," said Sharma, an assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. "These trends are concerning and addressing this in pre-pregnancy counseling and by internal medicine doctors is important."

Sharma called pregnancy "nature’s stress test" because so many changes occur in a woman’s cardiovascular system during these months. This includes increased blood circulation that can put an extra burden on a woman's heart.

Women can be proactive about their health by speaking to their doctors about cardiovascular risk factors prior to pregnancy, getting conditions under control, not smoking and maintaining a balanced diet and healthy weight, Sharma said.

"If cardiovascular health is suboptimal at baseline, it puts that mother at risk of immediate adverse outcomes," Sharma said. "But we are still learning about what subclinical changes occur in the heart and vascular system of these mothers postpartum that cause an increase in their risk."

The findings were published Feb. 14 in the journal Circulation.

For some women, pregnancy is what jump-starts regular health care visits, so they are not diagnosed with these heart risks until after a pregnancy begins.

The researchers called for changes in public health, asking not "what can women do," but what can society do to support mothers through public health policies that improve access to care and that invest in communities.

"So, increasing education about cardiometabolic health, increasing access to care, encouraging women to go to the doctor to optimize their health prior to pregnancy and just making prevention part of our culture in medicine and throughout the U.S.," Cameron said.

More information

The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more on heart health in pregnancy.

SOURCES: Natalie A. Cameron, MD, internal medicine specialist and instructor, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago; Garima V. Sharma, MBBS, director, cardio-obstetrics and assistant professor, medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore; Circulation, Feb. 14, 2022

REST IN POWER

Deep Sidhu: Indian actor and activist that supported farmer's protest dies

By Swati Gupta and Rhea Mogul, 
CNN
© Sameer Sehgal/Hindustan Times/Getty Images


Indian actor and activist Deep Sidhu, who backed the country's year-long farmer's movement, died in a car crash Tuesday, according to police officials. He was 37.

Sidhu's car crashed into the rear end of a truck in the northern state of Haryana, senior official of Sonipat Police, Virender Singh, told CNN. He died on the spot, Singh said.

Sidhu was traveling with a woman who was unharmed, according to Singh.

Born in Punjab state, Sidhu started his career as a model before landing a role in the film Ramta Jogi in 2015, according to CNN affiliate CNN News-18.

He was a vocal supporter of India's farmer's movement, which saw tens of thousands of farmers camp for months on the outskirts of the capital Delhi. They were protesting against three laws implemented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government that they said could ruin their livelihood.

In a rare retreat, Modi repealed the laws in November last year.

Sidhu's role in the farmer's movement was thrust into the spotlight after he was accused of instigating violence during a Republic Day rally on January 26, 2021, according to CNN News-18.

Sidhu was arrested in February last year on suspicion of inciting protesters during the rally, according to CNN News-18. He was granted bail after spending about 70 days in police custody, CNN News-18 said.

Punjab's Chief Minister Charanjit Channi said he was "deeply saddened" to hear of Sidhu's death.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved family and fans," he wrote on Twitter Tuesday.

Guatemala arrests anti-corruption officials amid brewing political crisis

By Sofia Menchu

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - The Guatemalan Prosecutor's Office confirmed on Wednesday the arrest of two assistant prosecutors from the Special Prosecutor's Office against Impunity (FECI), the latest in a string of detentions of anti-corruption officials.

The early morning arrests occurred in the midst of a brewing political scandal that has shaken the Central American nation. Earlier this week, the Salvadoran investigative media outlet El Faro reported that President Alejandro Giammattei received illicit money for his 2019 presidential campaign, sparking widespread outrage.

Giammattei's press secretary has denied the allegations.

Luis Pantaleón, spokesman for the Public Ministry, told Reuters the two assistant prosecutors were facing charges of abuse of authority for allegedly coercing a person into giving testimony.

"By means of threats, violence or an intimidating process, they tried to force the complainant to sign an effective collaboration agreement," a statement from the Public Ministry said.

Both assistant prosecutors were involved in uncovering a corruption plot between lawyers, politicians and businessmen to elect judges. Guatemalan authorities say arrest warrants are pending against two more assistant prosecutors involved in that case.

It was the second time within a week that people working on high-level anti-corruption cases have been arrested.

Last Thursday, authorities arrested Leyly Santizo, a lawyer who worked with the now-defunct International Commission against Impunity (CICIG), the U.N.-backed entity that was expelled from Guatemala in 2018, after probes by the commission led to the imprisonment of former presidents, and high-level businessmen involved in corruption.

Days later, authorities also detained Eva Sosa, a former FECI prosecutor.

Human rights organizations and the international community condemned the arrests of anti-corruption officials.

On Tuesday night, the Guatemalan Foreign Ministry published a statement to "demand" that diplomatic agents accredited in the country "refrain from intervening in internal affairs."

(Reporting by Sofia Menchu in Guatemala City; Writing by Laura Gottesdiener; Editing by Matthew Lewis)

---

DECRIMINALIZE DRUGS

Italy's Constitutional Court vetoes referendum to liberalise cannabis

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's Constitutional Court on Wednesday rejected a request to hold a referendum on legalising the cultivation of cannabis, provoking the ire of promoters who called the decision a blow to democracy.

The referendum proposal sought to legalise the growing of weed for personal use and ease sanctions on other cannabis-related crimes, with offenders no longer risking prison sentences for selling small amounts of the drug.

Giuliano Amato, the Constitutional Court president, said the referendum included other narcotics considered to be hard drugs, which could not be liberalised.

"This is enough to make us violate multiple international obligations," Amato, a former prime minister, told a news conference.

Lawmaker Riccardo Magi, one of the referendum's leading advocates, told Reuters the court's decision was "a terrible blow to democracy," after hundreds of thousands of people had signed up to the proposal.

"It's almost impossible to hold a referendum in Italy," he said.

On Tuesday, the Court turned down a right-to-die referendum, saying the proposal did not safeguard minimum constitutional standards governing the protection of human life.

The campaigns launched on the right-to-die and cannabis referendums had gathered together over 1.8 million signatures.

However five other, less high profile referendum proposals about largely arcane aspects of the justice system were accepted. These will be submitted to the popular vote next spring.

(Reporting by Angelo Amante, editing by Gavin Jones, William Maclean)

A GOD GIVEN RIGHT-FREE CHOICE

Italy's Constitutional Court blocks right-to-die referendum

02/15/2022 | 

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's Constitutional Court on Tuesday turned down a request to hold a national referendum on the right to die after proponents of the move collected over a million signatures in support.

Italian right-to-die advocates seek to partly abrogate sanctions imposed on those who assist in the suicide of patients who have incurable illnesses or suffer intolerable pain and have already had palliative care.

In a statement, the Constitutional Court said repealing punishments would not safeguard the minimum constitutional standards governing the protection of human life, "particularly for the weak and the vulnerable".

In 2019, the court partially decriminalised assisted suicide under certain conditions if local health authorities and an ethics board approved, but it also advised that parliament should pass a law regulating the practice.

Marco Cappato, one of the leading advocates of a referendum, said the court's decision was "a bad news for those who suffer and will have to (face) even longer unbearable suffering against their will".

Right-to-die proponents last year collected more than twice the 500,000 signatures needed to seek approval of a referendum.

Parliament is debating a law that would allow terminally ill patients to seek assisted suicide through the national health system and protect doctors from any legal suits against them.

"The Constitutional Court's decision must push parliament to approve the law on assisted suicide," Enrico Letta, leader of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), wrote on Twitter.

Italian political parties remain deeply split on the issue, with the centre-left generally supporting it and the centre-right opposed. Pope Francis recently condemned assisted suicide as an unacceptable deviation from medical ethics.

A poll by the SWG research group in 2019 showed 92% of Italians who were asked said they were in favour of allowing assisted suicide and euthanasia. Some 45% said they favoured it generally and 47% were in favour in certain situations.

(Reporting by Angelo Amante; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

© Reuters 2022

U.S. lawmakers seek review of FAA Boeing 737 MAX oversight



By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Two U.S. lawmakers asked the Transportation Department's Office of Inspector General to review the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) oversight over Boeing Co's actions surrounding the 737 MAX jet.

The chair of the House of Representatives Transportation Committee, Peter DeFazio, and Rick Larsen, who chairs a subcommittee on aviation, said the request came after the FAA failed to provide an adequate response to a November letter seeking answers about Boeing actions before two Boeing 737 MAX crashes in five months that killed 346 people and led to the plane's 20-month grounding.


© Reuters/Matt McKnightFILE PHOTO: A Boeing 737 MAX 8 sits outside the hangar during a media tour of the Boeing 737 MAX at the Boeing plant in Renton, Washington

Boeing declined to comment. The FAA did not immediately comment.

Boeing agreed to a deferred prosecution agreement with the Justice Department in January 2021, including the payment of $2.5 billion in fines and compensation stemming from the 737 MAX crashes. Last week, the Justice Department defended the agreement over objections from some victims' relatives.

FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said in a Jan. 24 letter made public Tuesday that because of the Justice Department investigation and work by other reviews, the "FAA did not pursue investigations or actions against individuals within the Boeing Company."

The lawmakers in November had asked the FAA what it had done, if anything, to hold Boeing employees responsible for actions in connection with the MAX.

In October, a former Boeing chief technical pilot was charged with fraud for allegedly deceiving federal regulators evaluating the company's 737 MAX jet. The pilot has pleaded not guilty.

DeFazio has questioned the focus on a single technical pilot, saying in October, "Senior leaders throughout Boeing are responsible for the culture of concealment that ultimately led to the 737 MAX crashes and the death of 346 innocent people."

The lawmakers cited Boeing's apparent violation of its approved 737 MAX type design, as well as evidence of an internal plan to downplay the significance of a key safety system called MCAS tied to both fatal crashes.

The FAA is currently scrutinizing a number of issues involving Boeing airplanes.

(Reporting by David ShepardsonEditing by Chris Reese and Leslie Adler)