Canada police suspend contract with China-linked firm


Thu, December 8, 2022 


Canada's federal police on Thursday suspended a contract with a Beijing-linked firm to supply and maintain police radio equipment -- following a political backlash, the public safety minister's office said.

The half-million dollar contract for a radio frequency filtering system to prevent eavesdropping had gone to Canada's Sinclair Technologies, which is controlled by China's Hytera Communications.

Concerns were raised about potential Chinese access to Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) communications since the Shenzhen-based company -- which has been blacklisted by the United States -- is partly owned by the Chinese government.

"The RCMP has suspended the contract," a spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino told AFP.

When asked about it this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the deal was "disconcerting," given his security agencies' warnings about Chinese espionage and interference in Canadian affairs.

Opposition Tory leader Pierre Poilievre said Wednesday it was an "astonishing" gaffe.

"I mean, it's almost something that you'd expect to be out of a spy novel, but characters in spy novels would never be that incompetent," he commented.

The US Federal Communications Commission banned Hytera in 2021, saying it was among several Chinese firms that pose a national security risk. Huawei is on the same US list, and has been banned by Canada too.

Hytera also faces accusations -- which it denies -- of conspiring to steal trade secrets from American telecommunications company Motorola Solutions.

A key former Hytera director has pleaded guilty to participating in the conspiracy, according to filings released December 7.

amc/tjj

US sues to block Microsoft's blockbuster buyout of gaming giant Activision

Alex PIGMAN
Thu, December 8, 2022 


The US Federal Trade Commission on Thursday sued to block Microsoft's $69 billion buyout of gaming giant Activision Blizzard, maker of the blockbuster "Call of Duty" title, over concerns that it would stifle competition.

The lawsuit marks one of the biggest ever interventions by the US government to stop consolidation in the tech industry and raises significant doubts on the future of the transaction.

"Today we seek to stop Microsoft from gaining control over a leading independent game studio and using it to harm competition in multiple dynamic and fast-growing gaming markets," said Holly Vedova, director of the FTC's Bureau of Competition.

The move by Washington follows an intervention by the European Union, which opened an in-depth probe into the transaction over its concerns that the deal would see Activision Blizzard's popular games become exclusive to Microsoft, the maker of the Xbox console.

Britain has also announced an "in-depth investigation" into Microsoft's planned takeover of Activision, which also produces mobile game "Candy Crush."

In January, Microsoft -- which also makes its own games to be played on PCs and mobile devices -- announced the takeover that would create the world's third-biggest gaming company by revenue.

The FTC said Microsoft had a proven history of buying up smaller gaming companies only to make the games exclusive to Microsoft -- and thus inaccessible to rivals such as Nintendo or Sony.

This would be a significant change for Activision that currently has a strategy of offering their games on a variety of platforms.

Microsoft had earlier this week made moves to satisfy concerns by announcing that it would bring the "Call of Duty" franchise to Nintendo Switch, a rival of Xbox. This followed an earlier decision to make "Call of Duty" available on Sony's PlayStation.

- 'Deal will close' -

"We continue to believe that this deal will expand competition and create more opportunities for gamers and game developers," said Microsoft President Brad Smith in a statement.

"While we believe in giving peace a chance, we have complete confidence in our case and welcome the opportunity to present our case in court."

Bobby Kotick, the head of Activision Blizzard, told company staff that though the lawsuit "sounds alarming...I want to reinforce my confidence that this deal will close."

The allegations "don't align with the facts, and we believe we'll win this challenge," he said.

The FTC is led by Lina Khan, who had been an advocate of breaking up the biggest tech firms before she was nominated by President Joe Biden to the job.

Last year, the FTC refiled a lawsuit accusing Facebook of maintaining an illegal monopoly in social networking, reviving the case two months after it was dismissed by a federal judge.

That lawsuit, which could take years to go through the courts without a settlement, called for the court to order "divestiture of assets," including WhatsApp and Instagram, to restore competition.

A separate US antitrust action has been filed against Google, and Apple and Amazon are also in the crosshairs of antitrust enforcers.

arp/sst

 World Cup 2022: Qatar tournament chief criticised for migrant worker death comments

Death is part of life, says World Cup chief

The chief executive of the Qatar World Cup has been criticised by human rights groups for saying "death is a natural part of life" when asked about a migrant worker's death at the tournament.

Football's world governing body Fifa said it was "deeply saddened" following the death of the worker during the group stages.

In an interview with Reuters, tournament boss Nasser Al Khater said he was "disappointed" at journalists' questions on the matter.

"The Qatari official's comment displays a callous disregard for the migrant worker who has died," Human Rights Watch representative Rothna Begum said.

"His statement that deaths happen and that it's natural when it does, ignores the truth that many migrant worker deaths were preventable."

World Cup 2022: How many migrant workers have died?

World Cup 2022: How has Qatar treated foreign workers?

A Filipino national fell to his death while carrying out repairs at a resort used as a training base by the Saudi Arabian team, The Athletic reported.

Qatar's treatment of migrant workers was one of the main controversies overshadowing the build-up to the World Cup.

The tournament's supreme committee said the worker was "not working under its remit" and the incident took place "on property not under its jurisdiction".

The matter is now being investigated by the Qatari authorities.

Fifa said it had been made aware of an accident and was in touch with the local authorities to request more details.

"This is something you want to talk about right now?" Al Khater said. "I mean, death is a natural part of life, whether it's at work, whether it's in your sleep.

"Of course, a worker died. Our condolences go to his family. However, I mean it is strange that this is something you want to focus on as your first question."

He added: "Look, workers' deaths has been a big subject during the World Cup. Everything that has been said and everything that has been reflected about workers' deaths has been absolutely false.

"This theme, this negativity around the World Cup has been something that we've been faced with.

"We're a bit disappointed that the journalists have been exacerbating this false narrative. And honestly, I think a lot of the journalists have to ask themselves and reflect on why they've been trying to bang on about the subject for so long."

Ella Knight, Amnesty International migrants' labour rights researcher, said: "Unfortunately, Mr Al Khater is mistaken when he says that every fatality is investigated. This is simply not true.

"We and others have been calling on the Qatari authorities to conduct such investigations on workers' deaths for years to no avail.

"Instead, they continue to simply write off vast numbers of deaths as being due to 'natural causes' despite the clear health risks associated with working in extreme temperatures.

"It goes without saying that the Government should be investigating this most recent tragic case, as well as the deaths of all others. Every single family who has lost a loved one as a result of their working conditions in Qatar deserves answers and remedy for their loss."

Human rights organisations and a number of football associations whose countries are involved in the tournament say they will "continue to press" Qatar and Fifa to establish a compensation fund for migrant workers and their families, as well as the establishment of a migrant worker centre in Doha.

San Francisco building officials to investigate Twitter HQ for reported makeshift bedrooms

Story by Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY • 

San Francisco city officials will investigate Twitter headquarters after makeshift bedrooms were reportedly installed in the building.

Forbes reported Twitter employees returned to the company's San Francisco location Monday to see new CEO Elon Musk installed "several" bedrooms on different floors with mattresses, drab curtains and giant conference-room telepresence monitors.

Since the report, the San Francisco Department of Buildings Inspection received a complaint about the headquarters.

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"Several offices at Twitter have apparently been turned into motel rooms for workers to live in, contrary to code," the complaint reads, according to online records.

Patrick Hannan, communications director for the department, said in a statement to USA TODAY the department investigates all complaints and initiates its investigation within the next 72 hours with an on-site inspection.

"We need to make sure the building is being used as intended. There are different building code requirements for residential buildings, including those being used for short-term stays," Hannan said. "These codes make sure people are using spaces safely. Everyone in San Francisco deserves a safe place to live, work, play and sleep and no one is above the law."

Hannan added if investigators find the building does not meet code, they will issue a notice of violation.

'Twitter files': Emails reveal internal struggle on handling of Hunter Biden laptop

Elon Musk and Apple: Elon Musk says he met with Apple's Tim Cook, issue with Twitter 'resolved'

The investigation comes weeks after Musk told Twitter employees they "will need to be extremely hardcore" and work long hours in a high-intensity environment if they wanted to continue to be part of the social media company.

On Nov. 1, Twitter product manager Esther Crawford shared a photo of what appeared to be her sleeping at the company's headquarters, tweeting, "When your team is pushing round the clock to make deadlines sometimes you #SleepWhereYouWork." Musk said in a now deleted tweet in November he would be sleeping at the Twitter headquarters "until the org is fixed," Insider previously reported.



In this file photo taken on October 28, 2022, the Twitter logo outside their headquarters in San Francisco, California.© CONSTANZA HEVIA, AFP via Getty Images

Musk responded to the report of the building inspection on Twitter Tuesday, saying the city has incorrect priorities and "attacks companies providing beds for tired employees" while tagging San Francisco Mayor London Breed.

Elon Musk turns Twitter into 'hotel' for staff

Published

By James Clayton & Ben Derico

BBC News, San Francisco

The BBC has been given photos of Twitter office space that has been converted into bedrooms, which San Francisco authorities are probing as a possible building code violation.

One image shows a room with a double bed, including a wardrobe and slippers.

An ex-worker said new Twitter boss Elon Musk has been staying at the headquarters since he bought the firm.

He last month emailed all Twitter staff saying they "will need to be extremely hardcore" to succeed.

San Francisco's Department of Building Inspection has confirmed it is investigating potential violations following a complaint.

Mr Musk said the city was attacking companies for providing beds to "tired employees".

In a now-deleted tweet, Mr Musk posted that he would work and sleep in the office "until the org is fixed".

The BBC has also been given pictures of sofas at Twitter being used as beds.

Another conference room has an alarm clock, and a picture placed over a made-up bed.

Image caption,

Former staff say wardrobes have been moved into Twitter's HQ

"It looks like a hotel room," said one former worker. They went on to say that Mr Musk regularly sleeps at the Twitter HQ in San Francisco.

Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the BBC.

Last month Mr Musk - who completed his Twitter takeover in October - emailed all staff at the company saying they would need to work "long hours at high intensity".

"Only exceptional performance will constitute a passing grade," he wrote.

• How to nap successfully at work

California state senator Scott Wiener told the BBC on Wednesday: "He's now making them [workers] sleep at Twitter.

"It's clear that he doesn't really care about people. He doesn't care about the people who work for him."

A Department of Building Inspection official told the BBC's US partner CBS News: 'We need to make sure the building is being used as intended."

Image caption,

Two sofas with bedding on them

In a reply to a journalist on Twitter, Mr Musk posted that the city should prioritise protecting children from the consequences of opioid drug misuse.

'Office armchairs'

Forbes broke the story of "sad little conference-room sleeping quarters at the company's recently depopulated headquarters", noting it was an apparent improvement on the improvised sleeping-bag-on-the-floor arrangement posted on Twitter by one employee.

The bedrooms, Bloomberg reported, are also said to accommodate staff from Tesla and other Musk-owned businesses brought in to work at Twitter, "some of whom travel to Twitter for work meetings", sources told the publication.

Department of Building Inspection official Patrick Hannan told the San Francisco Chronicle it investigated all complaints and there were different rules for residential buildings, even those used for short-term stays.

In May 2020, before Mr Musk's takeover, Twitter told employees they could work from home "forever" if they so wished because its remote-working measures during Covid lockdowns had been a success.

Last month Mr Musk said remote working would end.

'Keeping it fresh': Greek growers use nature to clean crops

By: AFP
Published: 8 Dec, 2022



Beneath a cluster of plane trees, the crystal clear waters of a stream are mustered by Greek farmers to rinse their leek crop, a time-honoured tradition that saves money and reduces its carbon footprint.

"(The water) keeps the leeks live and fresh...and it saves us using tap water to rinse them at home," explains 48-year-old grower Costas Antoniou.

The source of the stream is just 500 metres from his village of Dorothea in the region of Pella, northern Greece.

"We learned this method from our grandparents and it is what the next generation will continue to do," he said.

Tied together in clumps with string and plastic tape, the freshly picked leeks will spend six to 12 hours in the slow-moving stream.

After that, their brushy roots -- known locally as 'moustaches' -- are mud-free and the crop is ready to market.

Dorothea, which has a population of about 500 people, has an annual leek production of some 1,600 tonnes from smallholders.

Entire families are involved in the crop from the ages of 20 to 75, says Antoniou, who is also the village chairman.

Each plant must be uprooted and cleaned by hand and tied before it can be driven to the river by truck, he said.

"It's an arduous task that requires many people. Here, the job is easier and the results are even better than from the vegetable washing machines used by large producers," says Evangelia Papadopoulou, whose family has grown leeks for the past three decades.

"The entire village gathers here," adds the 49-year-old. "This is where we work, gossip and bicker."

Using the river also avoids the stiff expense to run machines to wash the leeks.

Care is also taken to ensure the leeks don't pollute the stream, with organic pesticides and manure as fertiliser.

"We drink this water without fear," says local villager and fellow leek grower Ilias Kampadakis, 62.

The water quality is regularly tested at a trout farm downstream.

Industry lobbies against biodiversity goals: research

Roland LLOYD PARRY
Thu, December 8, 2022 


Lobbyists for pesticide and fertiliser producers are pushing "behind the scenes" against stronger protection for species and ecosystems at the COP15 biodiversity conference, research showed Thursday.

Delegates in Montreal for the meeting, which started this week and runs until December 19, aim to finalise a new framework for "living in harmony with nature", with key goals to preserve Earth's forests, oceans and species.

InfluenceMap, a think tank that monitors communications by companies and industry associations, said it "tracked lobbying between 2020 and 2022 that has sought to weaken both the targets themselves and steps toward their implementation in the EU and the US.

"As COP15 gets underway to finalise new biodiversity goals, major industry lobbyists are working behind the scenes to try to water down policy ambition," said the author of the research, InfluenceMap program manager Rebecca Vaughan.

"We've tracked efforts from industry associations representing some of the world's biggest pesticide and fertiliser producers... strongly resisting global and EU targets for reducing the use of biodiversity-harming agrichemicals."

It tracked submissions they made to the secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and communications obtained through Freedom of Information requests.

Examples included the International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA), which the report said opposed targets for reducing losses of nutrients linked to crop production.

- 'Constructive dialogues' -

The director general of the IFA, Alzbeta Klein, said: "This report misrepresents the activities of the fertiliser industry in the area of biodiversity and in particular, the adoption of global targets.

"The industry recognizes the critical importance of biodiversity protection for the well-being of people and the future of the planet, and is mindful of its role and responsibility in helping to avoid and reverse global biodiversity losses," she told AFP.

The IFA said in a separate statement that it was "actively involved" in the CBD negotiations by providing expertise and information on agricultural practices to set a "realistic, achievable" target on sustainable resource management.

One of the companies named in the report, German chemicals giant BASF, said it took part in "constructive dialogues" at the request of policymakers, advising on ways to limit environmental impact and aid biodiversity.

"BASF supports the preservation of ecosystems and promotes the sustainable use of natural resources," a BASF communications executive, Christian Zeintl, told AFP.

"We believe that crop protection can go hand in hand with biodiversity in agriculture."

- 'Corporate capture' -

The InfluenceMap report also pointed to fishery lobby groups that oppose one of COP15's headline initiatives: to protect 30 percent of the world's land and oceans by 2030.

A previous InfluenceMap study in October documented cases of oil associations lobbying against protection for threatened species such as some bees, seals and polar bears.

The head of the CBD Elizabeth Mrema said at a briefing in November that the majority of people registering for COP15 were non-government "stakeholders, including the business and financial institutions.

"This clearly indicates the awareness of the private sector of their role of also contributing to actions to reduce the loss of biodiversity," she said.

Friends of the Earth issued a report on "corporate capture" at COP15, arguing that "the participation of big business in the CBD reveals a fundamental conflict of interest.

"The impact of corporate influence on the CBD COP15 can already be seen in the draft Global Biodiversity Framework," it said.

"Far from being transformative, it fails to address unsustainable production methods and allows for 'business as usual'".

rlp/klm/jj

COP15

'Half of the forests and coral reefs are gone, 80% of wetlands, 1m species on brink of extinction'

Issued on: 08/12/2022

05:43
Video by: Mark OWEN

UN biodiversity talks kicked off this week in Montreal, in what is being billed as the "last best chance" to save the planet's species and ecosystems from irreversible human destruction. It's a high-stakes summit calling for a "peace pact with nature." Delegates from across the world are gathering for the December 7-19 meeting to try to hammer out a new deal for nature that involves a 10-year framework aimed at saving Earth's forests, oceans and species. For more on the UN biodiversity conference, FRANCE 24 is joined by WWF Spokesperson Marco Lambertini.

Biodiversity: Ocean 'dead zones' are proliferating

A green sea turtle swims near Gorgona Island in the Pacific Ocean off the southwestern Colombian coast, on December 2, 2021. © AFP file

Text by: Lou ROMÉO
Issued on: 08/12/2022 - 

As the UN’s COP15 talks on biodiversity got under way in Montreal on Wednesday, FRANCE 24 spoke to marine biologist Françoise Gaill about marine “dead zones” and their link to global warming.

One of the main goals of the 15th UN conference on biodiversity, known as the COP15, is to ensure the protection of 30 percent of all marine ecosystems on the planet. Though conservation efforts are often focused on the species found on land, oceans and seas are home to a wide range of species whose survival is threatened by several factors.

An ongoing decrease in oxygen levels underwater is an important component of the loss of marine life. More than 400 "dead zones" – where aquatic life can no longer survive – existed in the world’s oceans in 2007, according to a study led by a scientist at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, compared to 150 in 2003.

Deprived of essential oxygen, these marine areas span 245,000 square kilometres and threaten vertebrate animals, with more than a third of marine mammals affected. The phenomenon has been ongoing since the 1980s and is proliferating, while research on the subject lags behind.

>> COP15: UN biodiversity talks billed as 'last chance' for nature

Françoise Gaill, a French marine biologist and vice president of the Ocean & Climate Platform, who is also a scientific adviser at France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), spoke to FRANCE 24.

FRANCE 24: What is a dead zone?

Françoise Gaill: 

Dead zones are hypoxic areas in the ocean, where the concentration of oxygen is below the norm. This can mean a decrease of up to 20 percent, which is already quite significant, but can reach up to a 50 percent drop in oxygen levels.

The lack of oxygen occurs in the ocean’s surface areas, between 50 and 400 metres deep. The shallowest waters are generally less affected since they have more contact with the air and therefore benefit from oxygenation, which is less available in deep water.

Dead zones are mostly found off the coast of the Americas, from California to Chile. West Africa is also affected, as is the western part of Indonesia in the Indian Ocean.

Although they mostly hug coastlines, we are starting to see some dead zones stretch from the Americas into the middle of the Pacific, far from the shore.

What consequences do these zones have on the planet’s biodiversity?

A lack of oxygen in the water causes a change in environment, which will naturally have an impact on marine biodiversity.

When oxygen levels are reduced, fish – who need it to breathe – may experience hypoxia and are at risk of death. If they survive, they will migrate to areas with higher oxygen levels, which affects the ecosystem at large and takes a toll on local biodiversity.

Animals like crabs and shellfish, which can’t escape from these areas as quickly, can die of suffocation. Some dead zones have even been identified after heaps of dead carcasses were found scattered across beaches.

All animals need oxygen to live, and therefore all animals are affected. Plants less so, since they are less dependent on oxygen.

What causes dead zones?

Dead zones are a naturally occurring phenomenon. Some areas are less oxygenated than others due to ocean currents, but it’s normally quite rare to come across.

At first we thought that the proliferation of these zones was caused by human activity in a process called eutrophication, when organic matter like agricultural products or fertilisers enter a body of water, leading to an increase in planktonic organisms. The organisms multiply until they exhaust the oxygen available in the environment.

But over the last 10 years, we’ve realised that human activity isn’t the only cause of declining oxygen levels. Global warming also plays a role; there is a correlation.

The rising number and amplitude of dead zones goes hand in hand with climate change. Although dead zones are mostly coastal, some now extend into open waters – indicating that falling oxygen levels are not only due to agricultural run-off. Global warming causes water temperatures to rise, and oxygen does not dissolve as well in warm water.

Will ‘dead zones’ remain dead forever?

No, not at all. It’s a dynamic phenomenon. Oxygen levels can be replenished by underwater currents or intense weather events such as storms.

Dead zones are therefore not permanent, but there is a probability they will form again in the same place due to local currents. It’s also possible to limit the impact of human activity by reducing the amount of agricultural discharge dumped into waters.

But the correlation with climate change changes things. A consequence of rising seawater temperatures is that marine currents could be stalled, making these zones “watertight” and preventing them from mixing and therefore reoxygenating.

So dead zones must be monitored for the sake of biodiversity, the fishing industry and even tourists. While it’s relatively simple to reduce the amount of discharge going into our oceans – by limiting agricultural waste, for example – global warming isn’t as reversible.

These dead zones will keep proliferating if nothing is done to curb climate change, which requires cutting back greenhouse gas emissions and limiting global warming to a maximum of 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius.

This article is a translated version of the original in French.

ECOCIDE

'ECOLOGICAL CORRIDOR'

'Big crime': Pleas for wartime protection of Black Sea

Author: AFP|Update: 08.12.2022 


Researchers worry that Russia's war on Ukraine is also wiping out dolphins and Black Sea marine life / © AFP

One of Turkey's most influential marine biologists is pleading for the creation of an "ecological corridor" to save dolphins and other sea creatures from destruction during Russia's war on Ukraine.

Bayram Ozturk spoke to AFP one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of waging an "ecocide" that was devastating marine life across the Black Sea -- shared by Turkey on its southern end.

The war in Ukraine is currently casting a shadow over a United Nations biodiversity conference that kicked off this week in Montreal.

Russia has pushed back hard against allegations levelled in Montreal by a group of Western nations that its nearly 10-month invasion was creating an environmental disaster across the region.

Ozturk wholeheartedly agrees.

The head of the Turkish Marine Research Foundation wants the world to take a closer look at just how much damage has already been done.

"We need international surveillance. We need to know what is happening exactly," he said in a telephone interview.

"This is a big crime against nature," Ozturk said of the war's impact on the Black Sea.

His biggest immediate worry is that fighting this winter will interrupt the natural migration period of dolphins across the Black Sea.

"There should be an ecological corridor starting from the Danube River to the Odessa area, where there's a highly concentrated dolphins population," he said of a region near Ukraine's southwestern border with Romania.

"War should be stopped there for at least two or three months between January and April, during the dolphins migration period."

- 'They feel useless' -

The fate of dolphins is one of the most emotive issues on the conflict's environmental front.

Zelensky presented a Ukrainian report suggesting that at least 50,000 dolphins -- or a fifth of their estimated Black Sea population -- had died as a direct consequence of the war.

Ozturk said a lack of real research and the war's raging impact made it impossible to estimate the true number of dead dolphins in the sea.

He put the number in "at least the hundreds" -- many of them victims of the low-frequency sonars emitted by Russian warships and submarines.

"Dolphins suffer acoustic trauma because of the low-frequency sonars. It damages their orientation system and they get stranded," he said.

But "other species deserve protection as well, not only dolphins," Ozturk stressed.

"The ecosystem is a whole. You cannot protect one species and not another one."

Ozturk's foundation will organise a Black Sea conference in Istanbul on Friday at which he will continue exchanging ideas with colleagues from the sea's other lateral states.

But some of his most intriguing exchanges have come with scientists from Russia -- a nation increasingly cut off from the Western world.

"They are very cooperative and they feel ashamed about what is going on but they all say they cannot do anything," he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Wednesday that his invasion -- initially planned to be completed in just days -- might turn into a "lengthy process".

Ozturk worries that an even more protracted conflict might leave little for the international community to save the day the war finally ends.

"If you kill everything, not only dolphins but also fish and all the coastal habitat for fish, invertebrates, birds -- who will be held to account?" he asked.

"How can the Ukrainians and others be compensated for the ecological damage? Someone should be called to account."

KAFKAESQUE

Lebanon detainees stuck in limbo as judges’ strike drags on

This file photo taken on August 30, 2022, shows an empty court room in Lebanon’s Justice Palace in the capital Beirut. (AFP)

AFP
December 08, 2022

Judges have suspended their work as rampant inflation eats away at their salaries, paralysing the judiciary and leaving detainees in limbo

Bureaucracy and rampant corruption have long delayed verdicts and judicial proceedings in Lebanon

BEIRUT:

 Taxi driver Youssef Daher has languished for months in prison without charge, one of scores stuck after Lebanese judges launched an open-ended strike in August to demand better wages in a collapsed economy.

Judges have suspended their work as rampant inflation eats away at their salaries, paralysing the judiciary and leaving detainees in limbo — the latest outcome of Lebanon’s years-long financial crisis.

From his jail cell in the northern city of Tripoli, Daher sends daily messages to his lawyer asking him whether judges have ended what is already the longest strike for their profession in Lebanese history.

“My family lost their sole breadwinner and must now rely on aid to survive,” he told AFP.
Daher has not seen his wife and three children since he was arrested eight months ago because they cannot afford transportation to get to the prison, he said.

Security forces arrested Daher after he gave a ride to a passenger accused of kidnapping — unbeknownst to him, he said.

Authorities did not press charges against Daher after questioning, so his lawyer requested his release. Then judges began their strike.

His request has been pending ever since.

Bureaucracy and rampant corruption have long delayed verdicts and judicial proceedings in Lebanon, where 8,000 people are estimated to be jailed, most of them awaiting a verdict.

But now, underfunded public institutions have taken a hit after the country’s economy went into free-fall in 2019, with basic state services like renewing passports or completing a real estate transaction often taking months to complete.

Although judges’ salaries are expected to triple as part of Lebanon’s 2022 budget, their wages are currently worth only around $160 on average due to soaring inflation.

“How can a judge live with his family on such a salary?” one striker asked, adding that some of his colleagues with chronic illnesses could no longer afford medication.

“Judges were forced to launch this strike because their financial situation has become unbearable,” he said.

Judges who spoke to AFP said they also wanted better working conditions as they had been forced to toil without electricity or running water and buy their own office supplies like pens and paper.

Lebanon’s state electricity provider produces an hour of daily power on average, forcing residents to rely on private generators that public institutions often cannot afford.
The judges’ strike has compounded an already bleak reality for detainees, many of whom spend months or years awaiting a verdict.

Lawyer Jocelyn Al-Rai said her client, a Syrian youth, was arrested two months ago on drug trafficking charges without a warrant and has yet to face questioning, because the public prosecutor’s office has stopped working.

Despite the strike, certain courts continue to function.

In Beirut on Thursday, a criminal court sentenced Hassan Dekko, a man known as the “Captagon King,” to seven years in prison with hard labor for producing and trafficking the stimulant, a judicial source said. Dekko had been arrested in April last year.

Yet the judges’ strike is also contributing to overcrowding in the already cramped prisons, stretching detention facilities that have seen increasing numbers of escape attempts, a source at the Palace of Justice in the Beirut suburb of Baabda told AFP.

“About 350 people used to be released from prison every month... that number has now been reduced to about 25,” said the source, adding that most are released after “mediators intervene with the judge handling the case.”

About 13 inmates who completed their sentences two and a half months ago have been stuck in the Palace of Justice’s cells because criminal courts have not met to sign off their release, he added.

A judicial source who declined to be named said detainees were bearing the brunt of the strike’s knock-on effects.

“Judges have a right to a decent life,” he said, but “detainees are also suffering from injustice, even those whose only crime was stealing a loaf of bread.”

'Black Book of Pushbacks': 'Culture of impunity' across Europe over violence against migrants'

Issued on: 08/12/2022 

01:58

Video by: Yuka ROYER

As EU ministers discuss whether to allow the bloc's newest members into the Schengen zone, a coalition of NGOs has published a report detailing how thousands of migrants and asylum seekers are facing an "unprecedented rise in violence" at the EU's border. The 3000-plus page "Black Book of Pushbacks", compiled by the Border Violence Monitoring Network, says the documented cases of violence are not sporadic actions - that they stem from "Europe-wide systems that have been reinforced from the very top".