France braces for pension reform strikes

Published

IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS

Image caption,

A suburban train at the Saint-Lazare train station in Paris on Monday evening

By Hugh Schofield and Emily McGarvey

in Paris and London

France is set for disruption to transport and public services, as unions protest against plans to raise the pension age from 62 to 64.

Most train and metro services are cancelled on Tuesday, and many schools will be closed.

It is the sixth day of strikes and protests since mid-January, and unions say it will be the biggest yet.

More than one million people are expected at demonstrations in Paris and other cities.

With the government showing no sign of backing down on its pension plan, one union leader has said there is talk is of escalation and "bringing the country to its knees".

In the days ahead, there will be calls to extend the strikes in key sectors like power generation and gas terminals.

So far, for all the noise and sporadic disruption, the campaign has caused little damage to the economy, and in the meantime the bill is proceeding through parliament.

Unions and the left know time is running out before the reform becomes a fait accompli - which is all the more reason for them to up the pressure now.

• French plan to raise pension age by two years to 64
• One million join French retirement age protests
• French protests intensify against pension age rise

The majority of French citizens back the ongoing strikes against President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform, a poll by French survey group Elabe suggests.

According to the opinion poll, 56% of people support rolling strikes and 59% back the call to bring the country to a standstill.

Two-thirds of people support the protest movement against the government's planned pension reforms in general, the poll indicates.

President Macron has called the reform "essential" because of deficits forecast for France's pension system over the next 25 years, according to analysis by the independent Pensions Advisory Council.

Government spokesman Olivier Véran told France 2: "We don't want French people to be, quote, unquote, 'victims' of a long-term blockade."

Last week, he warned that the strikes could lead to an "ecological, agricultural and health catastrophe".

More than 260 demonstrations are expected across France on Tuesday, with up to 1.4 million people expected to attend, a police source told AFP news agency on condition of anonymity.

Neighbouring European economies have already raised the retirement age to 65 or above to reflect longer life expectancy.

1st Kazakh-Canadian Mining Forum takes place in Toronto

7 March 2023,

 

Фото: invest.gov.kz

ASTANA. KAZINFORM The Kazakh-Canadian Business Forum «New Horizons of Cooperation in Mining» was held in Toronto with the participation of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Almas Aidarov. The forum discussed new horizons of cooperation in the mining industry, Kazinform learnt from the press service of the KAZAKH INVEST National Company JSC.

The event was organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Canada and KAZAKH INVEST with the support of the Canadian company «Hatch» within the framework of the largest international miners and prospectors conference «PDAC-2023».

The business forum was attended by representatives of government bodies, and business associations, as well as top managers of leading Canadian companies such as Hatch, CAMECO Corporation, B2Gold, Arras Minerals, Nutrien, Teck Resources Limited, Ion Energy, and others. In total, about 150 delegates participated in the forum.

The trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Canada in 2022 amounted to 838.6 billion dollars, which is 69.2% higher than for the same period last year. Since 2011, the inflow of direct investments from Canada to the economy of Kazakhstan amounted to about 2.7 billion dollars.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Almas Aidarov noted in his speech that Kazakhstan highly values long-term cooperation with Canada, based on strong bonds of friendship, shared values and mutual support. According to him, Kazakhstan is today the largest trade and investment partner of Canada in Central Asia. He emphasized that this event should become an excellent tool for exchanging experience and developing cooperation in the important mining sector of the economy for both countries.

Senator of the Parliament of Canada Victor Oh and Vice-Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan Iran Sharhan, in their welcoming addresses to forum participants, expressed the common desire of both sides to expand investment cooperation.

The President of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, Rocco Rossi, noted the great potential for the development of bilateral relations and emphasized that large Canadian companies are showing increasing interest in implementing investment projects in Kazakhstan.

Deputy Chairman of the Board of KAZAKH INVEST National Company Zhandos Temirgali, in his speech, spoke about the investment opportunities provided by Kazakhstan, as well as measures of state support.

«Kazakhstan and Canada have a lot in common, including climate, multicultural society, and, importantly, the structure of the economy. Over the past decade, the inflow of direct investments from Canada to Kazakhstan has amounted to about 2 billion dollars. Currently, the pool of joint projects with the Canadian side consists of 11 projects worth a total of 1.4 billion dollars in such industries as mining and metallurgy, energy, agriculture, engineering, and others. There is a huge potential for expanding cooperation in the development of strategic mineral deposits necessary for the creation of high-tech industries,» said Zhandos Temirgali.

During the forum, the Chairman of the Committee of Geology of the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Yerlan Akbarov, also spoke about promising investment directions in mining and metallurgy.

«Kazakhstan provides a wide field of activity for companies that possess modern technologies and are ready to create mining and processing industries. Government has done a great deal of work to improve legislation, as well as to search for promising deposits in the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan» - stated Erlan Akbarov.

The panel sessions of the forum were attended by the Chairman of the Board of Qazaq Geophysics, Bekassyl Aukeshev, the Chairman of the Board of Grey Wolf Management, Kanat Kudaibergen, and the Chairman of the Board of National Mining Company «Tau-Ken Samruk», Bakhyt Chirchikbayev.

Speakers from the Canadian side included Managing Director of Hatch Advisory, Markus Rebmann, Vice President of Cameco, Caroline Gorsalitz, President of Arras Minerals, Darren Klinck, President of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, Rocco Rossi, Managing Director of Hatch Africa, Europe and the Middle East, Nico Smit, and Head of the Natural Resources Department of the EBRD, Natalia Lacorzana.

Speaking at the event, Canadian speakers highly appreciated the potential of Kazakhstan's mining industry, noting the country's key importance as an investment partner in the region.

As part of the forum, a number of bilateral documents were also signed, including memorandums signed by LLP «Corporation Kazakhmys» with First Quantum for joint implementation of geological exploration projects in Kazakhstan, and with Bureau Veritas for the creation of an international geochemical laboratory in Kazakhstan, among others.

No production or accumulation of high enriched uranium in Iran: IAEA chief
CGTN

No "production" or "accumulation" of high enriched uranium has been found by the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) inspectors in Iran, said Rafael Grossi, the agency's director general, on Monday.

Grossi made the statement on the sidelines of an IAEA Board of Governors meeting, following a report by Bloomberg on February 19 claiming that the IAEA inspectors in Iran had detected particles of uranium enriched to levels "just below that needed for a nuclear weapon."

Iranian authorities have rejected such reports in the past few days, underlining the peaceful goals of its nuclear program.

Addressing the IAEA Board of Governors earlier on Monday, Grossi confirmed that particles of uranium "well beyond the enrichment level declared by Iran" had been found at the Fordow plant in January. The agency and Iran have now initiated technical discussions to clarify this issue, he added.

Nevertheless, Grossi said at the press conference that "it is true that certain oscillations are possible in this type of cascade, so you may have readings higher than the expected levels from the operator."

The IAEA chief visited Tehran on Friday and Saturday, and met with high-level Iranian officials including President Ebrahim Raisi.

According to a joint statement released after Grossi's visit, Iran has agreed to allow the United Nations nuclear watchdog to "implement further appropriate verification and monitoring activities," and the two sides have pledged to enhance cooperation to resolve the outstanding safeguards issues.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency

 

European experts question unusual silence over Nord Stream blasts

Xinhua, March 7, 2023

Despite their own heavy losses, European countries -- especially Germany -- have unanimously kept silent over the blasts that destroyed the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines last September and subsequent investigations.

Since veteran investigative journalist Seymour Hersh exposed the U.S. Navy's involvement in the explosions on the U.S. portal Substack last month, more and more experts have questioned Europe's atypical, collective silence.

According to Hersh, a U.S. Pulitzer Prize winner, the U.S. Navy divers last June planted the remotely triggered explosives that destroyed three of the four Nord Stream pipelines months later.

Europe's largest economy, Germany, has been particularly affected by the energy crisis due to the end of gas supplies from Russia. However, the country's government, like its allies, has refrained from talking about the explosions in public.

A German government spokesperson refused to comment on Hersh's article at Xinhua's request at a press conference last month. At the same time, German media have widely moved to discredit Hersh's article.

Once proven that the pipelines were indeed blasted by the United States, it would overturn the European public's recognition of the current narratives by the West, which claimed that European infrastructure was "under the threat of Russia," said Li Xing, professor of development and international relations at Denmark's Aalborg University.

That the U.S. Navy was involved in the Nord Stream pipelines explosions last year, as discovered by Hersh, was an "economic war" against its submissive allies in Europe, Jan Oberg, a Swedish expert, told Xinhua in an interview.

"One must wonder when the Europeans will wake up and finally understand that they no longer share interests with the U.S.," stressed Oberg, director of the Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research.

Croatian security expert Mirko Vukobratovic told Xinhua that the alleged involvement of the U.S. Navy in the September 2022 Nord Stream explosions was "not impossible."

The United States has the most to gain from the destruction of the pipelines, Josep Puigsech, a Spanish political expert at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, told Xinhua.

"I increasingly believe that the incident that led to the breaking of the gas pipeline was the result of an action by the United States," Puigsech said.

Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation.
ChinaNews App Download

THE COMPANY YOU KEEP

Fugees star to stand trial for trying to help China extradite dissident from US

Pras Michel, who may call Obama and Trump as witnesses, is charged with acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government

By Roland Oliphant, 

SENIOR FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT

6 March 2023 • 

Pras Michel is charged with acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government CREDIT: Johnny Nunez/WireImage

A singer in one of the most famous hip-hop groups of the 1990s will stand trial for allegedly attempting to get a Chinese dissident deported from America in return for millions of dollars.

Pras Michel, a double Grammy award-winning singer with the Fugees, has been charged with acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government.

Mr Michel, who co-founded the Fugees in 1992 with friends Lauren Hill and Wyclef Jean, denies multiple charges related to alleged secret lobbying and channelling illegal foreign donations to electoral campaigns.

The trial is set to shine a light on a bizarre nexus of Hollywood royalty, America's political elite, and high stakes diplomacy.

His defence lawyer, David Kenner, has said he may call Donald Trump and Barack Obama as witnesses.

The government has said it may call Leonardo Dicaprio.

The case centres on Mr Michel’s relationship with Jho Low, a fugitive Malaysian billionaire who in the 2000s cultivated friendships with A-list celebrities including Mr DiCaprio, Kim Kardashian, and the supermodel Miranda Kerr.

Mr Low was later investigated by US authorities over the alleged embezzlement of billions from Malaysia’s 1MDB sovereign wealth fund.

Jho Low has been investigated by US authorities over the alleged embezzlement of billions from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund 

CREDIT: Stuart Ramson/AP

Mr Dicaprio, who developed a close relationship with Mr Low after meeting him in a nightclub in 2010, was grilled by the FBI about his ties to Mr Low during the investigation according to details reported by Bloomberg last week. According to a 2018 New York Times report Mr Dicaprio returned gifts he had received from Mr Low to the authorities.

US prosecutors said in a 2018 filing that Mr Low and two associates "conspired to launder" more than $2.7bn from the fund through the US financial system, and used this money to pay bribes and "for the personal benefit of themselves and their relatives".

The scandal triggered investigations in six countries and contributed to the downfall of Najib Razak, the Malaysian prime minister, in 2018.

In 2019, Mr Michel and Jho Low were charged with steering illegal donations to Mr Obama's 2012 presidential election campaign. Mr Obama has not commented on the case.

Mr Low was accused of transferring approximately $21.6 million from foreign entities and accounts to Mr Michel between June and November 2012. It is a crime in the United States for foreign nationals to make political contributions in federal, state or local elections.

But in 2021 a Federal Grand Jury landed fresh charges on the pair, accusing them of orchestrating twin influence campaigns to block the investigation into Mr Low and secure the deportation of Guo Wengui, below, an exiled billionaire, to China.

Pras Michel and Jho Low are accused of of orchestrating twin influence campaigns to block an investigation into Mr Low and secure the deportation of Guo Wengui, pictured, to China 

CREDIT: Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images

Investigators say Mr Michel, Nickie Lum Davis, a TV producer, and Elliott Broidy, a Republican fundraiser from California, were paid millions of dollars to pursue the undisclosed campaign.

Unlike the other celebrities, Mr Michel sought to establish a more political career after his time in entertainment, and had begun campaigning on social-justice issues.

Bloomberg Businessweek reported Mr Low initially asked Mr Michel for help finding persuading the newly elected Trump administration to block the 1MDB investigation in 2016.

Mr Low then introduced the trio to Sun Lijun, China’s vice minister of public security, who wanted help persuading the Trump administration to deport Mr Guo, who had angered Beijing by publicly accusing senior officials and tycoons of corruption, Bloomberg reported.

Mr Guo is himself wanted in China on corruption and fraud charges, which he denies. Mr Sun told the three that China was willing to make several concessions, including releasing several US citizens it was holding, in exchange for Mr Guo.

The team accepted the task and attempted but failed to arrange meetings with Donald Trump and Jeff Sessions, then the US attorney general, according to the report.
'Way above my pay grade'

The arrangement made the retired rapper an unusual point man in a high-stake diplomatic game, according to the Bloomberg report.

At one point, it said Mr Michel was summoned to a late-night meeting with Mr Sun at the Four Seasons hotel in Manhattan.

Mr Sun, frustrated that he had failed to secure a high-level meeting with Mr Sessions, asked Mr Michel for advice - and mentioned the Chinese government was prepared to release two US nationals, one pregnant, who were being held against their will, it said.

Mr Michel reportedly replied: “This is way above my pay grade. But if I were you, I would at least send the pregnant woman back as a token of good faith.”

The woman, who has not been named, was reportedly released the following week.

Mr Guo remains in the United States. Mr Low is believed to be living in hiding in China.

Mr Michel is the only one of the three to fight the charges.

Mr Broidy pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act in October 2020. He was pardoned by Mr Trump three months later.

Ms Lum Davis pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act and was sentenced to two years in prison.

IDF soldiers seen dancing with settlers in flashpoint West Bank town of Huwara

Clashes between settlers, Palestinians reported on Purim more than a week after rampage in city; several said injured, including 2 year old; IDF opens probe into dancing troops

By EMANUEL FABIAN and TOI STAFFToday, 4:41 am  

Settlers celebrating Purim are seen dancing with IDF troops in the West Bank town of Huwara, March 6, 2023. (Screenshot/Twitter; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Israeli soldiers were filmed dancing with settlers in the West Bank town of Huwara on Monday night, over a week after dozens of Israeli settlers rampaged violently for hours in the town in what a top Israeli general later said was a “pogrom”.

The town has been on edge amid increased Israeli military presence following the Israeli settlers’ attack on February 26, which came hours after Palestinian gunmen opened fire on an Israeli vehicle driving through the town, killing two brothers inside.

On Monday night, a video shared on social media showed settlers celebrating the Purim holiday in Huwara, with some soldiers joining them in a dance.

The Israel Defense Forces said it would open a probe into the incident, adding that the conduct of the soldiers in the video was “not consistent with what is expected of fighters in operational activity.”

Clashes between settlers and Palestinians in the town were also reported late Monday with a number of locals said to be wounded. Both Israeli settlers and Palestinians also reported that their cars were attacked with stones as they drove through the main road in the flashpoint northern West Bank town.

The Yesh Din rights group said four Palestinians were rushed to the hospital for medical treatment after being attacked by settler rioters, who were filmed hurling rocks and smashing car windows and storefronts on Monday night. Among those injured was a two-year-old girl who was pepper sprayed by a settler who doused her family with mace while they sat inside their car.

The Palestinian Authority’s official news agency Wafa said one settler fired a gun at a Palestinian-owned car in Huwara, without causing injuries.

Yesh Din said that IDF soldiers were at the scene during the time of the attack and did not act to stop the settlers. Later, they did use riot dispersal measures to scatter the Palestinians who had gathered to push back the settlers.

“The pogroms in Huwara have continued, this time as part of the settlers’ Purim holiday celebrations. This all takes place under the auspices of the government and the lack of action by law enforcement agencies,” Yesh Din said.

In a statement, the IDF said “a number of gatherings developed” in Huwara on Monday, some of which there was “violent friction between Palestinians and Israeli citizens.”

“IDF and Border Police forces acted to disperse the incidents, using riot dispersal means,” the IDF said, adding that “all gatherings were dispersed.”

The settler response appeared to have followed stoning attacks by Palestinians on several cars with Israeli license plates. Israeli medics said at least three vehicles were hit but that no motorists were injured.

These clashes came just over a week after hundreds of settlers ransacked the town, torching homes, firebombing dozens of vehicles, and shattering store-fronts with stones in a rampage that killed one in unclear circumstances and injured over 100.

Footage taken after the attacks showed a group of Israelis dancing in Huwara with IDF soldiers.

Earlier Monday, the Central District Court reduced the administrative detention for two individuals held on suspicion of involvement in last week’s settler rampage of Huwara.

The detention of a 17-year-old was shortened Monday from four months to less than two. A day earlier, the same court shortened the detention order of the second suspect, 29-year-old David Chai Chasdai, from four months to three.

The IDF arrested 16 suspects after the Huwara riot. All but the two in administrative detention have been released.

The controversial practice of administrative detention allows individuals to be held without charge practically indefinitely, and the evidence against them to be withheld. Israel currently holds 967 Palestinians in administrative detention. Israeli detainees are in the single digits.

HALT ISRAEL ATTACKS ON SYRIA

To really help Syrian and Turkish earthquake survivors, we must be in it for the long haul

Only a month has passed since the February 6 tragedy but the news cycle is turning and the world is gradually focusing on other developments

THE NATIONAL
EDITORIAL

Emine Onal cries by the grave of her daughter, who was killed in the earthquake 15 days after having started her first job as a nurse in a Turkish state hospital. Reuters

It was 80 seconds of terror. In less than a minute and a half, the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the Turkey-Syria border on February 6 changed millions of lives forever.

Families were torn apart, children orphaned and thousands of people left to live with long-term physical and mental injuries. Homelessness and unemployment are now widespread after entire towns and cities, such as Antakya – once home to about 400,000 people – were left in ruins.

As difficult as the situation is however, almost 30 days after more than 51,000 people died in the first earthquake, the international news cycle has turned several times and the world is largely focused once more on other developments. This slow ebbing away of interest poses a very great threat to the survivors in Syria and Turkey.

This week, The National reported that in north-west Syria, the World Bank estimates the cost of the earthquake will run to $5.1 billion in direct physical damages alone. The Bank also reported that the damage in Turkey was equivalent to 4 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product.

Aside from the immediate need to provide survivors with food and shelter – itself a mammoth task – there must be a series of long-term aid commitments. There are also many questions left to address. How will children in the affected Syrian and Turkish towns, some of whom have already been displaced more than once, continue their education? Who will provide the sustained physical and psychological support needed by thousands? What about jobs and restoring some kind of economy? And before these questions are answered, thousands of building assessments need to be carried out as dangerous structures on the brink of collapse threaten more lives.

President Sheikh Mohamed visits an Emirates Red Crescent event for collecting aid for the victims of the earthquake in Syria and Turkey. Photo: Emirates Red Crescent

In the medium-term there also needs to be support for the health authorities in both countries to stave off the risk of disease. Last week, UN humanitarian affairs chief Martin Griffiths told the Security Council that north-west Syria – a region already suffering from years of war – faced the growing threat of a cholera epidemic. Getting vaccines to those already struggling to survive is itself a major challenge.

But the initial response to the earthquakes was promising, with many countries sending rescue teams and supplies as the public donated in the millions. That spirit, however, has to continue.

This week, President Sheikh Mohamed made a surprise visit to the Bridges of Goodness campaign collection centre in Abu Dhabi, where volunteers and Emirates Red Crescent employees are still gathering and assembling relief supplies.

As part of the UAE's humanitarian mission to help the quake-hit countries, it has sent almost 200 relief flights so far and delivered more than 5,500 tonnes of aid. An army of volunteers in the Emirates have also lent a vital hand to the continuing relief effort.

Some of the injured in Syria have been flown to Abu Dhabi for treatment, while the UAE set up a field hospital almost immediately after the disaster struck.

All this follows an outpouring of support from the different communities who make up the UAE, such as the thousands of people who have already come forward to pack aid at events in the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre and Expo City Dubai.

However, for the people of Gaziantep, Idlib and hundreds of other cities, towns and villages in the affected area, a month is barely enough time to even begin processing the tragedy that has befallen them. Other anniversaries of the earthquake will come and go but to really help the survivors in Syria and Turkey, we will all need to be in it for the long-haul.

Published: March 06, 2023

As Israel’s democracy erodes, its government delegitimizes criticism

European partners need to use their power to stop the erosion of the country’s democracy.

Israel's Prime Minsiter-designate Benjamin Netanyahu 

| Pooled photo by Amir Cohen/AFP via Getty Images

BY DVIR AVIAM-EZRA
MARCH 7, 2023 

Dvir Aviam Ezra is an Israeli-Dutch lawyer and human rights activist based in Tel Aviv. He has worked in the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel and the Mertez Party, and is a policy officer for Young European Federalists – Belgium.

Three months ago, Israeli politics were upended.

The cabinet of national unity, which spanned political parties from both the right to left and included an Arab-minority party, lost the elections. Instead, it was replaced by a far-right populist government led by the thrice-indicted Benjamin Netanyahu and, for the first time, included openly racist parties like “Jewish Power.”

The new government’s plans now include a reform to the judiciary, which would effectively give politicians full control over supreme court appointments and allow parliament to override judicial decisions. Meaning, that if the government gets its way, there would be a de-facto ban on Arab-minority parties running in elections. Furthermore, Netanyahu’s coalition wants to impose religious restrictions on a whole host of activities.

Meanwhile, the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is set to be completely frozen. Indeed, not a single party in the incumbent coalition backs the two-state solution, and most even deny Palestinian nationhood and support the deepening of Israel’s occupation in the West Bank. NGOs and activists opposing the occupation may be restricted, as proposed laws would push the narrative that they’re foreign agents, and senior ministers are promising to prevent investigations of violent soldiers, as well as withhold funding from movies dealing with the occupation.

In such an environment, it isn’t surprising that criticism of Israel’s actions — both inside the country and the West Bank — is mounting. But the government has fallen back on a time-worn playbook — equating any criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism and violence, thus seeking to delegitimize critics. This is a dangerous approach.

Netanyahu had already stated that left-wing Israelis “forgot what it means to be Jewish” back in 1997. Now, we are faced with the same rhetoric once more, with the country’s diplomats calling Palestinian complaints to the International Criminal Court “diplomatic terrorism.”

Examples of modern anti-Semitism abound, of course, and they mostly have their roots deeply embedded in the far right. From Hungary’s smear campaign against George Soros to the prevalence of Nazi apologists in Germany’s Alternative for Democracy (AfD) party and the plight of Jews and their institutions in President Vladimir Putin’s Russia, intolerant ultranationalism poses a severe danger to Jewish people in Europe today. (That’s not to say that vitriolic discourse with anti-Semitic undertones doesn’t exist on the left, but research suggests it’s much more prevalent on the right.)

Yet, this fact doesn’t seem to pose a problem for Israel’s new governing coalition, or prevent it from nurturing contacts with some of Europe’s far-right parties, just because they’re ostensibly pro-Israel — or, rather, pro-Netanyahu — a cynical move by all concerned, made for short-term political gain.

Netanyahu’s government and affiliated academics have been happy to deepen cooperation with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Hungary; Netanyahu’s son expressed support for the AfD; and politicians from the ruling Likud Party have held closed-door meetings with officials from Austria’s right-wing populist Freedom Party.

But this is a perilous strategy.

On the one hand, it denies the legitimacy of mainstream criticism of Israeli settlements by labeling it anti-Semitic, and on the other, it cozies up to some of Europe’s most dangerous parties. It’s an approach that risks offending well-meaning friends and partners in Europe and isolating Israel, all while pushing it to ally with increasingly extreme European right-wing trends and actors that, in turn, influence policies in Israel.

Netanyahu himself is increasingly aping the techniques used by European far-right populist governments to erode democracy. If the prime minister gets his way with the “reforms” he’s proposing, my country may well soon become the Hungary of the Middle East — holding elections but possessing little of the characteristics that define a healthy democracy.

The use of false “anti-Semitism” accusations by Israel’s far right in order to restrict public discourse and demonize criticism should be rejected by our European partners. They shouldn’t let themselves to become accomplices in the severe erosion of Israel’s democracy. They should, however, use their moral, economic and political power to help the country’s broad-based democracy movement, and to insist there are concrete commitments made to democracy and peace from the Israeli side.

We liberal Israelis and Jewish people have long been aware of the importance of the historical and social bonds we have with Europe, and these bonds now have the potential to protect our freedom. Please use them.

Australia's Sovereign Wealth Fund Screening for Chinese Firms at Risk of US Bans


By Reuters
March 6, 2023


By Lewis Jackson

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's sovereign wealth fund, the Future Fund, is screening its portfolio for Chinese companies at risk of U.S. investment restrictions, its chairman said on Tuesday.

The Biden administration plans to ban investments in some Chinese technology firms and increase scrutiny of others, sources have said, as part of its plan to crack down on the billions that American firms have poured into sensitive Chinese sectors.

Peter Costello, chairman of the A$243 billion ($164 billion) fund and a former Treasurer, cited the experience of Western investments in Russia that were written to zero after waves of sanctions effectively shut foreign investors out of the country.

"Is it foreseeable that something similar could happen in China? I think it’s foreseeable," Costello said during a panel discussion at the Australian Financial Review business summit in Sydney on Tuesday.

"And so we’ve gone through very, very carefully as many companies as we can to try and drop stocks. Have we found every company? No, because you don’t know of a lot of these Chinese companies."

His remarks underscore the hesitancy of many large money managers who are choosing to steer clear of Chinese assets due to political risks - including tension over the war in Ukraine as well as over Taiwan - that have increasingly seen China and the West on opposing sides.

The U.S. in October placed sweeping restrictions on exports to China of American artificial intelligence (AI) chips, chipmaking tools and supercomputers among other technologies.

"What worries us is that as this decoupling goes on the U.S Commerce Department, the Bureau of Industry and Security is announcing various Chinese companies that you can't export high-tech equipment to."

Costello gave a hypothetical scenario where Chinese-made drones might be found in Ukraine and its manufacturers were hit with U.S. investment bans in response.

"I just think (this stance is) a prudent measure in this bifurcated world we’re going into," he said.

Costello added, however, that it was important for the fund to maintain its exposure to emerging markets and China was a large part of that.

His comments also come at a time when Australia and China are seeking to mend fences after a years-long diplomatic freeze, with Australia asking China to remove unofficial "trade blockages" on its exports.

The Future Fund was established in 2006 to cover escalating pension liabilities for public servants and rivals Australia's largest pension funds in size.

A spokesperson for the fund declined to comment on its current China-related holdings. The fund has in the past cut its exposure to emerging markets, including China, he said without elaborating.

($1 = 1.4859 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Lewis Jackson; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)

ANTI-BDS DEFINITION
Georgia House votes to define antisemitism in state law

CAN'T CALL ISRAEL 'APARTHEID' STATE

By RUSS BYNUM

Rep. Esther Panitch, D-Sandy Springs, speaks in support of HB 30 in the House chambers during crossover day at the Georgia State Capitol on Monday, March 6, 2023, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Alex Slitz)

The Georgia House voted Monday to define antisemitism in state law, a move supporters say would help prosecutors and other officials identify hate crimes and illegal discrimination targeting Jewish people.

Lawmakers voted 136-22 to approve the measure just a few weeks after some residents in suburban Atlanta found anti-Jewish flyers left in their driveways inside plastic bags. Among them was Democratic Rep. Esther Panitch, one of the bill’s sponsors and Georgia’s only Jewish legislator.

“Children who went out to play on their driveway picked up baggies filled with hate and asked their parents, `What is this?’” Panitch said, adding, “A bill of this type should be uncontested. It gives our legal system a clear definition of antisemitism.”

In 2020, Georgia passed a hate crimes law that allows additional penalties for crimes motivated by race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender or disability.

Panitch and other supporters of House Bill 30 said its legal definition of antisemitism is necessary because officials don’t always recognize it. The bill advances to the Georgia Senate for further debate.

The measure would adopt into state law a definition by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, which defines antisemitism as a “perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews” and can have both “rhetorical and physical manifestations.”

This includes “targeting of the state of Israel,” although the alliance says on its website that “criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic.”

Some lawmakers who voted against the measure said they feared it would infringe on free speech rights, including the right to criticize the Israeli government.

“How far will you go to police our words?” said Rep. El-Mahdi Holly, D-Stockbridge, adding: “We must preserve our American values and vote no on this definition.”

Panitch said her bill wouldn’t create any new crimes, but rather would guide prosecutors in deciding whether there’s sufficient evidence in criminal cases to trigger enhanced hate crime penalties. Legally defining antisemitism would also help in cases of illegal discrimination, she said.

“You need a definition to be able to say that a swastika is antisemitic,” Panitch said. “It’s as simple as that. Things that you think would be obvious are not obvious.”

Rep. John Carson, R-Marietta, said similar proposals have become law in states including Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa and Tennessee. Other supporters of the Georgia measure said they’re concerned that antisemitism in the U.S. appears to be on the rise.

A survey conducted last fall by the American Jewish Committee found that four in five American Jews said antisemitism in the U.S. has grown in the past five years. A quarter of respondents said they were directly targeted by antisemitic expressions, either in person or on social media.