Sunday, January 05, 2020

'We don't have a choice': French unions explain why they've brought France to a halt
Ingri Bergo

Unions say striking is their only option. Photo: AFP
With much of France at a standstill on a second day of a nationwide strike against pension reforms four of the country's biggest unions tell The Local why their cause justifies the huge level of disruption.


French unions began a mass general strike across France on December 5th that saw railway workers, Metro and bus drivers, hauliers, teachers, airline ground crew, air traffic controllers and postal workers all join the mass walk-out.

Their goal is to force the government to drop a controversial new pension reform that they believe will leave many people having to work longer for lower monthly pensions.

The strike entered its second day on Friday with unions warning they are prepared to continue their fight until Christmas if the government does not respond to their concerns.



Those worries centre around changes to France's complicated pension system.

Currently, there are 42 different systems, so the age you can retire and the level of pension you get depends on where you work.

For example SNCF train drivers and Metro drivers can retire at 50 and 52 respectively, with the average employee of RATP (which runs the Paris public transport network) getting a monthly pension of €3,705.

In comparison, anyone who doesn't enjoy a 'special regime' for pensions - generally people who work in the private sector - can retire at 62 - the legal age of retirement in France and get an average pension of between €1,260 and €1,460 a month.

The difference is mostly due to how pensions are calculated. For the majority of people in the private sector their pension is calculated based on their salary over 25 years, but some special regimes calculate pensions based just on the salary of the employee during their final six months of work.

The reform that French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed creates one universal system so everyone's pension is calculated in the same way, taking into account the employee's whole career and introducing a points based system for pensions and potential early retirements.

Unions say this will penalise people who have been through a period of unemployment, taken a career break or started on a very low salary.

French President Emmanuel Macron referred to the strikers as “dominated by employees of big transport businesses” with “categorical demands that would penalise the society at large.”

Unsurprisingly, the unions do not agree with him.

Before the strikes began we asked some of France's biggest unions to justify bringing France to a halt.


Strikes against pension reform in 1995 caused huge disruption for three weeks until the government backed down. Photo: AFP

CGT - Confédération Générale du Travail

“Striking the only means to obtain social progress in this country,” said Benjamin Amar, political spokesman for the CGT.

“You have to use le bras de fer (strong-arming, further explained here).”

The CGT was the leading trade union during the 1995 strikes, when Jacques Chirac's government tried to push through another unpopular pension reform. After three weeks, the government abandoned the reform.

The current reform, Amar said, would have “catastrophic social consequences” for French workers.

“Macron is the president of the patronat (the employers). The reform is a gift in disguise to them,” he said.

“Believe me, we would prefer to sit down around a table if we could.

"No one likes striking. It’s tough on our wallets, our physical and mental health. But we need to mobilise to defend our rights.”

“British workers know what we’re talking about. [Former British Prime Minister Margaret] Thatcher broke down the unions, and who is defending their rights now? No one.”

So how long is the CGT prepared to keep the strong-arming going?

“We’re not talking numbers. This is not math, it’s a deep-set anger. Our workers are angry,” he said, adding: “And I prefer that they express their anger together with us rather than through the far-right, like in other countries.”


CGT members in Paris went on strike in September to protest the government's pension reform. PHOTO: AFP

FO - Force Ouvrière (Worker’s Force)

FO was created in 1948, following an internal split in the CGT. Historically the FO members have been skeptical of the Communist Party’s influence on the CGT. FO is today France’s third largest union, behind CGT and CFDT.

“This is not just about defending the special regimes,” said FO's General Secretary Yves Veyrier.

"We talk a lot about the rail workers, but in reality the reform will negatively impact the French population as a whole."

Veyrier is referring to that the reform will change the way pensions are calculated for everyone, both public and private sector workers.

“We have been telling the government this for two years now, but no one is listening,” Veyrier said.

But does this justify paralysing the whole country?

"We don't have a choice. It's not like we enjoy striking," he said.

A lot of the workers worry about losing their salaries, Veyrier said, which could impact how long they can keep the strike going.

“But we won’t go home on December 5th saying ‘well that was a good strike, shame we didn't achieve anything'," he said.

"In that case we'll be back at it on the 6th.”

READ ALSO OPINION Why pension reform always spells trouble in France


"Keep the 42 regimes," reads the banner held high by FO protesters walking through Marseille in October. PHOTO: AFP

UNSA - Union nationale des syndicats autonomes

"I’m afraid this is the only option we have,” said Dominique Corona, chief pension negotiator for UNSA, the umbrella union representing both public and private unions.

Among UNSA's members is one of the country's largest teachers’ unions, and a union representing parts of the RATP transport system (UNSA-RATP).

“The government keeps saying they don’t want teachers to lose money, but they don’t say how they will prevent it,” Corona said.

In an echo of FO's Veyrier, Corona said the government is claiming to be looking for solutions, but isn’t coming up with anything substantial.

“This strike is not about punishing the government, it's about finding solutions to improve the way France works.”

But is paralysing the whole country really the right strategy for achieving this?

“This is France," Corona said.

"I would much rather live in a country where we didn’t have to pull a strike to get answers from the government."

“It’s not us who don’t want to cooperate. It’s him [President Emmanuel Macron] who doesn’t want to cooperate with us,"

So how long are they prepared to keep the strike going?

"The 6th, 7th, 8th.. This could go on for a very long time," Corona said.

"Unless of course the government comes up with something before then. In that case, we won't strike."

READ ALSO: French teachers to join transport workers in December strikes



Doctors, lawyers, pilots and nurses protested the proposed pension reform in September in Paris. PHOTO: AFP

SNUipp-FSU - National Teachers' Union

Joining in on the strike is also France's largest teacher's union.

“This not something we do for fun. We would much rather be in class,” said Francette Popineau, Co-General Secretary and spokesperson of the union.

Referring to the reform as “monstrous” Popineau said she feared it would push French teachers into poverty.

She sees the President as detached from the French population “I don’t think he understands,” she said.

“He’s never been elected before, never been mayor. He didn’t have to look the people he ruled over in the eye at the bakery every morning.”

But, again, is that good enough reason to disrupt the whole country?

"The problem in France is that our system is completely vertical. All decisions come from above," Popineau said.

"Striking is a right we use when there isn't any dialogue. It's a last resort."

The teachers' union is undecided as to whether or not they will continue the strike after December 5th.

“Obviously it’s a complicated situation for us seeing as we are responsible for the children," Popineau said, adding that she hopes the government will come up with a solution on the 5th.

"But we are ready to stay on the streets if necessary,” she said.


Striking in France - what are the rules and do strikers get paid?



The right to strike is ensured by the French constitution. But do workers still get paid when striking?. Photo: AFP

French workers do have something of a reputation for striking, but do they really do it more than any other European country? And can any disgruntled employee walk out?

Who can go on strike?

As a general rule, all French workers have the right to strike. The right to strike is guaranteed by the French Constitution.

Although striking is an individual right, it needs to be exercised collectively by at least two employees as a means to further professional demands.

This means that one single employee cannot go on strike alone (except during national strikes) and that a strike cannot be used for political purposes.

Certain public sector workers are not allowed to strike, including:
Emergency services like certain types of police officers and emergency medics
Judges
Army personnel (which includes firefighters in some areas)
Prison guards
Some civil servants in the Home Office (personnels des transmissions)

Do strikers get paid?

Public sector workers lose 1/30th of their gross monthly salary for every day or partial day that they strike, so in effect they lose roughly a day's pay every time they strike.

For public sector workers - which includes SNCF employees and the Paris public transport system RATP - this also includes weekend days and holiday - so anyone striking from Monday to Monday would lose seven days pay, even if they did not normally work weekends.

The deduction is also made even if they employee does not strike for the full day.

The exception is hospital staff, who lose less (1/23th of their monthly salary) if they go on strike for just one hour.

The rules are different for private sector employees who generally lose their salaries the days they go on strike.

During long-running strikes, unions often run a cagnotte - a pot or fund - which collects donations to give to striking workers who are suffering financial hardship.

Nurses and hospital staff went on strike in September to call for a salary increase and better work conditions. Photo: AFP

Can only union members strike?

No. Anyone working in France can go on strike, but public sector strikes need to be declared by at least one union.

France is the country with the highest number of trade unions but the lowest percentage of union membership (around 8 percent compared to a European average of about 25 percent).

As for strikes in the private sector unions don’t need to be involved at all.

Despite the low levels of union membership, French people do indeed strike more than their neighbours. Between 2010 and 2017, the number of French strike days was 125 per 1,000 employees, according to a study by the European Trade Union Institute. As a comparison, the UK, Germany and Sweden had 20, 17 and 3 respectively.

What are the rules?

There are significant differences between the public and private sector when it comes to the legalities of striking. In both cases, violence is forbidden and strikers are required to respect non-strikers, meaning they are not allowed to prevent others from going to work.

Private sector

In the private sector, a strike can be declared at any time, even in cases where workers have not attempted to reconcile with their employer.

Employees are not obligated to alert their employer in advance. To declare a strike, they simply need to ‘collectively stop working and state a list of professional demands (about salaries, work conditions or other)’. This list needs to be given at the moment the strike begins.


Public sector strikes in France need to be declared by at least one union. Photo: AFP

Public sector

In the public sector, the general rule is that a written strike warning must be issued five days prior to the strike. This warning needs to state the motives for the strike as well as the start- and end date (if there is an end-date, if not that needs to be stated too).

Unions and management are required to negotiate during the five days following the strike warning.

Teachers

For strikes involving kindergarten or elementary school personnel, the rules are slightly stricter. Unions need to provide a written document stating the strikers’ demands as well as the persons participating in the strike, eight days prior to the strike.

After unions have notified the management they have to negotiate for three days before making a final decision on whether or not to strike. If the unions decide to continue with the strike, they need to provide a written document stating the motives for the strike and which schools will be affected, as well as when the strike will begin and end (if there is an end-date, if not that needs to be stated too).

Teachers need to tell their superiors whether or not they intend to strike 48 hours in advance.

Transport sector

The transport sector is subject to the strictest strike regulations. Following a 2008 law, trade unions and management need to consult for two weeks before any strike. Employees are legally obligated to give a 48-hour-notice if they intend to join a strike.

The law was made to enable transport companies better to inform passengers and to organise a minimum service ahead of a strike.

This is why rail operator SNCF has said it will publish revised strike timetables on December 3rd, two days ahead of the upcoming ‘unlimited’ strikes.

How long are workers allowed to keep the strike going?

There’s no legal limit to how short or long a strike can be. Everything from one hour to several weeks is allowed. Strikers may also do a method of on-and-off striking, for example working one day out of five for a certain period of time.

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SEE  https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=FRANCE
SEE  https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=GENERAL+STRIKE

SEE  https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=FRANCE+STRIKE


French union calls for a 'total blockade' of oil refineries
The hardline CGT union has called for a blockade from January 7th to 10th, potentially leading to filling stations across the country running dry.

Photo: AFP
One French union has called for a 'total blockade' of all the country's

oil refineries in January in an increasingly bitter dispute over pension reforms.

READ ALSO What is the chance of a deal between the government and striking French workers


Blocages des #raffineries : cinq minutes pour comprendre le parcours du carburant, du pétrole à la pompe >> https://t.co/8gnoBPeY5S pic.twitter.com/MI7otPWmk2— Le Parisien Infog (@LeParisienInfog) December 31, 2019

"We're calling for a big event at all refineries in France, from January 7th to 10th, to ensure that no product comes out for 96 hours," Thierry Defresne, the CGT's central delegate at Total, told radio station Franceinfo.

He added: "At the end of these 96 hours of strike action, the question will be asked whether we will move on to the stage of shutting down the installations."

It is not the first time that oil depots have been blockaded during the ongoing strike action, which began on December 5th in protest at the French government's planned overhaul of the country's pension system.

A blockade of several refineries towards the start of the strike action lead to around 300 filling stations around the country closing completely, while another 300 reported very low supplies of petrol and diesel.

Action has continued since then at several of France's eight refineries and the Grandpuits depot in the greater Paris area has been blocked for three weeks.

But without a total blockade, supplies have been getting through and most motorists have been able to fill up as normal.

So far the strikes have largely affected public transport, with trains and the Paris transport system remaining very disrupted.

However with the strike now in its fourth week many of the workers - who are not paid during strikes - have begun to feel the financial pinch and are returning to work.

On December 30th, SNCF reported that just 32.5 percent of train drivers were striking, compared to 85 percent at the start of the action, leading to the rail operator being able to increase the train services running.

The same effect has been seen in Paris where the city's RATP transport network, although still heavily disrupted, is running far more services than in early December, and only two Metro lines are still closed completely.

Against this backdrop the more hardline unions like the CGT, which has vowed it will not stop the strikes until the government scraps its proposed reforms entirely, is looking for alternative ways to make its point.

CGT Energie members have claimed responsibility for a series of short power cuts that have hit towns including Bordeaux, Lyon and Perpignan as well as disrupting several sports matches with short blackouts at stadiums.

The CGT and other unions will also be joining in another day of demonstrations planned for the major cities on Thursday, January 9th.












What happens next? Pension strikes in France enter crucial week

5 January 2020

The ongoing transport strikes have caused chaotic scenes on French train stations for nearly a month now. Photo: AFP

How long will the strikes in France go on for and what will happen next? The answers to those questions depend very much on what happens on these crucial dates.

A labour walkout that has frustrated Paris commuters and marooned thousands of holiday travellers in France is into its second month, becoming the country's longest continuous railway strike with no end in sight.

The standoff over the government's plan to merge 42 pension schemes into a single, points-based system has seen workers at the state-owned SNCF railway company and Paris' RATP public transport operator down tools since December 5.

The previous longest SNCF strike, over salary and working conditions, lasted for 28 days in 1986 and early 1987.

How long will it go on for and what will happen next? The answers to those questions depend very much on what happens on the key dates below.

Friday January 3rd - Monday January 6th
From Friday January 3rd, the collective SOS Retraites (SOS Pensions) joined the strike to protest against the French government's proposed pension reform. The collective's 700,000 members span a wide range of independent professional groups (professions libérales) from doctors and nurses to physiotherapists, accountants, airline personnel and lawyers.

According to a statement published on Twitter, independent nurses joining from SOS Retraites (not those who work in hospitals) would decline all form for medical treatment starting January 3rd and independent doctors will close their offices on January 6th.

Le CNB appelle tous les avocats à la #GreveGenerale le 6 janvier contre la #reformedesretraites ! Les 16 professions du Collectif #SOSRetraites seront en grève du 3 au 6 janvier. pic.twitter.com/j3v1IUpEXb
— CNB (@CNBarreaux) December 26, 2019

The SNPL union, the largest union representing French pilots and air crew, had initially announced walk-outs starting January 3rd, but cancelled after talks with the government.

Tuesday January 7th
After a chilly Christmas break during which both parties refused to bow down, the French government and unions will resume their talks on January 7th. One of the main points they will address is what is known as la pénabilité, which refers to compensating those with particularly difficult working conditions. Under the current 42 different pension regimes these groups benefit from earlier retirement and relatively advantageous pension salaries, which would disappear in the government's proposed universal points-based system
The so-called age pivot, which would see workers having to continue their jobs until the age of 64 to earn a full pension rather than the current legal retirement age of 62 is also a big bone of contention.

READ ALSO French strikers say 'If we give in now, we will have lost everything'

The French government and the unions did not manage to negotiate a Christmas truce. Can they compromise when talks resume in January? Photo: AFP

Tuesday January 7th - Friday January 10th
In addition to the ongoing transport strike, the CGT union has called for a blockade of oil refineries from January 7th to 10th in its determination to bring the country to a halt.

In the past such blockades have led to fuel stations across the country running dry.

A blockade of several refineries towards the start of the strike action lead to around 300 filling stations around the country closing completely, while another 300 reported very low supplies of petrol and diesel.

Deputy Economy Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher warned Thursday that such action would be "illegal".

Thursday January 9th MASS STRIKE!
Unions are calling for all French people to join the strike movement on Thursday 9th for another big round of strike actions and national protests. There will be protest marches in Paris and in the other big cities that day.

The last protest day was on December 17th, when between 615,000 (according to the French Home Office) and 1,8 million (according to the unions) people in the country joined the march.

Unions will be hoping for an even bigger turn out to keep the pressure on the government.

Many schools will likely close on January 9th as teachers once again down tools. Flights may also be affected with air traffic controllers having also joined the movement on the main protest days in December.

READ ALSO: Don't ask 'why are the French always striking' but look at what the strikers have achieved

A lot of people gathered at Place de la République on December 17th to protest against the French government's pension reform plans. Photo: AFP

Saturday January 11th
The joint union group has called for more strikes and street protests across the country on Saturday January 11th.


Monday January 13th - Friday January 17th
This will be a real crunch week for the French government. Heads of the relevant ministries will meet with their respective unions for talks to pin down the final details of the bill.
A big question is what concessions will be made and to whom. The government have already said they are open to including exceptions for several professional groups, both regarding the implementation of the new regime and the transition period at the end of their careers.

The government has said it will also delayed the implementation of the new pension scheme to only affect people born after 1975.

Wednesday January 22nd
This is the day when the final law proposal will be presented in front of the Conseil des Ministres, the French government. President Emmanuel Macron said in his New Year’s Eve speech that he was hoping for a “quick compromise (..) with the unions” in order to keep the tight schedule.

If all goes according to plan, the Parliament will receive the proposal at the end of February.

In summary there is a long way to go yet before we really know when transport in France will return to normal.

French govt huddles as unions vow to harden strike

Issued on: 03/01/2020


Paris (AFP)

French officials met Friday to set out their strategy ahead of fresh talks with unions furious over planned pension overhauls, with labour leaders warning of new strike actions alongside a gruelling transport strike now in its 30th day.

"The government is at work to try to find a way toward a rapid compromise," spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye told France 2 television as Prime Minister Edouard Philippe gathered ministers for the unscheduled meeting.

Unions have roundly rejected plans to scrap France's 42 separate pension regimes for a single points-based system, which they say could require millions of people to work beyond the official retirement age of 62.

President Emmanuel Macron made the reform a key plank of his election campaign, saying it would be more transparent and fairer, in particular to low earners and women.

Yet the government has already announced a series of concessions to certain sectors, such as police officers and military personnel, pilots and rail employees.

Many other public-sector workers are demanding similar exceptions to the new rules, which would set a "pivot age" of 64 which people would have to work until to receive a full pension.

The hard-line CGT union has called for a four-day blockade of the country's fuel refineries and depots starting Tuesday, when talks between unions and the government are to resume.

Two unions representing pilots and cabin crew at Air France have called a strike for next week, as have lawyers, physiotherapists and other self-employed workers who have separate -- and more advantageous -- pension schemes.

- War of wills -

Macron insisted during his traditional New Year's Eve address that he would push ahead with the reform, which will be presented to his cabinet on January 22 ahead of parliamentary debate.

He said the new system is needed because most people are starting their careers later, and are living longer.

But he promised that people with particularly arduous jobs would still be allowed to retire early, a main sticking point in the talks with unions, along with the new "pivot age" of 64 to qualify for a full pension.

Macron is also hoping to win the battle of public opinion, betting that support for the strike will waver the longer the disruptions persist.

Unions have already called for another day of mass demonstration next Thursday, when teachers, hospital workers and others are expected to join the strike.

Although the number of strikers at train operator SNCF and the Paris transport company RATP has fallen since the protest began on December 5, travellers continue to suffer from extensive service disruptions.

Most Paris metro lines were operating only at rush hours or with just a few trains every hour, and a third of the country's high-speed TGV trains were cancelled on Friday.

It has become the longest continuous train strike in French history, as well as the longest by Paris Opera dancers and other employees, who also have a separate pension system that allows them to retire early.

So far 63 performances at the Opera's historic Garnier and modern Bastille stages have been cancelled during the strike, costing the company more than 12 million euros ($13.4 million) in lost ticket sales.

China rules out SARS as dozens struck by pneumonia-like virus

Health experts have said a viral pneumonia outbreak in central Hubei province is not the highly contagious SARS virus, MERS or bird flu. Some 59 patients have been placed under medical observation.

A mysterious respiratory illness that has infected dozens of people in the central Chinese city of Wuhan is not the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) that killed hundreds of people a decade ago.

The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said Sunday 59 people were diagnosed with the condition and have been isolated. Seven were in a critical condition.

Initial investigations also ruled out Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), influenza, bird flu and adenovirus, the commission said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement that it is monitoring the situation and is in close contact with authorities in China.

Read more: World unprepared for pandemic, panel warns

SARS-like symptoms

Several of the infected patients had been working at Wuhan's South China Seafood market, which has been closed since Wednesday for environmental sanitation and disinfection.

The most common symptom among those infected was fever, with difficulty breathing and lung lesions appearing in a "small number'' of cases. There were no clear indications of human-to-human transmission, the WHO said.

Fifteen patients in Hong Kong were being treated for symptoms after recent visits to Wuhan.

Read more: Swine fever: Scientists warn quarter of world's pigs could die

The outbreak in the mainland city of Wuhan has been linked to a large food market nearby

SARS cover-up

In 2003, SARS killed 349 people in mainland China and another 299 in Hong Kong. Following that outbreak, the WHO criticized China for underreporting the number of SARS cases, amid fears of a global pandemic.

Wuhan — a city to the west of Shanghai and some 900 kilometers (570 miles) north of Hong Kong — is the sprawling capital of Hubei province and has a population of at least 11 million.

kw/aw (AP, Reuters)

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SEE https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=CHINA
SEE  https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=SARS 
SEE  https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=PANDEMIC

Russia unveils plan to 'use the advantages' of climate change

Russia has published an action plan to mitigate risks associated with present and future climate change in the country. The report also outlines "positive" effects of changes in the climate.

The Russian government has unveiled a plan to adapt the country's economy and population to climate change.

The 17-page document was published online by Russia's Ministry of Economic Development on Saturday, and outlines measures to mitigate the damage caused by climate change as well as to "use the advantages" of warmer temperatures.

It acknowledges that changes in the climate have had "a prominent and increasing effect" on industry, socioeconomic development and the health and well-being of the population.

The two-year scheme covers the first phase of the country's adaptation to climate change until 2022, with the aim to "lower the losses" of global warming.

Read more: Opinion: Russia frozen on climate change


A girl holds a poster in front of the Russian government's building during a Greenpeace protest in Moscow

Climate threat and opportunity

Climate change, the report says, poses a threat to public health, endangers permafrost, and heightens the likelihood of infections and natural disasters. Russia will likely see longer and more frequent droughts, extreme precipitation and flooding, increased risk of fire as well as the displacement of different species from their habitats, according to the plan.

Expected positive effects of climate change, the plan says, include the reduction of energy consumption during warm periods, shrinking levels of ice which will foster increased access to navigational opportunities in the Arctic Ocean, and expanded agricultural areas.

The plan lists 30 economic and social steps designed to minimize the vulnerability of the Russia's population, economy and natural resources to climate change.

These measures include considerations such as the government's calculation of the risk of Russian products becoming uncompetitive if they fail to meet new climate-related standards, and preparing new educational materials to teach climate change in schools. The list also suggests dam building and shifting to drought-resistant crops, in addition to crisis-preparation measures like offering emergency vaccinations or evacuations in case of a disaster.

Read more: Russia's lone climate protester pushes for Fridays for Future movement



WILDFIRES ENVELOPE SIBERIA, CHOKE RUSSIAN CITIES
Huge environmental impact

The image shows an aerial view of the wildfires in Russia's Siberia. Massive forest fires are a common occurrence in the region, but the magnitude of this year's blazes has reached an exceptional level with fears of a long-term effect on the environment.

PHOTO EXHIBIT

Russia on front lines of climate change

Russia is warming faster than the global average — its average annual air temperature has increased 2.5 times more rapidly than the average global air temperature since the mid-1970s.

The country is one of the world's most vulnerable to climate change, with large arctic areas and infrastructure that is built on permafrost. In recent years, Russia has experienced flooding and fires, with the massive wildfires in Siberia in 2019 prompting the government to declare an emergency.

Russia experienced its hottest year on record in 2019, according to the country's meteorological office.

Read more: Siberian fires continue to wreak havoc, Greenpeace calls it a 'climate catastrophe'


A flooded area in Novgorod Region, northwest Russia in November 2019

Putin denies humans behind climate change

Russia formally adopted the 2015 Paris climate accord in September last year, and criticized the US for withdrawing from the agreement.

However, President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied the scientific consensus that climate change is caused by man-made emissions. Last month, in his year-end press conference, he said "nobody knows the origins of global climate change."

Environmental activists in Russia have been targeted by the authorities, while Putin has also criticized climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, portraying her as an impressionable teenager who can be "used" for someone else's interests.

Tens of thousands of scientists have collated overwhelming amounts of data pointing to the man-made destabilization of Earth's climate system and the importance of limiting current and future greenhouse gas emissions.


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Syrien Angriff auf IS Stellungen in Baghouz (Getty Images/AFP/G. Cacace)


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Iraqi parliament votes to expel US troops — awaits government approval

Parliament has voted to ask the government to end an agreement to host US troops in Iraq. The move would oust all foreign soldiers, including those from Germany. President Trump has threatened Iraq with sanctions.


The Iraqi parliament has voted to remove US troops from Iraq. In an extraordinary session, lawmakers backed a resolution to ask the government to end an agreement with Washington to station 5,200 troops in Iraq.

Sunday's resolution specifically calls for ending a 2014 agreement that allows Washington to send troops to Iraq to help in the fight against the "Islamic State" group.

"The government commits to revoke its request for assistance from the international coalition fighting 'Islamic State' due to the end of military operations in Iraq and the achievement of victory," the resolution read.

"The Iraqi government must work to end the presence of any foreign troops on Iraqi soil and prohibit them from using its land, airspace or water for any reason."

The move provoked a swift response from Washington, as it expressed its disappointment with the decision.

"We strongly urge Iraqi leaders to reconsider the importance of the ongoing economic and security relationship between the two countries and the continued presence of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS," said a State Department spokesperson.

"We believe it is in the shared interests of the United States and Iraq to continue fighting ISIS together," and that the US is still "committed to a sovereign, stable, and prosperous Iraq."

President Donald Trump has threatened Iraq with debilitating sanctions, should the Middle Eastern country force US troops to leave.

Iran suspends 2015 nuclear deal commitments

Germany seeks 'stability and unity'

The decision to expel forces from the country also includes representations from other nations, among them Germany. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas expressed his concerns over the increasing tensions in the Middle East, but also iterated that the Iraqi government's position must be respected.

"Our overriding interest is that stability and unity in Iraq is not falling victim to the recent escalation," Maas stressed late Sunday. On the Iraqi government, he added: "We will respect every decision."

The German government said late Sunday that its military presence in Iran would "only remain if the Iraqi government wanted that."

Read more: Pressure mounts on US troops in Iraq

Adel Abdul-Mahdi, Iraq's caretaker prime minister, said officials are preparing a memo for legal and procedural steps to implement parliament's resolution. He also said that if US troops remains then they will be considered an occupying force.

"Despite the internal and external difficulties that we might face, it remains best for Iraq on principle and practically," he told parliament.

Iraqi mourners take to the streets

What does the resolution mean?

The resolution is nonbinding, but it is likely to be heeded by the government as Abdul-Mahdi supports the measures.

The resolution was passed two days after the killing of Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad by US airstrikes.

Read more: Who was Qassem Soleimani, Iran's Quds Force leader?

Populist Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has called for a more substantial response to the killing.

"I consider this a weak response, insufficient against American violation of Iraqi sovereignty and regional escalation," said al-Sadr, who leads the largest bloc in parliament, in a letter to the assembly read aloud by a supporter.

Iraq summons US envoy, complains to UN

Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi also told parliament that Soleimani was due to meet with him the day he was killed and deliver a response from the Iranians to a Saudi message that could have led to a de-escalation of tensions in the region, according to the Reuters news agency.

Iraqi officials have also summoned the US envoy to Iraq, Matthew Tueller, over the airstrikes.

"[The airstrikes] were a blatant violation of Iraqi sovereignty," Iraq's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday. They "contradict the agreed-upon missions of the international coalition."

The Foreign Ministry has also lodged an official complaint with the UN secretary-general and the Security Council over the US airstrikes.

Read more: How the Soleimani assassination was reported in Germany

The complaint mentions "American attacks and aggression on Iraqi military positions and the assassination of Iraqi and allied high-level military commanders on Iraqi soil," according to the Foreign Ministry.

Work with German troops in Iraq halted

Rocket attack

Later Sunday, at least three explosions reverberated across the Iraqi capital as sirens could be heard near the Tigris River.

The blasts appeared to be mortars or rockets that landed inside, or near, the heavily fortified Green Zone, home to the US Embassy and a number of other foreign diplomatic missions, as well as the seat of Iraq's government.

Initially, at least, no casualties were reported after what was the second attack in the last 48 hours.

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.

ed, jsi/cmk (Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa)



Pressure mounts in Iraq to boot out US troops


The killing of two top Iranian and Iraqi commanders by US forces could aid Iran in strengthening its foothold in Iraq. Experts say it also undermines the monthslong anti-government protest movement in Iraq.

The US strike killing Major General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Quds Force, near Baghdad's airport on Friday was intended to deal a blow to the heart of Iran's Middle East policy.

Instead, that brazen action has facilitated conditions for Iran to achieve one of its main regional objectives: removing the US military from its neighbor.

In an emergency session of the Iraqi parliament on Sunday, lawmakers voted in favor of a resolution asking the government to expel US troops from the country. The measure was passed with mostly Shiite factions voting in favor, while Kurdish and most Sunni members of parliament did not attend the session, presumably because they oppose ending the US presence in the country.

"The government commits to revoke its request for assistance from the international coalition fighting 'Islamic State' due to the end of military operations in Iraq and the achievement of victory," the resolution read.

"The Iraqi government must work to end the presence of any foreign troops on Iraqi soil and prohibit them from using its land, airspace or water for any reason," it continued.

Read more: Who was Qassem Soleimani, Iran's Quds Force leader?


The US still has thousands of troops in Iraq

Comrades-in-arms

The resolution still needs to be approved by the Cabinet, but interim Prime Minister Adel Abdel-Mahdi voiced support as he railed against US violations of Iraqi sovereignty.

"Despite the internal and external difficulties that we might face, it remains best for Iraq on principle and practically," Abdel-Mahdi told parliament.

About 5,200 US troops are deployed at Iraqi military bases to train and support local security forces to prevent a resurgence of the "Islamic State" (IS). The troops are there at the invitation of the Iraqi government as part of an US-led international coalition against the extremist group.

Iran-backed Iraqi militia and US troops fought alongside each other during Iraq's 2014-2017 war against IS militants. But the extremist group's territorial defeat has opened new dynamics between adversaries Washington and Tehran at a time of escalating tensions since US President Donald Trump in 2018 withdrew from an international nuclear deal with Iran.


Mahdi has accused the US of violating Iraqi sovereignty

Tightrope act

Anger in Iraq at the United States has boiled over as Baghdad finds itself dragged into a geopolitical struggle between the Washington and Tehran, two allies with which it has sought to balance relations.

Even before Friday's strike at Baghdad's International Airport on the convoy in which Soleimani was traveling, there was growing pressure from Iran's powerful Shiite militia and political allies for US troops to exit the country.

Those calls became louder after US airstrikes killed 25 militia fighters of the Iranian-backed Kataeb Hezbollah. The strikes came in response to rocket attacks, blamed on the Kataeb Hezbollah, that killed a US defense contractor and wounded several US and Iraqi soldiers at the K1 military base near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk.

An organized mob of Shiite militiamen responded by storming the US Embassy, after entering the heavily fortified Green Zone as Iraqi security forces initially looked on. They left a day later, saying their message had been received and that the prime minister had provided assurance for a parliamentary vote on the US military presence.


Crowds of mourners turned out in Iran to pay respects to Soleimani's coffin when it was flown back from Iraq

Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the leader of Kataeb Hezbollah and deputy head of Iraq's state-sanctioned Popular Mobilization Units, was among those vowing revenge in front of the US Embassy. He was joined by Qais al-Khazali, leader of the Iranian-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, and Hadi al-Amiri, the head of the powerful Badr Organization, who leads a bloc with the second-largest number of seats in parliament.

Muhandis was killed alongside Soleimani and eight others in the US drone strike on Friday.

From the Iraqi viewpoint, "the killing of Muhandis is more consequential than that of Soleimani, since he was one of the highest Iraqi security officials," Heiko Wimmen, the project director for Iraq, Syria and Lebanon at the International Crisis Group, told DW.


Soleimani and Muhandis were both leading military figures

Growing calls

Amiri and influential Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who heads the largest bloc in parliament, buried their rivalry to unite behind Sunday's resolution. Both leaders and other militia leaders are threatening to use force to oust US troops from Iraq.

Sadr, a nationalist populist who rails against US and Iranian influence in the country, said Sunday that the action by parliament didn't go far enough and that the US Embassy should be shuttered.

"Finally, I call specifically on the Iraqi resistance groups and the groups outside Iraq more generally to meet immediately and announce the formation of the International Resistance Legions," he said, in apparent reference to Iran-backed groups across the region spreading from Syria and Lebanon to Yemen.

As Iran and its Iraqi Shiite allies vow to retaliate against the United States, strategically the easiest and least risky place for a first response is politically in Iraq, experts said.

"A far more effective response than unguided missiles on embassies and bases or tanker attacks would be a political response that forces an American withdrawal from Iraq," said Fanar Haddad, a senior research fellow at the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore.

"This would achieve a long-held Iranian objective and help consolidate Iran's control of Iraq. It is very likely that this crisis will serve to strengthen the position of Iran-leaning political actors even if it does not achieve the ultimate objective of forcing an American withdrawal," he said.

Read more: How Soleimani assassination was reported in Germany


This mock US flag was recently laid out on a Baghdad street for cars to drive over

Not so easy

Wimmen said that the United States has invested a lot of money in Iraq and it was unlikely Washington will leave military bases so easily.

"I expect they will dispute the competence of the Iraqi parliament to take such a decision and try to draw this out," he said.

The push to expel the United States comes as Iraq is in the throes of a political crisis following nearly three months of deadly anti-government protests over corruption, poor services and Iranian influence.

The grassroots protest movement is calling for the wholesale uprooting of the post-2003 political system that serves narrow sectarian elites and their cronies. It already forced Abdel-Mahdi to resign, although he remains head of a caretaker government. The country has since been in political paralysis.

Some anti-government protesters cheered Soleimani's death on Friday, blaming him and pro-Iran militia of killing more than 450 protesters and wounding at least 20,000 more. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shared a video on Twitter describing Iraqis as "dancing in the street for freedom, thankful that General Soleimani is no more."

Yet in a show of force a day later, hundreds of thousands who were mourning the "martyrdom" of Soleimani and Muhandis shouted "Death to America" in Iraqi streets as the two bodies were moved through Baghdad and the Shiite holy cities of Najaf and Karbala. Iraq's top political and Shiite religious leaders joined in honoring Soleimani and Muhandis and condemning the US strikes.

Read more: US and Iran: Decades of enmity

Iraqi mourners take to the streets of Baghdad

'Bad news' for protesters

The strikes have boosted pro-Iran Shiite factions in Iraq seeking to quash threats to their vested interests. Those factions have moved to capitalize on them to undermine the grassroots protest movement.

The assassination of Soleimani and Muhandis "is bad news for the protest movement," Haddad said.

"The assassinations in effect have created what opponents of the protest movement have been searching for since October: a countercause that can create counterprotests and counterpressure," he said.

Wimmen agreed: "It's hard to see how the protest movement can survive the nationalist rallying cry from the Shiite parties.

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