Visentini sacked as trade union chief after Qatar-scandal cash revelations

ITUC to hold election for new general secretary ‘as soon as is practicable.’

Luca Visentini acknowledged accepting around €50,000 from NGO Fight Impunity for his ITUC leadership campaign | Stephanie Lecocq/EPA-EFE

BY SAMUEL STOLTON
MARCH 11, 2023 

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) sacked leader Luca Visentini, concluding that he no longer had the organization’s confidence after accepting thousands of euros from an NGO at the center of the Qatar influence-buying scandal.

The ITUC said in a statement on Saturday that its General Council decided to organize an extraordinary meeting to elect a new general secretary to succeed Visentini “as soon as is practicable.”

The confederation also pledged to consider amendments to its constitution “on the financing of campaigns for ITUC leadership elections, and on financial compliance.”


“The events of the past few months have caused significant damage to the ITUC’s reputation,” ITUC President Akiko Gono said in the statement. “Important lessons have been learned and the General Council reiterated the ITUC’s absolute opposition to corruption in any form.”

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In December, Visentini was one of the first people to be detained by Belgian authorities as part of an investigation into allegations of bribery between Qatar and senior EU officials and Brussels organizations.

He subsequently acknowledged accepting around €50,000 from ex-MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri’s NGO Fight Impunity for his ITUC leadership campaign, but Visentini denied knowledge of any “irregular” activities. Visentini and his ITUC predecessor, Sharan Burrow, have previously drawn attention for their positive statements about Qatari labor reforms ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

Visentini was released without charge on December 11, with strict travel restrictions. His leadership of the international trade union was suspended on December 21, pending Saturday’s decision.

In a statement to POLITICO on Saturday, Visentini said that he “deeply regrets” the ITUC’s decision. “I reiterate that I’m innocent of the accusations of corruption and money laundering that were leveled at me,” he said.

“The donation I received was given to the ITUC to help trade unions in need, I believed that this money came from a reliable source, and it was used by the ITUC in an impartial manner and according to existing internal rules,” he said.


As part of a wider crackdown in the ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of bribery between the state of Qatar and EU officials, the Belgian authorities have charged several individuals. These include Greek Socialist MEP Eva Kaili and her partner, parliamentary assistant Francesco Giorgi, Pier Antonio Panzeri — former MEP and founder of non-profit group Fight Impunity — and Niccolò Figà-Talamanca, secretary-general of campaign group No Peace Without Justice. Giorgi and Figà-Talamanca have since been released from jail.

Two more MEPs, Belgian Marc Tarabella and Italian Andrea Cozzolino, were also arrested in February, as well as Panzeri’s accountant Monica Bellini in January, in connection with the Qatargate probe.

Climate Change Hits Women in South Africa’s Coal Region, Report Says 

A report by Southern Africa Resource Watch says women are more impacted than men by climate change in the coal-producing region of South Africa, one of the world’s biggest coal exporters. Mpumalanga province sees heavy pollution from coal mining and power stations as well as severe flooding.

FORDISM IS CAPITALI$M

Iran Signs $450M Deal to Export Cars to Russia

By Nigar Bayramli 

Saipa, Iran’s second-largest carmaker, has secured a contract worth $450 million to export 45,000 cars to Russia. / Trend News Agency

  

Saipa, Iran’s second-largest carmaker, has secured a contract worth $450 million to export 45,000 cars to Russia. 

According to the Mehr news agency, on February 22, Saipa's CEO Mohammad Ali Teymouri and a group of Russian businessmen signed a contract in a ceremony held in Tehran. The vehicles are set to be transported in several shipments.

As per Teymouri's statement, Iranian and Russian car manufacturers are considering joint manufacturing projects in Iran, and such initiatives will likely result in a substantial rise in exports of cars and automobile components from Iran to Russia.

The signing of the $450 million contract between Saipa and Russian businessmen in Tehran comes about six months after Iranian car manufacturers participated in the MIMS Automobility Moscow 2022 event. During the event, the Iranian carmakers had initial negotiations with Russian trade partners, resulting in a preliminary agreement for the export of cars to Russia.

According to Alireza Peymanpak, the head of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO), the value of the Russian car market is approximately $20 billion. The withdrawal of other car companies from Russia, in response to the imposition of Western sanctions, has opened up opportunities for Iranian carmakers to secure a substantial portion of this market, providing them with a competitive advantage, he added.

Peymanpak further said the sale was “a first step towards the presence of our carmakers in Russia, towards joint production and towards the production of new models jointly developed in cooperation with large Russian carmakers.”

Ali Teymouri, the CEO of Saipa, has stated that technical teams from the company will be dispatched to Russia to aid in the restarting of production at two car factories that ceased operations due to sanctions.

In August 2022, Mehdi Khatibi, the chief of Iran’s leading automaker Iran Khodro (IKCO), announced that his company was seeking to sell more cars to Russia when both countries are struggling with West-imposed sanctions. Khatibi stated that within the next two years, Russia is expected to become Iran Khodro's primary market. Additionally, he mentioned that the company is planning to export its Tara cars to Russia in the near future.

Russian car manufacturers faced many restrictions due to tough sanctions imposed by European countries and the US following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

“Under such conditions, Iranian car manufacturers managed to use this opportunity and gain a share of this large market by exporting their products to Russia,” Iran’s Gadget News website said in a report.

 February 23, 2023

 
 
 
 
 

 

Multi-Purpose Oceangoing Warship, 100 Speed Boats Join Iran’s Navy Fleet

By Nigar Bayramli 

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy took delivery of the new ocean-going warship Shahid Mahdavi and 99 missile-launching speed boats, in a ceremony in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas on March 9, 2023. / Tasnim News Agency

 

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) recently added a new ocean-going warship and 99 missile-launching boats to its fleet.

The vessels joined the fleet during a ceremony joined by IRGC Navy Commander Rear Adm Alireza Tangsiri and IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami in the southern port of Bandar Abbas, Tasnim News Agency reported on March 9.

The Shahid Mahdavi was described as a forward base ship, and is reportedly a retrofit of an Iranian cargo ship known as the Sarvin.

The 2,100-ton warship has a length of 240 meters and a width of 27 meters, Rear Admiral Tangsiri said, adding that it is equipped with a 3-dimensional phased-array radar as well as surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, highly advanced electronic warfare telecommunication systems, and Khordad-3 missile systems, and cruise missiles with a range of 700 km. It is capable of carrying helicopters, fast patrol boats and drones.

“Shahid Mahdavi ocean-going vessel is ready to carry out missions with all the necessary equipment and facilities to create stable security in the seas,” he said.

The IRGC’s Navy also received new domestically designed vessels that have missile launchers mounted on them. The vessels that joined the Navy fleet were upgraded versions of the Ashura and Tareq classes.

The vessels can launch rockets with a range of between 100 and 180 kilometers. They can also enjoy high manoeuvrability and are capable of carrying out missions in different weather conditions.

The fleet upgrade comes amidst growing tensions between Iran and its arch-enemy Israel. Iran claims to have deployed more weapons and radars following threats from Israel, which says that military force was not ruled out while Iran continues to expand its nuclear program.

Earlier, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri, said Iran is "mass-producing" technology that would allow ballistic missiles to strike moving naval vessels.

Iran is one of three countries to possess this capability, Baqeri said on March 6.

He said that with a speed in excess of Mach 8 and a range of 1,500 km, the missiles would "create substantial security in the surrounding oceans up to a range of more than a thousand kilometres".

Aircraft carriers and other vessels within that radius "would not have security," the general added.

Earlier, the Chief of the IRGC Aerospace Force, Brigadier General Ali Hajizadeh, made an announcement about the Paveh cruise missile with a range of 1,650 km.

The senior commander stated in late February that the country had reduced the weight of its long-range missiles to one-fourth and was preparing to lower it to a sixth.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Hajizadeh advised Europe not to test the Islamic Republic, saying the country had intentionally capped the range of its missiles "out of respect" for the continent.

He further reminded that his force is "capable of targeting American aircraft carriers at a 2,000-kilometer (1,242-miles) distance".

On March 6, Iran’s Defence Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani said Iran does not need to purchase Russian S-400 air defence systems.

Iran has attained "self-sufficiency" in air defence, the minister said, and boasted about the Iranian-made Bavar-373 missile defence system having "many" potential buyers.

His remarks came after The Jerusalem Post’s report that Iran sought to buy S-400 systems from Russia, which is an upgrade to the S-300 air defence system. Bavar-373, which Tehran unveiled in 2019, is modelled after the Russian-made S-300.

March 11, 2023

 
 
 
 
 

Former Australian PM Paul Keating savages AUKUS nuclear submarine deal as Labor's worst since conscription

By political correspondent Brett Worthington

abc.net.au

Paul Keating says Defence is now running foreign affairs policy.

Former prime minister Paul Keating has taken aim at Australia's AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine deal with the United States and the United Kingdom, calling it the "worst international decision" by a Labor government since conscription in World War I.

Key points:

The AUKUS deal will see Australia spend up to $368 billion to acquire nuclear-powered submarines

Mr Keating has dubbed it one of the worst deals in history

He insists Australia should draw closer to China than the US and UK

The former Labor leader also offered a scathing assessment of the government's most senior politicians, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Defence Minister Richard Marles, and Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong, dubbing Mr Marles and Senator Wong "seriously unwise ministers".

"This week, Anthony Albanese screwed into place the last shackle in the long chain the United States has laid out to contain China," Mr Keating said in a written statement issued before he addressed the National Press Club on Wednesday.

"No mealy-mouthed talk of 'stabilisation' in our China relationship or resort to softer or polite language will disguise from the Chinese the extent and intent of our commitment to United States's strategic hegemony in East Asia with all its deadly portents.

"History will be the judge of this project in the end. But I want my name clearly recorded among those who say it is a mistake. Who believes that, despite its enormous cost, it does not offer a solution to the challenge of great power competition in the region or to the security of the Australian people and its continent."

Mr Keating has been critical of the AUKUS defence pact since it was first struck between the three nations 18 months ago.

Australia will build UK-designed boats that feature US combat technology.

(Reuters: Leah Millis)

Mr Albanese met with US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in California earlier this week, where they finalised a deal for Australia to buy and build nuclear-powered submarines, costing up to $368 billion over three decades.

Australia will eventually build British-designed nuclear-powered submarines with American combat systems.

Before that happens, Australia will buy at least three US nuclear-powered submarines early next decade — boats that might be second-hand and need US Congressional approval.

The Coalition has endorsed the deal.

"For $360 billion, we're going to get eight submarines. It must be the worst deal in all history," Mr Keating said.

AUKUS nuclear age begins

From a dalliance with Japan, to an extended French flirt, Australia's now firmly back in the bosom of its Anglosphere allies during a meandering and disjointed journey to find its next generation submarine fleet and with that, Australia's nuclear age has begun.


The nuclear-powered submarines will replace Australia's ageing diesel-powered Collins Class submarines, which Mr Keating took credit at the National Press Club for acquiring with then-Labor defence minister Kim Beazley.

Mr Beazley, in an interview with the ABC's Afternoon Briefing, said he disagreed with Mr Keating's assessment that the AUKUS deal was the worst international decision by a Labor government since World War I.

"I don't agree with that - no. And I think it's a good decision that's been arrived at with detailed consideration," he said.

"I actually think we need these submarines. It's a question of their speed and the areas that they have to cover."

Australian, American and British officials have cited the growth of China's military as a key reason for Australia needing nuclear-powered submarines.

Mr Keating dismissed China's growing military as posing a threat to Australia.

"Let me say this: China has not threatened us," he said.

Mr Keating, who said he spoke for both Labor politicians and grassroots members who felt they could not speak out, said nothing short of a Chinese naval fleet heading for Australia should be considered a threat.

"We wouldn't need submarines to sink an armada, an armada of Chinese boats and troop ships," he told the press club.

"We'd just do it with planes and missiles."

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton described Mr Keating's comments as "unhinged".

Mr Marles, speaking before Mr Keating, insisted Australia had no choice but to adopt nuclear-powered submarines.

"Our national interest demands that we do this," he said.

China is determined to thwart AUKUS, driven by distrust and fear of a US nuclear build-up

China intends to lobby other countries to thwart the AUKUS submarine deal.

(Reuters: Greg Baker/ABC)

By East Asia correspondent Bill Birtles

abc.net.au

China has made no secret of its plans to diplomatically thwart Australia's AUKUS submarine plan, which it sees as part of a broader US effort to contain China's future military dominance of Asia.

Beijing's mission to the United Nations yesterday slammed the announcement that Australia will obtain several American nuclear-powered submarines as part of the deal, saying it "fuels arms races and hurts peace and stability".



But rhetoric aside, China's real strategy is focused on stifling the submarine plan at the world's nuclear watchdog body in what will likely be a long-term effort to win over other member states.

So far, China's diplomats are losing the battle, fuelling increasing frustration.

China has the world's biggest navy, including at least 12 nuclear-powered submarines, with a quicker production capacity than the US and its allies.

Australia's nuclear subs deal explained

Are you wondering why there's so much fuss about Australia's decision to acquire nuclear submarines? We've broken it down for you.


And not long after the AUKUS plan was first announced in 2021, Beijing launched a vigorous diplomatic campaign at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), arguing the plan blatantly breached the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

The problem for Beijing is that it doesn't.

However, the deal does set a precedent that some analysts fear could be exploited by countries intent on using the cover of nuclear propulsion to secretly develop weapons.

China's diplomats have so far failed to convince IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi, who has expressed satisfaction that consultations between his agency and the AUKUS nations are in line with the treaty.

In a statement released late on Tuesday, Grossi said Australia had provided the IAEA with preliminary design information about the project, and noted that the agency "must ensure that no proliferation risks will emanate from this project".

"I will ensure a transparent process that will be solely guided by the agency’s statutory mandate and the safeguards agreements and additional protocols of the AUKUS parties," his statement said.

China may find sympathetic ears in a region that is increasingly worried about a broader military build-up.(US Indo-Pacific Command)

"Nuclear submarines are a highly secretive military platform; it's very hard to provide basic transparency to IEAE or other inspecting parties to show them how things are done," said Zhao Tong, a senior fellow in the nuclear policy program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

"So that high secrecy over nuclear submarines might create opportunities for countries like China to raise questions about whether there is any theoretical possibility for misuse of the nuclear technology."

The US-UK plan to transfer highly enriched uranium and reactor technology to Australia for the submarines has also prompted claims of double standards, given America's efforts to prevent other countries from transferring nuclear materials in recent decades.

Why is the AUKUS submarine pact such a big deal?

China's anti-AUKUS campaign is driven by genuine paranoia

While China's diplomats are struggling to argue any rules are being breached, they are, at the very least, trying to convince other countries that the spirit of nuclear non-proliferation is being trashed.

China's ambassador to the IAEA, Li Song, said this month that the AUKUS plan was a "textbook case of nuclear proliferation that runs against the objective and purpose" of efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.

Australia's neighbours, such as Indonesia and Malaysia, have already expressed concerns about the plan, although not outright opposition.

"Indonesia expects Australia to remain consistent in fulfilling its obligations under the [nuclear proliferation treaty] and IAEA safeguards, as well as to develop with the IAEA a verification mechanism that is effective, transparent and non - discriminatory," Indonesia's foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Australian government will take three US Virginia-class submarines early next decade, with an option to purchase another two, while jointly developing a new class with both the US and the UK.(Reuters: Leah Millis)

China's efforts to cast Australia as an irresponsible nation flouting global norms might find receptive ears in a region increasingly worried about a broader military build-up.

That pressure, just as much as the huge long-term cost and uncertain political commitment by future US administrations, might slow down or even scuttle the submarine program.

The AUKUS deal is done, but could that change?

Joe Biden might have given his seal of approval for the AUKUS deal, but a future administration could take it away, writes Carrington Clarke.

"I think Chinese diplomats are mainly using nuclear non-proliferation as a tool to create obstacles for this program to materialise," Dr Zhao said.

"But given the serious strategic distrust in China towards the US and Australia, I think there is genuine paranoia in China about the real agenda behind this cooperation.

"Some experts appear genuinely worried that the US is creating this program to open up the possibility of Australia gradually pursuing nuclear weapon capability."
Meanwhile, China is working on its own nuclear build-up

Whether Chinese concerns about nuclear weapons development are genuinely held or not, it's clearly not in Beijing's interests for Australia to possess submarines that can travel further.

China's leader Xi Jinping this week pledged that the nation's armed forces need to be "a great wall of steel that effectively safeguards national sovereignty, security and development interests".

Australia begins its nuclear age

From a dalliance with Japan, to an extended French flirt, Australia is now firmly back in the bosom of its Anglosphere allies during a meandering and disjointed journey to find its next generation submarine fleet, writes Andrew Probyn.


Those interests spread from Taiwan to disputed reefs in the South China Sea and potentially throughout the Indian and Pacific oceans as China's economic and military presence grows.

Xi's government this month announced yet another annual funding boost for the military and reiterated — indirectly — a goal of taking control of the self-ruled island Taiwan as part of a so-called "great rejuvenation" before 2049.

"Our observations show whenever Chinese aircraft — especially strategic bombers along with fighters — pass through Taiwan's south-west Air Defence Identification Zone and, especially, through the Bashi channel between Taiwan and the Philippines, it also means, simultaneously, there are Chinese submarine activities too," Sun Yat-sen university military expert Kuo Yujen said.

The Chinese government has announced yet another annual funding boost for the military.(Reuters: Jason Lee)

The prospect of the US and its allies militarily intervening in a Chinese invasion or blockade of Taiwan is seen as the biggest deterrent for Xi making a move.

Some experts argue that, if the 2049 deadline is correct, Australia's play for eight new submarines will be too little, too late to add any substantial deterrent.

However, some in Taiwan say this move is symbolic of a rivalry bigger than just Taiwan.

"To me, this is all part of broader hegemonic competition between China the US," Professor Kuo said, adding that most Chinese submarine activity detected near Taiwan is believed to be practising to target the US territory of Guam.

"I don't buy the argument of any type of timeline or deadline for China to invade Taiwan."

YOUTUBE

AUKUS unveils nuclear-powered submarine plan for Australia.



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'China won't let up': Beijing ramps up campaign against AUKUS nuclear submarine deal

AUSTRALIA
Titan Plant Hire and managing director Jason Madalena fined $1.14 million over Dwayne Beaumont's death

By Oliver Chaseling

abc.net.au

The court heard Dwayne Beaumont had not received the necessary training and inductions for loading the excavator before the incident. (Supplied)


The largest ever penalty for a workplace death in the Northern Territory has been handed to a Darwin equipment hire company and its managing director over the death of a worker in 2019.

Key points:

Dwayne Beaumont, 30, died when he was struck by an unsecured excavator bucket

Titan Plant Hire was fined $960,000, with managing director Jason Madalena to pay $180,000

The sentencing judge said the company's safety policies were merely "ink on paper"

Titan Plant Hire was fined $960,000 over the death of 30-year-old Dwayne Beaumont, who died after he was struck by an unsecured excavator bucket while guiding the hired machine onto another vehicle.

The company's managing director Jason Madalena was fined $180,000 over the incident, which happened at a hire site in Darwin in April 2019.

The penalties were handed down today in the Darwin Local Court, where Mr Madalena and the company last week pleaded guilty to failing to conduct due diligence in preventing the death.

Charges were also laid against the excavator operator but withdrawn after his death in 2021.

The court heard Mr Beaumont had not been provided adequate training or site inductions prior to the accident, and had raised those concerns before loading the excavator.

Safety watchdog NT WorkSafe said Mr Beaumont's death could have been "easily" avoided.

(ABC News: Elias Clure)

Judge Ben O'Loughlin said the company's health and safety policies amounted to "ink on paper" and that implementing measures to prevent Mr Beaumont's death would have been relatively easy and inexpensive.

Safety watchdog NT Worksafe said in a statement that the fines are the highest of their kind ever handed to a private company in the territory.

"This tragedy could have been easily avoided if Titan Pant Hire had appropriate systems in place to ensure the safe operating and loading of machinery and equipment which was being hired," Work Health and Safety regulator Peggy Cheong said.

Mr Beaumont's former partner and family told the court of their grief in victim's impact statements delivered last week.

In another statement issued today, Mr Beaumont's sister said it was a comfort to see the court recognise the seriousness of the incident.

"We know that no amount of money, no words or no actions can bring Dwayne back," she said.

"We will forever wish that Dwayne was still here with us, until we meet him again."
Posted 1h ago1 hours ago, updated 50m ago50 minutes ago
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Construction firm and managing director plead guilty over Darwin worksite death

French protests lose steam as pensions reform nears final vote


Police had expected up to a million people to protest across France, but fewer than half that figure showed up - Copyright AFP Handout

Laurent BARTHELEMY

By AFP
Published March 11, 2023

Demonstrators in France took to the streets Saturday for a seventh day of protest against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform plans, but turnout fell well short of projections at nationwide rallies.

Unions hope they can still force Macron to back down as parliament debates the draft law, with the National Assembly and the Senate moving towards a final vote as early as this month.

“This is the final stretch,” said Marylise Leon, deputy leader of the CFDT union. “The endgame is now,” she told the franceinfo broadcaster Saturday.

This week, Macron twice turned down urgent calls by unions to meet with him in a last-ditch attempt to get him to change his mind.

The snub made unions “very angry”, said Philippe Martinez, boss of the hard-left CGT union.

“When there are millions of people in the streets, when there are strikes and all we get from the other side is silence, people wonder: What more do we need to do to be heard?”, he said, calling for a referendum on the pensions reform.

The interior ministry said some 368,000 people showed up nationwide for protests, which was less than half of the 800,000 to one million that police had predicted ahead of the demonstrations.

In Paris, 48,000 took part in rallies, compared to police forecasts of around 100,000.

Unions, who put the attendance figure at a million, had hoped that turnout would be higher on a Saturday when most people did not have to take time off work to attend. On February 11, also a Saturday, 963,000 people demonstrated, according to police.

At the last big strike and protest day on Tuesday, turnout was just under 1.3 million people, according to police, and more than three million according to unions.

– ‘Future of children’ –

“I’m here to fight for my colleagues and for our young people,” said Claude Jeanvoine, 63, a retired train driver demonstrating in Strasbourg, eastern France.

“People shouldn’t let the government get away with this, this is about the future of their children and grandchildren,” he told AFP.

Marie-Cecile Perillat, a regional leader for the FSU union demonstrating in the southwestern city of Toulouse, said: “They’re beginning to feel the pressure, including in parliament. We believe we can win, and we’re not going to give up.”

The reform’s headline measure is a hike in the minimum retirement age to 64 from 62, seen by many as unfair to people who started working young.

Protesters say that women, especially mothers, are also at a disadvantage in the law.

“If I’d known this was coming, I wouldn’t have stopped working to look after my kids when they were small,” said Sophie Merle, a 50-year old childcare provider in Marseille, southern France.

Several sectors in the French economy have been targeted by union calls for indefinite strikes, including in rail and air transport, power stations, natural gas terminals and rubbish collection.

On Saturday in Paris, urban transit was little affected by stoppages, except for some suburban train lines.

But uncollected rubbish has begun to accumulate in some of the capital’s neighbourhoods, and airlines cancelled around 20 percent of their flights scheduled at French airports.

There were sporadic clashes during the Paris protests, with some demonstrators throwing projectiles at police and setting bins on fire, AFP reporters said. There were several arrests.

The French Senate, meanwhile, Saturday resumed debate of the reform.

Senators have until Sunday evening to conclude their discussions, and a commission is then to elaborate a final version of the draft law which will be submitted to both houses of parliament for a last vote.

Should Macron’s government fail to assemble a majority ahead of the vote, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne could deploy a rarely-used constitutional tool, known as article 49/3, to push the legislation through without a vote.

An opinion poll published by broadcaster BFMTV on Saturday found that 63 percent of French people approve the protests against the reform, and 54 percent were also in favour of the strikes and blockages in some sectors.

Some 78 percent, however, said they believed that Macron would end up getting the reform adopted.

Hong Kong activists behind Tiananmen vigils sentenced to 4.5 months in jail

By —Kanis Leung, Associated Press

March 11,2023

HONG KONG (AP) — Three former organizers of Hong Kong’s annual vigil in remembrance of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown on pro-democracy protests were jailed Saturday for 4 1/2 months for failing to provide authorities with information on the group under a national security law.

Chow Hang-tung, Tang Ngok-kwan and Tsui Hon-kwong were arrested in 2021 during a crackdown on the city’s pro-democracy movement following massive protests more than three years ago. They were leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China and were found guilty last week.

The now-defunct alliance was best known for organizing candlelight vigils in Hong Kong on the anniversary of the 1989 China military’s crushing of Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests, but it voted to disband in 2021 under the shadow of the Beijing-imposed national security law.

Supporters say its closure has shown freedoms and autonomy that were promised when Hong Kong returned to China in 1997 are diminishing.

Before its disbandment, police had sought details about its operations and finances in connection with alleged links to democracy groups overseas, accusing it of being a foreign agent. But the group refused to cooperate, arguing the police did not have a right to ask for its information because it was not a foreign agent and the authorities did not provide sufficient justification.

READ MORE: Hong Kong police granted sweeping powers under security law

Under the security law’s implementation rules, the police chief can request a range of information from a foreign agent. Failure to comply with the request could result in six months in jail and a fine of 100,000 Hong Kong dollars ($12,740) if convicted.

Chow denied the alliance was a foreign agent and said that nothing had emerged that proved otherwise. She said their sentencing as about punishing people for defending the truth.

She said national security is being used as a pretext to wage a war on civil society.

“Sir, sentence us for our insubordination if you must, but when the exercise of power is based on lies, being insubordinate is the only way to be human,” she said.

Handing down the sentences, Principal Magistrate Peter Law said the case is the first of its kind under the new law and the sentencing has to send a clear message that the law does not condone any violation.

Law, who was approved by the city’s leader to oversee the case, said he saw no justification for reducing the 4 1/2-month sentence.

Some crucial details, including the names of groups that were alleged to have links with the alliance, were redacted from court documents. In previous proceedings, the court ordered a partial redaction of some information after prosecutors argued that a full disclosure would jeopardize an ongoing probe into national security cases.

The annual vigil organized by the alliance was the only large-scale public commemoration of the June 4th crackdown on Chinese soil and was attended by massive crowds until authorities banned it in 2020, citing anti-pandemic measures.

READ MORE: Police crackdown on Tiananmen vigils in Hong Kong

Chow and two other former alliance leaders, Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho, were charged with subversion under the national security law in 2021. The alliance itself also was charged.

The law criminalizes secession, subversion, and collusion with foreign forces to intervene in the city’s affairs as well as terrorism. Many pro-democracy activists were silenced or jailed after its enactment in 2020.

In a separate case, Elizabeth Tang, who was arrested for endangering national security earlier this week, was released on bail on Saturday. Tang is a veteran labor activist and also Lee’s wife.

In a statement Thursday that did not provide a name, police said they had arrested a 65-year-old woman for suspected collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security. It said she was being detained for investigation.

“I feel clueless because my work is always about labor rights and organizing trade unions. So I don’t understand why I was accused of breaking the law and endangering national security,” she told reporters on Saturday after being released.

AUSTRALIA
Calls for copper IUDs to be subsidised by the federal government

By political reporter Claudia Long

IUDs are some of the most effective forms of contraception.

(Unsplash: Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition)

Doctors are calling on the federal government to fund access to non-hormonal IUDs to increase uptake of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs).

Key points:

Only hormonal IUDs are subsidised by the federal government
IUDs are among the most effective contraceptives available
The lack of subsidies means some cancer patients are paying more for contraception

Intrauterine devices, or IUDs, are among the most effective contraceptives on the market, with an efficacy of between 99.5-99.9 per cent.

By comparison, with typical use, the two most common forms of contraception in Australia — the pill and male condoms — are effective around 91 per cent of the time and 88 per cent of the time.

While the two hormonal versions of the IUD are subsidised by the federal government via the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), the non-hormonal copper version is not granted any government subsidies, meaning patients have to pay over a hundred dollars just to get one.

This is despite increased access to LARCs being a key benchmark in the government's National Women's Health Strategy from 2020-2030.

Who cops the cost?

While the two hormonal IUDs available in Australia are available on the PBS, that is not possible for the copper version.

This is because it is classified as a medical device rather than a medicine.

What contraceptives are Aussie women missing out on?

Contraception is a game changer for women around the world. But the risks and side effects can take a real toll on their quality of life. So in 2021, what else is on offer?

But director of the Sphere Centre of Research Excellence in Women's Sexual and Reproductive Health Professor Danielle Mazza says that does not mean there are not other options to make it more affordable.

"They're less commonly used now because of the dual benefit that the progestogen-containing IUD gives, which is bleeding control and management of heavy bleeding as well."

"But if we're going to continue with contraception on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, then it is unjust that the copper IUD, which is a very necessary option to have as part of our choices in contraception for women, not be made, you know, equally accessible as other products."

Danielle Mazza says there is a range of reasons why people may want the copper IUD.(Supplied)

Professor Mazza suggests that the federal government could follow the lead of authorities in countries like England where contraception is free.

"Internationally, contraception in many countries is free and that would be one mechanism [to increase access]."

There is also the option of the government partially subsidising the copper IUD as it does with the hormonal versions, just not through the PBS.

"We would need to get advice from government about this and the regulatory processes involved, but I certainly would like to see it more accessible."

Professor Mazza says there is a whole range of reasons why people need to be able to access the copper option.


"A lot of women like it because it doesn't have hormones in it and for women who want to see a period every month, it's often the preferred option," she said.

"Particularly in cultural groups where bleeding on a regular basis has cultural significance.

"And sometimes when women are in difficult relationships, if their partner were to notice that they weren't bleeding, then that may cause problems and so there is also a small group of women who prefer to have the copper IUD for that reason."

Speaking at the Senate inquiry into reproductive healthcare access, Dr Danielle Haller from True Relationships and Reproductive Health said the lack of subsidies for the copper IUD was also having an impact on cancer patients.

"It's hormone-free, so women with breast cancer who need contraception can have a copper IUD, but it's not PBS listed, so they're paying $110 for that up-front, where every other IUD is $40, or $6.30 on the PBS," Dr Haller said.

Rebate for IUD insertion increased

The Medicare rebate for getting an intra-uterine device (IUD) inserted has been raised but doctors say it still does not come close to covering the cost of the procedure.

Cost acts as disincentive for GPs

Dr Haller told the inquiry that along with copper IUDs being more expensive for patients, there were significant barriers to patients accessing any IUDs despite them being one of the most effective contraceptives available.

That is partially because of disincentives for doctors inserting the contraceptive in the first place: the cost of training, equipment and paying a nurse to assist during the procedure, plus the time it takes to insert the device, leaves doctors out of pocket.

"To do the training is four to six hours of doing some online reading, and then they've got to take two days off to come in and practice putting in IUDs," Dr Haller said.

"That's a big ask, most GPs would maybe do 10 a year, so for $700 they've spent all of this time.

"There's the risk as well, things go wrong with IUDs, these are not simple consultations where you provide a script and off they go.

"If they work at a bulk-billing clinic [they] would get $72 for 45 minutes worth of work involving the nurse and having to pay for the equipment to do it."

While the rebate for IUD insertion was increased by the former coalition government in early 2022, medical professionals have been calling for it to go higher, saying it is nowhere near enough to cover costs.

Janet Rice is the chair of the inquiry into universal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)

During back-and-forth at the Senate inquiry with its chair, Victorian Greens senator Janet Rice, and Queensland Greens senator Larissa Waters, Dr Haller said the rebate was not enough to cover the cost of the procedure.


CHAIR: Could I ask a question in terms of that ridiculously low amount of the rebate. With the review of the Medicare schedules that was done quite recently, do you have any sense of why these things weren't addressed?

Dr Haller: It actually was, probably two years ago. It went up from $50 to $70.

CHAIR: Right.

Dr Haller: The problem is that you can't bill that item number with any other item number. Even the ability to bill a time-based consultation fee with the IUD insertion fee would resolve the issue, because if it takes—

Senator WATERS: Why do they not let them do that?

CHAIR: Why wasn't that addressed in the MBS review? Because it was blokes doing the review? I don't know.

Senator WATERS: It probably was.

Dr Haller: I don't know. It just doesn't make any sense.


With many doctors unable to provide insertions, it means patients can have a tough time accessing the contraceptive at all.

And alongside cost and availability, pain during insertion can also be a hurdle for patients.

Why can getting an IUD be so painful?

IUDs are one of the most effective forms of contraception, but for some women getting one inserted can be excruciating. Here's why.


An ABC investigation found many were having painful and upsetting experiences getting their IUDs inserted, saying they were not given enough information about available pain relief options.

Are subsidies on the horizon?

So is the federal government up for funding a new subsidy for the copper IUD?

In response to questions from the ABC, Assistant Minister for Health Ged Kearney, who is in charge of women's health, did not make any promises.

"Long-acting reversible contraceptives are highly effective but we know uptake in Australia is lagging behind other countries," she said.

Ged Kearney says she is committed to working with stakeholders to see what barriers to IUDs can be removed.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)

"We know there are barriers to accessing long-acting reversible contraceptives – whether that be geography, education, provider training gaps or costs.

"I am committed to working with stakeholders, as well as my state and territory colleagues, to look at what we can do to address these issues."

The assistant minister is currently working with the new National Women's Health Advisory Council, which will provide advice to the federal government on issues such as reproductive healthcare and monitor the progress of the National Women's Health Strategy.

ABC
Posted 11 Mar 2023