Connect with us

World

Concern grows about Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia.

Published

on

Concern grows about Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia.

The Biden administration is “deeply involved” about Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia who has been transferred to a jail hospital, a White Home spokesman stated on Wednesday.

Mr. Whelan’s brother, David, stated in emails to supporters this week that his brother was moved on Nov. 17 to a hospital within the jail the place he’s being held.

His household, which has not heard from him in per week, grew significantly alarmed when Mr. Whelan missed a scheduled name dwelling on Thanksgiving Day and additional nonetheless when he did not name dwelling on Wednesday, his father’s eighty fifth birthday.

“Paul was not complaining of any well being circumstances that required hospitalization, so has there been an emergency?” David Whelan wrote. He added that his brother “appeared wholesome and nicely” to U.S. embassy workers who visited him earlier this month.

John Kirby, a Nationwide Safety Council spokesman, advised reporters in a phone briefing on Wednesday that the U.S. authorities has been attempting unsuccessfully to get data on Mr. Whelan’s situation and his whereabouts.

Advertisement

“As we communicate this morning, regrettably, we would not have an replace particularly about the place he’s or what situation he’s in,” Mr. Kirby stated. He added: “We’re deeply involved in regards to the ignorance and the shortage of contact from Paul, and we’re engaged on this actually as exhausting as we will by diplomatic channels.”

Talking on MSNBC throughout a go to to Bucharest, Romania, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken stated that U.S. officers had visited Mr. Whelan on Nov. 16 and spoke to him by telephone at “roughly” the identical time however haven’t had contact with him since. “We’re working day-after-day to guarantee that we’ve got contact with him, that we perceive what the precise scenario is,” Mr. Blinken stated.

David Whelan stated in an electronic mail on Wednesday: “It may very well be nothing however, on this case, you at all times have to contemplate worst case situations.”

Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine who later labored as a company safety govt, was arrested at a Moscow lodge in December 2018 and convicted in June 2020 on espionage fees that the U.S. authorities says had been manufactured.

U.S. officers have linked Mr. Whelan’s destiny to that of the imprisoned skilled basketball participant Brittney Griner and have been attempting for months to barter their joint launch. The USA has provided to launch from federal jail a infamous Russian arms vendor, Viktor Bout, in trade for the 2 People. Russia has but to just accept the provide.

Advertisement

In a Nov. 9 assertion, the White Home stated that it “has continued to observe up on that provide and suggest various potential methods ahead with the Russians by all obtainable channels” however didn’t provide additional particulars.

Mr. Whelan is being held at a high-security jail referred to as IK-17, about an eight hour drive from Moscow.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

World

Cambodia's prime minister bans musical horns on vehicles to curb dangerous street dancing

Published

on

Cambodia's prime minister bans musical horns on vehicles to curb dangerous street dancing
  • Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Mane has issued a ban on musical horns after videos on social media depicted people dancing on roadsides.
  • Mane instructed the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation and police nationwide to remove tune-playing horns from vehicles.
  • The ban has already been put into effect by provincial authorities, and Hun Manet voiced its nationwide enforcement.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Mane has ordered a ban on musical horns, after videos posted on social media showed people dancing on roads and roadsides as passing trucks blasted rhythmic little tunes.

Hun Manet, who last year took over the wheel of government from his father, Hun Sen — who led Cambodia for 38 years — called on the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation and police across the country to immediately take action against any vehicle whose normal horn has been replaced by a tune-playing one by ripping it out and restoring the standard honking type. 

He said the measure has already been implemented by provincial authorities, but he wanted to announce it publicly to make sure it was enforced nationwide.

CAMBODIA’S PIONEERING POST-KHMER ROUGE ERA PHNOM PENH POST NEWSPAPER WILL STOP PRINT PUBLICATION

He commented on his Facebook page on Monday that recent social media posts had shown “inappropriate activity committed by some people, especially youth and children, dancing on the roadside to the musical sounds from trucks’ horns.”

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet greets garment workers on Aug. 29, 2023, at Prey Speu village outside Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Mane has ordered a ban on musical horns, after videos posted on social media showed people dancing on roads and roadsides as passing trucks blasted rhythmic little tunes. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith, File)

Advertisement

Hun Manet said such dancing affects public order and poses a traffic hazard that is a threat to life and limb, not least of all to the dancers themselves. 

2 ANTI-GOVERNMENT ACTIVISTS IN CAMBODIA CHARGED WITH INSULTING KING ON SOCIAL MEDIA

One video shows three young people dancing in the middle of a road while a large trailer truck coming their way lays down a beat.

For Cambodians, there will be no more dancing in the street.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

World

Biotech strategy launch, Newsletter

Published

on

Biotech strategy launch, Newsletter

Key diary dates

ADVERTISEMENT

Tuesday 19 March: European Parliament’s committee vote on the reform of EU pharmaceutical rules.

Wednesday 20 March: Presentation of the European Commission‘s first ‘EU Biotech and Biomanufacturing Initiative’.

Tuesday 19-Friday 22 March: European Commission organises Digital Markets Act workshops with gatekeepers.

In spotlight

This Wednesday (20 March) the European Commission is expected to unveil a new ‘EU Biotech and Biomanufacturing Initiative’ .

Despite half-hearted attempts at regulatory simplification in the sector in the past, life science technologies are increasingly drawing attention from policymakers.

Last month Euronews first reported on the health component of this initiative based on a leaked draft document that highlighted a focus on the vibrant biopharmaceutical sector – responsible for providing breakthrough messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules playing an essential role in COVID-19 vaccines.

Advertisement

But biotech applications are not limited to the health sector, ranging from sustainable sourcing of advanced materials to climate-smart production and other components essential to a fossil-free and circular economy.

A ‘blue’ biotech is also emerging, with new research on aquatic organisms and microalgae fermentation ready for commercial exploitation – not to mention the potential of new genomic techniques (NGTs) for food production, already under discussion by EU lawmakers.

The main goals of this initiative will be to survey the status quo and track future challenges facing the biotech sector to orientate policy efforts in readiness for the next legislative mandate.

Some policy ideas are likely to be proffered, such as a one-stop shop to permit and authorise biotech manufacturing – while a controversial proposal for an R&I tax credit for biotech companies is rumoured to have been shelved for the moment.

This first dedicated attempt to address the sector won’t be the last, with economic security and strategic autonomy likely to be key buzzwords for the next commission.

Advertisement

Biotech is expected to be a new beat to keep a close eye on and it has already been listed as a critical technology for the continent, together with semiconductors and artificial intelligence.

The defence imperative dominating current commission thinking involves European independence from military aircraft to sourcing these critical new technologies.

Policy newsmakers

@Hahn                                                                                                                   @Wiewiórowski

Commission under data notice

The European Commission was ordered last week to bring its use of Microsoft 365 office programs in line with its own rulebook, after European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) Wojciech Wiewiórowski found following an investigation that the commission breached EU rules on transfers of personal data outside the EU. The commission now needs to suspend all data flows resulting from its use of Microsoft 365 to Microsoft and to its affiliates and sub-processors located in countries outside the EU/EEA that are not covered by a data transfer agreement. The commissioner responsible for admin, Johannes Hahn, will have to demonstrate compliance with the orders by 9 December 2024.

Advertisement

Policy Poll

Should profits generated by Russian state assets frozen in Europe be:

Kept in trust for Russia

ADVERTISEMENT

Used to rebuild Ukraine

Used to arm Ukraine

Vote

Subscribe here to see the results of last week’s poll and stay informed on the latest EU policy developments with our weekly newsletter, “The Policy Briefing”. Your weekly insight on European rulemaking, policy issues, key events, and data trends.

Advertisement

Data brief

EU carbon dioxide emissions

ADVERTISEMENT
Continue Reading

World

Reuters Institute: Research shows women only make 24% of news top editors / FIP

Published

on

Reuters Institute: Research shows women only make 24% of news top editors / FIP

New research by the Reuters Institute analyses the gender representation of senior editors in major news outlets across five continents, recording that women fill only 24% of senior editorial roles in the markets surveyed. The findings highlight how gender inequalities can reinforce misperceptions, imbalances, and perceived differences both within journalism and as covered by journalists.

The research “Women and leadership in the news media 2024: Evidence from 12 markets” took examples from five continents, and analysed the gender breakdown of editorial leaders.  Two hundred and forty major online and offline news outlets provided data. 

According to the factsheet, among the 33 news top editors appointed across brands covered this year and last, 24% are women. In some of these countries, however, women outnumber men among working journalists.

Reuters contrasts its new findings with data from the past five years. The proportion of women among the top editors has increased by only 2% since 2020, going from 23% to 25% in 2024. The Institute’s analysis anticipates that, at this pace, gender parity will be reached in such positions only by the year 2074.

Change is not consistent throughout countries, however. If the percentage has increased relative to 2020 in six countries (name them all), it has decreased in Germany by 2% and it has highly decreased in South Africa, from 47% to 29%. 

Advertisement

Reuters Institute makes clear that “top editorial leadership matters both in terms of how journalism is practised and how it appears in society,” insisting on  how top editors represent the wider public “in all its difference and diversity.”

Continue Reading

Trending