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Germany and France oppose growing calls for EU visa ban for Russians

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Germany and France oppose growing calls for EU visa ban for Russians

Germany and France, the European Union’s largest and most influential member states, have joined forces to oppose the rising calls for for a EU-wide ban on the issuance of visas to Russian vacationers.

The 2 international locations consider the novel transfer would alienate the complete Russian inhabitants, together with those that nonetheless maintain some attachment to the West.

“Whereas understanding the issues of some member states on this context we must always not underestimate the transformative energy of experiencing life in democratic techniques at first hand, particularly for future generations,” Germany and France wrote in a doc seen by Reuters.

“Our visa insurance policies ought to mirror that and proceed to permit for people-to-people contacts within the EU with Russian nationals not linked to the Russian authorities.”

The vacationer ban has been backed by an growing variety of member states, together with Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Denmark and Poland, who argue the invasion of Ukraine deserves the whole suspension of Russian tourism.

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On Tuesday, the Netherlands voiced its help in an interview with native media.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy went even additional and urged all Western nations to impose a blanket journey ban on all Russian residents.

In the meantime, the Portuguese authorities mentioned EU sanctions towards the Kremlin ought to “penalise the Russian warfare machine and never the Russian individuals,” a viewpoint echoed by Spain.

Greece is but to take a proper place within the debate, Euronews understands.

Introducing a EU-wide ban requires the unanimous settlement of the 27 member states.

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‘We’ve got to be selective’

The joint opposition from Berlin and Paris comes forward of the casual assembly of overseas affairs ministers in Prague, the place the difficulty is about to characteristic excessive on the agenda.

Wednesday’s assembly is hosted by the Czech presidency of the EU Council.

The Czech Republic has thrown its full help behind the EU-wide ban with the federal government suspending the issuance of visas to Russians earlier than taking on the presidency.

“Whole halting of visas for Russians needs to be one other efficient sanctions towards Russia,” Jan Lipavský, the Czech overseas minister, said on Tuesday. “It is necessary for the EU to reply collectively.”

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, one of many fiercest advocates for the sanction, mentioned earlier this month that visiting Europe was a “privilege, not a human proper.”

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Round 30% of Russian vacationers enter the EU through the Estonian border, she mentioned.

Kallas later clarified her thought envisioned exceptions for humanitarian help and asylum seekers, consistent with worldwide regulation requirements.

Finland, which shares a 1,300 kilometre-long land border with Russia, has equally known as for a visa ban and has already restricted permits to 10% of present volumes (over 100 a day).

Russian nationals are organising automobile journeys to the airports of Helsinki and Lappeenranta to then catch a flight in the direction of different EU locations, in keeping with studies by Finnish media.

In Brussels, the mounting calls for from the East have to date obtained a chilly reception.

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“I don’t suppose [cutting] the connection with the Russian civilian inhabitants will assist and I don’t suppose that this concept could have the required unanimity [in the EU Council],” Josep Borrell, the EU’s overseas coverage chief, informed Austrian TV on Sunday.

“I feel that we’ve got to overview the best way that some Russians get a visa, definitely the oligarchs. We’ve got to be extra selective. However I’m not in favour of stopping delivering visas to all Russians.”

‘It’s merely not truthful’

Within the quick aftermath of Russia’s invasion, the EU determined to close down its air area to Russian plane, grinding direct flights to a halt. The bloc additionally closed its ports to Russian-operated vessels.

However land journey from Russia in the direction of the EU stays technically allowed, even when some bordering international locations have frozen or severely restricted the issuance of vacationer visas in response to the warfare.

Knowledge from Frontex, the EU’s border management company, exhibits that, because the Ukraine warfare broke out in late February, almost 1,000,000 Russians residents have legally entered the bloc through land, largely via Finland, the Baltic states and Poland.

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The present debate focuses on so-called Schengen visas, which permit vacationers to journey throughout the passport-free Schengen space throughout a most interval of 90 days. 

Schengen encompasses 24 EU international locations, along with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

The short-term visa needs to be processed and authorized by a Schengen state and is recognised by all the opposite members as a authorized passage into their territory. 

Proponents of the measure argue the Russian inhabitants is accountable for supporting Vladimir Putin and, by extension, the army marketing campaign that he determined to launch.

“Ukrainian males should battle for his or her freedom and the liberty of their nation, on the similar time, Russian males can come to southern European international locations for trip or buying in good European cities, and so forth and so forth,” Urmas Paet, a Estonian MEP who sits with the liberal Renew Europe group, informed Euronews forward of the Prague assembly.

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“It’s merely not proper. It’s merely not truthful.”

For these towards the thought, the EU borders ought to stay open to dissidents, journalists and political opponents who defy the Kremlin and want to flee the nation.

“Banning visas for all nationals of a given nation could be an unprecedented choice,” mentioned Marie Dumoulin, director of the Wider Europe programme on the European Council on Overseas Relations.

“[It] would stigmatise Russians and play into the fingers of the Russian propaganda, which depicts the West as primarily pushed by its Russophobia.”

Since Wednesday’s ministerial assembly is casual, no formal choice can be taken, though new steps may very well be introduced.

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As an alternative choice to an outright ban, diplomats are contemplating the suspension of a 2007 settlement that offers preferential therapy to visa requests from Russian nationals, in keeping with the Monetary Occasions.

Revoking the settlement would make the appliance course of far more onerous and costly.

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World

Justin Baldoni Sued by Former Publicist Amid Blake Lively Scandal

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Justin Baldoni Sued by Former Publicist Amid Blake Lively Scandal

Justin Baldoni‘s former publicist sued him, his company and his current publicity team on Tuesday, amid a spiraling scandal over an alleged smear campaign against Baldoni’s “It Ends With Us” co-star Blake Lively.

Steph Jones, who owns Jonesworks, accused Baldoni of breaching their contract, which required him to pay her $25,000 per month. Baldoni dropped the firm in August, a few months into a year-long deal, after his Jonesworks publicist, Jennifer Abel, left the company to start her own publicity firm.

Jones also sued Abel and publicist Melissa Nathan, accusing them of implementing the smear campaign against Lively behind her back and without her knowledge. She alleges that they are now trying to blame her for the ensuing meltdown.

“To this day, Abel and Nathan continue to point the finger falsely at Jones now that their own misconduct is coming to light, and to defame and attack Jones in the industry,” the lawsuit states.

Lively filed a complaint on Saturday with the California Civil Rights Department, accusing Baldoni and his publicists of orchestrating negative coverage about her in retaliation for her complaints of sexual harassment on set.

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In the complaint, Lively accused Baldoni of a catalog of sexually inappropriate comments and behavior that allegedly took place on set in 2023. According to the complaint, she raised these issues through her attorneys before filming, which had been suspended during the Hollywood strikes, resumed earlier this year.

The rift between Baldoni and Lively became apparent during the publicity tour for the film last summer. Baldoni feared that Lively or her team would public accuse him of sexual misconduct, and sought ways to combat that. The complaint quoted extensively from text messages among Baldoni’s publicity team, in which they plotted to “bury” Lively.

In an unusual move, Lively’s attorneys obtained the messages by sending a pre-litigation subpoena to Jones.

Abel, Nathan, and Baldoni are represented by attorney Bryan Freedman. On Monday, Freedman threatened to sue Jones for releasing the contents of Abel’s phone to Lively’s legal team. Freedman, Abel and Nathan did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Jones’ suit.

In her lawsuit, Jones relates that she “forensically preserved” Abel’s company phone after Abel was fired.

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“Abel and Nathan’s covert take down and smear campaigns were revealed in black and white on Abel’s company-issued phone following her termination, which Jonesworks forensically preserved and examined in detail after receiving a subpoena for the phone’s contents,” Jones’ suit states. “Jones discovered the breadth and intensity of Abel and Nathan’s duplicity from these records, including that Abel was actively encouraging other Jonesworks clients and employees to leave Jonesworks while Abel was still employed there.”

Jones’ suit alleges that Abel conspired for months to leave her company and to “steal” her clients and trash her reputation in the industry. She accuses Nathan of encouraging Abel to leave, because Nathan would then have greater access to those clients.

“This scheme ultimately inflicted serious damage on Jones and Jonesworks,” states the lawsuit, which was filed in state court in New York.

Among other things, the suit alleges that Abel and Nathan planted negative stories about Jones in the press, including an article in Business Insider that was published last summer.

The suit alleges breach of contract, tortious interference with contract, breach of fiduciary duty and defamation.

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Police officer dressed as the 'Grinch' steals Christmas spirit during drug bust

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Police officer dressed as the 'Grinch' steals Christmas spirit during drug bust

A Peruvian police officer dressed as the Grinch, the cantankerous and green-furred villain, busted suspected drug traffickers in the South American country’s capital days before Christmas. 

The operation in San Bartolo in Lima resulted in the arrest of three suspects, according to a video posted online by the Peruvian National Police. 

“In an ingenious operation, agents of the Green Squad arrested the aliases La Reina del Sur, La Coneja and Pote, alleged members of the La Mafia de San Bartolo gang, dedicated to drug dealing,” a police post on X states. “Various narcotics were seized.”

FLORIDA MAN WHO WAS HALF-NAKED, ‘HIGH ON METH’ BREAKS INTO HOME, GRABS CARPET CLEANER

The “Grinch” posing with suspected drug traffickers. A Peruvian police officer dressed as the Christmas villain helped bust the alleged traffickers.  (Peru National Police)

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Using what appeared to be a sledgehammer, the officer walked down the street dressed as the infamous Christmas villain with a small heart before breaking down the front door of a home and entering, according to the video footage. 

The suspects were arrested, and the “Grinch” is seen rummaging through various items in the home before finding what authorities said were illegal drugs and other items related to drug trafficking.

MORE THAN $31M OF METH CONCEALED IN SHIPMENT OF PEPPERS SEIZED AT TEXAS-MEXICO BORDER

The Grinch with a hammer

A Peruvian police officer dressed as the “Grinch” on his way to bust suspected drug traffickers.  (Peru National Police )

Peru is the second-largest producer of cocaine and cultivator of coca in the world, according to the State Department. 

“The majority of cocaine produced in Peru is transported to South American countries for domestic consumption, or for onward shipment to Europe, the United States, East Asia, and Mexico,” the State Department website said. 

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Peru’s national police force has carried out similar operations in the past. 

The "Grinch" busting down a door

The “Grinch” busting down a door (Peru National Police)

On Halloween 2023, officers disguised as horror favorites Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees and Tiffany Valentine, the murderous doll in the “Child’s Play” series, also broke into the home of alleged drug dealers. 

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Are your Christmas gifts ready? Here are where EU toys come from

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Are your Christmas gifts ready? Here are where EU toys come from

While the EU saw a drop in toy exports, China was the EU’s biggest supplier, providing 80% of these imports, valued at €5.2 billion.

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In 2023, the EU imported €6.5 billion worth of toys from countries outside the bloc, a €2 billion decrease compared to 2022. 

According to the latest Eurostat figures, China was the EU’s biggest supplier, providing 80% of these imports, valued at €5.2 billion. 

Vietnam followed with 6% and the United Kingdom with 2%. 

Around a fifth of the EU’s toy imports ended up in Germany, while France and the Netherlands received 16% and 14%, respectively. 

At the same time, the EU exported €2.3 billion worth of toys in 2023.  

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This figure represents a slight decrease of €0.2 billion from the previous year. 

More than half of the toys exported from the EU came from the Czech Republic, Germany and Belgium. 

The UK was the top destination for EU toy exports, receiving 30% of the total, followed by Switzerland at 13% and the United States at 10%. 

Concerns over toy safety

A recent Toy Industries of Europe study revealed that 80% of toys purchased from third-party sellers on online marketplaces failed to meet EU safety standards.

The research tested over 100 toys from various platforms, uncovering serious health risks such as choking hazards and toxic chemicals.

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At the beginning of September, the European Parliament backed a proposal to improve the safety of toys available on the EU market.

The proposal focused particularly on decreasing the number of unsafe toys in the EU market and better protecting children from toy-related risks, including banning harmful chemicals in toys.

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