Canadian Prime Minister has revoked the controversial order that had given the government sweeping powers to crack down on mandate protesters
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has brought an end to the Emergency Act in the country after 10 days after it was used to widen the scope of government and police authority in order to remove and detain ‘Freedom Convoy’ protesters who had shut down a major US-Canada border crossing as well as much of Ottawa over the last weeks.
Addressing the nation on Wednesday evening, Trudeau said that the situation is “no longer an emergency.” The Canadian leader referred to the expanded authority given to law enforcement, which included targeting protesters’ funding, as “time-limited extra tools” that had helped the police to lift blockades plaguing downtown Ottawa.
Trudeau said he is “confident” now that “existing laws and bylaws” are “sufficient to keep people safe.”
He, however, appeared to signal that the federal government was ready to step in if the situation goes awry.
“We will continue to be there to support local and provincial authorities if and when needed”, the PM said.
Nearly 200 people have been arrested as police cracked down on the Freedom Convoy protests, with over 100 facing various charges. Organizers like Tamara Lich were also arrested last week. Lich was denied bail with the judge stating this week that her continued detention is “necessary for the protection and safety of the public.”
The prime minister’s decision, which takes effect Wednesday evening, came only two days after Canadian lawmakers greenlighted the extension the emergency powers. At the time, Trudeau that the situation was “fragile” and still an “emergency.”
PORTLAND, USA, Feb 23 (IPS) – With the unprecedented ageing of populations worldwide, countries are struggling with the critical questions of who should be responsible for caring for the old and what should be the extent of care provided to women and men in old age.
The study being released on Wednesday warns of spikes in unhealthy smoke pollution and other problems coming from the increased threat of catastrophic wildfires.
Josep Borrell’s vow that government employees and MPs won’t be able to buy luxury goods in Europe failed to land
Russians who undermine Ukrainian sovereignty won’t be able to shop in Milan, party in Saint-Tropez or purchase diamonds in Antwerp, the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell tweeted on Tuesday. The post was deleted hours later, as it sparked mockery from its intended audience and raised eyebrows in Europe.
The no-more-shopping punchline was part of a thread published on Borrell’s account to announce the EU’s decision to punish Russian officials involved in the recognition of two breakaway republics in eastern Ukraine as sovereign nations. The EU announced personal sanctions targeting 351 members of the Russian State Duma who voted for the move, and others who “are undermining #Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty & independence,” the tweets said.
“No more: Shopping in #Milano Partying in #SaintTropez Diamonds in #Antwerp This is a first step. #WeStandUnited,” the final tweet read.
Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said the post confirmed that Borrell “wasn’t even aware” of what people handling his social media posts write in his name, branding the purported anonymous authors as “undereducated employees.”
Over the years, the account didn’t once comment on civilian victims of the civil war in Ukraine, Zakharova stated, adding that “now we know why.”
“Shopping and partying are the things that really interest [them]. Such behavior by ‘civilized nations’ borders losing all humanity,” she said.
The cavalier tweet was criticized by some European officials too. Assita Kanko, a Belgian member of the European Parliament, representing the conservative New Flemish Alliance, told Borrell to leave the Belgian city alone and do his job of “handling” Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The satirical news outlet Le Chou commented on the threat by posting a caricature of Borrell as a mall guard keeping “sneaky Russian oligarchs” from a Gucci store in Milan.
Pepe Borrell Guards Milan’s Fanciest Outlets To Stop Any Sneaky Russian Oligarchs From Shopping There pic.twitter.com/gcyTZQumHx
