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"Partygate: Boris Johnson under fire despite new apology

The British Prime Minister made an "unreserved" apology to Parliament, without convincing the opposition.

UNITED KINGDOM - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologised "unreservedly" to Parliament on Tuesday 19 April after being fined for breaching anti-Covid restrictions, without convincing the opposition, which has once again called for his resignation.

Boris Johnson said it "did not occur to him at the time or subsequently" that his attendance at a brief birthday rally in Downing Street in June 2020 "might constitute a breach of the rules" then in force. "That was my mistake and I apologise unreservedly".

Boris Johnson is the first serving British head of government to be fined for breaking the law, and he faces further fines as part of the investigation into "partygate", the name of the scandal surrounding the parties organised in the circles of power during the confinements put in place to combat the pandemic.

The Conservative leader was addressing MPs for the first time since being fined £50 (€60) a week ago for attending the surprise birthday party for his 56th birthday on 19 June 2020. An event lasting "less than 10 minutes", according to him, which also earned his wife Carrie and his finance minister Rishi Sunak a fine.

"I respect the conclusions of the police investigation, which is still ongoing", added the Prime Minister.

On Tuesday, however, he tried to play down the scandal that is infuriating the British people by spending a few minutes talking about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"I know many people are angry and disappointed and I feel an even greater obligation to respect British priorities and respond to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's barbaric attack on Ukraine.

A second wind

For a time on an ejector seat, "BoJo" got his second wind by highlighting his role in the front line of Western sanctions against Russia after the invasion of Ukraine. Many MPs who had called for him to step down now see little point in ousting him from Downing Street in this context.

However, Labour opposition leader Keir Starmer said on Tuesday that the Conservative leader was "dishonest and incapable of change". Boris Johnson is "a man without shame", he said, urging the Conservatives to get rid of their leader and restore "decency, honesty and integrity" to British politics.

The head of government also came in for sharp criticism from within his own camp, with Conservative MP Mark Harper saying he was no longer "fit" to be Prime Minister.

The soap opera seems far from over. The London police, who have already handed out 50 fines, are continuing their investigations and British MPs will be debating on Thursday whether Boris Johnson knowingly misled Parliament - synonymous with resignation under the ministerial code of conduct - by repeating that all the rules had been respected.

The Prime Minister will also have to face up to the conclusions of senior civil servant Sue Gray, who has already criticised "errors of leadership and judgement" in a pre-report. He must also face the verdict of the ballot box in local elections on 5 May.

According to the press, Boris Johnson faces further fines for at least five other festive events.

Downing Street was keen to deny this after new details emerged in the Sunday Timeswho described him serving drinks and giving a speech to mark the departure of his head of communications on 13 November 2020.

According to a survey published on Monday, 72% of those polled had a negative view of the Prime Minister, with the most common term being "liar".

Text by AFP huffingtonpost.fr

Emmanuel Macron is unlikely to visit Kiev before the second round

Volodymyr Zelensky has invited Emmanuel Macron to visit Ukraine. It won't be for a while yet," moderates Clément Beaune.

UKRAINE - Will Emmanuel Macron travel to Ukraine like British Prime Minister Boris Johnson or European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen? "Not in the next few days", replied Clément Beaune on Sud Radio on Monday 18 April.

Although the Head of State has had numerous telephone conversations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, he has not visited Ukraine, unlike some of his European counterparts. But for the Secretary of State for European Affairs, a visit before the second round of the presidential election on Sunday 24 April "would no doubt be misinterpreted".

But Emmanuel Macron is expected to be there. In an interview broadcast on Sunday by CNN, Volodymyr Zelensky said that he had invited his French counterpart to meet him in Ukraine. This invitation follows Emmanuel Macron's reluctance to describe what has been happening in the country since the Russian invasion on 24 February as "genocide".

Emmanuel Macron in Ukraine "if it's useful".

"I told him that I wanted him to understand that this is not a war, that this is nothing other than genocide. I invited him to come when he had the chance," said Volodymyr Zelensky. "He will come, and he will see, and I am sure he will understand."

For his part, Clément Beaune stated that "the President of the Republic, as President of the Republic, has always been very clear: he may go, if it is useful (...) We cannot make a visit that is merely symbolic, it must be a visit that has an impact". In the meantime," says Clément Beaune, "our support is very, very clear, and involves military and humanitarian aid.

Speaking to CNN, the Ukrainian president also said that he would like US President Joe Biden to come to Ukraine, after his surprise claim that Russian forces were committing "genocide". "The decision is his, of course, it depends on the security situation. But I think he is the leader of the United States and for that he should come and see."

Text by Le HuffPost

Meta threatens to shut down Facebook and Instagram in Europe

The social networking giant has reiterated the possibility of shutting down its most important services on the Old Continent if it cannot transfer its users' data to its servers in the United States.

The Meta group is trying to put pressure on Europe. In its annual report to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Facebook's parent company warned once again that it could "probably" no longer offer its "most important products and services", such as Facebook and Instagram, in Europe if a new framework to regulate the transfer of data from users of its services to its servers in the United States is not adopted or if the company is no longer authorised to use the current agreements "or alternatives", reports the City A.M. media.

"Sharing data between countries or regions of the world is crucial to offering our services and targeted advertising", the company insists. It wishes to process users' personal data on US soil, outside the protection framework provided by the EU with the stricter RGPD.

The group previously used the transatlantic transfer framework known as Privacy Shield, but this treaty was annulled by the Court of Justice of the European Union in 2020, due to data protection violations. The EU, which believes that people's data is less protected across the Atlantic, and the US have since been working on a new version of the treaty. Facebook, whose revenues and users are in decline, is currently under investigation by the Irish data protection regulator.

Text by 20minutes.ch (man)

The James Webb Space Telescope is on its way to the edge of the universe

Hubble's successor took off on Saturday on an Ariane 5 rocket. It is due to reach its final observation position 1.5 million km from Earth in a month's time.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), awaited for thirty years by astronomers around the world to examine the Universe with unequalled resources, took off on an Ariane 5 rocket on Saturday to reach its observation station. It was successfully injected into its final orbit, announced the director of launch operations at the Guiana Space Centre.

"Good separation Webb telescope, Go Webb", announced Jean-Luc Boyer from the control centre in Kourou. After 27 minutes of flight, the upper stage of the Ariane rocket released the telescope, which will now take around a month to reach its observation post 1.5 million km from Earth.

His ambition: to shed light on the creation of the universe

The JWST will become the most advanced instrument ever sent into space to observe the cosmos. Its ambition is to shed more light on the two questions that plague humanity: "Where do we come from? and "Are we alone in the universe? And to catch a glimpse of the "cosmic dawn", when the first galaxies began to illuminate the universe from the Big Bang, 13.8 billion years ago.

It will enable us to better understand the formation of stars and galaxies, and to observe exoplanets, of which astronomers are discovering more and more specimens, with a view to perhaps one day identifying other Earths.

In the footsteps of Hubble

The James Webb will follow in the footsteps of the Hubble telescope, which revolutionised observation of the universe: it was thanks to the telescope that scientists discovered the existence of a galactic black hole at the centre of all galaxies, or water vapour around exoplanets.

Conceived by NASA when Hubble was launched in 1990, and built from 2004 onwards in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the JWST is different in more ways than one.

The size of its mirror, with a span of 6.5 metres, gives it a surface area and therefore a sensitivity seven times greater, sufficient to detect the thermal signature of a bumblebee on the Moon. Another difference is the way it is observed. Whereas Hubble observes space mainly in the visible light range, James Webb ventures into a wavelength that the eye cannot see: the near- and mid-infrared. This radiation is emitted naturally by all bodies, stars, humans and flowers.

This light will be studied by four instruments, equipped with imagers and spectrographs to better dissect it. Their development has mobilised a plethora of engineers and scientists, under the leadership of American and European laboratories and manufacturers.

Need cold to see clearly

The imperative condition for the JWST to function properly is an ambient temperature so low that it does not interfere with the examination of the light. Hubble is in orbit some 600 km above the Earth. At this distance, the JWST would be unusable, heated by the Sun and its reflection off the Earth and Moon. It will therefore be placed 1.5 million km away. And it will be protected from solar radiation by a heat shield made up of five flexible sails that will dissipate the heat, lowering the temperature (which is 80°C) to -233 degrees on the telescope side.

But before that could happen, the machine and its designers had to achieve a real feat: its flawless deployment, with a series of operations involving, for example, 140 opening mechanisms, 400 pulleys and almost 400 metres of cable for the shield alone. The observatory, 12 metres high and with a shield the size of a tennis court, had to be folded to fit inside the Ariane 5 fairing. The "encapsulation" was carried out using laser guidance to avoid any damage to the instrument, which cost some ten billion dollars to develop.

Absolutely clean

For these manoeuvres, NASA has also imposed draconian cleanliness measures to avoid any contamination of the telescope's mirror by particles or even contaminated breath. Finally, Arianespace has installed a customised fairing depressurisation system to ensure that no sudden change in pressure will damage the beast when it separates from the launcher at an altitude of 120 km. "An ESA official in Kourou explained on Thursday that "exceptional 'customers' require exceptional measures".

It will be several weeks before we know whether the telescope is ready for operation. Official commissioning is scheduled for June.

Text by Le Matin.ch (AFP)

Fifth wave of Covid-19: how our European neighbours are reacting to the spread of the Omicron variant

Shop closures, curfews for bars, the return of confinement: the countries of Europe are each fighting the new outbreak of the epidemic in their own way.

One variant, several responses. At a time when Europe is facing a resurgence of the Covid-19 epidemic, due in particular to the appearance of the Omicron variant, which the WHO considers to be "worrying", Our neighbours are implementing very different policies to break the chains of contamination and avoid overloading their hospitals.

Franceinfo brings you an overview of the new health measures in Europe.

Reconfinement in the Netherlands

For the time being, this is the most restrictive measure in Europe. On Saturday 18 December, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced a national lockdown from 19 December to 14 January. This means that all non-essential shops, restaurants, bars, cinemas, museums and theatres will be closed for four weeks. Schools, which were closed a week early, will remain closed until 9 January.

The Dutch government is particularly concerned about the Omicron variant. "This forces us to reduce our contacts as quickly as possible, and as much as possible.explained Mark Rutte during his speech. Although leaving the house is not regulated, it is still forbidden to have more than two guests at home. This rule will only be relaxed for the Christmas weekend and the New Year period, when the maximum number of guests will be four.

In Portugal, caution and vaccination for children

Portugal is Europe's leading country in terms of vaccination rates, with 88.9% of its population of 10.3 million vaccinated. The country strictly controls travellers entering its territory, even if they come from European Union countries. Since December 1, all travellers to Portugal must present a negative PCR test less than 72 hours old, or a negative antigen test less than 48 hours old. This measure is accompanied by a form for tracing passengers in order to trace the chain of contamination. As the French embassy in Portugal points out on its website, the isolation of people identified as contact cases can go from "up to 14 days or more in certain situations"..

On Saturday, Portugal also extended its vaccination campaign to children aged between 5 and 11, using the Pfizer paediatric vaccine. The move was justified by the sharp rise in the epidemic among this age group, explained Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa. The government's stated aim is to limit as far as possible the spread of the Omicron variant, which should still account for 80% of new infections between now and the end of the year, according to the country's health authorities.

To reduce contact after the Christmas and New Year rallies, the Socialist executive has also decided to extend the school holidays and make teleworking compulsory during the first week of January.

Mandatory teleworking and holiday restrictions in Switzerland

The Swiss Federal Council has announced that teleworking will once again be compulsory in the country from 20 December. "We're trying to avoid an explosion of cases and the situation going off the rails. The alternative, closures, is what we don't want".Federal Health Councillor Alain Berset explained to RTS. Additional measures have also been taken in certain cantons.

From 20 December, access to restaurants, cultural establishments, sports and leisure facilities and indoor events will be restricted to people who have been fully vaccinated or cured of Covid-19. This tightening of the ban has long been called for by health experts, in order to counter the fifth wave of the epidemic already being felt in the country. Private gatherings are now limited to 30 people indoors or 50 outdoors, including children. But if one of the guests (aged 16 or over) is neither vaccinated nor cured, the limit is reduced to 10 people.

Tighter controls on travellers in Italy, Greece and Germany

Vaccination alone is no longer enough to travel to certain European countries. Since 16 December, Italy has required a negative Covid test for all travellers, regardless of their vaccination history. As for those who have not been vaccinated, they must observe a compulsory five-day quarantine. From Sunday, the same applies to entry into Greece. This rule should remain in force for at least "for the holidays Mina Gaga, the Greek deputy health minister, explained on the RFI website.

In Germany, a quarantine is now imposed on unvaccinated travellers from certain countries classified as "high-risk". Since Sunday, France has been on this red list, alongside Denmark, Norway, Lebanon and Andorra. The German authorities specify that this is a self-quarantine that must last a minimum of 5 days, and can only be terminated by a negative PCR test. Failure to comply with this requirement can result in a fine of up to €25,000.

In Ireland, lights out at 8 p.m. for many establishments

From Monday, it will no longer be possible to go to the cinema, the theatre, pubs or restaurants after 8pm in Ireland. Once again, this drastic measure is justified by the spread of the Omicron variant, described by the Irish Prime Minister, Micheál Martin, as an "epidemic". "serious threat which already accounts for a third of new infections in Ireland.

Gatherings will now be subject to restrictions. Weddings are limited to 100 people, and indoor events must not exceed 50% of their capacity, up to 1,000 people. The same rule applies to outdoor events, with a maximum capacity of 5,000 people.

Denmark closes cultural and social venues for a month

The curtains will remain down for a long time in Denmark, which is witnessing a historic surge in the number of cases of Covid-19, largely attributable to the Omicron variant. In the week from 13 to 18 December, the average number of new infections was 8,666 per day, twice as many as in the last epidemic wave, according to the OurWorldInData website.

Faced with this explosion in the number of cases, the Danish government has ordered the closure of cinemas, theatres and concert halls from Sunday, for a period of one month. Museums, swimming pools, zoos and amusement parks are also affected by this decision. Restaurants and bars will remain open for the time being, but will be required to limit their capacity and close at 11pm.

Text:
Pierre-Louis Caron
France Télévisions

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Carrying firearms in public and without a licence authorised in Texas

Opponents of the law, in Texas and across the country, argue that relaxing gun rules will lead to more violence.

The Republican governor of Texas on Wednesday signed into law a bill allowing people to carry firearms in public without a permit, the latest in a series of measures expanding gun rights in conservative states across the US.

This law, passed in May by a Republican-dominated Senate and House of Representatives in this southern state, allows anyone aged 21 or over who is not prohibited from owning a firearm to carry one in public without a permit. It is due to come into force on 1 September. The text considers that the Constitutions of the United States and Texas authorise citizens to carry firearms and that, consequently, there should be fewer obstacles in this area.

Governor Greg Abbott plans to preside over an enactment ceremony on Thursday, according to the Texas Tribune. He had indicated that he would sign the law into law if it passed both houses. "This is something that about twenty other states have passed, and it's time for Texas to pass it too", he said in April on local radio station WBAP.

22 supermarket deaths in 2019

But opponents, particularly Democrats in Texas and across the country, argued that relaxing gun rules would generate more violence. They cited as examples the shooting in the Texas capital Austin that left one person dead and thirteen injured last week, as well as the shooting in an El Paso supermarket in 2019 that left 22 people dead and 23 injured.

Veronica Escobar, a Texas member of the US House of Representatives, said on Wednesday that Greg Abbott had "chosen to betray the victims of gun violence" by enacting the law.

"Despite strong support for legislation to prevent gun violence, Republicans, led by a cowardly governor, are more interested in getting the attention of the gun lobby than they are in preventing gun violence and honoring the victims and survivors in El Paso and across Texas," she tweeted.

On Monday, Representative Vikki Goodwin called on the Governor to veto the law following the shooting in Austin. "We must intervene to break this vicious circle", she said.

Text by Lematin.ch AFP

Euro 2021: why are there several host countries and not just one, as usual?

This year, the competition will be divided between eleven countries, as opposed to the usual one. We explain why.

The Euro football tournament, originally scheduled for 12 June to 12 July 2020, had to be postponed because of the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic. But this time, it's the right time. The European Football Championship will be held from 11 June to 11 July.

And, for the first time in its history, the Euro will be held in eleven cities in eleven different countries. London (England); St Petersburg (Russia); Baku (Azerbaijan); Munich (Germany); Rome (Italy); Amsterdam (Netherlands); Bucharest (Romania); Budapest (Hungary); Copenhagen (Denmark); Glasgow (Scotland) and Seville (Spain) have been chosen by UEFA to host matches.

Before the pandemic, Dublin (Republic of Ireland) and Bilbao (Spain) were due to host matches. They were finally replaced last April by Seville and St Petersburg, due to a lack of capacity in their stadiums.

In all other editions of the Euros, only one country was chosen to host the tournament, and the matches were then held in different cities in the host country. In 2016, France was chosen as the host country, with matches taking place in 10 stadiums: Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, Stade Bollaert in Lens, Stade de Bordeaux, Stade de Lyon, Stade Vélodrome in Marseille, Stade de Nice, Parc des Princes in Paris, Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Etienne and Stade Municipal in Toulouse.

It is also because it was the organiser of the 2016 edition that France did not apply, and therefore will not be the host city, for this new edition of the European competition.

An exceptional edition

But this year, the organisation is spread over eleven cities. This choice is not new: the decision was in fact taken by UEFA in 2012. It was Michel Platini, UEFA President at the time, who proposed the 2020 European Championship, to be spread over several "tournaments". 12 or 13 towns "In 2012, an article in L'Express recalled the 60th anniversary of the competition. And that's exactly what has happened.

The official competition website states: ". UEFA EURO 2020 will be staged across Europe for the first time to mark the 60th anniversary of the competition, in eleven different cities. ".

And special arrangements mean special rules. With the classic organisation, the host country automatically qualifies for the European Championship. Not this time: " There will be no direct qualifiers, as all the nations with host cities have tried to earn their place in the finals. "says UEFA.

Be that as it may, this is an exceptional organisation: Euro 2024 has been entrusted to Germany.

Text by C. Br. |