UN-backed team focusing on human rights in Palestinian areas announce resignations
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National Post
2 hours ago
- National Post
Ukraine's Parliament approves law ensuring independence of anti-corruption agencies
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine's Parliament on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a bill presented by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that restores the independence of two of the country's key anti-corruption watchdogs, reversing his contentious move last week that curbed their power and brought an outcry. Article content Last week's measure by Zelenskyy to place the watchdogs under the oversight of the prosecutor-general prompted rebukes from Ukrainians, the European Union and international rights groups. It raised fears that the government could meddle in investigations and potentially shield its supporters from scrutiny. Article content Article content Article content Fighting entrenched corruption is crucial for Ukraine's aspirations to join the EU and maintain access to billions of dollars of vital Western aid in the nearly 3 1/2-year all-out war. It's also an effort that enjoys broad public support. Article content Article content 'It guarantees normal, independent work for anti-corruption bodies and all law enforcement agencies in our state,' Zelenskyy said of the new law. 'A truly productive day with real impact for the people.' Article content Zelenskyy has been the international face of Ukraine's determination to thwart Russia's invasion. The anti-graft changes that he backed last week tarnished his image abroad and put a question mark over his country's efforts to meet standards set by the EU for membership. Article content 'Ukraine's move to restore powers of anti-corruption bodies demonstrates its resolve to quickly get back on course when European democratic values are at stake,' EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on social media. Article content EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, who called last week's legislative changes 'a serious step back,' welcomed approval of the bill, saying lawmakers had 'corrected last week's damaging vote.' Article content 'Today's law restores key safeguards, but challenges remain,' Kos, who monitors the record of countries that are candidates to join the bloc, wrote on X. 'The EU supports (Ukrainian) citizens' demands for reform. Upholding fundamental values & fighting corruption must remain the priority.' Article content Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that Ukraine 'is committed to reforms and the fight against corruption,' and that Zelenskyy 'demonstrated a principled approach.' Article content 'We got it fixed,' he wrote on X. Article content At the start of a livestream of the parliamentary session, which was the first to be broadcast in real time since the start of the war, two lawmakers could be seen exchanging punches. Although the reason for the scuffle wasn't known, it occurred amid a tense atmosphere in the chamber where the speaker's podium is flanked by Ukrainian and EU flags.
Globe and Mail
3 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Carney's policy shift on Palestinian statehood met with cautious hope, criticism by Canadians
Reem Sultan's uncle was killed in Gaza last December, her aunt died of malnutrition in January. Her cousin's family of six, including children, perished when their home was bombed in May. Another cousin who went to retrieve and bury their bodies died in an air strike, killed while grieving the dead. In all, the resident of London, Ont., has lost 15 close relatives in the Middle East conflict, but a tally of extended family members reaches closer to 100. So while Ms. Sultan welcomes the news that Canada intends to recognize the state of Palestine, she says more is needed than just words. 'It is a significant step in aligning Canada with other countries in the world,' said Ms. Sultan, a pharmacist, in an interview on Thursday. 'But at the same time, it's very important to emphasize that what is needed right now is to ensure that we end the genocide in Gaza, and for the government to take immediate action to save lives of Palestinians. What good is statehood if it's built on the graves of an entire population?' What does Canada's recognition of a Palestinian state mean in practice? Canada's plan to recognize Palestinian statehood prompts swift, divided reaction Prime Minister Mark Carney's announcement Wednesday that Canada intends to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September has been met with both cautious hope and urgent demands from Canadians with deep ties to the region. Seen by many as an overdue recognition of Palestinian rights, the move has also been criticized as a symbolic gesture with little meaning without change on the ground. Others take issue with the timing. Former justice minister Irwin Cotler, a noted human-rights advocate and Canada's first Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism, supports Mr. Carney's intention to recognize an independent and democratic Palestinian state. However, he said it should have followed the mandated requirements under international law rather than trusting in good faith that the necessary conditions can be met. The Montevideo Convention, signed in 1933, sets out widely accepted criteria for statehood: a permanent population, a defined territory, a functioning government and the ability to engage in foreign relations. Mr. Carney had said that Canada's 'intention is predicated' on the Palestinian Authority's commitment to essential reforms, including that president Mahmoud Abbas hold general elections in 2026 in which Hamas would be unable to take part. 'I have been a supporter of 'Two states for two peoples' for more than 55 years now, not as an idle or lazy slogan, but one which presupposes a mutual acknowledgment of each other's legitimacy, and right to live in peace and security; and two democratic, rights-protecting states side-by-side,' Mr. Cotler wrote in an e-mail to The Globe and Mail. 'What we don't need is another authoritarian or terrorist-supporting state in the Middle East.' Izzeldin Abuelaish, a Palestinian doctor who is now a professor of medicine and public health at the University of Toronto, said Canada's move is a step in the right direction but that more action is required. He cited as an example the need for Canada to stop sending arms to Israel. Dr. Abuelaish said more than 70 of his family members have been killed in the conflict with Israel, and he wonders whether his relatives in northern Gaza will witness Canada's recognition of Palestinian statehood this fall. 'Are they going to be alive in September, to enjoy it, to celebrate it, to give them hope, to inspire them to keep moving forward?' Dr. Abuelaish said. 'It's an urgent situation. This war crime of starving the people, depriving them from the essential needs, needs to stop.' Montreal resident Stuart Lubarsky lost five family members when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7. 'We've been wanting a two-state solution since the existence of Israel, so I have no problem with the recognition of Palestine as an independent state,' he said. 'It's just this is not the right time, in my opinion – not under these circumstances.' Mr. Lubarsky said he wouldn't agree with Canada's position until the hostages that were taken by Hamas are returned. Ben Losman, a core organizer with Toronto Jewish Families, a group dedicated to ending both anti-Palestinian racism and antisemitism in the Toronto District School Board, said the recognition is an overdue and necessary step. 'Growing up in a Jewish community, the idea that we would prevent genocide from ever taking place ever again was something that was very much a part of my Jewish education, Jewish identity,' he said. 'Like so many people, I've been horrified to find that the perpetrators of genocide are the Israeli government.' Mr. Losman said Canada's recognition 'must be paired with an immediate comprehensive, two-way arms embargo and efforts to establish the free flow of aid immediately throughout Gaza.' Karen Golden, a Toronto-based lawyer and Israeli citizen who worked for years in Jerusalem, met Bashar Alshawwa at an environmental conference last year, shortly after the Gaza native arrived in Canada from Ramallah. The pair soon became friends, sharing many family dinners with their partners and children. As their connection grew deeper, they often found themselves asking why such partnerships between Jewish and Palestinian communities remain so rare. They believe Canada's announcement is a step toward peaceful co-existence. 'I'm hopeful and optimistic that it reduces the polarization and divisions we've been seeing in Canada,' Mr. Alshawwa said Thursday. 'This recognition is a reflection of this country's commitment for justice as part of its core identity. It's stating that Canada won't keep allowing for such atrocities happening around the clock in Palestine.' Ms. Golden and Mr. Alshawwa have been advocating in Canada as part of Standing Together, an anti-war organization in Israel that has called for a ceasefire and protested human-rights abuses in the troubled region. Ms. Golden said she is disappointed by the swift condemnation from major Jewish groups of Canada's decision this week. 'By conflating anti-war sentiments with antisemitism, they're denying – without any empathy – that Palestinians are equal humans deserving of equal rights as Jewish people,' she said.
CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
Vatican strikes solar farm deal to become the world's first carbon-neutral state
A view of the antennas of the Vatican Radio, which beams the Pope's words around the world, is seen in Santa Maria di Galeria, on the outskirts of Rome, on April 11, 2001. (AP Photo/ Gregorio Borgia) ROME — Italy agreed Thursday to a Vatican plan to turn a 430-hectare (1,000-acre) field north of Rome, once the source of controversy between the two, into a vast solar farm that the Holy See hopes will generate enough electricity to meet its needs and turn Vatican City into the world's first carbon-neutral state. The agreement stipulates that the development of the Santa Maria Galeria site will preserve the agricultural use of the land and minimize the environmental impact on the territory, according to a Vatican statement. Details weren't released, but the Vatican will be exempt from paying Italian taxes to import the solar panels, but won't benefit from the financial incentives that Italians enjoy when they go solar. Italy, for its part, can use the field in its accounting for reaching European Union clean energy targets. Any excess electricity generated by the farm beyond the Vatican's needs would be given to the local community, officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the agreement was not public. Vatican officials have estimated it will cost under 100 million euros (US$114 million) to develop the solar farm, and that once it is approved by the Italian parliament, the contracts to do the work could be put up for bids. Vatican foreign minister Archbishop Paul Gallagher signed the agreement with Italy's ambassador to the Holy See, Francesco Di Nitto. The Italian parliament must approve the arrangement since it has financial implications for the territory, which holds extraterritorial status in Italy. The Santa Maria Galeria site has long been the source of controversy because of electromagnetic waves emitted by Vatican Radio towers located there since the 1950s. The once-rural site some 35 kilometres (20 miles) north of Rome is dominated by two dozen short- and medium-wave radio antennae that transmit news from the Catholic Church in dozens of languages around the globe. Over the years as the area became more developed, residents began complaining of health problems, including instances of childhood leukemia which they blamed on the electromagnetic waves generated by the towers. The Vatican denied there was any causal link but cut back the transmissions. Pope Francis last year asked the Vatican to study developing the area into a vast solar farm, hoping to put into practice his preaching about the need to transition away from fossil fuels and find clean, carbon-neutral energy sources. Pope Leo XIV visited the site in June and affirmed that he intended to see Francis' vision through. Leo has strongly taken up Francis' ecological mantle, recently using a new set of prayers and readings inspired by Pope Francis' environmental legacy. In the 1990s at the height of the controversy over the radio towers, residents sued Vatican Radio officials, claiming the emissions exceeded the Italian legal limit, but the court cleared the transmitter. In 2012, the Vatican announced it was cutting in half the hours of transmission from the site, not because of health concerns but because of cost-saving technological advances in internet broadcasting. ___ Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press
