A strong lead of New Democracy over SYRIZA is recorded in a poll by the GPO company.
Specifically, according to the survey conducted for the “Parapolitika” newspaper, the ruling party is ahead in the “race” of the European elections with a percentage of 33.6%. They are followed by SYRIZA with 16.3%, PASOK with 13.5%, Hellenic Solution with 9.1%, KKE with 8.8%, Victory with 3.4%, Freedom Sailing with 3.1%, New Left with 2, 7%, Spartans with 2.4%, Democrats with 2.2%, MePA25 with 2.1%, and Other with 2.8%.
N.D. in the past period, without disputing her clear lead, she found herself in a difficult position pollically, but also politically, because of the bill for same-sex couples, but mainly because of the developing case of the Tempe accident.
The situation is beginning to be very reminiscent of the atmosphere surrounding last year’s election season, when, while the Tempe disaster dominated the public agenda, heading into the election the debate shifted to issues of gubernatorial electability and Tempe retreated, only to return a year later. later.
Of course, the stake then concerned the country’s governmental future, but now this tragic case seems to be receding and giving way to a more purely political discussion. Approaching the elections, we see the N.D. to recover and return to the percentages of February, while SYRIZA appears as a winner, which continues its upward trajectory.
It should be noted that the investigation was carried out immediately after the announcement of all the MEPs of the ruling party and before the decision of the Supreme Court which excluded Spartans.
GPO poll: Double score of ND against SYRIZA, PASOK at 13.5% – 2024-05-05 13:03:10
A 14-year-old student dies in Pakistan after being beaten by his teacher for not memorizing the lesson
#world #precedent #shock #phrases #arrive #cigarette #filters
Tobacco manufacturers must, since Tuesday, ensure that the filter of each “king size” (large format) cigarette has a warning printed directly on it. Dissuasive measure or sword in the water?
Canada this week became the first country in the world to require warnings such as “Cigarettes damage your organs” or “Cigarettes cause cancer” to appear on every full-size cigarette.
“This is a world precedent and it will reduce smoking. It targets smokers with every cigarette, every puff, every smoke break in every community,” said Rob Cunningham, senior policy analyst at the Canadian Cancer Society.
Photo provided by Rob Cunningham
Tobacco is the leading cause of illness and death in Quebec, killing 13,000 people each year.
Mr. Cunningham is convinced that the new measures will create beneficial debates and that smokers will perhaps talk to each other about the messages written on their cigarettes.
“We want smokers to discuss the harmful effects of cigarettes,” he said.
One regulation, several dates
The choice of the “king size” format is not trivial. This is the largest category, representing approximately 70% of the market in Canada. Retailers have three more months, until July 31, to ensure that all cigarettes in their stores comply with the new regulations.
Manufacturers have until January 31, 2025 to apply this measure for regular cigarettes. Retailers have three more months to comply, by April 30, 2025 at the latest.
Tobacco manufacturers opposed this new regulation, but Rob Cunningham did not budge.
“There are approximately 25 studies in Canada and internationally that have examined the effects of requiring health warnings on cigarettes. The conclusion is that it is an effective measure,” he stressed.
A statement that is not unanimous
“I don’t think anyone smokes a cigarette and thinks it’s safe (safe). In my head, it doesn’t change anything. There are already photos of dead people on the packages. I don’t think it changes much,” said Emerye Calvez.
An opinion shared by Matteo Visentin. “I admit that if I end up having a cigarette, I think that the message, I don’t read it. They pass it to me, I light the cigarette, I smoke it.”
Huynh Carollin, cashier and student at Collège de Maisonneuve, also doesn’t think she would pay attention to the message if she were a smoker.
“The images on the box are much scarier than the messages on the cigarette. I don’t think it would deter me from anything.”
Vaping, the next target?
Some believe that warnings on cigarettes are likely to discourage adolescents by making cigarettes less attractive.
Mélanie Hamel, a civil servant interviewed on the subject, believes that prevention will not do any harm, but thinks that we must also tackle another phenomenon.
“From what I know, they prefer the vape and they put all kinds of substances in it.”
Rob Cunningham, policy specialist at the Canadian Cancer Society, is aware that vaping among adolescents in Quebec needs to be better controlled.
“Yes, we have a lot of teenagers who vape. Health Canada has the regulatory authority to have warnings directly on electronic cigarettes. It’s not done yet. Health Canada is not ready to do it, but it could be done in the future,” he explained.
“It’s a world precedent”: shock phrases arrive on cigarette filters
A man armed with a sword murdered a child and injured four other people in London
Rashid Khashana
From time to time, battles break out between factions that possess medium and heavy weapons, outside of legitimacy, such as the battles that recently erupted between two armed factions, in the Abu Salim neighborhood on the outskirts of the capital.
As the political crisis in Libya worsens, and some of its parties seek to evade elections, directly or indirectly, Libya’s strategic security is exposed to major threats, after recording a record high in the flow of irregular migrants, especially from the two southern neighbors, Niger and Sudan. Despite the faltering path proposed by the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to Libya, Abdullah Batili, the latter continues to repeat to the Libyans that “the only solution that can bring security and prosperity to Libya is the formation of a new unified government, in response to the hopes of the Libyans.”
But fears are increasing, at home and abroad, about the return of violence and the outbreak of a military conflict again. These immigrants are often recruited into the ranks of the two warring factions. In practice, northern Niger has become the region that serves as a crossing point for migrants from sub-Saharan African countries towards Libya and Algeria. They dream of reaching the coasts of Europe in “death boats” starting from Tunisian or Libyan territory.
The visits of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to Tunisia and Libya were of no use in curbing the flow of migrants, especially after all North African countries rejected the role of guardian of the southern Italian coasts. A UN report stated that migration waves from Niger towards Libya have increased by 50 percent since last January. It was noted that this increase came directly after the military junta in Niamey abolished the law criminalizing the smuggling of people across the border. This means that the ruling military junta in Niger has thrown the time bomb of irregular migration into the hands of Libyans in order to get rid of the social, political and demographic burden of the waves of migration.
The level of the flow of irregular migrants to the borders of Libya and Algeria has increased significantly since the military in Niamey enacted new measures to take revenge on the Europeans, who imposed sanctions on them after the recent coup against the rule of elected President Mohamed Bazoum last July. The most prominent measure is the abolition of the law criminalizing the smuggling of people across borders. The military justified their cancellation of the aforementioned law, claiming that it was enacted “under the influence of external forces” and that it “did not take into account the interests of Niger and its citizens.”
Whatever the situation, the two rival Libyan governments will have to take urgent measures to contain the record influx of migrants into the southern regions, where organized crime, smuggling, and parallel trade networks, especially the drug trade, abound. In this context, Western press reports reported that life had returned to the city of Agadez in northern Niger, which is considered the “gateway to the Sahara,” and dozens of minibuses were seen crossing the Sahara for the first time since the repeal of the law criminalizing this activity, as we mentioned above. Nigerien nationals carry out a migration described as circular between Niger and the Maghreb countries in search of economic opportunities, unlike immigrants of other nationalities, who head to the southern borders of Europe.
anti-Corruption
Meanwhile, the anti-corruption file reared its head again, as investigations proved the involvement of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al Yaqeen Bank, his deputy, and seven of those in charge of facilitating the illegal gains of 49 companies with a value exceeding $20 million. But what is noted is that the anti-corruption operations included only junior employees, while ignoring the big whales. Big whales are not limited to corrupt businessmen and influential senior officials in administrative agencies and state institutions. In fact, Batelli, in recent statements he made, hinted at the involvement of politicians in corruption, stressing that they do not want to leave their positions in order to maintain the privileges they enjoy. He also stated in his periodic briefing to the Security Council, regarding developments in the situation in Libya, unusual words from a high-ranking UN official, as Batelli confirmed that the main parties in Libya are not ready to settle the controversial matters that prevent the holding of elections.
Moreover, Batelli strongly criticized “Libyan leaders’ clinging to their positions and positions,” stressing that “there is no institution that enjoys legitimacy in Libya.” The Special Envoy did not miss the mark, as the House of Representatives’ mandate has ended in 2014 and, due to withdrawals and deaths, it cannot gather more than 130 deputies from its members, whose total number is 200 deputies. The “Supreme Council of State” has also expired, since the end of the role of the “General National Congress” as the highest advisory council for the state, in accordance with the amended Constitutional Declaration, and based on the Skhirat Agreement in 2015. The army, which was formed by retired officer Khalifa Haftar, cannot be considered a military institution. Sovereign and legitimate, despite obtaining a mandate from Parliament, because this army is completely subject to individual and family authority, which has a tight grip on the eastern and southern regions. By extension, the legitimacy of the National Unity Government, which emerged from a meeting outside Libya (in Geneva) that included 75 Libyan figures under the auspices of the United Nations, was eroded. It is assumed that the security forces controlling the capital and the western region are subject to the unity government and the Presidential Council, but only in theory, because the armed entities, which operate under the authority of warlords, do not recognize the state, and share areas of security influence among themselves, with the approval of the government, which ensures Her salaries are monthly.
Batelli was more clear and strict in his last briefing, as he stressed that “the condition for any party to remain in office is no longer acceptable,” considering that adopting this condition would inflame the conflict or ignite the fuse of war, which is no longer unlikely in Libya today. He said. It is clear that this veiled warning targets the head of the unity government, Dabaiba, who refuses to leave his seat to a technocratic government that supervises the electoral process in all its tracks. The warning could also be directed to the head of the parallel government, Osama Hammad, whose absence from the round table was in response to a Libyan and external request, even though his government gained “legitimacy” from the House of Representatives.
What is more dangerous than that, in the current political mix, is that battles break out from time to time, between those factions that possess medium and heavy weapons, outside of legitimacy, such as the battles that recently erupted between two armed factions, in the Abu Salim neighborhood on the outskirts of the capital, and led to the killing of no less than About ten people. Here, observers wonder about the implications of announcing a parade, redeployment, or movement of military teams and battalions affiliated with Haftar’s leadership, amid growing fears of a return to the realm of weapons and war. Although the Minister of Interior in charge of the National Unity Government, Imad Trabelsi, confirmed that a specialized team had been assigned to investigate the Abu Salim incident, the promises he made seemed to be a means of comforting people and nothing more.
The minister knows
Strangely, he said that those involved would be brought in when the investigation was completed. But how will it be possible to bring them in as long as they are still at large and will certainly disappear from sight, whenever the judiciary decides to convict them of committing this crime? Moreover, the investigation may seem insignificant, because the minister knows who committed the crime, as he confirmed in a press conference that “there are those who stir up strife in the western region and incite violence.” These people, who are necessarily rivals he knows, vowed that “the Ministry will not tolerate any attempt to undermine stability in the capital, and that there is no place (in Libya) for excessive democracy,” as he described it.
Hence, it seems that the Minister of the Interior is disturbed by “excessive democracy” and is determined to silence the voices of “excessive people” instead of planning to evacuate medium and heavy weapons from the capital and the inner cities, along with their gunmen and princes. But will the militia, affiliated with the Minister of the Interior himself, commit to evacuating the capital and the rest of the cities with the rest of those withdrawing (if they actually withdraw)? Trabelsi led the Central Security militia before Dabaiba appointed him to head the most dangerous ministry in the government. This appointment in 2022 was a response to Jamil Trabelsi, after the latter sided with Dabaiba in the bloody conflict with his rival, Fathi Bashagha, when the latter attempted to enter Tripoli and name himself head of a parallel government, especially after he gained the confidence of the House of Representatives. It is known that Al-Tarabulsi leads the “Central Security” militia, which has its permanent headquarters in southwest Tripoli.
Trabelsi went on to point out, by statement, not by insinuation, that some former officials, whom he did not name, are trying to drag the country into ruin, threatening that any attempt to threaten security in the capital will be met with force, in addition to anyone who tries to tamper with security and smuggle fuel at the Ras Jadir port (the Libyan border). Tunisian) according to him. It is right to ask here: Which former officials is Trabelsi talking about? Are they the ones who preceded 2011, that is, supporters of Gaddafi, or the former ones who ruled Libya after February 17, 2011? Such talk indicates that the security authorities know who committed the Abu Salim massacre, so why waste time?
The interesting thing is that the Minister of Interior enumerated the names of the main armed formations, numbering six, announcing that the capital would be evacuated of all armed factions. He also promised to evacuate the military gates in the rest of the regions. This is considered the dream of the Libyans, especially the Tripolitans, who have often heard such promises, but successive governments have not fulfilled their pledges.
Following the signing of the ceasefire agreement between the “Libya Dawn” group and the “Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous” forces in 2020, the mercenaries were scheduled to leave Libya within ninety days. This entitlement was affirmed by all those involved in the Libyan crisis, during the Berlin conference the following year, but four years have passed, and no one has budged from his position, as Batelli told members of the Security Council. As long as Libya does not experience the experience of rotating political leaders and listening to the concerns of young people, who only dream of one thing, which is to emigrate abroad, the situation will become worse and the picture will become darker.
Arab Jerusalem
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#Armed #bodies #control #cities #Minister #Interior #criticizes #excessive #democracy
2024-05-05 13:14:38
Armed bodies still control cities, and the Minister of Interior criticizes “excessive democracy”