Neelie Kroes, the European commissioner for the digital agenda, told MEPs on Monday (17 January) that parts of Hungary’s controversial media law are “unsatisfactory”, according to a preliminary investigation by the European Commission.

Kroes told a joint meeting of the European Parliament’s civil liberties, justice and home affairs committee and the culture committee in Strasbourg on Monday that she had already had “raised concerns” over the law with the Hungarian government “in order to raise specific points on which the media law does not appear at first sight to be satisfactory”.

Kroes is the European commissioner in charge of a Commission investigation into whether Hungary’s media law, which came into force on 1 January, is in line with EU rules. Critics of the law fear it will give Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s prime minister, too much control over the media.

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Asked about her concerns by MEPs, Kroes highlighted the application of media rules, such as the need to register and a requirement on balanced reporting, to all types of media, including bloggers.

Kroes said the Commission was also looking at criteria supposed to guarantee the independence of Hungary’s main media regulator, the Media Council.

She also suggested that the media law was not in line with EU legislation because it imposes requirements on non-Hungarian media companies operating in Hungary.

Under EU law, media companies are subject to the law in the country in which they are based, under the so-called country-of-origin principle.   Continued investigation   Kroes said Commission officials will continue to examine the law which the Hungarian government formally transmitted to the Commission last Friday (14 January). Kroes did not say when the review would be completed.

Tibor Navracsics, Hungary’s minister of public administration and justice, who also appeared before the two committees, said there were many misunderstandings concerning the law.

Conforming with EU standards

He said that the media legislation was “in conformity” with EU standards and rejected many critical questions posed by several MEPs as political attacks against the centre-right Hungarian government.  

“A lot of people have formed a view without reading the actual text,” said Navracsics. “Hungary is a functioning democracy. We have the same political debates, exchanges of opinion as anywhere else.”   He said that if the Commission found the law to be in breach of EU legislation, Hungary would change it.  

Split Parliament  

The hearing pitted MEPs from the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) group against the Greens, the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and the Liberals, all of which are demanding the law should be scrapped or changed.  

The three groups claim the law will curb press freedoms in Hungary and violate the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights.  

Centre-right defence  

Simon Busuttil, a Maltese centre-right MEP, defended the Hungarian government and called on all MEPs to avoid “political opportunism and manipulation” by attacking the law. He said: “This is wrong because it sends the wrong signal. Clearly all member states have to respect EU law and surely to respect human rights, but we should not fall for manipulation. We have to assess the law and not single out a single member state for condemnation.”  

Claude Moraes, a UK centre-left MEP, said his group was “not interested” in targeting Hungary’s centre-right government but said there were “genuine concerns” over the law that had to be looked at.  

MEPs are expected to raise the media law when Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s prime minister, visits the European Parliament on Wednesday (19 January) to present his country’s priorities during its presidency of the Council of Ministers.  

#AlertePollutionRivières ou sols contaminés, déchets industriels abandonnés… Vous vivez à proximité d’un site pollué ?
Cliquez ici pour nous alerter !Dans certains supermarchés alsaciens peuvent figurer sur les bouteilles de bière une mention de consigne ajoutée au prix de la bouteille. Une fois consommées, les clients peuvent rendre les bouteilles vides et récupérer ainsi les 21 centimes d’euros supplémentaires payés initialement.Habitude alsacienneÀ l’entrée de certains magasins en Alsace, une machine récupère les bouteilles consignées. “Le verre consigné représente 30 à 35% des volumes en bière. Un article sur trois en bière est une bouteille de verre consignée”, détaille Hervé Buisson, responsable du rayon alcool d’Auchan. Elles sont ensuite réutilisées dans les brasseries voisines. 25 000 bouteilles sont lavées et stérilisées chaque jour à l’aide d’une machine. “Ce sont des investissements assez lourds. Il faut investir dans un parc de bouteilles qui coûte plus cher à l’achat que du verre perdu. Mais à la longue on s’y retrouve car la même bouteille est utilisée 20 à 25 fois”, concède Edouard Haag, directeur de brasserie.Le JT

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La corruption, principal enjeu de l’élection en Afrique du sud.Cyril Ramaphosa est accueilli comme un sauveur, le président sud-africain est candidat à sa réelection. Il promet d’éradiquer la corruption au sein de l’ANC, le parti de Nelson Mandela au pouvoir depuis 1994 mais miné par de nombreux scandales financiers.Yvonne Daki, Secretaire provinciale ANC:Visé par plus de plus de 700 chefs d’inculpation, l’ancien président Jacob Zuma n’a pas ete jugé et affiche son train de vie entre piscine et sorties en quad sur les réseaux sociauxRalph MATHEKGA, analyste
“D’une maniere ou d’une autre, l’ANC va etre puni. Reste a savoir si la punition sera sévère ou pas. Ils ne vont pas perdre cette election, ca c’est fort peu probable.”Le parti de Nelson Mandela perd un petit peu plus de terrain à chaque élection. Mais ses partisans semblent encore prets à tout lui pardonner. Click Here: brisbane lions guernsey 2019

Visiblement soulagés, les deux ex-otages français Laurent Lassimouillas et Patrick Picque ont été accueillis à l’aéroport de Villacoublay samedi 11 mai par Emmanuel Macron. Une cérémonie extrêmement sobre, entre soulagement et tristesse. Et une déclaration très brève préparée à l’avance. “Nos premières pensées vont aux deux militaires qui ont donné leur vie pour nous libérer de cet enfer. Nous présentons nos sincères condoléances à leurs familles et à leurs proches. Leur sacrifice donne un sens à nos vies et à celles de tous les Français qui défendent les valeurs de la République“, a déclaré Laurent Lassimouillas.Un hommage à leur guideLe président de la République ne s’est pas exprimé. Il ne prendra la parole que mardi 14 mai pour l’hommage aux militaires tués. C’est à l’abri des regards que Laurent Lassimouillas et Patrick Picque ont ensuite retrouvé leurs familles. Dans la matinée, les deux ex-otages avaient fait une brève apparition à Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). Visages fermés, ils avaient rendu hommage à leur guide, assassiné par les ravisseurs le jour de l’enlèvement. Les deux hommes avaient été enlevés le 1er mai dernier lors d’un séjour touristique dans un parc du Bénin.Le JT

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#AlertePollutionRivières ou sols contaminés, déchets industriels abandonnés… Vous vivez à proximité d’un site pollué ?
Cliquez ici pour nous alerter !Des milliers de tonnes de déchets plastiques dérivent en Méditerranée. Portés par les courants, ils forment une île longue de plusieurs kilomètres entre l’île d’Elbe et la Corse, rapporte mardi 21 mai France Bleu RCFM. Le phénomène n’est malheureusement pas nouveau, explique François Galgani, responsable de l’Ifremer à Bastia au micro de France Bleu RCFM : “C’est une situation qui est chronique, c’est-à-dire que la disposition des courants fait que régulièrement on a de très très fortes concentrations dans cette zone-là. Les courants en Méditerranée nord-occidentale sont organisés de telle manière que l’eau remonte le long de la côte italienne et lorsqu’elle arrive sur le socle de l’île d’Elbe, de l’archipel toscan, en fait elle ne peut pas passer et elle va s’engouffrer dans le canal de Corse et c’est la raison pour laquelle on a de plus fortes densités.” Selon lui, “le risque c’est que, quand on a des conditions météo défavorables, par exemple le vent de nord-est en été, on a des arrivées massives sur le littoral corse”.Des déchets sur quelques dizaines de kilomètres “C’est de l’ordre de quelques dizaines de kilomètres”, précise François Galgani. Mais à la différence “des îles de plastiques dans le Pacifique ou dans l’Atlantique” qui sont des courants permanents et qui provoquent toujours aux mêmes endroits des accumulations, en Méditerranée, “ce sont des zones d’accumulations temporaires, de l’ordre de quelques jours ou de quelques semaines, au maximum de deux trois mois, mais jamais permanentes”, explique-t-il.“Pour nettoyer, il faut qu’il y ait une certaine valeur à ce que l’on va récupérer”, ajoute François Galgani. “Si vous allez chercher des filets de pêche sur les fonds, ce sont des objets qui coûtent très très cher, qu’on peut réparer, qu’on peut réutiliser et donc recycler. On peut nettoyer également sur les plages parce qu’on donne une valeur patrimoniale au site donc c’est plus de touristes qui viennent. Par contre en mer, le problème c’est que les déchets qui flottent ne sont pas recyclables. Il sont très dégradés, ce sont des matériaux très hétérogènes, il y a différents types de plastiques et donc ça coûte très très très très cher de recycler donc ça ne se fera pas”, explicite le scientifique.“Il y a des endroits où on a une véritable soupe de plastiques”, commente à son tour Océane Couturier, membre de l’association Mer et Vivre. “Le problème au final c’est que ce plastique va s’accumuler dans les tissus des poissons, va diffuser ses produits toxiques, et nous derrière on va manger ces poissons”, s’inquiète-t-elle.Click Here: Cheap Chiefs Rugby Jersey 2019

Four of Ireland’s banks need €24 billion of additional capital, according to the latest round of stress tests.

Of that total, approximately €13bn is needed by just one lender, Allied Irish Banks (AIB), to enable it to withstand potential further losses.

The new total will take the final bill for bailing out Ireland’s banking system to €70bn – compared with the initial forecast of €46bn.

The results of the stress tests were announced this evening by Patrick Honohan, the governor of Ireland’s central bank.

He told reporters that Ireland’s difficulties were “one of the costliest banking crises in history”.

He said he hoped that confidence would come back to Ireland’s banking sector once banks were forced to hold more capital. Currently they rely on short-term funding from the European Central Bank (ECB).

In addition to €13.3bn needed by Allied Irish, Bank of Ireland requires €5.2bn, EBS building society needs €1.5bn and Irish Life and Permanent needs €4bn. The money will come from the bail-out fund created by the EU and International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced in November.

Speaking to the Irish parliament today, Michael Noonan, Ireland’s finance minister, said: “The country has been left with an appalling legacy –  a legacy of debt, of unemployment, of emigration, of falling living standards and of low morale.”

Noonan said he wanted to “break the vicious cycle of the massive dependence of the banks on the state”.

It now seems likely that all Irish banks will come under state control. Noonan announced that the government would reduce the number of domestic banks to two new “universal pillar banks”, which will be created from the existing institutions.

Bank of Ireland will remain while AIB and EBS are likely to be merged. Irish Life and Permanent will be radically restructured while the two remaining institutions, Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide Building Society, will be merged and wound down.

Noonan added: “This radical restructuring of the banking system is designed to put the banking system on a firm footing for the future and break the bonds with our toxic banking past.

“This is essential for our economy. It is essential for our country. From here, therefore, we move forward with purpose.”

The government said it would submit new restructuring plans for the banks to the European Commission for approval under state aid rules.

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Acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Richard Grenell on Monday tapped a new counterterrorism chief to temporarily lead the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), a move that comes amid a shakeup in the center’s leadership.

Lora Shiao, a career intelligence official who will serve as the NCTC’s next deputy director, will also become its first female acting director until the Senate confirms a permanent replacement.

Shiao has a long record of intelligence experience, previously serving in multiple roles at the NCTC as well as the FBI and Pentagon. She also was an intelligence briefer to the attorney general and FBI director during the George W. Bush administration. She now serves as the center’s No. 3 official.

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Shiao is slated to take over the role April 3. Clare Linkins, meanwhile, will take over for her as the next NCTC executive director.

“Acting DNI Grenell is excited and proud to promote Lora and Clare to these critical positions, where they will lead the nation’s efforts to counter terrorism. Lora and Clare are both NCTC veterans, with more than 25 years of combined experience at the Center,” Amanda Schoch, assistant director of National Intelligence for Strategic Communications, said in a statement.

“Under their direction, NCTC is well-postured to lead the counterterrorism mission into the future,” the statement continues.

The NCTC, which was formed after 9/11, is part of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence that works to unify “counterterrorism intelligence for the homeland and abroad” while “driving whole-of-government action” to protect the nation from attacks, according to its website.

Shiao’s appointment comes after Russell Travers, who is the acting director, chose to step down from the interim position. According to reports, Travers had already been considering retiring, but when Grenell sought to shuffle the leadership at the center — offering Travers another senior government role — he ultimately chose to retire.

Last week, President TrumpDonald John TrumpMnuchin, Schumer brief Trump, expect coronavirus stimulus deal Tuesday US airlines drafting plans for potential shutdown: report White House hits CNN, MSNBC for cutting away from coronavirus briefing MORE tapped Christopher Miller, who serves as the deputy assistant secretary of Defense for special operations and combating terrorism, to fill the key intelligence role as the next director, if the Senate confirms him.

Travers, who is expected to vacate the position over the next several weeks, explained to colleagues in a letter that Grenell wanted to assemble “a new team to best support” Miller after he is confirmed, The New York Times reported. 

Tesla CEO Elon MuskElon Reeve MuskTwitter says coronavirus disinformation spread by Chinese officials does not violate rules Health experts embrace social media to fight coronavirus No, Bernie: Big Business is not the enemy MORE on Monday announced that the electric car company had bought hundreds of ventilators, a medical device crucial to combating severe cases of the coronavirus, from China and shipped them to the U.S.

“China had an oversupply, so we bought 1255 FDA-approved ResMed, Philips & Medtronic ventilators on Friday night & airshipped them to LA,” Musk tweeted late Monday night.

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The move by Tesla comes as different manufacturing industries, including auto, are pitching in to help fight against COVID-19. Along with personal protective equipment like masks and gowns, ventilators are a product many hospitals around the U.S. have said are in dire shortage.

Gov. Gavin NewsomGavin Christopher NewsomThe Hill’s Campaign Report: Biden seeks to counter Trump on coronavirus Trump approves disaster declaration for coronavirus in California Trump orders National Guard, building of medical facilities in NY, Calif., Wash. MORE (D) confirmed Tuesday that Tesla had given California, one of the states hit hardest by COVID-19, 1,000 ventilators.

There are over 46,000 confirmed cases of the virus in the U.S. with almost 600 deaths, according to John Hopkins University.

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The Trump administration is cutting $1 billion in assistance to Afghanistan after its rival leaders failed to resolve their dispute following Secretary of State Mike PompeoMichael (Mike) Richard PompeoTrump administration slashes Afghan aid after Pompeo visit Overnight Defense: Navy hospital ship heading to Los Angeles | Military field hospitals to deploy to New York, Seattle | Pompeo flies to Afghanistan to revive peace process Pompeo makes unannounced trip to Afghanistan MORE’s visit there Monday.

“The United States deeply regrets that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and former Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah have informed Secretary Pompeo that they have been unable to agree on an inclusive government that can meet the challenges of governance, peace, and security, and provide for the health and welfare of Afghan citizens,” Pompeo said in a statement.

He added the United States is “disappointed” in both men’s conduct, saying “their failure has harmed U.S.-Afghan relations.”

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“Because this leadership failure poses a direct threat to U.S. national interests, effective immediately, the U.S. government will initiate a review of the scope of our cooperation with Afghanistan,” he said.

In addition to cutting $1 billion this year, Pompeo said the United States is prepared to cut another $1 billion next year and will start a review of “all of our programs and projects to identify additional reductions.”

Despite the aid cut, Pompeo insisted the United is “not abandoning our partnership with Afghanistan, nor our commitment to support the Afghan security forces.” To demonstrate that, he announced the United States will provide $15 million to help combat the spread of the coronavirus in Afghanistan.

Ghani and Abdullah have been locked in a power struggle since Afghanistan’s September elections.

The nation’s elections commission declared Ghani the winner last month, but Abdullah continues to dispute the results. Ghani and Abdullah held dueling inauguration ceremonies earlier this month, and Abdullah has vowed to form a parallel government.

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The pair had a similar disagreement after they both ran for president in 2014. At that time, then-Secretary of State John KerryJohn Forbes KerryTrump administration slashes Afghan aid after Pompeo visit Pompeo makes unannounced trip to Afghanistan Who should be the Democratic vice presidential candidate? MORE brokered an agreement that made Ghani president and Abdullah the specially created position of chief executive officer.

Pompeo made an unannounced trip to Afghanistan on Monday — even as most official government travel has been canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic — as Ghani and Abdullah’s feud stalls U.S. efforts to make progress on the Trump administration’s deal with the Taliban.

The U.S.-Taliban deal was supposed to precede peace talks between the Afghan government and the terror group, but the March 10 start date laid out in the agreement came and went amid the political crisis, as well as a dispute over a prisoner exchange and continued Taliban attacks on Afghan forces.

The deal calls for the Afghan government to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners ahead of talks. Ghani initially rejected any prisoner releases but later offered to release 1,500 ahead of the talks and the remaining 3,500 during them if violence is reduced. The Taliban rejected the offer, saying it would only accept all 5,000.

In his Monday statement, Pompeo accused Afghanistan’s leaders of “acting inconsistently” with a joint declaration the United States signed with Kabul the same day it signed the Taliban deal.

Specifically, Pompeo slammed them for “failing to establish an inclusive national team to participate in intra-Afghan negotiations or take practical steps to facilitate prisoner releases by both sides as a confidence-building measure to reach a political settlement and achieve a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire.”

The U.S.-Taliban deal laid out a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops that was conditioned on the Taliban’s counterterrorism commitments, but not the success of intra-Afghan negotiations.

The U.S. previously announced the start of a drawdown to 8,600 troops, and Pompeo said in his Monday statement that “we are proceeding with the conditions-based withdrawal of our forces in accordance with the U.S.-Taliban agreement.”

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Green groups see the coronavirus stimulus package as a way to push for environmental measures, an idea that’s gaining traction in the Democratic-led House but contributing to stalled negotiations in the GOP-run Senate.

Organizations are calling for checks on industries heavily involved in the production and use of fossil fuels and offering tax incentives to renewable energy producers.

The House seems to be heeding their calls, with a proposal from the chamber’s Democrats including provisions that would crack down on pollution from the airline industry.

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Republicans, while opposed to the environmental measures, have thrown their support behind efforts to shore up the struggling oil and gas industry, including $3 billion to buy oil for the nation’s petroleum reserve. 

“Instead of throwing money into building out the strategic petroleum reserve, we should be going to build out technology for the future like developing electric vehicles and battery storage,” Melinda Pierce, legislative director for the Sierra Club, told The Hill.

“Because when we come out of this, we shouldn’t be dependent on cheap fossil fuels and continue to drive emissions up. We should be driving cleaner cars and trying to make progress on climate change,” Pierce added.

Lawmakers have been pushing for an array of economic initiatives as various sectors of the economy suffer greatly because of the coronavirus.

Oil prices have decreased amid lowered demand and increased production by Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, with fewer people traveling, airlines and cruise lines have been hit. 

As lawmakers seek to bolster those areas, which are often criticized for their impacts on the environment, green groups are pushing for that aid to come with strings. 

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The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) wrote to congressional leaders last week saying that relief should be done “with climate solutions in mind rather than perpetuating the status quo.”

The organization endorsed reducing airline emissions and reliance on fossil fuels in addition to other environmental measures such as replacing lead service lines and incentivizing clean energy and energy efficiency in business and infrastructure. 

Gina McCarthyRegina (Gina) McCarthyGreen groups push for environmental protections in stimulus package Overnight Energy: Trump budget slashes EPA funding | International hunting council disbands amid lawsuit | Bill targets single-use plastics Trump budget slashes EPA funding, environmental programs MORE, NRDC president and former Environmental Protection Agency administrator, told The Hill in a statement that a stimulus package should also promote a strong economy in the long run.

“That means investment in cleaner, smarter ways to power our future that will create jobs and safer, healthier communities,” McCarthy said. 

Similarly, the group Friends of the Earth (FOE) on Sunday sent an action alert to its members saying that Congress shouldn’t “exploit coronavirus to bail out Big Polluters.”

“I’m hopeful that Democrats can actually prevail over the Republicans that want to give [a] … slush fund to various corporations that the Trump administration is supporting,” said Marcie Keever, FOE’s oceans and vessels program director and legal director.

Republicans, meanwhile, have accused Democrats of trying to use the stimulus package to push their own agenda. 

“Democrats won’t let us fund hospitals or save small businesses unless they get to dust off the Green New Deal,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellOn The Money: Trump looks at easing coronavirus restrictions | Health, economic advisers divided | Senators show frustration as stimulus talks stall | Fed rewrites crisis playbook Overnight Health Care — Presented by PCMA — Trump signals easing coronavirus restrictions | Tensions boil over as Senate fails to advance stimulus bill | Pelosi previews .5T House stimulus package Stimulus talks to miss McConnell’s Monday deadline MORE said in a Monday floor speech. 

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