0x815

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/4005656

Canada International Trade Minister Mary Ng announced the public consultation on Oct. 16, saying that it aims to strengthen the enforcement of the ban on importing forced labour goods in alignment with the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) and actions taken by allied countries.

During this public consultation, the government will seek feedback on improving enforcement of the import ban, according to a separate release on Oct. 16. Proposed measures include publishing a list of items at risk of being made with forced labour, based on guidelines from the International Labour Organization (ILO). A “minimum traceability” process was also proposed, requiring importers of these items to provide more information about where their products come from.

[...]

Citing an ILO report on modern slavery, Ottawa noted that an estimated 27.6 million people were subjected to forced labour worldwide in 2021, an increase of 3 million since 2016. Children represented about 12 percent of those affected, totalling 3.3 million.

[...]

Forced Labour in China

The announcement comes amid increased scrutiny of forced labour in China.

[...]

The issue has also been studied in recent years in parliamentary committees in Canada, with human rights activists urging more action by Canadian lawmakers to curb China’s forced labour practices.

“The Subcommittee [on International Human Rights] was advised that Canada should adopt a ’reverse‑onus’ policy for companies importing products from Xinjiang, or other parts of China where forced labour is prominent. Such a policy would require importing companies to demonstrate that forced labour was not used in the manufacturing of their products,” reads a March 2021 report published by the subcommittee.

[...]

“The Government of Canada expects companies to take every step possible to ensure that their supply chains conform to Canadian law. It is the responsibility of the importer to exercise due diligence to ensure forced labour is not directly or indirectly used in the production of the goods it imports,” CBSA spokesperson Luke Reimer said on Sept. 26.

One well-known case involved a shipment from China that was intercepted in Quebec in fall 2021, but it was ultimately allowed entry. Reimer said that this decision came after the importer requested a review of the tariff classification. Upon examining the submitted documents, it was determined that the goods did not meet the criteria for seizure related to forced labour.

Canada has imposed an import ban on goods produced by forced labour since an amendment to the Customs Tariff Act took effect on July 1, 2020. The following year, it also launched an analysis of supply chain risks related to forced labour in China.

In January, a law aimed at fighting forced labour and child labour in supply chains came into force. Previously known as Bill S-211, this law requires the head of every government institution involved in producing, purchasing, or distributing goods in Canada or elsewhere to submit an annual report to the minister of public safety by May 31 each year.

Canada International Trade Minister Mary Ng announced the public consultation on Oct. 16, saying that it aims to strengthen the enforcement of the ban on importing forced labour goods in alignment with the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) and actions taken by allied countries.

During this public consultation, the government will seek feedback on improving enforcement of the import ban, according to a separate release on Oct. 16. Proposed measures include publishing a list of items at risk of being made with forced labour, based on guidelines from the International Labour Organization (ILO). A “minimum traceability” process was also proposed, requiring importers of these items to provide more information about where their products come from.

[...]

Citing an ILO report on modern slavery, Ottawa noted that an estimated 27.6 million people were subjected to forced labour worldwide in 2021, an increase of 3 million since 2016. Children represented about 12 percent of those affected, totalling 3.3 million.

[...]

Forced Labour in China

The announcement comes amid increased scrutiny of forced labour in China.

[...]

The issue has also been studied in recent years in parliamentary committees in Canada, with human rights activists urging more action by Canadian lawmakers to curb China’s forced labour practices.

“The Subcommittee [on International Human Rights] was advised that Canada should adopt a ’reverse‑onus’ policy for companies importing products from Xinjiang, or other parts of China where forced labour is prominent. Such a policy would require importing companies to demonstrate that forced labour was not used in the manufacturing of their products,” reads a March 2021 report published by the subcommittee.

[...]

“The Government of Canada expects companies to take every step possible to ensure that their supply chains conform to Canadian law. It is the responsibility of the importer to exercise due diligence to ensure forced labour is not directly or indirectly used in the production of the goods it imports,” CBSA spokesperson Luke Reimer said on Sept. 26.

One well-known case involved a shipment from China that was intercepted in Quebec in fall 2021, but it was ultimately allowed entry. Reimer said that this decision came after the importer requested a review of the tariff classification. Upon examining the submitted documents, it was determined that the goods did not meet the criteria for seizure related to forced labour.

Canada has imposed an import ban on goods produced by forced labour since an amendment to the Customs Tariff Act took effect on July 1, 2020. The following year, it also launched an analysis of supply chain risks related to forced labour in China.

In January, a law aimed at fighting forced labour and child labour in supply chains came into force. Previously known as Bill S-211, this law requires the head of every government institution involved in producing, purchasing, or distributing goods in Canada or elsewhere to submit an annual report to the minister of public safety by May 31 each year.

The US, China, Turkey and Brazil are just some of the countries that are putting more and more people behind bars. But in the Netherlands, it's a different story. Some empty prisons there have now been re-purposed as hotels or cultural centers.

[...]

A study conducted by the Universities of Leiden (Netherlands) and Portsmouth (UK)

found that the number of people in prison in the Netherlands fell from 94 per 100,000 citizens to 51 per 100,000 between 2005 and 2016.

Although the downward trend has not continued since, figures from Eurostat

suggest that the imprisonment rate has stabilized at this low level. In 2021 and 2022 it was at 54 per 100,000.

That makes the Netherlands one of the few countries that have seen their prison populations decline. Data platform World Prison Brief (WPB) has identified a similar trend in Germany, Liechtenstein, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Romania, and the Baltic states.

[...]

The number of people receiving custodial sentences from the courts has fallen significantly in the Netherlands. In 2005, Dutch courts imposed prison sentences on some 8,305 convicted criminals. Ten years later, only 4,540 offenders were sent to jail. Studies show that the decrease in custodial sentences was seen across the full spectrum of criminal activities.

Crimes against property saw a 44% decrease in prison sentences, violent crime and sexual crime saw imprisonment rates fall by 39%, and for drug-related crimes the drop was as much as 49%. The number of people sent to jail for failing to pay a court-imposed fine decreased by 38%.

The Netherlands also has an unusually low average length of custodial sentence. The criminologists at the University of Leiden noted in their study that half of all those sent to prison there were released again within one month.

By contrast, according to a report by the University of Lausanne that looked at prisoner rates across the 46 members of the Council of Europe, just 5.2% of inmates spend less than six months in jail, and some 21.3% serve between 12 months and three years.

[...]

Another major factor in the Netherlands is the fall in the number people being held in pre-trial detention. The study shows that 21,029 spent time on remand in Dutch prisons in 2005, with that number falling to 13,350 by 2016 — a decrease of 37%.

In the same period — 2005 to 2016 — the number of crimes registered in the Netherlands fell from 1.35 million to 930,000. Crimes against property fell by 216,000 (-27%) and there were 32,000 fewer violent crimes (-26%).

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/3997391

Saturday's vote will pit an unprecedented alliance of pro-Western opposition forces against the ruling Georgian Dream party, accused by Brussels of shifting towards authoritarianism and derailing EU candidate Tbilisi from its European path.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators, waving EU and Georgian flags and holding banners that read "Georgia chooses the European Union" gathered at Tbilisi's central Freedom Square after marching towards the venue from five different locations

[...]

Pro-Western President Salome Zurabishvili -- at loggerheads with the government -- joined the rally, which she said "shows that Georgia has already won and will reintegrate with Europe".

[...]

Analysts have warned of the risk of turmoil if Georgian Dream attempts to hold onto power regardless of the vote's outcome.

In power since 2012, the party initially pursued a liberal pro-Western policy agenda, but over the last two years has reversed course and been accused of moving closer to Moscow.

Bids for membership of the EU and NATO are enshrined in Georgia's constitution and supported by some 80 percent of the population, according to multiple opinion polls commissioned by groups including the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute.

Die Bürgerjournalistin Zhang Zhan ist aktuell in der Haftanstalt von Pudong in Shanghai inhaftiert. Ihr wird vorgeworfen, "Streit angefangen und Ärger provoziert zu haben".

Sie steht seit ihrer Freilassung aus dem Gefängnis am 13. Mai 2024 wegen ihres fortlaufenden Engagements für die Menschenrechte im Visier der Behörden.

Auch ihre Familie ist mit Einschüchterungsversuchen und Drohungen durch die Behörden konfrontiert, und der Rechtsbeistand, den ihre Familie mit ihrem Fall beauftragen wollte, wurde fast acht Stunden von der Polizei festgehalten.

Saturday's vote will pit an unprecedented alliance of pro-Western opposition forces against the ruling Georgian Dream party, accused by Brussels of shifting towards authoritarianism and derailing EU candidate Tbilisi from its European path.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators, waving EU and Georgian flags and holding banners that read "Georgia chooses the European Union" gathered at Tbilisi's central Freedom Square after marching towards the venue from five different locations

[...]

Pro-Western President Salome Zurabishvili -- at loggerheads with the government -- joined the rally, which she said "shows that Georgia has already won and will reintegrate with Europe".

[...]

Analysts have warned of the risk of turmoil if Georgian Dream attempts to hold onto power regardless of the vote's outcome.

In power since 2012, the party initially pursued a liberal pro-Western policy agenda, but over the last two years has reversed course and been accused of moving closer to Moscow.

Bids for membership of the EU and NATO are enshrined in Georgia's constitution and supported by some 80 percent of the population, according to multiple opinion polls commissioned by groups including the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/3997245

According to China's National Bureau of Statistics on the 21st, the unemployment rate of young people (16-24 years old) reached 18.8% in August. It's the highest it's been this year. This is attributed to the fact that a large number of students who graduated from school in the first half of this year jumped into the job front.

[...]

Chinese authorities temporarily suspended the release of monthly figures after youth unemployment hit an all-time high of 21.3% in June last year. Since then, new standards have been applied and announced from this year excluding enrolled students from the statistical target. Nevertheless, the youth unemployment rate, which was 14.6% in January this year, is steadily rising.

Last month, the story of 24-year-old Lee became a hot topic on Weibo, a Chinese social network service (SNS). After completing a master's degree in physics at the graduate school, it was known that he got a job as a cleaner at a high school in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province.

[...]

In fact, many young Chinese people are flocking to gig workers (short-time workers). The number of delivery drivers registered on Meituan, a large delivery platform, jumped from 3.98 million in 2019 to 7.45 million last year. The growth of the delivery market slowed due to the end of the "COVID-19 lockdown" policy, but the number of delivery drivers increased.

[...]

Against this backdrop, the Chinese government has recently decided to strengthen its crackdown on slang and newly coined words on the Internet. Some analysts say that they intend to censor terms that criticize the Chinese Communist Party and the government.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/3997245

According to China's National Bureau of Statistics on the 21st, the unemployment rate of young people (16-24 years old) reached 18.8% in August. It's the highest it's been this year. This is attributed to the fact that a large number of students who graduated from school in the first half of this year jumped into the job front.

[...]

Chinese authorities temporarily suspended the release of monthly figures after youth unemployment hit an all-time high of 21.3% in June last year. Since then, new standards have been applied and announced from this year excluding enrolled students from the statistical target. Nevertheless, the youth unemployment rate, which was 14.6% in January this year, is steadily rising.

Last month, the story of 24-year-old Lee became a hot topic on Weibo, a Chinese social network service (SNS). After completing a master's degree in physics at the graduate school, it was known that he got a job as a cleaner at a high school in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province.

[...]

In fact, many young Chinese people are flocking to gig workers (short-time workers). The number of delivery drivers registered on Meituan, a large delivery platform, jumped from 3.98 million in 2019 to 7.45 million last year. The growth of the delivery market slowed due to the end of the "COVID-19 lockdown" policy, but the number of delivery drivers increased.

[...]

Against this backdrop, the Chinese government has recently decided to strengthen its crackdown on slang and newly coined words on the Internet. Some analysts say that they intend to censor terms that criticize the Chinese Communist Party and the government.

According to China's National Bureau of Statistics on the 21st, the unemployment rate of young people (16-24 years old) reached 18.8% in August. It's the highest it's been this year. This is attributed to the fact that a large number of students who graduated from school in the first half of this year jumped into the job front.

[...]

Chinese authorities temporarily suspended the release of monthly figures after youth unemployment hit an all-time high of 21.3% in June last year. Since then, new standards have been applied and announced from this year excluding enrolled students from the statistical target. Nevertheless, the youth unemployment rate, which was 14.6% in January this year, is steadily rising.

Last month, the story of 24-year-old Lee became a hot topic on Weibo, a Chinese social network service (SNS). After completing a master's degree in physics at the graduate school, it was known that he got a job as a cleaner at a high school in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province.

[...]

In fact, many young Chinese people are flocking to gig workers (short-time workers). The number of delivery drivers registered on Meituan, a large delivery platform, jumped from 3.98 million in 2019 to 7.45 million last year. The growth of the delivery market slowed due to the end of the "COVID-19 lockdown" policy, but the number of delivery drivers increased.

[...]

Against this backdrop, the Chinese government has recently decided to strengthen its crackdown on slang and newly coined words on the Internet. Some analysts say that they intend to censor terms that criticize the Chinese Communist Party and the government.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/3971767

Foreign nationals and Dutch citizens with a family heritage from at least eight different countries often face intense pressure to show loyalty to foreign governments, carry out espionage activities on their behalf, or to monitor those in their communities, Dutch counterterrorism office NCTV and intelligence service AIVD warns.

The AIVD said it confirmed that Iran, Morocco, Pakistan, Turkey and others specifically attempt to gather intelligence on their diaspora communities in the Netherlands, and there is a strong suspicion that China, Eritrea and Syria does the same.

Further, people in the Netherlands identified as dissidents by Russia, China and Iran have also been secretly monitored by those governments. The report cautioned that people with heritage and connections to the eight countries mentioned, and others not mentioned, can face intimidation, threats of kidnapping and murder, in addition to others spying on them.

“These forms of state interference not only put pressure on the personal freedoms of residents of the Netherlands, but also undermine the democratic legal order in the Netherlands,” the NCTV said. Its report about foreign state interference in diaspora communities noted that that this can attempt to “influence political decisions or sentiment in Dutch society.”

The report noted a wide range of attempts to either monitor or influence foreign residents of the Netherlands, and Dutch citizens with familial ties to other countries. This includes identifying those who might be able to be used to influence those communities, while also observing those who might become supporters of an opposition movement.

[...]

That intelligence can then be used to either repress people and their families, or manipulate them into carrying out economic espionage in the Netherlands. The two agencies again raised warnings about the China Scholarship Council, which helps Chinese students get grants to study abroad in exchange for loyalty pledges, and a promise to obey directives from Chinese embassies and consulates.

The NCTV and AIVD also noted China’s treatment of Uyghurs living in the Netherlands. The ethnic minority has been subjected to years of harassment, unjust imprisonment, and discrimination in China.

Once [Chinese citizens are] in the Netherlands, they can find themselves on the receiving end of phone calls about family members who are “under the control” of Chinese authorities. “This message is usually accompanied by a clear ‘request’ to stop certain activities, such as publishing critical publications, or participating in or organising demonstrations, or to cooperate with the Chinese authorities,” the NCTV and AIVD stated.

It also noted reports about incidents of harassment that Russian scientists and students have had to endure. “The callers claimed to be from the Russian government and asked them where their loyalty lay in the war with Ukraine. The AIVD confirmed the practices after the reported incidents and made a direct connection with the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” the report said.

[...]

Russland greift Europas Staaten permanent mit hybriden Mitteln an, erklärt Sönke Marahrens, Experte für hybride Kriegsführung. Parallel plane der Kreml, diese Vorbereitungen zur Destabilisierung des Westens auch militärisch "abschließen" zu können.

Sönke Marahrens: Russland ist stark gebunden in der Ukraine und arbeitet mit hybriden Mitteln in den europäischen Ländern, um die Unterstützung für die Ukraine an der Front zu verringern.

[...]

Parallel dazu hat Russland ein Interesse, dass Europa nicht stark ist. Deswegen werden derzeit sowohl die Institutionen NATO und EU, aber auch europäische Staaten permanent mit hybriden Maßnahmen angegriffen.

[...]

Russische Operateure probieren in vielen europäischen Staaten sehr unterschiedliche Dinge aus, die individuell auf den jeweiligen Staat zugeschnitten sind: Hybride Maßnahmen, die in Polen wirken, wirken nicht in Deutschland; was in Deutschland wirkt, würde nicht in Finnland wirken.

[...]

Hier geht es darum, den Staat in seiner Handlungsfähigkeit einzuschränken, aber auch das Vertrauen der Bevölkerung in den jeweiligen Staat zu senken.

[...]

[Dazu kommen] Sabotageakte auf kritische Infrastrukturen, Cyberangriffe, Ransomware-Attacken. Damit kann die Wirtschaftskraft von Staaten geschwächt und auch Unsicherheit erzeugt werden.

Die letzte Gruppe ist die Bevölkerung. Da unterstützt Russland in der öffentlichen Debatte einander konträre Positionen. Das führt zu einer Radikalisierung - und irgendwann auch zu aggressiven Vorfällen.

[...]

In Deutschland sehen wir etwa, dass Russland bestimmte Parteien mit Geld unterstützt und Ähnliches, um hier in die politische Meinungsbildung einzugreifen [...] Aber die gefährlichste Art der hybriden Kriegsführung ist Desinformation. Dadurch können Meinungen gebildet und Narrative gesetzt werden. Antisemitismus oder extreme politische Ideen können befeuert werden.

[...]

Wir benötigen [um gegen Desinformation zu arbeiten] eine grundlegende Befähigung, mit Informationen umzugehen, insbesondere in den sozialen Medien. Da gibt es verschiedene Initiativen, Bürger und Bürgerinnen, insbesondere Jugendliche zu informieren und zu befähigen, Falschinformation, Desinformation, aber auch Informationen, die in einem falschen Kontext gesendet werden, als solche zu identifizieren.

[...]

Cybersicherheit etwa ist kein Zustand, den sie erreichen können, sondern eine sich permanent dynamisch verändernde Lage. Was man heute abwehren konnte, wird morgen mit einer anderen Maßnahme erneut probiert. Und darauf muss man sich vorbereiten. Sie müssen sehr viel auf Flexibilität setzen.

[...]

Da ist eine große Herausforderung [unsere physische Infrastruktur zu schützen]. [...] Auch hier geht es darum, sich für Auffälligkeiten zu sensibilisieren. Und in der Politik gibt es zurzeit die Diskussion darüber, was als kritische Infrastruktur definiert wird. Wie schützen wir das? Aber auch: Sollten solche kritischen Infrastrukturen ausfallen, welche Pläne haben wir dann in den Kommunen und in Firmen? Wir sind in Deutschland auf einem positiven Weg, wir haben das Problem erkannt.

Nur haben wir einen Gegner, den unsere ethischen Grenzen nicht interessieren und der in allen Bereichen unterwegs ist, dies schließt selbst die Ermordung von Regimegegnern in unseren Ländern mit ein.

[...]

Der Plan ist [Russlands ist es], hybride Operationen auch mit militärischen Mitteln abschließen zu können, wie sie das nennen. [...] Schauen Sie sich an, wie die baltischen Staaten ihre Verteidigung aufbauen, wo wir ja mit einer Brigade in Litauen unterstützen. Dort versucht Russland, eine Schwachstelle im europäischen System zu finden, um dort Tatsachen zu schaffen, die Europa destabilisieren würden.

[...]

Man hat ja auch schon [physische Infrastruktur] zerstört, vergangenes Jahr, als ein chinesisches Schiff mit dem Anker runter 200 Meilen rückwärts gefahren ist, um zu zeigen: Wir wissen, wo Schwachpunkte sind und wir gucken uns das ganz genau an. Es ist sogenanntes Signalling. Aber natürlich wissen sie damit auch, wo sie später einmal angreifen könnten.

[...]

Russland bezweckt [mit dieser hybriden Kriegsführung], dass in westlichen Staaten der Blick sich weg vom Krieg in der Ukraine nach innen richtet. Dass diese sagen, wir müssen jetzt Ressourcen dafür einsetzen, dass wir unsere kritische Infrastruktur schützen - sodass wir dann weniger Möglichkeiten haben, die wir der Ukraine zur Verfügung stellen können [...] Aber sowas kann auch zurückfeuern [...] Das sieht man in den baltischen Staaten, aber auch in Schweden und Finnland. Als man anfing, Russland als Bedrohung wahrzunehmen, hat die Bevölkerung ja die Regierung unterstützt und gesagt: Wir wollen der NATO beitreten, wir wollen unsere Freiheit behalten - und hat damit das Gegenteil davon getan, was man sich auf der anderen Seite erhofft hat.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/3971767

Foreign nationals and Dutch citizens with a family heritage from at least eight different countries often face intense pressure to show loyalty to foreign governments, carry out espionage activities on their behalf, or to monitor those in their communities, Dutch counterterrorism office NCTV and intelligence service AIVD warns.

The AIVD said it confirmed that Iran, Morocco, Pakistan, Turkey and others specifically attempt to gather intelligence on their diaspora communities in the Netherlands, and there is a strong suspicion that China, Eritrea and Syria does the same.

Further, people in the Netherlands identified as dissidents by Russia, China and Iran have also been secretly monitored by those governments. The report cautioned that people with heritage and connections to the eight countries mentioned, and others not mentioned, can face intimidation, threats of kidnapping and murder, in addition to others spying on them.

“These forms of state interference not only put pressure on the personal freedoms of residents of the Netherlands, but also undermine the democratic legal order in the Netherlands,” the NCTV said. Its report about foreign state interference in diaspora communities noted that that this can attempt to “influence political decisions or sentiment in Dutch society.”

The report noted a wide range of attempts to either monitor or influence foreign residents of the Netherlands, and Dutch citizens with familial ties to other countries. This includes identifying those who might be able to be used to influence those communities, while also observing those who might become supporters of an opposition movement.

[...]

That intelligence can then be used to either repress people and their families, or manipulate them into carrying out economic espionage in the Netherlands. The two agencies again raised warnings about the China Scholarship Council, which helps Chinese students get grants to study abroad in exchange for loyalty pledges, and a promise to obey directives from Chinese embassies and consulates.

The NCTV and AIVD also noted China’s treatment of Uyghurs living in the Netherlands. The ethnic minority has been subjected to years of harassment, unjust imprisonment, and discrimination in China.

Once [Chinese citizens are] in the Netherlands, they can find themselves on the receiving end of phone calls about family members who are “under the control” of Chinese authorities. “This message is usually accompanied by a clear ‘request’ to stop certain activities, such as publishing critical publications, or participating in or organising demonstrations, or to cooperate with the Chinese authorities,” the NCTV and AIVD stated.

It also noted reports about incidents of harassment that Russian scientists and students have had to endure. “The callers claimed to be from the Russian government and asked them where their loyalty lay in the war with Ukraine. The AIVD confirmed the practices after the reported incidents and made a direct connection with the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” the report said.

[...]