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Senin, 04 November 2019

Human rights group slams Saudi Arabia for crackdown on dissent - NBC News

Legitimate reforms benefiting women mask a broader crackdown on freedom and dissent in Saudi Arabia, the international monitor Human Rights Watch said Monday.

Reforms like allowing women to drive or to appear in public performances followed Mohammed bin Salman's ascension to crown prince in June 2017. Prince Mohammed said he wanted to reshape how the world views the kingdom, historically seen as an isolated incubator of Islamist radicals.

But behind the scenes, Saudi authorities have harshly oppressed perceived opponents of the prince, 34, targeting prominent clerics, academics, women's and human rights activists, leading businessmen and even other members of the royal family, the watchdog, Human Rights Watch, said in a 62-page report.

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"Allegations have emerged of rampant torture and mistreatment," the report said.

The abuses didn't come to widespread attention until Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, was brutally killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, in October 2018, the group said.

The CIA quickly concluded that Prince Mohammed ordered the assassination of Khashoggi, a critic of Saudi Arabia's crackdown on dissent. The prince said a month ago that as the kingdom's leader, he took responsibility for Khashoggi's death but denied that he had ordered it.

NBC News reported in January that former U.S. officials and diplomats were deeply troubled by the United States' reluctance to confront Saudi Arabia over its continuing human rights abuses. They said the U.S. failure to confront the kingdom was a repudiation of decades of U.S. policy that would serve as a tacit green light signaling the Trump administration's approval.

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Michael Page, deputy Middle East director for Human Rights Watch, acknowledged Monday that the prince had "created an entertainment sector and allowed women to travel and drive."

But "it's not real reform in Saudi Arabia if it takes place in a dystopia where rights activists are imprisoned and freedom of expression exists just for those who publicly malign them," he said.

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https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/human-rights-group-slams-saudi-arabia-crackdown-dissent-n1075906

2019-11-04 05:03:00Z
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Minggu, 03 November 2019

McDonald’s CEO resigns over consensual relationship with employee - Global News

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McDonald’s CEO resigns over consensual relationship with employee Global News
McDonald's CEO Out Over 'Poor Judgment' In Relationship With Employee | NBC Nightly News NBC News
McDonald's CEO steps down after relationship with employee CP24 Toronto's Breaking News
McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook out after 'poor judgment' involving relationship with employee Yahoo Canada Finance
McDonald's CEO pushed out after relationship with employee CTV News
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November 04, 2019 at 04:42AM

Transit strike to persist Monday but worst may be yet to come - Vancouver Sun

Union says most of the system should be functioning as people return to work and school Monday.

The SeaBus has already beeen affected by the transit strike. Arlen Redekop / PNG

The head union negotiator in the continuing transit dispute in Metro Vancouver says most of the system should be functioning Monday, but warns the broken down talks between workers and transit authorities will lead to a full-scale work stoppage.

That message came from Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor’s western regional director and lead negotiator, on Sunday amid dozens of cancelled weekend sailings for the SeaBus, which connects North Shore riders to Downtown Vancouver, and some bus-trip disruptions that delayed passengers from their destinations.

Union leaders say cancelled SeaBus sailings are expected again Monday, and bus routes may see cancellations by the end of the week unless something gives in the dispute.

TransLink didn’t respond to a request for comment.

McGarrigle asked for help from transit users to encourage authorities to resume negotiating.

“We know the passengers are behind us and we’re asking the passengers to reach out to the mayors, TransLink and Coast Mountain Bus Company and talk about how important the system is to them, because we know where this is going to end. It’s going to eventually end in a full-scale work stoppage,” he said. “If the 100,000-plus passengers who are out there every day pass on what they’re already telling our members on the road, then I think that message will be overwhelming.”

Contract talks between the two sides broke off Thursday and job action began Friday. That action started with transit operators refusing to wear uniforms, and an overtime ban by the company’s technicians and other skilled-trades workers.

Mike McDaniel, president of Coast Mountain, previously told Postmedia News that it could not keep the SeaBus running at its most frequent intervals with the OT ban. Transport Canada requires an engineer on board every sailing, but the transit authorities have too few engineers to cover the schedule.

Mike Smith, president of Unifor Local 2200, which represents maintenance and SeaBus workers, said the transit system is “cut so close to the bone” that for several years it has been unable to operate without relying on overtime.

“The system is broken and it needs to get fixed. Our members are taking away valuable time with their families, which everybody should be entitled to, basically to keep this service running. We’ve just had enough,” he said. “We deserve respect and dignity, and that’s what we’re fighting for. And not only for the workers … but also for the passengers.”

Balbir Mann, president of Unifor Local 111, which represents transit operators, said his members “are really pumped up” and want to see a big change in their working conditions. Mann said most routes have one- or two-minute turnarounds and some operators are now driving three-to-four-hour stretches “like robots,” trying to keep up with schedules.

“The running times are so bad from one end to the other end. They’re so unpredictable. It’s hard to do in a car, and imagine we’re picking up people, there’s wheelchairs, there’s a growing elderly population in our region,” he said.

Unifor is seeking a 15.2 per cent increase compounded over four years for bus drivers and 16.7 per cent compounded over four years for maintenance workers. The employer, Coast Mountain, is offering 9.6 per cent for drivers and 12.2 per cent for maintenance workers.

On Friday, McDaniel said the union had repeatedly refused the company’s suggestion of a third-party mediator to help resolve the dispute.

mrobinson@postmedia.com

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November 04, 2019 at 07:49AM

Alberta separation wouldn't solve problem of landlocked oil: expert - CBC.ca

International trade experts say it's a pipe dream to think the landlocked oil-producing western provinces would have an easier time getting their product to international markets if they were to split from Canada.

"Wexit" — an apparent play on the word "Brexit" used to describe the United Kingdom's planned departure from the European Union — was trending on social media after the Liberals secured a minority government in last week's federal election, but were shut out of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Peter Downing, a founder of the western separatist movement that wants a referendum on separation, has said an independent country in the middle of the Prairies could leverage the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to gain coastal pipeline access.

"We have more freedom as an independent country to get our resources to the coast than as part of Canada," he said the day after the election.

"We'll have the best of both worlds: We'll keep our money and we'll have access to the coast."

The UN convention, adopted in 1982, does say that "landlocked states shall enjoy freedom of transit through the territory of transit states by all means of transport."

However, it goes on to say that terms "shall be agreed between the landlocked states and transit states concerned through bilateral, subregional or regional agreements," and that transit states have the right to ensure their "legitimate interests" aren't infringed upon.

"It's not an unqualified right. They can't just say, 'OK, we need to get through here,"' said Silvia Maciunas, a fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation in Waterloo, Ont.

"They have to talk to the other state, which would be Canada."

Peter Downing, a founder of the western separatist movement that wants a referendum on separation, has said an independent country in the middle of the Prairies could leverage the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to gain coastal pipeline access. (Gabriel Brown/CBC)

The "means of transport" in the convention refers to railways, waterways, roads and even porters and pack animals, but the treaty specifies that landlocked and transit states would have to agree to add pipelines to the list.

Landlocked countries such as Ethiopia and Switzerland have long had agreements to use ports in other countries.

Bolivia, on the other hand, lost its ocean access in a war with Chile in the 1800s and has been fighting to regain it ever since. The International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled last year that Chile has no obligation to engage in talks with Bolivia.

"Had the court ruled in the favour of Bolivia, Chile would have theoretically been obligated to enter into 'good faith' negotiations, whatever the heck that means," said Carlo Dade, director of the Trade and Investment Centre at the Canada West Foundation.

"You can imagine how that would play out up here if Alberta, Saskatchewan leave ... We've seen enough out of B.C. to know how that would play out," said Dade.

The British Columbia government has resisted, primarily through court actions, the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion that would triple the amount of crude shipped between Alberta and the Lower Mainland.

Add to that there is no real enforcement mechanism through the international court, Dade said.

"The only thing the ICJ gives you is the ability to go from saying, 'Please give us access' to 'Pretty please give us access."'

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November 04, 2019 at 01:09AM

Landlocked oil problem would not be solved by Wexit: expert - Global News

International trade experts say it’s a pipe dream to think the landlocked oil-producing western provinces would have an easier time getting their product to international markets if they were to split from Canada.

“Wexit” — an apparent play on the word “Brexit” used to describe the United Kingdom’s planned departure from the European Union — was trending on social media after the Liberals secured a minority government in last week’s federal election, but were shut out of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

“We have more freedom as an independent country to get our resources to the coast than as part of Canada,” he said the day after the election.

Story continues below advertisement

“We’ll have the best of both worlds: We’ll keep our money and we’ll have access to the coast.”

2:05Encana Corporation moving to U.S.

Encana Corporation moving to U.S.

The UN convention, adopted in 1982, does say that “landlocked states shall enjoy freedom of transit through the territory of transit states by all means of transport.”

However, it goes on to say that terms “shall be agreed between the landlocked states and transit states concerned through bilateral, subregional or regional agreements,” and that transit states have the right to ensure their “legitimate interests” aren’t infringed upon.

“It’s not an unqualified right. They can’t just say, ‘OK, we need to get through here,”’ said Silvia Maciunas, a fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation in Waterloo, Ont.

“They have to talk to the other state, which would be Canada.”

The “means of transport” in the convention refers to railways, waterways, roads and even porters and pack animals, but the treaty specifies that landlocked and transit states would have to agree to add pipelines to the list.

Landlocked countries such as Ethiopia and Switzerland have long had agreements to use ports in other countries.

Story continues below advertisement

2:07Liberal victory renews separatist talk in Western Canada

Liberal victory renews separatist talk in Western Canada

“Had the court ruled in the favour of Bolivia, Chile would have theoretically been obligated to enter into ‘good faith’ negotiations, whatever the heck that means,” said Carlo Dade, director of the Trade and Investment Centre at the Canada West Foundation.

“You can imagine how that would play out up here if Alberta, Saskatchewan leave … We’ve seen enough out of B.C. to know how that would play out,” said Dade.

Add to that there is no real enforcement mechanism through the international court, Dade said.

“The only thing the ICJ gives you is the ability to go from saying, ‘Please give us access’ to ‘Pretty please give us access.”’

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November 03, 2019 at 10:59PM

Several SeaBus sailings cancelled Sunday, confirms TransLink - Vancouver Is Awesome

seabus translink transit vancouver — The SeaBus will remain on a reduced sailing schedule this weekend due to the transit strike. Photo by lenic / Shutterstock.com

SeaBus service between Vancouver and North Vancouver will remain on reduced sailing schedule for the remainder of the weekend, confirms TransLink.

According to TransLink, Sunday’s schedule changes are as follows:

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 3

6 Sailing cancellations in the afternoon

The 1:30pm from Lonsdale Quay and 1:45pm from Waterfront will be cancelled
The 3:30pm from Lonsdale Quay and 3:45pm from Waterfront will be cancelled
The 4:45pm from Lonsdale Quay and 5:00pm from Waterfront will be cancelled

10 Sailing cancellations in the evening (between 6:45pm and 9:15pm)

This will result in sailings every 30-minutes between 6:45pm and 9:15pm, instead of sailings every 15-minutes.
Regular 30-minute service continues after 9:15pm until the final sailing.

The transit agency has been scaling back sailings on the busy Waterfront to Lonsdale Quay connector since Friday, Nov. 1, when Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC) operators and maintenance workers represented by Unifor began a job action.

The transit authority cancelled 14 sailings Friday, which resulted in service running every 15 minutes rather than every ten minutes. They implemented further reductions on Saturday, at which point the announced how they would proceed for the duration of the weekend.

On Twitter, TransLink said they anticipate unspecified bus delays later today, in addition to the SeaBus schedule changes:

Good morning! The TransLink Twitter desk & Customer Info are now open.We anticipate some delays to bus & SeaBus later today. Here’s what we know about our morning service. We’ll keep you updated throughout the day.^LA

✔ SkyTrain (incl. Canada Line)
✔ bus
✔ SeaBus
✔ HandyDART

— TransLink BC (@TransLink) November 3, 2019

You can follow TransLink on Twitter for alerts, or view them online here.

CMBC employees represented by Unifor are participating in the job action, which includes operators not wearing CMBC uniforms, because the union and the employer have not been able to reach an agreement on terms for a contract, specifically regarding pay, benefits, and safety, including recovery time between shifts.

Unifor’s Western Regional Director @gavinmcgarrigle discusses the mood after the first day of job action against @TransLink. #vanpoli #bcpoli #bclab #canlab #transitstrike pic.twitter.com/OSvT2QUutN

— Unifor Canada (@UniforTheUnion) November 1, 2019

With files from Elana Shepert

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November 03, 2019 at 09:49PM

Cannabis NB president says no profit until at least next year - CTV News

FREDERICTON -- The new president of Cannabis NB -- New Brunswick's Crown-owned cannabis retailer -- says it will be next year or later before the operation can be profitable.

Patrick Parent says the money-losing agency is like any start-up and needs time to mature.

"We are looking at operational improvements. We do recognize there was a price gap with the illicit market. We are aggressively addressing that. I think if you were to go into stores today there are very competitive products. In fact in some cases it is more competitive than in the illegal stores," Parent said in an interview in his Fredericton office Friday.

"I don't disagree that we need to accelerate the road to profitability. Everyone would agree that we have to return a profit to the taxpayers of New Brunswick," he said. "The best way we can do that is ignore external noise and distractions and really focus on improving the business every day."

The agency, with its 20 stores across the province, lost almost $12 million in its first six months and continues to bleed red ink, although sales are on the rise. It was announced last week that second quarter losses for the current year were $1.5 million.

The previous Liberal government pitched legalized cannabis as an economic windfall and sought to make the province an industry leader. The University of New Brunswick even named the first cannabis health research chair in the country.

More recently, Progressive Conservative Premier Blaine Higgs has said he'll look at all options including privatization to stem the financial losses.

Last October, then Cannabis NB president Brian Harriman said with overhead and start-up costs he hoped the 20 stores would at least break even in their first fiscal year.

Parent -- who became president and CEO of Cannabis NB and NB Liquor in September -- said many changes have been made to improve product pricing and supply.

"We are getting to the point of offering the right products at the right price point," he said.

There have been other changes too. Instead of going through security to enter the stores, proof-of-age is now done at the checkout.

The company has also reduced the number of staff, and recently cut eight management positions.

Parent said the major changes have been made.

"We've made some adjustments that were necessary to give the business every chance to get to profitability sooner. Right now our focus will turn to product availability, product pricing, competitiveness and things of that nature," he said.

Weed-infused brownies, CBD-based hand creams and cannabis vaping products are now legal in Canada, but won't be available in stores until at least mid-December.

Parent said he expects they'll attract a new wave of customers.

"We are optimistic about the offering of edibles, which we call phase-two products which includes vapes and things of that nature. We believe edibles will help. It remains to be seen to what degree," he said.

But Parent said they still face competition from upwards of 50 illegal cannabis stores in the province.

"It is not within our scope of authority to address that issue, so we try to educate people in terms of the differences between the illegal market and our market. There's no doubt it is taking away a significant amount of revenue that would likely put us in a much more favourable financial position," Parent said.

In the meantime, Parent said he's told staff to keep their heads down and concentrate on improving the business.

"We will continue on that path of improvement until we get to profit," he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 3, 2019.

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November 03, 2019 at 07:31PM

Senin, 04 November 2019

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Minggu, 03 November 2019