Archive for July, 2017

UC Berkeley Tries to Dismiss Lawsuit Over Cancellation of Ann Coulter Speech – legal Insurrection (blog)

This weak attempt by the University of California, Berkeley to brush off their egregious free speech violations is staggering

Young Americans for Freedom and the College Republicans sued Berkeley after Ann Coulters speech was cancelled a few months ago but the school doesnt want to hear it.

The Daily Caller reports:

UC Berkeley Tries To Dismiss Free Speech Lawsuit

The University of California, Berkeley is trying to dismiss a free speech lawsuit filed following the cancelation of Ann Coulters speech at the school in April.

UC Berkeley attorneys including Janet Napolitano, system president of the University of California, and Nicholas Dirks, chancellor of UC Berkeley insist the claims made by Young Americas Foundation (YAF) and the Berkeley College Republicans are moot, according to a court document obtained by Campus Reform Friday.

The alleged restrictions were viewpoint neutral because they were not motivated by disagreement with the speakers viewpoint, said the attorneys.

The attorneys assert that the cancelation Coulters speech had nothing to do with the authors political views, arguing that there were instead constitutional time, place, and, manner regulations which restricted the her speech.

This weak attempt by the University of California, Berkeley to brush off their egregious free speech violations is staggering but unfortunately unsurprising given their demonstrated pattern of suppressing the First Amendment rights of conservatives on campus, said Spencer Brown, spokesman for Young Americas Foundation. As Young Americas Foundation has done throughout the last half-century, YAF will continue to stand up for students rights when their own schools engage in flagrant obstruction of free expression.

Continue reading here:
UC Berkeley Tries to Dismiss Lawsuit Over Cancellation of Ann Coulter Speech - legal Insurrection (blog)

Canada and European Union agree to begin free trade agreement this fall – Globalnews.ca

;

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The European Union and Canada said on Saturday they had agreed to start a free trade agreement on Sept. 21, paving the way for over 90 percent of the treaty to come into effect.

READ MORE: Justin Trudeau to continue charm offensive ahead of NAFTA talks

The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) has been championed by both sides as a landmark deal for open markets against a protectionist tide, but last-minute wrangles over cheese and pharmaceuticals were holding up its start.

WATCH: G20 Summit: Trudeau expected to discuss free-trade deal with India

Meeting at the G20 in Hamburg, reconfirming our joint commitment to the rules-based international trading system, we agreed to set the date of 21 September 2017 to start the provisional application of the agreement, thus allowing for all the necessary implementing measures to be taken before that date, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement.

WATCH: Trudeau tried to convince Trump the merits of fighting climate change

It is by opening up to each other, by working closely with those who share the same values that we will shape and harness globalization, the joint declaration said.

The agreement will enter definitively into force once all 28 EU member states and parliaments ratify it.

WATCH: What should we expect from Trudeau at G20?

The EU had not been satisfied that Canada would effectively open up its markets to 17,700 additional tonnes of EU cheese and provide guarantees for the patents of European pharmaceuticals.

A spokesman for Canadian trade minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said the allocation of the cheese tariff rate quota would be made before the September deadline.

READ MORE: Justin Trudeau, Angela Merkel meet prior to start of G20 summit in Hamburg

So what happens now is that both sides will complete their internal processes and closely consult one another on how the agreement will be implemented. This is about ensuring a smooth transition to a strong start for CETA, the spokesman said.

Both sides had been hoping for the provisional implementation of the agreement this month.

2017Reuters

Go here to read the rest:
Canada and European Union agree to begin free trade agreement this fall - Globalnews.ca

Total CEO hopes Britain will remain in the European Union – euronews

AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France (Reuters) Totals chief executive Patrick Pouyanne said on Friday he had not given up on the idea of keeping Britain in the European Union. The French oil major, Europes second-largest, is a major oil producer in the British North Sea. I still hope that Britain remains in the European Union, Pouyanne said on the sidelines of a business conference in the southern French city of Aix-en-Provence. Maybe what will happen under the initiative of Emmanuel Macron and (Angela) Merkel will pave the way for a new future for Britain, Pouyanne said, referring to the new French president and the German chancellor, without elaborating. The current period of economic uncertainty triggered a year ago by the British vote to leave the EU needs to end as soon as possible, Pouyanne added. Whats not good for Britain is that were in a period of uncertainty, Totals boss said. Investors dont like uncertainty. Britains interest is to clarify things quickly. Its also in the interest of Europe, he added.

Read the original:
Total CEO hopes Britain will remain in the European Union - euronews

‘Exodus of biblical proportions’ Millions of migrants to arrive after EU’s woeful response – Express.co.uk

GETTY

The President of the European Union said there will be an exodus of biblical proportions in the next five years that will be impossible to stop if Europe does not confront the problem now.

Mr Tajanis warning came as France evacuated almost 3,000 migrants sleeping rough from a makeshift camp near Paris city centre.

He told Il Massagero newspaper: "Population growth, climate change, desertification, wars, famine in Somalia and Sudan. These are the factors that are forcing people to leave.

"When people lose hope, they risk crossing the Sahara and the Mediterranean because it is worse to stay at home, where they run enormous risks.

If we don't confront this soon, we will find ourselves with millions of people on our doorstep within five years.

Getty Images

1 of 11

Refugees and migrants wait in a small rubber boat to be rescued off Lampedusa, Italy

If we don't confront this soon, we will find ourselves with millions of people on our doorstep

Antonio Tajani

"Today we are trying to solve a problem of a few thousand people, but we need to have a strategy for millions of people.

Mr Tajani claimed the only solution to the crisis is a massive investment in Africa to stop people leaving in the first place.

The number of migrants from north and central African countries such as Egypt, Libya, Sudan and Somalia has gone up 20 per cent since last year, according to the United Nations.

GETTY

More than 100,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean to reach Europe, and nearly 2,250 have died making the journey.

And 500,000 people are believed to have ventured from Libya to Italy over the past four years.

EU interior ministers have pledged to back an urgent plan to help Italy, which has accepted 85 per cent of arrivals this year.

The European Commission has offered Italy 30million (35m) in extra funding to help deal with the situation.

But Commission deputy head Frans Timmermans has said Europe need solidarity from all member states including the United Kingdom to tackle the increasing flow of migrants.

He said: I will tell you this migration issue will not go away not today, not tomorrow, not next year, not for a decade, not for two decades.

GETTY

This is a global phenomenon that will be with us for generations.

Mr Timmermans added: We know that many of the people arriving in Italy, when scrutinised, do not have the right to international protection because they dont flee from war or persecution.

They seek a better life, which is a noble pursuit, but it does not grant them the right to stay in the European Union.

More than 5,000 Syrian migrants were settled in the UK by the end of last year.

Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has also called on European countries to take in refugees from Italy and Greece.

See the article here:
'Exodus of biblical proportions' Millions of migrants to arrive after EU's woeful response - Express.co.uk

US soldier killed in Afghanistan – CNNPolitics.com

The Department of Defense announced that Pfc. Hansen B. Kirkpatrick, 19, of Wasilla, Alaska died from wounds received during an "indirect fire attack." Two soldiers were also wounded in the attack, though their injuries are not considered life threatening. The incident is under investigation.

Kirkpatrick was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division based in Fort Bliss, Texas.

"At a time when we remember the patriots who founded our nation in freedom, we are saddened by the loss of one of our comrades who was here protecting our freedom at home," said General John Nicholson, Commander, US Forces-Afghanistan in a statement. "We will keep his family in our thoughts and prayers as we reflect on the sacrifice he and others have made to secure our freedoms and help make Afghanistan a better place."

The Department of Defense initially stated Kirkpatrick was from Arkansas but later corrected the error.

There has been fierce fighting in Helmand where Afghan security forces have been locked in constant clashes with Taliban insurgents, who have managed to reestablish a significant presence in the area. At least 300 Marines have been deployed to the province to train, advise and assist Afghan soldiers and police.

US and coalition casualties in Afghanistan have become rarer in recent years, falling dramatically since the Afghan government assumed responsibility for combat operations in 2014.

However, there's been an uptick in violence in recent months. Three US soldiers were killed and another wounded in June during a joint US-Afghan military operation in Nangarhar Province. In late April, two US service members were killed and another wounded while conducting a joint raid in the Achin District in Nangarhar.

Read the original post:
US soldier killed in Afghanistan - CNNPolitics.com