‘Attempt to Break The Independence of The Polish Central Bank’ – PM Tusk Tries to Bring Central Bank Under Government Control in Unprecedented Move
The ruling coalition headed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk has accused the head of the central bank, Adam Glapiński, of breaking several laws and of violating his constitutional obligation to uphold the political independence of the National Bank of Poland (NBP).
If the required motion passes, Glapiński will be the first person since 2006 brought before the State Tribunal, a body empowered to sanction the highest officials of the state. However, he has dismissed the accusations against him as “idiotic.”
The indictment prepared in parliament includes eight charges, including the purchase of state bonds that led to the indirect financing of the state budget deficit by the central bank, weakening Poland’s currency (PLN or zloty), failure to control inflation, and alleged violation of the apolitical nature of the office of the NBP head.
The motion was signed by 191 of the 459 active members of parliament. That is more than the 115 MPs required to support such a motion. It will now be assessed by a parliamentary committee before going to the full chamber for a final decision by a simple majority in the presence of at least half of MPs to begin a trial by the State Tribunal.
Should that happen, the governor could be suspended from his position during the legal proceedings. However, the Constitutional Tribunal, the top court in Poland, which the Tusk government claims is illegitimate, recently ruled that parliament may only put the head of the NBP on trial with a super majority of three-fifths of its total membership.
Glapiński, in an interview for the Financial Times, has called the allegations made by the ruling majority “idiotic” and warned that putting him on trial would be very bad for Poland. He expressed the desire to “meet and talk” with Tusk to set straight the issues between them.
On Tuesday, the NBP board made their position on the matter clear. One of its members, Paweł Szałamacha, called the move to unseat Glapiński an “attempt to break the independence of the Polish central bank” and an “assault on the fundamentals of the Polish state and its economy.”
Szałamacha rejected the charge regarding buying bonds during the pandemic; he noted that this was also the case in most Western countries and that the operations of Poland’s bank were fully transparent.
The idea of bringing Glapiński before the State Tribunal has also been criticized by the previous ruling party, Law and Justice (PiS). On Saturday, its leader, Jarosław Kaczyński, warned that it would lead to “a lowering of Poland’s credibility, a weakening of the currency, and a reluctance of foreign companies to invest in Poland.”
In December last year, the head of the European Central Bank (ECB) assured Glapiński that he would be protected by EU law if the incoming government unlawfully suspended and prosecuted him. The ECB has recently protested the attempted suspension of the central bank governor in Latvia, with the matter going before the European Court of Justice.
In Poland’s post-communist history, only two people have been convicted by the State Tribunal: a minister and a senior customs official in relation to a corruption scandal involving the import of alcohol in the 1990s. The last time the parliament voted to bring someone before the tribunal was in 2005, when former Treasury Minister Emil Wąsacz was put on trial. The case against him was eventually discontinued in 2019.
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Macron Struggling to Justify Cash For Ukraine – Le Monde
It is “extremely unclear” how France can fulfill promises by President Emmanuel Macron to supply more military aid to Ukraine, as the government in Paris struggles with plans for spending cuts, Le Monde has reported.
French authorities are looking to save €10 billion ($10.8 billion) this year amid a budget deficit of €144.5 billion ($156 billion) and a reduced growth forecast, according to which the economy will increase by just 1% in 2024.
The French government said last month that the €10 billion cut could, among other things, be achieved by reducing the expenses of all its ministries and slicing public policies, including development aid and subsidies for building renovation.
In such circumstances, the pledge by Macron to provide €3 billion in support for Kiev this year to aid in the conflict with Russia – made when France and Ukraine signed a 10-year bilateral security pact in mid-February – has turned into a “budgetary and political headache” for his government, Le Monde reported on Tuesday.
Lawmakers from Macron’s ruling Renaissance party say they regularly face questions from voters who cannot understand how the government can provide billions to Ukraine while planning spending cuts at home, the paper said.
Read more Macron believes Ukraine could fall soon – Politico
“People ask us why we’re giving €3 billion to Ukraine, it’s a lot of money,” Renaissance MP Mathieu Lefevre was quoted as saying.
Le Monde suggested that in order to fulfill their promise to Kiev, the authorities in Paris would have to “play with the paperwork,” such as including France’s €900 million contribution to the European Peace Facility, an EU fund to aid Ukraine, in the €3 billion sum.
Another option might be to increase the value of the equipment donated to the Ukrainian government.
The outlet added, however, that Macron’s cabinet would likely still be forced to make amendments to the finance bill (PLFR) in the summer, despite such a move being “politically inflammable.” It would require approval from the National Assembly, where opposition parties object to further funding for Kiev.
Despite the issues outlined by Le Monde, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu stated on Tuesday that Paris will soon be able to deliver 78 more Caesar howitzers to Kiev, while boosting the supply of shells to the country.
READ MORE: Russian MP warns French soldiers not to enter Ukraine
Moscow has repeatedly warned that deliveries of weapons to Kiev by the US, the EU, and their allies will not prevent Russia from achieving the goals of its military operation, and that they potentially increase the risk of a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO.
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Top Comedian Kurt Metzger Joins Alex Jones Live In-Studio
Comedian and writer Kurt Metzger went on the Tuesday Alex Jones Show to discuss world events such as 9/11, mind manipulation, big tech censorship, free speech crackdowns, the P. Diddy raid, fake news false flags, DMT hallucinogens, the controversial Kanye West interview and much more with the Infowars host.
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The American Journal: Middle East War Intensifies – Israel Increases Strikes In Gaza, Syria & Lebanon
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US Supply Chains Disrupted by Baltimore Bridge Collapse
The collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, which has cut off ocean routes to the city’s major port, is expected to cause severe disruptions to local transport and logistics, producing ripple effects on global supply chains.
The four-lane bridge collapsed on Tuesday after being hit by the Singapore-registered container ship Dali, operated by Danish shipping giant Maersk. As a result of the accident, a large section of the 1.6-mile (2.6km) bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River, with multiple vehicles falling nearly 55 meters into the water.
Built in the 1970s, the Francis Scott Key Bridge spans the Patapsco River, and is the only passage connecting the US’ ninth-biggest foreign trading port to the ocean. The Port of Baltimore is the country’s busiest maritime terminal for exports of vehicles.
According to Maryland Governor Wes Moore, no other port in the country brings in more vehicles than Baltimore, with up to 850,000 cars and light trucks going in and out of its terminals annually. Parts used in vehicle assembly also pass through the port or across the bridge.
READ MORE: US bridge collapses after being hit by ship (VIDEO)
The major hub for East Coast shipping also handles significant volumes of coal. During the second quarter of 2023, the port’s facilities had the second-highest coal export capacities, data tracked by S&P Global shows.
Ten ships are reportedly stuck inside the port, unable to leave as the collapsed bridge spanned the only way in and out of the harbor. Another 30 small cargo vessels, tug boats, and other craft are also trapped in the port. Nearly 40 ships heading for Baltimore were forced to divert.
Commenting on the tragedy, US President Joe Biden said the bridge is vital to the economy, citing concerns about traffic and jobs connected to the port. He noted that the port supports around 15,000 jobs and that over 30,000 vehicles used the bridge each day.
Officials closed the port to ship traffic following the incident. Rescue efforts are underway as the authorities search for six people who are still missing.
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NATO’s Use of Depleted Uranium Linked to Cancer Epidemics – Serbian Lawyer
In 1999, an armed confrontation between the ethnic Albanian separatists of the Kosovo Liberation Army and the Serbian military led to the bombing of the then Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, consisting of Serbia and Montenegro, by NATO forces.
There is a direct cause and effect connection between the use of depleted uranium by NATO troops and the increase in the incidence of cancer and other diseases, Serbian lawyer Srdjan Aleksic told Sputnik.
? There is a direct link between the use of depleted uranium by NATO troops and the rise in cancer rates – this is a lesson for Ukraine, Serbian lawyer Srdjan Aleksic said pic.twitter.com/RNBvIODJNV
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) March 27, 2024
He represents in Serbian courts the interests of those who have suffered from the consequences of the use of depleted uranium, as well as the interests of family members of people who have already died.
Aleksic makes no secret of the fact that this is a deeply personal story for him: his mother, who lived in an area bombed by NATO, also died of cancer.
“Citizens first approached me with this issue five years ago. Until then, we didn’t know why we had such a large number of people with cancer in Serbia – more than 30,000 people a year, and about 15,000 people die every year. We can say that there is a cancer epidemic, especially in south-central Serbia, as well as in Kosovo and Metohija,” Aleksic said.
As per NATO’s official version, it used 15 tons of depleted uranium ammunition in those areas, he said.
“According to our data, much more, over 45 tons of depleted uranium [was used]. This means 100 times more radiation than in Hiroshima and Nagasaki,” the lawyer said.
According to his data, before 1999, Serbia was an ecologically clean country and the statistics of cancer incidence were quite low.
“After 1999, there was a sharp jump, there were almost a hundred times more new cases,” the lawyer said. “Now Serbia has a big problem with cancer.”
On March 24, 1999, an armed confrontation between ethnic Albanian separatists of the Kosovo Liberation Army and the Serbian military and police led to the bombing of Yugoslavia by NATO forces, which lasted for more than two months. Serbian authorities say the bombing killed about 2,500 people, including 89 children, and injured some 12,500. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said the use of depleted uranium weapons caused an increase in the number of cancer patients in the country.
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