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A30 world news
Diahuebs 19 November 2020

China defends food import controls to curb virus

rupted imports of beef, Lijian said. meat with the virus after Chi-
poultry and fish from the nese authorities said it was
United States, New Zea- China, where the pandemic found on beef and packaging
land and other trading began in December, declared from Bolivia, Brazil and New
partners. the disease under control in Zealand.
March. It is trying to prevent
Customs officials who say new outbreaks caused by the In June, China temporar-
the coronavirus has been virus being imported by trav- ily suspended the import of
found on frozen meat and elers or on food. chicken from U.S.-based Ty-
on packaging have imposed “The relevant measures Chi- son Foods Inc. after the virus
temporary suspensions on na took are necessary follow- was found at one of its farms.
suppliers. That prompted ing the spirit of putting peo- Other importers affected are
complaints by China’s trad- ple’s lives first and protecting from Argentina, Ecuador,
ing partners. people’s health,” Zhao said. India, Indonesia, the Neth-
erlands and Russia. Other
The “reasonable and justifi- Prime Minister Jacinda Ar- products include salmon and
able” curbs are intended to dern of New Zealand ex- pork.
(AP) — China’s govern- fended anti-coronavirus protect public health, foreign pressed confidence this week
ment on Wednesday de- controls that have dis- ministry spokesman Zhao her country hadn’t exported

Armenia raises Nagorno-Karabakh conflict troop toll to 2,425

(AP) — Armenia's prime resigned this week amid the “I also bear the responsibility
minister presented a unrest, and Armenian Presi- for overcoming the situation
15-point “road map” dent Armen Sarkissian called and ensuring stability and
Wednesday aimed at “en- for a snap election. security in the country,” the
suring democratic stabil- prime minister said, adding
ity” in what appeared to About 7,000 protesters gath- that he was “fully engaged in
be a bid to resolve a politi- ered Wednesday in the capi- this work.”
cal crisis over a truce he tal's Freedom Square. Sepa-
signed with Azerbaijan to rately, Pashinian made a brief Pashinian's plan calls for re-
halt the fighting over the speech to a rally of about suming the negotiation pro-
separatist region of Nago- 3,000 supporters, most of cess over Nagorno-Karabakh
rno-Karabakh. them dressed in military gear. under the auspices of the
Minsk Group, which was set
A Russia-brokered cease-fire “I promise I will not betray up by the Organization for
halted fighting that killed the people,” he said. Security and Cooperation in
hundreds, possibly thou- Health Minister Arsen Toro- Europe in the 1990s to medi-
sands, in six weeks, but it sian said a new tally showed ate the conflict between Ar- killed in the fighting. taken into account,” Pashin-
stipulated that Armenia turn that 2,425 Armenian forces menia and Azerbaijan over ian assured.
over control of some areas died in the recent conflict, Nagorno-Karabakh. Pashinian promised reforms
its holds outside Nagorno- about 1,000 more than pre- of Armenia's military and Nagorno-Karabakh lies with-
Karabakh’s borders to Azer- viously reported. Azerbaijan The prime minister's “road changes to the country's elec- in Azerbaijan but has been
baijan and angered many Ar- has not revealed its number map” also envisions return- tion regulations, as well as to under the control of ethnic
menians. of military casualties. ing Nagorno-Karabakh resi- tackle the coronavirus out- Armenian forces backed by
dents who fled the region to break and to restore econom- Armenia since a separat-
Thousands of people have In a Facebook statement pre- their homes, restoring dam- ic activity in his country. ist war there ended in 1994.
regularly protested in Ar- senting his "road map" for aged infrastructure in areas “In June 2021, I will present The fighting that erupted late
menia's capital, Yerevan, de- “ensuring democratic stabil- that remain under the control a report on the implementa- September marked the big-
manding Prime Minister ity in Armenia,” Pashinian of Nagorno-Karabakh's sepa- tion of the 'road map', and gest escalation of a decades-
Nikol Pashinian's ouster. Pa- once again said that he con- ratist authorities, and helping the decision on further ac- old conflict between the two
shinian brushed off calls to siders himself “responsible wounded soldiers and the tions will be made with the ex-Soviet nations in over a
quit, but two of his ministers for the situation." families of those who were people's opinion and reaction quarter century.

French lawmakers debate bill on police images amid protests

(AP) — The French gov- ing the bill. uel Macron’s party, which Critics, including the Of-
ernment said Wednesday The government said the has a majority in the Nation- fice of the High Commis-
that a security bill un- proposed law, which was the Paris police used water can- al Assembly. Lawmakers are sioner for Human Rights at
der debate in parliament subject of protests in Paris nons and tear gas to disperse scheduled to vote next week the United Nations, France’s
would not prevent jour- and other cities on Tuesday, the crowd and asked some on the bill, which will then human rights ombudsman
nalists or witnesses from is intended to protect police journalists to leave the scene. go to the Senate. and Reporters Without Bor-
recording police officers officers from online calls for French government spokes- ders, fear the law would lead
in action. violence. Critics fear that if person Gabriel Attal said he The most controversial pro- to potential violations of fun-
enacted, the measure would noted the “doubts, concerns, vision would make it a new damental media freedoms.
impinge on the rights of criticism” over the proposed criminal offense to publish
journalists. bill. “with the intent of causing They say the measure would
physical or psychological endanger journalists and oth-
Scuffles broke out between “There is an absolute right harm” an image that could er people who take videos of
protesters and police in the to film and broadcast law identify a police officer. officers at work, especially
capital on Tuesday evening enforcement operations by A conviction would carry during violent demonstra-
at the end of a largely peace- security forces during a pro- a maximum penalty of up tions. They also worry how
ful demonstration near the test,” he said. The proposed to one year in prison and a courts would determine
National Assembly, where law is championed by law- 45,000-euro ($53,000) fine. whether images were posted
French lawmakers are debat- makers of President Emman- with intent to harm.