14 May, 2022 12:58

Intoxication ruled valid defense for violent crimes

Canada’s Supreme Court has axed a 1995 law that made such a defense illegal

Defendants accused of violent crimes like murder and sexual assault may use self-induced extreme intoxication – known as “non-mental disorder automatism” – as a defense in a criminal court, Canada’s Supreme Court decided on Friday.

The court has ruled that a 1995 law that prohibited such a type of defense went against Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

“Its impact on the principles of fundamental justice is disproportionate to its overarching public benefits. It should therefore be declared unconstitutional and of no force or effect,” Justice Nicholas Kasirer pointed out.

The law violated the Charter because the defendant's decision to become intoxicated doesn’t mean that he or she was planning to commit a violent offense, Kasirer explained. It also allowed courts to convict a person without having to prove any ill intentions, he added.

The issue came before the Supreme Court last autumn and pertained to three separate cases. One of them concerned David Sullivan from Calgary, who took a prescription drug known to cause psychosis in an attempt to commit suicide back in 2013, but ended up stabbing his mother, whom he believed to be an alien at that moment due to his psychotic state.

Sullivan was barred from using the defense of extreme intoxication, and was convicted of aggravated assault and assault with a weapon. But a Court of Appeals later found the law banning such a type of defense unconstitutional and acquitted the man on both counts.

Prosecutors appealed that ruling at the Supreme Court, which confirmed Sullivan’s acquittal with its decision on Friday. Canada’s justice minister David Lametti said that the government was thoroughly studying the ruling.

“It is critically important to emphasize that today's decision does not apply to the vast majority of cases involving a person who commits a criminal offense while intoxicated,” Lametti pointed out in a statement.

https://www.rt.com/news/555474-intoxication-defense-crimes-canada/

14 May, 2022 10:21

Russia updates position on Baltic nukes

Moscow’s response to Finland and Sweden joining NATO won’t be based on emotion but on analyses of security factors – Deputy FM

Moves by Finland and Sweden to join NATO won’t be left without a Russian response, but it’s premature to talk about measures which could include the relocation of nuclear weapons closer to the two Nordic countries, Russia’s deputy foreign minister Alexander Glushko has explained.

“It’s too early to speak about this,” Glushko told journalists on Friday when asked if NATO membership of Helsinki and Stockholm could prompt Moscow to place its nukes in the Baltic region.

Both Finland and Sweden stayed out of the US-led bloc during the Cold War, but the governments of the neighboring countries have said they've reconsidered their stance after the launch of Russia's military operation in Ukraine in late February. Media reports claim Helsinki and Stockholm could apply for admission the US-led military bloc in the coming days.

The deputy FM pointed out that by becoming NATO members Finland and Sweden would “actually give up… on their non-nuclear status.”

“Those countries will participate in NATO’s nuclear planning group,” despite for decades pushing for non-proliferation and for the destruction of such weapons, he said.

NATO's expansion towards its borders is seen as a major threat by Russia and the addition of new members, if it happens, will be met with appropriate countermeasures by Moscow, Glushko insisted.

The decisions on those countermeasures “obviously, won't be emotional, but based on thorough and calibrated analysis of all the factors that affect the security situation in this region,” he said.

Russia, on its part, doesn't see any reasons for Finland and Sweden to seek NATO membership as it has no hostile intentions towards those countries, Glushko assured.

This proposed new expansion of NATO will only add tensions to the region, the diplomat pointed out, explaining that, as soon as the membership of Helsinki and Stockholm would be approved, the bloc will instantly claim that “its northern flank is vulnerable…” ; that the inclusion of Finland has led to “the border between NATO and Russia growing by 1,300 km. This border must be protected, that's why we need to deploy additional contingents there and so on.”

https://www.rt.com/russia/555470-nuclear-finland-sweden-nato/

14 May, 2022 05:33

US sending fresh troops to Europe

The deployment will maintain the American presence at around 100,000 on the continent

The US will send more than 10,000 new soldiers to Europe. They are expected to replace forces deployed to the region following Russia’s attack on Ukraine, many positioned along the “eastern flank” of the NATO military bloc.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed the deployment during a Friday press conference, noting that the “security environment has now changed” in the region due to the conflict in Ukraine.

“The deployments are one-for-one unit replacements, which will leave our overall force posture in the region – approximately 100,000 – unchanged,” Kirby told reporters. “The units being replaced will return to their home station following an appropriate turnover of responsibilities.”

Troop turnovers are expected to continue throughout the summer, the spokesman continued. However, he added that the military could soon “take a look at the permanent footprint in Europe and make an assessment” about whether it should remain at its current levels, although no decision has yet been made.

Before Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in late February, US forces in Europe numbered around 80,000, some stationed there permanently on bases, while others rotated on training deployments with NATO partners.

As some members of the bloc, such as Baltic state Lithuania, have pressed for a larger and more sustained American troop presence in recent months, US officials have proposed ways to meet those requests, including by constructing new bases.

“My advice would be to create permanent bases, but don’t permanently station [US troops],” General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers last month. He argued that would, in effect, mean long-term deployments, as “rotational forces” could cycle through “permanent bases.”

“And I believe that a lot of our European allies … they are very, very willing to establish permanent bases,” Milley added. “They’ll build them, they’ll pay for them.”

https://www.rt.com/news/555466-us-troop-deployment-europe/

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14 May, 2022 13:08

Bulgaria’s natural gas price surges

The price spiked after Sofia rejected Russia’s demand to pay for supplies in rubles

The natural gas price in Bulgaria has soared by 13.7%, the state news agency BTA reported on Friday.

Bulgaria’s Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC) has set a new price of 162.17 BGL, or €82.83 per megawatt hour (MWh) compared to the April rate of €72.83, according to the agency.

The EWRC said the increase will have a minimal impact on household bills, as the heating season has ended. The regulator attributed the price rise to the supply freeze from Russia.

Russian energy giantGazprom suspended gas exports to Bulgaria and Poland in late Aprilafter they refused to make payments in rubles.

In March, Russian President Vladimir Putin required states that have imposed sanctions on Russia, and are still importing its gas, to use the Russian currency for transactions. Several EU countries have accepted Moscow’s demand.

Bulgargaz, the largest Bulgarian natural gas distribution company, has said Azerbaijan will provide the country’s entire supply from this summer, albeit at a higher price. Later on, Bulgaria plans to connect to an as-yet-unfinished Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal in Greece, where gas will be imported by ship, likely from the US.

Earlier this month, the Bulgarian Federation of Industrial Energy Consumers (BFIEC) said industry workers were preparing to protest over soaring gas prices. Bulgarian businesses called on the government to take steps “to make it possible to resume talks with Gazprom” after the Russian company cut off gas supplies to the country.

https://www.rt.com/business/555472-gas-prices-bulgaria-surge-russia/

14 May, 2022 13:57

Ukraine has ‘suspended’ peace talks – Putin

Kiev has not shown interest in “serious” and meaningful dialogue, the Russian president said

Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine has been “de facto suspended” by Kiev, President Vladimir Putin has said. He made the remarks during a phone call with his Finnish counterpart, Sauli Niinisto, on Saturday.

The discussion focused on Finland’s push for NATO membership, which has been reinvigorated amid the Ukrainian crisis. According to the Finnish president’s office, Niinisto told Putin that his country is set to make a decision on joining the US-led military bloc within days.

“Vladimir Putin, in particular, shared his assessment of the state of the negotiation process between Russian and Ukrainian representatives, which has been de facto suspended by Kiev, which has not shown interest in a serious and meaningful dialogue,”the Kremlin said in a statement

Putin warned that Helsinki’s move to abandon its “traditional policy of military neutrality”would be a “mistake,” stressing that there were “no threats to Finland’s security.” The move “may have a negative impact” on “mutually beneficial” relations between the two countries, he outlined.

Finland's neighbor Sweden, is also considering a NATO membership, and could lodge its application as early as Monday, according to local media reports.

https://www.rt.com/russia/555475-ukraine-suspended-peace-talks/