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MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) The European Union has asked Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey to halt the execution of Matthew Reeves on the grounds of Mr. Reeves intellectual disability.

Reeves execution is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 27, but it is currently blocked by a federal court order. Lawyers for the State of Alabama have appealed that order to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which has not yet ruled on the matter.

In a letter released by the European Union on Monday, Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis wrote that executing Reeves is contrary to widely accepted human rights norms and standards. Ivey should grant clemency or issue a temporary reprieve in Reeves case, Lambrinidis said.

Mr. Reeves IQ range is in the 60s, placing him in the borderline range of intelligence, the letter said. We also understand that Alabama law allows death row inmates to choose their method of execution and that Mr. Reeves intellectual disability prevented him from choosing his preferred method of nitrogen hypoxia. In the case of Mr. Reeves, capital punishment would constitute excessive punishment.

Reeves, who was convicted of the 1996 murder of Willie Johnson, is challenging his execution by lethal injection in federal court. In his lawsuit, Reeves argues that the state violated his rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when they did not aid him in understanding a form that would have allowed him to opt into an execution via nitrogen suffocation.

An execution using nitrogen suffocation, which involves replacing oxygen needed to breathe with nitrogen gas, has never been carried out in the United States. Execution through the use of nitrogen suffocation was approved by the Alabama Legislature in 2018. Oklahoma and Mississippi are the only other states to allow the practice.

In its letter, the EU said it recognizes that the murder of Willie Johnson was a terrible crime deserving of strong punishment, but that executing Reeves can never mitigate for loss of life.

Asked for a response to the EUs letter and other requests for clemency in the case, Gina Maiola, Gov. Iveys director of communications, did not directly address whether the governor will heed calls to stop the execution.

As with any case, the governor takes these very seriously and will thoroughly review all of the facts and information, Maiola said via email.

This is not the first time the EU has weighed in on U.S. executions. On Monday, the union of 27 countries also asked that Oklahomas governor halt the execution of Donald Anthony Grant. In 2018, it asked Ivey to halt the execution of Vernon Madison.

You can read the EUs full letter to Ivey below.

See the rest here:
European Union asks Alabama governor to halt execution of Matthew Reeves - WIAT - CBS42.com

The summit of the European Union and the African Union leaders will take place on Thursday 17 and Friday 18 February 2022 in the Justus Lipsius and the Europa buildings in Brussels.

Due to the sanitary conditions related to the covid-19 pandemic, the availability of working spaces and to ensure safe working conditions, the General Secretariat of the Council (GSC) will establish a maximum number of media representatives that can be accredited. This number will depend on the evolution of the situation and the safety measures decided by the Institution.

The covid-19 regime for the meeting will be published closer to the meeting. The respect of the established rules is an essential condition to obtain the accreditation.

We will provide details on media facilities available and their opening hours in due course to accredited journalists.

Media representatives wishing to cover the meeting in person are required to register in advance, following thislink

For more information, please also consult theMedia accreditation page

Media representatives are strongly advised to apply as soon as possible to allow for sufficient time to process the requests.

Should the number of requests exceed the maximum capacity, a selection will be made by applying the following three criteria in sequence until maximum capacity is reached:

Media representatives that will be accredited will receive a confirmation email.

In order to make the best use of the capacity available, please inform the press centre immediately should you finally decide not to attend in person, via e-mail:[emailprotected]

A media accreditation desk will be set up at thethe LEX building (Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat, 145)outside the security perimeter, to allow for collection ofbadges during the event.

Media attending the summit will be required to follow any public health regulations in place at the time, including Belgium entry requirements for those traveling into the country (please check on https://www.info-coronavirus.be/en/travels/), as well as any additional measures decided by the institution to ensure a safe working environment.

Detailed information on the covid-19 related rules will be communicated in due course.

The joint press conference(s) in the JL Press Room will be run in hybrid mode with:

Connection information will be shared via instant messaging (Signal) or email.

A detailed programme will be published at a later stage. Depending on the sanitary conditions and the need to guarantee a safe working environment for everyone, please note that opportunities such as roundtables or doorsteps will be restricted to media pools.

In case of doorsteps, they will take place both in the Justus Lipsius (JL VIP entrance) and the Europa (EB Forum) buildings.

The doorstep areas will be accessible only to a limited media pool, due to the constraints imposed by the available space and the respect of the social distancing rules. To maximise opportunities for journalists, priority will be given to reporters (i.e. journalists asking questions). Host camera and sound services will be available in the area.

Videos and photos of the Summit will be available on:

Excerpt from:
Media advisory - European Union/African Union summit on 17 and 18 February 2022 - EU News

A European court announced Wednesday that it overturned a $1.2 billion fine on Intel, which the European Union had imposed on the semiconductor chip manufacturer in 2009 over alleged violations of antitrust laws.

The European Commission, the executive branch of the EU, accused Intel of abusing its position as a global leader for x86 computer microprocessors and excluding competitors from the market, stretching from October 2002 to December 2007.

The EU alleged that Intel granted rebates to four equipment manufacturers, including Dell and Lenovo, which were conditional on the companies purchasing microprocessors from Intel.

But the General Court of the European Union found the EU's claims of anticompetitive behavior from Intel "incomplete," according to a press release.

"The commissions analysis is incomplete and does not make it possible to establish to the requisite legal standard that the rebates at issue were capable of having, or likely to have, anticompetitive effects," the court said in the release.

In 2014, following the EU's fine, the General Court dismissed action brought by Intel to contest the anticompetitive claims. But the EU's Court of Justice heard an appeal on the matter and referred the case back to the General Court.

Intel's general counsel, Steve Rodgers, said he welcomed the ruling because the company "always believed that our actions regarding rebates were lawful and did not harm competition."

"The semiconductor industry has never been more competitive than it is today and we look forward to continuing to invest and grow in Europe," he said in a statement to The Hill.

The Hill has reached out to the European Commission for comment.

Here is the original post:
EU court sides with Intel in appeal of $1.2B antitrust fine | TheHill - The Hill

Ahead of the International Day of Education on 24 January, the European Commission and High Representative/Vice-President JosepBorrellmade the following statement:

Education is essential to the global recovery and the achievement of all Sustainable Development Goals. It is a fundamental right and the foundation of resilient, peaceful and sustainable societies. Education is the basis and a catalyst for the green transition. It enables citizens to harness the opportunities of digital development. It brings hope and protection to those affected by humanitariancrises and forced displacement. Quality education is a vital part of the development of every child and young person.

2022 is the European Year of Youth and the 35thanniversary of the Erasmus programme. The EU reaffirms the paramount importance of quality education for the personal, social and professional development of children and young people, in and beyond the European Union, tobuild a better and more equitable future, reduce socio-economic and gender inequalities, and promote peace and democracy.

Even before the coronavirus pandemic, 260 million children and adolescents worldwide were not receiving education. And those who did, did not always have access to quality education. The pandemic has exacerbated inequalities in education with a disproportionate impact on disadvantaged groups,around the world.

In the EU, we have embarked on an ambitious plan for a European Education Area by 2025, with shared goals and flagship initiatives bringing the 27 Member States together even more. Education is a major channel for the EU's engagement with other parts of the world.

The European Union is stepping up its commitment to education with the aim that every child and young person can access education, master at least reading, writing, basic math and digital skills, and be prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century as engaged global citizens. This will include the skills and competences to navigate the online environment safely and responsibly. With the Digital Education Action Plan, we support the sustainable and effective adaptation of the education and training systems of EU Member States to the digital age. With Europe's Digital Decade the EU is working towards an ambitious yet, attainable - target: by 2030 at least 80% of all adults should have basic digital skills. The Commission will also continue to support the EU Code Week, which provides training for teachers and gives millions of children hands-on experience in coding and digital creativity every year.

The EU continues to invest in quality education with a lifelong learning perspective through inclusive and equitable education systems, paying particular attention to girls, women, and vulnerable groups. The EU institutions and EU MemberStates, as Team Europe, support partner countries to transform their education systems post-pandemic and to address deficits and inequalities in teaching, training, and learning at all levels.

The EU continues as a leading voice in education in emergencies, providing access to safe, inclusive and quality education to millions of children affected by humanitarian crises and conflicts.

Europe will particularly work with partner governments on teachers' training and governance to ensure quality education outcomes.

TheErasmus+ programmefacilitates mobility of students, staff, teachers, and trainees, and strengthen networks and peer learning across higher education institutions. These opportunities are open for people from all over the world. The EU will also work with partner countries to strengthen cooperation on research and innovation, for example through Horizon Europe.

These initiatives align with the Global Gateway strategy's provisions for people-to-people connectivity.

Partnerships with civil society, the private sector and global education stakeholders, will be key to fostering global citizenship.

Background

The EU institutions and Member States together contribute more than half of all global aid to education, supporting the education sector in more than 100 countries all around the world. During the period 20212027, the European Commission will dedicate at least 10% of its international partnerships budget with Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and Asia and the Pacific, and 10% of its humanitarian aid budget, to education.

The European Commission will also continue engaging, as a priority, with the Western Balkans, Turkey and the Neighbourhood regions to strengthen education systems, addressing skills mismatch with the labour market and enhancing joint cooperation with education institutions including mobility of students and teachers.

For More Information

Global Gateway

Erasmus+

European Education Area

European Pillar of Social Rights

Education in Emergencies

Education | International Partnerships

EU Code Week

European Youth Portal

Go here to see the original:
International Day of Education: Statement by the European Commission and the High Representative - European Commission

Launched in 2021 by Dina Sam'an, Talal Tabbaa, and Yazan Barghuthi, CoinMENA was built primarily to address a market gap that existed for easy and safe access to crypto investing. Today, as a fully regulated, onshore crypto exchange licensed by the Central Bank of Bahrain, CoinMENA has not only successfully bridged the gap but also become the go-to exchange, known for its prompt transactions, a wide variety of assets, excellent customer service, and easy-to-use mobile app.

In the past 7 months, CoinMENA has been the fastest growing cryptocurrency exchange in the MENA region, growing 140% month over month. During this time, they increased the number of crypto assets on the platform from 5 to 13, and plan to list several more in the coming weeks. CoinMENA currently supports five countries and allows users to trade/invest in crypto using their local currency.

"Regulatory compliance is a main priority for CoinMENA. In addition to expanding our service offering, the EU license would strengthen our banking relationships with regional and global banks. This move fulfills one of our primary objectives which is to be the best and easiest platform to on-ramp and off-ramp from crypto in the region. This is just the beginning for CoinMENA as we aim to roll out additional crypto financial services built on Web 3.0 and crypto rails " - Joint statement by co-founders Dina Sam'an and Talal Tabbaa.

In September 2021, CoinMENA announced a $9.5 million. CoinMENA's investor BECO Capital is a technology-focused venture capital whose well-known investments include MENA's three unicorns: Swvl, Kitopi, and Careem. Hong Kong's Kenetic is known for its investment into BlockFi, a leading crypto lending platform, and Securitize, a leading crypto asset securities firm. Arab Bank (Switzerland) Ltd., the sister company of Arab Bank plc, is a recognized Swiss Bank offering Digital Assets services since 2019. Bunat Ventures is a venture builder and VC firm focused on incubating and investing in promising regional startups. Alameda Research, owned by crypto billionaire Sam-Bankman Fried, is a quantitative cryptocurrency trading firm that provides liquidity in cryptocurrency and crypto assets markets.

CoinMENA's sign-up process takes less than a minute and account verification is complete within 24 hours, and can be performed on its simple, seamless, and highly intuitive mobile app, which is designed for both beginners and professional traders. The exchange's services are currently available to residents of Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Oman, and will soon expand to other countries.

http://www.coinmena.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/coinmena Founders https://twitter.com/DinaSaman_ https://twitter.com/tabbaa4 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coinmena/

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About CoinMENA

Headquartered in the Kingdom of Bahrain, CoinMENA is a crypto assets exchange that is licensed and regulated by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB). Through CoinMENA, you can buy, sell, store, and receive crypto assets safely and securely, as well as deposit and withdraw in your local currency.

Launched in early 2021 by Dina Sam'an, Talal Tabbaa, and Yazan Barghuthi.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1732398/CoinMENA_Cofounders.jpg

SOURCE CoinMENA

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Bahrain's CoinMENA obtains second cryptocurrency license from European Union paving the way for expansion to new jurisdictions - PRNewswire