Best articles: International NEWS 17
21 March 2020 THE WEEKFree transport
for all isn’t
such abig deal
Le Quotidien
(Esch-sur-Alzette)Luxembourg has become the first country in the world to offer free public transport for all, says
David Marques. From 29 February, the government began ticketless transport on all its trains,
buses and trams. The announcement won international praise, including from US presidential
hopeful Bernie Sanders, who hailed it as the sort of “aggressive” action needed to cut carbon
emissions. Luxembourg’s government went even further; posters and ministers likened the move
to “thefirststep on the Moon” and “the invention of the wheel”. (Our nation, as the artist Serge
Tonnar has noted, is permanently “trapped between an inferiority complex and megalomania”.)
For sure, this isadaring move. But let’s not get carried away. Luxembourg’s population is only
614,000, and half our workers commute to Belgium, France and Germany. The cost of running
our transport system is abouts500mayear; and fare revenue only generates 8% of that total.
What’s more, we’reanation of car lovers; really changing people’s habits will bea“tita nic”
mission. This isawelcome announcement; but it can only bea“first step” to changing course.Abrazen crime
the Kremlin
still denies
The Canberra Times
Itwould beeasy todismissthetrialof fourmen accusedofinvolvementinshootingdownthe MH1 7
passengerjetoverUkraine as“futile”, says The CanberraTimes.ThreeRussiansandoneUkrainian
are beingtriedinabsentiaintheNetherlandsover theatrocity, inwhich 29 8 people werekilled,two-
thirdsofwhomwere Dutch. Investigatorssay theBukmissilewhichdownedthe planein 2014 came
fromamilitarybase inRussia.But–despite“apparentlyirrefutable” proof–the Kremlindenies any
Russianinvolvement. Neither Russianor Ukraineextraditecitizens,sononeofthe defendantswill
be imprisoned, even if found guilty. Three havesnubbed thecourt altogether;afourthsent alawyer,
but apparently only to “rub saltin theemotionalwounds ”ofthe victims’ families.So what’sthe
pointof staging the trialatall?The shortanswer is “truth, justice andrespec t”.The world can’t turn
its back on this “brazen” crime.The trial will place the factsonrecord for the world to see;it’s the
same motivethatdrives governmentsto pursueageing Nazi killers.It will be the“strongest possible
statement that suchactions cannever be defendedorjustified”.The re lativesof victims won’t receive
closure,butatleast they’ll see“thatthe worldcares enou gh to search for justiceand the truth”.Hungary’sprime minister,Viktor Orbán, andhis Fi desz party have longtreatedtheEUand George
Soros asbêtes noires,says ZeljkoJova novic.Now, they’re“manufacturingenemi es” from within.
The party suffered local electionsetb acks last autumn,as voters beganto wonderwhy health services
and education have deteriorated in thedecade sinceOrbán cametopower.His response hasbeento
ape thetacticsof thefar-right Jobbikparty,stoking angeragainst theminorityRoma community;
he recently announcedhe’d blockacourtrulingawarding compensation to Roma victimsof illegal
schoolsegregationbetween 2004 and2017. It’s deeply un fair, Orbán raged,that they shouldreceive
“moneyfornothing”. He’snow planninga“national consultation” on theruling –atactiche’sused
before to discreditSoros. It’sa“shameful”development. Oncetheregimestarts overrulingcourts,
anyo ne outoff avour withthe government willlose their rights; while those in good favour–“even
criminals”–will beprotected by theregime.Withfar-right terrorismonthe rise, European leaders
mustn’t look awayfromOrbán’s“campaign of hate”.The E Usends Hungarys3bnayear. Now,
it’s timeit stopped pouringmoney int oFidesz’s “corrupt andracist machinery”.Brussels should
not pay billions
to Budapest
Politico
(Brussels)
LUXEMBOURG
THE NETHERLANDS
HUNGARY
Theglobaleconomyisalreadybeing
batteredbythecoronaviruspandemic.
Now, itisfacinga“battleofnerves”
overoil,saidHaaretz(TelAviv).Saudi
ArabiaandRussia,thetwobiggest
producersaftertheUS,harmonised
productioninrecentyearstokeep
pricesstable.Riyadh,hitbya
coronavirus-relatedfallindemand
inChina(itsbiggestmarket),asked
Moscowtoagreetocutoutputto
keeppricesstable.WhenRussia
refused,theSaudisstunnedanalystsby
slashingtheirownpricesandvowing
toincreaseproduction.Itsentstock
marketsintofreefalllastweek.Oil
pricesplungedbyalmostathird,reachingthelowestlevelsince
199 1.Now,thecountrieslooksetforalengthystand-off.Russia’srefusaltocedetoSaudidemandswasa“declaration
ofwar”,saidMichelSantiinLaTribune(Paris).Vladimir
PutinknewhisactionsriskedaconfrontationwithRiyadh.
Buthewentaheadanyway,happytoriskfloodingthemarket
withcheapoilbecausehe knewit would harm USshale oil
producers;Russia’s presidentis“furious”with DonaldTrump
over sanctionsontheNord Stream2gas pipelinelinkingSiberia
andGermany.PutinsawachancetohurtAmericaandtookit,
saidJasonBordoffinForeignPolicy(Washington).Crudeoil issocheapnowthatmanysmallerUS
shalecompanies,reliantonhighprices
tomeetproductioncosts,couldface
bankruptcy.Trump’sfirstresponseto
thepricecrashwastowelcomelower
petrolpricesforconsumers,saidThe
WashingtonPost.Butbeinnodoubt:
“Theultimateloser–andaprobable
intendedtarget–istheworld’sNo. 1
crudeproducer,theUnitedStates.”Collapsingtheoilpriceistypicalof
SaudiArabia’s“aggression”under
CrownPrinceMohammedbinSalman
(MbS),saidDavidD.Kirkpatrickin
TheNewYorkTimes.Hiswarin
Yemenhascausedahumanitariancatastrophe,andthemurder
ofjournalistJamalKhashoggi,allegedlyorderedbyhim,ledto
worldwiderevulsion.Lastweek,fourseniorroyals,including
theking’sbrother,werearrestedoverclaimstheywereplotting
acoup.Butevenbyhisownstandards,MbSistakingabigrisk,
saidChristophFröhlichinStern(Hamburg).Hiscountryis
hugelydependentonhighoilprices;theenergysectoraccounts
forabout80%of the kingdom’sexports andtwo-thirdsofits
revenues.Russia,protectedbysignificantcashreserves,can
balanceitsbudgetat anoil priceof $42 abarrel –abouthalf of
Saudi Arabia’sbreak-evenpoint. One thing’sforsure,though:
aslongastheprice warcontinues,“everyoneislosing”.MbSandPutin:“adeclarationofwar”Stand-off over oil: another blow to the global economy