Late at night on Jan. 10, Dr. Alireza Golchini was arrested by security forces in the city of Qazvin, Iran.

His cousin Nima Golchini, who lives in Toronto, says Alireza was beaten up and his ribs broken in front of his wife and son.

“You’re doing your practice like anybody else and they come towards you, seven, eight people. He’s not a murderer, he is not a thief. He’s a doctor of the country. And they treated him like this,” Nima said.

For 48 hours, his family didn’t know where he had been taken.

Finally, a call came in. Alireza was in prison. “He said to family that ‘I’m alive’ and that’s it, the phone conversation disconnected,” Nima said. “It was less than a couple of seconds.”   

Though his cousin has since been released pending trial, Nima is one of many Canadians who have endured long waits to learn the fate of relatives who have been arrested or gone missing in the wake of a violent crackdown on protests during which at least 7,000 people were killed, rights groups say.

Iranians took to the streets in late December, at first protesting the state of the economy. But the demonstrations evolved into a movement calling for the end of the Islamic regime. The protests spread across the country until the government cracked down in early January amid a phone and internet blackout. Earlier this week families took part in mourning ceremonies marking 40 days since thousands were killed.

Alireza Golchini has a specialty in surgical oncology. During the Women, Life, Freedom protests in 2022, he offered to treat injured protesters for free.

He was barred from working in state hospitals after that. But that didn’t deter him from once again offering help through a post on social media during the January protests.

Nima Golchini wasn’t surprised to see his cousin’s post. 

“He’s a brave man. He believes in what he has sworn, to cure the people,” Nima said. 

Death toll unclear

There are conflicting reports on how many people died when the government started firing on the protesters. But the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has historically been accurate in counting deaths during previous rounds of unrest in Iran, has said the death toll is at more than 7,000, and has close to 12,000 additional cases under review. 

Iran’s only official statement on the death toll was a state broadcast Jan. 21 that said 3,117 people were killed.

Nima was told that Alireza was able to treat about 45 people before he was arrested. Some had broken bones. Others had bullet wounds that needed surgery.

For those efforts, Alireza spent 22 days in jail, says Nima. The first 12 were spent in solitary confinement where Alireza was interrogated three times a day about his travels, about who he treated and why he did it for free, Nima says. After that he was put into an area with around 200 other people jailed following the protests. 

He’s back at home but still awaiting his court date and worried about what sentence he might face. Meanwhile, all of his equipment and documents — including his passport — were seized and he’s not allowed to work or travel, says Nima, adding that his cousin says he’s scared about what’s next. 

Hossein Raeesi, a human rights lawyer originally from Iran, lives in Canada now because his work there defending women and religious minorities made him a target for the regime.

He says he gets snippets of information from inside Iran when communications open up, and that he’s hearing many more stories of medical workers being targeted. 

“Unfortunately, the authority and [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] try to attack clinics, doctor’s offices, and hospitals that have been providing some services to the wounded people.”

He estimates more than 50,000 people were arrested after the protests, a number that’s being used by The Human Rights Activists News Agency, too. He says he’s worried that the prisoners won’t get access to justice. 

“They have to choose a lawyer from the list confirmed by the head of judiciary… they don’t want to allow people that …have been arrested to access to their own lawyers,” Raeesi said. “Even if you choose someone from that list, you have no chance to visit with him or her. Those lawyers also have no access to the file.” 

Raeesi says Canada has a unique role as one of the world’s human-rights defenders, and could help to establish a special international criminal court to hold the Iranian regime accountable.

Canadians ask for response from government, international community

Nima Golchini joined hundreds of thousands of others on the streets of Toronto on Feb. 14 calling on the Canadian and international governments to step in and help the people of Iran. 

“The help that we want is not just empty words like condemning this brutal massacre. Do something about it.” 

CBC asked Global Affairs Canada whether it supports regime change in Iran. In an email it didn’t answer that question directly but did state, among other things, that Canada “strongly condemns the killing of protestors, the use of violence, arbitrary arrests, and intimidation tactics by the Iranian regime against its own people.”

It directed CBC to past statements like the one in early February when Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand announced additional sanctions against seven people connected to the Iranian government. In January, Canada joined G7 Foreign Ministers in condemning Iran’s “brutal repression of the Iranian people.”

Leila Afshari joined protests in Vancouver, and is clear on the help she’s hoping will come soon. 

“I’m waiting, counting, when Trump is gonna attack this government because it’s the only way.” she says. “My country is not gonna be free. There has to be an end to this regime.” 

U.S. President Donald Trump has hinted that he could take military action against Iran if the negotiations happening now about Iran’s nuclear program aren’t productive. 

It’s personal for Afshari, because her brother Ehsan Afshari went missing after joining the protests on Jan. 8. 

“My parents, they keep calling my brother. After 9:30 p.m., his phone was shut, and they didn’t reach him anymore,” Afshari said. 

He was missing for 12 days. Finally their mother found him at the Kahrizak, a makeshift morgue. 

Afshari says he had two bullets in his stomach and his face and body were badly bruised.

“Just they identified him by this tattoo on his arm,” Afshari said through tears.

‘He wasn’t afraid to speak up’

Ehsan had a history of activism. In 2009, he made a music video as a tribute to Neda Agha Sultan, who was shot that year at a protest in Tehran and whose name became synonymous with the protest movement. 

“He wasn’t afraid to speak up,” Afshari said. “He was really brave.” 

But the video put him in danger so he went to live in Sweden. 

“After 16 years he was really homesick and he just wanted to visit my parents,” Afshari said. 

That’s why he was in Iran this January when the protests were growing. Afshari says she wasn’t surprised he joined in. 

“He is always thinking that maybe that kind of stuff will help our country become free.” 

“I don’t know how he’s been killed, tortured…,” Afshari said. “There is no truth coming from that government. It’s a big mystery.”

Until regime change happens, she says she doesn’t even want to have a funeral for her brother. 

“I’m just waiting. I am hoping very soon, praying for this government to collapse,” she said. “After that, maybe I could say goodbye to my brother.”

A Kamloops, B.C., couple has 3D printed a feeding stand to help a foster kitten that has a unique medical condition.

Piglet the kitten, who is five months old, is being fostered by Angela and Jason Lyall. When they first got her at two days old, she couldn’t eat properly, they said.

“Even as a bottle baby she couldn’t suckle properly. She stayed tiny and didn’t gain like the others,” Angela told CBC News.

Piglet was part of a litter, along with her mother, and had been fostered from local rescue Sammy’s Forgotten Felines.

As the days went on, she developed pneumonia. Angela said that euthanizing the tiny black kitten was a serious consideration.

But after some veterinary tests, it was determined she likely had megaesophagus — a condition which means the tube that moves food down to her stomach normally doesn’t work as well, according to the couple.

“If she eats like a normal kitten, the food can come back up. The biggest risk is that she could inhale it into her lungs,” Angela said.

That’s when they 3D printed a unique vertical feeding stand, something Jason said he designed based on a template released for free on the internet.

“We thought she was just a lethargic little kitten, and it turns out that she was really sick and really malnourished,” Jason said.

“So, once she started feeding regularly and actually getting nutrition into her, her fur grew in properly. She’s starting to bulk up.”

A social media video of Piglet’s feeder went viral, with over a million views, after Angela posted a video to Sammy’s Forgotten Felines’s account.

She said she hopes Piglet’s experience serves as an educational one for other cat owners, saying the megaesophagus condition is rarer in cats compared to dogs, who can use a device called a Bailey chair to help them eat.

The vertical feeding stand can be modified and changed, so the couple says they can adapt to Piglet growing up.

Angela says that the kitten has to be fed five times a day and then held upright after her meals for 15 minutes — something she described as a “full family effort.”

“There were times where we didn’t know if she was going to make it, but she’s worth it,” she said.

“Watching her finally thrive has been incredible, and we’re just grateful that she’s still here.”

У пʼятницю Верховний суд США завдав найсильнішого удару по президенту Дональду Трампу, постановивши, що він не має повноважень використовувати надзвичайні повноваження для введення мит. 

Як пише Financial Times, таке рішення стало ударом по одному з найважливіших напрямків президентства Трампа та показало рідкісну спробу суду обмежити його владу після того, як американський лідер понад рік впроваджував політику за допомогою багатьох виконавчих наказів та посилаючись на рідко використовувані закони. 

“Найвпливовіша судова інстанція Америки, яка в цілому симпатизувала зусиллям Трампа щодо здійснення виконавчої влади, в основному дозволяла безперешкодно реалізовувати програму його другого терміну. П’ятничне рішення різко порушує цю динаміку”, – зауважили у матеріалі.

Водночас Трамп наголосив, що судді є “ганьбою” і що на них вплинули іноземні інтереси. 

Які ще інструменти залишилися у Трампа для введення мит?

Рішення суду змушує адміністрацію Трампа шукати альтернативні інструменти для введення мит, проте жоден з них не може бути застосований так швидко і просто, як Закон про міжнародні надзвичайні економічні повноваження США (IEEPA), що збільшує ймовірність невеликої затримки зі збором мит. 

“Інші торговельні закони США зазвичай вимагають періоду перегляду та вивчення, перш ніж мита можуть бути застосовані до іноземних товарів”, – пояснили у FT.

У виданні нагадали, що в пʼятницю президент США заявив, що підпише указ про введення 10% глобального мита відповідно до розділу 122 Закону про торгівлю 1974 року на додаток до мит, які вже стягуються.

Крім того, Трамп заявив, що ініціює нові торговельні розслідування, які можуть призвести до введення низки додаткових мит. 

“Окрім розділу 122, Інститут Катона виділив розділ 338 Закону про тарифи 1930 року, який дозволяє президенту вводити мита до 50% на країни, що дискримінують американську торгівлю, як найбільш ймовірний шлях, яким піде адміністрація. Розділ 122 дозволяє Трампу негайно ввести мита до 15% на строк до 150 днів без необхідності проведення тривалих розслідувань, які вимагаються для інших секторальних мит на такі товари, як сталь і алюміній, відповідно до розділу 232 Закону про розширення торгівлі”, – підкреслили у FT.

В Інституті додали, що такий негайний варіант, швидше за все, буде “досить привабливим” для Трампа, однак там нагадали про “підступ”, який полягає у тому, що 15% мита діють лише впродовж 150 днів, після чого для їхнього продовження потрібне голосування в Конгресі.

Водночас торгові аналітики попередили, що навіть альтернативні правові шляхи, включаючи статтю 122, будуть менш всеосяжними, ніж мита IEEPA, які Верховний суд визнав недійсними в п’ятницю.

“Ці інструменти не є такими широкими і всеосяжними, як IEEPA, і існує ймовірність, що в порівнянні зі скасованими тарифами IEEPA, нові мита матимуть розбіжності як у термінах, так і в обсязі”, – пояснив Сем Лоу, керівник відділу торгівлі консалтингової компанії Flint Global. 

Що цьому передувало

Як писав УНІАН, 20 лютого Верховний суд США “обнулив” усю торговельну політику Трампа останнього року. Зокрема судді дійшли висновку, що Білий дім неправильно зрозумів старий закон про надзвичайні повноваження президента.

“На тлі чітких і обмежених повноважень уряд тлумачить IEEPA (закон 1977 року про повноваження президента щодо торговельної політики в умовах надзвичайної економічної ситуації – УНІАН) як надання президенту права одноосібно встановлювати необмежені тарифи та змінювати їх на власний розсуд. Таке тлумачення означало б трансформаційне розширення повноважень президента в галузі тарифної політики”, – зазначили у рішенні суду. 

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Walking around the leafy La Condesa neighbourhood in Mexico City, Maria Moreno Carranco is worried that an influx of digital nomads is driving up prices — and could eventually force her out.

“The last five years, the change has been really astonishing,” said Moreno Carranco, an urban studies professor who has lived in La Condesa for more than 20 years. 

“Everything is crazy expensive for us with Mexican salaries. And the rents are just skyrocketing,” she told The Current.

La Condesa and other central neighbourhoods became a destination for remote workers — also known as digital nomads — in the pandemic, particularly after the city signed a 2022 deal with Airbnb to attract them. 

Critics say that deal helped to fuel rising rents. Data from September shows La Condesa saw a 17 per cent increase from April 2023 to April 2025; while there was a 98 per cent rise across the neighbouring borough of Miguel Hidalgo in the same period. 

The change is more than just financial. Moreno Carranco says when she goes to a local restaurant these days, servers greet her in English. 

She points out, en español, that she’s a local.

“It is, in a way, sad that they assume that the clientele will be foreigners and that no Mexicans go there anymore,” she said.

Many nomads ‘live in a bubble’

With many locals feeling priced out or less at home in their own neighbourhoods, anti-gentrification protests broke out across the city last summer. While largely peaceful, some businesses were vandalized, with windows broken and graffiti demanding “Gringo go home.”

Canadian Tracie LeBlanc fell in love with Mexico City on a short trip three years ago. When she was laid off from her job in Toronto last May, she decided to make the move south, and now lives in La Condesa, from where she operates a business based in Canada.

She’s mindful of the tensions around digital nomads, often discussing it with Mexican friends.

“This is something I struggled with so much as someone who works in social justice. Am I creating harm in being here?” said LeBlanc, a marketing and communications consultant. 

The city’s government website still directly appeals to remote workers, boasting that “Mexico City is, hands-down, more affordable in terms of housing, utilities, necessities, and food” than other North American cities.

I shop local. I support the economy. I only speak Spanish.– Tracie LeBlanc, digital nomad

But LeBlanc says finances were not her main motivator for moving to Mexico City. Her monthly rent was $2,500 Cdn in Toronto, and is $1,700 Cdn now. While she notes it is “relatively cheaper,” she was more enticed by the city’s sense of community.

“The Mexican people are so kind and generous and warm and open … everyone comes together and you feel really part of something special.”

She says she strives to embrace the city’s culture. 

“I shop local. I support the economy. I only speak Spanish,” she said.

Mia Glanz, a fellow Canadian who is studying art in Mexico City, says many remote workers often “live in a bubble” of other nomads.

“The government wants to attract those kind of people because they’re bringing foreign dollars or money to invest in Mexico, but it doesn’t spread evenly,” she said.

Some local businesses thriving

Just east of La Condesa, Jose Olivas is co-owner of Form + Matter, a high-end cocktail bar in Roma Norte. He says visitors and newcomers are helping businesses like his thrive. 

“It allows all of us to have a chance to get a piece of the cake and employ others and make money,” said Olivas, who grew up in Mexico and lived in Vancouver for a decade as an adult, before moving back in 2020.

Olivas adds that increased international visitors have led to better street lighting and more security, making the area feel safer. But he acknowledges that his cocktail menu doesn’t necessarily cater to locals.

“I wouldn’t say we are a cheap cocktail bar for Mexicans, at least not for medium- or lower-class Mexicans.”

Glanz says even with high prices, many of these new businesses are appealing to locals.

“I don’t think everyone is so angry about it. A lot of people are happy that they can get these things that weren’t available before,” she said.

‘The strength to resist’

Anti-gentrification activist Sergio Montes and his family have lived in Escandón, just south of La Condesa, since the mid-90s. 

He says the traditionally working-class neighbourhood is now feeling the pressure of gentrification, in particular from developers buying older buildings made up of larger family apartments, and evicting tenants to make way for smaller units that can host short-stay rentals.

“We hope that we have the strength to resist. We want to remain here, we have the right to remain. But you get depressed,” he said.

Montes says he’s engaged with government officials, but they tend to downplay or dismiss his community’s concerns. He thinks very little has been done, in part because the city has been focused on co-hosting this summer’s World Cup. 

Last summer, Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada unveiled a 14-point plan, including proposals to regulate both rental prices and short-term rental properties, and curb community displacement.

The Current contacted the city to ask what progress has been made, but did not receive a response. 

‘A gringo doesn’t want to pay more rent’

Back in La Condesa, Moreno Carranco thinks tourism and digital nomadry are too concentrated in central neighbourhoods — and her neighbours don’t want any more new hotels or Airbnbs.

There are 26,294 Airbnb listings in the city, according to the advocacy organization Inside Airbnb. Almost half are concentrated in Cuauhtémoc, the borough which includes La Condesa and Roma.

Last year, a research study noted a 67 per cent increase in the number of Airbnb listings in La Condesa between 2019 and 2023, from 659 to 1,100. The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal EURE in January 2025, noted an increase of 74 per cent across La Condesa and neighbouring Roma Norte, Roma Sur and Hipódromo.

In a statement to The Current, Airbnb said short-term rentals make up only a small share of the city’s housing stock. (The city has just over 2.75 million inhabited private households, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography.)

“Housing pressures in Mexico City predate the pandemic and the rise of remote work, and are primarily linked to long-term housing supply constraints, zoning challenges, and urban growth,” the statement said. It added that rates are set by local hosts.

The company also said it created approximately $1.7 billion Cdn in economic impact in Mexico City in 2024.

John Goodrich is a Canadian actor who has been living in Mexico City since 2018. Since moving to the city, he married a Mexican woman and became stepfather to their kids. He speaks Spanish, works and pays taxes, and has become a permanent resident.

He disagrees that rising rents are solely the fault of people moving from other countries and says he faced a substantial rent hike himself. Last year he was living in Roma Sur, paying 21,000 pesos a month ($1,660 Cdn). He left when the condo’s Mexican owner increased the rent to 40,000 pesos ($3,162 Cdn).

“A gringo doesn’t want to pay more rent, it’s the responsibility of the owners, the house owners themselves,” he said.

When Moreno Carranco’s eldest son recently moved abroad to study, she decided to downsize from the apartment she owns and rent instead. But she realized she could only afford to stay in La Condesa by renting her old place “to an American guy who is paying a lot of money.”

Otherwise, she would be priced out of the neighbourhood she loves.

“I am part of the problem, definitely … [but] I’m also part of the affected people.”

After working through motions from Hamilton councillors looking to add and subtract items from the city’s proposal 2026 budget, homeowners are now looking at a 3.87 per cent tax increase.

Mayor Andrea Horwath has just over a week to veto any of the budget amendments, and if she doesn’t, the budget will be adopted as is.

Council concluded its final budget meeting on Thursday, approving the results of two previous meetings where councillors made their cases for changes to the version of the budget initially proposed by the mayor. That budget would have meant a 4.25 per cent residential tax increase — about $228 for the average home assessed at $387,100. 

The budget as amended would see homeowners pay $209 on a house of the same value.

“Council’s review and amendments reflect a shared commitment to affordability, essential services, and making strategic investments that strengthen our community today and for the future,” said Howarth, who voted in favour of many of the amendments proposed by her colleagues. 

“With many Hamiltonians feeling the real pressure of rising costs, this budget process has been about getting the balance right — protecting the services people rely on while being responsible with every tax dollar,” she said in a news release issued on Thursday.

Under the “strong mayor” powers granted by the province, Horwath has 10 days to veto amendments. If she does exercise her veto, there will be a 15-day period during which councillors can attempt to override the veto, for which they require a two-thirds majority. 

Savings proposed by deferring some payments

Among the biggest reductions proposed by councillors was a deferral of $3 million to next year’s budget to pay for previously approved development charge exemptions.

The exemptions have added to the city’s infrastructure spending shortfall of $5.2 billion, says a motion from Ward 12 Coun. Craig Cassar and Ward 10 Coun. Jeff Beattie.

The city has adopted a 10-year plan to close this infrastructure spending gap for core assets and 25 years for “non-core” assets. Deferring $3 billion “would reduce the burden on the 2026 tax levy without affecting services or capital investment plans,” says their motion, which passed 12 to 4. 

This was one of the motions on which Horwath voted no, potentially earmarking it for her veto. However, with a 12-4 vote, councillors appear to have more than the two-thirds majority required to override her veto if they all voted the same way at that time.

The motions proposed by councillors included two that trim money allocated for contingency funds for capital projects, such as two proposed by Mark Tadeson and Beattie that will reduce contingency funds for two city departments’ projects by 3 per cent.

For the Planning and Economic Development department, that amounts to a trim of $182,490, and for Public Works, that would be $593,000.

Councillors also approved a deferral to 2027 of $706,580 to build a bike bridge across the Red Hill expressway, saying the project timelines would not have it start in 2026 in any case.

Councillors also approved cancellation of free meals for themselves and senior staff, for a savings of $25,780.

In addition to cuts, they also approved some additions to the budget, most notably $2,118,000 to pay for recycling services at properties not covered by the province’s Blue Box transition, which took over city recycling services in April.

“Under the transition to the new producer responsibility Blue Box Program, certain property types such as industrial, commercial, institutional, are considered non-eligible and do not qualify for coordinated blue box collection,” said the motion from Ward 2 Coun. Kroetsch and Ward 3 Coun. Nann. 

Council voted 14 to 1 to continue these services, with Ward 9 Coun. Brad Clark the sole “no,” and Beattie absent.

Residents write letters of support for climate funding

A sprawling motion from Ward 14 Coun. Mike Spadafora and Ward 5 Coun. Matt Francis, which was defeated, would have seen the budget reduced by $3.2 million by deferring investments in cyber security and the city’s climate change reserve, which made up the bulk of the proposed cut, at $2.5 million.

Council received dozens of letters asking it to refrain from cutting any funding from environment- and climate-related projects.

The letters show how much these initiatives are important to residents and also reveal that there is no other way in the current process for residents to weigh in on councillors’ amendments, says Environment Hamilton executive director Ian Borsuk.

“There were two public delegation days, then almost a full month later we have councillors proposing cuts or deferrals literally at the last minute, with no opportunity for public input,” said Borsuk, whose organization had suspected climate cuts might be on the table in advance of the budget meetings.

He said that while some councillors complain that strong mayor powers take away their ability to participate, motions without time for public consultation take away rights from the public.

“Councillors are taking a new system and instead of making it work they’re using it as an excuse to be undemocratic,” he said.

Great British Bake Off star Nadiya Hussain has turned her back on showbusiness and is now working as a teaching assistant after the BBC axed her cookery show last year.

The TV chef, 41 was one of the biggest breakout stars of Bake Off following her win in the sixth series in 2015, going on to front several shows for the broadcaster, including the award-nominated Nadiya Chronicles, Nadiya Bakes and Nadiya’s Fast Flavours.

After the BBC’s decision to drop her – something she still ‘doesn’t know why’ happened – Nadiya said she’d been courted with other offers from the likes of ITV and Channel 4.

However, she’s chosen to pursue a career in teaching instead – despite feeling ‘judged’ by some for doing so.

‘I’m currently working as a teaching assistant at a lovely little primary school. The plan is to hopefully gain some training and maybe in the future become a teacher,’ she told Woman & Home magazine.

‘I had to do an application form, an interview, go in and sit in with the kids and see how they reacted to me. I did get people ringing me, saying, “Sorry, is this actually the Nadiya Hussain?” and I’m like, “Yes, it is and I am looking for a job and I would like an opportunity”.’

Nadiya shared that she was ‘really enjoying being in an environment where I’m not the centre of it’, even though friends and loved ones had questioned her for taking a step backwards, as they see it.

However she brainstormed her career move with the support of her husband Abdal, knowing she could be faced with a fork in the road.

‘There have been lots of tears, sadness and judgement. People [close to me] have asked, “Why would you go from being here, right at the top to being at the bottom?” but I don’t see it that way,’ the TV star and author, who received an MBE in the 2020 New Year Honours, added.

‘Just because I’m famous doesn’t mean I’m at the top. I have been at my lowest at the top.’

She also insisted that since she started working at the school, she’s ‘had some of my highest moments’ because ‘nothing beats’ helping the kids she works with feel safe and achieve their goals.

When it came to the BBC cancelling her show, Nadiya revealed she had a ‘gut feeling that something wasn’t right’ after 10 years of a regular schedule between her TV work and cookbooks.

She was informed by her agent that the BBC would not be commissioning her to do another TV show and has still not received an explanation as to why from her previous employers.

The former Junior Bake Off judge said: ‘I appreciate that it’s an industry, it’s a business and it’s about making money, but I still don’t know [why they’ve let me go] because I haven’t had a conversation with anyone.

‘There are no answers, no closure.’

In a statement at the time, a BBC spokesman said: ‘After several wonderful series we have made the difficult decision not to commission another cookery show with Nadiya Hussain at the moment.

‘Nadiya remains a much-valued part of the BBC family, and we look forward to working together on future projects.’

At the time the TV personality took to social media to explain that she had always been made to ‘feel grateful’ for the opportunities she received, which added an ‘invisible pressure’ to not voice her frustrations or her desire for more.

And while she is not interested in TV work right now, Nadiya knows what would pique her interest to return, including more creative input in cookery shows.

She’s also interested in creating travelogues and documentaries ‘about issues that matter’, following her 2019 BBC One documentary Nadiya: Anxiety and Me.

The April issue of woman&home is on sale on February 26.

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A lawyer picked by judges to serve as the top federal prosecutor for a Virginia office that pursued cases against foes of President Donald Trump was swiftly fired Friday by the Justice Department in the latest clash over the appointments of powerful US attorneys.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the firing of James Hundley on social media shortly after he was unanimously chosen by judges to replace former Trump lawyer Lindsey Halligan as interim US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

While the law says that the district court may choose US attorneys when an initial appointment expires, the Trump administration has insisted that the power lies only in the hands of the executive branch.

“EDVA judges do not pick our US Attorney. POTUS does. James Hundley, you’re fired!” Blanche said in a post on X.

Hundley, who has handled criminal and civil cases for more than 30 years, didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment Friday evening.

The firing of Hundley is the latest reflection of tumult in one of the Justice Department’s most elite prosecution offices, which since September has been mired in upheaval following the resignation of a veteran prosecutor amid Trump administration pressure to prosecute two of the president’s biggest political foes, former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

That prosecutor, Erik Siebert, was effectively forced out and swiftly replaced by Halligan, a White House aide who secured indictments against Comey and James but was later deemed by a judge to have been unlawfully appointed.

The cases were dismissed, but the Justice Department has appealed that decision.

Halligan resigned from the position last month after judges in the district signaled continued skepticism over the legitimacy of her appointment.

US attorneys, the top federal prosecutors in regional Justice Department offices around the country, typically require Senate confirmation but the law does permit attorneys general to make temporary appointments for limited time periods.

In several instances, though, the Justice Department has attempted to leave its temporary appointees in place in ways that have invited court challenges and drawn resistance from judges who have found the appointments unlawful.

Last week, a lawyer appointed by judges to be the US attorney for northern New York was fired by the Justice Department after spending less than a day in the job.

Judges in the district appointed Kinsella after declining to keep the Trump administration’s pick, John Sarcone, in place after his 120-day term elapsed.

В Україні подорожчає пальне, але причиною цього є не припинення постачання трубопроводом зі Словаччини та Угорщини, а курс валюти та ціна на нафту.

Про це в соцмережі написав відомий експерт ринку пального Дмитро Льоушкін. 

“‎Валюту поступово відпускають, стимулюють експорт, знижують дефіцит бюджету, це зрозуміло. То ось із нафтою там вузол на Ірані зав’язаний. Є дві думки. Або на тижні, або вже після Рамадану. Але очікування військової операції нагнітає остраху на ринок”‎, – вважає спеціаліст. 

Експерт зазначив, що Ормузька протока фактично є головною артерією світового нафтового ринку, оскільки через неї проходить близько 20% глобальних обсягів постачання. 

Якщо рух танкерів там буде заблоковано або серйозно обмежено на тривалий час, ціни на нафту на хвилі паніки можуть зрости до $100 за барель.

“‎Навіть важко уявити, як це відіб’ється на вартості пального в Україні”‎, – висловився Льоушкін. 

Фахівець зазначив, що сьогодні оптові ціни зросли ще на гривню, а до цього тижня ринок уже додав приблизно гривню поступового підвищення. Ймовірно, ці зміни відіб’ються на роздрібних цінах – орієнтовно протягом найближчих двох тижнів. 

“‎Все це прилетить у роздріб протягом двох тижнів. Поки що розвороту не проглядається, тому роздріб буде як нитка за голкою за оптовим ринком крокувати”‎, – додав Льоушкін. 

Ринок пального в Україні – інші новини

Нагадаємо, 18 лютого глава МЗС Угорщини Петер Сійярто повідомив, що Будапешт призупинив експорт дизельного пального до України та не має наміру його відновлювати, доки українська сторона не відновить транспортування нафти трубопроводом “Дружба”, який у січні зазнав пошкоджень через дії РФ.

Раніше Льоушкін вже зазначав, що припинення постачань дизельного пального з Угорщини та Словаччини до України не призведе до помітних цінових коливань на внутрішньому ринку, оскільки наразі частка цього ресурсу в загальному обсязі імпорту не перевищує 10%.

Також він прогнозував, що ціни на бензин і дизель на українських АЗС можуть додатково зрости приблизно на 1 гривню після встановлення стабільної плюсової температури повітря – за умови, що світові котирування на нафту залишатимуться на нинішньому рівні. 

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