Chrystia Freeland, 58, has lived many lives in one. Born in Peace River, Alberta, she worked as a journalist at the Financial Times, where she was the outlet’s chief correspondent in Moscow, Eastern Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States. She entered Canadian politics in 2013, when she was first elected as a member of parliament for the center-left Liberal Party. Later, after Justin Trudeau’s victory in 2015, she served as minister of international trade, minister of finance, minister of foreign affairs and, finally, as deputy prime minister.
Abu Dabi, 30 oct (Prensa Latina) Las autoridades de Emiratos Árabes Unidos (EAU) informaron hoy que lograron controlar un derrame de petróleo de un buque cisterna tras incidente en aguas territoriales del país, mientras continúan las labores para contener la contaminación.
Oh. I fall like everyone else. I work out daily. I’ve taken a couple of tumbles on predawn runs in Alexandria, Virginia. You never know when one of those sidewalk snakes will slither up from the asphalt and nip you on the ankle. I used to snow ski. I studied martial arts for years and hold a second degree black belt.
Clumsy? Nah.
"But, what do you think it was?" they follow up. Well, I have my theories.
I was a little tired that day. I noted the lip on the small staircase near the Memorial Door of the U.S. Capitol where I may have caught the edge of my brown loafers.
I remember my shoes. Rubber soles. Slight scuff on the toes. Perfectly matched with my crisp tan summer suit. Not quite an "Obama" tan suit. But appropriate for summer. And I thought at least reasonably dapper for traipsing around the U.S. Capitol and covering Congress on a sweltering July day.
Was it the shoes? My fatigue? Or how about my haste to "get the story." I spotted then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his small coterie of aides and a security detail descending a spiral staircase after a meeting with then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. D-Calif.
I would try to ask Trudeau a question.
No. This really doesn’t have anything to do with Trudeau. Or the fact that I recalled that there was a picture of him, aged about 14 or 15, at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, rooting for the Expos. He’s there with his father — the most storied of all Canadian prime ministers — the late Pierre Trudeau.
Of course, the Expos no longer play in Montreal. They don’t play at all. They moved to Washington in 2005 and are now the Nationals. And this was before the tariff wars. Montreal has been bereft of Major League Baseball ever since.
What would Youppi! Say?
Look him up, kids.
No, there wasn’t something across my shin or ankle. I didn’t feel anything. I was there, on those steps, in the U.S. Capitol, because I’m a baseball fan. And I found out that Justin Trudeau watched those old Montreal Expos teams in the 1980s. Stocked with Andre Dawson, Warren Cromartie and Steve Rogers. And even though Trudeau was there to discuss affairs of state with Pelosi and others, I was there to ask him about the national pastime.
Ironic, I know, to pose such an interrogative to a Canadian.
However, the reason was that there was a report that the Tampa Bay Rays might consider splitting their season each year between Florida and Montreal. Big league baseball would return to Quebec. It would be international news if Trudeau commented. It would appear on Fox. FS1. ESPN. TSN in Canada. And Montreal — famously robbed of perhaps winning the World Series in 1994 with the best team in the game that year because of the player’s strike — might have a shot again at baseball glory.
But journalism is like baseball. A game of failure. You sometimes swing and miss. You’re doing great if you’re successful three out of ten times.
And sometimes, in journalism, the question is never asked.
That was this day. On those steps. Questions about the Rays and Montreal were muted. All because of whatever got me.
Absolutely got me.
I stepped toward Trudeau, mumbled something about Tampa Bay and bought it.
I fell on those steps. Directly in front of the Canadian Prime Minister. On the hard Capitol marble.
I quickly realized I was about to fall. With a microphone in one hand, I couldn’t catch myself. I was confident I’d break a wrist or a hand if I tried to catch myself.
So, I just went with it and fell.
And because I studied martial arts for all of those years from Master Kim and Master Yang back at the Tae Kwon Do dojang, I knew how to fall without hurting myself.
I rolled onto my right shoulder toward Trudeau.
My feeling flew up absurdly high in the air.
"Oh Chad! Oh Chad! Oh Chad!" hollered my photographer, Robert Fetzer. "Chad!"
Trudeau stopped briefly. But I leaped to my feet after the roll, hoping he might say something about baseball.
I struck out. And Trudeau departed.
"But what tripped you?" they ask. "Were you all right?"
Physically, I was fine. Mentally, kind of garbled. I’ve worked daily at the U.S. Capitol for decades. I had a sneaking suspicion of what got me. Or better yet, who?
In the latter years of the 19th Century, Rep. William Taulbee, D-Ky., did not get along with reporter Charles Kincaid. Taulbee thought Kincaid wasn’t an honest broker, writing screeds about his personal affairs.
Taulbee was tall, towering over the diminutive Kincaid. Taulbee was known to sometimes physically pummel Kincaid.
Taulbee was out of federal office. But Kincaid knew Taulbee would be at the Capitol. Kincaid packed a pistol with him. And on Feb. 28, 1890, the reporter shot the Bluegrass Congressman square in the eye.
Taulbee leaked blood all the way down the House’s "Y" staircase, the plasma blending with marble. Through a miracle of chemistry, the splotches are still visible today.
The Kentucky Democrat succumbed to his injuries 11 days later.
It probably goes without saying that Taulbee does not like the congressional press corps. And, so, his phantasm is known to lurk around the Capitol.
Sometimes low bridging reporters on ornate staircases.
Oh. I fall like everyone else. I work out daily. I’ve taken a couple of tumbles on predawn runs in Alexandria, Virginia. You never know when one of those sidewalk snakes will slither up from the asphalt and nip you on the ankle. I used to snow ski. I studied martial arts for years and hold a second degree black belt.
Clumsy? Nah.
"But, what do you think it was?" they follow up. Well, I have my theories.
I was a little tired that day. I noted the lip on the small staircase near the Memorial Door of the U.S. Capitol where I may have caught the edge of my brown loafers.
I remember my shoes. Rubber soles. Slight scuff on the toes. Perfectly matched with my crisp tan summer suit. Not quite an "Obama" tan suit. But appropriate for summer. And I thought at least reasonably dapper for traipsing around the U.S. Capitol and covering Congress on a sweltering July day.
Was it the shoes? My fatigue? Or how about my haste to "get the story." I spotted then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his small coterie of aides and a security detail descending a spiral staircase after a meeting with then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. D-Calif.
I would try to ask Trudeau a question.
No. This really doesn’t have anything to do with Trudeau. Or the fact that I recalled that there was a picture of him, aged about 14 or 15, at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, rooting for the Expos. He’s there with his father — the most storied of all Canadian prime ministers — the late Pierre Trudeau.
Of course, the Expos no longer play in Montreal. They don’t play at all. They moved to Washington in 2005 and are now the Nationals. And this was before the tariff wars. Montreal has been bereft of Major League Baseball ever since.
What would Youppi! Say?
Look him up, kids.
No, there wasn’t something across my shin or ankle. I didn’t feel anything. I was there, on those steps, in the U.S. Capitol, because I’m a baseball fan. And I found out that Justin Trudeau watched those old Montreal Expos teams in the 1980s. Stocked with Andre Dawson, Warren Cromartie and Steve Rogers. And even though Trudeau was there to discuss affairs of state with Pelosi and others, I was there to ask him about the national pastime.
Ironic, I know, to pose such an interrogative to a Canadian.
However, the reason was that there was a report that the Tampa Bay Rays might consider splitting their season each year between Florida and Montreal. Big league baseball would return to Quebec. It would be international news if Trudeau commented. It would appear on Fox. FS1. ESPN. TSN in Canada. And Montreal — famously robbed of perhaps winning the World Series in 1994 with the best team in the game that year because of the player’s strike — might have a shot again at baseball glory.
But journalism is like baseball. A game of failure. You sometimes swing and miss. You’re doing great if you’re successful three out of ten times.
And sometimes, in journalism, the question is never asked.
That was this day. On those steps. Questions about the Rays and Montreal were muted. All because of whatever got me.
Absolutely got me.
I stepped toward Trudeau, mumbled something about Tampa Bay and bought it.
I fell on those steps. Directly in front of the Canadian Prime Minister. On the hard Capitol marble.
I quickly realized I was about to fall. With a microphone in one hand, I couldn’t catch myself. I was confident I’d break a wrist or a hand if I tried to catch myself.
So, I just went with it and fell.
And because I studied martial arts for all of those years from Master Kim and Master Yang back at the Tae Kwon Do dojang, I knew how to fall without hurting myself.
I rolled onto my right shoulder toward Trudeau.
My feeling flew up absurdly high in the air.
"Oh Chad! Oh Chad! Oh Chad!" hollered my photographer, Robert Fetzer. "Chad!"
Trudeau stopped briefly. But I leaped to my feet after the roll, hoping he might say something about baseball.
I struck out. And Trudeau departed.
"But what tripped you?" they ask. "Were you all right?"
Physically, I was fine. Mentally, kind of garbled. I’ve worked daily at the U.S. Capitol for decades. I had a sneaking suspicion of what got me. Or better yet, who?
In the latter years of the 19th Century, Rep. William Taulbee, D-Ky., did not get along with reporter Charles Kincaid. Taulbee thought Kincaid wasn’t an honest broker, writing screeds about his personal affairs.
Taulbee was tall, towering over the diminutive Kincaid. Taulbee was known to sometimes physically pummel Kincaid.
Taulbee was out of federal office. But Kincaid knew Taulbee would be at the Capitol. Kincaid packed a pistol with him. And on Feb. 28, 1890, the reporter shot the Bluegrass Congressman square in the eye.
Taulbee leaked blood all the way down the House’s "Y" staircase, the plasma blending with marble. Through a miracle of chemistry, the splotches are still visible today.
The Kentucky Democrat succumbed to his injuries 11 days later.
It probably goes without saying that Taulbee does not like the congressional press corps. And, so, his phantasm is known to lurk around the Capitol.
Sometimes low bridging reporters on ornate staircases.
Comme celles de Belgique ou d'Albanie, d'Italie ou d'Espagne, la jeunesse de France se rebelle, entraînant dans son sillage d'autres secteurs d'une société excédée et exténuée par des années de maltraitance néolibérale. Face à cette flambée qu'il n'a pas su prévoir, l'exécutif applique la stratégie habituelle : répression policière, diffamation médiatique, diversion technologique (lire « Une jeunesse qui ne se tient plus sage » et « “Civic tech”, l'art de laisser causer »), concessions minimales. À quoi s'ajoute une tentative de division — entre bons et mauvais protestataires — qui pour l'instant semble vaine (lire « Soudain, la solidarité »). Le mouvement ne faiblit pas, et oblige à regarder en face des problèmes structurels : la persistance des inégalités face à l'éducation (lire « L'héritage des “Héritiers” »), l'inanité du discours méritocratique et la brutalité du tri social (lire « Les raisons du soulèvement »).
Mark Carney has become one of the most watched figures on the international stage. The Canadian prime minister draws admiration and recognition for the way he has steered his country amid trade hostilities with the United States; also for the alliances he seeks to forge with other middle powers as the geopolitical landscape shifts. His predecessor, Justin Trudeau, also enjoyed high levels of popularity, though for different reasons. In fact, fame has followed Trudeau since birth, being the son of another prime minister — Pierre Trudeau, who served in the 1980s. Even though Justin Trudeau’s final years in politics were marked by an unstoppable decline from the summit, he has comfortably settled into a new stage of his life, and has not abandoned the public spotlight.
A delegation from the European Parliament has begun a three-day mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina to examine foreign interference in the country’s political institutions, electoral processes and public information environment.
The visit, taking place from 26th to 28th October, comes three weeks after parliamentary elections exposed persistent divisions over Bosnia’s political direction and its prospects of joining the European Union.
The mission is being conducted by Parliament’s Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield, chaired by French MEP Nathalie Loiseau. Its purpose is to assess vulnerabilities to disinformation, cyberattacks, economic pressure and other forms of hybrid interference, and to identify measures that could strengthen Bosnia’s institutional resilience.
According to the European Parliament’s announcement, the delegation will meet government officials, parliamentary representatives, civil society organisations, journalists and researchers. Joining Loiseau are Finnish MEP Mika Aaltola, Portugal’s Ana Catarina Mendes and Romania’s Cristian Terheş.
The investigation comes at a politically sensitive moment. Bosnia’s general election on 4th October confirmed the persistence of competing political priorities between the country’s constituent entities, with pro-Russian politician Milorad Dodik’s Alliance of Independent Social Democrats retaining considerable support in Republika Srpska.
As EU Today reported following the election, parties favouring closer European integration also performed strongly, particularly in the Bosniak-Croat Federation. The resulting political balance will influence the formation of new administrations and their ability to implement reforms demanded by Brussels.
From electoral interference to institutional security
The European Parliament’s investigation extends beyond conventional disinformation campaigns.
MEPs intend to examine how foreign actors may exploit weaknesses in electoral administration, cybersecurity, political financing and the country’s wider economic relationships. They will also consider the role of digital platforms in distributing manipulated information and the legislative gaps that could make interference difficult to identify or prosecute.
The distinction matters in Bosnia, where political influence cannot be separated from the country’s complicated constitutional arrangements.
Under the Dayton peace settlement, the state operates through institutions that distribute authority between the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska and the central government. Political disagreements can therefore obstruct decisions requiring cooperation between different levels of administration.
External actors seeking influence may exploit those divisions, although identifying a political relationship with a foreign government is not, by itself, evidence of unlawful interference.
The European Union has repeatedly expressed concern about Russia’s activities in the Western Balkans, particularly its relationships with political forces opposing closer integration with European institutions. Chinese investment and economic relationships also raise questions about strategic dependence, although legitimate commercial activity must be distinguished from coercion or covert political operations.
The delegation’s task is to establish which vulnerabilities can be substantiated and whether existing safeguards are adequate.
Accession negotiations remain incomplete
Bosnia received EU candidate status in December 2022. In March 2024, European leaders agreed in principle to open accession negotiations, but progress has remained conditional on institutional and legal reforms.
Following the October election, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos issued a joint statement calling for the prompt formation of new administrations and progress on judicial reform.
The Commission also highlighted shortcomings identified by international election observers, including technical difficulties, complicated voting procedures and concerns about ballot secrecy.
Those findings do not automatically establish foreign interference. They do, however, demonstrate why the integrity of electoral institutions remains central to Bosnia’s relationship with Brussels.
The initiative is intended to improve cooperation on election security, information manipulation, crisis management and institutional protection before candidate countries enter the Union.
EU Today has previously examined the European Democracy Shield’s proposed mechanisms, including closer coordination with technology companies and improved systems for identifying foreign information operations.
Bosnia now offers a practical opportunity to examine whether those instruments can operate effectively in a country where political authority is fragmented and accession remains incomplete.
The delegation’s findings could inform recommendations on institutional cooperation, election safeguards and support for independent media. Any substantial improvement, however, will depend on the willingness of Bosnia’s authorities to implement reforms and enforce existing legislation.
For Brussels, the immediate issue is whether its emerging framework for democratic resilience can provide practical protection to candidate countries while respecting their political sovereignty and the freedoms it is intended to defend.
La chambre du contentieux de la Cour des comptes a infligé 10 000 euros d’amende à Jean-Philippe Courtois, maire de Capesterre-Belle-Eau (Guadeloupe), et 2 000 euros à la directrice générale des services. En cause : six jugements du tribunal administratif ordonnant le paiement de provisions, dont les sommes n’ont pas été mandatées en totalité dans les deux mois légaux, et une injonction d’urbanisme demeurée lettre morte. Condamné en première instance, le maire annonce faire appel.
LE COURRIER DES STRATÈGES
Restez libre !
LA NEWSLETTER · GRATUITE
Le Courrier, chaque matin.
L'essentiel de l'actualité, passé au crible par les cinq plumes du Courrier. Dans votre boîte, chaque jour ouvré.
Gratuit. Vous restez libre de partir quand vous voulez.
Un particulier qui refuse d’exécuter un jugement s’expose aux procédures de recouvrement et aux mesures d’exécution forcée. Lorsqu’une commune tarde à appliquer les décisions de justice, les conséquences ne sont pas les mêmes : six jugements de provisions n’ont pas été intégralement mandatés dans le délai légal de deux mois. La chambre du contentieux de la Cour des comptes a sanctionné cette situation, mais la question demeure : pourquoi faut-il en arriver à une condamnation financière pour rappeler à une collectivité qu’elle doit respecter les décisions de justice ?
LE COURRIER DES STRATÈGES
Restez libre !
ABONNEMENT
Allez au fond des choses.
Deux grands formats par jour. Les cinq plumes du Courrier. La série Sécession, le dimanche.
Six jugements, deux mois pour payer, mais des sommes toujours pas intégralement mandatées.
Le22 octobre 2026, la commune de Capesterre-Belle-Eau a été condamnée à six reprises par le tribunal administratif de la Guadeloupe à verser des provisions. Or, les sommes fixées par ces jugements n’ont pas été mandatées en totalité dans le délai de deux mois prévu par la loi.
C’est ce manquement qui a conduit à la sanction du maire, Jean-Philippe Courtois, à hauteur de 10 000 euros, et de la directrice générale des services, à hauteur de 2 000 euros. Les montants dus aux créanciers ne sont pas précisés dans les informations disponibles. Impossible, donc, de mesurer le poids exact des impayés ou de comparer les sommes en jeu aux amendes prononcées.
Un second grief concerne le maire personnellement. Le 16 juin 2020, le tribunal administratif lui avait ordonné de délivrer un certificat de non-opposition en matière d’urbanisme. Il n’a signé, le 7 septembre 2021, qu’un certificat assorti de réserves. Le 15 décembre 2022, un nouveau jugement a prononcé une astreinte contre la commune. La justice a fixé des obligations, mais leur exécution n’a pas suivi comme elle aurait dû.
Le maire invoque l’héritage du passé, mais la justice exige l’exécution des jugements.
Jean-Philippe Courtois conteste la décision et annonce son intention de faire appel : « Je ferai appel de cette décision plus que contestable. » Il souligne que le dossier d’urbanisme remonte à 2018, avant son élection, et invoque également le déficit de la commune : « vous étiez en déficit mais la loi dit que vous deviez payer en 2 mois. » Une phrase qui, dans sa bouche, sonne comme un aveu : la loi est la loi, sauf lorsqu’elle contraint une mairie.
LE COURRIER DES STRATÈGES
Restez libre !
TIPS · SANS ABONNEMENT
Offrez-nous un café.
Un média libre vit de ses lecteurs. Un pourboire ponctuel, sans compte ni engagement, quand le cœur vous en dit.
Vous donnez ce que vous voulez. Vous restez libre.
La chambre régionale des comptes a certes validé, à l’été 2025, un retour à l’équilibre du budget primitif, après des années de déficit et un plan de redressement soutenu par une subvention COROM portée à 900 000 euros. Autrement dit, la commune n’était pas sans ressources ; elle a simplement choisi, pendant des années, de ne pas honorer des décisions de justice. Et son maire refuse d’avoir fait supporter la facture aux habitants : « ce ne sont pas les Capesterriens qui auraient dû porter le préjudice de la mauvaise gestion du passé ». Soit. Mais les fournisseurs, eux, ont porté ce préjudice, sans avoir voix au chapitre budgétaire.
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Reste une exigence élémentaire de l’État de droit : une administration ne peut réclamer aux administrés le respect des règles tout en traitant les décisions de justice qui la concernent comme de simples contraintes négociables. L’affaire de Capesterre-Belle-Eau rappelle que l’autorité publique ne devrait pas bénéficier d’une indulgence de principe lorsqu’elle manque à ses obligations. La justice ne peut être impérative pour le citoyen et facultative pour la commune.
40 milliards d'économies cumulées sur cinq ans, soit 8 milliards par an, pour une dépense de pensions à 14,1 % du PIB. Deux pour cent. Et le seul étage du projet censé sortir du régime général est garanti par l'État.
Il valore di un immobile dipende da dove si trova ed è in larga parte il valore del suolo su cui sorge. È una rendita di singoli che nasce da investimenti collettivi. In più, spesso si eredita, alimentando disuguaglianze. Tassarla è equo ed efficiente.
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