America's top diplomat Mike Pompeo was in quarantine Wednesday after being exposed to a person who has tested positive for Covid-19, the State Department said.
The 56-year-old Secretary of State "has been tested and is negative," it said in a statement.
-In accordance with CDC guidelines, he will be in quarantine- the State Department said. -He is being closely monitored by the Department's medical team.-
The State Department said that for privacy reasons it was not identifying the person Pompeo came into contact with.
The US Secretary of State is fourth in the line of succession after the president following the vice president, speaker of the House of Representatives and president pro tempore of the Senate.
President Donald Trump was hospitalized for three days in October after contracting Covid-19. His wife, Melania, and son Barron, also caught the disease.
While Trump frequently appeared in public without a facemask, Pompeo generally wore one during his foreign trips.
Pompeo and his wife, Susan, hosted a holiday party on Tuesday for the families of US diplomats serving overseas.
According to The Washington Post, Pompeo had been scheduled to speak at the event but canceled his speech.
The newspaper said more than 900 invitations had been sent out for the reception but less than 70 people showed up for the indoor event.
US health authorities have discouraged large indoor gatherings amid the coronavirus pandemic which has left more than 300,000 people dead in the United States.
The CNN television network reported meanwhile that Pompeo had been scheduled to meet sometime in the next few days with Antony Blinken, who has been nominated by President-elect Joe Biden to be the next secretary of state.
Pompeo is one of Trump's most loyal supporters and a meeting with Blinken is seen as potentially problematic for the secretary of state since the president has still refused to acknowledge he lost the November 3 election.

The 56-year-old Secretary of State "has been tested and is negative"

The State Department said that for privacy reasons it was not identifying the person Pompeo came into contact with

Pompeo quarantining after contact with Covid-positive person: State Dept

Facebook said Wednesday it will switch legal responsibility for British users from its EU base in Ireland to its US headquarters next year in a change sparked by Brexit.
-Like other companies, Facebook has had to make changes to respond to Brexit and will be transferring legal responsibilities and obligations for UK users from Facebook Ireland to Facebook Inc- a group spokesperson said.
The California-based company added that it will implement the switch from January after the Brexit transition period ends.
That means that the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) privacy charter will no longer apply to the data.
However, British GDPR protections will remain in place, overseen by Britain's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) data watchdog.
-There will be no change to the privacy controls or the services Facebook offers to people in the UK, and the protections of UK GDPR will also apply- the spokesperson added.
Facebook Inc. already retains legal responsibility for users' data from all other nations outside the European region.
Internet search giant Google announced a similar move in February.
The UK-based digital privacy campaign group Open Rights Group slammed Facebook for the move.
-Moving data out of the EU makes it harder to enforce your privacy rights- said Open Rights Group executive director Jim Killock in a statement. 
-It means European actions to limit the power of the tech giants will not apply to UK citizens. It means the UK ICO will need to be pushed to make the same decisions when companies break the law.
--And it means those tech giants can lobby for weaker UK rules to ensure they can get away with things in the UK that they cannot in the EU.-
The government last month announced it would set up a watchdog to regulate tech giants, including Facebook, to help protect smaller competitors and give consumers more control over personal data.
Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden said a new statutory code will aim to make tech giants "more transparent about the services they provide and how they are using consumers' data".

Facebook Inc. already retains legal responsibility for users' data from all other nations outside the European region

EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) privacy charter will no longer apply to the data

Facebook to implement UK accounts switch after Brexit

After its first full board meeting in six years, Libya's central bank announced Wednesday a unification and devaluation of official exchange rates, a move that aims to fight corruption.
The rate nationwide from January 3 will be 4.48 Libyan dinars to the dollar for "all public, private commercial and personal transactions in foreign currency", the Tripoli-based body said in a statement.
Over the last two years, two official rates have been in effect: 1.4 dinars to the dollar for public sector transactions, according to a source at the central bank, and 3.9 dinars for personal and private commercial transactions.
Authorities said the move aims to stem corruption and money laundering that have blighted the economy.
Some have profited by buying dollars at the official rate and selling them on the black market, sometimes at more than seven dinars per dollar.
Libya has been riven by violence since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed veteran dictator Moamer Kadhafi, with two rival administrations vying for control since 2014. 
The central bank has also been split between two branches -- one in Tripoli, seat of the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), and another in Benghazi in the east of the country, an area controlled by strongman Khalifa Haftar.
Representatives of the two branches took part in meetings Monday and Tuesday in Geneva that were also attended by the World Bank.
Wednesday's announcement came after the central bank's first unified board meeting between its directors in six years. 
The UN Support Mission in Libya applauded the announcement as "an important and much needed step towards alleviating the suffering of the Libyan people and a good sign that this vital sovereign institution is moving towards unification".
Forces loyal to the GNA and those of rival Haftar formally agreed a ceasefire in October.
Despite holding Africa's biggest oil reserves, the country has long endured shortages of liquidity, fuel and power, while being hit by soaring prices.&nbsp;

Authorities said the move aims to stem corruption and money laundering that have blighted the economy

Discussions regarding the official exchange rate finally reach a conclusion

Libya central bank unifies exchange rate

Russia's "Gazprom" informed the Management of BH Gas today that it has reduced the delivery of gas to B&amp;H by 50 percent, "Avaz" found out.
According to the documents in the possession of Avaz ", this morning the quantity requested was confirmed, and at 15.39 PM a confirmed smaller quantity by 50 percent arrived.

According to unofficial information that „Avaz“ has, our country is in danger of running out of gas.The information that B&amp;H has reduced gas supplies was also confirmed to us by "BH Gas". The company is seeking an urgent meeting with Prime Minister Fadil Novalić.

For now, the reasons are allegedly of a technical nature, but it is possible that this has a political background.As a reminder, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited B&amp;H two days ago. He first met with members of the RS leadership in East Sarajevo, and then with Milorad Dodik, chairman of the B&amp;H Presidency in the institution's building.However, the meeting with Lavrov was refused by the members of the Presidency of B&amp;H, Željko Komšić and Šefik Džaferović.

At 15.39 PM a confirmed smaller quantity by 50 percent arrived, with a signature from "Gazprom"

Russia reduces gas supplies to B&H by 50 percent!

Bojan Dedić (34) from the Sarajevo's neighborhood Švrakino Selo was arrested today after a complex police operation carried out by investigators of the Federal Police Administration, which interrupted the pedophile channel for the distribution of child pornography!"Avaz" brings the details of the investigation, which even the most experienced criminal inspectors are disgusted with.

Preparations for the searches and arrest of Dedic lasted for two days, and everything was done under the supervision of the Sarajevo Prosecutor's office.
The suspect is connected with the criminal offense of exploiting a child or a minor for the purpose of pornography.
He is also charged with using his knowledge and skills in the field of information technology to continuously download child pornography from the Internet from March 1st last year to October 30th, and also created Facebook user accounts and exchanged photos and videos of children through the "Messenger" application with other pedophiles.
Based on the order of the Municipal Court in Sarajevo, the house used by the suspect was searched, where computers, various digital data storage media, mobile phones, and other items used in the commission of the criminal offense were found and confiscated.

Dedić was interrogated in the premises of the Federal Police Administration, and was handed over to the Cantonal Prosecutor's Office of the Sarajevo Canton.
As a source close to the investigation revealed to us, the suspect was a close associate of Saša Despotović, a pedophile who committed suicide by hanging himself in the Sarajevo Penitentiary in 2017.
They had previously exchanged material containing child pornography. 10,000 photos and recordings of children being humiliated were found in Despotović's house at that time.

Through the "Messenger" application, he exchanged photos and videos of children with other pedophiles

The pedophile was questioned and handed over to the Prosecutor

How FUP investigators cut off the pedophile network of Bojan Dedić from Sarajevo

The US Embassy posted on Twitter on the occasion of the online meeting of the President of the Central Election Commission (CEC) Željko Bakalar, the US Ambassador to B&amp;H Eric Nelson, the High Representative of the European Union to B&amp;H Johann Sattler, the Head of the OSCE Mission to B&amp;H Kathleen Kavalec and the director of the Coalition "Pod lupom" Darija Jovanović.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Sastanak predsjednika <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CIKBiH?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CIKBiH</a> g. Bakalara sa ambasadorom <a href="https://twitter.com/USEmbassySJJ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USEmbassySJJ</a> Nelsonom, šefom Delegacije EU i specijalnim predstavnikom EU u BiH <a href="https://twitter.com/josattler?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@josattler</a>, šeficom <a href="https://twitter.com/OSCEBiH?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OSCEBiH</a> u BiH <a href="https://twitter.com/KathleenKavalec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KathleenKavalec</a> i direktorom Koalicije <a href="https://twitter.com/pod_lupom?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@pod_lupom</a> Dariom Jovanovićem. Više na: <a href="https://t.co/YGGGPzlAhl">https://t.co/YGGGPzlAhl</a> <a href="https://t.co/9k231BnAOf">pic.twitter.com/9k231BnAOf</a>— Central Election Commission of BiH (@IZBORI_BA) <a href="https://twitter.com/IZBORI_BA/status/1339202661015564293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

- Important discussion today. We commend the CEC for their work to ensure that local elections are held in accordance with international standards, and we welcome the proactive role of the Coalition "Pod lupom" in reporting irregularities throughout the election process, the US Embassy's Twitter post said.
They also said they all agree that next year should be a year of action to implement necessary electoral reforms, including those recommended by the OSCE and a group of Council of Europe member states against corruption.

A meeting was held between Bakalar, Nelson, Satttler, Kavalec and Jovanović

US Embassy: Next year should be a year of action to implement the necessary electoral reforms

For the employees of the General Hospital “Prim. dr. Abdulah Nakaš”, the third action of this year's voluntary blood donation was organized today, in which 26 doses of precious liquid were collected.
Blood reserves must be constantly renewed, because blood also has a lifespan (erythrocytes up to 35 days, and platelets only five days). Every dose of blood collected is welcome and can save someone’s life.
The action was organized by the Department of Transfusion Medicine of the General Hospital in cooperation with the Institute of Transfusion Medicine of FB&amp;H.
The organizer thanks all the employees who participated in this humanitarian act, according to a statement from the General Hospital.

Blood reserves must be constantly replenished, because blood also has a lifespan

A voluntary blood donation campaign was held at the General Hospital

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of B&amp;H prof. dr. Zlatko Lagumdžija spoke at the international conference "Legacy of Peace - 25 Years of the Dayton - Paris Peace Agreement", organized by the Croatian Academy of Science and Art and the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.Lagumdžija pointed out that a real dialogue was held at the conference, and that two concepts could be heard - one that insists on resolving the "Croatian issue" and advocates constitutionality and ethnic representation, and the other that he advocated, which advocates B&amp;H as a civic, secular and liberal democratic state.
- There is no reason for B&amp;H not to be organized as a civil and liberal-democratic state like the EU countries, unless behind this whole story of constitutivity there is a motive for not accepting that you should have one country in the EU where Muslims are the majority and then you are trying to package it into a constitutivity that is essentially the last recurrence of the Communist-Bolshevik constitutivity that is almost 100 years old. In the end, Yugoslavia ended in blood, and the Soviet Union went into dissolution, thanks, among other things, to that concept of constitutivity - said Lagumdžija.
Lagumdžija points out that even the highest Western experts have a problem in understanding the concept of constitutivity, which is completely foreign to their countries.
- The strongest argument was given by Ambassador Hill, who was Richard Holbrooke's deputy, who drew attention to the fact that in Dayton, Americans who are top experts in constitutional law could not understand the concept of what we are talking about when we talk about constitutivity - said the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of B&amp;H.
As he claims, the examples of Sarajevo and Vareš show the meaninglessness of the arguments about "legitimate representation".
- You have the situation that in the capital of B&amp;H today is the Prime Minister of the Canton Mario Nenadić, the Mayor of Centar Srđan Mandić, and the future mayor will be Bogić Bogićević. You also have the example of Vareš, where Zdravko Marošević, otherwise a member of the HDZ, won with the majority of Bosniak votes.-
Lagumdžija also pointed out that the latest messages from the newly elected American president and European officials are very encouraging:
- Joe Biden talks about a different B&amp;H from this one, which is based on national atavisms, and that was confirmed by his address on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Dayton. There is a clear strategy for which B&amp;H that America will stand for. But the presentation of Josep Borrell, as well as, for example, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, is also encouraging. The two spoke exclusively about human rights and justice in B&amp;H, Lagumdžija said.

At the conference held in Zagreb, two concepts on the possible organization of B&H clashed

Lagumdžija for "Avaz": Constituent nations are Communist-Bolshevik recurrence, not European value

Yesterday, the Prosecutor's Office of B&amp;H filed an indictment against Vahidin Šahinpašić, Chief Inspector of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA). He is charged with the criminal offenses of unlawful deprivation of liberty and obstruction of justice.He is charged that on August 30th, 2017., then Deputy Chief of the SIPA Criminal Investigation Department, without respecting internal procedures and without the knowledge or order of the competent prosecutor and the court, issued an order to SIPA members to locate and detain a person with the initials J. Š. Đ. They did so and held the detainee illegally.
Šahinpašić is also charged with using threats, intimidation, promising and offering illicit benefits in the night between 5th and 6th of September 2017-, and forcing J. Š. Đ. to drink alcohol with the aim of giving a false statement against the then Deputy Chief Prosecutor Gordana Tadić and the then Vice President of the HJPC Ružica Jukić.
He is charged with, as an official in B&amp;H institutions, unlawfully depriving another of his freedom of movement and using threats, intimidation, promising and offering illicit benefits in order to induce another to give false testimony in criminal proceedings under B&amp;H law.

He is charged with unlawful deprivation of liberty and obstruction of justice

Šahinpašić: He threatened the arrested

Šahinpašić forced the arrested person to give a false statement

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday called US sanctions against Ankara over its purchase of a Russian missile defence system an "open attack" on the NATO member state's sovereignty.
The United States made good on months of threats to punish Turkey for buying the S-400 system under a 2017 law known as CAATSA, which aims to limit Russia's military influence and punish it for its behaviour abroad.
The sanctions were lighter than feared, but Erdogan noted that they had never before been used against a fellow member of NATO.
-Sanctions are imposed on our country, a NATO member. What kind of an alliance is this?- Erdogan asked during a televised speech in Ankara.
-This decision is an open attack on our sovereignty- he added.
Washington had already punished Ankara in July by barring it from developing parts for and acquiring America's next-generation F-35 fighter jets.
This week's punitive measures included a ban on all US export licences and loan credits for Turkey's military procurement agency.
Its president Ismail Demir and three other executives were also barred from travel or holding assets in the US.
The State Department said the sanctions "are not intended to undermine the military capabilities or combat readiness of Turkey... but rather to impose costs on Russia in response to its wide range of malign activities".

But in his first public comments about the sanctions, Erdogan called them unjust.
He repeated Turkey's claim that Washington would not sell the US equivalent to the S-400, the Patriot, to Ankara.
US officials say Turkey was offered the system, but that negotiations broke down after Ankara demanded to also obtain proprietary production and operations data about the Patriots.
-The more Turkey grows, the more Turkey inches closer to its goals, the more it stands up for its sovereign rights, the more it is subjected to attacks- Erdogan said.
-Because we met our needs somewhere else, they pulled the sanctions trigger.-
Washington says the S-400 system would put the security of US military technology and personnel at risk, as well as providing funds to the Russian defence industry.
Erdogan said Turkey offered to resolve the issue through diplomacy and would now redouble its efforts to developing its own arsenal.
-To make our defence industry independent, we will work twice as hard, we will accelerate our defence industry agency's projects, we will give more support to our defence-related companies- he said.
The sanctions are the latest thorn in US-Turkey relations, with the NATO allies at loggerheads over Syria, Libya and the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
But with a month before the swearing in of President-elect Joe Biden, who once described Erdogan as an "autocrat", Ankara's language has generally softened towards Washington.

The sanctions are the latest thorn in US-Turkey relations

Erdogan: This decision is an open attack on our sovereignty

Erdogan calls US sanctions 'attack on sovereignty'

The visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Bosnia and Herzegovina has been marked by scandals, and comes at a turbulent time of strengthening US and EU influence in B&amp;H, Johns Hopkins University professor in Washington Daniel Serwer told „Avaz“.

He pointed out that it is still difficult to know the real or behind-the-scenes reasons for the visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
He added that it is still evident that Lavrov's visit was realized during the ever-expanding discussion on the necessary changes to the Dayton Peace Agreement.
- I can't know what some B&amp;H politicians talked about with Lavrov. But certainly what many in the West are currently saying about the need for crucial reforms in Bosnia and Herzegovina is not what Moscow wants to hear and wants to talk about - Serwer emphasized.
When asked about the official intentions of Moscow in the coming period, Serwer points out that the visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia clearly sent a message that the Russian Federation will not give up its influence so easily.
- At the moment, I cannot imagine a situation in which Russia would relinquish its influence in B&amp;H, but also in the Western Balkans. It should be noted that Russia's influence is primarily manifested in moves that seek only to create additional problems for the West - said Server.

Serwer also commented the fact that B&amp;H Presidency members Željko Komšić and Šefik Džaferović refused to meet with Lavrov.
- The message that should have been sent is that Lavrov and official Moscow are obliged to respect the central state institutions located in Sarajevo. Thus, a message of support for secessionists was sent - Serwer believes.

Serwer also commented the fact that Lavrov began his two-day visit not with a meeting with representatives of B&amp;H institutions, but with SNSD leader Milorad Dodik, and he pointed out that such a scenario was expected.
- Unfortunately, we could have expected that from Lavrov and official Moscow. It should be especially taken into account that Lavrov is committed to supporting Milorad Dodik, and not to the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which he clearly demonstrated with this visit - Serwer believes.

What many in the West are currently saying about the need for crucial reforms in B&H is not what Moscow wants to hear and want to talk about, says Serwer

Serwer: What are the real reasons for his visit

Lavrov supported the secessionists

Celebrated CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour and former US President Bill Clinton were among the speakers at yesterday's conference organized by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Agreement.

Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States, said he was sorry it took a long time for NATO action to end the war and killings in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and that there is still too much tension in B&amp;H, as well as those who do not want it to be recognized as a legitimate state.
- The late Holbrooke said that success requires "flexibility of tactics and a constant vision for the ultimate goal". That was essential for achieving peace 25 years ago, but also for making progress - Clinton pointed out.
Clinton stated that both are missing today in relation to B&amp;H.
- There are no flexible tactics or vision to achieve the goal. The United States, everyone who cares about B&amp;H, needs to be actors again to untie this Gordian knot. Progress is possible within the framework of Dayton, especially if the United States is active - Clinton said.
He also quoted Alija Izetbegović, the first president of the B&amp;H presidency, who said: "Even the worst peace is better than the continuation of the war" and added that it can be used as a new beginning for everyone.
According to him, cooperation of NATO and the EU are priorities for the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Serious efforts must be made to fix the economy in the country for the betterment of all citizens.

- My country will have a new president in a month, who is a friend of B&amp;H. He said he was committed to your future. President Biden will enable partnership and our shared values of democracy. We must move on, the long-term successes of B&amp;H and the Balkans are key to the EU and the US. We must be partners and continue to work together - said Kilnton.

<h2>Crimes could have been prevented earlier</h2>

Christiane Amanpour who reported from B&amp;H during the war and is one of the most deserving people that the world learned about the scale of horrific crimes in our country, pointed out that the intervention of American forces in B&amp;H showed that mass crimes and genocide could have been prevented much earlier. 
- After the massacre in Srebrenica, after the second massacre in Markale, NATO carried out air strikes and cleared some military strongholds of Bosnian Serbs, and that stopped the war in a very short period of time - said Amanpour.

The former US president called for a far greater engagement of the USA and Europe in B&H

Clinton spoke at the assembly: Progress is possible

Clinton: Biden is a great friend of B&H

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government thinks people should make their own decision about meeting up for Christmas during the coronavirus pandemic, but given the risk some may want to wait for Easter to gather with their family, a British minister said on Wednesday.After imposing the most onerous restrictions in British peacetime history, Johnson is keen to avoid becoming the prime minister who cancelled Christmas, even though the United Kingdom has the sixth worst official COVID-19 death toll in the world.
The government came under pressure on Tuesday to revise its plan to relax COVID-19 restrictions for five days around Christmas, with two influential medical journals making a rare joint appeal for the policy to be scrapped.
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said it was for people to make up their own minds but suggested that for some Easter (in April 2021) could be the new Christmas - especially those who were in high risk groups.
-How much do they want to bring members of their broader family together at Christmas or whether they think on this occasion lets just keep it small and we can meet up in the Spring - Easter can be the new Christmas for some people- he told Sky.
-It’s not for government to tell people exactly how to handle this situation- he told the BBC.
Some families have said they will meet up no matter what the government decrees.
COVID-19 has battered the United Kingdom: The government’s most conservative death toll measure is 64,908, second only to Italy in Europe, while government borrowing is set to hit a peacetime high of 394 billion pounds ($531 billion) in 2020/21.
Medical views are divided with concern growing among cancer specialists, for example, that many cancers are going undiagnosed due to the public health focus on COVID-19.
Cases are ticking up again in the United Kingdom, and particularly in London which went into the highest tier of lockdown from midnight.
The highest tier means that pubs and restaurants are closed, but shops are not. Still, revellers partied into the night in London’s Soho ahead of the restrictions, Reuters photographers said. One woman sported large purple burlesque feather fans.
Johnson, who before he became prime minister in 2019 repeatedly railed against “the creep of the nanny state”, has kept England under COVID-19 lockdown of varying severity for much of 2020, often to the dismay of some members of his Conservative Party.
But Johnson is keen to avoid cancelling Christmas for the first time since frivolous behaviour was outlawed in the festival under Puritan leader Oliver Cromwell during the 16th Century. Pro-Christmas riots broke out in response to the Puritan crackdown.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own policies.

Johnson is keen to avoid becoming the prime minister who cancelled Christmas

FILE PHOTO: Women walk outside a restaurant following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in London, Britain, December 15, 2020.

'Easter can be the new Christmas,' British minister suggests

A Paris court was set Wednesday to issue its verdict in the trial of 14 suspected accomplices of the Islamist gunmen who murdered some of France's most famous cartoonists at satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in 2015, killings that horrified the nation.
Seventeen people were killed over three days of attacks in January 2015, beginning with the massacre of 12 people at the magazine, which had published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.
That attack was followed by the murder of a French policewoman and the hostage-taking at the Hyper Cacher market in which four Jewish men were killed.
The massacres, which signalled the start of a wave of Islamist attacks around Europe, triggered a global outpouring of solidarity with France under the "I am Charlie" slogan.
All three assailants were killed in shootouts with the police in the wake of the attacks, leaving only accomplices to face trial.
Those on trial are accused of assisting brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi, who carried out the Charlie Hebdo massacre, and their accomplice, the supermarket hostage-taker Amedy Coulibaly.
Over three months long, the trial was repeatedly held up due to the Covid-19 pandemic but has again highlighted the horror of the attacks, during a period when France has again faced killings blamed on Islamist radicals.

On the cover of its new issue to mark the verdicts, Charlie Hebdo in typically provocative style published a picture of God being led away in a police van with the title "God put in his place".
-The cycle of violence, which had began in the offices of Charlie Hebdo, will finally be closed- its editor-in-chief Laurent "Riss" Sourisseau, who was badly injured in the attacks, wrote in an editorial.
-If only only the criminal level. Because on a human one, the consequences will never be erased, as the testimony of the victims at the trial showed- Riss added.
Anti-terrorism prosecutors are seeking jail terms ranging from five years to life imprisonment for the accused.
Defence lawyers have slammed the prosecution's case as thin on evidence and warned against making examples of the accused to compensate for the fact that the killers themselves cannot be tried.
Prosecutors are seeking a life sentence for Ali Riza Polat, a 35-year-old French-Turkish friend of Coulibaly's, whom they presented as his "right-hand man".
Polat admitted to the court he had dabbled in crime, including drug trafficking, but denied any knowledge of a terrorist plot.
Also facing a life sentence is Coulibaly's girlfriend Hayat Boumeddiene, who fled to Syria shortly after the attacks and was one of three tried in absentia.
Riss acknowledged in his editorial that there had been "great difficulty" in establishing the criminal responsibility of the accused in the hearings, while adding the trial was "first and foremost that of this political terror which one calls Islamism".

The trial revived memories of attacks that established a pattern of radicalised French Muslim youths being inspired or directed by jihadist groups to attack their homeland.
The Kouachi brothers claimed they were acting on behalf of Al-Qaeda while Coulibaly had sworn loyalty to the Islamic State group. 
During the trial, survivors of the attacks recounted scenes of horror. 
Columnist Sigolene Vinson, who survived the Charlie Hebdo massacre, told of the "deathly silence" in the office as her colleagues lay dead all around her.
Former Hyper Cacher cashier Zarie Sibony described stepping over bodies in the aisles of the supermarket during Coulibaly's four-hour standoff with police.
Those killed in the Charlie Hebdo attack included some of France's most celebrated cartoonists such as Jean Cabut, known as Cabu, 76, Georges Wolinski, 80, and Stephane "Charb" Charbonnier, 47.
To mark the start of the trial on September 2, Charlie Hebdo defiantly republished the cartoons of the prophet that had angered Muslims. 
Three weeks later, a Pakistani man wounded two people outside the magazine's former offices, hacking at them with a cleaver.
On October 16, a young Chechen refugee beheaded teacher Samuel Paty who had showed some of the caricatures to his pupils.
And on October 29, three people were killed when a young Tunisian recently arrived in Europe went on a stabbing spree in a church in the Mediterranean city of Nice.
President Emmanuel Macron's government has introduced legislation to tackle radical Islamist activity in France, a bill that has stirred anger in some Muslim countries.

The slogan "Je Suis Charlie" (I am Charlie) has come to symbolise the fight for freedom of expression after jihadist gunmen stormed the Paris offices satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in 2015.

Verdict awaited in French trial over Charlie Hebdo attack

Organized by the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, an international conference "Legacy of Peace - 25 Years of the Dayton-Paris Peace Agreement" was held.During his presentation, Haris Silajdžić once again emphasized that there was no civil war in B&amp;H, but aggression. He added that the aggression was rewarded by the Dayton Peace Agreement and called on the international community not to repeat the same mistake and to reward aggression and genocide again.
- The basic idea after the war in B&amp;H was the idea of a greater Serbia. An idea that is not new - Silajdžić explained.
He added that the international community allowed the war in B&amp;H to happen.
- What happened then, continues today. Genocide continues today in B&amp;H. Because the status quo has prevented victims from returning to their homes. Anks 7 has not been implemented to this date. How do we stop this? That is our membership in the NATO alliance, at that moment the government in Belgrade will be helpless and then the normal political forces in Serbia will take over the government - Silajdžić believes.
He added that there are still people in B&amp;H who are ready to defend Bosnia and Herzegovina.
One of the speakers was Wesley Clark, a retired general of the United States Army and commander of NATO allied forces in Europe from 1997 to 2000.
- It hurts me when I hear what Dr. Silajdžić is talking about, but I have to say that he is right. I was in Sarajevo, walking in the trenches, talking to Bosnian soldiers. I also talked to General Ratko Mladić, at that time he had not yet been convicted of a war crime. During the winter of 1994-1995. The United States observed the situation in B&amp;H. At that time, Bosnian forces tried to break through the ring around Sarajevo, and in response, Serb forces attacked protected zones, and above all Žepa - Clark said.

He added that a meeting with Slobodan Milošević followed.
- We asked with who we should negotiate, Milošević answered only with him. I asked him how it is when he is the president of a neighboring state. He replied that Bosnian Serbs should be seen as relatives from the village. We asked him about the killing of Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica, Milošević said that he advised Ratko Mladić not to do that - Clark recalled.
According to him, Milošević forced Momčilo Krajišnik to comply to the agreement.
- After that, the question was what to do with war criminals. When I became the commander of NATO, that was my first task. After that, things changed. There were also threats to our soldiers, and they were led by the British. We used the army, but we did not use military force - said Clark.
He added that during 1995, negotiations were held with the representatives of the Russian Federation.
- Later that year, Russia withdrew its forces from B&amp;H across the Drina river. So Russia has never supported what we did in B&amp;H - Clark said.

It hurts me to hear what Dr. Silajdžić is talking about, but I have to say he's right, Clark said

Clark: Russia has never supported what we did in B&H

General Wesley Clark: Milosević told me that Bosnian Serbs should be seen as relatives from the countryside

A conference on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Agreement is being organized by the European Council on Foreign Relations. Celebrated journalist Christian Amanpur and former US President Bill Clinton are addressing the conference.
The conference discusses the challenges facing BiH and explores the possibilities of transatlantic co-operation in the Western Balkans.

Watch the live address of Bill Clinton, the former US president, on Avaz TV.

Pompeo quarantining after contact with Covid-positive person: State Dept

Facebook to implement UK accounts switch after Brexit

Libya central bank unifies exchange rate

Russia reduces gas supplies to B&H by 50 percent!

How FUP investigators cut off the pedophile network of Bojan Dedić from Sarajevo

US Embassy: Next year should be a year of action to implement the necessary electoral reforms

A voluntary blood donation campaign was held at the General Hospital

Lagumdžija for "Avaz": Constituent nations are Communist-Bolshevik recurrence, not European value

Šahinpašić forced the arrested person to give a false statement

Erdogan calls US sanctions 'attack on sovereignty'

Lavrov supported the secessionists

Clinton: Biden is a great friend of B&H

'Easter can be the new Christmas,' British minister suggests

Verdict awaited in French trial over Charlie Hebdo attack

General Wesley Clark: Milosević told me that Bosnian Serbs should be seen as relatives from the countryside

Avaz TV broadcasts Bill Clinton's address live

News

Pompeo quarantining after contact with Covid-positive person: State Dept

Facebook to implement UK accounts switch after Brexit

Libya central bank unifies exchange rate

Russia reduces gas supplies to B&H by 50 percent!

How FUP investigators cut off the pedophile network of Bojan Dedić from Sarajevo

US Embassy: Next year should be a year of action to implement the necessary electoral reforms

A voluntary blood donation campaign was held at the General Hospital

Lagumdžija for "Avaz": Constituent nations are Communist-Bolshevik recurrence, not European value

Šahinpašić forced the arrested person to give a false statement

Erdogan calls US sanctions 'attack on sovereignty'

Lavrov supported the secessionists

Clinton: Biden is a great friend of B&H

'Easter can be the new Christmas,' British minister suggests

Verdict awaited in French trial over Charlie Hebdo attack

General Wesley Clark: Milosević told me that Bosnian Serbs should be seen as relatives from the countryside

Avaz TV broadcasts Bill Clinton's address live