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Biden, Harris to meet US negotiating team on Gaza hostage deal

Biden, Harris to meet US negotiating team on Gaza hostage deal
President Joe Biden, left, and Vice President Kamala Harris speak in Largo. (File/AP)
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Updated 02 September 2024
AFP
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Biden, Harris to meet US negotiating team on Gaza hostage deal

Biden, Harris to meet US negotiating team on Gaza hostage deal
  • Biden’s official schedule was revised to make time for the White House meeting, which will also be attended by Vice President Kamala Harris
Updated 02 September 2024
AFP
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WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden will sit down on Monday with US negotiators pushing for a hostage-release deal in the Israel-Hamas war, the White House said, after the deaths of six captives in Gaza, including an American citizen.
Biden’s official schedule was revised to make time for the White House meeting, which will also be attended by Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running to succeed him in November’s presidential election.
A statement announcing Biden’s updated schedule said he and Harris would meet Monday “with the US hostage deal negotiating team following the murder of American citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five other hostages by Hamas on Saturday, and discuss efforts to drive toward a deal that secures the release of the remaining hostages.”
The United States, along with fellow mediators Egypt and Qatar, has spent months pushing for a hostage-prisoner exchange and ceasefire in the war in Gaza.
Militants seized 251 hostages during the October 7 attack on Israel that sparked the war, 97 of whom remain in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead.
Scores of hostages were released during a one-week truce in November, with campaigners and family members believing another deal is the best option to ensure the rest return.
A nationwide strike in Israel aimed at ramping up pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to secure the release of the remaining captives was set to begin Monday.
Hostage relatives and advocates have accused Netanyahu’s administration of not doing enough to bring the captives back alive, and have called for an immediate ceasefire to rescue the rest.

Topics: War on Gaza Kamala Harris Joe Biden

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Croatia arrests four over attack on foreign workers

Updated 8 sec ago
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Croatia arrests four over attack on foreign workers

Croatia arrests four over attack on foreign workers
Updated 8 sec ago
Police said on Saturday that the four arrested were being investigated over a “hate crime“
The attack was immediately followed by three other incidents targeting foreign food-delivery workers, also in Split

ZAGREB: Police in Croatia on Saturday said that four men were arrested over a racially-motivated attack against foreign workers followed by three similar incidents that left one Nepali seriously injured.
The European Union country of 3.8 million people is struggling to overcome chronic labor shortage as it faces mass emigration and a shrinking population.
Traditionally reliant on seasonal workers from its Balkan neighbors, Croatia is increasingly counting on laborers from Nepal, India, the Philippines and elsewhere to fill tens of thousands of jobs notably in construction and its key tourism sector on the Adriatic coast.
Police said on Saturday that the four arrested, who are suspected of physically attacking a food-delivery worker in the coastal town of Split, were being investigated over a “hate crime.”
Late Friday, a 41-year-old foreign national and one attacker sustained minor injuries, a police statement said.
The attack was immediately followed by three other incidents targeting foreign food-delivery workers, also in Split, in which one Nepali was seriously injured.
Another victim was Indian, while the nationalities of the other two were not disclosed.
Police said a search for the perpetrators was ongoing.
The government condemned the incidents, labelling them “shocking and disturbing” and vowed on social media “not to allow Croatia to become a country where violence and hatred toward foreign workers are normalized.”
“Foreign workers filled a segment on the labor market that we obviously could not,” Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic told reporters citing construction and tourist sectors.
Croatia in 2023 provided nearly 120,000 non-EU nationals with work permits, 40 percent more than the previous year.
This year the figure will be surpassed as nearly 150,000 work permits have so far been issued to non-EU nationals.
The number of attacks on foreign workers, notably those delivering food has been increasing, police in the capital Zagreb said earlier this year.
In most cases, they were not racially-motivated but were robberies.
Migrants have been regularly pilloried online with the new labor force facing language barriers and negative attitudes toward foreigners.
Ethnic Croats make up more than 90 percent of Croatia’s population — nearly 80 percent of whom are Roman Catholics.

Bangladesh faces second-deadliest dengue outbreak amid climate, political crises

Bangladesh faces second-deadliest dengue outbreak amid climate, political crises
Updated 13 min 49 sec ago
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Bangladesh faces second-deadliest dengue outbreak amid climate, political crises

Bangladesh faces second-deadliest dengue outbreak amid climate, political crises
  • Dengue used to be confined to main cities but transmission has been widespread since 2023
  • Mosquito control measures hindered by July-August unrest and regime change
Updated 13 min 49 sec ago
SHEHAB SUMON

DHAKA: Bangladesh’s dengue fever outbreak this year is its second deadliest on record, raising concerns over widespread transmission as infection rates show no signs of slowing.
Each year, dengue fever becomes a major health concern in Bangladesh during the monsoon season between July and October, with thousands of people contracting the potentially deadly virus transmitted by the Aedes mosquito.
The incidence of the disease has increased dramatically since the early 2000s, with the worst outbreak claiming 1,705 lives last year.
This year, the dengue toll is already the second worst in history, with 69,922 people hospitalized and 342 dengue-related deaths, according to Directorate General of Health Services data as of Saturday.
While previous outbreaks would normally end in October, this year it saw the highest infection numbers, with more than 30,870 people admitted to hospital.
“This trend of dengue infection will probably continue till next January. We can expect a decline in the infection rate in some two weeks from now, but it will still be higher in comparison with November and December in the previous years,” Prof. Kabirul Bashar, an entomologist from Jahangirnagar University in Dhaka, told Arab News.
“There are various reasons for the rise of dengue outbreak this year. Among them, the impact of climate change is very prominent here. It has created a suitable environment for the breeding of the Aedes mosquitoes. Also, there are many dengue patients — they, too, are the virus’s carriers.”
While dengue outbreaks in Bangladesh have usually been confined to urban areas, with cities such as Dhaka reporting most of the cases, since last year, the virus has been reported in every district, even reaching remote and previously unaffected rural areas.
Rising global temperatures have accelerated the spread of the Aedes mosquito, the primary carrier of the virus, while heavy rainfall has created an ideal environment for the insects to breed.
An additional problem faced by Bangladesh this year was the lack of dengue control campaigns, with efforts disrupted by the sudden regime change in the country amid unrest in July and August that led to the ouster of the previous administration.
“The impacts of climate change and insufficient mosquito control measures by authorities have been key factors driving the increase in the dengue outbreak,” Bashar said.
“The most worrying issue is the high death rate. No other country has such high mortality. Our health authorities need to consider this issue very seriously.”
Deaths during the current outbreak are mostly occurring as patients come to hospitals at a late stage, often after a long time traveling, as most specialist and testing facilities are available only in major urban centers.
Since last year, many patients have contracted the virus for a second or third time — some even with multiple strains, which decreases their chances of survival.
“There are four strains of dengue. Last year, we also found patients infected with all of them. This year, too,” said Dr. Khondoker Mahbuba Jamil, virologist laboratory head of the Institute of Public Health in Dhaka.
“The disease becomes more severe when someone is infected for the second time, leading to immunological complications ... And when someone is infected with a different strain for the second time, their immunological response becomes excessive. That’s what is happening this time.”

Topics: Bangladesh monsoon outbreak

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French rail unions threaten to strike ahead of Christmas

French rail unions threaten to strike ahead of Christmas
Updated 42 min 55 sec ago
AFP
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French rail unions threaten to strike ahead of Christmas

French rail unions threaten to strike ahead of Christmas
  • The unions are demanding a moratorium on the dismantling of Fret SNCF and protesting against the terms and conditions for opening up regional lines to competition
  • Industrial action at SNCF has repeatedly disrupted travel during school holidays
Updated 42 min 55 sec ago
AFP

PARIS: Trade unions at France’s railway operator SNCF on Saturday called for an indefinite strike from next month that could disrupt train services during the upcoming Christmas holidays.
The unions are demanding a moratorium on the dismantling of Fret SNCF, the freight division of the national rail operator, and protesting against the terms and conditions for opening up regional lines to competition.
In a joint statement to AFP, the CGT-Cheminots, Unsa-Ferroviaire, Sud-Rail and CFDT-Cheminots unions said the action would begin on December 11.
The unions also reiterated their call for shorter strike action from November 20 to November 22.
Industrial action at SNCF has repeatedly disrupted travel during school holidays.
In February, train controllers went on strike during a holiday weekend, leaving 150,000 people stranded. A Christmas strike in December 2022 affected some 200,000 holidaymakers.
In 2023, the European Commission announced an in-depth investigation into whether France breached EU rules on state support by subsidising the freight division of SNCF.
The French government launched a restructuring process which will see France’s top rail freight company disappear on January 1, 2025 and be replaced by two separate companies, Hexafret and Technis.
The plan was negotiated by the French government and the European Commission to avoid a reorganization procedure that could have led to the outright liquidation of the company, which employs 5,000 people.
In their statement, the trade unions “reaffirm that a moratorium is possible and necessary to allow the various players to get back to the table and find ways of guaranteeing not only the continuity of Fret SNCF, but also its development over the longer term.”

Topics: France SNCF railway operator Christmas

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UK’s Queen Camilla to miss events as Kate returns to public life

UK’s Queen Camilla to miss events as Kate returns to public life
Updated 09 November 2024
AFP
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UK’s Queen Camilla to miss events as Kate returns to public life

UK’s Queen Camilla to miss events as Kate returns to public life
  • A palace spokesperson said: “While this is a source of great disappointment to The Queen, she will mark the occasion privately at home“
  • The events are being closely watched as they are set to see Catherine, Princess of Wales, take a major step in her recovery from cancer
Updated 09 November 2024
AFP

LONDON: Queen Camilla, the wife of Britain’s head of state King Charles III, will miss two of the most important dates in the royal calendar this weekend because of a chest infection, Buckingham Palace said Saturday.
The 77-year-old will skip Saturday evening’s Festival of Remembrance commemorative concert and Sunday’s ceremony at the Cenotaph war memorial, events that honor Britain’s war dead.
“Following doctors’ guidance to ensure a full recovery from a seasonal chest infection, and to protect others from any potential risk, Her Majesty will not attend this weekend’s Remembrance events,” a palace spokesperson said.
“While this is a source of great disappointment to The Queen, she will mark the occasion privately at home and hopes to return to public duties early next week.”
British media reported that there had been no downturn in Camilla’s condition, and that she was mindful of minimizing the risk of passing any lingering infection to others.
The events are being closely watched as they are set to see Catherine, Princess of Wales, take a major step in her recovery from cancer as she attends her first major royal occasion since ending chemotherapy.
In March, the palace announced that Kate, as she is widely known, had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy.
The shock announcement came after the palace had announced the previous month that Charles had been diagnosed with an undisclosed cancer and would withdraw from public life to undergo treatment.
Both have since made limited returns to public duties, but Charles — who recently toured Australia and Samoa, — is still undergoing treatment.
Catherine, 42, said in September that she had completed her chemotherapy and was looking forward to undertaking more engagements “when I can.”
Charles, 75, will lead the royal family at the commemorative events, which will also be attended by his eldest son Prince William, heir to the throne and husband to Catherine.
Senior royals traditionally attend the solemn wreath-laying at the monument near parliament alongside political leaders, current and former members of the armed forces, including war veterans.
William said this week that the past year had been “brutal” and probably the “hardest” of his life because of the twin diagnoses.
“Honestly, it’s been dreadful,” he told reporters on Thursday at the end of a four-day visit to South Africa for his Earthshot prize initiative.
“So, trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult.”
Buckingham Palace said on Tuesday that Camilla, who accompanied Charles on his Australia and Samoa tour, had been forced to postpone her engagements for the week with a chest infection.
It added that her attendance at the weekend events would be subject to medical advice nearer the time.

Topics: Queen Camilla King Charles UK Festival of Remembrance Catherine Princess of Wales

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One of 8 migrants sent to Albania returned to Italy

One of 8 migrants sent to Albania returned to Italy
Updated 09 November 2024
AP
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One of 8 migrants sent to Albania returned to Italy

One of 8 migrants sent to Albania returned to Italy
  • The Egyptian man was diagnosed with “psychic problems,” which made it impossible for him to remain at the Gjadër reception center
  • Currently only seven migrants – five from Bangladesh and two from Egypt – remain at the Albanian center
Updated 09 November 2024
AP

ROME: One of the eight migrants brought for processing in an Albanian center after being intercepted in international waters has returned to Italy after being deemed “vulnerable,” a delegation of Italian activists and lawmakers visiting the center said on Saturday.
The Egyptian man was diagnosed with “psychic problems,” which made it impossible for him to remain at the Gjadër reception center, one of the activists said. Currently only seven migrants – five from Bangladesh and two from Egypt – remain at the Albanian center.
The group represented the second transfer of migrants since two processing centers started operating in October under a deal sealed between Italy and Albania. Human rights groups and nongovernmental organizations active in the Mediterranean have slammed the agreement as a dangerous precedent that conflicts with international laws.
The agreement allows up to 3,000 migrants intercepted by the Italian coast guard in international waters each month to be sheltered in Albania, and vetted for possible asylum in Italy or be sent back to their countries.
Italy has agreed to welcome those migrants who are granted asylum, while those whose applications are rejected face deportation directly from Albania.
The first group of 16 migrants from Bangladesh and Egypt was transferred to Albania on Oct. 16. Four were taken to Italy the same day because they were minors or had health issues. Twelve others were brought back to Italy three days later, following a ruling by Rome judges who rejected their detention because their countries of origin weren’t safe enough for them to be sent back.
The court ruling had shortened the list of countries considered “safe” by law, meaning that Rome can repatriate migrants from those countries who didn’t win asylum using a fast-track procedure. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni slammed the decision, noting that deeming countries such as Bangladesh and Egypt unsafe means that virtually all migrants would be barred from the Albania program.
On Oct. 21, Italy’s far-right government approved a new decree aimed at overcoming those judicial hurdles that risked derailing the contentious five-year migration deal with Albania.
A decision by Rome judges on the detention of the seven migrants currently in Albania is expected for Monday.

Topics: Italy Albania migrants Egyptian

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