Putin to meet with Serbia’s deputy PM/node/2570030/world
Putin to meet with Serbia’s deputy PM
Russian President Vladimir Putin, above, will meet with Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin, one of the strongest supporters of the Kremlin among the Serbian governing elite. (Reuters)
Meeting set to take place on the sidelines of an economic forum in Russia’s Vladivostok
Belgrade has remained a rare outlier in Europe for refusing to join international sanctions against the Kremlin
Updated 04 September 2024
AFP
BELGRADE: Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin was set to meet President Vladimir Putin in Russia on Wednesday, nearly a week after Belgrade signed a multi-billion-dollar fighter jet deal with France. The meeting was set to take place on the sidelines of an economic forum in Russia’s Vladivostok, according to Serbian media reports, where Putin arrived on Tuesday following a state visit to Mongolia. Serbia and Russia have historically close ties. Belgrade has also remained a rare outlier in Europe for refusing to join international sanctions against the Kremlin following its invasion of Ukraine. The meeting comes on the heels of a major arms deal signed between France and Serbia last week that will see Belgrade purchase 12 Rafale warplanes from France’s Dassault Aviation. The dozen multi-role fighter aircraft will help Serbia modernize its air force and replace aging Soviet-era combat jets. Following the signing of the deal, Vulin told Russian news agency TASS that the agreement “was done for military and practical reasons and will in no way have a negative impact on relations between the Republic of Serbia and the Russian Federation.” Vulin has long been one of the strongest supporters of the Kremlin among the Serbian governing elite. Vulin was hit with sanctions by Washington in 2023 over alleged corruption when he was still head of the country’s intelligence services. He stepped down from that post in November 2023, after facing alleged Western pressure. Vulin was appointed deputy prime minister at the beginning of May.
French rail unions threaten to strike ahead of Christmas
Updated 3 sec ago
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
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.”
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 14 min 5 sec ago
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.
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 31 min 37 sec ago
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.
Heat, air pollution, disease: How climate change affects health
The latest round of UN climate summit begin next week during what is expected to be the hottest year in recorded history
The COP29 talks will be held in Azerbaijan as the world continues to emit increasing levels of planet-heating fossil fuels
Updated 09 November 2024
AFP
PARIS: Record-breaking heat, extreme weather events, air pollution and the spread of infectious disease: climate change poses an already vast yet rising threat to the health of humans around the world, experts warn.
The latest round of UN climate talks begin next week during what is expected to be the hottest year in recorded history — and in the shadow of climate skeptic Donald Trump’s re-election as US president.
The COP29 negotiations will be held in Azerbaijan as the world continues to emit increasing levels of planet-heating fossil fuels, even as many nations have been lashed by devastating floods, droughts, heatwaves and storms.
Volunteers use poles and canes to search for victims in a paddy field in the Albufera national park near Catarroja, following devastating flooding in the region of Valencia, eastern Spain, on November 9, 2024. (AFP)
“Climate change is making us sick, and urgent action is a matter of life and death,” the World Health Organization warned this week.
Here are some of the ways that global warming affects health.
The EU’s climate monitor said this week that 2024 is “virtually certain” to surpass last year to become the hottest year in recorded history. It is also expected to be the first year that is more than 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average.
Out of 15 ways that climate change impacts health being tracked by experts as part of The Lancet Countdown, 10 have now “reached concerning new records,” according to the group’s latest report.
The number of over-65s who died from heat has risen by 167 percent since the 1990s, just one of the recent all-time highs, the report said.
Extreme heat leads to numerous health risks such as kidney disorders, strokes, adverse pregnancy outcomes, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, organ failure and ultimately death.
This photograph taken on November 6, 2024, shows Ryan Dikan navigating his piraga past exposed portions of the rocky riverbed as droughts affect the Maroni river level, hindering navigation, near the town of Apatou, in French Guiana. (AFP/File)
Jeni Miller, executive director of the Global Climate and Health Alliance, said “this year has underlined the growing impacts of a warming climate on people’s health and wellbeing.”
She pointed to extreme heat leading to 700 deaths and more than 40,000 cases of heat stroke in India, “climate-exacerbated” rains causing a dam to collapse in Nigeria killing 320, and 48 out of 50 US states “experiencing moderate or worse drought.”
Spain is meanwhile still recovering from its deadliest floods in a generation, while parts of the United States and Cuba are picking up the pieces after recent hurricanes.
Droughts, floods and other extreme weather events are also expected to hit global crops, leading to rising hunger in many regions.
Almost all — 99 percent — of the world’s population breathes air that exceeds the World Health Organization’s guidelines for air pollution.
This pollution has been found to increase the risk of respiratory diseases, strokes, heart disease, lung cancer, diabetes and other health problems, posing a threat that has been compared to tobacco.
Almost seven million premature deaths a year are linked to air pollution, according to the WHO.
People walk along a street amid smog in Lahore on November 2, 2024. (AFP/File)
Just last week, Pakistan’s second-biggest city Lahore recorded air pollution at 40 times the level deemed acceptable by the WHO.
In better news, the Lancet Countdown report found that deaths from fossil fuel-related air pollution fell by nearly seven percent from 2016 to 2021, mainly due to efforts to reduce pollution from burning coal.
The changing climate means that mosquitoes, birds and mammals will roam beyond their previous habitats, raising the threat that they could spread infectious diseases with them.
Dengue, chikungunya, Zika, West Nile virus and malaria are all mosquito-borne diseases that could spread wider in a warming world.
The transmission risk of one dengue-spreading mosquito has risen by 43 percent over the last 60 years, according to the Lancet Countdown. A new global record of over five million dengue cases was recorded last year.
Storms and floods create stagnant water that are breeding grounds for mosquitoes, and also increase the risk of water-borne diseases such as cholera, typhoid and diarrhea.
Dutch government investigating possible missed warnings from Israel following riots
Dutch police say four people remain in custody of the 63 people initially detained
Updated 09 November 2024
Reuters
AMSTERDAM: The Dutch government is investigating if possible warning signs from Israel were missed in the events leading up to this week’s assaults on Israeli football fans, Justice Minister David van Weel said in a letter to Parliament.
“An investigation is still being conducted on possible warning signs from Israel,” Van Weel said in his letter late on Friday evening.
At least five people were injured during the assaults on Thursday night and treated in hospital. All were released later on Friday. The incident concerned fans of the visiting Maccabi Tel Aviv football team.
Police on Saturday said four people remained in custody of the 63 people initially detained.
“The Public Prosecution Service has stated that it aims to apply fast-track justice as much as possible,” Van Weel said, adding that it is “the absolute priority” to identify every suspect.
He said the investigation would also examine whether the assaults were organized, with an antisemitic motive.
Political leaders have already denounced the attacks as antisemitic. Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said on Friday he was “horrified by the anti-Semitic attacks on Israeli citizens” and had assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone that “the perpetrators will be identified and prosecuted.”
Israel sent extra planes to The Netherlands to bring fans home, but a Dutch government spokesperson could not immediately confirm how many people made use of this.
Videos on social media on what happened showed riot police in action, with some attackers shouting anti-Israeli slurs. Footage also showed Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters chanting anti-Arab slogans before Thursday evening’s match.
Amsterdam banned demonstrations through the weekend and gave police emergency stop-and-search powers in response to the unrest.
Antisemitic incidents have surged in the Netherlands since Israel launched its assault on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza after the attacks on Israel by Hamas militants in October last year, with many Jewish organizations and schools reporting threats and hate mail.
