North Macedonia orders detention for 13 people over nightclub fire that killed 59
Authorities have said the club’s license was obtained illegally
State prosecutor Ljupco Kocevski said a total of 24 suspects were being held and three were still in hospital after the fire
Updated 22 March 2025
Reuters
SKOPJE: Thirteen people including a former government minister were remanded in custody for 30 days in North Macedonia on Friday over a nightclub blaze, believed to have been caused by pyrotechnics, that killed 59 people including six minors.
The incident, in which another 197 people were injured, has shattered Kocani, a town of 25,000 people east of the capital Skopje.
Authorities have said the club’s license was obtained illegally, and that the venue lacked fire extinguishers and emergency exits and was made of flammable materials.
State prosecutor Ljupco Kocevski said a total of 24 suspects were being held and three were still in hospital after the fire, which he said had been caused by a “chain of omissions and illegal actions by officials.”
The suspects include officials responsible for the operating licenses, the club owner, a member of a band that played in the club, police officers, and security guards who let in minors and pyrotechnics, he said.
Authorities have been inspecting nightclubs and cafes around the country this week for safety violations.
Aid cuts could leave more women dying in pregnancy and birth, UN says
“One of the headline messages is that the funding cuts risk not only that progress, but we could have a shift backward,” said Dr. Bruce Aylward, Assistant Director-General, Universal Health Coverage at the WHO
Updated 24 sec ago
Reuters
LONDON: Cuts to aid budgets are threatening to undermine years of progress in reducing the number of women dying during pregnancy and childbirth, and could lead to a rise in deaths, the United Nations has warned.
Globally, there was a 40 percent decline in maternal deaths between 2000 and 2023, a report by UN agencies including the World Health Organization (WHO) showed on Monday, largely due to better access to essential health services.
That could now go into reverse, the WHO said in a statement accompanying the report which did not mention specific cuts but came in the wake of a foreign aid freeze by the US government and the ending of funding through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for many programs.
Other donor countries including Britain have also announced plans to cut aid budgets.
“One of the headline messages is that the funding cuts risk not only that progress, but we could have a shift backward,” said Dr. Bruce Aylward, Assistant Director-General, Universal Health Coverage at the WHO.
The cuts have had “pandemic-like effects” on health systems globally and could have a “more structural, deep-seated effect,” Aylward added.
The WHO said the cuts were already rolling back vital services for maternal, newborn and child health in many countries, reducing staff numbers, closing facilities and disrupting supply chains for supplies including treatments for hemorrhage and pre-eclampsia.
Cuts to other areas, such as malaria and HIV treatment, would also impact maternal survival, the UN said.
Even before the aid cuts led by the United States, things were backsliding in some countries, and progress has slowed globally since 2016, the report said.
In 2023, despite recent progress, a woman still died roughly every two minutes — around 260,000 in total that year — from complications that were mainly preventable and treatable, it added.
The situation was particularly bad in countries affected by conflict or natural disaster, although the US itself is one of only four countries to have seen its maternal mortality rate increase significantly since 2000, alongside Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica.
The COVID-19 pandemic also had an impact, the report said: 40,000 more women died due to pregnancy or childbirth in 2021, bringing the total number of deaths that year to 322,000.
“While this report shows glimmers of hope, the data also highlights how dangerous pregnancy still is in much of the world today – despite the fact that solutions exist,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
The report itself was part-funded by USAID.
Zelensky slams US lack of response to Putin truce rejection
Zelensky said “the number of Russian air attacks is increasing,” which he said proved that “the pressure on Russia is still insufficient”
Updated 06 April 2025
AFP
KYIV, Ukraine: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday lamented the lack of a US response to Russia’s refusal to agree “a full, unconditional ceasefire” as two people were killed in Moscow’s latest aerial bombardment.
Russia mounted a “massive” missile and drone attack on Ukraine that also wounded seven people, Zelensky said, warning that Moscow was stepping up its aerial attacks.
Ukraine has agreed to an unconditional truce in the more than three-year-long war proposed by the United States but Russian President Vladimir Putin has refused to do so.
“We are waiting for the United States to respond — so far there has been no response,” said Zelensky.
Russia claimed the capture of a village in Ukraine’s Sumy region in a rare cross-border advance, but Ukraine branded that as “disinformation.”
Earlier, Russia “launched a massive nationwide attack on Ukraine using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones,” said Ukraine’s first deputy prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko.
Zelensky said “the number of Russian air attacks is increasing,” which he said proved that “the pressure on Russia is still insufficient.”
In Kyiv, explosions were heard in the night and a smoke rose up from the city on Sunday morning.
One person was killed and three people were wounded, the head of the city’s military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, wrote on social media.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said that “the body of a man killed in an enemy attack was discovered in Darnytsia district.”
A missile strike partially destroyed a building housing state foreign-language broadcasters, the Russian-language Freedom television channel reported, saying that its newsroom had been destroyed.
Emergency services said that fires broke out in non-residential buildings in Kyiv. In a nearby region, a man was burned when an attack sparked a house fire, the head of the military administration said.
Russia attacked Ukraine with 23 cruise and ballistic missiles and 109 drones during the night, the Ukrainian air force said.
The air force said it shot down 13 of the missiles and 40 drones while 54 others caused no damage.
In the southern Kherson region, a drone killed a 59-year-old man, while in the northeastern Kharkiv region, near the border with Russia, two people were wounded in an aerial bomb attack, regional officials said.
In the western region of Khmelnytsky, authorities said air defenses destroyed a missile but falling fragments damaged a house and wounded a woman.
Over the past week, Russia has launched more than 1,460 guided aerial bombs, nearly 670 attack drones, and over 30 missiles of various types on Ukraine, Zelensky said.
Russia’s defense ministry said troops “liberated” the village of Basivka, close to the border with Russia’s Kursk region. Ukraine quickly rejected the report.
“The enemy continues its disinformation campaign regarding the seizure of settlements in Sumy region or the breakthrough of the border,” Andriy Demchenko, spokesman for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, told AFP.
French President Emmanuel Macron echoed Zelensky’s calls for a stronger response to Russia.
“A ceasefire is needed as soon as possible. And strong action if Russia continues to try to buy time and refuse peace,” Macron said on X on Sunday.
Russia continues “to murder children and civilians,” he added.
The latest attacks came two days after a missile attack on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rig killed 18 people including nine children.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, denounced Russia’s “reckless disregard” for human life in using “an explosive weapon with wide area effects.”
Russia on Sunday said it had struck a central artillery base and enterprises involved in producing drones.
It accused Ukraine of striking its energy infrastructure including a gas distribution facility in the Voronezh region.
US President Donald Trump is pushing the two sides to agree a partial ceasefire, but has so far failed to broker an accord acceptable to both sides.
The United States is also seeking better ties with Russia and Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev in an interview with state television said that the next US-Russian contacts could be “next week,” Russian news agencies reported.
Dmitriev last week became the most senior Russian official to visit Washington since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
LONDON: Eid Al-Fitr celebrations began in London this weekend and featured numerous events, the most notable happening at Westfield London, Europe’s largest shopping mall.
Although Eid was celebrated at the end of March in most Muslim countries to signify the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, some planning is required in Europe and the UK to mark the occasion at weekends.
Eid fell this time on the first weekend of beautiful spring days, warm and sunny, although there was a chilly breeze in the shade. It coincided with the Easter school holiday, the clocks have already moved forward, and the cherry blossoms are blooming.
The London Eid Festival at Westfield London has been celebrated for six successive years, and next weekend, from April 11 to 13, it takes place for a second year at Westfield Stratford City in East London.
Skin and healing products are sold by an independent vendor at Westfield London's Eid Festival. (AN Photo/Mustafa Abu Sneineh)
Westfield London is an enormous upmarket shopping destination featuring more than 460 stores. For those accustomed to shopping at local delis and occasionally making trips to Sainsbury’s, the interactive touch-screen map at Westfield is essential for navigating the seven levels of the mall.
The London Eid Festival features independent vendors selling jewelry, fragrances, books, clothes, and sweets near the front of the mall. Just outside Wood Lane Station, two rows of food stalls featuring halal cuisine from China to Mexico are ready for celebrators to enjoy meals under the sun. Families with children in prams, teenagers on Easter break, and those curious about Eid sit on colorful yellow and blue benches to listen to singing performances and watch children’s ballet in the yard.
Westfield is a mainstream location for all communities, and this gives us an opportunity to showcase the Muslim community to the rest of the world
Waleed Jahangir, Algebra Consulting
Organizers are expecting more than 300,000 visitors at both weekends of the Eid celebrations at Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City.
Waleed Jahangir, the managing director at Algebra Consulting, told Arab News that the celebration taking place in one of the world’s leading public venues is what makes the London Eid Festival unique.
“Westfield is a mainstream location for all communities and this gives us an opportunity to showcase the Muslim community to the rest of the world,” Jahangir said.
“When you hire a venue, the doors are closed with a majority of Muslims there; but here I want to showcase the power, the impact, and the festivities to the mainstream audience and in front of all the major brands … which benefit from the footfall and the sales.”
An employee applies henna dye on a customer's hand during the London Eid Festival. (AN Photo/Mustafa Abu Sneineh)
Most vendors at the London Eid Festival are independent businesses with a once-a-year opportunity to sell and showcase their products alongside Westfield’s major chains and big brands such as Apple, Nike, H&M, and Zara.
However, some of their products are pretty niche, such as Ghanaian African black soap made from cocoa pods. It appeared too adventurous for someone who grew up in Jerusalem using olive oil soap before discovering Mitchell’s wool fat soap on a drizzly day at Chatsworth House.
But the most popular item to buy at the festival was Dubai chocolate, according to the young food enthusiasts
Lubna, the vendor, acknowledges that Ghanaian black soap is not their best seller but the pain relief oil, which has been sold for the past nine years, is popular among customers for treating arthritis and joint pain.
Hanzalla, one of nearly 100 vendors at the London Eid Festival, sees the event as an excellent opportunity to showcase his halal food supplements, which are produced and packaged without alcohol or pig products.
A Korean food stall prepares Halal German sausages. (AN Photo/Mustafa Abu Sneineh)
Some vendors do not have physical stores but operate online, such as Learning Roots, a publisher that offers children’s books about the prophets and illustrated translations of the Qur’an.
Thobes for women, Palestine T-shirts, and oud essential oil are available for Eid celebrators.
However, I saved my cash for a halal Chinese meal of chicken, green beans, and noodles with chilli flakes. According to Ali and Mohammed, who are from Indonesia, this is the most popular meal.
There were three Korean food stalls, one of them selling German halal sausages. I asked Wahy, as he was preparing to open for customers at noon, about the popularity of Korean cuisine in the market, but he could not find a convincing reason other than “English people like it.”
Learning Roots publishes interactive books to teach children about Islam. (AN Photo/Mustafa Abu Sneineh)
But the most popular item to buy at the festival was Dubai chocolate, according to the young food enthusiasts who spoke to Arab News. Shayaan was visiting with his father Taleb and explained that it became famous after going viral on TikTok. It is his favorite thing.
Dubai chocolate is made with shredded phyllo dough and pistachio cream, the vendor explained as she served customers. She noticed it had become a bestseller over the last year or so.
Shayaan was clearly enjoying his Eid and the Dubai chocolate. Those who grew up in the 1990s in the Middle East remember how we eagerly waited for Eid to spend our money on Kinder Surprise to get our hands on the tiny toys; nowadays it is Dubai chocolate, and for good reason.
Torrential rains claim 30 lives in Congolese capital Kinshasa
In November 2019, around 40 people died in the capital after torrential rains caused flooding and landslides
Updated 06 April 2025
AFP
KINSHASA: Heavy downpours in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital Kinshasa have left around 30 people dead while wrecking havoc in the central African megacity, an official said on Sunday.
After the rain poured down overnight from Friday to Saturday, the rising water levels devastated several outlying and impoverished suburbs of the metropolis of some 17 million people.
“There are many wounded who have been evacuated and for the moment we are in the 30s for the number of dead,” Patricien Gongo Abakazi, Kinshasa’s provincial minister of public health told AFP.
The victims either drowned or were killed when the walls of their homes collapsed, the doctor added.
The rising waters likewise cut off traffic on the National Road 1, Kinshasa’s main thoroughfare which takes drivers from the center to the airport, as well as in many neighboring districts.
“We suddenly noticed that the water was rising in the plot, and it just kept getting higher. As a precaution, we took the children to flee, as it was difficult to get through in some places,” said Orline, a resident of the Masina commune.
In the Debonhomme district to the east of the city, dozens of cars were swallowed up by the waters, while some residents had to make their way through the streets paddling in dug-out canoes or by swimming, journalists saw.
The floods have caused huge traffic jams in a city where chronic congestion is the norm.
Neighbouring Kongo-Central province was also hit by the deluge.
Flooding frequently proves deadly in Kinshasa, which sits on the bank of the banks of River Congo, Africa’s second-largest after the Nile.
In November 2019, around 40 people died in the capital after torrential rains caused flooding and landslides.
Federal cuts disrupt repairs of America’s iconic trails
Wildfires and more intense storms due in part to climate change have been taking a toll on the legendary trails
Updated 06 April 2025
AP
CAMPO: Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail is a challenge, especially for adventurers making the entire run from Southern California to Canada, and Eric Kipperman’s job is to greet them at the start and lay bare the difficulties ahead.
He has lately begun warning that the journey may be even tougher. Following cuts by the Trump administration, plans to clear downed trees and rebuild storm-battered stretches in 2025 have been scrapped.
“This year, we’re going to have less trail work done on the trails, so just know that going into your hike, safety is the most important thing,” Kipperman told a group of backpackers from Europe and the United States at the trailhead near Campo, California, an hour’s drive east of San Diego.
He cautioned there is “no trail” at all in parts of the 2,650-mile path through California, Oregon and Washington state.
The cutbacks are not just on the West Coast. Ahead of the busy summer hiking season, funding freezes and mass layoffs also are disrupting repairs on the East Coast’s Appalachian Trail after nearly 800 kilometers were damaged by Hurricane Helene, underscoring how President Donald Trump’s dramatic downsizing of the US government is touching even the nation’s remote backcountry where vacationers, wanderers and escapists alike retreat to leave modern life behind.
Wildfires and more intense storms due in part to climate change have been taking a toll on the legendary trails. The federal cuts threaten their very existence, according to the Pacific Crest Trail Association and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, which oversee their preservation in partnership with the government and receive millions in federal dollars.
The US Forest Service called the situation “dynamic and evolving” in an email to The Associated Press, but said they are committed to ensuring public safety and access to recreation areas that are vital to local economies.
The Trump administration has let go some 3,400 workers at the US Forest Service, and nearly 1,500 at the National Park Service, including trail repair specialists. The associations said the cuts also led to the rescinding of job offers for seasonal crews with technical skills to rebuild boardwalks, bridges and campsites and train thousands of volunteers.
Courts have ordered federal agencies to rehire thousands of workers, but some say they are not coming back.
