Europe
New Covid-19 variant ‘Eris’ growing at a 20.5% rate per week in the UK
The EG.5.1 form of Covid-19 that is currently spreading is just another illustration of how the virus will continue to mutate.
The World Health Organization (WHO) listed EG.5# as another severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant to its variation under monitoring (VUM) list on July 19, 2023, reports Forbes.
Also read: Symptoms of Omicron: How is it different from Covid-19 Variant Delta?
Currently, this WHO VUM serves as a catch-all for any variant beginning with EG.5, such as EG.5 and EG.5.1.
On Twitter, T Ryan Gregory, PhD, a Professor of Integrative Biology at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, coined the term "Eris" to describe the EG.5.1 variation.
“There's nothing particularly special about EG.5.1 [XBB.1.9.2.5.1] as far as we can tell,” Gergory’s tweet read.
Also read: Omicron sub-variant detected in Bangladesh: Researchers
Given the rate at which it has spread, it appears to be more transmissible than preceding forms.
According to the UK Health Security Agency, as of July 20, the EG.5.1 variant accounted for 14.55% of all Covid-19 cases and was growing at a pace of 20.51% each week in the UK.
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Covid-19 Data Tracker, EG.5 variants increased from an estimated 11.9% of all Covid-19 cases during the two-week period ending July 22 to 17.3% during the two-week period ending August 5 in the US. It has now eclipsed the XBB.1.16 as the most common variation in the United States, the Forbes report also said.
Also read: Omicron: What we know about the COVID-19 Variant so far
The emergence and spread of Eris should not cause panic. It is, however, an indication of how the Covid-19 virus continues to change and remains a problem. Everyone should keep up to date on what varieties arise and what they are doing.
Russia promises retaliation after Ukrainian drones hit a Russian tanker in 2nd sea attack in a day
Moscow promised retaliation Saturday after Ukrainian drones hit a Russian tanker in the Black Sea near Crimea late Friday, the second sea attack involving drones in one day.
Ukraine struck a major Russian port earlier on Friday.
Moscow strongly condemned what it sees as a Ukrainian "terrorist attack" on a civilian vessel in the Kerch Strait, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
Also read: Overnight drone attack on Moscow injures 1, temporarily closes airport for traffic
"There can be no justification for such barbaric actions, they will not go unanswered and their authors and perpetrators will inevitably be punished," she wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
As Kyiv's naval capabilities grow, the Black Sea is becoming an increasingly important battleground in the war.
Three weeks ago, Moscow withdrew from a key export agreement that allowed Ukraine to ship millions of tons of grain across the Black Sea for sale on world markets. In the wake of that withdrawal, Russia carried out repeated strikes on Ukrainian ports, including Odesa.
An official with Ukraine's Security Service confirmed to The Associated Press that the service was behind the attack on the tanker, which was transporting fuel for Russian forces. A sea drone, filled with 450 kilograms (992 pounds) of TNT, was used for the attack, added the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give official statements.
Also read: Ukraine wants ships to keep exporting its grain despite Russian attacks. Some are interested
"The Sig tanker ... suffered a hole in the engine room near the waterline on the starboard side, presumably as a result of a sea drone attack," Russia's Federal Agency for Marine and River Transport wrote on Telegram, adding that there were no casualties among the 11 crew members.
Vladimir Rogov, a Kremlin-installed official in Ukraine's partially occupied southern Zaporizhzhia region, said several members of the ship's crew were wounded because of broken glass.
Without specifying that Ukraine was responsible for the drone strike, Vasyl Malyuk, who leads Ukraine's Security Service, said that "such special operations are conducted in the territorial waters of Ukraine and are completely legal." Any such explosions, he said, are "an absolutely logical and effective step with regard to the enemy."
The attack briefly halted traffic on the Kerch Bridge, as well as ferry transport.
Tugboats were deployed to assist the tanker, which is under United States sanctions for helping provide jet fuel to Russian forces fighting in Syria, according to Russia's Tass news agency.
Ukraine's earlier strike on Novorossiysk halted maritime traffic for a few hours and marked the first time a commercial Russian port has been targeted in the nearly 18-month-old conflict. The port has a naval base, shipbuilding yards and an oil terminal, and is key for exports. It lies about 110 kilometers (about 60 miles) east of Crimea.
Shipping expert Jayendu Krishna told The Associated Press that the attacks left Russian shipping activity "largely unaffected." He believes that they may increase the risk of Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports rather than serving as a tool to put pressure on Russia to halt attacks and reinstate the grain deal.
"Every time anything happens to Russia, you see Putin in retaliation mode … therefore, you may see further attacks on other parts of Ukraine," Krishna said.
"I think it will probably compound the effect and compound the risk in the Black Sea, rather than reducing it," he added. "It's very difficult for me to imagine that Russia will give in, unless and until their banks have smooth operations, and they're able to export their own cargo uninterruptedly."
A Telegram post on Saturday by Deputy Chair of Russia's Security Council Dmitry Medvedev implied that Russia would increase its attacks against Ukrainian ports in response to Kyiv's attacks on Russian ships in the Black Sea:
"Apparently, the strikes on Odesa, Izmail, and other places were not enough for them," he wrote.
In other developments, Russia's Defense Ministry said Saturday it captured a settlement in Ukraine's easternmost Luhansk region, most of which is occupied by Russia. "In the area of Kupiansk … the settlement of Novoselivske was liberated," the ministry wrote on Telegram.
Elsewhere, a two-day summit on finding a peaceful settlement to the war kicked off in Saudi Arabia.
Senior officials from around 40 countries – but not Russia – will aim to agree key principles on how to end the conflict.
"It is very important because in such matters as food security, the fate of millions of people in Africa, Asia, and other parts of the world directly depends on how fast the world will be in implementing the Peace Formula," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said of the summit. "I am grateful to Saudi Arabia for this platform for negotiations."
Also read: By pulling out of the Ukrainian grain deal, Russia risks alienating its few remaining partners
The main Ukrainian envoy to the summit in Jeddah, chief Ukrainian presidential aide Andriy Yermak, spoke of the talks on Friday night in a television interview published on his Telegram account: "I expect that the conversation will be difficult, but behind us is truth, behind us goodness," he said.
Commenting on the talks in Saudi Arabia, Zakharova told Russian state media that the idea of making decisions on the conflict without the participation of Moscow was "absurd." Nevertheless, she said, delegates have "full scope for creativity" to discuss the issue.
Europe gripped by extreme weather as 'era of global boiling' arrives
Record-breaking heatwaves and droughts, devastating wildfires, torrential rain and hailstorms all across Europe are costing lives, damaging infrastructure, diminishing biodiversity and hitting tourism, harvests and the economy. Some governments have imposed rules to ensure the safety of their workers and are calling for rigorous measures to combat climate change.
Hotspot
Heatwaves have simultaneously gripped three continents in the Northern Hemisphere this summer as global warming worsens. In Mediterranean countries especially favoured by tourists, such as Spain, Italy and Greece, temperatures have topped 40 degrees celsius in places, and further heatwaves are expected. The Mediterranean region has long been classified as a climate change hotspot by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
July is set to be the hottest month in thousands of years, climate scientists from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the European Climate Change Service Copernicus reported after analysing data up to July 23.
"We don't have to wait for the end of the month to know this.
Short of a mini-Ice Age over the next days, July 2023 will shatter records across the board," UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, adding that "the era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived." Scientists from the World Weather Attribution initiative said the heatwaves that have hit parts of Europe and North America in July would have been almost impossible without human-caused climate change.
Read: Italy's extraordinary heatwave approaches peak
"We are seeing unprecedented changes all over the world," top NASA climatologist Gavin Schmidt said, with records being broken on land and at sea.
Over the past year, more than 60,000 people have died in Europe due to extreme heat, according to Hans Kluge, the World Health Organisation's director for Europe, adding that the number of deaths from extreme heat "is set to rise year-on-year."
Europe split in two extremes
Although the weather in Germany and northern Europe this July felt less warm than in other summers, heatwaves in North America, Asia and southern Europe lifted the global average.
Greece has been battling devastating wildfires driven by intense heat on the islands of Evia, Corfu and Rhodes. Thousands of people have been evacuated. According to the European Commission, European Union countries have been supporting Greece with almost 500 firefighters and seven planes deployed to different areas in the country.
"Together, we are deploying available resources to fight the fires and protect our citizens and landscapes," EU Crisis Commissioner Janez Lenarčič said in a statement. Countries worldwide can request help from EU members in case of a disaster, with the European Commission coordinating the deployment of civil protection equipment and experts.
Aside from Greece, other countries in Europe such as Turkey, Spain, Portugal, Italy and France are also facing abnormally sweltering temperatures. In Turkey, temperatures around the Aegean and Mediterranean Sea are up to 8 degrees above the usual level for this time of year, according to the weather service.
Read: 'Heat storm' hits Italy
Fires caused landmines to explode near the southern Croatian city of Dubrovnik, local media reported. So far this summer, Spain has avoided major fires but the country has suffered a drought caused by high temperatures and a months-long lack of rain. After experiencing the second driest spring in 62 years, several areas, such as the two most populated regions Andalusia and Catalonia, have been hit by critically low water levels in reservoir and other storage sites. Reservoirs in Andalusia were at 24 percent of their total capacity last week, while this week in Catalonia, internal basins barely reached 27 percent.
Meanwhile, many European countries and regions experienced other extreme weather events, such as storms with extreme rainfall and wind.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, for example, saw floods and torrents caused by heavy rainfall in May and June which was followed by a first heatwave. Storms and strong winds have caused severe material damage particularly in the north, but also in the southern parts of Bosnia.
While Slovenia was battling the worst fires in its history this time last year, 2023 has seen it face extremely severe storms with heavy rainfall, hail and gail-force winds. Serbia has equally been affected by storms and hail which damaged crops, infrastructure, cars and residential buildings.
Italy experienced "one of the most complicated days in recent decades - rainstorms, tornadoes and giant hail in the north, and scorching heat and devastating fires in the centre and south," said Italian Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci. The country battled deadly and destructive fires in the south and equally fatal storms in the north which left at least seven people dead and caused severe damage to property, infrastructure and crops. Most of the fires were caused by arson, prosecutors said.
Extreme temperatures affecting business, infrastructure and peoples' safety
With extremely high temperatures, the need for air conditioning has driven up electricity consumption which in some countries led to day-long or repeated power outages as well as damage to underground cables.
The Maltese Hotel and Restaurant Association reported that frustrated guests had checked out of hotels because of the power cuts. Restaurants and supermarkets in the country had to throw away defrosted food while malfunctioning air conditioners caused Italian McDonald's staff to strike. They complained that they had been "suffocating" in the "intolerable" 40-degree-plus temperatures in the outlets. Several farm labourers have died of heatwave-related causes in Italy, too. CGIL, Italy's biggest trade union, urged authorities to step up efforts to protect workers from the effects of the tropical temperatures that have hit the country. Maurizio Landini, CGIL's leader, said "the heatwave is increasing the risks to the health and safety of female and male workers". He added that "this is totally unacceptable." As a result, the Italian government is now working on a protocol on heat risks and issues at Italian workplaces.
In Germany, the rains are affecting harvests of grain, fruit and vegetables. While the rainfall has forced grain farmers to interrupt their harvests again and again, fruit and vegetable growers are content. Torsten Krawczyk, president of the Saxon state farmers' association, said it had been the most expensive harvest ever. The costs for fertiliser, for example, were twice to three times as high. Significantly more money also had to be paid for labour and energy.
Mitigating climate change, building resilience and protection
Recent extreme weather conditions have prompted governments across Europe to step up their civil protection efforts and take appropriate measures to protect their citizens. UN Secretary-General Guterres called on politicians to take immediate and drastic steps to curb climate change and Pope Francis also renewed his call for action to address the climate crisis in the face of extreme weather events.
Read: Over 30,000 crimes against environment in Italy in 2022
In response to water scarcity in Spain, the regional government of Catalonia has declared a situation of "water exceptionality" in most of its territory. In the almost 500 municipalities affected by the shortage - home to six million people - a restriction of 230 litres of water per inhabitant per day for domestic use has been imposed. A 40 percent reduction in water for agricultural use and a 15 percent cut for industry have also come into force.
In May, the Spanish government approved measures to prevent accidents and deaths in outdoor work that may be affected by adverse weather such as heatwaves. Maltese authorities issued a heat warning urging people not to leave their homes between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., the hottest hours of the day. Similarly, the Romanian Territorial Labour Inspectorate made it mandatory for employers to take measures to protect their employees' health, such as reducing the intensity of physical activities, ensuring ventilation in the workplace, interspersing physically demanding work with less active duties and introducing more breaks out of the hot sun during working hours.
German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) presented a heat protection plan in late July in a bid to halve the number of heat-related deaths this year, mainly by providing more public guidance on how to cope with hot weather. While some saw it as a good starting point, a health policy expert from the opposition conservative CDU Tino Sorge, accused Lauterbach of inappropriate alarmism as common sense should be the guiding principle for protection and prevention.
Slovenia is warming faster than the global average due to its geography, with an average temperature rise of 2.2 degrees between 1980 and 2021. More investment in prevention would definitely be needed, said Environment Minister Uroš Brežan. He stressed that there was a particular need to safeguard water supplies. Business leaders and politicians have been pointing to the need for systemic measures to adapt to climate change as well as intervention to tackle the consequences.
Italian Environment and Energy Security Minister Gilberto Pichetto said "the government is already engaged on this front to ensure close coordination between all the implementing bodies, both in emergencies and ordinary periods." However, he insisted that "the main problem is not funding, but the spending mechanism and procedures".
Record breaking extreme weather not enough to convince some that climate change is real
Despite the extreme weather in Italy, 34.7 percent of Italians believe there is excessive alarm about climate change, according to the Ital Communications-Censis report "Disinformation and fake news in Italy'" The report also showed that 16.2 percent of the overall population denies that climate change exists, with the percentage rising to 18.3 percent among the elderly and to 18.2 percent among the less educated.
This content is based on news by agencies participating in the enr, on this occasion AFP, AGERPRES, ANSA, dpa, EFE, Europa Press, FENA, STA and Tanjug.
UNESCO proposes listing Venice as endangered heritage
UNESCO has recommended that one of Italy's most popular and vulnerable tourist attractions be added to its heritage danger list.The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation has urged the Italian government to "ensure the utmost dedication" to addressing "long-standing problems" in Venice, which has long struggled with overcrowding and the consequences of climate change, reports CNN.
Also read: 1st cruise ship sails through Venice since start of pandemicThe proposal to add Venice to the ‘World Heritage in Danger’ list was made by UNESCO and advisory body experts in the agency's preliminary agenda ahead of the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee, which is planned to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in September, it said.According to the draft resolution, there has been no "significant level of progress in addressing the persistent and complex issues related in particular to mass tourism, development projects, and climate change."
Also read: Nine Bangladeshi artists to join Venice Biennale 2019Venice is one of 1,157 World Heritage Sites that have "outstanding universal value" because of their cultural or natural features, said the report.In recent years, Venice has dealt with a whirlwind of weather-related issues.Back in February this year, the city was experiencing such severe drought that gondolas, water taxis, and ambulances were unable to cross through several canals. Flooding was so severe in November 2019 that historical relics and structures were threatened, added the report.Overtourism has long been a problem in Venice, and UNESCO cited some measures to counteract it, such as a prohibition on big ships entering the San Marco Basin - Giudecca Canal.
Also read: Top 10 Honeymoon Destinations in EuropeAccording to SkyTG24, the municipality of Venice stated that it “will carefully read the proposed decision published by the Center for Unesco’s World Heritage Committee and will exchange views with the government, which is the State Party with which UNESCO interacts.”CNN contacted the Italian Culture Ministry, which stated that no remark on the UNESCO recommendation had been issued. It also contacted the Italian Tourism Ministry and the City of Venice, but neither had answered as of Monday evening, the report concluded.
Denmark may seek to make Quran burning illegal in front of foreign embassies
Denmark's foreign minister said Sunday the government will seek to make it illegal to desecrate the Quran or other religious holy books in front of foreign embassies in the Nordic country.
Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said in an interview with the Danish public broadcaster DR that the burning of holy scriptures "only serves the purpose of creating division in a world that actually needs unity."
"That is why we have decided in the government that we will look at how, in very special situations, we can put an end to mockery of other countries, which is in direct conflict with Danish interests and the safety of the Danes," he said.
Denmark wants Bangladesh to join alliance against fossil fuels
A recent string of public Quran desecrations by a handful of anti-Islam activists in Denmark and neighboring Sweden have sparked angry demonstrations in Muslim countries.
Løkke Rasmussen said the Cabinet of Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is determined to find "a legal tool" to prohibit such acts without compromising freedom of expression, but he acknowledged that would not be easy.
"There must be room for religious criticism, and we have no thoughts of reintroducing a blasphemy clause," he told DR. "But when you stand up in front of a foreign embassy and burn a Quran or burn the Torah scroll in front of the Israeli embassy, it serves no other purpose than to mock."
Denmark keen to invest in offshore wind energy in Bangladesh: Envoy
His comments followed a statement issued late Sunday by the Danish government saying freedom of expression is one of the most important values in Danish society.
But, it added, the descreation of the Muslim holy book in Denmark has resulted in the nation being viewed in many places around the world "as a country that facilitates insult and denigration of the cultures, religions, and traditions of other countries."
Bangladesh, Sweden discuss repeated desecration of Holy Quran
The government repeated its condemnation of such descecrations, say they are "deeply offensive and reckless acts committed by few individuals" and "do not represent the values the Danish society is built on."
Denmark committed to support Bangladesh’s aspirations for climate-oriented economic growth: Danish Minister
In Sweden, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Sunday on Instagram that his government is analyzing the legal situation regarding desecration of the Quran and other holy books, given the animosity such acts are stirring up against Sweden.
"We are in the most serious security policy situation since the Second World War," Kristersson said.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation has called an emergency remote meeting Monday to discuss the Quran burnings in Sweden and Denmark.
Overnight drone attack on Moscow injures 1, temporarily closes airport for traffic
Russian authorities say three Ukrainian drones attacked Moscow in the early hours on Sunday, injuring one person and prompting a temporary closure for traffic of one of four airports around the Russian capital.
It was the fourth such attempt at a strike on the capital region this month and the third this week, fueling concerns about Moscow’s vulnerability to attacks as Russia's war in Ukraine drags into its 18th month.
The Russian Defense Ministry referred to the incident as an “attempted terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime" and said three drones targeted the city. One was shot down in the surrounding Moscow region by air defense systems and two others were jammed. Those two crashed into the Moscow City business district in the capital.
Read: Ukraine wants ships to keep exporting its grain despite Russian attacks. Some are interested
Photos from the site of the crash showed the facade of a skyscraper damaged on one floor. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the attack “insignificantly damaged” the outsides of two buildings in the Moscow City district. A security guard was injured, Russia's state news agency Tass reported, citing emergency officials.
No flights went into or out of the Vnukovo airport on the southern outskirts of the city for about an hour, according to Tass, and the air space over Moscow and the outlying regions was temporarily closed for any aircraft. Those restrictions have since been lifted.
Moscow authorities have also closed a street for traffic near the site of the crash in the Moscow City area.
There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials, who rarely if ever take responsibility for attacks on Russian soil.
Read: PM calls for an amicable end to Ukraine war
Russia's Defense Ministry reported shooting down a Ukrainian drone outside Moscow on Friday. Two more drones struck the Russian capital on Monday, one of them falling in the center of the city near the Defense Ministry’s headquarters along the Moscow River about 3 kilometers (2 miles) from the Kremlin. The other drone hit an office building in southern Moscow, gutting several upper floors.
In another attack on July 4, the Russian military said four drones were downed by air defenses on the outskirts of Moscow and a fifth was jammed by electronic warfare means and forced down.
Read more: South Korea to expand support for Ukraine as President Yoon Suk Yeol makes a surprise visit
Saudi Arabia will host Ukrainian-organized peace summit in Aug, official says
Saudi Arabia will host a Ukrainian-organized peace summit in early August seeking to find a way to start negotiations over Russia's war on the country, an official said Saturday night. The kingdom and Kyiv did not immediately acknowledge the planned talks.
The summit will be held in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as no authorization had been given to publicly discuss the summit.
Those taking part in the summit will include Ukraine, as well as Brazil, India, South Africa and several other countries, the official said. A high-level official from U.S. President Joe Biden's administration also is expected to attend, the official said. Planning for the event is being overseen by Kyiv and Russia is not invited, the official said.
Details regarding the summit, however, remain in flux and the official did not offer dates for the talks. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported on the summit, said the talks would take place Aug. 5 and 6 with some 30 countries attending, citing “diplomats involved in the discussion.”
Read: US, Saudi Arabia call for warring sides in Sudan to extend ‘imperfect’ cease-fire
Saudi officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press, nor did Ukraine's Embassy in Riyadh. News of the summit comes after U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan visited the kingdom on Thursday.
The official who spoke to the AP said the summit would be the next step after talks that took place in Copenhagen in June.
Saudi Arabia's hosting of the talks come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in May attended an Arab League summit in Jeddah to press those nations to back Kyiv. Arab nations largely have remained neutral since Russia launched the war on Ukraine in February 2022, in part over their military and economic ties to Moscow.
Read: Syrian president heads to Saudi Arabia for regional summit, sealing country's return to Arab fold
Saudi Arabia also has maintained a close relationship with Russia as part of the OPEC+ group. The organization’s oil production cuts, even as Moscow’s war on Ukraine boosted energy prices, have angered Biden and American lawmakers.
But hosting such talks also help raise the profile of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has sought to reach a détente with Iran and push for a peace in the kingdom's yearslong war in Yemen. However, ties also remain strained between Riyadh and the West over the 2018 killing and dismemberment of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, which U.S. intelligence agencies assess that Prince Mohammed ordered.
Read more: Arab foreign ministers meet ahead of Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia
Fierce winds caused panic on ferry that capsized in Philippines, killing at least 26
A small Philippine ferry turned upside down when passengers suddenly crowded to one side in panic as fierce winds pummeled the wooden vessel, leaving at least 26 people dead while 40 others were rescued, officials said Friday.
Coast guard and police said search and rescue efforts had resumed after a pause Thursday night. Officials said it remained unclear how many people were aboard the M/B Princess Aya, which capsized Thursday in Laguna de Bay in Rizal province east of Manila.
When people rushed to one side of the vessel amid severe winds, the boat tilted and its outrigger broke, then the boat capsized shortly after leaving a wharf in the town of Binangonan for nearby Talim island, police and the coast guard said.
Also read: Crews continue to battle cargo ship blaze that killed 2 New Jersey firefighters
The accident happened only about 46 meters (150 feet) from shore, officials said at a news conference.
The Rizal provincial police said that they immediately launched a rescue operation with the help of the coast guard and other local authorities, but that at least 26 people drowned. Forty others were saved.
"This is really a tragic event that has to be investigated," coast guard Rear Adm. Hostillo Arturo Cornelio told reporters.
Also read: At least 103 wedding guests killed when boat capsizes in northern Nigeria
The ferry was supposed to carry a maximum of 42 passengers and crewmembers but was overloaded, Cornelio said. He said investigators would also look into reports that the passengers were not wearing life vests as required by safety regulations.
Asked how many people were on the boat, Cornelio said it was unclear if there were more than the 66 who died or were save. "We assume there could be more," he said.
The search was continuing Friday.
A video released by the coast guard showed rescuers on a local government boat pulling a body out of the lake. Another video showed local fishermen aboard vessels approaching the overturned boat.
Also read: Speedboat capsizes in west Indonesia; 11 dead and 1 missing
Typhoon Doksuri blew away Thursday after battering the northern Philippines and whipping up seasonal monsoon rains in a large swath of the archipelago.
The capsizing brought the death toll from a week of stormy weather across the main island of Luzon to 39. At least 13 people were reported killed earlier due to Doksuri's onslaught, mostly due to landslides, flooding and toppled trees and thousands were displaced, disaster response officials said.
Sea travel was suspended in many ports during Doksuri's onslaught from Tuesday to Wednesday, stranding thousands of passengers and cargo trucks. The no-sail orders were gradually lifted Thursday as weather improved in many areas.
Also read: Indonesian ferry capsizes off Sulawesi island, leaving at least 15 people dead and 19 others missing
Coast guard Rear Adm. Armand Balilo said the boat that capsized had set out after a no-sail order was lifted for Binangonan town. Only 22 passengers were listed on the ferry's manifest and criminal complaints may be filed against the vessel's owner, skipper and two crewmen, he said.
Sea accidents are common in the Philippine archipelago because of frequent storms, badly maintained boats, overcrowding and weak enforcement of safety regulations. In December 1987, the ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker, killing more than 4,300 people in the world's worst peacetime maritime disaster.
Ukraine parliamentarian faces criminal investigation over Maldives vacation
Ukrainian officials are looking into whether Yuriy Aristov, a member of parliament, breached the law by taking a family vacation to the Maldives.
Ukraine officials are not permitted to travel overseas on vacation, and males of conscription age require special authorization to leave the country, reports the BBC.
Also read: Impact of Russia-Ukraine War on Asia’s climate goals
The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) and Ukraine's Security Service have begun a criminal investigation to determine if Aristov provided fraudulent information in his application to leave the country.
According to investigators, if convicted, he may face up to three years in prison.
According to the SBI, Aristov was visiting the private island of Ithaafushi in the Maldives in mid-July with his wife and children when he was recorded as being on medical leave.
He was away from June 5 to July 22, beginning with a three-day business trip to Poland. Ukrainian media first reported on him being in the Maldives, the report also said.
In a speech on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned public officials that any violation of the country's interests will result in "fury."
Also read: Russia rejoins key deal on wartime Ukrainian grain exports
"When you constantly see and feel the moral strength gained for Ukraine by our warriors, our people, who are doing everything possible and impossible for the victory and preservation of freedom, any internal betrayal, any 'beach' [holiday] or any personal enrichment instead of Ukraine's interests triggers fury at the very least," he said.
Also read: With Russia revolt over, mercenaries' future and direction of Ukraine war remain uncertain
Aristov submitted a letter of resignation, which will be reviewed at the next parliamentary session, according to Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk on Facebook.
Several popular Ukrainian officials quit earlier this year as Zelensky began reorganising his cabinet. Their departures coincided with the commencement of a sweeping anti-corruption campaign in Ukraine, the report concluded.
Spain at risk of political gridlock after conservative win falls short of toppling PM Sánchez
Spain appears headed for political gridlock after Sunday's inconclusive national elections left parties on both the right and left without a clear path toward forging a new government.
The conservative Popular Party won the elections, but it fell short of its hopes of scoring a much bigger victory and forcing the removal of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Instead, the party led by candidate Alberto Núñez Feijóo performed below the expectations of most campaign polls.
Even though Sánchez’s Socialists finished second, they and their allied parties celebrated the outcome as a victory since their combined forces gained slightly more seats than the PP and the far-right. The bloc that could likely support Sánchez totaled 172 seats; the right bloc behind Feijóo, 170.
“It was a Pyrrhic victory for the Popular Party, which is unable to form a government," said political analyst Verónica Fumanal, adding the conservatives will now have to reach out to the far-right, and even then it won't be enough. “I see a deadlock scenario in the Parliament.”
The closer-than-expected outcome was likely to produce weeks of political jockeying and uncertainty over the country's future leadership. The next prime minister only would be voted on once lawmakers are installed in the new Congress of Deputies.
But the chances of Sánchez picking up the support of 176 lawmakers — the absolute majority in the Madrid-based Lower House of Parliament — needed to form a government are not great either. The divided results have made the hardline Catalan separatist party Junts (Together) emerge as Sánchez’s potential kingmaker. If Junts asks for a referendum on independence for northeast Catalonia, that would likely be far too costly a price for Sánchez to pay.
“We won’t make Pedro Sánchez PM in exchange for nothing,” Míriam Nogueras of Junts said after the results left her party holding the keys to power.
READ: By pulling out of the Ukrainian grain deal, Russia risks alienating its few remaining partners
With 98% of votes counted, PP is on track for 136 seats. Even with the 33 seats that the far-right Vox is poised to get and the one seat going to an allied party, the PP would still be seven seats from the absolute majority.
The Socialists are set to take 122 seats, two more than they had. But Sánchez can likely call on the 31 seats of its junior coalition partner Sumar (Joining Forces) and several smaller forces to at least total more than the sum of the right-wing parties.
“Spain and all the citizens who have voted have made themselves clear. The backward-looking bloc that wanted to undo all that we have done has failed,” Sánchez told a jubilant crowd gathered at Socialists’ headquarters in Madrid.
After his party took a beating in regional and local elections in May, Sánchez could have waited until December to face a national vote. Instead, he stunned his rivals by moving up the vote in hopes of gaining a bigger boost from his supporters.
Even if this goes to a new ballot, Sánchez can add this election night to yet another comeback in his career that has been built around beating the odds. The 51-year-old Sánchez had to mount a mutiny among rank-and-file Socialists to return to heading his party before he won Spain’s only no-confidence vote to oust his PP predecessor in 2018.
But Feijóo would probably trade spots with his rival if he could.
READ: Turkey's parliament won't ratify Sweden's NATO membership bid before October, Erdogan says
Feijóo claimed his right to form a government as the most voted party in the election, adding he was “proud” of what his party’s first national election victory since 2016.
“We have won the elections, it corresponds to us to form a government like it has always happened in Spanish democracy,” he said, addressing a crowd aflutter with Spanish flags.
Feijóo focused the PP’s campaign not on what he would do as prime minister, but rather as an attack on what he called the untrustworthiness of Sánchez. The strategy failed. The Socialists and other leftist parties seem to have motivated their voters by drumming up fear of having the anti-feminist, ultra-nationalist Vox in power as a junior member of a possible coalition with the PP.
A PP-Vox government would have meant another EU member has moved firmly to the right, a trend seen recently in Sweden, Finland and Italy. Countries such as Germany and France are concerned about what such a shift would portend for EU immigration and climate policies.
Vox, which had hoped to force its way into power much as other far-right parties have done in other European countries, lost 19 seats from four years earlier.
Vox leader Santiago Abascal said that the Socialists’ results were “bad news for Spaniards.”
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“Pedro Sánchez, despite losing the elections, can block (Feijóo’s) investiture and, even worse, Pedro Sánchez could even be invested with the support of communism, the coup-seeking separatism and terrorism, all of whom will now have more leverage in the blackmail than in his previous term," he said.
Yet it seems that the specter of the far-right taking a seat in government, albeit as a junior member to the PP, for the first time since the 20th-century dictatorship of Francisco Franco had proved to be key to the left’s resurgence.
Feijóo had tried to distance his PP from Vox during the campaign, refusing to say that a national coalition was a possibility. But Sánchez, in moving up the election, made the campaign coincide with the PP and Vox striking deals to govern together in several town halls and regional governments following the May ballots.
Even though Feijóo had pledged he would maintain his party’s commitment to fighting gender violence, Vox campaigned on rolling back gender violence laws. And they both agree on wanting to repeal a new transgender rights law and a democratic memory law that seeks to help families wanting to unearth the thousands of victims of Franco’s regime still missing in mass graves.
“PP has been a victim of its expectations, and the Socialists have been able to capitalize on the fear of the arrival of Vox. Bringing forward the elections has turned out to be the right decision for Pedro Sánchez,” said Manuel Mostaza, director of Public Policy at Spanish consultancy firm Atrevia.
Spain’s new Parliament will meet in a month. King Felipe VI then appoints one of the party leaders to submit him or herself to a parliamentary vote to form a new government. Lawmakers have a maximum period of three months to reach an agreement. Otherwise, new elections would be triggered.
The election took place at the height of summer, with millions of voters likely to be vacationing away from their regular polling places. However, postal voting requests soared.
Coming on the tail of a month of heat waves, temperatures were expected to average above 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), or 5 to 10 degrees Celsius above normal in many parts of the country. Authorities distributed fans to many of the stations.
“We have the heat, but the right to exercise our vote freely is stronger than the heat,” said Rosa María Valladolid-Prieto, 79, in Barcelona.