The Nation Newspaper

Category: Foreign

  • Death toll rises as downpour, flooding force evacuations in Central Europe

    Death toll rises as downpour, flooding force evacuations in Central Europe

    The death toll was rising in Central European countries yesterday after days of heavy rains caused widespread flooding and forced evacuations.

    Several Central European nations have already been hit by severe flooding, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania. Slovakia and Hungary might come next as a result of a low pressure system from northern Italy dumping record rainfall in the region since Thursday.

    The floods have claimed six lives in Romania and one each in Austria and Poland. In the Czech Republic, four people who were swept away by waters were missing, police said.

    Most parts of the Czech Republic have been affected as authorities declared the highest flood warnings at around 100 places across the country. But the situation was worst in two northeastern regions that recorded the biggest rainfall in recent days, including the Jeseniky mountains near the Polish border.

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    In the city of Opava, up to 10,000 people out of a population of around 56,000 have been asked to move to higher ground. Rescuers used boats to transport people to safety in a neighborhood flooded by the raging Opava River.

    “There’s no reason to wait,” Mayor Tomáš Navrátil told Czech public radio. He said that the situation was worse than during the last devastating floods in 1997, known as the “flood of the century.”

    “We have to focus on saving lives,” Prime Minister Petr Fiala told Czech public television on Sunday. His government was set to meet yesterday to assess the damages.

    This aerial photograph taken Sept. 15, 2024, shows a view of the flooded city center in Glucholazy, southern Poland.

    The worst “is not behind us yet,” the prime minister warned.

  • Trump’s allies push conspiracies after assassination attempt

    Trump’s allies push conspiracies after assassination attempt

    •Suspect wrote book urging Iran to kill ex-president
    •Biden: Secret Service needs more help

    United States (U.S.) ex-President Donald Trump’s supporters have wasted no time in spreading “conspiracy theories” after an apparent assassination attempt on Sunday.

    This came as U.S. President Joe Biden said the Secret Service needs more help after attempt on Trump.

    Biden said he was thankful Trump was “OK” before adding he did not yet have a full report of what happened.

    He added: “One thing I want to make clear is that the service needs more help and I think Congress should respond to their needs.”

    When asked what extra help the service needs, Biden said it might need to be considered whether the service needs “more personnel or not”.

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    And the loudest voice of all Trump’s allies was that of far-right activist Laura Loomer, who has posted dozens of times on X since a suspected gunman allegedly took aim at the former president at his Florida Trump National Golf resort in West Palm Beach.

    “Coincidence? Or coordination?” wrote the conspiracy theorist in an X post on Sunday evening.

     “Did they have advance knowledge of the attempted assassination of President Trump today at his golf club in West Palm Beach FL?!”

    Loomer’s attempt to rile up MAGA supporters appears to have worked, with thousand sharing the post, while others have responded with their own theories.

    “There are no coincidences,” wrote one user.

    Another claimed: “They activated him,” with the magazine cover apparently acting as “a message and instructions.”

    Trump was playing a round of golf on his Florida resort when Secret Service agents claim they spotted the muzzle of a rifle poke out from a wooded area around the course’s perimeter.

  • Pope Francis warns of AI dangers

    Pope Francis warns of AI dangers

    Pope Francis warned of the negative impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) on the fabric of society during a visit to Singapore yesterday.

    During a reception in the high-tech city-state, the head of the Catholic Church warned that AI should not make people forget about what are important – human relationships.

    Technology developments risk isolating individuals and putting them into a false reality, he said.

    Instead, AI should be used to bring people closer together and to promote understanding and solidarity within society, the pope added.

    Pope Francis had also called on the Group of Seven (G7) leading industrial democracies at this year’s G7 summit held in June in Italy, to ensure that AI was not left unchecked.

    Singapore is the final stop of the 87-year-old pontiff’s longest foreign trip to date, lasting a total of 12 days.

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    Prior to this, he had visited Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and East Timor.

    A large mass in a sports stadium is expected to attract about 50,000 people in the afternoon.

    According to the Vatican, out of the nearly six million residents of the city-state, only 176,000 are Catholic.

    The majority of the population has Chinese roots.

    Pope Francis would fly back to Rome on Friday.

  • North Korea launches several ballistic missiles into sea in latest provocation

    North Korea launches several ballistic missiles into sea in latest provocation

    North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles into the East Sea yesterday, South Korea’s military said, days after leader Kim Jong Un called for a nuclear weapons buildup.

    “Our military detected several short-range ballistic missiles launched from the Pyongyang area into the East Sea around 07:10 (yesterday),” Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a text message to reporters.

    The missiles flew roughly 225 miles before splashing down in the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan. The JCS said it was analyzing the launch and closely sharing information with the United States and Japan.

    Hawaii-based U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said that it detected the launch and was consulting with regional allies and partners.

    “The United States condemns these actions and calls on the DPRK to refrain from further unlawful and destabilizing acts,” the command said in a statement. “While we have assessed that this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel, or territory, or to our allies, we continue to monitor the situation.”

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    The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is the official name of North Korea.

    The launch was the first since July 1, when North Korea fired what it claimed were missiles carrying a new “super-large warhead.”

    North Korea this week celebrated its 76th anniversary of its founding, and leader Kim Jong Un called for a nuclear weapons buildup in response to threats posed by the United States and South Korea.

  • Russia, China hold biggest war games since Soviet era

    Russia, China hold biggest war games since Soviet era

    Russia and China this week engaged in the largest military drills in some 30 years after they launched joint naval and air exercises spanning both hemispheres on Tuesday, a report by Reuters confirmed.

    The Russian defense ministry said the week-long war games will include 90,000 troops, 400 warships, submarines and support vessels, along with 120 planes and helicopters spread across the Pacific and Arctic Oceans, and the Mediterranean, Caspian and Baltic Seas.

    The exercises, dubbed “Ocean 24,” coincided with meetings in Brussels between the U.S. and the European Union in which the issue of security in the Indo-Pacific, as well as China’s support for Russia amid the war in Ukraine, were addressed.

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    The U.S. accused Beijing of crossing a line and providing “very substantial” support to Russia after more than two and half years of war and sanctions that are said to have begun taking a toll on its military stockpiles.

    “These are not dual-use capabilities,” U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell told reporters, according to Politico EU, in reference to the latest material supplies China provided Russia. “These are basically being applied directly to the Russian war machine.”

    A statement by the State Department following the U.S.-EU meeting accused China of helping Russia to evade sanctions and called on Beijing to “act in support of international law” – including in its attempts to push through any peace proposals.

  • Sweden to pay immigrants up to $34,000 to return

    Sweden to pay immigrants up to $34,000 to return

    Sweden’s government said yesterday it would drastically increase grants for immigrants who choose to leave the country and return home, to encourage more migrants to do so.

    As of 2026, immigrants, who voluntarily return to their home countries, would be eligible to receive up to 350,000 Swedish kronor ($34,000), the right-wing government, which is propped up by the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, told a press conference.

    “We are in the midst of a paradigm shift in our migration policy,” Migration Minister Johan Forssell told reporters.

    Currently, immigrants can receive up to 10,000 kronor per adult and 5,000 kronor per child, with a cap of 40,000 kronor per family.

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    “The grant has been around since 1984, but it is relatively unknown, it is small and relatively few people use it,” Ludvig Aspling of the Sweden Democrats told reporters.

    Aspling added that if more people were aware of the grant and its size was increased, more would likely accept the offer.

    The announcement came despite a government-appointed probe last month advising against a significant increase in the amount of the grant, saying the expected effectiveness did not justify the potential costs.

    Conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson promised to counter immigration and crime after he came to power in 2022 with a minority coalition government propped up by the Sweden Democrats — which emerged as Sweden’s second-largest party with 20.5 percent in the general election.

  • Death toll hits 199 in Vietnam typhoon’s aftermath

    Death toll hits 199 in Vietnam typhoon’s aftermath

    About 200 people have died in Vietnam in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi and 128 are missing as flash floods and landslides take their toll, state media reported yesterday.

    Vietnam’s VNExpress newspaper reported that 199 people have died while more than 800 have been injured.

    In Hanoi’s Tay Ho district, people waded through muddy brown water above their knees to make their way along one street, some still wearing their bicycle and motorcycle helmets after abandoning their vehicles along the way.

    A few paddled along the road in small boats as empty water bottles, a styrofoam cooler and other flotsam drifted by; one man pushed his motorbike toward drier ground in an aluminum sloop.

    Pedestrians hiked up their shorts as high as possible to avoid being soaked by the wake caused by a delivery truck powering its way through the water.

    Bakery owner Mai Anh evacuated the area with her family to shelter with her parents, but returned yesterday to check on her shop and found more than two feet (half a meter) of water still inside.

    The flooding in Hanoi has been reportedly the worst in two decades.

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    Residents started evacuating the area Tuesday as the flood waters rose, and power and drinking water have been cut since Wednesday.

    The flood waters damaged the doors to Hoang Anh Tu’s home, from which he operates a beer shop. Though he and his family were able to relocate to his parents’ house, they have had to take turns guarding the building.

    “It’s very difficult,” he said. “We haven’t even been able to assess the damage because the flood came so fast.”

  • UN pays tribute to victims of 9/11 terrorist attacks

    UN pays tribute to victims of 9/11 terrorist attacks

     The United Nations (UN) on Wednesday joined its host city, New York, in commemorating the 2,977 lives lost on Sept. 11,  2001, when Al-Qaida terrorists hijacked four aircrafts and flew them into buildings in the United States.

    Two of the planes struck the twin skyscrapers of the World Trade Center in Manhattan’s financial district, while another was flown into the US military headquarters at the Pentagon outside Washington, DC.

    The fourth aircraft crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers wrested back control from the hijackers.

    Among those killed were 441 first responders, the greatest loss of emergency responders on a single day in the country’s history.

    Thousands more were injured, and many still suffer from chronic illnesses, including respiratory diseases, mental health issues and cancer.

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    “Today my thoughts are with everyone who lost loved ones on 9/11 and with all the people of New York City,” Secretary-General António Guterres said in a post on X.

    Ben Saul, Special Rapporteur on counterterrorism and human rights, also paid tribute to the victims, who came from more than 90 countries, their families and loved ones.

    He welcomed U.S. efforts to support the survivors, but emphasised that justice remained elusive for many.

    “The unfathomable violence on 9/11 against ordinary people going about their daily lives was a crime against humanity, but sadly, 23 years later, the victims remain starved of justice,” he said.

    Saul noted that unresolved issues, including prolonged detentions and limited accountability, continue to impact victims and detainees alike, underscoring the need for the U.S. to fully align its counterterrorism policies with international human rights standards.

    He urged the U.S. authorities to fully implement the recommendations of his predecessor, Fionnuala D. Ní Aoláin, after her technical visit to the United States and the Guantánamo Detention Facility in Cuba in 2023.

    Ní Aoláin made specific recommendations and concluded that the U.S. Government must ensure accountability for all international law violations and victims of terrorism and counter-terrorism.

    Appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, Special Rapporteurs are mandated to monitor and report on human rights situation in country or thematic situations.

    They serve in their individual capacity, independent of the United Nations; the mandate holders are not UN staff and do not draw a salary for their work.

    (NAN)

  • UNGA 79: Dennis Francis bows out as Cameroon’s Philemon Yang assumes office

    UNGA 79: Dennis Francis bows out as Cameroon’s Philemon Yang assumes office

    Cameroon’s former Prime Minister and newly-elected 79th president of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, Philemon Yang has taken over from the president of the 78th session, Dennis Francis.

    Yang was officially elected in June, while Algeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Amar Bendjama, was elected Vice-President.

    Meanwhile, the 79th session of the UN General Assembly began on Tuesday, September 10, placing conflict resolution and sustainable economic growth at the forefront of its agenda.

    The 79th session marks a crucial milestone in the global effort to accelerate progress towards the 17 SDGs.

    Yang in his opening speech, outlined his priorities, which include promoting peace, and security, and addressing ongoing conflicts in Gaza, Haiti, and Ukraine.

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    He also vowed to keep human rights at the core of the Assembly’s work and to strengthen international legal frameworks.

    Also, the immediate past president, Francis, expressed gratitude for his time leading the Assembly, calling it “the honour and privilege of a lifetime.”

    He emphasised that, although he was unable to meet with Israelis and Palestinians directly, he raised the issue of their conflict at every opportunity and voiced hope for a ceasefire and a lasting political resolution.

    Francis also highlighted the increasing scale of manmade suffering globally, with Gaza as a stark example of the humanitarian toll of ongoing conflicts.

    Also, in his opening remarks, UN Secretary-General António Guterres reflected on the past year’s challenges, citing poverty, inequality, and the persistence of conflict and violence.

    Guterres also noted the record-breaking heat of the previous year, calling for unified action to address global issues.

    “This is the place where solutions are made,” Guterres said, underscoring the essential role of the General Assembly in confronting the world’s challenges.

    The official opening of the 79th General Assembly is set for September 22 with the theme ‘Unity and Diversity for advancing peace, sustainable development and human dignity, everywhere and for all’ and world leaders will begin delivering speeches on September 24.

    The General Assembly comprises all 193 UN member states.

  • The successful Eastern Economic Forum, Far East Development to reshape global dynamics

    The successful Eastern Economic Forum, Far East Development to reshape global dynamics

    Recently, the 2024 Eastern Economic Forum successfully took place at the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok. Themed “Far East 2030: Working Together to Create Opportunities,” this high-profile event drew global attention, with approximately 7,000 participants from 75 countries and 292 agreements signed, totaling 5.5 trillion rubles.

    It is evident that Russia has set high expectations for the development of its Far East. Currently, facing a barrage of sanctions from the West—over 10,000 in total—and an ongoing conflict that has essentially become a battleground between Russia and NATO, Russia must pivot its strategic focus eastward for growth. This shift is impossible without cooperation with China. After the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, collaboration with China became Russia’s only viable path to counter Western sanctions.

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    The Far East is far from major Russian cities like Moscow. Despite its abundant natural resources, the region’s poor infrastructure has hindered development. Past Russian subsidies failed to reverse the population decline, turning the area into a financial burden for the country.

    Now, things are changing. China and Russia, as “comprehensive strategic partners,” see the potential in developing the Far East. China’s formidable infrastructure capabilities could transform the region into a resource-rich land, benefiting both nations economically.

    The Russia-Ukraine war has made Russia realize that China is the only nation willing and able to support its survival amid Western blockades. From the upcoming China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway to Far East development and the Tumen River cooperation projects, Russia’s unprecedented openness to China underscores the emergence of the best partner and anti-hegemony ally in the current global landscape.

    Notably, among the 75 countries participating in the 2024 Eastern Economic Forum, 16 are from Russia’s list of “unfriendly nations”—countries allied with the U.S. This shows two things: first, the Far East’s development is so attractive that even some Western nations are enticed, and second, Western unity may not be as strong as it seems. Many Western countries sanctioned Russia under U.S. pressure, but as interests shift, cracks in the Western bloc are emerging.

    The close cooperation between China, Russia, and other developing nations is creating mutual benefit, while the Western alliance—held together by coercion and pressure—may face further internal fractures. How long can the Western bloc hold together? The future remains to be seen.