The Israel-Hamas war|The reactions

White House concerns: Criticism of Biden as Netanyahu speaks

The White House is concerned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may use next week's speech to the US Congress to criticize Joe Biden, sources told Politico.

Concerns are said to have risen after Netanyahu claimed in a recent video that the US is holding back arms deliveries. A source says the congressional speech could make the relationship even frostier.

- No one knows what he is going to say, says another source.
The American-Israeli relationship has gradually deteriorated since last autumn

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Relative of the hostage: Will ensure that Netanyahu is convicted

Tens of thousands of Israelis protested on Saturday against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's and the government's handling of the Gaza war. In Tel Aviv, relatives have directed criticism at Israel's failure to get more people released.

Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is still being held in Gaza by Hamas, says that no solution will be negotiated as long as Netanyahu is politically secure. She says Netanyahu is "failing and destroying" every minute in power.

- I will personally make sure that you are sentenced for every murder on October 7, and for every hostage who came there (to Gaza ed. note) alive and left dead, she says according to the Times of Israel.

Landslide after storm in the Alps – three are missing

Extreme weather
Three missing after landslide in Switzerland

Linnea Blomberg

Published 00.00

Extreme amounts of rain flooded roads and buildings in southern Switzerland on Saturday. Photo: Samuel Golay / AP

Quick version

• In Europe, extreme weather prevails with forest fires and power outages in the south and heavy rain with landslides and floods in the north.
• After a landslide, caused by heavy rain, in south-eastern Switzerland, three people are missing.personer.
• At the same time, Greece and the Balkans are suffering from extreme heat with deaths, forest fires and widespread power outages due to overloading of the power grid.

Heavy rain has caused a landslide in southeastern Switzerland. One woman has been rescued but three people are still missing, according to the country's authorities according to AP.

The accident occurred in the alpine valley Misox in Graubünden and a rescue operation has been ongoing throughout Saturday. The rescue personnel search with excavators and specially trained search dogs.

William Kloter of the Swiss police, who is leading the rescue operation, has told local media that he hopes to find the three missing people alive.

Swiss President Viola Amherd is shocked by the magnitude of the landslide.

"My thoughts go out to those affected. I also want to thank the rescue personnel for their efforts in this difficult situation," writes Amherd on X.

Swiss President Viola Amherd. Photo: Kay Nietfeld/AP

Several dead in floods

The severe weather has also caused problems elsewhere in Switzerland.

Heavy rains and melting snow have caused the river that runs through the popular tourist destination of Zermatt to overflow and isolate the village. Dramatic videos showed the otherwise small river turning into a muddy stream gushing along the streets.

 

People were evacuated from their homes in the area. Photo: Samuel Golay / AP

Devastation after the landslide in Switzerland. Photo: Samuel Golay / AP

Germany has also been plagued by devastating floods at the beginning of the summer. German media have reported several deaths.
 

Forest fires and heat wave

While the rain is ravaging parts of northern Europe, southern parts of the continent are currently suffering from deadly forest fires and widespread power outages.

In Greece, tourists are now being warned about the extreme heat that has swept over the country.

In eleven days, five people have died or disappeared in the Greek island world. Among them the British diet guru Michael Mosley, which Aftonbladet previously reported on.

During Thursday, the temperature was measured at 44.5 degrees in Chania, northwestern Crete.

Areas around Athens were plagued by several large fires this week. Photo: Petros Giannakouris / AP

Balkan residents are asked to stay indoors

The Balkan peninsula is also strongly affected by the heat. During Friday, the Western Balkans suffered widespread blackouts due to overloaded power grids due to the rising demand for electricity in the heat.

Montenegro's largest electricity supplier announced that there were power outages in most of the country.

Similar reports came from the southern coastal strip of Croatia, from Bosnia and Herzegovina's capital Sarajevo and from Albania.

The warm weather also causes it in North Macedonia. There, authorities urge residents to stay indoors and to avoid heavy work during the hottest hours of the day.

Latest news

The Taylor Swift hype
The Crown Prince's "dad dance" at the Swift concert is praised

Britain's Crown Prince William celebrated 42 years by attending Taylor Swift's concert in London on Friday night. A spectator filmed William as he danced from his VIP seat to the superstar's hit "Shake it off" in a clip that has now gone viral, British media write.

The Telegraph writes that his dance is as "embarrassing as 'dad dancing' can be" while other media outlets are more impressed. The tabloid The Sun thinks Williams' movements are "brilliant" and the entertainment site TMZ writes that, based on the short clip, he doesn't seem to have held back during the concert.

On Saturday, Swift posted a picture of herself, boyfriend Travis Kelce, Crown Prince William, 10-year-old Prince George and 9-year-old Princess Charlotte.

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Egypt revokes travel agency licenses after pilgrimages

Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly is demanding that 16 travel agencies lose their licenses and that their managers be prosecuted, reports AFP. That as a consequence of them arranging illegal trips to the pilgrimage in Mecca.

Of over 1,000 deaths in the extreme heat, 658 are Egyptians. Of these, 630 had not registered, according to AFP's sources.

Many who do not register do so for financial reasons, and this means that they do not have access to air-conditioned spaces established by the authorities in Saudi Arabia, writes TT.

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Shot fireworks from yacht - started forest fire on island

13 people have been arrested in Greece on suspicion of having caused a forest fire on the tourist island of Hydra, several media write. The fire is believed to have started when a firework was set off from a private yacht.

- We are outraged that some people start fires in such an irresponsible way, says the mayor Giorgos Koukoudakis according to Kathimerini.

On Saturday, the fire was out.

TOP NEWS

The September 11 attacks
Investigators: Video points to Saudi involvement in 9/11

A newly released video supports the theory that the government of Saudi Arabia was involved in the attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001, Richard Lambert, the retired FBI agent who led the initial September 11 investigation, told CBS News.

The video was recorded in Washington DC by the Saudi Omar al-Bayoumi in the summer of 1999. He films, among other things, the Washington Monument, talks about the security around the Capitol and at one point mentions "a plan".

al-Bayoumi has been identified by the FBI as a former employee of the Saudi intelligence service. He also has connections to two of the perpetrators.

The video was seized by British police during a search of al-Bayoumi's apartment in Birmingham, where he was doing his doctoral studies at the time.

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The new election in France
Holocaust survivors: Could vote for Le Pen

The threat to French Jews comes from the left, not the right. That's what the well-known Holocaust survivor and "Nazi hunter" Serge Klarsfeld said in an interview this week.

Klarsfeld shocked many when he said that he might consider voting for the far-right National Assembly. The party's founder Jean-Marie Le Pen was convicted several times for anti-Semitic statements, but his daughter Marie Le Pen has changed the party's image.

- National Collection supports Jews and supports Israel. If there is an anti-Jewish party and a pro-Jewish party, I vote for the pro-Jewish party, Klarsfeld said, according to the Wall Street Journal.

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The fight against HIV
Medicines seem to offer full protection against HIV: "I shudder"

A new drug shows signs of fundamentally changing the fight against HIV. The results of a large clinical study in Africa show that two injections per year gave young women complete protection against the virus, writes the New York Times.

- I got chills, says researcher Linda Gail-Bekker to the newspaper.

In the study, which was carried out in South Africa and Uganda, over 2,000 women received injections of the drug lenacapavir. A later check showed that none of them had been infected with HIV. In the control groups, which received two different preventive pills, between one and two percent had become infected.

The results have been published by lenacapavir's manufacturer Gilead and are not yet peer-reviewed.

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Satellites should help understand the composition of space

A Franco-Chinese satellite was launched on Saturday from China and is expected to collect data to better understand the composition of space, reports AFP.

The satellite will look for "gamma-ray bursts", a powerful burst of gamma radiation. They usually occur after explosions of large stars.

Analyzing them can help understand the history and development of the universe, writes AFP.

- Observing them is like "looking back in time", because the light from these objects takes a long time to reach us, says Ore Gottlied, astrophysicist at the Flatiron Institute's Center for Astrophysics in New York.

The Russian Invasion|The North Korea-Russia relationship

The Russian Invasion|The North Korea-Russia relationship
Ship data believed to show major weapons delivery: 'Closest to proof we can get'

Russian-flagged ships linked to the military have been docked in a North Korean port, and later in Russian ports, at times coinciding with the shipment of large quantities of suspected munitions to locations near the Ukrainian border.

It shows satellite images and traffic data analyzed by the non-profit security organization C4ADS and the Washington Post.

The deliveries have been classified as explosive goods, but official documentation does not indicate where they were sent from. They have gone to 16 locations, 12 of which are near ammunition depots. The conclusion of several experts is that the loads consisted of ammunition to a weight equivalent to around 1.6 million artillery shells.

"This is the closest to proof of a Russian-North Korean connection in terms of supplies of military equipment that we can get," said Seoul-based security researcher Go Myong-hyun

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Putin opens arms to North Korea at summit

The South Korean military fired warning shots overnight Friday after North Korean soldiers crossed the land border into the demilitarized zone. The North Korean soldiers were carrying out repair work and the border violation appears to have been accidental, sources told Yonhap.

The incident shows that the situation between the countries is tense after Vladimir Putin's visit to North Korea's capital Pyongyang earlier this week. On Thursday, Putin opened the door for Russia to start exporting weapons to North Korea.

- Countries that send robots to Ukraine think they are not fighting us [...] but then we reserve the right to give weapons to other parts of the world, Putin said at a press conference in Hanoi.

The US reacts strongly to the statement, calling it "incredibly worrying", according to The Guardian.

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Sources: Russia can build on an alternative NATO

The speed with which countries like Russia, China and North Korea have put aside their past differences is surprising. This is stated by American intelligence sources for the Wall Street Journal.

The support Russia has received from Iran, China and North Korea during the war against Ukraine could also mark the beginning of a longer-term alliance. Not least because large parts of the support dealt with knowledge exchange and joint projects.

- This is something that Russia will have left after the war, says an intelligence source to the newspaper.

According to several sources, the collaboration is not yet about a new alliance of Nato character, but is definitely moving in that direction.

Britain's richest family is sentenced to prison

 

Switzerland
Britain's richest family in prison - gave employees starvation wages

Ellen Sundstrom

Updated 22.08 | Published 21.04

Britain's richest family is sentenced to prison.

They allegedly paid their employees starvation wages, took their passports and prevented them from leaving the family's luxury villa.

- No employee was cheated on their salary, says the family's defense lawyer Robert Assael.
 

Quick version

•  Four members of Britain's richest Hinduja family have been jailed by a Swiss court for exploiting their maids.
• The family, which owns the Hinduja Group corporate empire, paid its employees starvation wages and prevented them from leaving the family's luxury villa in Geneva.
• Despite the family being among the richest in the world, they spent more money on their dog than on their staff. They plan to appeal the verdict.

Four members of the Hinduja family have been sentenced by a Swiss court to several years in prison after exploiting their maids in their property in Geneva, writes The Guardian.

The couple Prakash and Kamal Hinduja get four and a half years each. Their son Ajay and his wife Namrata get four years each.

The family is worth 37 billion pounds, which corresponds to almost 500 billion Swedish kronor. They run the corporate empire The Hinduja Group, which invests in oil, gas, banking and healthcare in 38 countries, and employs approximately 200,000 people.

Ajay Hinduja and wife Namrata, here with lawyer Robert Assael. Photo: Salvatore Di Nolfi / EPA

Put more money on the dog

Despite the billions and the luxury villa, they paid their employees starvation wages. The monthly salary was between 220 and 400 Swiss francs, which corresponds to approximately 2,600 and 4,700 Swedish kronor. According to prosecutor Yves Bertossa, the family spent more money on their dog than on the staff.

- They profit from the world's misery, Bertossa told the court.

Many of the staff, who could not speak English, had their salaries paid in rupees to bank accounts in India that the staff did not have access to while ini Switzerland, according to The Economic Times.

The three plaintiffs also say they were forced to work long hours, sometimes as much as 18 hours straight, seven days a week with minimal health benefits and little or no vacation time.

The staff also had their passports confiscated by the Hinduja family when they arrived in Switzerland from India, and were barely allowed to leave the Geneva villa. It also emerged that the staff often slept on mattresses in the basement.

The family's defense lawyers Nicolas Jeandin and Robert Assael. Photo: Martial Trezzini / AP

"Not ill-treated slaves"

The family's legal team denied the allegations, saying the staff were treated respectfully and given access to proper accommodation.

- This is not about badly treated slaves, said one of the family's defense lawyers, Nicolas Jeandin.

The affected people in the Hinduja family were all cleared of suspicion of human trafficking, but have still expressed their dissatisfaction with the verdict, and say they will appeal to have it overturned.

Swiss authorities have confiscated valuable family possessions such as diamonds, rubies and a platinum necklace to cover legal costs.

The Israel-Hamas war|The attacks

Hamas: Over 40 dead in attacks on Gaza City

42 people have been killed in Israeli bombings against the city of Gaza, Hamas-controlled authorities told Reuters. Israeli warplanes reportedly bombed two different targets in close succession on Saturday. Among other things, a refugee camp is said to have been hit.

Israel confirms that it carried out bombings but claims that it hit military targets, one of which is said to be a high-ranking Hamas member.

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Red Cross office damaged - over 20 dead in attack

More than 20 people have died and 45 injured after Friday's attack on a tent camp in Mawasi in Rafah in the Gaza Strip. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) states that projectiles struck next to a tent camp where several hundred civilians and health workers live.

The ICRC adds that the organization's office was damaged in the shooting. It is not written who is supposed to have been behind the attack. Witnesses tell AP that the shelling came from Israel, something the Israeli army denies.

Israel has on several previous occasions shelled targets near the "humanitarian zone" in Mawasi, a place without running water or sewage.

The climate threat

The climate threat The climate actions
Climate activists block the road to Kastrup airport

About 50 climate activists are blocking car traffic to Kastrup Airport in Copenhagen, reports TV4 Nyheterna.

Among other things, the activists are holding up the banner with cattle saying that private flights should be banned.

Air traffic is not affected by the action, but it may be difficult to get to the airport for car users. The police are on site to deal with the incident. 

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The climate threat|Global challenges
After the salmon stop - quotas for cod fishing plummet

Next year, the quotas for cod fishing in the Barents Sea are proposed to be reduced by 31 percent, writes NRK. This is the lowest quota level since 1991.

The proposal comes from Norwegian and Russian researchers at the Norwegian Maritime Institute. Strongly lower quotas are also proposed for haddock, a 24 percent reduction compared to today.

The dramatic reduction in the quota level is linked to some very weak years for the spawning stocks. Going forward, things look a bit brighter, as spawning stocks from 2021 have shown a positive development, especially for haddock.

This is the second killing blow for Norwegian fishing in a short time. Recently, it was announced that all salmon fishing will be stopped in 33 lakes and rivers in southern Norway, starting on the night of Sunday.

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The problems with mass tourism
Capri is closed to tourists after water damage

The famous tourist destination Capri has temporarily closed to tourists, reports la Stampa. The reason is an acute water shortage.

Only islanders are allowed to get off the ferry while others are allowed to take a turning boat back to the mainland.

- The health and hygiene situation is explosive, we have taken countermeasures and activated the crisis unit, says mayor Paolo Falco.

The water shortage is caused by a breakdown of the water main that supplies Capri with drinking water. Repairmen are working on the wiring but the fault has not yet been fixed.

The violence in Colombia

Young Colombians are attracted to rebel groups via Tiktok

Guerrilla groups in southwestern Colombia are increasingly recruiting young people via social media, the BBC reports. In 2023, an umbrella group for the Farc guerrillas recruited at least 184 people and during the first half of the year the number is 159.

Young people are exposed to recruitment videos on Tiktok and the method is difficult to stop. The BBC has verified at least over 50 accounts urging users to join. Some accounts are removed, but new ones will soon be added.

Colombia expert Sergio Saffon says that the rebels are trying to sell "a wonderful life".

- Where you can get everything you could possibly want: Money, women, motorcycles.

Farc signed a peace agreement with the state in 2016 but three factions have since come together under the name Estado Mayor Central, EMC, which is believed to have 3,000 members.
 

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Lorena's students are recruited: "Feeling so much pain"

It has become completely normalized for young people in Colombia to take part in propaganda videos from rebel groups on social media, says teacher Lorena to the BBC.

The 30-year-old says that she herself had students who suddenly did not show up, only to later appear in videos on Tiktok that show how they joined and carry weapons. At the school where she works, 15 students have been recruited.

- You feel so much pain, disappointment and powerlessness.

The Russian Invasion

The Russian Invasion|The UK Election

Sunak and Starmer rage: "Putin who bears the responsibility"

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labor Party leader Keir Starmer rage against Nigel Farage's statement that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was provoked by the West.

Both believe that the far-right politician is playing into Vladimir Putin's hands with his statement. Starmer says it's a "shameful move" and that Russia is the aggressor.

- Putin is responsible, he says according to The Guardian.

In an interview on Friday night, Farage said the invasion was a response to EU and NATO "expansion" eastwards, and that he could foresee the development as early as ten years ago.

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Farage: Provocations from the West led to the invasion

British right-wing politician Nigel Farage is under fire after blaming the West for Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

In an interview with the BBC on Friday night, Farage, who is leader of the Reform UK party, was called to account for a post on X two years ago, in which he wrote that Russia's invasion was a consequence of "EU and NATO expansion".

- We provoked this war, Farage told the BBC but added that the war "is clearly Putin's fault".

The statement received harsh criticism from both the Labor and Conservative parties. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak calls Farage's comment "completely wrong".

 

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The Russian invasion. The outside world's response
Hotel chain Strawberry lifts chocolate boycott

Petter Stordalen's hotel chain Strawberry breaks the boycott against the candy giant Mondelez, which, among other things, owns the Swedish chocolate company Marabou. This is reported by Norwegian E24.

The boycott began about a year ago when Ukraine blacklisted the company because Mondelez did not end its operations in Russia in connection with the invasion of Ukraine.

Strawberry CEO Torgeir Silseth says that Mondelez has now isolated its Russian operations and that the boycott no longer has enough popular support.

- Then it will just be symbolic politics, he says.

He adds that the hotel chain does not buy goods that Israel produces in the occupied West Bank and that business responsibility is an important issue.

 

The election in the United States|The electoral movement

The lawyer's job: Will play Trump in debate with Biden

Joe Biden has begun his preparations for next week's debate against Donald Trump. The president's personal lawyer, Bob Bauer, is believed to be playing Trump in a mock debate during the upload, writes Politico.

Bauer would not confirm that he has that role this year, but he had it four years ago and then had to prepare Biden for possible attacks. The job requires immersing oneself in the opponent's policies and debating style, but four years ago, Bauer falsely claimed that Trump wanted to overturn the abortion law Roe v. Wade.

- It was a mistake. You want to avoid that type of mistake because you don't want to prepare the candidate for an argument they won't hear.

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Shy billionaire gives Trump half a billion kroner

Donald Trump's campaign coffers are starting to fill up and the financial disadvantage against Joe Biden has been halved since April, writes the New York Times. The guilty verdict in the accounting charges against Trump led to his supporters opening their wallets.

One of them was billionaire Timothy Mellon, heir to the Mellon banking family. The day after the jury announced its decision, Mellon, who is media-shy and almost never allows himself to be photographed, donated $50 million to the Trump campaign. This corresponds to approximately SEK 525 million.

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Latest news

The Russian invasion, the EU's future
Confirmed: EU negotiations with Ukraine start on Tuesday

EU accession negotiations with Ukraine begin next week. It was decided at a meeting of the Council of Ministers on Friday, AP reports. In addition to Ukraine, the EU will also start negotiations with Moldova.

The first meeting will be held in Luxembourg on Tuesday 25 June, but the negotiations are expected to continue for several years. In order to become a member of the EU, candidate countries must adapt their legislation to the Union and demonstrate that they meet democratic criteria.

Ukraine applied for EU membership less than a week after Russia launched its large-scale invasion, on February 24, 2022.

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The Pilgrimage to Mecca
Saudi Arabia on the criticism: "People misjudge risks"

Saudi Arabia rejects all responsibility for the more than 1,100 deaths during this year's pilgrimage to Mecca, writes AFP.

- The state has not failed, but it is a matter of people misjudging and not appreciating the risks, says a senior official in a first official comment on Friday.

Authorities have urged pilgrims to avoid the sun during the hottest hours, but many of the rituals take place outdoors during the day. Temperatures have been extreme with up to 51.8 degrees in Mecca.

The air-conditioned tents and buses provided by the state have been available only to officially registered pilgrims. Over half of the dead are Egyptians who entered by other means.

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The problems with mass tourism
Barcelona stops all rentals to tourists

The Spanish city of Barcelona wants to ban all short-term housing rentals on platforms like Airbnb from 2029, reports Bloomberg.

- We need to increase the supply of housing, so that the working middle class is not forced out of the city because they cannot afford to stay, says the city's mayor Jaume Collboni at a press conference.

More than 10,000 homes are currently registered for rental to tourists. They shall not have their licenses renewed and no new ones shall be issued, with the aim of eliminating short-term rentals entirely within five years.

Rents in Barcelona rose by 14 percent in the year to April this year. The city was visited by 16 million tourists in 2023.

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Record seizure in France: 216 kilos of methamphetamine

Six million euros worth of methamphetamine has been seized in southeastern France, AFP reports. The seizure of 216 kilograms is described by Marseille's prosecutor's office as "exceptional" - it is almost as large as the entire 2022 total seizure of 273 kilograms, writes La Provence.

Methamphetamine is described by the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention as one of the biggest threats to global health, according to AFP.

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Three detained for spying against Ukrainians in Germany

Three men have been detained on suspicion of spying on a Ukrainian citizen in Germany, AP reports.

The men, who are from Russia, Ukraine and Armenia, were arrested in a cafe in Frankfurt on Wednesday. They are said to have traveled to Germany on behalf of a foreign intelligence service to gather information about the Ukrainian living there.

Several suspected spy scandals have been revealed in Germany in recent months, writes Reuters. According to a report by the security service, Russia has gradually turned to recruiting German spies after around 600 Russian diplomats were expelled from Europe. 

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Greenlanders demand compensation in adoption case

Four people born in Greenland, who were adopted by Danish families, demand a total of one million Danish kroner compensation (1.5 million Swedish kronor) from the Danish state, reports DR. The group claims they have been subjected to dubious adoptions.

- The parents have agreed that their children could be placed with a Danish family that was in Greenland. But the parents have not agreed that they would take the child home, says the group's lawyer Mads Pramming to DR.

There may be several hundred other similar cases, reads the draft, according to DR.

In March, more than 140 Greenlandic women sued the Danish state for having been forced to use IUDs, despite the fact that many of them were barely in their teens, reports AFP.

According to The Guardian, some were as young as 12.

The climate threat|Global challenges

All salmon fishing in southern Norway stopped: "Doomsday"

Norwegian authorities pull the emergency brake and stop all salmon fishing in the southern parts of the country, reports NRK.

Salmon fishing has been record poor so far this year and too few fish have been counted. The reason for the weak stock is climate change and the large Norwegian salmon farms at sea.

A total of 33 lakes and rivers in southern Norway are covered by the fishing stop, which begins during the night to Sunday.

- It is a deeply tragic situation, but we are in a doomsday for the wild salmon, says Pål Mugaas from Norske Lakseelver to NRK.

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Energy manager: Most extensive outage in 30 years - unclear what caused it

As thermometers in the Balkans passed 40 degrees at lunchtime on Friday, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and Albania were hit by nationwide power outages that lasted for hours.

Politicians and officials in the countries point out, according to Radio Free Europe's Balkan editorial office, that electricity consumption increased sharply when the heat wave moved in, what went wrong is being investigated.

- We still don't know what caused this, says Ranko Redzic, head of the authority that manages Montenegro's electricity grid.

He adds that something like this has not occurred in the country for at least 30 years.

In recent years, large sums of money have been invested in phasing out coal power in the Balkans in favor of solar energy. Last year, representatives of the electricity grid warned that the new system was not secure enough to handle sharp and sudden increases in electricity consumption, writes Reuters.

The Israel-Lebanon conflict

Analysis: Great risk of a war that no one wants

It is becoming increasingly difficult for both Hezbollah and Israel to tone down the war rhetoric due to pressure from domestic opinion. That's what Jamie Dettmer writes in an analysis in Politico:

"While the threats on both sides are partly intended to deter each other from escalating, they risk making it more difficult for either side to back down."

He believes that Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right support parties may also see a war as an opportunity to seize southern Lebanon, which they see as part of God's promised land. According to both Dettner and several experts cited in the Reuters analysis, the risk of a full-scale war is increasing, against the will of those in power and despite the fact that it would be devastating for both those involved and the entire region.

The conflict even risks growing longer than that, after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah threatened Cyprus because of the country's defense cooperation with Israel. If Cyprus were to let Israel use the country's military bases, "the Gaza war would expand into the EU". This is written by CNN's Nadeen Ebrahim, who quotes Iran analyst Mohammad Ali Shabani in his analysis.

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US concerns: Hezbollah can knock out Israeli robotic defenses

US military leadership is concerned that Hezbollah's large arsenal of drones and robots could overwhelm Israel's Iron Dome robotic defense system. This is stated by several American defense sources for CNN.

- We are entering a very dangerous time. Something could start with very little warning, says a source to the television channel.

Both Israel and Hezbollah have during the week threatened each other with a "full-scale war". Earlier this week, Israeli generals reportedly approved a plan for a ground invasion of Lebanon.

Political situation in Sierra Leone

First lady in campaign against child marriage: "Legal rape"

Sierra Leone's first lady Fatima Maada Bio has for years run a personal campaign for the total ban on child marriage that was voted through by a united parliament on Friday. In a speech in the House, she thanked everyone who helped, including Opposition Leader Abdul Kargbo.

- He urged his colleagues to embrace the bill wholeheartedly and work tirelessly to anchor it in society, she said in the speech according to a post on her X account.

Her campaign "Off with the paws from our girls" was launched in 2018, and a year later her husband, the president, declared rape a national emergency and began the reform work that has resulted, among other things, in today's ban.

- As I see it, early marriages are a form of legal rape, because they often take place without the girls' consent, but unfortunately with the parents', says Fatima Maada Bio to the development site Devex.
 

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Historic ban on child marriage in Sierra Leone

A unanimous parliament has voted through a ban on child marriage in Sierra Leone, reports AFP. Anyone who marries someone under the age of 18 can be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison. Save the Children calls the law "historic".

At a school for children who escaped forced marriage in Kono, AP meets Naomi. She was given away in exchange for a 50-kilogram sack of rice as a 15-year-old. The family was in need and saw no alternative, and wants her to return to her husband.

- There is nothing that can make me go back and continue to suffer, says Naomi.

One in three girls in Sierra Leone are married off before their 18th birthday. The proportion steadily decreased until the pandemic, when it began to increase again.

The extreme heat does not stop tourists: "Frustration"

 

Greece
The extreme heat does not stop tourists: "Frustration"

Matthias Kjellman

Published 2024-06-20 06.48

The early heat wave in Europe has devastating consequences in Greece.

In eleven days, five tourists have died due to the heat and an anger is growing among the locals that tourists are underestimating the heat.

- There is a sense of frustration among the local population but they are also very sad, a local resident told the Independent.

The summer has started with extreme heat in several places in Europe.

But heat warnings and clear calls for caution do not stop tourists' holiday dreams.

A 55-year-old American man died on the Greece island of Mathraki, local police said Monday. He is one of five tourists who have died as a result of the extreme heat in Greece in just eleven days.

- There is a common pattern - they all went on a hike in the middle of high temperatures, said Petros Vassilakis, a police spokesman, to Reuters.

Health guru Michel Mosley, 67, was found dead after being mising for days on a Greek island. He went for a walk in rough terrain and died two hours after saying goodbye to his wife on the beach.

Last year too, the searing heat led to tourists collapsing and as a precautionary measure this year the Acropolis was closed due to a record early heat wave in Greece.

Michael Mosley was found dead after being missing for several days on a Greek island. Photo: Handout / Reuters

"People forget quickly"

Greece is not the only country in southern Europe to experience this high heat - and it has raised fears of a repeat of last year's extreme weather.

Even though locals and tourists had to sleep in schools and sports halls when large fires hit Rhodes last year - the island is among the Swedish travel companies' most popular destinations this summer.

- People quickly forget things that are negative. Maybe not if you yourself have found yourself in an extreme situation, then you might think about whether you want to experience something similar again, says Stefan Gössling, professor of tourism science at Linnaeus University to TT.

- But for most people it is abstract. As a tourist, you can't really relate to these risks that are everywhere and will only increase, he says.

A tourist drinks water under an umbrella in front of the Acropolis in Athens. Photo: Petros Giannakouris/AP

The authorities warn

The temperature has reached high levels. In Chania, 44.5 degrees were measured on Thursday, writes The Guardian. Red Cross volunteers have distributed thousands of bottles of free water and local authorities are urging tourists to be better informed about the weather conditions - and the dangers that come with them.

Eleftherios Papakalodoukas, mayor of the island of Symis, wants to install cameras and lighting on paths and hiking trails.

- If there is a lesson to be learned from the tragedy (of Mosley's death), it is that these roads need to be taken care of better so that people do not get lost, he says.

A large rescue operation was searching for a 74-year-old tourist on Samos. After almost a week, he was found dead. Photo: Hellenic Rescue Team

Several fires are expected

The dry and hot weather caused a fire near Athens on Wednesday.

Strong winds fanned the flames, forcing residents of Koropi to flee their homes. The firefighters had to fight hard with the extinguishing work.

The fire is one of many so far this season and more are expected during the summer.

            
             A firefighter fights a forest fire in Koropi on Wednesday. Photo: Petros Giannakouris / AP

 

The Politics X อ.ศิโรตม์ 21 มิ.ย. 67

The Politics X อ.ศิโรตม์ 21 มิ.ย. 67 I ช่องว่าง เพื่อไทย - ก้าวไกล ถมไม่เต็ม? I คุย สส.วิโรจน์

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วิโรจน์ตัดเกรดสุทินแค่ D จัดงบกลาโหมน่าผิดหวังมาก ไม่มีวันลดนายพลสำเร็จ กองทัพอ่อนแอ : Matichon TV

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อภิปรายงบ 68 เวทีสุดท้ายในนามก้าวไกล?

  

"พิธา" อภิปรายทิ้งท้ายงบ 68 ชี้เพราะรายได้โตไม่ทันรายจ่ายสุดท้ายก็ต้องกู้เงิน : Matichon TV

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แก้ต่างตอบโต้ฝ่ายตรงข้าม เป็นพันธกิจรัฐบาลตรงไหน ภคมนชวนจับตากองทัพจ้างอินฟลูฯ PR ฉ่ำๆ : Matichon TV

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"ก้าวไกล"แสบ กระตุกต่อมความจำ "ภูมิใจไทย" พูดแล้วทำ ตามสโลแกนหาเสียง : Matichon TV

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"กัณวีร์"ตะลึง สำนักเลขาธิการนายกฯ ขอซื้อ"ฮ.-เครื่องบิน"3พันล้าน : Matichon TV

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ตาสว่างกว่า กับศิโรตม์

เพื่อไทยเจ๊งคนด่าเอกฉันท์ทั้งประเทศ แกนนำเย้ยก้าวไกลถูกยุบพรรค อุ๊งอิ๊งนำทัพอภิปรายปล่อยโฆษกปากเสีย

SiroteTalk

 

The North Korea crisis

Satellite images: North Korea is building a wall against South Korea

North Korea is building a wall in several places near the border with South Korea, the BBC reports, citing satellite images.

In pictures, two to three meter high barriers can be seen that stretch for a good kilometer along the eastern part of the border. Construction has taken place over the past few months – satellite images from November 2023 do not show the barriers.

Experts the BBC spoke to say the construction is unusual and it is unclear what its purpose is. The images also make it clear that North Korea has cleared away forests in the area near the border.

- It enables North Korea to more easily observe and monitor military activities in South Korea and to detect defectors trying to cross the border into South Korea, says Kil Joo-Ban, a security researcher at Goryeo Daehakgyo University in Seoul.

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Trouble at the border after the summit - Putin opens arms to North Korea

The South Korean military fired warning shots overnight Friday after North Korean soldiers crossed the land border into the demilitarized zone. The North Korean soldiers were carrying out repair work and the border violation appears to have been accidental, sources told Yonhap.

The incident shows that the situation between the countries is tense after Vladimir Putin's visit to North Korea's capital Pyongyang earlier this week. On Thursday, Putin opened the door for Russia to start exporting weapons to North Korea.

- Countries that send robots to Ukraine think they are not fighting us [...] but then we reserve the right to give weapons to other parts of the world, Putin said at a press conference in Hanoi.

The US reacts strongly to the statement, calling it "incredibly worrying", according to The Guardian.

The new election in France

National Assembly candidate attacked in market

A National Assembly candidate has been attacked in a market in Saint-Etienne near Lyon, local radio station France Bleu reports.

The man was attacked around 11:30 a.m. last Thursday while handing out leaflets.

- We saw four masked individuals dressed in black coming towards us, pushing us, threatening us, says a young National Assembly comrade who was there when the attack occurred, to France Bleu.

The victim was still hospitalized on Thursday evening, he told the radio channel.

.......................................
 

Voter turnout is expected to increase in France - can decide

In less than ten days it will be time for the French to vote again. The turnout is expected to be higher than usual, reports the public service site France Info.

According to the site, this factor becomes central to the country's fate, as it can determine the number of options voters will have in the second round.

Mathieu Gallard, director of the French polling institute Ipsos, explains that many French voters tend to perceive parliamentary elections as a validation election, since it was systematically organized after the presidential election.

- Now it is different: there is a question about who will rule the country after the election and whether the National Assembly will come to power, he tells France Info.

"Chaotic when we got to the port"

 

 

Montenegro
Major blackouts on the Balkan Peninsula: "Total collapse"

Astrid Larsson,

Ellen Sundstrom

Updated 17.34 | Published 14.39

A massive blackout has hit the Balkan Peninsula on Friday.

Traffic lights have stopped working and people are stuck in elevators.

- I saw many people who did not get enough water. It was chaos, says Swede Joel Sundström from Croatia

Almost all of Montenegro, Bosnia and large parts of Croatia and Albania have been affected by a widespread power outage.

The power outage occurred at 12.30 and a couple of hours later, large parts are still without electricity.
 

The Sarajevo Times reports that traffic lights have stopped working and describes the situation in Bosnia's capital Sarajevo as a "total collapse".

Police officers direct traffic when the traffic lights stop working. Photo: Armin Durgut / AP

"It's chaotic"

Aftonbladet has spoken to a Swedish tourist who is in Sarajevo and wishes to remain anonymous.

- It's chaotic. People are stuck in elevators and trams are standing up in the streets. Now there are police officers with whistles and redirecting the traffic, says the tourist and continues:

- The problem is that it is almost 40 degrees outside and no AC works.

Several people have also contacted Aftonbladet and told that hotels are completely turned off.

         Empty buses in Sarajevo. Photo: Armin Durgut / AP

The locals helped

Joel Sundström and Gustav Eriksson Photo: Private

The island of Hvar in Croatia is also completely without power, according to the data.

Swedes Joel Sundström and Erik Gustavsson are also on holiday with friends, and made a day trip to the island.

- It was chaotic when we arrived at the harbor with the boat. I saw many who did not get enough water, all the shops had been closed. Families with children crowded into the corners where there was shade, not everyone could fit. I saw children crying, he says.

Erik Gustavsson has diabetes. When he could not withdraw cash, the situation immediately became serious.

- I felt my blood sugar drop, and I went down for a few minutes.

But a man from the local population came up to him and gave him coke, some chewy biscuits, nuts and berries.

- He was like a gift from above. I am extremely grateful, says Erik Gustavsson.

They say that a lot of people joined up at the port and helped each other.

- I have a headline suggestion for you: Humanity trumps the crisis in Croatia, says Joel Sundström.
 

"Many unknowns"

  

tSwedish Markus Sellberg Photo: Private

Swedish Markus Sellberg is on holiday in the town of Tučepi in Croatia.

- There is a power outage at the hotel, but many are unaware, I think.

He does not describe the same chaotic situation as in Sarajevo.

- The holiday lull still works. People lie down on the beach. They have started the generator at the hotel, so at least we have AC, he says and continues:

- It's really hot here, about 35 degrees. So without AC it would have been run.

Markus has been here since Saturday and will go home tomorrow.

- I am waiting for information from Apollo, he says.

Later in the afternoon, Markus writes that the power is back at his hotel. 

The climate threat|Global challenges

Power outages in several countries - "total collapse" in Sarajevo

Large parts of the Western Balkans have been hit by massive power outages, AFP reports. According to the news agency, it is believed to be due to the heat wave in the area.

- There has been a sudden increase in electricity consumption due to high temperatures, says Montenegro's energy minister Sasa Mujovic as the cause of the electricity problems.

In Montenegro's capital Podgorica, it is 38 degrees hot on Friday afternoon and there is no electricity in large parts of the country. Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania are also affected. In Sarajevo, the situation is described as a "total collapse", according to the Sarajevo Times.

People who contacted Aftonbladet testify about blacked-out hotels.

- It's chaotic. People are stuck in elevators and trams are standing up in the streets.

.....................................

UN: 80 percent globally want to see tougher climate measures

80 percent of the world's population wants to see tougher climate action from governments worldwide, according to a new survey from the UN development program UNDP, Oxford University and Geo poll. This is reported by AFP.

A total of 75,000 people are included in the survey, which is the largest of its kind.

- It shows that people understand how little time we have left to act, says Achim Steiner, head of UNDP, to TT.

.........................................

Hawaii promises to reduce emissions after settlement with young people

Hawaii must reduce its carbon dioxide pollution and reach net negative transport emissions by the year 2045. This is what the American state promises in a settlement with a group of young climate activists who took it to court, AFP reports.

"The passion these young people are showing in advocating for a healthy, sustainable future for their generation and those to come is commendable," said Governor Josh Green.

The 13 activists sued the state for violating their constitutional rights to a "life-sustaining climate." The trial was due to begin on Monday.

In April, the European Court of Justice ruled that Switzerland must protect its citizens from the effects of climate change in a similar case, according to the AP.

The Israel-Hamas war|The attacks
At least 50 dead in Gaza after new Israeli attacks

Israeli forces have stepped up their attacks in several places in Gaza in the past 24 hours, several media reports. At least 38 Palestinians have been killed in shelling from the air, from the water and on the ground in Rafah during Friday, according to Reuters.

In addition, at least 18 were killed and 35 wounded in Israeli tank fire on a tent camp in Mawasi in western Rafah, according to Haaretz. The Israeli news site writes that five of them were municipal employees who worked with emergency aid for civilians. People who fled to Mawasi have been forced to flee again with nowhere to go, writes Al Jazeera.

According to a comment from the Israeli military, "accurate and intelligence-based operations" are being carried out in the Rafah area.
....................................

WHO: No increase in aid during 'humanitarian pause'

The humanitarian pause announced by Israel last weekend has not led to an increase in aid deliveries to Gaza, the World Health Organization told AFP.

Israel said it intended to make daily pauses in fighting at a junction in eastern Rafah to allow more aid to enter.

- We have not seen any impact on the amount of deliveries since then, says Richard Peeperkorn, WHO's representative in Gaza.
....................................

The Israel-Hamas war|The reactions
Armenia becomes the 145th country to recognize Palestine

Armenia recognizes Palestine, becoming the 145th country out of 193 to do so. This is reported by AFP.

"Armenia recognizes the State of Palestine and thereby confirms its commitment to international law, equality between nations, sovereignty and peaceful coexistence," the government writes in a statement, and at the same time condemns violence against the civilian population and hostage-taking.

Israel summoned the country's ambassador to make a protest, writes Haaretz. The Palestinian presidential office called Armenia's decision "courageous and important," according to a statement quoted in Al-Monitor.