Day: May 27, 2023

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Russia has had an overwhelming military advantage that Ukraine has been struggling to match. But Kiev’s use of cheap, off the shelf technology has been effective in erasing some of Moscow’s advantage in artillery and halting advances on the frontline. Sumeyye Jeylan reports.

Source: TRTworld.com

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has stepped down as leader of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) at a party congress, saying a new approach was needed to unite the country, but said he would remain head of state.

Vucic told the congress on Saturday he believes “a slightly different approach is needed to unite a greater number of those who want to fight for the victory of patriotic Serbia … a successful Serbia that will focus on its citizens, for a country that will not look for reasons for division, but for unification and togetherness.”

Vucic also said he would stay head of state and would remain a party member. “I will never leave this party, I am proud to have led the best party all these years,” he told cheering delegates.

Leaders of the SNS accepted Vucic’s resignation offer at the party congress in Kragujevac, central Serbia, and appointed defence minister Milos Vucevic to replace him, as Vucic had proposed.

After his appointment, Vucevic confirmed the SNS will join an umbrella political organisation which Vucic plans to create on June 28.

“If Vucic is a locomotive of that movement, the first railcar would be the SNS,” Vucevic told reporters.

The move on Saturday came a day after tens of thousands of people from across Serbia and from neighbouring Kosovo, Montenegro and Bosnia rallied in the centre of Belgrade in a show of support for Vucic following big anti-government protests over two mass shootings that killed 18 people earlier this month.

Another anti-government protest is scheduled for later on Saturday.

Opposition parties and rights watchdogs have long accused Vucic and the SNS of autocracy, stifling media freedoms, violence against political opponents, corruption and ties with organised crime.

Vucic and his allies deny the accusations.

Embracing pro-European policies

Vucic announced the new movement for the SNS and its allies, unofficially named the People’s Movement For The State, in March.

Vucic became president of the SNS in 2012, replacing Tomislav Nikolic who held the post since 2008 when the party was formed as an offshoot of the ultranationalist Serbian Radical Party.

He first served as the deputy prime minister and prime minister, and was then elected president in 2017 and in 2022. His second and last term expires in 2027. Along with its allies, the SNS holds a majority of 164 seats in the 250-member parliament.

A nationalist firebrand during the wars in the 1990s, Vucic later embraced pro-European policies, proclaiming Serbia’s membership in the European Union its strategic goal.

He also maintains close ties with Russia and China.

Source: TRTworld.com

German police have launched a criminal investigation into English rock legend and Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters on suspicion of glorifying Nazism during two concerts in Berlin. The musician has insisted the performance was in opposition to fascism.

On Friday, in a statement quoted by several media outlets, the Berlin police said that Waters was suspected of inciting hatred, and that the probe was centered on his performances on May 17 and 18 in the German capital.

In footage posted on social media, the musician can be seen wearing a leather trench coat resembling a Nazi uniform with two crossed hammers and a red armband. He then proceeds to take a mock gun and shoot into the crowd.

“The context of the clothing worn is deemed capable of approving, glorifying or justifying the violent and arbitrary rule of the Nazi regime in a manner that violates the dignity of the victims and thereby disrupts public peace,” the police said.

Nazi-related symbols are outlawed in Germany, with an exception being made for educational or artistic purposes.

Waters’ performance was apparently in reference to the film “the Wall,” an adaptation of the eponymous 1979 Pink Floyd album. The rock star appears as the album’s protagonist who hallucinates being a fascist dictator addressing a Nazi rally.

Waters’ concerts also featured a pig-shaped balloon floating in the air, with a logo of the Israeli weapons company Elbit Systems and the Star of David. The show also involved showing the names of people fading in on the screen, including Anne Frank, a Jewish diarist who died in a Nazi concentration camp, and Palestinian Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed while covering an Israeli military operation in May 2022.

The Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon suggested that Waters wanted to compare Israel to the Nazis, describing the musician as “one of the biggest Jew haters of our time.”

On Friday, the musician addressed the controversy, writing on Twitter that he had become a target of “bad faith attacks” from those who disagreed with his political views.

“The elements of my performance that have been questioned are quite clearly a statement in opposition to fascism, injustice and bigotry in all its forms”, he said, adding that he had spent his entire life speaking out “against authoritarianism and oppression.”

Source: Russia Today

Serbia has placed its military on high alert, with President Alexander Vucic dispatching some units to the border with Kosovo amid renewed tensions.andnbsp;On Friday, ethnic Serbs clashed with police, after authorities moved to install new ethnic Albanian mayors. The United States and its allies have criticised Kosovo for escalating tensions. Andy Roesgen reports.

Source: TRTworld.com

Ukraine has asked Berlin to provide it with long-range air-launched missiles that could potentially reach Moscow, a spokesperson for Germany’s Defense Ministry confirmed on Saturday.

On Friday, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper reported, citing two unnamed “insiders” within the German military, that Ukraine “urgently wants” Swedish-German Taurus missiles. These munitions could be placed on US-made F-16 fighters, which are now being considered for delivery to Kiev by several Western countries.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is said to have asked for the missiles during his meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin earlier this month. For now, it is unclear whether Berlin, which earlier said it did not have any F-16s to send to Kiev, will grant this request.

The report said the demand presents Berlin with a dilemma, as some in the German government doubt whether Ukraine would sensibly use such a weapon – which can travel 500km (310 miles) and is armed with a 500kg warhead. As Kiev may use the Taurus to strike Moscow from the border, “some fear that in a situation of dire need, Kiev could allow the war to escalate uncontrollably,” the paper added.

According to the outlet, another problem is that the Taurus needs extremely precise and up-to-date information to stage attacks, raising questions as to whether Berlin would be willing to share such data with Kiev.

Earlier this month, the UK decided to supply Ukraine with Storm Shadow missiles with a range of over 250km (155 miles), with Moscow’s Foreign Ministry condemning the move as another step towards a “serious escalation.” Later, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Kiev used the weapon to conduct a strike on civilians in the Donbass city of Lugansk, resulting in six children injured, according to local authorities.

Even without long-range missiles, earlier this month Kiev unsuccessfully attempted to conduct a strike on the Kremlin using two drones, which according to Moscow was an attempt to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kiev has denied any involvement, with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky claiming that “we fight on our territory” and “we don’t have… enough weapons for this.”

Source: Russia Today

Figures show that this year, the UK has over three million more adults struggling to pay their bills. Data also reveals food poverty in the country is among the worst in Europe. Lape Olarinoye reports from London.

Source: TRTworld.com

Adiba Islam Ridhe, 12, said her heart aches to see fathers dropping her friends to school every morning. “I have been dreaming the same for the last decade,’ she told Anadolu in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka. Her father has been missing since 2013. The girl on Saturday addressed a human chain outside Dhaka’s Press Club to mark the International Week of the Disappeared observed across the world in the last week of May (May 26 – 31). Ridhe was only 2 years old when her father, Parvej Hossain, a mid-level leader of the student wing of Bangladesh’s main opposition political party, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), went missing. His family claims the country’s law enforcers picked him from Dhaka’s Shahbag area, a major transport hub, in 2013, shortly before the 2014 general elections in the South Asian nation. ‘I can’t express how painful it’s for me to wait every moment with the hope that one day my father will come to me and I will embrace him as others do. But it has been 10 years and there is no end to my waiting,’ Ridhe said. Her younger brother stood at her side holding a picture of their father. The speakers at the program said 623 people, mostly men from the opposition party, were the victims of enforced disappearance under the Awami League government since 2009. Korshed Alam Mintu, another victim attending the event, said: “We still don’t know the whereabouts of my brother. If they killed my brother, please return his body. At least let us give him a proper burial. Chowdhury Alam, his brother, was picked up in June 2010. He was an active leader of the BNP. Dozens of the family members joined the human chain carrying photos of their loved ones who are missing. ‘We have seen that the international communities are also serious about the enforced disappearances in Bangladesh. We are hopeful that it’s not far away and we will see the punishment of those who forcefully disappeared our dear ones violating the law,’ Afroza Islam Akhi, sister of another victim, Sajedul Islam Shumon, told Anadolu. She added that her brother went missing in December 2013. Human Rights Watch, in a 57-page report in 2021 titled, Where No Sun Can Enter: A Decade of Enforced Disappearances in Bangladesh, noted that, despite credible and consistent evidence that Bangladesh security forces routinely commit enforced disappearances, the ruling Awami League has ignored calls by donor governments, the UN, human rights organizations, and civil society to address the culture of impunity. ‘United Nations human rights experts should lead an independent international investigation into enforced disappearances by security forces in Bangladesh,’ the report recommended. The top government officials including the home minister, however, have denied the allegations at different public functions, claiming that people sometimes willingly hide themselves due to various grounds including domestic discords or to avoid charges after committing crimes.

Source: Anadolu Agency

French police on Friday used tear gas and pepper spray on climate protesters outside the Salle Pleyel in Paris where the annual general meeting of TotalEnergies group was held. A TotalEnergies shareholder who came to the meeting told European Parliament Deputy Manon Aubry outside the venue, “you are parasites,” when asked about the responsibility of multinational corporations. “You do nothing as an MEP (Member of European Parliament),” he added. Aubry took to Twitter to share her response. “When it comes to lobbying, the European Parliament seems very useful to them,’ she wrote. Prime Minster Elisabeth Borne said the activists were “in their role to alert” as she was headed to the Cote-d’Or department in northeastern France, BFMTV reported. ‘We all need to speed up the ecological transition,’ she added. Other political figures voiced criticism of the government’s position toward the company. Aurelien Tache, deputy for Val-d’Oise, a department in the Ile-de-France region of northern France, tweeted: “Emmanuel Macron’s militias protect the capital of TotalEnergies. Did you say democracy?” “Instead of requiring the company TotalEnergies to stop its climaticide strategy, the state protects it,” said Sophie Taille-Polian, deputy for Val-de-Marne in the same region. TotalEnergies chief executive Patrick Pouyanne defended the company. ‘The climate is at the heart of our concerns,” he said. “If TotalEnergies gives up producing hydrocarbons … someone else will produce this oil and this gas because society needs it.’ Energy Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher emphasized Friday, in an interview with France Info radio, that oil and gas companies must “reinvent themselves” and face the reality that they have no future unless they can devise a transition away from fossil fuels.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Chefs from 14 countries demonstrated their skills in the International Cup of Chefs in Tatarstan’s capital Kazan as part of the 14th International Economic Summit, titled “Russia-Islamic World: Kazan Forum 2023.” Meat, vegetarian, seafood, and poultry dishes were prepared in line with halal standards by skilled chefs from Trkiye, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kyrgyzstan, Algeria, Moldova, Russia, Pakistan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, and Tunisia. A 35-member jury evaluated the dishes according to an array of different criteria. Tatarstan came in first, Algeria and Azerbaijan shared second place, while Trkiye, Uzbekistan and Iran came in third. “Our aim is to introduce halal exhibitions and halal food to the rest of the world,” Oner Culfaz, head of the All Chefs and Pastry Cooks Confederation (Taspakon) told Anadolu, the global communications partner of the Kazan Forum 2023. “I am here to promote Turkish food and, of course, to learn from other chefs,” said Metin Dincer, a restaurant owner in Istanbul who took part in the competition with his trademark bean stew. – Turkish cig kofte draws international applause The event was organized by Taspakon, which held another cookery competition in Istanbul last November. “We expect to hold the same competition with the same concept in Uzbekistan, Germany and America as well. Our aim is to showcase Turkish cuisine along with dishes from other regions,” Culfaz said. Trkiye was represented at the event by 16 chefs who served an assortment of traditional dishes, including various stews, baklava with its flaky sweet goodness, and cig kofte, a spicy clump of bulgur, tomato paste, herbs, and sometimes raw minced meat squished in the palm and wrapped in lettuce for a delectable and fiery appetizer. “Most people are familiar with Turkish kebab doner, but we wanted to highlight other traditional delicacies as well,” Culfaz said. The most popular Turkish dish at the event was cig kofte, which originally hails from southeastern cuisine in Trkiye, he added. Products used in preparing the dishes had to be halal-certified, meaning they were prepared according to Islamic standards. “We are pleased to see that halal food is being exported, which also presents a great trade opportunity for exporters and for those who are searching for halal food,” Culfaz said. – ‘Quite original’ Turkish dishes drew praise at the event not just from local Tatar people, but also from visitors coming in from other regions and countries. Kseniya Popoya, an international relations student at a university in Moscow, expressed her admiration for gozleme, a Turkish street snack made of flatbread with various fillings. “Every time I go to Turkey, I must try gozleme. I highly recommend it,” she said. On cig kofte, which she said she “really liked,” Popoya said she was trying it for the first time. The experience was “quite original,” she said.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Bosnia and Herzegovina has a rather unwanted distinction among European countries, with one of the highest tobacco consumption rates by the percentage of citizens. That may well soon change as the government is poised to enforce a new law starting Monday, which includes hefty fines and other means of deterrence. Smoking prevalence among adults hovers around 40% in Bosnia and Herzegovina, particularly as older generations consider it an integral part of any and all activities throughout the day, starting from morning routines to evening leisure time and beyond. This is not the first time the government is trying to address the issue. There is already a ban in place for public institutions, but it was mostly enforced in just health facilities and some means of transport. The new law aims to restrict smoking in all closed public spaces, as well as workplaces, prescribing hefty fines for individuals who violate the rules and even higher ones for businesses. The legislation will have an effect, according to Vildana Brdaric, spokesperson of the Sarajevo Canton Inspection Office, but it will ‘take time.’ ‘Citizens will be obligated to comply with the law immediately, while legal entities have a six-month period to align their practices with the new rules,’ she told Anadolu. Brdaric said the government has drawn up plans to navigate the transition period, affording a little more leeway for everyone to fall in line. ‘During this transitional phase, warnings will be issued, but there will be no punishments until all supplementary regulations are in place,’ she explained. ‘We will adapt’ The law also covers e-cigarettes, hookahs and other forms of smoking, but does not envisage a blanket ban on tobacco use in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Public places will be allowed to have smoking areas, provided they meet certain criteria laid out in the regulation. For establishments exclusively serving beverages, there will be designated areas where customers will still be able to smoke. A point of concern raised by critics is the practicality of enforcing curbs in just one half of the country, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Republika Srpska, the other entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, does not have any such regulations so far, which could pose a challenge in implementing a ban in the other part. On the business side of things, the law’s possible impact is still uncertain, particularly for the hookah bars that have gained popularity among the youth. Baton Adzanel, a cafe owner in the capital Sarajevo, feels the law is a ‘necessary’ measure and businesses must try to adapt to the change. ‘For children and minors, this (smoking) should be strictly forbidden,’ he told Anadolu. Since this law is coming in the summer, we will have ‘a chance to adapt,’ he said, explaining that it would be easier to move customers outside to designated smoking areas. ‘As for the winter, we’ll see how we can manage to do both: keep our customers and also follow the law.’

Source: Anadolu Agency