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Duda wins Poland Presidential election

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Andrzej Duda, the incumbent President of the European country of Poland, has won the Presidential Election, defeating his nearest rival, Rafal Trzaskowski, with a narrow majority.

The President has wristed around 51.2 per cent of the total number of votes casted in the Presidential Election.

It is the toughest competition the country has witnessed since the collapse of the communist rule in the early 1990s.

The victory of Mr. Duda has many political implications. It has strengthened the position of the conservative faction.

The person whom the incumbent President has defeated in the Presidential Election, is a member of the liberal faction.

The victory of the conservative leader may reflect in the future of the relation between the European country of Poland and the most powerful economic union of the European Union.

The narrowness of the victory margin proves that the political clout of the liberal faction is increasing in the country and may topple the dominance of the conservative faction any moment.

Mr. Duda’s retention of the seat of President is a great relief to the conservative parliamentarians.   

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Arrest of regional leader sparks protest in Russia

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The arrest of a regional leader, Sergei Furgal, who is the governor of Khabarovsk, has sparked protest in the region.

Tens of thousands of people have taken part in a march organised to register their protest against the arrest of their leader.

Khabarovsk is a region located in the eastern region of Russia. The arrested governor is very popular in this part of the country – even more popular than Russian President Vladimir Putin.

There are rumors that Mr. Putin is worried about the rising popularity of the Khabarovsk Governor in the region. Many believe that the move to arrest the governor was politically motivated.

During the march, many participants have raised provocative slogan against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The arrested governor faces serious murder charges. He is accused of having ordered the killing of several business people nearly 15 years ago.

Notably, Mr. Furgal defeated the candidate of Mr Putin’s United Russia party in elections two years ago.

Though His party, the ultra-nationalist Liberal Democrat Party of Russia, is usually seen as loyal to the Kremlin, the growth his party has achieved is definitely irritating for the Russian President and his party.

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Catalonia makes masks mandatory in public

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Catalonia, the most popular autonomous region in Spain, has made face masks mandatory in public for all those aged over five.

Notably, the move has come after the region has witnessed a surge in new cases of coronavirus.

The new rule means that anyone caught without a mask faces the serious fine punishment of around €100.

One of the agricultural regions in the region Segrià has witnessed a surge in new cases in the recent past.

Anyway, the national situation is largely under control. So far, the country had recorded 252,513 cases and 28,396 deaths.

It seems that the country will come back to normal soon. Though earlier the WHO contradicted the claims in connection with the usage of masks, now it supports the idea of making masks mandatory in public.

Many countries across the world have already introduced this policy in their respective regions. There is no wrong in trying anything if it can assure some relief from the crisis.

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Protest break out in Serbia over Covid-19 restrictions

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Numerous police and protesters have been injured in the violent confrontation taken place outside the National Assembly in the Serbian capital Belgrade.

Actually, the protest began peacefully on Tuesday evening. But, it turned violent later, paving way for the confrontation.  

The participants of the protest were mostly students and their families, angered by a move to re-impose a weekend curfew because of a rise in coronavirus infections.

It was when the protesters broke into the assembly that the police intervened to bring the situation under control.

The police had to even use tear gases to prevent the situation from going out of control.

Far-right nationalists have been blamed for stirring up the unrest and storming the assembly building. As per a media report, they include an MP who has pushed anti-vaccine and anti-5G conspiracy theories.

It is unfortunate that a section of Serbian population pays less heed to the call for the restrictions.

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Australia close border between Victoria and New South Wales

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As Australia has witnessed a serious spike in Covid-19 cases in the recent past, the country has temporarily closed its border between Victoria and New South Wales, the two populous states in the country.

Melbourne, the capital of the Australian state of Victoria has witnessed hundreds of Covid-19 cases in the recent past.

The border between the two states was open, though the movement between these two states and other states was restricted.

It is the spike in the number of cases that has promoted the country to go this far – to impose a serious restriction.

The restriction means the travel between these two states will be restricted until the government decides otherwise.

As per a latest report, the decision to impose the restriction has been taken jointly by the central leadership and the state leadership.  

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Brazil Prez dilutes face mask law

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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who faces criticism for his less serious attitude towards the Covid-19 outbreak, has diluted the law which requires people to wear masks in public places.

At the same time, he has vetoed their use in shops, churches and schools.

A law making the use of masks in public obligatory was originally passed during the coronavirus pandemic.

In a social media broadcast – as a justification for his latest action, Mr Bolsonaro has said that people could have been fined for not wearing a mask at home.

He has refused to acknowledge the gravity of Brazil’s Covid-19 outbreak, despite it having the world’s second-highest numbers of cases and deaths.

The virus has infected almost 1.5 million people and killed 61,884 there since late February, according to data collated by Johns Hopkins University.

The west has strongly criticised the Brazil President for his attitude towards the outbreak.

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Italian marines get slight relief from PCA

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The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration has ruled that two Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen in February 2012 were entitled to immunity from prosecution.

At least three members of the five member judging panel have raised their hands in support of the decision to offer the marines immunity.

Meanwhile, the same panel has pointed out that the Asian country of India was entitled to compensation.

The act of the marines was defended on the ground that the Italians were guarding an oil tanker off the Indian coast. The marines argued in the court that they mistook the fishermen for pirates.

The case was a very sensational one in India. It has strained the relation between Italy and India.

As an amicable settlement, the court has ordered that the marines should be immune from prosecution in India, but should face trial in Italy.

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Italian police bust drug trafficking network

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Italian police have busted a huge drug trafficking network run for a terrorist group, Islamic State.

Around 14 tonnes of amphetamines have been seized by the police.

As per a latest report, about 84 million counterfeit Captagon pills worth an estimated €1bn were found in containers at the port of Salerno.

According to the report, they were hidden inside large drums of paper and gear wheels.

An investigation is on. It remains unclear whether an local criminal gang has involvement in the criminal act or whether any gang has links with the terrorist organisation.

Captagon is a brand name for the synthetic stimulant fenethylline. It was originally used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy, but many countries banned it during the 1980s because of its addictive properties.

It is a well known fact that the IS uses the drug trafficking racket to fund their criminal activities across the world.

It is high time to launch a global operation against the drug trafficking business run by the terrorist organisation.

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Austria issues travel warning for Western Balkans

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The European country of Austria has issued serious travel warnings for the whole of the Western Balkans.

Meanwhile, in an unusual move, the European Union has added two of the six states in the same region to a safe list.

Notably, some Balkan states in the region are seeing a spike in cases.

As per a recent arrangement, the European Union has agreed to reopened its borders with Serbia and Montenegro.

The category-six warning affects all travel to the Western Balkans and recommends that Austrians return from the countries involved immediately.

Those coming back will either face a 14-day quarantine or must show proof of a negative Covid-19 test.

As per a latest report, the UK, Portugal, Sweden and Turkey are also subject to Austria’s highest warning level in Europe.

It remains unclear how the European Union and its member countries will react to the action taken by the Northern European country.

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Belgium expresses apology for colonial abuse

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Belgium’s King Philippe has admitted that what his country had done to the Democratic Republic of Congo during the colonial period was wrong.

In a letter to the president of the African country, the King of Belgium has expressed his deep regret for the wrongs his country committed during the dark period of colonial rule.

The crucial letter has been sent to respect the 60th Independence Day of Democratic Republic of Congo.

The African country – now a huge military power – had been under the control of Belgium till the country secured independence in the year 1960.

Needless to say, the colonial rule over the African country was brutal. Millions of locals lost their lives during that dark period.

Colonial atrocity was a forgotten topic. It was – probably purposefully –  avoided from most high profile discussion tables in the past.

It was the custodial death of a Black American that brought the subject back to spotlight. It even torched a global movement for the betterment of black and for the elimination of racial discrimination, named Black Lives Matters.

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