News Trending

Truck driver held after spilled potatoes cause chaos on Danish bridge

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A 57-year-old truck driver has been arrested after multiple incidents of spilled potatoes occurred on a bridge connecting two Danish islands. The driver is being held on suspicion of reckless endangerment to life. The first spill occurred on the westbound side of the Storebaelt Bridge, which links the island of Copenhagen to the rest of Denmark. Shortly after, a similar incident happened on the eastbound side. The police are considering two possibilities: it was either an accident or a deliberate act.

The spilled potatoes made the roads slippery, leading to traffic congestion and prompting authorities to urge drivers to reduce their speed. Another incident of potatoes on the road was reported near the town of Kolding, which is close to the Storebaelt Bridge.

Interestingly, the potato spills coincided with the passing of a new law in the Danish parliament that imposes taxes on diesel trucks carrying heavy loads. This measure has sparked protests from truck drivers who argue that the tax will make their livelihoods unsustainable. They have peacefully blocked highways and main roads across Denmark in recent weeks. The majority of the Danish parliament contends that the tax is necessary due to the environmental unsustainability of petrol and diesel trucks. Starting in 2025, drivers of such vehicles weighing over 3.5 tons will be taxed 1.3 Danish kroner per kilometer.

A spokesperson for the protesting truck drivers distanced themselves from the potato spills, stating on Facebook that they plan to protest in a manner that can be felt without risking harm to people’s lives and well-being.

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News Trending War

Three people were killed in a recent missile attack on Kyiv during the Ukraine war

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In a recent nighttime missile attack on Kyiv, three individuals, including an 11-year-old girl, lost their lives, according to regional police. The ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia has resulted in frequent missile and drone strikes targeting the Ukrainian capital.

The latest attack occurred in the Desnyanskyi and Dniprovskyi districts, leaving 11 others injured. The victims also included a 33-year-old woman and the girl’s 34-year-old mother. Initial reports suggested two children had died, but the information was later updated.

This marks the fourth attack this week, following a series of 17 strikes on Kyiv throughout May, mostly during nighttime. Photos shared by military authorities revealed rescue teams tending to the wounded and damaged buildings. In the occupied Luhansk region, Russian-backed officials claimed five deaths and 19 injuries from Ukrainian shelling at a poultry farm.

Additionally, the governor of the Russian region of Belgorod, bordering Ukraine, stated that two individuals were injured in an attack on Shebekino, which he attributed to Ukrainian troops.

Russia has been employing kamikaze drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles in recent weeks to target Ukraine, with Kyiv being a primary focus. Analysts believe that Moscow aims to weaken Ukraine’s air defenses ahead of an anticipated counter-offensive planned by the Ukrainian government.

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News Trending War

EU accused of ‘staggering neglect’ due to failure in resettling Afghans  

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According to a renowned refugee charity, many people who require permanent protection are still trapped in “prison-like” camps on Greek islands.

It has come to light that only 271 Afghans, or 0.1% of the 270,000 people classified as needing permanent protection, were placed in the EU in 2022.

The International Rescue Committee, a prominent charity, charged that EU officials had shown “staggering neglect” to Afghan migrants, many of whom were still stranded in “prison-like” conditions on Greek islands.

The International Rescue Committee argues in a damning assessment that EU member states have “consistently” broken their lawful resettlement pledges, leaving many Afghans who do cross EU borders “vulnerable” once more.

It alleges that just half of the refugees Italy agreed to accept have really arrived, despite a plan to resettle up to 1,000 Afghans per month being formed in Germany in 2021.

“This report highlights staggering neglect of Afghans by the member states of the European Union, which puts them at risk at every step of their journeys in search of protection,” International Rescue Committee director David Miliband said. While the well-intended intentions of some states to relocate Afghans to safer countries have encountered several setbacks and challenges, other nations have failed to make any commitments at all or to ensure proper protection and inclusion for the tiny part of Afghan refugees who manage to reach Europe.

According to him, the EU member states’ warm welcoming of the more than 8 million refugees from Ukraine has shown their ability to deliver.

There is just no justification for treating Afghans and other refugees forcibly displaced from their homes in a different manner, Miliband continued.

The IRC report focuses on the absence of safe refugee passageways but does not seem to take into account broader efforts made in nations like Germany to assist Afghans.

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Natural Disaster News Trending

British paddleboarder killed by lightning strike 

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When the storm approached, the partner of a British tourist who died after being struck by lightning while paddleboarding off the coast of Rhodes begged him to head back to shore.

When it became apparent that the 26-year-old from Liverpool was having difficulty in the waters near Agathi beach, Scott Seddon’s girlfriend yelled “come out” repeatedly. The unnamed woman was on land and used her phone to record Seddon, a talented athlete, as the tragedy occurred.

Wander Machado, a Brazilian player who jumped into the river to rescue the British woman, stated, “I just heard [her] pleading for help. “I performed first aid. I eventually noticed that he was going blue. He informed Greece’s Mega TV that he was attempting to breathe. “I thought he would come to. The girl was saying his name, she was saying ‘I love you’, ‘I love you’ and, then suddenly, his eyes closed.”

Officials from the Rhodes coastguard have started an investigation and are gathering information from beachgoers who saw the tragedy. They claim that the crash video that Seddon’s upset companion recorded will be very important to the investigation. An autopsy will be performed, according to forensic doctors at the general hospital on the island, to ascertain the cause of death.

On Tuesday, concerns were raised as to why no public warning had been made despite the storm’s presence in the area having been predicted several hours earlier. The island of Rhodes has been experiencing harsh weather for several days, with downpours so intense that major damage, including leaky roofs, was reported in the departure halls of the airport.

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News Trending War

Ukraine war: mothers on the way to rescue their children from Russia 

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Sasha Kraynyuk, 15, quickly recognised the child wearing a Russian military uniform after carefully studying the photo that Ukrainian investigators gave him.

The Z-mark of Russia’s war, coloured in the red, white, and blue of the Russian flag, is inscribed on the right sleeve of the teenager seated at a school desk.

However, the boy’s name is Artem, and he is Ukrainian.

13 kids, including Sasha and Artem, were abducted from their own school in Kupyansk, northeastern Ukraine, last September by armed Russian soldiers wearing balaclavas. “Quickly!” yelled as they were herded onto a bus, after which they vanished for weeks without being seen.

The children, all of whom have specific needs for schooling, were only ultimately permitted to contact home from a location considerably farther within Russian-occupied territory.

Their relatives had to travel arduous distances of thousands of kilometres into the nation that had declared war on them to retrieve them. So far, only eight of the kids have been brought back from Perevalsk, and Artem was one of the last to be picked up by his mother this spring.

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News Trending War

Combat with Serbs in Kosovo results in at least 30 NATO soldiers being hurt.

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The number of soldiers injured in violent fights with ethnic Serbs by the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo, KFOR, has increased to 30.

In one of the municipalities in northern Kosovo where ethnic Albanian mayors took office last week, the Serbs had attempted to seize control of the offices.

According to the statement released on Tuesday, 19 Hungarian and 11 Italian soldiers “sustained multiple injuries, including fractures and burns from improvised explosive incendiary devices.”

Three Hungarian soldiers were “wounded by the use of firearms,” the statement continued, although their wounds were not life-threatening.

Some of the clashes happened in Zvecan, a municipality 45 kilometres (28 miles) north of Pristina, the capital.

According to KFOR commander Major-General Angelo Michele Ristuccia, “Both parties need to fully accept responsibility for what happened and prevent any further escalation, rather than hide behind false narratives.”

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International Relations News Trending

Polish inquiry into “Russian influence” infuriates the EU

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After Polish lawmakers established a new commission that might prevent persons with ties to Russia from holding public office, the EU threatened to take action against Poland.

The committee, which was approved by Poland’s parliament last week, will look into alleged Russian meddling between 2007 and 2022. However, detractors assert that the panel, which will be predominated by members of the administration, is meant to criticise opposition leader and former prime minister Donald Tusk.

Didier Reynders, the EU’s justice commissioner, stated that the panel was of “special concern.”

Anyone found guilty of acting under “Russian influence” will be subject to a 10-year ban from managing public finances, effectively preventing them from holding public office.It will look at gas agreements made with Russia in particular since the government claims they made the nation unduly dependent on Moscow.

According to sources, the 10-member panel might present its initial report as early as September and is predicted to be controlled by lawmakers from the ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS).

The EU Commission “will analyse the legislation and will not hesitate to take measures if it is needed,” Mr. Reynders told reporters in Brussels.

Without actual access to justice, including the ability to challenge an administrative decision before an impartial court, he continued, “it is impossible to agree on such a system.”

MPs from the opposition Civic Platform Party are concerned that the probe, which will focus on their party’s final period in office from 2007 to 2015, will try to undermine support for Mr. Tusk, who was prime minister at the time.

Despite not being a member of parliament, Mr. Tusk is now the party’s chairman and leader. He is anticipated to run against Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in elections later this year.

Krzysztof Brejza, the parliamentary leader of Civic Platform, referred to the new committee as a “Soviet-style idea” and charged that the administration had “organised a witch hunt against Donald Tusk and eliminated him” prior to the election.

Mark Brzezinski, the US ambassador to Poland, expressed his concern that the commission would “reduce voters’ ability to vote for those they want to vote for” on Monday. However, Mr. Morawiecki has defended the bill and charged Mr. Tusk with harbouring a secret.

Nothing should be feared, Mr. Morawiecki remarked, adding: “Why is this valued opposition of ours, especially Mr. Tusk, so terrified of a commission to verify Russian influence?

An ongoing dispute between Warsaw and the EU over judicial reforms resulted in the suspension of billions of euros in aid to Poland in January. Additionally, PiS has been charged with curtailing other civil liberties, including as press freedom, and opposition lawmakers claim Poland risks becoming an authoritarian state if the government is re-elected.

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Accidents News Trending

Boat capsizing on Lake Maggiore kills agents in Italy

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The boating accident on Lake Maggiore in northern Italy on Sunday left four people dead, including two Italian intelligence officers and a retired Israeli security services member, according to local authorities.

Claudio Alonzi, 62, and Tiziana Barnobi, 53, were identified as Italians. Shimoni Erez, a 50-year-old Israeli, was named. The boat’s captain’s wife, Anya Bozhkova, a 50-year-old Russian, also passed away.

Strong winds caused the boat, which was carrying more than 20 visitors, to sink.

When a storm formed over the lake and eventually intensified into a “small hurricane,” the boat was reportedly carrying approximately 25 people who were celebrating a birthday.

Between the cities of Sesto Calende and Arona on Sunday night, the 16-meter (52-foot) long boat capsized and sank. All of the people on board fell into the water, but several of them swam ashore or were saved by other vessels. At the southern end of the lake, rescue divers, a helicopter, and numerous ambulances, as well as an air ambulance, sprung into action to assist with the search.

Firefighters posted a video of chairs and other debris floating in rough waters. Five patients were transported to a hospital.

Italy and Switzerland share Lake Maggiore, which lies on the southern slope of the Alps, and it is a well-liked tourist attraction. The area has recently had bad weather, with thunderstorm warnings being issued by Italy’s meteorological office.

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News Trending

Hvaldimir, a Russian spy whale, was discovered off the coast of Sweden

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A beluga whale believed to have been trained by the Russian navy has resurfaced off the coast of Sweden, according to a group tracking his travels. The whale first appeared in Norway in 2019 and led to speculation that it had been captured by the Russian navy.

Marine biologists from the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries removed an attached harness with an action camera mount and the words “Equipment St Petersburg” printed on the plastic clasps when he first showed up in Finnmark, Norway’s northernmost Arctic district.

The beluga was given the Norwegian moniker “Hvaldimir”—a play on the words “whale” and “dimir”—in reference to its purported connection to Russia.

The OneWhale organisation states on its website that “Hvaldimir is not a wild whale. He behaves like a lost or abandoned domesticated animal. Instead of avoiding people, he seeks them out.”

Hvaldimir spent more than three years slowly travelling down the top half of the Norwegian coastline before suddenly accelerating in recent months to cover the second half and continue to Sweden, according to the OneWhale initiative on Monday.

Western and Russian submarine movements are observed in the Barents Sea, a strategically important geopolitical region. Additionally, it serves as the entry point to the Northern Route, which speeds up nautical trips between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

While consuming wild fish beneath Norway’s salmon farms, Strand reported that the whale’s health “seemed to be very good” in recent years. However, his organisation had already seen considerable weight loss and was worried about Hvaldimir’s ability to obtain food in Sweden.

Oslo’s claims that the whale might be a “Russian spy” received no official response from Moscow.

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News Trending

Stripper arrested by German police over toy gun

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Police in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, wrongly detained a stripper after receiving information about a man carrying what they later discovered to be a toy gun.

The incident happened on Friday night, when police reported seeing a “suspicious man” on a street in the Nordend district of the city.

He was believed to be carrying an assault rifle and was dressed in a US police outfit and helmet.

In actuality, the man had been employed by a nearby pub’s stag party.

Prior to learning the gun was a toy, police had the man in handcuffs and on the ground. He was then released.

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