News Trending

Storms in Europe cause huge damage and disruption

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Central Europe, including Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, has been hit by severe storms and heavy rainfall, leading to significant damage and disruptions. Many towns and cities in the region have experienced torrential rain, causing floods and forcing the closure of numerous roads.

The rail traffic has also been affected, with the Hamburg-Berlin line and a major north-south line between Kassel and Goettingen being closed due to storm damage. Switzerland has also faced thunderstorms, resulting in numerous calls to the fire department.

Strong winds reaching speeds of up to 135 km/h have uprooted trees, damaged roofs, and street infrastructure, although no casualties have been reported. Austria has witnessed several landslides that have affected homes, and the state of Carinthia experienced large hailstones of up to 8 centimeters in diameter, causing significant damage to crops.

Videos circulating on social media show violent storms and flooded streets, including the complete submersion of the forecourt and road in front of the Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe ICE train station.

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News Trending War

Wagner Mercenaries in Russian Urban Areas Defy Putin’s Accusations of Rebellion

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Russian Private Military Contractor, Wagner Group’s Leader Yevgeny Prigozhin Claims Control of Military Sites in Rostov-on-Don, Defying President Putin’s Accusations of Betrayal

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian private military contractor Wagner Group, has asserted that his mercenaries have taken over “all military facilities” in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don. Reports suggest that they have also been deployed in Voronezh, located further north, following Prigozhin’s threat to march on Moscow and remove Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu from power.

President Vladimir Putin has condemned these actions, referring to them as a “stab in the back” and vowing to punish those who have “betrayed” Russia. Security measures have been tightened in numerous regions, including Moscow.

The Wagner Group, known for its involvement alongside the regular Russian army in the conflict in Ukraine, has been experiencing increasing tensions with the military leadership over their differing approaches to the war. Prigozhin has been openly criticizing Russia’s military command in recent months.

The situation escalated dramatically after Prigozhin accused the Russian military of targeting his group’s base in Ukraine, a claim that Moscow denies.

Prigozhin insists that this is not a military coup, but rather an attempt to overthrow Russia’s military leadership. However, President Putin, in his address, described the situation as an act of “treason.”

While Prigozhin was not mentioned by name, President Putin warned that those who engaged in betrayal, armed rebellion, blackmail, or terrorist methods would face severe consequences under the law and before the Russian people.

In response, Prigozhin, for the first time directly criticizing the Russian leader, stated that his troops were “patriots of our motherland” and argued that President Putin was “profoundly mistaken” to accuse them of betrayal.

In a video shared on his Telegram channel, Prigozhin claimed that his fighters had entered Rostov-on-Don after crossing the border from Ukraine, asserting that his forces would eliminate anyone obstructing their path. However, the location and veracity of his claim regarding shooting down a Russian military helicopter that allegedly fired upon a civilian convoy remain unverified.

President Putin acknowledged the challenging situation in Rostov-on-Don, where Wagner forces reportedly control military installations. The city of Voronezh, en route to Moscow, is also said to be under their control, prompting the governor to initiate a “counter-terrorism operation.”

Previously, Prigozhin and President Putin had a close relationship. However, this latest challenge, combined with the complications arising from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has presented a headache for the Russian leader. Consequently, Putin has taken a firm stance, declaring “enough is enough.”

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News

Croatia was put by a financial crimes monitor on the “grey list”

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Croatia is now the only nation from the European Union on the list, which also includes Mali, the United Arab Emirates, and Panama.

The EU member state of Croatia has been added to the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) so-called “grey list” of nations that are subject to “increased monitoring,” according to the organization.

The United Arab Emirates, Panama, Mali, and Croatia are the only EU nations on the list, which was released on Friday. The decision was made in response to shortcomings in the nation’s “terrorism financing” and money laundering prevention policies.

“When the FATF places a jurisdiction under increased monitoring, it means the country has committed to implement an Action Plan to resolve swiftly the identified strategic deficiencies within agreed timeframes,” the watchdog stated in a statement on its website.

“New jurisdictions subject to increased monitoring are Cameroon, Croatia, and Vietnam.”

The Paris-based FATF is an intergovernmental organization that supports the fight against money laundering and “terrorism financing” by establishing international standards and monitoring their observance by nations. This week, it conducted one of its monthly plenary sessions.

The organization’s head, T. Raja Kumar, informed the media that Croatia has committed to an action plan to enhance its compliance and urged the nation to put this plan “as soon as possible” into effect.

The watchdog said in a statement that among other things, Croatia’s action plan includes “assessing risks associated with the misuse of legal persons and legal arrangements and the use of cash in the real estate sector.”

In a statement released on Friday, the organization reiterated that “all jurisdictions should be vigilant to current and emerging risks from the circumvention of measures taken against the Russian Federation in order to protect the international financial system.”

In February, the FATF put Russia’s membership on hold.

The organization also stated on Friday that no current member of the grey list has been eliminated since the meeting in June.

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News Sports

James McClean: Creggan of Derry provided me with everything I needed to achieve

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James McClean, a football player, has expressed gratitude to his hometown for providing him the courage to pursue his footballing aspirations.

On Monday against Gibraltar, the Creggan-born star earned his 100th cap for the Republic of Ireland.

He is the eighth player in Republic history to win 100 caps.

McClean said to BBC Radio Foyle, “If it wasn’t for what I learned growing up in Creggan, then I wouldn’t be where I am now.

A celebration honouring McClean’s 100 caps will take place later today at the Derry estate, on the street where he originally developed his footballing prowess.

“I’ll be there, and it’ll be lovely to speak with and see the locals again,” he said in an interview with The North West Today show.

“Creggan is my home, and I’m proud of that,” he continued. They are pleased with me too.

They feel invested in my profession, which means a lot to me. I’m one of them, which is a very grounded way to be. I appreciate everything from Creggan.

It’s not the first time Creggan has commemorated one of its famous footballers.

Barcelona has a Messi mural, Naples has a Maradona artwork, and a Central Drive wall in Creggan has a massive McClean mural.

He still thinks the tribute to be surreal.

“I’ll never get accustomed to passing the Creggan mural while walking. I used to kick the ball around the Creggan shops as a child, and now I’m perched on a wall.

“Walking by every day is surreal but also very special for my family.”

McClean, aged 34, has had a long career in England after leaving his hometown club Derry City. He has played for Sunderland, Stoke, Wigan Athletic, and West Bromwich Albion.

It hasn’t been a career without its share of difficulties though; vitriol hurled towards the 34-year-old is widely known.

It’s “different scale” than what other athletes confront, in his perspective. He said that his upbringing had given him the tools to handle the worst of it.

“Most of the time, it’s just water off a duck’s back. You are an outcome of your surroundings. Creggan is resilient and sturdy. I am the same way myself.

Ireland’s newest football centurion is “in a good place right now – and content”.

And he’s not ruling out a return home to where it all started.

“I’ve always been open that I want to end my career at Derry City. At the minute there’s no timeframe for that.”

He added: “You never rule out things because you don’t know what’s around the corner”.

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Trending

Ryan Tubridy regrets not raising concerns about RTÉ payouts

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Ryan Tubridy, an RTÉ presenter, has apologized for not raising concerns about payments made to him that were larger than publicly disclosed.

The Irish national broadcaster acknowledged on Thursday that Mr. Tubridy received €345,000 (£296,800) more in compensation than had been disclosed in earnings reports.

The RTÉ board said that Dee Forbes, its director general, had been suspended as a result of the scandal on Wednesday.

The payments were made between 2017 and 2022 to the presenter, and they were discovered after auditors voiced their concerns.

of a statement released on Friday, Mr. Tubridy said he had “no responsibility for the corporate governance in RTÉ or how or what they publish in their accounts”.

He did, however, concede that he ought to have raised concerns when the broadcaster released the inaccurate data.

The wages of RTÉ’s top presenters have been made public for a number of years.

“I didn’t, and I am accountable for my negligence. I really apologize for this, Mr. Tubridy continued.

The speaker said that all of his taxes were “up to date” and that his revenues had been accurately documented in his company’s records.

Next month, Ms. Forbes was scheduled to leave her position as director general of the broadcaster.

The board stated that “processes are ongoing, and RTÉ must be mindful of its legal obligations and individuals’ rights.”

RTÉ stated that it will not be making any other comments at this time.

In response to her suspension, Ms. Forbes stated on Friday that she had “fully engaged” with the RTÉ board and was proud of her work as director general.

Patrick Kielty from Northern Ireland has been named as Mr. Tubridy’s replacement as presenter of RTÉ One’s The Late Late program, Ireland’s longest-running TV talk program.

In a statement released on Friday, Mr. Tubridy said that the issue surrounding his compensation had no impact on his choice to resign from the position.

On weekday mornings, Mr. Tubridy also does a radio show on RTÉ Radio 1, but he wasn’t the host on Friday and won’t be next week either.

There has been a “serious breach of trust and truth between RTÉ and the government, the Oireachtas (Irish parliament), and the people,” according to Taoiseach (Irish PM) Leo Varadkar.

On Saturday, RTÉ chairman Siin N. Raghallaigh will meet with Irish Minister of the Media Catherine Martin.

According to Mr. Varadkar, the minister will urge Ms. N. Raghallaigh to provide a detailed explanation of what happened and the actions the board is now taking.

“The public are right to expect high standards of transparency and accountability from RTÉ as it is extremely important that we can all have trust in our public service broadcasting,” the taoiseach added.

According to former RTÉ board chair Moya Doherty, neither she nor the other members of the board had any “knowledge relating to certain payments” made by the broadcaster or the “profoundly serious lack of transparency involved.”

According to her, the issues “go to the heart of a failure of good corporate governance.”

She said that before she finished her tenure in November 2022, she was not informed of the payments paid to Mr. Tubridy.

An emergency meeting of RTÉ-based National Union of Journalists (NUJ) members was held on Friday to examine the payments’ disclosures.

The incident, according to the union’s Irish secretary Séamus Dooley, “caused upset, anger and resentment right across the organization.”

“Grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre, and unprecedented in scale,” he said of the scenario.

Former senior BBC News editor Kevin Bakhurst was named the new director general of RTÉ in April.

Next month, Mr. Bakhurst is slated to succeed Ms. Forbes.

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Accidents International Relations News

According to the EU border agency, Greece rejected an offer to monitor migrant boats

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EU border authorities claim that Greece ignored their offer to send an aircraft to watch over a migrant boat that ultimately sunk with a large number of casualties.

The UN estimates that 500 more people may have perished in the event last week, but at least 82 deaths are confirmed to have occurred.

Greece has come under fire for not doing enough to address the catastrophe.

The BBC also discovered that, contrary to the Greek narrative that the migrant boat was on a safe, steady route, it barely moved in the hours before it capsized.

The overloaded fishing boat had left Libya and was first seen early on June 13 sailing toward Greece in international seas.

It was discovered by a Frontex (the EU’s border agency) jet, which subsequently required refuelling.

The Greek coast guard, according to Frontex, never responded to its offer to send the plane back to the fishing boat to keep an eye on the situation.

The Greek government has refuted accusations that they failed to respond to the disaster as it was unfolding soon enough, maintaining that people on board informed the coastguards they wanted to be left alone so they could travel to Italy.

Contrary to the official story, a BBC study of other ships’ movements on the tragedy day clearly shows the ship barely moved for at least seven hours before it capsized.

The Greek coastguard has not responded to the most recent allegation that it did not accept Frontex’s offer of further aerial assistance.

The boat reportedly capsized about 02:04 on June 14 local time, some 80 kilometres (50 miles) south-west of the seaside town Pylos.

Although more than 100 people were saved, survivors believe that there may have been as many as 750 people on the boat, including about 100 children in the hold.

At least 350 Pakistanis were on board, according to Pakistan’s interior minister Rana Sanaullah, who also noted that “perhaps there has never been such a large toll in any incident before, even in terrorist incidents.”

Syrians and Egyptians are among those thought to be deceased as well.

Nine Egyptian men were charged with negligent manslaughter, endangering life, creating a shipwreck, and people trafficking when they appeared in court in the Greek city of Kalamata on Monday.

All entered not-guilty pleas.

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Accidents News

An 80-year-old pedestrian is killed when an e-scooter hits her

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After an e-scooter hit a pedestrian in Dublin in her 80s, the pedestrian died, and the Irish police, known as Garda, have made a plea for witnesses.

The event, which happened on Eccles Street at around 13:00 BST on June 20, is currently the subject of an inquiry.

After being transported, the woman passed away at Mater Misericordiae University Hospital. A post-mortem investigation is scheduled.

After being detained, a guy was later let go. To the Director of Public Prosecutions was to be forwarded a file.

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News Sports Trending

Victor Wembanyama chosen by San Antonio Spurs as first pick in 2023 NBA draft

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Victor Wembanyama, the 19-year-old French basketball player, has set his sights on winning an NBA championship ring after being selected as the number one overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2023 draft. Standing at 7ft 5in with an 8ft wingspan, Wembanyama is considered one of the most promising prospects in the game since LeBron James in 2003.

Wembanyama expressed his goal of learning as much as possible to achieve his dream of winning an NBA championship. The NBA draft consists of two rounds with 30 picks each, and teams select players based on their performance in the previous season, with the worst-performing teams having the opportunity to choose the best incoming talent.

The draft took place in Brooklyn, with NBA commissioner Adam Silver announcing the picks. Wembanyama was overwhelmed with emotion upon hearing his name called as the first pick. French president Emmanuel Macron congratulated him, recognizing him as the first Frenchman to be selected as the top pick in the NBA draft.

Wembanyama had an impressive season playing for Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 in France, averaging 20.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.0 blocked shots, and 2.5 assists in 44 games. San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich expressed his excitement about having Wembanyama on the team, highlighting his talent and maturity.

LeBron James, star player for the Los Angeles Lakers, had witnessed Wembanyama’s skills during an exhibition game in Las Vegas and described him as a generational talent and an “alien” due to his extraordinary abilities on the court. Wembanyama embraced the term “alien” as a compliment, as he aspires to be something unique and original in the world of basketball.

The second pick in the draft was Brandon Miller, a 6ft 9in player from the University of Alabama, who joined the Charlotte Hornets. Scoot Henderson, who had played in the NBA’s developmental G League, was chosen as the third pick by the Portland Trail Blazers. The Thompson twins, Amen and Ausar, rounded out the top five picks, with Amen joining the Houston Rockets and Ausar being selected by the Detroit Pistons.

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Sports

Olympic boxing’s IBA is out, but matches are still scheduled for the Paris Games

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International Boxing Association’s participation in Olympic competitions is no longer recognized by the International Olympic Committee.

The International Boxing Association (IBA) has been expelled from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for failing to finish changes including governance, finances, and ethical issues.

On Thursday, 69 members of the IOC voted in support of banishing the IBA, with only one member voting against it. Ten members didn’t participate in the voting.

The executive board, which is led by IOC President Thomas Bach, advocated the IOC’s decision two weeks ago, thus it seemed inevitable that it would be adopted.

However, boxing will continue to be an Olympic event at the 2024 Paris Games.

“We place a great priority on the boxing sport. Because of their administration, we have a very significant issue with IBA,” Bach informed the IOC members during their online meeting.

The IOC had issues with the IBA’s management, which included Russian and Uzbek presidents, as well as its financial support from the Russian government’s energy company, Gazprom, as well as the fairness of the competition and the judging.

“The boxers fully deserve to be governed by an international federation with integrity and transparency,” the IOC president declared.

National boxing federations chose Gafur Rakhimov as their head in 2018, defying IOC warnings. The Uzbek businessman was reportedly connected to heroin trafficking and organized crime. The choice of Umar Kremlev to succeed Rakhimov in 2020 came after yet another series of election-related IOC cautions that went unheeded.

Under Kremlev, the IBA’s debts of close to $20 million were paid off, and the IOC took issue with the boxing federation’s reliance on Gazprom, a Russian energy company.

The IBA was no longer backed by Gazprom, Kremlev said last month during the men’s world championships, and his language towards Olympic authorities became increasingly combative.

As it did for the Tokyo Games in 2021, the IOC is already in charge of organizing boxing competitions at the Paris Olympics without consulting the IBA.

It was unclear if boxers competing for national federations who continue to be IBA members would be considered eligible for the Paris competition.

Boxing’s inclusion in the Olympic program for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, which the IOC and Bach withheld as leverage against the IBA, may now be confirmed as a result of the action. Members were assured on Thursday that boxing is “guaranteed” to take place in Los Angeles.

The IOC may now cooperate with World Boxing, a rival organization founded this year with backing from authorities in the United States, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, as the connection with the IBA has now come to an end.

The IBA may appeal the judgment to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after labelling it a “tremendous error” on Thursday.

The Lausanne-based IBA said in a statement that the expulsion was “catastrophic for global boxing” and “blatantly contradicts the IOC’s claims of acting in the best interests of boxing and athletes.”

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Accidents

In the Canary Islands catastrophe, at least 30 migrants are thought dead

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According to two NGOs, more than 30 migrants may have perished after their boat capsized in the Atlantic Ocean off the Canary Islands.

Alarm Phone and Walking Borders reported that the boat was carrying about 60 passengers.

Authorities in Spain said that 24 people were saved, but they did not know how many passengers were on board. They also reported that rescuers discovered the dead of a man and a kid.

After a boat capsized off the coast of Greece last week, the tragedy has renewed attention focused on Europe’s handling of immigration.

While Alarm Phone reported 35 individuals missing, Helena Maleno Garzon of Walking Borders said that 39 people, including four women and a baby, had drowned. Both organizations keep an eye on migrant boats and take calls from passengers or their loved ones.

On Wednesday, the boat capsized around 100 miles (160 km) southeast of Gran Canaria.

“It’s torture to have 60 people, including six women and a baby, waiting for a rescue for more than 12 hours in a flimsy inflatable boat that can sink,” said Ms. Garzon.

According to Reuters, quoting Spanish official news agency EFE, a Spanish rescue service ship, the Guardamar Caliope, was just about an hour’s sail from the dinghy on Tuesday evening.

The mission had been taken over by Moroccan officials, who sent a patrol boat that arrived on Wednesday morning, 10 hours after it had been detected by a Spanish rescue plane, thus the ship did not assist the dinghy, according to Reuters.

The interior ministry of Morocco has received a request for response from the BBC.

The governor of the Canary Islands, Angel Victor Torres, termed the occurrence a “tragedy” and urged the EU to create a migration strategy that “offers coordinated and supportive responses” to the issue of migration.

The Canary Islands located off the western coast of Africa but are a part of Spain, and many migrants from Africa sail there in the aim of travelling to mainland Europe.

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