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The visiting French President could be seen waving at onlookers in Algeria's Oran city even as the slogan-shouting group continued with its protest.
Macron's trip follows months of tensions between Paris and the North African country, which earlier this year marked six decades of independence following 132 years of French rule.
(AFP)
A crowd has shouted slogans hailing Algeria during a visit by France's Emmanuel Macron to a city in the former French colony.
A video of the incident shows a group of people shouting "long live Algeria" while the French President — surrounded by security personnel — was on a crowded street in the northwestern city of Oran.
Macron could be seen waving at onlookers even as the slogan-shouting group continued with its protest. Macron then got into his car parked on the roadside.
He was on a three-day trip to the North African country that ended on Saturday.
The visit came less than two months after Algeria marked six decades of independence following 132 years of French rule and a devastating eight-year war.
Ties between Paris and Algiers have seen repeated crises over the years.
They had been particularly frosty since last year when Macron questioned Algeria's existence as a nation before the French occupation and accused the government of fomenting "hatred towards France".
Algeria withdrew its ambassador in response and banned French military aircraft from its airspace.
Diplomatic relations have since resumed, along with overflights to French army bases in sub-Saharan Africa.
READ MORE:Macron's remarks in Algeria 'unacceptable'
French President Emmanuel Macron was met by protests while visiting Oran, Algeria.
Crowds chanted "Long live Algeria" at Macron as his bodyguards rushed to get him into the vehicle.
According to the French press, Macron cut his visit short and left the city pic.twitter.com/SCFpimPEtL— TRT World (@trtworld) August 27, 2022
'History can't be written with lies'
On Saturday, France and Algeria signed a declaration for "renewed partnership" at the end of Macron's visit.
Macron and Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune signed the declaration in the capital Algiers for a "new, irreversible dynamic of progress" in relations between the two countries, state news agency APS reported.
The two leaders also signed five other agreements pertaining to different fields.
But the French President's visit was not universally welcomed by Algerians.
"History can't be written with lies...like the one that Algeria was created by France," read an editorial in the French-language Le Soir newspaper.
"We expected Macron to erase this gross untruth during this visit," it said, criticising him for a "lack of courage...to recognise his own faults and those of his country".
READ MORE:Macron calls for 'truth and recognition' of past to mend Algeria ties
Source: TRTWorld and agencies
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One after another, European countries such as Spain and Portugal registered record highs this year.
The northern hemisphere did indeed witness record temperatures, with wildfires engulfing parts of Europe and drought threatening food supplies. And, often, European cities witnessed hotter conditions than those in the Persian Gulf.
But experts say that temperature alone isn't an adequate measure of the livability of a city -- a combination of heat and humidity is. And that's why the Middle East is far less livable than Europe even at the same temperatures.
The Middle East is still quite hot. The Iranian city of Abadan set the record for the hottest dry heat temperature this year when it hit 53 degrees Celsius (127 degrees Fahrenheit) on August 5. But combine that with the high levels of humidity in the region and it becomes an even more inhospitable place for human beings. It's harder to cool down when the weather is humid, as our bodies struggle to transfer their heat to "wet" air rather than dry air, making it harder to sweat it out and lower our body temperatures.
The measure of heat combined with humidity is called the wet bulb temperature. The name stems from the way this condition is measured, literally by wrapping a wet cloth around a thermometer and measuring the temperature as the water evaporates.
This speaks directly to our body's ability to cool itself through sweating.
"The wet bulb temperature is the lowest temperature that can be reached by evaporative cooling," Tapio Schneider, a professor of environmental science and engineering at the California Institute of Technology, told CNN.
The Middle East is especially vulnerable to rising global temperatures. "The region is already warm and can be humid," he said. "Therefore, global warming can push it into the zone where human health is endangered."
On July 19, the UK experienced its hottest day on record, surpassing temperatures of 40C for the first time, with a high of 40.3C in eastern England. On the same day, average temperatures in both London and Dubai were 34C -- but the wet bulb temperature in London was 20C, while Dubai was a more painful 27C.
The Persian Gulf is one of the few places in the world ever to record a wet bulb temperature that exceeds the threshold of human survivability, 35C. Since 2005, there have been nine separate occasions of this on record.
A wet bulb temperature of 35C means the body can no longer cool itself to a temperature that can maintain normal functions.
"It is a hard threshold for survivability in that independent of age and fitness, humans cannot survive in those conditions; they will die within hours without special exertion," said Schneider.
Wet bulb temperatures just under 35C aren't ideal either. "Humans experience heat stress at lower wet bulb temperatures too," he said. "And the degree to which they can survive such heat stress does depend on fitness, age, and pre-existing conditions."
The oil-rich Arab states of the Persian Gulf have equipped themselves against the heat, with energy-intensive air conditioning, but other regional countries haven't been as privileged.
In Iraq, employees in the city of Basra were asked to stay home due to high temperatures earlier this month. However, households only get up to 10 hours of electricity from the national grid, with those who can afford it paying private generator providers to cover the other hours.
In Gaza, residents cool off in the three to four hours of electricity they get per day, suffering for periods of up to 20 hours with no electricity daily. Similarly, Lebanon's government no longer provides more than two hours of electricity per day.
And even in some Gulf Arab states, such as Kuwait, where there is a building boom, access to air conditioning isn't available to all, including construction workers toiling outdoors.
Research by Purdue University found that at around a wet bulb temperature of 32C, it becomes impossible even for healthy people to work outdoors, with physical labor having a limit of 31C.
An MIT simulation found that if the current pace of greenhouse emissions remains constant in the Persian Gulf, annual maximum wet bulb temperatures in cities such as Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Doha would exceed the threshold for human survivability (35C) several times a year by the end of the century.
The digest
Saudi activist gets 34 years in prison for Twitter activity
Saudi women's rights campaigner Salma al-Shehab, 33, was sentenced to 34 years in prison on Monday for publishing "false and tendentious rumors on Twitter," according to independent human rights organization ALQST and court documents viewed by CNN.
Background: Al-Shehab, a PhD student at Leeds University in the United Kingdom, was arrested in January 2021 and subjected to questioning sessions over a period of 265 days before being brought to the Specialized Criminal Court, ALQST said in a statement. The mother of two was initially given a six-year sentence late last year which was increased to 34 years after al-Shehab filed an appeal, according to court documents. The charges filed against her by the Public Prosecution included "providing succor to those seeking to disrupt public order and undermine the safety of the general public and stability of the state, and publishing false and tendentious rumors on Twitter," ALQST added.
Why it matters: Al-Shehab's prison sentence is the longest ever for a peaceful activist in the kingdom's history, according to ALQST. Lina Al-Hathloul, the organization's head of Monitoring and Communications, told CNN that al-Shehab had been arrested for supporting her sister Loujain al-Hathloul, a prominent activist who spent more than 1,000 days in jail. Lina Al-Hathloul said in the ALQST statement that al-Shehab's sentence "makes a mockery of the Saudi authorities' claims of reform for women and of the legal system," adding that it "shows that they remain hellbent on harshly punishing anyone who expresses their opinions freely."
Israeli army raids Palestinian civil society organizations in the West Bank
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) raided seven offices belonging to five Palestinian civil society organizations in the West Bank on Thursday morning, according to Israel's Ministry of Defense.
Background: The five groups had been labeled as terrorist organizations by the Israeli government last year, which accused them of acting "undercover on the international front on behalf of the 'Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP),' to support its activity and further its goals." The Palestine Liberation Organization condemned the move, saying it will appeal to human rights organizations "to intervene immediately and condemn the closure of non-governmental organizations and pressure to reopen them."
Why it matters: The move drew dismay and protests from international organizations. B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights watchdog, condemned the raids and described Israel's accusations as false. "We will continue to work with our colleagues in the Palestinian NGOs to dismantle the apartheid regime," a statement from the organization said. Although not directly connected, the news also comes after the worst bout of violence between the Israeli military and Palestinian militants since a brief war last May. Earlier in August, more than 40 Palestinian militants and civilians, including 15 children, were killed during two and a half days of fighting, after Israel launched strikes on targets of the Islamic Jihad militant group in Gaza. Palestinian militants launched more than 1,000 rockets back toward Israel.
Turkey's Erdogan meets with Ukraine's Zelensky and UN chief
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking alongside his Ukrainian counterpart Volodomyr Zelensky and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the Ukrainian city of Lviv on Thursday, expressed concerns about the ongoing conflict around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, warning of the danger of "a new Chernobyl."
Background: Ministers from Ukraine and Russia signed an agreement to unblock Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which was brokered by the UN and Turkey in Istanbul on July 22 amid concerns over a global food crisis. Urging Russia and Ukraine to find "the shortest and the fairest way to the negotiating table," the Turkish leader said on Thursday: "I maintain my belief that the war will eventually end at the negotiating table. In fact, [Zelensky] and Guterres echo this view." Zelensky responded by saying he was surprised by Erdogan's suggestion and that he has "no faith in the Russian Federation." "The people who are killing, raping, dropping rockets on our civilian infrastructures every day cannot want peace, so they have to free our territories first," the Ukrainian President added.
Why it matters: Turkey has been hosting talks between delegates from Russia and Ukraine for months now, and Erdogan has been vying for a mediation role in the conflict. That role was seemingly elevated after Ankara helped broker the deal to allow exports of grain from the blockaded Ukrainian ports. In the process, Erdogan has been engaged in a strategic balancing act between Russia on one side, and Ukraine and the West on the other. At Thursday's meeting in Lviv, the Turkish President said, "We are ready to act as a facilitator or mediator towards the goal of reviving the negotiations over the parameters that took form in Istanbul."
What to watch
Climate change and poor water management are causing alarming droughts across the globe, drying up lakes that once flowed with abundant fresh water. Israel is hopeful, however, that by desalinating sea water from the Mediterranean, it can pump back fresh water into lakes across the country.
Watch the full report here:
Around the region
The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art was forced to temporarily close due to insect infestation, the museum said in a statement and apology on Wednesday.
The news broke after a video posted on the BBC Persian website went viral. It showed two silverfish crawling under the glass of a famous photograph taken by influential German photographers Bernd and Hilla Becher.
"The treasure works of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Arts, national wealth and their proper maintenance are the most important concern of all of us, and the attention and sensitivity of the Iranian art family is a valuable asset," the statement said.
Once the museum became aware of the situation, pest control technicians rushed over to tackle the problem, it said. "Fortunately, this work was not damaged, and no insects were seen in the other works of the exhibition," it continued.
The statement said that experts will be fumigating the building's exterior spaces, as it is likely the insects entered from outside.
The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art is one of the largest art museums in the country, carrying large collections of both Iranian and Western paintings. After the 1979 Iranian Revolution, many of the renowned Western art pieces were stored and hidden in the museum vault for decades. Now, the museum frequently displays artwork from around the world, including the United States and Europe.
By Zeena Saifi
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As the conflict enters its 155th day, Russia launches missile strikes on Kiev and Chernihiv regions, areas that haven't been targeted in weeks, while Ukraine focuses on taking back an occupied region in the south.
Russian strikes on military facilities and residential buildings across war-scarred Ukraine left several dead in attacks President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as "missile terrorism".
(AP)
Thursday, July 28, 2022
It's time to focus on Ukraine ceasefire - top Turkish diplomat
Following last week’s breakthrough deal on grain exports, Türkiye’s foreign minister said "now it is time to focus on brokering a ceasefire" between Russia and Ukraine.
Speaking at a joint press conference with visiting Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili, Mevlut Cavusoglu praised the grain exports deal signed in Istanbul last on Friday with the UN, Russia, and Ukraine, saying the obstacles "to exports of not only Ukrainian grain but also Russian grain and fertiliser" have come down, helping to feed a hungry world.
As part of the deal, Türkiye on Wednesday inaugurated a coordination centre to carry out joint inspections at the entrances and exits of harbours and to ensure the safety of the routes.
Deadly Russian strikes target military bases in central Ukraine
Russian strikes on military facilities and residential buildings across war-scarred Ukraine left several dead in attacks President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as "missile terrorism".
"Twenty-five people have been transferred to medical facilities and are receiving treatment. Five are dead," the region's governor Andriy Raikovich said in a video on his social media.
The Interfax-Ukraine news agency quoted Raikovich as saying that there were 12 servicemen among the wounded.
A Syrian ship under US sanctions has docked in the northern Lebanese port of Tripoli carrying barley and wheat that the Ukrainian embassy in Beirut told Reuters news agency on Thursday had been plundered by Russia from Ukrainian stores.
The Laodicea docked in Tripoli on Wednesday, according to shipping data website MarineTraffic.
"The ship has travelled from a Crimean port that is closed to international shipping, carrying 5,000 tonnes of barley and 5,000 tonnes of flour that we suspect was taken from Ukrainian stores," the embassy told Reuters.
UN: Details for safe Ukraine grain shipments still being worked out
UN aid chief Martin Griffiths said he was hopeful that the first shipment of grain from a Ukrainian Black Sea port could take place as early as Friday, but "crucial" details for the safe passage of vessels were still being worked out.
Griffiths said Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian military officials were working with a UN team at a Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul to hammer out standard operating procedures for the deal agreed by the four parties last Friday.
"That is a detailed negotiation based on the agreement," Griffiths told UN member states in a briefing. "But without those standard operating procedures we cannot manage a safe passage of vessels."
Russian TV protester ordered to pay fine over Ukraine
A Moscow court ordered journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, who denounced Russia's intervention in Ukraine during a live TV broadcast, to pay a fine for discrediting the Russian army.
Moscow's Meshchansky district court said that Ovsyannikova, a former editor at state-controlled Channel One, should pay a fine of 50,000 rubles (around $800), an AFP journalist said from the court.
Ovsyannikova's lawyer Dmitry Zakhvatov said she was fined for speaking out against Moscow's intervention in Ukraine earlier this month when she turned up at Moscow's Basmanny district court to support city councilor Ilya Yashin.
Ukraine-Russia grain deal will become a confidence-building measure for both parties if implemented successfully – Turkish FM Cavusoglu pic.twitter.com/JGsnH6XhDw
Moscow-backed officials detain 21 Ukraine army 'accomplices'
Russian-backed officials in southern Ukraine has said that more than 20 "accomplices" of the Ukrainian army and security services had been detained.
Members of the Russian guard detained 21 "accomplices" of the Ukrainian armed forces and the SBU security service in the Moscow-occupied region of Kherson and the partially controlled region of Zaporizhzhia, the pro-Kremlin regional administration in Kherson said.
State news agency RIA Novosti, citing a member of Russian law enforcement, described the detained agents as a group of gun layers — who help adjust the aim of fire against targets — headed by a female coordinator. They helped aim rocket and artillery fire at the Russian army in the region of Kherson, RIA Novosti said.
Russian-backed separatists say four civilians killed in Ukraine shelling
Russian-backed separatists in east Ukraine's Donetsk says four civilians have been killed by Ukrainian shelling over the previous day.
According to a message posted on an official separatist Telegram channel on Thursday, four people were killed and another 11 wounded between 08:00 local time on Wednesday and 08:00 on Thursday. Reuters could not verify battlefield reports.
Donetsk city has been controlled by Russian-backed separatists since 2014. Ukrainian forces continue to hold positions on the city's outskirts.
Russia fines WhatsApp, Snapchat owner over data storage violations
A Russian court has fined Meta Platforms Inc's WhatsApp messenger and Snapchat owner Snap Inc for an alleged refusal to store the data of Russian users domestically, news agencies have reported.
Moscow has clashed with Big Tech over content, censorship, data and local representation in disputes that have escalated since Russia sent forces into Ukraine on February 24.
Moscow's Tagansky District Court fined WhatsApp 18 million roubles ($301,255) and Snap 1 million roubles, news agencies reported. WhatsApp was fined for the same offence last August. Meta and Snap did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
More than 100,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Britain: Government
More than 100,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Britain under two schemes set up to help those fleeing the country following Russia's offensive on February 24, the British government has said.
Nearly 6.2 million refugees from Ukraine have been recorded across Europe as of July 26, according to United Nations data, with more than half applying for temporary residence schemes. Poland alone has registered more than 1.2 million Ukrainians.
Britain's schemes, one for those with family already in the UK and another allowing Britons to offer accommodation to those fleeing the war, initially faced criticism for being overly bureaucratic and leaving some refugees in limbo for weeks. The government said the process was now fully digital and it aimed to process applications within 48 hours.
No deal 'yet' on Russia-US prisoner swap: Russian official
Russia has said that talks are under way about a possible prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington but there was no agreement "yet".
"A concrete result has not yet been achieved," Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a statement.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday he will speak with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov by phone in the coming days and press him to respond to an offer Washington has made to secure the release of American citizens detained by Moscow.
Japan urges Russia not to hold military drills around disputed islands
Japan has urged Russia to exclude areas around disputed northern islands from military drills Moscow is planning to conduct in the country's Far East from late August, a Japanese government spokesperson has said.
Japan lays claim to the Russian-held southern Kuril islands that Tokyo calls the Northern Territories, a territorial row that dates back to the end of World War Two when Soviet troops seized them from Japan.
"We lodged a firm representation that the Northern Territories should be excluded from the areas for the drills," Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki told a regular news conference.
Russian forces took over Ukraine's second-biggest power plant and are conducting a "massive redeployment" of troops to southern regions of Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, a Ukrainian presidential adviser said, amid expectations of a Ukrainian counter-offensive.
Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, confirmed the capture of the Soviet-era coal-fired Vuhlehirsk power plant in the eastern Donetsk region, but said it was only a "tiny tactical advantage" for Russia.
The Russian redeployment to the south appeared to be a switch to strategic defence from offence, he added.
For live updates from Wednesday (July 27), click here
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On the listed business for today, the Family Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2022 is listed for consideration and passing in Lok Sabha. The House is also scheduled to take up a discussion on the need to promote sports in the country at a time when the Commonwealth Games is poised to begin in Birmingham and Chennai gearing up to host Chess Olympiad. In Rajya Sabha, the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022 has been listed for passing.
However the morning session of both Houses has been washed out amid sloganeering by Opposition demanding a debate on GST, inflation. Both Houses have now been adjourned till 2:00 p.m.
Lok Sabha takes up Family Courts Amendment Bill 2022 for consideration
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju tables The Family Court (Amendment) Bill, 2022 for consideration and passing. Whilst introducing the bill, he stated that the amendment is minor and it would be ideal if it could passed today itself.
Rajya Sabha| 2:25 p.m.
Rajya Sabha suspends MPs for a week, house adjourns for 15 minutes
V Murleedharan, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs moves the motion and Chair adopts the resolution to suspend MPs disrupting the proceedings of the House from the services of the council for the remainder of the week under Rule 256.
MPs suspended include Mausam Noor, Dola Sen, Shantanu Sen, Sushmita Dev, Nadimul Haque, MM Abdullah, AA Rahim, R Girirajan, and V Sivadasan, among others
Rajya Sabha| 2:12 p.m.
Chair and MPs spar about points of order
The Chair questions whether the MPs should come into the well, holding placards. He says that if the disruption persists, he will have to invoke Rule 256 and name the members. Opposition continues to engage in sloganeering. The Chair starts naming members, and requests them to take their seats. “ Mehangai peh charcha ho,” “ GST pe vapas lo” rings through the House as it devolves into chaos.
Lok Sabha| 2:06 p.m.
Lok Sabha resumes proceedings at 2 p.m.
House resumes post adjournment with Rajendra Agrawal in the chair. It is expected to take up matters under Rule 377. Opposition benches reiterate their demand for a discussion on price rise and GST.
Rajya Sabha| 2:05 p.m.
Rajya Sabha resumes proceedings at 2 p.m.
Chair invites members to speak about the Weapons of Mass Destruction Amendment Bill, 2022. Members continue to speak about price rise issue.
Rajya Sabha | 1:00 p.m.
Rajya Sabha adjourned to 2:00 p.m.
Amid continued sloganeering by Opposition MPs, Rajya Sabha has now been adjourned to 2:00 p.m.
Lok Sabha | 12:57 p.m.
Rahul Gandhi detained by Delhi Police
Ex-Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and other Congress MPs take out protest march from Parliament to Vijay Chowk. The Wayanad MP claims that Opposition MPs want debate on inflation, unemployment however such discussions were not allowed in Parliament. Moreover, he added that Delhi Police were not allowing MPs to sit in protest at Vijay Chowk.
He has now been detained by Delhi police and taken to Parliament Street police station
Rajya Sabha | 12:50 p.m.
Questions on GST hike raised
As Opposition MPs continue sloganeering against GST; MPs raise queries on the recent hike on GST on some products. Dy Chair urges Opposition parties to ask their MPs to vacate the well and raise their queries
Rajya Sabha | 12:20 p.m.
Rajya Sabha resumes amid ruckus
Proceedings resume in Rajya Sabha after multiple adjournments. Deputy Chair Harivansh Narayan Singh continues taking up issues under Question Hour. Opposition MPs continue sloganeering on GST, hooch tragedy in Gujarat
Lok Sabha | 12.02 p.m.
Suspended Congress MPs hold protest
The four Congress Lok Sabha MPs, who were suspended for the rest of Monsoon Session yesterday, held a protest against their suspension in Parliament premises. The suspended MPs, Manickam Tagore, Ramya Haridas, T N Prathapan and S Jothi Mani alleged that their suspension amounted to "murder of democracy". In a show of solidarity, leaders of Left parties, NCP, DMK and the Congress joined them in the protest and raised slogans against the government.
Lok Sabha | 12:08 p.m.
Lok Sabha adjourned till 2 p.m.
Moments after the Lok Sabha took up matters under Rule 377, Opposition MPs resorted to sloganeering, following which the House was adjourned till 2 p.m.
Rajya Sabha | 12:05 p.m
Rajya Sabha adjourned for 15 minutes
Amid continued sloganeering, Rajya Sabha has been adjourned for 15 minutes
Rajya Sabha | 12:01 p.m.
Rajya Sabha resumes question hour
The Upper House resumes proceedings as Opposition MPs display protest placards near Chair. Dy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh urges MPs to stop ruckus.
Lok Sabha | 11.46 a.m.
Lok Sabha resumes proceedings
The proceedings have resumed in the Lok Sabha. Mr. Rajendra Agrawal is in the Chair. Question Hour is being taken up
Lok Sabha | 11.27 a.m.
Lok Sabha adjourned till 11.45 a.m.
Amid sloganeering by protesting MPs, Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House till 11.45 a.m. However, before adjourning, he warned MPs not to wave placards or raise slogans in the House. “This is your House, you can debate, or agree or disagree with each other. I don’t want to take action against any MP. But remember the House is not for waving placards. It is for holding discussions on issues of public importance. People of the country don’t want to see you in Parliament with banners and placards,” the Speaker said as he urged Opposition MPs to return to their seats. He also added that questions on GST have been listed in today’s business.
Lok Sabha | 11.07 a.m.
Question Hour in Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha proceedings on Monday resumed with Question Hour on Tuesday. However, protests by Opposition members continued over price rise, with Speaker Om Birla urging members not to disrupt proceedings of the Lower House.
Lok Sabha | 11: 00 am
Lok Sabha proceedings begin
The Lok Sabha began proceedings on Tuesday with tributes to soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice in the Kargil war. The day is observed as ‘Kargil Vijay Diwas’ to commemorate India’s victory over Pakistan in the war. Opposition MPs continue sloganeering
Rajya Sabha begins proceedings amid sloganeering by Opposition MPs. Chairman Venkaiah Naidu reads out suspension notices. Due to continued ruckus, House is adjourned to 12 noon.
Rajya Sabha | 10:39 am
MPs give suspension notices
AAP MP Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha, CPI MP Binoy Viswam give Suspension of Business Notice under Rule 267 in Rajya Sabha to discuss the recent GST rate hike, inflation. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi seeks suspension of business to discus “misuse of CBI, ED, IT for political agendas”
Rajya Sabha | 10.35 am
Legislative business in Rajya Sabha
Bill for consideration and passing:
The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022.
Lok Sabha | 10.30 am
Legislative business in Lok Sabha
Bill for consideration and passing:
The Family Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2022
Discussion under Rule 193:
The need to promote sports in the country and the steps taken by the government.
Parliament | 10.17 a.m.
Parliament Watch podcast | President’s swearing-in ceremony, suspension of Congress MPs, and more
In this episode of the Parliament Watch podcast, we cover the swearing-in ceremony of Draupadi Murmu as the 15th president, suspension of four Congress members, and multiple adjournments over sloganeering.
Parliament | 10.05 a.m.
Monsoon Session Day 6 recap
In Lok Sabha, Opposition protests over price rise, GST and other issues marred proceedings in Lok Sabha, with four Congress members suspended for the rest of the session. Speaker Om Birla warned the protesting members, including from the Congress, TMC and DMK, asking them not to raise slogans and display placards. He told them that the government was ready to discuss issues raised by them and stressed that people want the House to function. Proceedings were adjourned.
When the session resumed, Rajendra Agarwal, who was chairing the proceedings, asked the opposition members to take note of the warning given by the Speaker. As the protesting opposition members again stalled proceedings, the Chair named Congress MPs Manickam Tagore, TN Prathapan, Jothimani and Ramya Haridas. He said that the members who had been suspended had shown “stubborn behaviour”, “deliberately and continuously disrupted proceedings” and ignored House rules and directions of the Speaker. The House then passed the resolution by a voice vote and suspension of the four MPs was announced.
The Rajya Sabha took up discussion on a bill on the weapon of mass destruction and their delivery systems, but proceedings were disrupted amid protests and sloganeering.
Across Ukraine's battlefields, there has been no let-up in fighting that has entered its 152nd day as the Kremlin says a Russian missile strike against the port of Odessa should not affect grain exports.
The World Food Programme (WFP) said it was optimistic about a UN-brokered deal to reopen Ukrainian ports for grain exports but warned the agreement alone will not solve the global food crisis.
(AA)
Monday, July 25, 2022
First Ukraine grain ships may move in days: UN
The first ships to export Ukraine grain from the country's Black Sea ports may move within a few days under a deal agreed on Friday by Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye and the United Nations, a UN spokesperson said.
A Joint Coordination Center will liaise with the shipping industry and will publish detailed procedures for ships in the near future, said deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq.
UN World Food Programme optimistic on Ukraine grain export deal
The World Food Programme (WFP) said it was optimistic about a UN-brokered deal to reopen Ukrainian ports for grain exports but warned the agreement alone will not solve the global food crisis even if it is implemented effectively.
The WFP itself has had to cut aid this year in key hunger hotspots like Yemen and South Sudan due to global inflation and critical funding gaps, both exacerbated by the Ukraine conflict.
The current global food crisis is not a price crisis alone, and that man-made conflict, climate shocks and the Covid-19 pandemic will continue to drive up global food insecurity even if Friday's deal holds, a WFP spokesperson said.
"We are preparing for everything to start this week," says Ukraine's Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, who led Ukraine's delegation at last week's grain talks in Istanbul pic.twitter.com/7E85Ie4hxO
Ukraine claims it has destroyed 50 Russian ammunition depots
Ukraine said its forces had used US-supplied HIMARS rocket systems to destroy 50 Russian ammunition depots since receiving the weapons last month.
Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov underlined the growing impact that the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) are having as Ukraine tries to repel Russia's attack.
Reznikov also said Ukraine had received three Gepard anti-aircraft armoured fighting vehicles, the first of 15 expected, and that Kiev was expecting to take delivery of several dozen Leopard tanks.
This cuts their (Russian) logistical chains and takes away their ability to conduct active fighting and cover our armed forces with heavy shelling
Oleksiy Reznikov, Ukraine's Defence Minister
Russia wants to end Ukraine's “unacceptable regime” - Lavrov
Russia’s top diplomat said Moscow’s overarching goal in Ukraine is to free its people from its “unacceptable regime,” expressing the Kremlin’s military aims in some of the bluntest terms yet as its forces pummel the country with artillery barrages and airstrikes.
Lavrov said Moscow is determined to help Ukrainians “liberate themselves from the burden of this absolutely unacceptable regime.”
Lavrov accused Kiev and its Western allies of spouting propaganda intended to ensure that Ukraine “becomes the eternal enemy of Russia."
Russian and Ukrainian people would continue to live together. We will certainly help Ukrainian people to get rid of the regime, which is absolutely anti-people and anti-historical
Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister
Kremlin says Odessa strike should not hamper grain exports
The Kremlin has said that Russian strikes on Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odessa "should not affect" a Türkiye-brokered and UN-backed deal between Moscow and Kiev to unblock grain exports.
"This cannot and should not affect the start of shipment," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, two days after Moscow hit the port.
He said Moscow's strikes targeted "exclusively" military infrastructure and were "not connected with the agreement on the export of grain". The weekend strikes on Odessa came less than a day after Moscow and Kiev signed the landmark deal.
Russia says it destroyed HIMARS ammo depot in Ukraine
Russia's Defence Ministry says its forces have destroyed an ammunition depot for US-made HIMARS rocket systems in Bogdanovtsy, in Ukraine's Khmelnytskyi region.
The reports were not independently verified.
Russia has previously said it destroyed several of the HIMARS systems supplied to Ukraine by the West, in claims denied by Kiev.
Britain says fighting continues in Ukraine’s Donbass and Kherson
Inconclusive fighting has continued in both Donbass and Kherson regions in eastern and southern Ukraine, British military intelligence has said.
Russian commanders continue to face a dilemma - whether to resource Russia's offensive in the east, or to bolster the defence in the west, Britain's defence ministry said on Twitter.
The ministry added in its regular bulletin that on July 18, the British intelligence identified a Russian military vehicle refit and refurbishment facility near Barvinok, in Russia's Belgorod Oblast, which is 10 kilometres from the Ukrainian border.
"At least 300 damaged vehicles were present, including main battle tanks, armoured personnel carriers, and general support trucks," the update added.
Putin will not attend Japanese ex-PM Abe's funeral, Kremlin says
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the state funeral of Japanese former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the Kremlin has said.
"No, Putin has no plans to visit Japan and attend the funeral," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that Russia was yet to decide the country's presence at the funeral.
The Japanese government has notified all the countries it has diplomatic ties with, including Russia, of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's state funeral, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yos hihiko Isozaki said.
Zelenskyy says Ukrainians won't be 'cowed'
After five months of Russian attacks,
Ukraine will continue to do all it can to inflict as much damage
on its enemy as possible, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
"Even the occupiers admit we will win," he said as he hailed
the upcoming day of Ukrainian statehood, July 28, a new annual
holiday that Zelenskyy announced in August last year. "We hear
it in their conversations all the time. In what they are telling
their relatives when they call them."
Like every day in the last months, Zelenskyy said that
Ukraine was not letting up. "We do everything to inflict the
highest possible damage on the enemy and to gather for Ukraine
as much support as possible."
He said Ukraine had an important week ahead, with the
holiday approaching in the midst of what he called a "cruel
war." "But we will celebrate against all odds. Because Ukrainians
won't be cowed."
Russian investigator seeks new tribunal for Ukraine
The head of Russia's investigative committee has said Moscow had charged 92 members of Ukrainian armed forces with "crimes against humanity" and proposed an international tribunal backed by countries including Bolivia, Iran and Syria.
The government's Rossiiskaya Gazeta quoted committee head Alexander Bastrykin as accusing "more than 220 persons, including representatives of the high command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as commanders of military units that shelled the civilian population."
The Ukrainians were involved in "crimes against the peace and security of humanity, which have no statute of limitations," he said.
For live updates from Sunday (July 24), click here
FOR 29th August 2022
One after another, European countries such as Spain and Portugal registered record highs this year.
The northern hemisphere did indeed witness record temperatures, with wildfires engulfing parts of Europe and drought threatening food supplies. And, often, European cities witnessed hotter conditions than those in the Persian Gulf.
But experts say that temperature alone isn't an adequate measure of the livability of a city -- a combination of heat and humidity is. And that's why the Middle East is far less livable than Europe even at the same temperatures.
The Middle East is still quite hot. The Iranian city of Abadan set the record for the hottest dry heat temperature this year when it hit 53 degrees Celsius (127 degrees Fahrenheit) on August 5. But combine that with the high levels of humidity in the region and it becomes an even more inhospitable place for human beings. It's harder to cool down when the weather is humid, as our bodies struggle to transfer their heat to "wet" air rather than dry air, making it harder to sweat it out and lower our body temperatures.
