Category: World

Severe flooding in Spain has killed 95 people, most of them in Valencia. A three-day mourning period was declared, 115,000 people were left without power, and transportation was disrupted.

The death toll from the worst floods in decades in eastern and southern Spain has risen to 95 as of Wednesday evening, October 30. This was reported by El Pais, according to UNN.

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As of 19:00 local time, 92 people died as a result of floods in Spain in Valencia, one in the province of Malaga and two more in Castilla La Mancha.

Spanish Minister of Territorial Policy Angel Victor Torres declared three days of mourning in connection with the natural disaster and promised to provide “all necessary assistance” to the affected regions from state and European funds.

The disaster left 115,000 people without power, roads and rail links between Madrid and Valencia were blocked, and dozens of Valencia residents were forced to spend the night on the roofs of cars, shops or gas stations.

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Amidst the deadly disaster, the EU stated that it was ready to provide assistance to Spain, but had not yet received any requests. In particular, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen informed the country about assistance.

It was reported that the Spanish Ministry of Defense is proposing to provide mobile morgues for the flood-affected areas, as there are fears that the number of victims may increase.

Recall

As previously reported, at least 63 people have died in eastern Spain due to flooding . This is the highest number of flood victims in Europe since 2021, when 185 people died in Germany.

The year 2023 set records for climate threats to human health. Experts are calling on governments to reorient their finances from fossil fuels to clean energy.

The threats of climate change to health and life on the planet reached record levels during 2023. On the eve of the 29th UN Climate Change Conference COP29, Lancet Countdown experts are calling for a redirection of trillions of dollars invested in fossil fuels.

Writes UNN with reference to swissinfo.

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According to the 8th annual Lancet Countdown: Tracking Progress on Health and Climate Change, people in every country are facing record threats to their health and survival from a rapidly changing climate.

The authors call on governments and companies that continue to “add fuel to the fire” by investing in fossil fuels to change course and reorient international finance toward a rapid transition to a clean, emissions-free economy.

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According to the Lancet Countdown study, last year was the hottest year on record, with people experiencing an average of 50 additional days of extreme temperatures, 1,512 hours of heat exposure from light physical activity, and a record 512,000 potential work hours lost worldwide.

A new record of CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere on the eve of Cop29October 28 2024, 01:38 PM • 13337 views

The report, prepared by 122 experts from 57 institutions around the world, also emphasizes the rapid increase in the number of heat-related deaths due to climate change. This is especially true for people over 65. Mortality among this category has increased by 167% compared to mortality in the 1990s.

Recall

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterrescalled on the global community to urgently review climate strategies.

Carbon emission reduction 'miles short' of 2030 target – UNOctober 28 2024, 12:18 PM • 16250 views

The European Commission has stated that it is impossible to start negotiations on Georgia's accession to the EU without changing the country's current course. The report points to problems with the parliamentary elections and the lack of progress in key reforms.

The European Commission has warned Georgia that it is impossible to start negotiations on joining the European Union without changing its current course, according to the European Commission's report on enlargement, which was obtained by Ekho Kavkaza and the Georgian service of Radio Liberty, UNN reports.

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Unless Georgia changes its current course of action, which jeopardizes its path to the EU, and demonstrates tangible efforts to address the current problems and implement key reforms, the European Commission will not be in a position to consider recommending the start of accession negotiations with Georgia

– the European Commission report says.

The report notes that in December 2023, the European Council granted Georgia candidate status, but the actions of the Georgian government since the spring of 2024 have jeopardized Georgia's path to the EU and de facto suspended the accession process.

The granting of candidate status to Georgia in December 2023 was not accompanied by sufficient political commitment by the authorities to implement the necessary reforms to move the country forward on its path to the EU. On the contrary, there were significant negative developments, including the adoption of the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence and the legislative package on Family Values and Protection of Minors, as well as strong anti-European narratives by Georgian officials, which seriously affected Georgia's course towards the EU. As a result, Georgia's accession process was effectively suspended. Georgia has also made little progress in implementing the nine steps envisaged by the European Commission's 2023 Communication on Enlargement

– the document says.

Saakashvili calls for "continuous protests" in GeorgiaOctober 29 2024, 02:30 PM • 14181 view

The report also refers to the voting of Georgian citizens in the October 26 parliamentary elections . It is noted that the initial results of the joint international election observation mission led by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) revealed several shortcomings during the voting.

According to the document, the elections took place in a tense and highly polarized environment. The European Commission points to recent changes in the electoral law, violations of the secret ballot, procedural inconsistencies, intimidation and pressure on voters, "which negatively affected public confidence in the process.

As noted, the European Commission's report itself will be published later.

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Georgia's Central Election Commission says it will recount ballots in about 14% of polling stations after independent observers expressed concern about the conduct of Saturday's parliamentary elections.

Also, the Georgian Prosecutor's Office announced the launch of an investigation into the alleged falsification of the parliamentary elections held in the country on October 26.

Volkswagen reported a sharp drop in profits in the third quarter of 2024 due to problems in the Chinese market. The operating result decreased by 42% to €2.86 billion, and profit after tax fell by 64%.

The group's profit fell by 64%, partly because VW is doing poorly in the important Chinese market.

Writes UNN with reference to Neue Zürcher Zeitung.

In the third quarter of 2024, Volkswagen suffered a significant drop in profits.

As reported by the DAX Group, the operating result fell by 42% to 2.86 billion euros. Due to Volkswagen's poor performance in China, the group's profit after tax fell by 64% to €1.58 billion. On the other hand, sales fell by only half a percent to 78.5 billion euros.

According to the company, in nine months, the sales profitability of the main Volkswagen brand will be only 2%.

“This shows the urgent need for significant cost reduction and efficiency gains,” explained VW CFO Arno Antlitz.

Recall

UNN reported that Europe's largest car manufacturer , Volkswagen, plans to close at least three German plants, cut tens of thousands of jobs and reduce wages by 10 percent, a senior company official said on Monday.

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Brazil's armed forces will provide security during the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro in November. Joe Biden and Xi Jinping are expected to attend the event, among other world leaders.

Brazil's armed forces will be used to strengthen security during the G20 summit to be held in Rio de Janeiro in November. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.

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It is noted that the law allows the president of the republic to use troops in a certain region if the police are unable to guarantee an adequate level of security.

This practice was previously used during major events involving international delegations and large numbers of visitors, such as the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games.

putin refuses to attend the G20 summit in BrazilOctober 18 2024, 03:02 PM • 17865 views

Secretary of State for Security Victor Santos explained that the host country of the summit is responsible for the security of all participants. Many leaders have already confirmed their arrival in Rio, including US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Rio de Janeiro has recently seen an increase in crime. A high-profile case recently occurred when a group of kidnappers used city buses as barricades to block police officers.

Zelensky: G20 countries can easily put Putin in his placeOctober 28 2024, 10:24 AM • 17250 views

More than 40 properties and shares belonging to the Russian state were seized in Finland. The seized property includes a science and culture center in Helsinki, a beachfront plot and apartments in various cities.

Russian property worth tens of millions of euros – real estate and shares owned by the Russian state – has been seized in Finland. This was reported by Yle, according to UNN.

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The Bailiffs' Service provided Yle with a list of real estate and shares owned by the Russian state and seized in Finland. The seizure order means that the property cannot be sold or transferred.

There are about forty seized objects, and their total value exceeds 35 million euros.

Among them are the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Helsinki, a seaside beach area for diplomats, apartments in different cities of Finland, and more. For example, in Turku, four apartments in the city center were seized. The head of the city's international department, Mika Akkanen, said that the city did not know how these apartments were used.

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The day before, Helsingin Sanomat reported that real estate owned by the Russian state had begun to be seized across Finland. The decision to seize means that the property cannot be sold or transferred.

The actions of the Bailiffs' Service are related to the decision of the International Arbitration Court in The Hague, issued in April 2023. At the same time, the court ordered Russia to pay more than five billion euros to the Ukrainian energy company Naftogaz as compensation for the damage caused by the occupation of Crimea.

Finland finally closes two checkpoints on the border with RussiaOctober 24 2024, 07:56 AM • 14322 views

According to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, Kamala Harris has the support of 44% of voters, compared to 43% for Donald Trump. The Democrat's lead has shrunk from three to one percentage point in two weeks.

Recent polls among Americans show that even a week before the election, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is still ahead of her opponent Donald Trump. This was reported by Reuters, UNN.

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According to the poll, Harris's national approval rating is 44%, while Trump's is 43%. However, only two weeks ago, the Democrat's lead was three percentage points.

It is noted that Harris has been ahead of Trump in every Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted among registered voters since July, and since the end of September her advantage has been steadily declining.

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As in the past, voters favored the former US president when it came to the economy (47% vs. 37%) and immigration (48% vs. 33%).

Instead, Harris is seen as more competent in dealing with political extremism (40% vs. 38%), but her advantage here has dropped to two points from seven last week.

Recall

The Washington Post has lost more than 200 thousand digital subscribers after refusing to support candidates in the US presidential election. The decision of the owner Jeff Bezos caused a massive outflow of readers, which is 8% of the paid audience.

russian offshore oil exports rose by 120,000 barrels per day for the second week in a row. Total exports reached 24.79 million barrels, with a four-week average of 3.41 million barrels per day.

russian offshore crude oil exports rose for the second week in a row and reached the highest level in a month. This is UNN reported by Bloombergwith reference to Bloomberg.

"Flows increased by 120 ,000 barrels per day after a similar increase in the previous week, with major ports on the Baltic Sea and Pacific coasts operating near peak levels," the report said.

Four-week average cargo volumes reportedly fell 50,000 barrels per day to 3.41 million in the week to October 27, the first decline in five weeks. The drop reflected a surge in exports seen in the week to Sept. 29, dropped out of the calculation. But shipments on that basis remained above the 3.4 million mark, a level exceeded just four times since mid-May.

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Refining in russia remains on track to decline to its lowest level since May 2022, leaving more crude available for export. Scheduled seasonal maintenance has reduced volumes, which may also be affected by lower margins making refining at some facilities in southern russia less attractive.

The rise in flows was driven by a slight increase in russian crude oil prices, which helped lift the gross value of Musk's exports by about $50 million to $1.6 billion in the week to Oct. 27.

A total of 32 tankers loaded 24.79 million barrels of russian crude oil in the week to October 27, according to vessel tracking data and port agent reports. The volume was up from a revised 23.93 million barrels on 32 vessels the previous week.

Britain imposes the “largest” sanctions against Russia's shadow fleetOctober 17 2024, 11:07 AM • 10108 views

Despite the increase in weekly deliveries, the four-week average fell to 3.41 million barrels per day, down 50,000 from the previous week.

russia reportedly canceled its export targets in late May, opting instead to cap production, in line with its partners in the OPEC+ oil producer group. The country's production target is set at 8.978 million barrels per day through the end of November after a planned easing of some production cuts was postponed for two months.

moscow also pledged deeper production cuts in October and November this year, and then from March through September 2025, to offset pumping above the OPEC+ quota earlier this year.

Recall

A week earlier, crude supplies from russia reached the highest level since late June, amid how seasonal maintenance is set to reduce refinery throughput to the lowest level in more than two years.

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Shiite cleric Naim Qassem became the new leader of Hezbollah after the death of Hassan Nasrallah. The former leader was killed in an Israeli air strike in Beirut on September 27.

Shiite cleric Qassem will lead Hezbollah instead of the murdered Nasrallah.

UNN writes with reference to Euronews.

The Lebanese movement Hezbollah has announced that it has elected Shiite cleric Naim Qassem as its leader. According to foreign agencies, he will replace former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli air strike in Beirut on September 27.

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Naim Qassem was appointed deputy leader of the Lebanese militant group in 1991 by then-leader Abbas al-Musawi. He retained this role when Nasrallah became the head of the group after al-Musawi's death.

Although many believe he lacks the charisma and oratory of the former leader, Qassem was often the public face of the group and continued to appear at rallies and ceremonies after Nasrallah went into hiding from Israel.

IDF destroys Hezbollah infrastructure in southern LebanonOctober 29 2024, 01:23 AM • 18302 views

Over the years, Qassem has also given interviews to foreign journalists. In 2005, he wrote a book on the history of Hezbollah, offering an inside look at the organization.

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Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an air strike in Beirut. According to a Reuters security source, this was the largest strike by the Israeli Air Force on the Beirut suburb of Dahiya, which is considered a Hezbollah stronghold.

Nasrallah took office in 1992 after Israel ousted the co-founder and previous leader, Abbas al-Musawi. Under Nasrallah's leadership, the group was transformed into a political entity and gained representation in the Lebanese parliament.

Many died during Israel's attack on LebanonOctober 28 2024, 01:30 AM • 15991 view

The 54-year-old hip-hop mogul P. Diddy is accused of sexually abusing a 10-year-old boy in 2005. The incident occurred in a New York hotel during an audition, where the child was drugged.

Sean John Combs, known as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, is accused in a new trial of sexually abusing a 10-year-old boy with drugs.

Writes UNN with reference to The Guardian.

The 54-year-old hip-hop mogul is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting a 10-year-old boy in a New York City hotel room in 2005.

The 10-year-old boy, who was not named in the lawsuit, was an aspiring actor and rapper who had traveled with his parents from California to meet with music industry representatives. During what was supposed to be an audition for Combs, he was given a drug in his soda by a Combs employee and “sexually assaulted by the founder of Bad Boy Records,” according to the lawsuit.

The boy eventually lost consciousness. When he regained consciousness, Combs threatened to severely injure the child's parents if he told anyone about what had happened, the statement said.

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In recent months, Diddy, a well-known music entrepreneur and producer, has been the subject of serious accusations by more than a hundred people who have accused him of crimes of an extremely serious nature.

In another lawsuit, a 17-year-old unidentified male claimed that Combs forced him to perform sexual acts with Combs and a security guard during a three-day audition for the television show Making the Band, which Combs produced.

According to the statement, when a novice participant expressed doubts, he was excluded from the competition and could not return to the music industry for seven years.

The case of sexual abuse of Diddy, reported by the young singer, has already provoked a strong reaction from both the music community and law enforcement agencies. After a complaint was filed with the New York State Supreme Court, the situation escalated, and various organizations and associations spoke out.

Combs is being held in a New York prison after pleading not guilty to federal sex trafficking charges contained in an indictment unsealed the day after his arrest on September 16. The charges include allegations that he coerced and abused women and forced victims to remain silent through blackmail and violence.

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