Category: World

Dick Schoof refuses to participate in the climate summit due to attacks on Israeli fans in Amsterdam. Five Maccabi fans were injured after the match with Ajax.

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof will skip the COP29 climate summit after clashes in Amsterdam this week between Israeli soccer fans and pro-Palestinian protesters. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.

I will not be traveling to Azerbaijan next week for the UN climate conference COP29. Due to the great social impact of the events that took place last Thursday night in Amsterdam, I will stay in the Netherlands,

– he said.

Dutch Climate Minister Sophie Hermans will continue to attend the November 11-22 environmental meeting, while a climate ambassador will replace Schooff, the prime minister added, saying Thursday night's violence in Amsterdam will be discussed at a cabinet meeting on Monday.

Recall

After the match, which ended in a convincing victory for Ajax, local fans attacked groups of Israeli fans, despite the peaceful atmosphere at the stadium and the increased police presence. The attacks resulted in at least five Israelis being hospitalized with injuries of varying severity.

El Al Airlines promptly organized six additional flights to evacuate the remaining fans from Amsterdam.

A total of four civilians have been injured in Russian attacks on Sumy Oblast on Saturday, 9 November.

Source: Sumy Oblast Military Administration

Details: As of 21:00, the Russians have fired 74 times at the border areas and settlements of Sumy Oblast.

In the Myropillia hromada, an airstrike destroyed the premises of an educational institution and damaged more than ten residential houses and a community arts centre. There was also an attack by FPV drones (8 explosions), with one civilian injured. [A hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories – ed.]

In the Khotin hromada, two civilians were injured as explosives were dropped from a Russian UAV. There was also an attack by an FPV drone (1 explosion), with one civilian injured.

The Russians also reportedly conducted an airstrike on the Sumy hromada, using guided aerial bombs.

The consequences of the attack are being clarified.

No casualties were reported in other hromadas.

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Trump's transition administration has said that Brian Lanza is not authorized to speak on its behalf. The political strategist previously said that the United States would not seek the return of Crimea, but only peace in Ukraine.

A spokesman for the Trump transition administration told Reuters that Republican political strategist Brian Lanza did not express its position when talking about priorities for Ukraine. This was reported by the BBC, according to UNN.

Details

The transitional administration is still selecting personnel and preparing political positions for the Trump presidency.

Brian Lanza was a campaign contractor. He does not work for or speak on behalf of President Trump,

– said a representative of the transitional administration.

Recall

Brian Lanza said that the new US administration will seek peace in Ukraine, not the return of territories. According to him, “Crimea is gone” and its return is not a US goal.

Law enforcement officers have launched a pre-trial investigation into another war crime committed by the Russians.

Source: Office of the Prosecutor General

Details: Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General clarified that on 9 November 2024, a video appeared on a Telegram channel showing representatives of the Russian Armed Forces capturing a wounded Ukrainian serviceman.

The Russian shot the unarmed defender of Ukraine, who was lying on the ground, with automatic weapons – point-blank.

Quote: "Investigative actions are underway to establish all the circumstances of the incident, as well as the time and place of the crime.

The execution of a prisoner of war is a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions and is defined as a serious international crime. The investigation is being conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts."

Background: Ukraine’s Parliamentary Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets has reported that Russian troops have shot a Ukrainian soldier who was unarmed and likely wounded. The ombudsman sent a letter to the ICRC and the UN.

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A four-hour-long protest demanding new parliamentary elections took place in Tbilisi. Two columns of demonstrators with the flags of Georgia and the EU marched and met at Heroes Square.

A new rally demanding new parliamentary elections took place on Heroes Square in the center of Tbilisi after the anthems of Georgia and the European Union were performed, UNN reports with reference to Novosti Georgia.

Details

The rally was organized by Unity – National Movement, Coalition for Change, and Strong Georgia.

They talk about "massive fraud" and are not going to enter the parliament. Today, the opposition leaders reiterated that they will demand that the results be recognized as illegitimate to the last.

Politicians believe that the street protests will culminate on two dates: the final meeting of the CEC (the final election results should be announced no later than November 21) and the first meeting of the 11th parliament (no later than 10 days after the official announcement of the results).

Today's rally was conceived as a march. It lasted over four hours. The protesters gathered near the Marjanishvili and State University metro stations.

Opposition announces daily rallies in Tbilisi and across GeorgiaNovember 4 2024, 05:55 PM • 19553 views

The first group headed to Svobody Square through the Presidential Administration and then down Rustaveli Avenue near the Philharmonic. The second group moved along Vazha-Pshavela towards the Vake district. There were many party flags, flags of Georgia and the European Union at the rally.

The convoys met on Chavchavadze Avenue and from there headed to Heroiv Square. Traffic there was temporarily paralyzed.

The rally was uneventful.

On Sunday, November 10, the opposition will join the rally of the civil platform 'Daitove' on Svobody Square.

In Georgia, the court canceled the results of elections at 30 polling stations due to a “black mark”November 4 2024, 07:54 PM • 28017 views

There is still no consensus among EU member states on the possibility of relocating a training mission for the Ukrainian military to Ukraine, Josep Borrell, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has said.

Source: Borrell at a press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in Kyiv on Saturday, 9 November, as reported by European Pravda

Quote: "There's no consensus among the member states to reach a decision on a training mission that would operate on Ukrainian territory. Nevertheless, the training mission can continue its work," he said, answering the question whether sending European instructors to Ukraine could be a response to the involvement of North Korean troops in Russia's war against Ukraine.

Details: Borrell noted that the EU military training mission for Ukraine would have trained 75,000 Ukrainian soldiers by the end of the year.

"We're trying to train Ukrainian soldiers as close to the Ukrainian border as possible, but this is not a defence mission as such… There's currently no consensus on doing this on Ukrainian territory. I cannot rule out that this will happen. But my task is to ensure the mission works and increase the number of Ukrainian soldiers being trained," the EU chief diplomat added.

Background: Earlier, the EU Council extended the mandate of the European Union’s military training mission for Ukrainian soldiers for two years, with a budget allocation of over €400 million.

For reference: The EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine) was established on 17 October 2022 with an initial mandate of two years. The mission is funded by the European Peace Facility.

Since then, about 63,000 Ukrainian troops have undergone various training in the EU, which is equivalent to manning ten brigades.

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In October, the cost of making khachapuri in Georgia increased by 8% compared to last year. Yeast and butter went up the most, and the most expensive khachapuri is made in Telavi.

In October, the "Khachapuri Index" in Georgia increased by 8% compared to the same period last year. Currently, cooking a standard Imereti khachapuri costs 6.62 GEL (about 92 UAH), UNN reports with reference to the News of Georgia.

"The Khachapuri Index is the Georgian equivalent of the Big Mac Index, which is unofficially used as an indicator of exchange rates in various countries. It is measured monthly by the International School of Economics at Tbilisi State University (ISET).

Almost all the products needed to make khachapuri have risen in price over the year. Yeast – by 21.8%, butter – by 16.4%, milk – by 13.2%, cheese – by 8.6%, and flour – by 4.6%. Only eggs fell in price (-1.5%).

Comparing different cities, Telavi stands out. Currently, cooking khachapuri there costs 7.17 GEL, which is 8.4% higher than the national average.

ISET explains this by the grape harvest season – rtveli. During this period, many tourists come to Kakheti, and as demand for goods and services grows, so do prices.

Compared to September, the Khachapuri Index grew by 2%. ISET believes that growth will continue in the coming months. Due to the seasonal decline in milk supplies, prices for the main ingredients of khachapuri (cheese and milk) will rise, they say.

Bryan Lanza, a senior adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, has announced that the new administration will focus on achieving peace in Ukraine rather than helping the country regain the territories occupied by Russia.

Source: Lanza on the BBC World Service's Weekend programme; BBC

Details: Lanza, a Trump adviser since 2016 and a Republican strategist, indicated that the incoming Trump administration plans to ask Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to detail his own "realistic vision for peace."

Quote from Lanza: "And if President Zelenskyy comes to the table and says, well we can only have peace if we have Crimea, he shows to us that he's not serious…

When Zelenskyy says we will only stop this fighting, there will only be peace once Crimea is returned, we've got news for President Zelenskyy: Crimea is gone… And if that is your priority of getting Crimea back and having American soldiers fight to get Crimea back, you're on your own."

Details: He refrained from mentioning the occupied territories in Ukraine's east but asserted that Ukraine’s liberation of Crimea was unrealistic and "not the goal of the United States".

Importantly, Ukraine has never requested that the United States send troops to engage against Russia – only for military aid and support.

Lanza expressed deep admiration for the Ukrainian people, describing them as having "the hearts of lions". However, he emphasised that the United States' primary focus was "peace and to stop the killing".

"What we're going to say to Ukraine is, you know what you see? What do you see as a realistic vision for peace. It's not a vision for winning, but it's a vision for peace. And let's start having the honest conversation," he said.

The Trump adviser also criticised the support that the Biden-Harris administration and European countries have provided to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

"The reality on the ground is that the European nation states and President Biden did not give Ukraine the ability and the arms to win this war at the very beginning and they failed to lift the restrictions for Ukraine to win," Lanza said.

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The Russians attacked the village of Krasnopillia in Sumy Oblast with guided bombs on 7 November. Three bombs hit the Krasnopillia lyceum, where Ukrainian biathletes Vita and Valentyna Semerenko studied. [A lyceum is a specialised secondary school – ed.]

Source: Vita Semerenko on Instagram

Details: Vita Semerenko reacted to yet another attack by the Russians in the stories on her Instagram page.

Quote: "My school, my beloved school, all my childhood, my youth… It hurts so much to realise that I will never see these familiar places as they were etched in my memory.

My first school memories are of those walls where we learned to write and read together, where every day began with laughter and children's games. Now that school is gone, destroyed by Russia – a terrorist state," she wrote.

For reference:

• In early October, Vita Semerenko, 38, received a one-year suspension for breaching anti-doping rules. The Ukrainian last competed internationally in the 2021/22 season and has only participated in Ukrainian championships over the past two seasons.
• The Semerenko twins famously won Olympic gold in the relay at the 2014 Sochi Games, with Vita also securing a bronze medal in the sprint. Valentina went on to claim the 2015 World Championship title in the mass start.
• Neither sister has officially announced retirement from competitive sports, although they are currently not part of Ukraine's main or reserve national teams.

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Nancy Pelosi said Biden's late decision to withdraw from the presidential race hurt Democrats. She said an early exit could have given other candidates a chance in open primaries.

The slowness of Joe Biden with the withdrawal from the presidential election in 2024 cost the Democrats dearly. This was stated by former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi in an interview with The New York Times, writes UNN.

If the president had stepped down earlier, there could have been other candidates in the race. It was expected that if the president stepped down, there would be an open primary

– Pelosi stated.

She said if Kamala Harris had succeeded in the open primary, she would have been stronger in the future.

But we don't know that. It didn't happen. We live with what did happen. And because the president immediately endorsed Kamala Harris, it really made it virtually impossible to have a primary at that time. If it had happened much earlier, things would have been different

– she said.

Pelosi's words come amid Democrats shifting blame to each other for Harris' defeat and Trump's second presidency.

The Times reported that Pelosi “went to great lengths to defend the Biden administration's legislative accomplishments, most of which were achieved during his first two years as House speaker.

Pelosi reportedly played a key role in convincing Biden to step aside. She told the New Yorker in August that she had “never been more impressed with his political activity.

Recall

Joe Biden congratulated Donald Trump on his presidential election victory and promised a peaceful transition of power. The incumbent president emphasized the importance of accepting the country's choice regardless of the outcome.

Media: Trump's "peace plan" may include European troops in buffer zoneNovember 9 2024, 09:24 AM • 11936 views