International

Eleven people were feared to have been killed in a fire in a holiday home for disabled people in eastern France, local authorities said on Wednesday."We're almost certain of the death of the missing people," senior local official Christophe Marot said on the site of the fire, France 3 TV reported on its website."We're cautious until we've located all the bodies," he added.France 3 reported that the missing included 10 adults with disabilities and one staff member. The holiday home located in the town of Wintzenheim about 70 km south of Strasbourg was rented by a charity that takes care of people with learning disabilities, France 3 said.Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin also said, without giving details, that there were likely several casualties after the fire ravaged 300 square meters of the 500-square meter building. Rescue operations were still ongoing, he said.Seventeen people were evacuated, one of whom was sent to hospital, the local prefecture said. It said that those missing were from a group of people from the city of Nancy, a two-hour drive away.The fire broke out at 0630 am (0430GMT) and fire brigades quickly put out the fire, the prefecture said.Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said she was headed to the site."My thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones," she posted on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

The German government has offered to potentially extend the current temporary deployment of Patriot missile batteries in neighboring Poland until the end of this year, the Defense Ministry in Berlin said on Tuesday."The Patriots are making a valuable contribution to protecting the civilian population and our alliance area on the eastern flank as part of the integrated NATO air defense system," the ministry said in a statement.Three German Patriot squadrons have been deployed in Zamosc in south-eastern Poland since January to protect the country's airspace.The city is not far from the border with Ukraine.The Patriot systems were originally supposed to be stationed there for six months at the most.At a meeting with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in early July, his Polish counterpart Mariusz Blaszczak expressed the hope that the stationing would be extended.The offer of an extension takes Warsaw's security needs into account, Pistorius said.According to the ministry, an extension beyond this year is not planned, however.

The UK has announced a deal with Turkey to enhance cooperation on tackling illegal migration, which includes a new operational "centre of excellence" to be established by the Turkish National Police.London announced the plan late Tuesday as part of its attempts to reduce illegal migration to the UK, a key political issue.The new UK-backed centre will "enrich existing expertise in both countries with respect to activities aimed at disrupting criminal networks organising illegal journeys", according to a statement from the interior ministry.The UK will also deploy more officers in Turkey to disrupt the criminal gangs who run the illegal migration routes.The two countries reiterated their commitment to work together to tackle the problem and to strengthen cooperation with countries of origin and transit.The UK government is under particular pressure to stop migrants making illegal crossings of the Channel."As I've made clear, we must do everything we can to smash the people smuggling gangs and stop the boats," said interior minister Suella Braverman as her department announced the deal."Our partnership with Turkey, a close friend and ally, will enable our law enforcement agencies to work together on this international problem and tackle the small boat supply chain," she added.The new plan will feature heavily at the upcoming UK-Turkey Migration Dialogue meeting, due to take place in London later this year.

With cruise bookings seeing a resurgence after the Covid pandemic caused luxury liners to mothball, a Finnish shipyard is putting the final touches on what will be the world's largest cruise ship.Royal Caribbean's luxurious new vessel Icon of the Seas is nearing completion in the Turku shipyard on Finland's southwestern coast, its maiden voyage scheduled for January 2024."This ship is as of today, as far as we are aware of, the biggest cruise ship in the world," said Tim Meyer, CEO of shipbuilder Meyer Turku tasked with the construction.While some have labelled the colossal structure a "monstrosity", citing its vast climate footprint, others are in awe of the sophisticated engineering integrated into this floating holiday destination and flocking to buy tickets.Resembling a village more than a ship, the mammoth vessel boasts colourful waterparks, more than 20 decks and can carry nearly 10,000 people.A distinct feature of the new ship, which went into construction in 2021 and entered sea trials in June, is a gigantic glass dome that covers part of its front section.The pandemic dealt a heavy blow to the industry, raising questions about whether it would ever recover.Cruise companies are now seeing customers return.The Cruise Lines International Association has predicted that passenger volume will surpass pre-pandemic levels with 31.5 million passengers in 2023."After the restrictions are gone and the situation has eased up, we are seeing that the market is coming back very strong," Meyer said.With a gross tonnage of 250,800 -- five times the size of the Titanic -- Icon of the Seas will snatch the title of the world's largest cruise ship from Royal Caribbean's current flagship, Wonder of the Seas.Meyer Turku also has two more similar sized Icon-class vessels in their order books."We have seen over the last decade that cruise ships have become bigger," said Alexis Papathanassis, professor of Cruise Management at Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences.Papathanassis noted that "there are obvious economic benefits" to mega-sized ships, reducing the cost of individual passengers.With its seven pools, a park, waterslides, shopping promenades, ice skating rink and "more venues than any other ship", larger vessels like the Icon of the Seas also offer more options for spending money on board.This "in turn enables cruise companies to be more profitable," he added.The extra income is welcomed by the cruise lines -- in order to survive Covid lockdowns the cruise lines "had to take a lot of credit" they now have to pay back."It's going to be a challenging time with financial austerity for cruise companies," Papathanassis said, adding that he expected ticket prices to rise.While "the tendency towards increasing the size of the ship is not going to stop", Papathanassis believes "it will certainly be slowed down".The reason behind this is not engineering but rather the financial equation."The bigger the ships are, the higher the investment cost and the required technology know-how. And technological know-how does not come cheap," Papathanassis explained.Similarly, larger vessels come with their own unique challenges, such as port overcrowding, he noted.As passenger numbers have grown, popular cruise destinations like the modest Arctic town of Longyearbyen in Norway's Svalbard archipelago, for example, have voiced concern over the lack of infrastructure to accommodate such large crowds.Moreover, as cruise companies aim to increase passenger capacity, they also reduce the ratio of crew to passengers, which can pose challenges in case of unexpected events."Regarding accidents or crises onboard, with larger ships it's a much greater challenge to take care of the evacuation," Papathanassis explained.From a climate perspective, some argue that one large ship is more energy efficient than several small ones.But others disagree."If we followed that logic, we would be building bigger cruise ships, but less of them," argued Constance Dijkstra, Shipping Campaigner at the NGO Transport & Environment (T&E)."But that's not what's happening. We are witnessing more and more vessels that are bigger than ever."And while modern ships are taking steps to mitigate emissions with technology -- the Icon of the Seas will run on liquified natural gas (LNG) -- environmentalists are not convinced.Often hailed as a bridge towards more climate-neutral options, LNG has lower emissions than traditional marine fuels, but T&E has voiced concern over potential methane leaks."LNG does have dramatic consequences for the climate because it leaks methane," Dijkstra said.A typical component of LNG, methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that can have a much worse impact on the climate than carbon dioxide."The problem is when you use LNG as a marine fuel, you are encouraging the development of the gas industry."

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili branded Russia an "aggressor" Tuesday as he marked 15 years since the two countries fought a war over a breakaway region.Russia sent thousands of troops into Georgia on August 8, 2008 after Tbilisi launched a large-scale military operation against South Ossetian separatists who had been shelling Georgian villages in the region."We have known for a long time that Russia was an aggressor, we know that and the whole world knows that," Garibashvili told reporters. Garibashvili's government has been criticised by the opposition for having pro-Russian leanings.Russia routed Georgia's small army in 2008, occupying large swathes of territory over five days before a ceasefire was mediated by the then French president Nicolas Sarkozy.Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who authorised the military action in 2008, defended Moscow's actions in a statement marking the anniversary."Our armed forces quickly and harshly punished the arrogant nationalists in five days," he said on social media.He also criticised the West for supporting the then Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili, drawing parallels with the West's backing for Kyiv during Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine."As in August 2008, our enemies will be crushed, and Russia will achieve peace on its own terms," he said.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that Kyiv stood in solidarity with Tbilisi, and that Russia would "pay the most" for its aggression."Ukrainians stand in solidarity with the people of Georgia, and I thank all Georgian citizens who are defending freedom with us," he said.Hundreds of soldiers and civilians from both sides were killed during the 2008 war. The United Nations said around 120,000 people were displaced, though many returned to their homes

European stock markets slid Tuesday, with shares in Italian banks hit hard by the announcement of a windfall tax on lenders.Banks elsewhere also took a knock on concerns over the health of the US sector, analysts said.The dollar continued to benefit from talk of yet another US interest rate hike, while oil prices retreated following more weak Chinese data.In Milan, share prices of Italian banks Intesa Sanpaolo to Unicredit and Monte dei Paschi di Siena lost between six and eight percent on news of the windfall tax, adopted by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's ministers late Monday.Fallout spread to French and German banks, with Credit Agricole down 2.8 percent around midday in Paris and Commerzbank losing 3.0 percent in Frankfurt.The Italian government was "using part of the banks' billion-dollar profits to help families and businesses affected by rising interest rates", Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said on X, formerly known as Twitter.Banks were also "under pressure across Europe after Moody's cut its credit ratings on 10 small to mid-sized US banks", noted Victoria Scholar, head of investment at Interactive Investor.And it "warned it may do the same for some of the larger lenders such as BNY Mellon and State Street which have been placed on review for a possible downgrade", she added.Asia's major stock markets were mixed amid concerns that the Federal Reserve would hike rates again, while another weak batch of trade data compounded worries about the struggling Chinese economy.The positive sentiment that fuelled a rally for stock markets through much of July has given way to nervousness that while US inflation is coming down, officials will keep tightening monetary policy to make sure they have prices under control.Analysts also warned that while the US economy remained in rude health after more than a year of rate hikes, fears of recession remained.Wall Street's three main indices enjoyed a strong start to the week Monday, with focus turning to the release of US consumer price inflation later in the week.- Key figures around 1000 GMT -London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.5 percent at 7,513.59 pointsFrankfurt - DAX: DOWN 0.9 percent at 15,806.12Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.8 percent at 7,260.89EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 1.2 percent at 4,286.12Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.4 percent at 32,377.29 (close)Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.8 percent at 19,184.17 (close)Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.3 percent at 3,260.62 (close)New York - Dow: UP 1.2 percent at 35,473.13 (close)Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0970 from $1.1006 on MondayPound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2734 from $1.2783Euro/pound: UP at 86.16 from 86.07 penceDollar/yen: UP at 143.08 yen from 142.47 yenWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 1.3 percent at $80.85 per barrelBrent North Sea crude: DOWN 1.7 percent at $83.87 per barrel

Callum PATON Mourners and fans gathered Tuesday in the Irish town once home to singer Sinead O'Connor to pay their last respects ahead of her burial.The musician's funeral cortege will pass along the seafront in the town of Bray, 20 kilometres (13 miles) south of Dublin, where she lived for 15 years.The Grammy award-winning singer, best known for her cover of "Nothing Compares 2 U", died last month after being found unresponsive at her London home. She was 56.The musician, who rose to international fame in the 1990s, will be mourned at a funeral attended by family and friends before a private burial.Her family offered the public the chance to pay their final respects by organising the cortege through Bray, saying she loved the town and its residents."With this procession her family would like to acknowledge the outpouring of love for her from the people of (County) Wicklow and beyond since she left last week to go to another place," O'Connor's family added in a weekend statement.Dozens of people, some bearing flowers, were already in place hours before the funeral -- due to begin at 10:30 am (0930 GMT) -- and subsequent procession.Some left tributes outside O'Connor's former home, named "Montebello", which the cortege is set to pass by.One message left on the gatepost read: "Sinead, thank you for hearing us and responding... sorry for breaking your heart."Others pinned the Irish flag and pictures.On a coastal hilltop overlooking Bray, a World War II navigational sign for pilots spelling Ireland in Irish -- "Eire" -- was decorated with a heart and "Sinead" in tribute to the singer.- Tributes –O'Connor's death prompted a surge of public sympathy around the world and in Ireland, where her willingness to criticise the Catholic Church, in particular, saw her vilified by some and praised as a trailblazer by others.During her career she revealed she had been abused by her mother as a child and in 1992 protested the abuse of children by the church, tearing up a picture of Pope John Paul II while performing on US television programme "Saturday Night Live".Tributes streamed in from political leaders, pop stars and others following the news of her death, lauding her powerful voice and willingness to court controversy.Ireland's President Michael Higgins, Bob Geldof, Alison Moyet, Annie Lennox and Russell Crowe were among those to have offered their condolences.Her agents have said at the time of her death, O'Connor was completing a new album and planning a tour as well as a movie based on her autobiography "Rememberings".Gatherings in Dublin, Belfast and elsewhere in Ireland have been held in remembrance of the singer, often featuring spontaneous renditions of "Nothing Compares 2 U", which she released in 1990.The Irish Times reported last week that an autopsy had been carried out to determine the cause of the singer's death, which London police have said they were not treating as suspicious.

Germany's industrial production declined more than expected in June on weak auto production, data from the German Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden revealed on Monday.Industrial production posted a monthly fall of 1.5% in June, following a revised 0.1% drop in May. Output was forecast to decrease moderately by 0.5%. On a yearly basis, industrial production slid 1.7% in June after staying flat in May, according to the German news agency (dpa).Data showed that production in the automotive industry declined 3.5%, while the pharmaceutical industry registered a 7.9% rise.Excluding energy and construction, industrial production was down 1.3%.

Russia claimed on Monday to have shot down a Ukrainian drone southwest of Moscow, amid a surge in drone attacks targeting the capital.The incident in the Kaluga region, less than 200 kilometres (125 miles) from Moscow "affected neither people nor infrastructure", regional governor Vladislav Shapsha wrote on Telegram.He said the drone was shot down by the anti-aircraft defence system in the Ferzikovsky district overnight.Russia on Thursday said it had downed seven drones over the region, which did not result in any reported casualties.In recent weeks, Ukrainian drone attacks have increased on Russian territory, often targeting Moscow and the annexed Crimean peninsula.Moscow's Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Sunday that a drone targeting the Russian capital had been shot down by the city's air defences.According to the authorities, Moscow has suffered several drone attacks in the past week, including one that damaged an office building in the main business district, which was targeted twice in the space of a few days.

Inhabitants of Belgium's cobblestone-and-canal city of Bruges are clear: summertime tourism has hit capacity."It's really reached a red line now," says one, 55-year-old architect Arnout Goegebuer, as he sits inside a cafe, peering out a window across a packed outside terrace."We don't need more tourists anymore, it's enough -- maybe a little bit less" is needed, he says.It's a sentiment reiterated by other residents of the western city, population 119,000, which each year hosts eight million visitors -- most of them concentrated in the summer months, and most of them on day trips.Residents are not against tourism, which brings money and prestige and provides jobs. But they say it needs to be balanced, to stop the city turning into a Disneyfied open-air museum.With Bruges crowds back to pre-Covid levels, including from cruise ships docking in nearby Zeebrugge port and disgorging passengers who spend just a few hours, "there's a lot of trouble" for locals, says Kurt Van Der Pieter, a 62-year-old retiree who lived his whole life in the city."People of Bruges say it's too much, it's too much -- very too much some days," he says.The situation is not unique to Bruges. Europe's other top historical canal cities of Venice and Amsterdam have both taken steps to bar cruise ships calling. Venice received a wake-up call in July when UNESCO recommended the city be put on its endangered list because of over-tourism and other problems.An August 2022 ranking published by an Airbnb competitor called Holidu put Venice, Bruges and the Greek island of Rhodes in equal second place in its list of the most overcrowded European destinations based on the number of tourists versus inhabitants.The Croatian walled city of Dubrovnik -- famed as the backdrop for much of The Game of Thrones fantasy TV series -- came first on the list.Bruges's tourist authority, Visit Bruges, disputes Holidu's ranking and says its own figures, based on usage of mobile devices while in Bruges, show that daily there are 131 visitors per 100 inhabitants. "Bruges is often referred to as a mass tourism destination, but it isn't," a spokeswoman, Ann Plovie, tells AFP.- Tourism strategy -"This is like a bit (of a) misconception that the city is overcrowded. Indeed, I can't deny that there are many tourists, but you should come on different periods and then you would see also the difference," adds another spokeswoman, Anne De Meerleer.In 2019, Bruges implemented a five-year strategy to boost overnight stays, spread the tourist numbers around geographically and over each year, and to lure visitors more interested in cultural and gastronomic deep-dives than selfies and waffles. "Our aim is to get not more visitors, not the volume is important, but the kind of visitors we get," De Meerleer says as she guides a visitor to stunning spots that are almost empty and are just a couple of streets from the main market square. The results of the strategy are unclear, torpedoed by the 2020-2021 collapse in tourism caused by Covid travel restrictions around the world. Bruges's city centre also faces tensions over accommodation options for overnight stays, with a halt to buildings being converted to hotels to ensure locals aren't squeezed out. Unlike cities like Milan, Bruges has not banned private vehicles from its historic district, though the railway station is a short walk away. Car registration plates come from all over Europe.The Belgian city is already at work on its next five-year strategy, this one with an emphasis on sustainability.- Visitors' views mixed -The mix of tourists walking around in Bruges is even broader, as is their verdict as to whether they found the place overcrowded or not."I didn't think there would be this much people," says Lee Hotae, a South Korean tourist admiring the city architecture in a guided group visit."It's not that busy actually. It's like going to somewhere that's as nice as Amsterdam or Florence or Venice, but not as overrun," says a Scottish tourist, Ross Henderson, 43.A 59-year-old French tourist, Ariele Delattre, who had made the short trip to Bruges from her hometown of Lille, near the Belgian border, says a canal boat ride revealed the tourist diversity.The boat's driver "asked what nationalities were present on the boat, and it's true that we had Asians, Germans, Britons, French, Indians -- people from everywhere," she says.Diego Rodriguez, a 41-year-old Venezuelan tourist walking around in a Spanish-speaking guided tour, said he found the tourist numbers "fine like this, especially as we're in the summer months, the vacation months".He added that he had visited Bruges a couple of months earlier "and it was emptier, but it was spring and it was colder, people weren't on holiday".

When Maria's nephew had a car accident last month, the family had to wait around 40 minutes for the only operating ambulance on the Greek island of Kos to pick him up.The middle-aged woman wondered how many more incidents will take place before health shortages -- a chronic problem on Greek islands that becomes even more acute with the influx of tourists in the summer -- will begin to be addressed."The doctors inside are amazing, but how long will they last?" she said, speaking on condition of anonymity.In June, a 63-year-old woman had to be loaded on a pick-up truck as the Kos ambulance was occupied elsewhere.She died on the way to hospital.Another seven people have since died around the country due to a lack of ambulance availability, according to the victims' families.Over a dozen islands face similar shortages, including global destinations such as Mykonos and Santorini.Last month on the island of Evia, a local mayor had to personally rush to hospital a 75-year-old who had suffered a stroke.- 'Tragic' shortages -Garifalia Karanassiou, head of the Kos hospital staff association, said the island faces "tragic" healthcare shortages."Medical staff are fighting every day with whatever strength they have, they are exhausted, they work extra nights and don't get rest days off," she told AFP.Medical workers say it takes 11 people to properly staff an ambulance on a 24-hour basis. Kos currently has seven permanent and three temporary emergency medics. Two of them are going to retire next year, according to hospital employees.The island has two more ambulances that are sidelined for lack of a crew, while a third is rusting in a parking lot near the hospital.To address the shortage, the government last month issued a temporary order permitting the use of firefighters, military personnel and municipal staff as ambulance drivers.Doctors from the Greek state emergency centre EKAV, which operates the largest fleet of ambulances in the country, said the move is ill-advised.They noted that as trained ambulance drivers are also required to deliver first responder aid on demand, using unqualified staff poses a major health risk."Makeshift solutions can only go so far, they cannot cure the problem," said Kos Mayor Theodosis Nikitaras."How can the fire brigade intervene in the summer when the driver might have a fire to deal with? We want permanent solutions," he said.- Promise of reform -Health authorities said that at least three ambulances are needed to cover the island of 40,000 permanent residents, a population which quadruples during the summer.Airlifts are another option, but they cost between 6,000 and 20,000 euros ($6,500 to 22,000), said Karanassiou."These funds could be spent on having permanent staff on the island," she said.Prior to his re-election in June, conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis made reforming the chronically underfunded Greek national health service a top government priority.He has promised to hire 10,000 health workers, including 800 ambulance drivers, and to deploy 250 motorcycle paramedics in urban centres.But according to the confederation of public hospital employees (POEDYN), these hirings are barely enough to replace staff lost to retirement.Because of the distance from the mainland, rough winters and housing shortages, medical staff are often unwilling to relocate to Greek islands.And in attractive tourist destinations, homeowners prefer to rent their properties to visitors rather than to medical staff.In 2021, the two general practitioners of Kos hospital resigned in 2021 without being replaced."To date, there have been seven tenders for the post, but there was no interest," said the hospital's deputy governor Ilias Chrysopoulos.The hospital also lacks a cardiologist, paediatrician and radiologist, and tries to manage the shortage by temporarily moving doctors from other hospitals."Financial measures are needed to change the daily life of doctors and make it competitive with their colleagues working in the private sector," said Katerina Gavala, doctor and president of the Kos Medical Association.Incentives are also needed on the scientific front, with regular training offered so that doctors do not lag behind in their professional development, she added.

The world's oceans set a new temperature record this week, raising concerns about knock-on effects on the planet's climate, marine life and coastal communities.The temperature of the oceans' surface rose to 20.96 degrees Celsius on Friday, according to European Union climate observatory data.The previous record was 20.95C in March 2016, a spokeswoman for the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service told AFP.The samples tested excluded polar regions.Oceans have absorbed 90 percent of the excess heat produced by human activity since the dawn of the industrial age, according to scientists.This excess heat continues to accumulate as greenhouse gases -- mainly from burning oil, gas and coal -- continue to accumulate in the Earth's atmosphere.Globally, the average ocean temperature has been besting seasonal heat records on a regular basis since April."The ocean heatwave is an immediate threat to some marine life," said Piers Forster of the International Centre for Climate at the University of Leeds."We are already seeing coral bleaching in Florida as a direct result and I expect more impacts will surface."The overheating of the oceans is predicted to have other effects on marine plant and animal life too, including on the migration of certain species and the spread of invasive species.This could threaten fish stocks and thus undermine food security in certain parts of the globe.Warmer oceans are also less capable of absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2), reinforcing the vicious cycle of global warming.And higher temperatures are likely to come, since the El Nino phenomenon, which tends to warm waters up, has only just begun.Scientists expect the worst effects of the current El Nino to be felt at the end of 2023 and continue into subsequent years."While there are certainly short-term factors, the main long-term cause is without a doubt the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere caused by human activity, primarily by the burning of fossil fuels," said Rowan Sutton, director of climate research at the University of Reading.The latest figures follow a string of record highs around the world.On Monday, temperatures of 38.3C -- as hot as a jacuzzi -- were recorded off the Florida coast, which could be a world record high for a point measurement if the figure is confirmed.Last week, the surface waters of the North Atlantic rose to a record-high average temperature of 24.9C, according to provisional data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).The North Atlantic usually only reaches its peak temperature in SeptemberSince March, the month when the North Atlantic begins to warm up after winter, temperatures have been higher than in previous years and the gap with past records has continued to widen in recent weeks.The region has become a key point for observing the heating of the world's oceans.Earlier in July, the Mediterranean Sea broke its daily heat record, with a median temperature of 28.71C, according to Spain's leading maritime research centre.Marine heatwaves have become twice as frequent since 1982, according to a 2019 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).By 2100, they could be 10 times more intense than they were at the beginning of the 20th century if pollutant emissions are not reduced.The use of coal, oil and gas is expected to be at the centre of debates in the upcoming United Nations climate talks, dubbed COP28, scheduled to take place at the end of the year in Dubai.

Russia on Friday handed jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny 19 years behind bars on extremism charges, cementing a crackdown on voices critical of the ruling elite.The heavy sentence against Navalny, who had mobilised massive protests, is the latest in a string of lawsuits against high-profile activists and ordinary Russians who have protested Russia's intervention in Ukraine.Germany immediately called the ruling "pure injustice", the EU's chief slammed the verdict as "unacceptable", and the UN rights chief called on Russia to release Navalny "immediately"."Alexei Navalny was sentenced to 19 years at a maximum security penal colony," spokesperson Kira Yarmysh said in a statement on social media.AFP journalists watching the court session in a press centre at Navalny's prison said the 47-year-old smiled as the judge read the verdict and hugged another defendant before the grainy transmission cut.A masked law enforcement officer in grey camouflage gear and flak jacket stood in front of the audience room.The trial has been held behind closed doors at the IK-6 penal colony, a maximum-security prison some 250 kilometres (155 miles) east of Moscow, where Navalny is jailed."Thank you to everyone who came" his team said on Telegram, posting footage of two dozen people, seemingly outside the court.Navalny is already serving a nine-year sentence in a maximum-security prison for "embezzlement", a charge that his supporters say was trumped up in retaliation for challenging President Vladimir Putin.This is the first formally political case against the opposition leader, his team has said.Navalny had said he expected the court to hand him a lengthy, "Stalinist" prison sentence and called on his supporters to resist Putin's rule in a statement Thursday."Please consider and realise that by jailing hundreds, Putin is trying to intimidate millions," he said.Navalny has built a huge following on social media, where he has posted videos exposing alleged corruption among Russia's elite and mobilised massive anti-government protests.Prosecutors said that Navalny created an organisation that undermined public security by carrying out "extremist activities".His Anti-Corruption Foundation, that investigates graft among Russian officials, was banned for extremism in 2021.Most of his close allies have fled the country.Since launching full-scale hostilities against Ukraine last year, Russia has further cracked down on dissenting voices, pushing most of the country's beleaguered opposition movement abroad.Navalny's last days before the verdict were spent in a punishment cell where he has been regularly sent over minor infringements of prison rules, according to his team.In all, he has spent almost 200 days in the cell, according to his team, which has repeatedly accused prison authorities of harassing him.He was arrested in 2021 after arriving in Moscow from Germany, where he had been recovering from a poisoning attack he blames on the Kremlin, sparking international condemnations.Navalny said prison officials forced him to share a cell with a sickly inmate and subjected him and other prisoners to "torture by Putin", making them listen to the Russian president's speeches.He has also complained of health problems and major weight loss since being jailed in a strict regime penal colony.The judge said he would serve his additional sentence in an even more restrictive special prison.In April, Navalny said he could be separately judged over terrorism charges and face life in prison.His campaign offices around the country were declared extremist organisations in 2021 by authorities, putting employees, volunteers and supporters at greater risk of prosecution.Over the summer two heads of regional offices, Lilia Chanysheva and Vadim Ostanin, were sentenced to seven-and-a-half and nine years respectively on extremism charges.Thousands of Russians have been detained for protesting against Moscow's offensive in Ukraine, and some of the highest-profile activists including Vladimir Kara-Murza and Ilya Yashin are now behind bars.

At least 11 people were killed and dozens more were missing after a landslide at a resort town in northwestern Georgia, officials said on Friday.The landslide took place on Thursday in Shovi, a small resort town in Georgia's mountainous northwest famed for its vast forests and mineral water springs.Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said that rescuers were on the scene and that he had called in the army to help with search efforts."It is a very difficult situation," he said. "Let's wait for the results."The health minister said 25 people were still missing.Images showed rescue workers picking through debris partially buried by earth, while teams worked with their hands and with excavators to shift the soil.More than two hundred people were evacuated from the area, officials said, as helicopters and rescue dogs were dispatched to help with the search efforts.Shovi, located in a remote valley about 140 kilometres northwest of the capital Tbilisi, lies on the confluence of two rivers.The Red Cross said bridges and roads in the area had been destroyed.One survivor said she spent two hours half-buried in the landslide."We suddenly heard a dreadful rumble, and trees began to fall around us," Mariam Berianidze, a 25-year-old student told AFP.She said in an earlier post on social media that she saw three people swept away before her eyes."We miraculously survived," she told AFP."I still can't believe how we made it through"Merab Gaprindashvili, a geologist from Georgia's National Environmental Agency, said Thursday's landslide was caused by a combination of factors and was unlikely to happen again."In particular, there are two glaciers in the headwaters of the river, which are intensively melting. This was accompanied by heavy rainfall," he said in a televised interview.Heavy rains and flooding are fairly common in Georgia, where steep slopes pose a risk of landslides.In 2008, six people were killed by a landslide in the southern Black Sea region of Adjara.

Pope Francis on Thursday urged young people to focus on caring for the planet and fighting climate change, calling for an "integral ecology" that melds environmental protection with the fight against poverty and other social problems.The 86-year-old Francis has made the protection of the environment a cornerstone of his pontificate, noting in his landmark 2015 "Laudato Si" (Praised Be) encyclical that the planet was "beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth"."We must recognise the dramatic and urgent need to care for our common home. Yet this cannot be done without a real change of heart," he said during an open-air address to students at Lisbon's Catholic University on the second day of his visit to Portugal."We cannot be satisfied with mere palliative measures or timid and ambiguous compromises," he added, speaking in his native Spanish.The audience of around 6,500 people, which included Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and bishops, cheered and applauded as the pontiff took the stage while a choir sang "Jesus Christ you are my life".The leader of the world's 1.3 billion Roman Catholics said: "Keep in mind that we need an integral ecology, attentive to the sufferings both of the planet and the poor. We need to align the tragedy of desertification with that of refugees, the issue of increased migration with that of a declining birth rate"."Instead of polarised approaches, we need a unified vision, a vision capable of embracing the whole."The first Latin American pope arrived in Lisbon on Wednesday for World Youth Day festivities, a week-long international Catholic jamboree that is expected to draw one million people.Francis, who met with clergy and victim of clerical sexual abuse on Wednesday, will deliver a Mass on Sunday in Lisbon on the last day of his five-day visit to Portugal.World Youth Day, created in 1986 by John Paul II, is the largest Catholic gathering in the world and will feature a wide range of events, including concerts and prayer sessions.This edition, initially scheduled for August 2022 but postponed because of the pandemic, will be the fourth for Francis after Rio de Janeiro in 2013, Krakow in 2016 and Panama in 2019.

A beaming Pope Francis arrived in Lisbon on Wednesday for a gathering of some one million youths from around the world as the Catholic Church reflects on its future, greeted by Portuguese leaders and children bearing flowers.The 86-year-old pontiff underwent major abdominal surgery just two months ago, but that did not stop his 42nd trip abroad, an event-packed visit with 11 speeches and around 20 meetings scheduled.The Argentine Jesuit, whose direct and spontaneous style has proved highly popular with young people, is expected to address youth-focused themes, from ecology and social justice to the war in Ukraine."I will come back rejuvenated" to Rome, Francis told reporters in Italian aboard the plane.The five-day event, called World Youth Day, comes as Francis attempts to galvanise young Catholics at a time when secularism and priest paedophilia scandals cause some to abandon pews in Europe.The pope, who now uses a wheelchair or walking stick to get around, arrived at Lisbon's military airport at 9:45 am (0845 GMT).Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, a conservative practicing Catholic, met him at the plane, along with two children who gave the pontiff a bouquet of white flowers.In return the pope gave each child a rosary.He will then sit down with the president at Belem Palace before delivering his first speech at a nearby culture centre before diplomats and local authorities.Several hundred pilgrims gathered outside the palace to welcome the pontiff, many beating drums or waving their national flags."We are the pope's youths!" they shouted."He knows how to get our ear and makes us very happy," Samuel Namaver Delcif, a 17-year-old student from the United States, told AFP, adding that the first Latin American pope was able to "connect with different people"."He likes contact, to joke... he makes a lot of soccer references, basketball references."Organisers expect a million people from over 200 countries for the week of festive, cultural and spiritual events, which opened Tuesday with a huge mass on top of a hill overlooking the city and the Tagus river.Pilgrims carrying flags thronged the streets of the capital, where roads were hung with banners and posters featuring the event's yellow, green and red logo.- Barometer -With under two months to go before a global gathering in Rome on the future of the Church, the festival also serves as a barometer of young Catholics' opinions on hot-button issues.Francis has tentatively outlined potential reforms to the Church during his papacy, including on the place of LGBTQ people and women, and whether priests can marry.The pope, elected by his peers in 2013, will spend Wednesday meeting authorities and clergy in the country, where 80 percent of the 10 million inhabitants identify as Catholic.He may talk about the clerical child sex abuse scandal in Portugal, which was the subject of a shock report published in February by a commission of independent experts.It found "at least" 4,815 children were sexually abused by clergy members in the country -- mostly priests -- since 1950, and the crimes were "systemically" hushed up by Portugal's church hierarchy.According to the Portuguese Bishops' Conference and a local organising committee, Francis will meet abuse victims privately, though it has not yet been included in the official programme.A closing mass will be held by the pope on Sunday at a waterside park on the outskirts of Lisbon.Around 16,000 members of law enforcement, civil protection and medical staff are being deployed for the pope's visit, officials said.World Youth Day, created in 1986 by John Paul II, is the largest Catholic gathering in the world and will feature a wide range of events, including concerts and prayer sessions.This edition, initially scheduled for August 2022 but postponed because of the pandemic, will be the fourth for Francis after Rio de Janeiro in 2013, Krakow in 2016 and Panama in 2019.

Clement Melki with the Lisbon bureau Pope Francis headed Wednesday to Lisbon to gather with a million youngsters from across the world at a major Catholic festival, held as the Church reflects on its future.The 86-year-old underwent major abdominal surgery just two months ago, but that has not stopped an event-packed 42nd trip abroad, with 11 speeches and around 20 meetings scheduled.The Argentine Jesuit, whose direct and spontaneous style has proved highly popular with young people, is expected to address youth-focused themes, from ecology and social justice to the war in Ukraine.The five-day event, called World Youth Day, comes as Francis attempts to galvanise young Catholics at a time when secularism and priest paedophilia scandals cause some to abandon pews in Europe.The pope, who is in increasingly fragile health and now uses a wheelchair or walking stick to get around, is expected to arrive at Lisbon's military airport around 10:00 am (0900 GMT).He will then sit down with conservative Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa at Belem Palace. Organisers expect a million pilgrims from over 200 countries for the week of festive, cultural and spiritual events, which opened Tuesday with a mass on top of a hill overlooking the city and the Tagus river.Pilgrims carrying flags throng the streets of the capital, where roads are hung with banners and posters featuring the event's yellow, green and red logo.- Barometer -With under two months to go before a global gathering in Rome on the future of the Church, the festival also serves as a barometer of young Catholics' opinions on hot-button issues.Francis has tentatively outlined potential reforms to the Church during his papacy, including on the place of LGBTQ people and women, and whether priests can marry.The pope, elected in 2013, will spend Wednesday meeting authorities and clergy in the country, where 80 percent of the 10 million inhabitants identify as Catholic.He may talk about the clerical child sex abuse scandal, which was the subject of a shock report published in February by a commission of independent experts.It found "at least" 4,815 children were sexually abused by clergy members in the country -- mostly priests -- since 1950, and the crimes were "systemically" hushed up by Portugal's church hierarchy.According to the Portuguese Bishops' Conference and a local organising committee, Francis will meet abuse victims privately, though it has not yet been included in the official programme.World Youth Day, created in 1986 by John Paul II, is the largest Catholic gathering in the world and will feature a wide range of events, including concerts and prayer sessions.This edition, initially scheduled for August 2022 but postponed because of the pandemic, will be the fourth for Francis after Rio de Janeiro in 2013, Krakow in 2016 and Panama in 2019.

Ben PERRY British energy giant BP on Tuesday announced a drop in second-quarter net profit as oil and gas prices retreated from peaks reached a year earlier following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.Profit after tax plunged to $1.8 billion in the three months to the end of June compared with $9.3 billion in the second quarter last year, BP said in a statement, mirroring hefty falls across the sector."Our financial performance is impacted by fluctuating prices of oil, gas and refined products," it added.Energy prices soared a year ago following the Ukraine invasion by key producer Russia, sending global inflation to the highest levels in decades while providing record profits for oil and gas companies. Russia cut gas shipments to Europe while oil markets were also rocked by supply concerns.Gas and oil prices have since pulled back but remain at elevated levels.- Shareholder rewards -Despite the slump in profits, BP said it was hiking its dividend and returning $1.5 billion to shareholders by repurchasing stock."This reflects confidence in our performance and the outlook for cash flow," chief executive Bernard Looney said in the earnings statement.BP's share price advanced 1.9 percent in early London trading following the earnings update."BP's move to boost shareholder returns is in line with moves by some of the other leading oil producers as they focus on ensuring investors benefit from the strength of cash flow the industry is currently enjoying," said Steve Clayton, head of equity funds at Hargreaves Lansdown.Natural gas prices have pulled back sharply as European countries found new suppliers, built up reserves and experienced a mild winter.Oil prices have also tumbled, partly on fears of falling demand as the global economy slows, with major consumer China's post-Covid recovery stumbling.Profits remain hefty, however, as oil and gas firms stay focused on pumping out fossil fuels while pivoting toward cleaner energy.The UK government said Monday that it would issue "hundreds" of new oil and gas licences in the North Sea to secure energy reserves while still aiming for net zero carbon emissions by 2050.The announcement has angered environmental groups."Handing out new oil and gas licences will do nothing to improve our energy security," Charlie Kronick, senior climate advisor at Greenpeace UK, said Tuesday.He added in a statement that it would instead allow "companies like BP and Shell to rake in even more money for their shareholders".

Boureima HAMA France prepared to evacuate its citizens from Niger on Tuesday, as tensions escalated after the coup last week that toppled one of the last pro-Western leaders in Africa's jihadist-plagued Sahel region.Niger President Mohamed Bazoum was detained by his own presidential guard in a third coup in as many years in the Sahel, following putsches in neighbouring fellow former French colonies Mali and Burkina Faso.West African leaders, supported by their Western partners, threatened to use force to reinstate the democratically elected Bazoum and slapped financial sanctions on the putschists.Amid the anti-French protest unleashed by the coup, Paris on Tuesday said it was moving to withdraw its nationals from the capita."In the face of a deteriorating security situation in Niamey... an operation of evacuation by air... is being prepared," said a message sent out by the embassy to French citizens, adding that the evacuations "will take place very soon in a very limited span of time".Junta-led Mali and Burkina Faso on Monday warned that any military intervention in Niger to restore Bazoum would be considered a "declaration of war against their two countries.They said the "disastrous consequences of a military intervention in Niger... could destabilise the entire region".- Arrests -Bazoum's PNDS party on Monday warned Niger risked becoming a "dictatorial and totalitarian regime" after a series of arrests.Since the coup, the junta has arrested the country's oil, mining, interior and transport ministers; the head of the PNDS's executive committee; and a former defence minister, according to the PNDS.The European Union condemned the arrest of ministers from the ousted government and demanded they be freed immediately.At an emergency summit on Sunday, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) demanded that Bazoum be reinstated within a week, failing which it would take "all measures" to restore constitutional order."Such measures may include the use of force for this effect," it said in a statement.The bloc also slapped financial sanctions on the junta leaders and the country, freezing "all commercial and financial transactions" between member states and Niger, one of the world's poorest nations, which often ranks last on the UN's Human Development Index. Pressure to push the perpetrators of the July 26 coup to quickly restore constitutional order is building from Western and African partners, who consider Niger as essential in the fight against jihadist groups that have ravaged parts of the Sahel region for years.Former colonial power France and the United States have between them deployed 2,600 soldiers in Niger to help battle the jihadists.- 'Extremely dangerous' -Niger's junta on Monday accused France of seeking to "intervene militarily" to reinstate Bazoum, which French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna denied.French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday vowed "immediate and uncompromising" action if French citizens or interests were attacked, after thousands rallied outside the French embassy in Niamey. Some tried to enter the compound but were dispersed by tear gas.Colonna said the demonstration had been "organised, not spontaneous, violent, extremely dangerous, with Molotov cocktails, Russian flags appeared, anti-French slogans (that were) an exact copy of what you can hear elsewhere".Russia has called for the swift return of "the rule of law" and "restraint from all parties" in Niger.Bazoum -- a Western ally whose election just over two years ago marked Niger's first peaceful transition of power since independence from France in 1960 -- was toppled on July 26 by the elite Presidential Guard.Guards chief General Abdourahamane Tiani declared himself leader -- but his claim has been rejected internationally.- Coups and jihadists -Landlocked Niger became the third Sahel country in less than three years, following neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso, to be shaken by a military coup.In all three nations, a jihadist insurgency strained fragile governments, stoked anger in the military and rained economic blows on some of the world's poorest countries.The overthrow of elected presidents has been accompanied by anti-French, pro-Russian demonstrations. Protesters supporting the junta say France, the country's traditional ally, has failed to shield them from the jihadists, whereas Russia would be a stronger ally.In Mali, a 2020 putsch led to a bust-up with France, which last year withdrew its troops as the junta brought in Russian paramilitaries.France also quit Burkina Faso after two coups last year brought in a junta that adopted a nationalist line.The withdrawals prompted France to reconfigure its decade-long anti-jihadist strategy in the Sahel, concentrating on Niger, where it fields 1,500 troops with a major air base near Niamey.The latest coup, according to the putschists, was a response to "the degradation of the security situation" linked to the jihadist conflict, as well as corruption and economic woes.

Swedish police have granted a permit for a protest outside parliament on Monday in which the organisers plan to burn the Koran, according to local media.The protesters told media they wanted to see the Muslim holy book banned in Sweden."I will burn it many times, until you ban it," organiser Salwan Najem told Expressen newspaper.Najem had joined Iraqi refugee Salwan Momika at two previous such protests in Stockholm -- outside the city's main mosque and later outside Iraq's embassy.The protest was scheduled for 1:00 pm (1100 GMT) on Monday, according to the police permit.Sweden has seen its diplomatic relations with several Middle Eastern nations strained over previous protests involving Koran desecrations.AFP requested a copy of the application in addition to the permit from police, but did not immediately get a response.Swedish police have previously stressed they only grant permits for people to hold public gatherings and not for the activities conducted during the events.In late June, Momika, 37, set pages of the Koran alight outside Stockholm's main mosque.A month later, he staged a similar protest outside the Iraqi embassy, stomping on the Koran but leaving before burning it.Both incidents led to widespread outrage and condemnations.- Stopping burnings -Last week, Sweden ordered 15 government bodies including the armed forces, several law enforcement agencies and the tax office to strengthen anti-terrorism efforts.On Sunday, neighbouring Denmark said it would explore legal means of stopping protests involving the burning of holy texts, citing security concerns following backlash over incidents that saw the Koran desecrated in the country.Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said a similar process was already underway.Swedish and Danish envoys have been summoned in a slew of Middle Eastern nations.Saudi Arabia and Iraq have called for a meeting, expected to be held on Monday, of the Jeddah-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to address Koran desecrations in both Sweden and Denmark.Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said Monday he had been in contact with several of his counterparts among the 57 member states of the organisation ahead of the meeting.In a statement, Billstrom explained that he had informed them about the process for granting permits for public gatherings in Sweden, and that police made such decisions independently."I have also reiterated that the government is very clear in its rejection of the Islamophobic acts carried out by individuals at demonstrations in Sweden," Billstrom said.