Five Stories from Europe You May Have Missed

[rpannier]

1. Kosovo's President To Address War Crimes Charges In Speech To Nation

Kosovar President Hashim Thaci plans to address the nation on June 29 about the war-crimes charges filed against him, including crimes against humanity, stemming from Kosovo’s war of independence in 1998-99.

A special prosecutor's office in The Hague on June 24 announced the indictment alleging Thaci and another senior Kosovar politician, Kadri Veseli, are among those "criminally responsible for nearly 100 murders" and other wrongdoing involving "hundreds of known victims of Kosovo Albanian, Serb, Roma, and other ethnicities and including political opponents."

Thaci commanded guerrilla forces under the banner of the Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK) during the conflict.

A pretrial judge at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague has until October to determine whether there is sufficient evidence for a trial based on the 10-count indictment, according to the statement from the Special Prosecutor's Office.

https://www.rferl.org/a/kosovo-war-crimes-thaci/30695906.html


2. Russian Metallurgical Giant Admits Waste 'Violations' At Arctic Plant

A Russian metallurgical giant has admitted one of its plants pumped wastewater into the fragile Arctic environment and that it has suspended the responsible employees.

Citing a "flagrant violation of operating rules," Norilsk Nickel said on June 28 that the employees were responsible for dumping wastewater from a dangerously full reservoir into the tundra.

The company said employees of the Talnakh enrichment plant near the industrial city of Norilsk had pumped out "purified water" and that there is no threat of waste leakage.

snip

The incident occurred near the industrial city of Norilsk, one month after a massive fuel leak at a plant in the area owned by a subsidiary of Norilsk Nickel, the world's leading nickel and palladium producer.

https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-metallurgic-giant-admits-waste-violations-at-arctic-plant/30695249.html


3. Summer of the cannibal rats! Hungry, aggressive, highly fertile – and coming to our homes

With restaurants closed and less food discarded on UK streets, rats have had to find new places to feed. Luckily for them, people are eating more in their houses, flats and gardens …

Lockdown has been hard for rodents whose fortunes are tied to those of humans. When restaurants closed, and city streets and back alleys emptied of people and their waste, rats lost a plentiful supply of food. So they followed us home, foraging and breeding in our gardens, drains and household voids. They became more brazen and aggressive. And, when that wasn’t enough, they began to eat each other.

Cannibal rats are among the grimmest consequences of the upending of urban life. In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have warned of “unusual or aggressive” behaviour in rats, including the eating of rat pups.

This probably shouldn’t come as a surprise, given that cannibalism is common among mammals in extremis. “Mothers will eat their young in the hope of one day being able to reproduce again,” says Steve Belmain, a professor of ecology at the Natural Resources Institute in Kent, and the UK’s leading rat academic. “If there’s not enough food to take care of herself, she won’t kill herself looking after them.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/29/summer-of-the-cannibal-rats-hungry-aggressive-highly-fertile-and-coming-to-our-homes


4. Russian Election Commission: Turnout Passes 28 Percent On Third Day Of Constitutional-Amendments Vote

Russia's Central Election Commission (CEC) says overall turnout was nearly 28.5 percent on the third day of a weeklong vote for constitutional amendments that could pave the way for an extension of President Vladimir Putin’s rule by 12 years.

Almost 31 million people have cast ballots, including remote online voting, CEC chairwoman Ella Pamfilova said on June 28. Pamfilova also said that the CEC has received 113 complaints of irregularities.

Some 110.5 million people are eligible to cast ballots in the nationwide vote, which ends on July 1.

The sweeping constitutional reforms has sparked sharp criticism from opposition members and human rights groups who see them as an attempt at a power grab by President Vladimir Putin.

https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-election-commission-turnout-passes-28-percent-on-third-day-of-constitutional-amendments-vote/30695164.html

5. Armenian Parliament Adopts Contentious Amendments That Would Shake Up Constitutional Court

The Armenian parliament has adopted proposed changes to the constitution that would lead to the removal of Constitutional Court judges, potentially opening the door for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian to exert more influence over the South Caucasian nation.

A total of 89 members of the National Assembly -- all affiliated with the ruling My Step bloc -- backed the draft constitutional amendments in the first and second readings on June 22.

The votes were boycotted by the two opposition parties represented in the 132-seat legislature -- the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) and the Bright Armenia Party (LHK).

The draft changes, unveiled last week by the My Step bloc of Pashinian, would lead to the immediate dismissal of three of the nine Constitutional Court members.

https://www.rferl.org/a/armenian-parliament-adopts-amendments-on-constitutional-court/30684853.html

[SunSeeker]

1. Glad to hear Thaci is indicted. He's got a lot of blood on his hands. nt

[KY_EnviroGuy]

2. Thanks for those summaries and reminder to watch RFE.

They cover a lot of stories I miss on Guardian UK and BBC.

Also noticed this headline: Iran To Require The Wearing Of Masks At Indoor Gatherings

KY.......

[Rhiannon12866]

3. Iran's leadership appears to be stepping up to protect Iranian lives

So where is American leadership??

[littlemissmartypants]

4. Kicked and recommended. ❤ nt