EU not working! Bloc braces for four-state revolt over hated migrant rules – unity crushed - Daily Express

The leaders of Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland have teamed up to rebel against new potential mandatory quotas on redistribution of migrants. The four countries are ready to veto the decision likely to be put on the table at the next EU summit.

The alliance was announced by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Oban after a meeting of the Visegrad Four (V4) leaders.

Mr Orban said the meeting unfolded new ideas in order to “become a winner in a world transformed by the coronavirus pandemic".

According to the four rebels, the Brussels bloc needs new investments in order to succeed.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said that V4 participants discussed the strategy on migration in detail, as according to him, this topic is part of the future of Europe

He said: “The Schengen and Western Balkans strategies are also connected with that.

"The EU’s internal market, which is not working, is also significant.

"We are still failing in removing obstacles for our companies."

The four leaders have been united on the issue of migration for years.

READ MORE: Britain still paying Brussels £5.8bn a year outside EU 

Hungary should have accepted 1,294 people, while Poland 7,082, but both territories hadn’t accepted refugees.

As for Slovakia, it was supposed to relocate 902 people seeking international protection but relocated only 16.

Last month, EU leaders finally decided this week to transform the European Asylum Support Office into a European Union Agency of Asylum.

The key initiative comes under the bloc's New Pact on Migration and Asylum.

The new agency will help make asylum procedures in Member States of higher quality, more uniform and faster.

Its new reserve of 500 experts will also provide more effective support to national asylum systems facing a high caseload, making the overall EU migration management system more efficient and sustainable.

Commissioner Margaritis Schinas said: “When we presented our proposal for an EU Pact on Migration and Asylum last September, we were aiming at creating a coherent and well-functioning European asylum system.

"Today’s agreement is a first important building block in this process.

"Member States will now be able to rely on the full operational support of the EU Asylum Agency, both under normal circumstances and when they are in difficulty.

"The agency will make a tangible difference to asylum procedures, improving protection for individuals and addressing gaps to create greater convergence between Member States’ asylum systems.”

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2021-07-04 09:42:31Z
CBMigAFodHRwczovL3d3dy5leHByZXNzLmNvLnVrL25ld3Mvd29ybGQvMTQ1ODEyNC9ldS1uZXdzLW1pZ3JhdGlvbi1jcmlzaXMtbWlncmFudC1xdW90YXMtdmlzZWdyYWQtZm91ci1odW5nYXJ5LVNsb3Zha2lhLVBvbGFuZC1DemVjaNIBhAFodHRwczovL3d3dy5leHByZXNzLmNvLnVrL25ld3Mvd29ybGQvMTQ1ODEyNC9ldS1uZXdzLW1pZ3JhdGlvbi1jcmlzaXMtbWlncmFudC1xdW90YXMtdmlzZWdyYWQtZm91ci1odW5nYXJ5LVNsb3Zha2lhLVBvbGFuZC1DemVjaC9hbXA

Philippines military plane crashes with 92 on board - BBC News

Reuters/Bogs Muhajiran

A military transport aircraft carrying 92 people, mostly troops, has crashed in the southern Philippines.

Seventeen bodies were found at the crash site on Jolo island, but 40 people survived and were taken to a nearby military hospital.

The plane, a C130 Hercules, was trying to land at Jolo airport when it overshot the runway, Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said.

Flames and smoke were seen rising from the wreckage.

The state news agency carried pictures of the crash site showing burning debris in a wooded area close to a number of buildings.

LOOK: The C-130 crash site in Patikul, Sulu on Sunday (July 4, 2021). The aircraft was on a troop transport mission, according to AFP chief Gen. Cirilito Sobejana. | via Priam Nepomuceno (📸: courtesy of Bridge Bridge, PTV) pic.twitter.com/aVlGfs43f7

— Phil News Agency (@pnagovph) July 4, 2021

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

The plane, which came down at 11:30 local time (03:30 GMT) a few kilometres from the town of Jolo, was carrying troops from Cagayan de Oro, on the southern island of Mindanao.

"It missed the runway, trying to regain power but it didn't make it," armed forces chief Gen Sobejana told reporters.

The soldiers were part of the military's stepped-up presence in the southern Philippines to combat Islamist militants such as the Abu Sayyaf group.

Officials said there was no sign that the aircraft had been attacked, and an investigation into the cause of the incident would start once the rescue operation was complete.

Many of those on board had only recently completed basic military training, AFP reports.

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2021-07-04 07:45:25Z
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Cyprus calls for help in fighting massive forest fire: EU and Israel responding with aircraft - Sky News

The European Union and Israel are sending help to Cyprus as the small Mediterranean island battles a huge forest fire.

The fire is raging north of the cities of Limassol and Larnaca and has affected at least six communities in the foothills of the Troodos mountain range.

The European Commission said two fire-fighting planes were heading to Cyprus from Greece, and Italy was also planning to send aerial fire-fighters.

Image: Plumes of smoke have turned the sky black in Cyprus. Pic: AP

There are already four Cypriot planes fighting the fire, but strong winds and temperatures soaring past 40C (104F) are making conditions difficult.

Help is also expected from Israel on Sunday.

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The EU's Copernicus satellite was also activated so that an assessment of the damage could made.

Cypriot forestries department director Charalambos Alexandrou told Omega TV: "It is the worst forest fire in the history of Cyprus."

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The fire's perimeter was at least 40km (25 miles), he added, and plumes of smoke could be seen from the capital Nicosia, about 45 miles away.

Image: The fire is spreading through a mountain range in Cyprus. Pic: AP

Dozens of properties have been damaged and there have been widespread power cuts, but so far no injuries have been reported.

Vassos Vassiliou, a community leader in Arakapas, one of the communities affected, said: "It passed through like a whirlwind, it destroyed everything."

The focus for authorities on Saturday night was to prevent the fire from crossing the mountains and to stop it before it reaches the pine forest area of Machairas.

Image: Aircraft are doing the bulk of the firefighting efforts. Pic: AP

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades wrote on Twitter: "This is a very difficult day for Cyprus.

"All of the state's mechanisms are in gear, and the priority is for no loss of life."

The cause of the fire is not yet clear but police have said they are questioning a 67-year-old person in connection with the blaze.

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2021-07-03 22:52:30Z
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Fury as female soldiers in Ukraine made to march in heels - Metro.co.uk

The images, showing female soldiers rehearsing for a military parade, have been branded ‘misogynistic’ (Picture: Getty)

‘Sexist’ pictures of female soldiers in Ukraine rehearsing for a military parade wearing heels have sparked outrage.

Ukraine’s defence ministry came under fire after releasing official photographs of personnel wearing military fatigues apparently accessorised with black court shoes instead of combat boots.

Officials have been accused of making a ‘mockery’ of women with the images, branded ‘harmful’ and ‘misogynistic’.

The pictures, published on the ministry’s Facebook page, show female military college students preparing to take part in a parade to mark 30 years of independence in August, following the break-up of the Soviet Union.

Now defence minister, Andriy Taran, 66, is facing calls to wear heels to the event.

Around 31,000 women currently serve in Ukraine’s armed forces.

Cadet Ivanna Medvid reportedly said: ‘Today, for the first time, training takes place in heeled shoes.

‘It is slightly harder than in army boots but we are trying,’ she was quoted as saying by defence ministry site, ArmiaInform.

Pictures of the rehearsal, in Ukrainian capital, Kiev, have sparked fury (Picture: Ukrainian Defence ministry press/AFP via Getty Images)

The practice session took place in Ukrainian capital, Kiev, on Friday.

Inna Sovsun, a member of the Golos party, said Ukraine’s women soldiers were risking their lives and ‘do not deserve to be mocked’.

‘It is hard to imagine a more idiotic, harmful idea,’ she said.

Meanwhile deputy speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, Olena Kondratyuk slammed the pictures as ‘humiliating’ and is now demanding an investigation.  

The women are risking their lives and ‘do not deserve to be mocked’, said Ukranian MP Inna Sovsun (Picture: Ukrainian Defence ministry press/AFP via Getty Images)

The photos have prompted calls for defence minister, Andriy Taran, to wear heels to the event. (Picture: Ukrainian Defence ministry press/AFP via Getty Images)

Another critic said high heels were ‘a mockery of women imposed by the beauty industry’.

More than 13,000 women have fought in the Ukranian conflict with Russian-backed separatists in the east of the country, she said.  

The bloodshed, which began seven years ago, has claimed thousands of lives.

The pictures prompted some Ukrainian officials to bring pairs of shoes into parliament in protest – as they backed calls for Mr Taran to wear heels to the parade.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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2021-07-03 21:41:00Z
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‘Mockery’: Backlash after Ukraine women troops march in heels - Al Jazeera English

Defence ministry images showing women soldiers practising for parade in heels prompt a torrent of criticism.

Ukrainian authorities have been slammed after official pictures showed women soldiers practising for next month’s military parade in heels.

Ukraine is preparing to stage the parade to mark 30 years of independence following the Soviet Union’s breakup, and the defence ministry on Thursday released photographs of fatigue-clad women soldiers marching in mid-heel black pumps.

“Today, for the first time, training takes place in heeled shoes,” cadet Ivanna Medvid was quoted as saying by the defence ministry’s information site ArmiaInform.

“It is slightly harder than in army boots but we are trying,” Medvid said.

The parade will be held on August 24 [Ukrainian defence ministry press service/AFP]

The choice of footwear sparked a torrent of criticism on social media and in parliament, and led to accusations that women soldiers had been sexualised.

“The story of a parade in heels is a real disgrace,” commentator Vitaly Portnikov said on Facebook, arguing that some Ukrainian officials had a “medieval” mindset.

‘Sexism and misogyny’

Another commentator, Maria Shapranova, accused the defence ministry of “sexism and misogyny”.

“High heels is a mockery of women imposed by the beauty industry,” she said.

Several Ukrainian lawmakers close to Ukraine’s former president Petro Poroshenko showed up in parliament with pairs of shoes and encouraged the defence minister to wear high heels to the parade.

“It is hard to imagine a more idiotic, harmful idea,” said Inna Sovsun, a member of the Golos party, pointing to health risks.

She also said that Ukraine’s women soldiers – like men – were risking their lives and “do not deserve to be mocked”.

Ukraine has been battling Russian-backed separatists in the country’s east, in a conflict that has killed more than 13,000 people since 2014.

Olena Kondratyuk, deputy speaker of the legislature, said authorities should publicly apologise for “humiliating” women and conduct an inquiry.

Kondratyuk said that more than 13,500 women had fought in the current conflict.

The current conflict

More than 31,000 women serve in the Ukrainian armed forces, including more than 4,000 of whom are officers.

Defence Minister Andriy Taran met a group of women cadets and listened to their issues with the footwear and promised them a new model, the defence ministry said on Saturday.

“The new, improved footwear should be better, more ergonomic and made in the shortest possible time,” the minister was quoted as saying.

The ministry’s statement did not include an apology, but expressed regret at the use of the footwear problem “by some political forces for banal politicking and self-publicity”.

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2021-07-03 15:46:57Z
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Miami building collapse: Remainder of destroyed apartment block to be demolished as two more bodies found - Sky News

The remainder of the 12-storey apartment block that collapsed in Miami will be demolished on Sunday, city officials have said.

It comes as authorities announced that two more bodies have been pulled from the rubble in Florida, bringing the number of people that have died in the collapse to 24.

There have been concerns over the last few days that the building, which partially collapsed on 24 June, could come down on its own, putting at risk the fire and rescue crews who are searching for victims.

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'Water leak' seen moments before Miami collapse

During a morning briefing on Saturday, families of the missing were told that demolition crews would roll in and bring down the building "as soon as possible - first thing tomorrow".

Meetings are being held to finalise the details of the demolition, which will involve experts going into the remaining structure to install explosives.

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Searches around the building have been affected by worries the rest of the building could collapse, with shifts picked up by monitors on Thursday meaning that teams had to stop work for 15 hours until engineers deemed it safe to carry on.

Fire Rescue assistant fire chief Raide Jadallah said that the remnants of the demolished building will need to be removed immediately, with the intention of giving search teams access to parts of the garage for the first time, which has been a focus of the operation.

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It is hoped that the rescue operation would only be halted for a short time following the demolition.

Tropical Storm Elsa is also barrelling towards Florida from the Caribbean Sea, raising further concerns that strong winds could destabilise the remaining section of the building.

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'They're going through hell'

The number of missing had been revised down from 145 to 126 by officials, after duplicate names were taken off the list and some residents reported being safe.

Families have been told they will not be allowed to return to the building to retrieve personal belongings.

Overnight into Saturday, the body of a seven-year-old girl was pulled from the wreckage in Miami - the third child to have been recovered from the rubble.

President Joe Biden visited the site earlier in the week, telling a news conference "hope springs eternal".

He added: "The whole nation is mourning with these families."

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2021-07-03 17:18:48Z
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Europe migrant crisis: Boat sinks off Tunisia drowning 43 - BBC News

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Forty-three migrants have drowned after their boat sank off Tunisia, the Tunisian Red Crescent says.

The migrants had set off from the Libyan port of Zuwara and were attempting to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe.

A further 84 were rescued by the Tunisian navy, said the head of Tunisia's Red Crescent head Mongi Slim.

Summer weather has seen an increase in migrants trying to reach Europe from north Africa.

The boat, which set sail on Monday night, was carrying people from Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Bangladesh, the Red Crescent said. The vessel capsized after its engine broke down.

Those rescued, off the Tunisian fishing port of Zarzis, were aged between three and 40, according to Tunisia's defence ministry.

The Tunisian Red Crescent gave them food and drink while looking for space to house them for the required Covid isolation period, local media radio reported.

• Med's deadly migrant crisis: In maps and charts

Libya has been a key transit point for migrants from many countries trying to reach Europe via the Mediterranean.

But Tunisia has also become a major hub and has called on the European Union to deal with migration by helping fight poverty in Africa.

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2021-07-03 15:04:43Z
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