You are here

Balkan News

Nur im eigenen Land billig: Warum E-Autos in Europa doppelt so teuer wie in China sind

Blick.ch - Sat, 11/29/2025 - 15:32
Chinesische Autos sind in der Schweiz oft erstaunlich teuer. Was sind die Gründe für die gewaltigen Preisunterschiede zum Heimatmarkt? Und wie verteidigt Weltmarktführer BYD die höheren Preise in Europa?
Categories: Balkan News, Swiss News

IT-Verkaufsdirektor (56) legt Budget offen: «Ich verdiene netto rund 418'000 Franken im Jahr»

Blick.ch - Sat, 11/29/2025 - 15:29
Kaspar Hess ist Wirtschaftsinformatiker und arbeitet als Verkaufsleiter in einer amerikanischen IT-Firma. Mit seiner Familie lebt er «luxuriös, aber nicht unvernünftig». Für die Beobachter-Serie legt er sein Budget offen.
Categories: Balkan News, Swiss News

Bei gleicher Trinkmenge: Alkohol wirkt bei allen Altersgruppen anders

Blick.ch - Sat, 11/29/2025 - 15:10
Alkohol beeinflusst den Körper je nach Lebensphase unterschiedlich. Während er in jungen Jahren «Hangxiety» und hormonelles Ungleichgewicht auslösen kann, verändert sich ab 30 der Schlaf und ab 40 das Gedächtnis.
Categories: Balkan News, Swiss News

The UN’s “International Days” Range from the Sublime to the Ridiculous

Africa - INTER PRESS SERVICE - Fri, 11/28/2025 - 10:21

When the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to designate 25 May as World Football Day. Credit: UN Photo/Loey Felipe

By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 28 2025 (IPS)

The 193-member General Assembly, the UN’s highest policy-making body, routinely designates ”International Days” and “World Days’” on a wide range of subjects and events – from the sublime to the ridiculous: described as “a sudden shift from something grand and awe-inspiring to something silly and unimportant”.

The commemorations range from the International Women’s Day and the International Day to Combat Islamophobia to the International Moon Day and World Bicycle Day (not forgetting World Tuna Day, World Bee Day, International Day of Potato, World Horse Day, World Pulses Day and International Day of the Arabian Leopard).

According to the UN, the world body observes 218 international days annually (and counting).

One of the first designations came from the UN General Assembly’s declaration in 1947 that 24 October should be celebrated as United Nations Day, the anniversary of the adoption of the UN Charter that founded the Organization.

Since then, UN Member States have proposed more than 200 designations, presenting draft resolutions to the General Assembly so the entire membership, representing 193 nations, can vote.

But a new resolution aimed at revitalizing the work of the General Assembly “notes with concern the significant increase in the number of proposals to proclaim international days, weeks, months, years or decades”.

The resolution decides, on a trial basis, to put on hold consideration of new proposals for international days, weeks, months, years and decades during the eighty-first and eighty-second sessions.

The resolution also requests the President of the General Assembly, effective from the eighty-first session in 2026, to group all proclamation requests for international commemoration into a single resolution per agenda item, where each proposed commemoration contains its own operative paragraph focused on its establishment.

The upcoming International Days in March 2026 include:
1 March – World Seagrass Day
1 March – United Nations Zero Discrimination Day
3 March – International Day for Ear and Hearing Loss
3 March – World Wildlife Day
5 March – International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness
8 March – International Women’s Day
10 March – International Day of Women Judges
15 March – International Day to combat Islamophobia
20 March – International Day of Happiness
20 March – French Language Day
21 March – International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
21 March – World Poetry Day
21 March – International Nowruz Day
21 March – World Down Syndrome Day
21 March – International Day of Forests
21 March – World Day of Glaciers
22 March – World Water Day
23 March – World Meteorological Day
24 March – World Tuberculosis Day
24 March – International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights
25 March – International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery
25 March – International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members
30 March – International Day of Zero Waste

The list for December includes:
01 Dec – World AIDS Day
02 Dec – International Day for the Abolition of Slavery (A/RES/317(IV)
03 Dec – International Day of Persons with Disabilities (A/RES/47/3)
04 Dec – International Day of Banks (A/RES/74/245)
04 Dec – International Day Against Unilateral Coercive Measures (A/RES/79/293)
05 Dec – International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development (A/RES/40/212)
05 Dec – World Soil Day (A/RES/68/232)
07 Dec – International Civil Aviation Day (A/RES/51/33)
09 Dec – International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime (A/RES/69/323)
09 Dec – International Anti-Corruption Day (A/RES/58/4)
10 Dec – Human Rights Day (A/RES/423 (V)
11 Dec – International Mountain Day (A/RES/57/245)
12 Dec – International Day of Neutrality (A/RES/71/275)
12 Dec – International Universal Health Coverage Day (A/RES/72/138)
18 Dec – International Migrants Day (A/RES/55/93)
18 Dec – Arabic Language Day
20 Dec – International Human Solidarity Day (A/RES/60/209)
21 Dec – World Meditation Day (A/RES/79/137)
21 Dec – World Basketball Day (A/RES/77/324)
27 Dec – International Day of Epidemic Preparedness (A/RES/75/27)

Categories: Africa, Balkan News

Blog • L'impressionnisme de Revoutski et le panslavisme de Lyatochynsky : la musique traditionnelle à travers le prisme du modernisme

Courrier des Balkans - Thu, 11/27/2025 - 15:09

Selon Bartók, l'intégration du folklore dans la composition peut se faire selon trois niveaux principaux d'organisation : la citation directe, la stylisation et l'intégration profonde. Dans les œuvres de style romantique tardif, seuls les deux premiers niveaux sont généralement atteints, car les contraintes strictes de l'harmonie classique empêchent la mise en œuvre du troisième niveau. Même dans le postromantisme, où le chromatisme élargit les possibilités harmoniques, ces limites (…)

- Notes et racines. Le blog de Valentin Smoliak / ,

Russia closes Polish consulate in Siberia in tit-for-tat move

Euractiv.com - Thu, 11/27/2025 - 11:32
Poland is the only European country to have a consulate in Siberia

FIRST AID: Good food, bad food and a tax debate

Euractiv.com - Thu, 11/27/2025 - 10:32
In today's edition: Pharma Package, tobacco and Europe's silent HIV crisis

Half of Europeans with HIV diagnosed late, report shows  

Euractiv.com - Thu, 11/27/2025 - 10:00
The bloc should urgently rethink its testing strategies, warned the ECDC

Europe’s Industrial Wake-Up Call: Act Now or Fade Away

Euractiv.com - Thu, 11/27/2025 - 10:00
Europe’s industrial base is at risk of collapse. Out of 18 sectors analyzed, only aerospace/defence remains competitive. Automotive, steel, chemicals, telecom, solar—all are losing ground to global rivals.  This is not fate; it is the result of corporate and political choices, from the creation of global overcapacities to austerity measures. This is the stark message […]

EU Ombudsman accuses Commission of maladministration over farm rule changes

Euractiv.com - Thu, 11/27/2025 - 10:00
The first CAP simplification package followed a wave of farmer protests across the EU and was deemed politically urgent by the Commission

FIREPOWER: EU countries file their defence amendments for the next EU budget

Euractiv.com - Thu, 11/27/2025 - 09:51
Plus Omnibus compromise, a sneak-peek on Monday's defence Foreign Affairs Council, and dispatches from the European Space Agency summit in Bremen

« Safaris humains » de Sarajevo : les révélations d'un agent des renseignements militaires de Bosnie-Herzégovine

Courrier des Balkans - Thu, 11/27/2025 - 09:26

Les « safaris humains » attirant de riches « chasseurs » étrangers qui venaient tirer sur des civils dans Sarajevo assiégée étaient connus dès la fin de l'année 1993. Alors que l'enquête ouverte par la justice italienne relance le dossier, les explications d'un ancien agent des renseignements militaires bosniens.

- Articles / , , , , ,

Ireland struggling with transformative therapy access, EU slides too

Euractiv.com - Thu, 11/27/2025 - 08:22
Fragmented markets, regulatory hurdles and slow uptake threaten Europe's ambitions to lead in life sciences by 2030

Brunner rules out EU-led return hubs

Euractiv.com - Thu, 11/27/2025 - 08:07
In today’s edition: Magnus Brunner defends Europe’s hard-edged migration shift as he rewrites the asylum rulebook, MEPs brace for a pre-Christmas immunity vote tied to Qatargate, and Big Oil drags the EU to court over its new carbon-storage mandate

EU Space Act’s lead rapporteur will push to shield national agencies’ powers

Euractiv.com - Thu, 11/27/2025 - 07:00
Far right MEP Elena Donazzan is also keen for the proposed space law to keep the US on side, as well as pushing for a simplification agenda

Swiss to vote on compulsory civic duty for all

Euractiv.com - Thu, 11/27/2025 - 06:29
Voters will also be weighing in on whether to slap new taxes on the super-rich to help finance the country's effort against climate change

ÄNDERUNGSANTRÄGE 1–275 - Entwurf eines Berichts Abbau von Hindernissen für den Binnenmarkt für Verteidigung - PE779.620v01-00

ÄNDERUNGSANTRÄGE 1–275 - Entwurf eines Berichts Abbau von Hindernissen für den Binnenmarkt für Verteidigung
Ausschuss für Sicherheit und Verteidigung
Tobias Cremer

Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2025 - EP

Explosive Weapons Now Leading Cause of Child Casualties in Global Conflicts

Africa - INTER PRESS SERVICE - Wed, 11/26/2025 - 07:03

On 10 October 2025, thousands of Palestinian families are moving along the coastal road back to northern Gaza, amid the extreme devastation of infrastructure. Credit: UNICEF/Mohammed Nateel

By Oritro Karim
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 26 2025 (IPS)

Recently, global conflicts have grown increasingly brutal, with deaths and injuries caused by explosive weapons now surpassing those from previous leading causes such as malnutrition, disease, and a lack of healthcare services. As these conflicts intensify, children continue to bear the brunt of the casualties while impunity for perpetrators persists and funding gaps exacerbate the lack of critical protection services.

On November 20, Save The Children issued a report titled Children and Blast Injuries: The Devastating Impact of Explosive Weapons on Children, 2020–2025, detailing the intensifying threat of explosive weapons to children across 11 contemporary world conflicts. Drawing on clinical studies and field research, the report examines the impact of pediatric blast injuries in healthcare settings and calls on the international community to prioritize investment in prevention and recovery efforts.

“Children are paying the highest price in today’s wars – not only at the hands of armed groups, but through the actions of governments that should be protecting them,” said Narmina Strishenets, the leading author of the report and the Senior Conflict and Humanitarian Advocacy Advisor at Save the Children UK. “Missiles are falling where children sleep, play, and learn – turning the very places that should be the safest, like their homes and schools, into death traps. Actions once condemned by the international community and met with global outrage are now brushed aside as the ‘cost of war.’ That moral surrender is one of the most dangerous shifts of our time.”

The report highlights the precarious conditions in which children in war zones live. Children are uniquely vulnerable to injuries from explosive weapons, as their bodies are far less developed and resilient than adults. Additionally, healthcare, rehabilitation, and psychosocial support services are underfunded and more commonly designed with adults in consideration, leaving children disproportionately left without access to tailor-made and adequate care.

Figures from Save The Children show that children are far more likely to succumb to blast injuries than adults, particularly from head, torso, and burn injuries. Compared to adults, children under seven are roughly two times as likely to suffer from “life-limiting brain trauma.” Furthermore, approximately 65 to 70 percent of injured children received severe burns to multiple parts of their body.

“Children are far more vulnerable to explosive weapons than adults. Their anatomy, physiology, behavior, and psychosocial needs make them disproportionately affected,” said Dr. Paul Reavley, a consultant pediatric emergency physician and the co-founder of the Pediatric Blast Injury Partnership, a collaborative effort between medical personnel and Save The Children UK.

Reavley added, “Many do not survive to reach hospital, and those who do face a higher risk of death than adult civilians in any health system. They often suffer multiple severe injuries that require complex treatment and lifelong care. Yet most health responses to conflict are designed for adults, overlooking children’s distinct needs. Survivors face chronic pain, disability, psychological trauma, and stigma that can last a lifetime.”

According to the report, explosive weapons are causing unprecedented levels of harm to children as wars increasingly move toward densely populated urban areas, with these weapons accounting for a record 70 percent of nearly 12,000 children killed or injured in conflict zones last year. More than 70 percent of child deaths and injuries in war zones in 2024 resulted from explosive weapons, marking a significant increase from the 59 percent recorded between 2020-2024.

These increases highlight a shift in how children are being targeted in modern conflicts. Save the Children identified five key factors driving this change: the rise of new technologies that amplify destruction, the normalization of civilian harm in military operations, the widespread lack of accountability, the unprecedented severity of child casualties, and the long-term social costs of explosive violence.

The deadliest conflicts for children in 2024, based on deaths and life-threatening injuries, occurred in the occupied Palestinian territory, where 2,917 children were affected, followed by Sudan with 1,739 children, Myanmar with 1,261 children, Ukraine with 671 children, and Syria with 670 children. The majority of these casualties were caused by explosive weapons. Additionally, children account for roughly 43 percent of all casualties from mines and other forms of unexploded ordnance, which have plagued farmland, schools, and homes across the world for decades.

In the last two years, Save The Children has recorded a “dangerous erosion of protection norms” for children in conflict zones, with funding shortfalls and the scaling back of civilian harm mitigation and response mechanisms endangering the lives of millions of children around the world. Of the USD 1 billion pledged to mine action in 2023, only half was directed toward clearance efforts while only 6 percent supported healthcare services of victims and only 1 percent went toward mine risk education.

Save the Children is urging world leaders to stop using explosive weapons in populated areas, strengthen policies to protect children in conflict, and invest in support, research, and recovery for children affected by blast injuries.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and its partners are working on the frontlines to provide essential, basic services that focus on promoting and protecting children’s health, survival and development, such as access to food, shelter, healthcare, and social support. UNICEF is also rehabilitating water and sanitation systems while distributing cash transfers to displaced families and mental health support and educational services for children in conflict zones.

UNICEF also supports survivors of explosive weapons-related violence by providing medical treatment, prosthetics, and psychosocial support services. Furthermore, the agency is collaborating with governments and civil society groups to strengthen protection services, particularly for children living with disabilities.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 


!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');  
Categories: Africa, Balkan News

Pages

THIS IS THE NEW BETA VERSION OF EUROPA VARIETAS NEWS CENTER - under construction
the old site is here

Copy & Drop - Can`t find your favourite site? Send us the RSS or URL to the following address: info(@)europavarietas(dot)org.