This Monday, French farmers initiated the ‘siege’ of several major access roads to Paris in an effort to exert pressure on the government. The Executive has urged the farmers to limit their actions and ensure they do not disrupt the lives of citizens. Tractors have been used to block motorways and national roads leading to the capital, as well as to other major cities like Marseille and Lyon.

Maxime Lievin, treasurer of the regional section of the Fnsea agricultural union, which is France’s main agricultural union, explained that “pressuring Paris is putting pressure on the government.” Farmers have set up blockades on the A4 motorway, which connects Paris with the rest of the country. They have brought camping equipment to spend the nights at these blockades until their demands are met.

The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, has stated that there will be no intervention against the limited road closures. However, he has made it clear that blockades at the food market in Rungis, the largest in Europe, and the capital’s airports will not be tolerated. To protect the food market, a Gendarmerie anti-riot unit equipped with tanks has been deployed at Rungis. Around 15,000 police officers from various forces are mobilized throughout the country to maintain control over the protests.

Farmers are demanding measures at both the national and European Union levels to make their farms profitable, reduce bureaucracy, and streamline administrative procedures. They are requesting the elimination of mandatory fallow imposed by Brussels, fair prices for the agri-food industry, and timely subsidy payments. They also believe they are victims of unfair competition, as they claim that imported products are not subject to the same health and environmental requirements.

New measures from the government

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal held a meeting on Monday with a small group of government officials. The Executive spokesperson, Prisca Thevenot, announced that new announcements will be made starting from Tuesday and in the upcoming days. Leaders of major agricultural unions later met with Attal to discuss the new measures, which he is expected to communicate in his speech at the National Assembly on Tuesday.

The protest gained momentum after the measures announced by Attal last Friday were deemed insufficient by the agricultural unions. As a result, the farmers have decided to intensify their pressure on the government.

In addition to the national measures, President Emmanuel Macron plans to propose changes to the common agricultural policy to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. France also seeks to enforce limits on certain Ukrainian products, such as chicken, eggs, and sugar, which have been allowed to enter the country without tariffs and without complying with EU regulations as a show of support for Ukraine during the Russian invasion. Macron will present these requests at the Extraordinary Council in Brussels on Thursday.

Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader, announced on Monday that she intends to challenge Nicolas Maduro in the upcoming presidential elections. This comes after the Supreme Court of Justice upheld the political disqualification against Machado, preventing her from participating in any electoral process until 2036. The government has stated that there is no room for debate as the court has already ruled.

Machado confidently stated that she will face Maduro and defeat him in a free election, emphasizing the importance of citizens expressing themselves freely. She also made it clear that she will not name a replacement candidate for the presidential elections, which are yet to be scheduled.

Regarding the Supreme Court’s decision, Machado dismissed it as judicial delinquency, arguing that she has planned strategies to overcome the obstacles in her path. She reminded everyone that she won the primary elections with a vast majority, receiving the mandate of nearly three million Venezuelans.

Furthermore, Machado criticized Maduro’s regime for failing to comply with the Barbados Agreement signed with the opposition, which included the qualification of candidates and the release of political prisoners. She highlighted that this breach also violated the agreement between the US and Maduro, which involved the temporary lifting of sanctions on Venezuelan gas and oil.

The US State Department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, expressed concern over the Supreme Court’s decision and its impact on a competitive presidential election. He mentioned that the US is reviewing its sanctions policy due to this action and the targeted attacks on the opposition and civil society. Similarly, the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jose Manuel Albares, criticized the court’s decision and stated that it does not promote pluralism. Spain has requested a review of the sanctions imposed by the European Union on Venezuela.

French President Emmanuel Macron is set to propose a series of changes in agricultural policy to address the ongoing crisis faced by the government due to sector protests. He will discuss these proposed changes with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, at the upcoming summit in Brussels. While the details of these changes have not been disclosed, France has made it clear that it opposes the free trade agreement signed in 2020 between the European Union and Mercosur. This agreement has faced numerous obstacles and is unlikely to be ratified. Macron has consistently stated that it is impossible to conclude the agreement and is calling for the end of the EC’s negotiating mission in Brazil due to certain “red lines” that France rejects. These red lines include the non-integration of the Paris agreements on climate change, the absence of conditions to prevent deforestation, and the lack of guarantees for health and environmental rules in imported agricultural products from Mercosur.

In addition to these concerns, France is seeking a new derogation from the obligation for farmers to leave 4% of their land fallow, as mandated by the Common Agricultural Policy. France also aims to restrict the entry of certain Ukrainian products, particularly in relation to chicken, eggs, and sugar that were authorized without tariffs and without adherence to EU rules. These measures are being presented at an extraordinary European summit that is primarily focused on financial perspectives and support for Ukraine. Hungary, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, is a key player in these discussions, as they strongly opposed an agreement reached during the European Council in December. Despite Macron’s government introducing a package of measures in support of farmers, protests have persisted, with a recent “siege” of Paris causing disruptions with tractors blocking the city’s entrance axes.

Almost 6 million of the world's refugees are Palestinians. These are people who live displaced in their country or in others in the Middle East, such as Syria, Lebanon or Jordan.. They account for almost a quarter of the world's refugee population. To serve them, UNRWA, the United Nations Agency for the Palestine refugee population in the Middle East, was created in 1949.

He was born months after the State of Israel was born. On May 14, 1948, hours before the British Mandate over Palestine expired, the Israeli State was proclaimed on the territory granted by the United Nations plan. The subsequent Arab-Israeli war of 1948 saw the expulsion or exile of approximately 780,000 Palestinian Arabs, in what they remember as the Nakba.

Why was UNRWA created?

Refugees from the Arab-Israeli war of 1948 escaped to neighboring Arab countries, such as Lebanon and Jordan. At the end of the armed conflict, Israel denied these people the right of return to the homes they had had to abandon, while passing the so-called Law of Return that provided Israeli residency and citizenship to all Jews who emigrated to Israel.

It was then that the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Middle East, commonly known by the acronym UNRWA, was born.. It initially established refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to support Palestinian refugees from the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.. The Palestinians who remained within Israel's newly created borders became a minority and were governed by a military administration until 1966.

Why an agency only for Palestinians?

There is already a UN agency dedicated to the millions of refugees in the world. It's UNHCR. Why then a specific agency for the case of the Palestinians?

Palestinian refugees see the agency as a lifeline,” says UNRWA commissioner general

UNRWA is unique within the United Nations system for two reasons, the agency itself explains.. The first, its decades-long commitment to a specific population group. The second is the fact that it provides its services directly to the Palestine refugee population. “Palestinian refugees see the agency as a lifeline,” says UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini.

The agency plans and develops its own projects, as well as building and maintaining its schools, clinics and centers for women and the disabled.. Currently, UNRWA has more than a thousand facilities, employing more than 30,000 workers, of which 99% have refugee status.

Who and how does UNRWA finance?

Since 1949, UNRWA has provided Palestine refugees with education, healthcare, food, social services and humanitarian aid.. For this, it has been financed almost entirely by voluntary contributions from UN Member States.. But its reality is more complicated: the agency has had a deficit since its founding.

UNRWA has been underfunded for a decade. In 2022, contributions worth €1.1 billion were promised to the agency. Half of that money came from member states of the European Union. But 2023 began with a debt of 70 million euros.

Even with difficulties (the number of refugees continues to increase and there are more promises of money than reality), the system of voluntary contributions worked. This is what is now blown up, after the Israeli accusation. Tel Aviv claims that twelve agency workers participated in the Hamas attacks on October 7 that left some 1,140 dead in Israel.

What is known about the alleged Hamas collaborators?

Lazzarini took immediate action: the accused employees were immediately fired. “Any UNRWA staff member who has been involved in acts of terrorism will be held accountable, including through criminal proceedings,” stressed the UNRWA Commissioner General.

According to a statement from the US State Department, the accusations concern twelve UNRWA employees.. A report reported by The New York Times indicates that of the twelve employees fired, ten are from Hamas and one from Islamic Jihad.. One of the employees was involved in the kidnapping of an Israeli woman and the other in transporting the body of a soldier killed in Gaza.

Specifically, according to the American newspaper, one of the employees, a counselor at a UNRWA school in Khan Yunis, in the south of the Strip, is accused of “working with his son to kidnap a woman in Israel.”. The second, “from Nuseirat, in central Gaza, is accused of helping bring the body of a dead Israeli soldier to the Strip, as well as distributing ammunition and coordinating vehicles on the day of the attack, October 7.”

Which countries stop helping UNRWA?

Although the matter has not yet been officially or independently investigated, following the Israeli allegations and UNRWA's dismissal of twelve workers, several countries have suspended aid to the UN agency.. First it was the United States and then it was followed by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, Japan, Austria and Romania.

Had the US stopped contributing before?

In reality, the US had already turned off the tap on its contributions to UNRWA before.. The country cut its economic support in 2018, by decision of Donald Trump. The then president criticized the United Nations in general and the agency for the Palestinians in particular.. With the arrival of Joe Biden to the White House, North American donations returned. Currently, the United States was the main contributor to UNRWA along with Germany, the European Union and Sweden.

What will Spain do?

Norway, Ireland and Luxembourg have expressed their rejection of a suspension of aid, because they consider it essential in the midst of a humanitarian crisis.. It is the position that Spain maintains. The Government has already said that it will continue funding UNRWA. In 2023, our country contributed about 18.5 million euros. This amount includes the 10 million approved last December, following the decision to triple cooperation and humanitarian aid to Palestine.

What does the European Union say?

The European Commission assured this Monday that it will “review” its support for UNRWA after Israel's accusations. The Community Executive indicates in a statement that “it will determine the next financing decisions for UNRWA in light of the very serious accusations” made in relation to the staff of the UN agency.. The Commission also requests that all personnel of this UN agency be investigated as soon as possible to “confirm that they did not participate in the attacks.”

How much money does the EU contribute to UNRWA?

The EU is the largest donor of humanitarian and development aid to Gaza, and has quadrupled its humanitarian aid payments to more than €100 million since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out in October. Much of this funding is channeled through UNRWA, which since the outbreak of war has played a leading role in providing aid to Gazans.. Between 2021 and 2023, the EU contribution to UNRWA's program budget amounted to €281 million.

They say in France that today is going to be a 'black' Monday due to the efforts of the farmers. Black for the citizens of Paris and black for the Spanish transporters who cross the border daily through Irún and La Junquera (Girona). French farmers are up in arms and we already know that here in Spain it will mean (it already means) seeing trucks with their load on the ground.

This Monday, French farmers proposed to lay siege to Paris. It is their latest mobilization against the new environmental, tax and social policies of both the French Government and the European Union.. They also point to unfair competition and at that point they point to Italy and Spain.

In this latter they have the support of the French government itself.. “We will continue to advance to fight against unfair competition. “Our farmers are imposed (phytosanitary) rules that others (countries) are not,” criticized Macron's recently appointed prime minister, Gabriel Attal.

“Our farmers have (phytosanitary) rules imposed that others (countries) do not.”

Last Wednesday, the unions calling for the mobilizations, the National Federation of Agricultural Exploitation Unions (FNSEA) and the Young Farmers, sent the government a document with a hundred demands, the cost of which they estimate at several hundred million euros.

These two organizations were later joined by the Confédération Paysanne, the third agricultural union.. “It is not a basis for negotiation, it is a complete demand in which it is not about us making our purchases,” warned Arnaud Rousseau, president of the FNSEA.

Against free trade agreements

One of their great demands is the “clear rejection” of free trade agreements. “What can be resolved very quickly is for the President of the Republic to announce that he will use his right of veto during the vote on the signing of the Mercosur treaty,” declared Patrick Bénézit, vice president of the FNSEA.

“That Macron announces that he will use his right of veto during the vote on the signing of the Mercosur treaty”

French farmers consider that free trade agreements between the EU and other regions of the world are negative for their interests, as they allow products to enter France at much lower prices. The EU-Mercosur treaty (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) must be ratified by the 27 after the 2019 political pact, which took more than 20 years to reach.

Unfair (European) competition

The French countryside complains about the entry of agricultural products from European countries. They consider that they represent unfair competition due to their low price and because their environmental standards are less demanding than the French ones.

France estimates that they import at least 40% of their fruits and vegetables, especially from Spain and Italy.. The cause would be the productive brake that certain environmental rules adopted in its legislation represent for the French country and he asserted that he will propose to his community partners “more measures” to protect French food sovereignty.

The French far-right has demanded a closure of borders for Spanish or Italian products. The Minister of Agriculture, Marc Fesneau, has ruled out this measure because it would be counterproductive for the French agricultural industry itself if neighboring countries do the same.

Salary increase

Agricultural organizations demand immediate responses in terms of remuneration, including emergency aid for the sectors most in crisis: viticulture and organic farming.

Last April, the president of the FNSEA, Arnaud Rousseau, already requested emergency aid of 50 to 100 million euros for organic producers.. The following month, the Minister of Agriculture, Marc Fesneau, announced a “crisis package” of 60 million euros, accompanied by measures to stimulate demand.

Distribution of the value of the food chain

Farmers also demand a commitment to “guarantee absolute respect for the Egalim laws” of 2018 and 2021 on the distribution of value between actors in the French food chain, through “reinforced controls throughout the national territory.”

Collect all CAP aid

Furthermore, according to the document sent to the Government, the agricultural unions demand the immediate payment of all aid from the CAP (European Common Agricultural Policy), “whatever the reasons for non-payment”, as well as “the payment as soon as possible of all the health and climate compensations (…) owed by the State” and their disposition.

The price of diesel

The planned increase in taxation on non-road diesel (GNR), the fuel used by tractors, has been another factor that has unleashed the anger of farmers. Farmer organizations want to ensure full compensation for everyone by introducing a tax credit and integrating the amount currently refunded into the price paid.

Reduction of standards

In the longer term, agricultural unions are calling for the launch of a “reduction project”, particularly environmental ones.. With regard to the latter, the FNSEA and Young Farmers call not only for an end to “over-transposition”, that is, the application of European regulations more widely than planned, but also for the removal of existing measures.

“You will never get farmers to like Europe if you make rules that penalize them in relation to other farmers.”

“What we ask is that France reverses all the rules that are not the same as at the European level. You will never get farmers to like Europe if you make rules that penalize them in relation to other farmers,” argued Arnaud Gaillot, president of Young Farmers.

Collapse Paris and the border with Spain

This Monday, a device of 15,000 police and gendarmes has been prepared in Paris to protect access roads. It is about preventing the blockades announced by agricultural organizations (starting at 13 GMT) from leaving the capital incommunicado.

At least eight of the motorways that reach Paris (A1, A4, A5, A6, A10, A13, A15 and A16) could suffer the wrath of farmers and be closed. The goal “is neither violence nor provocation” but to pressure the Executive to improve the living conditions of farmers, said the leader of the FNSEA.

Spanish transporters fear that problems will be repeated at the border through Irún and La Junquera (Girona). Organizations in the sector have called for the establishment of safe transport corridors for Spanish goods. Spanish citrus transporters have denounced the congestion at the La Jonquera border crossing.

Tragedy strikes in Thailand as a 33-year-old base jumper lost his life this past weekend. Nathy Odinson, a British national, tragically died after his parachute failed to deploy while jumping from a 29-story skyscraper located in the coastal town of Pattaya.

According to the Daily Mail, Odinson illegally climbed to the rooftop of the apartment building and was accompanied by an individual who recorded the moments leading up to the jump, intending to share them on various social media platforms.

The footage of Odinson preparing for the jump and audibly counting down from three before plunging into the void has since been circulated on these networks.

Unfortunately, as reported by the Daily Mail, Odinson collided with a tree prior to crashing onto the ground. Despite the immediate response from emergency services, they could only confirm his death upon arrival at the scene.

The incident was reported to the Pattaya tourist police at 7:30 p.m. They quickly rushed to the apartment building in Tambon Na Klua, Bang Lamung district of Chonburi province, where Odinson’s lifeless body was discovered. A partially deployed blue parachute was also found on his person.

The building’s security guard revealed that Odinson had made multiple jumps from the building in the past, posing a risk to pedestrians below. He stated, “They were creating video content for social media. They had already done it before and were well aware it wasn’t permitted.”

Tragedy struck on Sunday when a shooting occurred during mass at a Catholic church in Istanbul, resulting in the death of one person. Fortunately, there were no other injuries reported.

Governor of Istanbul, Davut Gül, stated that it was an attack targeting a single individual. The victim, Cihan, was a 52-year-old Turkish citizen who tragically lost his life while attending the mass. There is no information suggesting that Cihan had any enemies or motives for the attack, according to statements from his family.

The attackers, who were wearing masks, opened fire on Cihan, causing a fatal wound to his head. The Turkish Interior Minister, Ali Yerlikaya, described the incident as two masked individuals firing shots at Cihan, with one of them pursuing him with a gun in hand.

CCTV footage captured the chilling moment when the assailants entered the church and began shooting at random. Panic and chaos ensued among the praying congregation as the two suspects eventually fled the scene.

The attack took place at around 11:40 a.m. in the Catholic church of Santa María located in Istanbul’s Sariyer neighborhood. Following the incident, the Islamic State claimed responsibility, stating that it was in response to their leaders’ call to target Jews and Christians.

In a development late Sunday afternoon, the Turkish Interior Minister announced the arrest of the two suspects, providing some semblance of justice in the wake of this heinous act.

The tragic incident has left the community in shock and mourning, underscoring the need for increased security measures to ensure the safety of places of worship.

The Siberian or Amur tiger, the largest of its kind and the largest among all feline species on Earth, is causing chaos in eastern Russia. Despite being protected by Putin’s Government due to its endangered status, there have been reports of attacks on humans recently.

According to an article published by the Daily Mail, Viktor S., a man who went searching for the place where his dog was killed, allegedly by the same tiger, was brutally mutilated and murdered in the Khabarovsk region of eastern Russia in December.

Investigators discovered the remains of the man near the Khabarovsk region, with clear signs of a tiger attack and consumption.

This is not an isolated incident. Sergey Kyalundzyuga, a local fisherman, was attacked and seriously injured by a wild tiger that jumped out of his window. Thankfully, he survived after his cousin shot the tiger dead.

Another individual, Darya Ulyanova, suffered severe lacerations to her shoulder and both arms during a tiger attack while she was reportedly using the bathroom in the bushes during a holiday trip. Her husband saved her life by ramming the tiger with his truck.

These tigers not only attack humans but also domestic animals. At a Russian border post with China in the Khabarovsk region, a tiger killed a trained guard dog. In the village of Kutuzovka, south of Khabarovsk, a tiger killed a guard dog, and another dog was likely eaten by the same tiger in the village of Srednekhorskii, about 40 kilometers away.

In the neighboring Primorsky region, a house guard dog in Kuguki, north of Vladivostok, was viciously attacked by a tiger. There have been reports of tiger attacks on dogs in at least three villages in the Anuchinsky district of the Primorsky region, with a 60 kg guard dog being killed earlier this month. These tigers belong to the Amur species, where males can weigh up to 190 kg.

These attacks can be attributed to two main factors. Firstly, the Russian Government’s protection of these tigers, which were on the brink of extinction but now have an estimated population of over 750 specimens. Secondly, according to zoologist Sergei Kolchin, the destruction of predator habitats caused by logging, overhunting of tiger prey, and swine fever has played a significant role.

The Vikings of the 9th century and the 19th century Prussian troops have not returned. They are now French farmers who have proposed to lay siege to Paris this Monday, protesting against the new environmental, tax, and social policies implemented by the French Government and the European Union. They aim not only to block access to the French capital but also to prevent the entry of Spanish transporters into their territory. These actions have caused tensions between France and its neighboring countries.

The French Government, led by President Macron, has accused Spain and Italy of unfair competition that harms French farmers. In a recent speech, Gabriel Attal, the prime minister appointed by Macron, questioned the functioning of the European Union and emphasized the importance of independence and sovereignty. This position contradicts the pro-European stance of the current French Government.

Attal criticized the imposition of phytosanitary rules on French farmers while other countries do not face the same regulations. He highlighted that France imports 40% of its fruits and vegetables, especially from Spain and Italy, due to environmental restrictions imposed by its legislation. Attal insisted on proposing additional measures to protect French food sovereignty during discussions with European partners.

Although these statements may suggest upcoming disagreements between France and the European Union, the French Minister of Agriculture, Marc Fesneau, denied any plans for border closures regarding Spanish or Italian products. However, during the ongoing riots, many protesters expressed concerns about the entry of agricultural products, particularly from Spain, citing unfair competition and lower environmental standards.

In response, French farmers’ associations continue their protests, with plans to block access to Paris indefinitely starting at 2 PM on Monday. Additionally, Rural Coordination announced intentions to block the international market of Rungis, considered the world’s largest market for fresh products. To counter these actions, the French Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin, announced the deployment of 15,000 police officers to protect the access roads to Paris and prevent the confiscation of trucks transporting foreign products.

Meanwhile, the National Federation of Transport Associations of Spain (Fenadismer) reported up to 189 obstruction points caused by the blockades of French farmers on Spanish road transport. These blockages have caused significant damages to transporters, estimated at 10 million euros per day.

The Impact of Mercosur Agreements

French farmers and ranchers also express concerns about free trade agreements between the European Union and other regions, which they believe negatively affect their interests. These agreements enable products to enter France at lower prices. The EU-Mercosur agreement, in particular, has faced heavy criticism and awaits ratification by the 27 EU member states after being agreed upon politically in 2019, after more than two decades of negotiations.