A German court on Friday ruled that the national rail operator’s train drivers can continue their longest strike yet, as passengers were warned of major disruption to rail services nationwide.

The regional labor court of Hesse rejected Deutsche Bahn’s appeal, a day after its first legal bid was turned down by a labor court in Frankfurt.
The German Train Drivers’ Union (GDL) hailed the ruling and announced that the strike will go on as planned.
-We won’t let anyone dictate to us how long our industrial action will go on- union leader Claus Weselsky told a news conference in Frankfurt.
German train drivers began their third strike in a month on Thursday, amid an escalating row with Deutsche Bahn over pay and working conditions.
The strike in both freight and passenger transport will continue until next Tuesday, according to the union.
Deutsche Bahn has warned passengers that the strike will cause numerous cancellations and delays in long-distance, regional, and inter-city transport.
Currently, nearly 60% of regional and inter-city trains are out of operation, and over the weekend almost 75% of long-distance service will be canceled, according to the rail company.
The GDL union is demanding a 3.2% pay raise for train drivers and a one-time €600 ($713) bonus due to work during the coronavirus pandemic.

Train drivers vow to continue strike, national rail operator Deutsche Bahn cancels nearly 75% of long-distance service

The regional labor court of Hesse rejected Deutsche Bahn’s appeal, a day after its first legal bid was turned down by a labor court in Frankfurt

German court rules longest rail strike yet can go ahead

The Office of the Disciplinary Prosecutor of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina, headed by Alena Kurspahić-Nadarević, filed an appeal against the decision of the First Instance Disciplinary Commission in the "Ranko Debevec" case two weeks ago.
In addition to the ODP, the lawyers of the President of the Court of B&amp;H also filed an appeal. In that way, the Second Instance Disciplinary Procedure started and the Second Instance Commission for Judges was formed. The Automatic Disciplinary Case Management System (DKCMS) has assigned the case to one of the three permanent second-instance commissions for judges but it is unknown who the members are.
Although we duly sent an inquiry to the HJPC and referred to the Law on Freedom of Access to Information, we have not received a response for almost ten days.
We also addressed inquiries to the President of the HJPC, Halil Lagumdžija, and the Chief Disciplinary Prosecutor, Alena Kurspahić-Nadarević, but we were denied answers.
We remind you that although he was part of numerous scandals, inappropriate meetings, threats to prosecutors, journalists, Ranko Debevec, severely compromised President of the Court of B&amp;H, by the decision of First Instance Disciplinary Commission of the HJPC, was only publicly warned in disciplinary proceedings against him for several disciplinary offenses.
One of them is inappropriate contact with Osman Mehmedagić Osmica, director of the Intelligence and Security Agency (ISA), last year, on the day when the Prosecutor's Office of B&amp;H filed a new indictment against Osmica in the "Security Checks" affair.
The question is also why the HJPC has not wanted to say the names of the Second Instance Commission for days, because in the case of Gordana Tadić, the names of the members were published a long time ago.

The Automatic Disciplinary Case Management System (DKCMS) has assigned a case to one of the three permanent second-instance commissions for judges, but it is unknown who the members are

Debevec: Inappropriate meeting with the director of ISA

Why the HJPC is silent: Who are the members of the Second Instance Commission in the "Ranko Debevec" case

In the past 24 hours, 1,641 samples were registered with the Public Health Institute of the Federation of B&amp;H, of which 443 were positive for SARS-CoV-2.

A total of 806,718 samples have been tested so far, and SARS-CoV-2 has been confirmed in 141,586 individuals.
In the past 24 hours, 6 people died in the Federation of B&amp;H. The total number of deaths in the Federation of B&amp;H is 5,627.
In the past 24 hours in Republic of Srpska, 794 laboratory samples have been tested, and coronavirus has been confirmed in 349 people.
In the last 24 hours, eight deaths have been reported to the Republic of Srpska Institute of Public Health.
So far, 67,547 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Republic of Srpska, and a total of 3,892 people who have been tested for coronavirus have died.
Today, 19 new cases of coronavirus infection were registered in the Brčko District of B&amp;H out of 175 tested samples. 14 people have recovered, and no one died in the past 24 hours.&nbsp;

In Republic of Srpska, 794 laboratory samples have been tested, and coronavirus has been confirmed in 349 people

In the past 24 hours, 6 people died in the Federation of B&H

B&H registers 811 new coronavirus cases and 14 fatalities

The European Union and UK-based drugs giant AstraZeneca announced Friday that they had reached a settlement in a dispute over a shortfall in coronavirus vaccine deliveries.

The agreement will see the firm deliver the rest of the 300 million doses it promised under contracts with the EU before the end of March 2022, and brings to an end a battle in the Belgian courts.
Brussels was furious when the British-Swedish pharmaceutical outfit fell far short of its delivery promises, undermining the early stages of the EU Covid-19 vaccine rollout.
Officials accused AstraZeneca of prioritising UK vaccine deliveries over the EU order, and European Commission lawyers went to court to demand deliveries or see huge daily fines imposed for any ongoing shortfall. 
But the firm argued that its contract with the bloc only obliged it to make "best efforts" to meet its delivery target, and that production bottlenecks in its European plants had been unavoidable.
In June, in an interim ruling pending the final settlement of the case, the Brussels court imposed a new delivery schedule on AstraZeneca that it was able to honour.
And now the parties have agreed dates that extend the deadline well into next year.
Ruud Dobber, executive vice president for biopharmaceuticals at AstraZeneca, said: "I'm very pleased that we have been able to reach a common understanding which allows us to move forward and work in collaboration with the European Commission to help overcome the pandemic." 
AstraZeneca manufactures vaccines designed at Britain's Oxford University and sells them on a non-profit basis -- its version is cheaper and easier to store than many competitors. 
But the European Union has become frustrated by the slow pace of supply and has made another vaccine produced by US giant Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech the workhorse of its buying programme.
A European Commission statement said that AstraZeneca had delivered 100 million doses in the first half of 2021, would send 135 million more by the end of the year and another 65 million doses by March 2022.
-This will bring the total number of doses delivered to 300 million doses as agreed under the contract- it said.

The agreement will see the firm deliver the rest of the 300 million doses it promised under contracts with the EU before the end of March 2022, and brings to an end a battle in the Belgian courts

Now the parties have agreed dates that extend the deadline well into next year

EU and AstraZeneca settle vaccine supply dispute out of court

Britain will send four million Covid-19 vaccine doses to Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Friday, as his country raced to halt a deadly virus outbreak.

The Australian leader said the planes delivering Pfizer vaccines were "on the tarmac" in the UK and would deliver "four million doses of hope" within weeks.
A first batch 292,000 doses will be shipped "shortly", the British government said in a separate statement.
Several of Australia's largest cities are in lockdown and case numbers and deaths are steadily rising, as the highly transmissible Delta variant spreads throughout the country.
Australia has a steady supply of the locally produced AstraZeneca vaccine, but residents have been hesitant to take it due to rare but highly publicised instances of the vaccine causing blood clots.
About 40 percent of Australian adults are fully vaccinated, well behind most rich nations, and the last 18 months have been marked by on-off restrictions.
Morrison said the vaccine delivery from "Downing Street to Down Under" was a "good deal between mates".
-Thanks Boris, I owe you a beer- Morrison said referring to his British counterpart, Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
As part of the swap deal, Australia will transfer four million Pfizer vaccine doses to the UK before the end of this year, the British government said.
Australia's most populous state of New South Wales reported 12 more deaths on Friday, with the daily toll expected to jump as more than a thousand people now contract the virus each day.

The Australian leader said the planes delivering Pfizer vaccines were "on the tarmac" in the UK and would deliver "four million doses of hope" within weeks

A first batch 292,000 doses will be shipped "shortly", the British government said in a separate statement

UK to send four million vaccine doses to Australia

This morning, the Service for Foreigners’ Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina undertook operational activities aimed at controlling the movement and stay of migrants in the city of Bihać and relocating migrants from abandoned buildings in Kamenica to the temporary reception center Lipa.

Inspectors of the Service for Foreigners’ Affairs, with the assistance of the MoI of the Una-Sana Canton and Bihać police station, controlled the movement and stay of migrants at the mentioned location, where they found 70 people, single men from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.
The Service for Foreigners' Affairs relocated the mentioned migrants to the temporary reception center Lipa, where they were provided with medical assistance and their identification and registration, as well as accommodation, food and other non-food items.
The implemented activity is a continuation of the operational activities of the Service for Foreigners' Affairs on relocating migrants from abandoned facilities to temporary reception centers in order to better manage migration processes in coordination with local authorities in the USC, the Service for Foreigners’ Affairs said.

They found 70 people, single men from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India

The Service for Foreigners' Affairs relocated the mentioned migrants to the temporary reception center Lipa, where they were provided with medical assistance and their identification and registration, as well as accommodation, food and other non-food items

Relocation of migrants from abandoned buildings in Bihać

Germany’s flood-hit regions are still trying to clean up the damage and rebuild, as residents are calling on authorities to do more to help flood victims.

In the western town of Stolberg, which has a higher share of people with migrant backgrounds, many houses and shops remain without gas and electricity more than six weeks after the devastating floods.
Murat Yurtsever, an bakery owner in the town center, said he has lost almost everything as the flood water damaged all electronic devices and appliances in his shop.
-We have managed to save our lives by moving to the upper floors on that night- he told Anadolu Agency, adding that his family and friends did not have time to move furniture and other essential items due to the sudden rise of water.
He criticized authorities for neglecting flood victims, leaving them alone in difficult conditions.
-So far the state only offered €5,000 help for each shop owner, nothing more at the moment- he said.
Around 400 shops in the town center were seriously affected by the flooding with damages estimated to be around several million euros.
Some of the streets of Stolberg are still filled with waste and building rubble, and piles of garbage are floating in the Vichtbach River.
The severe floods in mid-July claimed more than 180 lives and caused widespread devastation in Germany’s western states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate.
German politicians and local authorities faced criticism after reports revealed that they were too late in issuing warnings although the European Flood Awareness System (EFAS) earlier alerted them about possible extreme floods.

Flood victims in western town of Stolberg still struggling to clean up damage, rebuild their properties

In the western town of Stolberg, which has a higher share of people with migrant backgrounds, many houses and shops remain without gas and electricity more than six weeks after the devastating floods

German town needs help weeks after deadly floods

Georgia's main opposition party on Thursday signed an EU-mediated agreement prepared by the head of the EU council to end the country’s political crisis.

After refusing for more than four months, the United National Movement (UNM) signed the five-point agreement prepared by Charles Michel this April.
Party head Nika Melia, visiting the EU representative office in the capital Tbilisi, said after signing the agreement that they decided to sign the deal to accelerate his country’s integration with the EU.
-Despite some controversial clauses in the agr't that prevented us from signing the document, today, considering the risks looming over our statehood, it is our obligation to stand above our opinions &amp; controversies, &amp; sign it- Melia said on Twitter.
Noting difference of opinion within the party on some parts of the agreement, Melia said that they signed it today as stability in the country and its integration with the EU are paramount.

Under an agreement brokered by Michel during his visit this April, a number of people the opposition calls political prisoners and those arrested in 2019 during protests against the Russian delegation in the capital Tbilisi are set to be released.

It also calls for early general elections in 2022 if Georgian Dream, the ruling party, gets less than 43% of the votes in this year's local elections.
In addition, the next parliamentary elections are set to be held with a 2% threshold with a fully proportional system, and the opposition will participate with more representatives in the election commissions.
It envisages making judicial reforms with parliament's contributions as well as selecting heads of parliamentary committees from among the opposition.
The agreement caused discord among the opposition Monday, with some parties reluctant to sign the agreement due to the country’s ongoing political crisis.​​​​​​​

United National Movement signs 5-point agreement prepared by president of EU council

After refusing for more than four months, the United National Movement (UNM) signed the five-point agreement prepared by Charles Michel this April

Georgian opposition party signs EU-mediated agreement

The High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina Christian Schmidt commended the B&amp;H Central Bank for carrying out its constitutional and legal obligations in the best interest of the entire country.

Every citizen of the State of B&amp;H in both entities and the Brčko District profit from a stable currency.
-The B&amp;H Central Bank contributes to preserving the stability of the domestic currency and the banking sector, even during global crises. Most recently, it distributed in due time the IMF allocation to B&amp;H intended to mitigate the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. International credit rating agencies, whose reports guide investment decisions, have repeatedly recognized this important role of the B&amp;H Central Bank- said the High Representative.
The High Representative expressed in a telephone conversation with Governor Senad Softić full support for the institution and the work of the Board of Governors, underlining that preserving the continuity of its work and its independence from politics is vital to B&amp;H’s overall stability and development, stated the OHR.&nbsp;

Every citizen of the State of B&H in both entities and the Brčko District profit from a stable currency

The High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina Christian Schmidt

Schmidt: Stable and independent Central Bank of BiH is a public interest

The Belgian royal couple will observe a quarantine as a COVID-19 case was detected in the family, the royal palace announced on Thursday.

-Following a confirmed COVID-19 case within the Royal Family, Their Majesties the King and Queen have decided to limit their contacts in the coming days as a precaution, in accordance with the health regulations in force- the Belgian monarchs said in a statement.
One of the royal couple’s younger children got the virus, the Belga news agency reported, referring to a source close to the palace.
Despite both tested negative, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde canceled all their official programs until Sept. 6.
Over the past week, 2,008 people were diagnosed with COVID-19 on a daily average in Belgium that indicates an incidence rate of 242 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Meanwhile, 85% of the adult population received at least one of the recommended doses of COVID-19-vaccines.

King Phillippe, Queen Mathilde canceled all programs after family member contracts coronavirus

One of the royal couple’s younger children got the virus, the Belga news agency reported, referring to a source close to the palace

Belgian royal couple quarantined due to COVID-19 case in family

Italian police said Thursday they had raided a company specialising in military drones that they believe was illegally bought by Chinese state firms as a way of acquiring its expertise.

The financial crimes police said they had identified three Italian and three Chinese managers suspected of breaking the law on the circulation of armaments and on the protection of strategic Italian companies.
An investigation by prosecutors in Pordenone, northeast Italy, found that in 2018 a Hong Kong-based company had paid a vastly inflated price for 75 percent of the Italian firm, which had contracts with the defence ministry.
Behind the purchasing company was a complex web of corporate holdings traced back to "two important government-owned companies in the People's Republic of China", the police statement said.
The authorities were not informed of the sale, as is required by law, while the temporary export of a military drone to China, ostensibly for a 2019 Shanghai fair, was not properly declared.
Police said the Italian firm had been bought not as an investment but "exclusively for the acquisition of its technological and production know-how, including military", with plans allegedly under way to transfer production facilities to the eastern Chinese city of Wuxi.

The authorities were not informed of the sale, as is required by law, while the temporary export of a military drone to China, ostensibly for a 2019 Shanghai fair, was not properly declared

Behind the purchasing company was a complex web of corporate holdings traced back to "two important government-owned companies in the People's Republic of China", the police statement said

Italy police raid drone firm 'illegally bought by China'

Ireland on Thursday slapped Facebook's WhatsApp messaging service with a record fine for breaching EU data privacy laws after European regulators demanded the penalty be increased.

Ireland's Data Protection Commission was entrusted with the case because Facebook's European headquarters are situated in the country.
-And following this reassessment the DPC has imposed a fine of 225 million euros ($267 million) on WhatsApp- the commission said, by far the largest penalty it has ever issued to a company, dwarfing the 450,000-euro fine imposed on Twitter last year. 
As Ireland hosts the regional headquarters of a number of major tech players such as Apple, Google and Twitter, the DPC has been largely responsible for policing adherence to the EU's landmark General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) charter.
But Ireland has come under pressure for not taking a firm enough line against tech giants, who are generally understood to be drawn to the country by its low corporate tax rate of 12.5 percent.
WhatsApp said it would appeal the decision.
-We disagree with the decision today- it said in a statement, calling the penalties "entirely disproportionate."

The DPC launched the WhatsApp probe in December 2018 to examine whether the messaging app "discharged its GDPR transparency obligations" with regard to telling users how their data would be processed between WhatsApp and other Facebook companies.

In an initial finding submitted to other European regulators for approval last December, the DPC proposed imposing a fine of between 30 and 50 million euros, but a number of national regulators rejected the figure, triggering the launch of a dispute resolution process in June.
Last month, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) instructed the DPC to increase the fine, with Germany's regulator leading the calls for the penalty to be higher. 
The EDPB said that the fine had to "reflect a significant level of non-compliance which impact on all of the processing carried out by WhatsApp" in Ireland.
The fine had to be "effective, dissuasive and proportionate," it said. 
Hailed as a potent weapon to bring tech titans to heel, the GDPR endowed national watchdogs with cross-border powers and the possibility to impose sizeable fines for data misuse.
But Germany's data protection commissioner, Ulrich Kelber, in March wrote an open letter criticising the DPC for the "extremely slow" way it handled GDPR complaints.&nbsp;

WhatsApp said it would appeal the decision

Ireland's Data Protection Commission was entrusted with the case because Facebook's European headquarters are situated in the country

Ireland fines WhatsApp for breaching EU privacy laws

Director of the Una National Park Amarildo Mulić confirmed that about 83,000 visits were registered this year at the National Park, which is almost 60 percent more than last year's figures in the same period.

-This was a good tourist season for the Una National Park and the tourism and hospitality sector in general in the Una-Sana Canton, especially when we take into account the pandemic circumstances.We registered about 83,000 visits, and we expect to exceed the number of 90,000 by the end of the year. This brings us closer to the number of 100 thousand visitors that we had in 2018.&nbsp;I remind you that 2019 was a record year with 120 thousand visits, and I am sure that if there was no coronavirus pandemic and everything that caused we would today talk about 200,000 visitors and tourists annually- said director Mulić.Today, the Minister of Economy of the Una-Sana Canton, Samra Mehić, visited the Una National Park who once again emphasized the leading role of this national park in the development of tourism and the importance of mutual cooperation and support.

They expect to exceed the number of 90,000 by the end of the year

Una National Park has already registered 83,000 guests this year

In the past 24 hours, 1,629 samples were registered with the Public Health Institute of the Federation of B&amp;H in the past 24 hours, of which 324 were positive for SARS-CoV-2.

A total of 805,077 samples have been tested so far, and SARS-CoV-2 has been confirmed in 141,143 individuals. 
In the past 24 hours, 10 people died in the Federation of B&amp;H.
The total number of deaths in the Federation of B&amp;H is 5,620.
In the past 24 hours, 497 laboratory samples were tested in the Republic of Srpska, and coronavirus was confirmed in 207 people.
In the last 24 hours, 14 deaths were reported to the RS Institute of Public Health.
So far, 67,198 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in the RS, and a total of 3,884 people have died in whom the coronavirus test has been confirmed.
Today, 23 new cases of coronavirus infection were registered in the Brčko District, and 191 samples were tested. Two persons died.

23 new cases of coronavirus infection were registered in the Brčko District

In the past 24 hours, 497 laboratory samples were tested in the Republic of Srpska, and coronavirus was confirmed in 207 people

B&H registers 554 new coronavirus cases and 26 fatalities

The Embassy of the United Stated to B&amp;H together with the partners organized the closing ceremony for the project "Mine-Free Sarajevo" last night at the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Thanks to the project, more than six million square meters of land in both B&amp;H entities have been cleared of mines. The United States financed the implementation of this project.
US Ambassador to B&amp;H Eric Nelson called this "a wonderful day because four municipalities, from Vogošća to Stari Grad, have finally been cleared of mines."
The project implementers visited the cleared terrains on the nearby Trebević mountain together with the mayors of Stari Grad and Istočni Stari Grad. On this occasion Ambassador Nelson said that it was amazing to be at the site between the walking paths and the former mined areas.
-This is a clear investment. Peace, progress, reconciliation- Nelson added, reminding that the project gathered a broad coalition of partners, and stressed that the Armed Forces of B&amp;H were also engaged.
On Monday, six senators from the United States attended the donation of additional demining equipment.
-This is what the NATO partnership looks like in action- said, among other things, the US Ambassador, announcing a lot of other activities, such as plan for demining the Brčko District region by 2024, together with partners.
Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Programs and Operations in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs Stanley Brown said the completion of the “Mine-Free Sarajevo” project means greater security for citizens and more safe areas, and his country is proud to be able to participate in the project.
The United States has invested USD 124 million in the project, Brown said, announcing the continuation of US engagement in the demining process in B&amp;H.

The project implementers visited the cleared terrains on the nearby Trebević mountain together with the mayors of Stari Grad and Istočni Stari Grad

Nelson: This is wonderful day for Sarajevo, four municipalities cleared of mines

Head of the European Union Delegation and EU Special Representative in B&amp;H Ambassador Johann Sattler and Mostar Mayor Mario Kordić opened the festival 'Open City Mostar' last night, which will last three weeks and feature more than eighty events.

Sattler said that this is a wonderful day for Mostar, Herzegovina and the whole region and that he believes that in the next 22 days, which will be filled with various artistic events, everyone will find something interesting and have the opportunity to visit some of the events.
He added that the European Union wants to provide support, it wants to help now "when the City of Mostar has turned over a new leaf".
-After ten years elections were held in the City of Mostar and now we have the City Council, we have the opposition. We also want to help musicians who had a difficult period due to coronavirus pandemic. In addition to that there are significant tourist potentials that the City of Mostar certainly has, and these are also events that unite and gather citizens. We want this festival and these events to be inscribed on the calendar of culture in Mostar and to become a traditional event. I am glad that we managed to join forces and achieved this- said Sattler at the opening of the festival.
Mayor Kordić pointed out that this event has multiple purposes and that one of them is certainly the extension of the tourist season in order to give a little more impetus to tourism in the City of Mostar after last year and all the restrictions we had.
The festival is funded by the European Union and implemented by the Mostar School of Rock and Club 27 in partnership with the City of Mostar.

The festival is funded by the European Union and implemented by the Mostar School of Rock and Club 27 in partnership with the City of Mostar

Head of the European Union Delegation and EU Special Representative in B&H Ambassador Johann Sattler

German court rules longest rail strike yet can go ahead

Why the HJPC is silent: Who are the members of the Second Instance Commission in the "Ranko Debevec" case

B&H registers 811 new coronavirus cases and 14 fatalities

EU and AstraZeneca settle vaccine supply dispute out of court

UK to send four million vaccine doses to Australia

Relocation of migrants from abandoned buildings in Bihać

German town needs help weeks after deadly floods

Georgian opposition party signs EU-mediated agreement

Schmidt: Stable and independent Central Bank of BiH is a public interest

Belgian royal couple quarantined due to COVID-19 case in family

Italy police raid drone firm 'illegally bought by China'

Ireland fines WhatsApp for breaching EU privacy laws

Una National Park has already registered 83,000 guests this year

B&H registers 554 new coronavirus cases and 26 fatalities

Nelson: This is wonderful day for Sarajevo, four municipalities cleared of mines

Sattler and Kordić open the 'Open City Mostar' festival

News

German court rules longest rail strike yet can go ahead

Why the HJPC is silent: Who are the members of the Second Instance Commission in the "Ranko Debevec" case

B&H registers 811 new coronavirus cases and 14 fatalities

EU and AstraZeneca settle vaccine supply dispute out of court

UK to send four million vaccine doses to Australia

Relocation of migrants from abandoned buildings in Bihać

German town needs help weeks after deadly floods

Georgian opposition party signs EU-mediated agreement

Schmidt: Stable and independent Central Bank of BiH is a public interest

Belgian royal couple quarantined due to COVID-19 case in family

Italy police raid drone firm 'illegally bought by China'

Ireland fines WhatsApp for breaching EU privacy laws

Una National Park has already registered 83,000 guests this year

B&H registers 554 new coronavirus cases and 26 fatalities

Nelson: This is wonderful day for Sarajevo, four municipalities cleared of mines

Sattler and Kordić open the 'Open City Mostar' festival