Het Laatste Nieuws, Belgium
The Antwerp-based paper poses the question of whether the country could face "Canadian conditions" as so-called "freedom convoys" converge on Brussels.
Some streets in Ottawa, Canada, have been clogged with trucks and other vehicles in a protest at Covid measures, sparked by a rule saying truckers must be vaccinated to cross the US-Canada border.
HLN reports that 'freedom convoys' left several places in Europe yesterday (Wednesday) to protest against coronavirus policy. It said they are set to arrive in Brussels on Monday and mirror what is happening in Canada.
“This will be a long-term campaign,” the organisers were reported as saying. HLN reported that the demonstrators want to stay for two to four weeks, camp in the Cinquantenaire Park (a large public area to the east of the city) and completely disrupt the Heysel (a leisure and events area to the north of the city) and the capital.
It added: "The security forces are trying to monitor the movements, but they don't really know what to expect."
The Moscow Times
The news site says the Russian government plans to invest 5.9 billion rubles (£58 million) into climate and decarbonisation research in the next eight years, the country’s deputy prime minister for environmental policy Viktoria Abramchenko has said.
The newspaper reports that a new state-funded research program will focus on studying climate change and strategies for adaptation and decarbonisation.
The government hopes that the program will help reduce air pollution as well as improve health and economic conditions in heavily industrialised cities, Ms Abramchenko said.
Creating a system to monitor industrial carbon emissions and boosting Russian ecosystems’ carbon-sink potential are also among the program’s key goals, according to the government.
“Russia will get its own scientific and methodological base that will not only allow us not only to better understand current environmental changes and predict possible risks for the regional economies and their residents, but also to effectively reduce these risks,” Abramchenko is quoted as saying.
San Francisco Chronicle
The US newspaper reports that a woman was shot and killed while in a car in the East Bay area of the city.
It said the 76-year-old was shot in Antioch yesterday (Wednesday) at around 7pm., as she was being driven by a 29-year-old man near Canada Valley Road and Pinnacle View Way.
Authorities said the driver called 911 and reported that his passenger was having trouble breathing.
When paramedics arrived, they found that the victim had at least one gunshot wound in her back. She was then taken to a local hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.
According to police, the suspect was in the Canada Valley area when they fired shots.
Freemantle Herald, Australia
The newspaper covering the port city in Western Australia reports that the sudden death of a woman living homeless at CY O’Connor Beach to the south of Freemantle on Sunday morning had deeply affected her community and highlighted their vulnerability during the Covid pandemic, said an acquaintance.
The 42-year-old woman had been sleeping in the sand dunes with her best friend for security, but he woke to find she had not survived the night and despite an ambulance rushing to the scene she could not be revived.
The newspaper said her circle of friends said Rachael seemed healthy just days earlier, and they didn't believe drugs or alcohol played a part in her death.
"She wasn’t your stereotypical average person who’s lived homeless for ages and gone down that rabbit hole – to me she looked almost like she shouldn’t be homeless,” said a friend who the Herald said it had agreed not to identify.
She explained Rachael found herself on the streets about six months ago after fleeing a violent relationship. “She was a really quiet, sweet-natured person – not a bad bone in her body,” she said, adding Rachael had recently borrowed some money from a friend as a bond for the lodging house at 100 Hampton Road and was due to move in within days.
Kyiv Post, Ukraine
The publication yesterday (Wednesday) ran a story entitled "The Ultimate Ukraine Emergency Contingency Guide". The article pointed out that several Western embassies had reached out to their citizens with travel advisories and other recommendations.
However, it said that Ukraine’s Culture and Information Policy ministries in June published a booklet that provides detailed contingency advice while the Kyiv Post researched border crossings to five neighboring countries in the west.
It said a 14-page specialised brochure, titled "If There is a State of Emergency or War", provides detailed contingency plans for Ukraine civilians. It was published in June 2021 by the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security at the Ministry of Culture and Informational Policy.
The Post said advice included preparing a bag with essential belongings. It should include 72 hours’ worth of water and pre-cooked food, a passport and other types of identification as well as documents certifying property ownership, cash, bank cards and phone chargers.
It also recommended having miscellaneous items including a radio, flashlight, compass, watch, multi-tool, knife, trash bags, notebook, pencils, needles, thread, lighter and matchsticks, and to pack warm clothes, underwear, comfortable footwear, personal hygiene products, medication, and cooking plates.
Citizens are also advised to carry a first-aid kit, including different-sized gauze patches, a clean cloth, tissue, or piece of gauze to stop bleeding, a large piece of tissue that can be used to fix a victim’s limb and antiseptics.
Citizens are also urged to locate the nearest bomb shelter in advance, and that if a loud, recurring alarm is heard outside, it means that official TV or radio channels should immediately be turned on for instructions from the authorities.
The Post said the guide also offers advice on moving to a different locale, and to leave a white piece of clothing outside a window to say help is needed. If deciding on moving to a different locale, make sure to have enough gas and a paper map handy. Store identification and money in different places.
It adds people should make sure to indicate their blood group and potential allergies. Before leaving, cut off electricity, water, and gas supplies, close all the windows and cover the ventilation holes, grab respirators, and the bag with essentials, and to make sure children have information on them in case they get lost and, if shelling occurs, to hide in the bathroom or run to the nearest shelter. It adds that If outdoors when the shelling starts, look for shelter signs.
It says: "Alternatively, find some kind of holes in the ground where you can hide and cover your head. Do not hide behind cars or kiosks. Filter information sources. Information is critical in times of war. Do not communicate with strangers, tell them about your plans, the movement of the military, etc. Listen only to official and trusted sources.
The Post said Ukraine borders five countries in the west: Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Moldova. All but Moldova are EU member states.
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