Dozens of schoolboys who were rescued from kidnappers in northwest Nigeria arrived back home on Friday, many of them barefoot and clutching blankets.&nbsp;Television pictures showed the boys dressed in dusty clothes and light green uniforms, looking weary but otherwise well, getting off buses in the city of Katsina and walking to a government building.
One of them, with flecks of dried mud on his face, told Channels TV the captors had fed them bread and cassava.
-It was cold- he told the reporter. Asked how he had felt when the bus arrived in Katsina, he said: -I was really happy- and broke into a smile.
A week earlier, gunmen on motorbikes raided the boys’ boarding school in the nearby town of Kankara and marched hundreds of them into the vast Rugu forest. Authorities said security services rescued them on Thursday, although it was not clear if all of them had been recovered.
The abduction gripped a country already incensed by widespread insecurity, and evoked memories of Islamist militant group Boko Haram’s 2014 kidnapping of more than 270 schoolgirls in the northeastern town of Chibok.
Six years on, only about half the girls have been found or freed. Others were married off to fighters, while some are assumed to be dead.

Hours before the rescue of the boys was announced, a video started circulating online purportedly showing Boko Haram militants with some of the boys. Reuters was unable to verify the authenticity of the footage or who released it.
On Friday, the boys walked from the bus in single file, flanked by soldiers and armed police officers. A group of their parents waited to be reunited with them in another part of town.
-I couldn’t believe what I heard until neighbours came to inform me that it’s true- Hafsat Funtua, mother of 16-year-old Hamza Naziru, said earlier in a phone interview.
Describing the moment she heard the news, she said she ran out of her house with joy “not knowing where to go” before returning home to pray.
Another parent, Husseini Ahmed, whose 14-year-old Mohammed Husseini was also among those abducted, expressed happiness and relief that he would soon be reunited with his son.
-We are happy and anxiously expecting their return- he said.Last week’s mass kidnapping piled pressure on the government to deal with militants in the north of the country.
It was particularly embarrassing for President Muhammadu Buhari, who comes from Katsina and has repeatedly said that Boko Haram has been “technically defeated”.
Boko Haram has a history of turning captives into jihadist fighters. If its claims are true, its involvement in northwestern Nigeria marks a geographical expansion in its activities. But it could have purchased the boys from local criminal gangs with which it has been building ties.
Armed gangs that rob and kidnap for ransom, widely referred to as “bandits”, carry out attacks on communities across the northwest, making it hard for locals to farm, travel or tap rich mineral assets in some states such as gold.

Television pictures showed the boys dressed in dusty clothes and light green uniforms

Freed Nigerian schoolboys walk after they were rescued by security forces in Katsina, Nigeria, December 18, 2020.

Tired but smiling, freed Nigerian schoolboys arrive back home

A citizen journalist detained in China after reporting from the Covid-19 ground zero of Wuhan will face trial later this month, her lawyer said Friday, as fears grow for her health.
The coronavirus first emerged in central China late last year, and Beijing has faced accusations that it covered up the initial outbreak and silenced early whistleblowers.
Zhang Zhan, a former lawyer, travelled to Wuhan in February and livestreamed her experiences on social media. She also wrote essays critical of the government's response -- including the strict lockdown of millions of people.
Zhang was detained in May and is accused of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble", according to a court notice seen by AFP -- a charge routinely used to suppress dissidents, with a maximum prison sentence of five years. 
The 37-year-old's lawyers received notice earlier this week that the hearing will take place in a Shanghai court on December 28. 
Zhang began a hunger strike in June, her lawyers said, and has been force-fed via a nasal tube.
Her lawyer Zhang Keke wrote in a note circulated on social media that her health was extremely poor and she suffered from headaches, dizziness and stomach pain.
-Restrained 24 hours a day, she needs assistance going to the bathroom- he wrote.
-She feels psychologically exhausted, like every day is a torment... she said her current physical state is too hard to bear.- 
The lawyer said that she has vowed not to stop her hunger strike, despite the repeated pleas of her family, friends and lawyers.
Zhang was critical of the early response in Wuhan, writing in a February essay that the government "didn't give people enough information, then simply locked down the city".
-This is a great violation of human rights- she wrote.
Zhang is the first to face trial of four citizen journalists detained by authorities earlier this year after reporting from Wuhan. 
Previous attempts by AFP to contact the other three -- Chen Qiushi, Fang Bin and Li Zehua -- were unsuccessful.

Zhang Zhan, a former lawyer, travelled to Wuhan in February and livestreamed her experiences on social media

Zhang Zhan is among numerous journalists who have been arrested after travelling to Wuhan to report on the coronavirus outbreak and response

Chinese citizen journalist to face trial after Wuhan virus reporting

Finns' penchant for relaxing in blazing hot steam-filled rooms was on Thursday put on the UN's list of the world's intangible heritage.
With an estimated three million saunas for 5.5 million people, the steam bath is a traditional Finnish institution which goes back hundreds of years.
-Sauna culture in Finland is an integral part of the lives of the majority of the Finnish population- the UN body said.
The culture "involves much more than simply washing oneself. In a sauna, people cleanse their bodies and minds and embrace a sense of inner peace", UNESCO said.
Saunas are ubiquitous in Finnish homes, blocks of flats and at swimming pools, where bathers gather often in the nude in temperatures of around 85 degrees Celsius (185F). 
Over the years, Finnish leaders have regularly invited their counterparts and foreign dignitaries into the sauna to continue discussions, and Cold War president Urho Kekkonen's "sauna diplomacy" became a keystone of Finland's relations with neighbouring Soviet Russia. 
But the practice has also come in for heavy criticism for excluding women, as the sexes usually bathe separately. 
In winter the sauna is often followed by a dip in a hole in the ice of one of Finland's many thousands of lakes, a ritual which many sauna devotees insist improves health and mental wellbeing.
The often quiet contemplation inside the sauna, alone or with others, is something of a sacred ritual for Finns, for whom regular churchgoing is rare.
Traditionally the sauna has also been the place where life began and ended -- up until the 1940s rural women often gave birth there, as the only place in the home with hot water and privacy, and the sauna is where the last rites were performed after a death. 
The term "sauna" is one of the few words from the notoriously obscure Finnish language to pass into international use, and the name is thought to have originally referred to the hot stones upon which water is thrown to create steam. 
For 11 years the Finns hosted a sauna endurance world championship although it was abandoned in 2010 after the death of a competitor in the 110 degree (230 Fahrenheit) heat.
However in 2019 the country successfully reclaimed the world record from China for the highest number of different nationalities in one sauna, when bathers from 101 different countries squeezed into an enormous steam bath in the capital Helsinki.

UN body: Sauna culture in Finland is an integral part of the lives of the majority of the Finnish population

The term "sauna" is one of the few words from the notoriously obscure Finnish language to pass into international use

UNESCO puts Finnish sauna culture on heritage list

Journalist Avdo Avdić, a close friend of the accused Osman Mehmedagić Osmica, was a guest on N1 television today and directly accused "Radončić's minister" of spreading disinformation, in order to reduce Lavrov's diplomatic defeat, that there was a problem with gas supply.
However, only an hour earlier, the director of "BH Gas", Jasmin Salkić, who is not a member of the Alliance for a Better Future at all, was a guest on the same N1 television and explained the new situation.
Salkić literally said:
- Capacities are ready for winter. I'm sorry someone abused that. Gas was properly ordered and paid for, everything was inspected. If there are policies with other things, there is always policies with the Russians and this shows what Russian influence means. The Southern Interconnection project that we are working on has proven to be a project that needs to be accelerated even more so that we do not panic even in a false spin - said Salkić in „Novi dan“ show.

After receiving the notification that our gas supply was reduced by 50 percent from Gazprom, the employees of "BH Gas" immediately contacted their Russian colleagues and it was determined that it was a technical error, N1 reported.
After this, it is completely clear that the problem with gas was not invented by "Radončić's minister", as it is malignantly imputed, but that Avdić probably did not follow the information just given on N1 Television, so in the gas evaporation, neither wrong nor guilty, the character of Radončić's Minister (Nermin Džindić) appeared, instead of the only competent director of "BH Gas" Jasmin Salkić (SDA).

However, on the same N1 television, only an hour earlier, the director of "BH Gas", Jasmin Salkić, who is not a member of the Alliance for a Better Future at all, was a guest and explained the new situation

Avdo Avdić against the facts about Russian gas

Huawei said Thursday it would open a manufacturing facility for mobile phone network equipment in France, the first of its kind outside of China.
At least 200 million euros ($245 million) will be invested to get the facility in the eastern town of Brumath up and running, creating 300 jobs initially.
Located near the border with Germany, the site aims to produce 1 billion euros of equipment per year for the European market.
-With this factory built at the crossroads of Europe, Huawei will enrich its already rich presence on the continent with 23 research and development centres, more than 100 partner universities, more than 3,100 suppliers and an effective supply chain- the company said in a statement.
The announcement comes as the Chinese telecoms giant is under pressure both from accusations by the US that its mobile network equipment is a spying risk as well as charges it has assisted efforts by Beijing to monitor Uighur Muslims.
Huawei has rejected accusations by Washington that Beijing could access its equipment to snoop on voice and data traffic, but an increasing number of countries including France have restricted if not outright banned Huawei equipment from their 5G mobile networks.
It also denied claims earlier this month that it had been involved in testing facial recognition software in China that could send alerts to police when it recognised Uighur minorities' faces.

At least 200 million euros will be invested to get the facility in the eastern town of Brumath up and running

The site aims to produce 1 billion euros of equipment per year for the European market

Huawei to open first network equipment factory outside China

The health condition of academician Abdulah Sidran (76), a Bosnian poet, writer and screenwriter and columnist for „Dnevni Avaz“, is extremely difficult.
After being infected with the coronavirus, he was hospitalized in the General Hospital "Prim. Dr. Abdulah Nakaš", and, according to the latest information, his breathing is supported by a respirator.
Reportedly, the famous writer is in an induced coma, and the doctors of this hospital are making superhuman efforts to provide Sidran, as well as other patients, with all the necessary care.

He is reportedly in an induced coma

Abdulah Sidran in serious health condition, attached to a respirator

Twitter has announced that it will begin removing misleading information about the COVID-19 vaccines from next week.
-Starting next week, we will prioritize the removal of the most harmful misleading information, and during the coming weeks, begin to label Tweets that contain potentially misleading information about the vaccines- the social media company said Wednesday in a statement.
Tweets that advance unsubstantiated rumors, disputed claims, as well as incomplete or out-of-context information about vaccines will be labeled and those tweets "may link to authoritative public health information or the Twitter Rules to provide people with additional context and authoritative information about COVID-19."
The company underlined that amid a global pandemic, vaccine misinformation presents a "significant and growing public health challenge."
Critics, however, accuse social media companies of censoring free speech, interfering in politics and reaching beyond their limits.
There are more than 74.2 million virus cases and nearly 1.7 million deaths globally, the Johns Hopkins University data showed.
Meanwhile, the worst-hit country by the pandemic, the US, hit a new one-day record by registering more than 3,600 deaths Wednesday. It has nearly 17 million cases and over 307,500 fatalities.

Tweets with rumors, disputed claims, incomplete or out-of-context information will also be labeled

The company underlined that amid a global pandemic, vaccine misinformation presents a "significant and growing public health challenge"

Twitter to remove 'misleading' posts about vaccines

Turkey’s strong historical, cultural, and humanitarian ties make the country an integral part of the Balkans, said Turkey’s deputy foreign minister.
-Economic and social integration in our region will enhance peace and prosperity. Besides, the integration will enable us to develop common responses to regional and global challenges- Yavuz Selim Kiran said at a digital workshop on Wednesday.
The digital workshop, titled COVID-19: Challenges and Opportunities in Balkans was organized by the Center for Strategic Research with the participation of members of South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) member countries.
Noting that Turkey took over the term presidency of Southeast European Cooperation Process (SEECP) in July, Kiran said: "In our opinion, the main mission of this process is to bring all Balkan countries together around the same table. I am happy to see that we have achieved this goal through today's online meeting."
Kiran highlighted that since the beginning of the biggest crisis of the 21st century, the coronavirus pandemic, more than 70 million cases have been recorded worldwide, with more than 1.6 million deaths.
-Significant increase is being observed in COVID-19 cases in the Balkans. SEECP member countries recorded 3.5 million coronavirus cases and nearly 60,000 people died. These statistics clearly call for international and regional solidarity to tackle the pandemic- he added.
Kiran said Turkey did its part by extending its helping hand to 156 countries and 11 international organizations during the pandemic.
-In this context, I am pleased to state that we also provided medical assistance to the countries in the region. Besides the health crisis, the coronavirus has a serious impact on the social and economic structure of countries. We are witnessing an increase in socioeconomic inequality- he went onto say.
Speaking about COVID-19 vaccines, Kiran said: "We believe that vaccines should be offered to all human beings. Our scientists are working to develop domestic vaccine in Turkey. We currently have 16 vaccine candidates. 13 of them are on the World Health Organization list. Our aim is to share these vaccines with all countries in need."
Stating that the outbreak accelerated global change and brought some opportunities as well as difficulties, Kiran underlined that countries that can balance between tackling the pandemic and maintaining social and economic activities gain an advantage.
-The outbreak has accelerated the transformation in global supply chains. Our region can also benefit from this transformation. So, we have to be able to maintain our economic production and develop our commercial ties- he added.
Noting that the trade volume between Turkey and the Balkan countries is around €17 billion ($20.8 billion) and the total amount of Turkish investments in Balkan countries is around €14 billion ($17.1 billion), Kiran said that economic cooperation is an important part of the relationship.
-Turkey is taking an active role in maintaining peace and stability in Turkey. In addition to our efforts for stabilization through NATO and regional organizations, we also lead various initiatives with our friends in the Balkans, such as Tripartite Consultation Mechanisms.
--We continue to support the region's integration with European and Euro-Atlantic institutions- he added.

Turkey's strong historical, cultural, humanitarian ties make it integral part of Balkans, says deputy foreign minister

The digital workshop, titled COVID-19: Challenges and Opportunities in Balkans

Economic, social integration in Balkans enhance peace

The historic Bosnian town of Mostar, a gem of 15th century Ottoman architecture, has not held an election since 2008. On Sunday it has a chance to shake off years of political paralysis.Despite drawing millions of tourists, the town is suffocating under uncollected garbage and it still bears the scars of war from the 1990s: local echoes of a similar dysfunction at the national level in Bosnia.
The town of around 100,000 has not held an election for 12 years because its Catholic Croats and Muslim Bosniaks were unable to agree on electoral rules, a row that illustrates the ethnic tensions that brought war to Bosnia three decades ago.
But the dispute has been settled, thanks to a 2019 court ruling won by Irma Baralija, a philosophy teacher who filed a suit against the Bosnian government at the European human rights court for failing to hold elections in Mostar.
-They just stole all those years of democracy from us- said Baralija, a Bosniak who is standing for the multi-ethnic Our Party in Sunday’s city government election.
-We simply must take a step forward to the future, we cannot live in the past anymore.-
Twenty-five years since war ended, Bosnia faces a choice, analysts say: either it reforms and moves on from ethnic politicking towards European Union integration, or it falls deeper into decay and stagnation.
In Mostar, voters face the same question, with potential new leaders such as Baralija campaigning on bread-and-butter issues rather than on the ethnic agenda that has bogged down Bosnia for 25 years.
Political experts expect multi-ethnic parties to win some councillors, although perhaps not enough to seriously damage the two-party nationalist majority. But new members will at least be able to challenge council decisions.
Croats outnumber Bosniaks in Mostar by less than 5%, but people from both groups are leaving the town because its economy has been ruined by mismanagement.

The Croatian HDZ party and the Bosniak SDA argued for years over electoral boundaries, until the court decision forced them to accept a proposal almost unchanged from a decade ago.
During that time, the HDZ and SDA, which share power nationally in Bosnia’s autonomous Bosniak-Croat Federation, have drafted the Mostar budget together and it had been approved each year by the region’s parliament. Citizens say money was spent without rigorous controls or transparency.
-What we have seen in Mostar in the past 12 years was lawlessness and anarchy ... with only two men running the town- said Slaven Raguz, head of the opposition Croatian Republican Party (HRS).
-Mostar has become a paradigm of Bosnia, in which ruling elites have tailored society according to their needs, living off taxpayers’ money and not showing any responsibility towards the people they are supposed to represent- Raguz said.
The acting mayor declined to comment and the finance minister did not immediately answer telephone calls and emails from Reuters. Mostar’s young people, facing Europe’s highest rate of youth unemployment of 40.2% and a society marred by ethnic rivalries and corruption, will be voting for the first time in their town.
-It means a change, we’ll finally have a city council so something should be happening- said Zvonimir Bioksic, 22, a Croat student of mechanical engineering, while taking a stroll in the town centre with his Bosniak friend Djani Fejzic.
The two young men defy prejudices about Mostar’s divisions.
-Why would the town, which has so many bridges, be a synonym for divisions- Fejzic asked. -I am all for connecting.-
Marin Bago, an activist who will run on a list of independent candidates called “The Right to the Town”, says Mostar has been divided only in peoples’ minds.
-The deepest emotion in Bosnia is fear, remaining from the war- Bago said, pointing to ruins that date from the fighting that began in 1992.
-We are looking at them for 28 years, it is frustrating because there is no reason nor excuse to watch the ruins for 28 years.-

The town of around 100,000 has not held an election for 12 years

An election sign is seen in front of a house that was destroyed during the 1992-1995 war, in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina December 14, 2020.

For Bosnia, historic Mostar is a test for change

B&amp;H Presidency Chairman Milorad Dodik congratulated US President Joe Biden on winning the elections.- In the capacity of the chairman of the Presidency of B&amp;H, as well as the representative of the Serbian people in this institution, I congratulate on the election victory and the mandate won in one of the most important and influential positions in the world - the position of President of the United States - said Dodik.
He stressed that the United States, with which the Serbian people have shared friendship and alliance for more than a century, is one of the authors and guarantors of the Dayton Peace Agreement, which "stopped the bloodshed and civil war in B&amp;H in 1995. and established a constitutional system in B&amp;H based on equality of two entities and three constituent peoples ”.
Dodik reminded that the date of harmonization, November 21st, is celebrated as an important holiday in RS.
- It is clear that for the Serbian people, and for me personally, it is unacceptable to mark November 25th, the date taken from the previous, communist regime of SFRY, as well as the date that announced the beginning of the civil war in B&amp;H, March 1st - stated Dodik.

For the Serbian people, and for me personally, the celebration of November 25th is unacceptable, said Dodik

Dodik congratulated Biden on winning the mandate

After Fahrudin Radončić, the leader of SBB, the presidents of SDA, SB&amp;H and BPS Bakir Izetbegović, Amer Jerlagić and Sefer Halilović expressed their support for the “Coalition for Mostar 2020” with their arrival in the largest city on the Neretva yesterday.Željko Komšić, the president of DF, the party that, in addition to these four, also makes up the Coalition, will visit Mostar today.
Denis Zvizdić, vice president of the SDA, who is one of the coordinators of this pro-Bosnian bloc in Mostar, also attended yesterday's joint meeting with the representatives of the Coalition.
Izetbegović said that the first big step for Mostar was made at the moment when the voters in that city were given back the opportunity to choose.
- Now further steps follow, real unification and reconciliation of the people in Mostar. This should be a city of prosperity, a united city where young people want to stay and see the perspective, a city of developed tourism and economy, everything that Mostar deserves to be. I am convinced that a team of young people, led by Dr. Zlatko Guzin, can make us see such Mostar - said Izetbegović.
Jerlagić said he hoped this was finally a victory for democracy in Mostar, and Halilović said he came to Mostar to support the Coalition, which he believes has the best candidates.
- Mostar should belong to the people of Mostar, we expect the citizens to choose the best - he said.

Dr. Zlatko Guzin, holder of the city list of the Coalition, said that this visit of the party presidents was a sign and signal that they had synchronized, coherent and very correct cooperation of all parties of the Coalition in this campaign.
- On December 20th, I would like to use the opportunity to invite the citizens of Mostar to go to the polls for this holiday of democracy, after 12 years, and to circle on the ballots the names they believe in and believe they will best represent their interests - said Dr. Guzin.

This should be a city of prosperity, a united city, the SDA president said

Yesterday in Mostar: A message to the citizens

Party leaders expressed support for "Coalition for Mostar"

All eyes in BiH, but also in the Western Balkans, are on the newly elected President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, according to political scientists from B&amp;H, Serbia and Croatia.
In the last few weeks, at least five international conferences have been held on the situation in B&amp;H, the need for constitutional reforms, and the fight against corruption. In addition to international conferences on B&amp;H, a debate was held in the US Congress.

Political scientist from Zagreb Davor Gjenero told "Avaz" that Biden had already announced that he would not observe the situation in B&amp;H peacefully, as the previous administration did.
- Serious political actors who are interested in participating in these processes are on the scene again. I was very impressed by the congressional debate and it seems to me that a democratic America will be the initiator of the consolidation process - Gjenero believes.

He added that, apparently, the new administration in the United States does not think that Republic of Srpska is there forever.
Dean of the Faculty of Political Sciences in Sarajevo, Sead Turčalo, points out that expectations from Biden are high.
- But in a way, it should be dimensioned, so that there would not be great disappointment, bearing in mind that the new administration will first have to solve internal problems in the United States. The new administration will definitely facilitate the activities of other actors in B&amp;H, first of all the EU, the OHR, and finally its diplomats who are in charge of this region - Turčalo explained.

Things are moving in the direction of stronger American engagement in B&amp;H and the region, says Aleksandar Popov, a political analyst and director of the Center for Regionalism in Novi Sad.
- If this transition in the USA did not last this long, I think we would already have some action. It is obvious that the situation in B&amp;H is unsustainable and things are going further. However, the USA and the EU have their problems, but I expect that significant changes will take place in the foreseeable future, primarily because Biden knows the situation in B&amp;H well - Popov pointed out.

The executive director of Transparency International B&amp;H, Ivana Korajlić, says that B&amp;H could fight corruption from within, but only if there was a will.
- However, the implementation of reforms is not in the interest of those who need to implement them. That is why the international community is constantly seen as a solution and that nothing can be done without their pressure. We saw that the pressure of the citizens did not bear fruit, because the political elite is not interested in the citizens - Korajlić pointed out.

<h2>Russia has more important problems</h2>

- These days, Russian diplomacy is frantically repeating that the division into two entities is sealed and definite, and if they need to emphasize that, then it is clear that they have information that the other side does not think that the division is something that cannot be discussed. The fact that Russia is still loud should not scare us, because they have their own geopolitical interests that they have to resolve - Gjenero emphasized.

Gjenero, Turčalo, Popov and Korajlić for "Avaz"

Biden: He announced stronger engagement in B&H and in the Western Balkans

All eyes are on Joe Biden

Today, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina is among the five cities in the world where the highest concentration of pollution was recorded.
According to the measurements of the "Air Visual" station, today Sarajevo is on the fourth place in the world list of the most polluted cities in the world, and the air quality was assessed as "unhealthy", with an air quality index (AQI) of critical 188.
Also, Sarajevo was at the top of this list last night at around 9 PM, with an AQI of as much as 320.
At the top of the list is currently Kyrgyzstan's Bishkek, whose AQI is 288, followed by Pakistan's Lahore, Dhaka, followed by Sarajevo, while in the fifth place is Krakow.
Belgrade and Warsaw are also on the list of the 10 most polluted cities in the world from Europe.

Also, Sarajevo was at the top of this list last night at around 9 PM, with an AQI of as much as 320

Today, Sarajevo is among five most polluted cities in the world

Members of the Police Administration Old Town Sarajevo, acting in accordance with the Operational Action Plan, in cooperation with officers from the Service for Foreigners of B&amp;H and on the basis of previously collected information, controlled several facilities to prevent illegal stay of migrants in the municipality of Old Town Sarajevo.The control plan covered 13 facilities, seven catering-business and six private-residential facilities.

- On that occasion, 66 persons were found who were staying illegally in the mentioned facilities and who, in accordance with the valid procedures, were placed in the migrant reception center in Blažuj and handed over to the further jurisdiction of the Service for Foreigners Affairs of B&amp;H. At the same time, the owners of the facilities that provided accommodation services to persons who were staying illegally in the area of Canton Sarajevo, were issued misdemeanor orders by the officers of the Service for Foreigners of B&amp;H due to non-compliance with legal provisions, the Canton Sarajevo Ministry of Interior announced.

Police officers of the Police Administration will continue to work on preventing the illegal stay of foreigners in the Sarajevo Canton.

Migrants are placed in the reception center in Blažuj and handed over to the further jurisdiction of the Service for Foreigners Affairs of B&H

Police action carried out in the municipality of Old Town Sarajevo

Police found 66 migrants who were staying illegally in the Old Town

The Embassy of Ukraine in Bosnia and Herzegovina sent a note to the B&amp;H Ministry of Foreign Affairs asking for detailed information on the origin of objects from the Ukrainian cultural heritage, which B&amp;H Presidency Chairman Milorad Dodik gifted to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during his visit to B&amp;H on 14th of December.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of B&amp;H, as confirmed to us, received a diplomatic note from the Embassy of Ukraine asking for a statement on how the 300-year-old icon was in the possession of the Chairman of the Presidency of B&amp;H Milorad Dodik.
This diplomatic note was forwarded to the Presidency of B&amp;H for declaration.
The Embassy of Ukraine, according to the letter, which is in the possession of "Avaz", is asking for detailed information.
The reaction of the Embassy of Ukraine states that the non-provision of public, immediate and unequivocal denunciation by the top leadership of B&amp;H of information related to the gift in question, possession or transfer, in any way, of cultural, historical or religious values originating from the territory of Ukraine , which are temporarily under the occupation of the Russian Federation, will signify support for the aggressive policy and military actions of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, which has already resulted in the deaths of many thousands of Ukrainian citizens, the top leadership of B&amp;H - it is said in the reaction of the Embassy of Ukraine.
In question is a 300-year-old gilded icon, whose origin is from Lugansk, Ukraine, on which a seal is imprinted, which proves its originality.
The icon was handed to Lavrov during a meeting at the Republic of Srpska government headquarters in East Sarajevo, which was also attended by RS government leaders and the president of the Bosnian entity, Željka Cvijanović.

B&H Presidency Chairman Milorad Dodik presented gifts to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during his visit to B&H on December 14th

What is written in the protest note of the Ukraine Embassy

What did Ukraine really send to Bosnia and Herzegovina?

A major increase in self-harm and mental health conditions has accompanied the coronavirus lockdown in Greece's migrant camps, a prominent aid group said Thursday.
The International Rescue Committee said data from three islands with the largest migrant populations -- Lesbos, Chios and Samos -- showed that three quarters of more than 900 people assisted since 2018 had such symptoms.
As of the end of October, 41 percent had reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, 35 percent reported suicidal thoughts and 18 percent reported having attempted to take their own lives, IRC said. 
And immediately after Greece imposed a virus lockdown in March, there was a 71 percent increase in psychotic symptoms and a 66 percent increase in self-harm, the group said.
More than 15,000 people live in camps in the three islands, and over 17,000 in Aegean camps overall, according to government data.
On Lesbos, more than 7,000 people are staying in a makeshift tent camp set up after the permanent facility burned down in September.
On Monday, a three-year-old Afghan girl was found semi-conscious and bleeding in the camp lavatory, with authorities saying she was likely raped.
-The mental health of refugees has been decimated this year, in the wake of devastating fires in Lesbos and Samos, Covid and the lockdown restrictions brought with it, and the move to a new temporary reception centre on Lesbos, which is yet to provide dignified living conditions- said IRC Greece director Dimitra Kalogeropoulou.
Only a few thousand refugees have been allowed to relocate to other EU states this year, despite repeated requests by Athens and the European Commission.
These include around 1,300 ailing or unaccompanied minors. 
-We need a fair and predictable system whereby EU member states share responsibility for hosting new arrivals, which respects the right of each individual to a full assessment of their asylum application- said Imogen Sudbery, IRC director of policy for Europe.

More than 15,000 people live in camps in the three islands

As of the end of October, 41 percent had reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder

Tired but smiling, freed Nigerian schoolboys arrive back home

Chinese citizen journalist to face trial after Wuhan virus reporting

UNESCO puts Finnish sauna culture on heritage list

Avdo Avdić against the facts about Russian gas

Huawei to open first network equipment factory outside China

Abdulah Sidran in serious health condition, attached to a respirator

Twitter to remove 'misleading' posts about vaccines

Economic, social integration in Balkans enhance peace

For Bosnia, historic Mostar is a test for change

Dodik congratulated Biden on winning the mandate

Party leaders expressed support for "Coalition for Mostar"

All eyes are on Joe Biden

Today, Sarajevo is among five most polluted cities in the world

Police found 66 migrants who were staying illegally in the Old Town

What did Ukraine really send to Bosnia and Herzegovina?

Self-harm rises in Greek migrant camps amid lockdown

News

Tired but smiling, freed Nigerian schoolboys arrive back home

Chinese citizen journalist to face trial after Wuhan virus reporting

UNESCO puts Finnish sauna culture on heritage list

Avdo Avdić against the facts about Russian gas

Huawei to open first network equipment factory outside China

Abdulah Sidran in serious health condition, attached to a respirator

Twitter to remove 'misleading' posts about vaccines

Economic, social integration in Balkans enhance peace

For Bosnia, historic Mostar is a test for change

Dodik congratulated Biden on winning the mandate

Party leaders expressed support for "Coalition for Mostar"

All eyes are on Joe Biden

Today, Sarajevo is among five most polluted cities in the world

Police found 66 migrants who were staying illegally in the Old Town

What did Ukraine really send to Bosnia and Herzegovina?

Self-harm rises in Greek migrant camps amid lockdown