Connect with us

World

One dead and several injured: a serious train accident in the Netherlands

Published

on

One dead and several injured: a serious train accident in the Netherlands

Status: 4/4/2023 11:29 AM

A serious train accident occurred near The Hague early in the morning. At least one person was killed and 19 others were seriously injured. How the accident occurred is still unclear.

At least one person has died in a serious train accident in the western Netherlands. Emergency services said about 30 others were injured, 19 of them seriously.

In his first reaction, Prime Minister Mark Rutte spoke of a „terrible train accident”. „My thoughts are with the relatives and all of the victims. I wish them so much strength,” he wrote on Twitter.

Intercity freight train crashed construction crane

At around 3.25am, according to a railway spokesperson, an Intercity train and a freight train collided with a construction crane near Voorschoten, about 15 kilometers from The Hague. According to the railway, between 50 and 60 passengers were on the night train en route from Amsterdam to The Hague when the accident occurred. Network rail operator ProRail was initially unable to say anything about the exact cause.

According to eyewitnesses, the vehicle crashed into a meadow, and at least two vehicles were overturned. The freight train is said to have derailed. Most of the passengers managed to get off the train themselves.

Chaos at the scene – train traffic is cut off

„There was a heavy blow, and the windows were shattered,” a passenger reported on the radio. The carriage in which the student was sitting overturned. He was able to quickly free himself.

Emergency services were immediately on the spot. Eyewitnesses said that some of the passengers were met by local residents. Journalists said that the chaos at the scene and on the railway line was great. The road is very busy.

READ  Caught: Thieves rob ATMs using a Raspberry Pi

Royal couple: 'We feel so much for all of them’

The Dutch royal couple also expressed their condolences to those affected by the train accident. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima announced on social media that their thoughts were with the victims and their families: „Many people now feel fear and insecurity. We feel so much for all of them.”

„This is a black day for the Netherlands’ railways,” said a spokesperson for the road operator ProRail. „We will now closely examine how this could happen.”

ProRail has now announced the closure of two of the four lanes on the road section due to construction work. Whether the train was on the wrong track remains speculation for the time being. No trains are expected to run between Leiden and The Hague until the afternoon.

With information from Ludger Kazmierczak, ARD Studio Den Haag

At least one person was killed and 30 injured in a train accident in the Netherlands

Ludger Kazmierczak, ARD The Hague, 4/4/2023 8:17 AM

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Twój adres e-mail nie zostanie opublikowany. Wymagane pola są oznaczone *

World

Experts suspect the Kremlin is behind the new law

Published

on

Experts suspect the Kremlin is behind the new law
  1. Homepage
  2. Policy

He presses

People in Georgia have been protesting against a government law for weeks. One expert suspects Russian influence behind the project.

Tbilisi – In recent days, Georgia has witnessed huge demonstrations against the law planned by the government. The law stipulates that NGOs that receive more than 20 percent of their funds from abroad must identify the source of the funds and register with the authorities. According to one expert, the Kremlin may be behind the proposed law in Georgia.

Protests in Georgia: Experts suspect the Kremlin is behind the law

Thousands of people protested against the law in Georgia on Friday (May 3) with slogans such as “No to the Russian government” or “We will not tire.” The bill was approved on second reading on Wednesday (May 1). But for weeks, people have taken to the streets and confronted police, who have responded to the demonstrations with tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets.

Oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili (left) is believed to be the driving force behind the controversial law in Georgia. © Photomontage Shakh Ayvazov / Zurab Tsertsvadze / German Press Agency

Critics accuse Georgia’s Russia-allied government of modeling the law on Russia’s „proxy law.” “In terms of internal politics, there is actually no explanation for this,” Stefan Mallerius, representative of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Tbilisi, says in ZDF magazine today. The Georgian government withdrew the “Russian law,” as some called it, in March 2023 after massive protests. For Mallerius, the fact that it will now come into force comes “suddenly.”

Georgia: Law through „foreign interference”

The head of the regional program in the South Caucasus suspects „interference from abroad, specifically from Russia.” “There has to be a connection from the Kremlin or the Kremlin region,” he says. Malerios suspects that Georgian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, who is considered the country’s unofficial decision-maker, is behind the law. Malerius continues to speculate, saying, “He was told or made clear that he had to introduce this law now.” Ivanishvili was the initiator of the inter-party alliance and today’s ruling party, the Georgian Dream.

READ  Putin is running out of options in the economic war with the European Union

The law still needs Parliament’s approval on a third reading. This is scheduled to be done within two weeks. Pro-European President Salome Zurabishvili is expected to veto the measure. But pro-government representatives in parliament have a sufficient majority to override the president’s veto. The ruling party aims for the law to enter into force in mid-May. Georgia has been an official candidate for European Union membership since last December. Green Party politician Anton Hofreiter sees Georgia’s accession as being at risk from the law. (FCA/AFP)

Continue Reading

World

Russia is feverishly assembling a new Black Sea fleet

Published

on

Russia is feverishly assembling a new Black Sea fleet
  1. Homepage
  2. Policy

He presses

The Russian Black Sea Fleet was partially destroyed or severely damaged in the Ukrainian war off Crimea. Now Russia is rearming and is frantically assembling two new ships for the navy.

MOSCOW – Since the beginning of the Ukrainian war, Ukrainian forces have been inferior to Russia in some respects: Ukraine has fewer soldiers at its disposal and fewer weapons and ammunition. However, the attacking country has repeatedly managed to inflict significant losses on Vladimir Putin’s forces. This is precisely what Russia would like to begin now – assembling its fleet again after several successful attacks by Ukraine on the Russian navy. But it will likely take some time before the warships are deployed.

Ukraine has repeatedly succeeded in attacking the Russian Black Sea Fleet off the Crimean Peninsula

A few weeks ago, Russia’s Black Sea Fleet largely withdrew from Crimea. The sea off the occupied peninsula has long been a popular target for Ukrainian attacks. For example, Ukraine was able to sink the naval flagship “Moskawa” shortly after the war began, followed by other destroyed ships in February and March 2024, such as the Russian patrol boat “Sergei Kotov.”

It is now said that Ukraine has managed to destroy or damage about a third of Putin’s entire fleet. Many of the attacks were carried out with Navy drones.

After heavy losses: Russia wants to expand its fleet in the Black Sea with two warships

Like the Ukrainian center Rapid defense Reports now indicate that Putin is already working to modernize the badly damaged Black Sea Fleet. Accordingly, Russia wants to put a Karakurt-class corvette and a Vasily Bykov-class heavy patrol boat into service soon.

The new additions will be manufactured for the Russian Navy at the Zelenodolsk shipyard in the Russian Republic of Tatarstan. Since 1895, the shipyard has mainly manufactured warships, which were usually later used by the Black Sea Fleet or the Baltic Fleet. The launch is scheduled to take place one day in May, although the Russian Defense Ministry has not yet announced a specific day.

New warships used in the Ukraine war? Russia still has to be patient

However, the launch only symbolizes the end of the manufacturing phase, and further on-water work and testing will follow Rapid defense. In the case of the Karakurt class, it could take up to three years for the ship to be launched after launch, for example Ukraine war can be used. The patrol boat should be much faster. The previous ship, „Sergei Kotov”, which was sunk by Ukrainian forces last March, was in service with the Russian Navy after about a year and a half. It is scheduled that a Ka-27 combat helicopter will be stationed on board the patrol ship, as happened previously on the destroyer “Sergei Kotov.”

Patrol ship
One of the losses of the Black Sea Fleet: the patrol ship “Sergei Kotov” (front). And now a similar ship will soon leave the Russian shipyard. © Vitaly Timkiv/Imago

It remains to be seen how useful Russia’s frantic attempt to rebuild the Black Sea Fleet will be in the Ukraine war. However, one thing is clear: the country ruled by Vladimir Putin will suffer more damage in the ongoing war. In addition to military objectives, there are also… The number of casualties among Russian soldiers is enormous. However, putting an end to the war does not appear to be on Putin’s agenda. A major offensive is currently being planned for the summer, and forces in eastern Ukraine are also trying to advance into Ukraine. (Prophet)

READ  Controversial diplomat: Silinsky fires Ambassador Melnik
Continue Reading

World

The Russian economy now stands on the verge of conditions similar to those experienced by the Soviet Union

Published

on

The Russian economy now stands on the verge of conditions similar to those experienced by the Soviet Union
  1. Homepage
  2. a job

He presses

Despite expected GDP growth, Russia suffers from high inflation and revenue shortages. The future of war financing remains uncertain.

MOSCOW – Within a few years, the Russian economy has turned into a war economy. It is now completely dependent on arms production and trade China and its ongoing oil and gas business, which continues to find buyers despite Western sanctions. Despite the World Bank’s forecast that GDP may reach 3.2% this year, the economic situation in Russia is not rosy at all. With inflation so high, fears of expropriation and labor shortages due to forced conscription, the country faces greater challenges than ever before.

The Russian economy is losing relevance: inflation is still high

Newsweek Reports indicate that the Russian economy will contract starting in 2025 and then steadily until the end of the decade. According to the International Monetary Fund, GDP will not exceed 1.8 percent next year. The war economy is not a sustainable economy, and as long as President Vladimir Putin continues his bloody war in Ukraine, economic dependence on the conflict will continue to increase. Despite significant interest rate increases by the Russian Central Bank last year, the inflation rate remains at 8%. The central bank expects the average inflation rate to reach 4.8 percent for the year 2024.

It remains uncertain how Putin plans to finance his war after 2024. Russian economist Igor Lepsiz said in an interview with a newspaper in early April. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ): “It seems to me and other economists that Russia will still be able to finance the war this year, but then it is not clear where the money will come from.”

READ  Because of anger at Zelensky?: Poland no longer supplies weapons to Ukraine
Russian President Putin cannot lose the war in Ukraine. © Pavel Bednyakov/DPA

The state’s sources of income are getting smaller and smaller, which is only now becoming clear. Gazprom is an example of this, as it recorded losses for the first time in its history in 2023. Instead, the state is incurring more and more debt, the repayment of which will constitute a heavy burden on the budget in the near future. According to experts, the main problem is the current shortage of skilled workers, which is exacerbated by mobilization in Russia. “The state is expanding the arms sector, which then takes over the healthy cells of the civilian economy like a cancer,” says Igor Lepsiz.

Putin will do everything in his power to win the war against Ukraine

Lipsez expects Putin and his power structure to do everything in their power to continue raising money for the Ukraine war – even if it means collapsing the financial system or cutting the population’s pensions. According to Lepsis, pensions have not already been adjusted as they should be due to the high inflation rate.

Vasiliy Astrov of the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW) shares this assessment. He believes that Putin will always find a way to continue the war. „Putin will not run out of money for war,” the Russian expert said last week. Astrov added: “For the Russian economy, the question is what will come after the war, because it is currently completely dependent on it.”

Due to the shortage of skilled workers and the state-controlled war economy, real wages in Russia rose by about eight percent last year, while private consumption increased by 6.5 percent, according to a report by the institute specializing in Eastern Europe.

READ  Controversial diplomat: Silinsky fires Ambassador Melnik

Russia’s economy: Putin accepts sacrifices

However, Igor Lepsiz does not believe that anything will change in Putin’s power if economic problems become more evident among the population. “Any deterioration in the economic situation will not lead to mass protests. Even if food can no longer be bought except with stamps, as happened in the Soviet Union, which I believe will soon become possible, people will put up with it. Then people starve, pensioners take only cheap medicine and simply die. He told the radio that the political situation will not change had won.

Continue Reading

Trending