Budapest/Vienna, July 2 (IANS) Hungary has taken over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) for six months, with its focus on enhancing EU competitiveness.

On Sunday, the day before Hungary started its EU presidency, Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced in Vienna the creation of “Patriots for Europe,” a new far-right alliance, in the European Parliament as reported by Xinhua news agency.

He presented the alliance with Herbert Kickl, leader of Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPOe), and Andrej Babis, leader of the main Czech opposition party Action of Dissatisfied Citizens (ANO).

Orban said the alliance, comprising his right-wing populist Fidesz party, FPOe, and ANO, would soon become the “largest group of the European right”. Yet it would need to attract lawmakers from at least four other EU member states to form a group in the European Parliament.

Austrian broadcaster ORF raised the question of how the National Rally (RN) of the French right-wing populist Marine Le Pen and Germany’s AfD party would react to the new alliance. The RN and AfD were recently excluded from the right-wing Identity and Democracy group in the European Parliament.

On Monday, Hungary’s European Union Affairs Minister Janos Boka outlined the seven top priorities during Hungary’s presidency, including enhancing the EU competitiveness, reinforcing European defence policy, EU enlargement, stemming illegal migration, shaping the future of a cohesion policy, formulating a farmer-oriented EU agricultural policy and addressing European demographic challenges.

Boka said these priorities reflect the will of European voters, stressing that the recent European parliamentary elections sent a clear political message that “Europe needs change”.

The Minister stressed EU competitiveness and European security and defence policy in particular.

“Strengthening Europe’s peace and security are of paramount importance,” Boka added.

The motto of Hungary’s EU Presidency is “Make Europe Great Again”.

Zoltan Kiszelly, Director of the Center of Political Analyses at Hungary’s Szazadveg Institute, told Xinhua that the central European country is expected to play a significant role in setting the agenda and topics for meetings and negotiations due in the coming months.

–IANS

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Rome, July 2 (IANS) Italy suffered massive damages and disruptions after exceptional downpours battered its northwestern regions over late last week, local authorities said.

The stormy weather led to intense flooding and extensive landslides in the Alpine Aosta Valley region, which borders France, particularly affecting Piedmont, Xinhua news agency reported on Monday.

In the Aosta Valley, concerns centred on the town of Cogne and the renowned Breuil-Cervinia ski resort, Civic Protection Chief Fabrizio Curcio told local media after an emergency meeting with rescue teams and regional authorities that extended into the early hours of Monday.

Since Sunday, both places have been isolated due to a landslide that severed the main road providing access to the region.

In addition, the centre of Cervinia was inundated by flooding.

Several other villages in Aosta Valley and Piedmont were also cut off.

In total, around 500 people, including tourists stranded in resorts along the slopes of the 4,600-metre-high Monte Rosa, had to be evacuated by helicopters.

“Our current priorities are focused on evacuating those still in need to lower Aosta Valley, and on restoring the road system and essential services, including the damaged aqueduct,” Curcio said.

In Piedmont, at least 480 rescue operations were conducted up to Sunday night, involving 100 staff and 170 volunteers from the Civic Protection, according to the latest data provided by the regional government.

Most of these operations took place in the provinces of Turin and Verbania, as well as the Canavese area bordering the Aosta Valley, according to the Volunteer Firefighting Corp involved.

–IANS

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Dhaka, July 2 (IANS) India and Bangladesh on Monday vowed to enhance maritime cooperation keeping in view New Delhi’s Act East policy and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR).

Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Dinesh Tripathi discussed various areas of further cooperation during a meeting with his counterpart, Admiral M. Nazmul Hassan held at the Bangladesh Naval Headquarters in Dhaka.

“The two Principals discussed longstanding and robust ties between the two nations and navies; initiatives for enhancing maritime cooperation, avenues for capacity building and capability enhancement, including coordinated ops towards bolstering interoperability in the maritime domain,” the Indian Navy said on Monday.

Earlier, Admiral Tripathi began his four-day visit — first as a CNS — to Bangladesh by paying tribute to the bravehearts of the Bangladesh Armed Forces who made the supreme sacrifice during the 1971 Liberation War at the Shikha Anirban (eternal flame).

The CNS is also scheduled to review the Passing Out Parade at Bangladesh Naval Academy (BNA) in Chittagong on July 4, address participants at the National Defence College in Dhaka and visit a few key defence facilities in the country.

Besides Admiral Hassan, the Indian Navy chief would hold bilateral discussions with Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, Bangladesh Air Force Chief Air Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan, Lt. General Mizanur Rahman Shameem (Principal Staff Officer, Armed Forces Division) and senior leadership of the Bangladesh government.

“Naval cooperation between India and Bangladesh has been traditionally strong, encompassing a wide span which includes operational interactions through port calls, bilateral Naval exercises, along with capacity building, capability enhancement and training initiatives,” the Indian Defence Ministry stated on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Indian Navy Destroyer INS Ranvir has also arrived in Chattogram for a week-long visit that coincides with the visit of Admiral Tripathi.

The Guided Missile Destroyer forms part of the front line combatant fleet of the Indian Navy on Eastern Seaboard.

Earlier this month, India and Bangladesh signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to further consolidate cooperation between the two countries in the field of military education during the state visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India.

The MoU was signed between Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) Wellington and the Defence Services Command and Staff College (DSCSC) located in Dhaka’s Mirpur.

Both colleges impart training to officers of tri-services, preparing them for higher staff and command responsibilities.

–IANS

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Beirut, July 1 (IANS) Lebanon’s state security forces arrested 30 Syrian nationals in the northern town of Berkayel on Monday for illegally entering the country, the media reported.

The Syrians were apprehended along with a Lebanese driver who allegedly smuggled them across the border, reported Xinhua news agency.

The driver is under investigation, while the detainees will be transferred to the relevant authorities for potential deportation back to Syria, following approval from the judiciary.

The arrest comes amid heightened Lebanese efforts to curb unauthorised crossings from Syria.

Over the past year, the Lebanese army has reportedly thwarted attempts by thousands of Syrians to enter the country.

Lebanon currently hosts the highest number of refugees per capita globally, with the government estimating nearly 1.5 million Syrians seeking refuge in the country.

–IANS

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Hanoi, July 1 (IANS) Vietnam reported 12,321 traffic accidents which killed 5,255 people in six months from December 15, 2023, to June 14, 2024, the country’s National Committee on Traffic Safety said on Monday.

The traffic accidents led to 9,599 injuries during the cited period, said the report according to Xinhua news agency.

On a yearly comparison, the number of accidents and injuries increased by 17.58 per cent and 39.28 per cent, respectively.

The number of deaths declined 11.78 per cent year-on-year.

Among the accidents recorded, a total of 12,225 were road traffic accidents, which killed 5,191 people and injured 9,584 others.

–IANS

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