World
Cost-of-living strike hits traffic, businesses in Belgium
A nationwide strike over the price of residing will increase snarl visitors by a lot of Belgium and hit firms.
A nationwide strike over the price of residing will increase attributable to runaway inflation and large vitality invoice hikes linked to the battle in Ukraine snarled visitors by a lot of Belgium and affected companies on Wednesday.
The primary commerce unions joined forces to name for wage will increase as extreme transport disruptions hit the nation of 11.5 million inhabitants the place inflation has reached its highest stage for the reason that mid-Seventies.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has despatched oil and pure fuel costs hovering as nations spurn Russian vitality and provide reductions wreak havoc in markets. The value will increase are driving international inflation, whereas boosting income at vitality firms.
Unions are insistent that staff need to be shielded from the impact of the worth hikes that drive up vitality and meals costs and depart many on the sting of poverty.
“Costs of electrical energy, fuel, meals have gone by the roof over the previous 12 months. Due to the battle but in addition as a result of firms seized the chance to extend income much more,” stated Christian Democrat commerce union ACV.
“In distinction, wages usually are not allowed to extend for years … This has to cease. We want a value cap on fuel and electrical energy,” it added.
Site visitors jams
Most trains and public city visitors have been lowered to a minimal, growing rush hour visitors jams and maintaining many individuals from reaching their place of job.
At Brussels airport, 60 % of flights have been cancelled, whereas the Charleroi airdrome was shut down.
In Brussels, the capital metropolis internet hosting many of the European Union establishments, just one metro line was in service, with buses and tramways additionally disrupted.
Employees in about two-thirds of hospitals within the French-speaking Wallonia area and Brussels joined the fray, with non-urgent appointments and operations postponed, the CSC union stated.
The nationwide strike additionally disrupted companies as staff arrange picket strains at supermarkets and buying facilities.
The federal authorities has taken a number of measures to ease the plight of the poorest in society to ensure they don’t have to bear the brunt of the vitality and inflation disaster.
However the vitality package deal – together with grants in addition to the prolongation of a so-called social tariff for the extra susceptible teams – has didn’t tame the anger of 1000’s of residents struggling to make ends meet.
In response to commerce unions, fuel costs have gone up by 130 % in only one 12 months, electrical energy by 85 % and gas by 57 %. Meals costs have additionally gone up.
Belgium has arrange a system of wage indexation guaranteeing that if the price of residing goes up, salaries, pensions and advantages additionally improve.
However unions have been arguing that the subsequent indexation – which won’t happen earlier than January for a whole bunch 1000’s of staff – doesn’t take into consideration increased gas costs particularly, so there’s all the time a loss in buying energy.
World
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World
Mexican mayor murdered less than a week after taking office
The mayor of a state capital in southern Mexico has been killed just one week after he took office, officials said Sunday.
Alejandro Arcos was sworn in last Monday as mayor of Chilpancingo, a city so violent that a drug gang openly staged a demonstration, hijacked a government armored car and took police hostage in 2023 to win the release of arrested suspects.
Chilpancingo is the capital of Guerrero state, where Acapulco is located.
The state prosecutors’ office issued a statement Sunday confirming Arcos had been killed, but provided no details.
SHOOTING NEAR LUXURY MEXICO RESORT LEAVES 1 DEAD, SUSPECTS FLEE ON JET SKIS Alejandro Moreno, the national leader of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, lamented Arcos’ killing and said the newly installed secretary of the city council had also been murdered three days earlier.
“They had been in office less than a week,” Moreno wrote on his social media accounts. “They were young and honest public servants who were seeking progress for their community.”
Chilpancingo has long been the scene of bloody turf battles between two drug gangs, the Ardillos and the Tlacos. The battle has resulted in dozens of gruesome killings and some high-profile scandals.
A previous mayor was caught on video apparently holding a meeting with leaders of one of the gangs at a restaurant. She was subsequently expelled from her party. In July 2023, federal officials said a demonstration held by hundreds of people in Chilpancingo that month had been organized by the Ardillos gang to win the release of two gang leaders arrested for drugs and weapons possession.
The demonstrators largely blocked all traffic on the highway between Mexico City and Acapulco for two days, battled security forces and commandeered a police armored truck and used it to ram down the gates of the state legislature building.
The demonstrators abducted 10 members of the state police and National Guard, as well as three state and federal officials, and held them hostage to enforce their demands before releasing them.
World
Borrell-to-Kallas: Will EU lose its balance in its Middle East policy?
How can the EU break the current deadlock in the Middle East? And what stance can we expect from the EU’s next top diplomat, Kaja Kallas? Radio Schuman spoke to Martin Konecny, director of the European Middle East Project.
Monday marked a year since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, which led Brussels to repeat its calls for a ceasefire and the immediate release of hostages.
One year later, Europe is still not on the same page, and in just a few weeks, Kaja Kallas, the former Estonian prime minister, will become the EU’s new foreign policy chief.
But Kallas is known to be less committed and outspoken on the Middle East than the current High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borell.
So, what can we expect from Kallas, and how can the EU break the current deadlock in the Middle East? Martin Konecny, director of the European Middle East Project, an independent civil society hub on EU policy towards Israel and Palestine is our guest today.
On the EU’s daily menu, get ready for a first taste of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Ahead of his big speech on Wednesday outlining his vision for Hungary’s six-month turn at the EU’s rotating presidency, Orbán will hold a press conference with MEP Kinga Gál at 2:30 pm today that could steal some of the limelight from a parliamentary debate on the EU’s car industry and… himself.
Lastly, Radio Schuman dives into one of the EU’s toughest challenges: a serious shortage of doctors, nurses and other healthcare pros. Curious about which countries rely most on foreign medical staff? Here’s a hint: Northern Europe’s where to look.
You can read the full story on Euronews Health.
Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Paula Soler, audio editing by Zacharia Vigneron and music by Alexandre Jas.
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