World
Finnish Nobel peace laureate Martti Ahtisaari dies at 86
Ahtisaari played a key role in negotiating peace in multiple countries, including Namibia, Kosovo and Indonesia.
Martti Ahtisaari, the former president of Finland who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in ending conflicts around the globe, has died.
The former United Nations diplomat passed away at the age of 86 after battling Alzheimer’s disease, Finland’s presidential office said on Monday.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto paid tribute to Ahtisaari, describing the former leader as a “president in times of change”, “a citizen of the world” and a “great Finn”.
Ahtisaari will receive a state funeral, with the date to be announced later, the Crisis Management Initiative he founded said.
Ahtisaari played a key role in negotiating peace on multiple continents, including agreements related to Namibia’s independence in the 1980s, Serbia’s withdrawal from Kosovo in the late 1990s, and autonomy for Aceh province in Indonesia in 2005.
When the Norwegian Nobel Committee recognised Ahtisaari in October 2008, it lauded “his important efforts, on several continents and over more than three decades, to resolve international conflicts”.
“Peace is a question of will,” Ahtisaari said while accepting the award. “All conflicts can be settled, and there are no excuses for allowing them to become eternal.”
Born on June 23, 1937, in Viipuri, which is now part of Russia, Ahtisaari began his career as a primary school teacher before joining Finland’s foreign ministry in 1965.
As a diplomat, Ahtisaari served as ambassador to Tanzania, Zambia, Somalia and the United Nations in New York.
After being named Namibia’s special representative by UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim in 1978, Ahtisaari helped secure the African country’s independence, for which he was granted honorary citizenship.
In 1994, Ahtisaari was elected as the 10th president of Finland as the country transitioned from an electoral college system to direct elections.
His international prominence peaked in 1999 when he negotiated the end of the conflict in Kosovo alongside Russia’s Balkans envoy Viktor Chernomyrdin.
During his time in office, he was a fervent advocate for Finland’s membership of the European Union and NATO, both of which the country eventually joined.
After he declined a second presidential term in 2000 to dedicate his time to Finland’s rotating EU presidency, Ahtisaari founded the CMI to promote dialogue and mediation in conflicts.
He is survived by his wife, Eeva, and their son.
World
John Stamos Shares Full House Reunion Photo With Olsen Twins in Honor of Bob Saget’s Birthday
ad
World
Climate activists glue themselves to Munich airport runway, pausing traffic
A group of climate protesters have been arrested in Germany after breaking into an airport and gluing themselves to the runway.
Six activists broke through security fencing at Munich airport in the German state of Bavaria on Saturday, according to the news outlet dpa.
Approximately sixty flights were canceled after the half-dozen protesters glued themselves to the tarmac, forcing officials to temporarily close the airport.
CLIMATE ACTIVISTS ARRESTED FOR BLOCKING AIRSTRIP IN MASSACHUSETTS
An additional fourteen flights into Munich were forced to divert to other nearby airports to avoid the disruption.
Climate protest coalition Last Generation took credit for the stunt, claiming it was intended to draw attention to the German government’s inaction on the airline industry’s environmental impact.
CLIMATE GROUP TAKES RESPONSIBILITY FOR US OPEN CHAOS, OFFERS WARNING: ‘NO TENNIS ON A DEAD PLANET’
All six protesters were arrested and charged by law enforcement.
“Trespassing in the aviation security area is no trivial offense. Over hundreds of thousands of passengers were prevented from a relaxed and punctual start to their Pentecost holiday,” German Airports Association General Manager Ralph Beisel told dpa.
“Such criminal actions threaten air traffic and harm climate protection because they only cause lack of understanding and anger,” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser wrote about the protests on social media platform X.
The Munich incident was just one of many similar protests around the world against air transportation. Last Generation has performed at least two similar airport disruptions in Germany since last year.
World
Russian court seizes two European banks’ assets amid Western sanctions
Freezing hundreds of billions of dollars in lenders’ assets was part of dispute over gas project halted by sanctions.
A Russian court has ordered the seizure of the assets, accounts, property and shares of Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank in the country as part of a lawsuit involving the German banks, court documents showed.
The banks are among the guarantor lenders under a contract for the construction of a gas processing plant in Russia with the German company Linde. The project was terminated due to Western sanctions.
European banks have largely exited Russia after Moscow launched its offensive on Ukraine in 2022.
A court in St Petersburg ruled in favour of seizing 239 million euros ($260m) from Deutsche Bank, documents dated May 16 showed.
Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt said it had already provisioned about 260 million euros ($283m) for the case.
“We will need to see how this claim is implemented by the Russian courts and assess the immediate operational impact in Russia,” the bank added in a statement.
The court also seized the assets of Commerzbank, another German financial institution, worth 93.7 million euros ($101.85m) as well as securities and the bank’s building in central Moscow.
The bank is yet to comment on the case.
In a parallel lawsuit on Friday, the Russian court also ordered UniCredit’s assets, accounts and property, as well as shares in two subsidiaries, to be seized. The ruling covered 462.7 million euros ($503m) in assets.
UniCredit said it “has been made aware” of the decision and was “reviewing” the situation in detail. The bank was one of the most exposed European banks when Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine, with a large local subsidiary operating in Russia.
It began preliminary discussions on a sale last year, but the talks have not advanced. Chief executive Andrea Orcel said UniCredit wants to leave Russia, but added that gifting an operation worth three billion euros ($3.3bn) was not a good way to respect the spirit of Western sanctions on Moscow over the conflict.
Russia has faced heavy Western sanctions, including on its banking sector, since the start of the war in Ukraine. Dozens of US and European companies have also stopped doing business in the country.
-
Education1 week ago
Video: Police Use Pepper Spray on Protesters on G.W.U.’s Campus
-
Politics1 week ago
Ohio AG defends letter warning 'woke' masked anti-Israel protesters they face prison time: 'We have a society'
-
Politics1 week ago
Biden’s decision to pull Israel weapons shipment kept quiet until after Holocaust remembrance address: report
-
Finance1 week ago
Spring Finance Forum 2024: CRE Financiers Eye Signs of Recovery
-
World7 days ago
India Lok Sabha election 2024 Phase 4: Who votes and what’s at stake?
-
News1 week ago
The Major Supreme Court Cases of 2024
-
News1 week ago
Tornadoes tear through the southeastern U.S. as storms leave 3 dead
-
World1 week ago
A look at Chinese investment within Hungary