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Croatia to provide 1-mln-euro humanitarian aid to Gaza: minister

Croatia to provide 1-mln-euro humanitarian aid to Gaza: minister

The Croatian government will provide one million euros (1.17 million U.S. dollars) this year in additional humanitarian aid to the civilian population of Gaza suffering from hunger, Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlic Radman said on Thursday,reported Xinhua. The aid will be provided through the World Food Programme (WFP), the leading humanitarian organization in the fight against hunger and food insecurity on a global scale, Radman said. He said this decision was made in light of the deterioration of the humanitarian situation and the confirmation of the famine in Gaza. Since the beginning of the conflict in Gaza, Croatia has sent 2.75 million euros in humanitarian aid to the civilian population in Gaza, he added. Croatia's move followed the visit of Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian on Wednesday, when Croatian President Zoran Milanovic and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic met with her separately. According to a joint UN assessment released on Aug. 22, more than half a million people in Gaza are facing famine conditions marked by starvation and preventable deaths.

Croatia to provide €1m humanitarian aid to Gaza: minister

Croatia to provide €1m humanitarian aid to Gaza: minister

The Croatian government will provide one million euros (1.17 million U.S. dollars) this year in additional humanitarian aid to the civilian population of Gaza suffering from hunger, Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlic Radman said on Thursday,reported Xinhua. The aid will be provided through the World Food Programme (WFP), the leading humanitarian organization in the fight against hunger and food insecurity on a global scale, Radman said. He said this decision was made in light of the deterioration of the humanitarian situation and the confirmation of the famine in Gaza. Since the beginning of the conflict in Gaza, Croatia has sent 2.75 million euros in humanitarian aid to the civilian population in Gaza, he added. Croatia's move followed the visit of Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian on Wednesday, when Croatian President Zoran Milanovic and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic met with her separately. According to a joint UN assessment released on Aug. 22, more than half a million people in Gaza are facing famine conditions marked by starvation and preventable deaths.

Croatia to provide €1m humanitarian aid to Gaza: minister

Croatia to provide €1m humanitarian aid to Gaza: minister

The Croatian government will provide one million euros (1.17 million U.S. dollars) this year in additional humanitarian aid to the civilian population of Gaza suffering from hunger, Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlic Radman said on Thursday,reported Xinhua. The aid will be provided through the World Food Programme (WFP), the leading humanitarian organization in the fight against hunger and food insecurity on a global scale, Radman said. He said this decision was made in light of the deterioration of the humanitarian situation and the confirmation of the famine in Gaza. Since the beginning of the conflict in Gaza, Croatia has sent 2.75 million euros in humanitarian aid to the civilian population in Gaza, he added. Croatia's move followed the visit of Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian on Wednesday, when Croatian President Zoran Milanovic and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic met with her separately. According to a joint UN assessment released on Aug. 22, more than half a million people in Gaza are facing famine conditions marked by starvation and preventable deaths.

Scientists make breakthrough in ultra-wideband photonic-electronic 6G communication

Scientists make breakthrough in ultra-wideband photonic-electronic 6G communication

Chinese scientists have made a breakthrough in ultra-wideband photonic-electronic integrated technology for 6G wireless communication, according to Peking University (PKU), reported Xinhua. By leveraging photonic-electronic hybrid integration, a joint research team from PKU and City University of Hong Kong successfully developed an ultra-wideband system capable of high-speed, frequency-tunable wireless transmission -- a world-first achievement that is expected to enhance the reliability and efficiency of future 6G networks. The team's findings were published online in Nature on Wednesday. As the next generation of wireless communication, 6G requires high-speed transmission across diverse frequency bands in varying scenarios. However, conventional electronic hardware is typically limited to specific frequency ranges due to differences in design, structure and materials, making it difficult to achieve cross-band or full-spectrum operations. To address this challenge, the team spent four years developing an ultra-wideband photonic-electronic integrated system. This system supports high-speed transmission at any frequency between 0.5 GHz and 115 GHz -- a globally leading capability for full-spectrum compatibility. It also features flexible tunability, allowing dynamic switching to secure frequencies when interference occurs, thereby improving communication reliability and spectral efficiency. "This technology is like building a super-wide highway where electronic signals are vehicles and frequency bands are lanes," explained Wang Xingjun, deputy dean of the School of Electronics at PKU. Previously, signals were crowded into one or two lanes, but now many lanes are available. If one lane is blocked, signals can switch flexibly to another, ensuring faster and smoother communication, Wang said. Experiments have demonstrated that the system is capable of achieving wireless transmission rates exceeding 100 Gbps, which is sufficient to stream 1,000 simultaneous 8K ultra-high-definition videos, meeting the peak rate requirements of 6G while maintaining consistent performance across the full frequency range. The research team is now working on increasing the system's integration level to develop intelligent photonic-electronic modules adaptable to various other systems, with aims to minimize size, weight and power consumption. According to Wang, the future 6G network will feature ubiquitous wireless connectivity. Enhanced with AI algorithms, this new system could enable smarter and more flexible networks capable of real-time data transmission, precise environmental sensing and automatic interference avoidance, ensuring more secure and efficient communication in complex scenarios, he said.

European countries urge EU to toughen stance on Israel

European countries urge EU to toughen stance on Israel

European countries including the Netherlands, Sweden and Slovenia have called on the European Union (EU) to increase pressure on Israel and take stronger action regarding the Gaza situation, reported Xinhua. Citing an "intolerable" humanitarian crisis in Gaza and settlement expansion in the West Bank, the Netherlands and Sweden have urged fellow EU member states to increase pressure on Israel. In a letter dated on Aug. 27 to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Dutch Foreign Minister Ruben Brekelmans and his Swedish counterpart Maria Malmer Stenergard said "more needs to be done to ramp up pressure on the Israeli government to change its course and to meet its obligations according to international law." The ministers proposed sanctions against violent settlers in the West Bank and "extremist Israeli ministers" who "promote illegal settlement activities, and actively work against a negotiated two-state solution." "The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains extremely disturbing and intolerable. The civilian suffering is beyond words," the letter said, adding that aid distribution must be allowed throughout Gaza. It also cited Israel's Aug. 8 decision to expand its military offensive in Gaza, warning this could lead to "large-scale displacement of civilians into ever-smaller enclaves." On Thursday, Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob said Europe risked losing global influence if it failed to adjust its approach. Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon described the conflict in Gaza as genocide, stressing that unresolved issues only return "in an even bloodier form." In June 2024, Slovenia recognized the State of Palestine. In July this year, Slovenia prohibited imports of products from Israeli settlements, alongside restrictions on the export, import and transit of weapons to and from Israel. Meanwhile, Slovenia declared Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich personae non gratae, citing violations of Palestinian human rights.

Sweden to earmark $8.45b in autumn budget to spur household confidence

Sweden to earmark $8.45b in autumn budget to spur household confidence

The Swedish government will allocate 80 billion Swedish kronor (8.45 billion U.S. dollars) in its upcoming autumn budget to bolster household confidence and economic growth, Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson announced on Thursday, reported Xinhua. Speaking at a press conference in Harpsund, the official country residence of the Swedish prime minister, Svantesson said the new resources will be directed toward initiatives beginning in 2026."Many hard-working people and households are worried, and purchasing power has declined. We want to create confidence among Swedish families," she said, adding that the government hopes the reform space will stimulate economic development. Svantesson noted that households have endured "a testing time" over the past five years, citing the COVID-19 pandemic, high energy prices, inflation, U.S. trade tariffs, and geopolitical conflicts in Europe. She warned that purchasing power may not fully recover until 2028 or 2029. The 80-billion-kronor package represents a sharp increase compared to previous years. The government earmarked 60 billion kronor for new measures in 2025 and 40 billion in 2024. By contrast, the National Institute of Economic Research (NIER) had estimated a reform space of only 34 billion kronor for the upcoming budget. The full budget will be presented on Sept. 22. According to the minister, other proposals under discussion include tax cuts, reduced value-added tax on food, and higher child allowances. Elisabeth Marmorstein, political commentator at Swedish Television (SVT), described the reform space as "generous," noting that the government aims to encourage households to spend again and thereby support growth. Earlier this month, NIER revised its 2025 economic growth forecast downward from 0.9 percent to 0.7 percent, highlighting the increasing importance of domestic demand in driving recovery. Statistics Sweden reported that the country's economy grew by just 0.1 percent in the second quarter of 2025 compared to the previous quarter, largely due to weak household consumption. (1 Swedish krona = 0.11 U.S. dollar)

German minister urges Israel to release Palestinian tax funds

German minister urges Israel to release Palestinian tax funds

German Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan has urged Israel to release withheld tax revenues owed to the Palestinian Authority (PA), warning that its collapse could fuel instability in the West Bank, reported dpa. Speaking to dpa during a visit to Jordan, Alabali Radovan said the PA, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, is under unprecedented political and economic pressure. Israel has a responsibility to immediately transfer the taxes due to the Palestinians, she said. Israel collects customs duties and taxes on behalf of the PA under the 1990s Oslo peace accords but has withheld transfers since May. Palestinian officials say the freeze has crippled their ability to pay salaries and maintain services, a situation experts warn militant group Hamas could exploit. Alabali Radovan said Germany would consider providing additional budgetary support to the PA and discuss further aid with European partners. Without a functioning PA, she said, there would be no realistic chance for a two-state solution, meaning Israel and an independent, democratic Palestinian state living peacefully side by side. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently rejected any role for both Hamas and the PA in governing Gaza after the war, while favouring a civilian administration that would maintain peaceful relations with Israel. Berlin argues the PA, despite needing reforms, should be involved in Gaza's future to avoid a power vacuum. Germany continues to press for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas and other Islamist groups on October 7, 2023.

Tämä asia tulee monille yllätyksenä kuoleman jälkeen

Tämä asia tulee monille yllätyksenä kuoleman jälkeen

Suomalaiset ovat varautuneet verrattain heikosti oman kuolemansa aiheuttamiin taloudellisiin seurauksiin, kertoo vakuutusyhtiö LähiTapiolan teettämä kysely. Kyselyn mukaan suomalaiset varautuvat kuolemaan useimmin henkivakuutuksella. Niin kertoo tehneensä 34 prosenttia vastaajista. Raha-asioista tai muista käytännön asioista läheistensä kanssa kertoi keskustelleensa 27 prosenttia vastaajista. 19 prosenttia oli tehnyt testamentin. Kuolemaan aletaan kyselyn mukaan varautua selvästi vasta kuudenkympin kieppeillä. Kyselyn […]