With much of its territory lying below sea level, the Netherlands is expected to be below sea level more than expected by the end of the century, according to a new report.

Some 26% of the Netherlands’ territory is located below sea level, but about half of the country’s population lives in these regions.

According to local IamExpat, the Dutch Weather Institute (KNMI) recently warned of the rapid rise in sea levels in the country in a report, saying that "sea levels will rise 1.2 to 2 meters (3.3 feet-4 feet) over the next 79 years if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced immediately and the melting of the Antarctic ice sheet accelerates."

In 2014 the institute predicted a one-meter rise in sea level in the Netherlands by the end of the century, but only seven years later, in the 2021 report, this prediction was updated to 2 meters.

Commenting on the report, Dutch State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Steven Weyenberg said this warning must be heeded, as "it might not be cheerful reading, but it is necessary reading."

"Talking about tackling climate change as something we do for our children devalues the urgency," he added, stressing that the threat is happening right now.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Kadir van Lohuizen, a photographer and filmmaker in Amsterdam who makes documentaries and art exhibits on sea level rise, said the projected rise "could be the worst-case scenario" for the country.

"What was projected by the end of the century below one meter ... could be the worst-case scenario that the Netherlands could face 2-3 meters (up to about 10 feet). And this is going to be very problematic," he said.

Telling how the Netherlands could handle a meter rise in sea-level, van Lohuizen explained: "Two meters is becoming very problematic and three meters is catastrophic, which means that there is an option that the capital of the Netherlands (Amsterdam) needs to be relocated, like many other parts of the Western Netherlands, including the big port of Rotterdam."

He also said the Dutch people are worried that the current UN climate change conference in Glasgow might not "bring an agreement. It doesn't look good for the Netherlands."/aa

The General Court of the EU dismissed on Wednesday the tech company Google’s appeal against a €2.4-billion ($2.7-billion) fine for breaching EU competition law.

Google and its parent company Alphabet introduced a lawsuit at the EU court after the European Commission imposed a penalty of €2.4 billion in 2017 for abusing Google’s dominant position on the market of online searches by favoring its own shopping comparison service over other similar products.

In its ruling, the EU court dismissed Google’s claim, confirmed the European Commission’s reasoning on the breach of EU antitrust regulation, and upheld the amount of penalty.

“By favoring its own comparison shopping service on its general results pages through more favorable display and positioning, while relegating the results from competing comparison services in those pages by means of ranking algorithms, Google departed from competition on the merits,” the legal body found.

They also noted that “Google favors its own comparison shopping service over competing services, rather than a better result over another result” by this practice.

The company can appeal against the decision at the supreme court of the bloc, the European Court of Justice.

Maintaining fair competition in the EU’s internal market is one of the few exclusive competencies of the EU. It allows the European Commission to decide on state aid rules and fine companies for breaching EU antitrust law.

In a separate case in 2018, the European Commission imposed €4.3 billion for abusing its dominant position related to the Android operating systems. The company appealed against the decision, the EU Court held hearings in September./aa

"Appalled" by the migrant crisis at the Belarusian-Polish border, the UN human rights chief Wednesday called on the concerned sides to de-escalate situation.

"I urge the states involved to take immediate steps to de-escalate and resolve this intolerable situation in line with their obligations under international human rights law and refugee law," said Michelle Bachelet.

"I am appalled that large numbers of migrants and refugees continue to be at the Belarus-Poland border," she expressed.

Strong "security-focused" and "politically charged responses" on both sides, including the increased deployment of troops and "accompanying inflammatory rhetoric," exacerbates the vulnerability and risks of those at the border, Bachelet asserted.

She said several people had died over the past few months in the border area.

"These hundreds of men, women and children must not be forced to spend another night in freezing weather without adequate shelter, food, water, and medical care," the UN rights chief urged.

Tensions between Poland and Belarus escalated on Monday after nearly 4,000 migrants, mainly from the Middle Eastern countries, headed to the Polish border and tried to breach the barriers, the UN said on Tuesday.

The EU accuses Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of engaging in a form of "hybrid" warfare and using migrants as a weapon to destabilize the European countries.

"I call on the authorities concerned to ensure that the human rights of these individuals are the paramount concern," Bachelet said.

She further said that states need to work together to protect the lives and dignity of all those stranded at their common borders.

"Immediate access should be granted to humanitarian actors, as well as other civil society and journalists and lawyers."

Under international law, she said, no person should be prevented from seeking asylum or other forms of international human rights protection, and individual consideration must be given to their protection needs./aa

The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research said Wednesday that casualties due to mines and war residue explosives climbed to 7,073 in 2020, up from the 5,853 recorded in 2019, with Syria having the highest casualties.

Syria, a non-signatory of the Mine Ban Treaty, had had 2,729 landmine casualties in 2020, followed by Afghanistan.

A persistent high casualty toll and "disappointingly slow clearance" of antipersonnel landmines show the challenges to implementing the mine ban treaty, said Landmine Monitor 2021.

The 23rd annual Landmine Monitor report provides a global overview of efforts to universalize and fully implement the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, ensure clearance of mine contaminated areas, deliver risk education to affected communities, and assist victims of these weapons.

The high numbers of recorded casualties in 2020 were primarily due to increased armed conflict and contamination with improvised mines.

Landmine Monitor 2021 shows how civilians remain the primary victims of these indiscriminate weapons. “In 2020, they accounted for 80% of all casualties. At least half of all civilian casualties were children,” said the report announced at a UN press conference.

Myanmar that has not joined the treaty was the only state confirmed to have used antipersonnel landmines during the Monitor reporting period from mid-2020 through October 2021.

In addition, China, Cuba, India, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, the US, and Vietnam were named among mine-producing countries.

US, Russia produced, tested new landmines

The report said the US and Russia produced and tested new landmines.

It observed that non-state armed groups continued to produce antipersonnel mines in Afghanistan, Colombia, India, Myanmar, Nigeria, and Pakistan in 2020.

Marion Loddo, the editor of the Monitor, said: “If we are to reach a mine-free world, states must redouble their efforts toward speedy implementation of their obligations and a much more efficient distribution of resources.”

“At least 7,073 people were killed or injured in 54 countries and areas, with mines — including improvised types – responsible for the majority of all casualties (4,352, 62%).”

The 2020 toll marks more than a 20% increase from the casualties recorded in 2019 (5,853) and is more than double the lowest annual recorded total (3,456) in 2013.

Several treaty countries reported that the COVID-19 pandemic "presented challenges" to demining operations in 2020, the report noted.

The Mine Ban Treaty, which became international law in 1999 and today has 164 state parties, bans the use of landmines that detonate due to human contact, also known as 'victim-activated antipersonnel mines,'" the report explains.

The ban treaty is the most comprehensive international instrument for eradicating landmines and deals with everything from mine use, production, and trade, to victim assistance, mine clearance, and stockpile destruction./aa

Major US indices opened lower Wednesday after annual inflation climbed to its highest level in 31 years.

The Dow Jones fell 45 points, or 0.13%, to 36,274 points at 9.40 a.m. EDT.

The S&P 500 was down 15 points, or 0.32%, to 4,670, after ending eight consecutive days of increase on Tuesday.

The Nasdaq fell 121, or 0.76%, to 15,765. The tech-heavy index ended its 11-day streak during the previous session.

The decline came after US Labor Department figures showed the consumer price index (CPI) rose 6.2% in October -- the largest 12-month increase since November 1990.

Core CPI jumped 4.6% year-on-year, its largest 12-month increase since August 1991.

Amid worries of high inflation, the VIX volatility index was up 2.2% to 18.17.

The yield on 10-year US Treasury notes rose 2.7% to 1.488%, while the US dollar index was up 0.2% to 94.14.

Oil prices were up with international benchmark Brent crude trading at $85.03 per barrel -- a 0.3% gain. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate rose 0.05% to $84.19.

Investors rushed to precious metals to protect themselves from high inflation. Gold added 1.7% to $1,863 per ounce and silver rose 3.1% to $25.05.

After climbing to an all-time high of $68,444 on Tuesday, Bitcoin extended its record to $69,000 at 9.15 a.m. EDT./aa

When it emerged that his interviewer denied the Srebrenica genocide, the Croat member of Bosnia and Herzegovina's presidency broke off the interview and walked away.

Video of the Tuesday interview with Serbia's state-run news agency Tanjug quickly went viral, with Bosnians praising Zeljko Komsic for refusing to continue talking with someone who denies the genocide, a fact confirmed by both historians and international court rulings.

In the interview, Komsic, president of the Presidential Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina, stressed that the reality of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide is “very important.” Komsic then asked the interviewer why he would not recognize the genocide.

"A terrible crime was committed there (in Srebrenica)," the interviewer replied.

"No, a genocide was committed," explained Komsic. “That is what the verdicts of the international court say. Genocide is not a ‘terrible crime’. Some other crimes were terrible, but this is genocide.”

The journalist then claimed that the genocide characterization was a position particular to Komsic.

"No, that is not my position, it is written in the verdicts of the international court," Komsic asserted.

Asked whether he agreed with verdict, Komsic shot back: "Don’t you agree?"

"I do not agree with that verdict," the journalist said.

"Then you will have to do this interview with someone else. Enjoy Sarajevo," Komsic said, taking off his microphone and walking off the set.

Srebrenica genocide

In July 1995, more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed when Bosnian Serb forces attacked the town of Srebrenica, despite the presence of Dutch peacekeeping troops.

The Serb forces were trying to wrest territory from Bosnian Muslims and Croats to form a state.

In the spring of 1993 the UN Security Council had declared Srebrenica a “safe area.” However, troops led by Gen. Ratko Mladic – who was later found guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide ­– overran the UN zone.

Dutch troops failed to act as Serb forces occupied the area, killing some 2,000 men and boys on July 11 alone.

About 15,000 residents of Srebrenica fled to the surrounding mountains, but Serb troops hunted down and killed 6,000 more people.

Bodies of victims have been found in 570 different places in the country.

In 2007, the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that a genocide had been committed in Srebrenica.

On June 8, 2021, UN tribunal judges upheld a verdict sentencing Mladic to life in prison for the genocide as well as persecution, crimes against humanity, extermination, and other war crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina./aa

The global community must immediately respond to the mounting humanitarian needs of civilians as Myanmar’s military junta continues to carry out “heinous” acts “that may constitute war crimes,” an international rights watchdog said on Wednesday.

“The Myanmar military junta blocked lifesaving humanitarian aid for forcibly displaced civilians … by arbitrarily arresting aid workers, destroying food stocks, confiscating aid, and other ongoing acts that may constitute war crimes,” according to a report by Fortify Rights.

It urged the governments of Thailand, India, China, and Bangladesh to “immediately authorize humanitarian agencies to provide cross-border aid to growing numbers of civilians in need in Myanmar.”

Since the Feb. 1 coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s government, the Myanmar military has “killed, tortured, and arbitrarily arrested civilians with impunity, while also using forced labor, including human shielding,” the report said, adding that more than 223,000 have been displaced in the country.

The report detailed several incidents of arbitrary arrests and rights violations by the Myanmar army, including an attack on June 9 in which soldiers “destroyed and burned stockpiles of rice stored at a school” in a village in Shan State.

It also cited residents’ accounts of “how the Myanmar junta forces looted civilian possessions, carried out arson attacks, and destroyed civilian property, including food, medicine, and aid supplies intended for displaced civilians.”

“Blocking aid and targeting humanitarian workers in the context of armed conflict are war crimes,” said Ismail Wolff, the group’s regional director.

Warning that the “Myanmar junta poses a threat to regional peace and security,” he called on the United Nations and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) “to urgently support emergency cross-border aid for the displaced and ensure accountability for the junta’s heinous crimes.”/aa

A new environment act aiming to “protect and enhance our environment for future generations” became law in the UK on Wednesday, a government statement said.

With the new act, the UK government “will clean up the country’s air, restore natural habitats, increase biodiversity, reduce waste and make better use of our resources.”

The new act aims to “halt the decline in species by 2030, require new developments to improve or create habitats for nature, and tackle deforestation overseas.”

“It will help us transition to a more circular economy, incentivising people to recycle more, encouraging businesses to create sustainable packaging, making household recycling easier and stopping the export of polluting plastic waste to developing countries,” the statement added.

It said the changes will be driven by “legally binding” environmental targets and enforced by a new, independent Office for Environmental Protection (OEP).

“The Environment Act will deliver the most ambitious environmental programme of any country on earth,” said Environment Secretary George Eustice.

“It will halt the decline of species by 2030, clean up our air and protect the health of our rivers, reform the way in which we deal with waste and tackle deforestation overseas. We are setting an example for the rest of the world to follow,” he said.

The new legislation came on the final days of the UN Climate Change Conference, COP26.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is traveling back to Glasgow for the final stages of the COP26.

“Negotiating teams are making progress, but we need to pull out all the stops in the next few days to keep 1.5 alive,” he wrote on Twitter.

“It’s time for nations to put aside differences and come together for our planet and our people.”

The summit will end on Friday, with a final declaration on collective actions for the future of the planet./agencies

Exactly one year after the Austrian government's Operation Luxor against the Muslim community, two rights groups have published a report on the operation and demanded justice for the victims.

CAGE is an advocacy organization that campaigns for "due process, the rule of law and an end to the injustices of the War on Terror," and the Austria-based Assisting Children Traumatised by Police (ACT-P) was founded "to protect children's rights from violations by the police and government under the guise of counter-terrorism in Austria."

The report, titled A Community Persecuted: A Year On From Operation Luxor, investigated the operation and practices of the Austrian government, then led by Sebastian Kurz, allegedly scapegoating Muslims and manipulating public opinion during a series of internal crises over the 12 months that followed the raids.

The Austrian government on Nov. 9 last year carried out one of the country's largest police operations, raiding some 70 homes simultaneously and detaining 30 Muslim activists and academics.

The raids conducted as part of Operation Luxor were declared unlawful by the Graz Higher Regional Court and none of the victims, whose lives were turned upside down after the operation, have been charged with any crime, the report highlighted.

The government has taken a variety of steps under the guise of combatting "political Islam," including mosque closures, hijab bans, and proposed "Sharia bans," it said.

Touching on the deeply politicized nature of the raids, the report claimed that the government of Sebastian Kurz sought to exploit Daesh/ISIS attacks in Vienna to target its Muslim population.

Emphasizing that despite the warnings of an expected attack by foreign and national intelligence services, the Austrian government, which was too busy with Operation Luxor, did not take the necessary measures.

On Nov. 2, a Daesh/ISIS terror group sympathizer killed four people and wounded 23 others in the capital Vienna.

A few days after the attack, some 60 Islamophobic hate-crimes against Muslims were reported alongside a government-led crackdown, it said.

It also drew attention to the central role of the media and commentators, underlining that there was an attempt to legitimize the Austrian government's actions against Muslims in the country, including the "unlawful" Operation Luxor.

The report listed a number of false reports by Austrian mainstream media.

"Mainstream media initially incorrectly reported that €25 million in cash had been found in the survivors' family homes -- a considerable sum, insinuating that Muslims who are financially thriving and well-off in society must be involved in illicit activity," it said.

"Shortly after, it turned out to be false news and that it was not cash but rather mostly real estate capital which had been found," it added.

The report urged the Austrian government to drop all open investigations against the victims of Operation Luxor after Austria's higher regional court declared the operation unlawful.

It also touched on the urgent need for the rejection of a "draconian" anti-terror bill that it said exports divisive campaigns against "political Islam" and demanded a "formal public state commitment to investigate Operation Luxor, especially the human and children's rights violations and the violations of the right to a fair trial."/aa