Page 5 - aruba-today-20220530

A5
WORLD NEWS Monday 30 May 2022
Serbia ignores EU sanctions, secures gas deal with Putin

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) set to discuss ways to fur-
— As the war in Ukraine ther do so and to hear from
rages, Serbia’s president Ukrainian President Volody-
announced that he has se- myr Zelenskyy during a
cured an “extremely favor- leaders’ summit that starts
able” natural gas deal with Monday.
Russia during a telephone Despite reports of the
conversation Sunday with atrocities in Ukraine due
Russian President Vladimir to the invasion, Vucic and
Putin. other Serbian leaders have
Serbian President Aleksan- been complaining of West-
dar Vucic has refused to ern pressure to join sanc-
explicitly condemn Russia’s tions against Russia. Serbi-
invasion of Ukraine, and an officials say the Balkan
his country has not joined country must resist such
Western sanctions against pressure, even if it means
Moscow. abandoning the goal of
Vucic claims he wants to joining the EU.
take Serbia into the Euro- Under Vucic’s 10-year au-
pean Union but has spent tocratic rule and relentless
recent years cementing pro-Kremlin propaganda,
ties with Russia, a long-time Serbia has gradually slid
ally. toward aligning with Rus-
The gas deal is likely to be sia. Polls suggest a majority
signed during a visit by Rus- in the country would rather
sian Foreign Minister Sergey join some sort of a union
Lavrov to Belgrade early with Moscow than the EU.
in June — a rare visit by a “The agreement reached
ranking Russian official to a by President Vucic with
European country since the President Putin is proof of
Russian invasion of Ukraine Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, poses with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic after being how much Serbia’s deci-
began Feb. 24. awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019. (AP Photo/ sion not to participate in
Vucic said he told Putin that Darko Vojinovic, File) anti-Russian hysteria is re-
he wished “peace would spected,” Interior Minister
be established as soon as we have agreed on the contract that suits the Ser- Russia has already cut off Aleksandar Vulin said.
possible.” main elements that are bian side very well.” gas exports to EU members “The free leader, free peo-
Serbia is almost entirely de- very favorable for Serbia,” It is not clear how Serbia Finland,Poland and Bulgar- ple, make decisions that
pendent on Russian gas, Vucic, a former pro-Russian would receive the Russian ia. are good for Serbia and
and its main energy com- ultranationalist, told report- gas if the EU decides to The EU as a whole has do not accept orders” from
panies are under Russian ers. “We agreed to sign a shut off the Russian supply been hurriedly reducing its the West, said Vulin, who is
majority ownership. three-year contract, which that travels over its mem- reliance on Russian energy known for his pro-Russian
“What I can tell you is that is the first element of the ber countries. since the invasion, and is stance.q

Children among 31 killed at church fair stampede in Nigeria

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A in poverty, according to cy workers treated some of
stampede Saturday at a government statistics. the injured as they lay in the
church charity event in Saturday’s charity program open field. Videos from the
southern Nigeria left 31 was supposed to begin at scene showed the cloth-
people dead and seven 9 a.m. but dozens arrived ing, shoes and other items
injured, police told The As- as early as 5 a.m. to secure meant for the beneficiaries.
sociated Press, a shocking their place in line, Iringe- One witness who only iden-
development at a pro- Koko said. Somehow the tified himself as Daniel said
gram that aimed to offer locked gate was broken “there were so many chil-
hope to the needy. One open, creating a stam- dren” among the dead.
witness said the dead in- pede, she said. Five of the dead children
cluded a pregnant woman Godwin Tepikor from Nige- were from one mother, he
and many children. ria’s National Emergency told the AP, adding that a
The stampede at the event Management Agency pregnant woman also lost
organized by the Kings As- said first responders were her life. A view of flip fops and sandals on the street, following a stam-
sembly Pentecostal church able to evacuate the bod- Some church members pede in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Pho-
in Rivers state involved ies of those trampled to were attacked and injured to)
people who came to the death and bring them to by relatives of the victims
church’s annual “Shop for the morgue. Security forces after the stampede, ac- The “Shop for Free” event gathering in the south-
Free” charity program, ac- cordoned off the area. cording to witness Christo- was suspended while au- eastern state of Anambra
cording to Grace Iringe-Ko- Dozens of residents lat- pher Eze. The church de- thorities investigated how in 2013, while at least 16
ko, a police spokeswoman. er thronged the scene, clined to comment on the the stampede occurred. people were killed in 2014
Such events are common mourning the dead and of- situation. Nigeria has seen similar when a crowd got out of
in Nigeria, Africa’s larg- fering any assistance they The police spokeswoman stampedes in the past. control during a screening
est economy, where more could to emergency work- said the seven injured were Twenty-four people died for government jobs in the
than 80 million people live ers. Doctors and emergen- “responding to treatment.” at an overcrowded church nation’s capital, Abuja.q