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A10 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 16 January 2020

Pope Francis meets people during his weekly general audience,
in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020.
Associated Press
Pope names 1st woman

manager in Vatican

Secretariat of State

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope bishops or cardinals, and A girl walks across a bridge in Belgrade, Serbia, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020.
Francis has tapped an Ital- Francis has upheld church Associated Press
ian lawyer to be the first teaching prohibiting the or-
woman to hold a man- dination of women. Anger, emergency measures
agement position in the Di Giovanni, 66, told the
Vatican's most important Vatican's in-house media in smog-stifled Balkan cities
office, the Secretariat of that Francis' appointment
State. Francis on Wednes- showed his attention to
day named Francesca Di women, and she agreed By JOVANA GEC and thick fog have exacer- sumption, outdated indus-
Giovanni, a 27-year vet- with the pope's oft-stat- Associated Press bated the problem. trial equipment and use of
eran of the Vatican, as un- ed assertion that women BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) While dozens of towns and fossil fuels in winter, includ-
dersecretary for multilateral have certain aptitudes as — Major cities in a series cities throughout the region ing low-quality brown coal.
affairs. In that role, she will peace-makers, mediators of Balkan countries have are suffering, the worst hit Experts have warned that
be responsible for running and healers. A few other been hit by dangerous lev- has been Sarajevo, built these and other environ-
a division that coordinates women hold a similar rank els of smog in recent days, in a deep valley ringed by mental setbacks could
the Holy See's relations with in other Vatican offices, in- prompting anger among mountains. even stall efforts by Serbia
the United Nations and cluding the undersecretary residents and official warn- For most of the past week, and other Balkan countries
other intergovernmental at the Vatican's congrega- ings to stay indoors and Sarajevo's levels of airborne to join the European Union.
organizations. tion for religious orders and avoid physical activity. PM10 particulate matter In Bosnia, activists have
Francis has called for wom- two undersecretaries in the Serbia's government called have been at least twice — blasted the government
en to be given greater de- Vatican office for laity. an urgent meeting to ad- and sometimes eight times for relying on short-term
cision-making roles in the But the Secretariat of State dress the problem Wednes- — higher than the Europe- measures during the crisis
Vatican and the Catholic is the most powerful Vati- day, shortly after a peak in an Union safety limit. days — such as banning
Church at large, though can office, coordinating weekend air pollution lev- The soaring pollution has diesel vehicles and recom-
no women head a Vatican the internal work of the els prompted emergency angeredenvironmental mending the use of face
congregation or other im- Holy See bureaucracy as measures in Bosnia's capi- activists in both Bosnia and masks — while not dealing
portant office. well as the Vatican's diplo- tal, Sarajevo. Serbia, who say authorities with key issues, such as the
Such leadership positions matic relations with other A report last year by the are doing too little too late. proliferation of tall buildings
are reserved for priests, countries.q U.N. Environment Program "The air we breathe is poi- that block the air flow.
said Sarajevo has some of soning and killing us," Dobri- The Swedish embassy to
Hungary police seek Europe's highest air pollu- ca Veselinovic, from the Do Bosnia warned this week-
tion concentrations, while Not Drown Belgrade group, end on Twitter that Saraje-
drug dealing charges on average people living wrote in an open letter this vo was "in a category of its
own when it comes to bad
in the Western Balkans lose week demanding the resig-
against 2 Dutch men up to 1.3 years of life to air nation of Belgrade's mayor. air quality."
pollution. "Why isn't anyone doing Sarajevo authorities have
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) rints ($335,000), most of it Croatian police on anything?" cut ticket prices for the
— Hungarian police on stashed away in a small Wednesday also urged citi- Belgrade has been city's cable car that leads
Wednesday recom- van they were using and zens in the capital, Zagreb, wrapped for days in a to the nearby Trebevic
mended filing drug deal- which was parked out- to use public transport and cloud of smog that partic- mountain, as residents
ing charges against two side the festival grounds. avoid bikes or scooters. ularly afflicted lower-lying head for popular ski resorts
Dutch men arrested in While the suspects had High concentrations of areas. The city health au- to avoid pollution.
August at a popular mu- a key to the car in their toxic air particles are typi- thorities' web page carried In EU member Croatia, po-
sic festival. possession, they refused cal during winter in Balkan an alert Wednesday with lice said t he bloc's air pol-
Budapest police said to reveal its location to countries that largely de- the succinct warning: "The lution standards were ex-
they found 20 kilograms police, who only found pend on coal-fueled pow- air in Belgrade is polluted!" ceeded in part of Zagreb
of pre-rolled marijuana the vehicle following their er plants, and where peo- But government health on Wednesday.
cigarettes and ecstasy detention and after con- ple drive old cars and use officials advised against A police statement urged
pills with a street value sulting with their Dutch wood and coal for heat- panic. They attribute the citizens to avoid open-air
of around 100 million fo- colleagues.q ing. In recent days, wind- problem to a combination activity and cut down on
less weather conditions of inefficient energy con- smoking.q