Latest news with #Rospotrebnadzor
Bloomberg
29-04-2025
- Climate
- Bloomberg
Russia Shuts About 62 Miles of Black Sea Beaches After Oil Spill
Russia shut about 62 miles (100 kilometers) of Black Sea beaches, after a December fuel spill that's resulted in environmental damage claims of about $1 billion. As many as 141 beaches in Anapa and nine in the Temruk area will remain closed for swimming during upcoming summer season due to potential health risks following the spill, the Russian safety watchdog known as Rospotrebnadzor said in a statement this month.
Russia Today
24-04-2025
- Health
- Russia Today
Russia launches first epidemic response drills in Africa
Russia's health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, has collaborated with Ethiopia's Health Ministry to conduct simulation drills for rapid response to sanitary and epidemiological emergencies in Africa as part of efforts to enhance the continent's epidemic readiness. The inaugural Russian-African International Exercises for Rapid Response Teams began in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, on Wednesday, Rospotrebnadzor announced in a press release. The agency said medical experts and public health officials from 15 African nations, Russia, and global organizations are taking part in the exercises for hands-on training in managing disease outbreaks. According to the statement, Russian specialists will teach the principles of team formation, resource mobilization, epidemiological investigation, and international coordination skills using mobile laboratories that Moscow supplied to Addis Ababa. In an opening speech read on his behalf, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated Moscow's commitment to strengthening health partnerships with African countries, stating that the Ethiopia initiative 'undoubtedly takes our cooperation to a qualitatively new level.' 'The Russian Federation attaches great importance to the development of international cooperation to counter the threat of dangerous infectious diseases. African states have traditionally been important partners for us in this area,' Putin said. He noted that since the second Russia-Africa summit in July 2023, Moscow has launched a large-scale program to help African states in combating outbreaks. 'In less than two years, more than 150 African specialists have already been trained within the framework of this program, joint research is being conducted to study dozens of dangerous infections, and six mobile laboratories have been delivered to African countries,' Putin said. The program in Addis Ababa is the latest outcome of the Russia-Africa Summit, where both sides agreed to expand cooperation in various fields, including health. Rospotrebnadzor has since ramped up its activities. Russia donated a mobile laboratory to the Republic of the Congo in February, following an agreement between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso last year to establish a joint laboratory for infectious disease prevention. Russia has also provided assistance to Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, DR Congo, Guinea, and Ethiopia in response to the mpox outbreak, which was declared a sanitary and epidemiological emergency last year. During recent talks with the deputy director general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Raji Tajudin, in Ethiopia, Rospotrebnadzor chief Anna Popova classified Africa as one of the regions most vulnerable to infectious disease risks.
Business Insider
23-04-2025
- Health
- Business Insider
Africa denied more support as Russia detaches itself from the idea of sending aid
Russia has said it doesn't wish to disburse aid to Africa, noting that it does not want its relationship with the continent to be based on that. This is in light of the recent cutback in USAID, which has been an interesting conversation for several African countries. Russia does not want to disburse aid to Africa, aiming for a mutually beneficial partnership instead of aid dependency Russia has announced plans to disburse aid to Niger to combat a disease affecting pregnant women The narrative of donor dependency in Africa is being challenged, with a focus on sustainability and self-reliance Very recently, Russia relayed its sentiments on giving aid to Africa, which centered around cutting it off in place of a mutually beneficial partnership rather than a system that creates aid dependency. Russia's recent approach to aid provides a stark contrast to Western support and hints at the future of international collaboration with Africa. In an interview with Sputnik Africa, Anna Popova, the director of Russia's Rospotrebnadzor (the country's human welfare authority), said that Russia's strategy for growing its influence in Africa is founded on mutual benefit and long-term empowerment. 'We share our knowledge, experience, technologies, and laboratories so that each country can recognize threats and learn to take the right steps to protect its people from danger. This is fundamentally important. We work for the host country, [...] unlike those who only act in their own interests,' she told Sputnik. This however, may not be all encompassing, given the fact that Russia very recently announced plans to disburse aid to Niger to help combat a disease that affects pregnant women. The NGO "Ensemble Main dans la Main Niger-Russie" (Together Hand in Hand Niger-Russia) has made a large grant to the National Reference Center for Obstetric Fistula in Niamey. The contribution, which includes drugs, food supplies, blankets, and vaccinations, is intended to improve care for women suffering from obstetric fistulas, a medical ailment that disproportionately affects women in impoverished and neglected communities. In 2023, according to Russia's agriculture minister, Dmitry Patrushev, Russia promised to deliver a free shipment of up to 200,000 tonnes of grain to six African countries, as initiated by President Vladimir Putin. For decades, foreign aid has been considered a lifeline for Africa's development, channeling billions of dollars annually into sectors like health, agriculture, and humanitarian support. However, the long-held narrative of donor dependency is increasingly being challenged, not only by African voices but also by international observers and aid partners themselves. A new era focused on sustainability, self-reliance, and mutual respect is gradually replacing. Recent global developments highlight this shift. On January 20, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order suspending all USAID disbursements for 90 days. Early speculation warned of severe consequences for African countries, but many experts argue that the actual impact might be less drastic than presumed. Caitlin Burton, in an exclusive interview with Business Insider Africa, emphasized that the importance of U.S. aid has long been overstated. 'US-supported programs, they often cost 2 or 3 times or even 10 times what they should have cost to deliver just to feed the cottage industry of aid contractors around D.C,' she said. More critically, Burton questioned the effectiveness of many aid programs themselves. 'I think many of the programs weren't that effective, so what Africa is losing in terms of potential impact is also not as significant as it appears on paper,' she added.
Euronews
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Russia continues December's Kerch Strait oil spill clean-up from two storm-stricken Russian tank
ADVERTISEMENT Russia is continuing its extensive clean-up operation in the Black Sea's Kerch Strait, according to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, following the oil spill caused by two storm-stricken Russian tankers last December. The spill, which released at least 3,700 tonnes of fuel oil, occurred in mid-December. The Kerch Strait, which separates the Russian-occupied Crimea Peninsula from mainland Russia, is a vital global shipping route, linking the inland Sea of Azov to the Black Sea. It has also become a significant point of conflict between Russia and Ukraine since Moscow annexed the peninsula in 2014. The incident occurred when the Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 oil tankers were caught in a storm, breaking one in half and sinking, killing one crew member, while the other ran aground and began leaking oil. The Ministry of Emergency Situations reports that over 418.7 kilometres of coastline have been cleared, and more than 154,300 tonnes of contaminated sand and soil have been removed. An estimated €913 million has been spent on the ongoing clean-up effort, according to the Russian government environmental watchdog Rospotrebnadzor. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the oil spill an 'ecological disaster." Meanwhile, Viktor Danilov-Danilyan, a senior Russian scientist, described the spill to Russian media as one of the country's worst "environmental catastrophes" of the 21st century. In December, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Head of the Office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, described the oil spill as a 'large-scale environmental disaster' and called for additional sanctions on Russian tankers.
The Guardian
03-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Russia bans Elton John Aids Foundation over its support for LGBTQ+ rights
Russian authorities on Thursday banned the Elton John Aids Foundation (EJAF), which focuses on HIV/Aids prevention, citing its support for LGBTQ+ rights as a reason for the move. Founded by the British singer and songwriter in 1992, the organisation funds HIV treatment programmes in countries including Russia. It also advocates for LGBTQ+ people, who have faced years of brutal persecution in Russia. In its statement, Russia's prosecutor general's office designated the EJAF as an 'undesirable organisation', a label that bans the group from operating in Russia and exposes its staff and partners to potential criminal prosecution. The prosecutor general's office accused the foundation of promoting 'non-traditional sexual relationships, western family models, and gender reassignment'. The prosecutor's office alleged that EJAF held 'negative attitudes' toward countries that 'uphold traditional spiritual and moral values'. It accused the foundation of taking part in a campaign to 'discredit Russia' since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. 'When a musician plays along with those trying to sow the seeds of democracy, it is propaganda. And when it's Elton John calling the tune, then it's more than just anti-Russian propaganda too,' the statement read. 'In our country, the British foundation works closely with non-profit organisations designated as foreign agents,' the Russian law enforcement agency added. The ruling is the latest blow to human rights groups supporting Russians living with HIV and Aids. According to Rospotrebnadzor, the federal agency for public health and consumer rights, more than 1.2 million people in Russia have HIV, the highest per capita rate in Europe. The country has faced chronic shortages of HIV medication since 2023, leaving many patients struggling to access tests and life-saving antiretroviral therapy. Repression of Russia's LGBTQ+ people has escalated since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Authorities recently labelled what they described as an 'international LGBT public movement' as extremist – a designation that has already led to arrests and jailings of LGBTQ+ individuals across the country. Sign up to Headlines Europe A digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day after newsletter promotion John, who has a loyal fanbase in Russia, has long campaigned for LGBTQ+ rights there. In 2014, after a series of sold-out concerts in the country, he published an open letter condemning Russia's 'gay propaganda' law and offered to introduce Vladimir Putin to members of the LGBTQ+ community. A year later, the Kremlin announced that the Russian president had personally called John and offered to meet – a move prompted by a prank after two comedians posing as Russian officials tricked the singer into a phone conversation that was later released online.
