Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledged Tuesday to reclaim areas of Ukraine currently occupied by Russian forces.

“Ukraine will reclaim its territory and its people,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address.  “We will not leave anyone to the occupiers. We are using every means to ensure that this war ends with the defeat of the occupiers.”

He also said that despite doubts from many in the world, “Ukraine has shown that it can prevail, despite all the challenges, especially in the Black Sea region.”

Early Tuesday, Russia’s defense ministry said it destroyed three Ukrainian boats in the northern part of the Black Sea.

Russia also said it conducted an “anti-sabotage” operation near the Sevastopol port, which is home to its Black Sea fleet.

Ukraine said Tuesday that Russian attacks in two parts of the country wounded at least eight people.

In the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, Russian airstrikes and artillery fire wounded four people and damaged several houses, Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said on social media.

Klymenko also said a Russian attack in the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine injured four people.

Ukraine’s air force said its defenses downed six drones that Russian launched from Crimea.

Some information for this report came from Agence France-Presse and Reuters

 
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Fears of a new conflict are growing as Turkey and Azerbaijan demand a corridor through Armenian territory after last month’s forced exodus of ethnic Armenians from the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. As Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul, the demands come as Iran hosts peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
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Violence among the Eritrean diaspora has broken out in Europe, the Middle East and North America in recent weeks. Hundreds have been arrested in clashes between supporters and opponents of the Eritrean government. In this report from Stuttgart, Germany, Henry Wilkins speaks with members of the Eritrean diaspora about what has triggered these new clashes.
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Icelandic women went on a 24-hour strike on Tuesday over gender inequality, including the prime minister, who said the fight for equal treatment was moving far too slowly at home and abroad.

Across the small island nation, schools and libraries were either closed or operated on limited hours as female staff stayed home, while hospitals said they would only handle emergency cases.

Joining the protest, Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said she would not come to work on Tuesday.

“Looking at the whole world, it could take 300 years to achieve gender equality,” Jakobsdottir told the Ras 1 public radio station.

The strike was called to protest against gaps in pay when compared to men and against gender-based violence, and to highlight the unpaid work such as such as child care that most often falls on women, organizers said.

Iceland is regarded as one of the world’s most progressive countries in terms of gender equality and has topped the World Economic Forum’s gender gap index 14 years in a row.

But in some industries and professions, women earn at least 20% less than Icelandic men, according to Statistics Iceland.

Forty percent of Icelandic women experience gender-based and sexual violence in their lifetime, a University of Iceland study found.

“We’re seeking to bring attention to the fact that we’re called an equality paradise, but there are still gender disparities and urgent need for action,” said Freyja Steingrimsdottir, a strike organizer and the communications director for the Icelandic Federation for Public Workers.

Tuesday’s strike, under the slogan “Do you call this equality?”, comprising Icelandic women and non-binary individuals, was the first full-day strike since an inaugural women’s protest in 1975.

“Female-led professions such as healthcare services and childcare are still undervalued and much lower paid,” Steingrimsdottir told Reuters on Monday. 
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Ukraine said Tuesday that Russian attacks in two parts of the country wounded at least eight people.

In the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, Russian airstrikes and artillery fire wounded four people and damaged a number of houses, Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said on social media.

Klymenko also said a Russian attack in the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine injured four people.

Ukraine and Russia each said Tuesday their militaries also thwarted attacks by enemy uncrewed vehicles.

Russia’s defense ministry said it destroyed three Ukrainian boats in the northern part of the Black Sea.

Russia also said it conducted an “anti-sabotage” operation near the Sevastopol port, which is home to its Black Sea fleet.

Ukraine’s air force said its defenses downed six drones that Russian launched from Crimea.

Some information for this report came from Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
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Poland’s mainstream opposition parties said on Tuesday they are ready to take power, as they seek to increase pressure on the president to make a quick decision on appointing their candidate Donald Tusk as prime minister.

The pro-European Union (EU) opposition parties won a majority in elections earlier this month, a huge shift for Poland after eight years of feuding with Brussels over issues ranging from judicial independence to LGBT rights.

President Andrzej Duda, an ally of the ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, has previously said that he would give the first shot at forming a government to the largest single party in the lower house of parliament.

PiS came first in the general election but lost its majority. It is unlikely to be able to form a government for want of a coalition partner.

“Today, together with the leaders of the democratic parties, we confirmed our readiness to cooperate fully and create a majority in the next parliament,” Tusk, the leader of Poland’s largest liberal opposition grouping Civic Coalition, told a news conference. He added that he would be the opposition’s candidate for prime minister.

Duda is set to meet the leaders of all the parties that won seats in parliament on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The leaders of the three groupings intent on forming the next government – Tusk’s liberal Civic Coalition (KO), the centre-right Third Way and the New Left – have urged Duda not to delay making a decision on appointing a new prime minister.

However, the president’s aides have said that he will not rush into making a choice.

 
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Malawi has made its first successful large-scale harvest of wheat after years of attempts to find a variety of grain suitable for its soil. Wheat farming is seen as a solution to mitigate the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on grain imports to the African continent.

Ronald Ngwira, chief executive officer of Malawi-registered U.S. company Pyxus Agriculture Limited, which operates a farm in central Malawi for the diversification of wheat seeds, said about four varieties of wheat have been found suitable for Malawian soil out of about 80 varieties which had been tried since 2019.

Speaking during the start of the first large-scale harvest over the weekend, Ngwira said the wheat farming will help Malawi save millions of dollars spent on wheat imports.

“Malawi imports 200,000 tons of wheat at $48 million. To get there, it could take us four years to produce enough wheat in Malawi to satisfy ourselves,” Ngwira said. “Four years might be seen as a long time, but we are already there and will have the seed available.”

Agriculture experts in Malawi say wheat farming is expected to produce about 90 metric tons, which is 50 percent of the country’s wheat consumption.

Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera witnessed the harvest Friday at Mpale farm in Dowa district.

“Wheat farming can enable Malawi to be self-sustaining. But this will require each one of us to work hard to achieve the desired results. Let us all make a move toward that goal by even using modern technology,” Chakwera said.

Malawi has long been heavily dependent on imported wheat, and the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has disrupted food supply chains. According to the United Nations, Africa takes up 12.26% of grain imported from Ukraine.

A U.N. report notes that the Russian invasion of Ukraine triggered a shortage of about 30 million tons of grain on the continent, along with a sharp increase in cost.

“If we can find markets, it can be another source of forex in the country,” said Wisdom Mgomezulu, an agricultural economist and lecturer at Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences. “Because, as you know, wheat is among those high-value cash crops that are highly demanded in the world.”

Mgomezulu said to achieve this, Malawi needs to find more sustainable production technologies that can give a comparative advantage, considering that there are already big players in the market.

“We need more investment in research. Let’s look for more funds and donor partners to finance agronomists and researchers who are trying their best to breed varieties that can be grown here in Malawi. But for that to be done, we need to research more investment and maybe get a share of the export market,” Mgomezulu said.

In the meantime, Ngwira of Pyxus said they are planning to plant 15,000 hectares of seed in December to prepare farmers for mass wheat production next year. 
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Sweden moved one step closer to entering NATO Monday when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan submitted a bill to parliament seeking approval for the Nordic nation’s bid to join the military alliance.

Thirty-one other NATO member nations have already ratified Sweden’s membership bid, leaving Turkey and Hungary as the final nations that have not yet done so.

Erdogan had promised his NATO allies he would introduce a bill to ratify Sweden’s membership when parliament reopened on October 1 and the bill was finally submitted on Monday.

Previously, Turkey had cited accusations of Sweden harboring terrorists as a reason for the delay. Ankara had said Stockholm needed to take more aggressive measures to crack down on the Kurdistan Workers Party, or the PKK militia, before Sweden’s membership bid could be ratified. 

The PKK is deemed a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU.

Turkey’s decision was welcomed by NATO as well as Sweden, who both released statements praising Erdogan.

“I look forward to a speedy vote to ratify, and to welcoming Sweden as a full NATO ally very soon,” NATO Secretary General Jen Stoltenberg said in a statement. “This will make the whole Alliance stronger and more secure.”

“Glad to hear that Turkish President Erdogan has now handed over the ratification documents to the Turkish Parliament,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Now it remains for Parliament to deal with the issue. We look forward to becoming a member of NATO.”

Turkey’s reversal on the decision to admit Sweden came as deals were made with both the U.S., who agreed to let Turkey buy 40 new F-16 fighter jets and modernization kits, as well as Sweden, who signaled it would help Turkey get admitted into the EU.

Sweden is attempting to follow its neighbor Finland in becoming a NATO member, after both nations spent decades outside the military alignment. Finland joined the alliance in April with Turkey stating it had addressed its security concerns.

The Nordic countries’ decisions to seek military protection under NATO came after Russia launched a full-scale invasion into Ukraine last year.

Some information in this report came from the Associated Press and Reuters.
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A new report by an EU-based think tank is proposing a new source of revenue for countries by imposing a tax on the super-rich.

Governments around the world should engage in a coordinated effort to prevent tax evasion and create a global minimum tax on billionaires that could raise $250 billion annually, according to the EU Tax Observatory.

The new tax would amount to 2% of the nearly $13 trillion controlled by about 2,700 global billionaires but would bring in more tax revenue than is currently generated from the world’s wealthiest, the group said Monday in its 2024 Global Tax Evasion Report.

Taxes on billionaires are often lower than those of general taxpayers, due to billionaires having access to resources that allow them to place their money in shell companies that shield them from income tax, the research group said.

The EU Tax Observatory, which is hosted at the Paris School of Economics, said that personal taxes on billionaires are estimated to be close to 0.5% in the United States and as low as 0% in France.

Efforts to increase taxes on billionaires have been growing, with U.S. President Joe Biden including a minimum 25% tax on the wealthiest 0.01% in his 2024 budget proposal. However, the plan is not expected to pass Congress.

While difficult, coordinated strategies toward greater taxation have happened. A 2021 agreement between 140 countries set a global 15% floor on corporate taxation, aiming to limit the ability of multinational companies to reduce their taxes by diverting profits to low-tax countries.

“Something that many people thought would be impossible, now we know can actually be done,” EU Tax Observatory Director Gabriel Zucman told journalists. “The logical next step is to apply that logic to billionaires, and not only to multinational companies.”

According to the report, instituting a minimum corporate tax effectively ended countries’ competition for lower tax rates, but it said loopholes still remain for companies to reduce their tax bills. 

Some information in this report came from Reuters. 
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Countries are deadlocked over how to design a fund to help countries recover and rebuild from climate change-driven damage, with just over 30 days left before crucial United Nations climate negotiations kick off in Dubai.  

Two dozen countries involved in a committee tasked with designing a “loss and damage” fund wrapped up the last meeting in the early hours of Saturday in Aswan, Egypt, with developing and developed countries at odds over central questions: which entity should oversee the fund, who should pay and which countries would be eligible to receive funding.  

The committee was expected to draft a list of recommendations for implementing the fund, which was agreed in a breakthrough last year at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, and would be the first U.N. fund dedicated to addressing irreparable climate-driven damage from drought, floods and rising sea levels.  

Instead, the group agreed to meet one more time in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 3 before the COP28 U.N. summit begins in Dubai on Nov. 30 to try to bridge divisions, which could set the tone for the two-week climate negotiations.  

“The entire COP28 negotiations could get derailed if developing countries’ priorities on funding for loss and damage are not adequately addressed,” said Preety Bhandari, a senior adviser on finance at the World Resources Institute.  

Among the most contentious issues last week was whether the World Bank should host the fund – a position pushed by the U.S. and developed countries – or whether the U.N. create a new body to run the fund, as developing countries have urged.  

Housing a fund at the World Bank, whose presidents are appointed by the United States, would give donor countries outsized influence over the fund and result in high fees for recipient countries, developing countries argue.  

“Its operational culture, the way in which the World Bank has been assisting countries in their development policies, I think it’s not fit for purpose in relation to what we’re looking for from this new climate facility,” said Cuba’s U.N. Ambassador Pedro Pedroso Cuesta, chair of the G77 (developing countries) and China.  

He said the creation of a “new independent entity” to run the fund is the core of its position.  

In response to these criticisms, a spokesperson for the World Bank told Reuters: “We are supporting the process and are committed to working with countries once they agree on how to structure the loss and damage fund.”  

The United States, the European Union and others want a more targeted fund. The EU wants a fund dedicated to the most “vulnerable” while the U.S. has said the fund should focus on areas like slow-onset climate impacts such as sea-level rise.  

Countries are also split over who should pay.  

Brandon Wu, director of policy & campaigns for NGO ActionAid USA called on the United States to back off its insistence that the World Bank house the fund.  

U.S. negotiator Christina Chan, a senior adviser to Special Envoy on Climate John Kerry, pushed back on criticism that the U.S. is obstructing progress on loss and damage.  

“We have been working diligently at every turn to address concerns, problem-solve, and find landing zones,” she said.
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Bobi, the world’s oldest dog, has died aged 31 in Portugal, Guinness World Records said on Monday.

A purebred Rafeiro Alentejano who spent his entire life in a village in central Portugal, Bobi lived for 31 years and 165 days, breaking a record held since 1939 by an Australian cattle-dog that died at 29 years and five months.

“Despite outliving every dog in history, his 11,478 days on earth would never be enough for those who loved him,” said Karen Becker, a veterinarian who met Bobi several times and who was the first to announce his death on social media. “Godspeed, Bobi.”

He was declared the world’s oldest dog in February this year.

Bobi’s breed, which traditionally has been used as sheepdogs, usually has a life expectancy of 12 to 14 years.

His owner Leonel Costa attributed his longevity to a number of factors, including living in peace in the countryside, never having been chained up or kept on a leash, and always eating “human food.”

At the time Bobi was born, Costa’s family had many animals and little money so his father, a hunter, generally buried newborn puppies rather than keep them.  

But Bobi hid among a pile of firewood. Costa and his siblings found him a few days later and kept him a secret until the puppy opened his eyes.

“We knew that when he opened his eyes, my parents wouldn’t be able to bury him,” Costa told Reuters earlier this year.

Prior to his death, Bobi still loved walks but had become less adventurous. His fur was thinning, his eyesight had worsened and he needed to rest more than he used to.

Guinness World Records previously described Bobi’s story as “miraculous” and said on Monday that “he will be sorely missed.” More than 100 people showed up at his 31st birthday party in May, it added.
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Ukrainian officials said Monday that Russian forces attacked overnight with drones and a cruise missile that targeted different parts of the country.

Ukraine’s air force said it downed 14 attack drones, including 13 Iranian-made Shahed drones, as well as the cruise missile.

Oleh Kiper, the regional governor of Odesa, said debris from one of the destroyed drones fell on the southern region, damaging a port warehouse.

Kiper said there were no casualties reported.

Russia has repeatedly targeted Odesa with aerial attacks, including ports along the Black Sea and the Danube River.

Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said on Telegram that the latest Russian attacks targeted the southern, eastern and central parts of the country.

Some information for this story came from Reuters

 
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Authorities say more than 1,300 sub-Saharan African migrants reached Spain’s Canary Islands, a seven-island Atlantic archipelago, this weekend.

One vessel carried a record 321 people.

Another record was set earlier this month when 8,561 migrants arrived on the islands in the first two weeks of October. 

Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska has attributed the record number of arrivals to the political destabilization of the Sahel region where there have been several coups.

The migrants generally do not want to settle on the islands but are instead looking to create better lives for themselves and their families elsewhere in Europe or other places around the world.

Some information for this report came from Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
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In the humble backyard of a destroyed house, a 13-year-old chops firewood to get ready for winter. His mother, Tetiana Yarema, has been preparing for months as she remembers last winter’s Russian strikes on the energy infrastructure that plunged Ukraine into darkness.

“Those were dark days. I didn’t want anything. I just wanted to pack my things and go abroad,” said Yarema, 48, who says she ended up staying because of her son’s insistence.

For the Yarema family, like millions of other Ukrainians touched by Russia’s war on Ukraine, winter is an especially challenging time.

The mother and son live in trailers that were set up in their backyard after fighting in the early days of the war destroyed their house in Moshchun, a village about 25 kilometers northwest of Kyiv.

“I have a feeling that when the cold sets in, they’ll start bombing again,” the woman said, echoing the sentiments of many Ukrainians.

This time, however, they say they are better prepared.

Sales of generators exploded toward the end of summer. Some, who can afford it, have invested in solar panels. Others, like Yarema, have been purchasing candles, batteries, flashlights, and portable lanterns and stocking up on compact gas canisters, making the most of discounted prices.

“It’s a bit challenging … but I already know what to do,” she said.

Last winter was declared the most challenging in the history of Ukraine’s energy system, with more than 1,200 missiles and drones fired by Russians at power plants, according to Ukrainian state-owned grid operator, Ukrenergo.

The strikes impacted almost a half of Ukraine’s energy capacity. People were forced to endure hours without electricity and water during the coldest months in what Ukrainian officials described as “energy terror.”

Millions of people across Ukraine had to learn to work, live, and cover their basic needs without relying on electricity.

After a lull of six months, Ukraine’s energy system sustained its first attack of the season on Sept. 21, resulting in damage to facilities in the central and western regions, Ukrenergo said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has committed to substantially enhancing air defense systems, which already have demonstrated greater effectiveness than the previous year.

“Everyone must play their part in defensive efforts to ensure that Russian aggression does not halt Ukraine this winter. Just as on the battlefield, in all areas, we must be resilient and strong,” Zelenskyy said in a recent address to the nation.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal recently announced that the United States has allocated $522 million for energy equipment and the protection of Ukraine’s infrastructure.

“We stand on the threshold of a difficult winter. Thanks to the assistance of our allies, we successfully weathered the last, which was the most challenging winter season in our history,” Shmyhal said.

Major retailer Epicenter said sales of generators increased 80% in August compared to the same time last year, and sales of portable charging stations increased by 25 times.

Yurii Musienko, 45, another resident of Moshchun, also plans to rely heavily on firewood, and has a wood-burning stove in his compact wooden trailer that has been provided to him for two years, and which sits next to his ruined home.

“I’ve already adapted,” he said with a smile. The gates of his home still bear the holes from exploded ammunition that serve as a reminder of when Russian forces tried to seize the Ukrainian capital.

“May no one ever have to endure such conditions,” said his mother, Valentyna Kiriian, who lives in a separate plastic trailer installed in the same courtyard.

She’s dressed in a hat and a coat, with multiple layers of clothing to stay warm. She notes that the cold has already set in, forcing her to sleep fully clothed, much like the previous winter.

During the power outages last winter, the mother and son relied on canned food. Occasionally, Valentyna would visit her neighbor, whose house remained intact and had a gas stove for boiling water.

“It’s difficult for me to talk about. It pains my soul, and my heart weeps,” she said.

Private Ukrainian energy producer DTEK has spent the last seven months restoring its damaged infrastructure and fortifying the protection of its equipment for the approaching winter.

The company invested about 20 billion Ukrainian hryvnias ($550 million) to prepare for the coming season, and it lost billions of hryvnias because of last year’s disruptions caused by Russian attacks, according to CEO Maxim Timchenko.

“We learned our lessons,” Timchenko said.

Andrii Horchynskyi, 49. who lives in the village of Maliutianka about 25 kilometers southwest of Kyiv, has invested more than $30,000 in recent years to ensure his house is self-sufficient, and ramped up those efforts since Russia’s invasion.

Last year, he spent $12,000 to install solar panels to help power his spacious house, where other members of his extended family came to stay for the winter — eight of them surviving comfortably.

“We had a whole ant heap here,” Horchynskyi recalled.

He is convinced the Russians will try to damage Ukraine’s infrastructure for gas, which he thinks will become expensive or even unavailable. So, he has installed a boiler that burns pine pellets. He also stores one-and-a-half cubic meters of water in his backyard.

“They will bombard even more this winter than the last,” Horchynskyi said.
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Hundreds of demonstrators rallied outside the United Nations on Sunday demanding the release of hostages seized by Hamas during the Islamist group’s bloody attack on Israel.

The protest on the square outside the U.N.’s Palais des Nations headquarters in Geneva was organized by the Voice for Freedom coalition, bringing together several Christian Zionist organizing committees.  

The gathering therefore had a religious tone, with chants and slogans intermingled with prayers and psalms.   

The demonstration was the culmination of a visit to Geneva by the families of several of those missing since the Hamas attack. They met with Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk.   

Many demonstrators waved Israeli flags or wore them around their shoulders, or held posters featuring pictures of missing Israelis, including children.   

Some wore T-shirts that said, “Set them free,” and held placards reading: “Never again is NOW,” “Innocent life is non-negotiable” and “Children aren’t bargaining chips.”   

Leon Meijer, president of Christians for Israel International, urged the U.N. Human Rights Council to “work for the release of the hostages,” saying, “Save the lives of those who can still be saved.”  

Hamas militants stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7 and killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians who were shot, mutilated or burned to death on the first day of the raid, according to Israeli officials.  

It was the worst attack on civilians in Israel’s history. Israel says more than 200 hostages were abducted by the militants.   

More than 4,600 Palestinians, mainly civilians, have been killed across the Gaza Strip in relentless Israeli bombardments in retaliation for the attacks by the Palestinian Islamist militant group, according to the latest toll from the Hamas health ministry in Gaza.   

Several demonstrations have been held in Switzerland, some pro-Palestinian and others in solidarity with Israel.  

Three days after the Hamas attack, Zurich’s Jewish community organized a demonstration in support of Israel, bringing together several hundred people.   

A demonstration in Lausanne brought together 4,500 to 5,000 people to demand an immediate end to Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip, while around 6,000 pro-Palestinian protesters rallied in Geneva last Saturday.  

Zurich has since decided to ban any gatherings relating to the Middle East, while Basel decided to ban all gatherings this weekend.   

The U.N. human rights office said Friday that blanket bans on peaceful assemblies were disproportionate.  

States “must not unduly restrict participation and debate, or critical commentary about the conflict, of expressions of solidarity with Israelis or Palestinians,” spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told a media briefing in Geneva.   

“Any restrictions on the right to peaceful assembly must be based on law, and necessary for and proportionate to the risks, such as national security, public safety or public order,” she said.
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Author Salman Rushdie called Sunday for the unconditional defense of freedom of expression as he received a prestigious German prize that recognizes his literary work and his resolve in the face of constant danger.

The British-American author decried the current age as a time when freedom of expression is under attack by all sides, including from authoritarian and populist voices, according to the German news agency dpa.

He made his remarks during a ceremony in St. Paul’s Church in Frankfurt, where he was honored with the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade for continuing to write despite enduring decades of threats and violence.

In August 2022, Rushdie was stabbed repeatedly while on stage at a literary festival in New York state.

Rushdie has a memoir coming out about the attack that left him blind in his right eye and with a damaged left hand. “Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder” will be released on April 16. He called it a way “to answer violence with art.”

The German prize, which is endowed with 25,000 euros ($26,500), has been awarded since 1950. The German jury said earlier this year that it would honor Rushdie “for his resolve, his positive attitude to life and for the fact that he enriches the world with his pleasure in narrating.”

Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had condemned passages referring to the Prophet Muhammad in Rushdie’s 1988 novel “The Satanic Verses” as blasphemous. Khomeini issued a decree the following year calling for Rushdie’s death, forcing the author into hiding, although he had been traveling freely for years before last summer’s stabbing.
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Thousands of people were rallying in Berlin and London on Sunday to oppose antisemitism and support Israel, while demonstrations in support of Palestinians in besieged Gaza continued around the world.

Some of those who gathered in front of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate carried Israeli flags or posters with photos of some of the more than 200 people seized by Hamas as hostages during the militants’ deadly Oct. 7 incursion into Israel.

“It is unbearable that Jews are living in fear again today — in our country of all places,” President Frank-Walter Steinmeier told the crowd. “Every single attack on Jews, on Jewish institutions is a disgrace for Germany. Every single attack fills me with shame and anger.”

Earlier, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz inaugurated a new synagogue in the eastern city of Dessau and said he was “outraged” by the upsurge in antisemitism since the conflict began.

Several buildings in Berlin where Jews live had the star of David painted on doors and walls, and assailants threw two Molotov cocktails at a synagogue in Berlin last week.

“Here in Germany, of all places,” Scholz said, vowing that “our ‘never again’ must be unbreakable.”

In London, the Board of Deputies of British Jews called for people to rally in Trafalgar Square on Sunday afternoon to press for the return of more than 200 people taken hostage by Hamas.

The war has raised tensions worldwide, leaving Jewish and Muslim communities feeling under threat. London’s Metropolitan Police force says it has seen a 13-fold upsurge in reports of antisemitic offenses in October compared to last year. Reports of anti-Muslim crimes have more than doubled.

Sunday’s rallies came a day after tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators — 100,000 by police estimates — marched through the British capital to demand Israel stop its bombardment of Gaza. Waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Stop bombing Gaza,” participants called for an end to Israel’s blockade and airstrikes launched in the wake of Hamas’ brutal incursion.

Authorities in Gaza say more than 4,600 people have been killed in the territory since the latest war began. More than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel, majority of them civilians slain in the Oct. 7 attack.

Israel intensified its bombardment of Gaza ahead of an expected ground offensive. Egyptian media said 17 trucks carrying humanitarian aid crossed into the besieged strip on Sunday, after 20 trucks were allowed to enter Gaza on Saturday across the southern Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

On Sunday hundreds of people gathered in Sarajevo — bombed and besieged during the Bosnian war in the 1990s — to show solidarity with the plight of Palestinians in Gaza.

“What is happening in Gaza is simply human disaster. Collective punishment. War crimes. These things have to be named by their rightful name,” said Nabil Naser, a Palestinian doctor who worked in Sarajevo during the Bosnian war.

More than 3,000 people attended a “Freedom for Palestine” rally on Sunday at a square in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Waving Palestinian flags and to the beat of drums, protesters including women and children chanted “Palestine will never die” and “From the rivers to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

Malaysia is a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause and has no diplomatic ties with Israel. Muslims in the country have staged weekly rallies after Friday prayers outside the American Embassy, slamming the U.S. for its support of Israel.

Retiree Munir Izwan urged neighbors of the Palestinians to step up efforts to help.

“Even in Islamic teachings, the closest neighbors should help the most in making peace between the two parties. But from what I see, the neighboring countries of Palestine, they are only talking but no actions,” Munir said.

Demonstrations of support of the Palestinians were held Saturday across Europe — in Rome, Barcelona, several French cities, Düsseldorf, Germany and the Kosovo capital, Pristina — as well as in Sydney and in U.S. cities including Los Angeles and Houston.

In Istanbul, protesters outside the Israeli Consulate on Saturday evening held children’s stuffed toys to draw attention to the large number of Palestinian children killed in Gaza. Protesters affiliated with Islamic groups held signs reading “I have a right to play” and held up toys with signs on them that called on Israel to “stop murdering innocent children.”
…

Weak economic growth and high interest on the country’s huge debt are the main problems facing Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after her first year in power, an anniversary marked by an abrupt announcement she was leaving her long-time partner.

Meloni’s coalition, the first led by a woman in Italy’s history, was sworn in a year ago after a sweeping election victory and will soon cruise past the 14-month average postwar term life for Italian governments.

It was seen on taking power as the country’s most right-wing since wartime dictator Benito Mussolini, as Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party traces its roots to the post-fascist Italian Social Movement (MSI). 

Yet Meloni, 46, set about quelling foreign concerns of possible extremism, forging good ties with allies by adopting a strongly pro-Western, EU-friendly stance and pledging staunch support to Ukraine in its war with Russia.

At home she pleased her rightist grassroots through measures to defend the traditional family, protect Italy’s cultural heritage and try to stem migrant arrivals.

“We have worked tirelessly to repay the trust and to demonstrate with facts that it was possible to build a different Italy,” she said in a video message this week.

However, an economic rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic has ground to a halt, with gross domestic product contracting by 0.4% in the second quarter, and analysts forecast Italian growth will be among the lowest in the euro zone next year.

That makes it harder for Meloni to keep her tax-cutting promises and makes Italy’s debt, equal to 140% of national output, vulnerable to market sell-offs.

“The economy is probably the toughest subject. The government has low margins in which to operate,” said Valentina Meliciani, an economics professor at LUISS university in Rome.

Last week Meloni weathered the first of several reviews on Italy’s debt when S&P Global Ratings confirmed the country’s BBB rating with a stable outlook.

However, the prevailing view among analysts is that the rating agencies will worsen Rome’s outlook while avoiding outright downgrades.

Meloni also has personal problems to deal with. She announced on Friday she was separating from her long-time partner, TV presenter Andrea Giambruno, after he repeatedly sparked outrage for sexist comments made on and off-air.

Tax cuts

This month the government approved a 2024 budget with around 24 billion euros ($25.3 billion) of tax cuts and increased spending, despite a public debt that is proportionally the second highest in the euro zone after Greece’s.

The budget has not impressed investors, and exacerbated a long-running rise in Italian bond spreads.

The gap between yields on Italian 10-year bonds and the German equivalent is hovering around 2 percentage points (200 basis points), far higher than for any other euro zone country.

Meliciani said Italy’s hopes of reviving its economy and cutting debt were strongly dependent on effective implementation of investment plans financed through EU post-COVID funds.

So far Rome has struggled to meet Brussels’ policy conditions and to spend the money it has received.

On the international front, as well as her backing for Ukraine Meloni has largely avoided confrontation with Brussels despite her eurosceptic past.

She has also dropped the calls she used to make in opposition for a naval blockade to prevent boats leaving north Africa, despite her inability to halt the influx of migrants.

Arrivals on Italy’s coasts have surged to more than 140,000 so far in 2023, nearly double the same period last year.

“We expected Italy to be very tough (on immigration) at the EU level but we have seen a conciliatory attitude overall, they are working to find a common line,” said Enzo Moavero Milanesi, a former foreign affairs minister.

Commanding position

At home Meloni has so far avoided the domestic political chaos that dogged so many of her predecessors.

A divided opposition has helped her tighten her grip on power and keep her party at the top of the polls, with nearly 30% of voter support, against around 18.5% for the center-left Democratic Party (PD) and 17% for the maverick 5-Star Movement.

Her party dominates its coalition allies, the League and Forza Italia, whose combined score remains below 20%.

Analysts believe a slice of center-right voters switched to Meloni from the other two parties and are unlikely to shake the balance of power within the coalition by changing back again.

“Meloni came after a decade of political instability and voters floating across the party spectrum. The country looks now tired of this,” said historian and politics expert Giovanni Orsina.

($1 = 0.9476 euros) 
…

“Ordain women priests!” Not far from the Vatican, where hundreds of Catholics have gathered to debate the future of the Church, purple-clad activists make their voices heard against the “patriarchy”.

The place of women in the Catholic Church — led for 2,000 years by a man, which outlaws abortion and female priests and does not recognize divorce — is one of the hot topics at the general assembly of the Synod of Bishops taking place over four weeks.

Women campaigning for change have come to Rome to make their case, from Europe and the United States but also South Africa, Australia, Colombia and India.

They have different backgrounds and diverse goals — not all want female priests, with some aiming first for women to become deacons, who can celebrate baptisms, marriages and funerals, although not masses.

But they are united in their frustration at seeing women excluded from key roles in what many view as a “patriarchal and macho” Church.

“The majority of people who support parish life and transmit the faith in families are women, mothers,” said Carmen Chaumet from French campaign group “Comite de la Jupe”, or the Committee of the Skirt.

“It is paradoxical and unfair not to give them their legitimate place.”

“If you go to the Vatican, to a mass, you see hundreds of men priests dressed the same way, and no women,” added Teresa Casillas, a member of Spanish association “Revuelta de Mujeres en la Iglesia”, “The Women’s Revolt in the Church”.

“I feel that men are the owners of God.”

‘Voting rights’

The Synod assembly, which runs until October 29, nevertheless marks a historic turning point in the Church, with nuns and laywomen allowed to take part for the first time.

Some 54 women — around 15 percent of the total of 365 assembly members — will be able to vote on proposals that will be sent to Pope Francis.

Vatican observers have called it a revolution. “A first step,” say campaigners.

Adeline Fermanian, co-president of the Committee of Skirt, said the pope had given “openings” on the question of ordaining women.

“He recognized that the questions has not been examined sufficiently on a theological level,” she said.

Since his election in 2013, Francis has sought to forge a more open Church, more welcoming to LGBTQ faithful and divorcees, and encouraging inter-faith dialogue.

He has increased the number of women appointed to the Curia, the central government of the Holy See, with some in senior positions.

But some campaigners see the changes as “cosmetic” reforms which hide a biased perception of women.

Cathy Corbitt, an Australian member of the executive board of umbrella group Catholic Women’s Council (CWC), said the inclusion of female voting members in the Synod was a sign of progress.

But she said the wider view of women in the Church was “very frustrating”, much of it taking inspiration from the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus.

“The pope still seems to have this blind spot towards women… He seems to regard women in terms of a role, and it’s usually in terms of a mother,” she said.

Resistance

The Synod process is slow — the current meeting in Rome followed a two-year global consultation, and a second general assembly is planned for next year.

Regina Franken-Wendelsorf, a German member of CWC executive board, said women were hoping for concrete action.

“All arguments and requests are on the table. It’s now the Vatican and the Church who have to act!” she said.

While the Church debates, “there are collateral victims, frustration, Catholics who leave because they no longer feel welcomed”, added French campaigner Chaumet.

But just as Pope Francis faces resistance in his reform agenda, there is significant resistance to the women’s push for change.

“Some American bishops are afraid to follow the path of the Anglican Church,” which authorized the ordination of women in 1992, notes one Synod participant, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Another senior Church member, who also asked not to be named, noted that pressure for reform was not equal from all regions of the Church.

“We must not forget that the Church is global,” he recalled. “There are expectations (among women) in Europe, but in Asia and Africa, much less.”
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Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched Saturday through a rainy London to demand Israel stop its bombardment of Gaza, and similar calls were heard in cities around the world as the Israel-Hamas war entered its third week. 

On the day a trickle of aid entered Gaza, where more than 1 million people have left their homes because of the conflict, protesters gathered in at Marble Arch near London’s Hyde Park before marching to the government district, Whitehall. 

Police estimated the crowd that wound its way through the city for three hours at “up to 100,000.” 

Waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Stop bombing Gaza,” participants called for an end to Israel’s blockade and airstrikes launched in the wake of a brutal incursion into southern Israel by the Hamas militant group that controls Gaza. 

Authorities in Gaza say more than 4,300 people have been killed in the territory since the latest war began. More than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel, mostly civilians slain during Hamas’ attack on October 7. 

Israel continued to bombard targets Saturday in Gaza ahead of an expected ground offensive. A small measure of relief came when 20 trucks carrying humanitarian aid were allowed to enter Gaza across the southern Rafah border crossing with Egypt. 

The war has raised tensions around the world, with both Jewish and Muslim communities feeling under threat. The British Transport Police force said it was investigating after footage was posted online that appears to show a London Underground driver leading passengers in a chant of “Free, free Palestine” over the subway intercom. 

British authorities urged demonstrators to be mindful of the pain and anxiety felt by the Jewish community. London’s Metropolitan Police force says it has seen a 13-fold upsurge in reports of antisemitic offenses in October compared to last year. Reports of anti-Muslim crimes have more than doubled. 

Police said there had been “pockets of disorder and some instances of hate speech” during protests over the war, but “the majority of the protest activity has been lawful and has taken place without incident.” 

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters also gathered in Belfast and in Northern Ireland’s second city, Londonderry, where speakers included lawmaker Colum Eastwood of the Irish nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party. 

“The murder of children is wrong,” he told the crowd, calling for an immediate cease-fire in the conflict. “I don’t know how that is so difficult for some of our world leaders to actually utter. It doesn’t matter whether they are Israeli children or Palestinian children.” 

Across the border in the Republic of Ireland, thousands marched through the capital, Dublin, calling for an end to Israel’s bombardment. 

In France, pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in several cities including Rennes, Montpellier, Dijon and Lyon, where thousands of people could be seen chanting “we all are Palestinians” in the central square. 

In Marseille, the country’s second-largest city, some people took to the streets, waving Palestinians flags and shouting “Free Gaza,” despite the protest being banned by local police. 

A pro-Palestinian gathering scheduled for Sunday in Paris has been allowed by police. 

German police said almost 7,000 people took part in a peaceful pro-Palestinian demonstration Saturday in Dusseldorf. The demonstrators carried Palestinian flags or banners calling for an end to “violence and aggression in Gaza.” 

Police in Berlin banned a pro-Palestinian demonstration that was scheduled for Sunday in the center of the city, German news agency dpa reported. Police in the German capital have stopped several similar events in recent weeks, citing the potential of violence and antisemitic hate speech. Some pro-Palestinian demonstrators have taken to the streets anyway, resulting in clashes with police. 

Authorities allowed a pro-Israel demonstration scheduled for Sunday that was expected to draw together thousands of people in central Berlin. 

Elsewhere, several hundred people marched Saturday through Rome, some holding signs saying “Palestine, Rome is with you,” and “No peace until we get freedom.” 

“Israel carries out war crimes there, crimes against humanity there, and the international community has never acted,” said Maya Issa, president of the Movement of Palestinian Students in Italy, which organized the demonstration. 

In Muslim-majority Kosovo, several hundred people walked from mosques to Pristina’s Zahir Pajaziti square after lunchtime prayers to express support for Palestinians. 

In Australia, thousands marched Saturday through central Sydney, shouting “Shame, shame Israel” and “Palestine will never die.” 

The war sparked protests across the Arab world and beyond Friday, including in the occupied West Bank, where Palestinians burned tires and threw stones at Israeli military checkpoints. Israeli security forces responded firing tear gas and live rounds. 

Crowds gathered in Israel’s northern neighbor Lebanon; in Iraq at the country’s border crossing with Jordan; in Jordan itself; in cities and towns across Egypt; in Turkey’s capital Ankara and its most populous city of Istanbul; and in Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, Venezuela, and South Africa. 

In New York, hundreds of protesters from Muslim, Jewish and other groups marched to U.S. Sen. Kristen Gillibrand’s Manhattan office, many shouting “cease fire now.” Police later arrested dozens of protesters who blocked Third Avenue outside Gillibrand’s office by sitting in the road. 

Pro-Israel demonstrations and vigils have also been held around the world, many focused on securing the return of hostages captured by Hamas. 

Rome’s Jewish community Friday remembered the more than 200 people believed held by Hamas by setting a long Shabbat table for them outside the capital’s main synagogue and empty chairs for each of the hostages. 

On the back of each chair was a flyer featuring the name, age and photo of each missing person. On the table were candles, wine and loaves of challah, the braided bread typically eaten during the Friday night meal. 
…

Bobby Charlton, an English soccer icon who survived a plane crash that decimated his Manchester United team and became the heartbeat of his country’s 1966 World Cup-winning team, has died. He was 86. 

A statement from Charlton’s family, released by United, said he died Saturday surrounded by his family. 

An extravagantly gifted midfielder with a ferocious shot, Charlton was the leading scorer for both United (249 goals) and England (49 goals) for more than 40 years until being overtaken by Wayne Rooney. 

“Sir Bobby was a hero to millions, not just in Manchester, or the United Kingdom, but wherever football is played around the world,” United said. 

“He was admired as much for his sportsmanship and integrity as he was for his outstanding qualities as a footballer; Sir Bobby will always be remembered as a giant of the game.” 

Alex Ferguson, who managed United from 1986-2013, said before Charlton’s death that he “is the greatest Manchester United player of all time — and that’s saying something.” 

“Bobby Charlton is absolutely without peer in the history of the English game,” Ferguson said. 

A humble man

Charlton was also renowned for his humility, discipline and sportsmanship. He never received a red card in 758 appearances for United from 1956-73 or 106 internationals for England from 1958-70. 

Charlton played with George Best and Denis Law in the so-called Trinity that led United to the 1968 European Cup after surviving the 1958 Munich crash that wiped out the celebrated “Busby Babes” team. He won three English league titles at United, and one FA Cup. 

“For a footballer, he offered an unparalleled combination of grace, power and precision,” said former United defender Bill Foulkes, another survivor of the Munich crash. 

“It added up to a greatness and something more — something I can only call beauty.” 

Charlton’s England scoring record stood for 45 years until Rooney scored his 50th goal for the national team in September 2015. Three of his England goals came in the World Cup in 1966, during which Charlton played every minute for the team and stood out especially in the semifinals when he scored twice against Portugal to lead England to a first major final. 

England beat West Germany 4-2 after extra time in the final. 

Although Ryan Giggs beat Charlton’s appearance record for United in 2008, his scoring record for the club lasted another nine years. It was only in 2017 — 44 years after Charlton last wore the famous red jersey of England’s most successful club — that Rooney scored his 250th goal for United. 

Player became coach

After retiring in 1973, Charlton went into coaching and founded a youth scheme that included United great David Beckham among its participants. 

Charlton returned to United in 1984 as a director and persuaded the board in 1986 to appoint Ferguson, who delivered 38 trophies during nearly 27 years in charge. 

Knighted in 1994 by Queen Elizabeth II, Charlton remains a mainstay at Old Trafford, featuring alongside Best and Law in a statue outside United’s stadium. 

In November 2020, it was announced that Charlton had been diagnosed with dementia, the same disease that afflicted his brother Jack — who died in 2020 at age 85 — and another World Cup winner, Nobby Stiles. 

Charlton’s death left Geoff Hurst, who scored a hat trick in the 1966 final, as the only surviving member of that England team. 

“We will never forget him and nor will all of football,” Hurst said of Charlton on X, formerly known as Twitter. “A great colleague and friend, he will be sorely missed by all of the country beyond sport alone.” 

Tragedy strikes

Robert Charlton was born Oct. 11, 1937, in the coal-mining town of Ashington, northeast England, and his talent was obvious from a young age. 

Charlton’s playing career began far from home in Manchester after leaving school at 15, making his United debut three years later in 1956. 

Within two years, tragedy struck the tight-knit group of United players. The team was celebrating winning at Red Star Belgrade to secure a place in the European Cup semifinals when their plane caught fire on its third attempt to take off in heavy snow after a refueling stop in Germany. 

Charlton miraculously emerged from the smoldering wreckage with only light head injuries and picked his way through the wreckage to help survivors. Spotting manager Matt Busby groaning on the smoke-shrouded runway, Charlton rushed to help the father-figure who had promoted him to the first team. 

But eight members of the “Busby Babes” team packed with bright prospects were among the 21 fatalities. They included Duncan Edwards, considered one of England’s most talented players at 21. 

“Sometimes it engulfs me with terrible anger and regret and sadness — and guilt that I walked away and found so much,” Charlton wrote in 2007. 

Charlton became driven by a lingering obligation to preserve the memories of the Munich dead, returning to action less than four weeks later and helping a hurriedly assembled team of survivors and stand-ins reach that season’s FA Cup final. 

Busby rebuilt his team around Charlton, adding the 1965 and 1967 English league titles to the championship they won in 1957. 

The biggest prize of his club career arrived in 1968 as United became the first English club to become champion of Europe. Charlton scored twice in a 4-1 extra-time win over a Benfica team containing Portugal great Eusebio. 

But Charlton is perhaps best known for being part of the England team that won the World Cup. It remains England’s only major title in men’s soccer. 

He is survived by his wife, Norma, whom he married in 1961, and his two daughters.
…

In his daily address Friday, the president of Ukraine thanked military personnel in southern Ukraine “who are holding their ground and destroying the occupier day after day.”

“These days,” Volodomyr Zelenskyy said, “Russian losses are really impressive, and it is exactly the kind of losses of the occupier that Ukraine needs.”

Meanwhile, the British Defense Ministry said in its daily intelligence update on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent announcement that Russia will begin conducting fighter patrols in the eastern Black Sea with interceptor aircraft armed with Kinzhal air-launched missiles is in reaction to an increased presence of the U.S. in the eastern Mediterranean.

“Putin’s announcement,” the report said, “is in line with typical Russian rhetoric aimed at its domestic audience,” which calls the West aggressors, while framing Russian activity as “necessary for protection of the state.”

The Kinzhal missile, the ministry said, is “highly capable on paper,” but its performance in Ukraine thus far has been “poor.”

The British ministry said that “on paper” the Kinzhal is “able to fly at hypersonic speeds and evade modern air defense systems, although there almost certainly needs to be significant improvement in how Russia uses it to achieve this potential.”
…

Editor’s note: Here is a look at immigration-related news around the U.S. this week. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com.

Venezuela Receives First Group of Deported Migrants From US

The U.S. has not carried out regular deportations to Venezuela since 2019, but at an airport in Harlingen, Texas, Venezuelan men and women arrived on buses in shackles, underwent pat-downs and were escorted onto a charter plane. The 135 Venezuelan migrants were deported from the United States on Wednesday to Caracas, Venezuela. Immigration reporter Aline Barros has the story.

Pilot Program Could Allow Some Work Visa Holders to Renew Them in US

The U.S. State Department is working on a pilot program that would allow some work visa holders currently in the United States to renew their visas here, rather than traveling to their home country. Immigration reporter Aline Barros has the story.

US Advocates for Afghan Refugees Amid Pakistan’s Threatened Expulsion

The United States has engaged in high-level diplomatic discussions in Pakistan to address concerns related to Afghan refugees on the brink of mass deportation. The Pakistani government has pledged to deport hundreds of thousands of Afghan nationals who do not possess recognized refugee status. This includes Afghans who collaborated with the United States and its allies prior to 2021. Story by Akmal Dawi.

Settlement Over Trump Family Separations at the Border Seeks to Limit Future Separations for 8 Years

A settlement filed Monday in a long-running lawsuit over the Trump administration’s separation of parents and their children at the border bars the government from similar separations for eight years while also providing benefits like the ability for their parents to come to America and work, according to the Biden administration. Story by The Associated Press.

California to Give Some Mexican Residents Near Border In-State Community College Tuition

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new law Friday to make low-income Mexican residents living near the border eligible for in-state tuition rates at certain community colleges. The legislation applies to low-income Mexicans who live within 72 kilometers (45 miles) of the California-Mexico border and want to attend a participating community college in Southern California. It is a pilot program that will launch next year and run until 2029. Story by The Associated Press.

Ukrainian Family Returns Home After Long Rehabilitation in US

As the war drags on, some severely injured Ukrainians who received medical help abroad are returning home. Yana Stepanenko and her mother have resettled in Lviv after a year of treatment and rehabilitation in the U.S. Omelyan Oshchudlyak has the story. Camera: Yuriy Dankevychs.

Immigration around the world

Six Months Into War, Sudanese Seek Refuge Outside Chaotic Capital

Six months after tensions between rival Sudanese generals ignited a devastating war, thousands lie dead, millions are displaced and the once-thriving capital, Khartoum, is a shadow of its past glory. When the first bombs fell on April 15, the capital’s residents looked on in terror as entire neighborhoods were razed and essential services were paralyzed, exacerbating their misery. Story by Agence France-Presse.

Egypt Expresses Opposition to Allowing Palestinians From Gaza Into Sinai

As Egypt faces the possibility of receiving an influx of Palestinian refugees from its northern border with Gaza, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has repeated his country’s long-standing opposition to permitting Palestinians from Gaza to be resettled in the Sinai. Egypt and Israel reportedly agreed Saturday to open the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egyptian territory to allow U.S. citizens stranded in the Hamas-controlled territory to leave. Edward Yeranian reports for VOA from Cairo, Egypt.

Water Runs Out at UN Shelters in Gaza

Water has run out at U.N. shelters across Gaza as thousands packed into the courtyard of the besieged territory’s largest hospital as a refuge of last resort from a looming Israeli ground offensive and overwhelmed doctors struggled to care for patients they fear will die once generators run out of fuel. The Associated Press reports.

Italy to Charge Foreigners Over $2,100 a Year for Health Service

Foreigners who live in Italy will be able to use the national health service after paying a $2,109 annual fee, the government said Monday. The charge, part of the 2024 budget adopted by the Cabinet, will apply only to citizens from outside the European Union, the economy ministry said in a statement. The ministry said there would be an unspecified discount for those with legal residency papers, as well as for foreign students and au pairs. Story by Reuters.

Community Hostility in Chad Rising as Refugee and Displacement Crisis Grows

U.N. officials warned Monday that community hostility in Chad is rising as thousands of refugees from conflict-ridden Sudan continue to arrive, putting pressure on limited resources Chadians depend on for their livelihoods and survival. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.

Why Egypt, Other Arab Countries Are Unwilling to Accept Refugees From Gaza

As desperate Palestinians in sealed-off Gaza try to find refuge, some ask why neighboring Egypt and Jordan don’t take them in. The two countries, which flank Israel on opposite sides and share borders with Gaza and the occupied West Bank, respectively, have replied with a staunch refusal. Story by The Associated Press.

Fearing Rise of Radical Islamists, Greece Boosts Migrant Camp Security, Surveillance

Greek intelligence has increased surveillance of refugee camps in the country amid radical Islamist calls for jihad in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Like many other countries, Greece has boosted security since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, elevating its level of national alert to Code 4, just shy of the highest level possible. Report by Anthee Carassava.

News briefs

— The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Thursday announced the start of visa-free travel for short-term visits to the United States for eligible Israeli citizens and nationals following Israel’s admission into the U.S. Visa Waiver Program.

— DHS also announced a new family-reunification parole process for certain nationals of Ecuador, whose family members are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents and who have received approval to join their family in the United States. Specifically, Ecuadorian nationals and their immediate family members can be considered for parole on a case-by-case basis for a period of up to three years while they wait to apply to become a lawful permanent resident.
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The Israel-Hamas war and efforts to ensure continued support for Ukraine dominated a Friday summit between U.S. President Joe Biden, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President Charles Michel. The conflicts overshadowed efforts to resolve long-running disputes between the United States and the European Union over Trump-era tariffs on European steel and aluminum and U.S. green subsidies. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara reports.
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