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washington — Germany’s entry into the U.S.-led U.N. Command, which expanded the multinational body tasked with defending South Korea against North Korea, reflects growing fears in Europe and the U.S. that multiple wars that could break out simultaneously across the globe, said analysts.

North Korea this week denounced Germany’s membership in the U.N. Command (UNC), calling the expansion an attempt by the U.S. to create an Asian version of NATO, according to state-run KCNA.

The move will “inevitably aggravate the military and political situation on the Korean Peninsula and the rest of the region,” KCNA said Tuesday.

Pushing back against Pyongyang’s criticism, the German Federal Foreign Office told VOA Korean in a statement on Tuesday that by joining UNC, it is “sending a signal for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and strengthen[ing] our commitment in the Indo-Pacific.”

The statement continued, “Just as others are there for us, we are there for others when they need us.”

Germany joined UNC on August 2, becoming the 18th member of the body charged with maintaining the armistice on the Korean Peninsula during peacetime. In the event of war, the UNC would coordinate the movement of troops and weapons from its members to the Combined Forces Command of the U.S. and South Korea. 

Enhanced deterrence

Markus Garlauskas, who served as the U.S. national intelligence officer for North Korea from 2014 to 2020, said the UNC’s main role is to defend South Korea but that “expanding the number of countries contributing to UNC helps enhance deterrence … of the escalation of aggression in the entire region.”

This is particularly important because a conflict on the Korean Peninsula could escalate into a conflict with China, said Garlauskas, director of the Indo-Pacific Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security.

The U.S. maintains several military bases and approximately 28,500 troops in South Korea.

But with wars raging in Ukraine and Gaza and the threat of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, analysts said the addition of new members to the UNC makes it easier for the United States to respond to crises elsewhere without having to send additional forces that may be needed to defend South Korea if the North attacks.

“The U.S. military is not large enough to fight multiple contingencies around the world” by itself, said David Maxwell, vice president of the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy.

The U.S. Commission on the National Defense Strategy released a report in July saying the U.S. must prepare to deal with simultaneous conflicts coordinated by China and Russia and involving countries such as North Korea and Iran, amounting to a “global war.”

Bruce Bennett, senior defense analyst at the RAND Corporation, said, “The more forces that are available to potentially assist South Korea, the better it is for the U.S. if conflict occurs in both Taiwan and in Korea.”

By joining the UNC, “Germany is hoping South Korea will also become more supportive of the defense of Ukraine against Russian aggression” by sending ammunition and other weapons, Bennett said.

South Korea has withheld sending lethal weapons directly to Ukraine while providing nonlethal weapons.

Germany’s membership in UNC follows a NATO summit last month in Washington where the alliance agreed to cooperate closely on security with the Indo-Pacific countries of South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

Germany’s participation in UNC demonstrates “a tangible step” toward that defense cooperation, Garlauskas said. He noted that Pyongyang’s and Beijing’s support of Russia’s war against Ukraine “directly threatens Germany security.”

Germany, along with other NATO member states, has been arming Ukraine so it can defend against Russia, which has been threatening NATO with nuclear strikes. The U.S. and its NATO allies have condemned China for supporting Russia’s defense industry and North Korea for sending munitions to aid its war in Ukraine.

James Przystup, senior fellow and Japan chair specializing in alliance management in the Indo-Pacific at the Hudson Institute, said Germany, the U.K., France, the Netherlands and the EU “have all released Indo-Pacific strategy that recognizes that stability in the region is critical to Europe’s own prosperity.”

Those countries have also expressed their commitment to supporting a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific, he said. “But this is far from the emergence of an Indo-Pacific NATO.”
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VIENNA, AUSTRIA — The 19-year-old Austrian who masterminded a foiled plot to attack Taylor Swift fans at a concert in Vienna with a bomb or knife had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State militant group, authorities said on Thursday.

The main suspect, who has North Macedonian roots, made a full confession in custody, Austria’s general director for public security, Franz Ruf, told a news conference.

He swore loyalty to the IS militant group’s leader on the internet and kept chemicals and technical devices at his home in the town of Ternitz in preparation for an attack, Ruf said.

The 19-year-old, whose name was not given, was planning an attack with an explosive or knife among the estimated 20,000 “Swiftie” fans set to gather outside the stadium, said national intelligence head Omar Haijawi-Pirchner.

“There is currently no information that other concerts are subject to an explicit threat,” he said at the news conference.

Two other Austrian youths, ages 17 and 15, were also detained Wednesday over the foiled plot.

Swift’s three concerts in Vienna, due to start on Thursday for a sold-out audience of 65,000 each, were canceled, to the consternation of fans, many of whom had traveled far.

“It’s just heartbreaking, just frustrating. But at the end of the day, I guess it’s for everyone’s safety,” said Mark del Rosario, who had flown from the Philippines for the show.

U.S. broadcaster ABC cited law enforcement and intelligence sources as saying Austrian authorities had received information about the Swift concert threat from U.S. intelligence.

It cited the sources as saying at least one of the suspects had pledged allegiance to ISIS-K, a resurgent wing of IS, on Telegram in June, although the plot was IS-inspired rather than directed by the group’s operatives.

Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said foreign intelligence agencies helped with the investigation, as Austrian law does not allow monitoring of messenger apps.

Event organizer Live Nation urged fans of Coldplay, which is due to play at the same stadium on August 21, to stay calm and said it was in contact with authorities.

It did not comment on whether the show would take place.

British police said on Thursday there was nothing to indicate that the planned attack in Vienna would have an impact on her shows at Wembley Stadium in London next week.

Past attacks and plots

“Concerts are often a preferred target of Islamist attackers, large concerts,” said Karner, listing the 2015 attack on Paris’ Bataclan venue and the 2017 bombing at the Manchester Arena where U.S. pop star Ariana Grande had played.

The planned attack also recalled a foiled plot by three IS-linked suspects against Vienna’s gay pride parade last year.

Authorities have revamped their national security intelligence in the wake of a 2020 attack by a convicted jihadist in the center of Vienna that left four dead, the first such militant attack in the Austrian capital in a generation.

Swifties disappointed

The shows were to be part of the record-breaking Eras Tour by the American singer-songwriter, which started on March 17, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona, and is set to conclude on Dec. 8, 2024, in Vancouver, Canada.

Swift, 34, has not yet commented on the cancellations on her official Instagram account, which has 283 million followers.

Her fans were horrified at the threat, with some begging organizers to postpone the concert instead of canceling it outright. Promoters have said they will pay back tickets.

“I can’t believe the concert i’ve been waiting for over 10 years is now gone. I don’t think i’ll ever get over this,” wrote one fan on social media.

“As disappointing as not being able to go to this concert is TRUST ME u do not want to experience that,” added another.

Some who had traveled from abroad for the concerts planned to do some sightseeing or hang with friends instead.

“We’ll check out some museums, maybe catch up with a few friends who reside here,” said del Rosario. “But apart from that, maybe look at Swiftie-organized events. To be with fellow fans, you know, share the same pain and just dance it out. As I believe Taylor Swift would want us to have fun.”

One group of local Swifties said they had received permission to still hold tour parties in coordination with local police.
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BARCELONA, Spain — Former Catalonia leader Carles Puigdemont, who fled Spain after organizing an independence referendum in the wealthy Spanish region nearly seven years ago that was declared illegal, returned to the country on Thursday despite a pending arrest warrant.

Puigdemont defiantly appeared in Barcelona after traveling from Belgium and made a speech in front of a large crowd of supporters. He faces charges of embezzlement for his part in the attempt to break Catalonia away from the rest of Spain.

Addressing the crowd, Puigdemont accused Spanish authorities of “a crackdown” on the Catalan separatist movement.

“For the last seven years we have been persecuted because we wanted to hear the voice of the Catalan people,” Puigdemont said. “They have made being Catalan into something suspicious.”

He added: “All people have the right to self-determination.”

The 2017 referendum organized by Puigdemont was declared illegal at the time both by Spain’s central government and the Constitutional Court.

Puigdemont has dedicated his career to the goal of carving out a new country in northeast Spain — a struggle which is decades-old. His largely uncompromising approach has brought political conflict with other separatist parties as well as with Spain’s central government.

Puigdemont appeared in a central Barcelona park where several thousand separatist supporters who had gathered in expectation of his arrival waved Catalan flags. He punched the air to cheers on a bright, sunny day.

The event was organized by his political party Together for Catalonia (Junts), hours before a new regional government was to take office nearby.

Local police were deployed in a security ring around a section of the park where Catalonia’s parliament building is located behind walls. Puigdemont, wearing a dark suit, white shirt and tie, walked toward the building followed by masses of supporters.

Puigdemont had earlier announced publicly he was going back to Spain, though he gave no travel details.

Puigdemont’s presence in Spain is likely to generate renewed political tension over the smoldering issue of Catalan independence. The failed secession attempt triggered a protracted constitutional crisis.

It wasn’t immediately clear how authorities would proceed if Puigdemont was arrested.

A contentious amnesty bill, crafted by Spain’s Socialist-led coalition government, could potentially clear Puigdemont and hundreds of other supporters of Catalan independence of any wrongdoing in the illegal 2017 ballot.

But the bill, approved by Spain’s parliament earlier this year, is being challenged by the Supreme Court, which argues the pardon does not apply to embezzlement, unlike other crimes that Puigdemont had previously been charged with. Puigdemont could be placed in pretrial detention.

The former Catalan leader’s return threatened to complicate a deal brokered after months of deadlock between Salvador Illa’s Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) and the other main Catalan separatist party and left-wing Esquerra Republicana (ERC).

That deal had ensured just enough support in Catalonia’s parliament for Illa to become the next regional president in an investiture debate Thursday.
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LONDON — Far-right demonstrations that had been anticipated by police in dozens of locations across Britain failed to materialize Wednesday as peaceful anti-racism protesters instead showed up in force.

Police had prepared for another night of violence at 100 locations following a week of rioting and disorder fueled by misinformation over a stabbing attack against young girls. Many businesses had boarded up windows and closed down in fear of what lay ahead.

Stand up to Racism and other groups had planned counter-protests in response, but in most places they reclaimed their streets with nothing to oppose.

In London, Bristol, Oxford, Liverpool and Birmingham, large, peaceful crowds gathered outside agencies and law firms specializing in immigration that had been listed by internet chat groups as possible targets of far-right activity. 

In resounding choruses they chanted: “Whose streets? Our streets!”

It was a vast change from the chaos that has erupted on streets throughout England and Belfast, Northern Ireland, since July 30.

Cities and towns have been wracked by riots and looting for the past week as angry mobs, encouraged by far-right extremists, clashed with police and counter-demonstrators. The disturbances began after misinformation spread about the stabbing rampage that killed three girls in the seaside community of Southport, with social media users falsely identifying the suspect as an immigrant and a Muslim.

Rioters spouting anti-immigrant slogans have attacked mosques and hotels housing asylum-seekers, creating fear in Muslim and immigrant communities. In recent days, reports have emerged of violent counterattacks in some areas.

The head of London’s Metropolitan Police Service said earlier Wednesday that officers were focused on protecting immigration lawyers and services. In addition to thousands of officers already deployed, about 1,300 specialist forces were on standby in case of serious trouble in London.

“We’ll protect those people,″ Commissioner Mark Rowley said. “It is completely unacceptable, regardless of your political views, to intimidate any sector of lawful activity, and we will not let the immigration asylum system be intimidated.”

By early late evening, though, with the exception of scattered disturbances and some arrests, trouble had not erupted. 

A crowd of immigrant supporters that quickly grew to several hundred in the London neighborhood of North Finchley found themselves largely alone with several dozen police officers.

The crowd chanted “refugees welcome” and “London against racism.” Some held signs saying, “Stop the far right,” “Migration is not a crime” and “Finchley against Fascism.” 

At one point, an unruly man who had been shouting at the group and pulling his shirt up to show off an eagle tattoo was punched by a protester. He was led away by someone and officers questioned a possible suspect. 

Outside an immigration center in the Walthamstow area in east London, an anti-racism protest leader barked “fascist scum” to which a crowd of hundreds responded: “off our streets.”

In Liverpool, hundreds showed up to defend the Asylum Link immigration center. A grandmother held a placard reading “Nans Against Nazis” and someone else held a sign saying, “When the poor blame the poor only the rich win.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has described the previous disturbances as “far-right thuggery,” rejecting any suggestion that the riots were about the government’s immigration policies. He has warned that anyone taking part in the violence would “face the full force of the law.”

Police have made more than 400 arrests and are considering using counter-terrorism laws to prosecute some rioters. The government has pledged to prosecute those responsible for the disorder, including those who use social media to incite the violence.

Among the first to be sentenced was Derek Drummond, 58, who received three years in prison after admitting to violent disorder and punching a police officer in the face in Southport on July 30. He was one of three men jailed after their cases were heard Wednesday at Liverpool Crown Court.
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Following last week’s prisoner exchange between Russia and Western nations, several of the political prisoners released by Moscow have arrived in Germany, historically a refuge for Russians fighting for change in their homeland. Marcus Harton narrates this report from Ricardo Marquina in Berlin.
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GENEVA — Soaring temperatures in July have had detrimental effects on the well-being of hundreds of millions of people worldwide who have found the monthlong extreme heat too hot to handle, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

“The extreme heat, which continued throughout July after a hot June … has had really, really devastating impacts on communities, on people’s health, on ecosystems, also on economies,” WMO spokesperson Clare Nullis told journalists Tuesday in Geneva.

“Extreme heat has a domino effect across society,” she said, noting that the world’s hottest day on recent record was registered on July 22. “All of this is really yet another unwelcome indication, one of many, of the extent that greenhouse gases from human activities are, in fact, changing our climate.”

WMO data show widespread, intense and extended heat waves have hit every continent in the past year and global average temperatures have set new monthly records for 13 consecutive months from June 2023 to June 2024.

“At least 10 countries in the past year have recorded daily temperatures of more than 50 degrees Celsius [122 degrees Fahrenheit] in more than one location,” Nullis said. “You can well imagine this is too hot for the body to handle.”

WMO reports that Death Valley in California, considered to be the hottest place on Earth, registered an average monthly temperature of 42.5 degrees Celsius (108.5 degree Fahrenheit) at Furnace Creek, “which is a record for the site and possibly the world.”

WMO normally does not measure monthly temperature records. But Randall Cerveny, chief rapporteur for the WMO’s committee for evaluating climate and weather extremes, said ”the record appeared to be reasonable and legitimate.”

While human-induced activity is largely responsible for the long-term warming trend, meteorologists cite above-average temperatures over large parts of Antarctica as another contributing factor.

According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, this has resulted in anomalies of more than 10-degrees Celsius above average in some areas, and above-average temperatures in parts of the Southern Ocean.

WMO climate expert Alvaro Silva said two consecutive heat waves that hit Antarctica over the last two years have contributed to record global temperatures.

“The reason is still under research, but it seems to be related with the daily sea ice extent,” he said, noting the Antarctic daily sea ice extent in June 2024 “was the second lowest on record. … This follows the lowest extent that we have in Antarctica in terms of sea ice in 2023.”

Sea ice extent is the surface area of ice covering an ocean at a given time.

Speaking from the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, Silva provided a sobering regional overview of the heat waves and extreme heat events, which are contributing to record global temperatures.

He observed that July was the warmest on record in Asia, while in Africa, he cited record-breaking temperatures in Morocco as having had “an important impact in terms of human health and deaths.”

He said intense heat waves in southern and southeastern Europe have “caused casualties and severe impacts on health.” At the same time, he pointed out that the fallout of heat waves in North America have been quite severe, noting that on August 1, “more than 160 million people, about half of the United States population, were under heat alert.”

WMO officials say evidence of our rapidly warming planet underscores the urgency of the Call to Action on Extreme Heat initiative launched by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres July 25.

In issuing this call, the U.N. chief warned that “Earth is becoming hotter and more dangerous for everyone, everywhere” and this was posing an increased threat to “our socio-economic and environmental well-being.”

WMO officials also stressed the importance of adaptation to climate change as a lifesaving measure, noting that recent estimates produced by WMO and the World Health Organization indicate the global scale-up of heat-health-warning systems for 57 countries alone “has the potential to save an estimated 98,000 lives per year.”

WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said bolstering heat early warning systems in line with her agency’s Early Warnings for All Initiative would ensure at-risk populations receive timely alerts so they can take “protective actions.”

But, she emphasized, climate adaptation alone is not enough.

“We need to tackle the root cause and urgently reduce greenhouse gas levels, which remain at record observed levels.”
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ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey on Wednesday filed a request with a U.N. court to join South Africa’s lawsuit accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza, the foreign minister said. 

Turkey’s ambassador to the Netherlands, accompanied by a group of Turkish legislators, submitted a declaration of intervention to the International Court of Justice in The Hague. 

With the development, Turkey, one of the fiercest critics of Israel’s actions in Gaza, becomes the latest nation seeking to participate in the case. Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Nicaragua and Libya have also asked to join the case, as have Palestinian officials. The court’s decision on their requests is still pending. 

“We have just submitted our application to the International Court of Justice to intervene in the genocide case filed against Israel,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan wrote on the social media platform X. “Emboldened by the impunity for its crimes, Israel is killing more and more innocent Palestinians every day.” 

“The international community must do its part to stop the genocide; it must put the necessary pressure on Israel and its supporters,” he said. “Turkey will make every effort to do so.” 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Israel of genocide, called for it to be punished in international courts and criticized Western nations for backing Israel. In May, Turkey suspended trade with Israel, citing its assault on Gaza. 

In contrast to Western nations that have designated Hamas a terrorist organization, Erdogan has commended the group, calling it a liberation movement. 

South Africa brought a case to the International Court of Justice late last year, accusing Israel of violating the genocide convention through its military operations in Gaza. 

Israel has strongly rejected accusations of genocide and has argued that the war in Gaza is a legitimate defensive action against Hamas militants for their October 7 attack in southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people and in which 250 hostages were taken. 

If admitted to the case, the countries who joined would be able to make written submissions and speak at public hearings. 

Preliminary hearings have already been held in the genocide case against Israel, but the court is expected to take years to reach a final decision. 

“No country in the world is above international law,” Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli said on X earlier. “The case at the International Court of Justice is extremely important in terms of ensuring that the crimes committed by Israel do not go unpunished.” 

Keceli also called for the immediate implementation of precautionary measures ordered by the court, including a halt to military offensives and an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza. 

Since Erdogan took power in 2003, former allies Turkey and Israel have experienced a volatile relationship, marked by periods of severe friction and reconciliation. The war in Gaza has disrupted the most recent attempts at normalizing ties.
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BARCELONA — Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont said on Wednesday he was returning after seven years in self-imposed exile to Spain, where he would likely be arrested over his role in the region’s 2017 independence bid. 

His arrest and potential imprisonment before he might face trial could unleash fresh turmoil in Catalonia and threaten the fragile Socialist-led coalition ruling Spain, which relies on Puigdemont’s hardline Junts party to pass legislation. 

To secure Junts’ legislative support for Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government, Spain’s parliament in May approved an amnesty law designed to allow Puigdemont a safe return from Belgium. 

The amnesty aimed to cancel legal proceedings against hundreds of separatists involved in Catalonia’s 2017 illegal referendum, but Spain’s Supreme Court ruled last month that the law did not apply to an embezzlement charge against Puigdemont and upheld an arrest warrant he faces. 

Still, Puigdemont said he remained committed to attending the Catalan parliament’s session that is due to swear in the region’s new leader following an election in May, in which Puigdemont finished second. 

The swearing-in is scheduled for Thursday. Puigdemont said he would keep his word and be in Barcelona then. 

“I have started the return trip from exile,” he said in a video posted on X. He also said in the video message that his arrest would be illegal and arbitrary. 

Neither Puigdemont nor Junts on Wednesday said whether he had already entered Spain. 

Thursday’s session is poised to appoint Socialist Salvador Illa as the new Catalan president, ending over a decade of separatist governments. 

Puigdemont’s supporters plan to welcome him on Thursday morning on a Barcelona boulevard near the regional parliament, setting the stage for a potentially dramatic arrest witnessed by reporters and bystanders. 

Moderate separatist party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, currently governing Catalonia, called Puigdemont’s return an “exceptional moment” and said it would attend the welcoming event. 

That might require a delicate balancing act from the party, which as leader of the regional government is responsible for the regional police force that could arrest Puigdemont. Esquerra will also lend its key votes for Illa to be elected president in exchange for a deal under which Catalonia would gain autonomy in collecting and managing taxes. 

Both Esquerra and Junts have backed the Socialist-led national government in Madrid. 

If the judge in charge of his case issues a pre-trial imprisonment, Puigdemont is expected to appeal for his release to Spain’s Constitutional Court. 
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LONDON — British police braced for further anti-Muslim riots on Wednesday as far-right groups pledged to target asylum centers and immigration law firms across the country, prompting anti-fascist protesters to plan counter demonstrations.

Britain has been gripped by an escalating wave of violence that erupted early last week when three young girls were killed in a knife attack in northwest Britain, triggering a wave of false messaging online that wrongly identified the suspected killer as an Islamist migrant.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a former chief prosecutor who is facing his first crisis since winning a July 4 election, has warned rioters they will face lengthy jail terms as he sought to stamp out the worst outbreak of violence in Britain in 13 years.

“Our first duty is to ensure our communities are safe,” he told broadcasters.

“They will be safe. We are doing everything we can to ensure that where a police response is needed, it is in place, where support is needed for particular places, that is in place.”

In towns and cities groups of a few hundred rioters have clashed with police and smashed windows of hotels housing asylum-seekers from Africa and the Middle East, chanting “get them out” and “stop the boats” – a reference to those arriving in Britain in small dinghies.

They have also pelted mosques with rocks, terrifying local communities including ethnic minorities who have felt targeted by the violence.

Messages online said immigration centers and law firms aiding migrants would be hit on Wednesday, with one post saying: “Wednesday night lads. They won’t stop coming until you tell them.”

In response, anti-racism and anti-fascist groups organized counter demonstrations in towns and cities across the country.

One typical post about a planned far-right protest in the southern coastal city of Brighton said: “Racist scum are trying to target an immigration lawyer’s office. We won’t let it happen – wear face coverings and face masks.”

The government has put together a so-called “standing army” of 6,000 specialist police officers to respond to any outbreaks of violence, and say they will have a big enough presence to deal with any unrest.

“This country is faced with one of the worst spates of violent disorder in the last decade,” Deputy Assistant Commissioner Andy Valentine, who is in charge of the policing operation in London, said.

“We will not tolerate this on our streets. We will use every power, tactic and tool available to prevent further scenes of disorder.”

Starmer has vowed a reckoning for those caught rioting, looting shops and burning cars.

He said more than 400 people had been arrested, 100 had been charged, and he was expecting sentencing to start soon.
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Abuja, Nigeria — While nationwide protests appeared to have ebbed Tuesday, the Nigerian government said it will not tolerate calls for coups after some protesters in northwest Kano and Kaduna states waved Russian flags while marching in the streets Monday.

Nigeria’s defense chiefs told journalists that hoisting the Russian flags amounts to treason.

“We will not relent in pursuing those that have continued to encourage unconstitutional takeover of government or subversion or those ones that are into vandalism or destruction of lives and property,” Nigerian Defense Chief General Christopher Musa said.

Thousands in Nigeria took to the streets in Lagos, Abuja and elsewhere last week to denounce President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies and government. Security officers cracked down hard on protesters, using tear gas and live ammunition. Amnesty International says at least 13 protesters were killed nationwide.

On Monday, hundreds of protesters marched in northern Kaduna and Kano states, waving Russian flags and calling for Russian President Vladimir Putin to come to their aid. Nigeria’s national police said nearly 900 protesters were arrested, including 30 who were carrying Russian flags.

Security analyst Kabiru Adamu criticized the military’s interpretation of the protesters’ intentions.

“There [are] instances where Nigerians do wave the flags of other countries,” he said. “So, one is a bit surprised with this interpretation. We’re in a democratic setting, and the role of security and defense organizations does not go beyond law enforcement or the implementation of security policies. They do not have in any way the role of interpreting or making judicial pronouncements.”

The Russian Embassy in Abuja on Monday distanced itself from protesters using the Russian flag and pledged Moscow’s support for Nigeria’s democracy. But Russia has been expanding its influence in Africa and forming security alliances, especially in the coup-ridden Sahel states.

Adamu, managing director of Beacon Security and Intelligence, said the acts of the protesters might be inspired by a growing resentment for Western influence in the region.

“The policies that are being implemented by the Bola Tinubu government have the backing of Western countries, especially the institutions of [the International Monetary Fund] and World Bank,” he said.

“So, when people in an organic manner endear themselves to Russia, it is perhaps an indication that they’re not happy with the policies that were supported by those countries and Russia perhaps may be a better partner or ally.”

Western nations, including the United States, have said Russia’s influence in Africa could set back democratic norms.

But political affairs analyst Ahmed Buhari said good governance from local authorities is all that is needed.

“These people are not oblivious of the fact that there’s a current wave across the Sahel,” he said. “They listen to the news. They can clearly see that Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso [have] presented very young leaders who are coming up with very strong policies that seemingly look like they’re going to benefit the people.

“And what I expect from the government of the day is to prove to the people that they’re better friends to the people than any foreign ally at a time like this,” he said.
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Frankfurt, Germany — German factory orders rose more strongly than expected in June, official data showed Tuesday, boosting hopes that a recovery in Europe’s top economy could be gaining momentum.

Orders in the country’s crucial manufacturing sector rose 3.9% from a month earlier, according to federal statistics agency Destatis, an uptick that followed five consecutive months of falls.

That was higher than an increase of 1% forecast by analysts surveyed by financial data firm FactSet.

But the order data, closely watched as an indicator of future business activity, was 11.8% lower from the same month a year earlier, according to Destatis.

June’s month-on-month rise was driven by domestic orders, which rose by 1.2%, while demand from abroad continued to fall and was down by 3.1%.

The uptick comes after a recent run of lackluster data and may boost optimism a rebound is finally taking hold after the German economy shrank last year due in part to an industrial slowdown.

Along with recent positive figures on eurozone bank lending, the orders data “could suggest a recovery in fixed investments in the second half of the year,” said the economy ministry in a statement.

“However a more general revival in industrial activity is unlikely for now given the subdued mood among businesses and continued weak foreign demand,” it added.

Jens-Oliver Niklasch, analyst at LBBW bank, said that while June’s figures “exceeded all expectations,” they were “not enough to break the downward trend.”
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Lyon, France — Jean-Philippe Mateta scored twice as France advanced to the final of the men’s soccer tournament at the Paris Olympics with a 3-1 win over Egypt after extra time on Monday.

France will play Spain in Friday’s final at Parc des Princes in a match that will ensure the first European gold medalist in 32 years.

The host nation came from behind at Stade de Lyon to beat an Egypt team that was closing in on an upset after leading through Mahmoud Saber’s 62nd-minute goal.

France had hit the frame of the goal on three occasions before Mateta equalized in the 83rd and sent the game into extra time.

His second came in the 99th after Egypt’s Omar Fayed was sent off for a second yellow card.

Michael Olise added France’s third in the 108th.

While this will be the first time gold has been won by a European team since Spain’s victory at Barcelona 1992, it also ends the dominance of Latin American nations after the last five editions of the tournament saw victories for Brazil and Argentina — two each — and Mexico.

It also gives France coach Thierry Henry the chance to added to his storied career, having won the World Cup and European Championship with France as a player.

This would be his first major honor in a coaching career that is still early in its development.

France’s only Olympic gold came at Los Angeles 1984 and it also took silver when the Games were held in Paris in 1900.

One of the pre-tournament favorites, France had gone into the semifinal with a perfect winning record, having taken maximum points in the group phase and beaten Argentina in the quarterfinals.

But Egypt had already proved capable of upsetting the odds by beating Spain to top its group. And it came so close to another surprise win when Saber flashed a shot past France goalkeeper Guillaume Restes.

By that point, Loic Bade had already headed against the foot of the post in the first half.

Egypt’s goal sparked a reaction from the French fans, who roared loudly to try to lift their team.

Egypt keeper Alaa Hamza denied Alexandre Lacazette from point blank range. France hit the frame of the goal twice more in the space of seconds when Lacazette headed against the foot of the post and Bade hit the bar with a follow up header.

The equalizer finally came when Olise strode through the middle of the field and slipped a pass into the run of Mateta.

With Hamza advancing to cut down the angle, Mateta got to the ball first and swept home.

France thought it had won a penalty deep into stoppage time when VAR reviewed a handball by Fayed.

Referee Said Martinez spent agonizingly long reviewing the sideline monitor before eventually determining there had been a foul in the buildup.

While that was a reprieve for Egypt and sent the game to extra time, Fayed was sent off in the 92nd, having been booked during heated scenes when the potential penalty was being reviewed.

France took advantage of the extra man and went ahead through Mateta’s second goal of the match.

Once again Olise was at the heart of it — swinging a ball into the box for Kiliann Sildillia head across goal. Mateta rose and headed past Alaa.

Olise then got on the score sheet himself firing low with a first time left-footed shot from inside the box.
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MOSCOW — A senior ally of President Vladimir Putin arrived in Tehran on Monday for talks with Iranian leaders including the president and top security officials as the Islamic Republic weighs its response to the killing of a Hamas leader. 

Russia has condemned the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, leader of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Iran last week and called on all parties to refrain from steps that could tip the Middle East into a wider regional war. 

Sergei Shoigu, the secretary of Russia’s security council, was shown by Russia’s Zvezda television station meeting Rear Admiral Ali Akbar Ahmadian, a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander who serves as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. 

Shoigu, who was Russia’s defense minister before being moved to the security council in May, also met with President Masoud Pezeshkian. 

“In Tehran, the secretary of the Russian Security Council is scheduled to meet with the president, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and the head of the General Staff,” according to Zvezda TV. 

Though Putin has yet to comment in public on the recent escalation of tensions in the Middle East, senior Russian officials have said that those behind the killing of Haniyeh were seeking to scuttle any hope of peace in the Middle East and to draw the U.S. into military action. 

Iran blames Israel and has said it will “punish” it; Israeli officials have not claimed responsibility. Iran backs Hamas, which is at war with Israel in Gaza, and the Lebanese group Hezbollah whose senior military commander Fuad Shukr was killed in an Israeli strike on Beirut last week. 

Russia has cultivated closer ties with Iran since the start of its war with Ukraine and has said it is preparing to sign a wide-ranging cooperation agreement with the Islamic State. 

Reuters reported in February that Iran had provided Russia with many powerful surface-to-surface ballistic missiles. The U.S. said in June that Russia appeared to be deepening its defense cooperation with Iran and had received hundreds of one-way attack drones that it was using to strike Ukraine, something Moscow denies.  

Russia said last Friday it joined Iran in condemning the assassination of the Hamas leader and pointed out “the extremely dangerous consequences of such actions.” 

Washington said it did not have any expectation that Russia would play a productive role in de-escalating tensions in the region. 

“We haven’t seen them play a productive role in this conflict since October 7. They have, for the most part, been absent. Certainly, we’ve seen them do nothing to urge any party to take de-escalatory steps,” U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told a daily briefing. 

The U.S. does not know why Shoigu’s trip is taking place now, Miller said, but one possibility might be to further Moscow’s relationship with Tehran to seek support for its invasion of Ukraine. 

“Certainly, we have seen that with the security relationship between Iran and Russia before,” he added.
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Johannesburg, South Africa — Billboards and videos popping up in several African cities show 20th-century independence leaders and anti-colonial quotes as part of a drive to promote the Kremlin-backed outlet RT.

What they don’t advertise is that the Russian outlet being promoted has been largely blocked in the West for being part of Putin’s propaganda network and for pushing disinformation, including about the war in Ukraine.

The ad campaign seeks to tap into Africa’s colonial past — another tactic that disinformation experts say Russia regularly uses to try to sow division.

“Your Values. Shared,” promise billboards highlighting Julius Nyerere, Tanzania’s first president; Ugandan independence leader Milton Obote; and former Ghanaian leader Kwame Nkrumah. Another features Robert Mugabe, who was much-admired for leading Zimbabwe to independence but was later widely seen by his citizens as a tyrant.

In addition, travelers passing through Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, one of the continent’s major transport hubs, will be met with large-screen digital video promos for RT.

In a press release, the television network said the campaign “emphasizes RT’s commitment to [the] dismantling of neo-colonialist narratives in news media.”

“Pervasive western mainstream media dominance is something that RT has had to battle for nearly two decades,” RT deputy editor-in-chief Anna Belkina said in a recent op-ed on the rationale behind the campaign.

“They all come from the same handful of countries. And yet they have the gall to tell the entire world what to think and how to feel about the rest of the world, even about the ‘audience’ countries themselves,” she wrote.

RT was “a voice of dissent in the media landscape,” she declared.

But that is not the full story. Media watchdogs and disinformation analysts have long pointed to how Russia and China seek to gain a foothold in Africa, using free content and funding with local media as a sweetener.

And Russia is the leading source of disinformation on the continent, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies said. Its March 2024 report found a nearly fourfold increase in disinformation campaigns targeting African countries, with an aim of “triggering destabilizing and antidemocratic consequences.”

“Russia received quite a setback at the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, because within a few weeks, Europe had imposed sanctions on Russia and the feed of RT that comes into the South African and African markets on DStv [Digital Satellite TV] … was cut,” said Steven Gruzd, a Russia expert at the South African Institute of International Affairs in Pretoria, adding that the media campaign “is a little bit of a reaction to the frustration it’s had.”

The network that once ran across Europe, Canada, Australia and the United States has largely lost its impact following Russia’s full invasion of Ukraine.

Belkina said in addition to the ad blitz, RT is also starting a new TV show based out of Kenya, anchored by well-known Kenyan lawyer P.L.O. Lumumba.

Pivot to Africa

RT was formed in 2005, funded by the Russian government. Originally called Russia Today, it has different language channels, including English, Arabic, Spanish and French.

It has often been described as a propaganda outlet and has been found by media regulators like Britain’s Ofcom to lack impartiality and broadcast “misleading” material. In 2017, it was forced to register as a foreign agent in the United States.

RT gets hundreds of millions of dollars in funding. In its early years, it managed to attract big names to host its shows, including Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and late American TV host Larry King.

But the broadcaster was badly hit by sanctions in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and was taken off the air in many parts of the world, including Europe and North America.

Silicon Valley giants also reacted. Meta blocked RT Facebook and Instagram pages in the European Union. Microsoft removed RT from its platforms, and Apple removed it from its App Store in all countries but Russia. YouTube blocked RT in March 2022, though its content can reportedly be found on the channel through proxies.

Though many African countries were loath to take a stance on the Ukraine war, with most abstaining from U.N. votes on the issue, RT wasn’t immune from problems in Africa. South African satellite broadcaster MultiChoice cut RT from its pan-African DSTV service, saying EU sanctions had forced them to do so.

South Africans were still able to watch RT on Chinese channel StarSat until it was pulled from that station in 2023.

And it’s unclear what became of plans announced in 2022 to open an English-language hub in Johannesburg. Asked via email by VOA, Beklina said it was operating. But the journalist chosen to run the hub, Paula Slier, who has since left RT, said in a WhatsApp message that as far as she was aware, there was no brick-and-mortar office in the city now.

RT has made inroads elsewhere on the continent, establishing a bureau in Algeria last year. Also last year, Afrique Media in Cameroon signed a partnership with the Russian network.

“Since March 2022, RT headquarters in Moscow has had its eyes fixed on Africa, where it is planning a long-term presence,” Reporters Without Borders said in a statement last year. The organization says RT is “available in the Maghreb, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Burkina Faso and Cameroon.”

According to RT’s website, the channel can also be viewed in Kenya, Tanzania and other African countries through China’s StarTimes service. It can be seen on satellite or the internet in Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and elsewhere.

Asked by VOA how many African countries does RT broadcast in, Beklina replied “many.”

Anti-colonial narrative

RT is using the narrative that Russia was never a colonial power to try and gain traction in Africa, experts say. Many African ruling parties have strong historical links to Moscow because the former Soviet Union supported their liberation struggles against colonial or white-minority rule.

“I think the collective antipathy towards colonialism, which is deeply ingrained in African populations, is a string that Russia is pulling,” said Gruzd.

Asked by VOA whether he thinks the campaign will resonate with Africans, he said it was hard to know what proportion, but judging by pro-Russia and anti-Western sentiment on African Twitter/X, there were certainly some people on the continent with whom it would resonate.

“I think there would be some sympathy for this line and some support for it,” Gruzd said. “On the other hand, I think there are a lot of people who see through this and can see the agenda behind what is being promoted.”

He noted that Russia has been making inroads in Africa for some time, particularly though the Wagner mercenary group, which has gotten involved with governments in Mali, the Central African Republic and other countries.

But he said Russia has also been active in the media sector.

“In Francophone Africa, they put forward a very anti-West, very anti-French line. Also very, very involved in social media campaigns and disinformation, exacerbating local grievances,” Gruzd noted.

Anton Harber, a former journalism professor at Johannesburg’s University of the Witwatersrand, said he thought RT’s ad campaign was “too dated” to hold much sway with young Africans — using African leaders from generations ago, some of whom are now viewed skeptically.

“There is a huge irony in RT promoting itself as a voice of anti-colonialism at a time when Russia is increasing its influence on the continent in ways that could be described as neo-colonial. One thing we know about RT is that it is not an African voice, but Putin’s outlet, there to serve him and his country,” Harber said. “So, it is dressing up its ambitions for influence in, with a paternalistic anti-colonial rhetoric.”
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BAMAKO — Mali is immediately cutting diplomatic ties with Ukraine over comments by a spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (GUR) about fighting in its north that killed Malian soldiers and Wagner fighters in late July, it said Sunday.

Mali’s northern Tuareg rebels say they killed at least 84 Russian Wagner mercenaries and 47 Malian soldiers over days of fierce fighting in the north of the West African country in what appears to be Wagner’s heaviest defeat since it stepped in two years ago to help Mali’s military authorities fight insurgent groups.

GUR spokesperson Andriy Yusov has not confirmed Kyiv’s involvement in the fighting, but in comments published on public broadcaster Suspilne’s website on July 29, he said the Malian rebels had received the “necessary” information to conduct the attack.

“The rebels received all the necessary information they needed, and not just the information, which allowed [them] to conduct a successful military operation against Russian perpetrators of war crimes. We certainly won’t go into details now — you will see more of this in the future,” he said.

Mali said it had learned “with deep shock of the subversive remarks.”

It said Yusov had “admitted Ukraine’s involvement in a cowardly, treacherous and barbaric attack by armed terrorist groups that resulted in the death of members of the Malian Defence and Security Forces.”

“The actions taken by the Ukrainian authorities violate the sovereignty of Mali, go beyond the scope of foreign interference, which is already condemnable in itself, and constitute a clear aggression against Mali and support for international terrorism,” the Malian government said.

It also cited comments by Ukraine’s ambassador to Senegal, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast and Liberia.

Senegal’s foreign minister summoned Ukrainian Ambassador Yurii Pyvovarov on Friday over a video it said the Ukrainian embassy had posted on its Facebook page in which Pyvovarov provided “unequivocal and unqualified support for the terrorist attack” in Mali.
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London — U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday vowed “swift criminal sanctions” following an emergency meeting on the far-right riots that broke out across England last week over the murder of three children.

The prime minister met with ministers and police chiefs, including Scotland Yard boss Mark Rowley, to discuss how to quell the violence that first broke out in Southport, northwest England, on Tuesday.

Over the weekend, several police officers were injured and scores of people were arrested as mobs throwing bricks and flares clashed with officers, burnt and looted shops, and smashed the windows of cars and homes.

As part of a “number of actions” to come out of Monday’s meeting, the government will “ramp up criminal justice” to ensure that “sanctions are swift,” Starmer told the media.

He also said a “standing army” of specially-trained police officers was ready to be deployed to support local forces where any further riots break out.

“My focus is on making sure that we stop this disorder,” he added.

Clashes erupted in Southport a day after three young girls were killed and five more children critically injured during a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.

False rumors initially spread on social media saying the attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker, but police said the suspect was a 17-year-old born in Wales, with UK media reporting he has Rwandan parents.

However, that has not stopped mosques from being targeted.

Police have since arrested hundreds of people in towns and cities nationwide, with anti-immigration demonstrators and rioters facing off against police and counter-protestors, including groups of Muslims.

The prime minister on Sunday warned rioters they would “regret” participating in England’s worst disorder in 13 years, while his interior minister Yvette Cooper told the BBC on Monday that “there will be a reckoning.”

Cooper also said that social media put a “rocket booster” under the violence, and Starmer stressed that “criminal law applies online as well as offline.”

Police have blamed the violence on people associated with the English Defense League, an anti-Islam organization founded 15 years ago whose supporters have been linked to football hooliganism.

Some of the worst scenes on Sunday broke out in Rotherham, northern England, where masked rioters smashed several windows at a hotel that has been used to house asylum seekers.

At least 12 officers were injured, including one who was knocked unconscious, as they battled around 500 protesters with “far-right and anti-immigration views,” South Yorkshire Police’s Lindsey Butterfield told media on Monday.

There were also large scuffles in Bolton, northwest England, and Middlesbrough, northeast England, where mobs smashed windows of houses and cars, leading to 43 arrests.

Protesters there seized a camera from an AFP crew and broke it. The journalists were not injured.

Late on Sunday, Staffordshire police said another hotel known to have sheltered asylum seekers was targeted near Birmingham.

The violence is a major challenge for Starmer, elected only a month ago after leading Labour to a landslide win over the Conservatives.

MPs from all sides have urged Starmer to recall parliament from its summer holiday, including Conservative former interior minister Priti Patel, Labour MPs Diane Abbott and Dawn Butler, and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.

Police have said more than 150 people were arrested over the weekend.

Rioters threw bricks, bottles and flares at police — injuring several officers — and looted and burnt shops, while demonstrators shouted anti-Islamic slurs as they clashed with counter-protesters.

The violence is the worst England has seen since 2011, when widespread rioting followed the police killing of a mixed-race man in north London.

Authorities have said the initial violence was partly caused by the false rumors about suspect Axel Rudakubana, who is accused of killing a six, seven, and nine-year-old, and injuring another 10 people.

Agitators have targeted at least two mosques, with the government now offering new emergency security to Islamic places of worship.

The rallies have been advertised on far-right social media channels under the banner “Enough is enough.”

Participants have waved English and British flags while chanting slogans like “Stop the boats” — a reference to irregular migrants crossing the Channel to Britain from France.

Anti-fascist demonstrators have meanwhile held counter-rallies in many cities.

At last month’s election, the Reform UK party led by Brexit cheerleader Farage captured 14 percent of the vote — one of the largest vote shares for a hard-right British party.
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AMSTERDAM — Semiconductor industry group SEMI Europe called on the European Union on Monday to place as few restrictions as possible on outbound investment in foreign computer chip technology by companies based in the bloc. 

Proposals to screen outbound investment — European capital being invested in foreign semiconductor, AI and biotechnology companies — are being considered, though no EU decision is expected before 2025. 

The U.S. has issued draft rules for banning some such investments in China that could threaten U.S. national security, part of a broader push to prevent U.S. know-how from helping the Chinese to develop sophisticated technology and dominate global markets. 

“European semiconductor companies must be as free as possible in their investment decisions or otherwise risk losing their agility and relevance,” SEMI Europe said in a paper outlining its recommendations. 

It said policies under consideration by the EU appear to be overly broad and if adopted could force companies to disclose sensitive business information, adding that restrictions on cross-border research cooperation would be misplaced. 

“We encourage the European Commission to further address these aspects and to not infringe on the ability of European multinational companies to carry out the necessary investments to sustain their operations,” it said. 

SEMI Europe represents about 300 Europe-based semiconductor firms and institutions, including companies such as ASMLASML.AS, ASMASMI.AS, InfineonIFXGn.DE, STMicroelectronicsSTMPA.PA, NXPNXPI.O, and research centers such as imec, CEA-Leti and Fraunhofer. 

Alongside the proposals for outbound investment screening, the EU has also been moving towards a law that screens inbound investments of foreign capital that might pose a security risk, such as purchases of European ports, nuclear plants and sensitive technologies. 

 
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