Fighting between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan is now in its third week — and has killed and injured hundreds in Europe’s south Caucasus region. But as Charles Maynes reports from Moscow, the conflict is also testing Russia’s traditional influence over the region.Producer:  Ricardo Marquina
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An anti-corruption watchdog on Tuesday ranked the United States and United Kingdom as the largest exporters most active at enforcing rules meant to prohibit companies from paying bribes in foreign markets, but said many others are doing next to nothing.   Berlin-based Transparency International said only four of 47 countries — the U.S., U.K., Switzerland and Israel, making up 16.5% of global exports — were actively enforcing legislation against foreign bribery in 2019. That’s down from seven countries, making up 27% of exports, that were conducting active enforcement in 2018.   “Our research shows that many countries are barely investigating foreign bribery,” said Gillian Dell, the lead author of the Transparency report. “Unfortunately, it’s all too common for businesses in wealthy countries to export corruption to poorer countries, undermining institutions and development.”   The 1997 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development convention prohibits bribes to win contracts and licenses, or to dodge taxes and local laws. China, the world’s largest exporter and not a signatory to the convention, was found to conduct “little or no enforcement,” in a category that also includes India, and convention members Japan and Korea. Germany, the world’s third-largest exporter and also signatory to the convention, only conducts “moderate enforcement,” as do other major exporters like France, Italy and Spain. Germany and Italy both pursued fewer cases in 2019 than in the previous year, while France and Spain improved their performance. The Netherlands, Canada and Austria — all signatories to the convention — are the biggest exporters in the category of those showing only “limited enforcement.”   “Too many governments choose to turn a blind eye when their companies use bribery to win business in foreign markets,” Transparency International head Delia Ferreira Rubio said. “G-20 countries and other major economies have a responsibility to enforce the rules.”   Transparency’s recommendations include ending secrecy in ownership of companies, which makes investigating foreign bribery difficult, and exploring increased liability of parent companies for the actions of their foreign subsidiaries. 
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Turkish police detained dozens of people on Tuesday in a search for 167 suspects, many of them active duty soldiers, in a move against supporters of a Muslim preacher the government accuses of organizing a failed coup in 2016, state media reported.   The detentions were the latest in a four-year-old crackdown targeting the network of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. He denies involvement in the July 2016 putsch, in which some 250 people were killed.   Authorities launched an operation from the coastal province of Izmir in search of 110 suspects, including 16 pilots, colonels, and lieutenant colonels, across 26 provinces, broadcaster TRT Haber said. It said 89 suspects had been detained. In a separate operation targeting Gulen’s followers, police sought 57 other suspects across 15 provinces, the state-owned Anadolu news agency said, adding that 32 people had been detained. Police spokesmen were not immediately available for comment.   Since the abortive putsch, some 80,000 people have been held pending trial and about 150,000 civil servants, military personnel and others sacked or suspended. More than 20,000 people had been expelled from the Turkish military.   Rights groups and Turkey’s Western allies have criticized the scale of the crackdown, saying the government was using it as a pretext to quash dissent. The government has denied the accusation, saying the measures are necessary for national security. 
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Belarus’ government says police will now be permitted to use firearms against protesters “if need be” as demonstrations demanding the resignation of President Alexander Lukashenko continued Monday.The Interior Ministry said in a statement Monday that the rallies “have become organized and extremely radical.””In this regard, the Interior Ministry’s employees and internal troops will not leave the streets and, if necessary, will use special equipment and military weapons,” it said.The ministry also announced Monday that more than 700 people were detained in demonstrations a day earlier. It said that of those detained Sunday, 570 of them were still in custody awaiting a court hearing.More than 2,000 mostly elderly people took part Monday in a “march of pensioners” against the government in the capital, Minsk. They chanted “go away” and some waved flags symbolizing the opposition.Videos from the demonstration showed police responding with flare guns and tear gas.Large protests have taken place each weekend since Lukashenko claimed victory in a disputed Aug. 9 election. Demonstrators have demanded his resignation as well as the release of political prisoners. Riot police clashed with protesting pensioners in central Minsk, Belarus, Oct. 12, 2020.Earlier Monday, European Union foreign ministers agreed to impose sanctions on Lukashenko as well as other senior officials.Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting of EU foreign policy chiefs in Luxemburg, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that renewed violence against protesters in Minsk could not be ignored.”The violence continues, perpetrated by the Lukashenko regime — there are still arrests of peaceful demonstrators, so we have to consider how to proceed,” Maas, whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency, said.”I have suggested that we establish a new package of sanctions. And Lukashenko should be among the people who will then be sanctioned,” Maas said.The EU had previously imposed travel bans and asset freezes on 40 Lukashenko allies, but did not include Lukashenko in the list.On Saturday, Lukashenko held an unusual meeting with jailed opposition leaders.“The goal of the president was to hear everyone’s opinion,” his office said of the visit.Lukashenko’s main opposition candidate in the election, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, is now based in Lithuania after fleeing Belarus for her safety. Lukashenko maintains he won the poll in a landslide — garnering 80% of all ballots — despite widespread claims at home and abroad that the vote was heavily rigged to keep him in power. He has been in office for 26 years.  Public anger has grown over the crackdown in the wake of the protests that have seen more than 7,500 arrests and police violence against demonstrators.    Hundreds have emerged from police custody with bruises and tales of torture at the hands of Lukashenko’s security agents. Lukashenko has said the protests are encouraged and supported by the West and accused NATO of moving forces near Belarusian borders. The alliance has denied the accusations. 
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NGHE AN, Vietnam – Le Minh Tuan has curled up in the bed of his deceased son every night since the young man suffocated in a truck in Britain alongside dozens of other Vietnamese migrants one year ago. Four men are on trial in London over the deaths of the 39 Vietnamese men and women, facing various charges, including manslaughter and conspiracy to smuggle people. But Tuan – like many of the grieving relatives – does not hold them responsible for the appalling tragedy. “I don’t blame anyone,” he told AFP at his home in central Nghe An province, sobbing as he spoke. “I wish I could go to the UK to attend the trial, and to burn incense in the place where they found my dead son,” he added. His 30-year-old son, Le Van Ha, had paid smugglers for passage from Vietnam to Europe — zigzagging from Turkey to Greece, then France — with Britain as his final destination in his bid for a better life. A rice farmer whose dream of becoming a policeman never quite materialized, Ha left his two young children and wife last summer. His body was found on Oct. 23 in Essex, southeast England, in an unbearably hot and dark container truck that had been sealed for at least 12 hours.  Among the others who died beside him were 10 teenagers, including two 15-year-old boys, and 20-year-old Nguyen Dinh Luong, who had desperately tried to call emergency services as they began to run out of air. Almost a year since the tragedy, prosecutors say that the four accused smugglers were attempting to move two lorryloads of migrants in one to avoid interception by authorities. But like Tuan, Luong’s parents bear no anger toward the accused. “They did not let them die deliberately,” father Nguyen Van Gia told AFP. FILE – Nguyen Gia, father of the late 20-year-old Nguyen Dinh Luong who was among 39 people found dead in a truck in Britain last year, in his house in Can Loc district of Vietnam’s Ha Tinh province, Oct. 11, 2020.At his home in Ha Tinh province, neighboring Nghe An, Gia and his wife have displayed an altar adorned with pictures of their young son. Luong was one of eight children and had worked and lived in France since 2018 before heading to Britain for better opportunities.  “No one forced him to travel, he just had bad luck,” Gia said. ‘The lucky ones’  Like others from Vietnam’s impoverished central provinces, the men were enticed by brokers to embark on illegal and dangerous journeys overseas. Young men and women often spend tens of thousands of dollars to escape the region’s rice farms, chasing dreams of riches overseas. But many end up illegally working in nail bars or on cannabis farms in Britain, heavily indebted and subject to exploitation. Yet most migrants do not see themselves as victims because they make the choice to leave, according to local charity Blue Dragon’s Le Thi Hong Luong, who specializes in anti-trafficking efforts. Last year’s tragedy also did little to deter interest, she said, adding that many more will likely attempt the same journey once the pandemic ends and borders reopen. “A lot of people still want to go,” she said. A huge incentive for them are the massive homes and cars in their provinces paid for by Vietnamese migrants working overseas — the rare success tales that hopeful youngsters believe to be the norm. “People in Vietnam just think that those (who died) were unlucky people, but that will not be their story,” she said. “They will be the lucky ones.” ‘I miss him so much’  Tuan’s son Ha was heavily in debt before he left. He paid $8,500 to build the family house on top of the $30,000 he handed to smugglers, and his family had been relying on him to land a decent salary in Britain. FILE – Le Minh Tuan, father of the late 30-year-old Le Van Ha who was among 39 people found dead in a truck in Britain last year, holding Ha’s son in their house in Vietnam’s Nghe An province, Oct. 10, 2020.They now face even greater economic hardship. “We are really in financial trouble,” Tuan said, explaining that his family’s mountain of debt had grown further still after the state loaned them close to $3,000 to fly Ha’s body home. Like many others, local beliefs that it is bad luck to buy from a family with a recently deceased relative — particularly if they were young or killed in an accident — have compounded his misfortune. A carpenter by trade, Tuan’s neighbors have ordered him not to make anything for them. “This will last two years, which means I can’t do anything to earn money,” he said. The pain of his loss, as well as its consequences, is almost too much to bear. “I don’t know how to go on,” admitted Tuan. “I miss him so much.”  
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French Prime Minister Jean Castex warned Monday that France could impose further restrictions — including a lockdown — as the coronavirus is spreading rapidly, and the situation in hospitals is deteriorating there.In an interview with news broadcaster France Info on Monday, Castex said the country was facing a “strong” second wave of new infections and urged that all citizens be mobilized, saying, “There can be no more slackening.”The government announced nine large cities, including Paris and Marseille, will be placed under maximum virus alert beginning Tuesday. While local governments have objected, bars and other public establishments will be closed in those areas. Castex called on French residents to limit private gatherings in their homes.The prime minister said the French Defense Council will meet this week to examine epidemiological data “to see if there is a reason to go farther.” He said a “general lockdown” of the country “must be avoided by all means,” but said no option is being excluded.President Emmanuel Macron is expected to address the nation later Monday.According to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, France currently has 732,434 infections and more than 32,600 deaths. It ranks second in Europe behind Spain in the number of cases. 
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An independent commission reported Monday that authorities in the Austrian Alpine region of Tyrol acted too slowly to shut down ski resorts in March after they were warned about COVID-19, particularly in the resort town of Ischgl, the scene of what was one of the earliest outbreaks in Europe. The commission, appointed by the Tyrolean regional government in May, released its findings at a briefing in Innsbruck. Chairman Ronald Rohrer said authorities should have acted much sooner to shut down ski buses and cable cars, rather than waiting until March 12. FILE – The ski resort is seen amid the coronavirus outbreak, in Ischgl, Austria, Oct. 9, 2020.Roher told reporters that a group of skiers from Iceland who had been in Ischgl reported symptoms on March 3, more than a week before the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. By March 5, authorities in Tyrol were aware of the situation and started looking for possible contacts.  Rohrer reported that an Ischgl bartender tested positive for the virus on March 7, and the bar where he worked was shut down March 9. The next day, all apres-ski locations were closed. Rohrer said the decision to end the ski season was not made until March 12, and provincial governor Guenther Platter waited two days to give the order.   The commission also faulted federal and local government officials for poor communications after Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced March 13 that several areas would be put under quarantine but did not explain that foreign tourists and others would be allowed to leave. FILE – Police at a roadblock stop a bus from driving in and out of the Paznauntal, near Landeck, Austrian province of Tyrol, March 14, 2020.Thousands of people contracted COVID-19 in Ischgl, most likely from crowded apres-ski bars, and then spread it across Europe as the tourists traveled home.  Last month, an Austrian consumer protection group filed four civil lawsuits against the country’s government for failing to contain the coronavirus outbreak at the ski resort. The cases were said to be laying the groundwork for a class-action lawsuit on behalf of at least 1,000 people who tested positive for COVID-19 following trips to Ischgl in February and March. 
 
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The ongoing conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh has triggered an outpouring of support from Los Angeles’s Armenian community, one of the largest in the world.
On October 10, U.S. reality television star Kim Kardashian, who is of Armenian descent, announced she had donated $1 million to the Armenia Fund, which seeks to provide humanitarian relief efforts such as food, shelter, and medical care for those affected by the conflict.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the brave men, women and children. I want everyone to remember that despite the distance that separates us, we are not limited by borders and we are one global Armenian nation together,” Kardashian said in a video message to her followers on Instagram.The reality TV star and business mogul, whose father was a third-generation Armenian-American, has often spoken out about issues affecting Armenia and its people. View this post on InstagramI’m so honored to be part of today’s global effort to support the @armeniafund. I’ve been speaking out about the current situation in Armenia and Artsakh and having conversations with so many others to bring further awareness to the crisis that we cannot allow to advance. My thoughts and prayers are with the brave men, women and children. I want everyone to remember that despite the distance that separates us, we are not limited by borders and we are one global Armenian nation together. The @armeniafund is directly helping those that have been impacted during this critical time with humanitarian aid through food, shelter, and medical care. I will be donating $1M to assist their efforts on the ground and invite you to join me. Whether you are helping with just raising awareness and posting on social media or donating just $1, every bit helps. Let’s make this our most successful fundraiser ever. Thank you so much. 🇦🇲 ❤️💙🧡A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Oct 10, 2020 at 1:01pm PDTHer famous sisters, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian, also took to Instagram to call for joining the pan-Armenian fund-raiser.
The next day, thousands of people protested in Los Angeles in support of Armenians, waving Armenian flags, chanting, and carrying signs.FILE – People take part in a protest by Armenian Youth Federation against what they call Azerbaijan’s aggression against Armenia and the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region outside the Azerbaijani Consulate General in Los Angeles, California.Meanwhile, the city’s Armenian community has been rallying around calls to support Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, with multiple restaurants offering donation deals and charity initiatives aimed at raising funds.
Southern California is home to the largest Armenian population in the United States; an East Hollywood neighborhood was designated Little Armenia in 2000.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti tweeted in support of the protesters, attaching a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from a group of mayors and congressional lawmakers urging the United States to help deescalate tensions in the conflict.
“As proud representatives of Armenian-American communities across our country, we share their deep concerns about the violence being inflicted upon Artsakh, the growing number of civilian casualties, and the involvement of regional actors like Turkey and Iran,” the letter reads.Armenians refer to Nagorno-Karabakh as Artsakh.
“We ask that you lead the effort to bring Armenia and Azerbaijan back to the negotiating table, and persuade Turkey to disengage,” the letter states.
There was no mention of Azerbaijani casualties.
Azerbaijan’s consul-general to the western United States, Nasimi Aghayev, condemned the Los Angeles mayor for ignoring the deaths of civilians in rocket attacks by Armenian forces on Azerbaijani cities.
“Is there no limit to political expediency? No red lines? Should the #politics always be about campaign money & votes?” he wrote, adding a video showing the damage and casualties caused by Armenian attacks on Ganca, Azerbaijan’s second-largest city.@MayorOfLA, how can you stand with the #murderers of innocent #Azerbaijani #civilians, killed ruthlessly by #Armenia in their sleep? Is there no limit to political expediency? No red lines? Should the #politics always be about campaign money & votes? pic.twitter.com/v86ugzTTvK— Nasimi Aghayev 🇦🇿 (@NasimiAghayev) October 12, 2020@MayorOfLA, this line from your letter is very disturbing. #Armenia-#Azerbaijan conflict has nothing to do with #religion. Any attempt to bring religion into it plays into hands of #Islamophobes & must be condemned. Suggest this reading for elucidation: https://t.co/Mf1YZuT9UIpic.twitter.com/5VCyDMUYDB— Nasimi Aghayev 🇦🇿 (@NasimiAghayev) October 12, 2020The protest came as fragile cease-fire between Armenia and Azerbaijan has come under strain as both sides have accused the other of violations, including rocket attacks and shelling of cities.
Hundreds of soldiers and an unknown number of civilians have been killed on both sides since fighting erupted on September 27, in the biggest escalation in the conflict since the shaky 1994 cease-fire.
At one point, a crowd of at least 20,000 people gathered in front of the Turkish Consulate in Beverly Hills to condemn Turkey’s support for Azerbaijan.
The demonstration appeared to be largely peaceful.
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Lithuania’s opposition conservative Homeland Union party claimed victory Monday in the first round of the country’s general election, winning 23 seats in 141-seat parliament as the center-right opposition appears on track to win the vote, defeating the ruling four-party coalition.
The Farmers and Greens Union, which forms the backbone of the Baltic nation’s current ruling coalition, finished second with 16 seats outright and many fewer candidates making it into the second round of voting being held on Oct. 25.
Two liberal parties — the Freedom Party and the Liberal Movement — considered likely allies in a future center-right coalition, claimed a total of 14 seats. The center-left Labour party won 9 seats and the Social Democrats got 8. Six parties will be represented in the Seimas parliament, according to initial results.
Three candidates in single-member constituencies claimed victory in the first round of voting including the former finance minister and one of the Homeland Union’s leaders, Ingrida Simonyte, a former candidate for president who oversaw drastic austerity cuts during the global financial crisis. She could likely be the country’s next prime minister.
Under Lithuania’s election system, the remaining 68 lawmakers will be elected in a proportional vote on Oct. 25.
“We choose the path of consolidation and cooperation, not the one of drawing lines and confrontation,” the young leader of conservatives, Gabrielius Landsbergis, said at a press conference Monday.
He is the grandson of Lithuanian independence leader Vytautas Landsbergis, who was the Baltic country’s first president.
Lithuania has kept up strong democratic traditions since regaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1990. It has also played a major role as the protests in neighboring Belarus unfold against that nation’s authoritarian leader.
The southernmost Baltic country of less than 3 million has seen a recent surge in COVID-19 cases. So far Lithuania has seen 5,500 confirmed coronavirus cases and just above 100 deaths. The center-right coalition government has faced strong criticism over soaring virus-related unemployment.
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Dozens of protesters in Belarus were arrested Sunday during the 10th straight weekend of demonstrations against longtime authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko.Since the president claimed victory in a disputed August 9 election, protesters have regularly taken to the streets demanding his resignation and the release of political prisoners.Belarus Protesters Face Physical, Social Repression Activists say those who have come out against Lukashenko’s decades-old grip on power are living physical and social repressionVideos from the latest demonstration show security forces using water cannon and batons to disperse crowds. Minsk police said they detained “several dozen” people.The clashes follow an unusual meeting between Lukashenko and jailed opposition leaders Saturday. “The goal of the president was to hear everyone’s opinion,” his office said of the visit. Lukashenko’s main opposition candidate in the election, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, is now based in Lithuania after fleeing Belarus for her safety.Lukashenko maintains he won the poll in a landslide — garnering 80% of all ballots — despite widespread claims at home and abroad the vote was heavily rigged to keep him in power. He has been in office for 26 years.Public anger has stewed over the crackdown in the wake of the protests that have seen more than 7,500 arrests and police violence against demonstrators.Hundreds have emerged from police custody with bruises and tales of torture at the hands of Lukashenko’s security agents.Lukashenko has said the protests are encouraged and supported by the West and accused NATO of moving forces near Belarusian borders. The alliance has denied the accusations.
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Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal has won his record-extending 13th French Open title, defeating Novak Djokovic of Serbia 6-0,6-2,7-5 on Sunday.With the win at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, the Spaniard notched his 20th Grand Slam title, moving into a tie with Swiss tennis great Roger Federer for most men’s major titles ever.Nadal dominated Sunday’s match from the start, but Djokovic came to life in the third set before his serve was broken at 5-5.”To win here means everything. I don’t think today about the 20th and equal Roger on this great number. Today is just a Roland Garros victory and that means everything to me,” Nadal said after the match. “This love story I have with this city and this court is unforgettable.”Djokovic said, “Today you showed why you are the king of clay. Today was a tough match; I was outplayed by a better player today.”In the women’s draw Saturday, Poland’s Iga Swiatek defeated American Sofia Kenin 6-4,6-1.This year’s French Open was held one month later than normal due to the coronavirus pandemic. 
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Millions of people in northern England are anxiously waiting to hear how much further virus restrictions will be tightened as one of the British government’s leading medical advisers warned Sunday that the country is at a crucial juncture in the second wave of the coronavirus. England’s deputy chief medical officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, said the U.K. is at a “tipping point similar to where we were in March” following a sharp increase in new coronavirus cases. “But we can prevent history repeating itself if we all act now,” he said. “Now we know where it is and how to tackle it — let’s grasp this opportunity and prevent history from repeating itself.” FILE – People with and without protective masks walk through the shopping street as the spread of COVID-19 continues in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Oct. 7, 2020.All across Europe including the U.K., the pandemic has found fresh legs over the past few weeks following the reopening of large sectors of the economy, as well as schools and universities. Infection levels — and deaths — in the U.K. are rising at their fastest rates in months. Without quick action, there are fears that U.K. hospitals will be overwhelmed in the coming weeks at a time of year when they are already at their busiest with winter-related afflictions like the flu. So far the U.K. has experienced Europe’s deadliest virus outbreak, with over 42,750 confirmed deaths. A man sells face masks, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease, on a street in Manchester, Britain, Oct. 7, 2020.Although new coronavirus infections are rising throughout England, cities in the north — Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle — have seen a disproportionate increase in new cases. While some rural areas in eastern England have less than 20 cases per 100,000 people, major metropolitan areas such as Manchester are recording levels above 500 per 100,000, nearly as bad as Madrid or Brussels. As a result, national restrictions such as a 10 p.m. curfew on pubs and restaurants have been supplemented by local actions, including in some cases banning contacts between households. In Scotland’s two biggest cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh, pubs have already closed for 16 days to suppress the outbreak. FILE – Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits the headquarters of Octopus Energy in London, Oct. 5, 2020.In response to the virus’ resurgence, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce a new three-tier local lockdown system Monday, which could temporarily close pubs and restaurants in the virus hotspots. The speculation is that those areas put under the tightest restrictions would forbid all household mixing, indoors or out. Local leaders in northern England have vented their fury at the Conservative government over what they see as an “inadequate” wage support scheme that it announced Friday and for not properly telling them about the upcoming restrictions. The wage plan aims to help employees in companies that are forced to close due to virus restrictions but mayors say it’s not generous enough in paying only two-thirds of employees’ wages and doesn’t compensate those indirectly hit by any business closures, such as drink suppliers to pubs. Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick on Sunday sought to assuage concerns that the government was being overly top-down in its approach. “We are trying to work very closely with mayors, with council leaders, with chief executives to design these measures with them,” he told Sky News. “That does take time.” Separately, Health Secretary Matt Hancock denied claims that he broke the government’s drinking curfew after the Mail on Sunday newspaper claimed he was seen having a drink in a House of Commons bar after 10 p.m. “The proposed timeline of events is false and no rules have been broken,” a spokesman for the health secretary said. 
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About 40 unidentified people armed with metal bars and using fireworks as projectiles tried to storm a police station in the Paris suburbs on Saturday night, officials said.   “Violent attack last night on the police station of Champigny with mortar shots and various projectiles. No police officer was injured,” the Paris police headquarters said on Twitter on Sunday.   The police posted a video showing a barrage of fireworks going off in the direction of the police station in Champigny-sur-Marne, about 15 km (nine miles) southeast of central Paris. The assailants tried to force entry into the station but failed to do so.   Nobody was arrested, but images showed smashed windows at the station and damaged cars.   The motive for the attack, the third on this police station in two years, was not immediately clear. The station is in a housing estate area known for drug trafficking and deemed by authorities as a high priority district for order to be restored.   Champigny Mayor Laurent Jeanne said the attack may have been triggered after a scooter accident that local residents blamed on the police.   “It was an organized attack of about 40 people who wanted to do battle. For a few days it has been tense with people who have a certain willingness to do battle with the police,” he told BFM TV.   “Little gang leaders don’t impress anyone, and they will not deter our work fighting drug trafficking,” Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Twitter. “Full support for our police officers who are doing a difficult job.”   A spate of criminal incidents across France since the end of the COVID-19 lockdown in mid-May has put President Emmanuel Macron’s government on heightened alert for increases in crime amid the economic fallout from the pandemic.  
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Azerbaijan said Sunday that Armenian forces had shelled the city of Ganja overnight.The Azerbaijani Foreign Affairs Ministry said on Twitter a new “On the night of October 11, #Ganja, the second largest city in #Azerbaijan and far beyond the frontline, came under rocket fire by the Armenian armed forces. The attack killed seven civilians and injured 39 others, including minors.”On the night of October 11, #Ganja, the second largest city in #Azerbaijan and far beyond the frontline, came under rocket fire by the Armenian armed forces. The attack killed seven civilians and injured 39 others, including minors.MFA’s Statement https://t.co/ilzMzdlwhg— MFA Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 (@AzerbaijanMFA) October 11, 2020The defense ministry in Nagorno-Karabakh said that the charge of Armenian forces “shelling Ganja is an absolute lie.”The incident has not been independently confirmed.A cease-fire between Armenian and Azerbaijani went into effect Saturday at noon local time (0800 UTC), at least temporarily halting deadly hostilities over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, which each country claims.Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to the cease-fire in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region after 10 hours of talks in Moscow. The truce is intended to allow both sides to exchange prisoners and recover the dead.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who mediated the talks, said the cease-fire should pave the way for further talks on the settlement of the conflict.The talks between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan were held at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin after nearly two weeks of fighting.The United Nations human rights office said that it had received unconfirmed reports that more than 50 civilians, including children, have been killed since the fighting erupted on Sept. 27.The fighting also claimed the lives of about 400 soldiers and forced thousands of people to flee their homes.The predominantly ethnic Armenian territory declared its independence from Azerbaijan in 1991 during the collapse of the Soviet Union, sparking a war that claimed the lives of as many as 30,000 people before a 1994 cease-fire.   However, that independence is not internationally recognized.
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Minutes after suddenly becoming a Grand Slam champion at age 19, while ranked just 54th in the world, Iga Swiatek held a microphone during the French Open trophy presentation and was hesitant for pretty much the only time over the past two weeks.”First of all, I’m not very good at speeches,” Swiatek began, haltingly, “so, sorry, because I won my last tournament like two years ago, and I really don’t know who to thank.”When she has a racket in her hand, it’s a whole different story. With the poise of a veteran and the shots of a champion, Swiatek wrapped up a dominating run at Roland Garros, grabbing the last six games to beat Sofia Kenin 6-4, 6-1 in Saturday’s final.”Two years ago, I won a junior Grand Slam, and right now I’m here. It feels like such a short time,” Swiatek said, her voice cracking. “I’m just overwhelmed.”Swiatek is the first Polish tennis player to win a major singles trophy and said, “I know it’s pretty crazy back home” — where one newspaper’s front page was splashed with the headline “Poland Garros” ahead of the final.The way she played these two weeks — with those great groundstrokes, the occasional drop shot, terrific returning and impressive court coverage — made this outcome less of a surprise.Kenin said Swiatek’s “spinny forehand up the line” bounces high enough to make things difficult for opponents.Swiatek lost 28 games across seven matches and is the first woman to triumph in Paris without ceding a set since Justine Henin in 2007. She’s the first teen to win the women’s title there since Iva Majoli in 1997.”She’s, like, really hot right now,” said Kenin, who was hampered by an injury to her upper left leg, an issue that first cropped up during a practice session last weekend.Swiatek beat both 2018 champion Simona Halep and 2019 runner-up Marketa Vondrousova 6-1, 6-2.So it made sense that Swiatek would handle the fourth-seeded Kenin, even if the 21-year-old from Florida won the Australian Open in February and entered Saturday 16-1 in Grand Slam play this year.This weekend is the culmination of an unusual two weeks, to say the least. The tournament was postponed from May-June to September-October because of the coronavirus pandemic; the recently rising number of COVID-19 cases in France led the government to limit the number of spectators allowed on the grounds to 1,000 each day.Some top women, including 2019 major champions Ash Barty, Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu, didn’t enter the event at all; 23-time Slam winner Serena Williams withdrew before the second round with an injury.
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Pope Francis on Saturday urged people to pull investments from companies that are not committed to protecting the environment, adding his voice to calls for the economic model that emerges from the coronavirus pandemic to be a sustainable one.Francis spoke in a video message for an online event called “Countdown Global Launch, a Call to Action on Climate Change.””Science tells us, every day with more precision, that we need to act urgently … if we are to have any hope of avoiding radical and catastrophic climate change,” he said.The pope listed three action points: better education about the environment, sustainable agriculture and access to clean water, and a transition away from fossil fuels.”One way to encourage this change is to lead companies towards the urgent need to commit to the integral care of our common home, excluding from investments companies that do not meet [these] parameters … and rewarding those that [do],” he said.He said the pandemic had made the need to address the climate crisis and related social problems even more pressing.”The current economic system is unsustainable. We are faced with a moral imperative … to rethink many things,” he said, listing means of production, consumerism, waste, indifference to the poor and harmful energy sources.In June, a Vatican document urged Catholics to disinvest from the armaments and fossil fuel industries and to monitor companies in sectors such as mining for possible damage to the environment.Other speakers and activists at the online event included actress Jane Fonda, Britain’s Prince William, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
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A cease-fire between Armenian and Azerbaijani went into effect Saturday at noon local time (0800 UTC), at least temporarily halting deadly hostilities over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, which each country claims.Official sources on both sides accused each other of firing missiles and rockets on civilian areas on Saturday, in the hours before the cease-fire.Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to the cease-fire in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region after 10 hours of talks in Moscow. The truce will allow both sides to exchange prisoners and recover the dead.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who mediated the talks, said the cease-fire should pave the way for further talks on the settlement of the conflict.The talks between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan were held at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin after nearly two weeks of fighting.On Friday, United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet called for an “urgent cease-fire” in Nagorno-Karabakh, citing a heavy toll on civilians.“It is deeply worrying that in recent days we have seen populated areas reportedly targeted and shelled with heavy weaponry in and around the conflict area,” Bachelet said in a statement.Bachelet’s office said it has received unconfirmed reports that more than 50 civilians, including children, have been killed since the fighting erupted on Sept. 27.The fighting also claimed the lives of about 400 soldiers and forced thousands of people to flee their homes.The predominantly ethnic Armenian territory declared its independence from Azerbaijan in 1991 during the collapse of the Soviet Union, sparking a war that claimed the lives of as many as 30,000 people before a 1994 cease-fire. However, that independence is not internationally recognized.
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Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to a cease-fire in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region beginning at noon Saturday.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made the announcement in Moscow in the early hours Saturday after mediating 10 hours of talks between the two sides.The agreement stated the truce would allow both sides to exchange prisoners and recover the dead. Lavrov said the cease-fire should pave the way for further talks on the settlement of the conflict.The talks between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan were held following an invitation by Russian President Vladimir Putin after nearly two weeks of fighting.On Friday, United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet called for an “urgent cease-fire” in Nagorno-Karabakh, citing a heavy toll on civilians.“It is deeply worrying that in recent days we have seen populated areas reportedly targeted and shelled with heavy weaponry in and around the conflict area,” Bachelet said in a statement.Bachelet’s office said it has received unconfirmed reports that more than 50 civilians, including children, have been killed since the fighting erupted on Sept. 27.The fighting has also claimed the lives of about 400 soldiers and forced thousands of people to flee their homes.Armenian and Azerbaijani forces had previously ignored calls in the past two weeks by the United States, France and Russia for an immediate cease-fire, as fighting escalated to levels not seen since the 1990s.The three countries co-chair the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Minsk Group, which is trying to find a peaceful solution.The predominantly ethnic Armenian territory declared its independence from Azerbaijan in 1991 during the collapse of the Soviet Union, sparking a war that claimed the lives of as many as 30,000 people before a 1994 cease-fire.Peace efforts in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, mediated by the Minsk Group, collapsed in 2010. 
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Spain’s government declared a state of emergency in Madrid Friday, taking control of efforts to fight the spread of COVID-19 from local authorities after a regional court struck down restrictions as the region faces one of the most significant outbreaks in Europe.
 
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government took the step at a special cabinet meeting as he imposed his authority on regional officials, who have resisted his calls for restrictions on travel in the region.
 
The move gives Sanchez extraordinary powers to order new constraints on life in the capital, where efforts to control a surge in infections have been complicated by the standoff. The step forced Madrid authorities to restore restrictions they had ignored following the court ruling.
 
At a news conference Friday, Health Minister Salvador Illa said the measures, which prohibit residents from leaving the area, including nine nearby towns, without a valid reason, among other measures, would be effective immediately and remain in place for 15 days.
 
The Madrid region’s 14-day infection rate of more than 560 coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents is more than twice Spain’s national average of 256 and five times the European average rate of 113 for the week ending September 27.
 
The Interior Ministry said an extra 7,000 policemen and security personnel would be deployed for enforcement of the measures “at various exit and access points of the region under state of emergency.”  
 
The partial lockdown comes as the nation begins a three-day holiday weekend, and initial reports from Madrid said cars continued to pour out of the city and its neighboring towns on Friday. 
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The effort to unseat autocratic Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko may be heading for a new phase.
 
Belarusian activists, impressed by the success of protests in Kyrgyzstan, where protesters managed to pull off a “revolution in one day,” are now debating whether to copy the Kyrgyz tactics and storm key government buildings in Minsk.
 
On Telegram, the messaging app used by Belarusian protesters to share uncensored information and discuss strategy, Kyrgyzstan is being cited as a possible model of how to proceed in their weeks-long bid to oust the country’s president, following a disputed August election in which he claims to have won a sixth term in power.
 
Some analysts worry that an escalation in protest tactics in Belarus will fan Kremlin alarm about a new wave of “color revolutions,” in turn prompting Russian leader Vladimir Putin to dispatch Russian forces to Belarus.
 
Putin has already said he has created a police reserve for Lukashenko to use, if events get “out of control” in Belarus.
 
So far the Russian leader has held back from ordering a military intervention, but Russian security advisers and senior Kremlin personnel are suspected by Western diplomats of helping to coordinate the suppression of the pro-democracy opposition in Belarus.
 
Putin and Lukashenko discussed developments in Kyrgyzstan in a phone call midweek, according to the beleaguered Belarusian leader. Midweek, Russia acknowledged it had issued an arrest warrant for Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who left Belarus for Lithuania after the election, following threats to her family.
 
Kyrgyz protesters, outraged by what they saw as rigged parliamentary elections on October 4, overran the parliament and ransacked the office of President Sooronbai Jeenbekov. The action forced election officials to annul the results of the vote and to announce plans for re-running the poll.
 
But political chaos has now unfolded. Jeenbekov declared a state of emergency Friday in the capital, Bishkek, ordering troops to deploy, as supporters of rival political groups took to the streets after days of unrest following the overturned election.
 
Video of the Kyrgyz protests has been reposted on Nexta, a Telegram channel that’s served as a key communication platform for the anti-Lukashenko protesters. Nexta praised the way their Kyrgyz counterparts achieved “revolution in one day,” according to George Barros, an analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based research group.FILE – People protest during a rally on the central square in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Oct. 7, 2020. Officials in Kyrgyzstan have nullified the results of parliamentary elections after mass protests erupted in Bishkek and other cities.“Nexta has not issued explicit directions for Belarusian protesters to replicate Kyrgyz protest tactics yet,” he said, noting the channel has in the past advocated adoption of more radical options.
 
“Nexta’s favorable coverage of Kyrgyz protesters may embolden Belarusian protesters to adopt more radical tactics,” Barros added.
 
Lukashenko has overseen a brutal crackdown on his opponents, but so far has failed to stem the demonstrations against his rule. Protests have been raging in Belarus for eight weeks. Thousands of protesters have been arrested and most of the main opposition leaders have been imprisoned, deported or forced into exile.
 
“In one day, they managed to change the political leadership in Kyrgyzstan,” Paval Latushka, a member of the Belarusian opposition Coordination Council, told Current Time, the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA. “I think that many Belarusians look at this — they are probably surprised by this and are thinking about it.”
 
Other Nexta contributors urge caution, saying peaceful protest is the best option to ensure change is sustainable and long term. They point out that Kyrgyzstan is struggling now to come up with ways to facilitate a transfer of power and that the euphoria felt after opposition groups seized the parliament building has quickly turned into dangerous uncertainty.
 
Other Belarusian activists worry taking a more violent step will only prompt a Russian backlash.
 
Already worried that may happen, Belarus opposition figures have been urging Western governments to collectively make it clear to the Kremlin that Russia must avoid any direct military intervention to save Lukashenko. They want Western nations to announce their readiness to stand by the Budapest Memorandum, an international protocol signed in 1994 guaranteeing the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Belarus.
 
Valery Tsepkalo, a former diplomat, and one of Lukashenko’s main political rivals until forced into exile, says a formal re-commitment by all Western states to the 1994 Budapest Memorandum would send a “strong message” to Russia.
 
The protocol refers to three identical political agreements signed at a conference in Budapest overseen by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The agreements provide security assurances to Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine against threats or use of force against their territorial integrity or political independence. In return, Belarus and the other two states gave up their stockpiles of Soviet-era nuclear weapons.
 
Analysts say the political explosions in Belarus and Kyrgyzstan, along with the outbreak of war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, has placed the Kremlin in a dilemma. Military intervention risks a public backlash and Western sanctions, while doing nothing and allowing political developments to play out risks emboldening opposition groups in Russia.
 
Recent days have seen a noticeable uptick of state-controlled Russian media blaming Western powers for the political turmoil in what the Kremlin considers its sphere of influence. 
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Police in heavy riot gear Friday cleared squatters from a building in east Berlin known as a center for leftist activists, as a large, loud but mostly peace crowd protested the action.  Police in riot gear could be seen leading – or sometimes carrying – residents down ladder-like steps from an upper level of the Liebig 34 building in the capital’s Friedrichshain neighborhood, named after its address, Liebigstrasse 34.  Police entered the building from there after being refused entry at ground level.The graffiti-covered building has become a symbol for the left-wing scene in the German capital. It has been partially occupied for 30 years by squatters, and the current residents had a 10-year agreement with the property owner who refused to renew it when it expired in 2018. He began a court process that resulted in Friday’s evictions.Police, who feared violent protests from the eviction, called in about 1,500 police which were deployed around the city.  Germany’s Deutsche Welle news service reports protesters threw glass bottles and fireworks at officers within a closed-off zone adjacent to the building.   The police say that overnight, protesters burned tires, garbage dumpsters and set fire to the Tiergarten metro station building. But the spokesman said the protesters were otherwise peaceful as they cleared the building Friday.Occupants of the building say Liebig 34 has offered a place of refuge for women, trans and intersex people since 1999. An autonomously run bar and cultural center allowed the occupants to raise funds to cover rent.A lawyer for the occupants of the building told the French news agency they plan to appeal the eviction, saying the landlord acted unlawfully in limiting his contract to 10 years. He also said it went against human rights to put people on the street in the middle of a pandemic. 
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Norway’s 83-year-old King Harald V on Friday underwent an operation to replace a heart valve at the main hospital in Oslo. The palace said it was successful and his condition was described as good, the palace said.
Following the surgery at Rikshospitalet’s Cardiovascular and Lung Clinic, the monarch was transferred to an intensive care unit for further observation, the king’s doctor, Bjoern Bendz, said in a palace statement,  
Bendz said the intervention was necessary to improve the king’s breathing and added that this kind of operation is regularly performed.
Last month, the king was hospitalized with breathing difficulties. Doctors ruled out COVID-19.  
After Friday’s surgery, the palace said he will be on sick leave through October. His son and heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon, has stepped in and taken over his father’s duties.
 
The palace said the operation was not an open heart surgery and that the king was awake during the the operation that was performed via the groin with local anesthesia.  
In 2005, the king’s aortic valve was replaced by an artificial heart valve. Such valves have a lifespan of between 10 and 15 years, the royal household had said.
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The World Food Program (WFP) has won the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to combat the threat of hunger.Berit Reiss-Andersen, chairperson of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said the WFP was awarded the prize “for its efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and for acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict.”The peace prize is the sixth Nobel given this week. Each comes with a $1.1 million cash award and a gold medal.An American poet won the Nobel Prize in literature for an “unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal.”The prize in chemistry was awarded to two scientists for developing a method of gene editing.Three scientists won the physics prize Wednesday for their discoveries related to black holes.Three scientists also shared the medicine prize for the discovery of the hepatitis C virus.The related prize in Economic Sciences will be awarded Monday.
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As U.S., French, and Russian officials hold mediation talks in Geneva, fighting in the Nagorno-Karabakh region continues, with thousands of people fleeing into both Armenia and Azerbaijan.  While families say they are exhausted from the battles that span more than 30 years, they also say only victory for their side will truly end the conflict.  VOA’s Heather Murdock has this report from Goris, Armenia.
Camera: Yan Boechat
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