The World Health Organization said Thursday that five trucks full of medical supplies are ready at the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, with hopes that the aid could be delivered to Palestinian hospitals as early as Friday.

“Our trucks are loaded and ready to go,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters. The delivery of aid would be the first since Israel imposed a complete blockade on the Gaza Strip, following the October 7 attack by Hamas militants that killed over 1,400 Israelis. 

Health authorities in the Gaza Strip said Thursday that at least 3,785 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli bombardment since the latest conflict erupted.

Border closed

While aid continues to build up on the Egyptian side of the crossing, Egypt is not allowing Palestinians to cross from Gaza into the Egyptian Sinai peninsula. 

Following a meeting on Wednesday with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said such an exodus of people from Gaza would jeopardize Palestinian aspirations of statehood.

“The idea of displacement of Palestinians from the [Gaza] strip to Egypt simply means that something similar will also happen with the displacement of Palestinians from the West Bank to Jordan. And thus the idea of the Palestinian state that we are talking about — and the international community is talking about — remains unimplementable, because the land exists, but the people do not exist, and therefore I warn of the danger of this matter,” el-Sissi told reporters in Cairo.

“The idea [of] transferring Palestinian citizens from the [Gaza] strip to Sinai very simply means that we are transferring the idea of resistance, the idea of fighting from the Gaza Strip to Sinai, and thus Sinai becomes a base for launching operations against Israel. In this case, Israel will have the right to defend itself and its national security, and as part of the response, it deals with Egypt and launches strikes on Egyptian lands,” the president added.

Palestinian refugees

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were forced from their land in past conflicts with Israel, with many settling in Egypt and other neighboring states. Many refugees have never been allowed to return — and the regions fear the wider implications of Palestinians being forced to flee Gaza, said analyst Chris Doyle, director of the London-based Council for Arab-British Understanding.

“[Egypt] does not want to land up hosting hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians in the Sinai, in a tented city — with really quite a clear agenda, certainly on the Israeli right, that that becomes the permanent solution,” Doyle told VOA. “Palestinians and Egyptians are aware of this, are fearful that what happened to them in 1948 and 1967, when they fled in fear or were kicked out, will happen to them again. They’re talking about a second Nakba, a catastrophe.”

Cairo protests

In Cairo, as in many cities across the Arab world and beyond, thousands of people have taken to the streets to denounce Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.

Mahmoud Kamel, of the Egyptian Journalists’ Syndicate, helped to organize a demonstration in the Egyptian capital Wednesday.

“[We] condemn the massacre, the war crime and the genocide carried out by the Zionist forces and the IDF against the civilian, unarmed people of Gaza, occupied West Bank and Jerusalem,” Kamel told Reuters.

The protests pose a risk for President el-Sissi, said analyst Doyle. “We’re seeing a lot of anger right now in Egypt about what’s going on. So, [Egypt] will be wary of being seen to be somehow supporting Israeli actions at this moment, even though in private they are very critical of Hamas as well,” he said.

Muslim Brotherhood

Egypt’s president seized power in a 2013 military coup, ousting the democratically-elected Muslim Brotherhood government.

“Let’s not forget that that Hamas is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood,” said Professor Yossi Mekelberg of London’s Chatham House. “The more we see death among civilians, Palestinian civilians, the more people will go probably to the street. And it can really inflame the political situation in Egypt. And that’s why it’s actually in the Egyptian interest to mediate a cease-fire and mediate quickly.”

Dialogue

While Egypt has dialogue with Hamas, Mekelberg said it is also able to talk to Israel.

“Strategically, there is great understanding between Israel and Egypt over the last 10 to 11 years. And the other side — for Israel — he is a convenient neighbor. Because what is the alternative? The Muslim Brotherhood? This is definitely not something that Israel would like. It’s hard to see many other candidates to negotiate, to lead mediation between Hamas and Israel,” Mekelberg told VOA.

For now, analysts say Israel does not appear ready for mediation from any regional power, as it seeks retribution and the eradication of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. 
…

Greek intelligence has increased surveillance of refugee camps in the country amid radical Islamist calls for jihad in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Cheers of celebration minutes after Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel. … Chants of praise not from pockets of the Middle East … but Greece.

Like many other countries, Greece has boosted security since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, elevating its level of national alert to Code 4, just shy of the highest level possible.

With tens of thousands of mainly Arab migrants residing in camps here, intelligence officials are keeping close watch fearing what they tell VOA is “a radicalization of Islamist elements” that could trigger terror attacks like the shooting deaths of two Swedish nationals in Brussels Monday and the stabbing death of a teacher Friday in the French town of Arras.

In both instances, the alleged killers said they were acting for the Islamic State militant group.  

Politicians in Greece such as Migration and Asylum Minister Dimitris Keridis say the situation here is under control.

He says the celebration videos posted by migrants at a camp on the island of Samos were one-off, and not worrying.

But, intelligence officials say they are not taking any chances.

The say they have increased surveillance of camps here, hoping to pick up chatter on any nefarious plans.

Social media platforms that attempt to incite violence are being monitored and suspects are being watched, out of concern that dormant cells of radical Islamists could be mobilized.

The biggest concern though, according to Keridis, is that a wave of migrants caused by the Gaza crisis that could destabilize the region.

It’s not just Palestinians from Gaza who could come in, he says, but also potential migrants from Egypt and Lebanon. He says both countries are already hubs for millions of people fleeing persecution in the Middle East and sub-Saharan African states such as Sudan who are seeking passage to the West.

Greece has sided with Israel in its bid to uproot Hamas, but it has also cautioned Israel to prevent a humanitarian crisis from spilling over into neighboring states and Europe – a conduit previously exploited by Islamist extremists.

Soon after a massive refugee crisis hit Greece and Europe in 2015, radical Islamists entered Europe posing as migrants.

Two were implicated in deadly attacks in France that same year. Both used forged Syrian passports to enter the country illegally and seek temporary shelter in a refugee camp.

Intelligence experts tell VOA large-scale coordinated terrorist attacks in Europe are not likely — but instances of individuals responding to the call of violence are entirely possible.  
…

European Union interior ministers on Thursday debated how to manage the impact of the war between Israel and Hamas on the bloc, amid heightened security tensions after a firebomb assault on a Berlin synagogue and killings in Belgium and France by suspected Islamist extremists.

Officials from across the 27-nation EU have expressed concerns about a rise in antisemitic attacks, the radicalization of young people online, the use of encrypted messaging services by criminals or extremists, and the need to speed up the deportation of people who might pose a public danger.

But calls for an increase in security across the board are also creating deep unease as the solutions being discussed could undermine free movement and the right to assemble in Europe.

Italy is introducing border checks to counter a possible rise in tensions over the Israel-Hamas war. Denmark and Sweden are too, due to what they say is an “Islamist terrorist threat.” France intends to keep checks in place until at least May 2024, citing “new terrorist threats and external borders situation.”

More police have been deployed in Belgium, France and Germany.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell believes that part of the solution to Europe’s security woes must involve the bloc helping diplomatically and financially to bring an end to years of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

“We have learned from history that the most difficult decisions are always taken when we are on the edge of the abyss. I believe that is where we are now: on the edge of the abyss,” Borrell told EU lawmakers on Wednesday.

“When I hear Muslim religious authorities speaking the language of inter-religious conflict and explicitly stating that Europe is a party to this conflict, I feel that the storm clouds are looming,” he said.

Still, not all of Europe’s challenges are directly linked to the war.

Earlier on Thursday, Sweden hosted a meeting of ministers from eight countries, among them Germany, Belgium and France, focused on how to handle incidents where people burn the Muslim holy book, the Quran.

Prosecutors are trying to establish whether that was a key motive for a Tunisian man who shot three Swedes in Brussels on Monday, killing two of them, ahead of a Belgium-Sweden soccer match in the capital.

While the Quran burnings are not directly linked to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, they are a sign of rising tensions between religious and other communities in Europe.

The war that began Oct. 7 has become the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Wednesday that 3,478 Palestinians have been killed and more than 12,000 injured in the past 11 days.

More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, and at least 199 others, including children, were captured by Hamas and taken into Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.

“We have to address multiple impacts from the continuing crisis in the Middle East” in the EU, European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas said.

“This entails the protection of our Jewish communities, but also the protection against a generalized climate of Islamophobia that has no place in our society,” he told reporters in Luxembourg, where the meetings were held.

Pro-Palestinian rallies have been held in several European cities since the war. France has banned them. Germany has also promised to take tougher action against Hamas, which is already on the EU’s list of terrorist organizations.

After assailants threw two Molotov cocktails at the Berlin synagogue on Wednesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that “we will never accept when attacks are carried out against Jewish institutions.”

In France, the Palace of Versailles — a major tourist attraction — and three airports were evacuated for security reasons and temporarily closed Wednesday. The incidents were the latest in a spate of evacuations in the past five days, and the French government is threatening to fine or jail prank callers.

They followed the killing of a teacher in northern France on Friday by a suspected Islamist extremist.

French Interior Minister Gerland Darmanin noted that two foreigners were behind the recent attacks in Belgium and France, and he insisted that long-delayed reforms of EU asylum rules must be put in place.

Europe must “manage our borders, register people and conduct the security interviews that are necessary before every asylum request,” he told reporters.

Belgium’s top migration official, Nicole de Moor, said that “we are facing terror in the streets of our cities, in France, in Belgium, and we cannot tolerate this. Innocent people are dying, and this is unacceptable.”

She said tougher deportation laws are needed and countries that refuse to take back their nationals must be made to cooperate. The EU has agreements with Turkey and Tunisia to get them to prevent migrants reaching Europe but they are not working. Other deals, with Egypt notably, are planned.
…

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the International Olympic Committee of “ethnic discrimination” ahead of the 2024 Paris Games, from which Russian and Belarusian athletes are banned from competing under their national flags.

The IOC still has to make a final ruling on whether athletes from Russia and Belarus, a key ally for Moscow in its war with Ukraine, will be permitted to compete next summer.

“Thanks to some heads of the modern International Olympic Committee we found out that an invitation to the Games is not an unconditional right for the best athletes, but some kind of privilege and you can get it not on sports results but by some political gestures,” Putin said at a sports forum in the Urals city of Perm.

“The Games themselves could be used as an instrument of political pressure towards those people who have nothing to do with politics, and as a gross — in reality — racist, ethnic discrimination.”

He added that: “Some sports officials have simply given themselves the right to determine who is covered by the Olympic Charter and who is not.”

The IOC last week suspended Russia’s national Olympic body for violating the territorial integrity of Ukraine’s membership by recognizing regional organizations in occupied Ukraine. 

Russia launched a full-scale offensive against Ukraine in February 2022, with its neighbor Belarus allowing Moscow’s troops to use its territory as a launchpad.
…

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Russia’s foreign ministry said on Thursday, as the two countries forge closer ties in the face of what they see as a hostile and aggressive U.S.-led Western camp.

Russia’s state-run TASS news agency reported that Lavrov’s meeting with Kim had lasted over an hour but the ministry did not provide further details.

Lavrov, who arrived in Pyongyang on Wednesday, earlier thanked North Korea for backing Russia’s military actions in Ukraine and pledged Moscow’s “complete support and solidarity” for Kim, Russia’s foreign ministry said.

Lavrov’s visit is seen as setting the stage for a visit by President Vladimir Putin, who has stepped up cooperation with politically isolated North Korea.

Speaking at a reception hosted by the North on Wednesday, Lavrov said Moscow strongly valued Pyongyang’s “unwavering and principled support” for Russia in the Ukraine war, which it calls a “special military operation.”

“Likewise, the Russian Federation extends its complete support and solidarity with the aspirations of the DPRK,” Lavrov said, according to the transcript of the speech released on his ministry’s website. DPRK are the initials of the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

After talks with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, Lavrov later told reporters that increased military activities by the United States and its allies Japan and South Korea were a cause for concern, Russia’s state-run RIA news agency reported.

The U.S. and South Korean navies on Thursday joined those of four other countries – Canada, Belgium, New Zealand and the Philippines – for an anti-naval mine exercise off South Korea’s south coast, the South Korean defence ministry said.

A U.S. B-52 bomber made a rare landing in South Korea Thursday to underline the two countries’ alliance against North Korea’s rising nuclear threats, South Korea’s military said.

In his comments, Lavrov said North Korea, China and Russia were pursuing a policy of seeking to ease regional tensions.

North Korean state media said Lavrov’s visit would mark a “significant occasion” in further consolidating relations between Pyongyang and Moscow.

Photos released by the Russian foreign ministry showed Lavrov being greeted by people holding flowers and flags of the two countries upon arrival.

Increased contacts

Lavrov’s two-day visit comes a month after North Korean leader Kim made a rare trip to Russia, during which he invited Putin to Pyongyang and discussed military cooperation.

Russia’s TASS news agency said Lavrov might also brief North Korean leaders on the results of Putin’s visit this week to China.

A U.S. think-tank said on Tuesday that satellite images showed continued activity around a North Korean port near Russia, indicating at least six trips by sea between the two countries since late August.

The shipments between the port of Rajin and Russia’s Dunai re possibly related to the transfer of North Korean munitions to Russia, the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said.

Separately, a North Korean cargo-passenger ferry that had carried foreign tourists from Japan or South Korea was seen at a drydock at the same port this month, most likely for maintenance, CSIS said.

It was not clear whether the vessel would be used to supplement trade activity between Russia and North Korea, it said.

The White House said last week that North Korea had recently provided Russia with a shipment of weapons in what it called a troubling development. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Western allegations were not based on evidence.

South Korea and the United States have expressed concern about increased exchanges between Russia and the North, and the allies have stepped up military drills together with Japan in response to the threat from North Korea.

 South Korea has urged Russia to comply with United Nations resolutions in its exchanges with North Korea, a South Korean foreign ministry spokesperson told a briefing on Thursday.

 
…

U.S. President Joe Biden is set to address the nation Thursday night and discuss the U.S. response to the recent Hamas attack on Israel as well as Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Biden visited Israel Wednesday, bringing a message of support to Israelis while also working to secure humanitarian aid for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The U.S. announced $100 million in aid for Gaza and the West Bank, and the Biden administration is expected to propose $100 billion in supplemental assistance for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan and security along the U.S.-Mexico border.

“My administration was in close touch with the leadership from the first moments of this attack,” Biden said Wednesday in Tel Aviv.  “We’re going to make sure we have what you have, what you need to protect your people, to defend your nation. For decades, we’ve ensured Israel’s qualitative military edge. And later this week, I’m going to ask the United States Congress for an unprecedented support package for Israel’s defense.”

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
…

Officials in southern Ukraine said a Russian missile hit a residential area late Wednesday, killing at least two people.

Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said the missile hit a food shop in the Mykolaiv region.

Vitaliy Kim, the regional governor, said the attack happened in the village of Stepove and damaged both residential buildings and an agricultural business.

Another Russian missile strike earlier Wednesday hit a residential building in Zaporizhzhia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Wednesday that attack killed five people and injured five others.

Another Russian strike killed a woman and injured four other people in Dnipropetrovsk, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said. 

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

French Iranian academic Fariba Adelkhah has returned to France, her university said Wednesday, after being held for 4½ years in Iran in a case that prompted tensions between Paris and Tehran.

Adelkhah was arrested in June 2019 and convicted on national security charges that her supporters have denounced as absurd.

She was released from prison in February but remained unable to leave Iran.

A well-known researcher of Iranian Shiite religion and politics, Adelkhah landed back in Paris on Tuesday, according to her employer, Sciences Po University, which had set up a support group to win her release.

“After so many years of being deprived of her freedom, what an emotion to finally welcome home our colleague Fariba, a symbol of our battle for academic freedom,” said university director Mathias Vicherat in a statement.

Adelkhah was one of about two dozen foreign nationals held by Tehran in what activists and Western governments have described as a deliberate strategy of hostage-taking aimed at extracting concessions from the West.

Several of the foreign prisoners have been released in recent months, including five Americans freed in a complex exchange for billions of dollars in Iranian funds that had been frozen in a South Korean account.

In May, Iran freed French prisoners Benjamin Briere and Bernard Phelan, the latter also an Irish national, after their health deteriorated during hunger strikes.

But around a dozen foreigners remain held by Iran including four French citizens: teacher Cecile Kohler and her partner Jacques Paris; Louis Arnaud, described by his family as an innocent traveler; and a man identified only as Olivier.

In a call with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at the weekend to discuss the current conflict between Hamas and Israel, French President Emmanuel Macron “reiterated his deep concern” over the detainees and requested their immediate release, his office said in a statement.

Adelkhah said in a statement through her supporters: “I think of my former fellow women prisoners at Evin [prison in Tehran] and my French compatriots, Cecile, Jacques, Louis and Olivier, who have not yet regained their freedom.”

She was arrested in June 2019 along with her French colleague and partner Roland Marchal.

Marchal was released in March 2020 in an apparent prisoner swap after France released Iranian engineer Jallal Rohollahnejad, who faced extradition to the United States over accusations he had violated U.S. sanctions against Iran.

Adelkhah was sentenced in May 2020 to five years in prison for conspiring against national security.

She was allowed home in Tehran from October 2020 with an electronic bracelet but was then returned to jail in January 2022.
…

Tensions between the United States and Turkey are growing, with each side accusing the other of posing a security threat. The war of words follows the U.S. downing of a Turkish drone that Washington said was threatening American forces in Syria. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.
…

Pope Francis decried the “desperate” situation in Gaza, calling for peace, during his general audience on Wednesday. The pope, however, did not mention the deadly attack Tuesday on a hospital in Gaza.

Pope Francis told the faithful gathering in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday that his “thoughts go to Palestine and Israel,” expressing concern that this war could spread. He urged the faithful to pray for peace.  

“The victims are increasing and the situation in Gaza is desperate,” Pope Francis said. “May, please everything, everything be done to avoid a humanitarian disaster, and it’s possible that this war might grow. War does not solve any problems. It only sows death and destruction. It increases hatred and multiplies revenge. War destroys the future.”  

The pope did not mention the deadly explosion at Gaza City’s Ahli Arab Hospital that killed hundreds on Tuesday. The Hamas militant group blamed Israel for the massive blast, but IsraeI denied it was to blame, saying it has evidence that a failed rocket launch by Palestinian Islamic Jihad caused the explosion. A spokesman for the group denied responsibility. 

Pope Francis urged the faithful to take “only one side” in the Israel-Hamas conflict, the side “of peace, prayer, and total dedication.” In that vein, he announced a day of penance on October 27, with a meeting in St. Peter’s Square at 6 p.m. local time. The pope urged all Christians and other religions to do likewise in the way they see best to “come together for peace in the world.”

“I call on all believers to take only one side in this conflict — that of peace, not with words but with prayer,” Pope Francis said. “In a spirit of penance, we’ll have an hour of prayer to implore God for peace in our days, peace in the world.”

Vatican Radio earlier reported that Pope Francis telephoned the Holy Family Catholic Parish in Gaza, the only Latin rite parish there. It aids some 500 people, including the sick and disabled, families, and those who have lost their homes.

A nun at the parish, Sister Nabila Saleh, said, “It was a great blessing to be able to speak with him. He gave us courage and support in prayer.”  
…

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping held a highly anticipated meeting on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum of International Cooperation on Wednesday, hailing their close relationship while celebrating the deepening political and economic ties between China and Russia.

“The political mutual trust between the two countries is continuously deepening,” Xi said, praising “the close and effective strategic coordination” that the two countries have maintained.

Some analysts say the meeting allows Xi to present China as an alternative world leader to developing countries and gives Putin a chance to prove that he is still relevant internationally.

“This meeting will champion Xi’s position [that China is] as an alternative world leader to the Global South and allow Putin to show that he has a very powerful friend [in Xi,]” Sari Arho Havrén, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), told VOA in a written response.

The visit to China marks Putin’s second trip outside Russia since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader in March. Earlier this month, Putin visited Kyrgyzstan for a summit of former Soviet republics. Both China and Kyrgyzstan are not members of the ICC.

It also comes amid the escalating military conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. While China and Russia have condemned Israel’s airstrikes against Gaza and called for a cease-fire, Xi and Putin didn’t publicly address the issue.

In the official readout released by the Xinhua news agency, Xi called for joint efforts between Beijing and Moscow to “safeguard international fairness and justice.”

Some experts say Xi and Putin’s reluctance to comment on the Israel-Hamas conflict during their meeting shows both countries’ attempt to balance their relationship with the Middle East and Israel. “They haven’t fully backed Israel but neither have they been strong in terms of supporting Hamas,” said Philipp Ivanov, a senior fellow at Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI).

He adds that China and Russia both understand their limited ability to help solve the longstanding conflict between Israel and Hamas, so instead of directly getting involved in the peace process, Ivanov thinks Moscow and Beijing might use their leverage to ensure the conflict doesn’t “spill into a wider war.”

“I think China and Russia could use their leverage with Syria, Iran, or Saudi Arabia to try to contain the conflict,” he told VOA in a video call.

Deepening bilateral exchanges

Putin’s visit to Beijing also reflects Russia’s growing reliance on China as Moscow faces mounting international sanctions due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Since Russia has become ever-more isolated internationally, China has become an important market for Russian goods and an important buyer of Russian oil and gas, providing a crucial financial lifeline to Moscow’s war against Kyiv.

Chinese customs data shows that bilateral trade between China and Russia grew 36.5% for the first seven months of 2023, reaching $134.1 billion. Chinese analysts told China’s state-run tabloid Global Times that bilateral trade could reach $200 billion, surpassing last year’s record of $190 billion.

On Wednesday, Xi told Putin that bilateral trade volume between the two countries has reached “a historical high,” emphasizing that it’s “progressing toward the goal of $200 billion set by the two sides.”

Ivanov of ASPI pointed out that Moscow has become highly dependent on China for accessing critical technologies like motherboards and semiconductors, while Beijing is taking “full advantage of discounted commodity and energy prices” that Russia provides. “Amid China’s competition with the U.S., Russia is a stable and affordable energy provider,” he told VOA. “The benefits that both countries derive from this partnership go both ways.”

In addition to deepening engagement on the economic front, some observers say Xi and Putin will look to increase military and technical cooperation. “Apart from oil, gas and agricultural products, something that Russia can offer is certain military technologies that China needs as it ramps up its military modernization,” Ivanov noted.

And for Putin, one of the main goals is to further advance the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, which China and Russia had agreed on some aspects of the deal during Xi and Putin’s Moscow meeting in March.

On Wednesday, Xi said China hopes the China-Mongolia-Russia natural gas pipeline project can make substantive progress “as soon as possible,” according to China’s state broadcaster CCTV.

Havrén from RUSI said the war between Israel and Hamas may complicate this effort, as the war could affect global natural gas prices. “But this remains Putin’s major goals,” she told VOA.

During his address at the BRI Forum on Wednesday, Putin said the BRI fits with the new transportation infrastructure that Russia has been developing, including the Northern Sea Route, which runs from Russia’s border with Norway to the Bering Strait near Alaska, according to Russia’s state-run news agency Sputnik.  

China’s balancing act

Wednesday’s meeting marks the third time that Xi and Putin have met in person since 2022. Weeks before the invasion of Ukraine, Putin visited Beijing, where the two leaders signed a 5,000-word agreement to declare their “no limits partnership.”

In March, just days after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin for alleged war crimes, Xi visited Moscow, during which he told Putin that they are driving changes that haven’t happened in 100 years.

Despite Xi and Putin’s close relationship, the two met 42 times as of Wednesday, some analysts say Beijing remains wary of the risk of aligning itself too closely with Moscow. 

As the two leaders met in Beijing, lethal airstrikes in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia killed civilians overnight.

“I don’t think there would be a deeper, open engagement [between China and Russia] as that would further strain Beijing’s relationship with European countries,” said Havrén from RUSI.

She thinks China will try to strike a balance between its close partnership with Russia and attempts to show Western democracies that they are willing to play a neutral role on issues such as the Ukraine War. “That’s what Beijing tries to do, but it’s more or less a camouflage,” she said. 
…

Russia’s parliament moved swiftly to fulfill the wish of President Vladimir Putin by completing the passage of a bill that shifts Moscow’s legal stance on nuclear testing at a time of acute tension with the West.

The lower house, the State Duma, on Wednesday passed the second and third readings of a bill that revokes Russia’s ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, or CTBT. Both were passed unanimously by 415 votes to 0.

Putin urged the Duma on October 5 to make the change in order to “mirror” the position of the United States, which has signed but never ratified the 1996 treaty.

“We understand our responsibility to our citizens, we are protecting our country. What is happening in the world today is the exclusive fault of the United States,” parliament speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said.

Since he invaded Ukraine last year, Putin has repeatedly reminded the West of Russia’s nuclear might. On Wednesday state TV showed rare footage of him during a visit to Beijing being accompanied by naval officers carrying the so-called nuclear briefcase that can be used to order a nuclear strike.

Russia says it will not resume atomic testing unless Washington does, but arms control experts are concerned it may be inching towards a test that the West would perceive as a Russian nuclear escalation amid the Ukraine war.

They say a test by either Russia or the United States could prompt the other to do the same, and China, India and Pakistan might then follow, triggering a new global arms race. All are currently observing test moratoriums, and only North Korea has conducted a test involving a nuclear explosion this century.

Russia originally ratified the CTBT in 2000. While it is revoking that step, it has so far said it will remain a signatory to the treaty and continue to supply data to the global monitoring system which alerts the world to any nuclear test.

But when he introduced the bill on Tuesday, parliament speaker Volodin raised the possibility Moscow might withdraw altogether and said it would keep Washington guessing about its intentions.

“And what we will do next — whether we remain a party to the treaty or not — we will not tell them. We must think about global security, the safety of our citizens and act in their interests,” he said.

The law will now go to the upper house, and to Putin for signing.

Putin said earlier this month he was aware of calls for Russia to resume nuclear testing but was not ready to say whether Moscow should do so.

Back in February, he said Russia must “make everything ready” to conduct a test in case Washington did so. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Russia’s testing ground in the remote northern archipelago of Novaya Zemlya in August.

CNN published satellite images last month showing Russia, the United States and China have all built new facilities at their nuclear test sites in recent years.

Russia’s shift on the CTBT follows its suspension earlier this year of New START, the last remaining bilateral nuclear treaty with the United States, which limits the number of strategic warheads each side can deploy.

Experts at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said both steps may be intended by Putin “to generate alarm and uncertainty among states supporting Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s illegal invasion.”

They said the CTBT move “weakens international stability and diminishes humanity’s prospects of avoiding a new nuclear arms race.”

But they added: “In this instance, it is difficult for the United States to go far in criticizing Putin’s announcement and Russia’s potential withdrawal from the CTBT since the USA has itself failed to ratify the treaty and become a party to it in the 27 years since first signing.”

Melissa Parke, executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, called Russia’s action irresponsible.

She said treaties like the CTBT “are critical to making sure nuclear testing, which has harmed people’s health and caused widespread radioactive contamination, is not resumed.”

Post-Soviet Russia has never carried out a nuclear test. The Soviet Union last tested in 1990 and the United States in 1992.
…

Ukrainian officials said Wednesday a Russian missile attack in the city of Zaporizhzhia killed at least two people and wounded five others.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the missile hit a five-story residential building and destroyed eight apartments.

“The evil state continues to use terror and wage war on civilians,” Zelenskyy said.  

Yuriy Malashko, the regional governor of Zaporizhzhia, said Russia targeted the area with six missiles early Wednesday.  Malashko said Russian drones and artillery fire were also directed at the area.

Another Russian strike killed a woman and injured four other people in Dnipropetrovsk, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.

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

As images of the war between Israel and Hamas sent shockwaves around the world, people in Italy’s capital held a march this week commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Nazi roundup of Rome’s Jewish community during World War II.

Those gathering on Monday said they remember the past because they care about the future.

Esther, a Jewish resident of Rome, said this 80th anniversary “March of Remembrance” was particularly poignant for her as she turns 80 this year. 

She said she and her family survived the Nazis’ 1943 roundup of Rome’s 1,200 Jews only because they were in Africa at the time; some of her relatives were not so lucky. 

“I was born in Africa in Belgium Congo, so I escaped for this,” she said. “If we were in Europe, I don’t know if I can speak with you today.”

Italian authorities, Rome’s Jewish community, and members of the Catholic Community of Sant’Egidio, a progressive Catholic lay group that works for world peace, remembered the Italian Jews who lost their lives during World War II, and those who survived the horror. 

Julia Camorino’s father, Enzo, and uncle, Lushino, were both taken from the Roman ghetto by the Nazis in 1943, deported to Auschwitz, and then sent to other concentration camps. 

They were two of only 16 Roman Jews who survived the Holocaust. Both were strong enough to work and not chosen for the death camps, she said.

Eventually, they escaped and got picked up by American soldiers.

‘Too much politics’

Camorino told VOA the war between Israel and Hamas worries her. 

“There’s too much politics,” she said. “I’m here for the memory of my ancestors and my dad. He was hoping the world would learn from this and for the world to be better. We should never forget what happened.”

The role of Pope Pius XII and others during the Holocaust has been the subject of controversy, but historical documents show that the Holy See and Italy took actions that ended up saving 80% of the Italian Jewish population. 

Strangers sacrified themselves

Many Italians sacrificed their lives to help people they didn’t know. 

Such was the case of Sandro’s grandfather, who sheltered a Jewish family from the Nazis. 

A Christian, Sandro is a member of the Sant’Egidio community. He took part in the march along with a friend from Italy’s Roma community, whose members were also persecuted by the Nazis during World War II. 

He told VOA it’s imperative to remember all the people who lost their lives. 

“For us, it is very important to remember this day because many citizens of Roma [Rome], many Italian people, Jewish people were martyred in Auschwitz from this area,” said Sandro. “We consider them as a part of this city. The story is very cruel. We will not repeat it. That’s our hope.” 

Stefania Proietti is the mayor of Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis. She told VOA that while the march memorializes the persecuted Jews of Rome, it calls attention to all victims of injustice. 

“We need to talk about peace,” she said. “We cannot repeat the mistakes of the past. We stay here for all victims — Jewish and many other people [who are] innocent are victims.” 

Italian lawmakers are now considering a Holocaust Museum in Rome, but critics say some oppose the plan because they are reluctant to draw attention to the part that Italy’s pro-Nazi, fascist government played during that time in history. 
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Four-day work weeks improved Spanish workers’ health several ways, such as by lowering stress while reducing fuel emissions and benefiting children, a pilot program showed on Tuesday. 

The coastal city of Valencia — Spain’s third largest with more than 800,000 inhabitants — scheduled local holidays to fall on four consecutive Mondays between April 10 and May 7 this year. The project affected 360,000 workers. 

Many participants used the long weekends to develop healthier habits such as practicing sport, resting and eating homemade food, according to an independent commission of health and social science experts that evaluated the program. 

The data showed an improvement in self-perceived health status, lower stress levels and better feelings regarding tiredness, happiness, mood and personal satisfaction, it added. 

A drop in the use of motor vehicles led to better air quality on the four Mondays during the program’s period, as less nitrogen dioxide was emitted, according to the city’s daily emissions measurements. 

However, smokers and drinkers increased their overall use of tobacco and alcohol, it said.

More time for hobbies, leisure

A high percentage of those surveyed said they were more likely to read, study, watch films and pursue hobbies such as  photography, music or painting, the commission said. It did not specify the percentage. 

Children benefited the most, thanks to improved work-life balance enjoyed by their parents, the commission found. 

Retail sales down

While the hospitality and tourism sectors served more customers during extended weekends, retailers reported a decrease in sales and emergency medical services may have been overextended as more healthcare workers took time off, the report said. 

The project was designed by the left-wing Compromis coalition of progressive, green and regionalist parties, which ruled the city at the time. 

Last year, the Spanish government launched a similar two-year project focused on small and medium-sized industrial companies nationwide. 
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The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in southeastern Ukraine in June caused $14 billion worth of damage and losses, a Tuesday report by the Ukrainian government and the United Nations said.

Ukraine accused Russia of blowing up the dam, which crosses the Dnipro River, flooding the surrounding area with landmine-contaminated water and leaving areas upstream without water.

Moscow has denied responsibility.

“The stark figures speak for themselves. The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam has resulted in a staggering loss and damage,” said Christophoros Politis, the United Nations Development Program’s deputy resident representative in Ukraine, at a presentation in Kyiv.

The preliminary figures put the damage and losses at $13.79 billion, taking into account the environmental toll, the loss of power generation, irrigation for farming, lost housing and other factors.

The destruction of the dam “is foreseen to have severe, enduring consequences on Ukraine’s environment, economy and society,” a post-disaster needs assessment report said. 

The report identified the lasting environmental impact as its biggest concern.

“The figures are massive … and add to the economic burden on Ukraine,” Politis said. 

A joint report by the World Bank, United Nations, European Commission and Ukrainian government previously estimated the cost of reconstruction and recovery at $411 billion from damage caused during the first year of the war.

“All sectors have been heavily impacted, from health care, water supply facilities to energy and community infrastructure to housing and livelihoods,” Politis said.

The U.N. added that it does not know the extent of damage to Russian-occupied areas of the Kherson region, where the dam was located.

Ukraine’s state-owned hydroelectric company Ukrhydroenergo said that it is also not possible to examine the damage to the dam itself. 

“No access is available because it is very close to the hostilities,” said a company representative, Oleg Ososkov.

Despite the ongoing war, officials said that recovery efforts continue.

“You need to provide water right now for people and there is support going on for that, there is infrastructure building for that,” said Ukrainian Deputy Economy Minister Oleksiy Sobolev.

“It is important to highlight and to stress that recovery will take years, but it has started today,” Politis said.

The U.N. says it supports rebuilding the dam or installing other renewable energy systems as part of medium-term plans for a green recovery in Ukraine.

“The opportunity is unique … for Ukraine to rethink the future of all that area in a greener, modern, sustainable and climate-friendly way,” Politis said.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin’s trip to Beijing this week is giving him a rare chance to meet with other world leaders and deepen Moscow’s “no limits” relationship with China. 

In China, Putin will attend Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative forum, which began Tuesday and ends Wednesday. He will deliver a speech, meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and hold a press conference.

Putin’s trip to Beijing is his second overseas since the International Criminal Court put out a warrant for his arrest in March. Earlier this month, he traveled to Kyrgyzstan.

The ICC has issued a warrant for Putin’s arrest, obligating member countries to detain the Russian leader if he steps foot on their territory. Neither China nor Kyrgyzstan, the other nation Putin has visited since the warrant, are members.

On Tuesday in Beijing, Putin held his first meeting with a European leader since the launch of the war in Ukraine, Hungary’s Viktor Orban. He also met with Thailand’s newly elected Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and Mongolia’s president.

At an evening banquet hosted by Xi, the two men shook hands and posed for photos along with other global leaders, many of whom have taken contradictory approaches to the West’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Just weeks before Russian troops invaded Ukraine, Xi and Putin signed a pledge declaring their “no-limits” bilateral partnership. Beijing has since become Moscow’s most reliable economic and diplomatic partner as Western nations have imposed strict economic sanctions in response to the invasion.

In addition to seeking support for the war in Ukraine, Putin is expected to continue to offer praise for China’s Belt and Road Initiative as one of the forum’s most prominent guests.

In an interview with China’s state-run broadcaster CCTV on Monday, Putin praised the project. 

“Yes, we see that some people consider it an attempt by the People’s Republic of China to put someone under its thumb, but we see otherwise. We just see a desire for cooperation,” he told state broadcaster CCTV, according to a transcript released by the Kremlin on Monday.

The Kremlin says Putin and Xi are set to meet on the sidelines of the forum Wednesday.

China and Russia have seen a growing number of diplomatic exchanges recently, and the two nations’ ties as well as defense cooperation are growing, though they are both self-sufficient and it is unlikely a full-fledged military alliance will form, according to Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse.   
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Poland’s ruling nationalist conservative party has lost its majority in parliament after eight years in power.

Official electoral results announced Tuesday show the Law and Justice party winning 35% of the vote. By contrast, the liberal Civic Coalition party won 30.7% of the vote, followed by the centrist Third Way party with 14.4% and the New Left 8.6%, giving the three parties a combined 53.7% of the vote and with it a majority of seats in the 460-seat lower house of parliament, the Sejm.

The three parties ran on separate tickets but with the same promises seeking to oust Law and Justice and restore good ties with the European Union. Leaders of the three parties have pledged to join forces and form a coalition government. Donald Tusk, the leader of Civic Coalition and a former prime minister, is likely to be chosen by the coalition to return to office.

Law and Justice had formed an ironclad grip on many Polish institutions during its time in office, including the judiciary and state-run public broadcasting, which the party allegedly used to demonize political opponents and burnish its image.

The party will still have a chance to remain in power. President Andrzej Duda, an ally of Law and Justice, will give the party a chance to form a government since it won the most votes.  But the far-right Confederation party won only 7% of the vote, not enough to form a governing coalition with Law and Order.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing Tuesday.

Putin will attend a forum convened by Chinese leader Xi Jingping to mark the 10th anniversary of his signature Belt and Road Initiative, a program China uses to build massive infrastructure projects across Asia, Africa, Latin America and parts of Eastern and Southern Europe.

The Kremlin says Putin and Xi are set to meet on the sidelines of the forum Wednesday.

The two leaders signed a pledge last year declaring a “no-limits” bilateral relationship just weeks before Russian troops invaded Ukraine.  Beijing has since become Moscow’s most reliable economic and diplomatic partner as Western nations have imposed strict economic sanctions in response to the invasion. 

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse.

 
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Authorities in Belgium say the suspected gunman in Monday’s deadly terrorist attack in the capital Brussels has been shot and killed by police. 

The suspect was caught Tuesday in the city’s Schaerbeek area.

Amateur videos posted on social media depict a man wearing an orange vest and riding a scooter drove down a busy street, pulling out a gun and opening fire on pedestrians.  The gunman then chased people into a building and resumed shooting before fleeing the scene.

Two Swedish nationals were killed in the attack, while a third was seriously wounded.

The suspected gunman has been identified as a 45-year-old Tunisian man who claimed responsibility for the shooting in a social media post, saying he was inspired by the Islamic State terrorist group. 

Sweden raised its terrorist alert system to its second-highest level in August after a series of burnings of the Quran, the Muslim holy book, resulting in threats of revenge from Islamic extremists.

Authorities say there was nothing to suggest the attack was linked to the current war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The crime scene was located just a few kilometers from a stadium where a soccer match between the Belgian and Swedish national teams was being held.  Authorities suspended the match at halftime and kept the 35,000 fans inside as a precaution for two hours.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse.
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