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. 
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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.
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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.
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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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All 31 U.S.-made M1A1 Abrams tanks promised to Kyiv by the Biden administration have arrived in Ukraine, according to the U.S. military.

Col. Martin O’Donnell, a spokesman for U.S. Army Europe and Africa, told VOA that all of the Ukrainians who trained on the tanks with U.S. forces in Germany have also returned to Ukraine, along with ammunition and spare tank parts.

“We have lived up to our end of the bargain. From this point forward, it is up to them [Ukraine] to determine when and where they will deliver this capability,” O’Donnell said.

Military officials say it could take time before the Abrams are sent to the battlefield, as Ukrainian troops make sure they have needed support elements in place and determine when and where to use the tanks for greatest effect against Russian forces.

“I think Ukraine will be deliberate in when and where they use it,” O’Donnell said. “The Abrams tank is one hell of an armored vehicle, but it’s not a silver bullet. Ultimately, it’s Ukraine’s determination to break through that matters most.”

The first of the 31 American-made Abrams tanks were delivered to Ukraine late last month, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The delivery came faster than initial estimates and in time for potential use in the final weeks of Kyiv’s counteroffensive against Russian forces before winter sets in.

“Abrams are already in Ukraine and are preparing to reinforce our brigades,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram on September 25.

The Abrams will add to other Western tanks already in Ukraine’s arsenal as it fights to reclaim Russian-held territory in Ukraine’s eastern and southern regions.

The U.S. pledge to donate Abrams tanks earlier this year came alongside a pledge from European nations to deliver German-made Leopard 2 tanks, which Berlin had been unwilling to approve without a similar commitment from the United States.

The United Kingdom was the first country to agree to send Western tanks to Ukraine, pledging its Challenger 2 tanks in January of this year, which arrived in the spring.

British Major Nick Bridges told VOA shortly after the U.K announcement that Challenger 2 tanks can “take multiple hits and stay in the fight,” even as they are considered slower than the Abrams and Leopard 2 tanks.

“The battles in the Ukraine will be slow, and what you need is a heavy tank like a Challenger [2 tank] that can take a hit, and more so than a T-72 [Russian-made tank], which will probably be destroyed after one round,” he told VOA.

Russian forces hit a Challenger 2 tank in Ukraine for what appeared to be the first time last month. Video released at the time showed a badly-damaged tank ablaze, with a Western defense source confirming to news outlets that the tank was indeed a Challenger 2 tank and that all of the crew had survived the attack.

Ukraine has asked for hundreds of Western tanks for its offensive. They have received dozens to date.

Ukraine has intensified a campaign of missile and drone strikes to hit targets deep behind Russian lines, which has placed parts of the occupied Crimean Peninsula under repeated attack.

But with winter approaching, Ukrainian forces have yet to achieve a decisive breakthrough, a concern among Kyiv’s backers that has raised questions about the future of international support.

The Abrams tanks’ arrival in Ukraine comes as the United States provided up to $200 million in additional military aid for Ukraine in a package last week. The Pentagon said the package included weapons for air defense such as the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile, artillery munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), TOW anti-tank missiles, and 155mm and 105mm rounds.

The package marked the 48th time that the U.S. has used the presidential drawdown authority to provide Ukraine’s miliary with equipment from U.S. stockpiles, and it was the first since Congress excluded new aid for Ukraine in a stopgap spending bill passed last month to prevent a government shutdown.

The U.S. has provided about $44 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s unprovoked invasion in February 2022.

The Pentagon still has about $5 billion of congressionally approved funding for Ukrainian military aid.

Soon after the stopgap spending bill passed, the House ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his position as speaker. The House has yet to vote for a new speaker, and new aid for Ukraine could hinge on who is selected.
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Belgian authorities raised the terror alert to its highest level in the capital late Monday after the fatal shooting of two Swedes in Brussels that Prime Minister Alexander De Croo linked to terrorism. The gunman remained at large.

The killings happened some 3 miles (5 kilometers) from a stadium where over 35,000 fans were watching a Belgium-Sweden soccer match, Belgium’s anti-terror center said. The match was abandoned halfway through.

“The population needs to be actively vigilant and avoid any unnecessary travel,” anti-terror center spokeswoman Laura Demullier said, adding that the top priority for authorities was to get the thousands of fans safely out of the King Baudouin Stadium.

The center also said that the terror alert for the rest of the country was raised to its second-highest level. Raising the terror level in the capital to the top 4 rating means that a “threat is extremely serious.” It previously stood at 2, which means the threat was average.

“I have just offered my sincere condolences to @SwedishPM following tonight’s harrowing attack on Swedish citizens in Brussels,” De Croo said. He added on X, formerly known as Twitter, “As close partners the fight against terrorism is a joint one.”

It was not immediately clear if the shooting was linked to the international uproar over the Israel-Hamas war.

“A horrible shooting in Brussels, and the perpetrator is actively being tracked down,” said Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden, adding that she was joining government talks at the National Crisis Center.

Media reports aired amateur videos showing a man shooting several times near a station using a large weapon.

A police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters, said the two victims were Swedes.

Police spokeswoman Ilse Vande Keere said officers arrived soon at the scene and sealed off the immediate neighborhood. She declined to elaborate on circumstances of the shooting.

The shooting came at a time of increased vigilance linked to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war that has heightened tension in several European nations.

At the same time, the Belgian capital has been the scene of increased violence linked to increasing international drug trafficking.

Sweden raised its terror alert to the second-highest level in August after a series of public Quran-burnings by an Iraqi refugee living in Sweden resulted in threats from Islamic militant groups.
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Foreigners who live in Italy will be able to use the national health service after paying a $2,109 annual fee, the government said Monday. 

The charge, part of the 2024 budget adopted by the cabinet, will apply only to citizens from outside the European Union, the economy ministry said in a statement.  

The ministry said there would be an unspecified discount for those with legal residency papers, as well as for foreign students and au pairs.  

It was not immediately clear how far the reform would change the current system, which already foresees payments for some categories of foreigners. 

Giordana Pallone of the Cgil trade union told the Adnkronos news agency the reform risked falling foul of the Italian constitution, which guarantees free medical care for the poor.  

“We’ll now have to wait to see how the law is written, because as it is reported today, it has no value or basis compared to the system and regulations that we have,” she said.  

Foreign workers, job seekers, asylum-seekers and unaccompanied minors currently have access to free health care, like Italian nationals.  

Other foreigners with legal residency, such as diplomats and students, can join the Italian health service voluntarily, for a variable fee. 

For students, for example, the charge is capped around $150 per year, while for others it depends on their annual income and can go up to more than $2,950.  

Last month, Italy’s right-wing government sparked controversy by decreeing that migrants would have to pay more than $5,200 to avoid detention while their request for protection was being processed. 
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European Union heads of state will hold an emergency meeting Tuesday on the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza, following the cross-border attack by Hamas gunmen on October 7 that killed at least 1,400 Israelis. 

Health authorities in Gaza say at least 2,750 Palestinian civilians have been killed by Israeli bombings. 

EU Meeting

Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, said he had called an urgent video conference of EU leaders to address the many consequences that conflict would have for the bloc.

“First, we must work towards urgently providing assistance for the basic needs of the most vulnerable civilians, and it must be done in full accordance with the humanitarian law. Second, everything must be done to avoid regional escalation and strong engagement with regional actors is thus key. We must continue to work towards a sustainable peace based on a two-state solution and this should be based on renewed efforts in the Middle East peace process, such as the Peace Day initiative.”

“Third, the conflict could have major security consequences for our societies. It has the potential to worsen tensions between communities and to feed extremism. Finally, there is a major risk of migration and movements of a large number of people to neighboring countries,” Michel said in a televised statement Monday.

Coherent policy

It’s vital that Europe formulates a coherent policy on the Middle East conflict, said analyst Andreas Krieg, an associate professor at the Department of Defense Studies at Kings College London.

“It is, I would say, the most important neighborhood region for the European Union. And so a lot of what Europe does in this region is not based on the luxury of having a choice but of pure necessity,” he told VOA.

Mixed messaging

European nations gave Israel their full support in the days following the Hamas attacks. However, critics say there has been mixed messaging from EU leaders as the Israeli assault on Gaza intensifies and the mounting Palestinian death toll exposes divisions in the European response.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited the Kfar Aza kibbutz in southern Israel Friday, where Israeli forces say Hamas tortured and murdered dozens of civilians. She offered unequivocal support for Israel in its response to the attacks.

“Israel has a right to defend itself. In fact, it has the duty to defend its people. And we must call by their name the atrocities committed by Hamas. This is terrorism. This is an act of war,” von der Leyen said at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Hamas’ despicable actions are the hallmark of terrorists and I know that how Israel responds will show that it is a democracy.”

Humanitarian law

Von der Leyen’s speech sparked criticism from some senior European politicians. Nathalie Loiseau, a French MEP and chair of the European Parliament’s security and defense committee, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the EU commission president was “forgetting an important message: Israel must respect international humanitarian law.”

Meanwhile the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell last week said that Israel’s siege of Gaza “is against international law,” following a meeting of EU foreign ministers. 

The political narrative is becoming more nuanced, said analyst Krieg of Kings College London.

“I think we’re already seeing some of the Western policymakers backtracking and trying to put things into context — and saying, well, we stand with Israel, we also have to make sure that the lives of Palestinian civilians have to be secured and protected,” he told VOA.

European public opinion

That view is echoed in European public opinion, says Andreas Bohm of the University of St Gallen in Switzerland. “There is a significant part of the public today that acknowledges, recognizes the Palestinian struggle. They do have solidarity for Israel, I think, due to the nature of the attack. But in … the long run, if we see these pictures of, say, thousands or tens of thousands of people killed in Gaza, well that might change it,” Bohm told VOA.

For Hamas, such an outcome is desirable, Bohm added. “They want to weaken Israel. And so for them, any large scale ground invasion, with say thousands or tens of thousands of casualties — that would be a major success for them, because it hurts Israel. It tarnishes Israel’s reputation both in the region and globally with Western audiences,” he said.

Krieg, however, said Israel is unlikely to change course.

“I think the Israelis also will be more resilient in sustaining criticism and sustaining also the leverage of Western policy makers, because they’re saying, ‘This is our war. Look at these atrocities and we’ll do whatever is necessary to eradicate Hamas,’” Krieg told VOA.

EU Aid

Meanwhile, the European Union Monday announced a tripling of humanitarian assistance to Gaza, to $79 million, despite suggestions in the days following the Hamas attack that all aid to Gaza could be suspended.

With Israel maintaining a complete siege of the territory, it isn’t clear how or when the assistance might reach those in need.
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Russia’s foreign minister will visit North Korea this week, the Foreign Ministry said Monday, days after the United States claimed Pyongyang had delivered munitions and military equipment to Russia for use in the fighting in Ukraine.

Sergey Lavrov will be in North Korea on Wednesday and Thursday, the ministry said in a brief statement that did not specify whom he would meet or the aims of the trip.

The White House said Friday that more than 1,000 containers of equipment and ammunition have been sent to Russia from North Korea.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traveled to Russia last month to meet President Vladimir Putin and visit key military sites, triggering speculation about a possible North Korean plan to refill Russia’s munition stores that have been drained by the protracted conflict with Ukraine.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the U.S. believes Kim is seeking sophisticated Russian weapons technologies in return for the munitions to boost North Korea’s military and nuclear program.

The White House released images that it said show the containers were loaded onto a Russian-flagged ship before being moved via train to southwestern Russia. The containers were shipped between Sept. 7 and Oct. 1, according to the White House.
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The majority of voters in Poland’s general election supported opposition parties who promised to repair the nation’s constitutional order and its relationship with allies, including the European Union and Ukraine, according to projections Monday.

After a bitter and emotional campaign, voters turned out in droves on Sunday to make their voice known. Turnout was at the highest level in the country’s 34 years of democracy, surpassing the 63% who turned out in the historic 1989 vote that toppled communism.

The final result was not expected for many hours. But a so-called late exit poll by Ipsos suggested that voters had finally grown tired of the ruling nationalist party, Law and Justice, after eight years of divisive policies that led to frequent street protests, bitter divisions even within families and billions of dollars in funding held up by the EU over rule of law violations.

The poll showed that three centrist opposition parties that campaigned on a promise to reverse the illiberal drift of the government had together secured around 248 seats in the 460-seat lower house of parliament, or Sejm — a clear majority.

“I am really overjoyed now,” Magdalena Chmieluk, a 43-year-old accountant, said on Monday morning. The opposition “will form a government and we will finally be able to live in a normal country, for real.”

Still, Poles on Monday were facing weeks of political uncertainty. Law and Justice won more votes than any single party and said it would try to keep governing.

“No matter how you look at it, we won,” Law and Justice campaign manager Joachim Brudzinski said Monday morning in an interview on the RMF FM radio broadcaster.

He said that his party would try to build a government led by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

President Andrzej Duda, an ally of Law and Justice, must call the first session of the new parliament within 30 days of the election and designate a prime minister to try to build a government. In the meantime, the current government will remain in a caretaker role.

The tradition in the democratic era has been for the president to first tap someone from the party with the most votes, but he is not required to do so.

It was not clear how Law and Justice could realistically hold onto power, unless it managed to win over some lawmakers from opposition parties, something it did in the past to maintain the thin parliamentary majority it held for eight years. But that seemed unlikely given the large number it would be required to change allegiances. 

The Ipsos poll showed Law and Justice with 36.6% of the votes cast; the opposition Civic Coalition, led by former European Council President Donald Tusk, with 31%; the centrist Third Way coalition with 13.5%; the Left party with 8.6%; and the far-right Confederation with 6.4%.

The electoral commission said it expected to report the final result by early Tuesday.

Tusk on Sunday evening declared that it was the end of Law and Justice rule and that a new era had begun for Poland.

Some Polish media were more cautious on Monday, only reporting that the opposition could take power.

Cezary Tomczyk, vice-chairman of Tusk’s party, said the governing party would do everything to try to maintain power. He called on it to accept the election result, saying it was the will of the people to hand over power to the opposition.

“The nation spoke,” Tomczyk said.
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Martti Ahtisaari, the former president of Finland and global peace broker awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008 for his work to resolve international conflicts, died Monday. He was 86.

The foundation he created for preventing and resolving violent conflicts said he died Monday. Its statement said the foundation was “deeply saddened by the loss of its founder and chair of board.”

In 2021, it was announced that Ahtisaari had advanced Alzheimer’s disease.

Among his most notable achievements, Ahtisaari helped reach peace accords related to Serbia’s withdrawal from Kosovo in the late 1990s, Namibia’s bid for independence in the 1980s, and autonomy for Aceh province in Indonesia in 2005. He was also involved with the Northern Ireland peace process in the late 1990s, being tasked with monitoring terrorist group IRA’s disarmament process.

When the Norwegian Nobel Peace Committee picked Ahtisaari in October 2008, it cited him “for his important efforts, on several continents and over more than three decades, to resolve international conflicts.”

Ahtisaari who was the Nordic country’s president for one six-year term — 1994 until 2000 — later founded the Helsinki-based Crisis Management Initiative, aimed at preventing and resolving violent conflicts through informal dialogue and mediation.
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Voters in Poland are choosing representatives for both houses of parliament. Poles outside the country are joining the vote. Svitlana Prystynska has our story from the Western U.S. state of Colorado.
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For soldiers fighting on Ukraine’s front lines, a split second first aid decision can be the difference between life or death.

Whether learning to apply a tourniquet, wrap a bandage or carry a wounded person, regular basic medical training is an essential part of their skill set in the field.

“It’s crucial training, because every soldier needs to know how to save his own life and that of others nearby,” said Victor Pylypenko, a 36-year-old medic in the 72nd Ukrainian brigade.

According to analysts, at least tens of thousands of soldiers have been wounded and killed on both sides since Russia’s invasion on Ukraine on February 24, 2022, although neither Kyiv nor Moscow have disclosed their losses.

Near the town of Kurakhove, situated 15 kilometers (nine miles) from the eastern front, some 15 soldiers from Pylypenko’s unit gathered for a course delivered by intensive care nurse Mossy, an Australian volunteer.

Starting inside, and then moving to work in the undergrowth, the soldiers practiced applying tourniquets to an arm or leg to stop massive external bleeding, which can lead to death in a matter of minutes. 

Every soldier is equipped with an individual first aid kit (IFAK), which includes one or two tourniquet straps.

Measuring roughly 70 centimeters (28 inches) and fitted with a twisting handle, the straps grip the limb above the wound and thus stop the bleeding.

“The most common wounds in the field are (shrapnel) wounds in the limbs,” Pylypenko said.

The chest and back are also often hit, because “the bullet-proof vest doesn’t fully protect you,” he added. 

‘Fake tourniquets’

“There are frequent cases of massive hemorrhaging, and tourniquets have really saved hundreds, if not thousands, of lives,” said Pylypenko, adding that it was “essential” that soldiers knew how to use them correctly. 

Both the way they are applied and the quality of the tourniquet determines their effectiveness.

“The government provides us with IFAKs, but they are not always good quality,” said Pylypenko, lamenting “fake tourniquets that are deadly on the battlefield.”

Ukrainian NGOs and combat unit nurses this summer criticized the lack of standardization and poor quality of first aid equipment provided by the government.

Faced with backlash and after 19 months of war, Ukraine’s defense ministry has only recently announced the creation of a medical department within its ranks.

“We are working with our Western partners on the possibility of a rapid decision to confirm the quality of tourniquets produced in Ukraine,” deputy defense minister Natalia Kalmykova said in a TV interview.

During the training course, Mossy advised soldiers to check the origin of their equipment, noting that he had seen “very poor quality” tourniquets coming from China.  

“I can’t read the language on some” first aid items, he told AFP, using Pylypenko as a translator to communicate with the soldiers.   

“Sometimes when we ask the guys to show this part, they point to something else,” he said.

Although most of the soldiers had already undergone first aid training and applied it in combat, trainers say it is essential to practice and repeat the gestures regularly.

Survived three times

To illustrate his point, Mossy told the story of some soldiers who had placed a tourniquet on a wounded man, which then loosened in transit.

“They didn’t think to check the tourniquet while they were transporting him. It came off and their friend died on the stretcher,” he said. 

“You have to continually revise (knowledge). It comes with training and experience, but unfortunately, these lessons are learned in blood,” he added.

Vasyl, a 52-year-old sergeant, listened keenly to the medical training.

He had been wounded three times since the start of the war, including his right eye which appeared a little sunken.

He said that basic medical knowledge “enabled me to survive three times.”

“The second year of the war is almost over. Those who are left have learned to survive,” he said. 

For 39-year-old Arkady, “in a stressful situation, with a lot of adrenaline, you don’t always understand what you’re doing.” 

“So it’s important that you’re constantly reminded of these (first aid) gestures, so you can save your life of someone else’s,” he said.
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