With White House funding to put more electric cars on the road, some states are using the money to build out their part of a fast-charging EV network. Deana Mitchell has the story.
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Category Archives: News
worldwide news
Europe’s Inflation Eased to 2.9% in October, but Growth Vanished
The inflation that has been wearing on European consumers fell sharply to 2.9% in October, its lowest in more than two years as fuel prices fell and rapid interest rate hikes from the European Central Bank took hold.
But that encouraging news was balanced by official figures showing economic output in the 20 countries that use the euro shrank by 0.1% in the July-September quarter.
Inflation fell from an annual 4.3% in September as fuel prices fell by 11.1% and painful food inflation slowed, to 7.5%.
The drop to under 3% is down from the peak of over 10% in October 2022 and puts the inflation figure at least within shouting distance of the European Central Bank’s target of 2% considered best for the economy.
But growth disappeared as output shrank after months of stagnation near zero.
Germany, the largest of the 20 countries that use the euro, saw its economy output fall by 0.1%, while No. 2 economy France only scraped out 0.1% growth, slowing from 0.6% in the previous quarter.
The lower inflation figure follows a rapid series of interest rate hikes by the European Central Bank. Higher central bank rates are the typical medicine against inflation that’s too high. They influence borrowing costs throughout the economy, raising the cost of credit for purchases such as homes or for expanding factories or offices. That reduces the demand for goods and thus restrains price increases.
But high rates can also slow growth. In recent months they have slammed credit-sensitive sectors like construction of new houses and business facilities. Meanwhile lingering inflation has still been high enough to hold back spending by consumers who had to set more money aside for necessaries like food and utility bills.
This burst of inflation was set off as the global economy rebounded from the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to shortages of parts and raw materials. It got worse when Russian invaded Ukraine, sending energy prices soaring as Moscow cut off most natural gas to Europe.
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UN Chief Urges Peace From Site Venerated as Buddha’s Birthplace
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made an impassioned plea for peace on Tuesday from a Nepalese site venerated as Buddha’s birthplace, against a backdrop of conflict, including in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan.
While on his visit to Nepal, Guterres has spoken of the urgent need for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to end the “nightmare” of bloodshed.
“In the Middle East, Ukraine, the Sahel, Sudan and many other places around the world, conflict is raging,” Guterres said.
“Global rules and institutions are being undermined as human rights and international law are trampled.”
Guterres held prayers at Lumbini in the south of the Himalayan nation, a site he called a place of “spirituality, serenity, and peace”.
The Buddha — who renounced material wealth to embrace and preach a life of non-attachment —founded a religion that now counts more than 500 million adherents.
“This is a place to reflect on the teachings of Lord Buddha. And to consider what his message of peace, interdependence, and compassion, means in today’s troubled world,” Guterres said.
“In these troubled times, my message to the world from the tranquil gardens of Lumbini is simple: Humanity has a choice. The path to peace is ours to take.”
Guterres on Monday visited the Everest region, which is struggling from rapidly melting glaciers, and on Tuesday warned that the “impacts of the climate crisis are mounting.”
“Humanity is at war with nature and at war with itself,” he said.
The Buddha’s birthplace was lost and overgrown by jungle before its rediscovery in 1896, when the presence of a third-century BC pillar bearing inscriptions allowed historians to identify it as Lumbini.
Since then, it has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site and is visited by millions of Buddhists every year.
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Ukrainian Family Murdered in Russian-Occupied Donetsk Region
Ukraine says a family of nine were shot and killed in their home in the Russian-occupied eastern town of Volnovakha.
Photographs of the home issued by authorities depict a gruesome crime scene, with the victims lying dead in their beds amid blood-splattered walls.
The Ukrainian-backed prosecutor’s office in Donetsk province, home to Volnovakha, says the murders occurred after the owner refused a demand by a group of men in military uniforms to vacate the house so Russians forces could stay there. The office says the victims include two young children.
Russian investigators say two soldiers from Russia’s Far East are being held in connection with the murders. The soldiers had signed contracts with Russia’s military to serve in Ukraine.
Volnovakha has been occupied by Russian forces shortly after they launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Pro-Russian separatists in the Donetsk and neighboring Luhansk regions took over government buildings in 2014 and proclaimed the regions as independent “people’s republics.”
The move followed Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
The murders come as Ukrainian and Russian troops are engaged in a fierce standoff in eastern Ukraine as the war stretches into its second year.
Russian forces have launched a new offensive campaign around the city of Bakhmut, especially near the strategic town of Avdiivka.
A Ukrainian counteroffensive begun in June has made slow progress, recapturing several hundred square kilometers of territory.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters.
Spanish Soccer Official Who Kissed Unwilling Star Player Is Banned for Three Years
The Spanish soccer official who provoked a players’ rebellion and reckoning on gender when he kissed an unwilling star player on the lips at the Women’s World Cup final trophy ceremony was banned for three years on Monday by the sport’s global governing body.
Luis Rubiales’ conduct at the Aug. 20 final in Australia — and his defiant refusal to resign as Spanish soccer federation president for three weeks — distracted many people from the women’s career-defining title win.
Rubiales is now barred from working in soccer until after the men’s 2026 World Cup. His ban will expire before the next women’s tournament in 2027.
Spanish authorities have launched a criminal investigation against Rubiales for kissing Jenni Hermoso on the lips after the team’s 1-0 victory over England in Sydney, and his conduct in the fallout from the scandal.
Spanish prosecutors have formally accused Rubiales of sexual assault and coercion. Hermoso said that Rubiales pressured her to speak out in his defense amid the global furor.
Rubiales denied wrongdoing to a judge in Madrid who imposed a restraining order for him not to contact Hermoso, the record goal scorer for the Spain women’s team.
FIFA has said it was investigating whether Rubiales violated “basic rules of decent conduct” and “behaving in a way that brings the sport of football and/or FIFA into disrepute.”
In another incident, at the final whistle in Sydney Rubiales grabbed his crotch as a victory gesture while he was in an exclusive section of seats and Queen Letizia of Spain and 16-year-old Princess Sofía were standing nearby.
A third incident FIFA judges cited to remove Rubiales from office during their investigation — “carrying the Spanish player Athenea del Castillo over his shoulder during the post-match celebrations” — was detailed in a ruling to explain why he was provisionally suspended.
Women’s soccer has seen allegations of sexual misconduct by male soccer presidents and coaches against female players on national teams.
Two of the 32 World Cup teams, Haiti and Zambia, had to deal with such issues while qualifying for the tournament co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
Even before the Women’s World Cup, Rubiales — a former professional player and union leader — had been the target of unproven allegations of a sexual nature about his managerial culture, including at the national federation he led since 2018.
The Spanish players’ preparation for the Women’s World Cup also was in turmoil in the year ahead of the tournament because of their dissatisfaction with the leadership of their male coach, Jorge Vilda.
Vilda was supported by Rubiales to stay in the job despite 15 players asking last year not to be called up again because of the emotional pain it meant to play for the team. Three continued their self-imposed exile and refused to be selected for the World Cup.
As the Rubiales scandal continued into September, with lawmakers supporting the players, Vilda was fired by the federation’s interim management.
Rubiales resigned from his jobs in soccer on Sept. 10 after three weeks of defiance that increased pressure on him from the Spanish government and national-team players.
He also gave up his vice presidency of European soccer body UEFA which paid him $265,000 a year. One day later UEFA thanked Rubiales for his service in a statement that offered no backing to the women players.
When Rubiales resigned, he said he did not want to be a distraction from Spain’s bid to host the men’s 2030 World Cup in a UEFA-backed project with Portugal and Morocco.
That bid has since been picked by FIFA as the only candidate to host the 2030 tournament in a plan that now also includes its former opponents Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
The Morocco soccer federation that partnered with Spain on the men’s 2030 World Cup later hired Vilda to coach its women’s national team. The Morocco women were a standout story at their World Cup reaching the last-16 knockout round in their tournament debut.
The quick forgiveness of Vilda fueled the view that soccer administrators’ actions often do not meet their claims of zero-tolerance of misconduct.
Rubiales can choose to appeal his three-year ban, first to FIFA and subsequently at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
FIFA said Rubiales has 10 days to request the full written verdict in his case which it would then publish.
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Biden Signs Sweeping Executive Order on AI Oversight
President Joe Biden on Monday signed a wide-ranging executive order on artificial intelligence, covering topics as varied as national security, consumer privacy, civil rights and commercial competition. The administration heralded the order as taking “vital steps forward in the U.S.’s approach on safe, secure, and trustworthy AI.”
The order directs departments and agencies across the U.S. federal government to develop policies aimed at placing guardrails alongside an industry that is developing newer and more powerful systems at a pace rate that has many concerned it will outstrip effective regulation.
“To realize the promise of AI and avoid the risk, we need to govern this technology,” Biden said during a signing ceremony at the White House. The order, he added, is “the most significant action any government anywhere in the world has ever taken on AI safety, security and trust.”
‘Red teaming’ for security
One of the marquee requirements of the new order is that it will require companies developing advanced artificial intelligence systems to conduct rigorous testing of their products to ensure that bad actors cannot use them for nefarious purposes. The process, known as red teaming, will assess, among other things, “AI systems threats to critical infrastructure, as well as chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and cybersecurity risks.”
The National Institute of Standards and Technology will set the standards for such testing, and AI companies will be required to report their results to the federal government prior to releasing new products to the public. The Departments of Homeland Security and Energy will be closely involved in the assessment of threats to vital infrastructure.
To counter the threat that AI will enable the creation and dissemination of false and misleading information, including computer-generated images and “deep fake” videos, the Commerce Department will develop guidance for the creation of standards that will allow computer-generated content to be easily identified, a process commonly called “watermarking.”
The order directs the White House chief of staff and the National Security Council to develop a set of guidelines for the responsible and ethical use of AI systems by the U.S. national defense and intelligence agencies.
Privacy and civil rights
The order proposes a number of steps meant to increase Americans’ privacy protections when AI systems access information about them. That includes supporting the development of privacy-protecting technologies such as cryptography and creating rules for how government agencies handle data containing citizens’ personally identifiable information.
However, the order also notes that the United States is currently in need of legislation that codifies the kinds of data privacy protections that Americans are entitled to. Currently, the U.S. lags far behind Europe in the development of such rules, and the order calls on Congress to “pass bipartisan data privacy legislation to protect all Americans, especially kids.”
The order recognizes that the algorithms that enable AI to process information and answer users’ questions can themselves be biased in ways that disadvantage members of minority groups and others often subject to discrimination. It therefore calls for the creation of rules and best practices addressing the use of AI in a variety of areas, including the criminal justice system, health care system and housing market.
The order covers several other areas, promising action on protecting Americans whose jobs may be affected by the adoption of AI technology; maintaining the United States’ market leadership in the creation of AI systems; and assuring that the federal government develops and follows rules for its own adoption of AI systems.
Open questions
Experts say that despite the broad sweep of the executive order, much remains unclear about how the Biden administration will approach the regulations of AI in practice.
Benjamin Boudreaux, a policy researcher at the RAND Corporation, told VOA that while it is clear the administration is “trying to really wrap their arms around the full suite of AI challenges and risks,” much work remains to be done.
“The devil is in the details here about what funding and resources go to executive branch agencies to actually enact many of these recommendations, and just what models a lot of the norms and recommendations suggested here will apply to,” Boudreaux said.
International leadership
Looking internationally, the order says the administration will work to take the lead in developing “an effort to establish robust international frameworks for harnessing AI’s benefits and managing its risks and ensuring safety.”
James A. Lewis, senior vice president and director of the strategic technologies program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told VOA that the executive order does a good job of laying out where the U.S. stands on many important issues related to the global development of AI.
“It hits all the right issues,” Lewis said. “It’s not groundbreaking in a lot of places, but it puts down the marker for companies and other countries as to how the U.S. is going to approach AI.”
That’s important, Lewis said, because the U.S. is likely to play a leading role in the development of the international rules and norms that grow up around the technology.
“Like it or not — and certainly some countries don’t like it — we are the leaders in AI,” Lewis said. “There’s a benefit to being the place where the technology is made when it comes to making the rules, and the U.S. can take advantage of that.”
‘Fighting the last war’
Not all experts are certain the Biden administration’s focus is on the real threats that AI might present to consumers and citizens.
Louis Rosenberg, a 30-year veteran of AI development and the CEO of American tech firm Unanimous AI, told VOA he is concerned the administration may be “fighting the last war.”
“I think it’s great that they’re making a bold statement that this is a very important issue,” Rosenberg said. “It definitely shows that the administration is taking it seriously and that they want to protect the public from AI.”
However, he said, when it comes to consumer protection, the administration seems focused on how AI might be used to advance existing threats to consumers, like fake images and videos and convincing misinformation — things that already exist today.
“When it comes to regulating technology, the government has a track record of underestimating what’s new about the technology,” he said.
Rosenberg said he is more concerned about the new ways in which AI might be used to influence people. For example, he noted that AI systems are being built to interact with people conversationally.
“Very soon, we’re not going to be typing in requests into Google. We’re going to be talking to an interactive AI bot,” Rosenberg said. “AI systems are going to be really effective at persuading, manipulating, potentially even coercing people conversationally on behalf of whomever is directing that AI. This is the new and different threat that did not exist before AI.”
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Ukraine Says It Is Ready to Repel Russia’s Offensive Actions in Bakhmut
Kyiv military officials said on Monday that Russia has bulked up its forces around the devastated city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine and has switched its troops from defense to offense, but Ukraine has been preparing to repel the attacks.
Russia captured Bakhmut, theater of some of the bloodiest fighting of the 20-month-old war, in May. Ukraine launched a counteroffensive in June aimed at retaking occupied land in the country’s south and east, including Bakhmut.
“In the Bakhmut area, the enemy has significantly strengthened its grouping and switched from defense to active actions,” General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine’s commander of ground forces, wrote on Telegram.
Volodymyr Fityo, head of communications for Ukraine’s ground forces command, said Russian forces had been preparing since early this month to retake positions around Bakhmut lost during the Ukrainian counteroffensive.
“We saw this, the intelligence reported everything. We had been preparing, strengthening our defensive positions, engineering fortifications and pulling up reserves,” Fityo told Reuters by telephone. “This does not come as a surprise for us.”
Both men said Russian forces were particularly active near the Ukrainian-held town of Kupiansk in the northeast, where Fityo said Russia had numerical superiority.
Reuters could not independently verify accounts on the battlefield.
In its nightly report, the Ukrainian General Staff said Kyiv’s forces remained on the offensive near Bakhmut.
“The enemy unsuccessfully tried to restore lost positions near Klishchiivka,” it said, referring to a village south of Bakhmut recaptured by Ukraine in September.
Russian troops also tried to advance in Synkivka, north of Kupiansk, but made no headway, it added.
Russia has also been concentrating much of its efforts in recent weeks on a bid to encircle and capture Avdiivka, a strategic town southwest of Bakhmut.
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Dutch Prime Minister: F-16s for Ukraine to Arrive in Romania Within Two Weeks
The first U.S.-made F-16 combat aircraft the Netherlands is donating to Ukraine will arrive in Romania’s training center within two weeks, outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Monday.
“I expect the Patriot missiles to be delivered shortly, to aid Ukraine in the upcoming winter. And the same speed applies to the F-16s,” Rutte during a video conference with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy posted on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
“The first ones will be shipped to the training center in Romania within the next two weeks so that day we will get ready for further training,” he added.
Denmark, Norway and Belgium have also announced they will give F-16 jets to Ukraine.
“What is happening now in Gaza and the terrorist attack on Israel and all the follow-up from that will not, shall not and cannot distract us from what is happening between you and Russia, the fact that you are fighting off the Russia aggression,” Rutte said.
“We have to make sure that the world is able to focus both on Ukraine and of course is involved very much of what is happening now in the Middle East,” he added.
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Israel Pulls Diplomats From Turkey as Erdogan Ramps Up Hamas Support
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is ramping up his support of Hamas, prompting Israel to withdraw its diplomats. In a move analysts say is aimed at mitigating criticism by Western allies, Erdogan has taken a step to ratify Sweden’s NATO membership. But experts warn Erdogan may have miscalculated. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.
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Musk Pulls Plug on Paying for X Factchecks
Elon Musk has said that corrections to posts on X would no longer be eligible for payment as the social network comes under mounting criticism as becoming a conduit for misinformation.
In the year since taking over Twitter, now rebranded as X, Musk has gutted content moderation, restored accounts of previously banned extremists, and allowed users to purchase account verification, helping them profit from viral — but often inaccurate — posts.
Musk has instead promoted Community Notes, in which X users police the platform, as a tool to combat misinformation.
But on Sunday, Musk tweeted a modification in how Community Notes works.
“Making a slight change to creator monetization: Any posts that are corrected by @CommunityNotes become ineligible for revenue share,” he wrote.
“The idea is to maximize the incentive for accuracy over sensationalism,” he added.
X pays content creators whose work generates lots of views a share of advertising revenue.
Musk warned against using corrections to make X users ineligible for receiving payouts.
“Worth ‘noting’ that any attempts to weaponize @CommunityNotes to demonetize people will be immediately obvious, because all code and data is open source,” he posted.
Musk’s announcement follows the unveiling Friday of a $16-a-month subscription plan that users who pay more get the biggest boost for their replies. Earlier this year it unveiled an $8-a-month plan to get a “verified” account.
A recent study by the disinformation monitoring group NewsGuard found that verified, paying subscribers were the big spreaders of misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war.
“Nearly three-fourths of the most viral posts on X advancing misinformation about the Israel-Hamas War are being pushed by ‘verified’ X accounts,” the group said.
It said the 250 most-engaged posts that promoted one of 10 prominent false or unsubstantiated narratives related to the war were viewed more than 100 million times globally in just one week.
NewsGuard said 186 of those posts were made from verified accounts and only 79 had been fact-checked by Community Notes.
Verified accounts “turned out to be a boon for bad actors sharing misinformation,” said NewsGuard.
“For less than the cost of a movie ticket, they have gained the added credibility associated with the once-prestigious blue checkmark and enabling them to reach a larger audience on the platform,” it said.
While the organization said it found misinformation spreading widely on other social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Telegram, it added that it found false narratives about the Israel-Hamas war tend to go viral on X before spreading elsewhere.
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Putin Calls Meeting After Mob Storms Airport іn Dagestan Looking for Israelis оn Plane From Tel Aviv
Russian President Vladimir Putin called a meeting of top security and law enforcement officials on Monday, the day after a mob stormed the airport in the region of Dagestan after a plane from the Israeli city of Tel Aviv landed there.
Hundreds of angry men rushed onto the tarmac of the airport in Makhachkala, the capital of the predominantly Muslim region, late on Sunday, looking for Israeli passengers, according to Russian news reports.
Dagestan’s Ministry of Health said more than 20 people were injured, with two in critical condition. It said the injured included police officers and civilians. The local Interior Ministry said 60 people were detained in the unrest. It was not clear if charges had been filed against any of them, but Russia’s Investigative Committee said it opened a criminal probe on charges of organizing mass unrest.
The crowd broke out onto the landing field and surrounded the airliner belonging to the Russian carrier Red Wings, with seemingly little resistance from the police, Russian news outlets reported.
Video and photos on social media showed some in the crowd waving Palestinian flags and some trying to overturn a police car. Others held hand-written banners saying “Child killers are not welcome in Dagestan” and “We’re against Jewish refugees.”
Some in the crowd examined the passports of arriving passengers, apparently in an attempt to identify those who were Israeli. The riot was later broken up.
The Makhachkala airport was to remain closed until 3 a.m. on Tuesday, Russia’s civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia said.
The Kremlin on Monday blamed the unrest on “outside interference,” and Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the meeting will discuss “attempts by the West to use the events in the Middle East to divide the (Russian) society.”
“It is well known and obvious that yesterday’s event around the Makhachkala airport is largely the result of outside interference, including information influence from outside,” Peskov told reporters at his daily news conference.
Also Monday, Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti cited Dagestan Gov. Sergei Melikov as saying that the unrest was coordinated in a Telegram channel run by “traitors” based in Ukraine, with the goal of destabilizing the situation in Dagestan and fueling unrest.
According to Russia’s independent news cite Mediazona, local Telegram channels had said before the unrest that “refugees from Israel” were about to arrive in Dagestan. One such channel, Mediazona said, was founded by former Russian lawmaker Ilya Ponomaryov, who currently resides in Ukraine and claims to be involved with a guerilla movement inside Russia.
The Associated Press could not independently confirm the report. Ponomaryov has said he no longer has ties with the channel.
Russia has issued carefully calibrated criticism of both sides in the war between Israel and Hamas, a conflict that is giving Moscow bold new opportunities — to advance its role as a global power broker and challenge Western efforts to isolate it over Ukraine.
Following the Dagestan unrest, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel “expects the Russian law enforcement authorities to protect the safety of all Israeli citizens and Jews wherever they may be and to act resolutely against the rioters and against the wild incitement directed against Jews and Israelis.”
Netanyahu’s office added that the Israeli ambassador to Russia was working with Russia to keep Israelis and Jews safe.
While voicing support for Palestinians in Gaza, the regional Dagestani government appealed to citizens to remain calm and not take part in such protests. The Supreme Mufti of Dagestan Sheikh Akhmad Afandi also appealed for peace.
“We understand and perceive your indignation very painfully. … We will solve this issue differently. Not with rallies, but appropriately. Maximum patience and calm for you,” he said in a video published on Telegram.
Dagestan Gov. Melikov promised consequences for anyone who took part in the violence, and wrote on Telegram that what happened at the airport was “outrageous and should receive an appropriate assessment from law enforcement agencies!”
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China and Russia Take Aim at US at Chinese Military Forum
Chinese and Russian military chiefs targeted the United States for criticism at a security forum in Beijing on Monday, even as China’s second most senior military commander vowed to boost defense ties with Washington.
The lack of regular communications between the U.S. and Chinese militaries has been a worry for Washington as tensions rise over various issues and given the risks of an accidental clash in the South China Sea or near Taiwan.
The Xiangshan Forum, China’s biggest annual show of military diplomacy, began on Sunday without a Chinese defense minister, who typically hosts the event, but including a U.S. delegation.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu warned the West that its involvement in the Ukraine war created grave danger.
“The Western line of steady escalation of the conflict with Russia carries the threat of a direct military clash between nuclear powers, which is fraught with catastrophic consequences,” Russia’s TASS state news agency cited Shoigu as saying at the forum.
Shoigu said the West intended to inflict “strategic defeat” on Russia in what he called a “hybrid war,” and praised Russia-China relations as “exemplary,” Russian state media reported.
Zhang Youxia, vice chairman, under President Xi Jinping, of China’s Central Military Commission, delivered veiled criticism of the United States and its allies, accusing “some countries” of trying to undermine China’s government.
But Zhang also stressed the need for improving military ties with the United States.
“We will deepen strategic cooperation and coordination with Russia and are willing to, on the basis of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, develop military ties with the U.S.,” Zhang said in an address closely watched by military attaches and diplomats.
Zhang held talks with Shoigu on the sidelines of the forum, China’s Xinhua state media reported.
China’s defense minister has in previous years delivered the forum’s keynote speech but Li Shangfu was sacked as defense minister last week without explanation and a replacement has not been named.
Reuters reported last month that Li, who has been missing for two months, was being investigated over corruption.
China and the U.S. have had no high-level military-to-military communications since the Washington-sanctioned Li was appointed in March.
‘Here and listening’
The U.S. defense department has sent a delegation led by Cynthia Xanthi Carras, China country director in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense.
Carras had a brief exchange with defense ministry spokesperson Wu Qian at the forum, a social media account affiliated with state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Chad Spragia, a former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for China, stressed the importance of U.S. participation.
“It’s important for the U.S. to be here and not cede the space to others. We’re here and we’re listening,” said Sbragia, who said he was attending there in a research capacity.
The participation of the U.S. delegation comes as the United States and China ramp up exchanges ahead of an expected summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and China’s Xi next month.
Last week, China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, met Biden for an hour in talks the White House described as a “good opportunity” to keep open lines of communication between the two rivals.
Despite the conciliatory remarks about improving China-U.S. military ties, Zhang and some Chinese military officers gave no sign of a softer stance on issues such as Taiwan, which Beijing’s regards as its territory.
Chinese Lieutenant-General He Lei, speaking at a panel on Sunday, said that if China were to have to use force against Taiwan, “it will be a war for reunification, a just and legitimate war.”
In his speech, Zhang said that countries “should not deliberately provoke other countries on major and sensitive issues,” he said, adding that Taiwan was “a core interest” for China.
Many Western countries have either shunned the forum or are only sending low-level delegations.
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Putin Ally Warns EU Against Seizing Russian Assets for Ukraine’s Reconstruction
Russia would likely confiscate the assets of European Union countries, if the bloc takes frozen Russian funds to finance Ukraine’s reconstruction, according to Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of Russia’s lower house of parliament and an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that she was crafting a proposal that would take the profits from Russian frozen state assets to finance Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction.
“Such a decision,” Volodin said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app, “would require a symmetrical response from the Russian Federation. In that case, far more assets belonging to unfriendly countries will be confiscated than our frozen funds in Europe.”
Russia said Sunday that it shot down 36 drones overnight over the Black Sea and the Crimean Peninsula. Ukraine, which has stepped up its campaign against Russia, has not commented on the overnight attack.
From their meeting in Japan Sunday, G7 trade ministers issued a joint statement on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, calling it a “brutal, unprovoked, unjustifiable and illegal war of aggression.”
Russian universities have reportedly been instructed to stop any negative discussions during academic activities about any Russian political, economic and social trends, the British Defense Ministry said Sunday,
This move marks yet another “restriction of the information space in wartime Russia,” the ministry said, “making it more difficult to openly discuss policy issues.”
This restriction, the ministry said, will likely further add to “the trend of Russian policy-making taking place in an echo-chamber of politically acceptable, pro-Kremlin perspectives” in the runup to President Vladimir Putin’s anticipated bid for reelection in March, the British ministry said.
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On Turkey’s Birthday, Erdogan Honors Secular Founder, Touts His Islamic-Rooted Party
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Sunday to stand up to “imperialist powers” as he led Turkish centenary celebrations in the shadow of Israel’s escalating war with Hamas militants in Gaza.
Erdogan took centerstage during daylong events that both honored the republic’s secular founder and played up the achievement of Erdogan’s Islamic-rooted party that has run Turkey since 2002.
“Our country is in safe hands, you may rest in peace,” Erdogan said after laying a wreath at the mausoleum of military commander and statesman Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
“We will be successful and victorious. No imperialist power can prevent this,” Erdogan added in an evening address in Istanbul.
Ataturk is lionized across Turkish society for driving out invading forces and building a new nation out of the fallen Ottoman Empire’s ruins in the wake of World War I.
He formed as a Westward-facing nation that stripped religion from its state institutions and tried to forge a modern new identity out of its myriad ethnic groups.
It eventually became a proud member of the U.S.-led NATO defense alliance and a beacon of democratic hopes in the Middle East.
“We are Ataturk’s daughters, we are the children of the republic,” pensioner Nerguzel Asik said after watching a military parade in Istanbul.
“We feel ‘Turkishness’ in every way,” student Selin Gunes agreed.
Social transformation
But Ataturk’s social and geopolitical transformation of the overwhelmingly Muslim nation created divisions that weigh on Turkish politics to this day.
Erdogan tapped into these as he led his conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP) to power over the leftist Republican People’s Party (CHP) formed by Ataturk.
He has spent much of the past decade testing the limits of Turkey’s secular traditions as well as its ties with the West.
These competing forces were on full display as Erdogan moved from honoring Turkey’s past to celebrating his own government’s achievements while he was prime minister and president.
Erdogan ended the day by overseeing 100 navy ships pass through the Bosphorus while screaming fighter jets performed aerobatics overhead.
“Turkey is a country that helps those who have no one, from the Balkans to the Caucasus, from Palestine to wherever there is a need,” Erdogan told the nation. “The Palestinian rally (in Istanbul) was a part of this.”
Palestinian cause
Sunday’s celebrations were partially eclipsed by Erdogan’s increasingly fierce attacks against Israel over its response to the October 7 Hamas attacks.
The militants indiscriminately killed 1,400 people, most of them civilians in their homes, on the streets and at an outdoor rave party, and took 220 hostages in a surprise raid that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the worst “since the Holocaust.”
Israel has retaliated with relentless airstrikes and an unfolding ground offensive that the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says has claimed more than 8,000 lives, most of them civilians.
Turkish state television also scrapped the broadcast of concerts and other festivities because of the “alarming human tragedy in Gaza.”
Erdogan’s lifelong defense of Palestinian rights has turned him into a hero across swaths of the Muslim world.
He announced that 1.5 million people attended a pro-Palestinian rally in Istanbul on Saturday that drowned out national television coverage of the centenary.
Erdogan accused the Israeli government of behaving like a war criminal and trying to eradicate Palestinians.
His remarks prompted Israel to announce the withdrawal of all diplomatic staff for a re-evaluation of relations.
Turbulent spell
The emerging diplomatic crisis further pulled attention away from Turkey’s birthday party and onto Erdogan’s handling of global affairs.
Turkey has suffered a turbulent spell of relations with Western allies since Erdogan survived a failed coup attempt in 2016 that he blamed on a U.S.-based Muslim preacher.
Some analysts saw Saturday’s pro-Palestinian rally as part of Erdogan’s tacit effort to undermine Ataturk’s secular vision.
But one survey suggested that Erdogan’s comments play to his Islamic conservative core of supporters and not the public at large.
The Metropoll survey showed 11.3% of the respondents saying they “back Hamas” while more than half preferring to see Turkey either stay neutral or mediate.
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Trade Tops Agenda as Germany’s Scholz Meets Nigerian Leader on West Africa Trip
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Sunday as part of a West Africa tour as the European country looks to diversify its trade partners and expand economic partnerships in the energy-rich region.
In his third trip to Africa since he took office in 2021, and his second this year, Scholz pushed for further development of Nigeria’s capacity to meet local needs even as Germany seeks improved trade relations with its second-largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa. Germany-Nigeria trade volume is estimated to be about 3 billion euros annually.
Major aspects of the two countries’ cooperation include working with Nigeria to help tackle regional and global issues such as migration, security and rampant coups in West and Central Africa, Scholz told Tinubu during their meeting in the capital of Abuja.
“There are a lot of chances not just from gas and oil … but for better using the capacities of your country, but also for going into investments for the future, which is about hydrogen,” said Scholz. Observers have described Africa as a potential exporter of hydrogen energy amid calls for energy transition.
As the German leader comes under enormous domestic pressure to address issues around migration to Germany, he spoke of how best to handle migration by “having a co-management which is benefiting the two countries the best.”
Before his meeting with Tinubu, Scholz told Lagos-based Punch newspaper that Germany has a “considerable demand for natural gas” and “concrete amounts” of supplies should be agreed on in negotiations between Nigerian gas producers and German gas traders.
Nigeria has Africa’s largest proven gas reserves — estimated to be 202 trillion cubic feet — and has been keen on working toward helping meet Europe’s needs after Russia sharply reduced natural gas flows following its war with Ukraine. Germany, though, has diversified its gas supplies from Russia since the war.
The Nigerian leader sought Germany’s support in helping to address the country’s security and economic challenges.
“Nigeria is still crawling, but we are determined to change the narrative and bring about a transformative government in the country,” Tinubu said. “We still need very much support in that area. And for us to be able to sustain democracy, rule of law and freedom for our people, we need to fight for democracy.
Scholz will also meet with West Africa’s regional bloc of ECOWAS Commission president, Omar Alieu Touray, and open a German-Nigerian business forum in the economic hub of Lagos. He then heads to Ghana where he will end his trip on Tuesday.
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Crowd Storms Airport in Russia’s Dagestan Region to Protest Flight From Israel
Hundreds of people on Sunday stormed into the main airport in Russia’s Dagestan region and onto the landing field to protest the arrival of an airliner coming from Tel Aviv, Russian news agencies and social media reported.
Authorities closed the airport in Makhachkala, capital of the predominantly Muslim region, and police converged on the facility.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or arrests.
Russian news reports said people in the crowd were shouting antisemitic slogans and tried to storm the airliner belonging to Russian carrier Red Wings that had landed from Tel Aviv.
Video on social media showed some in the crowd on the landing field waving Palestinian flags.
In a statement released Sunday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel “expects the Russian law enforcement authorities to protect the safety of all Israeli citizens and Jews wherever they may be and to act resolutely against the rioters and against the wild incitement directed against Jews and Israelis.”
Netanyahu’s office added that the Israeli ambassador to Russia was working with Russia to keep Israelis and Jews safe.
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Hundreds of Ukrainians Hold Run in Kyiv to Honor Those Killed in the War
Around 2,000 Ukrainians ran a one-kilometer race on Sunday in Kyiv, wearing bibs displaying the name of a person instead of a number.
Each runner chose one person to whom they dedicated their run. Spouses, children, friends, siblings, neighbors, and colleagues ran for someone they knew who either was killed, taken captive or injured during Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
The crowd cheered the runners, and many in the audience wept while waiting for participants at the finish line. Amid the lively backdrop of Ukrainian songs, joy and sorrow intermingled in the air as life carried on despite the war.
The organizers of the run called it the “World’s Longest Marathon” — “because no race has lasted as long as Ukraine has been fighting for its freedom.”
Around 13,000 people across the world registered for the event. Those competing remotely could run any distance they wanted and were encouraged to post about it on social media.
The race was hosted by Nova Post, Ukraine’s most prominent private delivery company, with the dual purpose of honoring the defenders and raising funds to bolster Ukraine’s air defense system.
“We want to thank and support our defenders, doctors, rescuers, sappers, and volunteers — all the strong and resilient marathoners who do not stop even for a moment for the sake of each of us,” said the project description.
Nova Post has delivered starter kits to 65 countries across all continents, said Inna Popereshniuk, co-founder of Nova Post. She dedicated her race to six colleagues who were killed and 17 injured in a Russian attack on the Nova Post depot in the Kharkiv region on Oct. 21.
Volodymyr Rutkovskyi, a 31-year-old veteran, completed the course walking. In mid-June, he sustained a severe injury when a Russian projectile struck his right leg during Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the Zaporizhzhia region.
After months of rehabilitation, he now uses a prosthetic limb and participated in the event to pay tribute to two fallen comrades, Zheka and Tykhyi, who were killed in eastern Ukraine.
“They did a lot for our country, and sadly, they could have done much more if they were alive,” he said. “But their struggle continues. We will do everything for them and in their honor.”
He crossed the finishing line with his gaze obscured by the low brim of a black Panama hat. He sported running shorts, which revealed his prosthetic leg.
“I don’t really have words to describe what I’m feeling,” he said. “Many of our comrades won’t be ever alive, and I won’t be able to shake their hand or sit down with them.”
But while taking part, he reminded himself that the memory of them remains for a lifetime. “And we need to carry their cross, just as we do our own,” Rutkovskyi added.
Some people came from other cities to the capital to participate in the race. 24-year-old Tetiana Boiko came to Kyiv from the western Ternopil region.
“This is a token of gratitude to everyone who defends and has defended our country. I believe it shows that we are not indifferent to what is happening right now,” she explained.
Her bib bore the name of Volodymyr Semanyshyn, a young man from her hometown who sustained injuries while attaching an explosive device to a drone, resulting in a sudden detonation that left him without arms.
“There are many young men from my town who are worth running for in this race,” said Boiko. “However, I believe he needs this support now. I would like to convey this message to all compassionate people so that they join in fundraising”.
Boiko tries to draw attention to Semanyshyn’s case because he has only elderly parents who can’t afford to cover the expensive rehabilitation that he needs.
She had longed to participate in a marathon, and this was the race she finally mustered the courage to enter.
“And it turned out that my first ‘marathon’ became truly special,” she said. “It demonstrates our compassion, and it’s the least we can do.”
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Death Toll Rises to 42 in ArcelorMittal Kazakh Mine Fire
The death toll from a fire at a mine owned by ArcelorMittal in Kazakhstan rose to 42 people on Sunday as a search for four miners continued, the Ministry for Emergency Situations said.
“The search operation is hampered by the presence of destroyed mining equipment, as well as rubble in some places”, the ministry said in a statement.
Rescuers are searching for miners in two areas of the mine 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) apart, it said.
On Saturday, operator ArcelorMittal Temirtau, the local unit of Luxembourg-based steelmaker ArcelorMittal MT.LU, said 206 of 252 people at the Kostenko mine had been evacuated after what appeared to be a methane blast.
The Ministry for Emergency Situations said it was still monitoring the gas situation at the mine.
Russia Shoots Down 36 Drones Overnight
Russia said Sunday that it shot down 36 drones overnight over the Black Sea and the Crimean Peninsula. Ukraine, which has stepped up its campaign against Russia, has not commented on the overnight attack.
From their meeting in Japan Sunday, the G7 trade ministers issued a joint statement about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, calling it “brutal, unprovoked, unjustifiable and illegal war of aggression.”
Russian universities have reportedly been instructed to stop any negative discussions during academic activities about any Russian political, economic and social trends, the British Defense Ministry said Sunday.
This move marks yet another “restriction of the information space in wartime Russia,” the ministry said, “making it more difficult to openly discuss policy issues.”
This restriction, the ministry said, will likely further add to “the trend of Russian policy-making taking place in an echo-chamber of politically acceptable, pro-Kremlin perspectives” in the runup to President Vladimir Putin’s anticipated bid for reelection in March, the British ministry said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his daily address Saturday that it was “very symbolic” that the Malta summit was being held that day because that is also the day Ukraine commemorates World War II and the anniversary of the expulsion of the Nazis from its territory.
The summit in Malta is the third round of the Ukrainian-backed peace talks in which more than 60 countries are meeting to consider Zelenskyy’s 10-point plan to end the war. Similar meetings were held earlier this year in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Copenhagen, Denmark.
In his daily address, Zelenskyy also thanked Ukraine’s border guards who are now “fighting on the front lines” along with the nation’s defense and security forces “to bring a time of peace closer to Ukraine.”
Russia accused Ukraine of damaging a nuclear waste storage warehouse in a drone attack on the Kursk nuclear power plant and claimed its air defenses shot down eight Ukrainian drones.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that three explosive-laden drones targeted the power plant on Thursday night, striking its administration building and a facility storing nuclear waste. The press service for the Kursk nuclear power plant confirmed the strike Friday, but told journalists there was no significant damage or casualties and that operations were continuing as normal.
Intense fighting has continued around the key city of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine’s air force said it destroyed three of four Iskander cruise missiles over the country’s Dnipropetrovsk region Saturday night.
A dearth of reported aerial attacks this weekend follows several weeks of fierce fighting close to Avdiivka. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov told his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin on Saturday that Russia had lost about 4,000 troops in Avdiivka, according to Kyiv’s Defense Ministry.
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Zelenskyy: Saturday Date for Malta Summit ‘Very Symbolic’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his daily address Saturday that it was “very symbolic” that the Malta summit was being held that day because that is also the day Ukraine commemorates World War II and the anniversary of the expulsion of the Nazis from its territory.
The summit in Malta is the third round of the Ukrainian-backed peace talks in which more than 60 countries are meeting to consider Zelenskyy’s 10-point plan to end the war. Similar meetings were held earlier this year in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Copenhagen, Denmark.
In his daily address, Zelenskyy also thanked Ukraine”s border guards who are now “fighting on the front lines” along with the nation’s defense and security forces “to bring a time of peace closer to Ukraine.”
Russia blames Ukraine for damage
Russia accused Ukraine of damaging a nuclear waste storage warehouse in a drone attack on the Kursk nuclear power plant and claimed its air defenses shot down eight Ukrainian drones.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that three explosive-laden drones targeted the power plant on Thursday night, striking its administration building and a facility storing nuclear waste. The press service for the Kursk nuclear power plant confirmed the strike Friday, but told journalists there was no significant damage or casualties and that operations were continuing as normal.
Fighting around Avdiivka
Intense fighting has continued around the key city of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine’s air force said it destroyed three of four Iskander cruise missiles over the country”s Dnipropetrovsk region Saturday night.
A dearth of reported aerial attacks this weekend follows several weeks of fierce fighting close to Avdiivka. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov told his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin on Saturday that Russia had lost about 4,000 troops in Avdiivka, according to Kyiv”s Defense Ministry.
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Hepatitis Outbreak Closes Schools, Hospitalizes Scores in Ukraine
Schools will move to an online regime starting Monday in Ukraine’s central city of Vinnytsia after a hepatitis A outbreak sent scores of children and adults to the hospital, the country’s chief sanitary official said over the weekend.
“The main thing now is to establish the center of the outbreak and the causes in order to stop the spread of the viral hepatitis A among the population as soon as possible,” Chief Sanitary Doctor of Ukraine Ihor Kuzin wrote on Facebook on Saturday.
Kuzin, who also serves as Ukraine’s deputy health minister, said 141 people in the city and the region were in a hospital. Vinnytsia, which had a pre-war population of around 370,000, is the administrative center of the Vinnytsia region in central Ukraine.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hepatitis A is a highly contagious, short-term liver infection that can be spread through close personal contact or eating contaminated food or drink.
People who get hepatitis A may feel sick for a few weeks to several months but usually recover fully, unless they are in a higher risk group or have pre-existing health conditions.
“So far, there is no single cause of the outbreak,” Kuzin said. “We are analyzing the centers of spread and are working with the population, in particular to establish a circle of contact persons.”
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Malta Hosts Fresh Round of Ukraine-Backed Peace Talks
A third round of Ukrainian-backed peace talks opened in Malta on Saturday with representatives from more than 60 countries but without Moscow, which condemned it as a “blatantly anti-Russian event.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the first of two days of closed-door talks among national security and policy advisers, which he hopes will drum up support for his 10-point plan to end the war.
In a statement on social media, he said 66 countries had taken part in the talks, proof that his plan “has gradually become global.”
It follows similar meetings in Jeddah and Copenhagen this summer, with the Ukrainians hoping to eventually hold a summit at the level of heads of state.
“The meeting confirmed the broad interest and increasing support for the key elements of Ukraine’s Peace Formula,” an EU official said Saturday.
Against the backdrop of the Hamas-Israel war, it also showed “that restoration of just peace is important beyond Ukraine, it is about a global plea for respect of international law,” the official said.
Russian spokesperson calls event ‘anti-Russian’
Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, however, has dismissed the Malta talks as a “blatantly anti-Russian event.”
They had “nothing to do with the search for a peaceful resolution,” she said on Thursday.
Participants in Malta included the United States, the EU and Britain, staunch supporters of Kyiv following Russia’s February 2022 invasion.
Turkey, which has offered itself as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia, was also represented, according to a list seen by AFP before the talks opened.
So too were South Africa, Brazil and India, all members of the influential BRICS bloc, which also includes Russia.
South Africa and India have not condemned Russia’s invasion, while Brazil has refused to join Western nations in sending arms to Ukraine or imposing sanctions on Moscow.
China, which insists it is neutral and refuses to criticize the invasion, did not attend, despite being present in Jeddah in August, according to the EU official.
Organizers were hoping for a joint statement from the Malta summit, after both previous meetings ended without a final declaration.
Talks address territorial integrity
Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, said on Telegram that the discussions on Saturday were lively and focused on five key areas, notably the issue of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Zelensky’s peace plan calls for Russia to withdraw all its troops from Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders, including from the territory of Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.
Russia, which claimed last year to have annexed the four Ukrainian regions of Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, has rejected any settlement that would involve giving up land.
The Malta talks are also looking at nuclear security, notably the need to ensure the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and how to protect Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as winter approaches.
The issue of food security was also on the agenda, as Russia blocks grain exports from Ukraine, as well as humanitarian issues, including the release of prisoners and the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia.
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VOA Immigration Weekly Recap, Oct. 22-28
Editor’s note: Here is a look at immigration-related news around the U.S. this week. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com.
Is There a Path to Refugee Resettlement for Palestinians?
Palestinians are the largest stateless community worldwide, according to the United Nations, and when they become refugees, the way to resettlement in the United States or other countries is not a straightforward journey. Immigration reporter Aline Barros reports.
Canada Admits Nearly 40,000 Afghans, Willing to Take More
Canada is on the brink of fulfilling its commitment to accept 40,000 Afghans before the end of this year. The pledge, made by Ottawa in August 2021 when the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, was driven by concerns for the safety of Afghans who had collaborated with Canadian programs and the former Afghan government. Story by Akmal Dawi.
Venezuelans Now Largest Group of Illegal US Border Crossers
Venezuelans became the largest nationality arrested for illegally crossing the U.S. border, replacing Mexicans for the first time on record, according to figures released Saturday that show September was the second-highest month for arrests of all nationalities. The Associated Press reports.
US Denies Hamas Eyeing US Southern Border
Fears that Hamas’ deadly terror attack on Israel could help spark a wider conflict or even terror attacks in the United States have yet to materialize into actual threats, according to U.S. officials. But that has not stopped concerns that terror-linked operatives may try to enter the U.S. southern border. VOA National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin has more.
VOA Day In Photos: Little Amal, a 12-foot-tall puppet depicting a 10-year-old Syrian refugee, plays with Fabian, a Venezuelan migrant boy, during her journey along the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, Oct. 25, 2023.
Immigration around the world
Latin American Leaders Hold Summit on Migration
A dozen Latin leaders gathered on October 22 in Mexico to discuss how to confront complicated and huge illegal migration flows, mostly to the United States. Mexico wants to “combine efforts, will and resources to tackle the causes of the migratory phenomenon,” President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on X, formerly Twitter, as the summit got underway. Agence France-Presse reports.
Scores of African Migrants Arrive on Spain’s Canary Islands
Authorities say more than 1,300 sub-Saharan African migrants reached Spain’s Canary Islands, a seven-island Atlantic archipelago, October 21-22. One vessel carried a record 321 people. Another record was set earlier this month when 8,561 migrants arrived on the islands in the first two weeks of October. VOANews has the story.
Cyprus Busts Refugee Trafficking Ring as More Arrive from Mideast
Police in Cyprus on Monday arrested 10 individuals suspected of running a criminal gang trafficking migrants, as the island saw a fresh spike in arrivals over the weekend. Cyprus, which lies at the crossroads of three continents, has seen irregular migration rise since 2017. Cypriot officials have in recent days repeatedly expressed concern that the rapidly deteriorating security situation in the Middle East could lead to a surge in people fleeing the region. Reuters has the story.
Pakistan Moves to Create Deportation Centers as Afghan Migrant Deadline Nears
The Pakistani government approved the creation of several deportation centers for hundreds of thousands of illegally residing Afghan nationals whom they plan to arrest and repatriate to Afghanistan starting next month, Ayaz Gul reports from Islamabad.
News brief
— U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has provided additional guidance on its interpretation of changes to the EB-5 program in the Immigration and Nationality Act.
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Hundreds of Thousands Rally in Global Cities to Support Palestinians
Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators rallied in cities in Europe, the Middle East and Asia on Saturday to show support for the Palestinians as Israel’s military widened its air and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip.
In one of the biggest marches, in London, aerial footage showed large crowds marching through the center of the capital to demand the government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak call for a cease-fire.
“The superpowers at play are not doing enough at the moment. This is why we’re here: We’re calling for a cease-fire, calling for Palestinian rights, the right to exist, to live, human rights, all our rights,” protester Camille Revuelta said.
“This is not about Hamas. This is about protecting Palestinian lives,” she said.
Echoing Washington’s stance, Sunak’s government has stopped short of calling for a cease-fire, instead advocating humanitarian pauses to allow aid to reach people in Gaza.
Britain has supported Israel’s right to defend itself after the October 7 attack by militant group Hamas that killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians.
The death toll in Gaza has climbed to 7,650, also mostly civilians, since Israel’s bombardment began three weeks ago, according to a daily report released on Saturday from the Hamas-controlled Palestinian health ministry.
There has been strong support and sympathy for Israel from Western governments and many citizens over the Hamas attacks, but the Israeli response has also prompted anger, particularly in Arab and Muslim countries.
In Malaysia, a large crowd of demonstrators chanted slogans outside the U.S. embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
Addressing hundreds of thousands of supporters at a huge rally in Istanbul, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Israel was an occupier and repeated his stance about Hamas not being a terrorist organization. The U.S. designated Hamas a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 1997.
Erdogan drew a sharp rebuke from Israel this week for calling the militant group “freedom fighters.”
Iraqis took part in a rally in Baghdad, and in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian protesters in Hebron called on Saturday for a global boycott of Israeli products.
“Don’t contribute to the killing of the children of Palestine,” they chanted.
Elsewhere in Europe, people took to the streets of Copenhagen, Rome and Stockholm.
Some cities in France have banned rallies since the war began, fearing they could fuel social tensions, but despite the ban, a small rally took place on Saturday in Paris. Several hundred people also marched in the southern city of Marseille.
In New Zealand’s capital, Wellington, thousands of people holding Palestinian flags and placards reading “Free Palestine” marched to Parliament House.
In London, special restrictions were in place on protests around the Israeli Embassy.
Saturday’s march was peaceful, but police said they had made two arrests, one along the march route after a police officer was assaulted and another on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offense after a man was heard shouting racist remarks.
Police estimated the turnout at 50,000 to 70,000 people.
London police have faced criticism in recent days for not being tougher over slogans shouted by some protesters during another pro-Palestinian march in the capital last week, which drew about 100,000 people.
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