GENEVA — Police in northern Switzerland said Tuesday that several people have been detained and a criminal case opened in connection with the suspected death of a person in a “suicide capsule.”

The “Sarco” capsule is presumably designed to allow a person sitting in a reclining seat inside to push a button that injects nitrogen gas into the sealed chamber. The person is then supposed to fall asleep and die by suffocation in a few minutes.

Exit International, an assisted suicide group based in the Netherlands, said it is behind the 3D-printed device that cost over $1 million to develop.

Swiss law allows assisted suicide so long as the person takes his or her life with no “external assistance” and those who help the person die do not do so for “any self-serving motive,” according to a government website.

A law firm informed prosecutors in Schaffhausen canton that an assisted suicide involving the Sarco had taken place Monday near a forest cabin in Merishausen, regional police said in a statement. They said that “several people” were taken into custody and that prosecutors opened an investigation on suspicion of incitement and accessory to suicide.

Dutch newspaper Volkskrant reported Tuesday that police had detained one of its photographers who wanted to take pictures of the use of the Sarco. It said Schaffhausen police had indicated the photographer was being held at a police station but declined to give a further explanation.

The newspaper declined to comment further when contacted by the Associated Press. 

In an email, the Dutch Foreign Ministry told the AP that it was in contact with the newspaper and Swiss officials. 

“As always, we cannot interfere in the legal process of another country. At the same time, the Netherlands stands firmly for press freedom. It is very important that journalists worldwide can do their work freely,” it said. 

Exit International, the group behind the Sarco, said in a statement a 64-year-old woman from the U.S. Midwest — it did not specify further — who had suffered from “severe immune compromise” had died Monday afternoon near the German border using the Sarco device.

It said Florian Willet, co-president of The Last Resort, a Swiss affiliate of Exit International, was the only person present and described her death as “peaceful, fast and dignified.”

Dr. Philip Nitschke, an Australian-born trained doctor behind Exit International, has previously told the AP that his organization received advice from lawyers in Switzerland that the use of the Sarco would be legal in the country.

In the Exit International statement on Tuesday, Nitschke said he was “pleased that the Sarco had performed exactly as it had been designed … to provide an elective, non-drug, peaceful death at the time of the person’s choosing.”

The claims of Nitschke and Exit International could not be independently verified.

On Monday, Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider was asked in Swiss parliament about the legal conditions for the use of the Sarco capsule. She suggested its use would not be legal.

“On one hand, it does not fulfill the demands of the product safety law, and as such, must not be brought into circulation,” she said. “On the other hand, the corresponding use of nitrogen is not compatible with the article on purpose in the chemicals law.”

In July, Swiss newspaper Blick reported that Peter Sticher, a state prosecutor in Schaffhausen, wrote to Exit International’s lawyers saying any operator of the suicide capsule could face criminal proceedings if it was used there — and any conviction could bring up to five years in prison.

Prosecutors in other Swiss regions have also indicated that the use of the suicide capsule could lead to prosecution.

Over the summer, a 54-year-old U.S. woman with multiple health ailments had planned to be the first person to use the device, but those plans were abandoned.

Switzerland is among the only countries in the world where foreigners can travel to legally end their lives and has organizations that are dedicated to helping people kill themselves. But unlike others, including the Netherlands, Switzerland does not allow euthanasia, which involves health care practitioners killing patients with a lethal injection at their request and in specific circumstances.

Some lawmakers in Switzerland have argued that the law is unclear and have sought to close what they call legal loopholes.
…

…

GENEVA — Investigators at the United Nations accuse Russia of using torture and sexual violence with impunity against Ukrainian citizens and prisoners of war in occupied Ukrainian territories and in the Russian Federation.

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine submitted its latest update on the situation in Ukraine on Monday to the U.N. Human Rights Council, which continued a review of its findings during an interactive dialogue on Tuesday.

In his oral presentation, commission chair Erik Mose told the council that men were most of the victims subjected to torture, and that new evidence shows that sexual violence is used as a means of torture “mainly against male victims in detention, and of rapes targeting women in villages under Russian control.”

“The wide geographic spread of locations where torture was committed, and the prevalence of shared patterns, demonstrate that torture has been used as a common and acceptable practice by Russian authorities, with a sense of impunity,” Mose said, adding that the latest findings reaffirm previous reports that torture committed by Russian authorities has been “widespread and systematic.”

“Our recent investigations show that Russian authorities have committed torture in Ukrainian regions where they have taken control of territories. This reinforces the finding that torture has been widespread,” Mose said.

The commission has identified several common elements in the use of torture by Russian authorities, “reinforcing its earlier finding that this was systematic.”

It notes that similar forms of torture were practiced in detention centers where detainees from Ukraine have been held in the Russian Federation, as well as in large penitentiary centers in occupied areas of Ukraine.

Another common element emerging from the evidence points toward a coordinated use of personnel from specific services of the Russian Federation “who are involved in torture in all the detention facilities” investigated by the commission.

“A further common feature is the recurrent use of sexual violence as a form of torture in almost all these detention centers,” Mose said.

Russia boycotted the meeting, refusing to respond to the commission’s report as a concerned country. Russia had its supporters, however, several of whom disproved of the report.

Belarus called the commission’s accusations “false and unsubstatiated by facts” and invited specialized national organizations “to study the situation on the ground for themselves.”

Eritrea, Syria and Venezuela echoed these sentiments, as did the representative of North Korea, who described “the Ukraine incident” as one of the big geopolitical crises facing the world today and “a direct product of the confrontation of the West against the Russian Federation.”

Most of the other countries participating in the interactive dialogue condemned Russia’s blatant defiance of the U.N. Charter and international law. They demanded that Russia “cease its illegal, unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression,” including the relentless airstrikes against Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure.

Michele Taylor, U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, thanked the commission for its detailed work in “documenting Russia’s violations of international law in Ukraine.”

“Since Russia’s brutal, full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we have seen over and over again credible reports that Russia targets civilian objects in violation of international humanitarian law.

“The effects of Russia’s brutal attacks in Putin’s war of choice are severe,” she said, adding that more must be done “to hold those who commit any such acts accountable and ensure justice for the victims.”

Ukrainians personally involved in Putin’s “war of choice” welcomed the commission’s findings.

Ukraine’s prosecutor general, Andriy Kostin, underscored the importance of ensuring justice and accountability for torture, sexual violence and other “atrocities that Russia has brought to Ukraine’s soil” 10 years after Russia invaded Ukraine, and over two years after its full-scale aggression on Ukraine.

“Thousands of Ukrainian captives, including civilians and particularly children, are forcibly detained by Russia in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and in Russia in particular,” Kostin said.

“I am grateful to the U.N. Commission of Inquiry for maintaining an investigative focus on the systematic torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russian captivity and increasing reports of their summary execution,” which he said “amount to war crimes and potentially other crimes under international law.”

Dmytro Lubinets, Ukrainian parliament commissioner for human rights, also expressed his gratitude to the commission for its work in preparing evidence for international judicial bodies and paving the way “for bringing the perpetrators” of crimes against his people to justice.

“Unfortunately, due to the unprovoked Russian invasion, Ukraine has become a country where brutal crimes continue to be committed,” including the murder of civilians, deportation of children, executions of prisoners of war and massive missile attacks and destruction of civilian infrastructure.

“I urge you to continue your work despite all the difficulties,” Lubinets said, noting that the documentation of crimes, victims’ testimonies and facts are the basis “for ensuring the proper international justice that Ukraine needs.”
…

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A U.S. Navy replenishment ship operating in the Middle East sustained damage in an incident which is under investigation, officials said Tuesday.

The damage to the USNS Big Horn comes after the oiler had supplied the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group and remained in the region amid heightened tensions over the Israel-Hamas war and Israel’s ongoing strikes targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon.

A U.S. Navy official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss matters yet to be made public, said the damage happened in the Mideast, but declined to elaborate on its location.

“All crew members are safe, and we’re assessing the situation, and we’ll provide additional information at a later time,” the official said. There was no sign of an oil leak from the vessel.

Another U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity for the same reason, said the vessel was being supported by private tugboats and an assessment was still ongoing for the vessel.
…

Tokyo — U.S. naval dominance, unchallenged for decades, is now coming under strain as China’s state-backed shipbuilding industry rapidly expands, while the U.S. Navy faces severe maintenance delays.

The impact is being felt across the Navy. While some ships and submarines are stuck waiting for repairs at overcrowded U.S. shipyards, others are forced into extended deployments, pushing crews and vessels to their limits.

Analysts say the delays undermine the U.S. ability to project strength and deter conflict, especially in key areas like the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, where China is upsetting the status quo.

To help fix the problem, the U.S. is turning to its allies — particularly Japan, one of the world’s largest shipbuilders. Earlier this year, U.S. and Japanese officials began negotiating a plan to expand Japan’s role in performing major repairs on U.S. Navy vessels at its shipyards.

Rahm Emanuel, U.S. ambassador to Japan, sees the proposal as crucial for keeping U.S. ships in the region. “The Indo-Pacific is an away game for us…but with allies, it’s closer to a home game,” Emanuel told VOA.

The discussions underscore Japan’s broader shift toward a more active regional security role, as it steps away from decades of pacifism. It’s also part of a strategy by the U.S. to encourage its Asian allies to take on greater security responsibilities in the face of China’s rising influence.

However, the proposal faces major hurdles. In the U.S., legal changes would be needed to allow foreign shipyards to overhaul Navy vessels. In Japan, there are concerns about becoming a bigger target for China.

Severe backlog

But for the U.S. Navy, the challenge is severe.

According to the Congressional Research Service (CRS), about a third of the U.S. attack submarine fleet is currently out of service, either undergoing maintenance or awaiting repairs.

Fewer than 40% of the Navy’s scheduled ship repairs are completed on time, according to recent congressional testimony. By some estimates, the Navy is 20 years behind in maintenance work.

A wide range of key shipbuilding projects are also running years behind schedule — an “extraordinary situation” in the post-World War II history of the Navy, according to CRS.

Emanuel argues this reflects a broader decline in the U.S. defense industrial base, which has been hollowed out since the 1990s and is “not ready” to meet U.S. security needs.

“Every weapon that we’ve agreed to here, I’ve had to renegotiate the contract once it’s signed because we can’t meet the budget at the timeline,” Emanuel said. “It’s really bad planning [and] really bad preparation.”

According to a recent CRS report, the Navy’s repair backlog is caused by a shortage of skilled workers and limited capacity at the four U.S. government-run naval shipyards.

China challenge

Meanwhile, China boasts 20 large shipyards, which it is using to quickly build up what is already the world’s largest navy in terms of overall vessels.

According to a recent unclassified slide released by U.S. naval intelligence, China’s shipbuilding capacity is over 200 times that of the United States, fueled by generous government subsidies.

Even though the U.S. still maintains significant naval advantages — such as 11 aircraft carriers compared to China’s three and an unrivaled network of global alliances — some observers believe that China’s ability to dwarf U.S. shipbuilding represents a fundamental shift in the regional balance of power.

“We’ve let that underlying capacity atrophy to the point where we’re behind the eight ball at the moment, and that’s a big, thorny problem,” said Sam Byers, the senior national security advisor at the Washington D.C.-based Center for Maritime Strategy.

Benefits and drawbacks

In Emanuel’s estimation, the U.S.-Japan ship repair proposal could alleviate the U.S. Navy’s maintenance backlog, freeing U.S. shipyards to focus on meeting their construction goals. It would also allow U.S. ships to stay for longer in Asia, he said.

But not everyone agrees.

Bryan Clark, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, argues that the problem isn’t a lack of shipyard capacity but rather their inconsistent use, due to fluctuating demand from the Navy. He suggests that repairing more ships overseas could help manage these fluctuations and minimize disruptions for Japan-based crews.

“And repair yards in Japan could gain experience working on U.S. ships, which could be beneficial in a conflict,” he added.

However, he cautioned that shifting work overseas wouldn’t solve the underlying issues of funding and planning that contribute to the Navy’s repair delays.

“Of course, the Japanese ship repair yards may do a better job or be more efficient than their American counterparts. If that is the argument, then U.S. officials should make that clear,” Clark said.

Others in the shipbuilding industry have argued against what they see as outsourcing U.S. Navy shipbuilding and repairs, a step they characterize as “kicking American shipyard workers to the curb.”

Japan risks

There are also barriers in Japan, where public opinion doesn’t always align with the government’s more assertive security stance.

While certain segments of the Japanese public appear more supportive of increased military involvement after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it’s unclear how deep or lasting this shift is, warned Misato Matsuoka, an associate professor at Teikyo University.

“There is this gap of understanding when it comes to what is going on in the security area,” Matsuoka said. “I don’t see a lot of Japanese who are even aware of these changes.”

Matsuoka also warned that the U.S.-Japan ship repair proposal could eventually be seen as one of many factors escalating U.S.-China tensions, potentially impacting Japan negatively.

“All the things Japan is doing makes it more important within the U.S. alliance but that also increases the risk of something happening to Japanese territory,” said Robert Ward, Japan Chair at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

While Japan deepens ties with the U.S., it is careful not to provoke China, Ward noted. Nonetheless, Japan, like many countries, remains wary of what it sees as China’s destabilizing behavior in the region.

“This isn’t happening in a vacuum,” Ward said, referring to Japan’s changing security posture. “There are very good reasons why all this is happening.”

When it comes to the U.S.-Japan ship repair deal, the choices are also complex for the United States, Emanuel acknowledged. However, he argued, sometimes “you’ve got to choose between what’s bad and what’s worse.”
…

Berlin — Germany’s leading economic institutes have downgraded their forecast for 2024 and now see Europe’s largest economy shrinking by 0.1%, people familiar with the figures from the autumn joint economic forecast told Reuters on Tuesday. 

Germany’s economy was the weakest among its large euro zone peers last year with a 0.3% contraction.  

Even with inflation on a downward trend, consumption remains weak and high energy costs, feeble global orders and high interest rates are still taking their toll.  

The latest economic data paint a gloomy picture. German business morale fell for a fourth straight month in September and by more than expected, a survey showed on Tuesday. 

Data earlier this week showed German business activity contracted in September at the sharpest pace in seven months, putting the economy on track to notch up a second consecutive quarter of falling output. 

The economic institutes have also slashed their forecasts for the coming years, according to the sources. The growth forecast for 2025 has been cut to 0.8% from 1.4%, and for 2026, the institutes envisage growth of 1.3%, the sources said. 

The institutes’ joint economic forecast is due to be published on Thursday, meaning the figures could still change slightly before then. 

The economy ministry incorporates the combined estimates from the institutes — Ifo, DIW, IWH, IfW and RWI — into its own predictions. 

According to its latest forecast, the German government expects the economy to grow 0.3% this year. An update is due in October.  
…

STOCKHOLM — Swedish authorities said on Tuesday that Iran hacked into a text messaging service last year and sent thousands of messages urging Swedes to take revenge against Koran burners.  

In 2023, individuals in Sweden on several occasions set fire to Islam’s holy book in public, prompting outrage in the Muslim world and raising fears of attacks by jihadists. 

“The security police is able to establish that a cyber group acted on behalf of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to carry out an influence campaign,” the Swedish Security Service said in a statement.  

“The purpose was, among other things, to paint the image of Sweden as an Islamophobic country and create division in society,” it said. 

Sweden last year raised its terrorism alert following the Koran burnings.  

In a separate statement, the Swedish Prosecution Authority said the investigation showed it was the Iranian state via the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that carried out the data breach. 

The Swedish agency said it had identified the individual hackers carrying out the breach but would not press charges.  

“Since the perpetrators are acting for a foreign power, in this case Iran, we make the assessment that the conditions for prosecution abroad or extradition to Sweden are lacking,” it said. 

Iran’s embassy in Stockholm could not immediately be reached for comment. Iran’s foreign ministry had no immediate comment.  
…

…

NEW YORK — Attention, Kmart shoppers, the end is near!

The erstwhile retail giant renowned for its Blue Light Specials — featuring a flashing blue orb affixed to a pole enticing shoppers to a flash sale — is shuttering its last full-scale store in mainland United States.

The store, located in swank Bridgehampton, New York, on Long Island, is slated to close Oct. 20, according to Denise Rivera, an employee who answered the phone at the store late Monday. The manager wasn’t available, she said.

That will leave only a small Kmart store in Miami. It has a handful of stores in Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Transformco, the company that bought the assets of Sears and Kmart out of the bankruptcy of Sears Holdings in 2019, did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

In its heyday, there were more than 2,000 Kmarts in the U.S.

Struggling to compete with Walmart’s low prices and Target’s trendier offerings, Kmart filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in early 2002 — becoming the largest U.S. retailer to take that step — and announced it would close more than 250 stores.

A few years later, hedge fund executive Edward Lampert combined Sears and Kmart and pledged to return them to their former greatness. But the 2008 recession and the rising dominance of Amazon contributed in derailing that mission. Sears filed for Chapter 11 in 2018 and now has just a handful of stores left in the U.S., where it once had thousands.
…

LONDON — A goal to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030 and cut fossil fuel use is within reach, the International Energy Agency said in a report on Tuesday, but will require a huge push to unlock bottlenecks such as permitting and grid connections.

The report comes as leaders from government and business come together at New York Climate week to try to drive forward action against climate change.

Almost 200 countries at the COP 28 climate summit in Dubai last year agreed to reach net zero emissions from the energy sector by 2050 and pledged to triple renewable energy capacity like wind and solar.

The IEA said the renewable energy goal “is within reach thanks to favorable economics, ample manufacturing potential and strong policies,” but said more renewable capacity by itself would not slash fossil fuel use and reduce costs for consumers.

“To unlock the full benefits of the tripling goal, countries need to make a concerted push to build and modernize 25 million kilometers of electricity grids by 2030… The world would also need 1,500 gigawatts (GW) of energy storage capacity by 2030,” the IEA said.

Countries at COP 28 also pledged to double energy efficiency measures to help curb power use, but this target will require governments to make efficiency much more of a policy priority.

Countries must embed the renewable and energy efficiency goals in their national plans to meet goals set under the Paris climate agreement, the IEA said.

Emissions from the global energy sector hit a record high last year.

Tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency measures to reduce power use could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 10 billion metric tons by the end of the decade compared with what is otherwise expected, the report said.
…

…

…

state department — The United States has pledged to continue providing Taiwan with equipment and services essential for maintaining a self-defense capability in line with the threats it faces. This statement came as an annual U.S.-Taiwan defense industry conference kicked off Sunday in Philadelphia.

In the lead-up to the event, the conference organizer — the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) — was targeted by a phishing cyberattack involving a forged registration form embedded with information-stealing malware.

Despite the hackers’ attempt, the council — a nonprofit trade association founded in 1976 to promote commerce between the U.S. and Taiwan — thwarted the attack. The identity of the attackers remains unknown.

“As the council has been targeted by similar attacks for more than 20 years, we realized quickly that the document was suspicious,” USTBC said in a statement. The statement added that the council submitted the document to an online virus scanner, confirmed it was malicious and deleted it.

This year’s U.S.-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference, which ends Tuesday, is the 23rd annual event in a series of conferences addressing U.S. defense cooperation with Taiwan.

“There will be considerable focus on how Taiwan’s efforts to deter a Chinese attack are progressing … and how U.S. industry should support the U.S. and Taiwan government policy,” said Rupert Hammond-Chambers, president of the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council.

“This is the most important annual gathering of U.S. industry and policymakers on U.S.-Taiwan defense relations,” he added.

Taiwan Relations Act

The State Department said that American officials’ participation in the annual conference aligns with long-standing U.S. policy.

Swift provision of equipment and services “is essential for Taiwan’s self-defense, and we will continue to work with industry to support that goal,” a State Department spokesperson told VOA.

“We continue to have an abiding interest in maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Our ‘One China’ policy has not changed and remains guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, three joint communiques and six assurances,” the spokesperson added.

The 1979 U.S.-China Joint Communique shifted diplomatic recognition from the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan’s formal name, to the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

Relations between the U.S. and Taiwan have since been governed by the Taiwan Relations Act, passed by Congress in April 1979, under which the U.S. provides defense equipment to Taiwan.

The act states that “any effort to determine the future of Taiwan by other than peaceful means, including by boycotts or embargoes,” is a threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific area and of “grave concern to the United States.”

For decades, the U.S. has been clear that its decision to establish diplomatic relations with China in 1979 rested on the expectation that “the future of Taiwan will be determined by peaceful means,” as stipulated in the Taiwan Relations Act.

China has objected to the Taiwan Relations Act — a U.S. public law — and deemed it invalid.

In 2022, the U.S. Congress authorized the president to direct the drawdown of up to $1 billion per fiscal year in Defense Department equipment and services for Taiwan. Since 2010, the State Department has authorized more than $38 billion in foreign military sales to Taiwan.

PRC sanctioned nine US firms

Since its establishment in 1949, the People’s Republic of China has never ruled Taiwan, but it views the democratically governed island as its own territory and has vowed to bring Taiwan under its control, even by force.

In recent years, the PRC has frequently sent military vessels near Taiwan and warplanes into its air defense identification zone to pressure the island to accept Chinese sovereignty.

Last week, China announced sanctions against nine American companies in response to U.S. defense equipment sales to Taiwan. Beijing’s latest action aims to exert additional pressure on Washington to halt its arms sales to the Taipei government.

The sanctions followed the U.S. approval of an estimated $228 million package of spare parts and other hardware for Taiwan’s aging air force.

In Beijing, officials asserted that U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan undermine China’s sovereignty and security interests.

“China urges the U.S. to earnestly abide by the one China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques and immediately stop the dangerous trend of arming Taiwan,” said Lin Jian, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during a recent briefing.

“We will take strong and resolute measures to firmly defend our national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity,” Lin added.

The United States does not subscribe to the PRC’s “one China principle,” the U.S. State Department said. “The PRC continues to publicly misrepresent U.S. policy.”

 
…

Pentagon — The U.S. military is expected to announce a new military aid package for Ukraine this week valued at up to $375 million, the largest aid sent to Kyiv since May.

According to several U.S. officials, who spoke to VOA on condition of anonymity to discuss the package ahead of the announcement, the aid for Kyiv is expected to be announced as soon as Wednesday.

One official told VOA the package is likely to include air-to-ground munitions for F-16 fighter jets, which would allow Ukrainian pilots to operate away from the front lines and Russia’s air defenses. 

The package also includes ammunition for HIMARS, patrol boats and armored vehicles, along with 155mm rounds, 105 mm rounds and TOW missiles, the official added.

The package, which is still being finalized and could change, according to the U.S. officials, is being sent under the presidential drawdown authority that allows the Pentagon to send Ukraine aid directly from its American military stockpiles. 

The Pentagon has more than $5 billion left of the $61 billion in funding for Ukraine that was signed into law by President Joe Biden in April and could expire at the end of this month. The Pentagon says it is working with Congress to roll the remaining funding over to the next U.S. fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. The officials tell VOA they are working on contingency plans should Congress not approve the extension before the end of the fiscal year.

The package is expected to be announced as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to meet with President Biden and Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris this Friday at the White House. Officials say Zelenskyy will lay out his plan to end the war with Russia and push for restrictions on U.S.-provided missiles to be lifted.

U.S. policy does not allow Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied weapons to fire on targets deep within Russian territory. The White House has expressed concerns that these strikes could draw the United States into direct conflict with Russia.

Earlier this month, Zelenskyy told military allies meeting in Germany that his country needs the long-range capability to strike deep inside Russian territory “so that Russia is motivated to seek peace.”

The U.S. says that Russia has moved most of its aircraft and weapons out of range of Ukraine’s weapons, but Ukrainian officials are still interested in targeting supply lines and command centers closer to its border.

Air Force General James Hecker, the commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Africa, warned reporters last week that Russia’s military is now bigger and stronger than it was before invading Ukraine in February 2022.

Despite Russian improvements on the battlefield, Ukraine has continued to put chinks in Russia’s armor, shooting down more than 100 Russian aircraft, which is dozens more aircraft than Russia has been able to down on the Ukrainian side, according to Hecker.

“So what we see is the aircraft are kind of staying on their own side of the line, if you will, and when that happens, you have a war like we’re seeing today, with massive attrition, cities just being demolished, a lot of civilian casualties,” he said.

The U.S. and Denmark have been training a small number of Ukrainian pilots on the F-16, but qualified Ukrainian pilots and open training slots have been limited.
…

paris — After more than two months without a functioning government, France’s new cabinet got to work Monday. How long it will remain in office is unclear.

French politics have been in limbo since inconclusive snap legislative elections in late June and early July. The elections saw a leftist coalition win the most votes and the far-right National Rally emerging as the largest party. Only now, after the Paris Olympics, has a new center-right government been named, which doesn’t include either of these two blocs.

On national TV Sunday night, conservative Prime Minister Michel Barnier outlined some broad priorities. He called for controlling and limiting immigration, saying the number of migrants arriving in France had become unbearable.

His new interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, strongly advocates tighter migration controls.

Barnier also called for what he described as a “national effort,” including taxes on the rich to cut the country’s budget deficit, which is well over the European Union limit. But he said he would not touch social changes like gay marriage and a recent move to enshrine abortion freedoms in the French constitution.

Barnier’s new government is already feeling pressure. Thousands demonstrated in Paris even before his cabinet was named.

Far-left politician Jean-Luc Melenchon warned Barnier’s government had no future — a warning picked up by the far right. The left has vowed a no-confidence motion, but analysts say it isn’t likely to succeed.
…

geneva — United Nations investigators are accusing the Belarusian government of Alexander Lukashenko of instilling “a pervasive climate of fear by quashing all avenues of dissent” by systematically oppressing its perceived political opponents.

“Measures of repression and intimidation aimed at suppressing dissent continue unabated in Belarus, particularly in the lead-up to the presidential election scheduled in 2025,” Karinna Moskalenko, chair of the Group of independent Experts told the U.N. human rights council Monday.

Moskalenko presented a searing account of widespread human rights violations, abuse, and horrific cases of cruelty and deprivation in this first oral update of the human rights situation in Belarus by the Expert Group, newly created by the council in March.

She read out a list of abuses committed in Belarus since May 2020, when nationwide protests erupted, following Lukashenko’s decision to seek another term as president.

Among those cited are arbitrary deprivation of the right to life and to liberty, torture and ill-treatment, including sexual and gender-based violence, denial of a fair trial, violations of the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.

“While sexual and gender-based violence is underreported, there is credible information some women and men in detention have been threatened with rape and subjected to forced nudity and cavity searches,” Moskalenko said.

“We continue to observe a misuse of national security and criminal laws to silence any dissent. Individuals perceived as political opponents continue to be charged and arrested under the criminal code, for exercising their legitimate rights to freedom of expression and association,” she said, adding that “free trial rights are systematically violated.”

The report notes that Belarusians forced into exile continue to be harassed by Lukashenko’s government, that their assets and properties are seized and relatives left behind are intimidated by the authorities.

The group of experts accused the government “for the near-total destruction of civic space and fundamental freedoms,” with most of the opposition either imprisoned or forced into exile since the 2020 elections … creating a chilling effect on any participation in activities “perceived as critical of the government.”

Lukashenko recently pardoned dozens of people who had been convicted for participating in the 2020 protests. While welcoming the announced release, Moskalenko noted that “they represent only a small fraction of those who have been arrested” and urged the government to promptly release “all those arbitrarily detained on politically motivated charges.”

Larysa Belskaya, Belarusia ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva was unimpressed by what she heard and told “the West,” which she claimed was behind the report, “to stop meddling in our domestic affairs.”

She said next year’s presidential election will be the domestic affair of a sovereign state.

“We do not need foreign approval or disapproval regarding the outcome of our peoples’ expression of their will,” she said. “Belarus, like the overwhelming majority of developing countries, does not accept interference in its domestic affairs or pressure or sanctions.”

This set off a spirited debate in the council with Western countries strongly condemning the persecution and intimidation of all segments of Belarusian society. They demanded an end to the government’s repressive policies and urged the immediate release of all political prisoners.

They denounced the Belarusian government’s support of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and called for an end to its complicity in the illegal deportation of Ukranian children by Russia.

Michele Taylor, U.S. ambassador to the U.N. human rights council in Geneva, condemned the ongoing repression in Belarus “including the use of torture, arbitrary detention, intimidation, harassment of families of political prisoners and transnational repression of Belarusians.”

On the other hand, Stanislav Kovpak, chief counselor at the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department for Multilateral Human Rights Cooperation deplored “the double standards and biased approach in assessing the situation in Belarus.”

“At the same time, the role of the West is hushed up as is their significant support for the opposition who has emigrated,” he said, criticizing the use of illegal restrictive measures by Western countries against the Belarusian economy … “and the stirring up of anti-government feeling by Western-controlled, biased media.”

He rebuked the group of experts who “worked here in gross violation of the basic principles of impartiality that should underpin the human rights body.”

Addressing the council via videolink, exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said she was speaking for the more than 1,400 political prisoners who could not speak for themselves, along with the teachers, doctors and activists behind bars for “speaking the truth and dreaming of freedom.”

“Many of them are held in complete isolation, incommunicado … no letters, no phone calls, no contact with the outside world. My husband Syarhei has been cut off for over a year. I do not know if he is alive,” she said.

Syarhei Tsikhanouski was arrested and imprisoned in 2020 after announcing his plan to challenge Lukashenko for the presidency.
…

washington — Violent crime in the United States is down for a second consecutive year, with law enforcement agencies reporting significant declines in murder and rapes, according to a just-released report from the FBI.

The FBI Crime in the Nation report released Monday found violent crime, overall, fell by 3% from 2022 to 2023, with murder and manslaughter rates dropping by 11.6% and rape down by more than 9%.

There were also smaller declines in the number of robberies and aggravated assaults.

Additionally, property crimes, which include burglary, fell by an estimated 2.4% year over year, though motor vehicle theft jumped by 12.6%.

FBI officials, briefing reporters on the report, described the drop in the number of murders as notable, saying the 11.6% decline is the largest recorded over the past 20 years.

Overall, the officials said the rate of all violent crimes in 2023 was 363.3 crimes per 100,000 inhabitants, down from a rate of 377.1 violent crimes per 100,000 inhabitants in 2022.

More than 16,000 U.S. state and local law enforcement agencies contributed data for the report, including all agencies serving cities with more than one million people.

The decrease in violent crimes across the U.S. continues a trend dating back to 2021, when crime rates fell after a spike in murders in 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic.

The violent crime rate also remains well below a peak in rates during the early 1990s.

Some crimes, though, have seen slight increases, including the number of aggravated assaults with knives, cutting instruments or other weapons.

The number of so-called “strong-arm” robberies – involving intimidation or a threat of the use of force – rose by 3.2%.

Assaults on police officers also jumped to a 10-year high according to the FBI report, including 60 officers murdered in the line of duty.

The number of hate crimes and victims of hate crimes also increased from 2022 to 2023, though FBI officials said the rise could have been impacted by an increase in the number of law enforcement agencies reporting hate crime data.

FBI officials declined to comment on whether the trends and the overall decrease in violent crime from 2022 to 2023 have extended into 2024. But a report issued by the non-partisan Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ) in July indicates the number of violent crimes continue to fall.

That study, based on monthly crime rates for dozens of major U.S. cities found murder rates fell by 13% in the first half of 2024 compared to the first six months of 2023. Assaults, assaults with guns and carjacking also fell.

But while the CCJ report called the overall trends encouraging, it noted, “many cities are still experiencing disturbingly high leve
…

Washington — The U.S. Commerce Department on Monday proposed prohibiting key Chinese software and hardware in connected vehicles on American roads due to national security concerns — a move that would effectively bar nearly all Chinese cars from entering the U.S. market.

The planned regulation, first reported by Reuters, would also force American and other major automakers in the coming years to remove key Chinese software and hardware from vehicles in the United States.

The Biden administration has raised serious concerns about the collection of data by Chinese companies on U.S. drivers and infrastructure through connected vehicles as well as about potential foreign manipulation of vehicles connected to the internet and navigation systems. The White House ordered an investigation into the potential dangers in February.

The prohibitions would prevent testing of self-driving cars on U.S. roads by Chinese automakers and extend to vehicle software and hardware produced by other U.S. foreign adversaries including Russia.

“When foreign adversaries build software to make a vehicle that means it can be used for surveillance, can be remotely controlled, which threatens the privacy and safety of Americans on the road,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told a briefing.

“In an extreme situation, a foreign adversary could shut down or take control of all their vehicles operating in the United States all at the same time causing crashes, blocking roads.”

The move is a significant escalation in the United States’ ongoing restrictions on Chinese vehicles, software and components. Earlier this month, the Biden administration locked in steep tariff hikes on Chinese imports, including a 100% duty on electric vehicles as well as new hikes on EV batteries and key minerals.

There are relatively few Chinese-made cars or light-duty trucks imported into the United States. But Raimondo said the department is acting “before suppliers, automakers and car components linked to China or Russia become commonplace and widespread in the U.S. automotive sector… We’re not going to wait until our roads are filled with cars and the risk is extremely significant before we act.”

Nearly all newer cars and trucks are considered “connected” with onboard network hardware that allows internet access, allowing them to share data with devices both inside and outside the vehicle.

A senior administration official confirmed the proposal would effectively ban all existing Chinese light-duty cars and trucks from the U.S. market, but added it would allow Chinese automakers to seek “specific authorizations” for exemptions.

The United States has ample evidence of China prepositioning malware in critical American infrastructure, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told the same briefing.

“With potentially millions of vehicles on the road, each with 10- to 15-year lifespans the risk of disruption and sabotage increases dramatically,” Sullivan said.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington last month criticized planned action to limit Chinese vehicle exports to the United States: “China urges the U.S. to earnestly abide by market principles and international trade rules, and create a level playing field for companies from all countries. China will firmly defend its lawful rights and interests.”

The proposal calls for making software prohibitions effective in the 2027 model year while the hardware ban would take effect in the 2030 model year or January 2029.

The Commerce Department is giving the public 30 days to comment on the proposal and hopes to finalize it by Jan. 20. The rules would apply to all on-road vehicles but exclude agricultural or mining vehicles not used on public roads.

The Alliance For Automotive Innovation, a group representing major automakers including General Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen and Hyundai, has warned that changing hardware and software would take time.

The group noted connected vehicle hardware and software are developed around the world, including China, but could not detail to what extent Chinese-made components are prevalent in U.S. models.
…

Moscow — A Soyuz capsule carrying two Russians and one American from the International Space Station landed Monday in Kazakhstan, ending a record-breaking stay for the Russian pair.

The capsule landed on the Kazakh steppe about 3 1/2 hours after undocking from the ISS in an apparently trouble-free descent. In the last stage of the landing, it descended under a red-and-white parachute at about 7.2 meters per second (16 mph), with small rockets fired in the final seconds to cushion the touchdown.

The astronauts were extracted from the capsule and placed in nearby chairs to help them adjust to gravity, then given medical examinations in a nearby tent.

Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub returned after 374 days aboard the space station; on Friday they broke the record for the longest continuous stay there. Also in the capsule was American Tracy Dyson, who was in the space station for six months.

Eight astronauts remain in the space station, including Americans Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have remained long past their scheduled return to Earth.

They arrived in June as the first crew of Boeing’s new Starliner capsule. But their trip was marred by thruster troubles and helium leaks, and the U.S. space agency NASA decided it was too risky to return them on Starliner.

The two astronauts are to ride home with SpaceX next year.
…

Brussels — The European Commission launched a challenge at the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Monday against China’s investigation into EU dairy products, initiated after the European Union placed import tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. 

This is the first time the European Union has taken such action at the start of an investigation, rather than wait for it to result in trade measures against the bloc. 

“The EU’s action was prompted by an emerging pattern of China initiating trade defense measures, based on questionable allegations and insufficient evidence, within a short period of time,” the commission said. 

Proceedings at the WTO start with a mandatory period of 60 days for the parties to consult each other. The Commission said it would ask the WTO to set up an adjudicating panel if the consultations did not lead to a satisfactory solution. 

WTO panels usually take more than a year to reach conclusions. 

China initiated its anti-subsidy investigation on Aug. 21, targeting EU liquid milk, cream with a fat content above 10% and various types of cheeses. 

The Commission said it was confident that EU dairy subsidy schemes are fully in line with international rules and not causing injury to China’s dairy sector.  

The EU imposed provisional duties in July on electric vehicles built in China and EU members are expected to vote soon on final tariffs, which would apply for five years. 

China also has ongoing anti-dumping investigations into EU brandy and pork. 

(Reuters reporting by Philip Blenkinsop and Bart Meijer; Editing by Alex Richardson and Tomasz Janowski) 
…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Authorities have reported no immediate arrests after a weekend mass shooting killed four people and left 17 others injured in what police described as a targeted “hit” by multiple shooters who opened fire outside a popular Alabama nightspot.

The shooting late Saturday night in the popular Five Points South entertainment district of Birmingham, rocking an area of restaurants and bars that is often bustling on weekend nights. The mass shooting, one of several this year in the major city, unnerved residents and left officials at home and beyond pleading for help to both solve the crime and address the broader problem of gun violence.

“The priority is to find these shooters and get them off our streets,” Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said a day after the shooting.

The mayor planned a morning news conference Monday to provide updates on the case.

The shooting occurred on the sidewalk and street outside Hush, a lounge in the entertainment district, where blood stains were still visible on the sidewalk outside the venue on Sunday morning.

Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond said authorities believe the shooting targeted one of the people who was killed, possibly in a murder-for-hire. A vehicle pulled up and “multiple shooters” got out and began firing, then fled the scene, he said.

“We believe that there was a ‘hit,’ if you will, on that particular person,” Thurmond said.

Police said approximately 100 shell casings were recovered. Thurmond said law enforcement was working to determine what weapons were used, but they believe some of the gunfire was “fully automatic.” Investigators also were trying to determine whether anyone fired back, creating a crossfire.

In a statement late Sunday, police said the shooters are believed to have used “machine gun conversion devices” that make semi-automatic weapons fire more rapidly.

Some surviving victims critically injured

Officers found two men and a woman on a sidewalk with gunshot wounds and they were pronounced dead there. An additional male gunshot victim was pronounced dead at a hospital, according to police.

Police identified the three victims found on the sidewalk as Anitra Holloman, 21, of the Birmingham suburb of Bessemer, Tahj Booker, 27, of Birmingham, and Carlos McCain, 27, of Birmingham. The fourth victim pronounced dead at the hospital was pending identification.

By the early hours of Sunday, victims began showing up at hospitals and police subsequently identified 17 people with injuries, some of them life-threatening. Four of the surviving victims, in conditions ranging from good to critical, were being treated at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital on Sunday afternoon, according to Alicia Rohan, a hospital spokeswoman.

Popular nightspot rocked by gunfire

The area of Birmingham where the gunfire erupted is popular with young adults because of its proximity to the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the plethora of nearby restaurants and bars.

The shooting was the 31st mass killing of 2024, of which 23 were shootings, according to James Alan Fox, a criminologist and professor at Northeastern University, who oversees a mass killings database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with the university.

Three of the nation’s 23 mass shootings this year were in Birmingham, including two earlier quadruple homicides.

Mayor pleads for a solution to gun violence

Woodfin expressed frustration at what he described as an epidemic of gun violence in America and the city.

“We find ourselves in 2024, where gun violence is at an epidemic level, an epidemic crisis in our country. And the city of Birmingham, unfortunately, finds itself at the tip of that spear,” he said.
…

…

Joe Biden makes his final presidential address before the United Nations General Assembly this week. But hanging over his head as he takes to the green marble podium for the last time, and as he meets separately with other leaders in New York: conflict in the Middle East – and how his actions have shaped it. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell reports from New York.
…

…