Ukraine’s state energy company said Thursday it was limiting electricity use in multiple regions of the country after Russian attacks overnight targeting energy infrastructure.

Ukrenergo said damage from the strikes included equipment in the central part of the country. It said restrictions on power use are necessary to avoid network overloads and to make it easier to fix damaged facilities.

The new attacks on Ukrainian energy sites came as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked workers in the energy sector for their efforts to stabilize the power grid.

“No matter what the enemy does, our task is to break its plans and protect Ukraine. And this is not just someone’s task, it concerns not only energy workers or anyone else. Conscious energy consumption is now needed by all Ukrainians,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Wednesday.

A Russia-installed official in Crimea said Thursday an overnight drone attack targeted a thermal power plant in the Russia-annexed peninsula.

The official said there was no threat to the power supply there and that there were no casualties.

Nuclear exercises

The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday remotely observed exercises by its strategic nuclear forces that are meant to simulate a response to a “massive nuclear strike.”

Russian state television showed video of Putin observing the drills on a huge television screen, with comments from military leaders. In the broadcast, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the drills involved a nuclear submarine, long-range aircraft and multiple practice launches of ballistic and cruise missiles.

The White House said Tuesday that Russia had given notice it was going to stage the annual exercises, called “Grom” or “Thunder.” They come as NATO began its own annual nuclear exercise, known as “Steadfast Noon,” on Monday.

For several days, Russian officials have alleged that Ukraine is planning to develop and use a so-called dirty bomb in its conflict with Russia.

Dirty bombs combine conventional explosives with radioactive material and are designed to spread radioactivity that can cause massive death and contamination.

The U.N. Security Council discussed Russia’s allegations at a closed-door meeting Tuesday.

Ukraine and its Western allies have strongly denied the allegations, and suspect they are being made as a pretext for some type of escalation in the war in Ukraine.

Speaking from alliance headquarters in Brussels Wednesday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called the accusations “absurd” and “blatantly false,” and he warned Russia not to use false pretexts to escalate the war.

U.S. President Joe Biden issued a similar warning Tuesday. When asked by a reporter if he thought Russia was using the dirty bomb allegations to set up a “false flag” operation and deploy a dirty bomb of its own, he said, “Russia would be making an incredibly serious mistake for it to use tactical nuclear weapons.”

Iranian drones

Biden met Wednesday with Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the White House. Herzog had indicated he planned to share intelligence with the U.S. president about Iranian drones being used by Russian forces in Ukraine.

Herzog’s office said Israel has images showing similarities between drones shot down in Ukraine and those Iran tested in 2021. Ukraine and its Western partners have said Russia’s recent use of drones to attack Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, involves Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones.

Iran has denied supplying them to Russia, and Russia has denied using them in Ukraine. Kyiv has asked the U.N. to send experts to examine the debris, and the United States, Britain, France and Germany have also written to the U.N. supporting an investigation.

Russia called another meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday to discuss whether the U.N. secretariat has the authority to send experts to Ukraine under the U.N. Charter and Security Council Resolution 2231, which restricts transfers of certain items to and from Iran.

“The secretariat needs to respond to requests of member states, but to act on the basis of a clear explicit mandate and the U.N. Charter, not on the basis of the desires of certain countries,” Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said of Ukraine and the Western states’ letters.

Iran’s envoy said his country has taken a neutral position on the war and has consistently advocated for peace.

“Iran has never provided the parties with weapons for use in the Ukraine conflict, either before or after the conflict,” Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani told council members.

The U.N.’s top lawyer told the council that the secretary-general is tasked with reporting twice a year on the implementation of Resolution 2231, including findings and recommendations.

“Absent further guidance by the Security Council, the secretary-general will continue to prepare these reports in the manner that they have been prepared to date,” U.N. legal counsel Miguel de Serpa Soares told the council.

The U.N. has not said it would deploy experts to Ukraine and has only gone so far as to say it is ready to assess any information a member state provides it, as in past reports.

In 2017 and 2021, the U.N. investigated allegations that Iran supplied drones to Houthi rebels in Yemen, which were used in attacks on Saudi Arabia. Last year, the U.N. team went to Israel to inspect Iranian drones that had infiltrated Israeli air space.

“It is thus well-established that it is well within the authority of the secretary-general to investigate allegations of violations of Resolution 2231,” U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood said.

Russia has called for yet another council meeting Thursday to discuss its debunked claims that Ukraine and the United States are planning to infect migratory birds, bats and even mosquitos with lethal pathogens, and then deploy them to infect Russian troops and/or civilians.

VOA’s U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
…

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stressed Wednesday that the Biden administration supports the people of Iran, and said there may be cooperation between Iran and Russia in dealing with Iranian protesters.

“We stand with the brave citizens and the brave women of Iran who right now are demonstrating to secure their basic rights,” Jean-Pierre told reporters.

She said the United States is “concerned that Moscow may be advising Tehran on best practices to manage protests, drawing on Russia’s extensive experience in suppressing open demonstrations.”

Jean-Pierre added that the evidence that Iran is helping Russia in the war in Ukraine is “clear and public.”

Ukraine and its Western partners, including the United States, have said drones used by Russian forces to attack Ukraine in recent weeks were supplied by Iran. Russia has denied using Iranian drones and Iran has denied supplying them to Russia.

“Iran and Russia are growing closer the more isolated they become,” Jean-Pierre said. “Our message to Iran is very, very clear: Stop killing your people and stop sending weapons to Russia to kill Ukrainians.”

At the same briefing Wednesday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Russia and Iran are working together to violate the human and civil rights of Iranians and to endanger the lives of Ukrainians.

“The United States stands with Iran — Iranian women and with all the citizens of Iran who are inspiring the world with their bravery. We will continue taking action to impose costs on those who commit violence against peaceful protesters or otherwise seek to suppress their very, very basic rights.”
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Ahead of COP27, Namibian and European Union officials say they have reached an agreement for Namibia to export rare earth materials to the EU.

According to Erasmus Shivolo, commissioner of mines at Namibia’s Ministry of Mines and Energy, the EU is interested in developing the mining of minerals like lithium, cobalt and graphite, which are currently mined on a small scale in the country.

Per Shivolo, “The EU is the one saying, ‘Well, Namibia has got certain minerals that are critical to the energy transition and therefore we want to explore opportunities in working together to develop projects in that space.’ ”

This possible agreement comes at a time when Western nations are seeking sources besides China for these minerals, which are used to make batteries for mobile phones, electric cars and other technology.

Shivolo added that the EU is also interested in Namibia’s ambitious plan to become a producer of “green hydrogen,” a clean power source that could be used by industry and to power electric vehicles.

The commissioner pointed to the promises made at COP26, the 2021 U.N. climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland, as one important factor: “Everyone, almost everyone who has signed up to COP26 has made a commitment to reduce carbon emission in their respective countries by a certain percentage.”

He added that “it is not a surprise that countries who are the biggest emitters of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are interested to do this because they need to clean up their environments.”

The head of the EU delegation to Namibia, Sinikka Antila, told VOA that Namibia and the EU are working on a memorandum of understanding. She said the memorandum is an outgrowth of an African Union-EU summit that took place last year in Brussels.

She confirmed that the agreement had not yet been signed, but will be soon, and said that both the president of the EU Commission and Namibian President Hage Geingob “agreed that we will start on building a partnership on sustainable raw materials and the green hydrogen.”

Antila pointed to another factor speeding up the EU’s pursuit of alternative energy sources – Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “This situation makes it even more important now, because the fact is we have to get rid of the dependency on Russian gas because Russia is not a reliable partner at the moment,” she said.

According to Antila, the agreement may be signed as soon as November, during the COP27 conference in Egypt.

However, in Namibia, the agreement may spark new anxieties. Abraham Noabeb, community liaison for the Black Business Leadership Network of Namibia, said he worries that foreign companies involved in the EU projects may simply use Namibia for its raw materials.

“The mining sector is not Namibian,” he said. “It is in Namibia but it is not Namibian. The mines that are in Namibia are owned by foreigners, foreign nationals and foreign multinational companies and corporations. They are the ones who own these mines.”

Noabeb called for the government to review its policies and make sure locals have a stake in any mineral exploration projects going forward.
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Germany on Wednesday unveiled plans to legalize cannabis, potentially making it one of the first countries in Europe to make marijuana legal.

Presenting his plans to the cabinet of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said the proposal aims to achieve “the most liberal cannabis liberalization in Europe, and, on the other hand … the most tightly regulated market.”

Germany’s federal Cabinet reportedly approved the plan, kicking off a lengthy process to legalize growth, cultivation and distribution of the plant.

German laws must comply with European legislation, and under the proposal, the government would regulate cannabis production, sale, and distribution as part of a controlled, legalized market, said Lauterbach, describing the reform as a possible “model” for other European countries.

Although many European countries have decriminalized small amounts of cannabis for recreational purposes, only one, Malta, has fully legalized it.

The proposed plan would also legalize the acquisition and possession of 20 to 30 grams of cannabis for personal consumption, cultivation of up to two or three plants per person, and sales through specialized stores. Use of cannabis would remain prohibited for anyone under 18.

According to the plan, the government would also introduce a special consumption tax and develop education and abuse prevention programs, while ongoing investigations and criminal proceedings connected to cannabis would be terminated.

Legalizing cannabis would push out Germany’s cannabis black market and could increase annual tax revenues, create 27,000 new jobs, and generate cost savings of about $4.7 billion, according to a report by Reuters.

Wednesday’s announcement was met with mixed reactions throughout the country. A national pharmacists association warned of potential health risks of legalizing cannabis, while some regional officials expressed concerns that Germany would become a drug-tourism destination, similar to the Netherlands, where some coffee shops are allowed to sell cannabis under strict conditions.

According to The Guardian, Germany’s health minister said the Dutch system “combined two disadvantages: liberal use but not a controlled market. What we have learned from the Dutch experience is that we don’t want to do it that way. We want to control the entire market.”

Some information from this report came from Reuters.
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Rishi Sunak’s ascent to British prime minister has been described by some of his supporters as Britain’s “Obama moment,” comparing it to the 2008 election of Barack Obama as the first Black U.S. president. 

Sunak, who is of Indian heritage, is Britain’s first non-white prime minister. The 42-year-old practicing Hindu was appointed to the role Tuesday, after winning the backing of a majority of Conservative Party members of parliament. He is also Britain’s youngest leader for more than 200 years.   

Milestone  

The milestone was welcomed by all sides of the chamber as Sunak arrived for his first Prime Minister’s Questions in parliament Wednesday.  

“The first British Asian prime minister is a significant moment in our national story, and it’s a reminder that for all the challenges we face as a country, Britain is a place where people of all races and all beliefs can fulfill their dreams,” opposition Labor Party leader Keir Starmer told MPs.  

U.S. President Joe Biden described Sunak’s appointment Monday as “pretty astounding” and “a ground-breaking milestone.” 

Obama moment?  

Anand Menon, a professor of politics at Kings College London, is skeptical of the comparison between Sunak’s appointment in Britain and Obama’s election in the United States. 

“Firstly, because, actually, race isn’t as big a dividing issue in our politics here in the U.K. as it is in the United States. But secondly, too, because of the way Sunak was elected. He was chosen by MPs as a leader of a party. Barack Obama gained a personal mandate from the American people by being elected president. So, the scale of that triumph was simply of a different order to that which we’ve seen here,” Menon told VOA. 

It is nevertheless a significant moment for Britain, said Menon, who is also of Indian heritage. 

“That you see someone of South Asian heritage who is a practicing Hindu having the highest office in the land — that matters,” Menon said. “And it matters in terms of the reputation of the country. But it also matters to all those young ethnic minority kids who are looking at this and thinking, ‘Actually, I can do that.'” 

Diwali  

Hindus are currently marking Diwali, or the festival of lights. Many in Britain say they have extra reason to celebrate this year.  

“It’s a proud feeling as an Indian,” said 25-year-old businessman Rishabh Sharma, who lives in West London. “I like him.” 

Others said they felt little connection with the new prime minister. Single mother Rita Patel from the city of Leicester said she would judge Sunak on his policies. 

“There are people out there that are really, really struggling, and obviously he’s had a bit of a privileged lifestyle. I think he needs to kind of be in touch. Yeah, he’s the first Asian prime minister, and he’s from a privileged background. But now, he really needs to be in touch with his public because we’re all now looking to him for results,” Patel told The Associated Press. 

Wealthiest MP  

Sunak is thought to be Britain’s richest MP. He attended Winchester College, an exclusive private school, then studied at the University of Oxford and became a hedge fund manager before entering parliament in 2015.   

Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murthy, is the daughter of an Indian tycoon. She only began paying U.K. taxes this year after political pressure following the revelation that she had been granted “non-domiciled” status, meaning her financial affairs were not subject to British tax laws. Their net worth is estimated at $830 million.   

“We shouldn’t forget that there are many aspects of diversity, and the one perhaps where governments are doing worse rather than better is where it comes to socio-economic diversity,” Menon said.

“There are fewer and fewer working-class members of parliament, fewer and fewer members of the government who didn’t go to private school,” he added. 

Questioned about his wealth on Wednesday, Sunak maintained that he would look after the most vulnerable people in society, despite the likelihood of public spending cuts or tax rises in the coming weeks as the government has pledged to reduce debt. 

Roots in India 

Sunak was born in Southampton on England’s south coast to parents of Indian heritage who moved to Britain from Kenya in the 1960s. 

This year, India is marking 75 years of independence from Britain. For some, Sunak’s appointment is significant.  

“If a person with Indian heritage becomes the prime minister of Britain, the same Britain which ruled us for so many years, then it is a moment of pride for the whole of India,” 54-year-old Manoj Garg, a Delhi businessman, told AP. 

Manpreet Singh, also a resident of Delhi, shared the elation. “The British ruled us for 200 years, and now I feel Indians will rule Britain for the next 200 years,” he said. 

 
…

Rishi Sunak, who is of Indian heritage, has become Britain’s first non-white prime minister. As Henry Ridgwell reports from London, some in Britain are comparing it to the election of Barack Obama as the first Black U.S. president.
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An organization in Ukraine called Kharkiv Help assists civilians leave areas being shelled by Russian forces. Anna Kosstutschenko met with its volunteers, including two from the U.S., in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, about 10 kilometers from the front lines. VOA footage by Paviel Syhodolskiy.
…

The possibility of Russia launching a nuclear attack in Ukraine or beyond has some Americans on edge. Some are going online to see what that might mean. Anxiety is up, but experts say panic isn’t justified – at least not yet. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias reports.
…

French President Emmanuel Macron hosted German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for lunch Wednesday, with the leaders hoping to pare back differences on energy and defence and revitalise the European Union’s key double act.

Both leaders were all smiles as Scholz climbed out of his black Mercedes in the courtyard of the Elysee Palace to shake hands, although the German appeared to sidestep Macron’s attempts to put an arm around him.

Hackles have been raised on both sides since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — less than three months after Scholz took office last December — prompted crisis decisions taken under the pressure of the war and its knock-on effects.

Berlin’s move to spend up to 200 billion euros ($200 billion) subsidising soaring gas prices and refusal to consider an EU-wide energy price cap nettled Paris and other European capitals, who fear the effect on their energy costs.

And France also sees commitments to cooperate on defense procurement floundering, given Germany’s plans for a shared missile shield with other NATO nations using American equipment.

Longer-term projects to jointly develop new fighter jets and tanks also face reluctance from big arms companies, which has worsened since war broke out.

The depth of the differences was laid bare by the recent delay to a regular joint cabinet meeting between Paris and Berlin, which would have been Scholz’s first as chancellor.

And limited expectations for Wednesday’s talks were clear from the schedule released by Macron’s Elysee Palace office, which did not provide for a joint press conference.

“The two leaders will continue their talks on defence, the economy and energy with the aim of strengthening Franco-German cooperation,” the presidency said in a statement.

‘Destabilising’ Ukraine war

Differences between the EU’s two largest and most populous economies — in the past often the brokers of compromise among the bloc’s 27 members — have come at exactly the wrong time.

Russia’s invasion and the resulting disruption to the energy system have coincided with rising tensions between China and the West, as well as fears that more isolationist forces could return to power in Washington.

Berlin and Paris also differ on how to adapt the European Union to be more agile faced with the new challenges, and how quickly to admit new members.

“We can’t allow ourselves not to have a united, strong Europe at this moment in history,” former French foreign minister Dominique de Villepin warned on France Inter radio.

“That starts with a fruitful French-German dialogue,” he added.

Moscow’s burning of bridges with Europe means Germany faces “a change to its model whose destabilising nature must not be underestimated”, Macron has said.

That was made clear earlier this year, when Scholz announced a “new era” in German defence policy supported with massive spending on its creaking military.

Although Berlin’s allies welcomed the change of direction after years of under-investment, the flow of cash has not translated into big contracts for EU or especially French arms firms — one of the undertones of Macron’s calls for greater European sovereignty.

Instead Germany is rushing to buy big-ticket American-made items like F-35 fighter jets and Patriot air defence systems.

‘No fundamental crisis’

Many observers suggest that spats are inherent to the relationship between two large nations with interests that often diverge.

“The truth is that it’s a marriage of necessity” between France and Germany, a French diplomatic source said.

“This isn’t a fundamental crisis, it’s the basis of the relationship,” they added.

“This French-German relationship has always been made up of chilly patches, moments of tension and then warming up again,” agreed Alexandre Robinet-Borgomano, a German politics expert at French think-tank Institut Montaigne.

“It’s often during moments of crisis where a European response is indispensable that France and Germany manage to overcome their differences to propose a joint solution.”

That may be more difficult with leaders who have yet to develop personal warmth.

“Macron and [former chancellor Angela] Merkel texted every day. I don’t think [Macron and Scholz] are talking every day,” the diplomatic source said.
…

Citizens in India have watched Rishi Sunak’s ascension to prime minister of Britain with a sense of admiration and triumph, hailing the rise of a person of Indian descent and a Hindu to the top job in a major Western country.

Although Sunak, whose parents migrated from East Africa to Britain in the 1960’s, has never lived in India, his heritage has made Indians proud.

Sunak’s grandparents hailed from Punjab state before the Indian subcontinent was divided into two countries, India and Pakistan, after British colonial rule ended in 1947. They had moved to East Africa in the 1930s. Sunak is married to Akshata Murty, the daughter of Indian technology billionaire N.R. Narayana Murthy, who founded one of India’s most successful software companies.  

Many Indians and the media, which gave prominent coverage to his elevation as prime minister, emphasized not just his Indian roots but also his faith;  – Sunak is a Hindu, the majority religion in India, and has spoken about its importance to him.

When news broke this week that Sunak was destined to be Britain’s new leader, Indians were celebrating the Hindu festival of lights known as Diwali. For many, like Mumbai resident Nikhil Shirodkar, the development added to the celebratory mood.

“It is indeed a very special moment that a person of Indian origin and a practicing Hindu is heading a government in Britain,” said Shirodkar, who heard the news as he got ready to perform Diwali rituals.  “I would have never thought it possible that the country has accepted a member of an ethnic minority as prime minister. It is really amazing,” he said, calling it a testament to multi-culturalism.

Similar sentiments echoed on social media while mainstream media ran triumphant headlines like the one in the Times of India newspaper that said “Rishi Sunak, a ‘proud Hindu’, is new UK PM.”

Since Sunak first bid for the leadership of the Conservative Party in July, television networks and newspapers have carried stories about how in 2019 he had taken his oath as a member of parliament on the Bhagavad Gita, a revered Hindu text, performed a cow worship, a Hindu ritual in August, and lit lamps at his Downing Street residence on Diwali two years ago when he was Chancellor.

Inevitably, India’s colonial legacy also became a talking point with many calling it ironic that Britain, which ruled India for 200 years, would now be led by a man who traced his descent to its former colony.

However, historians pointed out that Sunak’s rise to the top job was not really a case of history coming full circle as many would like to believe.

“At some point of time as historians we were expecting that a person of Indian origin would become prime minister of a country like Britain or Canada,” said Archana Ojha, professor of history at Delhi University. “That conclusion is derived from a study of future demographics. While there may not be a big increase in the number of Indians in these countries, they are a rich and influential community and hence poised to play a very important role in politics there.”

But she pointed out that Sunak has also benefited from being at the right place at the right time; his ascension came after two prime ministers quit in the face of political scandal and economic crisis.

“He became prime minister when no one else in the party was well placed to take the role. If his tenure goes well, it will be a triumph for him and others of ethnic descent,” Ojha said. “But if he fails, that will also reflect a failure of the policy of multiculturalism.”

From Indian heads of technology giants such as Google’s Sundar Pichai, to U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, India has long cheered the achievements of people of Indian origin and the Indian diaspora overseas.

But even as they were gladdened by the latest and possibly the most significant such success, some opposition politicians questioned whether the same could happen in India, which critics say is sliding into majoritarianism under the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.

Veteran leader of the opposition Congress Party, P. Chidambaram tweeted, “First Kamala Harris, now Rishi Sunak. The people of the U.S. and the U.K have embraced the non-majority citizens of their countries and elected them to high office in government. I think there is a lesson to be learned by India and the parties that practice majoritarianism.”

Sunak’s rise is expected to have little direct impact on political ties between the two countries, which have been on the upswing in recent years.  – former Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited India in April this year.

The challenge in the coming months, however, will be to seal an ambitious free trade deal that India and Britain had hoped to wrap up by October, but which missed the deadline due to the recent political turbulence in the country.  While some hope that those talks will get momentum if Sunak can restore stability, others warn that Britain’s economic woes will make it hard to pursue the pact that aims to double bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030.

“Trade deals happen when the going is good because they are about give and take,” said Biswajit Dhar, trade analyst and professor at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University.

“The British economy is in doldrums and the first priority for Sunak will be to clear the economic mess,” he said. . “Also, India usually comes up with huge demands in the services sector and with the high unemployment rates that Britain is seeing, I doubt if they can accommodate those at this juncture.”
…

In letters from prison, freelance journalist Pablo Gonzalez said that secret service agents told him to “eat flies or insects” if he wanted to keep up his protein levels. 

Gonzalez, who has been in custody in Poland for eight months — nearly entirely in solitary confinement — said in the letters seen by VOA that he does not receive enough food so is forced to buy provisions from the prison.

Classed a “dangerous prisoner” by Polish authorities, the journalist, who has no criminal record, said he is handcuffed and accompanied by up to five guards every time he leaves his cell.  

Gonzalez is now taking a case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, seeking to secure his release on the grounds that the terms of his imprisonment contravene his constitutional rights. 

In Madrid on Tuesday, media organizations and lawyers held a demonstration in front of Spain’s Foreign Ministry in support of Gonzalez and delivered a letter of protest to the Polish embassy in Madrid. 

Poland in February ordered Gonzalez held in pre-trial detention while authorities investigate allegations that he was spying for Russia — accusations the journalist has denied. That pre-trial period was extended in August for a further three months. 

Poland’s secret service claims Gonzalez used his role as a journalist as a cover for espionage, but officials have not publicly disclosed any supporting evidence.  

The legal papers seen by VOA do not comment directly on that investigation. Instead, they say that the status of “dangerous prisoner” is groundless. 

“It gives rise to a number of consequences that undermine [his] rights, his dignity and his health,” the court papers said.  

Legal papers also said that letters sent to Gonzalez are being opened and translated by the prosecutor and kept for weeks or months before they are delivered. The journalist claims this violates the constitutional right to family life. 

Gonzalez has had contact only with his Polish lawyer and the Spanish consul but has been denied phone calls or visits from his family in Spain, according to people familiar with the case.

“Gonzalez lives in physically and mentally unbearable conditions; his cell where he is alone, has one window that does not open,” the papers add.  

A spokesperson for the Polish prosecutor’s office told VOA in a statement that “due to the nature of the proceedings” it could not disclose any details of the case against Gonzalez.

The statement said, “Gonzalez has all the rights and obligations resulting from the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure and Executive Penal Code including the conditions of isolation in pre-trial detention as well as telephone contacts and visits.”

Family visits denied

Gonzalez has covered conflicts in Ukraine and Syria for various outlets including Voice of America, the left-wing Spanish paper Publico, and Gara, a Basque nationalist newspaper. 

Gonzalez did some camera work for VOA in 2020 and 2021. At the time of his arrest, VOA released a statement saying that it had removed his content “out of an abundance of caution” and informed the VOA/USAGM security office of the arrest. 

The journalist has dual Russian and Spanish nationality. His family moved to Russia after the Spanish Civil War, but Gonzalez is not part of Russia’s secret intelligence service, his Polish lawyer Bartosz Rogala said. 

The journalist’s detention is hard on his family who say that Gonzalez is not allowed to speak with his wife, Oihana Goiriena, or their three children by telephone. Visits are forbidden. 

“In the letters, Pablo does not include all the details about his captivity because it might upset the children,” Goiriena told VOA from their house in the Basque Country, northern Spain. 

“The boys are starting to ask questions about when their father might be home and I don’t have the answers,” she said. “I expect they will extend the custody so he is still in prison at Christmas, which will be hard.”

A court in Poland ruled in August that Gonzalez must remain in custody for a second three-month period until November 25. Under Polish law, he can be held for up to a year. If convicted, the journalist could be jailed for up to 10 years. 

Alfonso Bauluz, president of Reporters Without Borders in Spain, said the watchdog objects to the ”breaching of Pablo’s basic human rights.” 

“We protest against the lack of presumption of innocence, the lack of judicial aid and the extremely tough prison conditions in which he is being held, despite not being convicted of any offense,” he told VOA.  

A spokesperson for the Polish prosecutor’s office told VOA that the order detaining Gonzalez until November indicates “a high probability of committing the alleged acts as well as a justified fear of procedural fraud, hiding or fleeing.”

The 40-year-old war reporter has seen the Spanish consul seven times since his detention. 

Earlier this month, Jose Manuel Albares, the Spanish foreign minister, told the country’s senate, or upper house, “The government attaches great importance to the case of Mr. Gonzalez. Since the arrest became known, numerous steps have been taken at different levels, both from the ministry and the Spanish Embassy in Warsaw.”  

The ministry told VOA it could not disclose some details of the case. 

A Spanish foreign ministry spokesperson, who did not disclose their name as is customary, said, “Our role is twofold: to urge the Polish government to respect the rights of Mr. Gonzalez and to facilitate consular visits.” 

Gonzalez was arrested at a hotel near Poland’s border with Ukraine on February 28. 

Earlier in 2022, Ukrainian secret service officials questioned the journalist and accused him of spying for Russia, which he denied. He returned to Spain for a few days before leaving for Poland.
…

A Russian court on Tuesday dismissed U.S. WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner’s appeal against a nine-year sentence for possessing and smuggling vape cartridges containing cannabis oil.

Griner and her lawyers had asked for acquittal or at least a reduction in her sentence, which they said was disproportionate to the offense and at odds with Russian judicial practice.

After retiring for no more than 30 minutes to consider the appeal, the presiding judge said the original verdict was upheld “without changes” except for the counting of time served in pretrial detention as part of the sentence.

Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was arrested on Feb. 17 at a Moscow airport, a week before Russia sent troops into Ukraine, and her case has inevitably been viewed in the context of the ensuing crisis in U.S.-Russian relations.

Washington was quick to respond to the verdict.

“We are aware of the news out of Russia that Brittney Griner will continue to be wrongfully detained under intolerable circumstances after having to undergo another sham judicial proceeding today,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement

He said the United States would “continue to engage with Russia” to bring her home.

The state prosecutor had said Griner’s Aug. 4 sentence of nine years in a penal colony was “fair,” but Alexander Boykov, one of her lawyers, had told the three-judge panel sitting in Krasnogorsk, on the outskirts of Moscow:

“No judge, hand on heart, will honestly say that Griner’s nine-year sentence is in line with Russian criminal law.”

He listed a series of what he said were procedural flaws in Griner’s conviction and requested an acquittal, but asked that “if the court wants to punish her, [it should] give her a new, ‘fair’ verdict and mitigate the punishment.”

“The severity and cruelty of the sentence applied to Griner shocks people around the world,” he said.

Permitted to make a final statement by live video link from her detention center in the town of Novoye Grishino, just outside Moscow, Griner spoke of how stressful her eight-month detention and two trials had been.

“I was barely over the significant amount [of cannabis oil] … People with more severe crimes have gotten less than what I was given,” she said.

‘I did not intend to do this’

Griner apologized for what she said was an honest mistake, as she had at her original trial, saying, “I did not intend to do this,” and asking the court to take into account the fact that she had pleaded guilty.

She has said she used medical cannabis to relieve the pain from a series of sports injuries. Both recreational and medicinal uses are prohibited in Russia.

Wearing a black and red lumberjack shirt over a black hooded top, the 32-year-old alternately sat or stood in her cell, sometimes with head lowered, sometimes leaning against the white bars.

When asked if she had understood the verdict, she merely replied “Yes” before being led away.

U.S. President Joe Biden had called the original verdict “unacceptable.”

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Monday that Washington was working to free Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, serving 16 years in prison after being convicted of spying, and that there had been “active discussions, including in recent days.”

“We have not weighed in on the various judicial proceedings and judicial steps because as we’ve made clear, we believe that these proceedings have been largely shambolic,” Price told reporters.

U.S. Charge d’Affaires Elizabeth Rood, the ranking U.S. diplomat in Moscow, told media waiting outside the court that she had not been allowed to speak to Griner before or after the hearing.

But Griner’s lawyers said in a statement: “Brittney’s biggest fear is that she is not exchanged and will have to serve the whole sentence in Russia. She had hopes for today as each month, each day away from her family and friends matters to her.”

They said it would be some time before Griner was moved to a prison colony, and that they had not yet decided whether to try to launch another appeal.

“We generally think we must use all the available legal tools, especially given the harsh and unprecedented nature of her verdict,” the statement said.

 
…

Finland and Sweden’s aspirations to join NATO are in doubt as Turkey has renewed its objections to their membership bids.

Finnish diplomats met with their Turkish counterparts Tuesday in Ankara, according to local media reports. The meeting marked the latest diplomatic effort by Helsinki to persuade Ankara to agree to its bid to join NATO. For the Atlantic alliance to expand, all members must agree.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has voiced reservations over Finland and Sweden’s bid to join, accusing the countries of giving sanctuary to Kurdish groups that Ankara considers terrorists. Speaking to parliament earlier this month, Erdogan said he would closely monitor commitments by both Finland and Sweden to address Turkish concerns.

Erdogan said Turkey is not going to give concessions as a country that has fought terrorism for 40 years.

Earlier in October, the Turkish leader accused Stockholm of reneging on its commitments to Ankara, saying enemies of Turkey were continuing to operate freely in Sweden. Erdogan, however, said he is ready to meet with Sweden’s newly elected prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, to discuss Turkish demands.

Huseyin Bagci, head of the Foreign Policy Institute in Ankara, said Erdogan sees NATO expansion as an opportunity.

“Tayyip Erdogan tries to increase the leverage of the Turkish bargaining process through this. Maybe at the end, he will say yes, but he has to take now something. It is a calculated act but whether [it is] a miscalculation, we will have to see this,” Bagci said.

News reports say Sweden has made many security concessions. Ankara is demanding the extradition of dozens of people, including Swedish nationals wanted for terrorist offenses.

Analyst Ilhan Uzgel with the Duvar news portal said concessions from Washington are Erdogan’s main aim.

“The membership bid of Finland and Sweden, he tries to use these two bargaining chips to get something from the West,” Uzgel said. “It can be either a meeting with [U.S. President Joe] Biden; it can be the purchase of F-16 fighter jets from the United States, [or] external support during the elections. Something that will help Erdogan get into a better position before the elections.”

Erdogan is languishing in most opinion polls ahead of elections that Turkey is required to hold by June of 2023. Analyst Uzgel said Erdogan will be reluctant to give up leverage over NATO before the June polls.

“My guess is that he is going to use it until the elections. It’s a leverage that he needs right now, unless he gets something quite important from the United States,” Uzgel said. “He is completely and utterly focused on winning the elections because he is losing support domestically. So, he has to win the elections, so he is going to do whatever it takes to stay in power domestically or externally.”

Analysts say Erdogan will also be aware that standing up to NATO and, in particular, the United States, plays well among his religious and nationalist base. This means Finland and Sweden could have a long wait until they are able to join the alliance.
…

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged support Tuesday for the “fast rehabilitation” of Ukraine as it faces what she called targeted attacks by Russian forces on civilian infrastructure.

Speaking in Berlin at a conference to discuss the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine, von der Leyen said Russia is clearly working to cut off Ukrainians from water, heat and electricity services as winter approaches. She said such Russian attacks “are pure acts of terror.”

Von der Leyen described the scale of destruction in Ukraine eight months after Russia launched its invasion as “staggering.”

“These are hard, scary and painful days for Ukrainians, but Ukrainians are showing us that they have hope and confidence in the future and they will keep fighting for it. And it is their future that brings us here today,” she said.

The conference involves representatives from national governments, academic institutions and international organizations. The EU said the talks would cover how to prioritize Ukraine’s needs and what options exist for financing projects.

No financial pledges or political agreements are expected.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is addressing the conference.

Ukraine’s government, along with the European Commission and the World Bank, estimated in a September report that it could cost $350 billion to rebuild the country after Russia’s invasion.

The World Bank on Monday disbursed $500 million, supported by loan guarantees from Britain to Ukraine to help the government maintain essential services.

“The Russian invasion continues to cause massive destruction of Ukraine’s infrastructure — including water, sanitation, and electricity networks — just as winter is approaching, further endangering Ukrainian people,” World Bank Group President David Malpass said in a statement.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke Monday about meeting Ukraine’s needs for military aid, according to statements from both sides.

Ukraine denies planning to use “dirty bomb”

They also discussed U.S. support for Ukraine amid Russia’s claims that Ukraine was preparing to use a “dirty bomb,” an allegation Ukraine and its allies have dismissed.

Diplomats said Russia told its counterparts on the U.N. Security Council it will bring up the issue during a close-door meeting of the 15-member body Tuesday.

Russia’s Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya sent a letter, seen by VOA, to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council late Monday, saying Russia “will regard the use of the dirty bomb by the Kiev regime as an act of nuclear terrorism.”

Ukraine has strongly denied Moscow’s allegations that it is planning to detonate a dirty bomb on its own territory and has in turn accused Russia of plotting to use the threat of a bomb laced with nuclear material as a pretext for escalation in Ukraine.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price warned Monday of the “profound nature of consequences” that would befall Russia if it used a dirty bomb or any other nuclear weapon.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday that NATO allies rejected Russia’s claims that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory and added “Russia must not use it as a pretext for escalation.”

Stoltenberg said he had a call with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his British counterpart, Ben Wallace, on the matter Monday.

Russian troops prep for “radioactive contamination”

Meanwhile, the head of Russia’s nuclear, biological and chemical protection troops, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, in a media briefing said Russian forces are “preparing to work under radioactive contamination.”

U.S. officials said Monday there is currently no indication that Moscow has made any efforts to use a dirty bomb or nuclear weapons.

“We continue to see nothing in the way of preparations by the Russian side for the use of nuclear weapons,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi confirmed that “no undeclared nuclear activities or material were found” in Ukrainian nuclear locations.

“The IAEA inspected one of these locations one month ago and all our findings were consistent with Ukraine’s safeguards declarations,” Grossi said.

Grossi confirmed that both locations are under IAEA safeguards and have been visited regularly by IAEA inspectors. He added that the IAEA received a written request from Ukraine Monday to send teams of inspectors to carry out verification activities at the two locations.

Pelosi calls drones “dangerous”

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday that Iran was making the world less safe by supplying Russia with drones to be used against targets in Ukraine.

“I think Iran is making a big mistake,” Pelosi said after meeting Croatia’s Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. “First of all, we have to be able to counter the drones … it is a dangerous technology, and it must be stopped,” she said.

Pelosi arrived in Zagreb Monday to attend “The Crimea Platform Summit,” on Ukraine’s independence and the return of the Crimean Peninsula to Kyiv since its annexation by Russia in 2014.

“We’ve been trying for a while now to have a nuclear agreement with Iran so that we can make the world a safer place, and now they’re going off aiding the Russians and making the world a less safe place,” Pelosi said.

Iran has denied supplying drones to Russia for use in Ukraine and condemned a call by Britain, France and Germany for the United Nations to investigate whether Russia used Iranian-made attack drones.

Iran will not remain indifferent if it is proved that its drones are being used by Russia in Ukraine, foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was reported as saying by Iranian state media Monday.

He also said that the defense cooperation between Tehran and Moscow will continue.

VOA’s U.N. correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this article. Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
…

A Uyghur organization and a human rights group are taking the U.K. government to court to challenge Britain’s failure to block the import of cotton products associated with forced labor and other abuses in China’s far western Xinjiang region.

Tuesday’s hearing at the High Court in London is believed the first time a foreign court hears legal arguments from the Uyghurs over the issue of forced labor in Xinjiang. The region is a major global supplier of cotton, but rights groups have long alleged that the cotton is picked and processed by China’s Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim minorities in a widespread, state-sanctioned system of forced labor.

The case, brought by the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress and the Global Legal Action Network, a nonprofit, is one of several similar legal challenges aimed at putting pressure on the U.K. and European Union governments to follow the lead of the United States, where a law took effect this year to ban all cotton products suspected of being made in Xinjiang.

Researchers say Xinjiang produces 85% of cotton grown in China, constituting one-fifth of the world’s cotton. Rights groups argue that the scale of China’s rights violations in Xinjiang – which the U.N. says may amount to “crimes against humanity” – means that numerous international fashion brands are at high risk of using cotton tainted with forced labor and other rights abuses.

Gearóid Ó Cuinn, the Global Legal Action Network’s director, said the group submitted almost 1,000 pages of evidence — including company records, NGO investigations and Chinese government documents — to the U.K. and U.S. governments in 2020 to back its case. British authorities have taken no action so far, he said.

“Right now, U.K. consumers are systematically exposed to consumer goods tainted by forced labor,” Ó Cuinn said. “It does demonstrate the lack of political will.”

Researchers and advocacy groups estimate 1 million or more people from Uyghur and other minority groups have been swept into detention camps in Xinjiang, where many say they were tortured, sexually assaulted, and forced to abandon their language and religion. The organizations say the camps, along with forced labor and draconian birth control policies, are a sweeping crackdown on Xinjiang’s minorities.

A recent U.N. report largely corroborated the accounts. China denounces the accusations as lies and argues its policies were aimed at quashing extremism.

In the U.S., a new law gives border authorities more power to block or seize cotton imports produced partly or wholly in Xinjiang. The products are effectively banned unless the importer can show clear evidence that the goods were not produced using forced labor.

The European Commission last month proposed prohibiting all products made with forced labor from entering the EU market. The plans haven’t been agreed upon yet by the European Parliament.

The British government’s Modern Slavery Act requires companies operating in the U.K. to report what they have done to identify rights abuses in their supply chains. But there is no legal obligation to undertake audits and due diligence. In a statement, the U.K.’s Conservative government said it is “committed to introduce financial penalties for organizations that do not comply with modern slavery reporting requirements.”

Lawyers representing the Uyghurs will argue at the High Court on Tuesday that the British government’s inaction breaches existing U.K. laws prohibiting goods made in foreign prisons or linked to crime.

Former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith, one of the most vocal China critics in Britain’s Parliament, said the U.K. has been “dragging its feet” on the issue because of “huge institutional resistance to change” after years of dependence on trade with China. Britain’s Conservative government has not taken the China threat seriously enough, he argued.

“Treasury and the business department are desperate not to destroy ties with China and (officials) are still living in project kowtow,” Duncan Smith said. Compared to the U.S. and the EU, “we are bringing up the rear” on the cotton issue, he added.

Earlier this month, Ó Cuinn’s organization made a separate submission to the Irish government demanding a halt to the import of forced labor goods from Xinjiang. Meanwhile, lawyers representing a survivor of detention and forced labor in Xinjiang have also written to the U.K. government threatening to sue over the issue.

The claimant in that case, Erbakit Ortabay, said he was detained in internment centers, where he was tortured and beaten, and later forced to work for no pay in a clothing factory. Ortabay, who was eventually released in 2019, is currently seeking asylum in Britain.

Clothing is among the top five type of goods the U.K. imports from China, accounting for about 3.5 billion pounds ($4 billion) in imports in 2021. The U.K. does not publish shipping data detailing trade with the Xinjiang region.

But Laura Murphy, a professor of human rights at Sheffield Hallam University, has identified 103 well-known international fashion brands – including some trading in the U.K. — at high risk of having Xinjiang cotton in their supply chains because they buy from intermediary garment manufacturers, which in turn are supplied by Chinese companies that source cotton in Xinjiang. 

“What we find is that a lot of Xinjiang cotton is also sent out to other countries to be manufactured into apparel. So, it’s not always coming directly from there — it might be coming from a company making clothes in Indonesia or Cambodia,” Murphy said.

In the U.S., the new ban on Xinjiang cotton has forced apparel companies to step up tracking technologies to map out routes for their products’ origin, according to Brian Ehrig, partner in the consumer practice of management consulting firm Kearney. The ban is also accelerating the migration of apparel production in China to other regions like Vietnam and Cambodia.

Some experts believe that the U.S. law has also compelled companies to block Xinjiang cotton products from other markets. Scott Nova, executive director of the Worker Rights Consortium, a labor rights monitoring organization, said even if companies want to reroute Xinjiang-linked products to other markets, it would require a ”substantial reorganization” of their supply networks.

Figures from the China National Cotton Information Center show that sales of cotton produced in Xinjiang in the year to mid-June fell 40% from a year earlier to 3.1 million tons. The commercial inventory of cotton produced in Xinjiang was 3.3 million tons at the end of May, up 60% from a year earlier, according to Wind, a Chinese financial information provider.
…

Bees pollinate 71 of the 100 crop species that provide 90% of food worldwide. They also pollinate wild plants, helping sustain biodiversity and the beauty of the natural world.

But climate change, pesticides and parasites are taking a terrible toll on bees, and they need protecting, said European beekeepers, who held their annual congress in Quimper, western France, this week.

The congress, which said some European beekeepers were suffering “significant mortalities and catastrophic harvests due to difficult climatic conditions,” was an opportunity for beekeepers and scientists to respond to the major concerns.

The European Union, the world’s second-largest importer of honey, currently produces just 60% of what it consumes.

French beekeepers, for example, expect to harvest between 12,000 and 14,000 metric tons of honey this year, far lower than the 30,000 tons they harvested in the 1990s, according to the National Union of French Beekeepers (UNAF).

“I’ve been fighting for bees for 30 years, but if I had to choose now, I don’t know if I’d become a beekeeper,” said UNAF spokesman Henri Clement, who has 200 hives in the mountainous Cevennes region in southeastern France.

Clement is 62 and not far off retiring.

“But it’s not much fun for young people who want to take up the profession,” he said.

Many of the topics buzzing around the congress were evidence of this — pesticides, climate change, and Asian hornets, parasitic varroa mites and hive beetles, all invasive alien species in Europe.

Challenges includes rain, drought

With climate change, “the bigger issue is just the erratic weather and rain patterns, drought and things like that,” said U.S. entomologist Jeff Pettis, president of Apimondia, an international federation of beekeeping associations in 110 countries.

“In certain places, the plants had been used to a certain temperature. And now it goes up, and you have a hot dry summer, and there are no flowers,” Pettis told AFP.

No flowers means no pollen, which means bees dying of hunger.

Climate scientists say human-induced global heating is intensifying extreme weather events such as flooding, and heatwaves that exacerbate wildfires.

“The fires seem to be a big issue,” Pettis said. “They come sporadically, and we lose hives directly from flooding and fires.

Pettis, a former scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, published a study in 2016 on the quality of pollen produced by goldenrod, a hardy perennial also known as solidago that produces a myriad of small yellow daisy-like flowers.

The study showed that the more carbon dioxide — a greenhouse gas — that accumulates in the atmosphere, the lower the amount of protein in goldenrod pollen.

North America bees are dependent on nourishment from goldenrod pollen to get through the winter, Pettis said.

“Getting inferior food … should affect wintering. It could happen with other pollen sources. We don’t know.”

As in France, 30% to 40% of hives in the United States are dying every winter, Pettis said, decimated by varroa mites, pesticides and the destruction of wild spaces where wild plants grow

“Today, there are even American startups that are developing drones to pollinize plants in the place of bees. It’s utterly appalling,” said Clement.

Toxic threat

Toxic pesticides are another factor decimating bee colonies and other pollinating insects.

French molecular biophysics scientist Jean-Marc Bonmatin said parasites such as varroa were “boosted by the presence of neonicotinide pesticides, which directly poison pollinators.”

Neonicotinoids, chemically similar to nicotine, are systemic pesticides.

Unlike contact pesticides, which remain on the surface of the treated leaves, systemic pesticides are taken up by the plant and transported to its leaves, flowers, roots and stems, as well as to its pollen and nectar.

These toxic substances can remain in the soil for between five and 30 years, Bonmatin said.

The EU restricted the use of three neonicotinoids — but not all — in 2013 and banned them outright in 2018.

But since 2013, several EU states have repeatedly granted “emergency authorizations” to use noxious insecticides on major crops.

He said open-source software called Toxibee was being launched soon to help farmers protect bees by identifying the least toxic molecules to use on their crops.

“Before they spray the crops with pesticides, they can try to limit their noxious effect,” he said. “Because what kills bees will one day damage people’s health, too.”

Pettis strove, however, to remain upbeat, pointing to some of the ways people can help bees.

“[We should] diversify agriculture and try not [to] be driven by chemically dependent agriculture, support organic and more sustainable farming.”

He also stressed the incredible resistance of some bee species, helped by factors in the natural world.

He cited the example of a black bee found on the Ile de Groix in Brittany, which has survived varroa attacks without beekeepers treating them for mites or giving them supplementary feeding.

“We think the bees are dependent on us, but in reality, they survive pretty well even without us,” he said. “And you still have the beauty of the bees. It’s such a good thing to work with bees.”
…

Despite rebuffs from Western nations, Russia continued to accuse Ukraine of preparing to use a “dirty bomb” and said it would bring the matter to the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday.

Diplomats said Russia has told council counterparts it will bring up the issue during a closed-door meeting of the 15-member body.

Russia’s Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya sent a letter, seen by VOA, to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council late Monday, saying Russia “will regard the use of the dirty bomb by the Kiev regime as an act of nuclear terrorism.”

Ukraine has strongly denied Moscow’s allegations that it is planning to detonate a dirty bomb on its own territory and has in turn accused Russia of plotting to use the threat of a bomb laced with nuclear material as a pretext for escalation in Ukraine.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price warned Monday of the “profound nature of consequences” that would befall Russia if it used a dirty bomb or any other nuclear weapon.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday that NATO allies rejected Russia’s claims that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory and added “Russia must not use it as a pretext for escalation.”

Stoltenberg said he had a call with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his British counterpart, Ben Wallace, on the matter Monday.

Meanwhile, the head of Russia’s nuclear, biological and chemical protection troops, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, in a media briefing said Russian forces are “preparing to work under radioactive contamination.”

U.S. officials said Monday there is currently no indication that Moscow has made any efforts to use a dirty bomb or nuclear weapons.

“We continue to see nothing in the way of preparations by the Russian side for the use of nuclear weapons,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi confirmed that “no undeclared nuclear activities or material were found” in Ukrainian nuclear locations.

“The IAEA inspected one of these locations one month ago and all our findings were consistent with Ukraine’s safeguards declarations,” Grossi said. 

Grossi confirmed that both locations are under IAEA safeguards and have been visited regularly by IAEA inspectors. He added that the IAEA received a written request from Ukraine Monday to send teams of inspectors to carry out verification activities at the two locations.

As Ukraine advances into Kherson, pressure is mounting on Russia, which told 60,000 people there “to save your lives” and flee a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

In calls with his French, British and Turkish counterparts Sunday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu discussed the “rapidly deteriorating situation” and leveled accusations that Ukraine is planning to use a dirty bomb.

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of France, Britain and the United States said they had all rejected the allegations and reaffirmed their support for Ukraine against Russia.

“Our countries made clear that we all reject Russia’s transparently false allegations that Ukraine [is] preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory,” they said. “The world would see through any attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation.”

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, held a phone conversation with Russian General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff, the defense ministry said in a statement. It also said both sides agreed on the importance of maintaining open channels of communication.

Ukraine has rejected Russian allegations that Ukrainian forces might detonate a radioactive device and accused Russia of planning to carry out such an act and blame it on Ukraine.

“Russian lies about Ukraine allegedly planning to use a ‘dirty bomb’ are as absurd as they are dangerous,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during his nightly address Sunday that Russia was the only one in the region capable of using nuclear weapons.

“If Russia calls and says that Ukraine is allegedly preparing something, it means one thing: Russia has already prepared all this,” Zelenskyy said. “I believe that now the world should react in the toughest possible way.”

Iran drones

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday that Iran was making the world less safe by supplying Russia with drones to be used against targets in Ukraine.

“I think Iran is making a big mistake,” Pelosi said after meeting Croatia’s Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. “First of all, we have to be able to counter the drones … it is a dangerous technology, and it must be stopped,” she said.

Pelosi arrived in Zagreb Monday to attend “The Crimea Platform Summit,” on Ukraine’s independence and the return of the Crimean Peninsula to Kyiv since its annexation by Russia in 2014.

“We’ve been trying for a while now to have a nuclear agreement with Iran so that we can make the world a safer place, and now they’re going off aiding the Russians and making the world a less safe place,” Pelosi said.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine entered its eighth month Monday.

Pelosi has been a strong supporter of providing aid and military assistance to the country since Russia invaded February 24.

Iran has denied supplying drones to Russia for use in Ukraine and condemned a call by Britain, France and Germany for the United Nations to investigate whether Russia used Iranian-made attack drones.

Iran will not remain indifferent if it is proved that its drones are being used by Russia in Ukraine, foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was reported as saying by Iranian state media Monday.

“If it is proven to us that Iranian drones are being used in the Ukraine war against people, we should not remain indifferent.” He also said that the defense cooperation between Tehran and Moscow will continue.

Griner verdict

U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner “does not expect miracles” at her appeal hearing Tuesday of a nine-year Russian jail term for having cannabis oil in her luggage, her lawyers said in a statement.

The twice Olympic gold medalist was arrested February 17 at a Moscow airport with vape cartridges containing cannabis oil, which is banned in Russia. She was sentenced August 4 to nine years in a penal colony on charges of possessing and smuggling drugs.

Griner’s lawyers, Maria Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov, said she would take part in Tuesday’s hearing by video link from the detention center where she has been held, and that they expected a verdict the same day.

“She is very nervous waiting for the appeal hearing. Brittney does not expect any miracles to happen but hopes that the appeal court will hear the arguments of the defense and reduce the term,” they said.

Griner pleaded guilty at her trial but said she had made an “honest mistake” and had not meant to break the law.

Washington says Griner was wrongfully detained and has offered to exchange her for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States.

Moscow has also suggested it is open to a prisoner swap.

VOA’s U.N. correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this article. Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
…

A Spanish man trekking from Madrid to Doha for the 2022 FIFA World Cup has not been heard from since the day after he crossed into Iran three weeks ago, his family said Monday, stirring fears about his fate in a country convulsed by mass unrest.

The experienced trekker, former paratrooper and fervent soccer fan, 41-year-old Santiago Sanchez, was last seen in Iraq after hiking through 15 countries and extensively sharing his journey on a popular Instagram account over the last nine months.

Sanchez’s family last heard from him Oct. 2, a day after he crossed the Iraq-Iran border.

“We are deeply worried, we can’t stop crying, my husband and I,” his mother, Celia Cogedor, told The Associated Press.

Cogedor and Sanchez’s father, Santiago, sat next to the fireplace at the family’s home in a hamlet in central Spain. Clearly exhausted, the couple shared with journalists the treasured last audio message their son sent them that morning, allegedly already from Iranian soil, detailing his future plans.

“I’m with a friend who has come to pick me up. I’m going to go to Bandar Abbas, very far away 1,700 kilometers (1,056 miles) south in Iran, near the island of Hormuz,” Sánchez’s calm voice said.

The Spanish adventurer explained how he planned to go to Tehran, the Iranian capital, the following day, where a television station wanted to interview him. His next step would have been Bandar Abbas, a port in southern Iran where he would hop on a boat to Qatar. But all traces of him evaporated even before he reached Tehran, his parents think.

Sanchez had already warned his family before crossing into Iran that communication wouldn’t be as easy as it had been in previous months.

“After a few days we didn’t worry about him not posting, it matched what he had said. But after eight or nine days, my daughter and his closest friends … we already began to think that we had to report his disappearance,” his mother said.

His parents reported him missing Oct. 17, and they said Spain’s police and diplomats were helping the family.

Spain’s Foreign Ministry said it had no information about Sanchez’s whereabouts, adding that the Spanish ambassador to Tehran was handling the matter. Calls to the Iranian Foreign Ministry seeking comment were not immediately returned.

Sanchez’s reported disappearance in Iran comes as protesters are rising up across the Islamic Republic in the largest anti-government movement in over a decade. The demonstrations erupted Sept. 16 over the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman taken into custody by Iran’s morality police for allegedly not adhering to the country’s strict Islamic dress code.

Tehran has violently cracked down on protesters and blamed foreign enemies and Kurdish groups in Iraq for fomenting the unrest, without offering evidence. The Iranian Intelligence Ministry said authorities had arrested nine foreigners, mostly Europeans, over their alleged links to the protests last month.

Sanchez arrived in Iraqi Kurdistan in late September, after trekking thousands of kilometers carrying a small suitcase in a wheeled cart, packed with little more than a tent, water purification tablets and a gas stove for his 11 months on the road. He said he wanted to learn how others lived before reaching Qatar, the first World Cup host country in the Arab world, in time for Spain’s first match Nov. 23.

The day before he disappeared, Sanchez had breakfast with a guide in Sulaymaniyah, a Kurdish city in northeastern Iraq. The guide, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said he tried to warn Sanchez about the dangerous political situation in Iran.

But Sanchez was undeterred and confident, the guide said.

“He didn’t look nervous at all. He told me, ‘I sorted out everything, don’t worry,’” he said.

Sanchez, the guide added, planned to meet an Iranian family in the Kurdish town of Marivan — a scene of recent anti-government protests. The family, delighted by Sanchez’s Instagram posts, had offered to host him.

After Sanchez crossed the border Oct. 1, his messages became sparse and cryptic, the guide said. Sanchez told him that things were “very different” in Iran from Sulaymaniyah, an Iraqi metropolis filled with parks and cafes.

“It’s been a long story,” his last message read.

In his last Instagram update, the night before he crossed the Iranian border, he posted images of his emotional farewell to Iraq and told of a Kurdish family’s generosity. He had planned to camp on a mountain, but the owner of a nearby farm took him in, giving him a bed, a shower and a hearty dinner.

Pictures on Instagram show him eating bread and chicken soup, smiling and posing with young boys from the village and drinking tea over an open fire.
…

Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak won the backing of Conservative Party lawmakers Monday to become Britain’s new prime minister, after the resignation of Liz Truss, who spent less than two months in office. Sunak will visit King Charles III Tuesday to accept the invitation to form a government. As Henry Ridgwell reports, years of political chaos have dented Britain’s global image.
…

Progressive Democratic lawmakers urged U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday to shift the U.S. approach to the war in Ukraine by directly negotiating with Russia.

A letter signed by 30 House Democrats in the Congressional Progressive Caucus, led by Representative Pramila Jayapal, said they appreciated Biden’s commitment “to Ukraine’s legitimate struggle against Russia’s war of aggression” and acknowledged U.S. economic, military and humanitarian aid has been critical to Ukraine’s success in fighting off Russia.

But the lawmakers said, in the letter first reported by the Washington Post, that diplomatic efforts should also be a part of the U.S. approach to ending the war that has had a catastrophic toll on the Ukrainian people as well as threatening global food and poverty crises through rising fuel and grain costs.

“As legislators responsible for the expenditure of tens of billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars in military assistance in the conflict, we believe such involvement in this war also creates a responsibility for the United States to seriously explore all possible avenues, including direct engagement with Russia, to reduce harm and support Ukraine in achieving a peaceful settlement,” the lawmakers wrote.

In a June 2022 press conference, Biden acknowledged that possibility when asked if Ukraine would have to cede territory to Russia to put an end to the conflict.

“It appears to me that, at some point along the line, there’s going to have to be a negotiated settlement here. And what that entails, I don’t know. I don’t think anybody knows at the time,” Biden told reporters.

The lawmakers specified it was not the place of the U.S. to pressure Ukraine into accepting a settlement, writing that any “framework would presumably include incentives to end hostilities, including some form of sanctions relief, and bring together the international community to establish security guarantees for a free and independent Ukraine that are acceptable for all parties, particularly Ukrainians.”

The U.S. has sent nearly $60 billion in humanitarian, economic and military aid to Ukraine since Russia’s unprovoked invasion in February. In the Monday letter, members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus said they are still in favor of continued aid.

But House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy — who is poised to become Speaker of the House if Republicans win control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the November midterm elections — said continuing U.S. aid to Ukraine is not assured, given domestic economic concerns.

“I think people are going to be sitting in a recession, and they’re not going to write a blank check to Ukraine,” McCarthy told U.S. political news outlet Punchbowl News last week.

Not all Republican leaders agree. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called for more U.S. aid to Ukraine in a statement last Friday, saying “The Biden Administration and our allies need to do more to supply the tools Ukraine needs to thwart Russian aggression. It is obvious this must include additional air defenses, long-range fires, and humanitarian and economic support to help this war-torn country endure the coming winter.”

Progressive Democrats did praise Biden’s approach, saying the administration’s policy was critical in preventing an all-out nuclear conflict.

“We are under no illusions regarding the difficulties involved in engaging Russia given its outrageous and illegal invasion of Ukraine and its decision to make additional illegal annexations of Ukrainian territory. However, if there is a way to end the war while preserving a free and independent Ukraine, it is America’s responsibility to pursue every diplomatic avenue,” the letter said.
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