https://www.voanews.com/z/611 Accurate, objective news coverage from the U.S. and around the world. https://www.voanews.com/Content/responsive/VOA/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.voanews.com/z/611 en 2024 - VOA 60 Sun, 15 Dec 2024 21:49:30 -0500 Pangea CMS – VOA Istanbul — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Ethiopia and Somalia early next year after brokering a deal to end tensions between the two Horn of Africa neighbors, he said on X Sunday.  "I will visit Ethiopia and Somalia in the first two months of the New Year," he wrote in a message that referred to the deal between Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Ankara on December 11. The pair agreed to end their nearly yearlong bitter dispute after hours of talks brokered by Erdogan, who hailed the breakthrough as "historic." The dispute began in January when landlocked Ethiopia struck a deal in with Somalia's breakaway region Somaliland to lease a stretch of coastline for a port and military base.  In return, Somaliland — which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 in a move not recognized by Mogadishu — said Ethiopia would give it formal recognition, although this was never confirmed by Addis Ababa. Somalia branded the deal a violation of its sovereignty, setting international alarm bells ringing over the risk of renewed conflict in the volatile Horn of Africa region. Turkey stepped in to mediate in July, holding three previous rounds of talks — two in Ankara and one in New York — before last week's breakthrough, which won praise from the African Union, Washington and Brussels.  Fresh from his latest diplomatic success, Erdogan on Friday telephoned Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and he offered "to step in to resolve the disputes between Sudan and the United Arab Emirates," his office said. Since April 2023, Sudan has been mired in a brutal conflict between army chief Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo who leads the RSF.  Sudan's army-backed government has repeatedly accused the UAE of supporting the RSF — a claim which the UAE has consistently denied. The war has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced over 11 million more. https://www.voanews.com/a/erdogan-to-visit-ethiopia-somalia-in-early-2025-after-brokering-deal/7902234.html https://www.voanews.com/a/erdogan-to-visit-ethiopia-somalia-in-early-2025-after-brokering-deal/7902234.html Sun, 15 Dec 2024 18:04:43 -0500 AfricaEuropewebdesk@voanews.com (Agence France-Presse) Kyiv, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Sunday that he would provide Syria with grain and other agricultural products on a humanitarian basis, a week after the fall of Moscow's ally, President Bashar al-Assad. "Now we can help the Syrians with our wheat, flour and oil: our products that are used globally to ensure food security," he said in his daily address. "We are coordinating with our partners and the Syrian side to resolve logistical issues. We will support this region so that stability there becomes a foundation for our movement towards real peace," Zelenskyy added. According to him, these possible deliveries will be part of the "Grain of Ukraine" program, launched in 2022 to provide food aid to the poorest countries. Even at war, Ukraine, one of the world's largest producers of grain, retains immense production capacities. And despite Moscow's threats to shoot ships sailing in the Black Sea, Kyiv has set up a corridor there to export its agricultural products from the summer of 2023. After an 11-day offensive, the rebel coalition dominated by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) on Dec. 8 overthrew Assad, who took refuge in Russia.   The fall was a serious setback for Moscow, which, along with Iran, was the former Syrian president's main ally and had been intervening militarily in Syria since 2015. https://www.voanews.com/a/zelenskyy-offers-syria-humanitarian-grain-deliveries/7902231.html https://www.voanews.com/a/zelenskyy-offers-syria-humanitarian-grain-deliveries/7902231.html Sun, 15 Dec 2024 17:56:54 -0500 Middle EastEuropeUkrainewebdesk@voanews.com (Agence France-Presse) DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel said Sunday it will close its embassy in Ireland as relations deteriorated over the war in Gaza, where Palestinian medical officials said new Israeli airstrikes killed over 30 people including several children.  The decision to close the embassy came in response to what Israel's foreign minister has described as Ireland's "extreme anti-Israel policies." In May, Israel recalled its ambassador to Dublin after Ireland announced, along with Norway, Spain and Slovenia, it would recognize a Palestinian state.  The Irish Cabinet last week decided to formally intervene in South Africa's case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, which accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Israel denies it.  "We are concerned that a very narrow interpretation of what constitutes genocide leads to a culture of impunity in which the protection of civilians is minimized," Ireland's deputy premier and foreign affairs minister, Micheal Martin, said in a statement.  Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar's statement on the embassy closure said that "Ireland has crossed every red line in its relations with Israel."  Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris called the decision to close the embassy "deeply regrettable." He added on X: "I utterly reject the assertion that Ireland is anti-Israel. Ireland is pro-peace, pro-human rights and pro-international law."  Israeli strikes in Gaza kill a journalist and children  Israeli forces continued Sunday to pound largely isolated northern Gaza, as the Palestinian death toll in the war approached 45,000.  One airstrike hit the Khalil Aweida school in the town of Beit Hanoun and killed at least 15 people, according to nearby Kamal Adwan Hospital where casualties were taken. The dead included two parents and their daughter and a father and his son, the hospital said.  In Gaza City, at least 17 people including six women and five children were killed in three airstrikes that hit houses sheltering displaced people, according to Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital.  "We woke up to the strike. I woke up with the rubble on top of me," said a bandaged Yahia al-Yazji, who grieved for his wife and daughter. "I found my wife with her head and skull visible, and my daughter's intestines were gone. My wife was three months pregnant." His hand rested on a body wrapped in a blanket on the floor.  Israel's military in a statement said it struck a "terrorist cell" in Gaza City and a "terrorist meeting point" in the Beit Hanoun area.  Another Israeli airstrike killed a Palestinian journalist working for Al Jazeera, Ahmed al-Lawh, in central Gaza, a hospital and the Qatari-based TV station said.  The strike hit a point for Gaza's civil defense agency in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp, Al-Awda Hospital said. Also killed were three civil defense workers including the head of the agency in Nuseirat, according to al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital. The civil defense is Gaza's main rescue agency and operates under the Hamas-run government.  The war in Gaza began after Hamas and other militants from Gaza stormed southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking well over 200 hostage.  Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed almost 45,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry's count does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, but it says over half of the dead have been women and children.  Also Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he spoke with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump about developments in Syria and a recent push to secure the release of Israeli and foreign hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.  Netanyahu said he spoke with Trump on Saturday night about the issue.   Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, warned last week during a visit to the region that it would "not be a pretty day" if the hostages held in Gaza were not released before Trump's inauguration on January 20.  A Trump spokesperson on Sunday declined to give further details about the call.  https://www.voanews.com/a/israel-will-close-its-ireland-embassy-over-gaza-tensions/7902215.html https://www.voanews.com/a/israel-will-close-its-ireland-embassy-over-gaza-tensions/7902215.html Sun, 15 Dec 2024 17:02:14 -0500 Middle EastEuropewebdesk@voanews.com (Associated Press) AJACCIO, Corsica — Pope Francis on the first papal visit ever to the French island of Corsica on Sunday called for a dynamic form of laicism, promoting the kind of popular piety that distinguishes the Mediterranean island from secular France as a bridge between religious and civic society. Francis appeared relaxed and energized during the one-day visit, just two days before his 88th birthday, still displaying a faded bruise from a fall a week ago. He frequently deviated from his prepared homily during Mass at the outdoor La Place d’Austerlitz, remarking at one point that he had never seen so many children as in Corsica — except, he added, in East Timor on his recent Asian tour. “Make children,” he implored. “They will be your joy and your consolation in the future.” Earlier, at the close of a Mediterranean conference on popular piety, Papa Francescu, as he is called in Corsican, described a concept of secularity “that is not static and fixed, but evolving and dynamic,” that can adapt to “unforeseen situations” and promote cooperation “between civil and ecclesial authorities.” The pontiff said that expressions of popular piety, including processions and communal prayer of the Holy Rosary “can nurture constructive citizenship" on the part of Christians. At the same time, he warned against such manifestations being seen only in terms of folklore, or even superstition. The visit to Corsica’s capital Ajaccio, the birthplace of Napoleon, is one of the briefest of his papacy beyond Italy’s borders, just about nine hours on the ground, including a 40-minute visit with French President Emmanuel Macron. Francis was joined on the dais by the bishop of Ajaccio, Cardinal Francois-Xavier Bustillo, who organized the conference that brought together some 400 participants from Spain, Sicily, Sardinia and southern France. The two-day meeting examined expressions of faith that often occur outside formal liturgies, such as processions and pilgrimages. Often specific to the places where they are practiced, popular piety in Corsica includes the cult of the Virgin Mary, known locally as the "Madunnuccia," which protected the island from the plague in 1656 when it was still under Genoa control. Corsica stands out from the rest of secularized France as a particularly devout region, with 92 confraternities, or lay associations dedicated to works of charity or piety, with over 4,000 members. “It means that there is a beautiful, mature, adult and responsible collaboration between civil authorities, mayors, deputies, senators, officials and religious authorities,” Bustillo told The Associated Press ahead of the visit. “There is no hostility between the two. And that is a very positive aspect because in Corsica there is no ideological hostility.” The visit was awash in signs of popular piety. The pope was greeted by children in traditional garb and was continually serenaded by bands, choruses and singing troupes that are central to Corsican culture from the airport to the motorcade route, convention center and cathedral. Thousands stood along the roadside to greet the pontiff and more waved from windows. Renè Colombani traveled with 2,000 others by ship from northern Corsica to Ajaccio, on the western coast, to see the pope. “It is an event that we will not see again in several years. It may be the only time that the pope will come to Corsica. And since we wanted to be a part of it, we have come a long way,” Colombani said. The island, which Genoa ceded to France in 1768, is located closer to the Italian mainland than France. From the conference, the pope traveled to the 17th-century cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta to meet with clergy, stopping along the way at the statue of the Madunnuccia where he lit a devotional candle. The pope celebrated Mass beneath a looming statue of Napoleon Bonaparte, the French emperor whose armies in 1808 annexed the papal states and imprisoned two of Francis’ predecessors — Popes Pius VI and VII — before being excommunicated and eventually defeated on the battlefield. Thousands packed the esplanade where Napoleon is said to have played as a child. Francis will meet privately with Macron at the airport before departing for the 50-minute flight back to Rome. They are expected to talk about the world’s crises, including wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, and environment and climate-related issues, Macron's office said. The pontiff pointedly did not make the trip to Paris earlier this month for the pomp surrounding the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral following the devastating 2019 fire. The visit to Corsica seems far more suited to Francis’ priorities than a grand cathedral reopening, emphasizing the “church of the peripheries.” It is Francis’ third trip to France, each time avoiding Paris and the protocols that a state visit entails. He visited the port of Marseille in 2023, on an overnight visit to participate in an annual summit of Mediterranean bishops and went to Strasbourg in 2014 to address the European Parliament and Council of Europe. https://www.voanews.com/a/pope-francis-makes-1st-papal-visit-to-france-s-corsica-/7902100.html https://www.voanews.com/a/pope-francis-makes-1st-papal-visit-to-france-s-corsica-/7902100.html Sun, 15 Dec 2024 12:40:38 -0500 Europewebdesk@voanews.com (Associated Press) KYIV — Ukrainian drone strikes on southern Russia killed a 9-year-old boy and set fire to a major oil terminal, officials said Saturday, the day after Moscow launched a massive aerial attack on its neighbor that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said was one of the heaviest bombardments of the country’s energy sector in the nearly three-year war. The boy died when a drone struck his family’s home outside Belgorod, a Russian city near the border with Ukraine, local Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov reported on Saturday morning on the Telegram messaging app. His mother and 7-month-old sister were hospitalized with injuries, Gladkov said. He posted photos of what he said was the aftermath of the attack, showing a low-rise house with gaping holes in its roof and front wall flanked by mounds of rubble. Elsewhere in southern Russia, Ukrainian drones overnight hit a major oil terminal in the Oryol region, sparking a blaze, Ukraine’s General Staff reported. Photos published by the General Staff and on Russian Telegram news channels showed huge plumes of smoke engulfing the facility, backlit by an orange glow. Oryol Gov. Andrey Klychkov confirmed that a Ukrainian drone strike set fire to a fuel depot. He said later the blaze had been contained and that there were no casualties. Russia’s Defense Ministry on Saturday claimed its forces shot down 37 Ukrainian drones over the country’s south and west the previous night. Russia pummels Ukrainian energy targets The Ukrainian strikes came a day after Russia fired 93 cruise and ballistic missiles and almost 200 drones at its neighbor, further battering Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, around half of which has been destroyed during the war. Rolling electricity blackouts are common and widespread, and Zelenskyy charged Friday that Moscow is “terrorizing millions of people” with such assaults. According to Ukraine’s air force, Russia kept up its drone attacks on Saturday, launching 132 across Ukrainian territory. Fifty-eight drones were shot down and a further 72 veered off course, likely due to electronic jamming, it said. The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces used long-range precision missiles and drones on “critically important fuel and energy facilities in Ukraine that ensure the functioning of the military industrial complex.” The strike was in retaliation for Wednesday’s Ukrainian attack using U.S.-supplied the Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMs, on a Russian air base, it said. Kyiv’s Western allies have provided Ukraine with air defense systems to help it protect critical infrastructure, but Russia has sought to overwhelm the air defenses with combined strikes involving large numbers of missiles and drones called “swarms.” Russia has held the initiative this year as its military has steadily rammed through Ukrainian defenses in the east in a series of slow but steady offensives. But uncertainty surrounds how the war might unfold next year. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office next month, has vowed to end the war and has thrown into doubt whether vital U.S. military support for Kyiv will continue. North Koreans reportedly in combat in Kursk Zelenskyy said Saturday that a “significant number” of North Korean troops were being deployed by Moscow in assaults in Russia’s southern Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops have held on following a stunning cross-border incursion this summer. In a televised address, Zelenskyy said that North Korean soldiers have so far not entered the fight on Ukrainian soil, but claimed they are already taking “noticeable” losses. Elsewhere, Ukrainian officials reported that Russian shelling on Friday and overnight killed at least two civilians and wounded 14 others in front-line areas Ukraine’s south and northeast. https://www.voanews.com/a/ukrainian-drones-strike-russia-as-kyiv-reels-from-consecutive-massive-air-attacks/7902088.html https://www.voanews.com/a/ukrainian-drones-strike-russia-as-kyiv-reels-from-consecutive-massive-air-attacks/7902088.html Sun, 15 Dec 2024 12:19:46 -0500 UkraineEuropewebdesk@voanews.com (Associated Press) CAPE TOWN, South Africa — At least 11 people have died after Cyclone Chido caused devastating damage in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, France's Interior Ministry said Sunday. The intense tropical cyclone has now made landfall on the east coast of Africa, where aid agencies are warning of more loss of life and severe damage in northern Mozambique. The ministry said it was proving difficult to get a precise tally of the dead and injured in Mayotte amid fears the death toll will increase. A local hospital reported that nine people were in critical condition there and 246 others were injured. The tropical cyclone blew through the southeastern Indian Ocean, also affecting the nearby islands of Comoros and Madagascar. Mayotte was directly in its path and suffered extensive damage Saturday, officials said. The local prefect said it was the worst cyclone to hit Mayotte in 90 years. French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said Saturday night after an emergency meeting in Paris that there were fears that the death toll in Mayotte “will be high” and the island had been largely devastated. Prime Minister François Bayrou, who took office Friday, said public infrastructure on Mayotte had been severely damaged or destroyed, including the main hospital and the airport. He said many people living in precarious shacks in slum areas have faced very serious risks. Chido brought winds more than 220 kph (136 mph), according to the French weather service, making it a category 4 cyclone, the second strongest on the scale. Mayotte has a population of just over 300,000 spread over two main islands about 800 kilometers (500 miles) off Africa’s east coast. It is France's poorest island and the European Union's poorest territory. In some parts, entire neighborhoods were flattened, while residents reported many trees had been uprooted and boats had been flipped or sunk. The French Interior Ministry said 1,600 police and gendarmerie officers have been deployed to “help the population and prevent potential looting.” More than 100 rescuers and firefighters have been deployed in Mayotte from France and the nearby territory of Reunion, and an additional reinforcement of 140 people was due to be sent Sunday. Supplies were being rushed in on military aircraft and ships. French President Emmanuel Macron said he was closely monitoring the situation, while Pope Francis offered prayers for the victims of the cyclone while on a visit Sunday to the French Mediterranean island of Corsica. Chido continued its eastern trajectory and made landfall early Sunday in Mozambique on the African mainland, where emergency officials had warned that 2.5 million people could be impacted in two northern provinces, Cabo Delgado and Nampula. Landlocked Malawi and Zimbabwe are also preparing to be affected, with both countries warning they might have to evacuate people from low-lying areas because of flooding. In Mozambique, the United Nations Children's Fund said Cabo Delgado province, home to around 2 million people, had been hit hard. “Many homes, schools and health facilities have been partially or completely destroyed, and we are working closely with [the] government to ensure continuity of essential basic services,” UNICEF said. “While we are doing everything we can, additional support is urgently needed.” UNICEF Mozambique spokesperson Guy Taylor said in a video posted by the group from Cabo Delgado's regional capital that alongside the immediate impact of the cyclone, communities now face the prospect of being cut off from schools and health facilities for weeks. December through to March is cyclone season in the southeastern Indian Ocean and southern Africa has been pummeled by a series of strong ones in recent years. Cyclone Idai in 2019 killed more than 1,300 people in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. Cyclone Freddy left more than 1,000 dead across several countries last year. Cyclones bring the risk of flooding and landslides, but also stagnant pools of water may later spark deadly outbreaks of the waterborne disease cholera as well as dengue fever and malaria. Studies say cyclones are getting worse because of climate change. They can leave poor countries in southern Africa, which contribute a tiny amount to global warming, having to deal with large humanitarian crises, underlining their call for more help from rich nations to deal with the impact of climate change. https://www.voanews.com/a/dead-in-french-territory-of-mayotte-from-cyclone-chido-/7902003.html https://www.voanews.com/a/dead-in-french-territory-of-mayotte-from-cyclone-chido-/7902003.html Sun, 15 Dec 2024 10:31:50 -0500 AfricaEuropeClimate Changewebdesk@voanews.com (Associated Press) MOSCOW — A Russian oil tanker carrying thousands of tons of oil products split apart during a heavy storm Sunday, spilling oil into the Kerch Strait, while another tanker was also in distress after sustaining damage, Russian officials said. An emergency rescue operation is now underway, Russian officials told state news outlets Sunday. The Volgoneft-212 tanker, which was carrying a crew of 13 and a cargo of fuel oil, ran aground and had its bow torn away, said Russian state news agency TASS, citing the country’s Emergency Situations Ministry. The damage was caused by severe weather conditions, officials said. A second tanker, the Volgoneft-239, was also damaged in the storm and left drifting in the same area with 14 crewmembers on board, the Emergency Situations Ministry said. The 132-meter, Russian-flagged ship was built in 1973. Russian investigators opened two criminal cases to investigate possible safety violations after at least one person was killed when the 136-meter Volgoneft-212 tanker, split in half with its bow sinking, footage published by state media showed, with waves washing over its deck. The Russian-flagged vessel was built in 1969. "There was a spill of petroleum products," said Russia's water transport agency, Rosmorrechflot. Both tankers have a loading capacity of about 4,200 tons of oil products. Official statements did not provide details on the extent of the spill or why one of the tankers sustained such serious damage. President Vladimir Putin ordered the government to set up a working group to deal with the rescue operation and mitigate the impact of the fuel spill, news agencies cited Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying, after Putin met with the ministers for emergencies and environment. Russia said more than 50 people and equipment, including Mi-8 helicopters and rescue tugboats, had been deployed to the area. Svetlana Radionova, head of Russia's natural resources watchdog Rosprirodnadzor, said specialists were assessing the damage at the site of the incident. Russia's Kommersant newspaper reported that the Volgoneft-212 tanker was carrying about 4,300 tons of fuel oil. Unverified video posted on Telegram showed some blackened water on stormy seas and a half-submerged tanker. The vessels were in the Kerch Strait between mainland Russia and Crimea when they issued distress signals. The Kerch Strait separates the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula from Russia and is an important global shipping route, providing passage from the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea. It has also been a key point of conflict between Russia and Ukraine after Moscow annexed the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. In 2016, Ukraine took Moscow to the Permanent Court of Arbitration, where it accused Russia of trying to illegally seize control of the area. In 2021, Russia closed the strait for several months. https://www.voanews.com/a/rescue-underway-for-damaged-russian-oil-tankers-in-kerch-strait-/7901948.html https://www.voanews.com/a/rescue-underway-for-damaged-russian-oil-tankers-in-kerch-strait-/7901948.html Sun, 15 Dec 2024 09:08:21 -0500 Europewebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) Berlin — The co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on Sunday said Germany should reconsider its membership of NATO if the U.S.-led military alliance did not consider the interests of all European countries, including Russia.    "Europe has been forced to implement America's interests. We reject that," the AfD's Tino Chrupalla told German daily Welt.    "NATO is currently not a defense alliance. A defense community must accept and respect the interests of all European countries — including Russia's interests," Chrupalla said.    "If NATO cannot ensure that, Germany must consider to what extent this alliance is still useful for us," he added.    The far-right AfD is polling at around 18-19% ahead of snap elections on February 23, following the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition government last month.    The score puts the party ahead of Scholz's Social Democrats at 16-17% and behind only the conservative CDU-CSU bloc, which is polling around 31-32%.    The AfD has little chance of forming a government because other parties have ruled out cooperation with the far-right group.    But it could continue a streak of strong electoral showings, after a landmark win in Thuringia, one of the regions in Germany's formerly communist east.    The far-right party has been a vocal critic of Germany's military support for Ukraine and has argued for a swift end to the war prompted by Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.    "The German government must finally get to the point of wanting to end the war," said Chrupalla, whose colleague, Alice Weidel, will lead the AfD into the election as the party's candidate for chancellor.    "Russia has won this war. Reality has caught up with those who claim to want to enable Ukraine to win the war," he said.    The conflict in Ukraine is set to be one of the major themes of the campaign, which will culminate on the eve of the third anniversary of the invasion.    Scholz has pledged sustained support for Ukraine but has counseled prudence, as he hopes to tap into pacifist currents among voters, which are particularly strong in the east.    The chancellor has resisted calls to send long-range missiles that Kyiv could use to strike Russian territory for fear of being drawn into the conflict, and recently reinitiated direct contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin. https://www.voanews.com/a/german-far-right-leader-questions-nato-membership-/7901894.html https://www.voanews.com/a/german-far-right-leader-questions-nato-membership-/7901894.html Sun, 15 Dec 2024 07:13:46 -0500 Europewebdesk@voanews.com (Agence France-Presse) Warsaw — Estonia has sanctioned more than a dozen top Georgian officials including its prime minister over Tbilisi's "criminal" crackdown on pro-European protesters, Tallinn's foreign minister said on Sunday. Georgia's authorities have drawn widespread criticism for their handling of demonstrators, who accuse the ruling party of eroding democracy and seeking to bring the ex-Soviet country back into the embrace of former master Russia. Police have deployed water cannons and tear gas to break up demonstrations while security agents have raided the offices of opposition parties and beaten dissenting lawmakers and journalists. "The violence perpetrated by the authorities against protesters, journalists and opposition leaders is criminal and against human rights," said Estonia's top diplomat Margus Tsahkna. "I call on all EU countries to react and to take actions," he added on X. The fresh sanctions announcement comes a day after the ruling Georgian Dream party installed a hard-right loyalist former Manchester City striker as president. That election process was boycotted by the pro-European opposition amid a growing constitutional crisis. Along with its fellow Baltic states, Estonia had already banned several Georgian officials from setting foot on their territory. Those included Georgia's Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri as well as Georgia's richest man, Bidzina Ivanishvili, widely considered the puppet master pulling the strings of Georgian politics. Since Georgian Dream claimed victory in October's elections — which the opposition has criticized as rigged — tens of thousands have taken to the streets. Those protests have become nightly after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's shock decision in late November to shelve the Black Sea nation's talks to join the European Union. Joining the bloc is an ambition mandated in Georgia's constitution which polls indicate has the support of some 80% of the country. https://www.voanews.com/a/estonia-sanctions-georgian-premier-over-protest-crackdown-/7901880.html https://www.voanews.com/a/estonia-sanctions-georgian-premier-over-protest-crackdown-/7901880.html Sun, 15 Dec 2024 06:28:55 -0500 Europewebdesk@voanews.com (Agence France-Presse) ATHENS, GREECE — Slowly, almost imperceptibly at first, a smile spreads across the little girl's face. Blinking behind her glasses, she inches her wheelchair forward and gently reaches out to stroke the tiny gray horse. Soon, 9-year-old Josifina Topa Mazuch is beaming as she leads Ivi, a specially trained miniature horse, standing no taller than her pink wheelchair, through the school hallway. "I really want them to come again," Josifina said of Ivi and a second miniature horse, Calypso, after a November morning visit to her Athens primary school for children with special needs. "They made me feel really happy." Ivi and Calypso are two of eight miniature horses from Gentle Carousel Greece, a Greek offshoot of Florida-based charity Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses offering visits to hospitals, rehabilitation centers and care homes. Trained over two years to work comfortably in confined environments and with vulnerable children and adults, the tiny equines, which stand about 75 centimeters tall, provide a form of pet therapy that carers say offers valuable interactions and learning experiences, particularly to people confined to hospitals or care homes. But the charity they are part of is struggling to make ends meet — run by one woman who funds the entire operation herself, with one assistant and no support team. How it all began Started in 2014 by Mina Karagianni, an interior architect and designer, the Athens operation is the only one affiliated with the Florida-based charity outside the United States. Karagianni came across Gentle Carousel while scouring the internet for information on caring for an abandoned Shetland pony she had rescued. When she saw photos of the charity's work in pediatric oncology wards, "I was touched and I was moved, and I said: 'OK, we have to bring this to Greece,'" she said. It took months to track down and persuade the U.S. charity to work with her, and even longer to obtain the requisite permits and arrange transport to bring the horses over. But after incessant efforts, six already trained miniature horses stepped off a flight from Florida via Frankfurt in November 2013. Entirely self-funded through her day job, Karagianni now has a total of eight horses — the American six, one that was later born in Greece, and Billy, the rescued pony. Karagianni transformed her family land in Rafina, a seaside area east of Athens, into Magic Garden, complete with stables, a paddock for the horses to run free every day, a small café and an area to host children's parties and baptisms. At the time, she was open for visits every weekend, charging a small entrance fee to help cover running costs – specialized food for the horses, wood shavings for their bedding, grooming material, veterinarian visits and transportation to and from hospitals and care homes. She also began visiting schools and setting up an education program. From 2014 when Gentle Carousel Greece first opened until the first COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, Karagianni said her little equine team saw roughly 12,000 children. Hard times But the lockdowns took their toll. Karagianni had to shut down the café and hasn't been able to reopen since. With even the tiny income from the café drying up, and Karagianni herself facing a health issue that took her out for 1 ½ years, "we fell apart," she said. Unable to meet utility bills, both the electricity and water companies cut off her supply, leaving her relying on neighbors for water for the horses. "I'm just starting to get myself back together again now," she said. "With a lot of financial difficulties. But what can I do? I'm trying." She's got the utilities running again, but still owes thousands of euros. Approaches to companies and institutions for funding have been unsuccessful so far. "Maybe I just don't know how to ask properly," Karagianni said. Running Gentle Carousel single-handedly is taking its toll. "I'm making super-human efforts," said Karagianni, who at 68 wonders for how long she can go on and is searching for someone to ensure the program's continuity. "I'm doing what I can. But I can't do it alone," she said. "I can't do it without a team." The joy they bring to children Despite her financial struggles, Karagianni said seeing the horses' effect, particularly on children, makes her determined to continue for as long as she can. During a visit to the Athens special needs primary school, staff lined up children in wheelchairs so each could spend a few moments with the horses. Some reached out to stroke them; others bent their heads forward over the miniature horses for a kiss. "It's incredible, the reactions. It's like something awakens their senses," said special needs teacher Eleni Volikaki. The state-run school, which shares facilities with a private charity for disabled children, ELEPAP, caters to children aged 6-14 with cognitive or mobility problems, or both. Anything that encourages the children to make even small hand gestures, such as reaching out to stroke a horse, "is very important for us. Especially when it's spontaneous and comes directly from the child and isn't instigated by us," Volikaki said. "We saw things we didn't expect. We saw children with autism, or children who are generally afraid of animals, coming very close, letting the ponies get close to them," Volikaki said. "And we saw … spontaneous contact that under other circumstances we wouldn't see." Equines also help adults The tiny horses don't just enchant children. In the seaside area of Nea Makri northeast of Athens, residents of an adult psychiatric care home gather to greet Omiros – Homer in Greek – a 12-year-old miniature gray and white stallion with a flowing mane and blue eyes. Some show their excitement at the long-anticipated visit. Others are shyer at first, but nearly all eventually approach Omiros, leading him around the home's recreation room or simply whispering to him. The interaction is invaluable, said social worker Alex Krokidas, who heads the staff at the Iasis home. "It offers, even if only briefly, the chance to create a bond that isn't threatening, that has tenderness, quietness," Krokidas said. "Let's not forget, these people have faced many difficulties in their lives." Meeting Omiros and having a few moments each with him "gives them the opportunity to be a bit calmer, to not feel threatened, to stroke the animal," Krokidas said. "All of that is very therapeutic, it is deeply therapeutic." Giorgos, one of the residents, initially kept his distance before letting Omiros come close. He leaned his head near the flowing mane. "He gave me a beautiful feeling when he was here," he said after Omiros headed back into the recreation room. "Now that it's gone, I feel an absence."  https://www.voanews.com/a/greece-s-only-miniature-therapy-horses-bring-joy-to-many-but-the-charity-is-struggling-/7899933.html https://www.voanews.com/a/greece-s-only-miniature-therapy-horses-bring-joy-to-many-but-the-charity-is-struggling-/7899933.html Sun, 15 Dec 2024 02:37:02 -0500 EuropeArts & CultureScience & Healthwebdesk@voanews.com (Associated Press) LONDON — Britain officially became the 12th member of a trans-Pacific trade pact that includes Japan, Australia and Canada on Sunday as it seeks to deepen ties in the region and build its global trade links after leaving the European Union. Britain announced last year it would join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in its biggest trade deal since Brexit. The accession means Britain will be able to apply CPTPP trade rules and lower tariffs with eight of the 11 existing members from Sunday — Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. The agreement enters into force with Australia on December 24, and will apply with the final two members — Canada and Mexico — 60 days after they ratify it. The pact represents Britain's first free trade deals with Malaysia and Brunei, but while it had agreements with the other countries, CPTPP provisions go further, especially in giving companies choices on how to use "rules of origin" provisions. The CPTPP does not have a single market for goods or services, and so regulatory harmonization is not required, unlike the EU, whose trading orbit Britain left at the end of 2020. Britain estimates the pact may be worth $2.5 billion a year in the long run — less than 0.1% of GDP. But in a sign of the strategic, rather than purely economic, implications of the pact, Britain can now influence whether applicants China and Taiwan may join the group. The free trade agreement has its roots in the U.S.-backed Trans-Pacific Partnership, developed in part to counter China's growing economic dominance. The U.S. pulled out in 2017 under then-President Donald Trump and the pact was reborn as the CPTPP. Costa Rica is the next applicant country to go through the process of joining, while Indonesia also aims to do so. https://www.voanews.com/a/britain-joins-trans-pacific-pact-in-biggest-post-brexit-trade-deal/7901804.html https://www.voanews.com/a/britain-joins-trans-pacific-pact-in-biggest-post-brexit-trade-deal/7901804.html Sat, 14 Dec 2024 20:15:18 -0500 Europewebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) KYIV, UKRAINE — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that Russia has begun deploying North Korean soldiers to storm Ukrainian positions in the Kursk region. Zelenskyy said in his evening address that he had "preliminary evidence that the Russians have begun to use soldiers from North Korea in assaults — a noticeable number of them." He said that according to his information, "the Russians include [North Koreans] in combined units and use them in operations in the Kursk region," where Ukraine has been mounting an incursion since August. Zelenskyy said he has also heard that the North Koreans "may be used in other parts of the front line," and that "losses among this category are also already noticeable." Zelenskyy said last month that 11,000 North Korean troops were in Russia's western Kursk region and had already sustained "losses." Washington and Seoul have accused Pyongyang of sending more than 10,000 soldiers to help Moscow, after Russia and North Korea signed a landmark defense pact this summer. North Korea and Russia have strengthened their military ties since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Surprised by the Kursk incursion, Russia has since continuously clawed back territory, halting Ukraine's advance and rushing reinforcements to the region. A Ukrainian army source told AFP last month Kyiv still controlled 800 square kilometers of the Kursk region, down from previous claims it controlled almost 1,400 square kilometers. Ukraine hits Russian oil terminal Ukraine said Saturday it attacked an oil terminal in Russia's western Oryol region overnight, sparking a fire. The governor of Oryol said on Telegram that fuel caught fire at "a facility" in the region after a "massive drone attack." The Ukraine military's General Staff said Kyiv's forces attacked a major oil depot in Stal’noi Kon, about 165 kilometers into Russian territory. "It's one of the largest oil terminals in the suburbs of the city of Oryol" and is part of a "military industrial complex" that supplies the Russian army, the General Staff said. Russian media showed images, purportedly of the attack, showing clouds of smoke billowing up into the night sky from a fire. Oryol regional Governor Andrey Klychkov said Saturday on Telegram that Russian anti-air defenses shot down Ukrainian drones during the attack and that the fire was brought under control at 5 a.m., although it had not yet been extinguished. He said there were no casualties. Other developments In Russia's Belgorod region, which also borders Ukraine, a drone attack killed a 9-year-old boy and wounded his mother and baby sister, said Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. He posted photos of the family's home with a huge hole in the facade and the roof partially torn off. Ukraine regularly attacks military and energy infrastructure in Russia, sometimes deep into its invading neighbor's territory, in response to Russian attacks on its own infrastructure. Kyiv's General Staff said Russia attacked overnight with 132 drones, claiming 130 of them were downed or failed to reach targets. Russia's military said Saturday that it shot down 60 Ukrainian drones overnight. https://www.voanews.com/a/zelenskyy-russia-using-korean-soldiers-in-kursk-/7901486.html https://www.voanews.com/a/zelenskyy-russia-using-korean-soldiers-in-kursk-/7901486.html Sat, 14 Dec 2024 12:53:19 -0500 UkraineEuropewebdesk@voanews.com (Agence France-Presse) BELGRADE, SERBIA — The United States plans to introduce sanctions against Serbia’s main gas supplier, which is controlled by Russia, Serbia’s president said Saturday. President Aleksandar Vucic told state RTS broadcaster that Serbia has been officially informed that the decision on sanctions will come into force on January 1 but that he has so far not received any related documents from the U.S. There has been no comment from U.S. officials. Serbia almost entirely depends on Russian gas, which it receives through pipelines in neighboring states. The gas is then distributed by Petroleum Industry of Serbia, which is majority-owned by Russia’s state oil monopoly Gazprom Neft. Vucic said that after receiving the official documents, “we will talk to the Americans first, then we go talk to the Russians” to try to reverse the decision. “At the same time, we will try to preserve our friendly relations with the Russians and not to spoil relations with those who impose sanctions.” Although formally seeking European Union membership, Serbia has refused to join Western sanctions against Russia over its invasion in Ukraine, in part because of the crucial Russian gas deliveries. Vucic said that despite the embargo threat, “I’m not ready at this moment to discuss potential sanctions against Moscow.” Asked if the threat of U.S. sanctions against Serbia could change with the arrival of Donald Trump’s administration in January, Vucic said, “We must first get the [official] documents, and then talk to the current administration, because we are in a hurry.” The Serbian president is facing one of the biggest threats to more than a decade of his increasingly autocratic rule. Protests have been spreading by university students and others following the collapse last month of a concrete canopy at a railway station in the country’s north that killed 15 people on November 1. Many in Serbia believe rampant corruption and nepotism among state officials led to sloppy work on the building reconstruction, which was part of a wider railroad project with Chinese state companies. https://www.voanews.com/a/serbia-s-main-gas-supplier-controlled-by-russia-faces-us-sanctions/7901425.html https://www.voanews.com/a/serbia-s-main-gas-supplier-controlled-by-russia-faces-us-sanctions/7901425.html Sat, 14 Dec 2024 11:32:14 -0500 EuropeUSAwebdesk@voanews.com (Associated Press) TBILISI, GEORGIA — Former soccer player Mikheil Kavelashvili became president of Georgia on Saturday, as the ruling party tightened its grip in what the opposition calls a blow to the country's EU aspirations and a victory for former imperial ruler Russia. Kavelashvili, 53, easily won the vote given the Georgian Dream party's control of a 300-seat electoral college that replaced direct presidential elections in 2017. Georgian Dream retained control of parliament in the South Caucasus nation in an October 26 election that the opposition alleges was rigged with Moscow's help. Georgia's outgoing president and main pro-Western parties have since boycotted parliamentary sessions and demanded a rerun of the ballot. Georgian Dream has vowed to continue pushing toward EU accession but also wants to "reset" ties with Russia. In 2008 Russia fought a brief war with Georgia, which led to Moscow's recognition of two breakaway regions as independent and an increase in the Russian military presence in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Critics have accused Georgian Dream — established by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia — of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted toward Moscow, accusations the ruling party has denied. The party recently pushed through laws like those used by the Kremlin to crack down on freedom of speech and LGBTQ+ rights. Pro-Western Salome Zourabichvili has been president since 2018 and has vowed to stay on after her six-year term ends Monday, describing herself as the only legitimate leader until a new election is held. Georgian Dream's decision last month to suspend talks on their country's bid to join the European Union added to the opposition's outrage and galvanized protests.   Who is the outgoing president? Zourabichvili, 72, was born in France to parents with Georgian roots and had a successful career with the French Foreign Ministry before President Mikheil Saakashvili named her Georgia's top diplomat in 2004. Constitutional changes made the president's job largely ceremonial before Zourabichvili was elected by popular vote with Georgian Dream's support in 2018. She became sharply critical of the ruling party, accusing it of pro-Russia policies, and Georgian Dream unsuccessfully tried to impeach her. "I remain your president — there is no legitimate Parliament and thus no legitimate election or inauguration," she has declared on the social network X. "My mandate continues." Speaking to The Associated Press, Zourabichvili rejected government claims that the opposition was fomenting violence. "We are not demanding a revolution," Zourabichvili said. "We are asking for new elections, but in conditions that will ensure that the will of the people will not be misrepresented or stolen again. "Georgia has been always resisting Russian influence and will not accept having its vote stolen and its destiny stolen," she said. Zourabichvili called Saturday's vote a "provocation" and "a parody" while a leader of one of Georgia's main opposition parties said it was unconstitutional. Giorgi Vashadze of the Unity National Movement Coalition said Zourabichvili is "the only legitimate source of power." Meanwhile, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said that Kavelashvili's election "will make a significant contribution to strengthening Georgia's statehood and our sovereignty, as well as reducing radicalism and so-called polarization." "The main mission of the presidential institution is to care for the unity of the nation and society," said Kobakhidze, a former university professor and later chairperson of Georgian Dream. Who is Kavelashvili? Georgian Dream nominated Kavelashvili — mocked by the opposition for lacking higher education. He was a striker in the Premier League for Manchester City and in several clubs in the Swiss Super League. He was elected to parliament in 2016 on the Georgian Dream ticket, and in 2022 co-founded the People's Power political movement, which was allied with Georgian Dream and become known for its strong anti-Western rhetoric. Kavelashvili was one of the authors of a controversial law requiring organizations that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as "pursuing the interest of a foreign power," similar to a Russian law used to discredit organizations critical of the government. The European Union, which granted Georgia candidate status in December 2023 on condition that the country meets the bloc's recommendations, put its accession on hold and cut financial support in June following approval of the "foreign influence" law.   How did opposition protests unfold? Thousands of demonstrators converged on the parliament building every night after the government announced the suspension of EU accession talks on November 28. Riot police used water cannons and tear gas almost daily to disperse and beat scores of protesters, some of whom threw fireworks at police officers and built barricades on the capital's central boulevard. Hundreds were detained and over 100 treated for injuries. Several journalists were beaten by police, and media workers accused authorities of using thugs to deter people from attending antigovernment rallies, which Georgian Dream denies. The crackdown has drawn strong condemnation from the United States and EU officials. "[Kavelashvili] is not elected by us. He is controlled by a puppet government, by Bidzina Ivanishvili, by Putin," protester Sandro Samkharadze said. Another protester waved a sign saying "We are children of Europe." Demonstrators vowed the rallies would continue. "If [the government] wants to go to Russia, they can go to Russia, because we are not going anywhere. We are staying here," said protester Kato Kalatozishvili. https://www.voanews.com/a/former-soccer-star-set-to-become-georgia-s-president/7901222.html https://www.voanews.com/a/former-soccer-star-set-to-become-georgia-s-president/7901222.html Sat, 14 Dec 2024 04:48:14 -0500 Europewebdesk@voanews.com (Associated Press) WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND — A New Zealand man playing his first-ever competitive Scrabble game in Spanish, a language he doesn't speak, has won the board game's Spanish-language world title. Nigel Richards, a professional player who holds five English-language world titles, won the Spanish world Scrabble championships in Granada, Spain, in November, losing one game out of 24. Richards started memorizing the language's Scrabble word list a year ago, his friend Liz Fagerlund -– a New Zealand Scrabble official -– told The Associated Press. "He can't understand why other people can't just do the same thing," she said. "He can look at a block of words together, and once they go into his brain as a picture he can just recall that very easily." In second place was defending champion Benjamín Olaizola of Argentina, who won 18 of his games. Nothing like the New Zealander's feat had ever happened in Spanish Scrabble, said Alejandro Terenzani, a contest organizer. "It was impossible to react negatively, you can only be amazed," Terenzani said. "We certainly expected that he would perform well, but it is perhaps true that he surpassed our expectations." Richards has done this before. In 2015, he became the French language Scrabble world champion, despite not speaking French, after studying the word list for nine weeks. He took the French title again in 2018. Recognized in international Scrabble over his three-decade career as the greatest player of all time, Richards' Spanish language victory was notable even by his standards, other players said. While compensating for different tile values in English and Spanish Scrabble, Richards also had to contend with thousands of additional seven, eight and nine letter words in the Spanish language -– which demand a different strategy. Richards in 2008 was the first player ever to hold the world, U.S. and British titles simultaneously, despite having to "forget" 40,000 English words that do not appear in the American Scrabble word list to triumph in the U.S. His victories are legendary in the Scrabble community, and games analyzed in YouTube videos watched by tens of thousands. Scrabble does not require players to know the definitions of words, only what combinations of letters are allowed in a country's version of the game, but native speakers have "a huge leg up," American Scrabble player Will Anderson said in a video summarizing Richards' Spanish win. Richards' mother, Adrienne Fischer, told a New Zealand newspaper in 2010 that he did not excel at English in school, never attended university and took a mathematical approach to the game rather than a linguistic one. "I don't think he's ever read a book, apart from the dictionary," she said. Fagerlund said Richards impressed her when he arrived at his first Scrabble club meeting at age 28. Two years later, in 1997, he cycled 350 kilometers from Christchurch to the city of Dunedin, won the New Zealand title on his first attempt and cycled home again. At the Spanish event he was shy and modest, organizer Terenzani said, but happily posed for photos and spoke with fans who approached him. "Although he did so in English, of course," Terenzani added. What motivates Richards, who now lives in Malaysia, is a mystery. He never speaks to reporters. "I get lots of requests from journalists wanting to interview him and he's not interested," Fagerlund said. "He doesn't understand what all the hoo-ha is about." https://www.voanews.com/a/new-zealander-who-doesn-t-speak-spanish-wins-spanish-world-scrabble-title-/7898420.html https://www.voanews.com/a/new-zealander-who-doesn-t-speak-spanish-wins-spanish-world-scrabble-title-/7898420.html Sat, 14 Dec 2024 02:42:39 -0500 Arts & CultureEast AsiaEuropewebdesk@voanews.com (Associated Press) PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday named centrist ally François Bayrou as prime minister in an effort to address the country's deep political crisis, after a historic parliamentary vote ousted the previous government last week. Bayrou, 73, a crucial partner in Macron’s centrist alliance, has been a well-known figure in French politics for decades. His political experience is seen as key in efforts to restore stability as no single party holds a majority at the National Assembly. Macron’s office said in a statement that Bayrou "has been charged with forming a new government." Former Prime Minister Michel Barnier resigned last week following a no-confidence vote prompted by budget disputes in the National Assembly, leaving France without a functioning government. Macron in an address to the nation vowed to remain in office until his term ends in 2027. Bayrou vows to seek 'needed reconciliation' During the handover ceremony, Bayrou said that "no one knows the difficulty of the situation better" than he does. "I’ve taken reckless risks all along my political life to raise the issue of debt and deficits in the most important elections," he said. France is under pressure from the European Union’s executive body and financial markets to reduce its colossal debt, estimated to reach 6% of its gross domestic product this year. "I know that the risks of difficulties are much greater than the chances of success," Bayrou said, adding that he hopes to lead the country towards a "needed reconciliation." "I think this is the only possible path to success," he said. Bayrou is expected to hold talks with political leaders from various parties in the coming days in order to choose new ministers. Difficult political challenge The task before him is challenging as Macron’s centrist alliance does not have a majority in parliament and Bayrou’s Cabinet will need to rely on moderate lawmakers from both the left and right to be able to stay in power. Some conservatives are expected to be part of the new government. Macron’s strategy aims at preventing far-right leader Marine Le Pen from holding "make or break" power over the government. Le Pen helped oust Barnier by joining her National Rally party’s forces to the left to pass the no-confidence motion last week. Le Pen said on Friday that her party will adopt a wait-and-see approach for now and called on Bayrou to "hear" her voters' demands, including preserving their purchasing power. Bayrou’s appointment comes also in line with Macron’s efforts to build a non-aggression pact with the Socialists so that they wouldn't support any future move to topple the new government. The Socialists said Friday they would not take part in the new Cabinet but did not rule out possible "compromises" regarding policies. They asked Bayrou for a commitment not to use a special constitutional power to pass a law without a vote at parliament. "We expect you to provide the guarantees needed to avoid another no-confidence vote," the party wrote in a letter to Bayrou. Weighty partner Bayrou leads the centrist Democratic Movement, known as MoDem, which he founded in 2007. In 2017, he supported Macron’s first presidential bid and became a weighty partner in the French president’s centrist alliance. At the time, he was appointed justice minister, but he quickly resigned from the government amid an investigation into the MoDem’s alleged embezzlement of European Parliament funds. He this year was cleared in the case by a Paris court, which found eight other party officials guilty and sentenced the party to pay a fine. Bayrou became well known to the French public when he was education minister from 1993-97 in a conservative government. Three-time presidential candidate Bayrou was three times a candidate for president, in 2002, 2007 and 2012, which made him a familiar face in French politics. His name had repeatedly surfaced as a potential prime minister in the past, but he was repeatedly passed over. He is widely considered having helped lay the groundwork for Macron’s rise to power in 2017. Long before the French president upended the country's politics by crushing the traditional right and left, Bayrou tapped into voter frustration with entrenched conservative and Socialist camps. A father of six and a practicing Catholic, Bayrou has played up his rural farming roots in the Pyrenees mountains, showing off his knowledge of tractors and cattle-raising — even while spending most of his time in the corridors of political power in Paris.  https://www.voanews.com/a/president-macron-names-centrist-ally-bayrou-as-france-s-next-prime-minister/7901159.html https://www.voanews.com/a/president-macron-names-centrist-ally-bayrou-as-france-s-next-prime-minister/7901159.html Fri, 13 Dec 2024 22:32:06 -0500 Europewebdesk@voanews.com (Associated Press) PARIS — Credit ratings agency Moody's unexpectedly downgraded France's rating on Friday, adding pressure on the country's new prime minister to corral divided lawmakers into backing his efforts to rein in the strained public finances. The downgrade, which came outside of Moody's regular review schedule for France, brings its rating to "Aa3" from "Aa2" with a stable outlook for future moves and puts it in line with those from rival agencies Standard & Poor's and Fitch. It comes hours after President Emmanuel Macron named on Friday veteran centrist politician and early ally Francois Bayrou as his fourth prime minister this year. His predecessor, Michel Barnier, failed to pass a 2025 budget and was toppled earlier this month by left-wing and far-right lawmakers opposed to his $63 billion (60 billion euro) belt-tightening push that he had hoped would rein in France's spiraling fiscal deficit. The political crisis forced the outgoing government to propose emergency legislation this week to temporarily roll over 2024 spending limits and tax thresholds into next year until a more permanent 2025 budget can be passed. "Looking ahead, there is now very low probability that the next government will sustainably reduce the size of fiscal deficits beyond next year," Moody's said in a statement. "As a result, we forecast that France's public finances will be materially weaker over the next three years compared to our October 2024 baseline scenario," it added. Barnier had intended to cut the budget deficit next year to 5% of economic output from 6.1% this year with a $63 billion (60 billion euro) package of spending cuts and tax hikes. But left-wing and far-right lawmakers were opposed to much of the belt-tightening drive and voted a no confidence measure against Barnier's government, bringing it down. Bayrou, who has long warned about France's weak public finances, said on Friday shortly after taking office that he faced a "Himalaya" of a challenge reining in the deficit. Outgoing Finance Minister Antoine Armand said he took note of Moody's decision, adding there was a will to reduce the deficit as indicated by the nomination of Bayrou. The political crisis put French stocks and debt under pressure, pushing the risk premium on French government bonds at one point to their highest level over 12 years. https://www.voanews.com/a/moody-s-hands-france-surprise-downgrade-over-deteriorating-finances/7901120.html https://www.voanews.com/a/moody-s-hands-france-surprise-downgrade-over-deteriorating-finances/7901120.html Fri, 13 Dec 2024 20:24:27 -0500 EuropeEconomywebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) The arrests in Azerbaijan of several journalists, including staff at the independent Meydan TV, have been condemned by the international community, including U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Azerbaijani authorities have detained Meydan TV's editor-in-chief, Aynur Elgunash, and four of her reporters. Also being held are freelancer Ramin Jabrailzada, who is known as Deko, and Ulvi Tahirov, deputy director of the Baku School of Journalism. All are charged with smuggling foreign currency and have been ordered to be held for four months in pre-trial detention. The journalists denied the charges and said the criminal case is a result of their journalism work. During the arrests, others were briefly detained and later released, according to local reports. Journalist Ahmad Mukhtar was placed in administrative detention on charges of petty hooliganism and disobedience to the police. Blinken in a statement called on Azerbaijani authorities to immediately release the journalists who he said were "arrested for their work on human rights." The media advocacy group Reporters Without Borders, known as RSF, described the arrests as part of a strategy to silence critics of President Ilham Aliyev's administration. VOA reached out to authorities, but the calls went unanswered. Jeanne Cavelier, who heads RSF's Eastern Europe and Central Asia Desk, said the government has resumed its crackdown against journalists in the aftermath of COP29, the annual U.N. climate change conference that Azerbaijan hosted.  The Meydan TV arrests again prove the regime's "willingness to shamelessly target the individuals who dare to keep Azerbaijani citizens informed," Cavelier said in a statement. She added that Azerbaijan has detained 13 other journalists in the past year. RSF "calls on the international community not to turn a blind eye to these grave, systematic violations of fundamental rights," said Cavelier. Meydan TV in a statement described the arrests and questioning of its team as illegal. "Since the day we began our activities, our journalists have been arrested, they and their families have been subjected to harassment, and they have been subjected to various pressures and threats. Journalists who cooperate with us have been illegally banned from leaving the country," the statement said. Bahruz Maharramov, a member of the Azerbaijani parliament, questioned the criticism of the arrests. "If there are real suspicions based on valid, irrefutable evidence, why should any person's profession prevent those suspicions from being investigated?" he said.  "Why should we remain silent about the illegal actions of a mercenary network like Meydan TV, just because they are journalists? Where is the legality, where is the equality?" he told VOA. Regular pressure Meydan TV was founded in 2013 as an impartial and objective media organization. It has regularly faced pressure from the authorities, and in 2017 access to its website was blocked in the country. The network's social media accounts have been hacked multiple times and their contents deleted. Orkhan Mammad, an editor at Meydan TV, said that some of those detained were subjected to violence and that the authorities tried to forcefully extract statements from them. "Ramin Deko had bruises under his eyes. He was left without a lawyer for a long time. When Aynur Elgunash's house was searched, she was pinned against the wall, hit in the kidney region, and her computer was seized," he said. The lawyer for Tahirov, Bahruz Bayramov, told VOA that the assistant director of the Baku School of Journalism has no connection with Meydan TV. "They were just family friends with Aynur Elgunash. A large amount of money was seized during a search at Tahirov's house. However, Tahirov stated that the money belonged to his wife," Bayramov said. The money found was from her salary, the lawyer said. Zibeyda Sadigova, who is representing another of the journalists, Natig Javadli, said that there was no basis for the arrest. "We were not provided with the decision and protocols regarding the search of his home, so we were unable to review them. Natig said that his computers and phones were confiscated, but no money was found in the house,"  Sadigova said. The lawyer said that Javadli has been in journalism for 30 years and that the arrest is related to that work. "They seized his passwords without a court order. He was subjected to psychological pressure," the lawyer told VOA. Lawyers representing the journalists have filed an appeal against the pre-trial detention. Media crackdown More than 20 journalists and media workers have been arrested in Azerbaijan since late 2023 on allegations of smuggling and other crimes. Among those affected are journalists from Abzas Media, known for its corruption investigations, and the independent media outlet Toplum TV. The editor-in-chief of Abzas Media, Sevinj Vagifgizi, was among the Anti-Corruption Champions honored by Blinken on Monday.  "Vagifgizi has devoted more than a decade in exposing government abuses. She's also the one awardee who is not with us this afternoon," Blinken said during a ceremony. He noted that Vagifgizi had returned to Azerbaijan in November 2023, "knowing that she might be arrested on arrival." More than a year later, said Blinken, "she remains in detention." Azerbaijan's government has rejected international criticism of the arrests, calling it an "interference in Azerbaijan's internal affairs and the independence of the judiciary." Officials say that fundamental rights, as well as media freedom, are guaranteed.  Local human rights organizations estimate that there are more than 300 political prisoners in Azerbaijan. The country ranks 164th out of 180 on the RSF's World Press Freedom Index, where 1 reflects the best environment for media. Ulviyya Guliyeva contributed to this report.    https://www.voanews.com/a/blinken-calls-on-azerbaijan-to-release-meydan-tv-journalists-/7900843.html https://www.voanews.com/a/blinken-calls-on-azerbaijan-to-release-meydan-tv-journalists-/7900843.html Fri, 13 Dec 2024 17:32:14 -0500 Press FreedomEast AsiaEuropewebdesk@voanews.com (Aziza Goyushzade) ROME — Italy's government has granted citizenship to Argentinian President Javier Milei on account of his Italian family roots, a source with knowledge of the matter said Friday, confirming earlier media reports. Milei is in Rome to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and to take part in her Brothers of Italy party's annual festival Saturday. The source declined to provide further details. The news on Italian media triggered an angry reaction from some politicians and on social media from people protesting at citizenship being given to Milei when it is hard to obtain for the children of migrants born in Italy. Italy's citizenship laws are based on blood ties, meaning that even distant descendants of an Italian national can obtain an Italian passport. Requirements for foreigners born in Italy or who migrate there, on the other hand, are much tougher. Pro-migrant groups have proposed a referendum to ease them, but Meloni's right-wing coalition is against any relaxation. Riccardo Magi, a lawmaker from the small opposition More Europa party, said granting citizenship to Milei was an act of "intolerable discrimination against so many young people who will only get it after many years." During a previous trip to Italy in February, Milei told a TV interview that he felt "75% Italian" since three of his grandparents had Italian origins, and that he has "an incredible passion for Italian Opera." Libertarian Milei and conservative Meloni have established a close relationship. When they met in Buenos Aires last month, the Argentine leader gave his Italian guest a statuette of himself wielding his trademark chainsaw. https://www.voanews.com/a/argentina-s-milei-receives-italian-citizenship-during-rome-visit-source-says/7900855.html https://www.voanews.com/a/argentina-s-milei-receives-italian-citizenship-during-rome-visit-source-says/7900855.html Fri, 13 Dec 2024 17:30:35 -0500 EuropeAmericasImmigrationwebdesk@voanews.com (Reuters) LONDON — A landmark hearing into nation-states' legal obligations over climate change wrapped up at the United Nations' top court in The Hague on Friday. The outcome could have implications for the fight against climate change — and for the big polluters blamed for emitting most greenhouse gases. The 15 judges at the International Court of Justice have heard evidence from 99 countries and dozens of organizations over the course of the two-week hearing. They are trying to determine the legal obligations of states to tackle climate change and to repair the harm caused. The judges' advisory opinion is expected to be published next year. Emotional testimony The testimony has at times been technical – but also impassioned and emotional. Small island states have argued their existence is at stake and so international human rights laws must apply to climate change. "For young people, the demand for reparations is crucial for justice. We have inherited a planet in decline and face the grim prospect of passing on an even more degraded world to future generations," said Vishal Prasad, campaign director for Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change, which lobbied for the case to be heard. “Equally clear is the demand for immediate cessation. If greenhouse gas emissions are not stopped, we are not just risking our future, we are welcoming its demise,” he said. Polluters Countering that argument were several big polluting nations, including China, India, Britain and the United States. They argued that only climate treaties, such as the 2015 Paris Agreement, confer any legal obligations on nation-states regarding climate change. "An advisory proceeding is not the means to litigate whether individual states or groups of states have violated obligations pertaining to climate change in the past or bear responsibility for reparations, as some participants have suggested," legal adviser to the U.S. State Department, Margaret L. Taylor, told the court on December 4. "It's a suggestion … that some, but not all, states are entitled, as a matter of international law, to reparations simply upon a showing that the climate system has been harmed. We do not see a basis for such a conclusion," Taylor added. Island states The U.N. General Assembly asked the International Court of Justice to issue an advisory ruling after years of lobbying from small island and vulnerable coastal states, which argue that rising sea levels due to global warming pose an existential threat. The judges' opinion will not be legally binding, but analysts say it will carry legal weight and could influence future climate negotiations. Youth climate groups have led the campaign at the U.N., and several attended the hearings in The Hague. Many campaigners were optimistic as the two-week hearing closed Friday. "We came here hoping that at the end of it all, we shall get a favorable advisory opinion,” ," said Kenyan lawyer Brenda Reson Sapuro, who represented the group World's Youth for Climate Justice at the hearing. “And we still stand hopeful because we have told our stories. We have told our stories from our heart. We've spoken of our experiences, and we believe that the law is also on our side.” What happens next? The ICJ's advisory opinion may simply reiterate existing climate deals such as the 2015 Paris Agreement, according to Renatus Otto Franz Derler, a climate law expert and editor-in-chief of the Cambridge International Law Journal. "[Or] a second intermediate outcome would be that states have an obligation to fight climate change. The conduct that they're doing, for example the petrostates, is in breach of general international law, so therefore state responsibility would apply," Derler told VOA. Petrostates are countries that are heavily dependent on the export of oil and natural gas. The judges may instead issue a much more ambitious advisory, "in terms of saying that, yes, states cause climate change, it is a breach of international law, and therefore states are obligated to pay financial compensation and cessation of all these harmful activities," Derler said. He added that such an outcome would likely lead to further legal uncertainties over how and where such compensation claims would be heard. https://www.voanews.com/a/landmark-climate-change-legal-hearing-wraps-up-in-the-hague-/7900693.html https://www.voanews.com/a/landmark-climate-change-legal-hearing-wraps-up-in-the-hague-/7900693.html Fri, 13 Dec 2024 16:30:41 -0500 EuropeClimate Changewebdesk@voanews.com (Henry Ridgwell)