Biden, Scholz to discuss antisemitism concerns during Germany meeting

berlin — U.S. President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will discuss increased reports of antisemitic acts in both countries over the last year as war has raged in the Middle East when they meet Friday in Berlin, a Biden administration official told reporters on the eve of Biden’s state visit to Germany.

“This is an area where the United States and Germany have worked very closely,” said the official, who was not named as a condition of the Wednesday night briefing.

The official added that while Biden is unlikely to hold a specific event centered on antisemitism during his one-day visit, the issue is “very important to President Biden, and one that he has, that we have, discussed with the German government over the years and continue to do so.”

The official did not give any more details on engagements or plans.

Watchdogs have sounded the alarm in both countries: According to a German government report, antisemitic incidents rose by about 83% last year. In the United States, the Anti-Defamation League has said that U.S. antisemitic incidents “skyrocketed” in the months after Hamas militants attacked Israel last October.

Biden has clearly tied the recent rise in anti-Jewish acts to a growing backlash over his staunch support of Israel.

In May, he spoke at the first Holocaust Remembrance Day since the start of the war on October 7, 2023. He warned of a “ferocious” rise in antisemitic incidents and said that, at the height of university protests, “Jewish students [were] blocked, harassed, attacked, while walking to class.”

He said protesters used “antisemitic posters, slogans calling for the annihilation of Israel, the world’s only Jewish state.”

Earlier this month, he spoke of his belief that “without an Israel, every Jew in the world’s security is less stable.”

He added, “It doesn’t mean that Jewish leadership doesn’t have to be more progressive than it is, but it does mean it has to exist, and that’s what worries me most about what’s going on now.”

Germany’s World War II history makes it particularly sensitive to this type of hatred, but critics say it has taken steps that stifle legitimate criticism.

In November, weeks into the Gaza conflict, a German museum canceled a show by a South African artist after she expressed support for the Palestinian cause. Candice Breitz, the artist, who is Jewish, called the act another example of “Germany’s increasingly entrenched habit of weaponizing false charges of antisemitism against intellectuals and cultural workers of various descriptions.”

In March, police canceled a conference of pro-Palestinian activists because a planned speaker had previously made antisemitic remarks. They blocked him from entering Germany and cut power to the Berlin building where conference participants had gathered to watch him on a livestream.

On the first anniversary of the war, Scholz warned against growing anti-Jewish sentiment and affirmed his support for Israel.

“We will never accept antisemitism and blind hatred of Israel. The Jewish people here in Germany have the full solidarity of our state,” he said.

A difficult definition

Key to managing antisemitism is the question of whether criticism of Israel is, by definition, antisemitic.

The Federal Association of Research and Information Centers for Antisemitism, Germany’s antisemitism watchdog, uses a working definition from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, describing antisemitism as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.” Although its definition of antisemitism does not mention Israel, many of its cited examples of antisemitism do.

The U.S. State Department also uses that definition, but when the White House produced its first strategy on antisemitism last year, before the start of the Gaza war, the strategy was not based solely on that definition.

One Jewish rights group that worked with the White House on the strategy said the decision to codify the definition of antisemitism “would only have made it harder to recognize and respond to antisemitic attacks in context” and “would have opened the door to infringement of First Amendment rights.”

That group, T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, also opposed a proposed bill in Congress using the group’s definition, with CEO Rabbi Jill Jacobs saying in a statement: “The profoundly misguided Antisemitism Awareness Act does nothing to keep Jews safe, while also threatening the civil liberties fundamental to this country.”

Second gentleman Douglas Emhoff, who led the rollout of the White House strategy, said it is more important to look at what antisemitism does than what it is.

“At its core, antisemitism divides us, erodes our trust in government, institutions and one another,” he said. “It threatens our democracy while undermining our American values of freedom, community and decency. Antisemitism delivers simplistic, false and dangerous narratives that have led to extremists perpetrating deadly violence against Jews.”

History professor Jonathan Elukin of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, said the definition of antisemitism has shifted over the centuries. He focuses on antisemitism in the medieval and early modern periods — before Israel was founded.

This iteration of antisemitism in the U.S., he told VOA, is “more associated with a kind of larger sense of an anti-Western, anti-modern kind of feeling, both on the far right and on the far left. They both seem to be converging in some ways on resentment, hatred, suspicion, anxiety about the Jews.”

As for the sentiment on the far right, he said, “I think it’s more a kind of tribal nostalgic sense that America is supposed to be or was thought to be kind of a Christian nation.”

He said the debate over definitions obscures a problem.

“Does it even matter whether it fits some kind of arbitrary notion of antisemitism, which in itself is a very arbitrary and time-bound definition?” he asked.

But, he said, talking about the problem is a start.

“In the short term, obviously it requires education, activism, political leadership to draw the line at acceptable or what’s not acceptable expressions of anti-Jewish sentiment,” he said. “Both here and abroad.”

Kim Lewis contributed to this report.

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Panel urges Secret Service overhaul in response to Trump shooting 

An independent panel formed to investigate the performance of the Secret Service after an assassination attempt in July against former President Donald Trump has called for extensive changes to the agency, including the installation of new leadership from the outside.

In a report issued Thursday morning, the panel praised the bravery of the individual agents who work to protect political figures in the United States. However, it blasted their leaders for creating an internal culture that has become “bureaucratic, complacent and static,” with the result that “the Secret Service does not perform at the elite levels needed to discharge its critical mission.”

Without “fundamental reform,” the panel warned, other attacks on the agency’s protectees “can and will happen again.”

In a statement, Secret Service Acting Director Ronald L. Rowe Jr. said, “We respect the work of the Independent Review Panel and will carefully examine the report and recommendations released today.”

He added that the agency has started making changes as a result of the attempted assassination.

“We have already significantly improved our readiness, operational and organizational communications and implemented enhanced protective operations for the former president and other protectees,” Rowe said.

Failure in Pennsylvania

President Joe Biden established the panel after a July 13 episode in Butler, Pennsylvania, in which a young man with a rifle was able to get within a few hundred meters of Trump while he was delivering a campaign speech. The would-be assassin fired several shots; Trump’s right ear was struck, but he was not seriously wounded. One bystander was killed, and two others were seriously wounded, before a Secret Service countersniper team killed the gunman.

In the aftermath of the incident, it became clear that there had been multiple failures leading up to the assassination attempt. The gunman was identified as a potential danger in advance of the shooting but was not prevented from accessing the roof of a building with a clear line of sight to the stage where Trump was speaking.

In the minutes leading up to the shooting, law enforcement officials in the crowd were made aware of the shooter’s presence, but because of poor coordination of communications, the information was not relayed to the members of Trump’s protective detail near the stage.

Panel’s recommendations

The panel’s findings include calls for specific changes to the way the Secret Service handles large events such as the Trump rally in Butler.

While the Secret Service has primary responsibility for the security of such events, it relies on other law enforcement agencies, including state and local police, for assistance. The report calls for having a unified command post at events like the Butler rally that would allow better communication among various agencies.

The report also calls for creating specific plans for dealing with all locations within 914 meters (1,000 yards) of an event that offer line-of-sight vision of the protectee, overhead surveillance of all outdoor events, improved communication systems and other changes.

Leadership change

In the wake of the Butler shooting, Kimberly Cheatle resigned as Secret Service director and was temporarily replaced by Rowe. However, the report issued Thursday calls for a much more extensive shakeup of the agency’s higher echelons.

Citing “an urgent need for fresh thinking informed by external experience and perspective,” the panel recommended that a new director, drawn from outside the Secret Service, be put in place and “be allowed to bring in the leadership team he or she thinks most fit.”

The new leadership would be charged with addressing multiple problems identified by the investigation, including “a troubling lack of critical thinking” within the agency and “corrosive cultural attitudes regarding resourcing and ‘doing more with less.’ ”

The report also urged a refocusing of the agency on its protective duties, to the point of potentially “shedding certain peripheral responsibilities,” including complex investigations into financial fraud and counterfeiting.

‘More with less’

Ronald Kessler, an author and journalist who has written two books about the Secret Service, told VOA that the panel correctly identified a number of problems with the agency. In particular, he cited the “do more with less” ethos, which he said has been present in the agency since it was folded into the Department of Homeland Security more than 20 years ago.

Kessler said it has become a point of pride in the agency that it operates on a shoestring rather than demanding more funding and resources.

“It’s a recipe for mediocrity and just the opposite of what anybody would want in any organization,” he said.

Within the agency, Kessler said, “the way to be promoted has been, ‘You don’t make waves, you don’t ask for more money, you don’t point out problems, you don’t expose the fact that the technical systems that are just basic don’t work.’ ”

Kessler praised the decision to seek outside leadership.

“In any organization, when it’s failing, you bring in outside people, whether it’s a private company or a government agency, and the people do respond,” he said.

Doubts about outside leadership

Paul Eckloff, a 23-year veteran of the agency who served as the assistant special agent in charge of the protection details of Presidents Barack Obama and Trump, said he doubted the wisdom of seeking outside leadership for an agency as unique as the Secret Service.

“The report is indicative of some fundamental misunderstandings of how the Secret Service operates, and these misunderstandings would be shared by any outside leader,” he told VOA.

“It would exacerbate problems within the rank and file, who believe that they are not well represented,” Eckloff said. “If the complaint about Secret Service leadership was that they were detached from the operators on the ground — [a job] they ostensibly have done before — imagine a leader who never held a post. How detached would they be?”

Eckloff also warned that requiring the agency to focus exclusively on its protective mission would be counterproductive. Serving on a protective detail is extremely intense work, he said, with agents often working weeks at a time without a day off.

For that reason, the agency tries to limit the time agents are assigned directly to a protective detail to periods of five to eight years, after which they rotate off and move into investigative work.

This leaves the agency with a deep pool of experienced agents who can be called upon to assist in protective details at times when the agency needs to surge its capacity, which occurs at least every four years during presidential elections.

The panel reviewed the attack from early August through early October. Members were Mark Filip, a former federal judge and former deputy attorney general; David Mitchell, a former superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Janet Napolitano, former secretary of homeland security; and Frances Townsend, a former homeland security adviser to President George W. Bush.

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Turkey’s ruling party uses misinformation to downplay scope of femicide

The government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is facing mounting criticism over the rise of gender-based violence in Turkey, which ranks among the world’s worst countries for violence against women. 

Just last week in Istanbul, a 19-year-old Turkish man killed two young women — first, his 19-year-old girlfriend at his home, and then a woman, also 19, whom he met in the city. He beheaded the second victim and threw her head over a wall onto a crowded street before taking his own life. 

Critics contend that the traditional values-based policies of Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) are contributing to a growing number of femicides — the killing of women — and Turkey’s entrenched domestic violence problem.  

“We Will Stop Femicide Platform,” a Turkish advocacy group known by the initials KCDP, reported 3,185 women were killed by men between 2008 and 2019, and at least 1,499 from 2020 to September 2024, with the number of femicides rising each year. The deaths of about 1,030 women were also found suspicious.  

More than 1.4 million women reported they had faced domestic abuse between January 2013 and July 2024, the Turkish Minute news site reported, citing data received from the Family and Social Services Ministry by the daily newspaper Birgün. 

Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of Istanbul and other cities in Turkey last week accusing Erdogan of failing to protect women from violence. 

In the facing of such accusations, Erdogan vowed last week to strengthen legal regulations concerning crimes against women and children and promised to set up a new unit at the Justice Ministry to monitor such cases.  

However, the Bursa Women’s Platform, which organized sit-in protests in Turkey’s Bursa province, accused Turkish authorities of acting only on “social media reactions rather than the testimonies of those subjected to violence.” 

Human Rights Foundation, a New York-headquartered international watchdog, accused the Erdogan government this week of failing to “adequately prevent femicide and violence against women, children, and gender minorities.” 

The Turkish government exercises “increasing control over social media platforms” posing “serious threats to freedom of expression,” the HRF said Thursday in a letter to the United Nations Human Rights Council. 

Independent research published this year in Frontiers in Psychology argued that the Turkish government’s tightening grip over what people can see in the media and the ruling party’s gender policies based on the stereotypes of women’s societal role and appearances contribute to the stigmatization of feminism and dehumanization of women. 

Erdogan’s own words have been cited as contributing to the problem. In widely quoted remarks made in 2014, he said it is “against nature” to “put men and women on equal footing,” and argued that feminists do not understand the importance of motherhood.  

“President Erdogan and the AKP have increasingly taken an explicitly anti-feminist stance, in particular over the last decade. Consequently, anti-feminism in Turkey has taken on a top-down outlook,” said a recent article in the peer-reviewed academic journal Mediterranean Politics. 

The article said an “environment created by the AKP” had empowered anti-feminist actors in Turkey to push back against legal reforms advocating for gender equality and women’s rights. 

The paper uncovered an AKP-linked Turkish network of social media accounts including conservative civil society organizations, media representatives, social media influencers, writers and academics, celebrities” who articulate and amplify anti-feminist sentences, while exerting “significant influence in political sphere.”  

VoxEU, a forum for columns by leading economists, published a study in March finding that victim-blaming is common in Turkish society, along with an attitude that a woman should not provoke her husband. 

Hardliners from Erdogan’s party have argued that a man’s testimony should be given more weight than a woman’s in domestic violence cases.  

Turkish judges hand down lenient sentences to domestic abusers, or otherwise impose minimal sanctions against abusers who violate civil protection orders. Law enforcement, the analysts and activists say, is often slow to react to instances when these civil protection orders are violated.  

KCDP and others have documented instances when women were killed by men against whom they had taken out restraining orders. Women are particularly prone to facing violence at home, and the perpetrators are overwhelmingly spouses, men they are romantically involved with, family members, or other acquaintances.  

In July 2021, Turkey withdrew from The Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, also known as the Istanbul Convention. Turkey was the first country to sign the Istanbul Convention in May 2011.  

Turkish authorities claimed to be acting because the Istanbul Convention had been “hijacked by a group of people attempting to normalize homosexuality,” which it said, “is incompatible with” the country’s “social and family values.” 

On October 8, Erdogan said Turkey’s “withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention has not had the slightest negative impact on women’s rights,” adding “there is no opposition party that can teach us a lesson on women’s rights” or “help us strengthen women’s status.” 

Republican People’s Party leader Ozgur Ozel disagreed. 

“This government has not only failed to protect women and children but is also stepping back from positive actions. The clearest example is the sudden withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention in 2021,” Turkiye Today cited Ozel as saying on October 8. 

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Russian meddling threatens Moldovan election, EU referendum 

Moldovan analysts are warning of a Russian “large-scale hybrid war” against their country as it moves toward a presidential election on Sunday, when a referendum on future relations with the European Union will also be held.

Moldova’s incumbent president, Maia Sandu, supports the country’s integration with Europe and enjoys a comfortable lead in opinion polls over her 11 challengers. Sunday’s referendum will ask Moldovan voters whether they support declaring the country’s EU accession as a strategic goal in its constitution.

In an interview with Voice of America’s Russian Service, Victor Zhuk, director of Moldovan State University’s Institute of Legal, Political and Sociological Research, said that Russia believes now is the time to direct all its efforts to preventing Moldova from taking the “European path.”

“There will be a referendum and presidential elections now, and parliamentary elections in 2025, so Russia believes that it is necessary to conduct a large-scale hybrid war against our country,” he said.

According to Zhuk, three of the candidates running against Sandu are “pro-Russian politicians.” He added that while a fourth candidate, former prosecutor and lawmaker Alexandr Stoianoglo, “personally advocates the European path of Moldova,” he was nominated by the Party of Socialists, led by former Moldovan President Igor Dodon, “who also opposes the referendum and the European path.”

“So, the Russian Federation has the ability to torpedo public consciousness in the republic from the outside with various fake news, and there are political parties inside that destabilize the situation and oppose Moldova’s accession to the EU,” Zhuk said.

Alleged attempts at bribery

Sergiu Musteata, a Moldovan historian and dean of the history and geography faculty of Moldova’s Ion Creanga State Pedagogical University, contended that Russia has attempted to “bribe” Moldovan voters to cast their ballots in a way that serves Russia’s interests. He alleged that this attempted bribery involved people connected to Ilan Shor, a fugitive pro-Russian Moldovan oligarch.

“Various people from Ilan Shor’s entourage and even priests were invited to Moscow for instructions, from where they returned with money,” Musteata told VOA. “Now the special services and police of the Republic of Moldova have spoken out on this matter and stated that more than $100 million has been invested in this election campaign against Maia Sandu and against the referendum.”

Earlier this year, Shor reportedly obtained Russian citizenship and identity documents after being sentenced in June 2023 to 15 years in prison for alleged involvement in a $1 billion bank fraud and other illicit schemes. That same month, Moldova’s Constitutional Court declared Shor’s pro-Moscow opposition party unconstitutional.

Shor has been sanctioned by the U.S. and EU for attempts to destabilize Moldova.

According to Musteata, Russia is supporting candidates in Moldova who oppose Sandu while at the same time “calling for a boycott of the referendum, which is very important for the future pro-European vector of the country.” More than 33% of eligible voters must participate for the referendum to be considered valid.

‘Inevitable’ move

Sandu has consistently condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — a position that, according to Zhuk, is shared by a majority of Moldova’s voters.

“Of course, they always think that in the event of Ukraine’s defeat, Russia’s aggression against the Republic of Moldova is practically inevitable,” he said.

On Tuesday, White House national security communications adviser John Kirby told reporters in Washington:

“In recent months, the U.S. government, Moldovan President Sandu, the Moldovan security services, and other allies and partners have warned that Russia is seeking to undermine Moldovan democratic institutions in the lead-up to the presidential election and referendum on Moldova’s EU membership.

“Now, with Moldova’s election just days away, we remain confident in our earlier assessment that Russia is working actively to undermine Moldova’s election and its European integration.”

Kirby said Russia in recent months has put millions of dollars “toward financing its preferred parties and spreading disinformation on social media in favor of their campaigns.” He added that Shor “has invested tens of millions of dollars per month into nonprofit organizations that spread narratives about the election that are in line with Russian interests.”

Kirby concluded by saying that “the United States will continue to support Moldova and the Moldovan people, and to expose and counter Russian efforts to undermine Moldovan democracy.”

This article originated in VOA’s Russian Service.

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Georgian groups defy ‘foreign agent’ law, team up to monitor crucial election

TBILISI, GEORGIA — An uneasy calm has descended on the streets of Tbilisi ahead of a crucial election on October 26, widely seen as a referendum on Georgia’s future.

Beneath the surface, there is palpable tension.

Campaign billboards, most for the ruling Georgian Dream Party, vie for voters’ attention with countless European Union, NATO and Ukrainian flags hanging from windows and graffitied on the city’s red brick buildings alongside anti-Russian slogans.

Six months ago, tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Tbilisi to protest the reintroduction of a so-called “foreign agent” law, which compels any organization receiving more than 20% of its funding from overseas to register with the government and submit to detailed financial investigation.

A brutal crackdown on the demonstrations prompted Western powers to impose sanctions on some Georgian officials.

Critics say the law mimics Russian legislation used to silence political opponents and independent media. The Georgian government insists the law is necessary to show who is funding political organizations.

Defiance

The foreign agent law came into force in September. However, most foreign-funded civil society groups have refused to comply. Dozens of the organizations are now working together to act as election monitors amid fears that Georgian Dream may not easily give up power, even if they lose the election.

Among the chief targets of the foreign agent law is Eka Gigauri, head of the anti-corruption group Transparency International. Alongside other prominent civil society leaders, she appears on government propaganda posters, accused of selling out Georgia and getting rich on foreign money. Their faces are marked with red crosses.

“This is a matter of dignity,” Gigauri told VOA. “We are not spies. We are not undermining the interests of the country. We are the patriots of this country, and we served this country and the people of this country for many years.”

Transparency International has refused to register as a foreign agent, risking prosecution and heavy fines for the organization and its staff.

“We are using all the legal tools, everything, to fight, to resist, not to comply, to inform the citizens about the wrongdoings of the government,” she said. “Still, we see that at any time, the government can enforce this law.

“And now especially, when there is this preelection period and the majority of the NGOs are involved in observing the elections, definitely it will be [an] additional obstacle for us if it happens. However, it did not happen yet.”

Transparency International said most foreign-funded civil society organizations have refused to comply with the new law, with only 41 organizations having so far registered as foreign agents.

Free media

Tabula Media, an independent multimedia organization, is one of several groups seeking to circumvent the legislation.

“We had to reestablish the organization in an EU country — Estonia — which deeply complicates financial operations,” Tabula editor-in-chief Levan Sutidze told VOA.

“We are familiar with this path and where it leads. It leads to Russia, to the complete silencing of critical voices, to the annihilation of independent media outlets and NGOs, and it will have catastrophic consequences in the future,” Sutidze said. “Even if the situation worsens, we will not submit to this insult.”

The investigative organization Realpolitika has also registered its headquarters in Tallinn, Estonia, in a bid to avoid prosecution under the foreign agent law.

“For now, this law does not apply to us. However, this could change after the election,” said editor-in-chief Aka Zarqua.

“Pressure from the international community and the backlash within Georgian society have both contributed to the government not fully enforcing this legislation before the election, and we can see their partial retreat,” Zarqua said. “It’s clear that October 26 will be decisive in this regard.”

Backlash

For some civil society groups, navigating the foreign agent law has been a traumatic process.

The pro-democracy organization Shame was founded in 2019 after the ruling Georgian Dream Party allowed a visiting Russian prime minister to address lawmakers from the speaker’s chair in the Georgian parliament, prompting widespread outrage.

In August, the organization decided to comply with the foreign agent law and register with the government “because we believed there was no other way to save the organization and continue its work if Georgian Dream somehow managed to win the election and the law remained enforced,” according to Dachi Imedadze, Shame’s head of strategy.

The organization, however, reversed its decision after a bitter public backlash.

“It escalated into conspiracy theories and personal attacks, with people calling us traitors,” Imedadze said.

Shame is now campaigning to get young people to vote.

“One-third of young people, aged 18 to 25, do not participate in elections. This represents approximately 250,000 potential voters,” Imedadze told VOA. “Our main target audience is this group, many of whom will be voting for the first time in this election.”

‘Russian swamp’

Nino Lomjaria, a former public defender of Georgia, now heads Georgia’s European Orbit, a civil society group partly funded by the U.S.-based Soros Foundation.

Lomjaria and her team have traveled across the country urging people to turn out and vote. Their election leaflets mimic the election ballot but offer only two choices.

“It says: ‘Are you choosing European well-being or the Russian swamp?’” she said.

Georgian Dream insists it is not pro-Russian and wants to join the EU. Party leaders say they are seeking to improve relations with Moscow to avoid further conflict, accusing critics and rivals of being part of a “global war party” that is seeking to profit from war with Russia.

Lomjaria scoffs at that accusation.

“We know who starts wars. We know that the ‘global war party’ is Russia. It’s not the West. And for us, the European Union is the safe place. That’s why we want to join this community, because we consider that being the member of the European Union, being the member of NATO, this is something where we will find peace and stability,” she told VOA.

Election monitors

Georgia’s European Orbit has joined a coalition of nongovernmental organizations that are planning to monitor the election, “which is composed of up to 30 organizations,” Lomjaria said.

“And our plan is to be present at every polling station to observe the whole process of voting and vote tabulation. We will have evidence of how elections have been conducted in this country, and we will litigate if we find out that there was some manipulation or electoral fraud,” she said.

Gigauri of Transparency International doubts Georgia’s judicial system is robust enough to cope with such a crisis.

“The state institutions in Georgia are captured. This is a very unfortunate fact and the reality. Definitely it’s very difficult for everyone to operate. But we also see that more and more, it is very difficult for those institutions to deal with the resistance from the people,” Gigauri told VOA.

The government insists it will respect the election result.

“Georgian Dream is based on democratic principles, and therefore it will respect every decision made by the Georgian people. We will accept the people’s decision, whatever it may be,” Nikoloz Samkharadze, chairman of the parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee, told VOA in an interview.

“At the same time, I want to emphasize that we are confident the vast majority of Georgians will support Georgian Dream.”

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China hosts World Media Summit in Xinjiang amid human rights concerns

washington — China hosted its sixth World Media Summit this week in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, in northwestern China. Organizers say more than 500 participants from 208 leading media organizations participated in the event, which was cohosted by state-run Xinhua News Agency and the Xinjiang regional government. 

The three-day summit, which ended on Thursday, focused on “Artificial Intelligence and Media Transformation.” 

Chinese media highlighted the potential benefits of global AI collaboration, but the choice of Xinjiang as the event’s venue was criticized by activists concerned about China’s alleged human rights abuses in the region. 

Adrian Zenz, director of China studies at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, told VOA he believes organizers chose Urumqi to draw attention away from human rights concerns in Xinjiang. 

“This event appears to be designed to normalize the situation in Xinjiang, making Xinjiang a location for discussing modern technology and developments,” Zenz said in an emailed response.  

“As Erkin Tuniyaz [chairman of the region] told the media at the event, ‘Xinjiang is open for business.’ This points to the current strategy of Xinjiang’s [Chinese Communist] party secretary Ma Xingrui to focus on economic development and technological modernization,” Zenz told VOA.  

Zenz said that this is “an integral part of Xinjiang’s strategy to present itself as a modern, developed and safe region — showcasing the alleged success of China’s ‘deradicalization’ measures.'” 

In Xinjiang, China faces numerous allegations of human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim minorities, including mass detentions and forced labor. Since 2017, more than 1 million people have reportedly been detained in internment camps, with human rights groups estimating that more than half a million have been sentenced through unfair trials.  

The U.S. has labeled these actions as genocide, imposing sanctions on Chinese officials and companies. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, enacted in 2022, bans products from Xinjiang unless proven free of forced labor. 

China denies these claims, asserting that the camps serve as vocational training centers to combat extremism. However, satellite imagery, survivor testimonies and leaked documents contradict these assertions, resulting in widespread global condemnation. 

Summit reactions 

Originally launched in 2009, the World Media Summit was initiated by the Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency, with participation from leading international media organizations such as The Associated Press, Reuters and Russia’s TASS, according to Xinhua. 

Some attendees at this year’s session dismissed allegations of human rights violations in Xinjiang as “fake news,” according to a Xinhua report.  

“Actually, what I found during my visit to Xinjiang was amazing. Because in the media, we hear about fake news about Xinjiang. But when we came to the field and we see the development of Xinjiang, it’s amazing,” Waref Komaiha, president of the Silk Road Institute for Studies and Research, told Xinhua. 

Representatives from global media organizations, including Reuters, participated in the summit. 

Ling-Sze Gan, Reuters head of media sales for the Asia Pacific, said at the summit’s opening, “We are particularly excited about the potential of generative AI … augmenting our journalists with machines to supercharge their ability to do their jobs.” 

Uyghur activists voice concerns 

Uyghur activists condemned the summit, calling it an endorsement of China’s policies in Xinjiang. 

Mamtimin Ala, president of the Washington-based East Turkistan Government in Exile, or ETGE, which seeks the independence of Xinjiang from China, criticized the involvement of major media organizations. 

“It is disheartening that these esteemed media organizations have chosen to partake in a Chinese propaganda event. Their presence provides unwarranted legitimacy to China’s colonial and genocidal policies in East Turkistan,” he said in a statement posted on the organization’s website. 

Uyghur activists refer to the region of Xinjiang as East Turkistan, a name tied to the area’s historical and political background. Xinjiang, which means “new frontier” in Chinese, is the official name used by the Chinese government. 

Similarly, ETGE’s foreign affairs chief Salih Hudayar voiced concern that the summit could further China’s global propaganda efforts. 

“We fear that events like this summit, coupled with China’s geopolitical influence, will lead to an even more extensive campaign of media manipulation and propaganda aimed at transforming global perceptions of its atrocities in East Turkistan,” Hudayar told VOA. 

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Suicide bomber kills 7 in Somali capital

washington — Police in Somalia say a suicide bomber killed at least seven people Thursday when he detonated an explosives-laden vest in front of a crowded restaurant in the capital, Mogadishu.

Somali police said the attack occurred around 3:30 p.m. local time, stating that the suicide blast occurred in front of a restaurant near the city’s main police facility.

“The attack carried out by a suicide bomber targeted a resting shade in front of a café near the School Polizia Facility, killing at least seven people and six others were injured,” said a statement from the police. It said the casualties included police officials and civilians.

Witnesses said among those killed was a famous Somali comedian, Sugal Abdulle, and a police officer in charge of the security of Turkish-built Yardim Eli specialist hospital in Mogadishu.

“The suicide bomber blew himself in the middle of civilians and members of the police officers, staying under trees in front of the restaurant,” Osman Nur Aden, a witness told VOA Somali.

The location of the attack is also near the city’s heavily secured international airport that is home to some foreign embassies, and U.N. and African Union bases.

The attack also came during a visit to the city by the United Nations Under-Secretary-General Rosemary A. DiCarlo.

The Somali National News Agency, SONNA, reported that Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met with DiCarlo Thursday at the presidential palace.

“The meeting focused on further strengthening the longstanding partnership between Somalia and the United Nations, while exploring ways to accelerate UN efforts in support of Somalia’s priorities,” a government statement said.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the bombing, but the police said it “has the hallmarks of al-Shabab” even without a formal claim.

The Islamist militant group has launched assaults and suicide bombings against dozens of public gathering spots in Mogadishu over the past 15 years.

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Nigeria to review gasoline transport safety protocols after deadly blast

Abuja, Nigeria — Authorities in Nigeria have announced plans to review safety protocols for the transportation of gasoline after a deadly tanker accident and explosion in Jigawa state killed more than 140 people Wednesday.

President Bola Tinubu said the review will be “swift and comprehensive,” but some observers are skeptical that safety standards will improve.

The tanker crashed in the village of Majiya and a short time later burst into flames, killing and injuring many who had gathered around the wreckage to scoop up spilled fuel.  

Tinubu said a review of transport protocols for gasoline will be carried out in partnership with various state authorities and that offenders of the new regulations will be punished. 

It is not clear what the new regulations will be. 

The president also sent top government officials including his defense and transportation ministers, along with food aid and medical supplies, to the site of Wednesday’s crash. 

Economic analyst Eze Onyekpere said he doesn’t expect any new measures from authorities. 

“It is a very unfortunate situation and position because the leadership of the country has not been proactive about planning for transporting of whether it’s crude oil or refined petroleum,” Onyekpere said. “The government is not known to think through issues, they just latch on when there’s a public outburst.” 

The accident in Jigawa comes barely one month after another tanker exploded after it collided with a truck in Niger state, killing 48 people. 

Tinubu has ordered the Federal Road Safety Corps, or FRSC, to strengthen enforcement of already existing road transport protocols, including regulations on night travels and official patrols. 

Energy expert Chukudi Victor Odoeme said the new measures are welcome, but is skeptical about compliance. 

“The federal government thinking at this point that it’s the time to put policies in place is a good one, but the only snag I see in this is compliance,” he said. “It has to do with enforcement, it’s not actually about the laws. Load limits have always been there, but it has never been enforced. They have to do a lot of enforcement, I don’t think it’s in creating new policies.” 

Nigeria’s 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) of oil pipelines are often prone to vandalism, and petrol suppliers mostly rely on tankers to transport fuel around the country. But due to poorly maintained roads and disregard for existing road measures, tanker accidents are common. 

Onyekpere said the government needs to repair and protect the pipelines. 

“If those pipelines were secured and maintained, that would have been the cheapest and easiest way of transporting these things in such a manner that would not expose Nigerians to a lot of risk,” Onyekpere said. 

In 2020, more than 500 people died from about 1,500 tanker accidents, according to the FRSC.

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US sanctions Chinese entities for building, shipping Russian Garpiya drones used in Ukraine

washington — The United States on Thursday announced fresh sanctions targeting Chinese and Russian entities for their role in designing, building and shipping attack drones that have resulted in mass casualties in Ukraine.

The sanctions target two Chinese entities, Xiamen Limbach Aircraft Engine Co., Ltd., and Redlepus Vector Industry Shenzhen Co Ltd (Redlepus), Russian entity TSK Vektor and TSK Vektor’s General Director Artem Mikhailovich Yamshchikov.

A senior administration official told reporters Thursday that the entities were involved in developing the Russian Garpiya series long-range attack drones, producing them in China and shipping them directly to Russia.

“The Garpiya, designed and produced in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in collaboration with Russian defense firms, has been used to destroy critical infrastructure and has resulted in mass casualties,” the U.S. State Department said in a statement.

“Today’s action is part of our continued effort to disrupt attempts by PRC-based and Russia-based entities and individuals to support Russia’s acquisition of advanced weapons technology and components. We will continue to impose costs on those who provide support to Russia’s military-industrial base.”

The senior administration official said the U.S. has warned Beijing in the past about the network, contradicting Chinese statements that they are not aware of such networks.

Two Chinese firms are directly “involved in producing and shipping things that are unmistakably part of Russia’s war against Ukraine and are going unmistakably to an actor that the West has already identified and sanctioned as being part of the Russian military industrial base,” said the official.

Since 2022, the U.S. has sanctioned close to 100 entities based in China and Hong Kong. The majority of them are part of the supply chain of dual-use items – components or goods that can be converted by Russia into military items that are then being deployed against Ukraine.

However, Thursday’s sanctions were the first to hit Chinese entities “directly developing and producing complete weapons systems in partnership with Russian firms.”

Also Thursday, the U.K. announced its largest package of sanctions against Russia’s “shadow fleet of oil tankers” – ships that supposedly knowingly operate in defiance of Western sanctions.

London said 18 more shadow fleet ships will be barred from U.K. ports, bringing the total number of oil tankers sanctioned to 43.

Sanctions working

In response to VOA’s question, the official said that Western sanctions are working.

“This is having a direct impact on their economy. It’s having a direct impact on their ability to get war material. It’s having a direct impact on the quality of goods that they are achieving,” the official said.

A second senior administration official said Moscow is feeling “unprecedented external pressure” on its trade and investment projects with China. Growing trade ties between the two countries, though, indicate “they are continuing to innovate and circumvent which is why we are also moving out on sanctions and other tools.”

China says it is not providing weapons for Russia. Beijing maintains it handles its export of dual-use items in accordance with laws and applies strict controls on drone exports.

The sanctioned companies’ transactions are “incompatible” with Beijing’s statements, the second official said. “If China is serious about that commitment, we are asking them to take action to shut down this network.”

Beijing has said in the past it “firmly opposes unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction that have no basis in international law or authorization of the U.N. Security Council.”

Every month, Beijing exports to Russia more than $300 million of those so-called dual-use items that have both commercial and military applications, according to an analysis of Chinese customs data by the Carnegie Endowment think tank.

Ties have grown between Moscow and Beijing. On Wednesday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced plans for expanded cooperation during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, or SCO, summit in Islamabad, Pakistan. The SCO was founded by Russia and China in 2001 to counter Western alliances.

VOA’s Paris Huang and Henry Ridgwell contributed to this story.

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Business, communication nosedive as Chad internet blackout enters 3rd day

Yaounde, Cameroon — Civilians in Chad say many businesses are at a standstill since an internet outage that began Tuesday morning. 

Kaimoui Fabrice, a student in the University of N’djamena, said he has not been able to carry out online research or talk with his supervisor at the University of Lyon in France since the outage began.  

He spoke to VOA on Thursday via telephone from Chad’s capital, saying he is surprised by the government’s indifference and failure to find a solution in the days since October 15 when civilians started complaining. He added that the internet outage has paralyzed businesses in Chad. 

Kaimoui said students are angry because the internet blackout deprives them of their right to education and deprives civilians of their rights to freedom of information and expression. 

Allamaye Halina, Chad’s prime minister, said he is surprised that some civilians think the blackout was ordered by the government for security reasons. He denied those allegations, adding that many government offices have also been unable to render services to users because of the outage.

He said Chad’s government regrets that the shutdown has led to a nosedive in business transactions, and has negatively impacted the lives of civilians. 

Halina told state TV on Thursday that Chad’s government has ordered the country’s minister of communication to meet with SAFITEL and SOTEL, the companies that manage Chad’s fiber-optic networks, to make sure connection is reestablished as soon as possible. 

Boukar Michel, Chad’s minister of communication and digital economy, said government officials in neighboring Cameroon, which connects Chad to the internet, have informed him that emergency repairs are ongoing on broken fiber-optic cables around Adamawa, an administrative unit in Cameroon that shares a boundary with Chad. He said the repair work has yet to be completed because floods have made access to the area difficult. 

Boukar said he is unhappy with internet suppliers for not informing users through text messages and radio announcements that the interruption was caused by broken cables, not ordered by the government as many civilians believe. 

Cameroon said its technicians are deployed to repair the cables, but has not said when connections will be reestablished. 

In the meantime, many Chadians said they believe the internet blackout is due to political tensions ahead of the December 29 local and parliamentary elections.  

Last week, Succes Masra, president of the Transformers, Chad’s main opposition party, called for elections to be pushed back to 2025.  

Masra said ongoing floods that have killed at least 600 people and displaced about 2 million make it impossible for elections to be held in December. 

The government says the elections must take place as planned, and denies claims that it ordered an internet shutdown to stop youths from using social media to mobilize their peers as the election date nears. 

In February, before Chad’s May 6 presidential polls, Chad’s government interrupted connectivity, saying it acted in response to a deadly attack on the country’s internal security agency. 

In June, after the opposition contested the election victory of President General Mahamat Idriss Deby, connectivity was disrupted again and only civilians with Starlink equipment maintained access to the internet.  

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Kenya’s deputy president in hospital, fails to show for impeachment trial

Nairobi — Kenya’s embattled Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is reportedly at the hospital on the day he was scheduled to testify at his own impeachment trial.

Proceedings were suspended but would resume around 5pm local time according to the speaker of the Senate Amason Kingi. Kingi told the chamber he expects the deputy president to take the stand because he says this is “a time bound process… it is so ordered.”

Gachagua has pleaded not guilty to all allegations against him including corruption, inciting ethnic divisions and support for anti-government protests that saw demonstrators storm the country’s parliament. He could be the first sitting deputy president impeached in Kenya.

The case highlights the friction between him and President William Ruto — something that Ruto once vowed to avoid after his past troubled relationship as deputy to Kenya’s previous president, Uhuru Kenyatta.

Gachagua has said he believes the impeachment process has Ruto’s blessing, and has asked legislators to make their decision “without intimidation and coercion.”

The tensions risk introducing more uncertainty for investors and others in East Africa’s commercial hub.

Court rulings this week allowed the parliament and senate to proceed with the impeachment debate, despite concerns over irregularities raised by the deputy president’s lawyers.

The impeachment motion was approved in parliament last week and forwarded to the senate. Gachagua’s legal team will have Wednesday and Thursday to cross-examine witnesses, and the senate will vote Thursday evening.

The senate requires a two-thirds majority to approve the impeachment motion.

Under the Kenyan Constitution, the removal from office is automatic if approved by both chambers, though Gachagua can challenge the action in court — something he has said he would do.

Kenya’s president has yet to publicly comment on the impeachment process. Early in his presidency, he said he wouldn’t publicly humiliate his deputy.

Ruto, who came to office claiming to represent Kenya’s poorest citizens, has faced widespread criticism for his efforts to raise taxes in an effort to find ways to pay off foreign creditors. But the public opposition led him to shake up his cabinet and back off certain proposals.

VOA’s Mariama Diallo contributed to this report from Nairobi.

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Death of ex-One Direction member Liam Payne at 31 shocks fans around the world

Buenos Aires, Argentina — The death of Liam Payne, who shot to stardom as a member of British boy band One Direction and grappled with intense global fame while still in his teens, sent shockwaves across the world Thursday as Argentine investigators continued their investigation at the scene.

Fans, music-industry figures and fellow musicians paid tribute to Payne, 31, who died after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.

As fans and media bombarded the Casa Sur Hotel in the trendy Palermo neighborhood of Argentina’s capital, the forensics unit worked inside on Thursday collecting evidence.

The Buenos Aires police said they found Payne’s hotel room “in complete disarray,” with packs of clonazepam, a central nervous system depressant, as well as energy supplements and other over-the-counter drugs strewn about and “various items broken.” They added that a whiskey bottle, lighter and cellphone were retrieved from the internal hotel courtyard where Payne’s body was found.

The day before, police said that Payne “had jumped from the balcony of his room,” without elaborating on how they came to that conclusion. The Associated Press could not confirm details of the incident, as the investigation is ongoing. The medical examiner’s office said it was conducting an autopsy.

Police said they had rushed to the hotel Wednesday in response to an emergency call just after 5 p.m. local time that had warned of an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”

A hotel manager can be heard on a 911 call recording obtained by The Associated Press saying the hotel has “a guest who is overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol … He’s destroying the entire room and, well, we need you to send someone, please.” The manager’s voice becomes more anxious as the call goes on, noting the room has a balcony.

Payne was known as the tousle-headed, sensible one of the quintet that went from a TV talent show to a pop phenomenon with a huge international following of swooning fans. In recent years he had acknowledged struggling with alcoholism, saying in a YouTube video posted in July 2023 that he had been sober for six months after receiving treatment. Representatives for Payne did not immediately return emails and calls.

Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood, who performed with One Direction in 2014, said he was “shocked and saddened.”

“God bless Liam, thinking of all his loved ones. He will be dearly missed,” Wood wrote on X.

Paris Hilton also sent condolences on X, saying the news was “so upsetting.” The Backstreet Boys said in a social media post that their hearts go out to “Directioners around the world.”

Dozens of One Direction fans flocked to the Casa Sur Hotel after the news broke, forming lines that spilled into the cordoned-off street outside, where police stood sentinel. Forensic investigators were seen leaving the building, from where Payne’s body was removed around three hours after the fall. Young women filming with their cellphones expressed shock and heartbreak as a makeshift memorial with rows of candles and bouquets quickly grew.

“I didn’t think he was going to die so young,” 21-year-old Isabella Milesi told the AP.

Payne was one of five members of One Direction, which formed after each auditioned for the British singing competition “The X Factor” in 2010, two years after Payne’s first attempt to get on the show. Aged 16 the second time around, Payne sang Michael Bublé’s version of “Cry Me a River,” appearing nervous at the start but warming up with the audience’s cheers and applause.

After each singer failed to make it through the competition as a solo act, Simon Cowell and his fellow judges combined Payne, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson into what would become one of the most successful boy bands ever — even though they lost the competition.

Each member had his own persona, with Payne — who hailed from Wolverhampton in England’s West Midlands region — known as the responsible one. The band became known for their pop sound and romantic hits including “What Makes You Beautiful,” “Night Changes” and “Story of My Life.”

Payne had prominent solos on songs including “Stole My Heart” and “Change Your Ticket,” co-writing several of the band’s hits. One Direction had six Top 10 hits on the Billboard charts by the time they disbanded in 2016 and a highly loyal fan base, known as “Directioners,” many of them teen girls.

“I’ve always loved One Direction since I was little,” said 18-year-old Juana Relh, another fan outside Payne’s hotel. “To see that he died and that there will never be another reunion of the boys is unbelievable, it kills me.”

With his meteoric rise to fame, Payne had said that it took some time to adjust to life in the public eye.

“I don’t think you can ever deal with that. It’s all a bit crazy for us to see that people get in that sort of state of mind about us and what we do,” he said in a 2013 interview with the AP after recounting an experience where a fan was in a state of shock upon meeting him.

One Direction announced an indefinite “hiatus” in 2016, and Payne — like each of his erstwhile bandmates — pursued a solo career, shifting toward EDM and hip-hop.

While Styles became a huge solo star, the others had more modest success. Payne’s 2017 single “Strip That Down,” featuring Quavo, reached the Billboard Top 10, and stayed on the charts for several months. He put out an album “LP1” in 2019, and his last release — a single called “Teardrops” — was released in March.

In 2020, to mark the 10th anniversary of One Direction, Payne shared a screenshot of a text message he sent to his father on the day he joined the group, which read: “I’m in a boyband.”

“What a journey … I had no idea what we were in for when I sent this text to my dad years ago at this exact time the band was formed,” he wrote.

Payne had a 7-year-old son, Bear Grey Payne, with his former girlfriend, the musician Cheryl, who was known as Cheryl Cole when she performed with Girls Aloud. She was an “X Factor” judge during One Direction’s season, although their relationship began years later.

Payne was previously engaged to Maya Henry, from August 2020 to early 2022. Henry released a novel earlier this year that she said was based on their relationship.

In addition to his son, he is survived by his parents, Geoff and Karen Payne, and his two older sisters, Ruth and Nicola.

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Hurricanes Helene, Milton might affect 2024 voting. Here’s how

The U.S. states of Florida, North Carolina and Georgia are dealing with the aftermath of two major hurricanes that killed hundreds of people and caused tens of billions of dollars in damage. With the presidential election less than a month away and the race extremely close, White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara looks at how the storms might affect voting in these states.

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UK foreign minister to visit China to rebuild damaged ties

London/Beijing — British Foreign Secretary David Lammy will visit China on a two-day visit starting on Friday in a bid to improve relations between the two countries after years of tensions over security concerns and alleged human rights abuses.

Lammy will hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing before visiting Shanghai to meet British businesses operating in China, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Thursday.

“It’s all about bringing a consistent, long-term and strategic approach to managing the U.K.’s position on China,” the spokesperson told reporters, adding that Britain was prepared to challenge China where needed but also identify areas for co-operation.  

Mao Ning, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, said the talks would focus on improving cooperation in various fields.  

It will be only the second visit by a British foreign minister in six years after Lammy’s Conservative predecessor James Cleverly’s trip last year. Before that, there had been a five-year gap in a visit to China by a British foreign minister.

Labour, who won a landslide election victory in July, is seeking to stabilize relations with Beijing after clashes over human rights, Hong Kong, and allegations of Chinese espionage.

Starmer told President Xi Jinping in the first conversation between the two in August that he wanted Britain and China to pursue closer economic ties while being free to talk frankly about their disagreements.

China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng and British finance minister Rachel Reeves last month discussed how they can work together to boost economic growth.

Following the exchange, Beijing said it was willing to resume the UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue – an annual forum for talks on trade, investment and other economic issues, which had not taken place since 2019.

Under the previous Conservative government, Britain expressed concern about China’s curbing of civil freedoms in Hong Kong, which was under British control until 1997, and its treatment of people in its western Xinjiang region.

Britain and China also traded accusations over perceived spying.

China is Britain’s sixth-largest trading partner, accounting for 5% of total trade, British government figures show.

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Watchdog: ‘Serious questions’ over Meta’s handling of anti-immigrant posts

Meta’s independent content watchdog said Thursday there were “serious questions” about how the social media giant deals with anti-immigrant content, particularly in Europe. 

The Oversight Board, established by Meta in 2020 and sometimes called its “supreme court,” launched a probe after seeing a “significant number” of appeals over anti-immigrant content. 

The board has chosen two symbolic cases — one from Germany and the other from Poland — to assess whether Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, is following human rights law and its own policies on hate speech. 

Helle Thorning-Schmidt, co-chair of the board and a former Danish prime minister, said it was “critical” to get the balance right between free speech and protection of vulnerable groups. 

“The high number of appeals we get on immigration-related content from across the EU tells us there are serious questions to ask about how the company handles issues related to this, including the use of coded speech,” she said in a statement. 

The first piece of content to be assessed by the board was posted in May on a Facebook page claiming to be the official account of Poland’s far-right Confederation party. 

An image depicts Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk looking through a peephole with a black man approaching him from behind, accompanied by text suggesting his government would allow immigration to surge. 

Meta rejected an appeal from a user to take down the post despite the text including a word considered by some as a racial slur. 

In the other case, an apparently AI-generated image was posted on a German Facebook page showing a blond-haired blue-eyed woman, a German flag and a stop sign. 

The accompanying text likens immigrants to “gang rape specialists.”  

A user complained but Meta decided to not to remove the post.  

“The board selected these cases to address the significant number of appeals, especially from Europe, against content that shares views on immigration in ways that may be harmful towards immigrants,” the watchdog said in a statement. 

The board said it wanted to hear from the public and would spend “the next few weeks” discussing the issue before publishing its decision. 

Decisions by the board, funded by a trust set up by Meta, are not binding, though the company has promised to follow its rulings. 

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Germany outlines measures to strengthen domestic wind industry

Germany plans to introduce measures aimed at boosting its domestic wind industry, the economy ministry said on Thursday, amid concerns from European governments and companies over Chinese firms gaining momentum on the continent.

The measures will focus on improving cybersecurity, reducing dependency for critical components like permanent magnets, and ensuring fair competition in global markets, the ministry said following a meeting with unnamed European wind turbine manufacturers and suppliers in Berlin, without giving further details or a time frame.

China accounts for about 60% of global rare earth mine production, but its share jumps to 90% of processed rare earths and magnet output.

“We must continue improving conditions to keep this industry competitive and ensure future value creation within Germany and Europe. These measures are a crucial step,” Economy Minister Robert Habeck said in a statement.

The plan will also address securing financing for increased production and adjusting public funding mechanisms to prevent market distortion.

The ministry did not immediately respond to a request for further details.  

Tensions are high between Beijing and the European Union, the world’s two largest wind markets. The European Commission launched an investigation in April into whether Chinese companies are benefiting from unfair subsidies.

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North Korea says revised constitution now defines South as ‘hostile state’

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea confirmed Thursday that its recently revised constitution defines South Korea as “a hostile state” for the first time, two days after it blew up front-line road and rail links that once connected the country with the South.

The back-to-back developments indicate North Korea is intent on escalating animosities against South Korea, increasing the danger of possible clashes at their tense border areas, though it’s highly unlikely for the North to launch full-scale attacks in the face of more superior U.S. and South Korea forces.

The official Korean Central News Agency said Thursday that its recent demolition of parts of the northern sections of the inter-Korean road and rail links was “an inevitable and legitimate measure taken in keeping with the requirement of the DPRK constitution which clearly defines the ROK as a hostile state.”

DPRK stands for Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the North’s official name, while ROK stands for Republic of Korea, the South’s formal name.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry condemned North Korea’s constitutional reference to South Korea as a hostile state, calling it “an anti-unification, anti-national act.” It said the South Korean government will sternly respond to any provocations by North Korea and unwaveringly push for a peaceful Korean unification based on the basic principle of freedom and democracy.

North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament met for two days last week to rewrite the constitution but state media hadn’t provided many details about the session. Leader Kim Jong Un had earlier called for the constitutional change at that parliamentary meeting to designate South Korea as the country’s main enemy, remove the goal of a peaceful Korean unification and define North Korea’s sovereign, territorial sphere.

Thursday’s KCNA dispatch gave no further details of the new constitution, except the description of South Korea.

“There may still be an internal propaganda review underway about the appropriate way to disclose the constitutional revisions, but this confirmation was expected,” said Ankit Panda, an expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Kim’s order in January to rewrite the constitution caught many foreign experts by surprise because it was seen as eliminating the idea of shared statehood between the war-divided Koreas and breaking away with his predecessors’ long-cherished dreams of peacefully achieving a unified Korea on the North’s terms. In the past months, North Korea has torn down monuments symbolizing rapprochement with South Korea and abolished state agencies handling inter-Korean relations.

Some experts say Kim likely aims to guard against South Korean cultural influence and bolster his family’s dynastic rule. Others say Kim wants legal room to use his nuclear weapons against South Korea by making it as a foreign enemy state, not a partner for potential unification which shares a sense of national homogeneity. They say Kim may also want to seek direct dealings with the U.S. in future diplomacy on its nuclear program, not via South Korea.

“North Korea has fallen so far behind the South that any social exchange or financial integration might look like paths to unification by absorption,” said Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.

“Pyongyang’s rejection of peaceful Korean unification is thus a strategy for regime survival and maintaining domestic control. This not only bodes ill for diplomacy but could also become an ideology motivating military aggression against Seoul,” Easley said.

KCNA, citing North Korea’s Defense Ministry, reported that North Korea on Tuesday blew up the 60-meter (197 feet)-long sections of two pairs of the roads and railway routes — one pair on the western portion of the inter-Korean border and the other on the eastern side of the border.

Largely built with South Korean money, the road and rail links were once a major symbol of now-dormant inter-Korean reconciliation movements. In the 2000s, the two Koreas reconnected the road and rail routes for the first time since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, but their operations were halted later as the rivals bickered over North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and other issues.

Last week, North Korea said it would permanently block its border with South Korea and build front-line defense structures. South Korean officials said North Korea had been adding anti-tank barriers and laying mines along the border since earlier this year.

Animosities between the Koreas increased in recent days, with North Korea accusing South Korea of flying drones over its capital Pyongyang three times this month and vowing strong military responses if similar incidents happen again. South Korea has refused to confirm whether it sent drones but warned that North Korea will face a regime demise if the safety of South Korean citizens is threatened.

Many observers say North Korea won’t likely launch a full-blown war because it knows its military is outgunned by the U.S. and South Korean forces, and that North Korea ultimately aims to use its advancing nuclear program as leverage to wrest sanctions relief from the U.S. But they say a miscalculation could still lead to border clashes.

Intense outside attention has been on whether the North Korean constitutional change includes new legal, territorial claims around the Koreas’ disputed western sea boundary, the site where several deadly skirmishes and bloodsheds happened in the past 25 years.

“South Korea and the United States need not overreact to North Korean moves. The recent drone incident raises the possibility of miscalculation and escalation,” Panda, the expert, said.

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Japan’s ruling LDP at risk of losing majority in election, polls show

TOKYO — Japan’s ruling party may lose its majority in the lower house, according to media polling ahead of the October 27 election, meaning it would likely have to rely on coalition partner Komeito to stay in power.

The Liberal Democratic Party may not reach the 233 seats it needs for an outright majority in the 465-seat chamber, the Nikkei newspaper said on Thursday. The LDP has held sole control of the chamber since it returned to power in 2012 after three years in opposition.

In a separate poll by Jiji Press, support for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Cabinet came to 28%, marking the lowest percentage of support for new governments dating back to 2000. The survey was conducted October 11-14 and published Thursday.

Ishiba’s government already depends on Komeito for a majority in the upper house. Extending that reliance to the more powerful lower house could give the group, backed by Japan’s largest Buddhist lay organization, a greater say in policymaking.

“I think that the LDP will cover, along with its coalition ally Komeito, the majority that it needs,” said Michael Cucek, a professor specializing in politics at Temple University in Tokyo.

If the LDP is relying on Komeito to reach a majority, that will give more leverage to a party that has pushed back on some of the LDP’s more hawkish security policies in the past, he added.

Komeito has been less willing than the LDP to embrace policies including giving Japan’s military longer-range missiles and removing restrictions on weapons exports that have stopped Tokyo from sending arms to Ukraine or Southeast Asian nations that oppose Beijing’s territorial ambitions in the South China Sea.

Nobuyuki Baba, the head of the Japan Innovation Party, the third-largest group in the lower house, has not ruled out working with the LDP after the election, media reported. He supports expanding Japan’s military capabilities and has said he would also back an amendment to Japan’s pacifist constitution to officially recognize the armed forces.

The Nikkei said its nationwide poll, conducted along with the Yomiuri newspaper, garnered responses from 165,820 people randomly contacted by phone on Tuesday and Wednesday.

A poll by broadcaster TBS released on Wednesday showed the LDP may lose about 30 seats, while Komeito may shed a small number. A separate poll of more than 150,000 people published by Kyodo on Wednesday also pointed to challenges for the LDP to secure a majority.

Ishiba dissolved the lower house of parliament on October 9, setting up the snap election.

He became leader last month after his predecessor Fumio Kishida ended his three-year premiership due to public distrust stemming from a string of funding scandals involving LDP politicians. 

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LA Archdiocese agrees to pay $880 million to clergy sexual abuse victims

LOS ANGELES — The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has agreed to pay $880 million to victims of clergy sexual abuse dating back decades, in what an attorney said was the largest single child sex abuse settlement with a Catholic archdiocese, it was announced Wednesday.

After the announcement of the agreement in principle, Archbishop José H. Gomez said in a statement, “I am sorry for every one of these incidents, from the bottom of my heart.”

“My hope is that this settlement will provide some measure of healing for what these men and women have suffered,” the archbishop added. “I believe that we have come to a resolution of these claims that will provide just compensation to the survivor-victims of these past abuses.”

Attorneys for 1,353 people who allege that they suffered horrific abuse at the hands of local Catholic priests reached the settlement after months of negotiations with the archdiocese, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The agreement caps a quarter-century of litigation against the most populous archdiocese in the United States.

Attorneys in the Plaintiffs’ Liaison Committee said in a joint statement, “While there is no amount of money that can replace what was taken from these 1,353 brave individuals who have suffered in silence for decades, there is justice in accountability.”

Under the settlement, the plaintiffs will engage in a process— that will not involve the archdiocese — to allocate the settlement amount among the participants.

The archdiocese has previously paid $740 million to victims in various settlements and had pledged to better protect its church members, so this settlement would put the total payout at more than $1.5 billion, the Times said.

Attorney Morgan Stewart, who led the negotiations, said in a statement that the settlement is the largest single child sex abuse settlement with a Catholic archdiocese.

“These survivors have suffered for decades in the aftermath of the abuse. Dozens of the survivors have died. They are aging, and many of those with knowledge of the abuse within the church are too. It was time to get this resolved,” Stewart told the Times.

The settlement will be funded by archdiocese investments, accumulated reserves, bank financing, and other assets. According to the archdiocese, certain religious orders and others named in the litigation will also cover some of the cost of the settlement, the Times said.

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  US strikes Houthi weapons storage sites in Yemen

U.S. forces carried out airstrikes Wednesday against Houthi militant weapons storage sites in Yemen, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

The strikes, conducted by B-2 bombers, targeted weapons the Houthis have used in a yearlong campaign of attacks against ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden that have disrupted major sea shipping routes.

“This was a unique demonstration of the United States’ ability to target facilities that our adversaries seek to keep out of reach, no matter how deeply buried underground, hardened, or fortified,” Austin said.

The Iran-backed Houthis have said their campaign of using boats, missiles and drones to target vessels is being done in solidarity with the Palestinians amid the war in Gaza.

The United States and Britain have conducted multiple strikes against the Houthis to try to protect the shipping lanes, while commercial companies have rerouted many ships to use the longer and more expensive route of going around the African continent.

“The Houthis’ illegal attacks continue to disrupt the free flow of international commerce, threaten environmental catastrophe, and put innocent civilian lives and U.S. and partner forces’ lives at risk,” Austin said.

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Biden visits Germany, with Ukraine topping agenda

US President Joe Biden heads to Germany on Thursday, a week later than planned and on a compressed timeline after Hurricane Milton grounded him last week. Both he and Germany’s leader have been facing mounting pressure over their support for Ukraine — both having recently announced new security packages. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell reports.

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Biden, dignitaries honor RFK widow, human rights champion Ethel Kennedy

washington — U.S. President Joe Biden joined former Democratic presidents and others to honor longtime human rights advocate and storied political family matriarch Ethel Kennedy at a memorial service in Washington on Wednesday after her death last week at age 96.

The widow of Robert F. Kennedy — a former U.S. attorney general and U.S. senator, who was assassinated while seeking the Democratic presidential nomination in 1968 — founded a human rights center to carry on her husband’s work.

She never remarried and went on to raise her 11 children, enduring a host of other family tragedies along the way, including separate plane crashes that killed her parents, brother and nephew, as well as the untimely deaths of several of her children, grandchildren and a great-grandchild.

She and her husband were devastated by the assassination of his brother, President John F. Kennedy, in Dallas in 1963.

Biden, a fellow Irish Catholic who has leaned on his faith amid his own losses, including the death of his son Beau, said the Democratic family matriarch was there for him at his time of tragedy. He said her husband had been one of his heroes.

“Ethel was a hero in her own right,” Biden said in remarks at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, just blocks from the White House.

Former Democratic presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, as well as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and others, also reflected on her life.

The son of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated just two months before Robert Kennedy, noted the two families’ shared journey and understanding of sacrifice amid their work for social justice.

“Faith and history knitted us together. Respect and love has kept us together,” Martin Luther King III told the crowd.

The Kennedys were known for their parties and Wednesday’s service was no different, with scores of relatives filling the pews and high-profile attendees remembering the infectious spirit highlighted by her children and grandchildren.

“She was a spitfire,” Obama said. “As serious as Ethel was about righting wrongs, she never seemed to take herself too seriously.”

Other Democratic attendees included California Governor Gavin Newsom and former top U.S. diplomat and presidential candidate John Kerry. Country star Kenny Chesney sang “You Are My Sunshine” while Sting surprised guests with “Fragile” and Stevie Wonder with “Isn’t She Lovely.”

Over the decades, Kennedy took up many causes championed by her late husband, including fighting poverty, working for social justice and protecting the environment. Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014. She died on October 10 from complications following a stroke, her family said.

Her daughter Kathleen Kennedy Townsend was Maryland’s lieutenant governor, while her son Joseph P. Kennedy II represented Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives. Her grandson, former U.S. Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III, serves as special envoy to Northern Ireland.

Her son Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine advocate and former independent presidential candidate, broke from his family’s long Democratic ties to endorse Donald Trump in November’s election.

Many members of the Kennedy clan have denounced his election politics and backed the Democratic ticket, now led by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris after Biden stepped aside in July. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attended Wednesday’s service alongside his family but made no remarks.

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Fuel costs force some Nigerian commuters to quit jobs

Abuja, nigeria — Surging fuel prices in Nigeria are making it unaffordable for some workers to commute to their jobs, forcing them to quit. The trend is hitting low-income and informal workers especially hard.

Fuel in Nigeria now averages 66 cents per liter, a 15% hike since September. 

The price surge forced Victor Zion to quit his job, as commuting costs consumed the lion’s share of his $85 monthly salary.

Zion said that what’s left of his income after transportation expenses could no longer keep him afloat.

“When it happened that there was an increment in the cost of transportation, I spent up to 70% of my salary on transportation and that didn’t make sense to me at all,” he said. “Resigning from my job has actually impacted me financially.”

Zion’s experience reflects that of many workers, especially in the informal sector, who make up the majority of Nigeria’s workers.

Ifunnaya Oyakimo recently closed her gym business, unable to maintain a staff because workers resigned in droves.

“Some of them said they can no longer sustain themselves with the salary, and with the whole thing that is happening, I just had to let it all go, close the gym, sell off the equipment,” she said.

Some employers, like Moses Ogwoke, who is in the printing business, are covering 60% of workers’ transport costs to retain staff and stay operational.

Ogwoke said those costs cut into profits, threatening the sustainability of his business.

“We have jobs that need to be attended to,” he said. “What we decided to do is to support them the little way we can in paying their transportation at least three times a week, while they take care for the remaining two days. But that money needs to come from somewhere, so from the little profit we are making, we are still dipping hands there to be able to run the office.”

The crisis extends beyond individual struggles. There is the risk of further destabilization of the labor market in Nigeria, where the unemployment rate stands at 33%.

Economist Akin Ogunshola outlined the dangers of the resignation trend and suggested possible policy solutions.

“If people are resigning, definitely, they may be tempted to take to crime, they may be tempted to take to corruption, fraud and so many other social vices that will impact negatively on the economy and the society. … What government is to do to help the workforce is to subsidize the cost of transportation,” he said.

Fuel prices soared in Nigeria last year after President Bola Tinubu ended subsidies that had kept prices low for many years.

The government has promised relief, including buses that run on compressed natural gas, but many workers doubt the measures will be sufficient or will be implemented soon.

With no immediate relief, many Nigerians face a tough choice — pay commuting costs or resign their jobs.

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FBI, French authorities coordinate on Islamic State arrests

washington — Recent arrests in the United States and in Europe have law enforcement and intelligence agencies on alert, bolstering concerns about a reinvigorated Islamic State terror group bent on lashing out against the West.

FBI officials Wednesday confirmed the bureau shared information with French authorities following last week’s arrest of 27-year-old Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, an Afghan national in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on charges connected to a mass shooting plot in the name of the Islamic State group, to coincide with the U.S. election in November.

That information led to the arrest of a 22-year-old Afghan national in the Haute-Garonne region of France, who French officials say is linked to Tawhedi.

That arrest followed the arrests of three other men in the same region, again carried out in coordination with the U.S.

French anti-terrorism prosecutors said Saturday that the suspects, all of whom are said to be followers of the Islamic State, appear to have been involved in a plan to carry out an attack on a football stadium or a shopping center.

“The recent arrests in France and by the FBI’s Oklahoma City field office demonstrate the importance of partnerships to detect and disrupt potential terrorist attacks,” the FBI said in a statement.

“The FBI’s top priority is preventing acts of terrorism, and we are committed to working with our partners both overseas and in the United States to uncover any plots and protect our communities from violence,” it said.

The arrests follow repeated warnings from Western counterterrorism officials that the Islamic State, also known as IS or ISIS, has set its sights on launching attacks against the U.S. and Europe. And many have raised specific concerns about the group’s Afghan affiliate, known as IS-Khorasan or ISIS-K.

IS-Khorasan “does have the intention to carry out external attacks, including external attacks inside the United States,” said U.S. Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen, speaking during a Washington Post webcast last month.

“We are very concerned about the capacity of ISIS-K to potentially move operatives into the United States,” he added.

Others have warned that IS, and IS-Khorasan, have each sought to expand recruiting efforts around the globe.

Some Western officials and regional observers have told VOA that as far back as 2021, the IS Afghan affiliate was seeking to seed Central Asian states such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan with small but highly capable cells and networks that could serve as the basis for future attacks.

Some also have warned that IS-Khorasan has since built on those efforts, increasingly trying to target Afghans and Central Asians living in the West.

“We’ve seen ISIS-K make a concerted effort to recruit from diaspora communities,” said Austin Doctor, the director of counterterrorism research initiatives at the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology and Education Center, or NCITE, speaking with VOA last week following the Oklahoma City arrest.

“It will be another important factor to watch as more information becomes available.”

Information from Agence France-Presse was used in this article.

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