Madrid — Torrential rains caused by a cold front moving across southeastern Spain flooded roads and towns on Tuesday, prompting authorities in the worst-hit areas to advise citizens to stay at home and avoid all non-essential travel. 

Spain’s state weather agency AEMET declared a red alert in the eastern Valencia region and the second-highest level of alert in parts of Andalusia in the south, where a train derailed due to the heavy rainfall, although no one was injured. 

Footage showed firefighters rescuing trapped drivers amid heavy rain in the Valencian town of Alzira and flooded streets with stuck cars. 

Scientists say extreme weather events are becoming more frequent due to climate change. Meteorologists believe the warming of the Mediterranean, which increases water evaporation, plays a key role in making torrential rains more severe. 

AEMET expected Valencia to take the brunt of the storm, with forecasts of more than 90 mm of rain in less than one hour, or 180 mm in under 12 hours. 

Schools, courthouses and other essential services were suspended in Carlet and some other nearby towns in the Valencia region. 

Local emergency services requested the help of UME, a military unit specialized in rescue operations, in the area of Utiel-Requena, where farmers’ association ASAJA said the storm was causing significant damage to crops. 

The storm first struck Andalusia. In El Ejido, a Mediterranean city known for its sprawling greenhouses, a hailstorm broke hundreds of car windscreens, flooded the streets and damaged the mostly plastic greenhouse infrastructure. 

In Alora, also in Andalusia, the Guadalorce river overflowed and 14 people there had to be rescued by firefighters, authorities said. Alora topped AEMET’s ranking on Tuesday with 160 mm of rainfall.
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MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday launched a massive exercise of the country’s nuclear forces featuring missile launches in a simulation of a retaliatory strike, as he continued to flex the country’s nuclear muscle amid spiraling tensions with the West over Ukraine. 

Speaking in a video call with military leaders, Putin said that the drills will simulate top officials’ action in using nuclear weapons and include launches of nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles. 

Defense Minister Andrei Belousov reported that the exercise is intended to practice “strategic offensive forces launching a massive nuclear strike in response to a nuclear strike by the enemy.” 

Putin, who has repeatedly brandished the nuclear sword as he seeks to deter the West from ramping up support for Ukraine, emphasized on Tuesday that Russia’s nuclear arsenal remains a “reliable guarantor of the country’s sovereignty and security.” 

“Taking into account growing geopolitical tensions and emerging new threats and risks, it’s important for us to have modern strategic forces that are always ready for combat,” he said, reaffirming that Russia sees nuclear weapons use as “the ultimate, extreme measure of ensuring its security.” 

Putin noted that Moscow will continue to modernize its nuclear forces, deploying new missiles that have a higher precision, quicker launch times and increased capabilities to overcome missile defenses. 

As part of Tuesday’s drills, the military test-fired a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile from the Plesetsk launch pad at the Kura testing range on the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Defense Ministry said. The Novomoskovsk and Knyaz Oleg nuclear submarines test-fired ICBMs from the Barents Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk, while nuclear-capable Tu-95 strategic bombers carried out practice launches of long-range cruise missiles. 

The ministry said that all the missiles reached their designated targets. 

Last month, the Russian leader warned the U.S. and NATO allies that allowing Ukraine to use Western-supplied longer-range weapons for strikes deep inside Russia would put NATO at war with his country. 

He reinforced the message by announcing a new version of the nuclear doctrine that considers a conventional attack on Russia by a nonnuclear nation that is supported by a nuclear power to be a joint attack on his country — a clear warning to the U.S. and other allies of Kyiv. 

Putin also declared that the revised document envisages possible nuclear weapons use in case of a massive air attack, holding the door open to a potential nuclear response to any aerial assault — an ambiguity intended to deter the West. 

Tuesday’s maneuvers follow a series of other drills of Russia’s nuclear forces. 

Earlier this year, the Russian military held a joint nuclear exercise with Moscow’s ally Belarus, which has hosted some of Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons.
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London — Adidas has reached an out-of-court settlement with rapper Ye to end all legal proceedings between them, the sportswear brand said on Tuesday, adding that no money changed hands in the agreement.

Adidas and Ye had been embroiled in multiple lawsuits for the past two years, since the German company ended a partnership with the rapper previously known as Kanye West over antisemitic comments he made.

“There isn’t any more open issues, and there is no… money going either way, and we both move on,” CEO Bjorn Gulden told reporters on a conference call, declining to give further details of the deal.

“There were tensions on many issues, and… when you put the claims on the right side and you put the claims on the left side, both parties said we don’t need to fight anymore and withdrew all the claims,” Gulden added.

 
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PENTAGON — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday that military cooperation between North Korea and Russia “poses a significant security threat to the international community.”

The comments at a Cabinet meeting in Seoul followed Yoon saying Monday that the deployment of North Korean troops to the battlefield in Ukraine could happen “more quickly than anticipated,” according to South Korean intelligence assessments.

The U.S. Defense Department said Monday that North Korea has sent about 10,000 troops to train in Russia, more than tripling the previous estimate. 

 

“We believe that the DPRK has sent around 10,000 soldiers in total to train in eastern Russia that will probably augment Russian forces near Ukraine over the next several weeks,” deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters at the Pentagon, using an abbreviation for North Korea’s official name. 

“A portion of those soldiers have already moved closer to Ukraine, and we are increasingly concerned that Russia intends to use these soldiers in combat or to support combat operations against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk oblast, near the border with Ukraine,” she added.

Earlier on Monday, NATO confirmed that 3,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia to help Moscow fight its war against Ukraine and have also been deployed to Russia’s Kursk region where Kyiv’s forces invaded in a surprise attack in August and still hold territory.

“The deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea is a threat to both Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told reporters in Brussels after NATO officials and diplomats received a briefing from a South Korean delegation of intelligence and military officials. 

The NATO secretary general said the deployment of North Korean troops was a sign of “growing desperation” on the part of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Rutte added that more than 600,000 Russian forces have been killed or wounded since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The Pentagon did not provide further details on the type of troops or equipment that North Korea had sent with their troops. When pressed by VOA on what types of capabilities these troops could bring, Singh said, “It’s additional bodies on the battlefield.”

“If we see DPRK troops moving in and towards the front lines, they are co-belligerents in the war,” she warned.

Russia and North Korea have boosted their political and military alliance since Moscow’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. Gen. David Allvin, the chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, told VOA Friday at a Military Reporters and Editors conference that increased cooperation between the two malign actors is “certainly a cause for more consideration and investigation.”

The Kremlin had dismissed reports about a North Korean troop deployment as “fake news.” But Putin last week did not deny that North Korean troops were currently in Russia and said that it was up to Moscow to decide how to deploy them as part of a mutual defense security pact he signed with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June.

At odds with Putin’s comments, a North Korean representative to the United Nations in New York last week characterized the reports of Pyongyang’s deployment of troops in Russia as “groundless rumors.” 

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will host his South Korean counterpart, Kim Yong-Hyun, on Wednesday at the Pentagon, where the two are expected to discuss the North Korean troops who are now in Russia.

Drone warfare 

Ukrainian officials said Tuesday that Russian aerial attacks killed at least four people in the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine.

Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov said on Telegram the attack destroyed two houses and damaged about 20 others.

Russian attacks overnight also targeted Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, injuring at least six people, according to Serhii Popko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration.

Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said falling debris from a downed Russian drone ignited a fire at a residential building.

In the Dnipropetrovsk region in central Ukraine, officials said a Russian rocket attack killed one person.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday it shot down seven Ukrainian drones overnight, including two over the Belgorod region, two over Bryansk, two over Kursk and one over the Black Sea.

Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram the Ukrainian attack damaged several residential buildings.

Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters
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TBILISI — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrived in Georgia on Monday after having congratulated the ruling party on its victory in an election which the opposition says was marred by voting violations. 

Georgia’s electoral commission said Georgian Dream won Saturday’s election with nearly 54% of the vote, but opposition parties disputed the results and called for protests. 

The election results are a blow for pro-Western Georgians who had cast the vote as a choice between a ruling party that has deepened ties with Russia and an opposition aiming to fast-track integration with Europe. 

Orban congratulated Georgian Dream party on their victory on Saturday.  

“The people of Georgia know what is best for their country, and made their voice heard today!” he wrote on X. 

Orban was accompanied on his visit to Georgia by Hungary’s finance, economy and foreign ministers.  

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto wrote on Facebook on Monday the Georgian result was an “ugly defeat” for liberals. 

Hungary — which currently holds the presidency of the EU Council — has angered fellow members of the EU and NATO with its determination to maintain close ties with Russia despite the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. 

The European Union, the United States and NATO have called for a full investigation of alleged election irregularities. Georgian Dream and the electoral commission say the vote was free and fair. 

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili called the result a “Russian special operation,” accused the ruling party on Monday of resorting to Russian-style tactics and propaganda, and called for Georgians to take to the streets on Monday evening.  

The Kremlin on Monday denied any Russian interference in the vote, saying it was the West, not Moscow, that was trying to destabilize the situation. 

In July, Orban stoked controversy when he traveled on what the Hungarian government has described as a “peace mission” to Moscow and Beijing during Hungary’s presidency without coordinating with its EU partners. 

 
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VILNIUS — The opposition Social Democrats claimed victory in Lithuania’s parliamentary election on Sunday, which was dominated by frustration with the cost of living and worries over potential threats from neighboring Russia.

The left-leaning grouping has pledged to maintain the Baltic state’s hefty defense spending program, while criticizing the center-right coalition government of Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte over raising taxes to fund it.

Official government data showed the center-left grouping leading with 52 seats in the 141-member assembly, after 99% of the vote was counted. The ruling Homeland Union Party was on track to take second place with 28 seats.

The Baltic country of 2.9 million people has a hybrid voting system in which half of parliament was elected by popular vote on Oct. 13. The remainder was decided on Sunday in district-based run-off votes between the top two candidates, a process that favors the larger parties.

SD leader Vilija Blinkeviciute told reporters she believed her party would have a parliamentary majority alongside its likely coalition partners: For Lithuania, plus The Farmers and Greens Union.

“The results of this election showed that the Lithuanian people, no matter where they live, in large cities, in small cities or villages, they want change.”

She declined to confirm whether she would seek the job of prime minister: “We will discuss this within the party, we will weigh all pluses and minuses.”

The For Lithuania party was on track to win 14 seats in the parliament and The Farmers and Greens Union was getting eight seats, provisional official data showed.

Simonyte’s center-right three-party coalition has seen its popularity eroded by inflation that topped 20% two years ago, deteriorating public services and a widening rich-poor gap.

Domestic economic issues were in focus during the election campaign, with the SD vowing to tackle increased inequality by raising taxes on wealthier Lithuanians to help fund more spending on healthcare and social support.

But national security is also a major concern in Lithuania, which lies on the eastern flank of NATO and the European Union and shares a border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and Belarus, a close Moscow ally.

Lithuania will spend about 3% of GDP on its armed forces this year, according to NATO estimates, making it the military alliance’s sixth-biggest spender.

“For me, it’s of utmost importance to keep the calmness, and to stop the war in Ukraine,” said Mykolas Zvinys, 79, before casting his vote on the outskirts of Vilnius.

Three-quarters of Lithuanians think Russia could attack their country in the near future, a Baltijos Tyrimai/ELTA opinion poll found in May, following its attack on Ukraine in 2022.

 
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WARNGAU, Germany — Farmers and their horses walked in a festive parade through the small Bavarian town of Warngau on Sunday to honor their patron saint, St. Leonhard.

Their manes neatly combed, the massive horses were decorated with ribbons and greenery as they pulled the adorned carriages to a local church as part of the procession some 35 kilometers (22 miles) south of Munich.

Farmers donned colorful regional costumes and hats decorated with tufts of animal hair called Gamsbart, or chamois beards, as townspeople joined in amid the pounding of hooves. After the procession, the revelry traditionally turned to toasts with schnapps.

Often called Leonhardiritt or Leonhardifahrt, the traditional pilgrimage dates back centuries in Bavaria and Austria. It was revived in Warngau in 1983, after an 80-year break, and takes place there each year on the fourth Sunday in October, ahead of the annual Nov. 6 feast day.

St. Leonhard (St. Leonard in English) is the patron saint of farmers, horses and livestock. Also known as St. Leonard of Noblac, he was a Frankish courtier who asked God to repel an invading army, according to the Catholic News Agency. His plea worked, and he converted to Christianity following what he believed was a miracle.

Other Bavarian towns have similar traditions. In Bad Tolz, southwest of Warngau, this year’s Nov. 6 procession will be the 169th in a row.

Bad Tolz’s pilgrimage is listed on the Nationwide Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage by the German Commission for UNESCO. Only cold-blooded horses — large draft horses like Clydesdales — are allowed in the procession, which begins at 9 a.m. when all of the town’s church bells ring.

The crowd journeys to a Leonhardi chapel for blessings and an open-air Mass. The tradition involves the entire town, from the youth to the clergy and the city councilors.

St. Leonhard mostly lived in monasteries and in seclusion in what is now France, though Bad Tolz calls him the “Bavarian Lord.” According to legend, his prayers were believed to be breaking the chains of captives. He is also the patron saint of prisoners, among other groups.

He died of natural causes around the year 559, and many Catholic churches have been dedicated to him throughout Europe.
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VILNIUS, Lithuania — The opposition Social Democrats took an early lead in the second round of Lithuania’s parliamentary election on Sunday, with voters focusing on concerns over the cost of living and potential threats from neighboring Russia. 

Official government data showed the center-left grouping leading with 33 seats after 64% of the vote was counted on top of 20 secured in the first round, in the 141-member assembly, ahead of the ruling Homeland Union Party which led in six constituencies in addition to 18 first-round wins. 

The Baltic country of 2.9 million people has a hybrid voting system in which half of parliament is elected by popular vote. The remainder is decided in district-based run-off votes between the top two candidates, a process that favors the larger parties. 

If the Social Democrats, or SD, succeed in forming a government, they are expected to maintain Lithuania’s hawkish stance against Russia and hefty defense spending. 

Lithuania will spend about 3% of GDP on its armed forces this year, according to NATO estimates, making it the military alliance’s sixth-biggest spender. 

Full results are expected at about midnight (2200 GMT). 

“Probably there will be some changes, but I want to believe that direction will remain the same,” Marius Slepetis, a businessman, told Reuters after his young daughter dropped his ballot into the box. 

The SD won 20% of the vote in the first round on Oct. 13, making it the largest party ahead of the ruling Homeland Union with 18% and the anti-establishment Nemunas Dawn with 15%. 

Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte’s center-right three-party coalition has seen its popularity eroded by inflation that topped 20% two years ago, deteriorating public services and a widening rich-poor gap. 

After the first round, SD leader Vilija Blinkeviciute said she was already in talks about forming a majority coalition government with two other parties – For Lithuania, and the Farmers and Greens Union. 

The SD made a pact with opposition parties to support all run-off candidates in contests against Simonyte’s Homeland Union nominees. 

Domestic economic issues were in focus during the election campaign, with the SD vowing to tackle increased inequality by raising taxes on wealthier Lithuanians to help fund more spending on health care and social support. 

But national security is also a major concern in Lithuania, which lies on the eastern flank of NATO and the European Union and shares a border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and Belarus, a close Moscow ally. 

“For me, it’s of utmost importance to keep the calmness, and to stop the war in Ukraine,” Mykolas Zvinys, 79, told Reuters before casting his vote on the outskirts of Vilnius. 

Three-quarters of Lithuanians think Russia could attack their country in the near future, a Baltijos Tyrimai/ELTA opinion poll found in May.
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Madrid — Real Madrid, the Spanish league and the local government on Sunday condemned racist insults against Lamine Yamal during Saturday’s “clasico,” and Madrid said it was working to identify those who abused the Barcelona forward.

Madrid said it “has opened an investigation in order to locate and identify the perpetrators of these deplorable and despicable insults so that the appropriate disciplinary and judicial measures can be taken.”

The league said it was going to formally denounce the “intolerable racist” insults and gestures against Barcelona players at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

The league said it “strongly condemns these events” and “remains firm in its commitment to eradicate any type of racist behavior and hatred inside and outside stadiums. There is no place for this scourge in sport.”

The Spanish government said the commission in charge of fighting against violence, racism and other hate crimes in sport will meet Monday to analyze what happened at the Bernabeu.

“The ‘clasico’ is one of the greatest spectacles in the world, a true expression of the importance that soccer has in our country,” the government said. “During this game, or in any sporting event, there can never be any room for expressions of violence, racism, xenophobia, hatred or intolerance.”

The reaction came after videos on social media showed the alleged insults against Yamal after he scored Barcelona’s third goal in the second half of its 4-0 rout of Madrid. The 17-year-old celebrated in a corner in front of Madrid fans and made some gestures apparently provoking the fans.

A few fans could be heard yelling insults at Yamal and the other Barcelona players.

“Real Madrid strongly condemns any kind of behavior involving racism, xenophobia or violence in football and sport, and deeply regrets the insults that a few fans uttered last night in one of the corners of the stadium,” the club said in a statement.

Madrid has been denouncing racist insults against its forward Vinicius Junior, who is also Black, for several years, including when he played a match at Barcelona’s Camp Nou Stadium.

Four Atletico Madrid fans who allegedly led a social media campaign aimed at promoting racist acts against Vinícius were detained earlier this month.

Barcelona’s victory left the Catalan club six points ahead of Madrid at the top of the league standings after 11 matches.
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Tbilisi, Georgia — The streets of Tbilisi echoed with despair on Sunday as the Central Election Commission said the ruling Georgian Dream party won Saturday’s parliamentary election. The opposition parties are disputing the results.

With 99% of the precincts reporting, Georgian Dream had secured 54.8% of the vote, reinforcing its grip on a nation polarized over its political future. Most of the leaders of the opposition parties say the vote, seen as a referendum on Georgia’s path toward deeper Western alignment or closer ties with Russia, was rigged.

Judging by the preliminary results, the opposition struggled to mount a strong challenge. Initial counts show the Coalition for Changes at 10.8%, Unity-National Movement at 10%, Strong Georgia at 8.7%, and Giorgi Gakharia’s For Georgia party at 7.7%.

As exit polls were announced, both the ruling party and opposition initially declared victory, though the official results quickly favored Georgian Dream securing its fourth term with more votes than it received in the last election.

“Such cases are rare worldwide, where the same party achieves such success under challenging circumstances,” Bidzina Ivanishvili said, shortly after the first exit polls were announced. The oligarch is seen as Georgian Dream’s true leader.

Soon after, Hungary’s Victor Orban congratulated the Georgian Dream, and Margarita Simonian, editor-in-chief of the Russian state-controlled broadcaster RT, wrote on Telegram: “Georgians won, well done.”

“This is election theft, a constitutional coup, and Georgian Dream will answer for it according to Georgian law,” said Nika Gvaramia, one of the leaders of the Coalition for Changes. He said his coalition had uncovered a “technological scheme” used to manipulate the election results.

“We promised to protect your votes, and I apologize for not identifying this complex scheme earlier,” Gvaramia said.

Elene Khoshtaria, another member of the Coalition for Changes and leader of the Droa party, echoed Gvaramia.

“We are firm and principled in our stance that this election was stolen, and we won’t accept it. We are moving to continuous protest, organized and coordinated, starting tomorrow. The protest will be in the streets, and we will announce the time and place,” she said.

Unity-National Movement also sees the elections as stolen.

“Oligarch Ivanishvili stole the victory from the Georgian people and thereby stole the European future. On behalf of the Unity-National Movement, we declare that we do not accept the results of the elections,” Tina Bokuchava, party leader, said.

Some of the independent observers also criticized the reported outcome.

“Based on analysis of the pre-election environment, widespread manipulation on election day, and unprecedented pressure on voters, we believe that the preliminary results released by the CEC do not reflect the true will of Georgian citizens. We will continue to demand the annulment of these results,” said Londa Toloraia of the NGO coalition “My Voice.”

Many of the analysts in the country cite fraud as the source of the ruling party’s success.

Other observers also argue that Georgian Dream’s success stemmed not only from its strengths but also from the opposition’s weaknesses. Because of internal conflicts, a lack of coherent policies, and shifting political allegiances, opposition parties failed to offer a compelling alternative to the ruling party.

“I voted for a change … by a process of elimination,” a 20-year-old first-time voter told VOA on the condition of anonymity. It was a sentiment many echoed.

“The opposition appears bankrupt, having relied on the hope that a) Georgian Dream would collapse on its own, or b) the West would ultimately bring down Ivanishvili’s regime. Consequently, they failed to conduct a genuine campaign, with even fewer events than in previous elections,” said Levan Ramishvili, associated professor of political philosophy and international relations at Tbilisi-based Free University.

“Adding to this is the West’s lack of moral clarity, characterized by hesitation, ambiguity, and a ‘leading from behind’ approach — granting EU candidate status one moment, suspending it the next; imposing sanctions, but only on marginal figures,” he said.

Leading up to the election, the United States and European Union voiced concerns, citing a perceived drift from democratic principles and closer ties to Russia.

“The picture is very clear now — despite pressure, intimidation, violence and vote-buying, they lost the capital and Rustavi and lost by catastrophic landslide abroad. But in regions where there were less oversight and people are more vulnerable and dependent on the state won with Kadyrov-style numbers of 80-90%. [The] international community cannot possibly agree that this is fair and square. Legitimizing this would mean granting major geopolitical victory to Russia,” said Giorgi Kandelaki, project manager at the Soviet Past Research Laboratory.

Analysts and opposition figures warned that Ivanishvili is guiding the country toward Russia, tightening control over the media and independent institutions.

Earlier this year, the government passed a controversial “foreign agent” law, modeled on Russian legislation. It targets NGOs and media outlets that receive foreign funding, mainly from the West. The law led to widespread protests in the country and a subsequent brutal response from the government.

Like their leaders, many of the opposition voters question the legitimacy of Georgian Dream’s lead.

“Nobody around me voted for them. How did they get a million votes?” asked Davit, a man in his 30s. Another said, “The government you elect is the government you deserve,” expressing frustration with fellow Georgians, while a third added, “They’ve sold out the country for a 300 GEL [around $120] salary.”

Georgian Dream’s core supporters include “budget voters,” public sector workers and social assistance recipients, especially in rural areas where employment options are limited. The party relies on these voters, many of whom fear the loss of a job or benefits if the party loses.

“The election that was held was neither fair nor free,” said the Free University’s Ramishvili. “Since the 2018 presidential election, Georgian Dream has built a powerful electoral machine that relies heavily on bribery, intimidation of vulnerable voters, and fear of war. This machine operates by using both administrative and budgetary resources for partisan purposes, as well as outright bribery.”

Over the years, Georgian Dream has forged strong alliances with wide range of political actors and groups, from pro-Russian socially conservative groups to street hooligans, and chiefly with the highly popular, Georgian Orthodox Church.

“Last week, my priest officially asked us from the pulpit to vote for Georgian Dream,” said Rusudan, a middle-aged voter. “He even said anyone voting for the opposition would lose the right to communion.”

This message, repeated in the churches across the country, has bolstered Georgian Dream’s support among religious and traditionalist voters over the years.

The ruling party framed the election as a choice between war and peace, labeling critics at home and abroad as part of a “global war party,” a term borrowed from Kremlin narratives. For a country scarred by wars with Russia in the 1990s and again in 2008, this message resonated strongly.

Meanwhile, the opposition cast the election as a referendum on ending up under Russian influence.

“Amid rising Russian aggression and a hesitant West unable to defend its values, anti-Western and anti-liberal forces are growing stronger in our region. These groups skillfully exploit the West’s failure to protect its principles, citing Russia’s unpunished aggression against neighboring countries as an example,” Ramishvili said.

For now, Georgian Dream celebrates its apparent victory. But many Georgians, particularly younger urbanites, feel increasingly disillusioned. As results are confirmed, Georgia faces deep divisions and an uncertain path forward.
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New Delhi — BRICS leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, have publicly voiced their commitment to jointly introduce an alternative payment system that would not be dependent on the U.S. dollar.

Independent analysts, however, question the feasibility of implementing the idea anytime soon.

The recently concluded meeting of BRICS — Brazil, Russia, India. China and South Africa — discussed ways to establish an alternative to SWIFT, the international payment system. Russia was removed from the SWIFT system after the start of Ukraine war in 2022 and has been particularly keen to find an alternative.

“We are looking into the possibility of expanding the use of national currencies and settlements and want to establish the tools that would make this safe and secure enough,” Putin said. BRICS will work out a payment arrangement with the cooperation of central banks affiliated with the group’s member countries, he said.

Analysts assert this is easier said than done. But some experts, like Gregory Zerzan, former deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Treasury Department, have warned about the danger of ignoring the BRICS’ efforts. He said that’s because its members, some of whom are less friendly toward the U.S., appear determined to achieve their goal.

“There is still a long way to go before BRICS will ever launch a payment system that could be treated as a serious alternative to the SWIFT,” Eva Seiwert, analyst at the Berlin-based Mercator Institute for China Studies, told VOA.

She pointed out that the Kazan Declaration, which was adopted after the two-day BRICS meeting this week, was vague about even the milder version called the BRICS Cross-Border Payments Initiative, or BCBPI, which is supposed to strengthen corresponding banking networks within BRICS and enable settlements in local currencies of BRICS members.

The declaration said that participation by member countries in BCBPI would be “voluntary and non-binding.”

The BRICS plan is taken seriously in some quarters because China and India have shown it is possible to defy the economic sanctions and buy Russian oil using local currencies. Some analysts think that provision may be extended to oil-rich Iran, which has joined the BRICS club.

At the same time, bankers are not convinced that BRICS has been able to come up with a technical support system for creating and sustaining an alternative to the SWIFT system.

“How do you account for currency fluctuations if the alternative payment system is established?” asked Gopal Tripathy, head of Treasury at Jana Small Finance Bank based in Bengaluru, India. “They might use the USD [U.S. dollar] as a reference currency. In that case, the whole purpose of moving away from the dollar is lost.”

Companies in India, China, South Africa and Brazil may find it difficult to make and receive payments with business partners in countries outside the BRICS club.

“There is no moving away from the U.S. dollar unless you can create a parallel ecosystem,” he said.

Though the BRICS do not appear ready with the mechanism to implement the idea, there are concerns in Washington about the de-dollarization campaign launched by some countries.

Speaking with the House Financial Services Committee in July, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the U.S. economic sanctions have led to BRICS trying to kickstart the de-dollarization agenda.

“The more sanctions the U.S. imposes, the more countries [BRICS] will seek financial transaction methods that do not involve the U.S. dollar,” she said.

Washington appears to have amended its view on the subject since July 2023, when Yellen said there was not much to worry about.

“We have deep liquid open financial markets, strong rule of law and an absence of capital controls that no country is able to replicate,” she said at that time.

Brazil, one of the group’s members, has gone a step further, suggesting that a BRICS currency should be released into the market. But this suggestion has not been widely accepted by other members of the group.

“A BRICS currency would require major political compromises, including a banking union, a fiscal union and general macroeconomic convergence … many experts doubt that a new BRICS reserve currency would be stable or reliable enough to be widely trusted for global transactions,” the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations said in an October 18 article on its website.
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New York — Finance ministers of the G7 nations vowed Saturday to step up efforts to prevent Russia from evading sanctions imposed after its invasion of Ukraine.   

“We remain committed to taking further initiatives in response to oil price cap violations,” the group said in a statement following a meeting in Washington. Those further steps were not spelled out in detail. 

In December 2022, the G7 together with the European Union and Australia agreed to pressure purchasers of Russian oil to not go above a certain price ceiling. 

The agreement was intended to limit Russian petroleum sales and revenues without curbing exports so sharply that it would cause global oil prices to soar. 

But some countries, notably China, have continued to import Russian crude oil without observing the price ceiling.    

The G7 finance ministers also said they would take additional measures aimed at “increasing the costs to Russia of using the shadow fleet to evade sanctions.” 

Officials say Russia has used its fleet of shadow tankers, many of them old, unmarked and poorly maintained, to skirt sanctions by transporting oil without properly declaring their cargo or itineraries. 

The tankers sometimes load or transfer their cargo at sea to avoid unwanted attention. 

The United States and the EU have sanctioned several of these ships and their government owners, notably Russia’s-owned maritime company Sovcomflot. 

The G7 ministers said they intended “to intensify our efforts to prevent financial institutions from supporting Russia’s evasion of our sanctions.”   

According to the US Office of Foreign Assets Control, Russian financial institutions have developed a network of foreign subsidiaries to facilitate the purchase or sale of sanctioned goods.     

Joining the G7 ministers in the meeting Saturday were the heads of the seven countries’ central banks, plus top officials of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.   

The G7, which groups seven of the world’s most advanced economies, announced Friday it had reached an agreement to provide a loan of around $50 billion to Ukraine.

The loan will be repaid not by Ukraine but with the interest —roughly $3 billion a year — generated by Russian assets seized and frozen after the war began in February 2022. 
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