Author: Mirits

Russia’s mercenary Wagner Group remains active, even after the death of its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in August of 2023. Russian experts say the group has been drawn closer to Kremlin power structures and is still fighting to advance Moscow’s interests around the world. Matthew Kupfer has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. …

The exiled Russian opposition is looking to organize a common strategy while waiting for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to fulfill his campaign promises to end Russian President Vladmir Putin’s war with Ukraine, something they fear could mean a loss of U.S. support. Elizabeth Cherneff narrates this report from Ricardo Marquina. …

YAOUNDE, CAMEROON — Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby has defended his decision to break military ties with France, saying at a news conference Sunday that their defense pact no longer meets Chad’s security needs. The decision requires France to withdraw its troops from the central African nation and echoes growing anti-French sentiment with civil society groups who say it is long overdue.  Deby said military ties with France that have existed for close to 65 years are in no way helping to rescue Chad from what he calls growing security challenges, including terrorism and armed conflicts.  In a Sunday broadcast on state TV, Deby said his decision to end cooperation agreements with the French military is part of a promise he made during his May 23 inauguration, ending three years of military transition.  In the message, Deby said he would build reciprocal relations only with friendly nations that respect each other’s independence and sovereignty and assist each other in times of crisis. Deby promised to stop ties with countries he said behaved as if Chad had remained their colony.   The central African state first announced that it was ending military ties with France last week. The announcement came after French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot visited Chad and was told that Chad’s military is strong enough to protect civilians and their property, according to government officials.  Last Friday, the French foreign ministry said it had taken note of Chad’s decision to end the military agreement with Paris, but gave no further details.  Deby’s decision has reignited debates on what civil society and opposition groups call France’s overbearing influence provoking tensions in several African countries, especially Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger and Senegal. Mamadou Doudet, coordinator of Chad’s Patriotic Movement, an opposition political party, said he was part of several dozen civil society organizations and opposition parties that met in Chad’s capital, N’Djamena, on Monday to ask Deby to order the departure of over a thousand French troops stationed in Chad.  Doudet said the presence of French troops in Chad is of no use. He said Chad’s civil society and opposition find it very difficult to understand why French troops did not assist Chad last month when Boko Haram attacked and killed 40 Chadian soldiers in a military garrison in Lake Chad shared by Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria and Niger.  It is not the first time Chadian civil society and opposition groups sought the expulsion … “Chad orders French troops’ departure, triggers fresh anti-French military sentiment” →

Beijing — German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Monday warned her Chinese counterpart that Beijing’s support for Moscow would impact ties and instead urged China to help end the Ukraine conflict. Speaking in Beijing, she said the over 1,000-day war was impacting the whole world and condemned the battlefield role of North Korean troops and the use of Chinese-made drones in the conflict. Baerbock urged an international peace process for Ukraine and said “that is why I am here in China today,” adding that every permanent member of the U.N. Security Council had a “responsibility for peace and security in the world.” “The Russian president is not only destroying our European peace order through his war against Ukraine, but is now dragging Asia into it via North Korea,” she told a press briefing. “My Chinese counterpart and I have therefore discussed in depth that this cannot be in China’s interest either.” Germany’s top diplomat met with her counterpart Wang Yi for a “strategic dialogue” as Berlin seeks to build better ties with China while engaging on key differences. Wang told his German counterpart that, “as the world’s second- and third-largest economies” China and Germany must improve ties “as great powers in a turbulent international situation.” On the day German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made a surprise visit to war-torn Ukraine, Baerbock stressed that “in order to protect our own German and European security, we must now support Ukraine.” “And it is just as important to enter into a peace process together in the world, and that is why I am here in China today,” she said. Chinese drone worries   China presents itself as a neutral party in the Ukraine war and says it is not sending lethal assistance to either side, unlike the United States and other Western nations. But it remains a close political and economic ally of Russia, and NATO members have branded Beijing a “decisive enabler” of the war, which it has never condemned. “Drones from Chinese factories and North Korean troops attacking the peace in the middle of Europe are violating our core European security interests,” Baerbock said. She said she had “advocated a just peace process here in Beijing today, precisely because we come from different perspectives and roles”. Baerbock had earlier told Wang that “increasing Chinese support for Russia’s war against Ukraine has an impact on our relations,” according to a readout by the German … “German FM urges China to stop backing Russia, work for Ukraine peace” →

The Hague, Netherlands — The president of the International Criminal Court lashed out at the United States and Russia for interfering with its investigations, calling attacks on the court “appalling.” “The court is being threatened with draconian economic sanctions by another permanent member of the Security Council as if it was a terrorist organization,” Judge Tomoko Akane said in her address to the institution’s annual meeting, which opened on Monday. Akane was referring to remarks made by U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, whose Republican party will control both branches of Congress in January, and who called the court a “dangerous joke” and urged Congress to sanction its prosecutor. “To any ally, Canada, Britain, Germany, France, if you try to help the ICC, we’re going to sanction you,” Graham said on Fox News. Graham was angered by an announcement last month that judges had granted a request from the court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and Hamas’ military chief for crimes against humanity in connection with the nearly 14-month war in Gaza. This marks the first time the global court of justice calls out a sitting leader of a major Western ally. ICC faces challenges on arrest warrants Graham’s threat isn’t seen as just empty words. President-elect Donald Trump sanctioned the court’s previous prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, with a travel ban and asset freeze for investigating American troops and intelligence officials in Afghanistan. Akane on Monday also had harsh words for Russia. “Several elected officials are being subjected to arrest warrants from a permanent member of the Security Council,” she said. Moscow issued warrants for Khan and others in response to the investigation into Putin. The Assembly of States Parties, which represents the ICC’s 124 member countries, will convene its 23rd conference to elect committee members and approve the court’s budget against a backdrop of unfavorable headlines. The ICC was established in 2002 as the world’s permanent court of last resort to prosecute individuals responsible for the most heinous atrocities — war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression. The court only becomes involved when nations are unable or unwilling to prosecute those crimes on their territory. To date, 124 countries have signed on to the Rome Statute, which created the institution. Those who have not include Israel, Russia and China. The ICC has no police force and … “Chief of ICC lashes out at US and Russia over threats, accusations” →

Notre Dame cathedral reopens this weekend (Dec 7/8) five years after a massive fire devastated the iconic Paris landmark. Political and religious leaders and ordinary visitors are expected to attend the events, which mark a bright spot in an otherwise turbulent year. Lisa Bryant reports from the French capital. …

BUCHAREST, Romania — Romanian centrist and leftist parties looked to have fended off a surge by the nationalist right in Sunday’s parliamentary election, as attention turned to a top court ruling later on Monday on whether to annul the results of a presidential vote.  Romania, a European Union and NATO member, was thrown into turmoil by a shock result in the first round of the presidential vote on Nov. 24. A little-known far-right candidate surged to victory, raising suspicions of outside meddling in the electoral process of a country that has been a staunch ally of Ukraine.  Romania’s Constitutional Court ordered a recount of the first round vote and is due to announce at 1500 GMT its decision on whether or not to validate the results of the ballot.  If the court approves the result, independent far-right candidate, Calin Georgescu will face center-right contender Elena Lasconi in a run-off vote on Dec. 8.  Romanian authorities say the country is a key target for hostile actors such as Russia, and have accused video streaming platform TikTok of giving preferential treatment to one candidate. Both Russia and TikTok deny any wrongdoing.  Sunday’s parliamentary election, the second of three ballots scheduled over a period of as many weeks, saw the ruling leftist Social Democrat (PSD) party come first, setting the stage for what is likely to be a period of coalition forming with centrist parties.  “We want a coalition that will continue Romania’s European course,” Social Democrat Vice President Victor Negrescu was quoted as saying by the website of Stirile Pro TV.   “We expect the democratic, pro-European parties to understand that the Social Democratic Party can be the balancing factor around which a future majority can be formed.”  President’s role  With 99.78% of votes counted in the parliamentary ballot, the PSD won 22.4% of votes, ahead of the hard-right Alliance for Uniting Romanians with 18.2%.   Lasconi’s centrist opposition Save Romania Union (USR) had 12.2%, while the junior ruling coalition ally Liberals had 14.3%. Two far-right groupings, SOS and POT, had 7.7% and 6.3%, respectively, and the ethnic Hungarian Party UDMR 6.4%.  Liberal leader Ilie Bolojan said the party was “willing to participate in… a coalition so that we can be a modernizing factor for our country.”  However, who gets to form the government will ultimately depend on who wins the presidential race, since the president designates a prime minister, and the timeline … “Romanian leftists win parliamentary election amid uncertainty over presidency “ →

TBILISI, Georgia — Georgian police arrested a prominent opposition leader early on Monday after using water cannon and tear gas to scatter anti-government protesters who rallied outside parliament for the fourth straight night.  The protests were sparked by the government’s announcement last week that it was suspending talks on joining the European Union. Critics saw that as confirmation of a Russian-influenced shift away from pro-Western policies, something the ruling party denies.  The Coalition for Change, the country’s largest opposition party, said in a post on X that Zurab Japaridze, one of its leaders, had been arrested by police whilst leaving the demonstration.   Footage showed Japaridze being placed in an unmarked vehicle by masked police. It was not clear if he would be charged with any offence.  The United States and the EU have voiced alarm at what they see as democratic backsliding by Georgia, a country of 3.7 million people that lies at the intersection of Europe and Asia and was once part of the Soviet Union.  Russia denies interfering in its neighbor, but former president Dmitry Medvedev warned on Sunday that Georgia was “moving rapidly along the Ukrainian path, into the dark abyss,” adding: “Usually this sort of thing ends very badly.”  On Sunday night, protesters gathered again in Tbilisi on the central Rustaveli Avenue. Some tossed fireworks at police, who responded with volleys of water cannon and tear gas.  “I’m here for a very simple reason, to defend my European future and the democracy of my country,” one of the demonstrators, Nikoloz Miruashvili, said.  Police eventually ended the standoff by moving demonstrators away from the parliament building.  Injury toll mounts  Georgia’s interior ministry said 21 police officers had been injured during the overnight protest, with 113 hurt since the beginning of the unrest. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze accused the opposition of “coordinated violence” aimed at overthrowing the constitutional order.  Dozens of protesters also have been injured since the latest demonstrations began, and the United States has condemned what it called the excessive use of police force.  President Salome Zourabichvili, a pro-EU figure who backs the protesters, said many of those arrested had suffered head and face injuries as a result of beatings.   “This is the revolt of an entire country,” she told French news group France Inter.   Hundreds of diplomats and civil servants have signed open letters protesting the decision to suspend talks with the EU … “Georgian opposition leader arrested after fourth night of protests “ →

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged $680 million in military aid for Ukraine as he pledged support for the country during a visit Monday to Kyiv. Scholz said Ukraine can rely on Germany, and that his visit was meant to reinforce that commitment. He said the new military equipment is set to be delivered to Ukraine this month. The visit comes amid questions about future Western aid for Ukraine with the United States set to go through a change of leadership in January. Ukraine’s military said Monday it shot down 52 of 110 drones that Russian forces launched in attacks overnight. The intercepts took place over the Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Kyiv, Poltava, Sumy, Vinnytsia and Zhytomyr regions, the air force said. Viacheslav Negoda, the head of the military administration of Ternopil region, said on Telegram that Russian attacks killed one person and injured several others. Officials in Cherkasy said falling drone debris damaged several residential buildings. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 15 Ukrainian aerial drones. The ministry said it destroyed drones over the Kursk, Bryansk and Belgorod regions, and over Russia-occupied Crimea. Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press and Reuters …

BERLIN — Workers at nine Volkswagen car and component plants across Germany will strike for several hours on Monday, IG Metall union said, bringing assembly lines to a halt as labor and management clash over the future of the carmaker’s German operations. Thousands are expected to gather at the carmaker’s headquarters in Wolfsburg. Demonstrations are also expected at the Hanover plant, which employs around 14,000 people, and other component and auto plants including Emden, Salzgitter, and Brunswick. The strikes, which could escalate into 24-hour or unlimited strikes if a deal is not struck in the next round of wage negotiations, will put a dent in Volkswagen’s output at a time when the carmaker is already facing declining deliveries and plunging profit. “How long and how intensive this confrontation needs to be is Volkswagen’s responsibility at the negotiating table,” Groeger said on Sunday. A company spokesperson on Sunday said the carmaker respected workers’ right to strike and had taken steps to ensure a basic level of supplies to customers and minimize the strike’s impact. The union last week proposed measures it said would save $1.6 billion, including forgoing bonuses for 2025 and 2026, which Europe’s top carmaker dismissed. Volkswagen has demanded a 10% wage cut, arguing it needs to slash costs and boost profit to defend market share. The company is also threatening to close plants in Germany, a first in its 87-year history. An agreement not to stage walkouts ended on Saturday, enabling workers to carry out strikes from Sunday across VW AG’s German plants. The labor union called on employees of the plants housed under subsidiary Volkswagen Sachsen GmbH, which include VW’s EV-only plant Zwickau, to strike on both Monday and Tuesday. Negotiations will continue on Dec. 9 over a new labor agreement, with unions vowing to resist any proposals that do not provide a long-term plan for every VW plant. …

TBILISI, Georgia — Police in Georgia fired water cannon and tear gas to disperse protesters in Tbilisi, the capital, who opposed the government’s decision to suspend talks on joining the European Union, while some were detained, Russian agencies said on Monday. Thousands of protesters had taken to the streets for several days in the nation of 3.7 million, accusing the ruling Georgian Dream party of pursuing increasingly authoritarian, anti-Western and pro-Russian policies. Police ended hours of standoff early on Monday by moving demonstrators away from the parliament building and down the central Rustaveli Avenue towards the Tbilisi opera house and began erecting barricades with any material they could find. Amid skirmishes with police, the demonstrators were forced off the avenue as they tossed fireworks at law enforcement officers, who responded with volleys of water cannon and tear gas, Russian agencies said. After months of rising tension, the crisis has worsened since Thursday’s announcement that the government would freeze EU talks for four years, with pro-EU demonstrators facing off against police. It was not immediately clear how many protesters were detained early on Monday, when Russia’s Interfax news agency said only a small group was left near a metro station. It said 113 police officers were injured during the Tbilisi protests of the last few days, citing the Georgian interior (home) ministry. On Sunday, four opposition groups urged protesters to demand paid leave from their jobs in order to attend protests, as provided by labor law, and asked employers to permit time off. Georgia’s pro-Western President Salome Zourabichvili called for pressure to be brought on the Constitutional Court to annul elections last month won by Georgian Dream. Both the opposition and Zourabichvili say the poll was rigged. The European Union and the United States said they were alarmed by what they see as Georgia’s shift away from a pro-Western path back towards Russia’s orbit. Georgian Dream says it is acting to defend the country’s sovereignty against outside interference. …

BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbia on Sunday rejected any responsibility for a powerful explosion that temporarily cut water and power supplies to large swathes of neighboring Kosovo, with Serbia’s president claiming such accusations are part of a “hybrid” warfare against his country. Kosovo officials said police had arrested eight people after an explosion on Friday in the northern Serb-populated part of the state hit a canal that sends water to its two main power plants. Pristina called it a “terrorist act” conducted by Serbia. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic rejected those accusations. “On Friday, there was an attempt of a large hybrid attack on our country,” Vucic said. “Belgrade and Serbia have nothing to do with those events.” The populist Serbian leader suggested Kosovo was behind the attack but said he would refrain from directly accusing Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti pending an investigation conducted by Belgrade. “I will not say that Kurti directly ordered the attack,” Vucic said. “The investigation will show, we have certain suspicions. We believe we have certain findings who could be the perpetrator.” “During that so-called anti-terrorist operation, Kurti’s special forces occupied new intersections and streets, harassing Serbs, and it was all a show for the international public,” Vucic said. Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti said the recent attacks in Kosovo — on a water canal, town hall building and police station — were correlated with the recent attacks from Russia in Ukraine. “That attack has correlation with the massive air attacks of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, attacks which targeted energy infrastructure in Ukraine,” he said at a news conference on Sunday. Kosovo police have raided 10 locations in the north, confiscating more than 200 military uniforms, six shoulder-fired rocket launchers, long weapons, pistols and ammunition, they said. About 15 to 20 kilograms (30 to 45 pounds) of explosives were used to damage the critical infrastructure, according to Kosovo police chief Gazmend Hoxha. Police also found many emblems of the Russian special forces and Russian empire flags, according to Kurti, adding that “Serbia is copying Russian methods to threaten Kosovo and the region in general.” The explosion has further fueled tensions between the two Balkan states. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, which is not recognized by Belgrade. Most of the Serb minority living in Kosovo still consider Belgrade as their capital. The European Union and the United States strongly denounced the explosion and demanded that … “Serbia rejects responsibility for a water supply explosion in Kosovo as tensions rise” →

BUCHAREST, Romania — Romania’s ruling leftist Social Democrats (PSD) looked set to win the most votes in a parliamentary election on Sunday, fending off a resurgent far-right movement that challenges the country’s pro-Western orientation, partial results showed. The vote is the second of three consecutive ballots for both a new parliament and a new president, after the first round of the presidential election on Nov. 24 saw an independent far-right candidate, Calin Georgescu, emerge from relative obscurity to become the frontrunner. His unexpected win ushered in support for ultranationalist, hard-right parties, some with overt pro-Russian sympathies, which political analysts said could undermine Romania’s support for Ukraine. If final results confirm the preliminary count, a pro-Western coalition led by the PSD would likely have enough seats in parliament to form a government, although the far right would be a substantial force in the legislature. However, a broad coalition would be difficult to form amid disagreements over reforms and measures needed to rein in the country’s gaping budget deficit, now the highest in the EU at 8% of economic output. Sergiu Miscoiu, a political science professor at Babes-Bolyai University, said the PSD would likely play a central part in any coalition talks. But the results pointed to “the most fragmented political spectrum since 1990,” he said, in a reflection of deepening social divisions in Romania, which has some of the EU’s poorest regions. With 90% of votes counted, the PSD won 23.9% of votes, ahead of the hard-right Alliance for Uniting Romanians with 17.9%. Lasconi’s centrist opposition Save Romania Union (USR) had 11.1%, while the junior ruling coalition ally Liberals had 14.6%. Two far-right groupings, SOS and POT, had 7.2% and 5.8%, respectively, and the ethnic Hungarian Party UDMR got 7%. After a campaign dominated by voters’ concerns over budget problems and the cost of living, the election pitted the far-right contenders against pro-European mainstream parties that have angered their voters with infighting and corruption allegations. Far-right parties have also used Romania’s championing of Ukraine to stoke fears the war could spill over the border unless the country halts its support, as well as resentment over alleged preferential treatment for refugees from Ukraine. Romania has the EU’s biggest share of the population at risk of poverty, and swathes of the country need investment to attract jobs. “I am not voting for any party which has been in parliament before. It is an elimination … “Romanian leftists ahead of resurgent far right in election” →

DUBLIN — Ireland’s two long-dominant center-right parties looked likely to form a new government as results came in Sunday from a fractured national election, though with a reduced vote share and complex coalition negotiations ahead. In an exception to the global anti-incumbent mood, outgoing governing parties Fianna Fail and Fine Gael took the two largest shares of the vote, narrowly ahead of left-of-center opposition Sinn Fein. Under Ireland’s system of proportional representation, vote share does not translate neatly into seats in parliament. With about two-thirds of results declared, Fianna Fail was on course to be the biggest party in the 174-seat Dáil, the lower house of parliament, with Fine Gael and Sinn Fein battling for second place. It’s certain that no party will have enough seats to govern on its own, and the most likely outcome is a coalition between Fianna Fail, led by Micheál Martin, and Fine Gael under outgoing Prime Minister Simon Harris. In that case either Harris or Martin — or possibly both, if they strike a job-sharing deal — will become Ireland’s next premier, known as the taoiseach. Sinn Fein, which aims to reunify the Republic of Ireland with the U.K. territory of Northern Ireland, lacks a clear path to power because the other two parties say they won’t work with it, partly because of its historic ties with the Irish Republican Army during three decades of violence in Northern Ireland. Ireland uses a complex system of proportional representation in which each of the country’s 43 constituencies elects several lawmakers and voters rank candidates in order of preference. As a result, it can take days for full results to be known. “The people of Ireland have now spoken,” Harris said. “We now have to work out exactly what they have said, and that is going to take a little bit of time.” The cost of living — especially Ireland’s acute housing crisis — was a dominant topic in the three-week campaign, alongside immigration, which has become an emotive and challenging issue in a country of 5.4 million people long defined by emigration. The results of Friday’s election mean Ireland has partly bucked the global trend of incumbents being rejected by disgruntled voters after years of pandemic, international instability and cost-of-living pressures. The next government, like the last, will likely be led by two parties that have dominated Irish politics for the past century. Fine Gael and Fianna … “Ireland’s incumbent parties look likely to hang on to power after a fractured election” →

Stockholm — Sales by major arms suppliers were boosted last year by the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and tensions in Asia, with marked increases for manufacturers based in Russia and the Middle East, according to a report published Monday. Sales of arms and military services by the world’s 100 largest arms companies totaled $632 billion last year, up 4.2%, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said. They had declined in 2022 due to the inability of these global giants to meet the increase in demand, but many of them managed to restart their production in 2023, according to the report. As a sign of this strong surge in demand, these 100 companies, for the first time, all individually achieved a turnover of more than a billion dollars last year. “There has been a marked increase in arms sales in 2023, and this trend is expected to continue in 2024,” Lorenzo Scarazzato, a researcher at SIPRI’s program on military expenditure and arms production, was quoted as saying in a statement. Sales of the world’s top 100 groups “do not yet fully reflect the scale of demand and many companies have launched recruitment campaigns, showing their optimism for the future,” he adds. Smaller producers have been more efficient in meeting this new demand linked to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, growing tensions in East Asia and rearmament programs in other regions, SIPRI points out. “Many of them specialize in one component or build systems that require a single supply chain,” allowing them to react more quickly, Nan Tian, director of the military spending program, told AFP. As the world’s leading producers, American groups recorded a 2.5% increase in their sales in 2023 and still represent half of global arms revenues, with 41 American companies among the top 100 in the world. Lockheed Martin and RTX (formerly Raytheon Technologies), the two largest arms groups in the world, recorded a drop in their sales. “They often rely on complex, multi-tiered supply chains, making them vulnerable to the supply chain challenges that have persisted into 2023,” Nan Tian says. Bond of Russian Rostec   Europe, with 27 groups, only posted a 0.2% increase in sales last year, which masks a dual reality. European groups manufacturing complex weapons systems were still working on old contracts last year, which does not reflect the influx of orders recorded since then. Other groups, on the other hand, … “Wars, regional tensions boost sales for major arms suppliers” →

The late American businessman Morgan Williams was deeply involved in promoting Ukrainian business as president of the US-Ukraine Business Council.  During his time in Ukraine, Williams began collecting artwork related to the Holodomor, a famine engineered by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in the early 1930’s that killed millions. Now, all that artwork has a home. Hanna Tverdokhlib has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. VOA footage by Kostiantyn Golubchyk. …

Madrid — A bus crashed Sunday evening near a ski resort in southern France, killing at least two people and injuring 33 others, local authorities said. A total of 47 people including the driver were on the bus when it crashed near the Porte-Puymorens ski resort, the regional administration said. Seven people were in critical condition. Local authorities said a preliminary investigation showed the bus ran into a cliff, but the exact circumstances that may have resulted in such a collision were not immediately clear. Images released by the local firefighter service showed the bus pressed against the side of a cliff, its right side partially crushed, and the windshield was apparently knocked out. More than 120 individuals were involved in the high-altitude rescue effort, including from neighboring Catalonia in Spain and Andorra. Four rescue helicopters were also deployed to the accident scene some 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) in the French Pyrenees mountains. Catalonia’s emergency services said on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, that the bus originated from L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, outside Barcelona, Spain. A holiday center in Porte-Puymorens resort was opened to house the surviving passengers. The local ski resort has not opened yet because of a lack of snow. Some information for this report came from Agence France-Presse. …

The Hague — The top United Nations court will take up the largest case in its history Monday, when it opens two weeks of hearings into what countries worldwide are legally required to do to combat climate change and help vulnerable nations fight its devastating impact. After years of lobbying by island nations who fear they could simply disappear under rising sea waters, the U.N. General Assembly asked the International Court of Justice last year for an opinion on “the obligations of States in respect of climate change.” “We want the court to confirm that the conduct that has wrecked the climate is unlawful,” Margaretha Wewerinke-Singh, who is leading the legal team for the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, told The Associated Press. In the decade up to 2023, sea levels have risen by a global average of around 4.3 centimeters (1.7 inches), with parts of the Pacific rising higher still. The world has also warmed 1.3 degrees Celsius (2.3 Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times because of the burning of fossil fuels. Vanuatu is one of a group of small states pushing for international legal intervention in the climate crisis. “We live on the front lines of climate change impact. We are witnesses to the destruction of our lands, our livelihoods, our culture and our human rights,” Vanuatu’s climate change envoy Ralph Regenvanu told reporters ahead of the hearing. Any decision by the court would be non-binding advice and unable to directly force wealthy nations into action to help struggling countries. Yet it would be more than just a powerful symbol since it could serve as the basis for other legal actions, including domestic lawsuits. On Sunday, ahead of the hearing, advocacy groups will bring together environmental organizations from around the world. Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change — who first developed the idea of requesting an advisory opinion — together with World Youth for Climate Justice plan an afternoon of speeches, music and discussions. From Monday, the Hague-based court will hear from 99 countries and more than a dozen intergovernmental organizations over two weeks. It’s the largest lineup in the institution’s nearly 80-year history. Last month at the United Nations’ annual climate meeting, countries cobbled together an agreement on how rich countries can support poor countries in the face of climate disasters. Wealthy countries have agreed to pool together at least $300 billion a year by 2035 but the total is … “Landmark climate change case to open at top UN court” →

Athens, Greece — Torrential rains flooded homes, businesses and roads in the popular Greek tourist island of Rhodes on Sunday, forcing authorities to temporarily ban the use of vehicles as Storm Bora pounded the country for a second day. On Saturday, a man died in flash floods which hit another Greek island in the northern Aegean. The fire service received more than 650 calls to pump water out of flooded buildings on Rhodes island and evacuated 80 people to safer ground, with the city of Ialysos hit the hardest. No injuries were reported. Cars and debris were piled up high in the flooded streets of Rhodes, with residents trying to remove mud from their water-logged properties. “The situation is tragic, some have lost their homes, some have fled, our cars are in a terrible condition,” said Sofia Kanelli in Ialysos. Fire brigade spokesperson Vassilis Varthakogiannis told Greece’s SKAI TV that the bad weather would continue Monday. The Mediterranean country has been ravaged by floods and wildfires in recent years, with scientists saying that Greece has become a “hot spot” for climate change. “The conditions in recent years are different; we have sudden rainfall and sudden floods,” Varthakogiannis said. In 2023, more than 20,000 tourists and locals were forced to flee homes and seaside hotels as wildfires burned for days. Thunderstorms and heavy rain also interrupted train services in mainland Greece, especially in the center and north of the country.  …

BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA — Countries negotiating a global treaty to curb plastic pollution failed to reach agreement on Monday with over 100 nations wanting to cap production while a handful of oil producers were prepared only to target plastic waste.  The fifth U.N. Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meeting to yield a legally binding global treaty in Busan, South Korea, was meant to be the final one.  However, countries remained far apart on the basic scope of a treaty, and could agree only to postpone key decisions to a future meeting.  “While I saw points of convergence in many areas, positions remain divergent in some others,” said Luis Vayas Valdivieso, the chair of the meeting.  The most divisive issues included capping plastic production, managing plastic products and chemicals of concern, and financing to help developing countries implement the treaty.  An option proposed by Panama, backed by over 100 countries, would have created a path for a global plastic production reduction target, while another proposal did not include production caps.  The fault lines were apparent in a revised document released on Sunday by Valdivieso, which could have formed the basis of a treaty, but remained riddled with options on the most sensitive issues.  “A treaty that… only relies on voluntary measures would not be acceptable,” said Juliet Kabera, director general of Rwanda’s Environment Management Authority.  “It is time we take it seriously and negotiate a treaty that is fit for purpose and not built to fail.”  A small number of petrochemical-producing nations, such as Saudi Arabia, have strongly opposed efforts to reduce plastic production and have tried to use procedural tactics to delay negotiations.  “There was never any consensus,” said Saudi Arabian delegate Abdulrahman Al Gwaiz. “There are a couple of articles that somehow seem to make it (into the document) despite our continued insistence that they are not within the scope.”  China, the United States, India, South Korea and Saudi Arabia were the top five primary polymer producing nations in 2023, according to data provider Eunomia.  Entrenched divisions  Had such divisions been overcome, the treaty would have been one of the most significant deals relating to environmental protection since the 2015 Paris Agreement.  The postponement comes just days after the turbulent conclusion of the COP29 summit in Baku, Azerbaijan.  At Baku, countries set a new global target for mobilizing $300 billion annually in climate finance, a deal deemed woefully insufficient by small island … “UN plastic talks collapse as countries fail to agree targets “ →

TBILISI, Georgia — A third night of protests in the Georgian capital against the government’s decision to suspend negotiations to join the European Union left 44 people hospitalized, officials said Sunday. Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered outside the parliament Saturday night, throwing stones and setting off fireworks, while police deployed water cannons and tear gas. An effigy of the founder of the governing Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili — a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia — was burned in front of the legislature. Georgia’s Interior Ministry said Sunday that 27 protesters, 16 police and one media worker were hospitalized. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze warned that “any violation of the law will be met with the full rigor of the law.” “Neither will those politicians who hide in their offices and sacrifice members of their violent groups to severe punishment escape responsibility,” he said at a briefing Sunday. He insisted it wasn’t true that Georgia’s European integration had been halted. “The only thing we have rejected is the shameful and offensive blackmail, which was, in fact, a significant obstacle to our country’s European integration.” The government’s announcement came hours after the European Parliament adopted a resolution criticizing last month’s general election in Georgia as neither free nor fair. Kobakhidze also dismissed the U.S. State Department’s statement Saturday that it was suspending its strategic partnership with Georgia. The statement condemned Georgia’s decision to halt its efforts toward EU accession. “You can see that the outgoing administration is trying to leave the new administration with as difficult a legacy as possible. They are doing this regarding Ukraine, and now also concerning Georgia,” Kobakhidze said. “This will not have any fundamental significance. We will wait for the new administration and discuss everything with them.” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and enlargement commissioner Marta Kos released a joint statement Sunday on the Georgian government’s decision to suspend negotiations. “We note that this announcement marks a shift from the policies of all previous Georgian governments and the European aspirations of the vast majority of the Georgian people, as enshrined in the Constitution of Georgia,” the statement said. It reiterated the EU’s “serious concerns about the continuous democratic backsliding of the country” and urged Georgian authorities to “respect the right to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression, and refrain from using force against peaceful protesters, politicians and media representatives.” The ruling Georgian … “Over 40 people hospitalized in Georgia during protests over suspension of EU talks “ →

NOVI SAD, Serbia — Thousands joined a protest march on Sunday in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad that marked one month since a concrete canopy outside of the city’s railway station collapsed, killing 15 people and injuring two. Protesters held a huge banner with a red handprint at the front of the column — a message for the populist authorities that they have blood on their hands. Participants later left the same symbolic message on the pavement at the main square in Novi Sad while also painting much of the square red. Street protests and blockades have been held almost daily since the Nov. 1 roof collapse, demanding accountability after tons of concrete fell on people sitting or walking below on a sunny day. The railway station building was renovated twice in recent years. Many in Serbia believe rampant corruption and opaque deals resulted in sloppy work and led to the collapse of the roof. While prosecutors have announced the arrests of 13 people, a Serbian court has since released from detention former government construction minister Goran Vesic. This has fueled widespread skepticism of the ongoing investigation, as the populists control both the police and judiciary.  The march on Sunday in Novi Sad was held in silence and passed peacefully, unlike some traffic blockades in past weeks when pro-government supporters have sought to disrupt the gatherings and scuffled with the protesters. Scuffles have also erupted in Serbia’s parliament between the ruling party and opposition lawmakers.  The protests are seen as a challenge for Serbia’s authoritarian President Aleksandar Vucic, whose populist government holds firm control over the mainstream media and institutions. Vucic on Sunday defended his supporters’ appearance at the opposition-led traffic blockades. Vucic said halting traffic presented the “ultimate violence” against citizens. Opposition parties are demanding the resignation of Serbia’s prime minister and his government, as well as access to full documentation on the train station building and other infrastructure projects carried out in conjunction with Chinese state companies. The station in Novi Sad was originally built in 1964. Its renovation was part of a bigger project with China and Hungary to build a high-speed railway between Belgrade and Budapest. …

KYIV, UKRAINE — Russian President Vladimir Putin approved budget plans, raising 2025 military spending to record levels as Moscow seeks to prevail in the war in Ukraine. Around 32.5% of the budget posted on a government website Sunday has been allocated for national defense, amounting to 13.5 trillion rubles (more than $145 billion), up from a reported 28.3% this year. Lawmakers in both houses of the Russian parliament, the State Duma and Federation Council had already approved the plans in the past 10 days. Russia’s war on Ukraine, which started in February 2022, is Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II and has drained the resources of both sides. Kyiv has been getting billions of dollars in help from its Western allies, but Russia’s forces are bigger and better equipped, and in recent months the Russian army has gradually been pushing Ukrainian troops backward in eastern areas. On the ground in Ukraine, three people died in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson when a Russian drone struck a minibus on Sunday morning, Kherson regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said. Seven others were wounded in the attack. Meanwhile, the number of wounded in Saturday’s missile strike in Dnipro in central Ukraine rose to 24, with seven in serious condition, Dnipropetrovsk regional Gov. Serhiy Lysak said. Four people were killed in the attack. Moscow sent 78 drones into Ukraine overnight into Sunday, Ukrainian officials said. According to Ukraine’s air force, 32 drones were destroyed during the overnight attacks. A further 45 drones were “lost” over various areas, likely having been electronically jammed. In Russia, a child was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack in the Bryansk region bordering Ukraine, according to regional Gov. Alexander Bogomaz. Russia’s Defense Ministry said that 29 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight into Sunday in four regions of western Russia: 20 over the Bryansk region, seven over the Kaluga region, and one each over the Smolensk and Kursk regions. …

KYIV, UKRAINE — The EU’s new top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, and head of the European Council, Antonio Costa, arrived in Kyiv on Sunday in a symbolic show of support for Ukraine on their first day in office. “We came to give a clear message that we stand with Ukraine, and we continue to give our full support,” Costa told media outlets including AFP accompanying them on the trip. The European Union’s new leadership team is keen to demonstrate it remains firm on backing Kyiv at a perilous moment for Ukraine nearly three years into its fight against Russia’s all-out invasion. Questions are swirling around the future of U.S. support once Donald Trump assumes office in January and there are fears he could force Kyiv to make painful concessions in pursuit of a quick peace deal. Meanwhile, tensions have escalated as Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to strike government buildings in Kyiv with his new Oreshnik missile after firing it at Ukraine for the first time last month. The Kremlin leader said the move is a response to Kyiv getting the green light to strike inside Russia with American and British missiles, and he has threatened to hit back against the countries supplying the weaponry. As winter begins, Russia has also unleashed devastating barrages against Ukraine’s power grid and on the frontline Kyiv’s fatigued forces are losing ground to Moscow’s grinding offensive. “The situation in Ukraine is very, very grave,” Kallas, a former prime minister of Estonia, said. “But it’s clear that it comes at a very high cost for Russia as well.” Ceasefire? The new EU leaders — the bloc’s top officials along with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen — were set to hold talks with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy on Friday appeared to begin staking out his position ahead of any potential peace talks. He called on NATO to offer guaranteed protections to parts of Ukraine controlled by Kyiv in order to “stop the hot stage of the war,” and implied he would then be willing to wait to regain other territory seized by Russia. “If we speak ceasefire, [we need] guarantees that Putin will not come back,” Zelenskyy told Britain’s Sky News. Kallas said that “the strongest security guarantee is NATO membership.” “We need to definitely discuss this — if Ukraine decides to draw the line somewhere then how can we secure peace so that … “New EU chiefs visit Kyiv on first day of mandate” →

BERLIN — The smells of mulled wine, roasted almonds and hot bratwurst are wafting through the air across the German capital again, as the city’s more than 100 Christmas markets are opening their doors this week. But the annual tradition that Germans have cherished since the Middle Ages — and successfully exported to much of the Western world — has become a pretty diverse affair, at least in Berlin. The city of 3.8 million, which takes pride in its tolerance and diversity, offers Christmas markets for pretty much every taste these days. Nowadays, almost 40% of Berliners have immigrant roots, and the city’s LGBTQ+ community is considered one of the biggest in the country. So it comes as no surprise that popular Christmas markets include a LGBTQ+ one offering rainbow pierogi and entertainment by drag queens, a Scandinavian market selling moose goulash and reindeer salami and a market tempting revelers with naughty gift ideas, along with a historical market that takes visitors back to medieval times. “It’s a lovely atmosphere,” Paul Middleton said of the LGBTQ+ market Christmas Avenue, which is illuminated in the colors of the rainbow. “It’s great to do something for the LGBTQ+ community and offer something positive in a safe environment where everyone’s welcome, no matter what background,” said Middleton, who moved to Berlin from London three years ago “for love.” Middleton was busy selling gay-themed Christmas shirts next to stalls offering suggestive candles and soaps in neon colors. The market also attracts heterosexual couples, neighborhood residents and groups of moms with baby strollers, said Sebastian Ahlefeld, a spokesperson for Christmas Avenue. “You can meet lots of friends, relax, enjoy a mulled wine and simply kick off the Christmas season,” said Marco Klingberg, who visited the market with friends on Monday night. Klingberg, a police officer and member of the LGBTQ+ police organization in Brandenburg, the state surrounding Berlin, pointed out that despite the city’s reputation as a gay-friendly city, attacks on members of the community are a concern, and it was great to have a protected environment for celebrating. “First and foremost, it’s a safe space,” he said. Security is an issue not only at the LGBTQ+ market, where all visitors undergo a bag check before entering. Groups of police officers were patrolling most markets on Monday night, as memories of a deadly terror attack on a Christmas market eight years ago are still fresh for … “Berlin’s traditional Christmas markets reflect city’s growing diversity” →

BUCHAREST, ROMANIA — Still reeling from this week’s shock developments, Romanians returned to the polls Sunday to elect their Parliament, with the far right tipped to win, potentially heralding a shift in the NATO country’s foreign policy. Romania was thrown into turmoil after a top court ordered a recount of the first round of last week’s presidential election won by Calin Georgescu, a little-known far-right admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin. A runoff in that poll is slated for December 8. Despite accusations of Russian influence and alleged interference via TikTok, Sunday’s parliamentary elections went ahead as planned. While the recounting of more than 9 million ballots appeared to proceed quickly, people on the streets of Bucharest expressed worries about the recent twists and turns. “What’s going on now doesn’t seem very democratic,” Gina Visan told AFP at a Christmas market in Bucharest. “They should respect our vote. We’re disappointed, but we’re used to this kind of behavior,” said the 40-year-old nurse, echoing voter’s distrust in traditional parties. Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) and will close at 9 p.m., with an exit poll due to be published shortly afterward. The first official results are expected later in the evening. Confusion, anger and fear Amid allegations of irregularities and possible interference in the election, concerns over the transparency of the electoral process have emerged, with independent observers being denied access to the recount. According to Septimius Parvu of the Expert Forum think tank, the recount order by Romania’s Constitutional Court had “many negative effects,” including undermining confidence in institutions. “We’ve already recounted votes in Romania in the past, but not millions of votes, with parliamentary elections in the middle of it all,” said Parvu. “No decision made during this crucial period should limit the right of Romanians to vote freely nor further put at risk the credibility of the election process,” the U.S. Embassy in Romania stressed. But the top court’s decision is likely to boost the far right, Parvu said. The NATO member of 19 million people has so far resisted rising nationalism in the region, but experts say it faces an unprecedented situation as anger over soaring inflation and fears of being dragged into Russia’s war in neighboring Ukraine have mounted. George Sorin in Bucharest said he hopes the far right will score well, claiming the current Parliament had mostly served the interests of “Brussels and Ukraine” … “Turmoil overshadows Romania vote as far right hopes to gain ground” →