Author: Mirits

Floods swept through parts of Britain on Sunday as residents woke to flooded homes and streets as Storm Bert battered Britain.  Floods in the small Welsh town of Pontypridd, near Cardiff, left residents battling high water levels and volunteering in groups to help clear water from their homes and streets using an assortment of buckets.  Emergency workers rescued a dog while local resident Victor fled the town with his partner and pet cat ‘Cookie’ after moving their valuables to the upper floor of the home, planning on returning once waters subside.  In West Yorkshire’s small town of Hebden Bridge, fire fighters planned to return a major road back into use as they spent the morning using pumps to remove the floodwaters off the road and back into the local river.  Storm Bert brought snow, rain and strong winds on Saturday (November 23), killing one person and closing several railway lines, bridges and roads.  A man in his 60s died after a tree fell on a car on the A34 highway in southern England, local police said.  Met Office Chief Meteorologist Jason Kelly termed the storm a “multi-hazard event,” saying it was expected to bring snow, rain and wind to Britain for most of the weekend.  …

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — Iran said on Sunday that it would hold nuclear talks in the coming days with the three European countries that initiated a censure resolution against it adopted by the U.N.’s atomic watchdog.  Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the meeting of the deputy foreign ministers of Iran, France, Germany and the United Kingdom would take place on Friday, without specifying a venue.  “A range of regional and international issues and topics, including the issues of Palestine and Lebanon, as well as the nuclear issue, will be discussed,” the spokesman said in a foreign ministry statement.  Baghaei described the coming meeting as a continuation of talks held with the countries in September on the sidelines of the annual session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.  On Thursday, the 35-nation board of governors of the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency adopted a resolution denouncing Iran for what it called a lack of cooperation.  The move came as tensions ran high over Iran’s atomic program, which critics fear is aimed at developing a nuclear weapon — something Tehran has repeatedly denied.  It also came after IAEA head Rafael Grossi returned from a trip to Tehran, where he appeared to have made headway.   During the visit, Iran agreed to an IAEA demand to cap its sensitive stock of near weapons-grade uranium enriched up to 60 percent purity.  In response to the resolution, Iran announced it was launching a “series of new and advanced centrifuges.”  Centrifuges enrich uranium transformed into gas by rotating it at very high speed, increasing the proportion of fissile isotope material (U-235).  “We will substantially increase the enrichment capacity with the utilization of different types of advanced machines,” Behrouz Kamalvandi, Iran’s atomic energy organization spokesman, told state TV.  The country, however, also said it planned to continue its “technical and safeguards cooperation with the IAEA.”   Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in power since July and a supporter of dialogue with Western countries, has said he wants to remove “doubts and ambiguities” about his country’s nuclear program.   In 2015, Iran and world powers reached an agreement that saw the easing of international sanctions on Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.  But the United States unilaterally withdrew from the accord in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump and reimposed biting economic sanctions, which prompted Iran to begin rolling back on its own commitments.  … “Iran says will hold nuclear talks with France, Germany, UK on Friday “ →

paris — When Jean-Charles de Castelbajac watched as Notre Dame cathedral burned in April 2019, he felt compelled to act.  Returning home, the French fashion designer began sketching ideas, imagining the monument’s reconstruction.  So, when the Paris Archbishop’s emissary approached him to design the liturgical garments for the cathedral’s reopening next month, Castelbajac — a believer with personal roots with the church — felt the moment transcended mere coincidence.  “It’s bigger than a job. It’s a bit mysterious … mysterious,” Castelbajac said, his eyes brimming with wonder as he previewed some of the 2,000 colorful pieces for 700 celebrants at his Paris home. “It’s a calling. To be called like that is synchronicity.”  This duty, as he calls it, led to a collection of work crafted in collaboration with the esteemed artisans of 19M studio. The garments, often in thick off-white Scottish wool gabardine, blend his signature eye-popping pop-art aesthetic with a reverence for the cathedral’s centuries-old legacy with medieval touches. The unorthodox designs are fun, modern — and perhaps shockingly minimalist.  They undoubtedly break with the richly embellished styles associated with the cathedral’s near-900-year-old liturgical garb. At their center is a large gold cross, accented by debris fragments of vivid color-blocked red, blue, yellow, and green velvet.  “It’s something that is exploded that reconstructs itself,” Castelbajac said, likening the dissipated shards coming together to the cathedral’s own rebirth.  The commission was not subject to an open call. Instead, Castelbajac was handpicked by the Catholic leadership, due to his history of designing for the church.  In 1997, he created the rainbow-colored robes worn by Pope John Paul II for World Youth Day in Paris, garments later enshrined in Notre Dame’s treasury as a relic. That connection carried a special weight during the fire.  “As I watched the fire, I was thinking, ‘Are the relics burning? Are the relics safe?’ So my link was not just material. It’s really a strong spiritual link,” he said.  For Castelbajac, 74, the memory of those two hours in 2019 spent watching the fire with his wife amid people praying on their knees still evokes both grief and determination.  “It was not Notre Dame burning. It was hope burning. It was spirituality burning. It was such an intense moment … I was thinking, what can I do?” he said.  The vestments, which will be worn in liturgies permanently — forever, as Castelbajac put it — carry … “Designer describes invitation to work on Notre Dame cathedral’s reopening as ‘calling’” →

BUCHAREST — Romanians vote on Sunday in the first round of a presidential election that may give a shot at victory to hard-right politician George Simion, who opposes military aid to Ukraine, admires Donald Trump and wants to emulate Giorgia Meloni’s Italy. Outgoing two-term president Klaus Iohannis, 65, had cemented Romania’s strong pro-western stance but was accused of not doing enough to fight corruption. Voting starts at 0500 GMT and ends at 1900 GMT with exit polls to follow immediately. The second round is scheduled for December 8 while a parliamentary election is also due next Sunday. Voting by Romanians abroad, who can influence the result and where Simion is popular, began on Friday. Simion voted in Rome. Opinion surveys show leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, 56, leader of Romania’s largest party, the Social Democrats, will make it into the run-off vote with Simion, 38, of the Alliance for Uniting Romanians the likely runner-up. Analysts expect Ciolacu to win the second round against Simion, appealing to moderates and touting his experience running Romania during a war next door, but do not rule out a switch-up amid frustration with the high cost of living. They also say the prospects of a Ciolacu-Simion run-off vote could mobilize center-right voters in favor of Elena Lasconi, leader of center-right opposition Save Romania Union. Simion has cast the election as a choice between an entrenched political class beholden to foreign interests in Brussels and himself, an outsider who will defend Romania’s economy and sovereignty. Romania has the EU’s largest share of people at risk of poverty. “We take as a model the right-wing government formed in Italy,” Simion told foreign media earlier this week. Since Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022, Romania has enabled the export of millions of tons of grain through its Black Sea port of Constanta and provided military aid, including the donation of a Patriot air defense battery. “Romania has been for Ukraine unconditionally and it will remain so,” Ciolacu told television channel Antena3. Senate speaker Nicolae Ciuca, leader of the Liberal Party that is currently in a strained ruling coalition with Ciolacu’s party was trailing behind Lasconi, surveys showed. “The outcome is still very difficult to predict due to the high concentration of candidates and the splitting of the center-right vote,” said Sergiu Miscoiu, a political science professor at Babes-Bolyai University. Most candidates, he said, have campaigned on conservative messages such as … “Hard right’s Simion in with a chance as Romanians vote for president” →

NEW YORK — The brooding waltz was carefully composed on a sheet of music roughly the size of an index card. The brief, moody number also bore an intriguing name, written at the top in cursive: “Chopin.” A previously unknown work of music penned by the European master Frederic Chopin appears to have been found at the Morgan Library & Museum in Manhattan. The untitled and unsigned piece is on display this month at the opulently appointed institution, which had once been the private library of financier J. P. Morgan. Robinson McClellan, the museum curator who uncovered the manuscript, said it’s the first new work associated with the Romantic era composer to be discovered in nearly a century. But McClellan concedes that it may never be known whether it is an original Chopin work or merely one written in his hand. The piece, set in the key of A minor, stands out for its “very stormy, brooding opening section” before transitioning to a melancholy melody more characteristic of Chopin, McClellan explained. “This is his style. This is his essence,” he said during a recent visit to the museum. “It really feels like him.” Curator finds composition in collection McClellan said he came across the work in May as he was going through a collection from the late Arthur Satz, a former president of the New York School of Interior Design. Satz had acquired it from A. Sherrill Whiton Jr., an avid autograph collector who had been director of the school. McClellan then worked with experts to verify its authenticity. The paper was found to be consistent with what Chopin favored for manuscripts, and the ink matched a kind typical in the early 19th century when Chopin lived, according to the museum. But a handwriting analysis determined the name “Chopin” written at the top of the sheet was penned by someone else. Born in Poland, Chopin was considered a musical genius from an early age. He lived in Warsaw and Vienna before settling in Paris, where he died in 1849 at the age of 39, likely of tuberculosis. He’s buried among a pantheon of artists at the city’s famed Pere Lachaise Cemetery, but his heart, pickled in a jar of alcohol, is housed in a church in Warsaw, in keeping with his deathbed wish for the organ to return to his homeland. Artur Szklener, director of the Fryderyk Chopin Institute in Warsaw, … “Has a waltz written by composer Frederic Chopin been discovered in an NYC museum?” →

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN — United Nations climate talks adopted a deal to inject at least $300 billion annually in humanity’s fight against climate change, aimed at helping poor nations cope with the ravages of global warming in tense negotiations in the city where industry first tapped oil. The $300 billion will go to developing countries who need the cash to wean themselves off the coal, oil and gas that causes the globe to overheat, adapt to future warming, and pay for the damage caused by climate change’s extreme weather. It’s not near the full amount of $1.3 trillion that developing countries were asking for, but it’s three times a deal of $100 billion a year from 2009 that is expiring. Some delegations said this deal is headed in the right direction, with hopes that more money flows in the future. It was not quite the agreement by consensus that these meetings usually operate with and developing nations were livid about being ignored. COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev gaveled the deal into acceptance before any nation had a chance to speak. When they did, they blasted him for being unfair to them, the deal for not being enough, and the world’s rich nations for being too stingy. “It’s a paltry sum,” India negotiator Chandni Raina said, repeatedly saying how India objected to rousing cheers. “I’m sorry to say we cannot accept it.” She told The Associated Press that she has lost faith in the United Nations system. Nations express discontent A long line of nations agreed with India and piled on, with Nigeria’s Nkiruka Maduekwe, CEO of the National Council on Climate Change, calling the deal an insult and a joke. “I’m disappointed. It’s definitely below the benchmark that we have been fighting for for so long,” said Juan Carlos Monterrey, of the Panama delegation. He noted that a few changes, including the inclusion of the words “at least” before the number $300 billion and an opportunity for revision by 2030, helped push them to the finish line. “Our heart goes out to all those nations that feel like they were walked over,” he said. The final package pushed through “does not speak or reflect or inspire confidence and trust that we will come out of this grave problem of climate change,” India’s Raina said. “We absolutely object to the unfair means followed for adoption,” Raina said. “We are extremely hurt by this action … “Nations at UN climate talks agree on $300B a year for poor countries” →

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN — As nerves frayed and the clock ticked, negotiators from rich and poor nations were huddled in one room Saturday during overtime United Nations climate talks to try to hash out an elusive deal on money for developing countries to curb and adapt to climate change. But the rough draft of a proposal circulating in that room was getting soundly rejected, especially by African nations and small island states, according to messages relayed from inside. Then a group of negotiators from the Least Developed Countries bloc and the Alliance of Small Island States walked out because they didn’t want to engage with the rough draft. The “current deal is unacceptable for us. We need to speak to other developing countries and decide what to do,” said Evans Njewa, chair of the LDC group. When asked if the walkout was a protest, Colombia Environment Minister Susana Mohamed told The Associated Press: “I would call this dissatisfaction, [we are] highly dissatisfied.” With tensions high, climate activists heckled United States climate envoy John Podesta as he left the meeting room. They accused the U.S. of not paying its fair share and having “a legacy of burning up the planet.” The last official draft on Friday pledged $250 billion annually by 2035, more than double the previous goal of $100 billion set 15 years ago but far short of the annual $1 trillion-plus that experts say is needed. The rough draft discussed on Saturday was for $300 billion in climate finance, sources told AP. Accusations of a war of attrition Developing countries accused the rich of trying to get their way — and a small financial aid package — via a war of attrition. And small island nations, particularly vulnerable to climate change’s worsening impacts, accused the host country presidency of ignoring them for the entire two weeks. After bidding one of his suitcase-lugging delegation colleagues goodbye and watching the contingent of about 20 enter the meeting room for the European Union, Panama chief negotiator Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez had enough. “Every minute that passes we are going to just keep getting weaker and weaker and weaker. They don’t have that issue. They have massive delegations,” Gomez said. “This is what they always do. They break us at the last minute. You know, they push it and push it and push it until our negotiators leave. Until we’re tired, until we’re delusional from … “UN talks in disarray as developing nations reject climate cash rough draft” →

Business owners in the Ukrainian city of Khmelnytskyi wanted to find a way to say thank you to the thousands of members of the military who have spent years fighting Russia’s invasion. Over 60 businesses joined to start the “Khmelnytskyi Grateful” platform. Tetiana Kukurika has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Sergiy Rybchynski …

KYIV, UKRAINE — Ukraine has lost more than 40% of the territory in Russia’s Kursk region that it rapidly seized in a surprise incursion in August as Russian forces have mounted waves of counterassaults, a senior Ukrainian military source said. The source, who is on Ukraine’s General Staff, said Russia had deployed some 59,000 troops to the Kursk region since Kyiv’s forces swept in and advanced swiftly, catching Moscow unprepared 2½ years into its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. “At most, we controlled about 1,376 square kilometers; now, of course, this territory is smaller. The enemy is increasing its counterattacks,” the source said. “Now we control approximately 800 square kilometers. We will hold this territory for as long as is militarily appropriate.” The Kursk offensive was the first ground invasion of Russia by a foreign power since World War II and caught Moscow unprepared. With the thrust into Kursk, Kyiv aimed to stem Russian attacks in eastern and northeastern Ukraine, force Russia to pull back forces gradually advancing in the east and give Kyiv extra leverage in any peace negotiations. But Russian forces are still steadily advancing in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. The Ukrainian General Staff source reiterated that about 11,000 North Korean troops had arrived in the Kursk region in support of Russia, but that the bulk of their forces was still finalizing their training. The Russian Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on Kyiv’s freshest assessment of the state of play in the Kursk region. Reuters could not independently verify the figures or descriptions given. Moscow has neither confirmed nor denied the presence of North Korean forces in Kursk. Ukraine’s armed forces chief said on November 11 that its beleaguered forces were not just battling crack Russian reinforcements in Kursk but also scrambling to reinforce two besieged fronts in eastern Ukraine and bracing for an infantry assault in the south. Threatening Russian advance The General Staff source said the Kurakhove region was the most threatening for Kyiv now as Russian forces were advancing there at 200 to 300 meters a day and had managed to break through in some areas with armored vehicles backed by anti-drone defenses. The town of Kurakhove is a stepping stone toward the critical logistical hub of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region. Overall Russia has about 575,000 troops fighting in Ukraine, the Ukrainian General Staff source said, and is aiming … “Ukraine has lost 40% of Russia’s Kursk region, military source says” →

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN — Russia has included the territories it occupies in Ukraine in its recent greenhouse gas inventory report to the United Nations, drawing protests from Ukrainian officials and activists at the COP29 climate summit this week. The move by Moscow comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin eyes potential peace negotiations with incoming U.S. President Donald Trump that could decide the fate of vast swathes of territory. “We see that Russia is using international platforms to legalize their actions, to legalize their occupation of our territory,” Ukrainian Deputy Environment Minister Olga Yukhymchuk told Reuters. She said Ukraine is in touch with officials from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or UNFCCC, the U.N.’s main climate body, to ask it to resolve the dispute. Officials representing the Russian Foreign Ministry and the UNFCCC did not respond to requests for comment sent on Thursday. At issue is Russia’s National Inventory Report of greenhouse gas emissions for 2022, which Moscow submitted to the UNFCCC on November 8. In the submission, reviewed by Reuters, Russia said it could provide data for only 85 out of 89 of its territories “due to the absence of baseline data on land use for the territories of the Donetsk People’s Republic, Luhansk People’s Republic, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, annexed in September 2022.” Russia had already included emissions from Ukraine’s Crimea region, annexed in 2014, in its last few reporting submissions to the UNFCCC. It also included Crimea’s land development plans in a report to the U.N. Global Biodiversity Framework in 2020. Ukrainian Environment Minister Svitlana Grynchuk raised the issue in a speech to delegates at the COP29 summit earlier this week, saying Russia’s reporting on Ukraine territories undermines the integrity of global climate efforts. Yukhymchuk told Reuters this concern is based on the risk of double-counting of emissions over territories that together exceed the size of Portugal and Azerbaijan. “It will bring us to a point that we do not achieve any of our goals if we don’t have proper reporting under the Paris Agreement,” she said. Nikki Reisch, director of the Center for International Environmental Law’s Climate and Energy Program, said the dispute reflected how geopolitical turmoil was diverting the world’s attention from the work of fighting global warming. “I think that is a sign of the times,” Reisch said. “We’re living amidst rampant conflicts, and that is certainly infecting these talks.” Christina Voigt, a law … “Russia’s claim of emissions in Ukraine regions draws protests at COP29” →

TEHRAN, IRAN — Iran has lodged a protest with Moscow regarding what it described as the “violent” arrest of Iranian students at a university in the Russian city of Kazan, state media reported Saturday. Two Iranian students who visited a visa extension center at Kazan Federal University on Friday were arrested after being subjected to “inhumane and unprofessional beating” by the police, according to the IRNA state news agency, which cited a statement from Iran’s consulate in the city. In response, Iran submitted “a protest note” to the Russian Foreign Ministry condemning the “violent treatment of the Iranian students by the police,” IRNA said. Iran, a close ally of Russia, has requested “explanations” for the incident. The two students were released late on Friday following interventions by the consulate. The press service of the Kazan police said via Telegram on Friday that a conflict among students had turned physical, and that officers had “detained the instigators” of the fight. The statement did not give the nationality of those arrested. The regional Investigative Committee in Kazan also reported on Friday that two foreign nationals were arrested for allegedly “using violence against a representative of the authority.” Iran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, has “repeatedly” followed up on the incident, said a post on X from Kazem Jalali, Tehran’s ambassador to Moscow. Jalali, in another post on Friday, condemned “any sort of misbehavior with Iranian students,” asking for “the responsible Russian authorities” to be held accountable. …

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will travel to Italy over the weekend to attend a meeting of the Group of Seven major democracies next week, the State Department said on Friday, amid rising tensions in the war in Ukraine. G7 leaders last Saturday reiterated a pledge to keep imposing severe costs on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine through sanctions, export controls and other measures, and vowed to support Kyiv for as long as it takes. The State Department said Blinken would discuss issues including “conflicts in the Middle East, Russia’s war against Ukraine, Indo-Pacific security, and the ongoing crises in both Haiti and Sudan” at the gathering in Italy. During his November 23-27 trip, Blinken also plans to meet Pope Francis at the Vatican following the G7 talks, it said in a statement. Italy holds the 2024 rotating presidency of the G7, which also includes the United States, Canada, Japan, France, Germany and Britain.   …

Sydney — The United States expects that thousands of North Korean troops massing in Russia will “soon” enter combat against Ukraine, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said Saturday. About 10,000 North Korean soldiers were believed to be based in the Russian border region of Kursk, Austin said, where they were being “integrated into the Russian formations.” “Based upon what they’ve been trained on, the way they’ve been integrated into the Russian formations, I fully expect to see them engaged in combat soon,” Austin told reporters during a stopover in the Pacific nation of Fiji. Austin said he had “not seen significant reporting” of North Korean troops being “actively engaged in combat” to date. South Korean government officials and a research group on Thursday said Russia has provided Pyongyang with oil, anti-air missiles and economic help in exchange for the troops Washington and Seoul have accused it of sending. Kyiv has warned that Moscow, alongside the North Korean soldiers, has now amassed a 50,000-strong force to wrest back parts of the border region seized by Ukrainian forces. Ukraine claimed swathes of Kursk in August during a lightning offensive even as its troops were thinly stretched in the Donetsk region, which has borne the brunt of nearly three years of fighting.  …

European allies in the Baltic region are investigating how two fiber optic data cables were severed earlier this week — with suspicion falling on a Chinese vessel in the area. Germany has said the incident was clearly sabotage. As Henry Ridgwell reports, Western nations have warned of a sharp increase in so-called hybrid attacks by adversaries on key infrastructure. Camera: Henry Ridgwell …

Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed that Russia had indeed launched an experimental intermediate-range ballistic missile into Ukraine on November 21. She told reporters that Washington “was notified through nuclear threat reduction channels shortly before the launch.”  See the full story here. …

The United States has sanctioned Russia’s Gazprombank, the lender built around the country’s gas exporting giant, as well as dozens of other financial institutions. The new measures are expected to further curtail Moscow’s use of the international financial system. See the full story here.    …

London — European allies in the Baltic region are investigating how two fiber-optic data cables were severed earlier this week, with suspicion falling on a Chinese vessel in the area. Germany has said the incident was clearly sabotage.  The Danish navy said this week it is following the Yi Peng 3, a Chinese bulk carrier, as it moves through the Baltic Sea. As of Friday, marine tracking systems showed the vessel anchored east of the Danish city of Aarhus.  Denmark did not elaborate on why it was tracking the ship. However, there’s widespread speculation the vessel may have been involved in the severing of two fiber-optic cables on the seabed, one connecting Finland and Germany and the other running between Sweden and Lithuania.  Speaking Tuesday, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was adamant it was no accident.  “I also don’t like to believe in the version that these were anchors that accidentally caused — how shall I put it — damage to these cables. So, we have to conclude, without knowing exactly who did it, that it was a hybrid action. And we also have to assume, without knowing it, of course, that it is sabotage,” Pistorius told reporters in Brussels.  European allies in the Baltic are collaborating on an investigation, according to defense analyst Charly Salonius-Pasternak of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.  “There’s the camp that I would say sees hybrid operations in absolutely everything. And it is one of the things I’ve cautioned against — that if you’re in a hall of mirrors, everything looks a certain way. We don’t know that,” he told VOA.  “But as we’ve already seen in the Baltic Sea, but [also] elsewhere, the incidents of, as it were, ‘perfect timing’ in terms of anchors dragging or other things — at some point you have to start drawing conclusions that this cannot be just an accident,” Salonius-Pasternak added.  Several similar incidents There have been numerous similar incidents in the Baltic Sea in recent years. In October 2023, the Balticconnector gas pipeline linking Estonia and Finland was badly damaged.  Ten months later, China said a Hong Kong-registered vessel, the Newnew Polar Bear, had caused the damage accidentally in a storm. Finland remains skeptical of the admission, saying there were no storms in the area on the day the damage was detected. “At least for some countries, it may be politically convenient to label them as kind … “Chinese vessel suspected of severing submarine cables still anchored in Baltic Sea” →

dublin — Irish mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor sexually assaulted a woman at a party in Dublin in 2018 and must pay her nearly 250,000 euros ($259,950) in damages, a jury decided on Friday. The jury of eight women and four men reached its verdict in the civil trial at Ireland’s high court after six hours and 10 minutes of deliberation. The plaintiff, Nikita Hand, alleged that McGregor sexually assaulted her on Dec. 9, 2018, and that another man, James Lawrence, did the same, the court heard during two weeks of evidence. The jury found that Lawrence did not assault Hand. McGregor left the court without commenting. McGregor, 36, denied the allegation and said he had “fully consensual sex” with Hand. He also denied causing bruising to the plaintiff. Hand’s lawyer told the jury that when she was referred to a sexual assault treatment unit the day after the alleged assault, a doctor was so concerned that he directed that photographs be taken of her injuries. Hand said that she and a friend made contact with McGregor, whom she knew, after a work Christmas party. She said they were driven by McGregor to a party in a penthouse room of a south Dublin hotel where drugs and alcohol were consumed. She said McGregor took her to a bedroom in the penthouse and sexually assaulted her. Hand’s lawyer, John Gordon, said Hand was on anti-depressants, and “full of drugs” at the time of the alleged assault. Speaking outside the court, Hand said she was overwhelmed by the support she had received and that she felt vindicated. “I hope my story is a reminder that no matter how afraid you might be, speak up,” she said. …

NEW YORK — This time last year, American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva was in a Russian prison, jailed on bogus charges. On Thursday night, free from her ordeal, she accepted a prestigious press freedom award from the Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ, in New York. “This is a very emotional moment for me. It means so much,” Kurmasheva told VOA shortly before receiving her award. “I will take this opportunity to address the whole world to repeat again that journalism is not a crime and all journalists who are behind bars today should be released at once.” A dual U.S.-Russian national who works at VOA’s sister outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Prague, Kurmasheva was jailed in Russia for more than nine months on charges widely viewed as politically motivated. During her acceptance speech, Kurmasheva recounted her experience in prison. “I tried not to look up as the snow was falling because I couldn’t bear seeing the many layers of barbed wire between me and the sky,” she said. Kurmasheva, American Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and other political prisoners were released from Russia this August in a historic prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington. “It’s an awesome responsibility to be a beacon of light, and my story is an example of the price that can be paid for reporting the truth,” Kurmasheva said Thursday night. Kurmasheva is among four journalists CPJ honored with its annual International Press Freedom Awards. The others are Quimy de Leon from Guatemala, Samira Sabou from Niger and Shrouq Al Aila from Gaza. The awardees come from different parts of the globe, but a common thread is how they have encountered efforts to criminalize journalism, said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg. “That’s something that we see increasingly across the world, is the use and abuse of laws to punish journalists for speaking truth to power,” Ginsberg told VOA. During her acceptance speech, Kurmasheva highlighted her RFE/RL colleagues who are still jailed on charges that are widely viewed as retaliatory. Journalists Ihar Losik and Andrey Kuznechyk are jailed in Belarus; Vladyslav Yesypenko is jailed in Russia-occupied Crimea; and Farid Mehralizada is jailed in Azerbaijan. RFE/RL rejects the charges against all of them as false. “My colleagues are not just statistics. Like me, they’re real human beings with families who miss and love them,” Kurmasheva said. Like Kurmasheva, de Leon and Sabou know all too well the costs … “‘We have taken risks to tell the stories,’ says press freedom awardee” →

From digital passports to apps that announce air alerts or enable conscripts to update their information in the draft register, Ukraine is now a world leader in the drive to digitalize government services. From Kyiv, Lesia Bakalets reports on how Russia’s full-scale invasion has pushed Ukraine’s drive to digitalize. …

KYIV, UKRAINE — A Russian drone attack on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy killed two people and injured 12 on Friday morning, regional authorities said. Twelve apartment buildings, five private residences, a store and three cars were damaged after three drones attacked the city around 5 a.m. (0300 GMT), the national police said. Volodymyr Artiukh, Sumy regional governor, said Russian forces had equipped drones with shrapnel for the attack on a densely populated area of the city. “This weapon is used… exclusively (to kill) people,” Artiukh said, pointing to scars on a damaged building. “Not for a facility, but in order to destroy more people.” The video posted by Sumy regional military administration following the attack showed damaged cars and buildings with blown-out windows. Russia has pummeled the region and its critical infrastructure in deadly attacks over the past weeks. An overnight drone attack on Tuesday on the small town of Hlukhiv in the region killed 12 people, including a child. On Sunday evening, a missile attack on Sumy killed 11 and injured 89 more people, in addition to leaving the region’s administrative center without power. …

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — Russia gave North Korea anti-air missiles in exchange for deploying troops to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine, Seoul’s top security adviser said Friday. The United States and South Korea have accused the nuclear-armed North of sending more than 10,000 soldiers to help Russia fight Ukraine, with experts saying Kim Jong Un was eager to gain advanced technology, and battle experience for his troops, in return. Asked what Seoul believes Pyongyang has received for the troops, top security advisor Shin Won-sik said: “It has been identified that equipment and anti-aircraft missiles aimed at reinforcing Pyonyang’s vulnerable air defense system have been delivered to North Korea.” Speaking to local broadcaster SBS, Shin added that North Korea has received “various forms of economic support” and “following the failure (launch) on May 27, North Korea has been working on satellite-related technology.” Experts have previously said that in return for the troops, North Korea was likely aiming to acquire military technology, ranging from surveillance satellites to submarines, as well as possible security guarantees from Moscow. North Korean leader Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a strategic partnership treaty in June, during the Kremlin chief’s visit. It obligates both states to provide military assistance “without delay” in the case of an attack on the other and to cooperate internationally to oppose Western sanctions. Putin hailed the deal as a “breakthrough document.” Experts say Pyongyang could be using Ukraine as a means of realigning foreign policy. By sending soldiers, North Korea is positioning itself within the Russian war economy as a supplier of weapons, military support and labor — potentially bypassing its traditional ally, neighbor and main trading partner, China, according to analysts. Russia can also provide North Korea access to its vast natural resources, such as oil and gas, they say. North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui recently visited Moscow and said her country would “stand firmly by our Russian comrades until victory day.” She called Moscow’s offensive against Ukraine a “sacred struggle” and said Pyongyang believed in Putin’s “wise leadership.” North Korea and Russia are under rafts of UN sanctions — Kim for his nuclear weapons program, and Moscow for the Ukraine war. When asked publicly about the deployment of North Korean troops last month, Putin deflected the question to criticize the West’s support of Ukraine. North Korea said last month that any troop deployment to Russia would be “an … “Russia gave North Korea anti-air missiles in exchange for troops, Seoul says” →

VIENNA — The United Nations atomic watchdog’s 35-nation Board of Governors passed a resolution on Thursday again ordering Iran to urgently improve cooperation with the agency and requesting a “comprehensive” report aimed at pressuring Iran into fresh nuclear talks.  Britain, France, Germany and the United States, which proposed the resolution, dismissed as insufficient and insincere a last-minute Iranian move to cap its stock of uranium that is close to weapons-grade. Diplomats said Iran’s move was conditional on scrapping the resolution.  Iran tends to bristle at such resolutions and has said it would respond in kind to this one. After previous criticism at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board, it has stepped up its nuclear activities and reduced IAEA oversight.  China, Russia and Burkina Faso voted against the text, diplomats in the meeting said. Nineteen countries voted in favor and 12 abstained.  Standoffs The IAEA and Iran have long been locked in standoffs on a range of issues, including Tehran’s failure to explain uranium traces found at undeclared sites, its barring last year of most of the agency’s top uranium-enrichment experts on the Iran inspection team, and its refusal to expand IAEA monitoring.  The resolution seen by Reuters repeated wording from a November 2022 resolution that it was “essential and urgent” for Iran to explain the uranium traces and let the IAEA take samples as necessary. The resolution in June of this year did the same.  The new text asked the IAEA to issue “a comprehensive and updated assessment on the possible presence or use of undeclared nuclear material in connection with past and present outstanding issues regarding Iran’s nuclear program, including a full account of Iran’s cooperation with the IAEA on these issues.”  Western powers hope that report, due by spring 2025, will pressure Iran into negotiations on fresh restrictions on its nuclear activities, albeit less far-reaching ones than in a 2015 deal with major powers that unraveled after then-President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from it in 2018.  With Trump set to return to office in January and Iran having taken its uranium enrichment far beyond the deal’s limits, it is far from clear whether Trump would back negotiations aimed at setting new limits before those of the 2015 deal are lifted on “termination day” in October of next year.  If no new limits are agreed before then, the report could be used to strengthen the case for so-called … “IAEA board orders Iran to cooperate more; West pushes Tehran toward talks” →

VIENNA, AUSTRIA — Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s next foreign policy chief, is already sending signals that she will take a tough stance on Russia and China and be an advocate for a strong alliance between Europe and America. Kallas spoke to the European Parliament for the first time in her new role at a hearing on November 12, where she stressed that the EU will be steadfast in its commitment to support Ukraine against Russian aggression. She begins her five-year term as the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on December 1. The former Estonian prime minister warned that Russia, Iran, North Korea and — more covertly — China want to change the rules-based world order. She called on the EU to respond to this threat alongside its closest allies and partners “without losing an inch of who we are.” Elze Pinelyte, an expert at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) with a focus on Sino-EU relations, told VOA Mandarin that Kallas’ policies “remain firmly supporting Ukraine’s victory.” In response to worries that the incoming Trump administration may reduce U.S. support for Ukraine, Kallas stressed that the United States’ strategic interests in China are inseparable from the outcome of the war on Ukraine. “If the U.S. is worried about China and other actors, they should also be worried about how we respond to Russia against Ukraine,” Kallas said during the November 12 hearing. Ivan U. Kłyszcz, a researcher at the Estonian International Defense and Security Center, told VOA Mandarin, that Kallas “reflects the view that Europe needs to do more for its own defense and security, and this is not inconsistent with NATO and the European and American alliance.” As for whether the second Trump administration will change Brussels’ considerations, he said, “there are still too many unknowns.” Tougher policy toward China Kallas’ tough stance toward China was first seen during her tenure as prime minister of Estonia, when her government advocated that Estonia’s China policy should be promoted within the framework of EU-China relations. In 2022, Estonia announced its withdrawal from the Beijing-led “Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries,” the so-called “16+1” mechanism. After the European Parliament elections this year, Kallas was nominated as the candidate for new foreign policy chief. She then resigned as prime minister of Estonia. Some experts say Kallas will take a tougher policy toward China … “New EU diplomat vows tough stance on China, strong alliance with US” →

Washington — Several of Beijing’s leading trading partners are urging Chinese President Xi Jinping to do more to pressure North Korea to stop or reverse its deployment of troops to Russia, where more than 10,000 North Korean soldiers have joined the front lines in the war against Ukraine.  The appeals at the past week’s twin summits in Brazil and Peru reflect the awkward position in which the Chinese leader finds himself as he attempts a delicate balancing act between Russia and the West.   At a joint press conference with Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva in Brasilia on Thursday, Xi called for bringing together “more voices of peace” in Ukraine. He pushed for a six-point consensus on Ukraine first put forward by China and Brazil in May that stresses dialogue and negotiations leading to a political settlement.   Before his bilateral meeting in the Brazilian capital, Xi was told by world leaders on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro and the APEC summit in Lima, Peru, that Beijing needs to persuade North Korea to stop sending more troops to fight for Russia.   German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz warned Xi on Tuesday at the G20 that the deployment of North Korea troops to fight against Ukraine amounted to an escalation of the war.  South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol asked Xi last week at APEC to play a “constructive” role on North Korea’s deepening ties with Russia. Yoon used the global gatherings as an opportunity to consolidate the West’s condemnation of Pyongyang-Moscow military ties.  U.S. President Joe Biden also told Xi at APEC that Beijing has influence and capacity to prevent the conflict in Ukraine from expanding through the presence of more North Korean troops, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said at a press briefing Sunday.  Biden pointed out China’s position calling for the de-escalation of the conflict and said the presence of North Korean troops runs counter to that stance.   Balancing act  China has been reluctant to call out North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for providing troops and munitions to help Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war efforts.   Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Tuesday that North Korea could deploy up to 100,000 soldiers, and the U.S. estimates that about 11,000 North Korean troops have been mobilized in the Russian border region of Kursk.  “Beijing currently finds itself in a tricky situation,” said Patricia Kim, a fellow at … “North Korea’s troop deployment to Russia jeopardizes China’s balancing act” →

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned Russia’s use of a fast, powerful new missile to attack the city of Dnipro on Thursday, calling it a “nuclear adventure” and a stark escalation in the war. The attack has ignited fears of a dangerous new phase in the war. In a nationwide address, Russian President Vladimir Putin later confirmed the use of a medium-range ballistic missile in the strike. Zelenskyy pointed to the strike as a sign of Moscow’s broader strategy, stating, “It is obvious that Putin is using Ukraine as a testing ground for weapons that threaten the world.” His remarks underscored the growing alarm in Kyiv over the deployment of advanced Russian missile systems against civilian targets. In his address, Putin framed the use of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile as a routine test within the conflict. “The Russian Federation tested a medium-range ballistic missile, known as Oreshnik, during its operation in Ukraine,” he said. While he offered few technical details, analysts said the use of the missile and Putin’s acknowledgment appears intended to showcase Russia’s military capabilities to NATO and the United States. Putin’s announcement marks the first time Russia has openly acknowledged using such a missile during the war. In Washington, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said the missile used was based on Russia’s RS 26 rubes intercontinental ballistic missile model.” In terms of notifications to the United States, the United States was pre notified briefly before the launch through Nuclear Risk Reduction channels,” she said. Strategic escalation Valeriy Chaly, Ukraine’s former ambassador to the U.S., described the attack as a “new stage” in Russia’s aggression. Speaking to VOA, he emphasized that the strike was not just a challenge to Ukraine but also to its Western allies. “This isn’t just about Ukraine,” Chaly said. “It’s a challenge to the European security system and the United States. Moscow is signaling its readiness to escalate dramatically to influence the West.” He said that the response to the attack “must be clear, united, and decisive — anything less risks emboldening Russia and jeopardizing global security.” Western leaders quickly condemned the strike. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer labeled it “reckless and dangerous,” while EU foreign affairs spokesperson Peter Stano described it as a “qualitative escalation” in Russia’s tactics. Dnipro attack The missile targeted industrial facilities in Dnipro, injuring two people and causing significant damage. Ukrainian officials initially suggested the use of an ICBM, … “Russia’s use of advanced missile sends signal to West, analysts say” →