Author: Mirits

PARIS — As Notre Dame gears up to reopen its doors in December, Paris is on the verge of a remarkable eco-revival, bringing nature back to the forefront of the City of Light. Beyond restoring the cathedral’s iconic spire and medieval charm, the city announced plans Tuesday to revamp Notre Dame’s surroundings — to a tune of 50 million euros ($55 million) — into a serene, green oasis. The project echoes a broader, post-Olympics eco-facelift that’s reshaping Paris from its historic monuments to its bustling avenues. Among the key elements of this broader transformation are the revitalization of historic spaces like the Champs-Elysees and Place de la Concorde, a redesign aimed at reducing traffic around the Arc de Triomphe, and green promenades connecting the French capital’s landmarks. Here’s a look at some of the eco plans for Paris in the coming years: Notre Dame Cathedral: a rebirth in green The reopening on Dec. 8 promises to be a historic moment for Paris, fulfilling President Emmanuel Macron’s vow made after the 2019 devastating fire for a five-year timeline. While the cathedral’s spire and oak-framed roof have been restored to their pre-fire glory, Paris City Hall’s plans for the area around Notre Dame are bringing something new. The ambitious, future-facing project will create 1,800 square meters (around 20,000 square feet) of green space and plant 160 trees, according to a news conference at City Hall that featured speeches from Paris officials, including Mayor Anne Hidalgo on Tuesday. Hidalgo stated that the redesign will integrate nature and the Seine more fully into the area. Hidalgo emphasized that this transformation aims “to better highlight our beautiful cathedral and do it justice, while respecting its history.” The redesign includes transforming the underground parking area into a visitor space complete with services and amenities. Additionally, the Seine’s adjacent quays will be revitalized, offering a new promenade along the river. A belvedere will provide panoramic views of the Ile Saint-Louis and the Seine, further enhancing the visitor experience. The project will unfold in two phases, with the first, focusing on the parvis and surrounding streets, expected to be completed by the end of 2027. The second phase, which will include the renovation of Square Jean-XXIII and other nearby areas, is set to finish by 2030. Place de la Concorde: a transformation At the heart of Paris, the Place de la Concorde — home to the 3,300-year-old Luxor Obelisk … “$55M plan to give Notre Dame a green facelift is part of Paris eco plan” →

CHISINAU, Moldova — Moldovans have started casting ballots in two key votes Sunday that could determine whether the European Union candidate country, which neighbors Ukraine, remains on a pro-Western path amid ongoing allegations that Russia has tried to undermine the electoral process. Incumbent President Maia Sandu is the favorite to secure another term in office in a presidential race in which 11 candidates are running. Voters will also choose “yes” or “no” in a referendum on whether to enshrine in the country’s constitution its path toward the 27-nation EU. Polls by WatchDog, a Chisinau-based think-tank show a clear majority of more than 50% support the EU path. The referendum needs a one-third turnout to be valid. Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. (0400GMT) and are expected to close at 9 p.m. (1800GMT). If Sandu fails to win an outright majority on Sunday, a run-off will be held on November 3 which could pit her against Alexandr Stoianoglo, a Russia-friendly former prosecutor general who is polling at around 10%. The two pivotal ballots are held amid ongoing claims by Moldovan authorities that Moscow has intensified an alleged “hybrid war” campaign to destabilize the country and derail its EU path. The allegations include funding pro-Moscow opposition groups, spreading disinformation, meddling in local elections, and backing a major vote-buying scheme. U.S. national security spokesman John Kirby echoed those concerns this week, saying in a statement that “Russia is working actively to undermine Moldova’s election and its European integration.” Moscow has repeatedly denied it is interfering in Moldova. “In the last several months, Moscow has dedicated millions of dollars to influencing Moldova’s presidential election,” Kirby said. “We assess that this money has gone toward financing its preferred parties and spreading disinformation on social media in favor of their campaigns.”  In early October, Moldovan law enforcement said it had uncovered a massive vote-buying scheme orchestrated by Ilan Shor, an exiled pro-Russia oligarch who currently resides in Russia, which paid 15 million euros ($16.2 million) to 130,000 individuals to undermine the two ballots. Shor, who was convicted in absentia last year to 15 years in jail on fraud and money laundering in the case of $1 billion that went missing from Moldovan banks in 2014, denied allegations, saying “the payments are legal” and cited a right to freedom of expression. Shor’s populist Russia-friendly Shor Party was declared unconstitutional last year and banned. On Thursday, Moldovan authorities foiled … “Moldovans cast votes as Russian interference claims spike” →

PARIS — Women and men demonstrated together Saturday in Paris and other French cities in support of Gisèle Pélicot and against sexual violence highlighted by the harrowing trial of her ex-husband and dozens of other men accused of rapes while she was drugged and unconscious. The demonstrations outside Paris’ criminal court, in the southeastern city of Lyon and elsewhere underscored how Pélicot’s courage in speaking out about her ordeal is inspiring people in France and beyond, even as they’ve been horrified by the scale and brutality of the abuse she suffered over the course of a decade. Since the September 2 beginning of the extraordinary trial, during which Pélicot has faced 51 of her alleged rapists, she has been praised for her composure and decision to keep the hearings public — after the court initially suggested that they be held behind closed doors. “She has decided to make this an emblematic trial,” said Elsa Labouret, one of the Paris demonstrators and a spokesperson for the women’s group “Osez le féminisme!” (Dare to be feminist!) “Victims don’t have to do what she did. They have a right to have their anonymity protected. It’s not necessarily a duty of any victim. But what she decided to do is very, very important because now we cannot ignore the violence that some men can resort to,” she said. Demonstrators denounced what they said is laxity from the French justice system toward sexual violence and fears of being raped and assaulted that they said stalk women day-in, day-out. Placards they held up read: “Shame must change sides,” “Stop the denial,” “Not your punching ball” and “We are all Gisele. Are you all Dominique???” Dominique Pélicot admitted during the trial that for nearly a decade, he repeatedly drugged his unwitting wife and invited dozens of men to rape her while she lay unconscious in their bed. He told the court that he also raped Gisèle and that the 50 other men also standing trial understood exactly what they were doing. She has divorced him since his arrest. The trial is expected to run until December. The defendants range in age from 26 to 74. Many of them deny having raped Gisèle Pélicot, saying her then-husband manipulated them or that they believed she was consenting. “You can never know who is a rapist or who is a monster. Like, it could be your neighbor, it could be anyone,” … “Demonstrators in France praise Gisèle Pélicot’s courage in harrowing rape trial” →

Britain’s six-time Olympic track cycling champion Chris Hoy has revealed he has “two to four years” to live after he was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer which metastasized to his bones. The announcement comes after the 48-year-old Scot said in February he was feeling “optimistic and positive” as he was undergoing treatment for an unspecified cancer diagnosed last year. However, the sprinter, who worked as a pundit with the BBC at last summer’s Paris Games, has now revealed he has known for more than a year that his cancer is incurable. Despite his illness, Hoy says he remains positive and appreciating life. “Hand on heart, I’m pretty positive most of the time and I have genuine happiness,” Hoy told The Times. “This is bigger than the Olympics. It’s bigger than anything. This is about appreciating life and finding joy.” “As unnatural as it feels, this is nature. You know, we were all born and we all die, and this is just part of the process.” Hoy wrote a memoir about his life over the past year in which he describes how doctors discovered his cancer after initially finding a tumor in his shoulder. The father of two also said he had an allergic reaction to his chemotherapy treatment, feeling “completely devastated at the end of it.” On top of his own treatment, Hoy was dealt another blow when his wife Sarra Kemp was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in November. “But you remind yourself, aren’t I lucky that there is medicine I can take that will fend this off for as long as possible,” an optimistic Hoy said. “I’m not just saying these words. I’ve learnt to live in the moment, and I have days of genuine joy and happiness.” “It’s absolutely not denial or self-delusion. It’s about trying to recognize, what do we have control over? “The fear and anxiety, it all comes from trying to predict the future. But the future is this abstract concept in our minds. None of us know what’s going to happen. The one thing we know is we’ve got a finite time on the planet.” Hoy was at the vanguard of Britain’s era of domination in track cycling, winning gold medals at the Athens, Beijing and London Olympics. He also claimed 11 world titles during a glittering career. Until 2021 Hoy was the most successful British Olympian and the most successful Olympic cyclist of … “6-time Olympic cycling champion Hoy reveals he has terminal cancer” →

German police have arrested a Libyan suspected of belonging to the Islamic State group and of having planned an attack on the Israeli embassy, federal prosecutors told Agence France-Presse on Saturday.  “There is some suggestion he had planned an attack on the Israeli embassy in Berlin,” said a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office, adding that the suspect was also thought to be affiliated with the Islamic State group.  Bild daily reported that police commandoes had stormed a flat in Bernau, north of Berlin, in the evening and arrested the 28-year-old man.  The newspaper said German authorities had acted on a tip-off from a foreign intelligence agency.  Israel’s ambassador to Berlin, Ron Prosor, thanked German authorities for “ensuring the security of our embassy” in a message on the social media platform X.  Since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which triggered the war in the Gaza Strip, German authorities have increased their vigilance against Islamist militant threats and the resurgence of anti-Semitism, like in many countries around the world.  In early September, Munich police shot dead a young Austrian man known for his links to radical Islamism after he opened fire at the Israeli consulate.  …

Ukraine’s military deployed air-defense systems early Sunday to repel an aerial assault on Kyiv, according to the capital’s top elected official.  “Stay in shelters!” Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned on the Telegram messaging app, according to Reuters, which was unable to independently confirm the scope of the aerial assault.  Hours later, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin used the same messaging app to say Russian defense forces had destroyed at least one drone flying toward its capital city early on Sunday.  According to Reuters, preliminary information indicated no reports of damage or casualties where debris fell in the Ramensky district of the Moscow region.  Other drone attacks were reported in Russia’s southwestern region of Lipetsk and the western regions of Bryansk and Oryol region. Regional governors reported no casualties and destruction of most incoming drones.  Reuters could not independently verify the reports, and Russian officials rarely disclose the extent of damage inflicted by the Ukrainian drone attacks, especially on military, transport or energy infrastructure. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine on the attacks.  French Minister in Kyiv  Saturday’s attack on Kyiv followed a visit to the city by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who said a Ukrainian defeat would mean “chaos” in the international system.  According to Agence France-Presse, Barrot’s speech came hours after Russian forces issued a statement claiming that they’d captured another village in the country’s east.  Barrot’s visit, aimed at underlining Paris’ support for Ukraine, comes at the end of a week in which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy unveiled his “victory plan” to defeat Russia, again calling for beefed-up Western backing.  “A Russian victory would consecrate the law of the strongest and precipitate the international order towards chaos,” said Barrot, who also warned that recent reports of North Korean regular troops supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, if verified, would constitute a serious escalation of the war. France’s top diplomat also said Paris was open to the idea of an immediate invitation for Ukraine to join NATO, but that talks would continue on the subject with allies.  Barrot’s stop in Kyiv coincided with the G7 defense ministerial meeting in Naples, Italy, which saw a pledge of “unwavering” support for Ukraine, including vows of military aid, according to a final statement.  “We underscore our intent to continue to provide assistance to Ukraine, including military assistance in the short and long term,” read the group’s final statement following the one-day summit.  Information … “Ukraine, Russia report aerial attacks on capital cities” →

istanbul — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that a project to possibly supply Turkey with Eurofighter jets was an effort being driven by Britain and was in the early stages.  “It is something that will continue to develop, but is now being driven forward from there [Britain],” he said when asked about potential movement on the issue at a press conference in Istanbul with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.  The Eurofighter Typhoon jets are built by a consortium of Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain, represented by companies Airbus AIR.PA, BAE Systems BAES.L and Leonardo LDOF.MI.  Asked about the subject, a British government spokesperson said, “We continue to make progress on the potential export of Eurofighter Typhoon to Türkiye, an important NATO ally.  “When considering any potential export of Eurofighter, we work closely with the governments of Germany, Italy and Spain, in line with the commitments each nation has made to support the others’ exports,” the spokesperson added.  Ankara said last year it was in talks with Britain and Spain to buy Eurofighter Typhoons, though Germany objected to the idea. Since then, it has complained of a lack of progress on the issue and Erdogan alluded to Berlin’s reluctance until now.  “We wish to leave behind some of the difficulties experienced in the past in the supply of defense industry products and develop our cooperation,” Erdogan told reporters at the press conference in Istanbul.  On Thursday a Turkish defense ministry official said Turkey had been conducting technical work aimed at accelerating its planned purchase of the jets.  …

kyiv, ukraine — A video purporting to show dozens of North Korean recruits lining up to collect Russian military fatigues and gear aims to intimidate Ukrainian forces and marks a new chapter in the 2 1/2-year war with the introduction of another country into the battlefield, Ukrainian officials said.  The video, which was obtained by Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security, which operates under the Culture and Information Ministry, is said to show North Korean soldiers standing in line to pick up bags, clothes and other apparel from Russian servicemen. The Associated Press could not verify the video independently.  “We received this video from our own sources. We cannot provide additional verification from the sources who provided it to us due to security concerns,” said Ihor Solovey, head of the center.  “The video clearly shows North Korean citizens being given Russian uniforms under the direction of the Russian military,” he said. “For Ukraine, this video is important because it is the first video evidence that shows North Korea participating in the war on the side of Russia. Now not only with weapons and shells but also with personnel.”  The center claims the footage was shot by a Russian soldier in recent days. The location is unknown.  It comes after the head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, said in local media reports that about 11,000 North Korean infantrymen were currently training in eastern Russia. He predicted they would be ready to join the fighting by November. At least 2,600 would be sent to Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukraine launched an incursion in August, he was quoted as saying.  “The emergence of any number of new soldiers is a problem because we will simply need new, additional weapons to destroy them all,” Solovey told AP. “The dissemination of this video is important as a signal to the world community that with two countries officially at war against Ukraine, we will need more support to repel this aggression.”  The presence of North Korean soldiers in Ukraine, if true, would be another proof of intensified military ties between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Last summer, they signed a strategic partnership treaty that commits both countries to provide military assistance. North Korean weapons have already been used in the Ukraine war.  …

Naval drills hosted by Iran with the participation of Russia and Oman and observed by nine other countries began in the Indian Ocean on Saturday, Iran’s state TV said. The exercises, dubbed “IMEX 2024,” are aimed at boosting “collective security in the region, expand multilateral cooperation and display the goodwill and capabilities to safeguard peace, friendship and maritime security,” the English-language Press TV said. Participants would practice tactics to ensure international maritime trade security, protect maritime routes, enhance humanitarian measures and exchange information on rescue and relief operations, it said. The exercises coincide with heightened tensions in the region as Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza rages and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels retaliate by launching attacks on ships in the Red Sea. In response to regional tensions with the United States, Iran has increased its military cooperation with Russia and China. In March, Iran, China and Russia held their fifth joint naval drills in the Gulf of Oman. Countries observing the current drills include Saudi Arabia, Qatar, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Thailand. …

ROME — Human rights groups and some analysts call Italy’s opening this week of migrant processing centers in Albania controversial and illegal. The Italian government is now appealing a court ruling against its flagship project to move migrant facilities offshore. Italy’s right-wing prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, hailed her country’s deal — signed in November 2023 but enacted this week — with neighboring Albania to process migrant asylum claims there as “courageous,” in remarks this week to Parliament. Under the five-year deal, up to 3,000 migrants rescued by the Italian coast guard in international waters each month will be transferred to Albania. An initial screening occurs on the ships before the migrants are sent to Albania for further screening. “Italy has set a good example by signing the Italy-Albania protocol to process a final phase on Albanian territory but under Italian and European jurisdiction,” Meloni said. Meloni’s government argues that diverting asylum seekers to migrant centers it set up under the agreement in Albania will help fight human trafficking and permit those with a genuine right entry to the European Union. A special immigration court in Rome ruled on Friday that it was unlawful for the government to send this first batch of 12 Egyptian and Bangladeshi migrants to Albania for processing. The court said they had to be returned to Italy because their countries of origin could not be considered safe if they were repatriated. Kelly Petillo of the European Council on Foreign Relations told VOA there was political dissension over the controversial issue. “There is a different push-and-pull factor in domestic legislation, and I expect the same in other countries that will look to implement these agreements,” Petillo said. “After all the political and financial investment that went into implementing this scheme, the result is that the migrants have been returned. So, I have major doubts that the implementation will be successful in any way. “All these countries are watching and, so far, they cannot see good results.” Petillo also referred to Britain backing away from its controversial and expensive plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda as ultimately unworkable. Italy’s center-left opposition quickly called for an end to the Albania plan, saying the court ruling proves its illegality. Meloni’s government is undaunted, though, and plans to appeal. She called the court decision “prejudiced,” suggesting she would draft new rules to rectify the issue. European Commission President Ursula von der … “Court halts Italy’s contested migrant centers in Albania” →

KYIV, UKRAINE — The involvement of North Korean regular troops to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would be a serious escalation of the war, France and Ukraine’s foreign ministers said at a joint press conference in Kyiv on Saturday. France’s Jean-Noel Barrot, who was making his first trip to Ukraine since becoming foreign minister in September, is also set to visit the east of the country, where France will finance new two new centers for the protection of children affected by the war, on Sunday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused North Korea on Thursday of deploying officers alongside Russia and of preparing to send 10,000 soldiers to help Moscow’s war effort, although NATO chief Mark Rutte said there was no evidence of Pyongyang’s presence at this stage. “It would be serious and push the conflict into a new stage, an additional escalatory stage,” Barrot said in Kyiv, adding that such a move would signal that Moscow was struggling in the war. His Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, said the risk of escalation from the move was “huge.” “This is a huge threat of further escalation of Russian aggression against Ukraine. There is a big risk of it growing out of its current scale and borders,” he said. Earlier this week, Zelenskyy presented his victory plan, which he said would enable Ukraine to end the war no later than next year. The first step of this plan was unconditional NATO membership for Ukraine. France’s foreign minister said that Paris was open to the idea of an immediate invitation for Ukraine to join NATO, but that talks would continue on the subject with allies. “Regarding the invitation for Ukraine to join NATO, we are open to it and it’s a discussion that we are having with our partners,” Barrot said. …

NAPLES, ITALY — G7 defense ministers started talks on Saturday against a backdrop of escalation in the Middle East and mounting pressure on Ukraine as it faces another winter of fighting. Italy, holding the rotating presidency of the Group of Seven countries, organized the body’s first ministerial meeting dedicated to defense, staged in Naples, the southern city that is also home to a NATO base. Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto welcomed each of the attendees, including NATO chief Mark Rutte and the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell. “I believe that our presence today … sends a strong message to those who try to hinder our democratic systems,” Crosetto said as he opened the event. “The brutal Russian aggressions in Ukraine and the indeed critical situation in the Middle East, combined with the profound instability of sub-Saharan Africa and the increasing tension in the Indo-Pacific region highlight a deteriorated security framework with forecasts for the near future that cannot be positive,” he said. “Ample space” would be given to discussing the escalating Middle East conflict during the one-day summit, Crosetto said a day earlier in Brussels. Also on the summit agenda is the war in Ukraine, development and security in Africa and the situation in the Asia-Pacific. Middle East The meeting comes two days after Israel announced it killed Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel that triggered the devastating retaliatory war in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sinwar’s death in the Palestinian territory signaled “the beginning of the end” of the war against Hamas, while U.S. President Joe Biden said it opened the door to “a path to peace.” Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, was in Lebanon on Friday, where Israel is also at war with Hamas ally Hezbollah. Speaking in Beirut, Meloni slammed attacks on U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon as “unacceptable” after the U.N. force accused Israel of targeting their positions. Italy has around 1,000 troops in the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon, which has soldiers from more than 50 countries. Ukraine On Ukraine, the ministers will contemplate Kyiv entering a third winter at war, battlefield losses in the east — and the prospect of reduced U.S. military support should Donald Trump be elected to the White House next month. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, under mounting pressure from Western allies to forge a winning strategy against Russia, on Thursday presented what … “G7 defense summit convenes as conflicts rage” →

MELBOURNE, Australia — King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrived in Sydney on Friday for the first Australian visit by a reigning monarch in more than a decade, a trip that has rekindled debate about the nation’s constitutional links to Britain. The Sydney Opera House’s iconic sails were illuminated with images of previous royal visits to welcome the couple, whose six-day trip will be brief by royal standards. Charles, 75, is being treated for cancer, which led to the scaled-down itinerary. Charles and Camilla were welcomed in light rain at Sydney Airport by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, New South Wales state Premier Chris Minns and the king’s representative in Australia, Governor-General Sam Mostyln. Charles is only the second reigning British monarch to visit Australia. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, became the first 70 years ago. While the welcome has been warm, Australia’s national and state leaders want the royals removed from their constitution. Monarchists expect the visit will strengthen Australians’ connection to their sovereign. Opponents hope for a rejection of the concept that someone from the other side of the world is Australia’s head of state. The Australian Republic Movement, which campaigns for an Australian citizen to replace the British monarch as head of state, likens the royal visit to a touring act in the entertainment industry. The ARM this week launched what it calls a campaign to “Wave Goodbye to Royal Reign with Monarchy: The Farewell Oz Tour!” ARM co-chair Esther Anatolitis said royal visits to Australia were “something of a show that comes to town.” “Unfortunately, it is a reminder that Australia’s head of state isn’t full-time, isn’t Australian. It’s a part-time person based overseas who’s the head of state of numerous places,” Anatolitis told the AP. “We say to Charles and Camilla: ‘Welcome, we hope you’re enjoying our country and good health and good spirits.’ But we also look forward to this being the final tour of a sitting Australian monarch and that when they come back to visit soon, we look forward to welcoming them as visiting dignitaries,” she added. Philip Benwell, national chair of the Australian Monarchist League, which campaigns for Australia’s constitutional links to Britain to be maintained, expects reaction to the royal couple will be overwhelmingly positive. “Something like the royal visit brings the king closer in the minds of people, because we have an absent monarchy,” Benwell told the AP. “The visit by … “King’s visit rekindles Australia’s debate on ending ties to the British monarchy” →

Russia and Ukraine carried out a new exchange of prisoners of war on Friday, each side bringing home 95 prisoners in an agreement in which the United Arab Emirates acted as mediator. Russia’s Defense Ministry, in a post on the Telegram messaging app, said the returning Russian service members were undergoing medical checks in Belarus, one of Russia’s closest allies in the more than 2-1/2-year-old war. Video posted on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Telegram account showed men, some wrapped in the blue and yellow Ukrainian flag, getting off a bus well after dark and being embraced by loved ones. A Russian military video showed smiling soldiers boarding buses. “Every time Ukraine rescues its people from Russian captivity, we get closer to the day when freedom will be returned to all who are in Russian captivity,” Zelenskyy wrote. The president said the freed prisoners had served on various fronts, including some who had defended the port city of Mariupol for nearly three months in 2022. Ukrainian news reports said the returnees included Ukrainian journalist and rights advocate Maksym Butkevych, convicted by a Russian court of shooting at Russian forces. The body coordinating the affairs of prisoners of war said 48 of the returnees had been handed sentences by the Russian judicial system. Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian parliament’s commissioner for human rights, said the release was the 58th since the beginning of the war and brought to 3,767 the total number of prisoners returned home. A private Russian group that says it looks after the interests of prisoners of war published a list of returnees and said most of them were captured in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces staged an incursion in August. In his remarks, Zelenskyy again referred to soldiers in that operation who “replenish the exchange fund,” meaning the capture of Russian prisoners to be used as a bargaining chip in exchanges. Ukrainian forces remain in Kursk, though Russia’s military says its forces have clawed back some of the captured territory. A statement from the UAE’s Foreign Ministry, reported by state media, said it was the Gulf state’s ninth instance of mediation in the war. It described the exchange as “a reflection of the cooperative and friendly relations between the UAE and both countries.” The last known prisoner swap — involving 103 prisoners from each side — took place in September.  …

US President Joe Biden met with European counterparts on Friday, in a brief trip to Germany where leaders discussed the war in Ukraine and the widening conflict in the Middle East. White House correspondent Anita Powell reports from Berlin. …

paris — France’s prime minister said Friday that firefighters and other rescuers have been involved in about 2,300 operations, some of them lifesaving, in what appears to be the biggest flooding in 40 years in central France. Michel Barnier visited French authorities’ crisis center in Paris and said there hadn’t been such violent rain in many people’s memory. Over 1,000 people were evacuated. Most of them were able to go home Friday. Barnier also praised an alert system, used for the first time, that sent text messages urging people in the concerned areas to delay or cancel their planned trips and stay in a safe place. French weather agency Meteo France said as much as 700 millimeters (27.5 inches) of rain fell in in 48 hours in some local areas in the regions of Ardeche and Lozere. National railway operator SNCF halted regional trains between the cities of Lyon and Saint-Etienne on Thursday, saying the tracks were impassable. Local train services will remain disrupted for several days, it said. The massive floods caused serious damage and power outages Friday in parts of France’s mountainous southeast region. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Several French news stations showed cars, cattle and traffic signs being swept away by the floods. The A47, a main highway near Lyon, was temporarily transformed into a giant stream of water and remained closed Friday. Meteo France lifted its red alert for bad weather Friday morning but still warned of potential heavy rain and floods in southwestern France. Some information for this story came from Reuters.  …

Emails threatening terror attacks led to the evacuation of hundreds of businesses, media outlets and foreign embassies in Ukraine this week. Ukrainian national police searched dozens of properties targeted by the threat, including the Kyiv office of VOA sister network Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, according to reports. Police said the searches did not find evidence of explosives. The country’s Foreign Ministry said that about 60 of its foreign diplomatic missions also received the threatening emails, leading some of them to suspend services. The email, which appeared linked to an anti-Ukraine Telegram group, mentioned the names of three journalists with RFE/RL’s Schemes investigative news desk. The journalists recently reported on how Russian intelligence recruits individuals to carry out arson attacks on vehicles belonging to military personnel or conscription center workers. RFE/RL President Stephen Capus said the network is working with authorities in their investigations. “We will not be intimidated and stand behind our reporters who will continue to bring news to Ukrainian audiences without fear or favor,” said Capus in a statement. At least four other media outlets were targeted, including the Kyiv Independent, Ukrainska Pravda, Liga.net and the public broadcaster Suspilne. The Kyiv Independent reported that the email it received claimed that explosives had been planted in their office, as well as at the RFE/RL office and the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv. “I have planted several explosive devices in your building, and very soon it will explode,” the email read. A police search of the Kyiv Independent found no evidence of explosives, the media outlet reported. Police have examined more than 2,000 threatening messages, which they said appear to come from a Russian IP address. A criminal case has been opened for “knowingly false reports of threat to the safety of citizens.” The messages are described as matching “the style of Russian intelligence services,” a police statement said, adding that Russia is “waging a hybrid war against Ukraine, trying to cause mass panic and exhaust the system of state and law enforcement agencies.” The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists denounced the intimidation of RFE/RL’s reporters and called for an investigation. “Ukrainian authorities must ensure the safety of the journalists and hold the perpetrators to account,” said Gulnoza Said, the CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program coordinator. “Journalists must be able to work safely, without fear of retaliation.” According to RFE/RL Schemes, the group that claimed responsibility for the alleged … “Ukraine media outlets, businesses targeted with false bomb threats” →

ISTANBUL — With a farewell song of “Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys, a Turkish radio station fell silent this week after nearly 30 years of broadcasts. The final Acik Radyo broadcast on Wednesday came as a court upheld the Turkish media regulator’s order to revoke the Istanbul-based station’s license over the mention of “Armenian genocide” on air. Following the court ruling on October 8, the Radio and Television Supreme Council, known as RTUK, informed Acik Radyo that it must stop broadcasting within five days. The order to revoke the license silenced the independent radio station for the first time since it began terrestrial broadcasting in 1995. “We are finishing now; thank you to all Acik Radyo listeners and supporters. Acik Radyo will remain open to all the sounds, colors and vibrations of the universe,” Omer Madra, the editor-in-chief, said on air before the last song played. The license revocation is related to comments made on air by journalist Cengiz Aktar on April 24. Aktar said the day was “the 109th anniversary, the anniversary of the massacres of Armenians, that is, the deportations and massacres that took place in the Ottoman lands, the massacres that are termed genocide.” “This year, the commemoration of the Armenian genocide was also banned, you know,” Aktar said. In a statement to VOA’s Turkish Service, the RTUK said “the terms ‘genocide’ and ‘massacre’ were used for the 1915 Events, and the program moderator made no attempt to correct this.” The term “1915 Events” is how Turkish officials usually refer to the killing of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians in the final years of the Ottoman Empire. Turkey denies the deaths constituted genocide, saying that the toll has been inflated and that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest. April 24 is recognized as a commemoration day of the beginning of what many historians and countries, including the United States, Canada and France, recognize as the Armenian genocide. Broadcasts cut Turkey’s media regulator first imposed an administrative fine and five-day suspension on Acik Radyo in May over the guest’s statements. RTUK said the broadcast violated the law by inciting public hatred and enmity by making distinctions “based on race, language, religion, gender, class, region and religious order.” On July 3, the regulator moved to revoke the license, saying that Acik Radyo had failed to comply with the suspension. In a statement, the radio station said … “Acik Radyo falls silent as Turkish media regulator revokes license” →

A day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented a “victory plan” to European Union leaders and NATO defense ministers, the nation’s allies are giving it qualified support, with one leader saying it will be reconsidered after the U.S. election next month. Zelenskyy’s plan, which he unveiled to Ukraine’s parliament Wednesday, calls first for an unconditional invitation to join NATO, along with the deployment of a nonnuclear deterrent to Russian aggression, among other points. He maintains the plan could end the war no later than next year. While NATO allies and leadership insist Ukraine’s future is with NATO, a formal invitation to join the alliance has not been made. NATO allies have said the nation cannot become a member while it is at war, and the focus has been on providing Ukraine with the support it needs to win. The NATO-Ukraine Council met late Thursday, following Zelenskyy’s presentation to the defense ministerial meeting. At a Friday news conference in Brussels, new NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the focus of that meeting was “to get massive military aid into Ukraine” from Western allies. “Obviously, we all know that Ukraine will become a member of NATO, so the question is exactly when and when the invitation will take place,” Rutte said. “But that was not the main issue of the debate last night.” U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was asked about Zelenskyy’s plan during a briefing in Brussels Friday. “The victory plan is President Zelenskyy’s plan, and we’re going to do everything that we can and provide security assistance to support the president as he tries to accomplish his objectives,” Austin said. Austin added, “It is not my position to evaluate publicly his plan. We have been supporting him by providing security assistance in a major way for over two and a half years. We are going to continue to do that.” U.S. President Joe Biden was in Berlin Friday for meetings with the leaders of Britain, Germany and France. Support for Ukraine was a focus of their talks. On the sidelines of that meeting, U.S. national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters the White House is still reviewing Zelenskyy’s plan. He said while he did not want to go through every detail, the United States supports “President Zelenskyy’s plan for a just peace. It’s critical that whatever that peace looks like, it has to be acceptable to him and to the … “Western allies give qualified support to Zelenskyy’s victory plan” →

BEIJING/LONDON — China and Britain took steps toward further reconciliation on Friday, with Beijing heralding the new Labour government’s plan to develop “pragmatic” bilateral ties as a “new starting point.” British Foreign Secretary David Lammy is only the second top U.K. diplomat to visit China in six years, and his trip seeks to demonstrate that Britain is taking a strategic approach to building ties with Beijing, despite areas of sharp disagreement. “China-Britain relations … now stand at a new starting point,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a meeting with his counterpart at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. “Competition among major powers should not be the backdrop of this era.” Lammy mentioned openings for “mutually beneficial cooperation” in areas such as climate, energy, science, trade and tech, while cautioning that Britain would “always put its national interests and national security first.” Beijing and London should “show that countries such as ours with different histories and outlooks still find pragmatic solutions to complex challenges,” he said. The Labour government, elected in July, wants to show it is serious about engaging with China, balancing a desire to cooperate on economic and global matters with challenging Beijing on issues like its support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. Wang added that Beijing judged Labour’s new model for developing relations as “positive” because it “conforms to … the current needs of the bilateral relationship.” Lammy will meet his Chinese counterpart Wang and Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, who is responsible for science and technology, in Beijing on Friday, before traveling to Shanghai to meet British businesses operating in China on Saturday. Speaking before the visit, Lammy said engagement with China was “necessary to support U.K. and global interests” and added that he hoped to raise Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the global green transition with his counterpart. Lammy’s visit is not expected to yield major diplomatic agreements. Mao Ning, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said the talks would focus on improving cooperation in various fields. Britain’s relations with China under the previous government were soured by clashes over human rights, Hong Kong and allegations of Chinese espionage. Earlier this year, Britain said it was extremely concerned after Reuters reported Russia has established a weapons program in China to develop and produce long-range attack drones for use in the war against Ukraine. Britain has made major shifts in its approach toward China in the past decade, moving … “Britain, China strike conciliatory note during top diplomat’s visit” →

Berlin — President Joe Biden made a lightning-fast, pomp-filled visit to Germany Friday, making an in-person push for transatlantic unity and scooping up Germany’s highest civilian honor.   Biden also met in Berlin with Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, President Emmanuel Macron of France, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom, to discuss a range of issues behind closed doors – including how to continue to support Ukraine against Russian aggression, and the rapidly changing situation in the Middle East.   “They talked about President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy’s victory plan and how we can all work together to try to see if we can’t get to a just peace that President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people will approve of,” said John Kirby, White House national security spokesperson. “And of course, you know, can implement.” And the brutal conflict in Gaza injected itself into Friday’s state visit, with news that Israeli forces had killed the leader of the U.S.-designated terror group Hamas, who was the mastermind behind the October 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war.  Standing on the tarmac minutes after landing in Germany late Thursday, Biden addressed the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israeli troops, calling it a “good day for the world.” “Now’s the time to move on,” he said. “Move on, move toward a cease-fire in Gaza, make sure that we move in a direction that we’re able to make things better for the whole world. It’s time for this war to end and bring these hostages home.” Biden said he would dispatch Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to Israel to discuss plans for the day after. Kirby said the administration’s priority is freeing the remaining hostages held by Hamas. “The president believes that, certainly, with Sinwar’s killing yesterday, that there’s a unique opportunity here for us all to kind of grab hold of, to see what we can do to end the war and to get a cease-fire. And we still believe that a cease-fire actually in the north, too, but we still believe a cease-fire is important for Gaza to get those hostages home.” For Germany, this frenzied one-day visit – which included a brief meeting with a 102-year-old Holocaust survivor, Margot Friedlander – was suffused with meaning and history. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier — who awarded Biden the nation’s highest honor, Germany’s Grand Cross special class of the Order of Merit — began his … “Biden hits Germany with lightning-quick visit focused on Middle East, Ukraine” →

When it comes to military equipment being sent to Ukraine, big-ticket items like Patriot missiles and F-16 fighter jets come to mind. But for many Ukrainian soldiers, the U.S.-made 60-millimeter M224 mortars, also used by the U.S. Marine Corps, have been highly effective against Russian forces. Anna Kosstutschenko has the story. Video: Pavel Suhodolskiy …

Kyiv, Ukraine — Ukraine on Friday said it was evacuating thousands of people from an embattled northeastern town that Kyiv retook from Russia about six months after Moscow launched its invasion in 2022. Kupiansk, a key rail hub in the northeastern Kharkiv region, has suffered deadly shelling attacks in recent months as Moscow’s forces get within a few kilometers of the town. The region’s governor had warned on Tuesday that authorities were no longer able to guarantee electricity and water to residents due to “constant shelling” and ordered all civilians in Kupiansk and three nearby communities to leave. “In total, about 10,000 people need to be evacuated. The pace of evacuation is increasing every day,” Governor Oleg Sinegubov said in a video on his Telegram account published Friday. Kupiansk was seized by Moscow shortly after it invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and Ukrainian forces retook it around six months later. It was home to just under 30,000 people before the war. Repeated Russian artillery strikes have badly damaged many of its buildings and left dozens of civilians dead. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy unveiled an ambitious “victory plan” this week setting out his vision to end the war with Russia. Russia has been pushing ahead in eastern Ukraine for months, capturing tens of small towns and villages as Kyiv’s overstretched troops grapple with exhaustion and manpower shortages.  …

seoul, south korea — South Korea said on Friday that it believes North Korea has sent troops to Russia, marking a grave security threat to the international community that Seoul will respond to with all available means, the presidential office said in a statement. Separately, the country’s spy agency said North Korea was participating in the war in Ukraine and had decided to send 12,000 troops, including a special forces unit, Yonhap news agency reported. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol held an unscheduled security meeting with key intelligence, military and national security officials to discuss North Korean troops’ involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine, it said. “The participants … shared the view that the current situation where Russia and North Korea’s closer ties have gone beyond the movement of military supplies to actual dispatch of troops is a grave security threat not only to our country but to the international community,” it said. South Korean officials have previously said it was likely true that some North Korean personnel were in Russia and involved in its war with Ukraine but have not given a clear answer on the nature or the scale of any such deployment. Yoon’s office said South Korea together with its allies have been closely tracking North Korea’s troop dispatch to Russia from the initial stages. It did not, however, provide any intelligence to backup the assertion of troop deployment. It also did not specify if it had information on whether North Korean troops were involved in combat. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service could not be immediately reached for confirmation of the report on the number of North Korean troops. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused North Korea on Thursday of deploying officers alongside Russia and preparing to send thousands of troops to help Moscow’s war effort, although NATO’s chief Mark Rutte said there was no evidence of Pyongyang’s presence at this stage. Zelenskyy said about 10,000 North Korean soldiers are preparing for deployment to fight Ukraine but Kyiv’s Western allies have yet to confirm its assertion that Pyongyang is sending troops, though they say they are studying it. Since their leaders’ summit in the Russian far east last year, North Korea and Russia have dramatically upgraded their military ties and they met again in June to sign a comprehensive strategic partnership that includes a mutual defense pact. South Korean and U.S. officials have said North Korea has been … “South Korea says North troop dispatch to Russia is ‘grave security threat’” →

MOSCOW — Russia is testing the combat readiness of a unit equipped with Yars intercontinental ballistic missiles in a region northwest of Moscow, news agencies quoted the defense ministry as saying Friday. The Yars, which can be deployed in silos or mounted on mobile launchers, has a range of up to 11,000 kilometers and is capable of delivering multiple nuclear warheads. Russia has carried out a series of nuclear drills this year in what security analysts say are signals intended to deter the West from intervening more deeply in the war in Ukraine. The latest one is taking place in the same week that NATO conducted its annual nuclear exercise and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy unveiled his “victory plan.” Russian President Vladimir Putin said last month that Moscow had extended the list of scenarios that could prompt it to use nuclear weapons, effectively lowering the threshold for their use. Ukraine accused Moscow of nuclear blackmail. In the latest test, a unit in the Tver region will practice moving Yars missiles in the field over distances of up to 100 kilometers under camouflage and protecting them against air attack and enemy sabotage groups, Interfax quoted the defense ministry as saying. Russia previously conducted two rounds of exercises involving Yars missile units in July. It has also held three sets of drills this year to test preparations for the launch of tactical nuclear missiles, which have a shorter range and lower yield than intercontinental strategic rockets. In the course of the war, Putin has issued frequent reminders that Russia has the world’s biggest nuclear arsenal, but he has insisted that it does not need to resort to nuclear weapons in order to achieve victory in Ukraine. …

berlin — U.S. President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will discuss increased reports of antisemitic acts in both countries over the last year as war has raged in the Middle East when they meet Friday in Berlin, a Biden administration official told reporters on the eve of Biden’s state visit to Germany. “This is an area where the United States and Germany have worked very closely,” said the official, who was not named as a condition of the Wednesday night briefing. The official added that while Biden is unlikely to hold a specific event centered on antisemitism during his one-day visit, the issue is “very important to President Biden, and one that he has, that we have, discussed with the German government over the years and continue to do so.” The official did not give any more details on engagements or plans. Watchdogs have sounded the alarm in both countries: According to a German government report, antisemitic incidents rose by about 83% last year. In the United States, the Anti-Defamation League has said that U.S. antisemitic incidents “skyrocketed” in the months after Hamas militants attacked Israel last October. Biden has clearly tied the recent rise in anti-Jewish acts to a growing backlash over his staunch support of Israel. In May, he spoke at the first Holocaust Remembrance Day since the start of the war on October 7, 2023. He warned of a “ferocious” rise in antisemitic incidents and said that, at the height of university protests, “Jewish students [were] blocked, harassed, attacked, while walking to class.” He said protesters used “antisemitic posters, slogans calling for the annihilation of Israel, the world’s only Jewish state.” Earlier this month, he spoke of his belief that “without an Israel, every Jew in the world’s security is less stable.” He added, “It doesn’t mean that Jewish leadership doesn’t have to be more progressive than it is, but it does mean it has to exist, and that’s what worries me most about what’s going on now.” Germany’s World War II history makes it particularly sensitive to this type of hatred, but critics say it has taken steps that stifle legitimate criticism. In November, weeks into the Gaza conflict, a German museum canceled a show by a South African artist after she expressed support for the Palestinian cause. Candice Breitz, the artist, who is Jewish, called the act another example of “Germany’s increasingly entrenched habit … “Biden, Scholz to discuss antisemitism concerns during Germany meeting” →