Author: Mirits

Joe Biden used his final presidential address before the U.N. General Assembly to urge unity in the face of challenges that include conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell reports from New York. …

A new school year begins in Russia, the third that is starting with Moscow’s war in Ukraine as a backdrop. Elizabeth Cherneff narrates this report from Ricardo Marquina on what critics say are Russia’s moves to militarize education by introducing new subjects that explain and justify its full-scale assault on Ukraine. …

GENEVA — Police in northern Switzerland said Tuesday that several people have been detained and a criminal case opened in connection with the suspected death of a person in a “suicide capsule.” The “Sarco” capsule is presumably designed to allow a person sitting in a reclining seat inside to push a button that injects nitrogen gas into the sealed chamber. The person is then supposed to fall asleep and die by suffocation in a few minutes. Exit International, an assisted suicide group based in the Netherlands, said it is behind the 3D-printed device that cost over $1 million to develop. Swiss law allows assisted suicide so long as the person takes his or her life with no “external assistance” and those who help the person die do not do so for “any self-serving motive,” according to a government website. A law firm informed prosecutors in Schaffhausen canton that an assisted suicide involving the Sarco had taken place Monday near a forest cabin in Merishausen, regional police said in a statement. They said that “several people” were taken into custody and that prosecutors opened an investigation on suspicion of incitement and accessory to suicide. Dutch newspaper Volkskrant reported Tuesday that police had detained one of its photographers who wanted to take pictures of the use of the Sarco. It said Schaffhausen police had indicated the photographer was being held at a police station but declined to give a further explanation. The newspaper declined to comment further when contacted by the Associated Press.  In an email, the Dutch Foreign Ministry told the AP that it was in contact with the newspaper and Swiss officials.  “As always, we cannot interfere in the legal process of another country. At the same time, the Netherlands stands firmly for press freedom. It is very important that journalists worldwide can do their work freely,” it said.  Exit International, the group behind the Sarco, said in a statement a 64-year-old woman from the U.S. Midwest — it did not specify further — who had suffered from “severe immune compromise” had died Monday afternoon near the German border using the Sarco device. It said Florian Willet, co-president of The Last Resort, a Swiss affiliate of Exit International, was the only person present and described her death as “peaceful, fast and dignified.” Dr. Philip Nitschke, an Australian-born trained doctor behind Exit International, has previously told the AP that his organization received … “Swiss police detain several people in connection with ‘suicide capsule’” →

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A man from India-administered Kashmir says he was deceived into working for the Russian military and recounts the ordeal he went through with several others from his homeland. Muheet Ul Islam has more for VOA from Srinagar in India-administered Kashmir. Videographer: Wasim Nabi …

GENEVA — Investigators at the United Nations accuse Russia of using torture and sexual violence with impunity against Ukrainian citizens and prisoners of war in occupied Ukrainian territories and in the Russian Federation. The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine submitted its latest update on the situation in Ukraine on Monday to the U.N. Human Rights Council, which continued a review of its findings during an interactive dialogue on Tuesday. In his oral presentation, commission chair Erik Mose told the council that men were most of the victims subjected to torture, and that new evidence shows that sexual violence is used as a means of torture “mainly against male victims in detention, and of rapes targeting women in villages under Russian control.” “The wide geographic spread of locations where torture was committed, and the prevalence of shared patterns, demonstrate that torture has been used as a common and acceptable practice by Russian authorities, with a sense of impunity,” Mose said, adding that the latest findings reaffirm previous reports that torture committed by Russian authorities has been “widespread and systematic.” “Our recent investigations show that Russian authorities have committed torture in Ukrainian regions where they have taken control of territories. This reinforces the finding that torture has been widespread,” Mose said. The commission has identified several common elements in the use of torture by Russian authorities, “reinforcing its earlier finding that this was systematic.” It notes that similar forms of torture were practiced in detention centers where detainees from Ukraine have been held in the Russian Federation, as well as in large penitentiary centers in occupied areas of Ukraine. Another common element emerging from the evidence points toward a coordinated use of personnel from specific services of the Russian Federation “who are involved in torture in all the detention facilities” investigated by the commission. “A further common feature is the recurrent use of sexual violence as a form of torture in almost all these detention centers,” Mose said. Russia boycotted the meeting, refusing to respond to the commission’s report as a concerned country. Russia had its supporters, however, several of whom disproved of the report. Belarus called the commission’s accusations “false and unsubstatiated by facts” and invited specialized national organizations “to study the situation on the ground for themselves.” Eritrea, Syria and Venezuela echoed these sentiments, as did the representative of North Korea, who described “the Ukraine incident” as one of … “UN accuses Russia of systematic torture of Ukrainian civilians, prisoners” →

Berlin — Germany’s leading economic institutes have downgraded their forecast for 2024 and now see Europe’s largest economy shrinking by 0.1%, people familiar with the figures from the autumn joint economic forecast told Reuters on Tuesday.  Germany’s economy was the weakest among its large euro zone peers last year with a 0.3% contraction.   Even with inflation on a downward trend, consumption remains weak and high energy costs, feeble global orders and high interest rates are still taking their toll.   The latest economic data paint a gloomy picture. German business morale fell for a fourth straight month in September and by more than expected, a survey showed on Tuesday.  Data earlier this week showed German business activity contracted in September at the sharpest pace in seven months, putting the economy on track to notch up a second consecutive quarter of falling output.  The economic institutes have also slashed their forecasts for the coming years, according to the sources. The growth forecast for 2025 has been cut to 0.8% from 1.4%, and for 2026, the institutes envisage growth of 1.3%, the sources said.  The institutes’ joint economic forecast is due to be published on Thursday, meaning the figures could still change slightly before then.  The economy ministry incorporates the combined estimates from the institutes — Ifo, DIW, IWH, IfW and RWI — into its own predictions.  According to its latest forecast, the German government expects the economy to grow 0.3% this year. An update is due in October.   …

STOCKHOLM — Swedish authorities said on Tuesday that Iran hacked into a text messaging service last year and sent thousands of messages urging Swedes to take revenge against Koran burners.   In 2023, individuals in Sweden on several occasions set fire to Islam’s holy book in public, prompting outrage in the Muslim world and raising fears of attacks by jihadists.  “The security police is able to establish that a cyber group acted on behalf of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to carry out an influence campaign,” the Swedish Security Service said in a statement.   “The purpose was, among other things, to paint the image of Sweden as an Islamophobic country and create division in society,” it said.  Sweden last year raised its terrorism alert following the Koran burnings.   In a separate statement, the Swedish Prosecution Authority said the investigation showed it was the Iranian state via the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that carried out the data breach.  The Swedish agency said it had identified the individual hackers carrying out the breach but would not press charges.   “Since the perpetrators are acting for a foreign power, in this case Iran, we make the assessment that the conditions for prosecution abroad or extradition to Sweden are lacking,” it said.  Iran’s embassy in Stockholm could not immediately be reached for comment. Iran’s foreign ministry had no immediate comment.   …

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ROME — Pope Francis has called for the liberation of Myanmar’s detained former leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and offered the Vatican as a safe haven, the pontiff said in a recent conversation with Jesuits in Asia. “I asked for the Ms Aung San Suu Kyi’s release and received her son in Rome. I offered the Vatican to receive her in our territory,” he said in a private conversation during a recent 12-day tour across Southeast Asia. The 87-year old pontiff visited Myanmar in December 2017. Italian daily Corriere della Sera published the comments on Tuesday in an article by Father Antonio Spadaro, a Rome-based Jesuit priest who attends the meetings and writes about them afterwards with the pope’s permission. “The future of the (Myanmar) must be peace based on respect for the dignity and rights of all, on respect for a democratic order that allows everyone to contribute to the common good,” Pope Francis added. Myanmar’s military government has ramped up killings and arrests in an apparent bid to silence opponents and recruit soldiers in an escalating conflict, a U.N. report said last week. Suu Kyi, 78, has been detained by the military since it overthrew her government in a 2021 coup. She faces 27 years in prison for crimes ranging from treason and bribery to violations of the telecommunications law, charges she denies. In April she was moved from prison to house arrest. …

LONDON — A goal to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030 and cut fossil fuel use is within reach, the International Energy Agency said in a report on Tuesday, but will require a huge push to unlock bottlenecks such as permitting and grid connections. The report comes as leaders from government and business come together at New York Climate week to try to drive forward action against climate change. Almost 200 countries at the COP 28 climate summit in Dubai last year agreed to reach net zero emissions from the energy sector by 2050 and pledged to triple renewable energy capacity like wind and solar. The IEA said the renewable energy goal “is within reach thanks to favorable economics, ample manufacturing potential and strong policies,” but said more renewable capacity by itself would not slash fossil fuel use and reduce costs for consumers. “To unlock the full benefits of the tripling goal, countries need to make a concerted push to build and modernize 25 million kilometers of electricity grids by 2030… The world would also need 1,500 gigawatts (GW) of energy storage capacity by 2030,” the IEA said. Countries at COP 28 also pledged to double energy efficiency measures to help curb power use, but this target will require governments to make efficiency much more of a policy priority. Countries must embed the renewable and energy efficiency goals in their national plans to meet goals set under the Paris climate agreement, the IEA said. Emissions from the global energy sector hit a record high last year. Tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency measures to reduce power use could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 10 billion metric tons by the end of the decade compared with what is otherwise expected, the report said. …

paris — After more than two months without a functioning government, France’s new cabinet got to work Monday. How long it will remain in office is unclear. French politics have been in limbo since inconclusive snap legislative elections in late June and early July. The elections saw a leftist coalition win the most votes and the far-right National Rally emerging as the largest party. Only now, after the Paris Olympics, has a new center-right government been named, which doesn’t include either of these two blocs. On national TV Sunday night, conservative Prime Minister Michel Barnier outlined some broad priorities. He called for controlling and limiting immigration, saying the number of migrants arriving in France had become unbearable. His new interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, strongly advocates tighter migration controls. Barnier also called for what he described as a “national effort,” including taxes on the rich to cut the country’s budget deficit, which is well over the European Union limit. But he said he would not touch social changes like gay marriage and a recent move to enshrine abortion freedoms in the French constitution. Barnier’s new government is already feeling pressure. Thousands demonstrated in Paris even before his cabinet was named. Far-left politician Jean-Luc Melenchon warned Barnier’s government had no future — a warning picked up by the far right. The left has vowed a no-confidence motion, but analysts say it isn’t likely to succeed. …

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Pentagon — The U.S. military is expected to announce a new military aid package for Ukraine this week valued at up to $375 million, the largest aid sent to Kyiv since May. According to several U.S. officials, who spoke to VOA on condition of anonymity to discuss the package ahead of the announcement, the aid for Kyiv is expected to be announced as soon as Wednesday. One official told VOA the package is likely to include air-to-ground munitions for F-16 fighter jets, which would allow Ukrainian pilots to operate away from the front lines and Russia’s air defenses.  The package also includes ammunition for HIMARS, patrol boats and armored vehicles, along with 155mm rounds, 105 mm rounds and TOW missiles, the official added. The package, which is still being finalized and could change, according to the U.S. officials, is being sent under the presidential drawdown authority that allows the Pentagon to send Ukraine aid directly from its American military stockpiles.  The Pentagon has more than $5 billion left of the $61 billion in funding for Ukraine that was signed into law by President Joe Biden in April and could expire at the end of this month. The Pentagon says it is working with Congress to roll the remaining funding over to the next U.S. fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. The officials tell VOA they are working on contingency plans should Congress not approve the extension before the end of the fiscal year. The package is expected to be announced as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to meet with President Biden and Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris this Friday at the White House. Officials say Zelenskyy will lay out his plan to end the war with Russia and push for restrictions on U.S.-provided missiles to be lifted. U.S. policy does not allow Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied weapons to fire on targets deep within Russian territory. The White House has expressed concerns that these strikes could draw the United States into direct conflict with Russia. Earlier this month, Zelenskyy told military allies meeting in Germany that his country needs the long-range capability to strike deep inside Russian territory “so that Russia is motivated to seek peace.” The U.S. says that Russia has moved most of its aircraft and weapons out of range of Ukraine’s weapons, but Ukrainian officials are still interested in targeting supply lines and command centers … “$375 million US military aid package for Ukraine expected as soon as Wednesday” →

geneva — United Nations investigators are accusing the Belarusian government of Alexander Lukashenko of instilling “a pervasive climate of fear by quashing all avenues of dissent” by systematically oppressing its perceived political opponents. “Measures of repression and intimidation aimed at suppressing dissent continue unabated in Belarus, particularly in the lead-up to the presidential election scheduled in 2025,” Karinna Moskaleko, chair of the Group of independent Experts told the U.N. human rights council Monday. Moskaleko presented a searing account of widespread human rights violations, abuse, and horrific cases of cruelty and deprivation in this first oral update of the human rights situation in Belarus by the Expert Group, newly created by the council in March. She read out a list of abuses committed in Belarus since May 2020, when nationwide protests erupted, following Lukashenko’s decision to seek another term as president. Among those cited are arbitrary deprivation of the right to life and to liberty, torture and ill-treatment, including sexual and gender-based violence, denial of a fair trial, violations of the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association. “While sexual and gender-based violence is underreported, there is credible information some women and men in detention have been threatened with rape and subjected to forced nudity and cavity searches,” Moskaleko said. “We continue to observe a misuse of national security and criminal laws to silence any dissent. Individuals perceived as political opponents continue to be charged and arrested under the criminal code, for exercising their legitimate rights to freedom of expression and association,” she said, adding that “free trial rights are systematically violated.” The report notes that Belarusians forced into exile continue to be harassed by Lukashenko’s government, that their assets and properties are seized and relatives left behind are intimidated by the authorities. The group of experts accused the government “for the near-total destruction of civic space and fundamental freedoms,” with most of the opposition either imprisoned or forced into exile since the 2020 elections … creating a chilling effect on any participation in activities “perceived as critical of the government.” Lukashenko recently pardoned dozens of people who had been convicted for participating in the 2020 protests. While welcoming the announced release, Moskaleko noted that “they represent only a small fraction of those who have been arrested” and urged the government to promptly release “all those arbitrarily detained on politically motivated charges.” Larysa Belskaya, Belarusia ambassador to the U.N. in … “Climate of fear permeates repressive Belarusian society” →

Moscow — A Soyuz capsule carrying two Russians and one American from the International Space Station landed Monday in Kazakhstan, ending a record-breaking stay for the Russian pair. The capsule landed on the Kazakh steppe about 3 1/2 hours after undocking from the ISS in an apparently trouble-free descent. In the last stage of the landing, it descended under a red-and-white parachute at about 7.2 meters per second (16 mph), with small rockets fired in the final seconds to cushion the touchdown. The astronauts were extracted from the capsule and placed in nearby chairs to help them adjust to gravity, then given medical examinations in a nearby tent. Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub returned after 374 days aboard the space station; on Friday they broke the record for the longest continuous stay there. Also in the capsule was American Tracy Dyson, who was in the space station for six months. Eight astronauts remain in the space station, including Americans Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have remained long past their scheduled return to Earth. They arrived in June as the first crew of Boeing’s new Starliner capsule. But their trip was marred by thruster troubles and helium leaks, and the U.S. space agency NASA decided it was too risky to return them on Starliner. The two astronauts are to ride home with SpaceX next year. …

Brussels, Belgium — Eurozone business activity declined for the first time in seven months in September, as France lost steam after the end of the Paris Olympic Games, a key survey said Monday.   S&P Global’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI) — a key gauge of the overall health of the economy — dropped to 48.9 in September, down from 51 in August.  Any reading below 50 indicated contraction.     “The eurozone is heading towards stagnation. After the Olympic effect had temporarily boosted France, the eurozone heavyweight economy, the Composite PMI fell in September to the largest extent in 15 months,” said Cyrus de la Rubia, chief economist at Hamburg Commercial Bank.    “Considering the rapid decline in new orders and the order backlog, it doesn’t take much imagination to foresee a further weakening of the economy.”   The survey showed that Germany and France, the eurozone’s top two economies, were largely responsible for driving the slump in the 20-country single currency area.   French private sector output returned to contraction after the shot in the arm from the Olympics, while German business activity dropped the fastest since February.   The “big decline” in eurozone PMI “suggests that the economy is slowing sharply, that Germany is in recession and that France’s Olympics boost was just a blip”, said Andrew Kenningham, chief Europe economist at London-based research group Capital Economics.   “With France’s new minority government now planning to tighten fiscal policy significantly, prospects for growth in France look increasingly poor,” he said.   President Emmanuel Macron named a new government led by Prime Minister Michel Barnier Saturday, 11 weeks after an inconclusive parliamentary election.   The eurozone PMI data showed the manufacturing sector was down across the board, falling for the eighteenth month in a row.     “Manufacturing is getting messier by the month,” de la Rubia said.    “Looking ahead, the sharp drop in new orders and companies’ increasingly bleak outlook for future output suggest that this dry spell is far from over.”   The decline in business activity could add impetus to calls for the European Central Bank (ECB) to cut its key interest rate again in October.   The bank for the 20 countries that use the euro cut its deposit rate by a quarter point to 3.50% this month — the second decrease since June.   The ECB had hiked rates at record pace from mid-2022 to tame surging consumer prices but has started easing the pressure as inflation drifts back down towards its … “Eurozone business activity slumps after Olympics boost “ →

Brussels — The European Commission launched a challenge at the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Monday against China’s investigation into EU dairy products, initiated after the European Union placed import tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.  This is the first time the European Union has taken such action at the start of an investigation, rather than wait for it to result in trade measures against the bloc.  “The EU’s action was prompted by an emerging pattern of China initiating trade defense measures, based on questionable allegations and insufficient evidence, within a short period of time,” the commission said.  Proceedings at the WTO start with a mandatory period of 60 days for the parties to consult each other. The Commission said it would ask the WTO to set up an adjudicating panel if the consultations did not lead to a satisfactory solution.  WTO panels usually take more than a year to reach conclusions.  China initiated its anti-subsidy investigation on Aug. 21, targeting EU liquid milk, cream with a fat content above 10% and various types of cheeses.  The Commission said it was confident that EU dairy subsidy schemes are fully in line with international rules and not causing injury to China’s dairy sector.   The EU imposed provisional duties in July on electric vehicles built in China and EU members are expected to vote soon on final tariffs, which would apply for five years.  China also has ongoing anti-dumping investigations into EU brandy and pork.  (Reuters reporting by Philip Blenkinsop and Bart Meijer; Editing by Alex Richardson and Tomasz Janowski)  …

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VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis canceled his scheduled appointments for Monday due to a mild flu, the Vatican said in a statement. The Vatican said the 87-year-old pontiff made the decision as a precautionary measure in view of his planned four-day trip to Luxembourg and Belgium later this week. It gave no further details. Francis is scheduled to begin the trip, his 46th foreign visit as pope, on Thursday. It comes less than two weeks after he returned from a demanding 12-day, four-country tour of Southeast Asia and Oceania. Francis now regularly uses a wheelchair due to knee and back pain. He has also suffered bouts of ill health in recent years. Earlier this year, he canceled several appointments over what the Vatican variously described as a cold, bronchitis and influenza. The pope appeared in good form throughout his Sept. 2-13 trip to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. He maintained a packed schedule, headlining more than 40 events, and clocked up a total of nearly 33,000 km. His trip to Luxembourg and Belgium is expected to highlight the needs of migrants in Europe and to include a meeting with survivors of abuse by Catholic clergy. Francis’ agenda in Luxembourg and Belgium will be lighter than that of the Southeast Asia and Oceania trip, with the pope scheduled to take part in about a dozen events over four days. …

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Mexico City — France has sent a group of special anti-riot police that’s been banned for 65 years to the French Caribbean island of Martinique, where protesters have gathered despite the government barring demonstrations in parts of the island.  The force arrived this weekend after the local representative of France’s central government in its overseas territory said in a statement that protests were forbidden in the municipalities of Fort-de-France, Le Lamentin, Ducos and Le Robert until Monday. The government also issued a curfew.  The restrictions came after violent protests broke out on the island last week over the high cost of living, with gunfire injuring at least six police officers and one civilian. Police launched tear gas and government officials said several stores were also looted.  Officials said the bans were meant “to put an end to the violence and damage committed at gatherings, as well as to the numerous obstacles to daily life and freedom of movement that penalize the entire population, particularly at weekends.”  But the measure was met by defiance by many on the island, with massive peaceful protests breaking out Saturday night. Videos from local media show crowds of thousands peacefully walking along highways overnight banging on drums and waiving flags.  As protests wound on without violence, the force of French anti-riot police arrived on the island and were staying at a hotel in Fort-de-France on Sunday. It wasn’t immediately clear how many were sent.  The elite riot police, known as the Companies for Republican Security, were banned in the French territory following bloody riots in December 1959. The unit had been accused of using disproportionate force against protesters, ending in the deaths of a number of young demonstrators. The force is rarely deployed in French territories in the Caribbean but was called on during riots and strikes in Guadeloupe in 2009.  Martinique’s leaders requested the forces amid the recent protests in an historic shift for the island, and one met with a sharp rejection by some in the territory.  Beatrice Bellay, a representative of the socialist party on the island, blasted the move, saying: “Martinique is not in a civil war, it is a social war.” She called for an “open and transparent dialogue” between protesters and the government.  “This measure … only serves to aggravate tensions and distract attention from the legitimate demands of the people of Martinique,” she wrote in a statement Sunday.  …

Geneva — Switzerland, known for natural beauty like pristine lakes and majestic Alpine peaks, ranks among the world’s richest countries whose plant and animal life is under the greatest threat. Environmentalists were seeking better protections for the country’s biodiversity in a nationwide vote that culminated Sunday. Final official results showed more than 63% of voters casting ballots had rejected the initiative that aimed to boost public funding to encourage farmers and others to set aside lands and waterways to let the wild develop more, and increase the total area allocated for green spaces that must remain untouched by human development. The contest was decided by mail-in ballots followed by a morning of in-person voting Sunday. Factors behind the weakening biodiversity in the country of rivers, lakes, valleys and mountains include intensified agriculture, soil alteration, a fragmentation of the landscape — such as the building of roads and housing that cut through wildlife habitats — and pollution and climate change, proponents of the measure said. The federal government — parliament and the executive branch — opposed the plan, as did many rural voters and the country’s main right-wing party, according to polls. They called it too costly, saying 600 million Swiss francs (over $700 million) is already spent on biodiversity protection each year, and fear economic development will suffer. Passage was estimated to cost at least another 400 million francs for national and local governments, the Federal Council estimates. The initiative would also, for example, prohibit the construction of new railway lines through protected dry meadows — even if such meadow is set aside and developed elsewhere, it says. “Passage of the biodiversity initiative would severely limit (sustainable) energy and food production, restrict the use of forests and rural areas for tourism, and make construction more expensive,” argued the campaign for a “no” vote on its website. “YES to biodiversity, but NO to the extreme biodiversity initiative.” Proponents, meanwhile, pointed to dwindling natural resources in Switzerland and threats to bees, frogs, birds, mosses and other wildlife. They argued that protected green spaces are “the main capital for tourism” and more of them would support local economies. “Diversified nature guarantees air purity, drinkable water, pollination, fertility of the soil, and our food supply,” said a committee that backed the idea. “But in Switzerland, biodiversity is suffering. One-third of all our plant and animal species are threatened or have already disappeared.” The Organization for … “In Switzerland, voters reject plan to better protect country’s biodiversity” →

Tirana, Albania — Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said Sunday his country would transform the Tirana-based Bektashi Muslims, an Islamic Sufi order, into a sovereign state to promote moderation, tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Speaking at the United Nations, Rama pointed out that Albania, a tiny Western Balkan country, saved Jewish refugees from the Nazis during World War II and sheltered Afghans after the Taliban came to power three years ago. Albanians are also proud of giving to the world Mother Teresa who “embodied love for humanity,” he said. “She told us that not all of us can do big things, but we can all do small things with big love,” he said. “That is our inspiration in supporting the transformation of the World Bektashi Order into a sovereign state in our capital, Tirana, as a new center of moderation, tolerance and peaceful coexistence.” Albania’s 2.4-million population is about 50% Muslim with the rest of the population Catholic and Orthodox Christians and other smaller communities. The country is known for its religious harmony and co-existence. Bektashi Muslims make up about 10% of the Muslims in the country, according to the last census. It wasn’t immediately clear how the order would legally be granted sovereignty. But the Bektashi Order said it considers the move the beginning of a new era promoting global religious tolerance. “Such a historic step aims at recognizing the Beltashi Order as a sovereign, self-governing state, committed to supporting its century-old culture of moderation and spiritual involvement,” it said in a statement. The Bektashi Order will receive sovereignty similar to that of the Vatican, governing religious and administrative issues independently of Albania, the Order said. Citizenship would be provided only to the top religious members and those individuals involved in managing the state, while the leadership will run from the head of the Bektashi, Baba Mondi, and a council that will monitor its religious and administrative operation. “The new state will aim at nothing but the spiritual leadership,” the statement said. The Bektashi Order originated in the Ottoman Empire in the 13th century. The Bektashis acquired political importance in the 15th century, when the order dominated the Janissary Corps, the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan’s household troops. After the foundation of the Turkish Republic, its leader Kemal Ataturk banned religious institutions that were not part of the Directorate of Religious Affairs and the Bektashi community’s headquarters relocated … “PM Rama says Albania to grant sovereignty to Bektashi Muslims in Tirana” →

Scranton, Pennsylvania — Under extraordinarily tight security, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday visited the Pennsylvania ammunition factory that is producing one of the most critically needed munitions for his country’s fight to fend off Russian ground forces. His visit to the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant kicked off a busy week in the United States to shore up support for Ukraine in the war. He will speak at the U.N. General Assembly annual gathering in New York on Tuesday and Wednesday and then travel to Washington for talks on Thursday with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. As Zelenskyy’s large motorcade made its way to the ammunition plant on Sunday afternoon, a small contingent of supporters waving Ukrainian flags assembled nearby to show their appreciation for his visit to thank the workers. The area around the ammunition plant had been sealed off since the morning, with municipal garbage trucks positioned across several roadblocks and a very heavy presence of city, regional and state police, including troopers on horseback. The Scranton plant is one of the few facilities in the country to manufacture 155 mm artillery shells and has increased production over the past year. The 155 mm shells are used in howitzer systems, which are towed large guns with long barrels that can fire at various angles. Howitzers can strike targets up to 24 kilometers to 32 kilometers away and are highly valued by ground forces to take out enemy targets from a protected distance. Ukraine has already received more than 3 million of the 155 mm shells from the U.S. “It’s unfortunate that we need a plant like this, but it’s here, and it’s here to protect the world,” said Vera Kowal Krewsun, a first-generation Ukrainian American who was among those who greeted Zelenskyy’s motorcade. “And I strongly feel that way.” She said many of her friends’ parents have worked in the ammunition plant, and she called Zelenskyy’s visit “a wonderful thing.” Laryssa Salak, 60, whose parents also immigrated from Ukraine, also said she was pleased Zelenskyy came to thank the workers. She said it upsets her that funding for Ukraine’s defense has divided Americans and that even some of her friends oppose the support, saying the money should go to help Americans instead. “But they don’t understand that that money does not directly go to Ukraine, Salak said. “It goes to American factories that manufacture, like here, … “Ukraine’s Zelenskyy visits Pennsylvania ammunition factory to thank workers” →