by Mirits

Ukraine says it struck drone depot in Russia’s Oryol region

Ukraine said on Saturday it had struck a storage and maintenance depot for long-range Shahed drones in Russia’s Oryol region, adding that this had “significantly reduced” Russia’s ability to launch mass drone attacks on Ukraine. Ukraine military’s general staff said in a statement on Telegram the attack took place on Thursday and was conducted by Ukraine’s air force. “As a result of the strike, a depot for storage, maintenance and repair of Shahed kamikaze drones, made of several protected concrete structures, was destroyed,” it said. “This military operation has significantly reduced the enemy’s potential in terms of conducting air raids of strike drones on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure.” Moscow has not made any comment on the attack. Russia has regularly launched missile and drone attacks on Ukraine throughout its 34-month invasion. For the past several months, Moscow has launched near-daily barrages of dozens of drones at Ukraine, hoping to damage its infrastructure and wear down air defenses leaving them less able to shoot down missiles. Ukraine’s air force said earlier on Saturday it had downed 15 out of 16 drones launched by Russia overnight, with the other one disappearing from radar. …

by Mirits

Somali migrant who survived boat sinking wants to try again for Europe

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Idil Abdullahi Goley’s journey seeking a better life in Europe started in Somalia with a $6,500 payment to local smugglers. It ended a month later with fellow migrants around her dying at sea, one of them screaming and reciting the Muslim profession of faith.  The deaths of 25 migrants last month in boats off the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar brought to light yet another route that some in Africa are taking in dangerous bids for Europe.  Goley was one of the 48 people rescued. She spoke to The Associated Press about the journey that thousands of Somalis embark on every year as extremist attacks and climate shocks destroy hopes and livelihoods at home.  Some Somalis head for the Gulf countries via the Red Sea and Yemen. Others, like Goley, gamble on a longer sea voyage south, toward the French island territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, the poorest territory in the European Union.  Somalis are among an estimated 100,000 migrants living in Mayotte, according to French authorities. The migrants are part of communities affected after Cyclone Chido leveled entire neighborhoods on December 14.  The International Organization for Migration has estimated that 2 million people migrated from Somalia in 2021 in search of work, the latest data available.  Children left behind Goley, 28, heard about the smugglers from friends who had traveled the route and raised the $6,500 fee from her small tea shop business in the capital, Mogadishu, and from her brother and mother. She hoped to reach Europe and pay them back. She left her three small children behind.  Her journey began with a flight from Mogadishu to Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. Then she and others took a bus to the port city of Mombasa, where they set off in fishing boats for Mayotte, more than 620 miles (997 kilometers) away. They hoped to request asylum there.  After three days at sea, the group of about 70 migrants was transferred to smaller boats, whose engines started to fail. The smugglers said they would fix the engines and left with them on another boat, leaving the migrants drifting without water and food. They started catching fish and collecting rainwater to survive.  It was nearly cyclone season, and waves were choppy.  Goley said she tried to save the life of an infant whose mother was also on board but struggling.  “But she died right in front of me. … “Somali migrant who survived boat sinking wants to try again for Europe” →

by Tage

US agency says decongestant in many cold medicines doesn’t work. So what does?

WASHINGTON — Changes are coming to the cold and cough aisle of your local pharmacy: U.S. officials are moving to phase out the leading decongestant found in hundreds of over-the-counter medicines, concluding that it doesn’t actually relieve nasal congestion. Phenylephrine is used in popular versions of Sudafed, Dayquil and other medications, but experts have long questioned its effectiveness. Last month the Food and Drug Administration formally proposed revoking its use in pills and liquid solutions, kicking off a process that’s likely to force drugmakers to remove or reformulate products. It’s a win for skeptical academics, including researchers at the University of Florida who petitioned the FDA to revisit the drug’s use in 2007 and again in 2015. For consumers it will likely mean switching to alternatives, including an older decongestant that was moved behind the pharmacy counter nearly 20 years ago. Doctors say Americans will be better off without phenylephrine, which is often combined with other medicines to treat cold, flu, fever and allergies. “People walk into the drugstore today and see 55,000 medicines on the shelf and they pick one that is definitely not going to work,” said Dr. Brian Schroer of the Cleveland Clinic. “You take away that option and it will be easier for them to self-direct toward products that really will help them.” Why is FDA doing this now? The FDA decision was expected after federal advisers last year voted unanimously that oral phenylephrine medications haven’t been shown to relieve congestion. Experts reviewed several recent, large studies indicating that phenylephrine was no better than a placebo at clearing nasal passageways. They also revisited studies from the 1960s and 1970s that supported the drug’s initial use, finding numerous flaws and questionable data. The panel’s opinion only applied to phenylephrine in oral medications, which account for roughly $1.8 billion in annual U.S. sales. The drug is still considered effective in nasal sprays, though those are much less popular. Phenylephrine wasn’t always the top choice for cold and allergy products. Many were originally formulated with a different drug, pseudoephedrine. But a 2006 law required pharmacies to move pseudoephedrine products behind the counter, citing their potential to be processed into methamphetamine. Companies such as Johnson & Johnson and Bayer decided to reformulate their products to keep them readily available on store shelves — and labeled many of them as “PE” versions of familiar brand names. What are some alternatives for congestion? … “US agency says decongestant in many cold medicines doesn’t work. So what does?” →

by Tage

CDC says bird flu virus likely mutated within a US patient

A genetic analysis suggests the bird flu virus mutated inside a Louisiana patient who contracted the nation’s first severe case of the illness, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this week. Scientists believe the mutations may allow the virus to better bind to receptors in the upper airways of humans — something they say is concerning but not a cause for alarm. Michael Osterholm, a University of Minnesota infectious-disease researcher, likened this binding interaction to a lock and key. To enter a cell, the virus needs to have a key that turns the lock, and this finding means the virus may be changing to have a key that might work. “Is this an indication that we may be closer to seeing a readily transmitted virus between people? No,” Osterholm said. “Right now, this is a key that sits in the lock, but it doesn’t open the door.” The virus has been causing sporadic, mostly mild illnesses in people in the United States; nearly all of those infected worked on dairy or poultry farms. The patient in the U.S. state of Louisiana was hospitalized in critical condition with severe respiratory symptoms from bird flu after coming in contact with sick and dead birds in a backyard flock. The person, who has not been identified, is older than 65 and has underlying medical problems, officials said earlier this month. The CDC stressed there has been no known transmission of the virus from the Louisiana patient to anyone else. The agency said its findings about the mutations were “concerning,” but the risk to the general public from the outbreak “has not changed and remains low.” Still, Osterholm said, scientists should continue to follow what’s happening with mutations carefully. “There will be additional influenza pandemics, and they could be much worse than we saw with COVID,” he said. “We know that the pandemic clock is ticking. We just don’t know what time it is.” …

by Tage

US proposes cybersecurity rules to limit impact of health data leaks

Health care organizations may be required to bolster their cybersecurity to better prevent sensitive information from being leaked by cyberattacks like the ones that hit Ascension and UnitedHealth, a senior White House official said Friday. Anne Neuberger, the U.S. deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, told reporters that proposed requirements are necessary in light of the massive number of Americans whose data has been affected by large breaches of health care information. The proposals include encrypting data so it cannot be accessed, even if leaked, and requiring compliance checks to ensure networks meet cybersecurity rules. The full proposed rule was posted to the Federal Register on Friday, and the Department of Health and Human Services posted a more condensed breakdown on its website. She said that the health care information of more than 167 million people was affected in 2023 as a result of cybersecurity incidents. The proposed rule from the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) within HHS would update standards under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and would cost an estimated $9 billion in the first year, and $6 billion in years two through five, Neuberger said. “We’ve made some significant proposals that we think will improve cybersecurity and ultimately everyone’s health information, if any of these proposals are ultimately finalized,” an OCR spokesperson told Reuters late Friday. The next step in the process is a 60-day public comment period before any final decisions will be made. Large health care breaches caused by hacking and ransomware have increased by 89% and 102%, respectively, since 2019, Neuberger said. “In this job, one of the most concerning and really troubling things we deal with is hacking of hospitals, hacking of health care data,” she said. Hospitals have been forced to operate manually and Americans’ sensitive health care data, mental health information and other information are “being leaked on the dark web with the opportunity to blackmail individuals,” Neuberger said. …

by Tage

US sportscaster Greg Gumbel dies from cancer at age 78

NEW YORK — Greg Gumbel, a longtime CBS sportscaster, has died from cancer, according to a statement from family released by CBS on Friday. He was 78. “He leaves behind a legacy of love, inspiration and dedication to over 50 extraordinary years in the sports broadcast industry; and his iconic voice will never be forgotten,” his wife, Marcy Gumbel, and daughter, Michelle Gumbel, said in a statement. In March, Gumbel missed his first NCAA Tournament since 1997 because of what he said at the time were family health issues. Gumbel was the studio host for CBS since returning to the network from NBC in 1998. Gumbel signed an extension with CBS last year that allowed him to continue hosting college basketball while stepping back from NFL announcing duties. In 2001, Gumbel announced Super Bowl XXXV for CBS, becoming the first Black announcer in the U.S. to call play-by-play of a major sports championship. David Berson, president and CEO of CBS Sports, described Gumbel as breaking barriers and setting standards for others during his years as a voice for fans in sports, including in the NFL and March Madness. “A tremendous broadcaster and gifted storyteller, Greg led one of the most remarkable and groundbreaking sports broadcasting careers of all time,” said Berson. Gumbel had two stints at CBS, leaving the network for NBC when it lost football in 1994 and returning when it regained the contract in 1998. He hosted CBS’s coverage of the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics and called Major League Baseball games during its four-year run broadcasting the national pastime. But it was football and basketball where he was best known and made his biggest impact. Gumbel hosted CBS’s NFL studio show, “The NFL Today” from 1990 to 1993 and again in 2004. He also called NFL games as the network’s lead play-by-play announcer from 1998 to 2003. He returned to the NFL booth in 2005, leaving that role after the 2022 season. …

by Tage

Engineer pleads not guilty in US case of deadly Iran-linked drone strike

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS — A former engineer at a semiconductor manufacturer pleaded not guilty Friday to U.S. charges that he illegally procured technology for an Iranian firm that made a key component of a drone used in a January attack by Iran-backed militants in Jordan that killed three U.S. service members. Mahdi Sadeghi, who was fired by Analog Devices after his Dec. 16 arrest, pleaded not guilty during a hearing in federal court in Boston to charges that he engaged in a scheme to violate U.S. export control and sanctions laws. He entered the plea nearly two weeks after the U.S. Department of Justice announced charges against the dual U.S.-Iranian citizen and the head of an Iranian navigation systems manufacturer, Mohammad Abedini, who was arrested in Italy. Prosecutors said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was the primary customer of Abedini’s company, San’at Danesh Rahpooyan Aflak Co, which made the navigation system used in its military drone program. Prosecutors say that system was used in an unmanned drone that struck a U.S. outpost in Jordan called Tower 22, near the Syrian border, in an attack that killed three Army Reserve soldiers from Georgia and injured 47 others. The White House has said the attack was facilitated by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella organization of hardline Iran-backed militant groups. Iran has denied involvement in the attack, and its Foreign Ministry was quoted in Iranian media Saturday saying the arrests of Sadeghi and Abedini, an Iranian citizen, violated international law. Prosecutors said that in 2016, Sadeghi, a resident of Natick, Massachusetts, traveled to Iran to seek funding from a governmental organization for a fitness wearables company that he had co-founded. Through an affiliated Iranian company he established, Sadeghi began helping procure U.S.-origin electronic components on behalf of Abedini, who is also known as Mohammad Abedininajafabadi, prosecutors said. After taking a job at Massachusetts-based Analog Devices in 2019, Sadeghi helped a Switzerland front company for Abedini’s Iranian firm enter into a contract with Analog Devices and assisted Abedini in procuring U.S. technology, prosecutors said. The electronic components Abedini obtained included the same type used in the navigation system found in the drone, prosecutors said. Sadeghi has been detained since his arrest. U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald Cabell set a Jan. 2 hearing to potentially grant his release after a defense lawyer reported progress in talks with prosecutors on acceptable bail conditions. …

by Mirits

VOA Russian: Washington, Moscow, Beijing to form complicated strategic triangle in 2025 

VOA Russian spoke with U.S. officials, politicians and experts to see how U.S. relations with China and Russia could change under the incoming Donald Trump administration. Experts say Beijing may be worried about Trump’s plans for the swift end of the war in Ukraine, while North Korea’s involvement in the war could become a lightning rod in China-Russia relations. Click here for the full story in Russian. …

by Mirits

VOA Russian: Expert says Russian missile most likely caused plane crash in Kazakhstan

VOA Russian speaks to aviation expert Konstantin Kryvolap, who takes apart Moscow’s official versions of the crash of the Russia-bound Azerbaijan Airlines plane in Kazakhstan and says a Russian missile was the only viable cause. Kryvolap says as soon as the first photos and videos from the crash site started to trickle in, this became obvious, taking into account the shrapnel damage on the plane fuselage. Click here for the full story in Russian. …

by Mirits

US sanctions founder of Georgia’s ruling political party

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has imposed sanctions on the founder of Georgia’s ruling political party, which has steered the country away from a pro-Western stance and toward Russia, U.S. officials said Friday. The State and Treasury departments said they hit Georgian Dream party founder and honorary chair Bidzina Ivanishvili with penalties “for undermining the democratic and Euro-Atlantic future of Georgia for the benefit of the Russian Federation,” according to a statement. The designation of Ivanishvili is the latest in a series of sanctions the United States has slapped on Georgian politicians, lawmakers and others this year. The sanctions include freezes on assets and properties that those targeted may have in U.S. jurisdictions or that might enter U.S. jurisdictions as well as travel bans on the targets and members of their families. “We strongly condemn Georgian Dream’s actions under Ivanishvili’s leadership, including its ongoing and violent repression of Georgian citizens, protestors, members of the media, human rights activists, and opposition figures,” the State Department said in a statement. “The United States is committed to promoting accountability for those undermining democracy and human rights in Georgia.” Ivanishvili is a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia and served briefly as Georgia’s prime minister. In 2012, he founded Georgian Dream, the longtime ruling party. Critics have accused Georgian Dream of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted toward Moscow. The party recently pushed through laws like those used by the Kremlin to crack down on freedom of speech and LGBTQ+ rights, prompting the European Union to suspend Georgia’s membership application process indefinitely. In October, Georgian Dream won another term in a divisive parliamentary election that has led to more mass protests. Last month, the country’s prime minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, announced a four-year suspension of talks on Georgia’s bid to join the European Union, fueling further public outrage. …

by Mirits

Croatia’s president seeks reelection, faces several contenders in Sunday’s vote

ZAGREB, CROATIA — Croatia’s left-leaning president, an outspoken critic of Western military support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, is running for reelection this weekend against an array of contenders, including the candidate backed by the conservative government. President Zoran Milanovic is seen as a favorite ahead of Sunday’s presidential election, although he is unlikely to score an outright victory. If none of the eight contenders gain more than half of the ballots cast in the first round, a runoff between the top two will be held on Jan. 12. The most popular politician in Croatia, 58-year-old Milanovic served as prime minister in the past. Populist in style, Milanovic has been a fierce critic of current Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. The continuous sparring between the two has lately marked Croatia’s political scene. Ahead of Sunday’s vote, Plenkovic’s Hrvatska Democratska Zajednica party, or Croatian Democratic Union party, has backed pediatrician and university professor Dragan Primorac for the presidency. Primorac has sought to portray himself as a unifier and Milanovic as divisive. Although the presidency is largely ceremonial in Croatia, an elected president holds political authority and acts as the supreme commander of the military. Milanovic has criticized the European Union’s support for Ukraine and has often insisted that Croatia should not take sides. He has said Croatia should stay away from global disputes, although it is a member of NATO and the EU. Milanovic has also blocked Croatia’s participation in a NATO-led training mission for Ukraine, declaring that “No Croatian soldier will take part in somebody else’s war.” His main rival in the election, Primorac, has stated that “Croatia’s place is in the West, not the East.” His presidency bid, however, has been marred by a high-level corruption case that landed Croatia’s health minister in jail last month and which featured prominently in pre-election debates. Political expert Andjelko Milardovic said Milanovic’s reelection would be good for democracy in Croatia because the ruling party holds a tight grip over all other government institutions. “We are interested to see a balance and control of power,” said Milardovic. Milanovic is backed by center-left Social Democrats, the biggest opposition party. Some analysts believe that Marija Selak Raspudic, a conservative independent candidate polling third in pre-election surveys, could stand a better chance against Milanovic if she somehow makes it to the runoff. Selak Raspudic was close to a right-wing party in the past but now runs … “Croatia’s president seeks reelection, faces several contenders in Sunday’s vote” →

by Mirits

Protests, traffic blockades keep up in Serbia over concrete canopy fall

BELGRADE, SERBIA — Serbian university students left piles of old schoolbooks outside the Education Ministry building Friday as part of almost daily street protests demanding accountability over the collapse nearly two months ago of a concrete canopy that killed 15 people in the country’s north. Scattered traffic blockades were also held on various locations throughout Serbia at 11:52 a.m. — the time that the concrete construction on the front of the railway station building in Novi Sad crashed onto the people below. Traffic blockades have been held every Friday since the Nov. 1 crash, lasting 15 minutes for the 15 victims. Many in Serbia blame the collapse on widespread corruption and sloppy work on the railway station building in the city of Novi Sad, which was twice renovated in recent years as part of questionable mega projects involving Chinese state companies. Persistent protests in Serbia reflect widespread anger at the accident but also wider discontent with the rule of populist President Aleksandar Vucic and his government. Tens of thousands of people joined a rally Sunday in Belgrade led by the university students. Prosecutors arrested 13 people over the Novi Sad tragedy, including a government minister whose release later fueled public skepticism about the honesty of the investigation. Striking university students have garnered support from various walks of life, challenging the tight grip on power by Vucic’s government. The movement’s symbol — a red handprint telling authorities they have blood on their hands — has been used by actors, farmers and others backing the protests. In Belgrade, more than 2,000 students marched to the Education Ministry. A speaker told the crowd that “we are sick of being called political mercenaries and attacked in the streets.” In Novi Sad, a student rally criticized the way the state-run RT Vojvodina reports about the protests and the canopy collapse. Populist officials and the pro-government mainstream media have described the protests as a “hybrid war” against Vucic under the orders of foreign intelligence services. Though Serbia is formally seeking European Union membership, Vucic has faced accusations of curbing democratic freedoms rather than advancing them. University students in neighboring Bosnia’s capital, Sarajevo, and the northwestern town of Banja Luka on Friday gathered in support of their Serbian colleagues and to draw attention to problems in their own country. …

by Mirits

North Korean troops experience mass casualties on Ukraine front lines, White House says

North Korean forces are experiencing mass casualties on the front lines of Russia’s war against Ukraine, with a thousand of their troops killed or injured in the last week alone in Russia’s Kursk region, the White House said Friday.   “It is clear that Russian and North Korean military leaders are treating these troops as expendable and ordering them on hopeless assaults against Ukrainian defenses,” White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby told reporters.   Kirby characterized the North Korean troops’ offensive as “massed, dismounted assaults.”  The national security communications adviser also said President Joe Biden is likely to approve another security assistance package for Ukraine in the coming days.  Meanwhile, Slovakia on Friday confirmed its readiness to host peace talks aimed at ending the war between Russia and Ukraine.    On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow is open to a Slovak proposal to host peace talks with Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February of 2022.    “We offer Slovak soil for such negotiations,” Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar said on Facebook.   Blanar also said any talks must take place with all parties participating, including Russia. Russian officials were not present for previous talks in June in Switzerland.   “We consider the statement of the Russian president as a positive signal to end this war, this bloodshed and this destruction as soon as possible,” Blanar said.   The foreign minister said Slovakia, a European Union and NATO member, told Ukraine in October about its availability to host peace talks.    Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico is one of just a few European leaders who have remained close with Moscow. He prompted an angry reaction from Ukraine when he met with Putin in Moscow on Dec. 22.   Fico also has halted all Slovakian military aid to Ukraine, and he has accused Ukraine of threatening Slovakia’s supply of Russian gas.    Also on Friday, the Ukrainian air force said its air defense shot down 13 of 24 Russian drones launched in an overnight attack.   The air force said the other 11 Russian drones were “lost” without causing damage.  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke Friday with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha to discuss battlefield updates and U.S. support for Ukraine amid the war, the State Department said.   “The Secretary reiterated unwavering U.S. support for Ukrainians in defense of their freedom,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement Friday.   That comes as Russia’s Defense … “North Korean troops experience mass casualties on Ukraine front lines, White House says” →

by Mirits

NATO to boost military presence in Baltic after cables ‘sabotage’    

Brussels — NATO will bolster its military presence in the Baltic Sea after the suspected sabotage of an undersea power cable linking Finland and Estonia this week, the Western military alliance’s chief Mark Rutte said on Friday. On Christmas Day, the Estlink 2 submarine cable that carries electricity from Finland to Estonia was disconnected from the grid, just over a month after two telecommunications cables were severed in Swedish territorial waters in the Baltic. Finnish authorities on Thursday said they were investigating the oil tanker, Eagle S, that sailed from a Russian port, as part of a probe for “aggravated sabotage.” Finnish President Alexander Stubb said on Friday: “We’ve got the situation under control, and we have to continue to work together vigilantly to make sure that our critical infrastructure is not damaged by outsiders.” Officials suspect the tanker is part of the Russian “shadow fleet”, which refers to ships that transport Russian crude and oil products embargoed due to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The Eagle S vessel, which flies under the flag of the Cook Islands in the South Pacific, was en route to Port Said in Egypt. Police suspect that the oil tanker’s anchor might have damaged the power cable. Rutte said he spoke to President Stubb about Finland’s probe, adding in a post on X: “I expressed my full solidarity and support. NATO will enhance its military presence in the Baltic Sea.” Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur earlier on Friday said on X that the country began naval patrols to protect the undersea cable supplying electricity from Finland. In a separate statement he said Tallinn wanted to send a clear message it was ready to protect its power connections with Finland with military and non-military means. Rutte on Thursday promised NATO support to Estonia and Finland, and condemned attacks on critical infrastructure after speaking to Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal. More EU sanctions The European Union has also threatened further sanctions against Russia’s shadow fleet after this week’s incident. The bloc’s 27 member states agreed earlier this month to blacklist around 50 more oil tankers from Russia’s shadow fleet used to circumvent Western sanctions, taking the number targeted to around 80. Ukraine’s international backers have looked to curb funds going to the Kremlin’s war machine by imposing a price cap and restrictions on Russia’s key oil exports. To skirt the measures, Russia has resorted to using a … “NATO to boost military presence in Baltic after cables ‘sabotage’ 

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by Mirits

Germany’s president dissolves parliament, sets national election for Feb. 23   

FRANKFURT, Germany — German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday ordered parliament dissolved and set new elections for Feb. 23 in the wake of the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s governing coalition.   Scholz lost a confidence vote on Dec. 16 and leads a minority government after his unpopular and notoriously rancorous three-party coalition collapsed on Nov. 6 when he fired his finance minister in a dispute over how to revitalize Germany’s stagnant economy.   Leaders of several major parties then agreed that a parliamentary election should be held on Feb. 23, seven months earlier than originally planned.  Since the post-World War II constitution doesn’t allow the Bundestag to dissolve itself, it was up to Steinmeier to decide whether to dissolve parliament and call an election. He had 21 days to make that decision. Once parliament is dissolved, the election must be held within 60 days.  In practice, the campaign is already well underway. Polls show Scholz’s party trailing the conservative opposition Union bloc led by Friedrich Merz. Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck of the environmentalist Greens, the remaining partner in Scholz’s government, is also bidding for the top job — though his party is further back. If recent polls hold up, the likely next government would be led by Merz as chancellor in coalition with at least one other party.   Key issues include immigration, how to get the sluggish economy going, and how best to aid Ukraine in its struggle against Russia.   The populist, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany, or AfD, which is polling strongly, has nominated Alice Weidel as its candidate for chancellor but has no chance of taking the job because other parties refuse to work with it.   Germany’s electoral system traditionally produces coalitions, and polls show no party anywhere near an absolute majority on its own. The election is expected to be followed by weeks of negotiations to form a new government.  It’s only the fourth time that the Bundestag has been dissolved ahead of schedule under Germany’s post-World War II constitution. It happened under Chancellor Willy Brandt in 1972, Helmut Kohl in 1982 and Gerhard Schroeder in 2005. Schroeder used the confidence vote to engineer an early election narrowly won by center-right challenger Angela Merkel.   …

by Mirits

Estonia’s navy to protect Baltic Sea power link after cable damage

STOCKHOLM — Estonia’s armed forces have launched a naval operation to protect the Estlink 1 undersea power cable in the Baltic Sea in response to the damage this week of a parallel electricity line, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said on Friday. Finland on Thursday seized a ship carrying Russian oil on suspicion the vessel caused an outage of the Estlink 2 undersea power cable which, like Estlink 1, connects Finland and Estonia, and that it also damaged four internet lines. Baltic Sea nations are on high alert for acts of sabotage following a string of outages of power cables, telecom links and gas pipelines since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, although subsea equipment is also subject to technical malfunction and accidents. Damage to subsea installations in the region has now become so frequent that it is difficult to believe this was caused merely by accident or poor seamanship, Tsahkna said on Thursday. Finnish investigators believe the seized ship — the Cook Island-registered ship, named as the Eagle S — may have caused the damage by dragging its anchor along the seabed, one of several such incidents in recent years. “If there is a threat to the critical undersea infrastructure in our region, there will also be a response,” Tsahkna said on social media X. The 658 megawatt (MW) Estlink 2 outage began at midday local time on Wednesday, leaving only the 358 MW Estlink 1 in operation between the two countries, operators Fingrid and Elering have said. Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported on Friday that the Baltic country had despatched a patrol ship, the Raju, to the waters where the Estlink 1 runs, and that the country hoped NATO allies would also deploy ships. …

by Tage

Bird flu virus shows mutations in first severe human case in US, agency says

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday its analysis of samples from the first severe case of bird flu in the country last week showed mutations not seen in samples from an infected backyard flock on the patient’s property. The CDC said the patient’s sample showed mutations in the hemagglutinin (HA) gene, the part of the virus that plays a key role in it attaching to host cells. The health body said the risk to the public from the outbreak has not changed and remains low. Last week, the United States reported its first severe case of the virus, in a Louisiana resident above the age of 65, who was suffering from severe respiratory illness. The patient was infected with the D1.1 genotype of the virus that was recently detected in wild birds and poultry in the United States, and not the B3.13 genotype detected in dairy cows, human cases and some poultry in multiple states. The mutations seen in the patient are rare but have been reported in some cases in other countries and most often during severe infections. One of the mutations was also seen in another severe case from British Columbia, Canada. No transmission from the patient in Louisiana to other persons has been identified, the CDC said.  …

by Mirits

Seoul: North Korean soldier captured in Russia-Ukraine war

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — South Korea’s spy agency said Friday it had confirmed that a North Korean soldier sent to back Russia’s war against Ukraine had been captured by Ukrainian forces. Pyongyang has deployed thousands of troops to reinforce Russian troops, including in the Kursk border region where Ukraine mounted a shock border incursion in August. “Through real-time information sharing with an allied country’s intelligence agency, it has been confirmed that one injured North Korean soldier has been captured,” South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said in a statement. The soldier was captured by the Ukrainian army, an intelligence source told AFP, adding that the location where he was seized was unknown. The first confirmation of the capture of a North Korean soldier came days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that nearly 3,000 North Korean soldiers had been “killed or wounded” so far. Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff also said Monday that more than 1,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded. The JCS had also said that Pyongyang is reportedly “preparing for the rotation or additional deployment of soldiers” and supplying “240mm rocket launchers and 170mm self-propelled artillery” to the Russian army. Seoul’s military believes that North Korea was seeking to modernize its conventional warfare capabilities through combat experience gained in the Russia-Ukraine war. North Korean state media said Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a New Year’s message to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying “the bilateral ties between our two countries have been elevated after our talks in June in Pyongyang.” A landmark defense pact went into effect in December after the two sides exchanged ratification documents. Putin hailed the deal in June as a “breakthrough document.” …

by Tage

Richard Parsons, prominent Black executive at Time Warner, Citigroup, dies at 76

NEW YORK — Richard Parsons, one of corporate America’s most prominent Black executives who held top posts at Time Warner and Citigroup, died Thursday. He was 76.  Parsons, who died at his Manhattan home, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2015 and cited “unanticipated complications” from the disease for cutting back on work a few years later.  The financial services company Lazard, where Parsons was a longtime board member, confirmed his death.  David Zaslav, the president and CEO of Time Warner successor Warner Bros. Discovery, remembered Parsons as a “great mentor and friend” and a “tough and brilliant negotiator, always looking to create something where both sides win.”  “All who got a chance to work with him and know him saw that unusual combination of great leadership with integrity and kindness,” Zaslav said, calling him “one of the great problem solvers this industry has ever seen.”  Parsons’ friend Ronald Lauder told The New York Times that the cause of death was cancer. Parsons stepped down on December 3 from the boards of Lazard and Lauder’s company, Estee Lauder, citing health reasons. He had been on Estee Lauder’s board for 25 years.  Parsons, a Brooklyn native who started college at 16, was named chairman of Citigroup in 2009, one month after leaving Time Warner Inc., where he helped restore the company’s stature following its much-maligned acquisition by internet provider America Online Inc.  He steered Citigroup back to profit after financial turmoil from the subprime mortgage crisis, which upended the economy in 2007 and 2008.  Parsons was named to the board of CBS in September 2018 but resigned a month later because of illness.  “Dick’s storied career embodied the finest traditions of American business leadership,” Lazard said in a statement. The company, where Parsons was a board member from 2012 until this month, praised his “unmistakable intelligence and his irresistible warmth.”  “Dick was more than an iconic leader in Lazard’s history — he was a testament to how wisdom, warmth, and unwavering judgment could shape not just companies, but people’s lives,” the company said. “His legacy lives on in the countless leaders he counseled, the institutions he renewed, and the doors he opened for others.”  Parsons was known as a skilled negotiator, a diplomat and a crisis manager.  Although he was with Time Warner through its difficulties with AOL, he earned respect for the company and rebuilt its relations with Wall Street. He … “Richard Parsons, prominent Black executive at Time Warner, Citigroup, dies at 76” →

by Mirits

Moldova backs defense strategy calling for increased spending

CHISINAU, MOLDOVA — The parliament in ex-Soviet Moldova, controlled by pro-Western lawmakers, approved a 10-year defense strategy on Thursday calling for increased military spending as part of a plan to join the European Union. The chamber’s pro-Russian opposition ridiculed the document as pointlessly directed against Moscow in view of Moldova’s small land mass and armed forces. The document, presented by Defense Minister Anatolie Nosatii, aims to boost military spending by 2030 to 1% of gross domestic product, with figures showing increases already being put into place. “The first step to implementing this was taken after the war in Ukraine started, by increasing budget resources for defense to 0.39% in 2022 and 0.55% in 2023,” the document said. One of Europe’s poorest countries, lying between Ukraine and EU member Romania, Moldova is a candidate to join the EU, with a membership date set for 2030. It is not considering joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as the country’s neutral status is set down in its constitution. The document says Moldova’s neutral status requires it to boost partnerships with different countries and international organizations to strengthen its national defense.  Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has jolted Moldova as drone fragments land on its territory and missiles aimed at Ukrainian targets pass through its airspace. Pro-Western President Maia Sandu, reelected to a second term last month, though by a smaller margin than anticipated, has accused Russia of trying to unseat her government. Members of the pro-Moscow Socialist Party dismissed the document as meaningless. “If, God forbid, we are subject to an attack from the direction of the Russian Federation, how long do you think Moldova will resist such aggression?” Socialist member Adrian Albu asked the minister. The document cites risks of the Ukraine conflict spreading, particularly around the Black Sea port of Odesa close to Moldova’s border. …

by Tage

US Congress fails to extend North Korean Human Rights Act

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Congress once again failed to pass a bipartisan bill to reauthorize the North Korean Human Rights Act, or NKHRA, painting a bleak picture for the future of the measure originally adopted by Congress and signed by President George W. Bush in 2004 to ensure the U.S. continues to promote basic freedoms of speech, press and religion in North Korea. Last Friday, the Congress ended its 118th session at midnight without the Senate approving the extension of the NKHRA, which expired at the end of September 2022. The bill to extend the NKHRA was not even brought to the floor at the Senate this year, as the lawmakers were more focused on other issues, including averting a government shutdown. The bill called for measures such as reuniting Korean Americans with their families in North Korea, appointing a special envoy for North Korean human rights issues and supporting U.S. broadcasting efforts in North Korea. The 119th U.S. Congress starts next year, and the NKHRA reauthorization bill will have to be reintroduced at the new session and again go through a process of discussion, deliberation, changes and eventually voting. Lawmakers vow to try again It marks the first time since the NKHRA, became law that the reenactment bill has been dead for more than two years. Congress reapproved the measure three times, in 2008, 2012 and 2018. Lawmakers vowed to work toward the reenactment of the NKHRA during the next congressional session. Representative Young Kim, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific, said she was “extremely disappointed that the Senate failed to take up the North Korean Human Rights Reauthorization Act.” The House passed the bill last month. “Kim Jong Un subjects his own people to gross human rights abuses as he grows his nuclear arsenal, and the Senate is turning a blind eye to North Korean aggression by failing to pass this bill,” Kim said in an emailed statement to VOA Korean on Monday. “This remains a top priority of mine,” she stressed. “I will keep fighting to get this across the finish line to counter North Korea and promote U.S. leadership and values around the world.” The office of Representative Ami Bera, ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific, said in an emailed statement to VOA Korean that Bera “looks forward to working with his Senate colleagues to pass this bipartisan … “US Congress fails to extend North Korean Human Rights Act” →

by Tage

VOA Spanish: Key figures tapped for Trump’s presidency include critics of Venezuelan president

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has chosen people to fill key foreign policy positions, including diplomatic, economic and intelligence posts. Some of them have been critical of the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, which could influence the possible use of sanctions and other measures. Click here for the full story in Spanish. …

by Tage

US says it pushed retraction of famine warning for north Gaza

WASHINGTON — A lead organization monitoring for food crises around the world withdrew a new report this week warning of imminent famine in north Gaza under what it called Israel’s “near-total blockade,” after the U.S. asked for its retraction, U.S. officials told The Associated Press. The move follows public criticism of the report from the U.S. ambassador to Israel. The rare public dispute drew accusations from prominent aid and human-rights figures that the work of the U.S.-funded Famine Early Warning System Network, meant to reflect the data-driven analysis of unbiased international experts, has been tainted by politics. A declaration of famine would be a great embarrassment for Israel, which has insisted that its 15-month war in Gaza is aimed against the Hamas militant group and not against its civilian population. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Jacob Lew earlier this week called the warning by the internationally recognized group inaccurate and irresponsible. Lew and the U.S. Agency for International Development, which funds the monitoring group, both said the findings failed to properly account for rapidly changing circumstances in north Gaza. Humanitarian and human rights officials expressed fear of U.S. political interference in the world’s monitoring system for famines. The U.S. Embassy in Israel and the State Department declined comment. FEWS officials did not respond to questions. “We work day and night with the U.N. and our Israeli partners to meet humanitarian needs — which are great — and relying on inaccurate data is irresponsible,” Lew said Tuesday. USAID confirmed to the AP that it had asked the famine-monitoring organization to withdraw its stepped-up warning issued in a report dated Monday. The report did not appear among the top updates on the group’s website Thursday, but the link to it remained active. The dispute points in part to the difficulty of assessing the extent of starvation in largely isolated northern Gaza. Thousands in recent weeks have fled an intensified Israeli military crackdown that aid groups say has allowed delivery of only a dozen trucks of food and water since roughly October. FEWS Net said in its withdrawn report that unless Israel changes its policy, it expects the number of people dying of starvation and related ailments in north Gaza to reach between two and 15 per day sometime between January and March. The internationally recognized mortality threshold for famine is two or more deaths a day per 10,000 people. FEWS was created by the … “US says it pushed retraction of famine warning for north Gaza” →

by Mirits

VOA Russian: Kremlin targets full internet control in Russia 

The Kremlin completed preparations to isolate the Russian segment of the internet from the rest of the World Wide Web, experts told VOA Russian. The Kremlin may implement severe internet restrictions in 2025, mirroring Iran’s experience of blocking undesirable web traffic. Experts note that YouTube speeds in Russia are 20% of the pre-war speeds, meaning that YouTube is essentially blocked in Russia. Click here for the full story in Russian. …

by Mirits

VOA Russian: How drones changed military tactics in Russia’s war in Ukraine 

Both Russia and Ukraine expanded the use of drones in 2024 as a relatively cheap means of warfare that requires an opponent to use a much more expensive air defense system. Moscow and Kyiv acquired 1.5 million drones between them in the past year, with Ukraine hitting thousands of targets inside Russia in recent months. Click here for the full story in Russian.   …