Follow Voice of America - Europe, filter it, and define how you want to receive the news (via Email, RSS, Telegram, WhatsApp etc.) https://follow.it/voanews3 Mon, 02 Oct 2023 07:10:05 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtXIsqzhB3KtCqCY3L745TL_ Fall has arrived in Scandinavia, which means Nobel Prize season is here. The start of October is when the Nobel committees get together in Stockholm and Oslo to announce the winners of the yearly awards. First up, as usual, is the Nobel Prize in medicine or physiology, which will be announced Monday by a panel of judges at the Karolinska Institute in the Swedish capital. The prizes in physics, chemistry, literature, peace and economics will follow, with one announcement every weekday until Oct. 9. Here are some things to know about the Nobel Prizes: An Idea More Powerful Than Dynamite The Nobel Prizes were created by Alfred Nobel, a 19th-century businessman and chemist from Sweden. He held more than 300 patents, but his claim to fame before the Nobel Prizes was having invented dynamite by mixing nitroglycerine with a compound that made the explosive more stable. Dynamite soon became popular in construction and mining as well as in the weapons industry. It made Nobel a very rich man. Perhaps it also made him think about his legacy, because toward the end of his life he decided to use his vast fortune to fund annual prizes "to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." The first Nobel Prizes were presented in 1901, five years after his death. In 1968, a sixth prize was created, for economics, by Sweden's central bank. Though Nobel purists stress that the economics prize is technically not a Nobel Prize, it's always presented together with the others. Peace in Norway For reasons that are not entirely clear, Nobel decided that the peace prize should be awarded in Norway and the other prizes in Sweden. Nobel historians suspect Sweden's history of militarism may have been a factor. During Nobel's lifetime, Sweden and Norway were in a union, which the Norwegians reluctantly joined after the Swedes invaded their country in 1814. It's possible that Nobel thought Norway would be a more suitable location for a prize meant to encourage "fellowship among nations." To this day, the Nobel Peace Prize is a completely Norwegian affair, with the winners selected and announced by a Norwegian committee. The peace prize even has its own ceremony in the Norwegian capital of Oslo on Dec. 10 — the anniversary of Nobel's death — while the other prizes are presented in Stockholm. What's politics got to do with it? The Nobel Prizes project an aura of being above the political fray, focused solely on the benefit of humanity. But the peace and literature awards, in particular, are sometimes accused of being politicized. Critics question whether winners are selected because their work is truly outstanding or because it aligns with the political preferences of the judges. The scrutiny can get intense for high-profile awards, such as in 2009, when President Barack Obama won the peace prize less than a year after taking office. The Norwegian Nobel Committee is an independent body that insists its only mission is to carry out the will of Alfred Nobel. However, it does have links to Norway's political system. The five members are appointed by the Norwegian Parliament, so the panel's composition reflects the power balance in the legislature. To avoid the perception that the prizes are influenced by Norway's political leaders, sitting members of the Norwegian government or Parliament are barred from serving on the committee. Even so, the panel isn't always viewed as independent by foreign countries. When imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo won the peace prize in 2010, Beijing responded by freezing trade talks with Norway. It took years for Norway-China relations to be restored. Gold and glory One reason the prizes are so famous is they come with a generous amount of cash. The Nobel Foundation, which administers the awards, raised the prize money by 10% this year to 11 million kronor (about $1 million). In addition to the money, the winners receive an 18-carat gold medal and diploma when they collect their Nobel Prizes at the award ceremonies in December. Most winners are proud and humbled by joining the pantheon of Nobel laureates, from Albert Einstein to Mother Teresa. But two winners refused their Nobel Prizes: French writer Jean-Paul Sartre, who turned down the literature prize in 1964, and Vietnamese politician Le Duc Tho, who declined the peace prize that he was meant to share with U.S. diplomat Henry Kissinger in 1973. Several others were not able to receive their awards because they were imprisoned, such as Belarusian pro-democracy activist Ales Bialiatski, who shared last year's peace prize with human rights groups in Ukraine and Russia. Lack of diversity Historically, the vast majority of Nobel Prize winners have been white men. Though that's started to change, there is still little diversity among Nobel winners, particularly in the science categories. To date, 60 women have won Nobel Prizes, including 25 in the scientific categories. Only four women have won the Nobel Prize in physics and just two have won the economics prize. In the early days of the Nobel Prizes, the lack of diversity among winners could be explained by the lack of diversity among scientists in general. But today critics say the judges need to do a better job at highlighting discoveries made by women and scientists outside Europe and North America. The prize committees say their decisions are based on scientific merit, not gender, nationality or race. However, they are not deaf to the criticism. Five years ago, the head of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said it had started to ask nominating bodies to make sure they don't overlook "women or people of other ethnicities or nationalities in their nominations."]]> Mon, 02 Oct 2023 05:41:02 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtXIsqzhB3KtCqCY3L745TL_ https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtWy81hGL9oM7ezdsCmHakzH At memorials to Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was killed in an unexplained plane crash exactly 40 days ago, dozens of mourners hailed the mutinous mercenary chief as a patriotic hero of Russia who had spoken truth to power.   The private Embraer jet on which Prigozhin was traveling to St. Petersburg crashed north of Moscow killing all 10 people on board on Aug. 23, including two other top Wagner figures, Prigozhin's four bodyguards and a crew of three.  It is still unclear what caused the plane to crash two months to the day since Prigozhin's failed mutiny. The Kremlin said on Aug. 30 that investigators were considering the possibility that the plane was downed on purpose.   At his grave in the former imperial capital of St. Petersburg, his mother, Violetta, and his son, Pavel, laid flowers. Supporters waved the black flags of Wagner, which sport a skull and the motto "Blood, Honor, Motherland, Courage."  In eastern Orthodoxy, it is believed that the soul makes its final journey to either heaven or hell on the 40th day after death.  At memorials in Moscow and other Russian cities, dozens of Wagner fighters and ordinary Russians paid their respects, though there was no mass outpouring of grief. Russian state television was completely silent about the Prigozhin memorials.   "He can be criticized for certain events, but he was a patriot who defended the motherland's interests on different continents," Wagner's recruitment arm said in a statement on Telegram.   "He was charismatic and, importantly, he was close to the fighters and to the people. And that's why he became popular both in Russia and abroad," it said.  Prigozhin's mutiny posed the biggest challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin's rule since the former KGB spy rose to power in 1999. Western diplomats say it exposed the strains on Russia of the war in Ukraine.   After months of insulting Putin's top brass with a variety of crude expletives and prison slang over their perceived failure to fight the Ukraine war properly, Prigozhin took control of the southern city of Rostov in late June.  His fighters shot down several Russian aircraft, killing their pilots, and advanced toward Moscow before turning back 200 kilometers (125 miles) from the capital.   Putin initially cast Prigozhin as a traitor whose mutiny could have tipped Russia into civil war, though he later did a deal with him to defuse the crisis.  Mourners spoke of respect for Prigozhin.   "He was a real authority, a leader," Mikhail, a serviceman in Russia's armed forces who refused to give his second name, told Reuters.  Moscow resident Marta, who also refused to give her surname, said the people believed in Prigozhin, but that Wagner had been "decapitated" by the deaths of him and co-founder Dmitry Utkin.   "Hope for justice died with him," she said. "People believed in him."  Pro-Wagner groups posted a video of Prigozhin flying to Mali where, after a thunderstorm, he met a senior commander known by his call sign "Lotus" — Anton Yelizarov — who is now reported to be leading the group.  Opponents, such as the United States, cast Wagner as a brutal crime group that plundered African states and meted out sledgehammer deaths to those who challenged it.  Putin was shown meeting one of the most senior former commanders of the Wagner mercenary group Friday and discussing how best to use "volunteer units" in the Ukraine war.]]> Mon, 02 Oct 2023 00:20:48 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtWy81hGL9oM7ezdsCmHakzH https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtWUT19rFn4UxpVjH6qdYdAk A United Nations mission arrived in Nagorno-Karabakh Sunday, Azerbaijani media reported, as a mass exodus of ethnic Armenians from the region began drawing to a close following an Azerbaijani military offensive last month. The mission, led by a senior U.N. aid official, is the global body's first access to the region in about 30 years. Armenia has asked the World Court to order Azerbaijan to withdraw all its troops from civilian establishments in Nagorno-Karabakh and give the United Nations access. The World Court, formally known as the International Court of Justice, in February ordered Azerbaijan to ensure free movement through an area known as the Lachin corridor leading to and from the region. The process of moving those wishing to relocate from Nagorno-Karabakh to neighboring Armenia is coming to an end, Russia's RIA news agency quoted the Armenian government as saying late Sunday. Earlier Sunday, the World Health Organization said over 100,000 ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh have made the journey in less than a week. "We've activated our emergency systems and will be sending experts to the country across a range of disciplines including mental health, burns management, essential health services, and emergency coordination following a full assessment of the needs," Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, regional director of the WHO Regional Office for Europe, said in a statement. "The challenges are truly enormous, and we're there to do all we can." The departure of hungry and exhausted Armenian families this week was blighted by an explosion at a fuel depot that killed at least 170 people.]]> Sun, 01 Oct 2023 22:38:44 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtWUT19rFn4UxpVjH6qdYdAk https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtX58pOt7p6mbuzdsCmHakzH he All-Ukrainian Environmental League is a grassroots organization that has been operating since 1997. As part of its portfolio, it trains groups of volunteers to fight wildfires. But in times of war, the firefighters' responsibilities have expanded. Tetiana Kukurika has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Sergiy Rybchynski. Video editing by Vitaliy Hrychanyuk and Anna Rice.]]> Sun, 01 Oct 2023 22:23:09 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtX58pOt7p6mbuzdsCmHakzH https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtUSjG6xsxScKSlmFkX7M1Jw European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell promised long-term security commitments for Ukraine during his first in-person meeting in Kyiv Sunday, with newly appointed Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. “Ukraine needs more capabilities & needs them faster," Borrell said in a statement posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Borrell said the two discussed "continuous EU military assistance."  In a statement on X, Umerov thanked Borrell for "continuous support" and called the meeting "a starting point for great cooperation." He said their discussions of EU military aid focused on artillery and ammunition, air defense, electronic warfare, long-term assistance programs, trainings, and defense industry localization in Ukraine.   Separately, in Slovakia, the winner of parliamentary elections held over the weekend was poised to begin coalition talks to form a government opposing the EU’s military aid for Ukraine. Robert Fico’s party slogan, “Not a single round," for neighboring Ukraine resonated in Slovakia, a nation of 5.5 million.  "We are not changing that we are prepared to help Ukraine in a humanitarian way," said the pro-Russia Fico, whom analysts consider to be inspired by Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an opponent of the EU’s commitment in arming Ukraine. Fico said Slovakia, a NATO member, has bigger problems than the Ukraine issue, including energy prices and living costs, but added his SMER-SSD party would do everything possible to start peace talks. Fico’s party may hold coalition talks with the moderate leftist HLAS, or Voice party, which came third with nearly 15% of votes, as a partner along with the nationalist, pro-Russia Slovak National Party. Slovakia’s liberal Progresivne Slovensko (Progressive Slovakia, PS) party came second in Saturday's vote with almost 18% of votes and wants to stay the course on backing Ukraine. Waning US support? Resistance to aid for Ukraine is also gaining momentum among Republican lawmakers in the halls of the U.S. Congress.  Congressional supporters of Ukraine say they won't give up after a bill to keep the federal government open excluded President Joe Biden's request to provide more security assistance to the war-torn nation. Many lawmakers, however, acknowledge that winning approval for Ukraine assistance in Congress is growing more difficult as the war between Russia and Ukraine grinds on.  Voting in the House this past week pointed to potential trouble ahead. Nearly half of House Republicans voted to strip $300 million from a defense spending bill to train Ukrainian soldiers and purchase weapons. The money later was approved separately, but opponents of Ukraine support celebrated their growing numbers. Meanwhile, Russia would consider “a legal target” any British soldiers who might be sent to Ukraine to train troops there, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Sunday.  His comments came after Britain’s new defense secretary, Grant Shapps, suggested in an interview with a British paper Sunday that British military training of Ukrainian soldiers — currently taking place at U.K. bases — could move into western Ukraine. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak swiftly walked back Shapps’ remarks of an imminent deployment of British soldiers to Ukraine.  “There are no British soldiers that will be sent to fight in the current conflict. That’s not what’s happening,” Sunak said. Medvedev, who is deputy secretary of Russia's Security Council, claimed Shapps was actively pushing "towards a Third World War.” The British defense ministry said in its daily intelligence update about Ukraine that “apparently leaked” documents from Russia’s finance ministry “suggest” that Russia is prepared to greatly increase its defense spending. The proposed 2024 Russian defense ministry budget is 10.8 trillion rubles, about $110 billion, a 68% increase over 2023, according to the documents. The British defense ministry said spending at that level through 2024 would “highly likely” be at the expense of the wider economy. These numbers, the ministry said, suggest that Russia “is preparing for multiple further years of fighting in Ukraine.” In an address marking the first anniversary of the annexation of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia would enlist 130,000 men for compulsory military service beginning Sunday in most regions of the country, including in the annexed regions of Ukraine as part of its twice-yearly military conscription campaign. The conscripts are at least 18 years old, while the maximum age would be extended from 27 to 30.  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Saturday hosted Ukraine’s first Industry Defense Forum, aimed at developing a domestic defense industry by partnering with Western manufacturers so that Ukraine can build its own weapons. Weapons producers from more than 30 countries attended and discussed how to partner with Ukraine to build and repair weapons in Ukraine even as the country remains under constant Russian bombardment. In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy described the forum as “extremely successful,” reflecting weapons producers’ interest in “working in Ukraine and with Ukraine in the production of weapons and everything necessary for the real defense of any free nation,” he said. Zelenskyy said he hopes to turn Ukraine into a military hub. He said that air defense and demining were his top priorities and that he also aims to boost domestic production of missiles, drones, and artillery ammunition. Some of the executives said they have struggled to ramp up their production to meet Ukrainian demand. Ukrainian officials also see the development of domestic defense production as a boost to the economy, which shrank by about one-third last year because of the war. Some information for this report came from Reuters and The Associated Press.]]> Sun, 01 Oct 2023 21:06:41 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtUSjG6xsxScKSlmFkX7M1Jw https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtXwF-WzI39HrZVjH6qdYdAk No group has yet claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing Sunday in the Turkish capital. The attack in Ankara came hours before parliament was scheduled to reopen after a recess. The Turkish president described the attack as a failure. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more.]]> Sun, 01 Oct 2023 20:24:23 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtXwF-WzI39HrZVjH6qdYdAk https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtU712neotDf0eT5HJgy6HUf A Swiss-led team has driven electric vans across Europe and the Arabian Peninsula to Qatar to showcase zero-emission battery powered vehicles, organizers said Sunday. The five-strong Swiss and German team set out from Geneva on August 28 in two electric Volkswagen vans on a 6,500 kilometer (4,000 mile) journey that ended in Doha on Saturday. "The motivation was really to do something unusual," the group's leader Frank Rinderknecht told AFP. "Certainly we did have the risk of not arriving — technical issues, health issues or an accident." The journey aimed to raise awareness about the environmental benefits of electric vehicles, he said. "If our trip put just a little bit of rethinking, of initiative, into people's minds then I am not unhappy." The journey started with a crossing of the Swiss Alps and included what organizers believe was the first west-to-east crossing of Saudi Arabia with electric vehicles. The team's ID. Buzz VW vans — modelled on the German manufacturer's Combi campervan — travelled across 12 countries, reaching Aqaba in Jordan from Turkey by ship. However, the trip highlighted shortcomings of the charging infrastructure, Rinderknecht said, comparing the mismatch of technologies to the "early days of telecommunication." In Europe, the team had to use numerous apps to pay for charging points across different regions. In Jordan, they had to adapt their European systems to the Chinese hardware they found. The journey to Doha was completed in partnership with the Geneva International Motor Show, which is being held outside the Swiss city for the first time since its inception in 1905. The 10-day motor show to be held in Qatar from October 5 will feature 31 automotive brands and overlap with the October 8 Qatar Grand Prix at the Lusail International Circuit on Doha's northern outskirts. Saad Ali Al Kharji, deputy chairman of Qatar Tourism, said holding events like the motor show was part the gas-rich Gulf state's "strategic vision of becoming the fastest-growing destination in the Middle East by 2030."]]> Sun, 01 Oct 2023 18:08:51 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtU712neotDf0eT5HJgy6HUf https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtW_yCYNFtwKoqCY3L745TL_ The president of the European Parliament said Sunday she has conveyed the legislative body’s support for the appointment of a United Nations envoy to evaluate the chances of resuming stalemated talks to reunify ethnically divided Cyprus. Roberta Metsola said she personally communicated the position of the European Union's legislature to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York last month. Metsola said she told Guterres that Europe “would never be complete as long as Cyprus remains divided.” “This is not just a Cyprus question, but it is a European question,” she said after talks with the island nation's President Nikos Christodoulides. Metsola also attended a military parade Sunday to mark the 63rd anniversary of Cyprus’ independence from British colonial rule. Christodoulides told reporters Sunday that consultations continue on the appointment of a U.N. envoy. He has made resuming reunification talks with breakaway Turkish Cypriots a focal point of his Greek Cypriot administration. The talks have been in a deep freeze since the last attempt at a peace deal ended in the summer of 2017. Prior to that, numerous rounds of U.N.-facilitated negotiations also ended in failure. Reunification efforts began in the years immediately following a 1974 Turkish invasion that was precipitated by a coup aiming at union with Greece. U.N. peacekeepers maintain a buffer zone between the Turkish Cypriot northern third of the island and the Greek Cypriot south. Turkey, the only nation that recognizes a Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence, keeps more than 35,000 troops in northern Cyprus. Cyprus joined the EU in 2004, but only the southern part, where the internationally recognized government is seated, enjoys full membership benefits. The island’s division has been a regular source of tensions in the eastern Mediterranean, particularly over Turkey’s claim to much of Cyprus’ offshore economic zone, where sizeable gas deposits have been discovered. Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar has said there can be no real peace accord unless statehood for the minority Turkish Cypriots is recognized. His position departs from a long-standing agreement that Cyprus would be reunified as a federation composed of Turkish and Greek-speaking zones. Tatar said he told Guterres that any U.N. envoy can’t assist negotiations that would be based on the now invalid premise of a federation and that a settlement can only happen through negotiations between two equal states.]]> Sun, 01 Oct 2023 17:50:48 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtW_yCYNFtwKoqCY3L745TL_ https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtWcRjrHgpy3Wps0ohxaO6Yr At least nine people have been killed in a fire in a nightclub in Murcia in southeast Spain, the mayor said, adding that rescuers were still searching for people unaccounted for after the blaze. The fire broke out in the early hours of Sunday in Teatre nightclub in Atalayas, on the outskirts of the city, emergency services said on social media platform X. Murcia's Mayor Jose Ballesta told reporters nine people were confirmed dead. Earlier, he said seven had been found in the same area of the first floor, where the fire broke out. Outside the club, young people hugged, looking shocked as they waited for information about those missing. "I've got five family members inside, I don't know where they are. And two friends," said a man, who did not give his name. Ballesta declared three days of mourning for those who had died. Flags were lowered to half mast outside Murcia's City Hall. Footage released by Murcia's fire service showed firefighters working to control flames inside the nightclub. The fire had destroyed part of the roof, the footage showed. "We are devastated," Ballesta said on Spanish TV channel 24h, adding rescuers were still searching for several people reported missing. Ballesta told 24h the fire started at around 6 a.m. and had now been brought under control. He said emergency services were working to establish the cause of the blaze. Four people have been treated in hospital for smoke inhalation.  ]]> Sun, 01 Oct 2023 13:53:43 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtWcRjrHgpy3Wps0ohxaO6Yr https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtWcRjrHgpy3WuzdsCmHakzH A suicide bomber detonated an explosive device in Turkey’s capital Sunday, near the Interior Ministry building, killing himself and injuring two police officers. Turkey’s interior minister said a second assailant was killed in a shootout with police, The Associated Press reported. The blast occurred just hours before the parliament was set to re-open after a three-month recess with an address by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.  It was not immediately clear who the assailants were. No one has claimed responsibility for the assault. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press. ]]> Sun, 01 Oct 2023 13:53:24 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtWcRjrHgpy3WuzdsCmHakzH https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtVIZaZUH3LziOT5HJgy6HUf Polish opposition leader Donald Tusk said "hundreds of thousands" of protesters had gathered in central Warsaw on Sunday to oppose the conservative government ahead of general elections on October 15. Called by Tusk, the former premier and head of the centrist Civic Coalition bloc, the rally sought to mobilise the electorate for the crunch vote. "When I see these hundreds of thousands of smiling faces, I have a good feeling that the breakthrough moment in the history of our homeland is coming," Tusk said. "A great change is taking place -- this is a mark of the great Polish revival," Tusk told supporters who flooded the city centre, many holding Polish and European Union flags. Participants began gathering in Warsaw in the early hours, with people travelling from across Poland to rally against the government. Kazimierz Figzal said it took him seven hours to get to the capital from southwest Poland. "We've had enough of what we witness now -- our freedom is being curbed. We want democracy, for our children and grandchildren," the 65-year-old told AFP. Lech Walesa, a former Polish president, Nobel Peace Prize winner and leader of the fight against communism, said earlier he planned to march, along with the leaders of some other opposition parties. "We know what (the ruling party) fears the most -- the cooperation within the opposition," said Wlodzimierz Czarzasty, a co-leader of the New Left party. 'Blatant theft'  The ruling party, which frequently clashes with the EU and faces accusations of undermining the rule of law, holds a comfortable lead in polls, with around 35 percent of voting intention according to IBRiS polling. The Civic Coalition opposition alliance has long trailed in second place, with 27 percent of voting intention in the IBRiS poll. But according to Tusk, internal polls commissioned by his own party show that the Law and Justice party's lead has narrowed to just two percentage points. "The opportunity is within reach, nothing has been decided yet," Tusk told his supporters earlier this week as he addressed crowds in Elblag, northern Poland, promising to hold the authorities accountable following the vote. "Many of them will go to jail for blatant theft, for violating the law and the constitution," he said. Law and Justice leaders are holding their own rival rally in the southern city of Katowice on Sunday. Bartlomiej Piela travelled from Katowice to Warsaw to take part in the opposition rally. "Breaking fundamental civil rights and women's freedom to choose how they wish to live, pitting Polish people against each other... I hope the march will mobilise people to change it", the 29-year-old said.  ]]> Sun, 01 Oct 2023 13:30:36 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtVIZaZUH3LziOT5HJgy6HUf https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtWK15JGzogvIXn9ye8UNv30 A populist former prime minister and his leftist party won parliamentary elections in Slovakia, staging a political comeback after campaigning on a pro-Russian and anti-American message, according to almost complete results. With results from 99.2% of some 6,000 polling stations counted by the Slovak Statistics Office early Sunday, former Prime Minister Robert Fico and the leftist Smer, or Direction, party led with 23.3% of the votes. The election Saturday was a test for the small eastern European country's support for neighboring Ukraine in its war with Russia, and the win by Fico could strain a fragile unity in the European Union and NATO. Fico, 59, vowed to withdraw Slovakia's military support for Ukraine in Russia's war if his attempt to return to power succeeded. The country of 5.5 million people created in 1993 following the breakup of Czechoslovakia has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine since Russia invaded last February, donating arms and opening the borders for refugees fleeing the war. With no party winning a majority of seats, a coalition government will need to be formed. The president traditionally asks an election's winner to try to form a government, so Fico is likely to become prime minister again. He served as prime minister in 2006-2010 and again in 2012-2018. A liberal, pro-West newcomer, the Progressive Slovakia party, was a distant second, with 17% of the votes. The left-wing Hlas (Voice) party, led by Fico's former deputy in Smer, Peter Pellegrini, was in third with 15%. Pellegrini parted ways with Fico after Smer lost the previous election in 2020, but their possible reunion would boost Fico's chances to form a government. Another potential coalition partner, the ultranationalist Slovak National Party, a clear pro-Russian group, received 5.7%. Those three parties would have a parliamentary majority if they joined forces in a coalition government. Fico opposes EU sanctions on Russia, questions whether Ukraine can force out the invading Russian troops and wants to block Ukraine from joining NATO. He proposes that instead of sending arms to Kyiv, the EU and the U.S. should use their influence to force Russia and Ukraine to strike a compromise peace deal. Fico's critics worry that his return to power could lead Slovakia to abandon its course in other ways, following the path of Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and to a lesser extent of Poland under the Law and Justice party. Hungary has been sanctioned by the EU for alleged rule-of-law violations and corruption, while EU institutions say Poland has been on a slippery slope away from the EU's rule-of-law principles. Fico has threatened to dismiss investigators from the National Criminal Agency and the special prosecutor who deals with the most serious crimes and corruption. Hungary also has — uniquely among EU countries — maintained close relations with Moscow and argued against supplying arms to Ukraine or providing it with economic assistance. Fico repeats Russian President Vladimir Putin's unsupported claim that the Ukrainian government runs a Nazi state from which ethnic Russians in the country's east needed protection. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is Jewish and lost relatives in the Holocaust. Known for foul-mouthed tirades against journalists, Fico also campaigned against immigration and LGBTQ+ rights. The populist Ordinary People group, the conservative Christian Democrats and the pro-business Freedom and Solidarity also won seats in parliament.]]> Sun, 01 Oct 2023 08:21:03 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtWK15JGzogvIXn9ye8UNv30 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtXs0J5GKg6amJVjH6qdYdAk Slovak liberal party Progressive Slovakia (PS) led a parliamentary election Saturday, initial exit polls showed, potentially blocking former leftist Prime Minister Robert Fico from returning his party to power after he pledged to end military aid for neighboring Ukraine.  Progressive Slovakia was seen winning 23.5% of the vote, ahead of 21.9% for three-time prime minister Fico's SMER-SSD party, an exit poll by Focus agency for TV Markiza showed.  A second exit poll by Median agency for public broadcaster RTVS showed the liberal party winning 19.97% of the vote, ahead of 19.09% for Fico's party in the nation of 5.5 million.  The PS party has advocated maintaining Slovakia's strong backing for Ukraine and would likely follow a liberal line within the European Union on issues such as majority voting to make the bloc more flexible, green policies and LGBTQ+ rights.  A government led by Fico and his SMER-SSD party would mean Slovakia's joining Hungary in challenging the European Union's consensus on support for Ukraine, just as the bloc looks to maintain unity in opposing Russia's invasion.  The leading party to emerge from the election is due to get a first shot at forming a government, with no party projected to win an outright majority.  Forming a new government will hinge on results for over half a dozen smaller parties, from libertarians to far-right extremists. ]]> Sun, 01 Oct 2023 01:19:26 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtXs0J5GKg6amJVjH6qdYdAk https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtVLpmVwu3KnYqCY3L745TL_ The fall of Spanish Football Federation chief Luis Rubiales, forced to resign over an unwanted kiss of midfielder Jenni Hermoso, was due in no small part to the work of an upstart sports news site that is shaking up the comfortable world of Spanish sports reporting.     Founded in May 2022, the media site Relevo wanted to focus attention on teams and women's sports that receive less coverage by its more established competitors, and to engage more with younger audiences.    Fermin Elizari, Relevo's new communities' manager, said unlike most traditional media, journalists worked closely with social media, commercial and branding teams.   "Our values ... make us quite different," he told VOA. "Spanish sports news is very traditional, very focused on men and not women and not very innovative. So, we thought that, let's be very innovative, very inclusive and independent."   That method was tested with the website's coverage of the Rubiales incident. And with it, said Elizari, "We have proved (our model) works."    The scandal The soccer scandal came in the wake of Spain's victory in the FIFA Women's World Cup.   To many, Rubiales' actions in kissing Hermoso seemed out of place, but Rubiales insisted the player consented, even though she was later filmed in the dressing room telling teammates, "I didn't like it."   The incident, along with footage of Rubiales clutching his crotch during the match against England in August while standing near the teenage daughter of Queen Letizia of Spain, sparked controversy around the world.   As the Spanish team flew back to Madrid, Rubiales sought to quell the row by issuing an apology, putting out a statement in which Hermoso was quoted as saying, "[The kiss] was a totally spontaneous mutual gesture because of the huge joy of winning a World Cup."   But Revelo revealed that Hermoso never uttered those words and even refused to appear alongside Rubiales in a video recording of his apology.    The exclusive put pressure on Rubiales, who resigned from his post. He is now facing a criminal investigation for sexual assault and coercion. He insists the kiss was consensual.  The judge in the case has widened the investigation to include Jorge Vilda, the soccer team manager, until he was fired on September 5, along with two other officials.   Those officials have been placed under investigation for alleged coercion and will appear in court on October 10.    Part of the success of Relevo was due to a deliberate strategy in a world of Spanish sports coverage dominated by daily newspapers like Marca, Sport, and AS, which focus coverage on Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.   Until recently, these established newspapers paid scant attention to women's soccer, whereas Relevo reported widely on women's sports, sharing its scoops on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and Twitch.   Natalia Torrente, the Relevo journalist who landed the Rubiales exclusive, said they carried out a survey that found women, Generation Z (aged 10-24) and millennials were dissatisfied with existing sports reporting.  "Our journalism does not just talk to women; it talks to Generation Zers and millennials. We use their language, and we report things in a style and a platform which they read. That is why the site looks a bit like TikTok," she told VOA.  Torrente said she landed her scoop after realizing words attributed to Hermoso did not appear to be something she would ever say.  "When the soccer federation put out the statement with Hermoso's words, we said they were words 'attributed to' her. Then I spoke to three independent sources who confirmed that she and her family were put under pressure, but she refused," she said.    Her reporting is indicative of what Revelo had set out to achieve in its approach.  When it was being set up, managers offered the most promising journalists with major sports newspapers — good salaries and the chance to do in-depth reports.   Alfredo Matilla, head of news at Relevo, said the project was launched on social media in May of last year, becoming a website only in October, after it had built up a following.     "We were surprised at the strategy, but the idea was to build up a following who knew us and liked what we were doing before we launched the website," he told VOA.   Matilla said another part of the strategy that distinguishes Relevo from other Spanish sports media: launching website content that is different from what's posted to X (formerly known as Twitter), TikTok or Twitch.      "We have specialists for each social media who can help us adapt the content," he said. "We don't just put the same stuff on every [platform]."   With a young staff — Matilla estimates an average age of 33 — Relevo has also tried to get as many women working for the site as men.   "I am sure the fact that we had so many women allowed a greater sensitivity to things during the Rubiales case," Matilla said.    'We want to establish ... trust'    For a media organization dedicated to sports, Matilla said getting sports people "to want to talk to us" was crucial.     "At the moment, they don't want to talk to the media, and they just say things which their [media relations professionals] allow them to say," he said. "We don't want that. We want to establish the trust so that they come to us."   Fernando Kallas, Iberia sports correspondent for Reuters news agency, said Relevo was good for Spanish journalism.   "It has taken something from The Athletic model and many of the best journalists have gone from newspapers like AS.com," he said. "Some of the older journalists on the established papers say it will not work, but it is doing well so far."    Graham Hunter, a British journalist who is an expert on Spanish football, said Relevo was shaking up the traditional media, whose relationship with the sports establishment has become too "comfortable."     'Refreshing, defiant' "Relevo in Spanish can be a military term meaning the relief watch, the people who take over. There is a refreshing, defiant, non-institutional attitude [or] tone to what they report on," he said. "Slightly more fearless than the established media, many of whom have earned their reputation by not kowtowing to the grand institutions but by having contacts there which are too symbiotic, which perhaps become too comfortable.   "Relevo has set themselves to become more independent, more challenging," Hunter added. "It is having an impact both for readers and for the traditional media who need to look over their shoulder and think 'Are we a bit too stuffy? Are we a bit too safe?'"  ]]> Sun, 01 Oct 2023 00:38:10 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtVLpmVwu3KnYqCY3L745TL_ https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtXWdmGD9WMaS-T5HJgy6HUf Kosovo demanded Saturday that Serbia withdraw its troops from their common border, saying it was ready to protect its territorial integrity.   Tensions between the two countries have been high since last Sunday when Kosovo police fought around 30 heavily armed Serbs who stormed the Kosovo village of Banjska and barricaded themselves in a Serbian Orthodox monastery. Three attackers and one police officer were killed.  The gunbattle prompted new international concern over stability in Kosovo, which has an ethnic Albanian majority and declared independence from Serbia in 2008 after a guerrilla uprising and a 1999 NATO intervention.  "We call on President [Aleksandar] Vucic and the institutions of Serbia to immediately withdraw all troops from the border with Kosovo," the Kosovo government said in a statement.  "The deployment of Serbian troops along the border with Kosovo is the next step by Serbia to threaten the territorial integrity of our country."  Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told the Financial Times he did not intend to order his forces to cross the border into Kosovo because an escalation of the conflict would harm Belgrade's aspirations to the join the European Union.  On Friday, the United States said it was monitoring a troubling Serbian military deployment along the Kosovo border that is destabilizing the area.  "Kosovo, in coordination with international partners, is more determined than ever to protect its territorial integrity," the Pristina government said. "This deployment also includes the deployment of anti-aircraft systems and heavy artillery."  The government of the Republic of Kosovo said it "has been in constant contact with the U.S. and the EU countries regarding this serious threat from Serbia."  NATO, which still has 4,500 troops in Kosovo, said Friday it had "authorized additional forces to address the current situation." ]]> Sat, 30 Sep 2023 23:56:39 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtXWdmGD9WMaS-T5HJgy6HUf https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtWWJMWsYh9bC11cWWor9YPv Pope Francis created 21 new cardinals at a ritual-filled ceremony Saturday, including key figures at the Vatican and in the field who will help enact his reforms and cement his legacy as he enters a crucial new phase in running the Roman Catholic Church. On a crisp sunny morning filled with cheers from St. Peter's Square, Francis further expanded his influence on the College of Cardinals who will help him govern and one day elect his successor: With Saturday's additions, nearly three-quarters of the voting-age “princes of the church” owe their red hats to the Argentine Jesuit. In his instructions to the new cardinals at the start of the service, Francis said their variety and geographic diversity would serve the church like musicians in an orchestra, where sometimes they play solos, sometimes as an ensemble. “Diversity is necessary; it is indispensable. However, each sound must contribute to the common design," Francis told them. "This is why mutual listening is essential: Each musician must listen to the others.” Among the new cardinals was the controversial new head of the Vatican’s doctrine office, Victor Manuel Fernandez, and the Chicago-born missionary now responsible for vetting bishop candidates around the globe, Robert Prevost. Also entering the exclusive club were the Vatican’s ambassadors to the United States and Italy, two important diplomatic posts where the Holy See has a keen interest in reforming the church hierarchy. Leaders of the church in geopolitical hotspots like Hong Kong and Jerusalem, fragile communities like Juba, South Sudan, and sentimental favorites like Cordoba, Argentina, filled out the roster. Francis' promotions of Prevost and his ambassador to Washington, French Cardinal Christophe Pierre, were clear signs that he has his eye on shifting the balance of power in the U.S. hierarchy, where some conservative bishops have strongly resisted his reforms. Between them, Pierre and Prevost are responsible for proposing new bishop candidates and overseeing any investigations into problem ones already in place. “I think I do have some insights into the church in the United States,” Prevost said after the ceremony during a welcome reception in the Apostolic Palace. “So, the need to be able to advise, work with Pope Francis and to look at the challenges that the church in the United States is facing, I hope to be able to respond to them with a healthy dialogue.” The ceremony took place days before Francis opens a big meeting of bishops and lay Catholics on charting the church’s future, where hot-button issues such as women’s roles in the church, LGBTQ+ Catholics and priestly celibacy are up for discussion. The October 4-29 synod is the first of two sessions — the second one comes next year — that in many ways could cement Francis’ legacy as he seeks to make the church a place where all are welcomed, where pastors listen to their flocks and accompany them rather than judge them. Several of the new cardinals are voting members of the synod and have made clear they share Francis’ vision of a church that is more about the people in the pews than the hierarchy, and that creative change is necessary. Among them is Fernandez, known as the “pope’s theologian” and perhaps Francis’ most consequential Vatican appointment in his 10-year pontificate. In his letter naming Fernandez as prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Francis made clear he wanted his fellow Argentine to oversee a radical break from the past, saying the former Holy Office often resorted to “immoral methods” to enforce its will. Rather than condemn and judge, Francis said, he wanted a doctrine office that guards the faith and gives people hope. He also made clear Fernandez wouldn’t have to deal with sex abuse cases, saying the office’s discipline section could handle that dossier. It was a much-debated decision given that Fernandez himself has admitted he made mistakes handling a case while he was bishop in La Plata, Argentina, and that the scale of the problem globally has long cried out for authoritative, high-ranking leadership. On the eve of the consistory to make Fernandez a cardinal, clergy abuse survivors, including a La Plata victim, rallied near the Vatican, calling on Francis to rescind the nomination. “No bishop who has covered up child sex crimes and ignored and dismissed victims of clergy abuse in his diocese should be running the office that oversees, investigates and prosecutes clergy sex offenders from around the world, or be made a cardinal,” said Julieta Añazco, the La Plata survivor, according to a statement from the End Clergy Abuse. With Saturday’s ceremony, Francis will have named 99 of the 137 cardinals who are under age 80 and thus eligible to vote in a future conclave to elect his successor. While not all are cookie-cutter proteges of the 86-year-old reigning pontiff, many share Francis’ pastoral emphasis as opposed to the doctrinaire-minded cardinals often selected by Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Such a huge proportion of Francis-nominated cardinals almost ensures that a future pope will either be one of his own cardinals or one who managed to secure Franciscan cardinal votes to lead the church after he is gone, suggesting a certain continuity in priorities.]]> Sat, 30 Sep 2023 18:51:46 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtWWJMWsYh9bC11cWWor9YPv https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtVXJVFynSJe35VjH6qdYdAk In pockets of Europe's Alpine mountains, glaciers are abundant enough that ski resorts operate above the snow and ice. Ski lifts, resorts, cabins and huts dot the landscape — and have done so for decades. But glaciers are also one of the most obvious and early victims of human-caused climate change, and as they shrink year by year, the future of the mountain ecosystems and the people who enjoy them will look starkly different. Glaciers — centuries of compacted snow and ice — are disappearing at an alarming rate. Swiss glaciers have lost 10% of their volume since 2021, and some glaciers are predicted to disappear entirely in the next few years. At the Freigerferner glacier in Austria, melting means the glacier has split into two and hollowed out as warm air streamed through the glacier base, exacerbating the thaw. Gaisskarferner, another glacier that forms part of a ski resort, is only connected to the rest of the snow and ice by sections of glacier that were saved over the summer with protective sheets to shield them from the sun. But the losses go beyond a shorter ski season and glacier mass. Andrea Fischer, a glaciologist with the Austrian Academy of Sciences, said the rate of glacier loss can tell the world more about the state of the climate globally and how urgent curbing human-caused warming is. “The loss of glaciers is not the most dangerous thing about climate change," said Fischer. “The most dangerous thing about climate change is the effect on ecosystems, on natural hazards, and those processes are much harder to see. The glaciers just teach us how to see climate change.” From a vantage point above the mountains in a light aircraft, the changing landscape is obvious. The glaciers are noticeably smaller and fewer, and bare rock lies in their place. Much of the thawing is already locked in, so that even immediate and drastic cuts to planet-warming emissions can’t save the glaciers from disappearing or shrinking in the short term. While the extent of glacier melt can create awareness and concern for the climate, “being only concerned does not change anything,” Fischer said. She urged instead that concern should be channeled into "a positive attitude toward designing a new future," where warming can successfully be curbed to stop the most detrimental effects of climate change.]]> Sat, 30 Sep 2023 16:39:01 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtVXJVFynSJe35VjH6qdYdAk https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtWkl1roiGy-vyejEQ2Mq9rY Editor's note: Here is a look at immigration-related news around the U.S. this week. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com. What Happens to Immigration if US Government Shuts Down? With congressional leaders gridlocked over the nation’s budget and the deadline to pass spending bills fast approaching, the federal government could shut down on October 1. And that could affect some immigration services and visa programs. If the federal government closes, only essential personnel will be working. All other federal workers will not be allowed to work. So how will that affect immigration in the U.S.? VOA’s Immigration reporter Aline Barros. Why Immigrants Are More Optimistic Than US-Born Americans Despite any hardships they might face, immigrants in America are more optimistic than U.S.-born Americans, according to a new survey of 3,358 immigrant adults. “They said, ‘You know, I face challenges here in the U.S., but it's far better than where I came from. And I have this belief that things will be better for my children,’” says Shannon Schumacher, a senior survey analyst at KFF, a nonprofit organization focused on health policy formerly known as the Kaiser Family Foundation. “Whether that's their education, their safety, their economic opportunities — on a number of measures, they think that they're better off and their children are better off.” Produced by Dora Mekouar. After Lull, Asylum-Seekers Adapt to US Immigration Changes A group of migrants from China surrendered to a Border Patrol agent in remote Southern California as gusts of wind drowned the hum of high-voltage power lines. They joined others from Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia and elsewhere in a desert campsite with shelters made from tree branches. The Associated Press reports. Second Texas City at ‘Breaking Point' as Migrants Flood Border, Mayor Says The surge of migrants crossing the U.S. border from Mexico has pushed the city of El Paso, Texas, to "a breaking point," with more than 2,000 people per day seeking asylum, exceeding shelter capacity and straining resources, its mayor said Saturday. "The city of El Paso only has so many resources and we have come to ... a breaking point right now," Mayor Oscar Leeser said. Reuters reports. Eagle Pass, Texas, Sees Continuing Influx of Migrants The Eagle Pass area in Texas continues to experience an influx of migrants — the majority from Venezuela, the largest displacement in the Western Hemisphere and the second-largest globally, trailing only behind the Syrian refugee crisis, per the U.N. refugee agency. U.S. border authorities said they are managing the situation, but the noticeable rise in migrant arrivals in Eagle Pass has strained local resources and overwhelmed already crowded facilities. VOA’s Immigration reporter Aline Barros. VOA Day in Photos: Asylum-Seekers Journey through Mexico to Eagle Pass, Texas Asylum-seekers waiting on the banks of the Rio Bravo River after crossing during their journey through Mexico to Eagle Pass, Texas, in Piedras Negras, Mexico, Sept. 26, 2023. Immigration around the world Illegal Migration to Greece Surges, Sparking Measures to Shield Borders Thousands of migrants have made their way illegally into Greece from Turkey, using rickety rafts to cross the Aegean Sea, the narrow waterway between the two countries. United Nations data in September shows sea arrivals have already more than doubled the roughly 12,000 migrants who were caught trying to illegally enter Greece last year. Illegal entries along the land border and the massive Evros River, which snakes along the rugged frontiers of the two countries in the northeast, also count record increases of more than 65% in the last two months alone, police said. Produced by Anthee Carassava. Australian Lawmakers Urge Outside Help for Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict Refugees Seven Australian lawmakers have toured a refugee camp in Armenia, as thousands of ethnic Armenians flee their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh. Forces from Azerbaijan took control of the contested region last week. The delegation of Australian lawmakers visited Armenia this week and toured a camp for those fleeing the unrest. Produced by Phil Mercer. Pakistani Vocational School Helps Afghan Women Refugees Build Businesses In a small workshop in the bustling northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, a dozen Afghan women sit watching a teacher show them how to make clothes on a sewing machine. Reuters reports. Charity Urges Court to Force Australia to Repatriate Detainees in Syrian Refugee Camp Australia’s decision not to repatriate more than 30 women and children from a detention camp in northeast Syria is facing a legal challenge. The women are the wives and widows of Islamic State fighters and have been held in custody for the past four years. Produced by Phil Mercer. Medics: Hundreds Dead From Dengue Fever in War-Torn Sudan Outbreaks of dengue fever and acute watery diarrhea have "killed hundreds" in war-torn Sudan, medics reported Monday, warning of "catastrophic spreads" that could overwhelm the country's decimated health system. In a statement, the Sudanese doctors' union warned that the health situation in the southeastern state of Gedaref, on the border with Ethiopia, "is deteriorating at a horrific rate," with thousands infected with dengue fever. Produced by Agence France-Presse. Violence, Human Rights Violations Risk Future Stability of Syria United Nations investigators say that human rights violations and abuse in Syria are sowing the seeds for further violence and radicalization, despite diplomatic efforts to stabilize the situation in the country, including through its readmission to the League of Arab States. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva. Senior US Officials Travel to Armenia as Karabakh's Armenians Start to Leave Senior Biden administration officials arrived Monday in Armenia, a day after ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh began fleeing following Azerbaijan's defeat of the breakaway region's fighters in a conflict dating from the Soviet era. Reuters reports. Spain Turns to Tractors to Tackle Migrant Unemployment, Farm Labor Shortage Spain's agricultural sector is threatened by an aging population and a shortage of farm labor. Now a program in Catalonia is training migrants, largely from Africa, to operate tractors to help them gain meaningful employment. Elizabeth Cherneff narrates this report from Alfonso Beato in Barcelona. Videographer and Video Editor: Alfonso Beato. News brief — A government shutdown would affect the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s ability to respond to cyberattacks; protect and save lives on land, at sea, and in the air; secure the nation’s borders and critical infrastructure; deploy across the country to help Americans recover from disasters, among others.]]> Sat, 30 Sep 2023 15:04:24 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtWkl1roiGy-vyejEQ2Mq9rY https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtXguAqzInGVGJs0ohxaO6Yr Voters in Slovakia cast ballots Saturday in an early parliamentary election that pits a populist former prime minister who campaigned on a pro-Russia and anti-American message against a liberal, pro-West newcomer. Depending on which of them prevails, the election could reverse the small eastern European country's support for neighboring Ukraine in the war with Russia, threatening to break a fragile unity in the European Union and NATO. Former Prime MInister Robert Fico, 59, and his leftist Smer, or Direction, party have vowed to withdraw Slovakia's military support for Ukraine in Russia's war, if his attempt to return to power is successful. Smer's main challenger is Progressive Slovakia, a liberal party formed in 2017 and led by Michal Simecka, 39, a member of the European Parliament. Fico, who served as prime minister from 2006-10 and again from 2012-18, opposes EU sanctions on Russia, questions whether Ukraine can force out the invading Russian troops and wants to block Ukraine from joining NATO. He proposes that instead of sending arms to Kyiv, the EU and the U.S. should use their influence to force Russia and Ukraine to strike a compromise peace deal. He has repeated Russian President Vladimir Putin's unsupported claim that the Ukrainian government runs a Nazi state. Fico also campaigned against immigration and LGBTQ+ rights and threatened to dismiss investigators from the National Criminal Agency and the special prosecutor who deal with corruption and other serious crimes. Progressive Slovakia sees the country's future as firmly tied to its existing membership in the EU and NATO. The party vowed to continue Slovakia's support for Ukraine. It also favors LGBTQ+ rights, a rarity among the major parties in a country that is a stronghold of conservative Roman Catholicism. Popular among young people, the party won the 2019 European Parliament election in Slovakia in coalition with the Together party, gaining more than 20% of the vote. But it narrowly failed to win seats in the national parliament in 2020. No party is expected to win a majority of seats Saturday, meaning a coalition government will need to be formed. The party that secures the most votes typically gets the first chance to put together a government. Polls indicate that seven or eight other political groups and parties might surpass a 5% threshold needed for representation in the 150-seat National Council. They include the Republic, a far-right group led by former members of the openly neo-Nazi People's Party Our Slovakia whose members use Nazi salutes and want Slovakia out of the EU and NATO.]]> Sat, 30 Sep 2023 11:45:18 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtXguAqzInGVGJs0ohxaO6Yr https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtV_tq_iCGZy1SejEQ2Mq9rY  Russian officials have released footage of President Vladimir Putin meeting with former Wagner Group Chief of Staff Andrei Troshev and giving Troshev the task of establishing new "volunteer fighting units," according to the daily intelligence update on Ukraine from the British Defense Ministry. Saturday’s update said Troshev undertook a role in the Russian security forces around the time of Wagner fighters’ brief June insurrection. It said Troshev was “probably involved” in persuading other Wagner personnel to sign contracts with Russia. "Many Wagner veterans," the update said, "likely consider him a traitor." Meanwhile, the Russian government is calling up 130,000 conscripts for military service this fall, increasing the age limit of conscripts from 27 to 30, according to a document posted on the Russian government website on Friday. Russia's lower house of parliament voted last July to raise the age for conscripts; that legislation will take effect Jan. 1. Putin said earlier this month that he is bracing for a long war with Ukraine as Russia's armed forces press on with their "special military operation" there, now in its 20th month. Starting at the age of 18, all men in Russia are required to serve one year in the military. The conscription will begin Sunday in all parts of the Russian Federation, including in the annexed regions of Ukraine, the Defense Ministry said Friday. Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia were formally annexed by Russia in September 2022 after so-called referendums, which were universally dismissed as shams by Ukraine and Western nations. Russia had annexed Crimea in 2014. Last year, Russia announced a plan to increase its professional and conscripted combat force by more than 30% to 1.5 million, a plan made more difficult by its heavy casualties in Ukraine. Ukraine aid While the West continues to supply Ukraine with military hardware, the country is planning to produce its own, including air defenses, the Ukrainian president's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, told reporters Friday. "I think very soon specialists will arrive here who will make a plan for our own production of everything that we need. First and foremost, this relates to air defenses," Yermak said. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expressed confidence Friday that Poland will find ways to address disagreements with Ukraine without affecting its military support for the country. "I'm expecting and I'm confident that Ukraine and Poland will find a way to address those issues without that impacting in a negative way the military support to Ukraine," Stoltenberg told Reuters in an interview in Copenhagen. Relations have been somewhat strained between Poland, a NATO member, and its neighbor, Ukraine, after Warsaw’s decision to extend a ban on Ukrainian grain imports. Seven EU countries have ordered ammunition under a landmark European Union procurement framework to get urgently needed artillery shells to Ukraine and replenish depleted Western stocks, according to the European Defense Agency. The orders are for 155 mm artillery rounds, one of the most important munitions in Ukraine’s defensive war against Russian aggression. The effort was set up as part of a plan worth at least $2.1 billion, initiated in March, with the aim of getting 1 million shells and missiles to Ukraine within a year. Some officials and diplomats have expressed skepticism about whether that goal will be met, but the plan is a significant step in the EU's growing role in defense and military affairs, spurred by the war in Ukraine. Some information for this report came from Reuters and The Associated Press.  ]]> Sat, 30 Sep 2023 11:17:44 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/C5RRkMc0CtV_tq_iCGZy1SejEQ2Mq9rY