Daily: 10/26/2021

Turkey Threatens New Attack Against Kurdish Fighters in Syria

Turkey is threatening to launch a new military operation against Syrian Kurdish forces after a deadly attack in Syrian territory where Turkish forces are present. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.

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German Parliament Elects New Speaker as Merkel Steps Aside

For the first time since last month’s elections, Germany’s lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, met Tuesday and elected a new speaker from the winning center-left Social Democrats (SPD) party to lead the 736-member body. 

The 53-year-old Baerbel Bas, from the western German city of Duisburg, has been in the Bundestag since 2009. She served as deputy leader of the SPD parliamentary group in the last parliament and its spokesperson on health, education and research.

Following her election, she noted the diversity of the new parliament and urged her fellow lawmakers to “reach out to many people in this country, especially to those who have not felt addressed by politics for a long time.” 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel attended the meeting, and as she is no longer a lawmaker, watched from the visitors’ gallery. Merkel served as Germany’s chancellor for the past 16 years.

Later Tuesday, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was scheduled to formally dismiss Merkel and her Cabinet, although they will be asked to stay on in a caretaker capacity until a new government is in place.

The SPD won the most seats in the parliamentary elections, but failed to win a clear majority, and is working with the environmentalist Greens and pro-business Free Democrats to form Germany’s new government.

The parties said last week they hope to have the country’s next chancellor – certain to be SPD leader Olaf Scholz – in place by early December, but acknowledged they still have a lot of work to do.

Some information for this report comes from AP, Reuters, and AFP.

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Близько 130 громадян України хочуть повернутися з Афганістану – голова МЗС

За даними Кулеби, протягом останнього місяця понад 30 громадян України та їхніх родичів самостійно залишили Афганістан

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Штаб ООС: на Донбасі один військовий загинув, ще один – поранений

З початку доби з боку бойовиків зафіксовано 7 порушень режиму припинення вогню, кажуть у штабі

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У Росії ще чотирьох свідків Єгови засудили до багаторічного ув’язнення

У правозахисній організації Amnesty International заявили, що вражені звісткою про черговий суворий вирок за звинуваченням в екстремізмі щодо чотирьох свідків Єгови в Астрахані

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Суд у Нідерландах ухвалив передати «скіфське золото» Україні

У справі йшлося про понад 565 предметів з музейного фонду України, які перебувають на території Королівства Нідерландів

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Суд у Нідерландах оголошує рішення про «скіфське золото»

У справі йдеться про понад 565 предметів з музейного фонду України, які перебувають на території Королівства Нідерландів

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У Судані триває протест проти військового перевороту

У столиці Хартумі 26 жовтня люди залишаються на вулиці, скандуючи «Повернення до минулого – не вихід»

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Регулятор ЄС схвалив бустерне щеплення вакциною Moderna

Комітет, який ухвалював рішення, керувався даними, які свідчать, що третя доза вакцини Moderna, введена через 6-8 місяців після другої, призвела до підвищення рівня антитіл

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Окупований Крим: затриманих біля будівлі суду у Сімферополі доставили до слідчих ізоляторів

Серед затриманих, окрім кримськотатарских активістів, журналісти російського видання «Грани.Ру»

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Rental Car Company Hertz Announces Purchase of 100,000 Teslas 

Car rental company Hertz says it will buy 100,000 electric cars from Tesla. 

Hertz interim CEO Mark Fields said the Model 3 cars could be ready for renters as early as November, The Associated Press reported. 

Fields said the reason for the move was that electric cars are becoming mainstream, and consumer interest in them is growing.

“More are willing to try and buy,” he told AP. “It’s pretty stunning.” 

All of the cars should be available by the end of 2022, the company said. When all are delivered, they will make up 20% of the company’s fleet.

Hertz, which emerged from bankruptcy in June, did not disclose the cost of the order, but it could be valued at as much as $4 billion, according to some news reports. 

The company said it plans to build its own charging station network, with 3,000 in 65 locations by the end of 2022 and 4,000 by the end of 2023. Renters will also have access to Tesla’s charging network for a fee. 

Tesla stock jumped as much as 12% on the news 

Some information in this report came from The Associated Press. 

 

 

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In Face of Hack Attacks, US State Department to Set Up Cyber Bureau

The U.S. State Department plans to establish a bureau of cyberspace and digital policy in the face of a growing hacking problem, specifically a surge of ransomware attacks on U.S. infrastructure. 

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said a Senate-confirmed ambassador at large will lead the bureau. 

Hackers have struck numerous U.S. companies this year. 

One such attack on pipeline operator Colonial Pipeline led to temporary fuel supply shortages on the U.S. East Coast. Hackers also targeted an Iowa-based agricultural company, sparking fears of disruptions to Midwest grain harvesting. 

Two weeks ago, the Treasury Department said suspected ransomware payments totaling $590 million were made in the first six months of this year. It put the cryptocurrency industry on alert about its role fighting ransomware attacks. 

 

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Parts of Russia’s Space Agency Off Limits in New Security Order 

Journalists who cover Russia’s space program say they may adopt a more cautious approach to their reporting after several aspects of Roscosmos were effectively declared off limits. 

A Federal Security Service (FSB) order, which took effect October 11, lays out information that it says could be used to threaten national security if received by foreign organizations or citizens. 

The order doesn’t directly mention news gathering and is not a blanket ban on coverage of Roscosmos, but in a digital age where reporting is shared online or via social media, journalists say they could risk being in violation of the order. 

It is also a provision of Russia’s foreign agent law, which brings further implications for media. 

Spanning 60 types of information, the FSB details content from military, intelligence and space programs that it says could be used to threaten security. At Roscosmos, those topics include financial details, project timelines and some of its space programs; information about plans and restructuring at the space agency; and details on new technologies and materials.

Roscosmos did not respond to a request for comment on how the new order could affect foreign and domestic reporting and referred VOA to the FSB. 

The FSB did not respond to VOA’s request for comment. 

Reporting restrictions 

Independent journalists and media analysts describe the order as a “tightening of the screw” and say it will make it harder to report in a transparent and independent way on the space program. 

Alexander Khokhlov, a space and science reporter who contributes to media outlets including TV Rain and Meduza, says the new measures may limit his coverage. 

As a precautionary measure, Khokhlov said, he may have to focus only on news coming from Western agencies and companies. 

“I rarely cover the topics listed in the FSB’s order; however, their formulation is rather broad. I will further refrain from writing and commenting on the Roscosmos’ activity,” said Khokhlov, who is also member of the Northwestern Federation of Cosmonautics of Russia. 

“I might as well focus on covering SpaceX and its gradual progress toward building a colony on Mars,” Khokhlov said, referring to the private space program founded by U.S. entrepreneur Elon Musk. 

Khokhlov, who has reported on Russia’s space missions and the rise of the private space sector in the U.S., said the regulations could limit what science journalists can cover. 

Describing it as “yet another step toward the information vacuum in the field of cosmonautics in Russia” Khokhlov said, “The risks are already obvious for those trying to present an alternative point of view.” 

He cited the large number of journalists labeled as foreign agents in the past year. 

As of October 15, the Ministry of Justice website lists 32 news outlets and 56 journalists who fall under the designation of foreign agent, including independent networks that are part of the U.S. Agency for Global Media.

 

Those added to the Russian Justice Ministry list must label all content, including news reports and personal social media posts, as content produced by a foreign agent. Individuals have to send in detailed reports of their finances. Failure to comply can result in fines and possibly criminal charges. 

“It is a heavy legal and financial load for those (journalists) with the possibility for fines and even felony charges,” Khokhlov said. 

Russia amended its existing foreign agent law in 2017, in response to the U.S. ordering news groups funded by Moscow to register under the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act. 

Since then, Russia has used the designation against independent media, civil society organizations and even an election-monitoring group, in a move that critics say is aimed at punishing and discrediting critical and opposition voices. 

Analyst Bach  Avezdjanov, who until last year was a program officer for Columbia University’s Global Freedom of Expression program in New York, has been closely monitoring the impact of the law on the country’s independent press. 

The FSB’s list “threatens further the already restricted information environment in Russia,” Avezdjanov told VOA. 

“The Russian government does not hide its intent to arbitrarily designate anyone who collects, researches or reports for academic, journalistic or other purposes, information about Russia’s military and space program,” he said. 

Avezdjanov said that regulations could be used to block reporting on allegations of corruption and mismanagement.

He cited an internal audit at the space agency that appeared to show corruption or mismanagement, which resulted in a loss of billions of rubles, and led to criminal cases.

But under paragraph 37 of the new FSB order, which bans information about financial or economic problems, such information “can no longer reach the eyes and ears of foreigners,” he said.

“In effect, the law built a new iron curtain around certain types of information,” Avezdjanov said. 

This story originated in VOA’s Russian Service. 

 

 

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Orthodox Patriarch Released from Hospital, Set to Meet Biden

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians, was released from a Washington hospital Monday morning after an overnight stay early in his 12-day visit to the United States. 

Bartholomew, 81, was scheduled to meet with President Joe Biden later Monday at the White House, and also to meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken. 

The patriarch “is feeling well and is ready to continue” his official visit Monday, according to a tweet from Archbishop Elpidophoros of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. 

Bartholomew is the patriarch of Constantinople, based in Turkey. He is considered first among equals among Eastern Orthodox patriarchs, which gives him prominence but not the power of a Catholic pope. He does directly oversee Greek Orthodox and some other jurisdictions, although large portions of the Eastern Orthodox world are self-governing under their own patriarchs. 

Bartholomew was brought to George Washington University Hospital on Sunday night after he felt “unwell” due to the long flight here on Saturday and the busy schedule of events, according to the Greek Orthodox archdiocese. The hospitalization was recommended by his doctor “out of an abundance of precaution,” the archdiocese said. 

Making the latest of several trips to the country during his 30 years in office, Bartholomew is expected to address concerns ranging from a pending restructuring of the American Greek Orthodox archdiocese to his church’s minority status in his homeland, Turkey. His schedule Monday includes a visit to the embassy of Turkey in Washington. 

Also on Monday, Bartholomew is scheduled to give a speech via videoconference for the Museum of the Bible in Washington, according to the latest schedule released by the archdiocese. An earlier version of his schedule included an in-person visit. 

In the evening, he is scheduled to attend a dinner at Georgetown University hosted by its president, John DeGioia, and Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Washington, D.C.

On Thursday, he is scheduled to receive an honorary degree from the University of Notre Dame in an event highlighting efforts to improve Orthodox-Catholic ties, centuries after the two churches broke decisively in 1054 amid disputes over theology and papal claims of supremacy. And on November 2, he is scheduled to preside at a door-opening ceremony at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine in New York City. The shrine replaces a church destroyed during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. 

 

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Байден підписав наказ про нові правила в’їзду до США, пов’язані з COVID-19

Білий дім 25 жовтня підтвердив, що діти до 18 років звільняються від нових вимог щодо вакцинації, як і люди з деякими медичними проблемами

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Після погрози Ердогана вислати дипломатів 10 країн суперечка Туреччини і Заходу дещо послабла

США і кілька інших країн зробили заяви, в яких йдеться, що вони дотримуються конвенції ООН, яка вимагає від дипломатів не втручатися у внутрішні справи країни перебування

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Гонтарева прокоментувала можливу причетність НБУ до «справи Медведчука» за її керівництва установою

На думку Гонтаревої, вона заслуговує «нагороди», а не звинувачень у котексті подій 2014 року

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