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LONDON — The GMB union has failed to secure the right to formally represent workers at an Amazon warehouse in Coventry, central England, Amazon said on Wednesday. The ballot result on union recognition is a blow for the U.K. trade union movement as victory in the ballot would have forced the U.S. e-commerce giant to negotiate labor terms with a U.K. union for the first time. The Coventry workers have been involved in a dispute over pay and union recognition for more than a year and have carried out numerous strikes. The GMB union has argued Amazon frustrated its recognition bid by recruiting hundreds of additional workers at the site so the union no longer had the numbers to make the ballot threshold. Amazon's treatment of workers has been in the spotlight for years. It has historically opposed unionization, saying its preference has been to resolve issues with employees directly rather than through unions. However, in 2022, workers at its warehouse in Staten Island, New York, forced the company to recognize a trade union in the U.S. for the first time. That was seen as key moment for the union movement. However, Amazon workers at two other New York warehouses and one in Alabama have since voted against unionizing. Amazon does interact with unions in countries such as Germany and Italy. But that is largely because it is required to by government. Amazon employs about 75,000 in the UK, making it one of the country's top 10 private sector employers. Britain's new Labor government has promised to give workers more rights and unions more power. It plans to update trade union legislation, removing restrictions on trade union activity and ensuring industrial relations are based around good faith negotiation and bargaining. Labor says British employment laws are outdated, a drag on economic growth and a major factor in the U.K.'s worst period of industrial relations since the 1980s.

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Saint Petersburg, Russia — Alexandra Kulikova used to come across plenty of different European languages on the streets of Saint Petersburg, the iconic city founded by Peter the Great as Russia's "window to the West". "You could hear English, French or Italian being spoken everywhere... and we were always full," Kulikova, the co-owner of a chain of apartment rentals in the city, told AFP. But the Kremlin's military offensive in Ukraine — and the barrage of sanctions it triggered— effectively sealed Russia off to most would-be Western travelers, seriously knocking the country's tourism industry. Russia is now looking to visitors from Asia and the Middle East to fill the void. "I see huge numbers of Chinese groups, Arabic tourists traveling with their families, Indians," Kulikova said. "But they must be very rich, because they stay in luxury hotels, not in apartments," she added. That has put pressure on her business, including previously hotly sought apartments offering breathtaking views over the golden-domed St. Isaac's Cathedral in the heart of the city. 'Reorganization' Alongside a political climate that has grown even more hostile and unwelcoming towards the West and Westerners, sanctions and logistical difficulties have further complicated travel. Direct flights with the European Union, Britain and the United States have been suspended. And Visa and Mastercard bank cards can't be used inside Russia. All that has combined to spark a "reorganization of tourism towards the East," said Sergei Kalinin, who heads an association of guide-interpreters in Saint Petersburg. During the first quarter of 2024, almost half of all foreign tourists who visited Russia came from China — an estimated 99,000 of 218,000. Around 8,400 came from Germany, the most of any Western country, down two-thirds on the numbers that visited in 2019, according to Russia's Association of Tour Operators. 'A lot in common' In the former imperial capital, famed for its grandiose palaces and picturesque canals, the transformation is stark. At a Saint Petersburg train station on a long summer evening, groups of mostly Chinese tourists were rushing to catch night trains departing for Moscow. "Russia is an interesting country, and now it's easier to get here. There are electronic visas," Liu Yitin, a 60-year-old waiting to board told AFP. "There are many tourist sites in Russia, and our countries have a lot in common," Yitin said. China has become Russia's most important political and economic ally amid its offensive in Ukraine, and the two leaders — Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping — regularly embrace each other as "old friends" on the world stage. While Western governments have strongly advised their citizens against traveling to Russia, Beijing has issued no such warning, and Chinese tourism to Russia has grown exponentially. "There are many Chinese (people) who want to visit Moscow," said Xia Kosinai — a young Chinese guide in Moscow who was leading a group of some two dozen on a trip from Shanghai. "They only know Russia from television," she told AFP. "Because of the fighting in Ukraine, they are a little afraid. But everything is fine" once they arrive in Russia, she said. 'Not very optimistic' Amid isolation in the West, Russia's authorities have sought to facilitate more travel opportunities with citizens from so-called "friendly" nations. Moscow is eyeing up visa-free travel with Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian countries and wants to increase direct flights to China and Iran, the Russian economy ministry has said. Saint Petersburg has also boosted its own marketing. City officials traveled to trade shows in Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu in May, after hitting a spate of similar events in India. They hope to visit 16 major trade fairs this year across Asia, the Middle East and former Soviet states, the city said. Despite all these efforts, many in the industry say Russia still faces an acute shortage of tourists. "It's not like it used to be," said Maria Khilkova, a tour guide in Saint Petersburg. "Even with the Chinese (tourists) there is no big tourist flow, it can't be compared to what it was like before Covid," she said. "It will take at least five years for everything to recover." 

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Milwaukee —  On the floor of the Republican National Convention Tuesday evening, vice presidential candidate JD Vance greeted and shook hands with excited delegates as he walked toward his seat. It was a marked contrast from former President Donald Trump, who entered the hall a few minutes later and was separated from supporters by a column of Secret Service agents. His ear still bandaged after an attempted assassination, Trump closely hugged the wall. Instead of handshakes or hellos for those gathered, he offered fist pumps to the cameras. The contrast underscores the new reality facing Trump after a gunman opened fire at his rally in Pennsylvania Saturday, raising serious questions about the agency that is tasked with protecting the president, former presidents and major-party candidates. Trump's campaign must also adjust to a new reality after he came millimeters from death or serious injury — and as law enforcement warns of the potential for more political violence. Trump campaign officials declined to comment on the stepped-up security and how it might impact his interactions going forward. “We do not comment on President Trump’s security detail. All questions should be directed to the United States Secret Service,” said Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, whose agency oversees the Secret Service, said Monday that he could not discuss “specifics of the protection or the enhancements made, as they involve sensitive tactics and procedures. I can say, however, that personnel and other protective resources, technology, and capabilities have been added.” The Secret Service had already stepped up Trump's protection in the days before the attack following an unrelated threat from Iran, two U.S. officials said Tuesday. But that extra security didn't stop the gunman, who fired from an adjacent roof, from killing one audience member and injuring two others along with Trump. The FBI and Homeland Security officials remain “concerned about the potential for follow-on or retaliatory acts of violence following this attack,” according to a joint intelligence bulletin by Homeland Security and the FBI and obtained by The Associated Press. The bulletin warned that lone actors and small groups will “continue to see rallies and campaign events as attractive targets.” Underscoring the security risks, a man armed with an AK-47 pistol, wearing a ski mask and carrying a tactical backpack was taken into custody Monday near the Fiserv Forum, where the convention is being held. The attack has led to stepped-up security not only for Trump. President Joe Biden’s security has also been bolstered, with more agents surrounding him as he boarded Air Force One to Las Vegas on Monday night. Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also received Secret Service protection in the shooting’s wake. Trump's campaign has also responded in other ways, including placing armed security at all hours outside their offices in Florida and Washington, D.C. Trump has already scheduled his next rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Saturday. That's where he will appear with Vance for their first event as a presidential ticket. But the new posture complicates, at least for now, the interactions Trump regularly has with supporters as he signs autographs, shakes hands and poses for selfies at events and on airplane tarmacs.

Vienna — European experts watching China’s Third Plenum say this week’s high-level meetings are unlikely to touch on political reform but will likely introduce several measures to reverse the nation’s economic downturn. "Any measures to be announced on China's key economic problems will be moderate and gradual, like Chinese medicine, as opposed to a shock therapy," said Alicia Garcia-Herrero, a senior researcher at the Belgian think tank Bruegel. The Spanish economist listed eight key problems facing the current Chinese economy: stagnation in real estate; tight local government finances; deflationary pressure; sluggish consumer consumption; an aging population; a decline in foreign investment in non-manufacturing industries; increased social security costs, such as pensions and medical care; and the failure to achieve transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry. The state-run Xinhua News Agency has said decisions on such matters are expected from this week’s Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, which is to address policy matters spanning the next decade. Garcia-Herrero said China's possible approaches include providing modest subsidies to low- and middle-income households to stimulate consumption; structural measures to slow down the aging of the population; opening up investment access to attract foreign investment; increasing local government taxes to make up for shortfalls caused by falling land prices; delaying retirement; and reducing government administrative costs to achieve fiscal balance. Chinese policymakers will need to make some hard choices. A lack of social benefits prompts people to save for future emergencies, which reduces private consumption. Stimulating consumption will require greater government spending, including a better social welfare system, but this will hurt an already deteriorating fiscal position. It remains to be seen to what extent China's economic decision-makers agree on establishing a social safety net and carrying out consumption-oriented structural reforms. Garcia-Herrero said that in the long term, the way to solve China's economic woes is to expand local fiscal autonomy and develop high-end manufacturing, although neither seems likely in the short term. The plenum is expected to focus on reforming the fiscal and taxation systems, and specific measures may include transferring consumption tax and value-added tax from the central government to local governments. President Xi Jinping has stressed the importance of vigorously developing "new quality productivity" and promoting China's industrial upgrading and "high-quality development." Alexander Davey, an analyst at MERICS, told VOA, "The past reforms of investments of vast resources and personnel into modernizing China's industrial system and promoting scientific and technological innovation will continue." But he said it is uncertain whether those investments “will negatively impact the extent to which Beijing can allocate resources for local governments to service health care, education, infrastructure, government employee wages, etc." Analysts say the Chinese modernization development model, which relies on high-end manufacturing exports to drive the economy, could exacerbate trade disputes between China and its major export destinations. The United States and Europe have recently accused China of "overcapacity" of electric vehicles and have imposed anti-dumping investigations and tariff measures. Davey said Chinese-style modernization “could be used as pretext for how Beijing decides to retaliate [against] Brussels' tariffs on Chinese EVs, among other EU de-risking actions towards China. Beijing may target European imports like brandy, wine, and certain types of cars, framing them as unnecessary luxury goods in its march towards common prosperity, imposing tariffs accordingly." The China watchers also said specific plans for personnel changes at the top level of the People's Liberation Army are expected. Two former Chinese defense ministers, Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, were expelled last month from the party and the military. Francesco Sisci, an Italian Sinologist, told VOA, "We know the focus will be the PLA and the economy. The domestic economy is not doing well with private consumption shrinking and the military is under immense stress for the unprecedented purge of two ministers of defense. The PLA seems in disarray, which is extremely dangerous." Adrianna Zhang  contributed to this report.

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Cisarua, Indonesia — In a middle school level class, students are learning about planetary science from the gases of Jupiter to the exosphere on Mercury. That might seem no different than lessons at many schools around the world, but this session is happening at a learning center for refugees in Indonesia. Paying close attention is Afnaan Guleid, a 13-year-old whose family fled from Somalia to the Southeast Asian country. She said in her native country her family had to worry about violence, but now she can focus on her dreams. “I want to be a scientist when I grow up because I love to do experiments and discover things,” Guleid said. She is one of the 85 students at the Cisarua Refugee Learning Center. The entire curriculum is in English, whether the students are learning math, science, social studies or basic life skills. And beginning this year, qualified students could join an online program to work toward an American high school diploma. Massoud Azimi, 15, is one of them. Azimi is a refugee from Afghanistan who has been in Indonesia for eight years but, along with his family, is scheduled to be resettled in the United States within the next few months.  “The programs at this learning center are helping me prepare for school in America,” Azimi said. “It’s strengthening my academic skills.” Cisarua is a town in the hills, a few hours' drive from the country’s largest city, Jakarta, which has become a hub for many refugees in Indonesia. A spokesperson for the United Nations refugee agency told VOA there are about 12,600 refugees and asylum seekers in the country and approximately 1,300 of them are in Cisarua. Refugees said the town’s milder temperatures and lower cost of living compared with Jakarta make it an attractive place. But most, if not all, of these refugees hope to eventually be resettled in a third country. The U.N. refugee agency said the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are accepting refugees from Indonesia, but the process typically takes at least seven years and placement is not guaranteed. While Indonesia allows refugees to enroll in public schools, the Cisarua Refugee Learning Center offers its students a chance to focus on their English, which is a skill they will need if they are resettled. “We are trying to prepare them for the next country that they are going,” said Reza Hussaini, the school’s principal, who is a refugee himself from Afghanistan. The learning center has refugees who fled violence or persecution in countries in Asia and Africa, including Yemen, Iraq, Sudan, and Myanmar. “We have students from different cultures, students from different religions, students from different countries,” Hussaini said. “There is a diversity of culture here.” Zahra Sakhawat is a 12-year-old from Afghanistan who dreams of becoming a doctor. She said the students at this learning center feel a connection because it fosters a sense of community. “Everyone is very kind and dear with each other,” she said. The facilities are basic, no high-tech science labs. The learning center is funded entirely by private donations. There are also English classes for adults, which often attracts parents of the students. All the teachers are volunteers, and many are refugees themselves, including a 39-year-old man whose identity VOA agreed to conceal out of concerns for his family’s safety in his native Myanmar. He fled the country’s civil war just four months ago because Myanmar’s junta, which staged a coup in 2021 was about to conscript him into the army. “They were going to force me to fight for their military. So, I will not do it because I will never help the military,” he said. He has a university degree in computer science and hopes he will have a chance to study artificial intelligence in a new country. In the meantime, he said he is enjoying the opportunity to share his computer and math knowledge as a volunteer at the Cisarua Refugee Learning Center. The school started 10 years ago and has become a model for similar refugee programs that have opened elsewhere in Indonesia. “All of the refugees deserve a chance to prepare for their futures,” Hussaini said.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

WASHINGTON — A high-ranking U.S. official stressed Tuesday that the U.S.-South Korea alliance is a “nuclear alliance,” reinforcing the South Korean government’s description of the two allies, after the United States and South Korea signed new deterrence guidelines last week.  Vipin Narang, U.S. acting assistant secretary of defense for Space Policy, told VOA’s Korean Service in an exclusive interview that “when we formally extend nuclear deterrence to our allies, it is a nuclear alliance, and South Korea is an example of that.” Narang explained that it would be similar to what the United States has with the European allies through NATO.  “NATO publicly says, for example, that so long as nuclear weapons exist, NATO will be a nuclear alliance. And the relationship with ROK, similarly, is a formal extension of U.S. nuclear,” he said, referring to South Korea with the abbreviated form of its official name, the Republic of Korea. “We commit to defend South Korea with all capabilities.”  South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said earlier on Tuesday in a Cabinet meeting that South Korea’s alliance with the United States has been upgraded to a “nuclear-based alliance,” adding that the U.S nuclear assets will now be “specially assigned to missions on the Korean Peninsula” under the newly agreed guidelines between the two allies.  On Thursday, Yoon met U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington, reaffirming their commitments to the Washington Declaration unveiled in 2023, which outlines the two countries’ commitment to engage in deeper dialogue and information sharing to strengthen nuclear deterrence efforts on the Korean Peninsula. According to the joint statement released after the two leaders’ latest meeting, Biden reiterated that the U.S. commitment to extended deterrence to South Korea is backed by “the full range of U.S. capabilities, including nuclear.”  In line with such a move, Narang, who co-chairs the Nuclear Consultative Group, a bilateral body set up by the United States and South Korea under the Washington Declaration, met his South Korean counterpart, Cho Chang Lae, in Washington last week and signed “the United States and Republic of Korea Guidelines for Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations on the Korean Peninsula.”  The guidelines, according to the Department of Defense, provide principles and procedures to assist policymakers and military officials of both countries “in maintaining an effective nuclear deterrence policy and posture.” Narang emphasized that the guidelines would help the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) evolve in accordance with the threats by the U.S.-South Korea alliance. “The guidelines document is the not the end, it’s the beginning, and sort of sets up the NCG as an enduring body,” he said. “The NCG is a living body, and the work streams evolve with the threat environment and the capabilities, just as North Korea's capabilities continue to expand and diversify.”  However, he made it clear that only the U.S. president will be able to authorize the use and employment of U.S. nuclear weapons, while underscoring Washington and Seoul will be approaching the extended deterrence “as equal partners.”   “We have extended deterrence relationships. We need conventional support from our allies,” he stressed.  His remarks come amid growing skepticism in South Korea over the U.S. extended deterrence, especially after Russia and North Korea signed a defense pact, which indicated Moscow’s willingness to engage in full-fledged military cooperation with Pyongyang.  An increasing number of South Korean people are calling for South Korea’s own nuclear weapons, arguing that the U.S.-ROK alliance’s existing deterrence strategy would not be enough to protect South Korea from the possible attacks from North Korea, if it joins hands with Russia.  The acting assistant secretary of defense gave a strong warning against South Korea having its own nuclear weapons. “It would be in violation of the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty),” Narang said, adding that South Korea would probably face international sanctions.  He also suggested that Seoul would be “an international pariah” and would become vulnerable to North Korea’s nuclear attacks during the time it is pursuing nuclear weapons.  Experts in Washington remained cautious about what the new guidelines could mean for the extended deterrence for South Korea.  “It shows that the United States is taking seriously South Korea as a partner in all aspects of defense,” said Scott Snyder, president of Korea Economic Institute of America. Snyder told VOA’s Korean Service on Tuesday that the decision to employ a nuclear weapon should be made in a closely integrated manner between Seoul and Washington.  “If it’s not integrated, the alliance will fail,” he said.  He added that the decision will heavily depend on the U.S. inclination.   Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the Rand Corporation, told VOA’s Korean Service on Tuesday that it is difficult to see the U.S.-South Korea alliance as a “nuclear alliance.”  “If South Korea has been given a role in planning the nuclear options, yes, but the U.S. has been implying that that hasn’t occurred,” Bennett said.  “If they are a nuclear alliance, then it ought to describe in what way it’s a nuclear alliance – is South Korea being included in planning how nuclear weapons will be used? That’s what President Yoon asked for. It’s not clear to me.” 

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez was convicted on Tuesday on all 16 criminal counts he faced, including bribery, at his corruption trial. The second day of the Republican National Convention focuses on immigration and crime. U.S. President Joe Biden is reportedly going to propose a major Supreme Court overhaul that would include term limits for justices.

The corruption trial of U.S. Senator Robert Menendez ends with guilty verdicts on all charges against him. Aron Ranen reports from New York City.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

A Pew Research Center survey finds most people recognize China’s economic influence in their country, but are divided on whether that influence is good. The poll also finds more people in the U.S. view China’s economic influence negatively compared to other countries. Michael Baturin reports. Camera: Elizabeth Lee.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.