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London — A British woman who died after being exposed to the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok was unwittingly caught up in an "illegal and outrageous international assassination attempt," a public inquiry was told on Monday. Dawn Sturgess, a 44-year-old mother of three children, died in July 2018 after spraying herself with what she thought was perfume from a discarded bottle containing the deadly chemical weapon. Her death followed a failed poison attack against former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, southwest England. The U.K. government has said it was "highly likely" Russia was behind the plot. Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on a bench in Salisbury in March 2018. They survived after intensive hospital treatment and now live under protection. At the start of public hearings into Sturgess's death in Salisbury, inquiry lawyer Andrew O'Connor said the perfume bottle contained enough Novichok to poison "thousands" of people. "It's no exaggeration to say the circumstances of Dawn Sturgess's death were extraordinary," he told the hearing. "When Ms Sturgess was poisoned by Novichok four months after the Skripal poisoning, the real possibility emerged that she had been caught — an innocent victim — in the crossfire of an illegal and outrageous international assassination attempt," he added. U.K. authorities believe that agents targeting the Skripals threw the perfume bottle away, making the two cases "inextricably interwoven". The attempt to kill Skripal, on whom Russian President Vladimir Putin had sworn vengeance, plunged London-Moscow relations to a new low. Britain blames the Novichok attack on two Russian security service officers who allegedly entered the country using false passports. A third has been named as the operation's mastermind. All three are thought to be members of the GRU Russian intelligence agency. Russia, whose constitution does not allow extradition, has denied involvement and dismissed the inquiry as a "circus." Six years on, relations between the countries — already hit by claims that Russia was behind the 2006 radiation poisoning of former agent Alexander Litvinenko — remain in deep freeze. The Sturgess inquiry will include closed sessions to investigate "private material" and intelligence related to the case. The Skripals will not give live evidence due to safety concerns. Sturgess's family was "particularly concerned" about whether the U.K. government had taken appropriate steps to protect the Skripals and the wider public from collateral damage, according to O'Connor. International arrest warrants have been issued for the suspects, but Theresa May, who was prime minister at the time of the attack, warned justice was unlikely. She told the BBC last week that she hoped the inquiry would help "the family and friends of Dawn Sturgess feel it has got to the truth." But "closure to all the people affected would only finally come with justice, and that justice is highly unlikely to happen," May added.

ISLAMABAD  — Chinese Premier Li Qiang began a four-day visit to Pakistan under tight security Monday for bilateral talks and to attend the heads of government meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) hosted in Islamabad this week. Pakistan is on high alert after a recent increase in deadly insurgent attacks nationwide, including a suicide car bomb attack in Karachi last week that targeted a Chinese convoy and resulted in the deaths of two Chinese engineers. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif received Li at a military air base outside the Pakistani capital before the two led their respective teams’ delegations to review bilateral trade and progress on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Popularly known as CPEC, the Chinese-funded multibillion-dollar bilateral project is a key extension of President Xi Jinping’s global Belt and Road Initiative. The Pakistani government has declared a three-day public holiday in Islamabad and the adjoining garrison city of Rawalpindi. Schools and businesses are closed, and troops and paramilitary forces have been deployed to ensure “foolproof security arrangements” for the Li visit and the two-day SCO summit starting Tuesday. Officials said Li is also expected to virtually inaugurate the CPEC-built international airport in Gwadar, a coastal city housing a Chinese-controlled deep-water port on the Arabian Sea. Neither side has commented on the reason for the virtual inauguration, but diplomatic sources cited heightened security concerns, particularly following the Karachi attack. Li is the first Chinese premier to visit Islamabad in 11 years, with the Sharif administration saying the visit will help advance the development of CPEC and facilitate Chinese business expansion in the South Asian nation. China has invested nearly $25 billion over the past decade under CPEC, building large-scale infrastructure development projects in Pakistan, such as roads, highways, power plants, the Gwadar seaport, and the airport. However, critics are skeptical about whether the Chinese side would be keen to expand its business investments under CPEC, citing growing security threats to Chinese workers in Pakistan, among other challenges. Militant attacks have killed at least 21 Chinese nationals since 2017. Last week’s Karachi suicide bombing of Chinese engineers associated with a CPEC power plant prompted Beijing to ask its citizens not to visit Balochistan and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Both sit on Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan and witness almost daily insurgent attacks. On Monday, at least three police officers were killed when Islamist insurgents stormed a district police headquarters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Authorities said that three assailants were also killed in the ensuing exchange of fire. Turning point Mushahid Hussain, a former senator and head of the Islamabad-based Pakistan China Institute, cautioned that the latest deadly attack on Chinese nationals was a severe blow and could be a "turning point" for the “strategic partnership” between the two countries. “China has huge investments in strife-torn Nigeria and Congo, but never have we witnessed…murders of Chinese engineers and technicians… as we see these recurring in Pakistan,” Hussian noted. Hussian described the Karachi attack as a “blatant breach of security” and echoed Chinese calls for Pakistani authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice urgently. “China, our best friend, has been badly let down with their confidence shaken” despite Islamabad promising “foolproof security” for its Chinese guests, he stated. Separatist militant group the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the October 6th attack in Karachi, the capital of the southern Sindh province. The group has been waging deadly attacks in Balochistan, accusing China of helping Pakistan to exploit the region’s natural resources, charges both countries reject as unfounded. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told reporters Monday that their government was doing all it could to ensure the security of the Chinese nationals in Pakistan. He stated that recent attacks on Chinese workers, including the Karachi bombing, “are being probed, and the prime minister is personally looking into it.” In their post-attack meetings with Pakistani counterparts, Chinese officials appeared “furious” and pressed the host nation to “severely punish” the perpetrators and urgently enhance the security of Chinese nationals and projects, according to diplomatic sources privy to the discussions. Husnain Javed, a Beijing-based Pakistani researcher, told VOA that CPEC-related debt and capacity payments for Chinese-built coal-fired power plants are the main hurdles in moving the project forward. “Pakistan is looking to defer these payments for a period of 3 years with interest and penalty amount…We are far from CPEC phase 2,” he stated in written comments. Javed noted that growing security concerns for thousands of Chinese workers in Pakistan have added to the bilateral project challenges. “The recent attack, I think, is the final nail in the CPEC coffin as it heavily damaged the trust between the two countries…It's important to consider that these were no ordinary engineers,” the researcher noted. The Chinese foreign ministry said last week that a high-level team was sent to Islamabad after the attack. It “asked the Pakistani side to properly handle ensuing matters…conduct thorough investigations, bring all the perpetrators to justice, and step up security measures to ensure the safety and security of Chinese personnel, institutions and projects.”

OCEAN CITY, N.J. — For generations of vacationers heading to Ocean City, the towering “Giant Wheel” was the first thing they saw from miles away. The sight of the 140-foot-tall (42-meter) ride let them know they were getting close to the Jersey Shore town that calls itself “America's Greatest Family Resort,” with its promise of kid-friendly beaches, seagulls and sea shells, and a bustling boardwalk full of pizza, ice cream and cotton candy. And in the heart of it was Gillian’s Wonderland Pier, an amusement park that was the latest in nearly a century-long line of family-friendly amusement attractions operated by the family of Ocean City’s mayor. But the rides were to fall silent and still Sunday night, as the park run by Ocean City’s mayor and nurtured by generations of his ancestors, closed down, the victim of financial woes made worse by the lingering aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic and Superstorm Sandy. Gillian and his family have operated amusement rides and attractions on the Ocean City Boardwalk for 94 years. The latest iteration of the park, Wonderland, opened in 1965. “I tried my best to sustain Wonderland for as long as possible, through increasingly difficult challenges each year,” Mayor Jay Gillian wrote in August when he announced the park would close. “It's been my life, my legacy and my family. But it's no longer a viable business.” Gillian did not respond to numerous requests for comment over the past week. Sheryl Gross was at the park for its final day with her two children and five grandchildren, enjoying it one last time. “I've been coming here forever,” she said. “My daughter is 43 and I've been coming here since she was 2 years old in a stroller. Now I'm here with my grandchildren.” She remembers decades of bringing her family from Gloucester Township in the southern New Jersey suburbs of Philadelphia to create happy family memories at Wonderland. “Just the excitement on their faces when they get on the rides,” she said. “It really made it feel family-friendly. A lot of that is going to be lost now.” There were long lines Sunday for the Giant Wheel, the log flume and other popular rides as people used the last of ride tickets many had bought earlier in the year, thinking Wonderland would go on forever. A local non-profit group, Friends of OCNJ History and Culture, is raising money to try and save the amusement park, possibly under a new owner who might be more amenable to buying it with some financial assistance. Bill Merritt, one of the non-profit's leaders, said the group has raised over $1 million to help meet what could be a $20-million price tag for the property. “Ocean City will be fundamentally different without this attraction,” he said. “This town relies on being family-friendly. The park has rides targeted at kids; it's called ‘Wonderland’ for a reason.” The property's current owner, Icona Resorts, previously proposed a $150-million, 325-room luxury hotel elsewhere on Ocean City's boardwalk, but the city rejected those plans. The company's CEO, Eustace Mita, said earlier this year he would take at least until the end of the year to propose a use for the amusement park property. He bought it in 2021 after Gillian's family was in danger of defaulting on bank loans for the property. At a community meeting last month, Gillian said Wonderland could not bounce back from Superstorm Sandy in 2012, the pandemic in 2020 and an increase in New Jersey’s minimum wage that doubled his payroll costs, leaving him $4 million in debt. Mita put up funds to stave off a sheriff's sale of the property, and gave the mayor three years to turn the business around. That deadline expired this year. Mita did not respond to requests for comment. Merritt said he and others can't imagine Ocean City without Wonderland. “You look at it with your heart, and you say ‘You’re losing all the cherished memories and all the history; how can you let that go?'” he said. “And then you look at it with your head and you say, ‘They are the reason this town is profitable; how can you let that go?’”

Geneva — The head of the U.N. refugee agency warned on Monday that displacement crises in Lebanon and Sudan could worsen, but said tighter border measures were not the solution, calling them ineffective and sometimes unlawful. Addressing more than 100 diplomats and ministers in Geneva at UNHCR's annual meeting, Filippo Grandi said an unprecedented 123 million people are now displaced around the world by conflicts, persecution, poverty and climate change. "You might then ask: what can be done? For a start, do not focus only on your borders," he said, urging leaders instead to look at the reasons people are fleeing their homes. "We must seek to address the root causes of displacement, and work toward solutions," he said. "I beg you all that we continue to work — together and with humility — to seize every opportunity to find solutions for refugees." Without naming countries, Grandi said initiatives to outsource, externalize or even suspend asylum schemes were in breach of international law, and he offered countries help in finding fair, fast and lawful asylum schemes. Western governments are under growing domestic pressure to get tougher on asylum seekers and Grandi has previously criticized a plan by the former British government to transfer them to Rwanda. In the same speech he warned that in Lebanon, where more than one million people have fled their homes due to a growing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the situation could worsen further. "Surely, if airstrikes continue, many more will be displaced and some will also decide to move on to other countries.” He called for a drastic increase in support for refugees in Sudan's civil war, saying lack of resources was already driving them across the Mediterranean Sea and even across the Channel to Britain. "In this lethal equation, something has got to give. Otherwise, nobody should be surprised if displacement keeps growing, in numbers but also in geographic spread," he said. The UNHCR response to the crisis that aims to help a portion of the more than 11 million people displaced inside Sudan or in neighboring countries is less than 1/3 funded, Grandi said. The number of displaced people around the world has more than doubled in the past decade. Grandi, set to serve as high commissioner until Dec. 2025, said the agency's funding for this year had recently improved due to U.S. support but remained "well below the needs."

Chisinau, Moldova — For many Moldovans, President Maia Sandu has become a symbol of change as she seeks to chart a new pro-European path for the former Soviet Republic.   Since Moscow invaded Moldova's neighbor Ukraine, Sandu has lobbied for the West to support her country and hear its concerns that it could be the Kremlin's next target.   She is now running for a second term on October 20 after defeating a Moscow-backed incumbent in 2020.   Applying for Moldova to join the EU in 2022, Sandu, 52, has laid out wide-ranging reforms to fight graft and bring in investment.   In stirring speeches, she has warned of a tough but worthy road ahead for one of Europe's poorest countries, with a population of 2.6 million.   "Joining the European Union is Moldova's Marshall Plan," Sandu said in a speech last month, referring to the economic recovery plan put in place after World War II to rebuild Europe.   'Rollercoaster journey'   Born in the village of Risipeni near the Romanian border before Moldova gained independence in 1991, Sandu obtained a master's degree in international relations in Chisinau and another in public policy after studying at Harvard University in the United States.   After a stint in the economy ministry, she worked as an economist at the World Bank's office in Chisinau for more than seven years and later as an adviser of the executive director to the World Bank in Washington.   After two years in Washington, in 2012, she received an "unexpected" offer from Moldova's government to return and become education minister, kicking off what she has described as a "rollercoaster journey" that ended up in her becoming the country's first woman president.   "The resistance to change, the overwhelming problems in the education sector, the hate speech I was confronted with, all made my life really difficult," she recalled in a 2022 speech at Harvard University, describing how this built her "resilience."   In her drive to rid her country of corruption, Sandu founded her own party in 2016, the center-right Action and Solidarity Party (PAS).   "It took quite some thought and ultimately a leap of faith to go into politics, instead of choosing a different, quiet and comfortable career path," she said in her speech at Harvard.   She ran for president in 2016, but failed to win. In 2019, she was Moldova's prime minister before trying for the post of president again, this time defeating Moscow-backed incumbent Igor Dodon.    'Chance for Moldova'  Landlocked between Ukraine and EU member Romania, Moldova had long been divided over closer ties with the European Union or maintaining Soviet-era relations with Moscow.   When Sandu was elected president, her promises of honesty and competence resonated with many Moldovans following political crises and corruption scandals.   Sandu vowed balanced ties with the West and Russia, but relations with Moscow have increasingly soured since Russia invaded Ukraine, with Sandu accusing Moscow of meddling in her country's politics.    Fluent in Romanian, English and Russian, Sandu enjoys the "respect and recognition" of international leaders, according to Armand Gosu, a Romanian historian who specializes in former Soviet countries and Russia.   Sandu is "a huge chance for Moldova," he said, noting she was likely the first Moldovan leader "of such international stature."   Her critics accuse her of lobbying the West while having failed to manage the country's struggling economy and high inflation or to push forward judicial reforms.    Sandu has been able "to unite a large base of voters," but also "a relatively large core of disappointed people," Florent Parmentier, a political scientist at French political studies school Sciences Po, told AFP.    "The main criticism of her is regarding her ability to listen" to opposing views, he said. 

STOCKHOLM — The Nobel memorial prize in economics was awarded Monday to Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James A. Robinson for research into reasons why some countries succeed and others fail.  The Nobel memorial prize in economics was awarded Monday to Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James A. Robinson for research into differences in prosperity between nations.  The three economists "have demonstrated the importance of societal institutions for a country's prosperity," the Nobel committee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said at the announcement in Stockholm.  "Societies with a poor rule of law and institutions that exploit the population do not generate growth or change for the better. The laureates' research helps us understand why," it added.  Acemoglu and Johnson work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Robinson conducts his research at the University of Chicago.  "Reducing the vast differences in income between countries is one of our time's greatest challenges. The laureates have demonstrated the importance of societal institutions for achieving this," Jakob Svensson, Chair of the Committee for the Prize in Economic Sciences, said.  He said their research has provided "a much deeper understanding of the root causes of why countries fail or succeed."  Reached by the academy in Athens, Greece, where he is due to speak at a conference, Acemoglu said he was surprised and shocked by the award.  "You never expect something like this," he said.  The economics prize is formally known as the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. The central bank established it in 1968 as a memorial to Nobel, the 19th-century Swedish businessman and chemist who invented dynamite and established the five Nobel Prizes.  Though Nobel purists stress that the economics prize is technically not a Nobel Prize, it is always presented together with the others on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Nobel's death in 1896.  Nobel honors were announced last week in medicine, physics, chemistry, literature and peace. 

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea said Monday it has detected signs that North Korea is preparing to destroy the northern parts of inter-Korean roads no longer in use, as the rivals are embroiled in soaring tensions over North Korea's claim that South Korea flew drones over its territory. Destroying the roads would be in line with leader Kim Jong Un's push to cut off ties with South Korea, formally cement it as his country's principal enemy and abandon the North's decades-long objective to seek a peaceful Korean unification. South Korea's military said Monday that it was observing various activities in North Korea that appeared to be preparations for demolishing the roads, such as installing screens. "They have installed screens on the road and are working behind those screens, preparing to blow up the roads," Lee Sung Joon, spokesperson of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a briefing. He said the demolitions could be carried out as early as Monday. Lee said that the South Korean military believes that the North could also attempt to launch a space rocket, which is viewed by the U.N. as a banned test of long-range missile technology. Lee said North Korea may conduct unspecified "small provocations" to ramp up pressure on Seoul. It's not clear how much parts of the roads North Korea would destroy. The development comes as North Korea has recently accused South Korea of launching drones to drop propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang three times this month and threatened to respond with force if it happened again. South Korea has refused to confirm whether it sent drones but warned it would sternly punish North Korea if the safety of its citizens is threatened. In a statement Sunday, the North's Defense Ministry said that the military had ordered artillery and other army units near the border with South Korea to "get fully ready to open fire." The spokesperson said that the entire South Korean territory "might turn into piles of ashes" following the North's powerful attack. North Korea often releases warlike rhetoric when animosities with its rivals increase. Experts say it's highly unlikely for North Korea to launch full-scale, preemptive attacks as it military is outmatched by the combined U.S. and South Korean forces. Koo Byoungsam, a spokesperson of South Korea's Unification Ministry, said Monday that North Korea's accusation on South Korean drone flights was likely aimed at creating tensions to reinforce its internal unity while stoking instability in South Korea. Koo said North Korea cannot win what it wants from South Korea with threats and provocations. Some observers say anti-Pyongyang activists might have sent drones this month, but North Korea argues the South Korean government cannot still escape responsibility because it must have been aware of such moves. In 2022, South Korea sent surveillance drones across the border into North Korea after it accused North Korea of flying drones into South Korea for the first time in five years. Last week, North Korea said it will permanently block its border with South Korea and build front-line defense structures to cope with "confrontational hysteria" by South Korean and U.S. forces. It cited various military exercises in South Korea and the temporary deployments of powerful U.S. military assets in South Korea. South Korean officials said North Korea had already been adding anti-tank barriers, planting mines and reinforcing roads on its side of the border since earlier this year in a likely attempt to boost its front-line security posture and prevent its soldiers and citizens from defecting to South Korea. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest point in years, with North Korea continuing a run of provocative missile tests and South Korea and the U.S. expanding their military drills. Observers say North Korea could perform major weapons tests ahead of next month's U.S. presidential election to increase its leverage in future diplomacy with the Americans. In January, Kim Jong Un ordered the revision of North Korea's constitution to remove the goal of a peaceful Korean unification, formally designate South Korea as the country's "invariable principal enemy" and define the North's sovereign, territorial sphere. Kim's order stunned many North Korea watchers because it was seen as breaking away with his predecessors' long-cherished dreams of peacefully achieving a unified Korea on the North's terms. Experts say Kim likely aims to diminish South Korea's voice in the regional nuclear standoff and seek direct dealings with the U.S. They say Kim also likely hopes to diminish South Korean cultural influence and bolster his rule at home.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka closed schools in the capital Colombo and suburbs on Monday as heavy rains triggered floods in many parts of the island nation.  Heavy downpours over the weekend have wreaked havoc in many parts of the country, flooding homes, fields and roads. Three people drowned, while some 134,000 people have been affected by flooding, according to the country's Disaster Management Centre.  The center said rains and floods have damaged 240 houses and nearly 7,000 people have been evacuated. Authorities have cut electricity in some areas as a precaution.  Navy and army troops have been deployed to rescue victims and provide food and other essentials.  Local television channels showed flooded towns in the suburbs of Colombo. In some areas, waters reached the roofs of houses and shops.  Sri Lanka has been grappling with severe weather conditions since May, mostly caused by heavy monsoon rains. In June, 16 people died due to floods and mudslides. 

Kabul — Afghanistan's Taliban morality ministry pledged Monday to implement a law banning news media from publishing images of all living things, with journalists told the rule will be gradually enforced. "The law applies to all Afghanistan... and it will be implemented gradually" by persuading people images of living things are against Islamic law, spokesman for the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice Saiful Islam Khyber told AFP.  The Taliban government judiciary recently announced legislation formalising their strict interpretations of Islamic law imposed by the authorities since they swept to power in 2021. The law detailed several rules for news media, including banning the publication of images of all living things and ordering outlets not to mock or humiliate Islam, or contradict Islamic law. Aspects of the new law have not yet been strictly enforced, however, and Taliban officials continue to regularly post photos of people on social media.  Television and pictures of living things were banned across the country under the previous Taliban rule from 1996 to 2001, but a similar edict has so far not been broadly imposed since their return to power. 

Since 2019 the state of California officially celebrates Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead of the federally recognized Columbus Day, which falls on every second Monday in October. VOA’s Genia Dulot visited the celebration at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, that drew around 2,000 people.

HONG KONG — Eight animals were found dead in a Hong Kong zoo, the city's government said on Monday, a rare incident in the financial hub, with necropsy and laboratory tests arranged to find out the cause of deaths. The animals, a De Brazza’s monkey, one common squirrel monkey, three cotton-top tamarins and three white-faced sakis, were found dead at the city's Zoological and Botanical Gardens on Sunday, Hong Kong's Leisure and Cultural Services Department said in a statement. While awaiting test results, the mammals section of the zoo will be shut from Monday for disinfection and cleaning. "We will also closely monitor the health conditions of other animals. During this period, other facilities of the HKZBG will remain open," the statement said, using the abbreviation for the zoo and gardens. The zoo is the oldest park in the territory. Built in 1860, it houses around 158 birds, 93 mammals and 21 reptiles in about 40 enclosures.

Dozens injured in Hezbollah missile attack on Israel as cross-border attacks continue. The U.S. will send missile defense system and troops into Israel to help with Israel’s defense. All this as Iran says there is ‘no red line’ when it comes to defending its people and its interests. Psychiatrists show how election season might be bad for voters’ health, and at least one of the presidential candidates is trying to get people talking about their health and fitness. Russia is stepping up the nuclear posture in Belarus, and Bangladesh tries to heal.

TAIPEI — China's military started a new round of war games near Taiwan on Monday, saying it was a warning to the "separatist acts of Taiwan independence forces," and offered no date for when they may conclude.  Democratically governed Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, had been on alert for more war games since last week's national day speech by President Lai Ching-te, an address Beijing condemned after Lai said China had no right to represent Taiwan even as he offered to cooperate with Beijing.  The Chinese military's Eastern Theatre Command in a 5 a.m. statement said the "Joint Sword-2024B" drills were taking place in the Taiwan Strait and areas to the north, south and east of Taiwan.  "The drill also serves as a stern warning to the separatist acts of Taiwan independence forces. It is a legitimate and necessary operation for safeguarding state sovereignty and national unity," it said in a statement carried both in Chinese and English.  Taiwan's defense ministry expressed its strong condemnation of China's "irrational and provocative act," adding it had dispatched its own forces.  Lai's national day speech highlighted the current state of cross-strait relations, and the firm will to safeguard peace and stability and advocated future cooperation in coping with challenges like climate change, the ministry added.  "The Chinese communist's claim of 'picking quarrels and provoking trouble' is a complete departure from the truth," it added.  A senior Taiwan security official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation, said they believed China was practicing blockading Taiwanese ports and international shipping lanes as well as repelling the arrival of foreign forces.  China's held the "Joint Sword-2024A" drills for two days around Taiwan in May shortly after Lai took office, saying they were "punishment" for separatist content in his inauguration speech.  Lai has repeatedly offered talks with China but has been rebuffed. He says only Taiwan's people can decide their future and rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims. 

dijon, France — The International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV), a sort of "U.N. of wine" which brings together experts from the sector, called for "sustainable development" of the vine Sunday, following a ministerial meeting in France. "The effects of climate change amplify" the challenges facing the vine, stressed 37 members out of 50 participating in the meeting at the OIV headquarters in Dijon. The signatories encourage "biodiversity reservoirs, such as grape varieties and the entire ecosystem that surrounds them, by limiting soil erosion, capturing carbon ... and reducing waste," adds the ministerial declaration, the first in the history of the organization which is celebrating its centenary this year. The OIV has set itself the "objectives" of "supporting innovation, ambitious, resilient and sustainable cultural and oenological practices ... as well as biodiversity such as the conservation and use of diversity in the vine, the exploitation of new vine varieties and efficient water management." The "sustainability" of vines and wine also applies to "economic and social" matters, explained the director general of the OIV, New Zealander John Barker, at a news conference, stressing the need for the sector to adapt to the decline in wine consumption. Created on November 29, 1924, by eight countries (Spain, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal and Tunisia), the OIV today brings together 50 countries, covering 88% of world wine production, with the notable absence of the United States, which slammed the door in 2001, after the failure of its candidate for its presidency. China will become the 51st member state in November. The organization is not political but brings together technical and scientific experts who exchange information on the sector and try to harmonize standards at the international level.