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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced Tuesday that his country would send two dozen soldiers and police officers to Haiti this week to boost a United Nations-backed mission led by Kenya to fight violent gangs. The 20 soldiers and four police officers are scheduled to arrive Thursday and will join nearly 400 Kenyan police who arrived earlier this year and are working alongside Haitian police and military, said Vice Admiral Antonette Wemyss-Gorman, chief of defense staff for Jamaica's military. The Jamaicans will be responsible for providing command, planning and logistics support, Holness said at a news conference. Jamaica had pledged a total of 170 soldiers and 30 police officers, but Holness said it wasn't possible to deploy them all at once. "It's not practical," he said, adding that facilities to host those arriving and a command structure need to be in place before the full number pledged is deployed. "We want a very successful operation." The initial number of police and soldiers announced by Holness surprised many and comes at a time when the U.S. government has warned that the Kenyan-led mission lacks money and personnel as it considers a U.N. peacekeeping mission as one way to secure more resources. In recent days, the U.N. and Ecuador circulated a draft resolution obtained by The Associated Press asking the U.N. to start planning for a peacekeeping operation to replace the current mission. Such a proposal would have to be decided by the U.N. Security Council, which experts do not believe would approve it. On Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said "it's very strange" that there is apparently no money available to support the Kenyan-led mission. "I think countries should assume responsibilities and should come and provide the necessary funding," he said. Holness did not comment on the possibility of a U.N. peacekeeping mission but said the current mission "can be a long and extended process." He added that the mission is not the only or final solution to problems in Haiti, where gangs control 80% of the capital of Port-au-Prince. The violence has spread to other areas across the country, with more than 3,200 people killed from January to May, according to the U.N. The ongoing violence also has left more than half a million people homeless in recent years. "Haiti is the example of what could happen if states and governments do not take the problem seriously and put in place the measures and resources necessary to bring the problem under control," Holness said. Overall, the mission is expected to have a total of 2,500 personnel, with the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin and Chad also pledging to send police and soldiers, although it wasn't clear when that would happen. On Saturday, the Bahamas' foreign affairs minister, Fred Mitchell, told reporters that while the government hasn't wavered in its pledge, it's unclear when it will deploy troops to Haiti given that the mission's dynamics have changed. "One of the things the Bahamas has to consider is the new position of the U.S.," he said. The mission is expected to cost roughly $600 million a year, although the U.N. has received only $68 million out of $85 million pledged so far. The U.S. and Canada have provided most of the funds.

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.

In the Himalayan mountains of northern India, thousands of dairy farmers face a crisis during winter due to shortage of fodder. Now an affordable animal feed developed by scientists is helping them tide over the months when the land is snowbound and raise the productivity of their cattle. Anjana Pasricha has this story. Videographer: Rakesh Kumar

State Department — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy addressed Indo-Pacific security and highlighted the need to maintain the status quo on the Taiwan Strait during their U.S.-U.K. Strategic Dialogue, underscoring its global significance.  “We also discussed joint efforts to ensure peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and freedom of navigation and overflight of the South China Sea. For both of us, maintaining peace and stability, preserving the status quo is essential,” Blinken told reporters during a joint press conference with Lammy in London.  "It's essential not just to us; it’s, again, essential to countries all around the world," Blinken added.     U.S. officials have stressed the need to keep open high-level communication between Washington and Beijing to clear up misperceptions and prevent their competition from escalating into conflict.  Earlier this week, the United States and China held theater-level commander talks for the first time in an effort to stabilize military relations.  The video teleconference Monday, between Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and General Wu Yanan, commander of the People's Liberation Army's Southern Theater Command, was aimed at preventing misunderstandings, particularly in regional hotspots like the South China Sea.   According to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral Paparo emphasized the Chinese military’s responsibility to adhere to international laws and norms to ensure operational safety.   “Paparo also urged the PLA to reconsider its use of dangerous, coercive, and potentially escalatory tactics in the South China Sea and beyond.”  In Beijing, China’s Ministry of National Defense issued a press release Tuesday stating the two commanders exchanged views on matters of mutual concern, but did not provide further details about the discussion.  Washington has been seeking to establish new channels for regular military communication with Beijing after relations hit a historic low when the U.S. downed a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon last year.  The theater-level commander talks differ from the broader discussions between U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs, which cover all strategic issues impacting both nations, Ryan Haas, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, told VOA.  The theater-level talks provide a platform for more focused discussions on operational issues, crisis management, and deconfliction at an operator-to-operator level, added Haas, a former senior official on the White House National Security Council from 2013 to 2017.  The virtual meeting between Paparo and Wu followed a meeting last month in Beijing, where U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s top military adviser agreed to the talks.

Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir  — New political parties formed after the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special autonomy five years ago appear to be bleeding support ahead of the first regional elections since then. Analysts see perceived ties to the central government in New Delhi as a factor. Typical of the trend is former lawmaker Noor Mohammad Sheikh, who recently resigned from the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party, or JKAP, a political group he had joined a few years ago in Indian-administrated Kashmir. Established in 2020 by Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, a businessman-turned-politician, and Ghulam Hassan Mir, a veteran politician from north Kashmir, JKAP aimed to build a bridge between the local population and New Delhi after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reduced the Himalayan region to a federally controlled territory in August 2019. Bukhari and Mir successfully recruited over 50 politicians, including Sheikh, from various pro-India parties, giving JKAP a promising start. The party was expected to reshape the political landscape of the region by challenging the dominance of the two main parties — the National Conference, or NC, and the People’s Democratic Party, or PDP. “Bukhari took the initiative to engage with the government of India during a time of complete silence in the Kashmir Valley,” Sheikh told VOA. “I chose to join the party because I believed I could represent my people when no one else was doing so.” JKAP, however, suffered an abrupt downfall after a disappointing performance during Indian general elections held earlier this year. With the announcement of the first assembly elections since Indian Kashmir became a union territory scheduled to begin September 18, JKAP began to unravel. Core members of the group started leaving one after another, causing the party to fragment. “My workers did not support me, so I chose to leave the [JKAP] after three years,” Sheikh said. “My supporters and I held a protest on August 5, and on that very day I decided to contest the election as an independent candidate.” Noor Ahmad Baba, a prominent Srinagar-based political analyst and professor, told VOA that the central government tried to reshape the politics in Kashmir from above by promoting new political groups in the region, but they couldn’t push aside traditional parties, especially the NC. “It’s hard to achieve such goals in a country like India. Even a dictator wouldn’t be able to do it. Over time, people have become more politically aware and can analyze things and respond accordingly,” Baba said. “The parliamentary elections indicated that building a new political party takes time and sacrifices and cannot be imposed from above.” Multiple parties that formed after the region lost its semiautonomous status have faced similar challenges. The Democratic Progressive Azad Party, established by former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in September 2022, has lost over a dozen lawmakers, including co-founder Taj Mohiuddin. Azad, once a close aide to India’s opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, faced criticism from the locals who suspect that he, like lawmakers among other regional upstart parties, has a covert alliance with Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. The suspicion was fueled by Modi’s praise for Azad following his exit from the Indian National Congress. Azad, however, dismisses these claims as attempts to undermine his new political role. Similarly, the much longer established Jammu Kashmir Peoples Conference, or JKPC, led by separatist-turned-mainstream politician Sajad Lone, is losing ground. Many attribute its decline to Lone’s alleged closeness to Modi. Many politicians who left these upstart parties are now running as independent candidates. They say that elections attract “new combinations and shifting allegiances.” “I left JKPC for my own survival,” Nizam Ud Din Bhat, a former lawmaker from north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, told VOA. “My voters and workers wanted me to contest election from my home district as an independent candidate.” Muzamil Maqbool, another analyst and a political commentator, believes that public pressure has forced many individuals to run independently. “People like the work done by some of these candidates but they do not like the political party they represented,” he said. “However, we cannot ignore the fact that these independent candidates could join hands with any leading political party in the assembly elections by October this year,” he said. “Horse trading in politics is not a new thing and in Kashmir; it is often the only way for politicians to secure their future and survive.” Professor Baba believes that those who switched parties during tough times and aligned with New Delhi may face difficulties. “People now understand that such individuals are motivated by a desire to cling to power,” Baba said. “I believe it might cost them in the upcoming elections.” JKAP co-founder Hassan Mir told VOA that emotional politics played by other parties has impacted people for decades. “Every political party is referred to by various names, but if the vision and agenda are clear, it’s crucial to persuade people regardless of the labels attached,” he said. “Some members departed because they sought power and realized we couldn’t provide it while others left due to unmet expectations regarding their mandates.” Wasim Nabi contributed to this story.

washington — Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville is blocking the quick promotion of the top military aide to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin over concerns that he and other senior staff did not immediately notify President Joe Biden when Austin was hospitalized with complications from cancer treatment earlier this year.  Biden in July nominated Lieutenant General Ronald Clark to become commander of U.S. Army forces in the Pacific. But Clark has faced criticism from Republicans over his role as one of Austin's top aides when the defense secretary was in the hospital in January and did not tell Biden or other U.S. leaders.  Republicans said the fact that Biden was kept in the dark about Austin not being in command for days could have meant confusion or delays in military action, even though decision-making authorities had been transferred to the deputy defense secretary.  Tuberville's hold comes a year after he came under intense criticism from colleagues in both parties for holding up hundreds of military promotions over a Pentagon abortion policy. The Senate finally approved 425 military promotions and nominations in November after Tuberville relented.  Republican colleagues said they agreed with Tuberville on the abortion policy but openly pressured him to drop the holds, voicing concern about military readiness and the toll it was taking on service members and their families who had nothing to do with the regulations.  A spokeswoman for Tuberville, Hannah Eddins, said Tuesday that the senator has concerns about Clark's role during Austin's hospitalization, including that he did not inform Biden. She said that Tuberville is waiting on an a report from the Pentagon's inspector general that will review the matter.  "As a senior commissioned officer, Lieutenant General Clark's oath requires him to notify POTUS when the chain of command is compromised," Eddins said, using an acronym for the president of the United States.  Majority Democrats could still bring Clark's nomination up for a vote, but Tuberville's hold likely delays his confirmation because several days of floor time would be needed to confirm him. The nomination will expire with the end of the congressional session and the next president would have to renominate Clark or someone else to the post if he is not confirmed by early January.  Pentagon spokesperson James Adams said that Tuberville's new hold, which was first reported by The Washington Post, "undermines our military readiness."  "Lt. Gen. Clark is highly qualified and was nominated for this critical position because of his experience and strategic expertise," Adams said in a statement. "We urge the Senate to confirm all of our qualified nominees."  Austin has come under bipartisan criticism for initially keeping Biden in the dark about his health issues and hospitalization. Austin was admitted to intensive care for complications from prostate cancer surgery on January 1, but the White House was not told until January 4. Austin's senior staff were notified on January 2.  The defense secretary later said he takes full responsibility and had apologized to Biden. Still, Austin insisted that there were no gaps in control of the department or the nation's security because "at all times, either I or the deputy secretary was in a position to conduct the duties of my office."  An earlier Pentagon review of the matter blamed privacy restrictions and staff hesitancy for the secrecy, and called for improved procedures, which have been made.  The White House also laid out a new set of guidelines to ensure it will be informed any time a Cabinet head cannot carry out their job. The new guidelines include a half-dozen instructions for Cabinet agencies to follow when there is a "delegation of authority," or when secretaries temporarily transfer their authority to a deputy when unreachable due to medical issues, travel or other reasons. 

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.

Dozens killed or injured in an Israeli missile strike on a crowded tent camp with displaced Palestinians who had fled from fighting elsewhere in the country. The Israeli military said the strike on a Hamas command center. And what an Israeli expert who just met with hostage families on their anguish over efforts to bring them home. And Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will come face to face to square off in their first presidential debate. The U.S. calls on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro needs to release data from July's disputed election to address global concerns about its validity.

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.

Harare, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe’s government has introduced hefty fines of up to $5,000 for poor service in the country's telecommunications industry. In a statement Tuesday, Zimbabwe’s ICT Minister Tatenda Mavetera said the government will levy fines of between $200 and $5,000 per infringement for telecommunications companies and internet providers who fail to give reliable service. Willard Shoko, an independent high-speed internet consultant, said the new fines could result in a solid telecom industry that can compete in the entire southern African region. “The motive behind that is to improve internet for the end user. But I think they should also consider improving the infrastructure sharing and also collaboration to improve internet, not only for the region but also for Zimbabwe, because this is the foundation of the digital economy,” Shoko said. “I think they should also think about how the internet can be improved and the partnership that can help improve the internet.” Fungai Mandiveyi, media and corporate affairs executive at Econet Wireless, Zimbabwe’s biggest telecommunications company, said the new regulations will be easier to comply with than those that existed before. “The new provisions introduce a new model of penalties, unlike the blanket penalty that existed in the previous statutory instrument,” Mandiveyi said. “The new penalties are now linked to specific quality of service breaches, that have also been clearly spelled out. There is now more clarity in what constitutes a service breach, and what penalty goes with a specific breach of the quality of service.” However, Christopher Musodza, an independent digital policy consultant, said the pressure to maintain internet service during Zimbabwe’s frequent power outages may present challenges for telecom companies. “For the telecoms provider, it’s going to be tough,” he said. “The economy is not performing as anyone would want. We have got issues to do with long hours of load shedding, so service providers have to power their base stations for long hours to ensure that they meet the key performance indicators. So, imagine running generators for most of the day to ensure that you avoid a fine. (I’m) not sure what will cost more; trying to keep up with these economic factors or just paying the fine.” Zimbabweans have long complained about poor and expensive telecommunication service. Shoko said that is the reason they are welcoming the government's decision this month to approve Starlink’s license to operate in Zimbabwe. The U.S.-based satellite company, owned by Elon Musk, has established a presence in several other African countries, including Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Zambia. “They can now easily get internet anywhere in Zimbabwe at an affordable price, thereby bridging the digital divide. That’s one major thing for the end user,” Shoko said of Starlink’s presence. “For the local ISPs [internet service providers], there is massive opportunity that Zimbabwe can take advantage of — investment in ground infrastructure,” he added. “Currently in Africa, Nigeria has only two ground stations that are servicing the whole of Africa. If the Zimbabwe government and local ISPs can work together with Starlink to provide ground stations in Zimbabwe, this will allow local ISPs to provide internet to Starlink, and provide better latencies in the region. So this will improve Starlink internet for local Zimbabweans, as well as the region.”

Thousands of revelers gathered in New Mexico to set ablaze a 15-meter-tall effigy stuffed with personal regrets and gloomy thoughts. Gustavo Martínez Contreras has our story from Santa Fe, where the festive conflagration turned 100 years old.

Bangkok/Surin, Thailand — Rural voters may have permanently turned away from the Shinawatra family and its Pheu Thai party, former loyalists warn, after Thailand’s dominant political clan welcomed a fresh cohort of conservative one-time rivals into its coalition Cabinet. These include prominent royalists who have backed coups and deadly crackdowns on the Red Shirt protest movement, which emerged to protest a 2006 coup that deposed then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Tycoons and royalist generals have fought for two decades for control of the country’s politics and the economic spoils. In that time, political violence has claimed the lives of scores, if not hundreds, of people in clashes between rival factions. Red Shirts paid the highest price during a 2010 army crackdown on their rallies in Bangkok. Rivalry at the top has been set aside — for now — by a government led by Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of divisive billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra, who still wields vast influence over Thai politics despite having no formal role. Now, many Red Shirts say they feel abandoned by Thaksin, a figurehead they once adored. “I used to feel sorry for Thaksin for all the things the establishment did to him and his family. But now that they’ve betrayed us, I’m heartsick,” said Napassorn Boonree, 61, a Red Shirt from Ubon Ratchathani, recalling the 2010 crackdown by security forces on demonstrators in Bangkok. “People died for [the Shinawatra family], but they no longer care for us. Now we see their true colors. They’ve done everything all along only for their own gain.” Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s government has a new mission: to defeat the new reform movement which won the last polls in 2023 and has become the biggest threat to the political and economic interests of the establishment since Thaksin himself won his first election in 2001. The Move Forward Party was blocked from taking control of the government and subsequently dissolved by a court ruling. Its key executives were banned from politics. But it has been rebranded as the People’s Party and is determined to win the 2027 election. Too late for Pheu Thai? Thaksin’s daughter, Thailand’s youngest premier at age 38, is due to give her first policy briefing on September 12. She is expected to announce a timeframe for cash handouts of 10,00 baht ($295) to 50 million citizens alongside debt-reduction plans, hoping to renew faith in Pheu Thai among a poor, rural base who once voted unquestioningly for any Shinawatra candidate. But it may be too late. Red Shirts “will express their disappointment at the ballot box,” predicted Thida Thavornseth on Thai TV, describing the “merger” between Pheu Thai and its former enemies as the same as a business deal between tycoons. In any case, Paetongtarn’s government first must survive to contest the next polls. Coming into office after the shock court dismissal of predecessor Srettha Thavisin in an ethics probe last month, Paetongtarn will have to deal with powerful establishment enemies accumulated by her family over the years. “Having Shinawatra as a last name is always a danger. ... The name is synonymous with political conflict in modern Thai history,” said Stithorn Thananithichot, director of the Office of Innovation for Democracy at King Prajadhipok's Institute. Thaksin was deposed in a 2006 coup, and the administration of his sister Yingluck was taken out by the army in 2014. Srettha last month joined a growing list of Shinawatra-backed premiers to be picked off by the conservative courts. “We are seeing enemies becoming allies against a bigger threat — [the] People’s Party. The conservative elite has no other option than to use Thaksin’s service,” Stithorn told VOA. But Paetongtarn has “to move fast,” he warned, to prove her government can win over an electorate burned by the seeming betrayal of their shifting alliances. A by-election on September 15 for a seat vacated by a banned Move Forward member may provide an early test of Pheu Thai’s popularity. Money problems Throughout villages of northeastern and northern Thailand, household debt is commonly sky high, and many working-age adults have migrated to cities or overseas for jobs that pay more than farm work. The COVID pandemic sank Thailand’s most vulnerable deeper into financial trouble. Previous Shinawatra governments gave generous farm subsidies, better education and access to basic healthcare and were rewarded with landslide poll victories in 2001, 2005 and 2011. Former Red Shirt Singthong Chaichuay says he is so tired of Thailand’s political turmoil that principles no longer matter. He just wants a better quality of life for the country’s poorest. “Thai people are very forgiving, and if our country is really moving forward, then I don’t have a problem which side Pheu Thai joins, even if it is with former enemies,” the 61-year-old told VOA from his village in Surin, near the Cambodian border. “Whoever can make our lives better is the answer for us now.” But there is a divergence with younger people. In the 2023 election, they voted in vast numbers for Move Forward, taking seats from Pheu Thai across what was once home ground for Shinawatra-linked lawmakers. “During Thaksin times, it was the golden era for farmers. Everyone was driving new tractors, the price of rice was also high,” said Chatupat Sriwong, 31, who like many of her peers leaves her young child to be raised at home while working abroad. “Fast forward to today … and we’re developing very little here. My only focus now is to make money and that means working overseas because there’s no way I can do that here.”

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.

Nairobi, Kenya — Central banks in Africa are turning to gold to protect themselves from economic and geopolitical instability and to diversify their financial portfolios. In September 2023, the price of gold per ounce was $1,900. A year later, it is selling for $2,500. According to the World Gold Council, an international trade association for the gold industry, demand for the metal is expected to increase in the next 10 months despite the soaring prices. Some experts, such as Carlos Lopes, a professor at the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance in South Africa, attribute the African central banks’ gold rush to the need to protect their local currencies. "In the last few years, because of inflation and all these movements for stimulation packages and the rest, the returns are extremely low,” Lopes said. “On the other hand, gold is going up in terms of price because these big banks are also going after gold as a protection. So, it is a very good investment to go to gold." It helps that African gold production has grown by 60% since 2010, according to the World Gold Council, higher than a global increase of 26%. In 2022, Zimbabwe launched a gold-backed currency to curb inflation and volatility in foreign exchange rates. Ghana and Uganda have been buying gold from artisanal miners to bolster their shrinking foreign currency reserves. Ghana, Africa's largest gold producer, plans to buy oil from other countries and pay them in gold to ease pressure on local currency and lower high fuel prices. Some economists say gold cannot solve the economic problems of some African countries. According to the World Gold Council, countries should hold onto gold for its long-term value, performance during crises and its role as an effective portfolio diversifier. Bright Oppong Afum, a senior lecturer at the University of Mines and Technology in Ghana, said some African countries want to use gold to reduce their reliance on the global financial system. "If sanctions are laid on you, an African country, we know the devastating effects that it will have,” he said. “The African countries are developing, or they are young, and they do not want to receive some harsh sanctions that will negatively or strongly impact the economics. And because of that, they are strategically reducing their dependencies on these external countries." Afum said that although some Africans know and understand the value of gold, many trade away the metal to satisfy their daily needs. "So, they just find a mere buyer who will ... exploit them,” he said. The African Continental Free Trade Area introduced the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System, enabling countries to trade in local currencies. Experts say some continental payment systems, if implemented, can ease the economic pressures some countries are grappling with. That, in turn, might make them less dependent on gold.

Taipei, Taiwan — Russia and China are holding a series of joint military naval and air force exercises this month in a bid to deepen ties and counter increased security coordination between the United States and its allies in the Indo-Pacific region, analysts say.  “Russia wants to demonstrate that they can engage in a full-scale war with Ukraine while deploying resources to the Indo-Pacific region and China wants to show that they can deepen its relationship with Russia and cause problems in the region, primarily in the South China Sea but also around Japan,” said Stephen Nagy, a regional security expert at the International Christian University in Japan.   On Monday, the Chinese defense ministry said both countries would conduct joint naval and aerial exercises aimed at deepening bilateral strategic cooperation and strengthening their ability to respond to security threats in the waters and airspace near the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk.  In addition to the joint exercise near Japan, the Chinese defense ministry said Chinese and Russian naval fleets will conduct their fifth joint patrol in the Pacific Ocean and take part in the "Ocean 2024" strategic exercise held by Russia. On Tuesday, the Moscow Times reported that the weeklong exercise had begun and would last from September 10 to 16.  “Russia hopes to increase pressure on the United States on the Pacific front through the joint military exercise with China, which may force Washington to reduce its military deployment to Europe,” said Lin Ying-yu, a military expert at Tamkang University in Taiwan.   On the other hand, he added that China hopes to divert Japan’s attention from waters near the Taiwan Strait through its closer military partnership with Russia.   “Japan will have to prioritize threats to their security so they won’t have more bandwidth to focus on the situation across the Taiwan Strait,” Lin told VOA in a phone interview.   China and Russia’s increased military cooperation near Japan in recent years has prompted Tokyo to characterize their joint activities as a “grave concern.” “These repeated joint activities are clearly intended for demonstration of force against Japan and are a grave concern from the perspective of the national security of Japan,” the Japanese defense ministry wrote in its annual defense white paper, which was released in July.   For now, Nagy said Japan is more concerned with how the military cooperation may evolve, adding that there are still limits to what the two can do together when they conduct exercises.   “Japan will be concerned about whether the coordination between China and Russia will be used to destabilize sea lines of communication, to prop up North Korea, or to move towards some kind of forced reunification with Taiwan,” he told VOA in a phone interview. “The Russians and Chinese will sail beside each other, fly next to each other, or coordinate how their boats move around but they haven’t developed interoperability and inter-command.”  Enhancing logistics, communication collaboration  While there are limits to their cooperation, other analysts say Russia and China will still use joint military exercises to enhance their cooperation in logistics, such as exchanging parts, fuel, or services or sharing data or communication channels.   “The ability for the Chinese and Russian armies to better understand one another and better support each other in the field is an important capability to develop for both countries,” Drew Thompson, a visiting senior research fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore, told VOA by phone.   In addition to that, Lin in Taipei said China could also enhance its forces’ combat capabilities through joint military exercises with Russia since the Russian forces have accumulated real combat experiences from Moscow’s war in Ukraine.   “Since Russia’s navies have dealt with drone or anti-ship missile attacks launched by Ukraine, the Chinese navy could learn about how to deal with similar attacks in a potential war across the Taiwan Strait from their Russian counterparts,” he told VOA.   Pushing back against NATO   China and Russia’s upcoming military exercise near Japan is part of their growing efforts to push back against the United States and NATO allies. Since July, Beijing and Moscow have held at least three joint military drills in different parts of the world, including the South China Sea, the skies off coastal Alaska, and the Gulf of Finland.   “These increased military drills all over the world are part of Beijing and Moscow’s efforts to counter the deepening defense coordination between the U.S. and its allies, both in Europe and in the Pacific,” Sari Arho Havren, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, told VOA in a phone interview.   Despite their attempt to challenge the U.S. and NATO through closer military cooperation, Nagy said China and Russia are unlikely to let their partnership escalate out of proportion.   “Russia and China will continue to reciprocate what the U.S. and its allies are doing, but not escalate since Beijing wants to maintain its narrative to the Global South that they are not a hegemonic power,” he told VOA.  On Tuesday, Chinese authorities said the United States and China held theater-level commander talks for the first time when Admiral Sam Paparo, head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, held a video telephone call with his counterpart Wu Yanan of the Southern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army. The Indo-Pacific Command focuses on enhancing security and stability in the Asia Pacific region and hotspots including the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait. 

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London — The United States and Britain formally accused Iran on Tuesday of supplying short-range ballistic missiles to Russia to use in the war in Ukraine, and said they will take measures to punish those involved. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking alongside British Foreign Secretary David Lammy during a visit to London, said that sanctions would be announced later Tuesday. "Russia has now received shipments of these ballistic missiles and will likely use them within weeks in Ukraine, against Ukrainians," Blinken said. "The supply of Iranian missiles enables Russia to use more of its arsenal for targets that are further from the front line." It comes as Blinken and Lammy are preparing to make a joint visit Wednesday to Ukraine, where they will meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other senior officials to discuss bolstering the country's defenses. The Kremlin is trying to repel Ukraine's surprise offensive that has claimed hundreds of miles of territory in Russia's Kursk region. The accusations about Iranian missiles could embolden Zelenskyy to further ramp up pressure on the U.S. and other allies to allow Ukraine to use Western-supplied missiles to strike deep inside Russia and hit sites from which Moscow launches aerial attacks. President Joe Biden has allowed Ukraine to fire U.S.-provided missiles across the border into Russia in self-defense but largely limited the distance over concerns about further escalating the conflict. That has not stopped Ukraine from using its own weapons to hit targets deeper in Russia, launching on Tuesday one of the biggest drone attacks on Russian soil in the 2 1/2-year war that targeted multiple regions including Moscow. The rare joint visit to Kyiv was, unusually, announced in advance, in a public signal of U.S-.U.K. support for Ukraine ahead of what's likely to be a brutal winter of Russian attacks. It will be followed by a meeting at the White House on Friday between Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with support for Ukraine's defense on the agenda. Asked whether the U.S. would allow weapons it supplied to strike targets in Russia, Blinken said all use of weapons needed to be allied to a strategy. He said one goal of the joint visit this week "is to hear directly from the Ukrainian leadership, including … President Zelenskyy, about exactly how the Ukrainians see their needs in this moment, toward what objectives, and what we can do to support those needs." "All I can tell you is we will be listening intently to our Ukrainian partners, we will both be reporting back to the prime minister, to President Biden in the coming days and I fully anticipate this is something they will take up when they meet on Friday," he said. Word of the alleged transfers from Iran began to emerge over the weekend with reports that U.S. intelligence indicated they were underway, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity. Lammy called the missile transfers part of "a troubling pattern that we're seeing. It is definitely a significant escalation." Iran has denied providing Russia with weapons for its war in Ukraine. "Iran considers the provision of military assistance to the parties engaged in the conflict — which leads to increased human casualties, destruction of infrastructure, and a distancing from ceasefire negotiations — to be inhumane," according to a recent statement from Iran's mission to the United Nations. The U.S. and its allies have been warning Iran for months not to transfer ballistic missiles to Russia. CIA Director William Burns, who was in London on Saturday for a joint appearance with his British intelligence counterpart, warned of the growing and "troubling" defense relationship involving Russia, China, Iran and North Korea that he said threatens both Ukraine and Western allies in the Middle East. The White House has repeatedly declassified and publicized intelligence findings that show North Korea has sent ammunition and missiles to Russia to use against Ukraine, while Iran also supplies Moscow with attack drones and has assisted the Kremlin with building a drone-manufacturing factory. China has held back from providing Russians with weaponry but has surged sales to Russia of machine tools, microelectronics and other technology that Moscow in turn is using to produce missiles, tanks, aircraft and other weaponry, according to U.S. officials.

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