World Briefing: August 22, 2024
Key mediator Egypt expressed skepticism Wednesday about the proposal meant to bridge gaps in cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas as more details emerged a day before negotiations were expected to resume in Cairo. The challenges around the so-called bridging proposal appeared to undermine the optimism for an imminent agreement that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken carried into his latest Mideast visit this week. Diplomatic efforts have redoubled as fears grow of a wider regional war after the recent targeted killings of leaders of the militant Hamas and Hezbollah groups, both blamed on Israel, and threats of retaliation. President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, and stressed the urgency of reaching a cease-fire and hostage release deal, the White House said. Officials in Egypt, in its unique role as both a mediator and affected party since it borders Gaza, told The Associated Press that Hamas won’t agree to the bridging proposal for a number of reasons — ones in addition to the long-held wariness over whether a deal would truly remove Israeli forces from Gaza and end the war. - AP
Ahead of a visit to Ukraine, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for an early return to peace and stability and said he will “share perspectives” on a peaceful resolution of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Modi will travel to Kyiv on Friday after visiting Poland. He will hold talks with Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy weeks after a visit by the Indian prime minister to its longstanding partner Moscow drew sharp criticism from the Ukrainian leader. Modi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in July on a day when Russian missiles struck multiple targets including a children’s hospital in Kyiv killing many civilians. The Indian leader had called the death of children heart-wrenching, but images of Modi hugging Putin were embarrassing, according to analysts. - VOA
The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog is to visit an atomic power station in Kursk, south-west Russia, saying he is taking “very seriously” the risk that the facility could be damaged during Ukraine’s incursion into the region. Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the Financial Times in an interview that the Kursk plant was “technically within artillery range” of Ukrainian positions. “And since there is combat, I’m very concerned.” Grossi said he would visit Kursk next week to talk to its managers and gather any evidence of whether it had already been targeted. He also wanted to assess the state of external power supply and access routes to the plant, noting the recent Ukrainian destruction of bridges across the Seym river in the west of the region. Ukrainian forces have advanced to positions some 30km from the station, according to military analysts and open source intelligence, putting it within range of their rocket artillery and western-supplied howitzers. Kyiv has said little about its objectives for the audacious incursion, beyond establishing a buffer zone to protect its border regions and strengthening its position for possible future peace negotiations. - FT
In the spring of this year, Moscow’s new military appointee overseeing security in the Kursk province dismantled a council tasked with protecting the vulnerable border region. Col. Gen. Alexander Lapinsaid the military alone had the strength and the resources to protect Russia’s border, according to an official in Russian security services. That plan left yet another hole in Russia’s weak border defenses, which crumbled earlier this month when Ukrainian troops executed a lightning offensive across the border into Kursk. Ukrainian troops crossed the border to find Russian troops in disarray. They surged ahead and now say they occupy more than 400 square miles of Russian territory - WSJ
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris' election effort has raised around $500 million since she became the Democratic presidential candidate, sources told Reuters, an unprecedented money haul that reflects donor enthusiasm going into the Nov. 5 election. Four sources familiar with the fundraising effort told Reuters that figure had been banked for Harris in the four weeks since she jumped into the race on July 21. The FT reported that Harris raised four times as much cash as Republican opponent Donald Trump in July.
Germans worked 1,343 hours on average last year, less than anyone else in the 38-nation OECD club of rich nations. Not quite what you’d expect from a country credited with producing the Protestant work ethic. Germans also took 19.4 sick days last year, according to the country’s largest health insurer. The Wall Street Journal says it’s the highest number ever recorded (and the Covid epidemic has been over for quite some time). Amid all of this, Germany’s trade unions are pushing for shorter work hours, not just higher pay. Coaches, sociologists and organization consultants are encouraging more relaxation as a cure for burnout, broken families, low productivity and even the impact of climate change. “The younger generation, they’re not as narrowly socialized in the Protestant work ethic as their parents. They’ve seen through them the awful impact it had had. So they tell their parents, the politicians - sorry we’re not doing this anymore,” said one expert.
