Russia, France, US demand ceasefire to fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh

The US has joined an effort by Russia and France to demand an immediate ceasefire and return to negotiations without delay [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In the news today Tense fighting continues in breakaway Caucasus region [Local residents gather outside a dugout in readiness to take shelter during the fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the city of Terter, Azerbaijan, Sept. 30, 2020.]( Credit: Aziz Karimov/Reuters The US has [joined an effort by Russia and France]( to demand an immediate ceasefire and return to negotiations without delay in the breakaway Caucasus region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Ethnic Armenian forces have been clashing with Azerbaijani government soldiers since Sunday in an area that is within the borders of Azerbaijan — and internationally recognized as such — but claimed and run by largely ethnic Armenian residents. Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Russian government, said that President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed how the Minsk group of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) could [help mediate an end to the conflict](. Macron’s office expressed concern regarding the alleged “sending of Syrian mercenaries by Turkey to Nagorno-Karabakh.” Russia has also invited the foreign ministers from Armenia and Azerbaijan to talks aimed at ending the fighting, which dramatically escalated on Sunday in the decades-old dispute over the mountainous territory. Dozens have been killed and hundreds wounded. Both sides are thus far [refusing to back down](. What The World is following Cyprus is blocking [European Union economic sanctions on Belarus](, demanding that Brussels also punish Turkey for its [oil and gas exploration]( in the Eastern Mediterranean. The EU requires unanimity to make the decision, but diplomats worry that the impasse has damaged the bloc’s credibility in standing up to Belarus after an August election that the opposition says was rigged. Police in Hong Kong have [arrested at least 60 people]( Thursday for protesting on China’s National Day, after demonstrators [gathered in the Causeway Bay shopping area]( to chant pro-democracy messages. The protesters repeated slogans such as “Disband the police” and “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our time.” But security forces outnumbered the activists who adamantly oppose Beijing’s growing control over the semi-autonomous city. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [A diminished team of international election observers begins its mission in the US]( [Members of Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) look on as they visit a section of the restored bridge, which was blown up during a military conflict between Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed rebels, in the settlement of Stanytsia Luhanska, Ukraine, Nov. 20, 2019.]( Credit: Gleb Garanich/Reuters There are lots of theories and predictions about what could go wrong with the upcoming US election — making the role of international election observers in the country [perhaps more important than ever](. [Schiff: US power to confront hard targets like China ‘has really atrophied’]( [In this file photo, a JD.com sign is seen at the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, China, Oct. 20, 2019.]( Credit: Aly Song/Reuters A new report from the House Intelligence Committee says that intelligence agencies are facing great difficulty shifting away from counterterrorism toward new threats from countries like China. The US is lacking in personnel, language skills, expertise and prioritization of resources. "After decades of a focus on the counterterrorism mission, which was very largely successful in terms of thwarting additional attacks against the United States, and against our homeland, our ability to confront hard targets like China has really atrophied," [said Rep. Adam Schiff](, chair of the committee that drafted the report. Documents: [Read the US House Intelligence Committee report]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot Ireland's Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the "bread" served by US sandwich chain Subway, [cannot be considered "bread"](. The reason? The "bread" has too much sugar — five times more than the limit to qualify as "bread" in Ireland. [A screen grab of a tweet from Declan Walsh.]( [Credit: Screen grab from Twitter]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it on The World - [Drama in the courtroom]( - [Immigrant agricultural workers hit by northern California fires]( - [Turkey cracks down on abortion access]( - [Iraqi archbishop who helped save historic manuscripts nominated for prestigious prize]( - [US intelligence stumbles in battle with Beijing]( - [Mexican tortilla shop becomes a school-access point for children]( - [More than 1,000 prisoners of war to be swapped in Yemen]( - [International election observers in US]( - [Viewing the US presidential debate in Brazil]( - [Debate watchers around the world weigh in]( Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. 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