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washington — The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that it would ban the import of goods from a Chinese steel manufacturer and a Chinese maker of artificial sweetener, accusing both of being involved in the use of forced labor from China's far-west region of Xinjiang.  The action broadens the scope of the U.S. effort to stop products from entering the country that the government says are tied to human rights abuses.  The additions to the entity list under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act marked the first time a China-based steel company or aspartame sweetener business had been targeted by U.S. law enforcement, DHS said. "Today's actions reaffirm our commitment to eliminating forced labor from U.S. supply chains and upholding our values of human rights for all," said Robert Silvers, undersecretary of homeland security for policy. "No sector is off-limits. We will continue to identify entities across industries and hold accountable those who seek to profit from exploitation and abuse."  The federal law that President Joe Biden signed at the end of 2021 followed allegations of human rights abuses by Beijing against members of the ethnic Uyghur group and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. The Chinese government has rejected the claims as lies and has defended its practice and policy in Xinjiang as fighting terror and ensuring stability.  The new approach marked a shift in the U.S. trade relationship with China to increasingly take into account national security and human rights. Beijing has accused the U.S. of using human rights as a pretext to suppress China's economic growth.  Enforcement of the law initially targeted solar products, tomatoes, cotton and apparel, but over the last several months, the U.S. government has identified new sectors for enforcement, including aluminum and seafood.  "That's just a reflection of the fact that, sadly, forced labor continues to taint all too many supply chains," Silvers told a trade group in June when marking the two-year anniversary of the creation of the entity list. "So our enforcement net has actually been quite wide from an industry-sector perspective."  He said the law "changed the dynamic in terms of putting the onus on importers to know their own supply chains" and that its enforcement had shown that the U.S. could "do the right thing" without halting normal trade.  Since June 2022, the entity list has grown to 75 companies accused of using forced labor in Xinjiang or sourcing materials tied to that forced labor, Homeland Security said.  Baowu Group Xinjiang Bayi Iron and Steel Co. Ltd. and Changzhou Guanghui Food Ingredients Co. Ltd. were the Chinese companies newly added to the list.

washington — It came as no surprise that one of the tensest moments in Tuesday night's vice presidential debate between Democratic Governor Tim Walz and Republican Senator JD Vance was over immigration, one of the most divisive issues in America. Debate moderators muted Vance's microphone after he claimed that "millions of illegal immigrants" had overwhelmed American cities, including Springfield, Ohio, where many Haitians have been encouraged to find jobs. When Walz joined in, both candidates' microphones were muted, and the moderators reminded them the audience couldn't hear them. Hundreds of thousands of Haitian immigrants, including those who live in Springfield, hold Temporary Protected Status, known as TPS, or other forms of legal protection, such as humanitarian parole. "These are people who have a lawful status. They have a lawful presence. They have work authorization," Sarang Sekhavat, chief of staff at the Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition, told VOA. What is TPS? Congress established TPS in 1990 when it said migrants whose home countries were considered unsafe could live and work in the U.S. temporarily if they met certain requirements established by the U.S. government. The secretary of homeland security is responsible for designating a foreign country for Temporary Protected Status. Currently, 16 countries have TPS designations: Afghanistan, Cameroon, El Salvador, Haiti, Ethiopia, Honduras, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela and Yemen. "Usually what happens is the administration will designate a country for TPS because of some kind of catastrophe. It could be a natural disaster ... very often it's used in times of war," Sekhavat said. "Basically, the idea is recognizing that, 'OK, this individual here perhaps doesn't have permission to be here, but it would be inhumane of us to actually send them back home to their home country under the conditions their country is suffering right now.' " TPS and legal immigration Tom Jawetz, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, told VOA that people covered by TPS should not be confused with undocumented immigrants. "It's an immigration status that people can have the statutory right to travel on," he said. "In order to get TPS, people file an application. That application is reviewed individually. It's adjudicated. They get identification materials attesting to their TPS. Get work authorization by statute. So, these are not individuals who are undocumented by any means." Haitian immigrants and TPS Haitian nationals were first given TPS in 2010 after a devastating earthquake struck Haiti, killing more than 100,000 people and overwhelming the government. This protection was renewed several times during the administration of former President Barack Obama and was extended for six months under former President Donald Trump. Trump decided to end TPS for Haitians in 2019, but this decision faced several legal challenges that lasted until the end of his administration. Who can apply for TPS? Protections under TPS are reserved for people who are already in the United States at the time of the designation. To be eligible, a person must be a national of a designated TPS country and have been continuously physically present in the United States since the date specified by the U.S. government. For Haitian immigrants, this date was August 4, 2024. People must apply during the registration period. For Haitians applying for the first time, this period began July 1, 2024, and runs through February 3, 2026. For those renewing their TPS status, the re-registration period began July 1, 2024, and ran through August 30, 2024. "For example, when we had the earthquake in Haiti, there were many Haitians who came to the U.S. on valid transit or tourist visas, intending for their stay to be temporary. But due to the situation in Haiti, they couldn't return, making them eligible to apply for TPS," Sekhavat said. Filing for TPS can cost about $545. TPS and US citizenship TPS alone does not lead to U.S. permanent residence or citizenship unless the applicant seeks to change status through other immigration processes. "If you don't have some other means through which to get permanent residence — whether that's because you qualify for asylum or you have a family member or an employer who is petitioning for you to get a permanent residence — TPS is not going to get you there," Jawetz said. But TPS allows a person to legally work, and it can open a pathway to an employment-based green card — a process immigration experts say can be long and complicated. TPS ineligibility An applicant is ineligible for TPS if convicted of a felony or two or more misdemeanors in the United States, or if subject to mandatory restrictions for asylum, such as having taken part in the persecution of someone else or having engaged in terrorist activities. People are also ineligible if they do not meet the requirements for continuous physical presence and residency in the United States, fail to register for TPS on time, or do not re-register for TPS when required without a good reason. Travel authorization for TPS holders TPS holders must request travel authorization to leave the U.S. Applicants must show U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that they need to travel for urgent humanitarian reasons, such as a sick relative. If permission for the TPS holder to travel is requested by a nonprofit organization, it must prove the travel will further social and cultural interests of the United States. The current filing fee is $575. If a TPS holder leaves the United States without first obtaining travel authorization, the person may lose the TPS status and will not be able to reenter the United States. Can an administration end TPS at any time? The secretary of homeland security has to review conditions and decide whether conditions on the ground in a country continue to merit TPS. Only if the secretary concludes that conditions do not merit a continuation of TPS can the secretary issue a determination ending temporary protected status at that point.

WASHINGTON — Since the start of Israel's war with Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza in October 2023, President Joe Biden has warned the U.S. ally against widening the conflict with Tehran's other proxies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, and with Iran itself. Many fear that moment has come. In the past 10 days, Israel has unleashed an air campaign on Lebanon, striking over 3,600 Hezbollah-linked targets, according to Israel Defense Forces statements. On Tuesday, Israel launched what it called a limited ground offensive into southern Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also vowed retaliation for Tehran's launching of 180 missiles toward Israel on Tuesday, an attack that damaged a school in the Israeli city of Hod Hasharon and killed at least one person in the West Bank. Meanwhile, in Damascus, Syrian state media said that three civilians had been killed in Israeli strikes Tuesday. More strikes were reported in the Syrian capital on Wednesday. Biden said his administration was giving Israel "advice" and urging it to respond proportionally. He told reporters Wednesday that he had discussed the matter with leaders of the Group of Seven and that he might speak with Netanyahu "relatively soon." "We'll be discussing with the Israelis what they're going to do, but they — every — all seven of us [G7 leaders] agree that they have a right to respond, but they should respond in proportion," he told reporters.  Netanyahu has threatened retaliation beyond Iran, to countries where Tehran's proxies are located. "We fight the axis of evil everywhere," he said Tuesday. "This is true for Judea and Samaria [West Bank]. It is true for Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria. And it is also true for Iran." Iran has for years used its proxies — Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Houthis in Yemen — to attack Israel. It launched its first direct attack with a barrage of missiles and drones on Israeli soil in April, two weeks after Israel's deadly strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria. At that time, Israel's retaliatory attack against Tehran was measured, and as many analysts point out, calibrated to stop the escalation. They predict Israel will respond more strongly this time, possibly targeting Iranian nuclear or oil facilities. When asked, Biden said he would not support any Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear sites. He said more G7 sanctions would be imposed on Tehran. Tehran said its barrage of missiles Tuesday was in retaliation for Israel's recent killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and an Iranian military commander. Fears US will be dragged into war Washington fears further escalation could drag the United States directly into war should Iran retaliate again against Israel, especially if it hits American interests. "That could mean attacking oil-producing facilities in Saudi Arabia," said Aaron David Miller, a former U.S. negotiator for the Middle East who is now with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "That could mean empowering pro-Iranian groups in Iraq and Syria to attack American forces." "And yes, it could provide an avenue, a pathway, for the United States to get into this war," he told VOA.  With the largest military presence in the region compared with other external actors, the U.S. is already indirectly involved. Two U.S. Navy destroyers deployed to the eastern Mediterranean, the USS Bulkeley and USS Cole, joined Israeli air defense units Tuesday in firing about a dozen interceptors to shoot down inbound Iranian missiles, said Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei blamed the U.S. and European countries for the wars in the Middle East. "If they rid the region of their presence, no doubt these conflicts, wars and clashes will completely go away," he said. The White House has not responded to VOA's requests for comment on Khamenei's remarks. Containing the conflict It is unclear whether Biden will use offensive capabilities to strike Iran directly. What's clear is that despite calls for a cease-fire in Gaza and Lebanon, Washington has not succeeded in containing the conflict.  "The key drivers of events in the Middle East today are the players that are engaged in these combat operations," said Brian Katulis, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. "It's Israel, it's Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and it's Iran and its networks across the region, including the Houthis in Yemen." Washington has been largely operating "as a bystander," trying to prevent the worst outcomes, Katulis said. The administration's approach has been "largely reactive, tactical crisis management," he added. Biden has so far refused to condition military aid to Israel — his biggest leverage in pressuring the country to agree to a cease-fire. He and others in his administration frequently underscore that they support Israel's right to defend itself. It's "almost inconceivable now" that Biden would restrict military assistance to Israel, Miller said. In any case, he said, U.S. pressure is unlikely to have an impact. Over the past weeks, Hezbollah's capacity as an organized military force has been degraded. And having been pummeled for almost a year by Israel's campaign, Hamas no longer stands as an organized military structure. "The Israelis are determined with this momentum to break with what the Iranians and the axis of resistance called the ring of fire," Miller said, referring to Tehran's strategy of surrounding Israel with its proxies.  Even if Israel succeeds, Miller said he is skeptical that it can turn its military victories into political agreements that would lead to peace. Miller grimly predicted that the three wars of attrition between Israel and Hamas, Israel and Hezbollah, and Israel and Iran will continue, albeit with less intensity. Natasha Mozgovaya contributed to this report.

London — A surge in support for far-right parties in Europe is driving calls for a toughening of migration laws, while also raising questions over the future of military aid to Ukraine. Austria's Freedom Party, which was founded by former Nazis after World War II, is the latest European far-right party to score a shocking win, taking just under 29% of the vote in Sunday’s parliamentary election, ahead of the second-place People’s Party with 26.3%. ‘Fortress Austria’ The Freedom Party, led by Herbert Kickl, campaigned on a platform of ending migration by creating what it called “Fortress Austria,” carrying out the “remigration of uninvited foreigners” and suspending the right to asylum. The party also opposes military aid for Ukraine and wants to end sanctions on Russia. Kickl successfully appealed to voters’ frustrations over recent years, said Austrian pollster and political analyst, Peter Hajek. “Elections are won in those four and a half years before, by taking a position which is clearly distinguishable and good from the point of view of the target audiences,” Hajek told The Associated Press. “And quite simply that’s what the Freedom Party managed to do with two big topics: on the one hand migration, and on the other — still — the coronavirus.” Far-right success Far-right, anti-immigration parties have won parliamentary elections in the Netherlands in 2023, Italy and Hungary in 2022, a state election in Germany in last month and the European parliamentary elections in France in June. Hans Kundnani, an adjunct professor at New York University and the author of the book Eurowhiteness, said centrist parties in Europe are alarmed by the rise of the far right. “Another election in Europe, another far right success. The response of the center-right in Europe to that has been to say we have to get even tougher on immigration. The center right has increasingly been mimicking far right parties, especially far right ideas on these questions around identity and immigration and Islam,” Kundnani told VOA. EU summit Immigration is likely to top the agenda at an EU summit on October 17, as European leaders from across the political spectrum have called for a toughening of asylum laws amid growing domestic political pressures. “A shift in the EU towards thinking much more in terms of a ‘Fortress Europe’ — that's building a wall essentially around the EU,” Kundnani said. The hardening of attitudes marks a sharp turnaround from 2015 when more than 1 million irregular migrants entered the EU, many of them destined for Germany. In 2023, the number had fallen by 75%, to 280,000 people. The 27-member bloc has agreed to a new pact on asylum and migration, due to come into force in 2026. It’s unlikely to calm Europe’s debate on immigration any time soon, according to Raphael Bossong, a migration expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. “This package that has been agreed upon is about 10 laws. Multiple investments are needed across 27 member states, and an implementation plan with 10 sectors of implementation,” he told VOA. “So it’s a lot of stuff. And to get that into place to really work as a system, as it's intended, is — even in two years — highly ambitious.” Ukraine While strong opposition to immigration unites Europe’s far-right parties, they are divided over support for Ukraine following Russia’s 2022 invasion. Austria’s Freedom Party, the Alternative for Germany party and Hungary’s Fidesz party under Viktor Orban all oppose military aid for Kyiv and want to end sanctions on Moscow. Yet other European far-right parties, such as the ruling Brothers of Italy party under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Poland’s Law and Justice party — which was in power until last year — are strongly pro-Ukrainian. The issue is clouding European politics, argues analyst Hans Kundnani of New York University. “Precisely what divides these two groups of far-right parties to a large extent is the question of Russia and Ukraine,” Kundnani said. “If you're on the far right but you're pro-Ukrainian, then I think a lot of European centrists have no problem with that. And they're willing to turn a blind eye to almost anything else that these far-right parties do, especially on questions like immigration.” Much of European Union foreign policy, including aid for Ukraine, requires a unanimous vote from all 27 members, making it easy for individual governments to veto EU decisions. Hungary’s Viktor Orban has repeatedly blocked EU aid packages for Ukraine. Coalition talks Despite its shocking victory, Austria’s Freedom Party is still well short of a majority. Rival parties are refusing to join them in government and could form their own coalition. The tactic has been used by other more centrist parties in Europe to keep the far-right from power — with mixed results, said Kundnani. “They form these incoherent coalitions in response to the rise of the far right,” he told VOA. “Those coalitions then aren't really able to do very much or offer citizens very much, which further empowers the far right. So it just gets worse and worse.”

Europe looks set to toughen migration laws amid a surge in support for far-right parties across the continent. Austria's Freedom Party – which campaigned on a platform of ending migration and opposing military aid for Ukraine – finished first in Sunday’s election, although its rivals have said they will refuse to enter a coalition. Henry Ridgwell reports.

WASHINGTON — U.S. prosecutors said Donald Trump was acting outside the scope of his duties as president when he pressured state officials and then-Vice President Mike Pence to try to overturn his 2020 election defeat, in a court filing made public on Wednesday. The 165-page filing is likely the last opportunity for prosecutors to detail their case against Trump before the Nov. 5 election given there will not be a trial before Trump faces Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. The filing is meant to keep the federal criminal election subversion case against the Republican presidential candidate moving forward following a July U.S. Supreme Court ruling that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution for their official actions in office. Prosecutors working with Special Counsel Jack Smith laid out a sweeping account of Trump's conduct following the 2020 election, much of which has already been made public through news reports, findings from the House committee that investigated the Capitol riot or the indictment obtained by Smith in the case. It includes an allegation that a White House staffer heard Trump tell family members that "it doesn't matter if you won or lost the election. You still have to fight like hell." Trump has pleaded not guilty to four criminal charges accusing him of a conspiracy to obstruct the congressional certification of the election, defraud the U.S. out of accurate results and interfere with Americans’ voting rights. Much of the filing focuses on Trump's dealings with then-vice president and running mate Mike Pence, who Trump tried to pressure into using his official role overseeing Congress's Jan. 6, 2021, certification of the election results to overturn his defeat. Trump gave a fiery speech that day before his supporters stormed the Capitol, battling police, sending lawmakers running for their lives and chanting "hang Mike Pence." Prosecutors allege that when a White House aide told Trump, who was watching news coverage of the riot on TV, that Pence had been taken to a secure location, Trump responded, "So what?" Prosecutors said they did not plan to use that interaction at trial given the Supreme Court's immunity ruling. A warning to Pence It also alleges that on Jan. 1, 2021, Trump warned Pence that people "are gonna hate your guts" and "think you're stupid" if he didn't block certification of Democratic President Joe Biden's win. Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung blasted the disclosures, saying, "This entire case is a partisan, unconstitutional witch hunt that should be dismissed entirely, together with all of the remaining Democrat hoaxes." Trump has rejected this case and multiple other criminal prosecutions he faced this year as politically motivated attempts to prevent him from returning to power. The filing presents a detailed narrative of the evidence prosecutors intend to use if the case goes to trial, accusing Trump of plotting even before the election to declare victory prematurely, replacing his campaign legal team when they allegedly would not support allegations of voter fraud and attempting to "manipulate" Pence into aiding his effort to hold onto power. The filing provides details of conversations with senior officials in Trump’s administration including Pence and White House chief-of-staff Mark Meadows, who appeared before the grand jury during the investigation. Prosecutors submitted the court filing on Thursday, but U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan had to approve proposed redactions before it was made public. Pence was identified by name throughout. The names of many other members of Trump's administration and state officials he targeted are blacked out in the filing, though details of their locations and actions make their likely identities clear. Trump’s lawyers opposed allowing Smith to issue a sweeping court filing laying out their evidence, arguing it would be inappropriate to do so weeks before the election. They have argued the entire case should be tossed out based on the Supreme Court’s ruling. If Trump wins the election, he is likely to direct the Justice Department to drop the charges. Prosecutors also highlighted a Twitter post that Trump sent during the Capitol riot saying Pence "didn't have the courage to do what should have been done" during the congressional certification of the election. Prosecutors said that post "was not a message sent to address a matter of public concern and ease unrest; it was the message of an angry candidate upon the realization that he would lose power."

washington — The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) wants to make it easier — and safer — for people in Iran, China and North Korea to share information with America's premier spy agency.    The agency on Wednesday posted online instructions in Korean, Mandarin and Farsi detailing steps that potential informants can take to contact U.S. intelligence officials without putting themselves in danger.  The instructions include ways to reach the CIA on its public website or on the darknet, a part of the internet that can only be accessed using special tools designed to hide the user's identity. The CIA posted similar instructions in Russian two years ago following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.  "People are trying to reach out to us from around the world and we are offering them instructions for how to do that safely," the agency said in a statement. "Our efforts on this front have been successful in Russia, and we want to make sure individuals in other authoritarian regimes know that we're open for business."  The tips, presented in text-only videos and infographics, include using a virtual private network, or VPN, to circumvent internet restrictions and surveillance, and the use of a device that can't easily be traced back to the user. The CIA also urged any potential informants to use private web browsers and to delete their internet history to cover their tracks.    The messages in the three languages were posted on Telegram, YouTube, X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Several of those platforms are blocked in China, Iran and Russia but can still be accessed using a VPN.    Authoritarian leaders around the world have used the internet as a tool of mass surveillance and as a way to deliver propaganda and disinformation while blocking sites and views deemed unfavorable to the government.  China, Russia, North Korea and Iran all block access to American platforms like Facebook, for example, and use web access to control which sources of information users can access.  VPNs and other tools offer ways around this censorship and surveillance, but that ability has made them a target. In its instructions to potential sources, the CIA warned its audience to be selective, as their well-being could depend on choosing the right program.    "Use a VPN provider not headquartered in Russia, Iran, or China, or any other country that is considered unfriendly to the United States," the agency wrote in its instructions for Mandarin users. 

Israel's campaign against Hamas in the aftermath of the October 7 attack has seen Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the forefront of condemning Israel. However, analysts say Turkey is becoming increasingly sidelined from efforts to end the crisis in a region where Erdogan once sought to play a leading role. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.

Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir — Election officials in Indian-administered Kashmir are hailing a historically high turnout in elections completed this week as evidence of a commitment to democracy that bodes well for the region’s future. More than 69% of people in Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir, or J&K, cast their ballots in Tuesday’s third round of legislative elections, the first local electoral battle in a decade. Round one took place September 18 with a voter turnout of 61.38%, and phase two was September 25 with a voter turnout of 57.31%, according to election officials. Conducted in the three phases, the polling for 40 assembly constituencies — 24 in the Jammu division and 16 in the Kashmir valley — resulted in an overall voter turnout of over 63% in the disputed Himalayan region, organizers said. Wire news reports say results are expected next week. “These elections have witnessed a significant increase in voter turnout in areas infamous for militancy and boycotting democratic processes,” read a statement issued by the Election Commission of India. “J&K assembly elections have marked a significant deepening of democracy, which will echo in the pages of history and continue to inspire a democratic spirit of the region for years to come,” said the prepared statement quoting Rajiv Kumar, India’s top elections official. Northern Kashmir’s electoral landscape has traditionally been dominated by two rival political groups, the National Conference, or NC, and Peoples Democratic Party, or PDP. But the 2013 founding of the Awami Ittehad Party, or AIP, which is led by Indian parliamentarian Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as “Engineer Rashid,” could alter the electoral battlefield. “It appears the contest will be between the NC and PDP. However, the situation may change as Engineer Rashid has attracted a massive crowd since his release from Tihar Jail,” Pattan resident Tanveer Najar told VOA. “It’s possible that the AIP could upset the NC and PDP.” University of Kashmir political scientist Noor Ahmad Baba told VOA all phases of the 2024 local elections saw the largest voter turnout since 1989’s regional armed insurgency against Indian rule. “People came out in relatively large numbers due to changing political dynamics after special status revocation,” said Baba, referring to India’s 2019 decision to strip the Himalayan region of its semiautonomous status. “Moreover, there has been no representation for the people during the last six years, so they voted.” Umer Nazir, a resident of the Sumbal area of Bandipora district in northern Kashmir, said he thought the central government had discriminated against the Muslim majority region because of an anti-Muslim agenda. “We want our own people to lead us,” Nazir told VOA. “Our properties, our children and much more have been taken from us,” he added. “To put an end to this torture and seek some relief, I and my family decided to vote.” Political analyst and podcaster Muzamil Maqbool told VOA that election campaigning in recent weeks focused on topics such as the restoration of special status for the area, possible statehood and the release of political prisoners held by India.   No 'kingmaker' But, he warned, voting results may not yield major changes. These “local assembly elections differ from parliamentary elections,” he said, noting that candidates such as Engineer Rashid may not fare as well regionally as their supporters hoped, even though they campaigned impressively. "Engineer Rashid may win a few seats but he won’t be a kingmaker or a king as he has claimed in several recent interviews," Maqbool said. "The support for Engineer Rashid in the recent parliamentary elections was largely based on emotional factors. Many voters believed that their votes would help secure his release from Tihar Jail after spending nearly six years." Maqbool also said residents were typically thinking about improving their communities when they cast ballots in the local elections. "People here have understood the importance of voting [now] in these [local assembly] elections, where they could choose a genuine representative, so their rights, especially land rights, and jobs will be safeguarded," Maqbool said. Meanwhile, regional political parties, along with the main Indian opposition political group, the Indian National Congress, or INC, have said they will continue to lobby the government led by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, to restore statehood for J&K. “If statehood is not restored, we have no choice but to approach the Supreme Court. We are confident we will win this battle,” said former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah while revealing the manifesto of his party days before the election. Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi also vowed to protest inside and outside Parliament to pressure the BJP to improve governance in J&K. “If they don’t restore statehood, we will storm the well of both houses and take to the streets,” Gandhi said during a recent rally in Srinagar. “This is the first time in Indian history that a state has been downgraded to a union territory. This was done to allow governance by outsiders.”  Wasim Nabi contributed to this report.

San Juan, Puerto Rico — An anti-corruption agency in Haiti on Wednesday accused three members of the country's transitional presidential council of bribery in a scathing report that threatens to destabilize the country’s fragile political stability. Smith Augustin, Emmanuel Vertilaire and Louis Gerald Gilles are accused of demanding more than $750,000 from the director of the government-owned National Bank of Credit to secure his job, the Unit for Combating Corruption said in its report. Gilles organized a meeting among the council members, the former bank director, Raoul Pascal Pierre-Louis, and Haitian consul Lonick Leandre at the Royal Oasis Hotel in the capital of Port-au-Prince, where the demand was made, the agency said. Leandre also is accused of accepting bribes. After the meeting, Pierre-Louis mentioned the demand to several officials, including Prime Minister Garry Conille and a judge. Unable to come with the more than $750,000, Pierre-Louis proposed instead to arrange loans or lines of credit, according to the report. Authorities said that four lines of credit were soon arranged, three of them up to $20,000 each for the council members accused, and a fourth up to $13,500 for Leandre. The three council members and the bank manager all face criminal charges of bribery and corruption, the anti-corruption unit said. Leandre faces charges of instigating bribe payments. None of them could be reached for comment. The agency also called on the U.S. government to extradite Pierre-Louis.

WASHINGTON — The United States and China are planning a call between President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping in the coming days, according to people familiar with the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity. This call would follow their last conversation in April 2024 and their face-to-face meeting in Woodside, California, in November 2023. After his talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi last Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that both sides “emphasized the need to maintain open lines of communication” between the Chinese and American leaders. “We also agreed on the importance of the leaders communicating.  And so, I fully anticipate that we’ll see that in the week and months ahead,” said Blinken in New York last week. Ukraine U.S. officials have said that they seek opportunities, whenever possible, to find common ground with China, whether on issues such as fentanyl or discussions on artificial intelligence risks and safety. China's material support for Russia in the war on Ukraine is expected to be a key topic on the U.S. agenda. On Wednesday, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said the U.S. does not seek to “contain or constrain China” but wants to ensure an ongoing dialogue and that the competition between the two countries remains “stable and [does] not trend to conflict.” He also reiterated the U.S. and its allies' growing concern over Chinese firms supplying drones to Moscow, which have significantly bolstered Russia's battlefield capabilities in its war against Ukraine. “What we've seen over the course of last two years is a reconstitution of the Russian military with a rapidity and determination that frankly surprises us. The level of Russian militarization, its ability to rebuild its tanks, its missiles, UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles], with the assistance of China, support from North Korea, also from Iran. That has been a topic of real anxiety,” said Campbell during an online moderated conversation at the Washington-based think tank Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “Now we're in a situation where Russia is seeking to change the territorial lines of Europe, and the fact that China is backing this so substantially is a topic of real concern,” he said. 75th anniversary This week, China marks 75 years of Communist Party rule. In Beijing, Xi reiterated his party’s plans to “reunite” China with Taiwan. "The wheel of history will not be stopped by any individual or any force," Xi said during a recent reception, without naming specific individuals or governments.  He added that it is "where the greater national interest lies" and "what the people desire." Taiwan has been self-ruled since 1949, when Mao Zedong's communists took power in Beijing after defeating Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang, or KMT, in a civil war, prompting Chiang and his followers to relocate to the island. In 2000, following Taiwan’s second democratic presidential election, the KMT peacefully transferred power for the first time to the Democratic Progressive Party. While the Chinese Communist Party has never governed Taiwan, it consistently insists that Taiwan must be brought under its rule, by force if necessary. For decades, however, the U.S. has made it clear that its decision to switch diplomatic recognition from the Republic of China — Taiwan’s formal name — to Beijing or the People's Republic of China in 1979 was based on the expectation that “the future of Taiwan will be determined by peaceful means,” as outlined in the Taiwan Relations Act.  Under this act, the U.S. has provided arms to support Taiwan's defense. On Sunday, U.S. President Joe Biden approved $567 million in defense assistance for Taiwan, as China intensifies its political and military pressure on the self-ruled democracy. In a statement, Biden announced that he has authorized Blinken “to direct the drawdown of up to $567 million in defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Taiwan.” In Beijing, Chinese officials urged the U.S. to “stop arming Taiwan in any way.” Lin Jian, spokesperson for the PRC’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters during a Monday briefing that “no matter how many weapons the United States provides to Taiwan,” it will not shake the Beijing government’s firm determination “to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Israel says Iran “will pay” after hundreds of missiles are launched towards Israel on Tuesday. The US military maintains its defensive posture in the region while adding additional troops and Iran’s Supreme Leader says that “removing” Israel is the only way for the hostility to stop. JD Vance and Tim Walz faced off in a rather uneventful vice-presidential debate in New York and Samantha Power, the head of USAID, is in Kyiv. Plus, a look at the plight of displaced people in Sudan.

Thousands of Israelis, most of them soldiers, have been wounded in fighting over the past year and face a long rehabilitation. Israel is one of the world's leaders in rehabilitation, but the ongoing war in Gaza has strained the country’s resources. Linda Gradstein reports from Jerusalem. Please note, this story contains simulated images of war injuries that some may find disturbing. Camera: Ricki Rosen

Madrid — In their coverage of the U.S. presidential election, countries with repressive media such as Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela have taken aim at the American system of government and, to some degree, the candidates themselves. Following the two assassination attempts targeting Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, Cuban state-run newspaper Granma ran a headline, "The guns speak again in the U.S. elections,” an apparent reference to gun violence in the United States. But the newspaper made no mention on its front pages Wednesday of the previous night’s vice presidential debate between Republican JD Vance and Democrat Tim Walz in which the two candidates clashed on issues that included gun control. The paper did cover the face-to-face debate last month between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, saying they traded “low blows.” Overall, Cuban press coverage of the U.S. has not favored either candidate during this election cycle, said William LeoGrande, professor of government at American University in Washington. “The Cuban press has been very even-handed in coverage of the U.S. elections, mostly offering simple factual accounts of the campaign — no doubt because they will have to deal with whoever wins,” said LeoGrande. “To the extent that they have offered any critical commentary, it can be summed up as a ‘plague on both your houses,’” he said. LeoGrande noted that one Granma report said, “There is only one certainty: Whoever wins will be the face invested with the arrogance of the empire with a desire for power.” Cuba has long referred to the U.S. as the “empire.” To understand how Granma views the U.S. election, VOA emailed its editor, Yailin Orta Rivera, for comment but did not receive a reply before publication.  In Nicaragua, ‘hate and criticism’ In Nicaragua, state-controlled media have used reports about the U.S. election as a chance to repeat traditional criticisms of Washington, independent media monitoring groups say. Abigail Hernandez, director of Galeria News and a member of the Independent Journalists and Communications of Nicaragua, said state media such as La Nueva Radio Ya have run reports critical of the American political system. “These analysis reports concentrate on the judicial and electoral system of the U.S. and criticize the candidacy of Trump,” she told VOA. “I say ‘analysis’ because in reality, these articles are the traditional line of hate and criticism toward the U.S. empire.” Hernandez added, “They try to say that the U.S. is a sham democracy and that the elections are a reflection of this.” The government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega did not respond to an emailed request for comment before publication. In Nicaragua, state media are controlled by Ortega or members of his family, independent media monitoring groups said. In 2010, Canal 8, which had been an independent television network, had a new chief executive — Juan Carlos Ortega Murillo — the president’s son. Until then, the channel had been known for scrutinizing governments of the left or right, the Reuters news agency reported. Its new owner is the wife of Rafael Ortega Murillo, another of the president’s sons. Media analysts say that in Nicaragua and Venezuela, reports on the U.S. election criticized the U.S. political system in relation to key issues of interest to their core audiences, especially migration. Tens of thousands of Nicaraguans desperate to escape the Ortega government have headed north, seeking to cross into the United States. Earlier this year, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Nicaragua over issues related to migrant smuggling and human rights. Venezuela, US in tense relationship Venezuela’s government has also had a tense relationship with the United States over human rights and the conduct of elections. Driven by political turmoil, 7.7 million people have left Venezuela since 2014, according to a United Nations report published earlier this year. Most have headed for other Latin American countries or Spain. Others have ended up in the United States illegally, although there have been efforts to allow some Venezuelans into the U.S. lawfully, the U.N. report said. Marivi Marin Vazquez, founder and director of ProboxVE, a nongovernmental organization that studies disinformation in Latin America, said state media in Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela all used reports about the U.S. elections to criticize the American political system. “They all look at problems in the political system so they can justify their own systems,” she said in an interview with VOA from Washington, where she has lived in exile since leaving Venezuela four years ago. “They pick holes in things like contradictions, inequality and the power of corporate interests.” The Venezuelan government did not respond to emailed requests for comment on coverage of the U.S. election.

Both Democrats and Republicans in Ohio are hoping Tuesday’s vice-presidential debate will motivate people to participate in the upcoming election. VOA’s Kane Farabaugh has more from Ohio. Videographer: Adam Greenbaum