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HANOI, VIETNAM — Typhoon Yagi severely damaged a large number of factories and flooded warehouses in northern Vietnam's export-oriented industrial hubs, forcing plants to shut, with some expected to take weeks to resume full operations, executives said. The typhoon, the strongest in Asia this year, made landfall in Vietnam's northern coast on Saturday and was still causing deadly floods and landslides on Wednesday, killing dozens and ravaging key infrastructure, including power networks and roads. The disruptions could affect global supply chains as Vietnam hosts large operations of multinationals that mostly export their products to the United States, Europe and other developed countries. In the coastal city of Haiphong, one of the areas worst hit by the typhoon, 95% of businesses were expected to resume some activities on Tuesday, the body managing Haiphong industrial zones said on its website. "Many businesses had their roofs blown off, some walls were torn and collapsed, gates, fences, signs, camera systems, garages and sliding metal doors were overturned, water flooded into factories," said a report on its website. In the DEEP C industrial zones, which host factories in Haiphong and the neighboring province of Quang Ninh, 20 out of 150 investors' plants will be out of service for at least a few weeks, said Bruno Jaspaert, head of DEEP C industrial zones. Based on a review of his clients, he expected power consumption at those facilities would remain one-third below normal for weeks or months because many companies were busy rebuilding their damaged factories. Goods ready for export or delivery to clients were flooded in warehouses in the area, companies said. In another industrial park in Haiphong, South Korea's LG Electronics said it had partly resumed work on Tuesday, although the factory's walls were crushed on Saturday and a warehouse with refrigerators and washing machines had been flooded. "Many of them are gone with the wind," said Calvin Nguyen, head of Vietnamese logistics firm WeDo Forwarding Co., referring to products that were to be delivered to the United States and the European Union, without specifying which goods. The company's three warehouses in Haiphong had their roofs blown off and on Wednesday were still flooded, he said. The industry ministry did not reply to a request for comment. Power cuts Power outages were still affecting several areas in the north, as Vietnam's state-owned power distributor EVN worked to restore dozens of damaged electricity lines. In Quang Ninh, along the coast north of Haiphong, many factories still had no electricity or water service, Jaspaert said. Chinese solar panel maker Jinko Solar's factory in Quang Ninh was severely damaged, one of its workers said, noting on Tuesday work had not resumed as windows had been smashed and the roof had been blown away. Jinko was not immediately available for a comment. Far from the coast, the industrial hubs of Thai Nguyen and Bac Giang which host large factories of multinationals such as Samsung Electronics and Apple supplier Foxconn were also facing severe flooding. Samsung's large facilities in Thai Nguyen had not been visibly affected on Tuesday evening, according to a Reuters witness. Water was receding on Wednesday in the province, about 60 kilometers north of Hanoi, but more rain was expected.

JAKARTA, INDONESIA — During his three-day visit to Indonesia last week, Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, urged Indonesians to live up to the promise represented by the nation’s own motto — “Unity in Diversity.” While praising Indonesia’s constitution, which guarantees religious freedom, Francis also warned in an address following a meeting with President Joko Widodo that the diversity of the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation can also lead to conflict. Francis emphasized the importance of interfaith dialogue to eliminate prejudices and build mutual respect. “This is indispensable for meeting common challenges, including that of countering extremism and intolerance, which through the distortion of religion attempt to improve their views by using deception and violence,” Francis said.   Indonesia’s statistical agency says that 87% of the country’s 280 million people are Muslim. However, 2.9% of the total population is Catholic, making its Christian community the third largest in Asia after the Philippines and China. Indonesia’s struggle against religious intolerance Despite legal guarantees of religious freedom, which includes a Religious Harmony bill signed into law in 2016, research by Human Rights Watch indicates a flare-up of religious intolerance. Examples include the imprisonment of Jakarta’s Christian governor for blasphemy in 2016, violence against religious minorities; and problems faced by some Christian groups seeking to secure building permits for churches. Novi from Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, a Catholic, who traveled to Jakarta to witness Pope Francis' visit to Istiqlal Mosque, hopes the visit can encourage a revival of religious tolerance in the country. “I’m really sad when I hear news reports saying that churches faced difficulties in setting up a church and require approval of the majority from the surrounding community and municipal and provincial office,” she said.  In 2006, a group of religious and community leaders established the Religious Harmony Forum (FKUB), dedicated to protecting religious harmony, including making recommendations to the mayor or regent on the construction of any new house of worship. [ But according to Andreas Harsono, a senior Indonesian researcher at Human Rights Watch, the forum has been politicized over the years. In hopes of quelling religious intolerance, Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas said a new presidential regulation is being developed that will no longer allow the FKUB to recommend the establishment of a house of worship. That right will remain with the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Andreas Harsono of the Human Rights Watch sees this as a "step in the right direction.” "The FKUB recommendations are proven to be the most damaging of the 2006 regulations on religious harmony. The religious harmony regulation basically makes the so-called majority have veto power over the minorities in Indonesia. It's turning Indonesia into an intolerant Muslim-majority country,” he said. Halili Hasan, executive director of the SETARA Institute, agrees with abolishing the FKUB’s right to recommend. He added that FKUB has not been able to prevent and handle various violations of freedom of religion and belief. SETARA Institute is a think tank that advocates for democracy and human rights in Indonesia and releases an annual report on the condition of freedom of religion and belief. The report in 2023 listed at least 65 places of worship that experienced disturbances throughout that year, ranging from objections to the construction of a house of worship to the sealing off of places of worship. That compares to 50 such incidents in the previous year. Still, the Ministry of Religious Affair’s Religious Harmony Index survey for 2023 found a steady increase in religious harmony from 2020 to 2023. The index was scored from 0 to 100, with 100 being the most harmonious. The national score for 2023 was 76.02, the highest score recorded in the last five years.  Eli Trisiana is a Muslim and government civil servant who came to see Pope Francis. "We need to hold a heart-to-heart dialogue with those deemed religious intolerant,’’ Eli Trisiana said. ‘’We cannot deal with them using violence. I think that is the best method to solve differences of opinion. In Islam there are verses taught to us that reconcile with non-believers, which is "unto you your religion and unto me my religion." Interfaith dialogue During an interfaith dialogue at Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, 87-year-old Pope Francis met with representatives of Indonesia’s six officially recognized religions — Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Protestantism and Catholicism — along with a representative for traditional beliefs. Francis and the grand imam of the Istiqlal Mosque, Nasaruddin Uma,r signed a ‘Human Fraternity” document declaring their commitment to interfaith harmony. The document calls for religious leaders to overcome two serious crises faced by the world: dehumanization and climate change. The grand imam said he won’t let this signing be in vain and that he plans to follow up with a future plan of action that supports interfaith dialogue and true religious harmony. 

Tehran, Ian — Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, is to visit neighboring Iraq on Wednesday as he moves to deepen already close ties on his first foreign visit since taking office. Pezeshkian has vowed to make relations with neighboring countries a priority as he seeks to ease Iran's international isolation and mitigate the impact of U.S.-led sanctions on its economy. His visit comes after Western powers on Tuesday announced fresh sanctions on Iran for supplying Russia with short-range missiles for use against Ukraine. It also comes amid turmoil in the Middle East sparked by the war in Gaza, which has drawn in Iran-backed armed groups around the region and complicated Baghdad's ties with Washington. On Tuesday night, an explosion was heard at the base of a U.S.-led anti-militant coalition at the Baghdad international airport, according to Iraqi security officials. A spokesperson for the Iranian-backed Ketaeb Hezbollah (Hezbollah Brigades) in Iraq said the Tuesday night attack aimed to "disrupt the Iranian president's visit to Baghdad." Ties between Iran and Iraq, both Shiite-majority countries, have grown closer since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003 toppled the Sunni-dominated regime of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Pezeshkian has directly linked shoring up ties to sanctions pressure. "Relations with neighboring countries ... can neutralize a significant amount of pressure of the sanctions," he said last month. Iran has suffered years of crippling Western sanctions, especially after its arch-foe the United States, under then-president Donald Trump, unilaterally abandoned a landmark nuclear deal between the Islamic republic and major powers in 2018. Pezeshkian, who assumed the presidency in late July, has made the top diplomat who negotiated the 2015 deal, Mohammad Javad Zarif, his vice president for strategic affairs as part of his bid for a more open Iran.

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WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump faced off on Tuesday night in Philadelphia in a debate that comes less than two months before the presidential election. The race is tight between the two candidates. Among registered voters, Harris leads Trump by 1 point — 49% to 48% — according to the latest PBS/NPR/Marist poll. That result falls within the margin of error. The ABC debate marks the first face-to-face meeting between Harris, 59, and Trump, 78. A former prosecutor, Harris is the first woman, Black American and South Asian American vice president. Trump, a businessman who has been criticized for his sexist and racist remarks, is the first convicted felon to run for president and, if elected, would be 82 by the end of his term. During what could be their only debate, Harris and Trump sparred on issues ranging from the economy and immigration to democracy, abortion and the Israel-Hamas war. Here are some of the key takeaways from the debate. Economy The economy was the debate’s first topic, with Harris saying she wants to create an “opportunity economy.” She cited her plan to increase the tax credit for starting new small businesses from $5,000 to $50,000. “I am actually the only person on this stage who has a plan that is about lifting up the middle class,” she said, adding that Trump wants to help the rich with tax cuts. Trump has said he will further reduce the corporate tax rate from the current 21% to 15%. Harris wants to increase the rate to 28%. It was 35% before Trump’s 2017 tax bill. Trump spent much of his answer on the economy talking about immigration. However, he also said he created one of the best economies in the United States, without offering specifics, and that he will do it again. “Look, we’ve had a terrible economy, because inflation, which is really known as a country buster,” Trump said. Immigration Immigration has been one of the biggest issues in this presidential campaign. Throughout the debate, Trump lambasted the Biden administration’s handling of immigration – often when the moderators asked questions unrelated to immigration. Trump repeated his false claims that immigrants are “taking over the towns. They’re taking over buildings. They’re going in violently.” He also cited baseless conspiracy theories about Haitian immigrants in Ohio eating pet dogs and cats. Harris criticized Trump for killing a bipartisan bill earlier this year that would have put 1,500 more border agents on the U.S. southern border. Harris has said she would support the bill. Abortion Trump and Harris grew increasingly combative when debating the question of abortion. As president, Trump appointed three justices to the U.S. Supreme Court who helped form the majority that overturned the constitutional right to abortion in 2022. That decision laid the groundwork for states to impose restrictive rules on abortion around the country. “The Supreme Court had great courage in doing it,” Trump said during the debate. When asked if he would support a national abortion ban, he said: “No, I’m not in favor of abortion ban. But it doesn't matter because this issue has now been taken over by the states.” He also said he would not oppose abortion in cases of rape, incest or when the life of the mother is at risk. He also falsely claimed that Democrats support abortions “after birth.” In response, Harris emphasized the importance of women’s reproductive rights. “One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government and Donald Trump certainly should not be telling a woman what to do with her body,” she said. She added that she would support Congress passing a bill to codify federal abortion protections and, as president, sign it into law. Rule of law, threats to democracy and Jan. 6 Harris was a prosecutor for a dozen years, first as San Francisco district attorney and then as California’s attorney general. A central component of Harris’ campaign has been portraying Trump as a threat to democracy. During the debate, Harris highlighted Trump’s status as a convicted felon. Trump replied with the unsubstantiated accusation that Harris and the Biden administration are “weaponizing” the government to prosecute him When asked by the moderator whether Trump would acknowledge that he lost the 2020 presidential election, he replied with the false claim that he actually won the election. On the Jan. 6 insurrection, Trump said, “I had nothing to do with that, other than they asked me to make a speech.” “It’s time to turn the page,” Harris said. “There is a place in our campaign for you to stand for our country, to stand for democracy, to stand for rule of law and to end the chaos and to end the approach that is about attacking the foundations of our democracy,” she added. Russia-Ukraine War and Israel-Hamas War In addition to domestic policy, the moderators also pressed Harris and Trump on foreign policy issues, including the ongoing wars between Ukraine and Russia, and Israel and Hamas. On the Israel-Hamas war, Harris said the United States would defend Israel. She added that she supports a two-state solution. The war “must end immediately, and the way it will end is we need a cease-fire deal, and we need the hostages out,” Harris said. Trump claimed that “Israel will be gone” if Harris becomes president, which is unsubstantiated. Trump also repeated his claim that the Oct. 7 massacre by Hamas in southern Israel would have never happened if he were president. Trump said the Russia-Ukraine war would not have happened if he were president. When asked if he wants Ukraine to win the war against Russia, Trump would only say, “I want the war to stop.” Harris replied: “If Donald Trump were president, Putin would be sitting in Kyiv right now.”

Abuja, Nigeria — The Nigerian secret police released labor union leader Joe Ajaero on Tuesday after hours of interrogation over alleged terrorism financing. Ajaero's arrest Monday sparked criticism about what critics see as a government crackdown on dissent. Ajaero, was released by the Department of State Services, or DSS, after he was arrested at the Abuja airport while on his way to the United Kingdom to attend a labor conference. He said Tuesday that DSS kept his passport. He said the police questioned him for hours about alleged terrorism financing involving British national Andrew Wynne and last month's anti-government protests in Nigeria. Ajaero is a prominent critic of the Nigerian government and has led many demonstrations to denounce reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu last year. Hamisu Santuraki, the spokesperson of the United Action Front of Civil Society, a coalition of civil society groups, said the government should have asked Ajaero to come in for questioning. "It’s not done anywhere — arresting somebody without sending him an invitation, it is wrong, they should've sent him a letter," Santuraki said. We just want them to release his passport, so we're having a meeting. Nigeria is our country." Later Tuesday, a government spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, said Ajaero was invited to speak to a law enforcement agency and was stopped from traveling abroad because he “snubbed” that invitation. In a statement released on X, Onanuga also said Nigeria "categorically denies any human rights abuse.”   Santuraki said the coalition and the Labor Congress are deciding on what steps to take.   The Nigerian government is facing a wave of criticism from rights groups who accuse it of trying to stifle dissent and free expression. Investigative journalist Isaac Bristol was recently detained on charges of leaking classified and restricted documents, sedition, and tax evasion, among other allegations. Another journalist, David Hundeyin, was declared wanted by the police last week. Ajaero's arrest came days after he criticized a decision by Nigerian officials to increase the gasoline price by 39 percent. Nigerian authorities said global oil market forces determined the new pump price of refined petrol, which had more than quadrupled in Nigeria since President Tinubu scrapped fuel subsidies last year. On Monday, the Socio-Economic Rights Accountability Project, or SERAP, said state operatives also raided their offices. The group this week called for a probe of the national oil company. "We consider this an act of aggression, intimidation and harassment by the government, and it might not be unconnected with the statement that SERAP had issued over the weekend calling on the president to direct the NNPC to reverse the price of petroleum," said Kolawole Oluwadare, a deputy director at SERAP. "We consider this as an instance of the escalation of attacks against the civic space and this of course is not acceptable in a democracy." Ajaero was also arrested in November by police in southeastern Imo state, moments before he was to lead a rally.

WASHINGTON — Taylor Swift, one of the music industry's biggest stars, endorsed Kamala Harris for president shortly after the debate ended on Tuesday night. "I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos," Swift wrote in an Instagram post, which included a link to a voter registration website. Swift has a dedicated following among young women, a key demographic in the November election, and her latest tour has generated more than $1 billion in ticket sales. In a half hour, the post received more than 2.3 million likes. She included a picture of herself holding her cat Benjamin Button, and she signed the message "Childless Cat Lady." The remark is a reference to 3-year-old comments made by JD Vance, Donald Trump's running mate, about women without children not having an equal stake in the country's future. A Harris senior campaign official said the endorsement was not coordinated with the campaign. Tim Walz, Harris' running mate, appeared to learn about the endorsement in the middle of a live interview on MSNBC. As Rachel Maddow read the text, Walz broke into a smile and patted his chest. "That was eloquent. And it was clear," Walz said. "And that's the kind of courage we need in America to stand up." Swift wrote that her endorsement was partially prompted by Trump's decision to post AI-generated pictures suggesting that she had endorsed him. One showed Swift dressed as Uncle Sam, and the text said, "Taylor wants YOU to VOTE for DONALD TRUMP." Trump's posts "brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter," Swift wrote. She added that "I've done my research, and I've made my choice." The Trump campaign dismissed Swift's endorsement. "This is further evidence that the Democrat Party has unfortunately become a party of the wealthy elites," said spokesperson Karoline Leavitt. "There's many Swifties for Trump out there in America," she said, herself included. Swift's endorsement was not exactly a surprise. In 2020, she supported President Joe Biden, and she cheered for Harris in her debate against then-Vice President Mike Pence. She also was openly critical of Trump, saying he had stoked "the fires of white supremacy and racism." Swift is a popular figure nationwide, but especially among Democrats. An October 2023 Fox News poll found that 55% of voters overall, including 68% of Democrats, said they had a favorable view of Swift. Republicans were divided, with 43% having a favorable opinion and 45% an unfavorable one. AP VoteCast suggests that a partisan divide on Swift was apparent as early as 2018. That's the year Swift made her first political endorsement, supporting Tennessee Democrat Phil Bredesen for Senate over Republican Marsha Blackburn. VoteCast found that among Tennessee voters that year, 55% of Democrats and just 19% of Republicans said they had a favorable opinion of Swift. Blackburn won by a comfortable margin in the deep red state. Swift is the leading nominee at Wednesday's MTV Video Music Awards. While it's unclear whether Swift will attend the show in New York, she could use any acceptance speeches to elaborate on her support of Harris.

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Kamala Harris and Donald Trump meet for the first time face-to-face for a presidential debate in Philadelphia. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Russia has received ballistic missiles from Iran and will likely use them in Ukraine within weeks. And designer spacesuits. Pierre Cardin unveiled the suit for use in the European Space Agency.

HANOI, Vietnam — The death toll in Vietnam from Typhoon Yagi has risen to 141, the government said on Wednesday as it warned that flood waters were causing the Red River to rise rapidly and threaten to inundate downtown districts of the capital Hanoi. Heavy rains brought by Typhoon Yagi have triggered deadly landslides and floods throughout northern Vietnam, killing 141 people with 59 others missing, the disaster management agency said. There has also been severe property damage and disruption to business and industry. State media reports late on Tuesday said the water level of the Red River in Hanoi had been rising 10 centimeters every hour. Some schools in Hanoi have told students to stay home for the rest of the week due to flood concerns, while thousands of residents living in low-lying areas have been evacuated, according to sources, government and state media.

Przemysl, Poland — The top U.S. and British diplomats headed together into Ukraine on Wednesday to discuss further easing rules on firing Western weapons into Russia, whose alleged acquisition of Iranian missiles has raised new fears. In a rare joint trip, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was taking the train to Kyiv with Foreign Secretary David Lammy, whose 2-month-old Labor government has vowed to keep up Britain's role as a key defender of Ukraine. The pair, who boarded the train early Wednesday at the Polish border town of Przemysl, are expected to meet in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has kept pressing the West for weapons with more firepower and fewer restrictions. U.S. President Joe Biden, asked in Washington whether he would let Ukraine use longer-range weapons, said: "We're working that out right now." Biden, while strongly supportive of Ukraine, has previously made clear he wants to avoid devolving into direct conflict between the United States and Russia, the world's two leading nuclear powers. Blinken, speaking Tuesday in London alongside Lammy, said the United States was committed to providing Ukraine "what they need when they need it to be most effective in dealing with the Russian aggression." But Blinken, who is on his fifth trip to Kyiv since the war, said it was also important to see if Ukrainian forces could maintain and operate particular weaponry. Pressed later in an interview with Sky News on whether the United States would green-light long-range weapons, Blinken said, "We never rule out, but when we rule in, we want to make sure it's done in such a way that it can advance what the Ukrainians are trying to achieve." The renewed talk about long-range weapons comes after the United States said that Iran has sent short-range missiles to Russia, which could strike Ukraine with them within weeks. The Iranian shipments have raised fears that Moscow would be freed up to use its long-range missiles against comparatively unscathed areas in western Ukraine. Western powers announced new sanctions against Iran's clerical state over the sale, which defied repeated warnings. The United States earlier this year gave its blessing for Ukraine to use Western weapons to hit Russian forces when in direct conflict across the border. But Ukraine last month launched a surprise, daring offensive directly into Russian territory in Kursk, hoping to restore morale and divert Moscow as Russian troops trudge forward in the front lines of eastern Ukraine. British media reports said Biden, who meets Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday, was set to end objections to letting Ukraine fire long-range Storm Shadow missiles into Russia. Britain has repeatedly pushed the United States, by far Ukraine's biggest military supplier, to be more forward on weapons. One key ask of Ukraine is to loosen restrictions on U.S.-supplied Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, which can hit targets up to 300 kilometers away. In a joint letter to Biden, leading members of Congress from the rival Republican Party asked him to act on ATACMS immediately. "As long as it is conducting its brutal, full-scale war of aggression, Russia must not be given a sanctuary from which it can execute its war crimes against Ukraine with impunity," said the letter signed by Representative Mike McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Republicans, however, are deeply divided over Ukraine, and a victory in November by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump over Biden's political heir Kamala Harris could dramatically shift US policy. Trump aides have suggested that if he wins, he would leverage aid to force Kyiv into territorial concessions to Russia to end the war.

Mekelle/Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — The leader of Tigray People's Liberation Front Debretsion Gebremichael has reported previously undisclosed talks between his region and the leaders of Eritrea. Speaking at a press conference in the regional capital Mekelle, Ethiopia, on Tuesday, Debretsion said the first round of talks took place about six months ago in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He told reporters that Getachew Reda, the president of the Tigray Interim Regional Administration, represented the TPLF at the talks in Dubai. Without indicating venue and date, Debretsion also said there have been subsequent meetings with the Eritrean leaders after the initial meeting in Dubai. “This was decided by the TPLF Executive Committee,” he said. “Accordingly, President Getachew Reda has engaged with Eritrea's leaders. This is something that I know and my party's Executive Committee knows.” He said the talks, which were aimed at creating peace between the two sides, had a positive result. “The abduction of citizens, looting and other activities by the Eritrean forces has improved and eased as a result,” he said. He said the TPLF party’s intention is to “make peace with all our neighbors, including the Fano forces and the Eritrean government.” “Based on this principle, Getachew met with the Eritrean leaders, which is known by the honorable prime minister and my part. But this is for a good cause and for peace," he said. Debretsion indicated that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been encouraging them to engage in the talks. He adds that Getachew has also briefed the Ethiopian leader about the talks. There has been no immediate reaction from Ethiopia prime minister’s office, Eritrea and from IRA leader Getachew. VOA’s Horn of Africa Service has reached out to the Ethiopia prime minister’s office and government communication service but has not received a response. Also, repeated attempts to get reaction from the Eritrea’s ministry of information were not successful. The governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea were allies during a deadly two-year war in Tigray that killed thousands. Human rights organizations and the United States have accused Eritrean and Ethiopian forces of committing war crimes during the war in Tigray, a charge the two governments denied. In November 2022, the Ethiopian government and TPLF signed the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement in Pretoria, South Africa, committing to a permanent ending of fighting. Tigray regional officials allege that Eritrean troops remain in parts of their region despite the Pretoria agreement’s call for the withdrawal of foreign forces. The agreement called for the withdrawal of all foreign forces and non-Ethiopian National Defense Forces, referring to the Eritrean forces and Ethiopian militias allied with the Ethiopian government. During his visit to Ethiopia, Hammer will review the implementation of the Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities Agreement on northern Ethiopia with the signatories, the State Department said in a statement.    “The United States remains committed to supporting the Ethiopian government and the Tigray Interim Regional Administration to achieve lasting peace, including through effective disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration for ex-combatants; an orderly and peaceful return of internally displaced persons; and advancing transitional justice and accountability,” the statement read. Hammer will also discuss with Ethiopian officials their efforts to advance dialogue to end violence in the Amhara and Oromia regions, it added.

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Investigations by international human rights groups and witness testimonies provide evidence of government agencies' involvement in the disappearances of at least three prominent opposition figures as well as mass arrests.

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SINGAPORE — An Australian think tank that tracks tech competitiveness says China is now the world leader in research on almost 90% of critical technologies. In a newly released report, the research group adds there is also a high risk of Beijing securing a monopoly on defense-related tech, including drones, satellites and collaborative robots — those that can work safely alongside humans. Analysts say the huge leap forward for China is the result of heavy state investment over the past two decades. They add that despite the progress, Beijing is still dependent on other countries for key tech components and lacks self-sufficiency. The report from the government-funded Australian Strategic Policy Institute, or ASPI, released last Thursday, says China led the way in research into 57 out of 64 advanced technologies in the five years from 2019-2023. ASPI's Critical Technology Tracker ranks countries' innovation capabilities based on the number of appearances in the top 10% of research papers. It focuses on crucial technologies from a range of fields including artificial intelligence, biotechnology, cyber and defense. The report found that "China and the United States have effectively switched places as the overwhelming leader in research in just two decades." China led in only three of the 64 technologies between 2003 and 2007 but has shot up in the rankings, replacing the U.S., which is now a frontrunner in just seven critical technologies. Josh Kennedy-White is a technology strategist based in Singapore. He says China's huge leap is a "direct result of its aggressive, state-driven research and development investments over the past two decades." He adds that the shift toward China is "particularly stark in fields like artificial intelligence, quantum computing and advanced aircraft engines, where China has transitioned from a laggard to a leader in a relatively short period." ASPI also determines the risk of countries holding a monopoly on the research of critical technologies. They currently classify 24 technologies as "high risk" of being monopolized — all by Beijing. Ten technologies are newly classified as "high risk" this year, with many of them linked to the defense industry. "The potential monopoly risk in 24 technology areas, especially those in defense-related fields like radars and drones, is concerning in the current and future geopolitical context," Tobias Feakin, founder of consultancy firm Protostar Strategy, told VOA. Chinese President Xi Jinping has sought to boost his country's advanced manufacturing capabilities with the ambitious "Made in China 2025" initiative. The policy, launched in 2015, aims to strengthen Beijing's self-reliance in critical sectors and make China a global tech powerhouse. Xi, according to Feakin, views advanced technologies as "strategic priorities for China's development, national security and global competitiveness." He adds that technologies are seen as a "central component of China's long-term economic and geopolitical goals." Beijing's ambitions are being closely watched in Washington, with the Biden administration working to limit China's access to advanced technology. Last week, the U.S. introduced new export controls on critical technology to China, including chip-making equipment and quantum computers and components. That announcement came shortly after U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan made his first ever visit to Beijing. He met with Xi and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Sullivan told reporters that Washington "will continue to take necessary action to prevent advanced U.S. technologies from being used to undermine national security." The continued efforts to curb China's chip industry mean that Beijing must look further afield for advanced technology. "Even though it leads in areas like artificial intelligence and 5G, China still depends on Taiwan, the U.S. and South Korea to produce high-end semiconductors", Kennedy-White told VOA. Describing this as China's Achilles' heel, Kennedy-White says the lack of self-sufficiency in the semiconductor industry could "stunt Beijing's progress in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and military applications." As China continues its dominance in critical technology research, questions have been raised over exactly how the country is making these breakthroughs. Last October, officials from the Five Eyes intelligence alliance (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States) issued a joint statement accusing China of stealing intellectual property. U.S. FBI director Christopher Wray described it as an "unprecedented threat." Kennedy-White, managing director of Singapore-based venture catalyst firm DivisionX Global, agrees with this assessment. He says China's jump up the ASPI rankings is "not entirely organic." "There is a correlation between China's rise in certain technologies and allegations of intellectual property theft," he added. ASPI also recommends ways for other countries to close the gap on China. It advises the AUKUS alliance of Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. to join forces with Japan and South Korea to try to catch up. The report also highlights the emergence of India as a "key center" of global research innovation and excellence. The South Asian nation now ranks in the top five countries for 45 out of the 64 technologies that are tracked by ASPI. It's a huge gain compared with 2003-2007, when India sat in the top five for only four technologies. Feakin says countries across the Asia-Pacific "will benefit from leveraging India's growing technology expertise and influence." It will also provide a counterbalance to "overdependence on China's technology supply chain," he added.

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WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday presented Congress' highest honor — the Congressional Gold Medal — to 13 U.S. service members who were killed during the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, even as the politics of a presidential election swirled around the event. Both Democrats and Republicans supported the legislation to posthumously honor the 13 U.S. troops, who were killed along with more than 170 Afghans in a suicide bombing at the Abbey Gate at Kabul's airport in August 2021. President Joe Biden signed the legislation in December 2021. On Tuesday, the top Republican and Democratic leaders for both the House and Senate spoke at a somber ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda, hailing the lives and sacrifices of the service members. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called on the lawmakers gathered to "ensure the sacrifices of all our servicemembers were not in vain." "We must care for them and their families and defend the values of freedom and democracy they so nobly fought for," said Schumer, a New York Democrat. But rather than a unifying moment, the event took place against the backdrop of a bitter back-and-forth over who is to blame for the rushed and deadly evacuation from Kabul. Johnson, a Louisiana Republican and ally of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, scheduled the ceremony just hours before the first debate between Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris. "They lost their lives because of this administration's catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan," Johnson said at a news conference minutes before the ceremony. Then as the speaker opened the ceremony, he took another jab at how the Biden administration has defended its handling of the final months of America's longest war. "To the families who are here, I know many of you have yet to hear these words, so I will say them: we are sorry," Johnson said. "The United States government should have done everything to protect our troops, those fallen and wounded at Abbey Gate deserved our best efforts, and the families who have been left to pick up the pieces continue to deserve transparency, appreciation and recognition." Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee also released a scathing investigation on Sunday into the withdrawal that cast blame on Biden's administration and minimized the role of Trump, who had signed the withdrawal deal with the Taliban. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby on Monday criticized the House report as partisan and one-sided and said it revealed little new information and contained several inaccuracies. He noted that evacuation plans had started well before the pullout, and the fall of Kabul "moved a lot faster than anyone could have anticipated." He also acknowledged that during the evacuation "not everything went according to plan. Nothing ever does." "We hold ourselves all accountable for that," he said of the deaths. Top military and White House officials attended the ceremony Tuesday, including Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough and Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr. the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Pentagon reviews have concluded that the suicide bombing was not preventable and suggestions troops may have seen the would-be bomber were not true. Regardless, Trump has thrust the withdrawal, with the backing from some of the families of the Americans killed, into the center of his campaign. Last month, his political team distributed video of him attending a wreath-laying ceremony for the fallen service members at Arlington National Cemetery on the third anniversary of the bombing, despite the cemetery's prohibition on partisan activity on the grounds as well as an altercation with a cemetery employee who was trying to make sure the campaign followed those rules. Most assessments have concluded Trump and Biden share blame for the disastrous end to the 20-year war, which saw enemy Taliban take over Afghanistan again before the last American troops even flew out of the Kabul airport. Over 2,000 U.S. troops were killed in Afghanistan. The main U.S. government watchdog for the war points to Trump's 2020 deal with the Taliban to withdraw all U.S. forces and military contractors as "the single most important factor" in the collapse of U.S.-allied Afghan security forces and Taliban takeover. Biden's April 2021 announcement that he would proceed with the withdrawal set in motion by Trump was the second-biggest factor, the watchdog said.