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LONDON — Google lost its last bid to overturn a European Union antitrust penalty, after the bloc's top court ruled against it Tuesday in a case that came with a whopping fine and helped jumpstart an era of intensifying scrutiny for Big Tech companies. The European Union's top court rejected Google's appeal against the $2.7 billion penalty from the European Commission, the 27-nation bloc's top antitrust enforcer, for violating antitrust rules with its comparison shopping service. Also Tuesday, Apple lost its challenge against an order to repay $14.34 billion in back taxes to Ireland, after the European Court of Justice issued a separate decision siding with the commission in a case targeting unlawful state aid for global corporations. Both companies have now exhausted their appeals in the cases that date to the previous decade. Together, the court decisions are a victory for European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, who is expected to step down next month after 10 years as the commission's top official overseeing competition. Experts said the rulings illustrate how watchdogs have been emboldened in the years since the cases were first opened. One of the takeaways from the Apple decision "is the sense that, again, the EU authorities and courts are prepared to flex their [collective] muscles to bring Big Tech to heel where necessary," Alex Haffner, a competition partner at law firm Fladgate, said by email. The shopping fine was one of three huge antitrust penalties for Google from the commission, which punished the Silicon Valley giant in 2017 for unfairly directing visitors to its own Google Shopping service over competitors. "We are disappointed with the decision of the Court, which relates to a very specific set of facts," Google said in a brief statement. The company said it made changes to comply with the commission's decision requiring it to treat competitors equally. It started holding auctions for shopping search listings that it would bid for alongside other comparison shopping services. "Our approach has worked successfully for more than seven years, generating billions of clicks for more than 800 comparison shopping services," Google said. European consumer group BEUC hailed the court's decision, saying it shows how the bloc's competition law "remains highly relevant" in digital markets. "It is a good outcome for all European consumers at the end of the day," Director General Agustín Reyna said in an interview. "It means that many smaller companies or rivals will be able to go to different comparison shopping sites. They don't need to depend on Google to reach out to customers." Google is still appealing its two other EU antitrust cases: a 2018 fine of $4.55 billion involving its Android operating system and a 2019 penalty of $1.64 billion over its AdSense advertising platform. Despite the amounts of money involved, the adverse rulings will leave a small financial dent in one of the world's richest and most profitable companies. The combined bill of $17 billion facing Apple and Alphabet, Google's parent company, represents 0.3% of their combined market value of $5.2 trillion. Those three cases foreshadowed expanded efforts by regulators worldwide to crack down on the tech industry. The EU has since opened more investigations into Big Tech companies and drew up a new law to prevent them from cornering online markets, known as the Digital Markets Act. Google is also now facing pressure over its lucrative digital advertising business from the EU and Britain, which are carrying out separate investigations, and the United States, where the Department of Justice is taking the company to federal court over its alleged dominance in ad tech. Apple failed in its last bid to avoid repaying its Irish taxes Tuesday after the Court of Justice upheld a lower court ruling against the company, in the dispute that dates back to 2016. The case drew outrage from Apple, with CEO Tim Cook calling it "total political crap."

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WASHINGTON — A controversial law on “foreign influence transparency” is heading toward full implementation in Georgia, even though the country aspires to join the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization. September 2 was the deadline for Georgian nongovernmental organizations and media organizations receiving more than one-fifth of their funding from abroad to register as “organizations serving the interests of a foreign power.” Only 1.6% of the country’s organizations chose to do so. Many organizations expect they will be forced to register and fined for allegedly serving foreign interests. Georgia’s so-called “foreign agent” law has been labeled a “Russian-style law” and heavily criticized by Georgia’s Western partners, who say it undermines the hope of most Georgians that their country will join European institutions. Georgia’s government, however, insists the law simply seeks to ensure “transparency.” On October 26, Georgians will head to the polls to elect a new parliament, and the political opposition believes these elections will be a referendum on whether the country will continue to move toward integration with Europe. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien spoke with Voice of America’s Georgian Service about what the Biden administration will be most closely watching. VOA: The Georgian government is moving ahead with implementation of the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence, which has triggered criticism and the imposition of travel restrictions against Georgian government officials by the U.S. and a pause in aid by both the U.S. and the EU. What message does the Biden administration have now for the Georgian leadership? Will the process of implementing the law affect whether the October parliamentary election will be seen as free and fair?   U.S.  Assistant Secretary of State James O'Brien: We want the Georgian people to be able to register their votes in a free and fair election. For that to happen, we need to see the whole process work well, all these organizations [being] able to work effectively over the next several months without fear of oppression or violence. This law, as we've said repeatedly, is flawed fundamentally. There are ways that European states protect their election systems. This law does not do that. Having a government agency essentially force a registration and have access to all the data in that organization is at odds with modern European practice. … It’s caused an enormous amount of damage to Georgia's prospects for joining the EU and NATO. The elections need to be free and fair. It's good that the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe will be able to have a mission to observe some parts [of the election], but it also depends on the community groups. All of that is one big system, and this law tries to kick one leg out from a three-legged stool. It doesn't work. And so, I'm worried that it means the elections will not be free and fair, and they certainly won't be seen as free and fair. Without that, Georgia can't make the next step forward. VOA: The U.S. and Georgia have been strategic partners for over three decades. The Biden administration has taken several steps, including visa restrictions, pausing aid and postponing joint military drills. What might the next steps be? What are the options on the table? O’Brien: We’ve already put in place restriction on travel to the U.S. that's affected dozens of people. We're not allowed to say who exactly. But it's a very significant step.  We have suspended help, assistance to a range of the Georgian society. That's a shame, but it's necessary. And the EU’s said that the process of joining the EU is effectively suspended. We do not want to see a return to the kind of violence, harassment and oppression that we saw in the spring, where civil society groups, individuals were visited by often-thuggish groups with Russian accents, they were visited by members of the government. All of those things can't happen. VOA: Meanwhile, [ruling party] Georgian Dream leaders have promised to "ban opposition parties" following the elections. How does this sound coming from the leadership of a country aspiring to EU and NATO membership, and what concerns does it raise about the ruling party’s intentions? O’Brien: It doesn't sound like a democracy. One party doesn't get to decide what other party gets to compete. It's for the citizens to decide what parties take their seats in parliament, according to fair rules that are understood in advance. So, I think that was a very revealing comment. And it suggests that this is not a government capable of bringing Georgia toward Europe. VOA: Russian intelligence services are accusing the U.S. of plotting "regime change" in Georgia. Some Georgian Dream members also have accused U.S. organizations like the NDI or IRI [the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute, both of which are American nongovernmental organizations funded by the U.S. government] of helping the opposition. What do you make of these accusations, and are you worried about possible Russian interference or malign influence in the Georgian elections? O’Brien: Well, anyone who believes the Russian security services, I think, is fooling themselves. The American organizations are very transparent. It's known who we work with, and we work to support the Georgian people so that they can organize themselves inside or outside government. That's the full goal. We don't pick winners and losers. We are for the Georgian people, most of whom, almost 90% of whom, want to move toward Europe, and it's this government with its very bad legal drafting — like it's just bad lawyering — that has caused this problem. And we would like them to fix it so that the Georgian people can organize themselves and could have a free and fair election. If the government succeeds in … denying access to resources by all these groups, the only ones left standing will be Russian sources of information. So, whatever the case has been till now, what the government is doing [now] makes it much easier for Russia to dominate Georgia's information space. VOA: After so many high-level engagements with the Georgian authorities, and Prime Minister [Irakli] Kobakhidze speaking about the need for “resetting” the relationship, do you have any indication that they might be ready to change course? O’Brien: No. And they're in denial. They haven't noticed we’ve suspended $95 million in assistance. The EU is suspending a proportionate amount: They are saying you don't get to move toward Europe. And what Georgian Dream tries to tell its voters, and all Georgian citizens, is [that] everything is fine. It is not fine. Georgia wants to join the European Union. There are clear rules. The people responsible for those rules are saying you have made a mistake. You have written a bad law. They are on the verge of writing two new bad laws and those need to stop in order for the people of Georgia to get what they overwhelmingly want. We've said again and again to the Georgian officials: The transparency you say you want is readily available. All the American organizations are transparent. The European organizations are transparent. There are ways to achieve that. But they've chosen to do it in a way that lets the [Georgian] Ministry of Justice control your local neighborhood organization. And that's not democratic, and it's not part of Europe. We want them to turn back so that the Georgian people can be part of Europe.

Maiduguri, Nigeria — Flood water from an overflowing dam has destroyed thousands of homes in Maiduguri, the capital city of Borno state in northeast Nigeria, and emergency officials fear the situation could get worse. Several aerial videos and photos shared by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) with AFP showed rows of houses submerged in murky water. An epicenter of more than a decade-long insurgency, Maiduguri serves as the hub for the responses to the humanitarian crisis in the northeast region. The United Nations refugee agency in Nigeria on its X account said it was the city's worst flooding in 30 years. "It is an unprecedented incident," NEMA spokesman Ezekiel Manzo told AFP on Tuesday. "Some of the central parts of the city that have not witnessed flood in so many years are witnessing it today." Thousands of homes have been submerged by the rapid rise of water after the rupture of the Alau Dam on the Ngadda River, 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Maiduguri. "The last three days have over 150,000 individuals with over 23,000 households affected," said NEMA zonal coordinator Surajo Garba. But with more locations being hit, "we are sure the figure will be much over 200,000 individuals," Garba forecast. "The flood, which began over the weekend and worsened in the following days, was the direct result of excess water from the Alau Dam," said Nigeria's Vice President Kashim Shettima, who hails from Maiduguri, as he visited the area. "The collapse of the spillways unleashed a significant surge of water downstream, causing widespread flooding in the surrounding communities," Shettima said. The flood also inundated the city's post office and main zoo, with authorities warning that deadly animals had been washed into communities. Manzo said forecasts did not prepare the emergency workers for the extent of the flooding, while also blaming the impact of climate change for the disaster. He told AFP there were deaths from the incident but declined to give a specific number because rescue workers continue rescue operations in the affected areas. With flooding still high in many parts of the city, authorities have opened three temporary shelters for the victims. "Homes are submerged, schools shut down and businesses crippled as people evacuate with their belongings," the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees' Nigeria office said. Floods have killed at least 229 people and displaced around 380,000 more in parts of the country, according to NEMA, but mainly in the northern region. Some 110,000 hectares (280,000 acres) of farmland have also been affected, NEMA figures showed. Damage to farmland will worsen Nigeria's high rates of food insecurity, Save the Children warned last week. "One in every six children across Nigeria faced hunger in June-August this year" – a 25% increase on the same period last year, the NGO said in a statement. Flooding, usually caused by abundant rains and poor infrastructure, has caused large-scale destruction in Africa's most populous country in the past. More than 360 people died and more than 2.1 million were displaced in 2012. In 2022, more than 500 people died and 1.4 million were displaced in the worst floods in a decade. Nigeria's President Bola Ahmed Tinubu offered his "condolences" to those affected in a statement, "especially to the families that have lost their means of livelihood due to the disaster." His office said earlier he is working with state authorities to "address the immediate humanitarian needs of the affected people."

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri — An amendment to restore abortion rights in Missouri will be on the ballot, the state's Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.  The proposal to enshrine abortion rights in the constitution is expected to widely undo the state's 2022 near-total abortion ban if passed. Judges ruled hours before the Tuesday deadline for changes to be made to the November ballot.  Supreme Court judges ordered Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft to put the measure back on the ballot. He had removed it Monday following a county circuit judge's ruling Friday.  The order also directs Ashcroft, an abortion opponent, to "take all steps necessary to ensure that it is on said ballot."  The court's full opinion on the case was not immediately released Tuesday.  Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, the campaign backing the measure, lauded the decision.  "Missourians overwhelmingly support reproductive rights, including access to abortion, birth control, and miscarriage care," campaign manager Rachel Sweet said in a statement. "Now, they will have the chance to enshrine these protections in the Missouri Constitution on November 5."  Mary Catherine Martin, a lawyer for a group of Republican lawmakers and abortion opponents suing to remove the amendment, had told Supreme Court judges during rushed Tuesday arguments that the initiative petition "misled voters" by not listing all the laws restricting abortion that it would effectively repeal.  The amendment is part of a national push to have voters weigh in on abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Missouri banned almost all abortions immediately after that Supreme Court ruling.  Eight other states will consider constitutional amendments enshrining abortion rights, including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada and South Dakota. Most would guarantee a right to abortion until fetal viability and allow it later for the health of the pregnant woman, which is what the Missouri proposal would do.  New York also has a ballot measure that proponents say would protect abortion rights, though there's a dispute about its impact.  Voting on the polarizing issue could draw more people to the polls, potentially impacting results for the presidency in swing states, control of Congress and the outcomes for closely contested state offices. Missouri Democrats, for instance, hope to get a boost from abortion-rights supporters during the November election.  Legal fights have sprung up across the country over whether to allow voters to decide these questions — and over the exact wording used on the ballots and explanatory material.  In August, Arkansas' highest court upheld a decision to keep an abortion rights initiative off the state's November ballot, agreeing with election officials that the group behind the measure did not properly submit documentation regarding the signature gatherers it hired.  Seven states have previously had abortion questions on their ballots since Roe was overturned, and voters have sided with abortion-rights supporters each time.

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

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

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

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

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

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

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

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

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

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

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

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