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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.

Manila, Philippines — The Philippines is not currently looking to extradite a Filipino pastor wanted for child sex trafficking in the United States, President Ferdinand Marcos said Monday after the suspect's arrest. Apollo Quiboloy, a self-proclaimed "Appointed Son of God" and ally of former president Rodrigo Duterte, surrendered in the southern city of Davao on Sunday amid a massive two-week police search of his sect's sprawling compound. The U.S. charged the Kingdom of Jesus Christ preacher in 2021 with sex trafficking of girls and women aged 12-25 to work as personal assistants, who were allegedly required to have sex with him. "For the moment, we are not looking at extradition. We are focusing on the cases filed in the Philippines," Marcos told reporters on the sidelines of a Manila conference. It is not known if the United States has formally sought the extradition of Quiboloy, aged at least 74, according to the FBI. Quiboloy, whose sect claims millions of followers, is facing charges in Manila of child abuse, sexual abuse and human trafficking. Marcos also congratulated the police for arresting the pastor. "We will demonstrate once again to the world that our judicial system in the Philippines is active, is vibrant, and is working well," the president said. Quiboloy is also sought by U.S. authorities for bulk cash smuggling and a scheme that brought church members to the United States using fraudulently obtained visas. They were then forced to solicit donations for a bogus charity, raising funds that were instead used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders, according to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — South Korea convened an international summit on Monday seeking to establish a blueprint for the responsible use of artificial intelligence in the military, though any agreement is not expected to have binding powers to enforce it. More than 90 countries including the United States and China have sent government representatives to the two-day summit in Seoul, which is the second such gathering. At the first summit, held in Amsterdam last year, the United States, China and other nations endorsed a modest "call to action" without legal commitment. "Recently, in the Russia-Ukraine war, an AI-applied Ukrainian drone functioned as David's slingshot," South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun said in an opening address. He was referring to Ukraine's efforts for a technological edge against Russia by rolling out AI-enabled drones, hoping they will help overcome signal jamming as well as enable unmanned aerial vehicles to work in larger groups. "As AI is applied to the military domain, the military's operational capabilities are dramatically improved. However it is like a double-edged sword, as it can cause damage from abuse," Kim said. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said discussions would cover areas such as a legal review to ensure compliance with international law and mechanisms to prevent autonomous weapons from making life-and-death decisions without appropriate human oversight. The Seoul summit hoped to agree to a blueprint for action, establishing a minimum level of guard-rails for AI in the military and suggesting principles on responsible use by reflecting principles laid out by NATO, by the U.S. or a number of other countries, according to a senior South Korean official. It was unclear how many nations attending the summit would endorse the document on Tuesday, which is aiming to be a more detailed attempt to set boundaries on AI use in the military, but likely will still lack legal commitments. The summit is not the only international set of discussions on AI use in the military. U.N. countries that belong to the 1983 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons are discussing potential restrictions on lethal autonomous weapons systems for compliance with international humanitarian law. The U.S. government last year also launched a declaration on responsible use of AI in the military, which covers broader military application of AI, beyond weapons. As of August, 55 countries have endorsed the declaration. The Seoul summit, co-hosted by the Netherlands, Singapore, Kenya and the United Kingdom, aims to ensure ongoing multi-stakeholder discussions in a field where technological developments are primarily driven by the private sector, but governments are the main decision makers. About 2,000 people globally have registered to take part in the summit, including representatives from international organizations, academia and the private sector, to attend discussions on topics such as civilian protection and AI use in the control of nuclear weapons.

TOKYO — Japan's economy grew at an annual rate of 2.9%, slower than the earlier report for 3.1% growth, in the April-June period, boosted by better wages and spending, revised government data showed Monday. That shows clear risks remain, including U.S. economic growth, which greatly affects export-reliant Japan. Political uncertainty in Japan is another risk as the ruling party picks a new leader. About a dozen candidates are seeking to succeed Prime Minister Fumio Kishida as head of the Liberal Democratic Party. The winner of its Sept. 27 vote is a near-certainty to be the next prime minister since the party controls parliament. The world's fourth-largest economy grew 0.7% in the fiscal first quarter, according to the Cabinet Office, rebounding from the contraction in the previous quarter. Seasonally adjusted real gross domestic product, or GDP, measures the value of a nation's products and services. The annual rate shows how much the economy would have grown or contracted, if the quarterly rate continued for a year. Monday's GDP data showed domestic demand grew a robust 3.0% from the previous quarter on the back of healthy household consumption and private sector investments, as well as government investments. Exports grew a booming 6.1%, even better than the earlier reading for 5.9% growth. Japan's GDP shrank 0.6% in the January-March quarter, after eking out 0.1% growth in October-December last year. The weakening of Japan's economic clout is a pressing concern for a nation, which the IMF projects will slide into fifth place, after the U.S., China, Germany and India in coming years at the current rate.

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WASHINGTON — How to curb and counter China's influence and power — through its biotech companies, drones and electric vehicles — will dominate the U.S. House's first week back from summer break, with lawmakers taking up a series of measures targeting Beijing. Washington views Beijing as its biggest geopolitical rival, and the legislation is touted as ensuring the U.S. prevails in the competition. Many of the bills scheduled for a vote this week appear to have both Republican and Democratic support, reflecting strong consensus that congressional actions are needed to counter China. The legislation "will take meaningful steps to counter the military, economic and ideological threat of the Chinese Communist Party," said Rep. John Moolenaar, chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and a Michigan Republican. "There's a bipartisan goal to win this competition." Advocacy groups worry about the impact, warning against rhetoric that hurts Asian Americans and could create "an atmosphere of guilt by association or fuel divisiveness," said Christine Chen, executive director of Asian & Pacific Islander American Vote. The Chinese Embassy in Washington called the legislation "new McCarthyism" that hypes the tensions in an election year. If passed, the bills "will cause serious interference to China-U.S. relations and mutually beneficial cooperation, and will inevitably damage the U.S.'s own interests, image and credibility," spokesman Liu Pengyu said in a statement. Among the bills are efforts to reduce U.S. reliance on Chinese biotech companies, ban Chinese EVs and drones, restrict Chinese nationals from buying farmland, toughen export restrictions and revive a program to root out spying on U.S. intellectual property. If approved, the measures would still need to clear the Senate. Here's a look at the key legislation: Targeting Beijing-linked biotech A bill seeks to ban a group of five biotechnology companies with Chinese ties from working with anyone that receives federal money. The companies include those that work to help doctors detect genetic causes for cancer or do research and manufacturing for American drugmakers, considered a key step in developing new medications. America's biotech companies have said the bill would disrupt their partnerships with Chinese contractors, resulting in delays in clinical trials for new drugs and higher costs. Supporters say the legislation is necessary to protect U.S. health care data and reduce the country's reliance on China for its medical supply chain. "American patients cannot be in a position where we rely on China for genomic testing or basic medical supplies," said Rep. Brad Wenstrup, an Ohio Republican who sponsored the bill. He called it "the first step" in protecting Americans' genetic data. BGI, one of the Chinese companies named in the bill, called it "a false flag targeting companies under the premise of national security." The company, which offers genetic sequencing for research purposes in the U.S., said it follows the law and has no access to Americans' personal data. Banning Chinese drones Another bill would dub drones made by the Chinese company DJI, which dominates the global drone market, "an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security" and cut its products from U.S. communications networks over data security concerns. The bill would protect Americans' data and critical infrastructure, said Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, who introduced it. "Congress must use every tool at our disposal to stop" China's "monopolistic control over the drone market," she said. DJI argues that users have to "opt in" to share data such as flight logs, photos and videos with the company. If users don't do so, the company said it won't have data to share with any government when compelled. It also has rejected allegations that it is a Chinese military company and has aided the persecution of members of ethnic Muslim minorities. Adam Bry, co-founder and CEO of major U.S. drone maker Skydio, told a congressional committee in June about losing business to China, where "the Chinese government has tried to control the drone industry, pouring resources into national champions and taking aim at competitors in the U.S. and the West, tilting the playing field in China's favor." Protecting intellectual property A challenge is likely against an attempt to revive a Trump-era program described as a way to stop Chinese efforts to steal intellectual property and spy on industry and research. The bill would direct the Justice Department to curb spying by Beijing on U.S. intellectual property and academic institutions and go after people engaged in theft of trade secrets, hacking and economic espionage. The Trump-era program, called the China Initiative, ended in 2022 after multiple unsuccessful prosecutions of researchers and concerns that it had prompted racial and ethnic profiling. Critics also say it chilled cooperation between the U.S. and China in science and technology meant to benefit the greater good. "Our colleagues in the Republican Party sought to reinstate this failed program because they wanted to look like they were solving problems. But in reality, they were only stoking fear and hatred," several Democratic lawmakers said in a statement in March, when they fought off another effort to restart the program.   Restricting farm sales Another bill, which says it will protect U.S. farmland from foreign adversaries, has raised concerns about discrimination. It would add the agriculture secretary to the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment, which reviews the national security implications of foreign transactions. The bill also flags as "reportable" land sales involving citizens from China, North Korea, Russia and Iran. "Food security is national security, and for too long, the federal government has allowed the Chinese Communist Party to put our security at risk by turning a blind eye to their steadily increasing purchases of American farmland," said Rep. Dan Newhouse, a Republican from Washington state, who introduced the bill. The National Agricultural Law Center estimates 24 states ban or limit foreigners without residency and foreign businesses or governments from owning private farmland. The interest emerged after a Chinese billionaire bought more than 130,000 acres near a U.S. Air Force base in Texas and another Chinese company sought to build a corn plant near an Air Force base in North Dakota.

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.

Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez flew into Spain on Sunday to seek asylum, Madrid said, hours after quitting his country amid a political and diplomatic crisis over July's disputed election. A gunman crossing from Jordan killed three Israeli civilians at the Allenby Bridge border in the occupied West Bank. And we’ll take you to an event that matches African film and TV creatives to the people and countries that produce their work.

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.

President Joe Biden’s poor performance during the debate against Donald Trump in June led to his withdrawal from the race and the elevation of Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. Here’s a look at other presidential debates in history that shifted the direction of the campaign.

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.

WASHINGTON — House Republicans on Sunday issued a scathing report on their investigation into the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, blaming the disastrous end of America's longest war on President Joe Biden's administration and minimizing the role of former President Donald Trump, who had signed the withdrawal deal with the Taliban. The partisan review lays out the final months of military and civilian failures, following Trump's February 2020 withdrawal deal, that allowed the Taliban to sweep through and conquer all of the country even before the last U.S. officials flew out on Aug. 30, 2021. The chaotic exit left behind many American citizens, Afghan battlefield allies, women activists and others at risk from the Taliban. But House Republicans' report breaks little new ground as the withdrawal has been exhaustively litigated through several independent reviews. Previous investigations and analyses have pointed to a systemic failure spanning the last four presidential administrations and concluded that Trump and Biden share the heaviest blame. Texas Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, who led the investigation as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the Republican review reveals that the Biden administration "had the information and opportunity to take necessary steps to plan for the inevitable collapse of the Afghan government, so we could safely evacuate U.S. personnel, American citizens, green card holders, and our brave Afghan allies." "At each step of the way, however, the administration picked optics over security," he said in a statement. McCaul earlier in the day denied that the timing of the report's release ahead of the presidential election was political, or that Republicans ignored Trump's mistakes in the U.S. withdrawal. Defending the administration after release of the report, a State Department spokesman said that Biden acted in the U.S.'s best interest in finally ending the country's deployment in Afghanistan. The spokesman, Matthew Miller, said in a statement that Republicans produced a narrative "meant only to harm the Administration, instead of seeking to actually inform Americans on how our longest war came to an end." House Democrats in a statement said the report by their Republican colleagues "cherry-picked witness testimony to exclude anything unhelpful to a predetermined, partisan narrative about the Afghanistan withdrawal" and ignored facts about Trump's role. The more than 18-month investigation by Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee zeroed in on the months leading up to the removal of U.S. troops, saying that Biden and his administration undermined high-ranking officials and ignored warnings as the Taliban seized key cities far faster than most U.S. officials had expected or prepared for. "I called their advance 'the Red Blob,''' retired Col. Seth Krummrich said of the Taliban, telling the committee that at the special operations' central command where he was chief of staff, "we tracked the Taliban advance daily, looking like a red blob gobbling up terrain." "I don't think we ever thought — you know, nobody ever talked about, 'Well, what's going to happen when the Taliban come over the wall?''' Carol Perez, the State Department's acting undersecretary for management at the time of the withdrawal, said of what House Republicans said was minimal State Department planning before abandoning the embassy in mid-August 2021 when the Taliban swept into Kabul, Afghanistan's capital. The withdrawal ended a nearly two-decade occupation by U.S. and allied forces begun to rout out the al-Qaida militants responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. The Taliban had allowed al-Qaida's leader, Osama bin Laden, to shelter in Afghanistan. Committee staffers noted reports since the U.S. withdrawal of the group rebuilding in Afghanistan, such as a U.N. report of up to eight al-Qaida training camps there. The Taliban overthrew an Afghan government and military that the U.S. had spent nearly 20 years and trillions of dollars building in hopes of keeping the country from again becoming a base for anti-Western extremists. A 2023 report by the U.S. government watchdog for the U.S. in Afghanistan singles out Trump's February 2020 deal with the Taliban agreeing to withdraw all American forces and military contractors by the spring of the next year, and both Trump's and Biden's determination to keep pulling out U.S. forces despite the Taliban breaking key commitments in the withdrawal deal. House Republicans' more than 350-page document is the product of hours of testimony — including with former Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, U.S. Central Command retired Gen. Frank McKenzie and others who were senior officials at the time — seven public hearings and round tables, as well as more than 20,000 pages of State Department documents reviewed by the committees. With Biden no longer running for reelection, Trump and his Republican allies have tried to elevate the withdrawal as a campaign issue against Vice President Kamala Harris, who is now Trump's Democratic opponent in the presidential race. The report by House Republicans cites Harris' overall responsibility as an adviser to Biden but doesn't point to specific counsel or action by Harris that contributed to the many failures. Some highlights of the report: Decision to withdraw Republicans point to testimony and records that claim the Biden administration's reliance on input from military and civilian leaders on the ground in Afghanistan in the months before the withdrawal was "severely limited," with most of the decision-making taking place by national security adviser Jake Sullivan without consultation with key stakeholders. The report says Biden proceeded with the withdrawal even though the Taliban was failing to keep some of its agreements under the deal, including breaking its promise to enter talks with the then-U.S.-backed Afghan government. Former State Department spokesperson Ned Price testified to the committee that adherence to the Doha Agreement was "immaterial" to Biden's decision to withdraw, according to the report. Earlier reviews have said Trump also carried out his early steps of the withdrawal deal, cutting the U.S. troop presence from about 13,000 to an eventual 2,500 despite early Taliban noncompliance with some parts of the deal, and despite the Taliban escalating attacks on Afghan forces. The House report faults a longtime U.S. diplomat for Afghanistan, former Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, not Trump, for Trump administration actions in its negotiations with the Taliban. The new report says that Trump was following recommendations of American military leaders in making sharp cuts in U.S. troop numbers in Afghanistan after the signing. 'We were still in planning' when Kabul fell The report also goes into the vulnerability of U.S. embassy staff in Kabul as the Biden administration planned its exit. Republicans claim there was a "dogmatic insistence" by the Biden administration to maintain a large diplomatic footprint despite concerns about the lack of security afforded to personnel once U.S. forces left. McKenzie, who was one of the two U.S. generals who oversaw the evacuation, told lawmakers that the administration's insistence at keeping the embassy open and fully operational was the "fatal flaw that created what happened in August," according to the report. The committee report claims that State Department officials went as far as watering down or "even completely rewriting reports" from heads of diplomatic security and the Department of Defense that had warned of the threats to U.S. personnel as the withdrawal date got closer. "We were still in planning" when Kabul fell, Perez, the senior U.S. diplomat, testified to the committee.

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FRANKFURT, Germany — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Sunday he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agree that Russia should be included in a future peace conference aimed at ending Russia's war against Ukraine. He called for stepped up efforts to solve the conflict. A previous peace conference June 15-16 in Switzerland ended with 78 countries expressing support for Ukraine’s “territorial integrity” but otherwise left the path forward unclear. Russia did not participate. “I believe that now is the moment when we must discuss how we get out of this war situation faster than the current impression is,” Scholz said in an interview with Germany's ZDF public television aired Sunday. “There will certainly be a further peace conference, and the president and I agree that it must be one with Russia present,” Scholz said. Scholz is facing more political discontent at home over his government's support including money and weapons for Ukraine after populist parties that oppose arming Ukraine did well in state elections Sept. 1 at the expense of parties in his three-party governing coalition. Some members of his Social Democratic Party have also called for more emphasis on diplomacy toward Russia. Zelenskyy has presented a 10-point peace formula that calls for the expulsion of all Russian forces from Ukrainian territory and accountability for war crimes.

Seoul, South Korea — Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin sent greetings to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the occasion of North Korea's founding anniversary, state media KCNA said on Monday. "I am sure that the comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and the DPRK will be strengthened in a planned way thanks to our joint efforts," Putin said, according to KCNA. DPRK is short for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name. Xi called for deeper strategic communication and cooperation with North Korea in his message, KCNA said. Last year, Kim marked the country's founding day on Sept. 9 with a parade of paramilitary groups and diplomatic exchanges in which he vowed to deepen ties with China and Russia.

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Havana, Cuba — Socialist Cuba, the birthplace of salsa and other rhythms that have conquered the world, is now surrendering to the invasion of South Korean pop music. Thirteen thousand kilometers of distance separate the Asian nation and the communist-run island, as well as a different language and cultural traditions. However, all of these barriers would seem to vanish in a split second thanks to K-pop's infectious beat and elaborate choreography. Korean popular music, or K-pop, has spread far and wide from its Asian roots as boy bands like BTS and NCT and their female counterpart Blackpink rival Taylor Swift for downloads and album sales globally. But it was slow to catch on in Cuba, where salsa is king and internet speeds were glacial until recently. On Saturday, far from Seoul, dozens of teenagers clad in plaid, prep school skirts, baggy bomber pants and heavy black eyeliner busted their best moves as images of the genre's idols were projected on a large screen of a Havana dance club. "K-pop has opened a new world to me," said 24-year-old Fransico Piedra, who when not working with his father as a blacksmith dreams up meticulous dance steps. Known by his artistic name Ken he one day aspires to be a professional K-pop choreographer. "It's a place where I can be myself, and share with friends the joy of laughter, song and dance." Many of the teenagers hope to follow in the footsteps of two Cuban groups — Limitless and LTX — that before the pandemic traveled to South Korea to partake in the K-POP World Festival, an annual talent competition. K-pop — a catch all for musical styles ranging from R&B to rock — first penetrated the island when Cubans fell in love with South Korean soap operas about a decade ago. As internet speeds improved, and government controls eased, more young Cubans got online and started streaming videos like teenagers everywhere. While Cuban kids may be mesmerized by K-pop, an older generation of leaders have had frostier ties to South Korea. The two countries only restored diplomatic relations that were severed following the 1959 Cuban revolution this year and have yet to exchange ambassadors. Meanwhile, Cuba remains a staunch ally of North Korea, which views K-pop as a dangerous form of propaganda from a capitalist enemy with whom is has been locked in a military standoff since the 1950s.

Moscow — Russia said on Sunday its forces had taken full control of a town in eastern Ukraine as Moscow's forces advance on the strategically important city of Pokrovsk and seek to pierce the Ukrainian defensive front lines. Russian forces, which control about a fifth of Ukraine since invading in February 2022, are advancing in eastern Ukraine in an attempt to take the whole of the Donbas, which is about half the size of the U.S. state of Ohio. Russia's defense ministry said its forces had taken the town of Novohrodivka, which lies 12 kilometers from Pokrovsk, an important rail and road hub for Ukrainian forces in the area. The town had a population of 14,000 before the war. Yuri Podolyaka, an influential Ukrainian-born, pro-Russian military blogger, published maps showing Russian forces attacking beyond Novohrodivka in at least two places less than 7 kilometers from Pokrovsk. The General Staff of the Ukrainian military, in a report issued on Sunday evening, gave details of fighting throughout the Pokrovsk sector, including Novohrodivka. It said 29 attempted Russian advances had been repelled, with seven skirmishes continuing. "Our troops are taking measures to maintain designated positions," it said. But an interview with a Ukrainian officer broadcast last week by U.S.-funded Radio Liberty said Ukrainian forces had abandoned Novohrodivka on grounds that the positions there were not favorable for defending it. Popular Ukrainian war blog DeepState said Russian forces had captured the village of Nevelske, to the southeast. Reuters was unable to immediately verify battlefield reports from either side due to restrictions on reporting in the war. President Vladimir Putin said last week that a Ukrainian incursion into the Russian region of Kursk had failed to slow Russia's own advance in eastern Ukraine and had weakened Kyiv's defenses along the front line in a boost to Moscow. Ukraine's top military commander said on Thursday that Kyiv's incursion into the Kursk region was working. Russian forces, he said, had made no progress in their advance on Pokrovsk for the previous six days. He said that one of the objectives of the Kursk incursion was to divert Russian forces from other areas, primarily Pokrovsk and Kurakhove. Russia had diverted large numbers to Kursk but was also strengthening the Pokrovsk front, he added. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the Kursk operation was also to prevent Russian forces from crossing the border in the opposite direction. Russia currently controls about 80% of the Donbas. Given the speed of recent Russian advances in the east, some Russian war bloggers have raised concern about the army overreaching itself. Putin ordered tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine more than two and a half years ago in what he calls a special military operation. Ukraine and its Western backers have vowed to defeat Russian forces and expel all Russian troops.

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