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beijing — The Chinese government is ending its intercountry adoption program, and the United States is seeking clarification on how the decision will affect hundreds of American families with pending applications to adopt children from China. In a phone call with U.S. diplomats in China, Beijing said it "will not continue to process cases at any stage" other than those cases covered by an exception clause. The embassy is seeking clarification in writing from China's Ministry of Civil Affairs, the U.S. State Department said Thursday.  "We understand there are hundreds of families still pending completion of their adoption, and we sympathize with their situation," the State Department said.  At a daily briefing Thursday, Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for the Chinese foreign ministry, said China is no longer allowing foreign adoptions of the country's children, with the only exception for blood relatives to adopt a child or a stepchild.  She didn't explain the decision other than to say that it was in line with the spirit of relevant international conventions.  Many foreigners have adopted children from China over the decades, visiting the country to pick them up and then bringing them to new homes overseas.  U.S. families have adopted 82,674 children from China, the most from any foreign country.  China suspended international adoptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The government later resumed adoptions for children who had received travel authorization before the suspension in 2020, the U.S. State Department said in its latest annual report on adoptions.  A U.S. consulate issued 16 visas for adoptions from China from October 2022 through September 2023, the first in more than two years, the State Department report said. It wasn't clear if any more visas had been issued since then.  In January, Denmark's only overseas adoption agency said it was winding down operations after concerns were raised about fabricated documents and procedures, and Norway's top regulatory body recommended stopping overseas adoptions for two years pending an investigation into several cases.  Beijing's announcement also follows falling birth rates in the country. The number of newborn babies fell to 9.02 million in 2023, and the overall population declined for the second consecutive year. 

WASHINGTON — Outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to ensure the continuity of Tokyo's close bilateral relations with South Korea during his visit to Seoul amid threats from North Korea and China. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters on Thursday that Kishida's trip to Seoul the following day seeks to ensure that enhanced cooperation between Japan and South Korea is "made more concrete."  He said, "The two countries should work together as partners" as they "face international challenges" and that "the bilateral relationship of the two countries will be confirmed" during Kishida's visit to Seoul. The South Korean presidential office announced on Tuesday that Kishida will make a two-day visit to Seoul starting Friday for a final summit with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.  Kishida announced in August he will step down this month, ending his three-year term early in response to political and economic issues in Japan.  "It is very important that Kishida, who identified the 'reset' of Japan-ROK relations as one of his concrete foreign policy achievements" when he announced his decision to step down, "chose ROK as one of the last places of [his] visit as the prime minister," said Yuki Tatsumi, director of the Japan Program at the Stimson Center. ROK stands for Republic of Korea, the official name of South Korea. Mending ties At a news conference held to announce his resignation on Aug. 14, Kishida said Tokyo must make restored relations with South Korea "ever more certain" as the two countries celebrate the 60th anniversary of normalized relations next year.  Seoul and Tokyo normalized their diplomatic relations in 1965, but lingering historical disputes stemming from Japan's colonial occupation of South Korea from 1910 to 1945 strained their ties in recent years.  Putting aside their historical differences, Kishida and Yoon forged close ties through their 11 meetings since Yoon took office in 2022. "Prime Minister Kishida's visit is a manifestation of his sincerity, and that of his government, that Japan is committed to continuing the efforts that have enabled such an important transformation in ROK-Japan relations," said Evans Revere, who served as acting assistant secretary for East Asia and Pacific Affairs during the George W. Bush administration. The improved relations led to regular meetings between the two countries that culminated in the Camp David summit with the U.S. in August 2023. There, the three agreed to expand security ties.  In June, the three countries held their first multi-domain land, air and sea military drills, dubbed "Freedom Edge," to boost the security of the Indo-Pacific including the Korean Peninsula. Cooperation on security The heightened cooperation comes in response to elevating threats from North Korean missile launches and Chinese air and naval incursions.  China has made multiple incursions into the South Korean air defense zone and Japanese air and maritime defense zones, including what Tokyo claimed as a violation of its territorial air space for the first time in August.  Daniel Sneider, a lecturer in international policy focusing on Japanese and Korean foreign policy at Stanford University, said Kishida's trip to Seoul will send signals to Pyongyang and Beijing that the trilateral security cooperation will be preserved even after his term ends.  "As a Prime Minister, his personal courage, along with ROK President Yoon's, ushered in a new era for U.S.-Japan-ROK trilateral cooperation at last year's Camp David Summit," a State Department spokesperson told VOA Korean on Wednesday when asked about the trip.  Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is scheduled to elect Kishida's successor on Sept. 27. "There's a fair amount of consensus on the importance of continuing security cooperation with South Korea," said Sneider. "But there are parts of the LDP that are much more resistant to having close ties with South Korea." He added that Kishida "wants to make clear" that preserving security cooperation with South Korea will remain Japan's foreign policy whoever becomes the next prime minister of Japan. The South Korean presidential office said on Tuesday that "Prime Minister Kishida is expected to continue to provide constructive advice to his successor on foreign policies and the future development of South Korea-Japan relations based on his experience."  Jiha Ham contributed to this report.

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For more than a century, dams have blocked fish migration on California’s second-largest river. VOA’s Matt Dibble takes us to the removal of the last of four dams, a victory for Native Americans who depend on the river.

state department — During a trip to Haiti on Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced $45 million in new humanitarian aid for the Caribbean nation, which has been wracked by violence for years. "At this critical moment, you do need more funding. We do need more personnel to sustain and carry out the objectives of this mission," Blinken told a news conference on a rare visit there. During the visit, Blinken also called for renewing a U.N. mandate for an international security mission to Haiti to fight armed gangs that control much of the country's capital. The mandate, first approved for 12 months, is set to expire at the beginning of October. Blinken said a U.N. peacekeeping mission could help bring a more sustainable peace to Haiti. "Much remains to be done, and we're determined to continue," he said. "It's starting to move." "The Haitian people, not Haitian gangs, will write the country's future," Blinken said. Blinken's visit to Port-au-Prince underscores U.S. support for Haiti, with additional humanitarian assistance anticipated as the country grapples with gang violence. On Thursday, Blinken also met with Edgard Leblanc Fils, the head of Haiti's Transitional Presidential Council, in Port-au-Prince, a State Department spokesperson said. "Both concurred on the critical need to make timely advancements on election preparations," spokesperson Matthew Miller said. Blinken also will visit the Dominican Republic. His trip to Santo Domingo follows the start of Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader's second term in mid-August. A senior State Department official told reporters on Wednesday that the United States is prioritizing efforts with its international partners to set up a structure that ensures "a reliable source of financing and staffing" for a security mission in Haiti. U.S. President Joe Biden's administration is reportedly considering the possibility of transitioning a largely U.S.-funded multinational security force into a traditional U.N. peacekeeping operation. "A formal PKO [peacekeeping operation] is one of the ways that we could accomplish that, but we're looking at multiple ways to do that," said Brian Nichols, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs. With about a month left in the mandate of the U.N.-ratified, Kenya-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) in Haiti, progress has been limited, and many pledges remain unfulfilled. "The one-year anniversary of the mission is October 2, and we're going to work to ensure that it's poised for success and renewal of its mandate in whatever form that takes," Nichols told VOA on Wednesday. Multinational security assists police Gang-related violence and drug trafficking have fueled political instability and insecurity in Haiti, leading to an unbearable living situation for the Haitian people. In October 2022, Haiti requested the deployment of an international force to assist the Haitian National Police in combating heavily armed gangs and facilitating humanitarian aid. In October 2023, the U.N. Security Council authorized the MSS. The United States and Canada are the top funders of the MSS in Haiti. The first-year estimated cost for the mission is $589 million. The U.S. has already provided $309 million — $200 million toward the MSS mission base and $109 million in financial support. During a visit to Haiti in July, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield announced an additional $60 million in humanitarian assistance for the Haitian people, along with providing armored vehicles for the national police. Apart from Fils, Blinken met with MSS head Godfrey Otunge and was also to meet Prime Minister Garry Conille and Normil Rameau, head of the Haitian National Police. Gang violence grips nation At least 80% of Port-au-Prince is no longer under the control of the Haitian authorities, with violence spreading to other parts of the country. In the past year, displacement in Haiti has tripled as gang violence grips the Caribbean nation. The United Nations reports that at least 578,000 people have been displaced due to violence, which includes murders, kidnappings and rapes. The situation is exacerbated by widespread hunger, with nearly half the 11.7 million population facing acute food insecurity. Gangs, some aligned with political elites, accumulated their control over territory and illicit markets during the tenure of the unpopular former Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who took office after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021, according to a Congressional Research Service report. Henry resigned in April 2024 following the formation of a Transitional Presidential Council. VOA's Liam Scott contributed to this report.

WINDER, Ga. — The father of a 14-year-old boy accused of fatally shooting four people at a Georgia high school and wounding nine others was arrested Thursday and faces charges including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter for allowing his son to possess a weapon, authorities said. It's the latest example of prosecutors holding parents responsible for their children's actions in school shootings. In April, Michigan parents Jennifer and James Crumbley were the first to be convicted in a U.S. mass school shooting. They were sentenced to at least 10 years in prison for not securing a firearm at home and acting indifferently to signs of their son's deteriorating mental health before he killed four students in 2021. Colin Gray, 54, the father of Colt Gray, was charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children, Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey said at a news conference. "These charges stem from Mr. Gray knowingly allowing his son, Colt, to possess a weapon," Hosey said. "His charges are directly connected with the actions of his son and allowing him to possess a weapon." In Georgia, second-degree murder means that a person has caused the death of another person while committing second-degree cruelty to children. It is punishable by 10 to 30 years in prison. Involuntary manslaughter means that someone unintentionally causes the death of another person. Authorities have charged 14-year-old Colt Gray as an adult with murder in the shootings Wednesday at Apalachee High School outside Atlanta. Arrest warrants obtained by the AP accuse him of using a semiautomatic assault-style rifle in the attack, which killed two students and two teachers and wounded nine other people. The teen denied threatening to carry out a school shooting when authorities interviewed him last year about a menacing post on social media, according to a sheriff's report obtained Thursday. Conflicting evidence on the post's origin left investigators unable to arrest anyone, the report said. Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum said she reviewed the report from May 2023 and found nothing that would have justified bringing charges at the time. "We did all we could do with what we had at the time," Mangum told The Associated Press in an interview. When a sheriff's investigator from neighboring Jackson County interviewed Gray last year, his father said the boy had struggled with his parents' separation and often got picked on at school. The teen frequently fired guns and hunted with his father. "He knows the seriousness of weapons and what they can do, and how to use them and not use them," Colin Gray said according to a transcript obtained from the sheriff's office. The teen was interviewed after the sheriff received a tip from the FBI that Colt Gray, then 13, "had possibly threatened to shoot up a middle school tomorrow." The threat was made on Discord, a social media platform popular with video gamers, according to the sheriff's office incident report. The FBI's tip pointed to a Discord account associated with an email address linked to Colt Gray, the report said. But the boy said "he would never say such a thing, even in a joking manner," according to the investigator's report. The investigator wrote that no arrests were made because of "inconsistent information" on the Discord account, which had profile information in Russian and a digital evidence trail indicating it had been accessed in different Georgia cities as well as Buffalo, New York. The attack was the latest among dozens of school shootings across the U.S. in recent years, including especially deadly ones in Newtown, Connecticut; Parkland, Florida; and Uvalde, Texas. The classroom killings have set off fervent debates about gun control and frayed the nerves of parents whose children are growing up accustomed to active-shooter drills. But there has been little change to national gun laws. Classes were canceled Thursday at the Georgia high school, though some people came to leave flowers around the flagpole and kneel in the grass with heads bowed. Gray was being held Thursday at a regional youth detention facility. His first court appearance was scheduled for Friday morning. He has been charged in the deaths of students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, and teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53, according to Hosey. At least nine other people — eight students and one teacher at the school in Winder — were wounded and taken to hospitals. All were expected to survive, Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said. It was the 30th mass killing in the U.S. so far this year, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. At least 127 people have died in those killings, which are defined as events in which four or more people die within a 24-hour period, not including the killer — the same definition used by the FBI.

washington — Linda Sun, the Chinese American political aide accused this week of acting as an agent of Beijing, rose rapidly in New York state politics on her way to a job as deputy chief of staff to Governor Kathy Hochul. She climbed the ladder with stints as public relations director to a Taiwanese American member of Congress and an assignment as the deputy chief diversity officer in the office of the previous governor. But according to the indictment made public this week, she used her position to tamp down public criticism of China's treatment of its Uyghur minority and to prevent interactions between Taiwanese government officials and senior New York state officials. In return, the indictment alleges, Beijing rewarded her with millions of dollars in bribes and business deals. Sun and her husband, Chris Hu, were arrested Tuesday, accused of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act by illegally acting as agents of the Chinese government. Other charges include visa fraud, alien smuggling and money laundering conspiracy. Hu was also charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and abuse of identification. Court appearance The two naturalized U.S. citizens made their first appearance in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn on Tuesday. During the arraignment, they pleaded not guilty and were released on a combined $2 million bail. They are not allowed to travel outside New York, New Hampshire and Maine. In a statement shared with VOA Mandarin, Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu dismissed the allegations. "I am not aware of the specific details. But in recent years, the U.S. government and media have frequently hyped up the so-called 'Chinese agents' narratives, many of which have later been proven untrue," he said. He added that "China requires its citizens overseas to comply with the laws and regulations of the host country, and we firmly oppose the groundless slandering and smearing targeting China." Barnard graduate Sun was born in China in 1983 and moved to the U.S. with her parents at age 5. She is fluent in Chinese. She got her undergraduate degree in political science from Barnard College in 2006. According to a campus magazine, she first got involved in public service at age 8 by translating forms and filing tax returns for her parents. She obtained her master's degree in education from Columbia University in 2009, but her path turned to politics. In 2008, she met Grace Meng, the U.S. representative for New York's 6th Congressional District. Meng was campaigning at the time and was said to be impressed by Sun's energy and initiative. Sun joined Meng's campaign as public relations director and then became chief of staff for the Taiwanese American congresswoman. In 2012, Sun became the director of Asian American Affairs and Queens regional representative in the governor's office. She also served as the deputy chief diversity officer in former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration from 2018 to 2020 and then was deputy chief of staff to Hochul from 2021 to 2022. Alleged effort to silence As a deputy chief diversity officer, she called on ethnic minorities to have a seat at the table through government programs. However, according to the indictment, Sun sought to silence voices in the U.S. speaking out for China's Uyghur Muslim minority, whom the Chinese government has long been accused of oppressing. She allegedly had an argument with Hochul's speechwriter, who had insisted the then-lieutenant governor should mention the Uyghur situation in China in a Lunar New Year speech to the Chinese American community. The indictment said Sun successfully prevented Taiwanese government officials, including former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, from interacting with senior New York state officials, while facilitating Chinese delegations' trips to the U.S. with fraudulent invitation letters. In return for Sun's political assistance, the indictment says, the Chinese government financially rewarded her with millions of dollars and aided Hu's commercial activities in China. Using the illegal funds, the couple is alleged to have bought a 2024 Ferrari, a $2.1 million apartment in Hawaii and a $3.55 million Long Island single-family home. Sun and Hu are scheduled to next appear in court on September 25. Adrianna Zhang and Adam Xu contributed to this report.

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Russia appears to be struggling to find buyers for its liquefied natural gas from a flagship Arctic development after the West imposed sanctions, forcing Moscow to store the gas in a huge container vessel in the Arctic Sea. Henry Ridgwell reports from London.

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CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado on Thursday vowed to keep the pressure on President Nicolás Maduro to leave office in January.  She also urged the international community to rise to the occasion by immediately recognizing her faction's presidential candidate as the winner of the election in July and implement measures to hold government officials accountable for abuses unleashed after the vote.  Machado, speaking to reporters online from an undisclosed location in Venezuela, reaffirmed her commitment to negotiate incentives and guarantees that could lead to a peaceful transition of power.  "We, the Venezuelan people, have done everything," she said. "We competed with the rules of tyranny ... and we won, and we proved it. So, if the world or some government is thinking of looking the other way, imagine where sovereign will and popular sovereignty end up in the Western world. It would mean that elections are worthless."  Her comments came three days after the country's justice system, which is loyal to the ruling party, issued an arrest warrant for former diplomat Edmundo González, who represented the main opposition coalition in the July 28 election.  While the National Electoral Council — stacked with ruling party supporters — declared Maduro the winner, it never released vote tallies backing its claim. However, the opposition coalition claimed that González defeated Maduro by a 2-to-1 margin and offered as proof vote tallies from more than 80% of the electronic voting machines used in the election.  Thousands of people, including minors, took to the streets across Venezuela hours after the electoral council's announcement. The protests were largely peaceful, but demonstrators also toppled statues of Maduro's predecessor, the late leader Hugo Chávez, threw rocks at law enforcement officers and buildings, and burned police motorcycles and government propaganda.  Maduro's government responded to the demonstrations with full force. A Wednesday report from Human Rights Watch implicated state security forces and gangs aligned with the ruling party in some of the 24 deaths that occurred during the protests.  "They have no limits in their cruelty," Machado told reporters Thursday.  White House national security spokesman John Kirby on Tuesday condemned the "unjustified arrest warrant" of González, characterizing it as "another example of Mr. Maduro's efforts to maintain power by force." Kirby said the U.S. is considering a range of options to show Maduro and his allies that "their actions in Venezuela will have consequences."  Under the Biden administration, Venezuela's government has been granted various forms of economic relief from sanctions the U.S. imposed over the years to try to topple Maduro. Earlier this year, it ended some of the relief when the government increased repression efforts against members of the opposition, civil society and others it considers as adversaries.  Attorney General Tarek William Saab, a staunch Maduro ally, on Thursday insisted his office had sought the warrant because González, 75, failed to appear three times to answer questions in a criminal investigation focused on the publication online of the tally sheets obtained by the opposition. Saab told reporters that the publication constitutes a usurpation of powers exclusive to the National Electoral Council and claimed that the opposition's vote records are false.  "You shared the website on your [social media] networks," Saab said, referring to González. "Explain why you shared it if it is false."  Saab's claim contradicts experts from the United Nations and the Carter Center, which at the invitation of Maduro's government observed the election and then determined the results announced by electoral authorities lacked credibility. In a statement critical of the election, the U.N. experts stopped short of validating the opposition's claim to victory, but they said the faction's voting records published online appear to exhibit all of the original security features. 

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london/paris — Europe's air safety regulator said on Thursday it would call for inspections of at least part of the Airbus A350 long-haul fleet after an engine part failed during the flight of a Cathay Pacific A350-1000 jetliner on Monday. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said it was acting as a precaution to prevent similar events after consulting Hong Kong regulators and accident investigators, as well as Airbus and engine supplier Rolls-Royce. It also confirmed that the failure of part of the fuel system had caused a fire that was quickly tackled by the crew. "We will require a one-time fleet inspection, which may be applicable only to a portion of the A350 fleet, in order to identify and remove from service any potentially compromised high-pressure fuel hoses," EASA said in an emailed statement. Details and time limits for checks will be outlined in an emergency airworthiness directive on Thursday, it added. Rolls-Royce and Airbus both said they were working closely with authorities to comply with the directive. Rolls-Royce said it was focused on minimizing any short-term disruption, adding: "We apologize to those who may be affected." The A350-1000, the larger of two models in the Airbus A350 family, and its Rolls-Royce XWB-97 engines have been under the spotlight since a Zurich-bound jet was forced to return to Hong Kong after the engine problem, later traced to a fuel leak. Initial investigations have revealed that a flexible pipe feeding a fuel injection nozzle was pierced, sources said on Wednesday, and the Hong Kong-led probe must now determine whether this was the cause or a consequence of the incident. The A350-1000 represents 15% of the A350 fleet in service. Details of the EASA measure were still being discussed on Thursday, but people familiar with the matter said it was likely to involve a visual inspection of Trent XWB-97 engines with progressive deadlines — a relatively light maintenance task. The XWB-84 engine, which powers the more widely used A350-900, was seen as less likely to be included in the checks. The decision to order precautionary checks of at least part of the fleet comes after manufacturers initially argued against the need for checks of the whole A350 population, sources said. Barring fresh evidence, manufacturers had been leaning against recommending worldwide checks but the final say is with regulators, sources told Reuters on Wednesday. Key wording Due to the highly technical nature of modern aircraft and engines, manufacturers typically perform much of the technical groundwork in preparing regulatory instructions and play a crucial part in global monitoring of the fleet in service. However, regulators can override their recommendations and order their own checks, and they face increasing pressure to be seen to act independently following a global tightening of safety oversight in the wake of a Boeing safety crisis. The decision is seen as the first public test for recently appointed EASA Executive Director Florian Guillermet. Although it was quickly contained and nobody was injured, the stakes in how the incident is handled remain high for Rolls-Royce and airlines amid public concerns over air safety. Insiders said that could prompt a tug-of-war over technical wording spelling out the criteria for replacing any parts. Rolls is seen as anxious to ensure any repair work is driven by technical factors rather than less tangible pressure on airlines and is likely to remind carriers to use correct procedures and tools after a wave of ad hoc inspections, sources said. Airlines, for their part, have been pushing for more clarity from Airbus and the engine maker and have been critical of the lack of communication as they face questions from passengers. Airbus and Rolls-Royce sought to address airlines' questions on Thursday during their first closed briefings to carriers since Monday's incident. Questions included which planes would be affected and the availability of parts, a person briefed on the matter said.

London — The United States announced new sanctions Thursday on ships that transport Russian gas from Moscow's Arctic LNG 2 terminal in Russia’s Murmansk region. The measures target the owners of two LNG tankers, the New Energy and the Mulan. The U.S. State Department said the New Energy had used "deceptive shipping practices, including shutting off its automatic identification system, to load cargo from the U.S.-sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project." It comes as a new analysis shows Russia appears to be struggling to find buyers for its liquefied natural gas, or LNG, from its flagship Arctic LNG 2 project amid tightening Western sanctions, forcing Moscow to store the gas in a huge container vessel in the Arctic Sea. The Arctic LNG 2 project was meant to produce almost 19.8 million metric tonnes of LNG every year to sell primarily to Asian markets, potentially earning billions of dollars for Novatek, the private company that runs the project, and the Kremlin. Instead, Russia is struggling to sell the gas, according to analyst Tom Marzec-Manser, head of gas analytics at Independent Commodity Intelligence Services. He has been using satellite and ship-tracking data to monitor LNG vessels servicing the Arctic LNG 2 facility. “So far, we’re aware of three cargoes that have been loaded from Arctic LNG 2 ... and all of them really have not gone anywhere. In recent days, what we’ve seen is that two of them have had to offload their cargo onto this huge floating storage unit that Russia's Novatek has had moored up near Murmansk for over a year and never used — it's also under sanctions. They're offloading these cargoes into the storage unit because they can't find a buyer,” Marzec-Manser told VOA. He said that storage unit, named the Saam, will rapidly fill up if Russia can’t find buyers, creating a bottleneck and potentially forcing Novatek to halt production. Putin’s flagship Arctic LNG 2 was a flagship development for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who pledged that it would one day help Russia to become the world’s biggest producer of LNG. “Production of liquefied natural gas in the Russia Arctic zone will have increased three-fold by 2030, up to 64 million tons per year. … Of course, it will contribute significantly in the development of our northern regions and in the strengthening of Russian technological sovereignty,” Putin told delegates at the Eastern Economic Forum in the Russian city of Vladivostok in September 2023. Earlier sanctions That goal now seems unlikely. The West, led by the United States, imposed sanctions on Novatek and businesses linked to Arctic LNG 2 following Moscow’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Crucially, according to Marzec-Manser, that included the vessels intended to transport the gas. “So, there's a whole fleet of cargo vessels that are sitting in shipyards in Asia, which are specifically designed to flow through the Arctic seas. They're called ‘ice-class’ vessels, and they've not been able to sell them to Novatek because of these sanctions,” Marzec-Manser said. “What Novatek then did was to say, ‘Right, what we're going to try and do is buy really old LNG vessels, which aren't designed for the Arctic waters, but we can at least shuttle them backwards and forwards during the summer months.’ But then the U.S. has sanctioned those vessels, as well,” he told VOA. Kremlin response Russia is looking for ways to circumvent the sanctions. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in April that “attempts to squeeze Russia out of energy markets and switch to more expensive markets are continuing,” adding that Moscow “will look for ways to overcome these illegal obstacles, unfair competition and illegal actions.” Analysts say Russia is assembling a so-called “dark fleet” of LNG vessels that are difficult to track. “It's a game of cat and mouse, and as we see, new vessels which are owned by unknown Middle Eastern entities entering Russian waters, it's only then that you can properly join the dots to say, well, this is clearly being used to service some of these [LNG] projects, and it's only then that the sanctions come in,” Marzec-Manser told VOA. Novatek did not respond to VOA requests for comment. Russia is still able to sell LNG and other hydrocarbon products from oil and gas fields that are not subject to Western sanctions. However, the state-owned gas giant Gazprom recorded a net loss of $6.9 billion in 2023 — its first annual loss in more than 20 years — as Moscow cut supplies to European customers following the invasion of Ukraine and the West’s imposition of sanctions. The United States is now by far the world’s biggest supplier of LNG, with two-thirds of it exported to Europe.

washington — China recently warned against what it described as "external interference" in Myanmar, a country increasingly caught in the crossfire of escalating geopolitical rivalry between Beijing and Washington. This warning came as the United States has been deepening its engagement with Myanmar's pro-democracy forces, raising concerns in Beijing, where experts suggest there is deep skepticism about Washington's intentions in Myanmar. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed these concerns during an informal meeting with the foreign ministers of Laos, Thailand and Myanmar on August 16 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Wang emphasized that Myanmar's internal affairs should remain free from external interference, particularly from outside the region. The Chinese Embassy in Myanmar and state-controlled media quickly echoed this stance, stressing that no party should cross the line of "external intervention." This meeting coincided with a virtual discussion between U.S. officials and Myanmar's opposition, during which Washington reiterated its support for a transition to civilian government. Although Wang did not directly mention the United States, his remarks were widely interpreted as a response to Washington's increased involvement. Chinese distrust Zachary Abuza, a professor at the National War College in Washington, noted China’s growing distrust of U.S. intentions in Myanmar. "From a Chinese perspective, they reject the U.S. role in Myanmar," Abuza told VOA. "The problem is the Chinese don't want to deal with us in Myanmar.” Hla Kyaw Zaw, a veteran observer of Sino-Myanmar relations based in China, echoed this sentiment, noting that China is more concerned about U.S. involvement than any other external influence. "China prefers to take the lead in addressing the Myanmar crisis, as seen in its mediation efforts earlier this year," Hla Kyaw Zaw said, referring to China's role in talks between Myanmar's military junta and ethnic armed groups. In response to a VOA request for comment, the Chinese Embassy in Washington reiterated China's stance opposing actions that provoke internal unrest and civil war in Myanmar. "China opposes deliberate interference in Myanmar's internal affairs by external forces," the embassy said in an email. According to Abuza, there is little potential for U.S.-China cooperation on the Myanmar crisis, despite the two having similar goals. "We actually both want much of the same thing — an end to military rule, an end to civil war, and a return to a stable, prosperous Myanmar. But I see very little cooperation going forward in the short term," Abuza said. China-US differences The divergence underscores broader tensions in Southeast Asia. While both powers ostensibly seek stability in Myanmar, their approaches differ sharply, according to a recent analysis by the United States Institute of Peace. The United States has shown support for the democratic movements in Myanmar, for example, by imposing sanctions on the country's military government. Also, following the 2021 coup, Washington passed the BURMA Act of 2022, authorizing nonlethal aid to pro-democracy resistance groups and sanctioning the junta. The U.S. also allowed Myanmar's opposition, the National Unity Government, or NUG, to open a liaison office in Washington, although the NUG has not been formally recognized as Myanmar's legitimate government by the U.S. According to an August 16 U.S. State Department release, Counselor Tom Sullivan and Michael Schiffer, U.S. Agency for International Development assistant administrator,  praised the efforts of pro-democracy groups in Myanmar to establish an inclusive federal democratic system and reaffirmed U.S. commitment to supporting these groups. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and China's Wang addressed the issue during talks in China on August 27-28, according to a White House statement. The statement did not provide details. China's strategic interests in Myanmar are driven by its substantial economic investments and the country's strategic location as a gateway to the Indian Ocean. "Since China is a neighboring country, it has a greater stake in Myanmar. It's widely understood that Myanmar is vital to China's plans to gain access to the Indian Ocean," said Hla Kyaw Zaw, emphasizing Myanmar's critical role in geopolitics, particularly in relation to China's Belt and Road Initiative, or BRI. "Myanmar's involvement in the BRI has not gone as smoothly as China had hoped," Hla Kyaw Zaw said. "That's why China wants to complete projects in Myanmar as quickly as possible. To achieve this, I believe China will do everything in its power to stabilize Myanmar and ensure peace." May Sabe Phyu, a prominent Myanmar human rights activist who advocates for democracy and human rights at the United Nations, highlighted China's significant power on the international stage and noted that the West has struggled to counter China's influence because of Beijing’s expanding economic power. "Countries around the world, including Western nations, are increasingly unable to effectively push back against China's growing dominance," she said.

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Washington — The United States has charged five Russian intelligence officers and one Russian civilian in connection with a major cyberattack, described by U.S. prosecutors as the first shot in the Kremlin's war against Ukraine. The Justice Department unsealed the superseding indictment Thursday, accusing the Russians of carrying out the January 2022 "WhisperGate" malware attack that sought to debilitate Ukraine's civilian infrastructure ahead of the Russian invasion the following month. "The WhisperGate campaign included the targeting of civilian infrastructure and Ukrainian computer systems wholly unrelated to the military or national defense, that include government agencies responsible for emergency services in Ukraine, the judiciary, food safety and education, seeking to sap the morale of the Ukrainian public," said U.S. Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen. The attack "could be considered the first shot of the war," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Bill DelBagno, speaking alongside Olsen during a news conference in Baltimore, Maryland. DelBagno said the WhisperGate campaign also targeted the United States and dozens of NATO allies, going as far as to infiltrate a U.S. government agency based in Maryland while simultaneously accessing U.S. bank accounts. "The FBI, along with our law enforcement partners and allies, will relentlessly hunt down and counter these threats," he said. "This type of cyber warfare will not be tolerated. The scope of Russia's crimes cannot be ignored." Thursday's superseding indictment, the result of an FBI operation named “Toy Soldier,” builds on charges first filed in June against 22-year-old Russian Amin Stigal, a civilian accused of leveraging malware to aid Russian intelligence ahead of the invasion of Ukraine. As part of the attack, Stigal and the agents with Unit 21955 of Russia's Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff, or GRU, used the cyberinfrastructure of some U.S.-based companies to launch what first appeared to be ransomware attacks, but which were actually designed to wipe out critical data. The new indictment names Stigal’s Russian GRU accomplices as Vladislav Borovkov, Denis Denisenko, Yuriy Denisov, Dmitriy Goloshubov and Nikolay Korchagin. FBI officials said the GRU unit has also operated under the names Cadet Blizzard, Ember Bear and Dev-0586, carrying out cyberattacks on critical infrastructure across Europe, Central America and Asia. In addition to the new charges, U.S. officials said they are offering a reward of up to $10 million for each of the Russians named in the criminal complaint. The officials said they are also working with Interpol to serve notices that could help lead to the arrest of the six Russians. "They are marked people," Olsen said. "We know who they are. There's a reward on their head, and we're going to pursue them relentlessly." "The message is clear," he said. "To the GRU, to the Russians, we are onto you." In addition to the charges, the FBI and its partners on Thursday issued a cybersecurity advisory telling organizations and companies to fix known vulnerabilities that could be exploited by the GRU's Unit 21955. The Russian Embassy in Washington has yet to respond to a VOA request for comment. Meanwhile, some U.S. allies announced their own plans to crack down on Russian intelligence. Estonia on Thursday announced it has attributed a 2020 cyberattack on three of its government ministries and is seeking the arrest of three members of the GRU's Unit 21955. "Russia's aim was to damage national computer systems, obtain sensitive information and strike a blow against our sense of security," Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said in a statement. "Estonia condemns any malign activity, including cyberactivity that threatens our institutions, our citizens and our security," Tsahkna said. Thursday's charges by the U.S. against Russian agents are the latest in a series of measures by Washington to crack down on what it describes as Moscow's malign activity. Earlier Thursday, the U.S. Justice Department charged a U.S. television presenter for Channel One Russia and his wife with sanctions evasion. On Wednesday, the U.S. charged two Russian nationals employed by the Kremlin-backed RT media outlet with funneling almost $10 million to a U.S.-based media company to spread pro-Russian disinformation. The Justice Department on Wednesday also announced the takedown of 32 internet domains linked to what officials described as a separate Russian operation aimed at influencing the U.S. presidential election. VOA’s United Nations correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report.