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Vatican City — If any evidence were needed to underscore that Pope Francis’ upcoming trip to Asia and Oceania is the longest and most challenging of his pontificate, it’s that he’s bringing along his secretaries to help him navigate the four-country program while keeping up with work back home. Francis will clock 32,814 kilometers by air during his Sept. 2-13 visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore, far surpassing any of his previous 44 foreign trips and notching one of the longest papal trips ever, both in terms of days on the road and distances traveled. That’s no small feat for a pope who turns 88 in December, uses a wheelchair, lost part of a lung to a respiratory infection as a young man and had to cancel his last foreign trip (to Dubai in November) on doctors' orders. But Francis is pushing ahead with this trip, originally planned for 2020 but postponed because of COVID-19. He’s bringing along his medical team of a doctor and two nurses and taking the usual health precautions on the ground. But in a novelty, he's adding his personal secretaries into the traditional Vatican delegation of cardinals, bishops and security. The long trip recalls the globetrotting travels of St. John Paul II, who visited all four destinations during his quarter-century pontificate, though East Timor was an occupied part of Indonesia at the time of his landmark 1989 trip. By retracing John Paul’s steps, Francis is reinforcing the importance that Asia has for the Catholic Church, since it’s one of the few places where the church is growing in terms of baptized faithful and religious vocations.  Here is a look at the trip and some of the issues that are likely to come up, with the Vatican’s relations with China ever-present in the background in a region where Beijing wields enormous influence. Indonesia Francis loves gestures of interfaith fraternity and harmony, and there could be no better symbol of religious tolerance at the start of his trip than the underground “Tunnel of Friendship” linking Indonesia’s main Istiqlal mosque to the country’s Catholic cathedral. Francis will visit the underpass in central Jakarta with the grand imam, Nasaruddin Umar, before both partake in an interfaith gathering and sign a joint declaration. Francis has made improving Christian-Muslim relations a priority, and has often used his foreign travels to promote his agenda of committing religious leaders to work for peace and tolerance, and renounce violence in God’s name. Papua New Guinea Francis was elected pope in 2013 largely on the strength of an extemporaneous speech he delivered to his fellow cardinals in which he said the Catholic Church needed to go to the “peripheries” to reach those who need God’s comfort the most. When Francis travels deep into the jungles of Papua New Guinea, he will be fulfilling one of the marching orders he set out for the future pope on the eve of his own election. Few places are as remote and poverty wracked as Vanimo, a northern coastal town on the main island of New Guinea. There Francis will meet with missionaries from his native Argentina who are working to bring Christianity to a largely tribal people who still practice pagan traditions alongside the Catholic faith. East Timor When John Paul visited East Timor in 1989, he sought to console its overwhelmingly Catholic population who had suffered under Indonesia's brutal and bloody occupation for 15 years. “For many years now, you have experienced destruction and death as a result of conflict; You have known what it means to be the victims of hatred and struggle,” John Paul told the faithful during a seaside Mass. East Timor emerged as an independent country in 2002, but still bears the trauma and scars of an occupation that left as many as 200,000 people dead — nearly a quarter of the population. Francis will literally walk in John Paul’s footsteps when he celebrates Mass in Tasi-Toli, near Dili, the same seaside esplanade as that 1989 liturgy, which some see as a key date in the Timorese independence movement. Another legacy that will confront Francis is that of the clergy sexual abuse scandal: Revered independence hero and Nobel Peace Prize winner Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo was secretly sanctioned by the Vatican in 2020 for sexually abusing young boys. There is no word on whether Francis will refer to Belo, who is still revered in East Timor but has been barred by the Vatican from ever returning. Singapore Francis has used several of his foreign trips to send messages to China, be they direct telegrams of greetings when he flies through Chinese airspace or more indirect gestures of esteem, friendship and fraternity to the Chinese people when nearby. Francis’ visit to Singapore, where three-quarters of the population is ethnically Chinese and Mandarin is an official language, will give him yet another opportunity to reach out to Beijing as the Vatican seeks improved ties for the sake of China's estimated 12 million Catholics. “It’s a faithful people, who lived through a lot and remained faithful,” Francis told the Chinese province of his Jesuit order in a recent interview. The trip comes a month before the Vatican is set to renew a landmark 2018 agreement governing bishop nominations. Just last week, the Vatican reported its “satisfaction” that China had officially recognized Tianjin Bishop Melchior Shi Hongzhen, who as far as the Vatican is concerned had taken over as bishop in 2019. The Holy See said China’s official recognition of him under civil law now was “a positive fruit of the dialogue established over the years between the Holy See and the Chinese government.” But by arriving in Singapore, a regional economic powerhouse which maintains good relations with both China and the United States, Francis is also stepping into a protracted maritime dispute as China has grown increasingly assertive with its presence in the South China Sea.

Bernard Avle hosts one of the biggest morning shows in Ghana. But scammers used artificial intelligence, or AI, to clone his voice to endorse a product. Analysts warn the same technology could be used to spread disinformation ahead of Ghana’s elections in December. For VOA News, Senanu Tord reports from Accra.

Some Gold Star families expressed support Sunday for former President Donald Trump, after his campaign was criticized for taking photos and videos at a restricted section of Arlington National Cemetery last week. Vice President Kamala Harris, who is also in the race for the White House, added her voice to those condemning Trump’s visit and deemed it “a political stunt.” VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias has the story.

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Beijing — China has vowed to beef up its vast Belt and Road global infrastructure initiative, promising "high-quality cooperation" ahead of a summit with African leaders in Beijing starting Wednesday. Africa is already a key Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) region, with Chinese companies signing contracts there worth more than $700 billion between 2013 and 2023, according to Beijing's commerce ministry. However, China's investment in the continent has been slammed by critics who accuse the BRI of saddling countries with exorbitant debt or funding projects that damage the environment. AFP looks at five key BRI projects in Africa: Kenya's incomplete railway Kenya's Standard Gauge Railway — built with financing from Exim Bank of China — connects the capital Nairobi with the port city of Mombasa. It has cut journey times from 10 hours to four since opening in 2017. At $5 billion, it is the country's most expensive infrastructure project since it won independence more than 60 years ago. But a second phase meant to continue the line to Uganda never materialized as both countries struggled to pay down BRI debts. The project was also beset with corruption allegations, and environmental campaigners have taken issue with the route, which cuts through a wildlife park. Kenya's President William Ruto last year asked China for a $1 billion loan and the restructuring of existing debt to complete other stalled BRI construction projects.   The country now owes China more than $8 billion. Port facilities in Djibouti   After China established its first permanent overseas naval base in Djibouti in 2016, it helped develop the east African country's nearby Doraleh multi-purpose port. The reportedly $590 million military base is strategically placed between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Beijing has said the base is used to resupply navy ships, support regional peacekeeping and humanitarian operations, and combat piracy, though its proximity to a U.S. military base has raised concerns of espionage. Doraleh, meanwhile, is partly owned by China Merchants Port Holdings, but the conglomerate's 23.5% stake raised eyebrows when it was awarded after the Djiboutian government seized control of the container terminal from UAE-based DP World. DP World claims it was forced out to allow China Merchants to take over. Africa's longest suspension bridge According to state broadcaster CCTV, BRI investment in Africa has helped build over 12,000 kilometers (7,500 miles) of road and railway track, around 20 ports, and more than 80 power facilities. In Mozambique, China Road and Bridge Corporation built Africa's longest suspension bridge, connecting the capital Maputo with its suburb of Katembe. Previously, the quickest way across the Bay of Maputo was by ferry. Road travel required driving 160 kilometers (99.4 miles) on unpaved roads susceptible to flooding. The bridge, which opened in 2018, cost an estimated $786 million, 95% of which was financed by Chinese loans. But critics have suggested the project was overpriced and that interest rates on loans are excessive. Minerals in Botswana and beyond In recent years, BRI investment in Africa has shifted to mining the minerals needed to fuel China's high-tech and green industries, such as electric vehicles. In 2023, China invested $7.8 billion in mining in Africa, according to U.S.-based think tank the American Enterprise Institute. That includes a $1.9 billion deal, reached last year, by state-owned MMG to buy the Khoemacau mine in Botswana, one of the world's largest copper mines. In July, Chinese firm JCHX Mining Management agreed to buy Zambia's indebted Lubambe copper mine for just $2. China has invested in cobalt and lithium mines in Zambia, Namibia and Zimbabwe. But regional conflicts have proved an occasional barrier to Chinese investments. In July this year, authorities suspended all mining in part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, including where Chinese companies operate, to "restore order" there. Coal and clean power Chinese funding in Africa has included dozens of investments in power generation, leading to criticism of the BRI's environmental impact. In Kenya, Chinese companies were contracted in 2015 to build a coal-fired power plant close to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lamu old town. But Kenya's government cancelled the project in 2020 after protests and opposition to its environmental impact. In 2021, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced China would no longer support the construction of coal power plants abroad. In July that year, Chinese funders pulled support from the $3 billion Sengwa coal project in Zimbabwe. Instead, Chinese backers have funded the expansion of the country's Kariba Hydroelectric Power Station, for $533 million.    Chinese firms have accelerated investments in renewable energy projects. In Nigeria, Chinese loans are part-funding the $4.9 billion construction of the Mambilla hydroelectric plant, which will be the country's largest power station. A white paper issued by China's State Council Information Office says the country will focus on using the BRI to support green transition projects.

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Baghdad, Iraq — Iraq will impose a two-day curfew in November for the country's first census in 27 years, the authorities announced Sunday. The "curfew will be imposed in all provinces of Iraq on November 20 and 21 to conduct a population census," Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani said in a statement. Ravaged by decades of conflict and violence, Iraq has postponed a census several times, most notably in 2010 because of tensions between communities over disputed territories. The last general census was held in 1997 in 15 Iraqi provinces — excluding the three northern provinces that made up the autonomous Kurdistan Region. Iraq has regained some semblance of stability in recent years, despite sporadic violence and political turmoil. Current estimates put Iraq’s population today at around 46 million. The authorities have partnered with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for the upcoming census. The initiative "plays a crucial role in equipping Iraq with accurate demographic information, facilitating effective policymaking, and promoting inclusive growth," the agency has said. In the past, Iraq held a census every 10 years. A census count could not be organized in 2007, when the country was embroiled in sectarian violence.

Brussels — The European Union accused China on Sunday of taking "dangerous actions" against the Philippines, as Beijing and Manila blamed each other of deliberately ramming their coast guard ships. The collision marks the latest in a spate of similar incidents in recent weeks in the South China Sea, where Beijing claims almost all of the economically vital body of water despite competing claims from other countries and an international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.   "The EU condemns the dangerous action by Chinese Coast Guard vessels against lawful Philippine maritime operations in the area of the Sabina Shoa," said Nabila Massrali, spokesperson for the EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell, in a statement.   A Chinese coast guard spokesperson had said Saturday's incident took place off the disputed Sabina Shoal, which has emerged as a new hotspot in the long-running maritime confrontations between the two countries. The incidents "endanger the safety of life at sea and violate the right to freedom of navigation to which all nations are entitled under international law," the EU statement said.   "The EU condemns all unlawful, escalatory and coercive actions that undermine these principles of international law and threaten peace and stability in the region." Since taking office in 2022, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Manila has more firmly asserted its claim to sovereignty over disputed reefs despite Beijing showing no intention of backing down on its own claims.

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Paris — Sitting volleyball is a Paralympic sport played close to the ground: Players scoot around the court and hit over a net that stands jus 1.15 meters tall. So having the world’s second-tallest man at the front of that net can make quite the difference for an already-dominant Iranian team. Standing at 2.46 meters and measuring 1.8 meters seated with his arms raised, Morteza Mehrzadselakjani has helped Iran cruise to the sitting volleyball semifinals in Paris. Iran will begin the semifinals Thursday at North Paris Arena. The International Paralympic Committee says Mehrzadselakjani, the tallest ever Paralympian, was diagnosed with acromegaly, a condition that stems from excessive growth hormone. An injury from a bicycle accident when he was 15 caused his right leg to stop growing, and it is now 15 centimeters shorter than his left leg. The Iranians have yet to lose a set in two matches, beating Brazil in three straight sets Sunday after doing the same to Ukraine on Friday to open group play. Iran, now sitting atop its group with six points, gets one more group match against Germany before chasing a third straight gold medal in the sport. It would also be Iran’s eighth Paralympic gold since it started competing in sitting volleyball 10 Paralympics ago. Zubkovska makes it 5 straight golds in long jump Ukraine's Oksana Zubkovska’s long jump career has stretched over 17 years, but she said the fifth gold she has won since Beijing in 2008 stood out. “Every medal I have won is very important, but this one is special because of what is happening back home,” she said. Her best five jumps exceeded the marks of any of her opponents, and her winning mark was 5.78 meters. Zubkovska competes in the T12 classification, for individuals with partial vision impairment. US wheelchair basketball closes pool play undefeated   The United States men's wheelchair basketball team finished pool play with a 76-69 victory over Australia. This marked the third victory for the Americans, two-time defending gold medalists who have outscored opponents 202-159 over the course of the tournament. "We came to finish our group play strong," said player Fabian Romo. “But our focus is quarterfinals. Now, whoever it may be, we just have to make sure that we’re ready.” The Americans' quarterfinal opponent depends on the outcome of matches Sunday and Monday but France is a possibility. “If it turns out to [be] France, what a great environment, said American veteran Nate Hinze. "I mean, it has been fantastic already. Paris is doing a fantastic job filling the stadium and making it loud. The opportunity to play a host country is always fun, we did it in (London) 2012 for a bronze medal. We did it in 2020 in Tokyo so it’s always fun to play the host country.”

A Russian missile strike injures dozens in Ukraine. The news comes as Moscow claims to have intercepted 158 Ukraine-launched drones overnight. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi reports.

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.

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Rome — Crew members on Mike Lynch's yacht have spoken of the moments when a storm sank the vessel off Sicily and their efforts to help save passengers, after a disaster that killed the British tech tycoon and six other people. Matthew Griffiths, who was on watch duty on the night of the disaster two weeks ago, told investigators that the crew members did everything they could to save those on board the Bayesian, according to comments reported by Italian news agency Ansa on Saturday. Griffiths, the boat's captain James Cutfield, and ship engineer Tim Parker Eaton have been placed under investigation by the Italian authorities for potential manslaughter and shipwreck. Being investigated does not imply guilt and does not mean formal charges will follow. "I woke up the captain when the wind was at 20 knots (23 mph/37 kph). He gave orders to wake everyone else," Ansa quoted Griffiths as saying. "The ship tilted and we were thrown into the water. Then we managed to get back up and tried to rescue those we could," he added, describing the events of the early hours of Aug. 19, when the Bayesian had been anchored off the Sicilian port of Porticello. "We were walking on the walls (of the boat). We saved who we could, Cutfield also saved the little girl and her mother," he said, referring to passenger Charlotte Golunski and her one-year-old daughter. In all there were 15 survivors of the wreck. Cutfield exercised his right to remain silent when questioned by prosecutors on Tuesday, his lawyers said, saying he was "worn out" and that they needed more time to build a defense case. Before this, Cutfield gave a similar description to Griffiths' to investigators, according to comments reported on Sunday by Italian daily Il Corriere della Sera. Cutfield said the boat tilted by 45 degrees and stayed in that position for some time, then it suddenly fell completely to the right, the newspaper reported. Parker Eaton had not previously commented on the investigation. On Sunday, Il Corriere quoted him as saying that all doors and hatches were closed when the storm hit the boat, except one giving access to the engine room. That door was located on the side opposite to the tilting and so could not be a factor causing the sinking, he said. Prosecutor Raffaele Cammarano said last week that the vessel was most likely hit by a "downburst," a very strong downward wind. The sinking has puzzled naval marine experts, who said a vessel like the Bayesian, built by Italian high-end yacht manufacturer Perini, should have withstood the storm and, in any case, should not have sunk as quickly as it did. Prosecutors in the town of Termini Imerese, near Palermo, have said their investigation will take time, with the wreck yet to be salvaged from the sea.

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New York — A broadening rally in U.S. stocks is offering an encouraging signal to investors worried about concentration in technology shares, as markets await key jobs data and the Federal Reserve's expected rate cuts in September. As the market's fortunes keep rising and falling with big tech stocks such as Nvidia NVDA.O and Apple AAPL.O, investors are also putting money in less-loved value stocks and small caps, which are expected to benefit from lower interest rates. The Fed is expected to kick off a rate-cutting cycle at its monetary policy meeting on Sept. 17-18. Many investors view the broadening trend, which picked up steam last month before faltering during an early August sell-off, as a healthy development in a market rally led by a cluster of giant tech names. Chipmaker Nvidia, which has benefited from bets on artificial intelligence, alone has accounted for roughly a quarter of the S&P 500's year-to-date gain of 18.4%. "No matter how you slice and dice it you have seen a pretty meaningful broadening out and I think that has legs," said Liz Ann Sonders, chief investment officer at Charles Schwab. Value stocks are those of companies trading at a discount on metrics like book value or price-to-earnings and include sectors such as financials and industrials. Some investors believe rallies in these sectors and small caps could go further if the Fed cuts borrowing costs while the economy stays healthy. The market's rotation has recently accelerated, with 61% of stocks in the S&P 500 .SPXoutperforming the index in the past month, compared to 14% outperforming over the past year, Charles Schwab data showed. Meanwhile, the so-called Magnificent Seven group of tech giants — which includes Nvidia, Tesla TSLA.O and Microsoft MSFT.O — have underperformed the other 493 stocks in the S&P 500 by 14 percentage points since the release of a weaker-than-expected U.S. inflation report on July 11, according to an analysis by BofA Global Research. Stocks have also held up after an Nvidia forecast failed to meet lofty investor expectations earlier this week, another sign that investors may be looking beyond tech. The equal weight S&P 500 index, a proxy for the average stock, hit a fresh record [last] week and is up around 10.5% year-to-date, narrowing its performance gap with the S&P 500. "When market breadth is improving, the message is that an increasing number of stocks are rallying on expectations that economic conditions will support earnings growth and profitability," analysts at Ned David Research wrote. Value stocks that have performed well this year include General Electric GE.N and midstream energy company Targa Resources TRGP.N, which are up 70% and 68%, respectively. The small-cap focused Russell 2000 index, meanwhile, is up 8.5% from its lows of the month, though it has not breached its July peak. The jobs report "tends to be one of the more market moving releases in general, and right now it's going to get even more attention than normal." Investors are unlikely to turn their back on tech stocks, particularly if volatility gives them a chance to buy on the cheap, said Jason Alonzo, a portfolio manager with Harbor Capital. Technology stocks are expected to post above-market earnings growth over every quarter through 2025, with third-quarter earnings coming in at 15.3% compared with a 7.5% gain for the S&P 500 as a whole, according to LSEG data. "People will sometimes take a deep breath after a nice run and look at other opportunities, but technology is still the clearest driver of growth, particularly the AI theme which is innocent until proven guilty," Alonzo said.

ATLANTA — Donald Trump's campaign issued a statement Sunday from the Gold Star military families who invited him to Arlington National Cemetery as they defended the Republican presidential nominee and insisted that Vice President Kamala Harris is the candidate politicizing fallen U.S. service members.  It's the latest volley in an extended back and forth as Trump tries to saddle Harris with the Biden administration's handling of the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, including a suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members.  Harris on Saturday accused Trump of staging a "political stunt" that "disrespected sacred ground" where many Afghanistan war dead are buried. Trump and the families of some of those killed in the bombing blame Harris, as they did President Joe Biden before he ended his reelection bid, for their loved ones' deaths. The families say the former president was honoring their loved ones when he came to Arlington.  His campaign later distributed images of the visit despite the cemetery's prohibition on partisan activity on the grounds.  "President Trump was invited by us, the Gold Star families, to attend the solemn ceremonies commemorating the three-year anniversary of our children's deaths," said the relatives' joint statement. "He was there to honor their sacrifice, yet Vice President Harris has disgracefully twisted this sacred moment into a political ploy."  Gold Star families have lost a loved one in military service.  Trump laid wreaths last Monday in honor of Sgt. Nicole Gee, Staff Sgt. Darin Hoover and Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss. They were among 13 U.S. service members and more than 100 Afghans who died in an Aug. 26, 2021, bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport as U.S. forces withdrew from Afghanistan.  Trump thanked the family members for their statement via social media. "Thank you for saying you wanted me to stand with you ... and take pictures, that it was your request, not mine," he wrote.  Throughout the weekend, Trump has used his social media accounts to distribute video testimonials from some relatives who signed the statement.  Christy Shamblin, Gee's mother-in-law, said in a 90-second message that Trump and his aides were "respectful" and a "a comfort" to the families who gathered at Arlington. Then she directly addressed her remarks to Harris.  "Why won't you return a call and explain how you call my daughter-in-law's death a success?" Shamblin said. "Why would you take a day where we celebrated the deaths of our loved ones and use it to disparage not only them, but us."  Biden and first lady Jill Biden went to Dover Air Force Base in 2021 for the ceremony returning the service members' remains to U.S. soil. The Bidens met privately with family members at Dover. The Bidens were joined at the ceremony by several top aides in the administration, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.  Shamblin was among the several family members who also spoke at the Republican National Convention in July on Trump's behalf. Several family members have joined Trump's running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, on a conference call with media.  Trump's appearance ballooned into controversy after defense officials said his campaign was warned about not taking photographs and that there was an altercation between Trump aides and a cemetery employee. Officials have said since that an employee whom two Trump campaign staff members allegedly "verbally abused and pushed" aside has declined to press charges.  The Trump campaign has since lashed out at Pentagon officials, with a top campaign adviser, Chris LaCivita, referring to military spokespersons as "hacks." Trump campaign officials say the campaign had permission to bring someone to take video.  Since Biden ended his reelection bid in July, Trump has been zeroing in on Harris and her roles in foreign policy decisions. He has highlighted the vice president's statements that she was the last person in the room before Biden made the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan.  Biden's administration was following a withdrawal commitment and timeline that the Trump administration had negotiated with the Taliban in 2020. A 2022 review by a government-appointed special investigator concluded decisions made by both Trump and Biden were the key factors leading to the rapid collapse of Afghanistan's military and the Taliban takeover.  Campaigning this year, Trump has said that leaving was the right thing to do but that the Biden administration's execution was poor.  "We were going to do it with dignity and strength," he said in a recent speech in Michigan.