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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.

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.

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.

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.

Port-au-Prince, Haiti — 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.   He also called for the renewal of the United Nations mandate for the Multinational Security Support, or MSS, mission to combat the armed gangs that dominate much of the capital. "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 to Port-au-Prince. The top U.S. diplomat said he plans to convene a ministerial meeting at the coming U.N. General Assembly to encourage greater international contributions to address Haiti's security, economic, and humanitarian needs. The MSS mandate is set to expire at the beginning of October.  U.S. President Joe Biden's administration is reportedly exploring the possibility of changing the mission into a traditional U.N. peacekeeping operation, a move that would ease funding, provide more equipment and enable use of military forces rather than only police officers. Blinken said that while the MSS mission itself needs to be renewed, it also needs to ensure that it is "reliable” and “sustainable." “A peacekeeping operation would be one such option.  I think there are others,” he told reporters on Thursday. Blinken's visit to Port-au-Prince underscores U.S. support for Haiti as the country grapples with gang violence. On Thursday, Blinken met with Edgard Leblanc Fils from Haiti's Transitional Presidential Council. "Both concurred on the critical need to make timely advancements on election preparations," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said. Apart from Fils, Blinken also held talks with Prime Minister Garry Conille, MSS head Godfrey Otunge and Normil Rameau, head of the Haitian National Police. 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. Gang-related violence and drug trafficking have fueled political instability and insecurity in Haiti, leading to unbearable conditions for Haitians. At least 80% of Port-au-Prince is no longer under Haitian authorities’ control, 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 U.N. says at least 578,000 people have been displaced because of violence, including murders, kidnappings and rapes. The situation is further exacerbated by widespread hunger, with nearly half the 11.7 million population facing acute food insecurity.  After Haiti, Blinken arrived in Santo Domingo later Thursday.  His visit follows the start of Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader's second term in mid-August.     The Dominican Republic will host the 2025 Summit of the Americas, where Western Hemisphere leaders will address shared challenges and policy issues facing the region.   VOA's Liam Scott contributed to this report.  

The death of Ugandan Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei has been described as a stark reminder that more needs to be done to tackle gender-based violence. The 33-year-old was doused with petrol and set on fire by her boyfriend, police say. We talk to American University professor Nina Yamanis to get some insight on the problem in Africa and globally. More indictments in a Russian malware attack against Ukraine and NATO. And using artificial intelligence to protect the endangered western lowland gorilla.

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.

ADDIS ABABA, ethiopia — The Ethiopian government has freed seven Oromo Liberation Front, or OLF, members who have been in prison for more than four years.   A spokesperson for OLF Lemi Gemechu told VOA's Horn of Africa Service that the seven were released on Thursday from the different prisons where they had been held.     He identified the seven as Abdi Regassa, Dawit Abdeta, Lammi Begna, Michael Boran, Kenessa Ayana, Gada Gabisa and Gada Oljira.  "Before their release, there was a process that took all day," Lemi said.   "Just now, the Oromo Liberation Front leaders who have been imprisoned for over four years at different sites have been released, including Abdi Regassa, members of the executive committee and other officials well-known among the people, all seven of them, are now released and here at home," he said.  Abdi is a prominent member of the OLF who once was the commander of the military wing of OLF.     The release took place at Burayu police station outside Addis Ababa.     Some of the released detainees are members of the executive committee while others are central committee and executive members of the OLF.   Lemi said they welcomed their release and congratulated their supporters and those who advocated for their release.      On his Facebook page, Lemi posted a picture of the seven standing with the leader of OLF, Dawud Ibsa.   In a statement issued Thursday on Facebook, OLF said the members were released on bail. OLF said they were detained for "exercising their legitimate political rights" and said their detention was "unjust."  The opposition members were detained in 2020 for what rights groups at the time described as "purely political" reasons.   The Ethiopian government has not yet officially commented on the release of the opposition figures.   The United States has also welcomed the release of OLF detainees.  "We remain ready to support negotiations aimed at ending the violence and promoting durable peace for all Ethiopians," the State Department's Bureau of African Affairs said in a post on X.  Human Rights Watch had been calling on the Ethiopian authorities to release the seven senior members of the opposition political party.   Meanwhile, the family of Taye Dendea, the detained former Ethiopian state minister of peace, has expressed their disappointment with the Supreme Court's decision to deny him bail.     Taye's wife, Sintayehu Alemayehu, told VOA's Horn of Africa Service that she is sad because of the decision of Ethiopia's federal Supreme Court.     The court on Wednesday upheld the decision by a lower court to reject the bail request by Taye.     Taye appeared before a court in Addis Ababa on Wednesday to find that his bail request had been rejected. The former state minister was arrested in December last year after he posted comments criticizing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.     Police accused him of collaborating with groups aiming to destabilize Ethiopia. It also accused him of using social media platforms to endorse violence.   A lower court acquitted Taye of these charges without requiring him to present a defense but ordered him to defend against the third charge concerning the illegal possession of firearms.   This story originated in VOA Horn of Africa Service.   

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.

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.

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.