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lima, peru — The government of Peru said Monday that it would investigate sex abuse allegations leveled by hundreds of Indigenous children against teachers in a jungle region of the South American country. A total of 524 cases of rape and abuse dating as far back as 2010 have been reported by girls and boys from the Awajun Indigenous group who attended public schools in the Condorcanqui province in Peru's north. The alleged crimes at school residences were revealed last month by Rosemary Pioc, representative of an Awajun women's association. "We have to investigate the facts. We'll stand with the victims," government spokesman Alberto Adrianzen told foreign correspondents Monday. "We reject all forms of sexual abuse." The announcement of an investigation came after two government ministers provoked widespread anger by equating the alleged abuse with "cultural practices." "To say that these are cultural practices is to endorse these actions. ... Rape is not a practice in our community," Pioc told RPP radio on Monday. Adrianzen said the victims "will have to receive comprehensive health care," including psychological help and HIV treatment if necessary. Peru's human rights ombudsman called Monday for implicated teachers to be "immediately removed" from the schools at which they taught.

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LOS ANGELES — Firefighters increased their containment of a large wildfire in mountains north of Los Angeles on Monday after a weekend of explosive, wind-driven growth along Interstate 5.  The Post Fire was 8% surrounded after scorching more than 61 square kilometers (24 square miles) and forcing the evacuation of at least 1,200 campers, off-roaders and hikers from the Hungry Valley recreation area on Saturday.  "That 8% is good because it means we are increasing and bolstering our containment lines," said Kenichi Haskett, a Los Angeles County Fire Department section chief.  Firefighters hoped to hold the fire at its current size, but further growth was still possible, especially towards the south, Haskett said.  The fire broke out as weather turned hot and windy in a region where grasses spawned by a rainy winter have long since dried out and easily burn.  The massive columns of smoke that marked the fire's initial rampage were gone by Monday morning. But Sunday's smoke drifted some 360 kilometers (225 miles) northwest across the Mojave Desert to cast a slight haze in the Las Vegas area. Nevada air quality officials issued an alert advising children, older adults, and people with respiratory and heart disease to stay indoors.  In Northern California, a wildfire sparked Sunday prompted evacuation orders and warnings for a sparsely populated area near Lake Sonoma. Known as the Point Fire, it was 20% surrounded Monday after charring nearly 5 square kilometers (2 square miles) about 130 kilometers (80 miles) north of San Francisco and destroying at least one structure.  Ben Nicholls, division chief of the Cal Fire district in the area covering the Point Fire, said Monday morning that fire activity subsided overnight.  "Forecasted winds are supposed to be less than we experienced yesterday, which should allow the resources assigned for this operational period to build and strengthen the control lines that were put in place yesterday," Nicholls said in a video briefing.  The Southern California fire erupted Saturday afternoon near I-5 in Gorman, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) northwest of Los Angeles. Two structures burned within the evacuated recreation area.  The majority of the 1,148 firefighters assigned to the blaze were focused on its southern edge, near popular Pyramid Lake, which was closed as a precaution on Father's Day and again Monday. Officials also warned residents of Castaic, home to about 19,000 people, that they should prepare to leave if the fire pushed farther south.  "If you're in a warning area, be prepared with a 'go bag,' with overnight clothes and your cell phone, your medicines, your glasses. Have your car fueled up," said Haskett. "Be ready to evacuate."  About 120 kilometers (75 miles) to the east, the nearly 5-square-kilometer (2-square-mile) Hesperia Fire was 30% contained after no overnight growth. The fire erupted Saturday and forced road closures and evacuation warnings in San Bernardino County.  After back-to-back wet winters, fire season has gotten off to a slow to near-average start, said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with the University of California, Los Angeles.  "These are not peak season fires either in scope or behavior, or in terms of where they're burning," Swain said in an online briefing. "In many ways, they're classic, early-season fires since they're primarily burning in grass and brush."  Swain said he expects more fire activity to begin in July at lower elevations and August at higher elevations.  "And the bad news is that I think that the back half of this season is going to be much more active, with a lot more concerning level of wildfire activity in a lot of areas than the first half," he said.

washington — President Joe Biden is planning to announce a sweeping new policy Tuesday that would lift the threat of deportation for tens of thousands of people married to U.S. citizens, an aggressive election-year action on immigration that many Democrats had sought.  Biden is set to host a White House event to celebrate an Obama-era directive that offered deportation protection for young undocumented immigrants and will announce the new program then, according to three people briefed on the White House plans. The policy will allow roughly 490,000 spouses of U.S. citizens an opportunity to apply for a "parole in place" program, which would shield them from deportations and offer them work permits if they have lived in the country for at least 10 years, according to two of the people briefed. They all spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the announcement publicly.  The White House on Monday declined to comment on the expected announcement.  Families who would potentially benefit from Biden's actions were expected to attend the White House event on Tuesday afternoon  For some time, administration officials have been deliberating various options to offer protections for immigrants who lack legal status in the U.S. but who have long-standing ties — even after the White House crafted a restrictive proposal that essentially halted asylum processing at the U.S-Mexico border.  Biden is invoking an authority that not only gives deportation protection and work permits but also removes a legal barrier to allow qualifying immigrants to apply for permanent residency and, eventually, U.S. citizenship. It's a power that's already been used for other categories of immigrants, such as members of the U.S. military or their family members who lack legal status.  "Today, I have spoken about what we need to do to secure the border," Biden said at a June 4 event at the White House, when he rolled out his order to suspend asylum processing for many migrants arriving now at the U.S. border. "In the weeks ahead — and I mean the weeks ahead — I will speak to how we can make our immigration system more fair and more just."  Biden was also expected to announce a policy of making recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program eligible for visas, rather than the temporary work authorization they currently receive, according to two of the people briefed.  In Congress, a group of Democratic lawmakers called the Congressional Hispanic Caucus has advocated for a policy of making graduates of U.S. colleges who came to the country without authorization as children eligible for work visas as well.  The White House on Tuesday afternoon will mark the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which was created by then-President Barack Obama to protect young immigrants who lacked legal status, often known as "dreamers."

Stories of Us I sit By the windowsill Gazing outside. Down, on the street, so many heads, Each is unique. Amidst the traffic and frantic honking, I sense the presence of Millions of others, Just like me. I contemplate The journeys. Each of us— All of us have a story. When mothers and fathers Ventured […]

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After a weekend peace summit on Ukraine, Russia's war in grinds on with fresh air attacks that leave tens of thousands without power. Nearly eighty countries represented at the Summit on Peace in Switzerland agreed that territorial integrity and principles of international law should be the basis for any negotiation. Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit North Korea this week amid international concerns over the two country’s military cooperation. Despite Russia’s invasion, Ukraine remains a popular destination for overseas parents seeking surrogate mothers.

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BRUSSELS — European Union countries approved a flagship policy to restore damaged nature on Monday, after months of delay, making it the first green law to pass since European Parliament elections this month.  The nature restoration law is among the EU's biggest environmental policies, requiring member states to introduce measures restoring nature on a fifth of their land and sea by 2030.  EU countries' environment ministers backed the policy at a meeting in Luxembourg, meaning it can now pass into law.  The vote was held after Austria's environment minister, Leonore Gewessler of the Greens, defied her conservative coalition partners by pledging to back the policy — giving it just enough support to pass.  "I know I will face opposition in Austria on this, but I am convinced that this is the time to adopt this law," Gewessler told reporters.  The policy aims to reverse the decline of Europe's natural habitats — 81% of which are classed as being in poor health — and includes specific targets, for example to restore peat lands so they can absorb CO2 emissions.  The move by Austria's minister angered Chancellor Karl Nehammer's conservative People's Party, which opposes the law. The OVP minister for EU affairs, Karoline Edtstadler, said Gewessler's vote in favor would be unconstitutional.  Belgium, which holds the EU's rotating presidency and chairs meetings of ministers, said the Austrian government dispute would not affect the legality of the EU ministers' vote.  EU countries and the European Parliament negotiated a deal on the law last year but it has come under fire from some governments in recent months amid protests by farmers angry at costly EU regulations.  Finland, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden voted against the law on Monday. Belgium abstained.  EU countries had planned to approve the policy in March but called off the vote after Hungary unexpectedly withdrew its support, wiping out the slim majority in favor.  Countries including the Netherlands had raised concerns the policy would slow the expansion of wind farms and other economic activities, while Poland on Monday said the policy lacked a plan for how nature protection would be funded.

Cotonou, Benin — A Benin court on Monday handed 18-month suspended jail sentences to three Nigeriens at the center of a diplomatic dispute as tensions escalate between the West African neighbors. Ties between Benin and Niger have been strained since last year's coup ousted Nigerien President Mohammed Bazoum, and Benin's Atlantic port of Seme-Kpodji, which exports landlocked Niger's oil, has become a flashpoint. Five Nigeriens were arrested earlier this month at Seme-Kpodji, accused of entering the port illegally. On Monday, Benin's Court for the Repression of Economic Offenses and Terrorism (CRIET) sentenced three of them to 18 months in prison suspended, an AFP correspondent said. Moumouni Hadiza Ibra, Deputy General Director of Wapco-Niger -- a local affiliate of a Chinese company operating a pipeline from Niger to Benin's coast -- and two of her compatriots were jailed after their initial arrest. Wapco has not responded to emails seeking a response. The court on Monday reclassified the charges as "usurpation of title and use of falsified computer data.” Lawyers for the three defendants denied all the charges, an AFP correspondent said. Under regional sanctions imposed on Niger after last year's coup, Benin closed the border, but it has since reopened its side of the frontier. Niger's military rulers have refused to reopen their side. Beninese President Patrice Talon had long conditioned the start of loading of Nigerien oil from Benin's port on the reopening of the border. According to Niamey, the arrested team were on a mission to Benin to oversee the loading of oil. The military regime in Niger described the arrests as a "kidnapping" and said it was ready to "take all measures" to have them released "unconditionally.” The day after their arrests, the military regime in Niamey closed the valves of the oil pipeline, according to Niger public television.

PHILADELPHIA — The SS United States, a historic ship that still holds the transatlantic speed record it set more than 70 years ago, must leave its berth on the Delaware River in Philadelphia by September 12, a federal judge says. The decision issued Friday by U.S. District Judge Anita Brody culminated a years-old rent dispute between the conservancy that oversees the 1,000-foot ocean liner and its landlord, Penn Warehousing. It stemmed from an August 2021 decision by Penn Warehousing to double the ship's daily dockage to $1,700, an increase the conservancy refused to accept. When the conservancy continued to pay its previous rate, set in 2011, Penn Warehousing terminated the lease in March 2022. After much legal wrangling, Brody held a bench trial in January but also encouraged the two sides to reach a settlement instead of leaving it up to her. The judge ultimately ruled that the conservancy's failure to pay the new rate did not amount to a contract breach or entitle Penn Warehousing to damages. But she also ruled that under Pennsylvania contract law, the berthing agreement is terminable at will with reasonable notice, which Penn Warehousing had issued in March 2022. "The judge's decision gives us a very limited window to find a new home for the SS United States and raise the resources necessary to move the ship and keep her safe," Susan Gibbs, conservancy president and granddaughter of the ship's designer, told The Philadelphia Inquirer. Besides finding a new home, the conservancy also must obtain funds for insurance, tugs, surveys and dock preparations for a move. "The best hope of everyone involved was that the conservancy could successfully repurpose the ship," said Craig Mills, an attorney for Penn Warehousing. "But after decades of decay and delay, it is time to acknowledge the unavoidable and return Pier 82 to productive commercial service." Christened in 1952, the SS United States was once considered a beacon of American engineering, doubling as a military vessel that could carry thousands of troops. On its maiden voyage in 1952, it shattered the transatlantic speed record in both directions, when it reached an average speed of 36 knots, or just over 41 mph (66 kph), The Associated Press reported from aboard the ship. On that voyage, the ship crossed the Atlantic in three days, 10 hours and 40 minutes, besting the RMS Queen Mary's time by 10 hours. To this day, the SS United States holds the transatlantic speed record for an ocean liner. It became a reserve ship in 1969 and later bounced to various private owners who hoped to redevelop it but eventually found their plans to be too expensive or poorly timed. It has loomed for years on south Philadelphia's Delaware waterfront.

Washington — A record more than 20 NATO member nations are hitting the Western military alliance’s defense spending target this year, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday, as Russia's war in Ukraine has raised the threat of expanding conflict in Europe. The estimated figure is a nearly fourfold increase from 2021 in the number of the 32 NATO members meeting the alliance's defense spending guideline. Only six nations were meeting the goal that year, before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. “Europeans are doing more for their collective security than just a few years ago,” Stoltenberg said in a speech at the Wilson Center research group before meeting with President Joe Biden later Monday at the White House. NATO members agreed last year to spend at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense. The surge in spending reflects the worries about the war in Ukraine. Some countries also are concerned about the possible reelection of former President Donald Trump, who has characterized many NATO allies as freeloading on U.S. military spending and said on the campaign trail that he would not defend NATO members that don’t meet defense spending targets. Stoltenberg's visit is laying the groundwork for what’s expected to be a pivotal summit of NATO leaders in Washington next month. The mutual-defense alliance has grown in strength and size since Russia's invasion of Ukraine two years ago, with both Sweden and Finland joining. Defense spending by many European countries fell after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union seemed to neutralize what was then the prime security threat to the West. But after Russia seized Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014, NATO members unanimously agreed to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense within a decade. The full-scale invasion that Putin launched in 2022 spurred European countries newly on the front line of a war in the heart of Europe to put more resources into meeting that target. Much of the focus of the summit is expected to address what NATO and NATO member governments can do for Ukraine as it faces unrelenting air and ground attacks from its more powerful neighbor. They so far have resisted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s appeals to take his country into the bloc as long as the war is still on. Stoltenberg pointed to efforts to bolster Ukraine in the meantime. That includes NATO streamlining the eventual membership process for Ukraine, and individual NATO nations providing updated arms and training to Ukraine’s military, including the U.S. giving it F-16s and bringing Ukrainian pilots to the U.S. for training on the advanced aircraft. “The idea is to move them so close to membership that when the time comes, when there is consensus, they can become a member straight away,” Stoltenberg said. However Russia’s offensive concludes, only taking Ukraine into the alliance will dissuade Putin from trying again in the future to conquer Ukraine, the NATO chief said. “When the fighting ends, NATO membership” for Ukraine “assures that the war really ends,” he said. The prospect of Ukraine joining NATO has long been anathema to Putin, and it was one of his stated motivations for seizing Crimea. He offered last week to order an immediate cease-fire if Ukraine renounced plans to join the alliance, an offer that was dismissed by Ukraine. A weekend conference held in Switzerland was billed as a first step toward peace and ended with pledges to work toward a resolution but had few concrete deliverables. It was attended largely by Western nations and Russia was not invited. China sat it out and then India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Mexico did not sign the meeting’s final document Sunday. Kyiv’s outgunned and outnumbered forces are battling to hold back the bigger Russian army, which has taken over chunks of territory after pollical squabbles led to delays in delivering U.S. and European military aid. Ukraine has been short of troops, ammunition and air defenses in recent months as the Kremlin’s forces try to cripple the national power supply and punch through the front line in eastern parts of the country.

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

In Gaza, families say no matter how many times they run, they cannot find safety. VOA’s Heather Murdock reports from Istanbul with Nedal Hamdouna, Amjed Tantesh and Enas Tantesh in Khan Younis, Gaza.

One of the chief obstacles for Sudanese refugees trying to build new lives in Uganda is the language barrier. Some of the estimated 40,000 people who arrived in recent months had limited English skills but not enough to hold jobs or move easily through Ugandan society. A women’s empowerment group in central Uganda is trying to change that. Halima Athumani and Mukasa Francis report from Mukono district

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.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dissolved his war cabinet as Israel pauses daytime military operations along one key aid route in Gaza. All this as tensions increase on Israel’s border with Lebanon. A look at the Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland and Vladimir Putin’s plans to visit an ally. Iran and Sweden exchange prisoners, but it’s raising eyebrows on social media.

Protests in Turkey are growing over Azerbaijani oil deliveries to Israel. Azerbaijani oil exports have continued to pass through a Turkish port despite Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent announcement of a trade embargo against Israel because of its offensive in Gaza. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.