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SINGAPORE — Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun Sunday issued a stern warning on Taiwan and the South China Sea at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. During his 40-minute-long keynote speech, Dong accused Taiwan’s government under the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which favors highlighting Taiwan’s sovereignty, of "pursuing separation [from China] in an incremental way" while external forces continue to sell arms to Taiwan and maintain "illegal" official contacts with Taiwan. "What they are doing is to embolden Taiwan independence separatists in an attempt to contain China with Taiwan," he told a room full of delegates from dozens of countries, warning that these moves will push Taiwan into "a dangerous situation." He reiterated that China’s handling of the Taiwan issue is entirely its internal affair and that Beijing remains committed to achieving unification with Taiwan through peaceful means. "Anyone who dares to separate Taiwan from China will only end up in self-destruction," Dong warned, adding that the People’s Liberation Army remains committed to taking actions to curb attempts to pursue Taiwan independence. Dong’s comments came a week after China launched a two-day, large-scale military exercise encircling Taiwan, which Beijing said was a move to "punish" Taiwan President Lai Ching-te for the messages he conveyed through his inauguration speech on May 20, during which he emphasized that neither side of the Taiwan Strait is subordinate to the other. During his Saturday keynote speech to the forum, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin only briefly mentioned the Taiwan issue, reiterating that Washington is committed to upholding the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. In a remark viewed as an indirect reference to China’s large-scale war games around Taiwan, Austin highlighted the importance of resolving disputes through dialogue rather than coercion or "punishment." "[Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s war of aggression is a glimpse of a world where tyrants trample sovereign borders, a world where peaceful states live in fear of their neighbors, and a world where chaos and conquest replace rules and rights," he said. Some analysts said Dong’s warning over Taiwan reflects Beijing’s concerns about the trajectory of Taiwan’s development under the leadership of Lai Ching-te, who Beijing has repeatedly characterized as a separatist. "In Beijing’s view, Lai is more provocative, and I think Dong’s warning shows that his administration will have a hard time ahead," Zhou Bo, senior fellow at the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University in China, told VOA on the sidelines of the meeting. In his view, he said, Beijing will prioritize forceful responses to any development in Taiwan that they view as "provocative." "Each response from China might create a new status quo that neither Washington nor Taiwan wants to see," Zhou said, adding that it is in Taiwan’s interest not to be so provocative. Reiterating China’s interest in the South China Sea In addition to the Taiwan issue, Dong reiterated China’s commitment to uphold what it sees as its South China Sea interests. While claiming that the sea has "seen overall stability," Dong, without naming the Philippines directly, said a certain country has broken bilateral agreements and its promises due to support from external forces. That country "has made premeditated provocations and created false scenarios to mislead the public," he said. Additionally, he accused the Philippines of allowing a certain country to deploy a mid-range missile system to the region, indirectly aiming the criticism at the United States, which placed a mid-range capability missile system on northern Luzon in April as part of joint military exercises. He argued that Manila’s move would endanger the security and stability of the region. "China has exercised great restraints in the face of such infringements and provocations," Dong told the foreign delegates, warning that there is a limit to Beijing’s restraint and hoping the country, naming the Philippines, could return to the right track of dialogue and work with other countries to make the South China Sea more peaceful. In contrast to Dong’s solemn message to the Philippines and the United States on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Lloyd Austin highlighted the importance of ensuring the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea that is permitted under international law. "The harassment that the Philippines has faced is dangerous, pure and simple," he said during his keynote speech on Saturday. "We all share an interest in ensuring that the South China Sea remains open and free." Some analysts say Dong’s emphasis on Taiwan and the South China Sea reflects his desire to reiterate China’s position on these issues that Beijing views as its core interests. "His tough stance is aiming at what Beijing views as Taiwan independence forces and the possible interference by external forces," Lin Ying-yu, a military expert at Tamkang University in Taiwan, told VOA by phone. Throughout the course of the three-day conference, the Chinese military held three press conferences, a stark contrast to the lack of interaction with the media from the United States or other Western countries. Lin said these efforts reflect Beijing’s desire to increase the Chinese military’s engagement with the outside world, which is one of the goals that China has set for its military since 2010. The Chinese military is "showing some relatively soft side during the press conferences while adopting a tough tone during his speech," he told VOA, adding that such strategies show Beijing’s desire to amplify its positions and ideas in front of an international audience. Despite their differences on issues concerning Taiwan and the South China Sea, Zhou from Tsinghua University said he thinks the United States and China still want to prioritize the importance of maintaining an open line of communication through the Shangri-La Dialogue. "The relationship between Beijing and Washington can never be a smooth one, and since the communication in Singapore is between the two militaries, they are more cautious and they want to stress the importance of open communication," he told VOA. In his view, he said, the primary goal of the 75-minute meeting between Dong and Austin on the sidelines of the conference on May 31, was to prevent the bilateral relationship between Beijing and Washington from "sliding into confrontation." "We have different views about the nature of this relationship but the consensus is not to let our competition slide into a confrontation," Zhou said.

NEW DELHI — Voting has ended in India’s mammoth election with exit polls projecting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies will win a big majority in Parliament. Voters cast ballots on Saturday for 57 Parliamentary constituencies in the seventh phase of the polls that stretched over six weeks in the searing summer heat. All eyes are now on Tuesday, when votes will be counted for all 543 elected seats in the lower house of Parliament. As India uses electronic voting machines, results are expected the same day. The elections will test the popularity of 73-year-old Modi whose image of a strong leader and champion of Hindu nationalism has been boosted by a host of welfare measures for tens of millions of poor people during his decade in power. The BJP campaign was dominated by the Indian leader, who crisscrossed the country to hold over 200 rallies. Before elections got under way, the BJP was expected to cruise to an easy victory. The party had set a target of winning a supermajority by bagging 400 seats. According to exit polls broadcast by several television channels, the party along with its allies could win 350 seats or more, far ahead of the 272 needed for a simple majority. That would hand Modi a rare, third straight term in office. "It’s a litmus test for Mr. Modi. When elections started, it appeared to be a one-horse race. He appeared very invincible, very formidable and raised the bar very high," according to political analyst Rasheed Kidwai. Many observers had expected an opposition alliance of over two dozen parties that is challenging Modi of cutting into his party’s huge Parliamentary majority but exit polls projected that it would not be able to do so and showed the alliance trailing with around 150 seats. However, in the vast, diverse country, exit polls have not always been reliable. "The final numbers will depend on whether the BJP can hold ground in populous northern states where the party has secured huge success in the past," analyst Kidwai said. After polls closed on Saturday, Modi thanked voters and expressed confidence that the "people of India have voted in record numbers" to reelect the government. His comments came after he ended two days of meditation at the southernmost tip of India at a memorial for Hindu philosopher Swami Vivekananda -- images released by his party showed him clad in saffron robes with eyes closed and prayer beads in hand. The opposition’s hopes of making gains rest on tapping into growing resentment over high unemployment that faces the country’s huge youth population and rising prices. Congress Party leader, Rahul Gandhi, who was the face of the opposition campaign, focused his campaign on the need to create jobs and growing wealth inequality in the country and said the government’s policies have favored the rich at the expense of the poor.  The party has promised cash transfers to poor women and a guarantee of apprenticeships for college graduates. It has also raised concerns about democratic backsliding under Modi. The Congress Party has been marginalized over the last decade amid the BJP’s rise into a formidable political force under Modi – it only holds 52 seats in Parliament. "Much will depend on how the Congress Party and its allies perform in swing states like Maharashtra in the west, Bihar in the east and Karnataka in the south," according to Kidwai. The opposition faces a daunting task. To make significant gains it would also have to fare well in populous northern states, where the BJP is well entrenched and where its Hindu nationalist agenda resonates the most.  The BJP, on its part, hopes to expand its influence in some southern states where it has virtually no presence. The election campaign has been called one of India’s most divisive.  At rallies, Modi charged the Congress Party of being pro-Muslim and of planning to hand benefits reserved for lower caste Hindus to Muslims if it is voted into power – analysts said the polarizing rhetoric was a bid to shore up support among his Hindu base after voting got off to a lackluster start last month. In a letter on Thursday addressed to voters in Punjab, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh accused Modi of indulging in the "most vicious form of hate speeches that are purely divisive in nature" during the campaign and accused him lowering the dignity of the Prime Minister's office. Punjab was among the seven states and one federal territory that voted on Saturday. Only India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, secured a third straight term in office. The winning party is expected to form the next government by mid-June before the term of the present Parliament ends.

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — Last-minute computer trouble nixed Saturday's launch attempt for Boeing's first astronaut flight, the latest in a string of delays over the years. Two NASA astronauts were strapped in the company's Starliner capsule when the countdown automatically was halted at 3 minutes and 50 seconds by the computer system that controls the final minutes before liftoff. With only a split second to take off, there was no time to work the latest problem and the launch was called off. Technicians raced to the pad to help astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams out of the capsule atop the fully fueled Atlas V rocket at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Within an hour of the launch abort, the hatch was reopened. The team can't get to the computers to troubleshoot the problem until the rocket is drained of all its fuel, said Tory Bruno, CEO for the rocket maker, United Launch Alliance. Bruno said one of the three redundant computers located near the rocket at the pad was sluggish. All three must work properly to proceed with a launch, he said. Depending on what needs to be fixed, the next launch attempt could be as early as Wednesday. If it doesn't blast off this coming week, then that would be it until mid-June in order to move the rocket off the pad and replace batteries. "This is the business that we're in," Boeing's Mark Nappi said. "Everything's got to work perfectly." It was the second launch attempt. The first try on May 6 was delayed for leak checks and rocket repairs. NASA wants a backup to SpaceX, which has been flying astronauts since 2020. Boeing should have launched its first crew around the same time as SpaceX, but its first test flight with no one on board in 2019 was plagued by severe software issues and never made it to the space station. A redo in 2022 fared better, but parachute problems and flammable later caused more delays. A small helium leak in the capsule's propulsion system last month came on top of a rocket valve issue. More valve trouble cropped up two hours before Saturday's planned liftoff, but the team used a backup circuit to get the ground-equipment valves working to top off the fuel for the rocket's upper stage. Launch controllers were relieved to keep pushing ahead, but the computer system known as the ground launch sequencer ended the effort. "Of course, this is emotionally disappointing," NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, the backup pilot, said from neighboring Kennedy Space Center shortly after the countdown was halted. But he said delays are part of spaceflight. "We're going to have a great launch in our future."

DENALI NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE, Alaska — A Malaysian climber likely died of exposure and altitude-related illness earlier this week after sheltering for days in a snow cave with minimal survival gear near the top of Denali, North America's tallest mountain in Alaska, park officials said Saturday. Zulkifli Bin Yusof, 36, likely died Wednesday in a 5,974-meter elevation cave in Denali National Park and Preserve, park spokesperson Paul Ollig said Saturday. The National Park Service recovered his body Friday night, Ollig said. Yusof was part of a three-man climbing team, all of whom listed their address as the Alpine Club of Malaysia in Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, according to Ollig. Yusof's two partners survived. Park rangers first received an SOS message from the team at 1 a.m. Tuesday, indicating the climbers were hypothermic and unable to descend after reaching the Alaskan mountain's 6,190-meter summit. One of the men, a 48-year-old, was rescued Tuesday night after descending to a 5,243-meter-camp. He was described by the park as having severe frostbite and hypothermia. Late Thursday, the park's high-altitude helicopter pilot was able to drop a bag with survival gear near the snow cave and saw a climber waving at him, but strong winds prevented a rescue at that time, the park said. The other climber, a 47-year-old, was rescued Friday morning after days of cloudy, windy conditions. Two of the three men had previous experience on Denali, Ollig said. All three had previously climbed other high-elevation mountains, he said. The climber rescued Friday was medevaced to an Anchorage hospital for additional care and "was in surprisingly strong condition, walking on his own even, considering what he endured," Ollig previously said. The climber's name and additional information about him and the other survivor would not be released by the park. The other climber is also recovering at a hospital.

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BEIRUT — The militant Hezbollah group said it shot down an Israeli drone over southern Lebanon and fired rockets at an Israeli military base on Saturday, hours after Israeli drone strikes killed at least one person and wounded several others. Hezbollah said in a statement that its fighters struck the Hermes 900 Kochav drone, saying such aircraft have been targeting militants and civilian homes. The exchange of fire along the Lebanon-Israel border has been intensifying over the past weeks with Israel's military push on Gaza's southern city of Rafah. The Israeli military said a surface-to-air missile was fired toward a drone operating in Lebanese airspace, adding that it was hit and fell in Lebanese territory. "The incident is under review," the military said. The Hermes 900 Kochav is a medium altitude, long-endurance drone that can carry four anti-tank guided missiles. Hezbollah said Saturday that its fighters also attacked an Israeli army base in the border town of Kiryat Shmona with Burkan rockets "scoring direct hits, igniting a fire and destroying part of it." Burkan rockets can carry a warhead that weighs between 300 kilograms and 500 kilograms. The Israeli army confirmed a rocket hit a military base in Kiryat Shmona, without giving details. Israeli media reported the rocket attack on Kiryat Shmona and released images showing significant damage to infrastructure. No casualties were reported. Earlier Saturday, an Israeli drone strike on a motorcycle near the southern Lebanese village of Khirbet Selm wounded two people, state-run National News Agency said. The agency reported another drone strike Saturday afternoon in a village near the southern city of Nabatiyeh. An Israeli airstrike on a house in the coastal village of Adloun killed one woman and wounded several others on Friday evening, the agency reported. Late Saturday night, Israel's warplanes attacked areas west of the northeastern city of Baalbek, slightly wounding two people and causing material damage, the agency said. Such strikes deep inside Lebanon and far away from the Israeli border have been rare since the latest round of fighting began nearly eight months ago. The Saturday night strike was about 100 kilometers from the Israeli border. Hezbollah began attacking Israeli military posts along the Lebanon-Israel border a day after the Israel-Hamas war broke out after the Hamas attack on October 7. Since then, tens of thousands of people have been displaced on both sides of the border. Over the past seven months, more than 400 people have been killed in Lebanon most of them fighters, but they also include more than 70 civilians and noncombatants. In Israel, 15 soldiers and 10 civilians have been killed since October. Since Hamas launched a terror attack October 7 on Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages, Israel has embarked on an offensive to eliminate Hamas from Gaza. In recent weeks, Israel says its forces have killed 30,000 people, the majority of them combatants. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says nearly 36,300 people have died, most of them women and children, but does not estimate how many of the dead were combatants.

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London’s Chinatown is at the beating heart of the capital’s entertainment district – with unique flavors that link back to Britain’s colonial history, as Henry Ridgwell reports

Beijing — China's Chang'e-6 lunar probe successfully landed on the far side of the moon to collect samples, state news agency Xinhua reported Sunday, the latest leap for Beijing's decades-old space program. The Chang'e-6 set down in the immense South Pole-Aitken Basin, one of the largest known impact craters in the solar system, Xinhua said, citing the China National Space Administration. It marks the first time that samples will be collected from the rarely explored area of the moon, according to the agency. The Chang'e-6 is on a technically complex 53-day mission that began on May 3. Now that the probe has landed, it will attempt to scoop up lunar soil and rocks and carry out experiments in the landing zone. That process should be complete within two days, Xinhua said. The probe will use two methods of collection: a drill to collect samples under the surface and a robotic arm to grab specimens from the surface. Then it must attempt an unprecedented launch from the side of the moon that always faces away from Earth. Scientists say the moon's dark side, so-called because it is invisible from Earth, not because it never catches the sun's rays, holds great promise for research because its craters are less covered by ancient lava flows than the near side. Material collected from the dark side may shed more light on how the moon formed in the first place. Plans for China's "space dream" have been put into overdrive under President Xi Jinping. Beijing has poured huge resources into its space program over the past decade, targeting a string of ambitious undertakings in an effort to close the gap with the two traditional space powers: the United States and Russia. It has notched several notable achievements, including building a space station called Tiangong, or "heavenly palace." Beijing has landed robotic rovers on Mars and the moon, and China is only the third country to independently put humans in orbit. But Washington has warned that China's space program is being used to mask military objectives and an effort to establish dominance in space. China aims to send a crewed mission to the moon by 2030 and plans to build a base on the lunar surface. The United States is also planning to put astronauts back on the moon by 2026 with its Artemis 3 mission. 

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TAN TAN, Morocco — High-ranking military officials from the U.S. and its top African allies watched intently as dust and flames shot up from pieces of the Sahara Desert hit by tank and artillery fire. They looked up as pilots flew F-16s into formation. And they listened intently as Moroccan and American personnel explained how they would set up beachheads to defend the Atlantic coastline in the event of a potential invasion.  The practice scenario was among those discussed during Africa Lion, the United States' largest annual joint military exercise on the continent, which concluded Friday in Morocco.  Over the past two weeks, roughly 8,100 military forces from nearly three dozen countries maneuvered throughout Tunisia, Ghana, Senegal and Morocco as part of the war games held this year as militaries confront new challenges in increasingly volatile regions.  Generals from the United States and Morocco, which hosted the finale of the two-week event, celebrated Africa Lion's 20-year anniversary and how partnerships between the U.S. and African militaries have expanded since it began.  "This exercise has grown over the years since 2004, not only have the number of multinational service members that we train with, but also the scope of the training as well, which has expanded to more than just security," said General Michael Langley, the head of the United States' Africa Command.  But despite the spectacle of live-fire demonstrations and laudatory remarks about partnerships by Langley and Colonel Major Fouad Gourani of Morocco's Royal Armed Forces, parts of Africa are getting much more dangerous.  The United Nations earlier this year called Africa a "global epicenter for terrorism." Fatalities linked to extremist groups have risen dramatically in the Sahel, the region that stretches from Mauritania to Chad.  Since 2020, military officers disillusioned with their governments' records of stemming violence have overthrown democratically elected governments in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger and began distancing themselves from Western powers.  From 2021 to 2024, militants killed more than 17,000 people across the three countries, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.  The United States is holding steadfast to its strategy of coupling weapons assistance and intelligence sharing with initiatives designed to boost civilian populations and strengthen institutions.  But it faces new competition. Decades after the end of colonialism, Africa has once again become absorbed in fighting among Great Powers, with Western influence waning and countries accepting more economic and military support from Chinese firms and Russian contractors.  At Africa Lion, the U.S. military showcased part of what it offers countries facing instability inside and just beyond their borders. Besides tanks and bombers, the joint exercises included operations and practice in field hospitals, medical evacuations and humanitarian assistance.  The exercise emphasized a "whole of government" approach to addressing the root causes of instability, ranging from climate change to displacement, rather than solely focusing on military might.  "It's important that we not only be associated with kicking down doors," said Colonel Kelly Togiola, a command surgeon who helped set up a field hospital alongside Moroccan doctors as part of the exercise. "In times of crises, those relationships that matter."  That strategy differs from what's being offered by Africa Corps, the descendent of the Russian state-funded private military company Wagner, whose leader Yevgeny Prigozhin died last year. Yet it's come under scrutiny since military officers with a history of participating in training exercises have risen to positions of power after the ousters of democratically elected leaders in countries such as Guinea and Niger.  Cameron Hudson, an Africa expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said regardless of how much the U.S. military broadens its efforts, its continued focus on counterterrorism will keep empowering military leaders throughout West Africa.  "The nature of security assistance is that it's much more visible, impactful and manipulated by the recipient for ill," Hudson said. "When we come in with training and toys, we reinforce within societies these power dynamics that in the long run are not helpful to the consolidation of civilian democratic rule."  Despite training exercises like Africa Lion, U.S. military leaders face difficulties prolonging their partnerships in places they've long characterized as strategically critical. Countries such as Niger and Chad — which participated in Africa Lion — have embraced Russian trainers and paramilitaries and pushed for the withdrawal of U.S. troops.  The U.S. military officials note their assessment of the threat of "malign" Russian and Chinese influence but say they can work in countries that accept assistance from geopolitical rivals.  Curbing Russian influence while opposing the overthrow of democratically elected leaders hasn't worked everywhere, especially as the U.S. military often attaches strings to how countries can implement training and weapons provided.  U.S. law makes governments deposed in military coups ineligible for large portions of assistance, despite the military's talk of equal partnership and noninterference. 

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — In 2021, the Biden administration turned down a meeting request with El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, on a trip to Washington, snubbing the self-proclaimed "world's coolest dictator" for fear a photo op would embolden his attempts to expand his power base.  A little more than three years later, it's the United States that's courting Bukele. A high-level delegation led by U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and senior White House and State Department officials, attended Bukele's inauguration in San Salvador on Saturday to a second term.  The visit caps a quiet, 180-degree shift in Washington's policy toward the small Central American nation of 6 million that reflects how the Biden administration's criticisms of Bukele's strong-armed governing style have been overtaken by more urgent concerns tied to immigration — a key issue in this year's U.S. presidential election.  "They've realized what he's been doing works," Damian Merlo, an American adviser to Bukele who is registered to lobby on the Salvadoran government's behalf, said in an interview from El Salvador. "If the U.S. is serious about wanting to address the root causes of migration, then Bukele is someone who has actually done it."  The 42-year-old Bukele, who was reelected with 85% of the vote, has been wildly popular at home for his frontal attack on powerful gangs, which has converted what was once the world's murder capital into one of Latin America's safest countries. The improvement in public security is credited with a more than 60% drop in migration from the Central American country to the U.S. since Bukele took office in 2019 — a stark contrast with a growing exodus of migrants from other parts of Latin America.  "We conquered fear, and today are truly a free nation," Bukele said in a speech Saturday to hundreds of supporters from the balcony of the National Palace after being sworn in for a second, five-year term.  Cured of what he called the cancer of gang violence, he said that his next term would be devoted to strengthening El Salvador's economy, vowing to apply the same independent, unconventional approach that has characterized his rule and won him admirers from conservatives throughout Latin America.  "I'm not here to do what others think I should do. I'm here to do what's best for our country," he said.  Until recently, Bukele's crackdown on the gangs — as well as political opponents — had drawn fire from Washington. A state of emergency originally declared in 2022 and still in effect has been used to round up 78,175 suspected gang members in sweeps that rights groups say are often arbitrary, based on a person's appearance or where they live. The government has had to release about 7,000 people because of a lack of evidence.  After Biden took office, the U.S. sanctioned several of Bukele's top aides on allegations of corruption and shifted foreign assistance from government agencies to civil society groups highly critical of Bukele.  The about-face, observers say, started a little more than a year ago when Biden sent William Duncan, a career diplomat, to San Salvador as U.S. ambassador. Then, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Salvadoran Foreign Minister Alexandra Hill in Washington. Bukele, who in the past praised former U.S. President Donald Trump and cozied up to China, has also avoided direct confrontation.  "Migration trumps everything else," said Michael Shifter, a former president of Inter-American Dialogue in Washington. "The ideal Latin American partner would be effective in its security policy while respecting human rights norms and practices and cooperating with the U.S. on migration. But rarely do all these desirable things go together, which poses tough choices for U.S. policymakers."  The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.  But Ricardo Zúniga, a retired U.S. diplomat who handled migration talks with Central America in the early days of the Biden administration, said that Washington may come to regret its recent embrace of Bukele.  "Bukele will be in power for many years to come, so you need to have a working relationship," he said. "But you also have to be clear eyed. This is an authoritarian government ruled by a single party that is not sympathetic to U.S. strategic interests." 

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Geneva, Switzerland — The World Health Organization annual assembly on Saturday gave member countries another year to agree on a landmark accord to combat future pandemics.  Three years of effort to reach a deal ended last month in failure. But WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hailed what he called historic decisions taken to make a new bid for an accord.  The WHO agreed in 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic eased to launch talks on an accord to counter any new global health crisis. Millions died from COVID-19 which brought health systems in many countries to their knees.  The talks hit multiple obstacles however with many developing countries accusing rich nations of monopolizing available COVID-19 vaccines.  They have sought assurances that any new accord will make provision of medicines and the sharing of research more equitable.   The WHO annual assembly "made concrete commitments to completing negotiations on a global pandemic agreement within a year, at the latest," said a statement released at the end of the Geneva meeting.  The assembly also agreed on amendments to an international framework of binding health rules. The changes introduce the notion of a "pandemic emergency," which calls on member states to take rapid, coordinated action, the statement said.  "The historic decisions taken today demonstrate a common desire by member states to protect their own people, and the world's, from the shared risk of public health emergencies and future pandemics," Tedros said.  He said the change to health rules "will bolster countries' ability to detect and respond to future outbreaks and pandemics by strengthening their own national capacities, and [through] coordination between fellow states, on disease surveillance, information sharing and response."  Tedros added: "The decision to conclude the pandemic agreement within the next year demonstrates how strongly and urgently countries want it, because the next pandemic is a matter of when, not if." 

WASHINGTON — Congressional leaders have invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to deliver an address the Capitol, a show of wartime support for the longtime ally despite mounting political divisions over Israel's military assault on Gaza. The invitation from House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, along with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, has been in the works for some time. No date for the speech was set. Leaders said the invitation was extended to “highlight America’s solidarity with Israel.” “We invite you to share the Israeli government’s vision for defending democracy, combatting terror and establishing a just and lasting peace in the region,” they wrote. A speech by Netanyahu would almost certainly expose election-year divisions in the U.S., where a growing number of Democrats have turned away from the right-wing prime minister, while Republicans have embraced him. Johnson first suggested inviting the Israeli leader, saying it would be “a great honor of mine” to invite him. That came soon after Schumer, who is the highest ranking Jewish elected official in the U.S., had delivered a stinging rebuke of Netanyahu. Schumer said in the speech that Netanyahu had “lost his way" amid the Israeli bombing campaign in Gaza. Even so, Schumer had said he would join in the invitation because “our relationship with Israel is ironclad and transcends any one prime minister or president.” The Israel-Hamas war, now in its seventh month after the October 7 terror attack by the Palestinian militant group, has caused widespread concerns in the U.S. and abroad over Israel's conduct and the extensive civilian death toll. As Israel pushes into Rafah in Gaza, the International Criminal Court has accused Netanyahu and his defense minister, along with three Hamas leaders, of war crimes — a largely symbolic act but one that further isolates the Israeli leader. President Joe Biden in supporting Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas lambasted the ICC’s case against Netanyahu, but he has nevertheless grown critical of Israel’s war plans and has pressed for assurances of humanitarian aid. On Friday, Biden encouraged a three-phase deal proposed by Israel to Hamas militants that he says would lead to the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza and could end the war. He urged Israelis and Hamas to come to an agreement to release the remaining hostages for an extended cease-fire, arguing that Hamas is “no longer capable” of carrying out another large-scale attack on Israel as it did in October. Biden called the proposal “a road map to an enduring cease-fire and the release of all hostages.” It is unclear if Biden and Netanyahu would meet in Washington. Spain, Norway and Ireland recently recognized a Palestinian state, a move that was condemned by Israel. Slovenia's government also endorsed a motion to recognize a Palestinian state and asked the parliament to do the same. Typically, a high-profile congressional invitation is issued jointly and in consultation with the White House. But in 2015, Netanyahu was invited to address Congress in a rebuff to then-President Barack Obama by a previous Republican speaker during disputes over Iran. On Capitol Hill, the debates over the Israel-Hamas war have been pitched, heated and divisive, amplified during the college campus protests this spring, showing how the once ironclad support for Israel has weakened and splintered. Republicans, including presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, have been eager to display their support for Netanyahu and expose the Democratic divisions over Israel. More recently, Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, became the highest ranking Republican elected official from the U.S. to deliver a speech before the Israeli parliament.