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USCIS is updating guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to clarify how we consider expedite requests related to government interests and requests related to emergencies or urgent humanitarian situations, including travel-related requests.

Bangladesh is busy reforming institutions after an uprising in July and August ended Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule. As VOA’s Sarah Zaman reports from Dhaka, Hasina’s brutal crackdown on the mass protests left deep scars. Videographer: Rubel Hassan

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers asked AT&T, Verizon Communications, and Lumen Technologies on Friday to answer questions after a report that Chinese hackers accessed the networks of U.S. broadband providers.  The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday hackers obtained information from systems the federal government uses for court-authorized wiretapping, and said the three companies were among the telecoms whose networks were breached.  House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican, and the top Democrat on the committee Representative Frank Pallone along with Representatives Bob Latta and Doris Matsui asked the three companies to answer questions. They are seeking a briefing and detailed answers by next Friday.  "There is a growing concern regarding the cybersecurity vulnerabilities embedded in U.S. telecommunications networks," the lawmakers said. They are asking for details on what information was seized and when the companies learned about the intrusion.  AT&T and Lumen declined to comment, while Verizon did not immediately comment.  It was unclear when the hack occurred.  Hackers might have held access for months to network infrastructure used by the companies to cooperate with court-authorized U.S. requests for communications data, the Journal said. It said the hackers had also accessed other tranches of internet traffic.  China's foreign ministry said on Sunday that it was not aware of the attack described in the report but said the United States had "concocted a false narrative" to "frame" China in the past. 

Maputo, Mozambique — Mozambique's electoral body extended voting until Saturday in some areas and in one overseas location because material didn't arrive on time. Most of the country completed voting Wednesday and now awaits results. National Electoral Commission spokesperson Paulo Cuinica told reporters on Friday that voting did not take place in some districts of Zambezia province, in central Mozambique,  partly due to problems getting voting materials in time.  "As a result of this fact, 23 polling stations did not open in the province of Zambezia, [or in the coastal circle of Zambezia], with 4 in Maganja da Costa and 19 in the district of Gilé," Cuinica said. Voting outside the country also had hiccups, he said, noting that 670 Mozambicans living in Germany in were unable to vote. He said voting materials were shipped to Germany on September 27th, but were held up in Cologne and did not reach Berlin until Thursday, the day after the election. As a result, Cuinica said voting is being extended in affected areas. He said voters can cast ballots from 7 am to 6 pm Saturday in the districts of Gilé and Maganja, and from 9 am to 9 pm in Germany. Meanwhile, election monitors in Mozambique gave preliminary assessments of the process. Laura Valerin, a member of parliament from Spain and chief observer of the European Union election mission, told VOA monitors observed about 800 polling stations. While she praised the peaceful campaign and orderly voting, she said there were issues.  "We saw the counting phase," she said. "Our observers saw the processes were in many times very long, really slow with some difficulties foreseen by polling staff, with some doubts about how the process had to take place." She said that before election day, the EU team's engagement with political parties, media and civil society indicated that there is widespread mistrust about the independence of the electoral bodies. Succès Masra, a former prime minister of Chad and head of the observer mission for the U.S.-based International Republican Institute, said his organization had teams from 20 countries, including 12 in sub–Saharan Africa, deployed across Mozambique.  Masra praised the democratic spirit of Mozambicans but said his teams had reservations about the electoral process.  "Citizens were not deterred from exercising their right to determine their future," he said. "Our observations show delayed accreditation for observers and party agents, late changes to electoral laws and the misuse of state resources during the campaign. These issues raised concerns about public confidence in the process and independence of institutions." Masra said he hopes that Mozambicans can address the issues to strengthen their democratic institutions.  Now Mozambique awaits the results from this, the country's seventh general elections since the advent of multiparty democracy 30 years ago.   The first official results from the National Electoral Council could come as early as Saturday. 

zurich — Two months before FIFA is set to confirm Saudi Arabia as the 2034 World Cup host, the soccer body was urged again Friday to allow independent scrutiny of the kingdom's human rights obligations for the tournament. A group of law and human rights experts plus Saudi activists abroad want FIFA to mandate ongoing reviews — and a potential termination clause — into the 2034 World Cup hosting contract. The advisers who came to Zurich on Friday want FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who is closely tied to Saudi political and soccer leaders, to learn from how Qatar was picked to host the 2022 World Cup. Qatar won in 2010 with little thought from FIFA's then-leaders about legal safeguards and reputational challenges. Saudi Arabia, like Qatar, is a traditionally conservative society and needs a huge construction project relying on migrant workers to build stadiums and other infrastructure for global soccer's biggest event. "There are really no excuses now," British lawyer Rodney Dixon told The Associated Press. "If it means that they therefore have to come to a different kind of agreement in December, that is what they should do." World Cup hosting contracts will be signed after the Dec. 11 decision by more than 200 FIFA member federations at an online meeting. Saudi Arabia is the only candidate for 2034. Promising not to be confrontational with FIFA, Dixon said: "We are not naive. It is not FIFA's role to change the world. They are not the UN." The briefing in FIFA's home city came two days after the UN General Assembly in New York rejected a Saudi bid to get a seat on the 47-nation Human Rights Council for the next three years. On Friday, the would-be FIFA advisers cited Saudi Arabia's record on freedom of speech and assembly, and laws on labor and male guardianship that limit women's freedoms. After Infantino was first elected in 2016, when scrutiny was intense on Qatar and its treatment of migrant workers, FIFA demanded a human rights strategy from future World Cup hosts. Bid rules for the 2030 and 2034 men's tournaments refer to "activities in connection with the bidding for and hosting" rather than rights in wider society. In May, FIFA got an offer from the law and human rights experts to create an independent process for monitoring progress in Saudi Arabia. Swiss law professor Mark Pieth, an anti-corruption advisor to FIFA from 2011-14, said they had been ignored and "we are here in Zurich to try again." In July, Saudi plans for the World Cup were published including a review of its human rights strategy by lawyers it chose, and 15 stadium projects. Human Rights Watch researcher Joey Shea said Friday it documented "grave labor violations" against migrant workers who number more than 13 million, or about 40% of the kingdom's population. The scale of construction required for the World Cup and potential for labor abuses "is really, really chilling," Shea said in a live link from London. She cautioned that while rights groups had limited access to operate in Qatar ahead of the 2022 World Cup, there is "zero access" to Saudi Arabia. Saudi soccer officials have consistently said the kingdom is making progress on social reforms as part of the Vision 2030 drive by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to modernize and create a post-oil economy. The 2034 bid campaign was contacted for comment Friday. In a video message from Washington D.C., Abdullah Alaoudh of the Middle East Democracy Center insisted "the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia has worsened under Mohamed bin Salman's leadership." Saudi Arabia was ranked No. 131 of 146 nations on gender issues by the World Economic Forum, Dixon noted. "[There are] so many laws that prejudice women," he said. "None of them are addressed by the Saudi bid." FIFA is evaluating World Cup bidders with reports likely in early December. It also must assess the human rights strategy of the sole candidate for the 2030 World Cup: co-hosts Spain, Portugal and Morocco with single games in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. FIFA and Infantino have not held a news conference to take any questions on World Cup bids since the 2034 edition was fast-tracked toward Saudi Arabia one year ago. Any protest among FIFA voters on Dec. 11 has been made less likely because of how the organization is structuring the voting. FIFA said last week both 2030 and 2034 awards will be combined in a single vote. Any European opposition to the Saudi bid also would count against Spain and Portugal. Victory by acclamation without an itemized vote is possible.

LONDON — Climbers believe they have found the partial remains of a British mountaineer who might — or might not — have been one of the first two people to climb Mount Everest, a century after their attempt on the world's highest peak, according to an expedition led by National Geographic.  Ahead of the release of a documentary film, the television channel said Friday that the expedition found a foot encased in a sock embroidered with "AC Irvine" and a boot that could be that of Andrew "Sandy" Irvine, who disappeared at the age of 22 along with his co-climber, the legendary George Mallory, near Everest's peak on June 8, 1924.  The pair, who were seeking to become the first people to conquer Everest, were last seen around 800 feet (245 meters) from the summit. Their fate has been debated by climbers and historians alike, with some postulating that they had stood atop of the world before disappearing on the way down.  In his final letter to his wife, Ruth, before he vanished on Mount Everest a century ago, the 37-year-old Mallory, who once famously said he wanted to conquer Everest "because it's there," tried to ease her worries even as he said his chances of reaching the world's highest peak were "50 to 1 against us."  Mallory's body was found in 1999 but there was no evidence that could point to the two having reached Everest's summit at 29,032 feet (8,849 meters).  There is still no such evidence, though the apparent discovery of Irvine's remains could narrow the search for a Kodak Vest Pocket camera lent to the climbers by expedition member Howard Somervell. For mountaineers, it's the equivalent of the Holy Grail — the possibility of photographic proof that the two did reach the summit, almost three decades before New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay got there on May, 29, 1953.  The sock and boot were found at a lower altitude than Mallory's remains, on the Central Rongbuk Glacier below the North Face of Mount Everest.  "This was a monumental and emotional moment for us and our entire team on the ground, and we just hope this can finally bring peace of mind to his relatives and the climbing world at large," said climb team member and National Geographic explorer Jimmy Chin.  Chin did not say exactly where the remains were found because he wants to discourage trophy hunters. But he's confident that other items — and maybe even the camera — are nearby.  "It certainly reduces the search area," he told National Geographic.  The Irvine family has volunteered to compare DNA test results with the remains to confirm his identity.  His great-niece and biographer, Julie Summers, said she reacted emotionally when she found out about the discovery.  "I have lived with this story since I was a 7-year-old when my father told us about the mystery of Uncle Sandy on Everest," she said. "When Jimmy told me that he saw the name AC Irvine on the label on the sock inside the boot, I found myself moved to tears. It was and will remain an extraordinary and poignant moment."  The find, made by Chin along with climbers and filmmakers Erich Roepke and Mark Fisher, was reported to the London-based Royal Geographical Society, which jointly organized Mallory and Irvine's expedition along with the Alpine Club.  "As joint organizer of the 1924 Everest expedition, the society deeply appreciates the respect Jimmy Chin's team has shown Sandy Irvine's remains and their sensitivity toward Sandy's family members and others connected to that expedition," said Joe Smith, director of the society.  The partial remains are now in the possession of the China Tibet Mountaineering Association, which is responsible for climbing permits on Everest's northern side.

VIENTIANE, LAOS — Myanmar’s worsening violence took center stage at this week’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Vientiane, Laos, as regional leaders grappled with the inability to implement their Five-Point Consensus. This outline for peace agreed upon nearly four years ago, calls for an end to the violence in the country, constructive dialogue among the parties, humanitarian aid and appointment of a special envoy from each ASEAN country to facilitate peace talks. The Myanmar junta’s noncompliance is widely blamed for the slow progress since the drafting of the consensus in early 2021 in Jakarta, Indonesia, frustrating ASEAN leaders. This year, for the first time since being barred for noncompliance in late 2021, a senior official from Myanmar’s Foreign Affairs Ministry was allowed to attend the summit, including a two-day retreat attended by the foreign ministers of the nine other ASEAN countries. This development followed Laos' behind-the-scenes negotiations between its special envoy and the Myanmar junta, a senior ASEAN diplomat told VOA. “Laos, as the rotating chairman, negotiated with the junta, which allowed Myanmar’s representative to attend,” the diplomat said. It remains uncertain if this will lead to meaningful progress on the crisis. The last junta representative to attend an ASEAN meeting was its leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. Days after agreeing to the consensus, he characterized it as “suggestions by ASEAN leaders” that it would consider “when the situation returns to stability.” An ASEAN diplomat who attended the summit confirmed to VOA that Myanmar's representative, Permanent Secretary Aung Kyaw Moe, did not speak during the summit meetings. However, at the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting before the summit, he expressed Myanmar’s appreciation for ASEAN’s efforts and urged caution in the language used when discussing Myanmar-related issues. Diverse ASEAN approaches emerge Thailand reiterated its long-standing stance that any resolution to the Myanmar crisis must come from within the country itself. "Thailand remains committed to facilitating internal consultations. Any solution must be Myanmar-led and Myanmar-owned," Nikorndej Balankura, a spokesperson for Thailand's Foreign Ministry, told VOA. "Thailand,” he said, “has always shown its readiness to assist when needed. We have consistently emphasized that solutions should come from within Myanmar, and we encourage that approach. That's why we've provided a platform for internal consultations [in ASEAN]. Some refer to it as the 'Troika Plus,' which includes the past, present and future ASEAN chairs — Indonesia, Laos and Malaysia — along with other ASEAN member countries involved in the peace process. Ultimately, it's about facilitating dialogue, which will take place in Thailand." Indonesian Vice President Ma’ruf Amin emphasized the importance of upholding international law. “The crisis not only brings suffering to the people of Myanmar, but it also poses a threat to regional stability,” he said. Amin reaffirmed ASEAN’s commitment to the Five-Point Consensus while calling for increased humanitarian assistance. He also highlighted the need to resolve the Rohingya issue as part of addressing the broader Myanmar crisis. Indonesia has seen an influx of thousands of Rohingya refugees fleeing persecution in Myanmar since 2017, many of whom have died attempting the treacherous journey by sea. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed frustration about the lack of progress in addressing the Myanmar crisis. "We are firmly behind the ASEAN proposal of the Five-Point Consensus," he told reporters outside the meeting room. "But we have not been very successful in actually changing the situation. We are trying to formulate new strategies, and that’s what we will be discussing." Summit’s regional dynamics The summit saw participation from many ASEAN country leaders, including the sultan of Brunei and the prime ministers of Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Despite efforts by this year’s chair, Laos, to engage Myanmar in the talks, no clear solution to the crisis has emerged. Myanmar remains a daunting challenge to the region’s stability. Myanmar’s presence at the summit, although controversial, is seen as progress by some. Countries such as Thailand, Laos and Cambodia have long advocated for its inclusion in the meetings as a practical matter to make Myanmar “more presentable” as a member of ASEAN and to facilitate humanitarian aid entering the country. “In a sense, they are accepting the Five-Point Consensus. They may have thought that it's better to have their own voice heard rather than be on the outside," one diplomat told Agence France-Presse. Myanmar’s representative, Aung Kyaw Moe, however, remained silent, refusing to answer reporters' questions. Inadequate implementation Many Southeast Asian leaders have criticized Myanmar’s implementation of the Five-Point Consensus as "substantially inadequate." The junta has continued its violent crackdown on dissent and has been accused of widespread atrocities, including bombing of civilians, torture of political prisoners and journalists, and even genocide. Malaysia’s incoming ASEAN chair, Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, underscored that "we have to approach everybody in Myanmar," signaling a possible shift toward broader dialogue as the bloc seeks to resolve the conflict. Assuming the helm of ASEAN next year, Malysia faces a daunting set of challenges, including a rise in transnational crime, growing food instability and humanitarian crises in the region, largely because of the conflict in Myanmar. An ASEAN diplomat, who requested anonymity and attended the ASEAN-China Summit, told VOA, "In general terms, some ASEAN member countries reiterated their support for the Five-Point Consensus and urged China to play a role in working with ASEAN to find a solution, given China's influence as a neighboring country. However, there were no specific details provided regarding China's involvement."

Yaounde, Cameroon — Trade and maritime traffic between Cameroon and Nigeria nosedived this week after a Cameroonian state governor ordered a temporary trade ban Wednesday in the Bakassi Peninsula, in response to the abduction of two officials from the area. Cameroon reports about 35 percent of Nigerian petroleum products and basic commodities imported by Cameroon pass through the peninsula. Nigeria also depends on Bakassi for most of its cocoa and fish imports from Cameroon.  Aboko Patrick, mayor of Kombo Abedimo, a locality in Bakassi, told VOA that several thousand merchants have been unable to transport their goods out of the area since the ban.   “All petroleum products come from Nigeria, even food items come from Nigeria,” he said. “The fish which is caught in our territorial waters is carried to Nigeria. Today those fishermen, those who were doing legal business, are bound to suffer, but if this suffering can lead us to have peace, I think it is better that we go for it."  On Wednesday, Bernard Okalia Bilai, governor of Cameroon's Southwest Region, ordered the suspension of trade and maritime activity with Nigeria in the peninsula because suspected gunmen from Nigeria allegedly abducted Roland Ewane, the division officer (D.O.) of the Idabato district.  "It is well established that the D.O was kidnapped with the complicity of the population of Idabato who are 95% Nigerians who refuse to pay taxes,” Bilai said, adding, “and once the D.O. want(ed) to fight illegal activities and to request the payment of taxes, he (was) attacked, kidnapped and carried to Nigeria. It is well established that he is now in Nigerian territory. They should release the D.O."  Ewane was abducted alongside Ismael Etongo, an Idabato district council staff member, and taken to Nigeria in a speedboat, Bilai said.  Nigeria ceded control of Bakassi to Cameroon in the early 2000s, after a long legal battle in international courts. However, Cameroon has complained that most of the area’s 300,000 inhabitants, most of whom are Nigerians, refuse to pay taxes.  Merchants say Cameroon has deployed troops to enforce tax payments, something that Cameroon officials deny.  Cameroon says it has written to Nigerian authorities to help secure the release of the two abducted officials.   Joseph Vincent Ntuda Ebode, an expert on international security at the University of Yaounde-Soa, told VOA by telephone that it would be helpful if merchants paid taxes to the Cameroonian government.   It is a civic duty for all civilians to pay their taxes, he said, adding that Bakassi needs schools, hospitals, markets and lots of other infrastructure that can be developed with the money.  The trade ban appears to be having an impact, as Nigerian merchants say they have not received goods from Bakassi for the past two days.   Nigeria has not commented on the abductions or the ban on trade. 

Written by Ilse Ramirez, Paralegal, and Andrea Rathbone Ramos, Digital Communications Specialist The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, Louisiana, heard oral arguments on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative on October 10. The court is deciding whether DACA is unlawful, potentially paving the way for another Supreme Court fight. Meanwhile, […]

The post The 5th Circuit Fight for DACA Is a Personal One appeared first on Immigration Impact.

From pop superstar Taylor Swift to former wrestler Hulk Hogan, celebrity endorsements have been a feature of this year’s U.S. presidential race. But whether they will have any kind of impact on the election is difficult to predict. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias reports.

Seoul, South Korea — North Korea on Friday accused South Korea of sending drones to drop anti-regime leaflets over Pyongyang, an accusation that Seoul immediately denied. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, North Korea's foreign ministry said South Korean drones have entered Pyongyang at night on three occasions since October 3, scattering "numerous" leaflets. The ministry called the alleged incursion a "grave political and military provocation" that requires retaliation, warning that the situation could lead to an armed conflict or even war. South Korea’s military denied involvement, stating it did not send any drones but that it would investigate whether private groups may have launched the leaflets, reported the South’s Yonhap news agency. In recent months, North Korea has launched thousands of trash-filled balloons into South Korea as retaliation against activists who float anti-Pyongyang leaflets northward across the border. While South Korean activists have recently employed more advanced types of balloons to send leaflets into North Korea, there are no known reports of them using drones. The leaflets often criticize North Korea's human rights abuses or mock its leader Kim Jong Un and are sometimes accompanied by valuable items like dollar bills or USB drives. North Korea is governed by a third-generation hereditary dictatorship that views virtually all outside information as an existential threat. In the past, North Korea has used the leaflets as a justification to ramp up cross-border tensions. When the North began sending waste-filled balloons to the South in May, some analysts cautioned that Kim may be preparing to conduct a more serious cross-border confrontation. In one particularly provocative move, North Korea in late 2022 sent five small reconnaissance drones across the border, with one making it all the way to the northern edge of the capital, Seoul. In response, South Korea’s military said it sent a drone into North Korea on a reconnaissance mission. There have been no subsequent reports that South Korea’s military has flown drones into the North.

Islamabad — The United Nations expressed "a great deal of sorrow" Friday over the continued ban on girls’ secondary school education in Taliban-led Afghanistan as the world body marked the International Day of the Girl Child.  Roza Otunbayeva, the head of the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, renewed her appeal to Taliban leaders to "change course" by lifting the restrictions. She lamented that over 1,100 days have passed since the de facto Afghan authorities imposed the ban on educating girls over the age of 12.   “This is more than three years of lost opportunity – not just for millions of girls, but for families, communities, and the entire country,” Otunbayeva stated.   ”As each day passes, even greater damage is being done to the lives of women and girls. Afghanistan is being taken backwards, not forwards, in its quest for peace, recovery, and prosperity,” the U.N. envoy added.   Otunbayeva pledged that her organization will continue to advocate for Afghan women and girls, even in the face of attempts to silence them.  The Taliban have enforced their strict interpretation of Islamic law since regaining control of the impoverished country in 2021.   Girls ages 12 and older are barred from attending school, making Afghanistan the only country with that restriction. Female students have been prohibited from attending universities, and most Afghan women are banned from working in both public and private sectors, including the U.N. They are also forbidden from visiting public places such as parks and gyms.  Islamist leaders enacted contentious “vice and virtue” laws last month, which solidified existing restrictions on women’s freedoms and deemed the sound of a female’s voice in public as a moral violation.   The decree requires women to cover their entire bodies and faces when outdoors and forbids them from looking at men to whom they are not related and vice versa, sparking a global outcry and calls for reversing the curbs.   The Taliban government, which is officially not recognized by any country, defends its policies as being aligned with Sharia and Afghan customs, rejecting international criticism as an interference in the internal affairs of the country.   The United Nations recognizes October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child to acknowledge girls' rights and the challenges they face worldwide.  

This month, [October 8] the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History opened "NASA’s Earth Information Center" an exhibition that gives visitors a firsthand look at the forces shaping our planet. Andrei Dziarkach has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Artem Kohan

Taipei, Taiwan — Four people working for Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn in China have been detained, Taipei said Friday, describing the circumstances as "quite strange".  The employees were detained by public security in the central city of Zhengzhou for the equivalent of "breach of trust" under Taiwan law, Taipei's top China policy body, the Mainland Affairs Council, said in a statement to AFP.  "The circumstances surrounding this case are quite strange," the council said.  Foxconn "has declared the company suffered no losses, and the four employees did not harm the company's interests in any way," it said, without providing details about when they were detained or their roles.  Foxconn, also known by its official name Hon Hai Precision Industry, is the world's biggest contract electronics manufacturer and assembles devices for major tech companies, including Apple.  Most of its factories are in China, including Zhengzhou, which is dubbed "iPhone City" as the home of the world's biggest factory for the smartphone.  The Straits Exchange Foundation, a semi-official body in Taiwan handling people and business exchanges with China, told AFP the four detainees were Taiwanese.  The case "may involve corruption and abuse of power by a small number of public security officials, which has severely damaged business confidence," the Mainland Affairs Council said.  "We urge the relevant authorities across the strait to investigate and address the matter promptly."  A Foxconn spokesman declined to comment when contacted by AFP. China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said she was "not aware of the specific situation".  China and Taiwan have been locked in a decades-long dispute, with Beijing claiming the self-ruled island as part of its territory, which the Taipei government rejects.  Many Taiwanese companies set up factories in China over the past four decades, taking advantage of the shared language and cheaper operating costs, but investment has fallen sharply in recent years over regional tech disputes.