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One year after the war triggered by the Hamas-led attack on Israel, clashes between Hezbollah and Israel along Lebanon's border with Israel have intensified. The conflict has sparked a new humanitarian crisis that the UN says has displaced about 200,000 people. Elizabeth Cherneff narrates this report by Ethel Bonet, who has been traveling in southern Lebanon.

JOHANNESBURG — Whoever wins Mozambique's presidential election on Wednesday will face an economy battered by worsening cyclones, insecurity, delays to planned gas projects and high levels of debt. Ruling party candidate Daniel Chapo is the frontrunner, though there are three other candidates vying to replace Felipe Nyusi as president of the southeast African nation. Rising borrowing costs are putting pressure on Mozambique to embrace fiscal discipline, particularly as delayed gas revenues mean it is running out of options to refinance its debt - which is nearly as big as its annual GDP. "Debt in the country is rocketing," Gabriel Muthisse, a former transport and communications minister, told Reuters. "Debt servicing is (diverting)...resources that could be used to finance the real economy." The yield on Mozambique's international bond due 2031 stands at close to 13%. The country of 34 million people is still trying to shake off a decade-old "tuna bonds" scandal involving Credit Suisse, in which loans for a fishing fleet went missing, leading Mozambique to default on its debt and the International Monetary Fund to suspend lending. Last year, the Swiss bank settled out of court. "Financing options for the deficit are limited," said Kevin Daly, portfolio manager at Abrdn, which holds Mozambique's 2031 international bond. Mozambique struck a $456 million deal with the IMF in May 2022, but its program expires next year and will have to be renegotiated. "The future of the economy is really based on the development of these oil and gas...(fields)," said Thys Louw, portfolio manager at global asset manager, Ninety One. Yet Islamist violence has delayed TotalEnergies and ExxonMobil's development of some of Africa's biggest gas fields. Total says it is still committed to them, but investor enthusiasm is waning. "There was a time where everyone was excited and waiting to go into Mozambique," said Tshepo Ncube, head of International Coverage at Absa Corporate and Investment Bank. "Now it is all about: 'let's see how it plays out'."

BEIJING — China is "fully confident" of achieving its full-year economic and social development targets, with some funds from 2025's budget being brought forward to support projects, chairman of the country's economic planner Zheng Shanjie said on Tuesday. China stocks blasted to two-year highs after a slew of stimulus steps announced in recent weeks supported sentiment in early trade, but later retreated. Hong Kong shares also slid as investors walked back some of the stimulus excitement. Zheng, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), told a press conference China's economy remains largely stable but is facing more complex internal and external environments. "The international market is volatile, global trade protectionism has intensified, and uncertain and unstable factors have increased. These will have an adverse impact on my country through trade, investment, finance and other channels," Zheng said. Downward pressure on the domestic economy has increased, he added. To support local governments, China will issue $14.12 billion from next year's central government budget and another $14.12 billion for key investment projects by the end of this year, Zheng said. The country will also quicken fiscal spending and "all sides should keep making efforts more forcefully" to strengthen macroeconomic policies, he added. Investors and economists expect more policy support on the fiscal side to sustain the market's optimism. They said it will take time to restore consumer and business confidence and get the economy back on more solid footing. A housing market recovery, in particular, could be a long slog. "We anticipate that the government will arrange 1-3 trillion yuan of additional fiscal support this year and next to boost the real economy, recapitalise banks, and stabilize the property market," said Yue Su, principal China economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit. "This, along with investments from special long-term bonds planned for next year, is expected to primarily impact 2025's economic growth." The government set a growth target of around 5% this year, but economic indicators showed growth momentum waned since the second quarter, weighing on households spending and business sentiment amid a severe property downturn. A private report by recruiting platform Zhaopin showed on Tuesday that average pay offered by recruiters in China's 38 major cities fell 2.5% in the third quarter from the second, and down 0.6% from a year earlier. In an effort to reverse the economic downturn, China unveiled in late September its most aggressive monetary stimulus package since the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with extensive property market support. Zheng said that to address insufficient domestic demand, policymakers will focus on enhancing people's livelihood to stimulate consumption and investment, such as supporting disadvantaged people, consumer goods trade-ins, elderly care and births. No further details were announced. Vice Chairman of the NDRC, Liu Sushe, stated that most of the 6 trillion yuan in government investment this year was allocated to specific projects, with 90% of local government special bonds used for project construction issued by September. At the same press conference, another vice chairman of the NDRC, Zhao Chenxin, said that China's economic growth remained "generally stable" over the first three quarters.

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. — Florida's Gulf Coast braced Tuesday for the impact of Hurricane Milton's near-record winds and expected massive storm surge, which could bring destruction to areas already reeling from Helene's devastation 12 days ago and still recovering from Ian's wrath two years ago. Almost the entirety of Florida's west coast was under a hurricane warning early Tuesday as the Category 5 storm and its 265 kph winds crept toward the state at 14 kph, sucking energy from the Gulf of Mexico's warm water. The strongest Atlantic hurricane on record is 1980's Allen, which reached wind speeds of 306 kph as it moved through the Caribbean and Gulf before striking Texas and Mexico. Milton's center could come ashore Wednesday in the Tampa Bay region, which has not endured a direct hit by a major hurricane in more than a century. Scientists expect the system to weaken slightly before landfall, though it could retain hurricane strength as it churns across central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean. That would largely spare other states ravaged by Helene, which killed at least 230 people on its path from Florida to the Appalachian Mountains. Tampa Bay has not been hit directly by a major hurricane since 1921, and authorities fear luck is about to run out for the region and its 3.3 million residents. President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for Florida, and U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor said 7,000 federal workers were mobilized to help in one of the largest mobilizations of federal personnel in history. “This is the real deal here with Milton,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told a Monday news conference. “If you want to take on Mother Nature, she wins 100% of the time.” The Tampa Bay area is still rebounding from Helene and its powerful surge — a wall of water up to 2.4 meters it created even though its eye was 160 kilometers offshore. Twelve people died there, with the worst damage along a string of barrier islands from St. Petersburg to Clearwater. Forecasters warned that Milton could bring a possible 2.4- to 3.6-meter storm surge, leading to evacuation orders being issued for beach communities all along the Gulf coast. In Florida, that means anyone who stays is on their own and first responders are not expected to risk their lives to rescue them at the height of the storm. Stragglers were a problem during Helene and 2022's Ian. Many residents failed to heed ample warnings, saying they evacuated during previous storms only to have major surges not materialize. But there was evidence Monday that people were getting out before Milton arrives. A steady stream of vehicles headed north toward the Florida Panhandle on Interstate 75, the main highway on the west side of the peninsula, as residents heeded evacuation orders. Traffic clogged the southbound lanes of the highway for miles as other residents headed for the relative safety of Fort Lauderdale and Miami on the other side of the state. About 240 kilometers south of Tampa, Fort Myers Beach was nearly a ghost town by Monday afternoon as an evacuation order took effect. Ian devastated the 5,000-resident community two years ago, its 4.5-meter storm surge destroying or severely damaging 400 homes and businesses. Fourteen people died there as they tried to ride out the storm, and dozens had to be rescued. On Monday, the few residents who could be found were racing against the clock to safeguard their buildings and belongings. None said they were staying. The signs of Ian's devastation remain visible everywhere. Rebuilt homes stand next to others in various states of construction. There are numerous vacant lots, which were once rare. “This whole street used to be filled out with houses,” said Mike Sandell, owner of Pool-Rific Services. His workers were removing and storing pumps and heaters Monday from his clients' pools so they wouldn't get destroyed. Home construction supplies like bricks, piping and even workers' outhouses lined the streets, potential projectiles that could do further damage if a surge hits. At the beach Monday afternoon, workers busily emptied the triple-wide trailer that houses The Goodz, a combined hardware, convenience, fishing supply, ice cream and beach goods store. Owner Graham Belger said he moved his “Your Island Everything Store” into the trailer after Ian destroyed his permanent building across the street. “We’ll rebuild, but it is going to be bad," he said. Nearby, Don Girard and his son Dominic worked to batten down the family’s three-story combination rental and vacation home that’s about 30.5 meters from the water. It’s first-floor garage and entranceway were flooded by Helene last month, Hurricane Debby in August, and a tide brought by a recent supermoon. Ian was by far the worst. Its waves crashed into the 14-year-old home’s second floor, destroying the flooring. Girard repaired the damage, and his aqua-blue and white home stands in contrast to the older, single-story house across the street. It was submerged by Ian, never repaired and remains vacant. Its once-off-white walls are now tinged with brown. Plywood covers the holes that once contained windows and doors. Girard, who owns a banner and flag company in Texas, said that while his feelings about owning his home are mostly positive, they are becoming mixed. He said every December, his extended family gathers there for the holidays. At that time of year, temperatures in southwest Florida are usually in the low 20s Celsius with little rain or humidity. The area and its beaches fill with tourists. “At Christmas, there is no better place in the world,” Girard said. But flooding from Ian, the other storms and now Milton is leaving him frustrated. “It’s been difficult, I’m not going to lie to you," Girard said. “The last couple years have been pretty bad.”

TALLINN, Estonia — A Belarusian-American has had his prison term extended to a total of 13 1/2 years in the latest move in a relentless crackdown on dissent by Belarus' repressive government, rights activists said Monday. Yuras Zyankovich, a lawyer who has dual Belarusian and U.S. citizenship, has been held behind bars since 2021. He was convicted on accusations of plotting to assassinate Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko and seize power and given an 11-year sentence in September 2022. He then had six months added to his sentence later that year. In August, a court in Belarus handed Zyankovich, 46, an additional two-year sentence on charges of “malicious disobedience to the prison administration,” according to the Viasna human rights group, a ruling that became known only now. The authorities have denied Zyankovich access to a lawyer since March. Zyankovich repeatedly went on hunger strike and his health has seriously deteriorated in custody, according to Viasna, which said that he faced harassment and intimidation by prison authorities. Last month, Zyankovich featured in a propaganda film aired by state television that described the purported plot he was convicted of. The U.S. Embassy in Belarus condemned airing the documentary and rejected the “baseless claims” it contained in a statement in September. It emphasized that it will “continue to advocate for the improved welfare of this detained American.” In 2020, Belarus was rocked by its largest-ever protests following an election that gave Lukashenko a sixth term in office but was condemned by the opposition and the West as fraudulent. According to Viasna, 65,000 people have been arrested since the protests began and hundreds of thousands have fled Belarus. Belarus has more than 1,300 political prisoners in Belarus, according to Viasna, including the group’s founder and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski.

Solemn ceremonies and grief to mark the one-year anniversary of the Hamas terror attacks on Israel. A look at what it will take, from clearing debris to new construction to rebuild the Gaza Strip. In Europe, fears of Chinese retaliation for trade tariffs. Deadly gang violence is spreading in Haiti, a look at upcoming elections in Mozambique and illegal gold mining in Ghana.

TUNIS, Tunisia — President Kais Saied won a landslide victory in Tunisia's election Monday, keeping his grip on power after a first term in which opponents were imprisoned and the country's institutions overhauled to give him more authority. The North African country's Independent High Authority for Elections said Saied received 90.7% of the vote, a day after exit polls showed him with an insurmountable lead in the country known as the birthplace of the Arab Spring more than a decade ago. "We're going to cleanse the country of all the corrupt and schemers," the 66-year-old populist said in a speech at campaign headquarters. He pledged to defend Tunisia against threats foreign and domestic. That raised alarm among the president's critics including University of Tunis law professor Sghayer Zakraoui, who said Tunisian politics were once again about "the absolute power of a single man who places himself above everyone else and believes himself to be invested with a messianic message." Zakraoui said the election results were reminiscent of Tunisia under President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who ruled for more than 20 years before becoming the first dictator toppled in the Arab Spring uprisings. Saied received a larger vote share than Ben Ali did in 2009, two years before fleeing the country amid protests. The closest challenger, businessman Ayachi Zammel, won 7.4% of the vote after sitting in prison for the majority of the campaign while facing multiple sentences for election-related crimes. Yet Saied's win was marred by low voter turnout. Election officials reported 28.8% of voters participated on Oct. 6 — a significantly smaller showing than in the first round of the country's two other post-Arab Spring elections and an indication of apathy plaguing the country's 9.7 million eligible voters. Saied's most prominent challengers — imprisoned since last year — were prevented from running, and lesser-known candidates were jailed or kept off the ballot. Opposition parties boycotted the contest, calling it a sham amid Tunisia's deteriorating political climate and authoritarian drift. Over the weekend, there was little sign of an election underway in Tunisia apart from an anti-Saied protest on Friday and celebrations in the capital on Sunday evening. "He will re-enter office undermined rather than empowered by these elections," Tarek Megerisi, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, wrote on X. Saied's critics pledged to keep opposing his rule. "It's possible that after 20 years our kids will protest on Avenue Habib Bourguiba to tell him to get out," said Amri Sofien, a freelance filmmaker, referring to the capital's main thoroughfare. "There is no hope in this country." Such despair is a far cry from the Tunisia of 2011, when protesters took to the streets demanding "bread, freedom and dignity," ousted the president and paved the way for the country's transition into a multiparty democracy. Tunisia in the following years enshrined a new constitution, created a Truth and Dignity Commission to bring justice to citizens tortured under the former regime and saw its leading civil society groups win the Nobel Peace Prize for brokering political compromise. But its new leaders were unable to buoy the country's flailing economy and quickly became unpopular amid constant political infighting and episodes of terrorism and political violence. Against that backdrop, Saied — then a political outsider — won his first term in 2019 promising to combat corruption. To the satisfaction of his supporters, in 2021 he declared a state of emergency, suspended parliament and rewrote the constitution to consolidate the power of the presidency — a series of actions his critics likened to a coup. Tunisians in a referendum approved the president's proposed constitution a year later, although voter turnout plummeted. Authorities subsequently began to unleash a wave of repression on the once-vibrant civil society. In 2023, some of Saied's most prominent opponents from across the political spectrum were thrown in prison, including right-wing leader Abir Moussi and Islamist Rached Ghannouchi, the co-founder of the party Ennahda and former speaker of Tunisia's parliament. Dozens of others were imprisoned on charges including inciting disorder, undermining state security and violating a controversial anti-fake news law critics say has been used to stifle dissent. The pace of the arrests picked up earlier this year, when authorities began targeting additional lawyers, journalists, activists, migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and the former head of the post-Arab Spring Truth and Dignity Commission. "The authorities seemed to see subversion everywhere," said Michael Ayari, senior analyst for Algeria & Tunisia at the International Crisis Group. Dozens of candidates had expressed interest in challenging the president, and 17 submitted preliminary paperwork to run in Sunday's race. However, members of the election commission approved only three. The role of the commission and its members, all of them appointed by the president under his new constitution, came under scrutiny. They defied court rulings ordering them to reinstate three candidates they had rejected. The parliament subsequently passed a law stripping power from the administrative courts. Such moves sparked international concern, including from Europe, which relies on partnership with Tunisia to police the central Mediterranean, where migrants attempt to cross in from North Africa to Europe. European Commission Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Nabila Massrali said Monday the EU "takes note of the position expressed by many Tunisian social and political actors regarding the integrity of the electoral process."

WASHINGTON — American voters are likely about to be swamped by a flood of misinformation and influence campaigns engineered by U.S. adversaries aiming, according to senior U.S. intelligence officials, to sway the results of the upcoming presidential election and cast doubt on the process itself. The latest assessment from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, issued Monday, comes just 29 days before the November 5 election that will see U.S. voters choose the country's next president and cast ballots in hundreds of other state and local races.  "We've continued to see actors ramp up their activities as we get closer to Election Day," said a senior U.S. intelligence official, briefing reporters on the condition of anonymity. "They recognize that individuals are already voting, and operations can have a greater impact as we get closer to Election Day," the official said, noting that the election itself may just be a starting point. "The intelligence community expects foreign influence actors to continue their campaigns by calling into question the validity of the election results after the polls close," the official added. A second U.S. intelligence official warned the pace of such influence efforts, especially those targeting specific races or political campaigns, has also picked up. "We have had more than a threefold increase," the official said, explaining that the number of private briefings to candidates and campaigns has likewise jumped. Intelligence agencies also cautioned that U.S. adversaries will likely seize upon the damage done by Hurricane Helene and potential damage from Hurricane Milton as it strengthens off the U.S. coastline to further amplify and manufacture narratives meant to undermine confidence in the election results. "It does take time for those types of narratives to be formed and put out into the wild, so to speak," the first intelligence official said. "But we certainly expect foreign countries to take advantage of such situations and promote further divisive rhetoric." Monday's assessment follows a series of earlier public warnings about foreign efforts to meddle in the U.S. election. U.S. officials said Monday that Russia, Iran and China continue to be responsible for most of the influence efforts targeting U.S. voters. And, they said, there have been no indications that any of those countries have changed their goals.  Russia, they said, continues to run influence campaigns aimed at boosting the chances of former U.S. President and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, while seeking to hurt the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee. Iran's efforts remain focused on helping Harris by hurting Trump, they said, pointing to the ongoing hack-and-leak operation against the Trump campaign, which has been traced to three operatives working for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Targeting state, local races U.S. intelligence agencies assess that China has yet to wade into the U.S. presidential campaign, focusing instead on persuading American voters to reject state and local candidates perceived as detrimental to Beijing's interests, especially those voicing support for Taiwan.  But the latest public assessment pointed to some changes. U.S. intelligence officials on Monday warned that Russia and Cuba have joined China, in targeting congressional, state and local races. "Moscow is leveraging a wide range of influence actors in an effort to influence congressional races, particularly to encourage the U.S. public to oppose pro-Ukraine policies and politicians," the intelligence official said. "Havana almost certainly has considered influence efforts targeting some candidates," the official added. "This is consistent with what they've done in past cycles." Russia, China and Iran have all rejected previous U.S. accusations of election meddling. Russia, Iran and Cuba have yet to respond to requests from VOA for comment on the latest U.S. findings. China late Monday again dismissed the U.S. concerns. "China is not interested in the U.S. congressional election, and we have no intention and will not interfere in it," Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, told VOA in an email. "Some U.S. congressmen stick to their wrong positions on the Taiwan question," Liu added. "China firmly defends its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, but this does not lead to the conclusion that China has interfered in the congressional elections." But the U.S. intelligence assessments align with concerns voiced by some lawmakers and private technology companies. "The 48 hours after the polls close, especially if we have as close an election as we anticipate, could be equally if not more significant in terms of spreading false information, disinformation and literally undermining the tenets of our democracy," Mark Warner, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said during a hearing last month. 'Vigorous activity'  Microsoft President Brad Smith, who has warned that the most perilous moments could come in the 48 hours before the U.S. election, separately said the increase in malign cyber efforts by Russia and Iran, especially, is undeniable. "We're seeing vigorous activity," Smith told a cyber conference last month. "We're seeing the Iranians really target the Republican Party in the Trump campaign," he said. "We're seeing the Russians target the Democratic Party and now the Harris campaign." And it is unclear what impact the U.S. has made with its attempts to counter the growing number of foreign influence efforts. Last month, the U.S. Justice Department seized 32 internet domains used by companies linked to Moscow to spread disinformation. At the same time, the department indicted employees of the state-controlled media outlet RT in connection with a plot to launder Russian propaganda through a U.S.-based media company. U.S. intelligence officials on Monday, however, said such tactics are no longer unique to the Kremlin.  "Foreign influence actors are getting better at hiding their hand and using Americans to do it," said one of the U.S. intelligence officials. "Foreign countries calculate that Americans are more likely to believe other Americans compared to content with clear signs of foreign propaganda." Arizona Democratic Senator Mark Kelly told CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday that social media is rife with fake personas generated by U.S. adversaries. "If you're looking at stuff on Twitter, on TikTok, on Facebook, on Instagram, and it's political in nature … there is a very reasonable chance — I would put it in the 20 to 30% range — that the content you are seeing, the comments you are seeing, are coming from one of those three countries: Russia, Iran, China," he said. "It's not going to stop on November 5."

With most flights out of Lebanon canceled and ticket prices skyrocketing, a small port in Turkey is operating as an alternative route for people fleeing the country. VOA’s Onur Erdogan has more from Mersin province. Bezhan Hamdard narrates.

MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum sent two proposals to Congress to reform electoral laws and implement a sweeping reform of the judiciary, her government said in a statement on Monday. Congress passed the constitutional reform, which stipulates that all judges be elected by popular vote over the next three years, in September. The ruling Morena party and its allies have championed the reform as an improvement on the current judicial system, arguing it is needed to root out corruption in the judiciary. "The judicial reform has already been approved, it is constitutional, and in a few days, after the approval of these two laws, the electoral process will begin," Sheinbaum said during her morning press conference. The government's statement said that the two reforms proposed on Monday aim to ensure certainty around the process for electing judges, justices and magistrates. An election to replace all Supreme Court judges, while reducing their number from 11 to nine, as well as to vote in members of an electoral tribunal and half the country's magistrates and district judges, is scheduled for June 1. Mexico's Supreme Court last week voted to consider a constitutional challenge to the judicial overhaul and is expected to rule on whether the reform affects the independence of the courts.

Monday marked the first anniversary of the October 7 terrorist attack that Hamas perpetrated on Israel. While reaffirming its staunch support for Israel, the United States lamented the civilian deaths caused by the ensuing war. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias has the story.

port-au-prince, haiti — Haiti's transitional presidential council transferred the rotating presidency on Monday to architect Leslie Voltaire despite opposition from outgoing president Edgard Leblanc Fils, who refused to sign a decree ratifying the move. Leblanc Fils had opposed the move citing unresolved corruption accusations against three other councilors who remain voting members and signed off on the transition. "Under my presidency the transitional presidential council will consolidate its gains and structures to work with more efficiency and transparency," said Voltaire, who represents the party of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. "Haitian people have enough of violence, of lies and of corruption," he said. "We must forget our personal interests and prioritize those of the nation." The rift at the council creates fresh uncertainty in a country still reeling from the gang massacre of at least 70 people last week, with Prime Minister Garry Conille seeking security assistance abroad. Haiti named the transition council in April after arduous negotiations between various sectors of the Caribbean nation's political and civil alliances. It was empowered with choosing a prime minister and wielding certain presidential powers until conditions are considered secure enough for a new election. But this month, Haiti's anti-corruption unit recommended legal action against three council members it said had accepted credit cards and asked for nearly $770,000 from the chairman of a state-run bank. The three remain on the council, though they are excluded from the current presidential succession plan, which sees economist Fritz Alphonse Jean taking over in March and businessman Laurent Saint-Cyr in August. "I cannot participate in any process that will further weaken and devalue the country's justice system," Leblanc Fils said in a video message late on Sunday, saying the decision of the council's majority would aggravate the instability. The January 30 Collective of political parties, which nominated Leblanc Fils to the council, called for the three members accused of bribery to be put aside pending a judicial ruling. The accused are diplomat Smith Augustin, politician Louis Gerald Gilles and former judge Emmanuel Vertilaire. All three have rejected the charges. Augustin was initially slated to succeed Leblanc Fils as the council's president. The council was formed to replace the government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who was forced to step down amid a gang conflict that has killed thousands and forced over 700,000 people from their homes. The new administration has said it hopes the country's first elections since 2016 can be held next year providing sufficient security is restored. However, gangs have in recent months expanded their territories, pushing hundreds of thousands more people from their homes and worsening a hunger crisis while long-delayed international support continues to lag.