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new york — President Joe Biden is turning to Africa in the sunset of his presidency. In the space of one day, in front of world leaders, he elevated Sudan's conflict to a priority, announced he would travel to Angola and endorsed adding two seats for African countries to the U.N. Security Council. In his valedictory speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, Biden made several brief overtures to the African continent — reminding world leaders of the evils of South Africa’s apartheid regime, calling for an end to Sudan’s grueling conflict and citing urgency in combating an mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. But these two short lines may have the most weight: “The U.N. needs to adapt to bring in new voices and new perspectives,” he said. “That’s why we support reforming and expanding the membership of the U.N. Security Council.” For years, African leaders have called for a seat at this table. But critics point out that Washington does not support a critical privilege enjoyed by the current permanent members of the Security Council: veto power. Cameron Hudson, a senior fellow in the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, says African nations are puzzled by Biden’s position. “This is really, I think, an unfinished project of his, probably more words than reality,” he told VOA. The fact that Biden supported council membership for them but not veto power "has left Africans scratching their heads." John Fortier, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said it mattered that Biden used this platform to call for an end to Sudan’s raging 17-month conflict, but he doubted whether that call would provoke action. Trying to elevate issue “This is one of the conflicts that is serious but has not been getting world attention, and I think his pointing to it is really to elevate it in world consciousness but not yet to really know how we're going to see an end to this,” Fortier said. This conflict has displaced millions of people and sparked a near-famine. And so, analysts say, it matters that the American president is putting pressure on the warring parties. “I think Biden genuinely wants to alleviate the humanitarian crisis and resolve the conflict in Sudan,” said Daniel Volman, director of the African Security Research Project, in an email to VOA. “But I think he is reluctant to press countries like Egypt and the [United Arab] Emirates that are arming the generals, because they are key allies during the Gaza war. “Also, Biden is being driven by pressure from some members of Congress to take stronger and more effective action. I think he will take some limited action, like the new funds for humanitarian aid just announced, but I don't think this will yield significant results.” And finally, Biden’s off-camera announcement that he will visit Angola next month allows him to keep his promise to visit the continent. But again, Hudson wondered how this long-delayed visit would land. “Coming, as it does, at the very tail end of his administration, without much to, I think, really celebrate in terms of his involvement in Africa, I think the visit will ring rather hollow,” Hudson said. Biden has four months left in his presidency.

cairo — Sudan's former autocratic President Omar al-Bashir, who ruled for 30 years before he was toppled in a popular uprising and then jailed by the country's military rulers, has been transferred to a medical facility in northern Sudan, his lawyer said Wednesday.  Since war broke out in April last year between the Sudanese military and its rival, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the 80-year-old al-Bashir has been held at a military facility on the outskirts of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.  His lawyer, Mohamed al-Hassan al-Amin, told The Associated Press that al-Bashir was transferred on Tuesday and would get proper care at a better-equipped hospital in the town of Merowe, about 330 kilometers north of Khartoum.  Al-Bashir's health had deteriorated recently, the lawyer said, adding that the former strongman suffers from age-related complications and high blood pressure.  "He needs regular checks and follow-ups," al-Amin said over the phone, "but his condition is not critical."  Al-Amin said that Sudan's former Defense Minister Abdel-Rahim Muhammad Hussein — who was also arrested soon after al-Bashir — also was transferred to the same facility. He suffers from heart-related problems, the lawyer said.  The office of Sudan's military spokesman declined to comment when contacted by the AP.  Al-Bashir ruled Sudan for three decades, despite wars and sanctions, before he was overthrown during a popular uprising in 2019. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for genocide and other crimes committed during the conflict in Sudan's western Darfur region in the 2000s.  The ICC has indicted both al-Bashir and Hussein on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Darfur, where the government's campaign was marked by mass killings, rape, torture and persecution. Some 300,000 people were killed and 2.7 million were driven from their homes.  Sudan's military rulers — now themselves fighting to stay in power in a bitter conflict with the rival RSF — declined ICC requests that al-Bashir and others wanted by the world court be handed over for trial.  Al-Bashir, Hussein and others were held in a Khartoum prison before being taken to a fortified military base after the prison was attacked by the RSF in April last year. Another former official, Ahmed Harun, who is also wanted by the ICC, walked away after the prison was attacked. His whereabouts are unknown.  The latest war in Sudan has devastated Khartoum and many other urban areas and also has been marked by atrocities, such as mass rape and ethnically motivated killings. The United Nations and international rights groups say these acts also amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, especially in Darfur, which has been facing a bitter onslaught by the RSF.  The war has killed at least 20,000 people and left tens of thousands wounded, according to the United Nations. Rights groups and activists say the toll is much higher.  The conflict has also forced some 10 million people to flee their homes in Sudan — about a quarter of the country's population, according to the International Organization for Migration. Of them, more than 2 million have been driven abroad, mostly to neighboring Chad, South Sudan and Egypt, the IOM said. 

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris will visit the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona on Friday as her campaign tries to turn the larger issue of immigration from a liability into a strength and hopes to counter a line of frequent, searing political attacks from former President Donald Trump.  Her campaign announced Wednesday that Harris would be in Douglas, Arizona, across the border from Agua Prieta, Mexico.  Trump has built his campaign partly around calling for cracking down on immigration and the southern border, even endorsing using police and the military to carry out mass deportations should he be elected in November. Harris has increasingly tried to seize on the issue and turn it back against her opponent, though polls show voters continue to trust Trump more on it.  Trump wasted little time reacting to word of Harris' trip. He told a rally crowd in Mint Hill, North Carolina, that Harris was going to the border "for political reasons" and because "their polls are tanking."  "When Kamala speaks about the border, her credibility is less than zero," Trump said. "I hope you're going to remember that on Friday. When she tells you about the border, ask her just one simple question: "Why didn't you do it four years ago?"  That picks up on a theme Trump mentions at nearly all of his campaign rallies, scoffing at Harris as a former Biden administration "border czar," arguing that she oversaw softer federal policies that allowed millions of people into the country illegally.  President Joe Biden tasked Harris with working to address the root causes of immigration patterns that have caused many people fleeing violence and drug gangs in Central America to head to the U.S. border and seek asylum, though she was not called border czar.  Since taking over for Biden at the top of the Democratic presidential ticket, Harris has leaned into her experience as a former attorney general of California, saying that she frequently visited the border and prosecuted drug- and people-smuggling gangs in that post. As she campaigns around the country, the vice president has also lamented the collapse of a bipartisan border security deal in Congress that most Republican lawmakers rejected at Trump's behest.  Harris has worked to make immigration an issue that can help her win supporters, saying that Trump would rather play politics with the issue than seek solutions, while also promising more humane treatment of immigrants should she win the White House.  In June, Biden announced rules that bar migrants from being granted asylum when U.S. officials deem that the southern border is overwhelmed. Since then, arrests for illegal border crossings have fallen.  Despite that, a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research released this month found that Trump has an advantage over Harris on whom voters trust to better handle immigration. This issue was a problem for Biden, as well: Illegal immigration and crossings at the U.S. border with Mexico have been a challenge during much of his administration. The poll also found that Republicans are more likely to care about immigration.

JDEIDET YABOUS, Syria — Families fleeing the escalating conflict in Lebanon poured into Syria in growing numbers on Wednesday, waiting for hours in heavy traffic to reach the relative safety of another war-torn country.  U.N. officials estimated that thousands of Lebanese and Syrian families had already made the journey. Those numbers are expected to grow as Israel targets southern and eastern Lebanon in an aerial bombardment that local officials say has killed more than 600 people this week, at least a quarter of them women and children. Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah fighters and weapons.  Lines of buses and cars extended for several kilometers from the Syria border beginning on Monday, and some families were seen making the journey on foot. Once in Syria, people waited hours more to be processed by overwhelmed border officials, and relief workers handed out food, water, mattresses and blankets.  "Many will have to spend the night outdoors waiting their turn," Rula Amin, a spokesperson for the U.N.'s refugee agency, said in a statement.  Amin said some of the people arriving from Lebanon had visible injuries suffered from recent attacks.  The cross-border flow was a striking reversal in fortunes given that Lebanon is still hosting more than 1 million Syrian refugees who fled the war in their country that began in 2011. That's when an initially peaceful anti-government uprising was met by a brutal government crackdown and spiraled into an ongoing civil war.  In the Syrian border town of Jdeidet Yabous, some families sat glumly on the side of the road when Associated Press journalists visited the area. Some used their bags as seats, waiting for taxis, buses or relatives to pick them up. Many said they had spent eight or nine hours in traffic just to get into Syria.  Before crossing the border, crowds packed into a government office to be processed by immigration officers and, in the case of Syrian citizens, to change $100 to Syrian pounds before entering — a measure imposed in an attempt to prop up the local currency by bringing more dollars into the country. Because of the sudden spike in demand, the supply of Syrian pounds at the border ran short.  Some were returning refugees, like Emad al-Salim, who had fled Aleppo in 2014. He was living in the southern coastal city of Tyre when Monday's bombardment began. He gathered his wife and six children and fled again.  "There were houses destroyed in front of me as we were coming out," he said. "It took us three days to get here."  Nada Hamid al-Lajji returned with her family after seven years in Lebanon with her husband. They are from eastern Syria, but al-Lajji said she doesn't know if they will return there.  "Where am I going to go?" she said. "I don't even have a house anymore. I don't know where I will go."  Many Lebanese families were also fleeing. Mahmoud Ahmad Tawbeh from the village of Arnoun in the country's south had come with an extended family of 35 people, planning to stay in a rented house in a Damascus suburb.  "We left with difficulty. There were a lot of bombs dropping above our heads," he said. Five or six houses in the village were destroyed and several neighbors were killed, he said.  For many in Lebanon, particularly those living in the Bekaa Valley in the east, Syria appeared to be the quickest route to safety. Israeli strikes across the country this week have wounded more than 2,000.  Many of the Lebanese arriving at the border refused to speak to journalists or would not give their full names because of the sensitivity of the situation. One woman from the town of Harouf in southern Lebanon, who gave her family name, Matouk, said she had come with her brother's wife, who is Syrian, to stay with in-laws.  Several families near where they lived were killed, she said, and she was worried about her father and siblings who she had left behind.  While the war in Syria is ongoing, active fighting has long been frozen in much of the country. Lebanese citizens, who can cross the border without a visa, regularly visit Damascus. And renting an apartment is significantly cheaper in Syria than in Lebanon. Even before the latest escalation, some Lebanese had rented in Syria as a Plan B in case they needed to flee.  Apart from those who fled the war, many Syrians come to Lebanon for work or family reasons, and regularly cross the border.  However, many of those who came as refugees have been reluctant to return out of fear they could be arrested for real or perceived ties to the opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad or forcibly conscripted to the army. If they leave Lebanon, they could also lose their refugee status.  Earlier this week, Assad issued an amnesty for crimes committed before September 22, including for those who dodged compulsory military service.  He had issued similar amnesties over the past years, but they largely failed to convince refugees to return, as have efforts by Lebanese authorities to organize "voluntary return" trips.

johannesburg — South Africa is planning a massive mouse eradication project on a sub-Antarctic island to try to stop the invasive species from wiping out the precious seabirds that nest there. Marion Island, in the southern Indian Ocean almost 2,000 kilometers from Cape Town, is a remote and windswept South African territory that’s home to extensive bird life, including the wandering albatross. But those birds face an unusual threat: predatory mice that have been feasting on their chicks. The mice are an accident of history, but their population has been increased by climate change. “The mice were introduced accidentally in the early 1800s," said Anton Wolfaardt, a conservationist who is leading the program to eradicate the mice. "They came ashore - they were essentially stowaways on the vessels of the early seal hunters that visited the island.” Huge jump in population As the island has grown warmer and drier because of climate change, it has also grown more favorable for the mice. Now, by the end of the summer, the mouse population will have increased by 500 percent, he said.    It was only fairly recently that researchers on Marion observed the mice preying on chicks, but the phenomenon has increased.  The rodents are such a threat now, Wolfaardt said, "that experts predict that 19 of the 29 bird species on Marion Island face local extinction in the presence of mice.”  Elsa van Ginkel, a researcher who was employed by the University of Pretoria to collect data on the island last year, said the island region was "truly out of this world. Walking among wandering albatross chicks every day and watching them grow into fledglings - wow, just wow, it’s an absolute privilege.” But they are slowly being wiped out. “These fledglings have no means of defending themselves from a mouse that actually starts eating it alive," van Ginkel said. "It’s quite horrific.” So Birdlife South Africa, a nongovernmental organization, and South Africa’s forest, fisheries and environment department are planning a major intervention to try to save the seabirds and restore the island to its natural state.  Wolfaardt is heading the initiative, which is still seeking funding and is scheduled to take place in a few years.   “Very simply, the operation involves broadcasting a specialized rodenticide bait, from bait spreader buckets that are slung beneath helicopters that are guided by GPS technology,” he said. The pellets of rodent poison won’t negatively affect the rest of the flora and fauna on the island, experts say.   A similar project has been undertaken before. In the 1940s, feral cats were introduced to Marion Island to try to control the mice, but then the felines started preying on the seabirds.   The cats were successfully eradicated in the early 1990s, although that, of course, left the mice to flourish.

Madrid — Mexican president-elect Claudia Sheinbaum angered Spain on Wednesday by barring its King Felipe VI from her swearing-in ceremony, accusing him of failing to acknowledge harm caused by his country's conquest of Mexico five centuries ago. The decision prompted Spain to boycott the event altogether, with its Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez calling the Mexican decision "inexplicable" and "totally unacceptable." Mexico's outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in 2019 sent a letter to the king asking that he "publicly and officially" acknowledge the "damage" caused by the 1519-1521 conquest, which resulted in the death of a large part of the country's pre-Hispanic population. "Unfortunately, this letter was never replied to directly, as should have been the best practice in bilateral relations," Sheinbaum said in a statement. Mexico had in July invited just Sanchez to the swearing-in ceremony on October 1, the statement added. The Spanish foreign ministry said in a statement that the government "has decided not to participate in the inauguration at any level.” "Spain and Mexico are brotherly peoples. We cannot therefore accept being excluded like this," Sanchez said later in a news conference on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York. "That is why we have made it known to the Mexican government that there will be no diplomatic representative from the Spanish government, as a sign of protest." Mexico published the guest list a week ago for the inauguration of Sheinbaum, who will be the country's first woman president following her left-wing ruling party's landslide June election victory. King Felipe VI was not on the list, which includes regional leftist leaders, as well as U.S. first lady Jill Biden. Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles told journalists in Madrid on Wednesday: "The head of state, the king of Spain, always attends all swearing-in ceremonies and therefore we cannot accept that in this case he should be excluded." While Mexico and Spain have close historical and economic links, relations between the Latin American nation and its former colonial ruler have been strained since Lopez Obrador — an ally of Sheinbaum  took office in 2018. He has frequently complained about Spanish companies operating in Mexico and twice declared during his mandate that his country's relations with Spain were "on pause". Madrid has rejected his demand for an apology for the events of the Spanish conquest five centuries ago. Sanchez said on Wednesday, without elaborating, that Spain had "already explained its position on the subject." The socialist premier expressed "great frustration" at Sheinbaum's decision, saying that he considered Mexico's leaders to be "progressive" like his government.

Oslo, Norway — Norwegian police on Wednesday said they had arrested a man on suspicion of incitement to commit crimes against humanity in Cameroon, where a radio station identified him as "separatist leader" Lucas Cho Ayaba.  The Kripos police unit that deals with war crimes and crimes against humanity said in a statement that it had arrested "a man in his 50s" on Tuesday, but did not name him.  "Norwegian police have arrested the separatist leader Lucas Cho Ayaba. He is implicated in atrocities committed in the northwest and southwest," said CRTV radio station.  Two sources had earlier told AFP that Ayaba, 52, was the man arrested.  Cameroon has been gripped since 2016 by a bloody conflict in its two anglophone regions, in the northwest and southwest, between separatists and state forces.  The conflict was sparked by the brutal suppression of peaceful protests in the anglophone regions by long-time President Paul Biya.  "Kripos considers that the suspect is playing a central role in the ongoing armed conflict in Cameroon," the Norwegian police statement said.  The anglophone community, which has long complained of marginalization and discrimination, makes up about 20% of the largely francophone central African country.  Ayaba is the leader of the Ambazonia Defense Forces, one of the main armed groups operating in the anglophone areas.  International NGOs accuse both the armed separatists and government forces of abuses.  More than 6,000 people have been killed and at least a million displaced during the conflict, the International Crisis Group has said.  A lawyer representing victims of the conflict filed a complaint in the United States against Ayaba and the Norwegian state.  In February, the lawyer, Emmanuel Nsahlai, also petitioned the International Criminal Court to launch an investigation.  Ayaba was a former student union activist in the 1990s and holds German nationality.  It was the first time that Norway had arrested someone on suspicion of inciting crimes against humanity.  If convicted, he could face 30 years in prison.

Washington — The Republican Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives demanded on Wednesday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fire his ambassador to the United States over Zelenskyy's trip this week to a factory in Pennsylvania. "I demand that you immediately fire Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova," Speaker Mike Johnson wrote in a letter to Zelenskyy. Johnson released the letter a day before Zelenskyy was due to visit the U.S. Capitol in Washington for meetings with lawmakers. Johnson was not expected to meet with the Ukrainian leader. The Ukrainian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Some Republicans have been fuming over Zelenskyy's visit earlier in his weeklong trip to the United States to an ammunition plant in President Joe Biden's hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is one of the swing states seen as crucial to victory in the November 5 presidential election. During the trip, Zelenskyy also met with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Senator Bob Casey and U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright, who are all Democrats. Biden's vice president, Kamala Harris, is the Democratic candidate running against Republican former President Donald Trump in the race for the White House. "The facility was in a politically contested battleground state, was led by a top political surrogate for Kamala Harris, and failed to include a single Republican because — on purpose — no Republicans were invited," Johnson wrote. "The tour was clearly a partisan campaign event designed to help Democrats and is clearly election interference," he said. The Republican-led House Oversight Committee had already announced that it would investigate whether Zelenskyy's trip was an attempt to use a foreign leader to benefit Harris' campaign. It is common practice for governors to meet with foreign leaders who travel to their states. In July, Zelenskyy visited a factory in Utah and was hosted by that state's Republican governor, Spencer Cox.

Windhoek, Namibia — The Namibian government is welcoming back nearly 100 Batswana of Herero descent to their ancestral land, marking a significant moment in the ongoing process of restorative justice for the descendants of those who fled German South West Africa — now Namibia — during the 1904-1908 genocide. Fleeing German aggression, many sought refuge in then Bechuanaland — what's now known as Botswana. As part of this effort, Namibia has made five commercial farms available for their resettlement, a step toward reconciliation and healing. John Kandjii and other elders of his clan have gathered at the Dobe Border Post, a transit area for immigration between Botswana and Namibia. His role today is the lighting of the "Holy Fire," where he calls upon the elders who have already departed the earthly realm to guide and protect them at this significant occasion which marks the return of the descendants of the Ovaherero who fled their ancestral land more than 120 years ago. "They were one — I am sure that they were one at that time — but now we are having borders, there is a difference," said Kandjii. "This is a different country; Namibia is alone, but communication they are together, those countries … you understand what I am saying." Kandjii explained to VOA how the formation of the Nation State and the Berlin Conference separated the Ovaherero from each other which could have been a good thing because the Ovaherero from Namibia had somewhere to flee to during the 1904-1908 genocide which decreased their population by an estimated 80%. Although Namibia was prepared to receive 98 returnees, only 50 crossed the border on Friday. Some are still waiting for the quarantine clearance for their livestock before they can cross the border. James Uerikua is the governor of the region where the returnees were received and where some will be relocated. "They will be settled in Otjozondjupa region, in Omaheke region and in the Hardap region because the government of the Republic of Namibia in preparation to receiving you brothers and sisters efforts were made at high level and a reception area was created at Gam measuring about 20 hectares," he said. The 20 hectares at Gam will be treated as a transit camp for returnees to adapt to life in Namibia before moving to the commercial farms they have been allocated by the government. At the settlement in Gam, the returnees will be issued hospital cards and proper identification documents. Their children will be placed into Namibian schools. Officials have promised that potable water, sewage and electricity will be available in Gam as soon as possible. Elizabet Cherneff contributed to thes story.

Washington — Congress on Wednesday passed a temporary measure that keeps government agencies funded into December, avoiding a shutdown for now while punting final spending decisions until after the Nov. 5 election. The Senate approved the measure by a vote of 78-18 shortly after the House easily approved it. The bill generally funds agencies at current levels through Dec. 20. But an additional $231 million was included to bolster the Secret Service after the two assassination attempts against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Money was also added to aid with the presidential transition, among other things. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden's desk to be signed into law. “This bipartisanship is a good outcome for America,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said moments before the vote. “I hope it sets the tone for more constructive, bipartisan work when we return in the fall.” House Speaker Mike Johnson billed the measure as doing “only what's absolutely necessary," a statement directed at members of his own conference concerned about spending levels. Still, it was a no-go for some Republicans, which forced House Republican leadership to rely on Democratic votes to pass the bill through a process that requires at least two-thirds support from voting members. Johnson said the only alternative to the continuing resolution at this stage would have been a government shutdown. “It would be political malpractice to shut the government down," Johnson said. "I think everyone understands that.” The House floor was largely empty during debate on the measure. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, was the lone critic speaking out, saying, “We end up in a vicious circle every year, the same vicious circle.” Lawmakers in both chambers are anxious to return to their home states and districts to campaign, smoothing the path for passage of a temporary funding fix. But more arduous fiscal negotiations await them at the end of the year. Under terms of a previous deal to avoid a federal default and allow the government to continue paying its bills, spending for defense and nondefense programs would rise 1% next year. The Senate has been charting a course to go above that level, while House Republicans have been voting for steep cuts to many nondefense programs, and they have attached policy mandates to the spending bills that Democrats overwhelmingly oppose. So a final agreement will be difficult to reach. In the meantime, the temporary bill will mostly fund the government at current levels, with a few exceptions like the funding infusion for the Secret Service. The $231 million for the Secret Service does come with strings attached. It's contingent upon the agency complying with congressional oversight. The bill also allows the Secret Service to spend its allocations faster if needed. “Everybody understands that's critically important right now,” Johnson said of the Secret Service money. Trump thanked lawmakers for the extra Secret Service funding at a campaign event Wednesday. He had earlier called on Republicans not to move forward on a spending bill without also including a requirement that people provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote. That legislation failed in the House last week. In a recent letter, the Secret Service told lawmakers that a funding shortfall was not the reason for lapses in Trump’s security when a gunman climbed onto an unsecured roof on July 13 at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and opened fire. But acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr., also made clear the agency had “immediate needs” and that he’s talking to Congress. “The Secret Service has asked for this additional funding. It's absolutely essential as they deal with the increased threat environment,” said Sen. Susan Collins, the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee. The continuing resolution is needed because Congress is nowhere close to completing work on the dozen annual appropriations bills that fund much of the federal government. The House has passed five of the 12 bills, mostly along party lines. The Senate has passed zero. Republicans blame the current impasse on Senate Democrats for not putting the dozen appropriations bills on the Senate floor for a vote, where they then could be reconciled with the House bills during negotiations. But Democrats counter that House Republicans are acting in bad faith, bogging the process down by undercutting an agreement that former Speaker Kevin McCarthy negotiated with the White House over spending caps for the 2024 and 2025 budget years. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democratic member of the House Appropriations Committee, said her party will accept nothing less than the 1% increase specified in that agreement. Also, if Republicans seek more than that for defense, there must be “dollar for dollar parity for nondefense," she said. “We know where we have to end up. And it is my hope that this bill will provide the bipartisan momentum needed to get there,” DeLauro said. The White House called on both chambers to pass the stopgap bill, while cautioning that it did not provide adequate funding to help communities recover from natural disasters and failed to include enough funding for health care provided through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Johnson warned that when the new extension expires in December, he will not support a massive, catchall bill to fund the government, referred to as an omnibus, so another stopgap may be needed that would allow the new president and Congress to have the final say on fiscal year 2025 spending levels. “I have no intention of going back to that terrible tradition,” Johnson said. Sen. Patty Murray, the Democratic chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, urged House Republicans not to “follow the loudest voices on the far right” in the spending negotiations for the full-year bill. “You cannot strike a deal to govern with people who do not really want to govern," Murray said.

In Omdurman, Sudan's second most populous city, the once-thriving market has been all but destroyed by almost a year and a half of war. VOA gained rare access to the city and met residents who recalled its former glory as fighting raged in the capital, Khartoum, on the opposite bank of the Nile. Henry Wilkins reports.

NEW YORK — Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille said on Wednesday that the Caribbean country was a long way from winning its war against armed gangs that control most of the capital, as a United Nations deadline for long-delayed support fast approaches. "We are nowhere near winning this, and the simple reality is that we won't without your help," Conille said at an event on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. "There is a sense of urgency because the Haitian people are watching with cautious optimism, they're really hoping to see clear results," he said. Haiti is currently facing a gang attack at the capital's main port, Conille said, the key entry point for funding and goods. A shipping official told Reuters this week that ships were being shot at, preventing them from docking and unloading containers, while authorities have reported the kidnapping of two Filipino crew members from a cargo vessel in the port. Haiti's main seaports and international airport closed for nearly three months earlier this year after violence escalated at the end of February, an outbreak that saw thousands broken out of prison and the last prime minister resign. "We worry that without the urgent implication of everyone to support this effort, we will lose the little success that we've been able to obtain at a very large price," Conille said. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier announced sanctions against former deputy Prophane Victor and gang leader Luckson Elan for their role in human rights abuses, as well as $160 million in assistance for Haiti, and called for further support of the U.N.-backed international security mission. About 10 countries have together pledged over 3,100 troops, but only around 400 have deployed. The U.N.'s one-year mandate expires in early October and the U.N. Security Council is set to vote on Sept. 30 on whether to renew it. While countries have pledged hundreds of millions of dollars, both the U.N. mission trust fund and humanitarian plan remain drastically underfunded. Musalia Mudavadi, an official from Kenya, which is leading the mission, said the current funds were not enough to sustain the current deployment, let alone the thousands of troops that were promised. "We encourage all the countries that have pledged troops to move with speed," he said. The number of people internally displaced has nearly doubled in the last six months, according to U.N. estimates, now surpassing 700,000. Around half the country is going hungry. Conille's government is also tasked with arranging the first elections since 2016. His predecessor repeatedly delayed a vote, saying a free and fair process could not take place under the existing insecurity. The United States, the mission's top financial backer, has pushed for elections by next year. Conille said that while far more security was needed, Haiti is already investing half of an estimated $140 million needed to hold a referendum on the Constitution in February and elections in November 2025. Conille said he was "quite confident" that they would be able to hold the votes despite the insecurity but warned that this would not be possible if commitments enabling the mission's full deployment are not kept. 

nairobi, kenya — A report commissioned by the Mastercard Foundation says that increasing women's participation in Africa's formal workforce could boost the continent's economy by approximately $287 billion by 2030, boosting GDP by 5 percent. The report, Young Women in Africa: Agents of Economic Growth and Transformation by 2030, was conducted in collaboration with the McKinsey & Company consulting firm. Released last week, it examines the impact, challenges and contributions of women in the African labor force. The report says young women are important contributors to the African economy, yet their role has been trending downward. Women's contribution to Africa's GDP declined from 18 percent in 2000 to just 11 percent in 2022, the report says.      Marguerita Bagulo is one of the millions of women employed in and contributing to the growth of African economies. She works as a customer service representative for a company in Ghana. She says her company promotes gender equality and that women fight for their jobs. “I was lucky to be in a place where your gender is not really a problem," Bagulo said. "And it’s great, because we are given the same opportunity that our male counterparts are being given, and that, in turn, gives us the opportunity to stand up for ourselves and better ourselves in order to compete on the same level as our male counterparts.” In Namibia, despite government policies aimed at increasing women's participation in the economic sector, their participation rate has risen only 2 percentage points, to 42 percent, over five years, according to the report. The report notes 10 countries, most from eastern and western Africa, have the potential to achieve faster economic growth if they prioritize gender equality. However, persistent obstacles continue to keep many women out of the labor force. Wacu Mureithi, an entrepreneur in Kenya, says she could not continue with her hair product business because of family commitments. “Business is hard for everyone, man and woman, but I think a woman has a bigger challenge, because sometimes, looking for business opportunities, you are trading for sexual favors instead of doing the work," Mureithi says. "But my biggest problem has been balancing trying to be mum and dad and at the same time being an entrepreneur. I felt I was losing on parenting, because I was busy with meetings all the time." Mureithi has returned to a university to pursue further studies to better her life and that of her family. Samuel Nyandemo, a lecturer on economics at the University of Nairobi, says more girls and women are enrolling in universities to increase their chances of joining the labor force, which is dominated by men. “What they are mostly doing, they are in the hospitality industry, and some are in the managerial sector," he says. "In any case, you can see now when it comes to enrollment in universities, the number is now increasing, which means that in terms of job skills, they are acquiring a lot of job skills that are empowering them to spearhead most of the management positions within African economies.”  The Mastercard Foundation says private sector-led approaches, such as investing in after-school care led by young women, could create 3.2 million jobs. The researchers say women also need government-funded initiatives to expand centers to improve child care initiatives, while the private sector can help by offering technical support, resources and low-interest loans. At least 26 percent of girls complete their secondary education, but unpaid care work keeps 35 percent to 40 percent of women from employment, the report notes. It says that in 2021, 66 percent of women lacked access to a bank account, while 13 percent had access to formal credit, versus 16 percent for men. Lower access to financial services for women is blamed on the types of businesses run by women, which are seen as paying less and lacking income stability.     Nyandemo says governments need to create programs that make it easier for women to participate in the economic sector. “There should be affirmative action that spearheads the aspect of gender equality," he says. "Create more opportunities for women and empower them both economically and politically, and more so, invest heavily in training them in various small-scale business enterprises. Equip them with entrepreneurial skills and management skills.” The Mastercard Foundation plans to invest $360 million to help more than 70,000 young women and girls complete their education, start businesses and find job opportunities.

HELSINKI — A zoo in Finland has agreed with Chinese authorities to return two loaned giant pandas to China more than eight years ahead of schedule because they have become too expensive for the facility to maintain as the number of visitors has declined. The private Ahtari Zoo in central Finland some 330 kilometers north of Helsinki said Wednesday on its Facebook page that the female panda Lumi, Finnish for "snow," and the male panda Pyry, meaning "snowfall," will return "prematurely" to China later this year. The panda pair was China's gift to mark the Nordic nation's 100 years of independence in 2017, and they were supposed to be on loan until 2033. But since then, the zoo has experienced several challenges, including a decline in visitors due to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic and Russia's war against Ukraine, as well as an increase in inflation and interest rates, the facility said in a statement. The panda deal between Helsinki and Beijing, a 15-year loan agreement, had been finalized in April 2017 when Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Finland for talks with then-Finnish President Sauli Niinisto. The pandas arrived in Finland in January 2018. The Ahtari Zoo, which specializes in typical northern European animals such as bears, lynxes and wolverines, built a special annex at a cost of about $9 million in hopes of luring more tourists to the remote nature reserve. The upkeep of Lumi and Pyry, including a preservation fee to China, cost the zoo $1.7 million annually. The bamboo that giant pandas eat was flown in from the Netherlands. The Chinese Embassy in Helsinki noted to Finnish media that Beijing had tried to help Ahtari solve its financial difficulties by urging Chinese companies operating in Finland to make donations to the zoo and supporting its debt arrangements. However, declining visitor numbers combined with drastic changes in the economic environment proved too high a burden for the smallish Finnish zoo. The panda pair will enter a monthlong quarantine in late October before being shipped back to China. Finland, a country of 5.6 million people, was among the first Western nations to establish political ties with China, doing so in 1950. China has presented giant pandas to countries as a sign of goodwill and closer political ties, and Finland was the first Nordic nation to receive them.

A look at the ongoing UNGA in New York, Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy makes his case to the Security Council as Russia’s attacks continue. Israel and Hezbollah continue to push each other closer to the brink of war, but where does Hezbollah’s support come from? Sri Lanka’s first female Prime Minister in 24 years is sworn in. And Prince Harry in New York for the annual Climate Week.

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis took the unusual decision Wednesday to expel 10 people — a bishop, priests and laypeople — from a troubled Catholic movement in Peru after a Vatican investigation uncovered "sadistic" abuses of power, authority and spirituality. The move against the leadership of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, or Sodalitium of Christian Life, followed Francis' decision last month to expel the group's founder, Luis Figari, after he was found to have sodomized his recruits. The decision was announced by the Peruvian Bishops Conference, which posted a statement from the Vatican embassy on its website. The statement was astonishing because it listed the abuses uncovered by the Vatican investigation that have rarely been punished canonically with such measures, and the people responsible. According to the statement, the Vatican investigators uncovered physical abuses "including with sadism and violence," sect-like abuses of conscience, spiritual abuse, abuses of authority, economic abuses in administering church money and the "abuse in the exercise of the apostolate of journalism." The latter was presumably aimed at a Sodalitium-linked journalist who has attacked critics of the movement on social media. Figari founded the movement in 1971 as a lay community to recruit "soldiers for God," one of several Catholic societies born as a conservative reaction to the left-leaning liberation theology movement that swept through Latin America, starting in the 1960s. At its height, the group counted about 20,000 members across South America and the United States. It was enormously influential in Peru. Victims of Figari's abuses complained to the Lima archdiocese in 2011, although other claims against him reportedly date to 2000. But neither the local church nor the Holy See took concrete action until one of the victims, Pedro Salinas, wrote a book along with journalist Paola Ugaz detailing the twisted practices of the Sodalitium in 2015, entitled "Half Monks, Half Soldiers." An outside investigation ordered by Sodalitium determined that Figari was "narcissistic, paranoid, demeaning, vulgar, vindictive, manipulative, racist, sexist, elitist and obsessed with sexual issues and the sexual orientation" of Sodalitium's members. The investigation, published in 2017, found that Figari sodomized his recruits and forced them to fondle him and one another. He liked to watch them "experience pain, discomfort and fear" and humiliated them in front of others to enhance his control over them, the report found. Still, the Holy See declined to expel Figari from the movement in 2017 and merely ordered him to live apart from the Sodalitium community in Rome and cease all contact with it. The Vatican was seemingly tied in knots by canon law that did not foresee such punishments for founders of religious communities who weren't priests. But according to the findings of the latest Vatican investigation, the abuses went beyond Figari and included harassing and hacking the communications of their victims all the while covering up crimes committed as part of their official duties. The highest-ranking person ordered expelled was Archbishop Jose Antonio Eguren, whom Francis already forced to resign as bishop of Piura in April over his record, after he sued Salinas and Ugaz for their reporting. The Vatican, in the statement, said the Peruvian bishops join Pope Francis in "seeking the forgiveness of the victims" while calling on the troubled movement to initiate a journey of justice and reparation.