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Israeli forces launch a strike on Beirut, killing a top Hezbollah official; and disturbing video from the West Bank of an Israeli soldier pushing dead bodies off a rooftop. Russia is looking to the global south to find soldiers for its war in Ukraine. A frank discussion with a top general about America’s military footprint in Africa, Sri Lanka’s elections and a preview of the UN General Assembly.

GENEVA — The United Nations Children’s Fund, or UNICEF, warned Friday that children in Burundi are bearing the brunt of the mpox outbreak, with cases of this deadly, infectious disease spreading at an alarming rate among a young population. “Of the nearly 600 reported cases, two-thirds are in children under 19. The situation has escalated rapidly, with a more-than-40% increase in cases over the past three weeks,” Dr. Paul Ngwakum, UNICEF’s regional health adviser for Eastern and Southern Africa, told journalists in Geneva via video link Friday. Ngwakum, who currently is on a visit to Burundi, said, “The fear expressed by the parents and the resilience of communities in the face of this public health crisis” and the rapid escalation of the disease “were striking.” Speaking from the capital, Bujumbura, he said the rise of mpox among children under the age of 5 is of particular concern as they represent 30% of the reported cases. This, he said, underscores the urgent need for targeted interventions to protect children from becoming infected as schools have reopened this week. “UNICEF is supporting the Ministry of Education to implement health measures in schools, train staff to recognize early symptoms of mpox and reinforce hand hygiene. We aim to ensure that all children can safely return to school and minimize educational disruptions,” he said, noting that this was “a rapidly evolving situation.” Even amid the grim situation, he observed that Burundi has had no deaths from mpox, formerly known as monkeypox. He said this provides “an opportunity to end this outbreak in a very short time period.” “The geographical area is still limited, and with concerted effort from all partners, we can limit the spread, contain the virus, and potentially end the outbreak with no lives lost,” said Ngwakum. He added that “it was difficult to make firm statements regarding when the outbreak could be brought under control,” both in Burundi and the wider African region, a sentiment echoed by the World Health Organization. WHO spokesperson Dr. Margaret Harris told journalists, “The response to the outbreak is made more difficult by the context, with insecurity in the affected areas, and concurrent outbreaks of other diseases including measles and chickenpox. WHO is on the ground, working to stop these outbreaks.” So far this year, the WHO reports there have been more than 25,000 suspected mpox cases and 723 deaths among suspected cases in Africa. The most heavily infected country is the Democratic Republic of Congo, with 21,835 suspected cases and 717 deaths, followed by Burundi with 1,489 suspected cases and no deaths and Nigeria with 935 suspected cases and no deaths. “Vaccination is going to be a very useful tool, particularly for trying to break the chains of transmission,” Harris said. “But the virus primarily spreads through close personal contact within families. And when people are living in difficult conditions, if they do not have access to the materials, to the soap, to the clean bedding, to the clean clothing, it is very, very difficult for them to not transmit. “Many of the children who we have seen who have sadly died in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were severely malnourished, had suffered the effects of conflict, and perhaps also had other diseases at the same time. … It may indeed be that this population cannot respond immunologically to yet another threat,” she warned. While affirming the importance of vaccines in the fight against mpox, UNICEF representative Ngwakum observed that “unfortunately,” the vaccines that are available now “cannot be used for children.” “I do not want to bank all our interventions on vaccines,” he said. “Vaccines are only one tool that can be used to protect children and communities against mpox. And we are, in addition to vaccines, deploying other different tools” to keep children safe, he said. UNICEF says it is possible to halt the rapid spread of mpox if agencies act swiftly and have the means in which to do it. The U.N. children’s agency is urgently appealing for $58.8 million to scale up its humanitarian response across six African countries, including Burundi. “These funds are essential to stop the transmission of mpox, protect children and maintain critical services like education and health care,” said Ngwakum.

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In the U.S. presidential election, Republican candidates have spread false claims that migrants in the Midwest state of Ohio are eating residents’ pet cats and dogs. That has led to security threats and more divisions in an election where immigration is a central campaign theme. VOA Correspondent Scott Stearns has our story. Videographer: Obed Lamy

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Taipei, Taiwan — Taiwan authorities' confirmation that a senior executive from a major Taiwanese industrial group has been banned from leaving China is raising concerns about the risks of traveling and doing business there, analysts say.   The case comes amid heightened tensions between Beijing and Taipei and as a number of foreigners have been refused permission to leave China.    Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, or MAC, which is in charge of relations with China, confirmed Wednesday that an unidentified senior executive from Formosa Plastics Group was interrogated by local authorities after landing in the Chinese commercial capital Shanghai from Taipei on September 1.  The MAC initially declined to share any details due to personal safety reasons. But late Thursday, the council said the exit ban imposed on the Taiwanese executive is likely the result of a criminal offense rather than a political or national security case.   On Thursday, the Formosa Plastic Group said they were trying to gather more information about the case and that the senior executive is “safe, free to move around, and cooperating with the Chinese authorities’ investigation.”   “We will continue to follow his case and provide the necessary assistance,” the company said in a statement.  Political pressure  Analysts say that while details are still forthcoming, the case does seem similar to other instances where Beijing has used political means to pressure Taiwanese or foreign businesses.   “This case reminds me of the Chinese government’s tax probe into Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn last October, which coincided with the company’s founder Terry Gou’s bid to run in Taiwan’s presidential election,” said Chen Fang-yu, a political scientist at Soochow University in Taiwan.   At the time, Taiwan’s former national security chief Wellington Koo said there was a “political aspect” in Beijing’s tax probe against Foxconn. Gou eventually dropped out of the presidential election last November.  Chen told VOA that it remains unclear what the Chinese government might be seeking in this case since no more details have been provided by authorities on either side.   “However, it’s clear that other Taiwanese or foreign companies have faced similar situations before,” he said.  Other experts say the case could have a chilling effect within Taiwan’s business community and exacerbate Taiwanese businesses’ exodus from China.   “While some Taiwanese businesses have started to reduce the scale of their operations in China several years ago, this case will push more companies to exit the Chinese market as a way to protect their interests,” Wang Kuo-chen, an economist at the Chung-Hua Institute for Economic Research, told VOA by phone.   ‘Taiwan independence forces’ crackdown  Meanwhile, a 22-year-old Taiwanese man surnamed Kuo went missing in China after arriving in Shanghai on August 27, prompting his family to seek help from the Taiwanese government.  During Thursday’s regular briefing, the Mainland Affairs Council’s spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh said Kuo had been traveling in China with friends. Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation has also contacted its Chinese counterparts to seek more information about Kuo’s whereabouts.   On September 6, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, which manages cross-strait exchanges, said a court in China’s eastern city of Wenzhou had sentenced Taiwanese political activist Yang Chih-yuan to nine years in jail under secession charges. In June, Beijing introduced 22 new guidelines to punish what they called “die-hard Taiwan independence activists” and the maximum punishment is the death sentence. Wu Se-chih, an assistant professor at the Taipei University of Marine Technology, told VOA that these developments reflect Beijing’s enhanced focus on national security and that the strict measures are likely to have a ripple effect.   “The more stringent inspection of the content on Taiwanese people’s electronic devices at Chinese airports, the sentencing of Yang under secession charges, and the disappearance of Kuo will cause more Taiwanese people to re-evaluate the potential risks they might face when traveling to China,” Wu told VOA in a telephone interview.   Asked about the recent developments, Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said, “China is a country ruled by law and liberty is respected and protected in the country.”     Exit bans  In addition to Taiwanese people, foreign nationals from other countries have also faced difficulty leaving China.   According to the Duihua Foundation in California, which focuses on freeing detainees through dialogue with China, around 200 Americans are held under coercive measures in the country, and more than 30 Americans are banned from leaving the country.  At least 17 Japanese citizens have been detained on spying charges since China enacted its anti-espionage law in 2015 and at least five of them remain in Chinese detention as of November 2023.  John Kamm, the executive director of the Duihua Foundation, told VOA that Beijing has intensified the use of coercive measures against foreign nationals since Chinese President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012.   In his view, the growing number of foreigners detained under espionage charges has led to a drop in the number of tourists and foreigners traveling to China.   “China’s use of coercive measures and the imposition of exit bans on foreign nationals has damaged China’s image and that feeds into the drop in foreign direct investment and the drop in tourist arrivals in the country,” Kamm said in a phone interview.   Despite Beijing’s efforts to attract more foreign investment, Wu in Taiwan said it’s unlikely that the Chinese government will ease up its efforts to safeguard national security, which he said remains a priority for the Chinese Communist Party.   “Beijing still prioritizes politics over economy, so at a time when their economic policies haven’t proved to be effective, I expect the Chinese government to keep doubling down on the importance of safeguarding national security,” he told VOA.  

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Islamabad — Pakistan and Iran have sharply criticized diplomats from the de facto Taliban government in neighboring Afghanistan for showing “disrespect” to their national anthems in breach of diplomatic norms. The controversy arose earlier this week after the Taliban consul general, Mohibullah Shakir, and his colleague remained seated during the playing of the Pakistani national anthem at an official ceremony in the northwestern city of Peshawar. The move triggered public outrage in Pakistan and demands for Shakir's expulsion. Islamabad swiftly protested and officially complained to de facto Afghan authorities in Kabul, denouncing their diplomat’s “disrespect” for the Pakistani national anthem as a “reprehensible” act and a breach of “diplomatic norms.” Shakir’s mission office in Peshawar defended his stance and dismissed allegations of disrespect for the anthem. It said the diplomat remained seated because the anthem had music, which the Taliban consider forbidden in line with their strict interpretation of Islam. “Imagine a religious scholar standing up for music,” a consulate spokesperson was quoted as saying. Since regaining control of Afghanistan in 2021, the radical Taliban leaders have enforced their strict interpretation of Islamic law, known as Sharia. This enforcement includes banning music, prohibiting girls' education beyond the sixth grade, and barring Afghan women from most workplaces, among other restrictions. However, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson rejected the Taliban’s explanation on Thursday. At a news conference in Islamabad, Mumtaz Baloch stated that Shakir’s action “hurt the sentiments of the people of Pakistan.” She cautioned that her government reserves the right to take further action in line with international diplomatic norms and practices. “We expect any individual who enjoys a diplomatic status in Pakistan to respect those norms,” Baloch said. “We have raised this with the Afghan authorities and conveyed our strong displeasure … and we also reject the explanation that the acting Council General has given for his actions.” Taliban’s conflicting stance Meanwhile, Iran also has criticized the head of a Taliban delegation, Azizurrahman Mansour, a deputy minister, for not standing during the host country’s anthem at an International Islamic Unity Conference on Thursday in Tehran, where the Iranian president was in attendance. The Foreign Ministry later summoned Taliban Acting Ambassador Fazal Mohammad Haqqani to seek clarification regarding Mansour disrespecting the national anthem. Iranian media quoted Haqqani as reaffirming his country’s respect for Iran, claiming that Mansour’s action was “personal” and not reflective of the Afghan government’s official stance. Mansour later stated in a formal video message that he remained seated during the Iranian national anthem in line with traditions in Afghanistan. “In our country, we sit when the song is played, and I have acted according to this custom. We apologize to the people who were upset.” The Taliban's explanation, though, failed to ease the outrage in Iran. “Disrespecting diplomatic norms under the pretext of Sharia-based prohibition of music doesn’t make any sense,” Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran’s special envoy for Afghanistan, said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. He wrote in the local language that listening to music should also be prohibited if music is banned. Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a prominent Iranian “reformist and senior aide to former President Mohammad Khatami,” also joined the Iranian political denunciation of the Taliban. The London-based Iran International Persian-language television channel published a translation of Abtahi’s local language X post. "The Taliban's disrespect toward the national anthems of Pakistan and Iran, and their refusal to stand, has ideological roots." Abtahi further warned, "When we say that the Taliban's ideology is more dangerous than the thousands of weapons they have, this is what we mean.” Abtahi criticized the conference organizers for inviting the Taliban and stated that "the majority of Muslims everywhere, including in Iran, do not seek unity with the Taliban.” Iran is a majority Shi’ite Muslim country, and the Taliban represents the majority Sunni Muslim community in Afghanistan. No country has officially recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government in Kabul, mainly because of their restrictions on women’s access to education and public life at large. On Thursday, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said that his government controlled about 40 Afghan embassies and consulates worldwide, and that its diplomatic relations with the international community were improving. Many Western governments, including the United States, insist that formal recognition of the Taliban depends on their actions regarding women's rights, education for girls and women, and freedom of movement.

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FRANKFORT, Ky. — A judge in a rural Kentucky county was fatally shot in his courthouse chambers Thursday, and the local sheriff was charged with murder in the killing, police said. The preliminary investigation indicates Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines shot District Judge Kevin Mullins multiple times following an argument inside the courthouse, according to Kentucky State Police. Mullins, who held the judgeship for 15 years, died at the scene, and Stines surrendered without incident. The fatal shooting in Whitesburg sent shock waves through a tight-knit Appalachian town and county seat of government with about 1,700 residents located about 235 kilometers southeast of Lexington.   Lead county prosecutor Matt Butler described an outpouring of sympathy as he recused himself and his office from investigations in the shooting, citing social and family ties to Mullins. “We all know each other here. ... Anyone from Letcher County would tell you that Judge Mullins and I married sisters and that we have children who are first cousins but act like siblings," Butler said in statement from his office. “For that reason, among others, I have already taken steps to recuse myself and my entire office.” Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said his office will collaborate with a commonwealth’s attorney in the region as special prosecutors in the criminal case. “We will fully investigate and pursue justice,” Coleman said on social media. Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Laurance B. VanMeter said he was “shocked by this act of violence” and that the court system was “shaken by this news.” Letcher County's judge-executive signed an order closing on Friday the county courthouse where the shooting took place. Mullins, 54, was hit multiple times in the shooting, Kentucky State Police said. Stines, 43, was charged with one count of first-degree murder. The investigation is continuing, police said. It was unclear whether Stines had an attorney. Kentucky State Police referred inquiries about Stines’ legal representation Thursday to a spokesperson who did not immediately respond by email. Responding to the shooting, Governor Andy Beshear said in a social media post: “There is far too much violence in this world, and I pray there is a path to a better tomorrow.” Mullins served as a district judge in Letcher County since he was appointed by former Gov. Steve Beshear in 2009 and elected the following year. Mullins was known for promoting substance abuse treatment for people involved in the justice system and helped hundreds of residents enter inpatient residential treatment, according to a program for a drug summit he spoke at in 2022. He also helped develop a program called Addiction Recovery Care to offer peer support services in the courthouse. The program was adopted in at least 50 counties in Kentucky. Mullins also served as a founding member of the Responsive Effort to Support Treatment in Opioid Recovery Efforts Leadership Team. After the shooting, several area schools were briefly placed on lockdown.

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RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA — North Carolina Republican gubernatorial nominee Mark Robinson vowed on Thursday to remain in the race despite a CNN report that he posted strongly worded racial and sexual comments on an online message board, saying he won't be forced out by "salacious tabloid lies." Robinson, the sitting lieutenant governor who decisively won his GOP gubernatorial primary in March, has been trailing in several recent polls to Democratic nominee Josh Stein, the current attorney general. "We are staying in this race. We are in it to win it," Robinson said in a video posted Thursday on the social media platform X. "And we know that with your help, we will." Robinson referenced in the video a story that he said CNN was running, but he didn't give details. "Let me reassure you, the things that you will see in that story — those are not the words of Mark Robinson," he said. "You know my words. You know my character." The CNN report describes a series of racial and sexual comments Robinson posted on the message board of a pornography website more than a decade ago. CNN reported that Robinson, who would be North Carolina's first Black governor, attacked civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. in searing terms and once referred to himself as a "black NAZI." CNN also reported that Robinson wrote of being aroused by a memory of "peeping" at women in gym showers when he was 14 along with an appreciation of transgender pornography. Robinson at one point referred to himself as a "perv," according to CNN. The Associated Press has not independently confirmed that Robinson wrote and posted the messages. CNN said it matched details of the account on the pornographic website forum to other online accounts held by Robinson by comparing usernames, a known email address and his full name. CNN reported that details discussed by the account holder matched Robinson's age, length of marriage and other biographical information. It also compared figures of speech that came up frequently in his public Twitter profile that appeared in discussions by the account on the pornographic website. Media outlets already have reported about a 2021 speech by Robinson in a church in which he used the word "filth" when discussing gay and transgender people. Robinson has a history of inflammatory comments that Stein has said made him too extreme to lead North Carolina, a state on the U.S. Atlantic coast. They already have contributed to the prospect that campaign struggles for Robinson would hurt former President Donald Trump’s bid to win the battleground state's 16 electoral votes, and potential other GOP down-ballot candidates. Recent polls of North Carolina voters show Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris locked in a close race. The same polls show Stein with a roughly 10-point lead over Robinson. Stein and his allies have repeatedly cited a Facebook post from 2019 in which Robinson said abortion in America was about "killing the child because you weren't responsible enough to keep your skirt down." The Stein campaign said in a statement after the report that "North Carolinians already know Mark Robinson is completely unfit to be Governor." State law says a gubernatorial nominee could withdraw as a candidate no later than the day before the first absentee ballots requested by military and overseas voters are distributed. That begins Friday, so the withdrawal deadline would be late Thursday. State Republican leaders could then pick a replacement. Trump has frequently voiced his support for Robinson, who has been considered a rising star in his party, well-known for his fiery speeches and evocative rhetoric. Ahead of the March primary, Trump at a rally in Greensboro called Robinson "Martin Luther King on steroids" for his speaking ability. Trump's campaign appears to be distancing itself from Robinson in the wake of the report. In a statement to the AP, Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the GOP nominee's campaign "is focused on winning the White House and saving this country," calling North Carolina "a vital part of that plan." Leavitt went on to contrast Trump's economic record with that of Harris, not mentioning Robinson by name or answering questions as to whether he would appear with Trump at a Saturday campaign rally in Wilmington or had been invited to do so. A spokesperson for Harris' campaign, Ammar Moussa, said on social media platform X that "Donald Trump has a Mark Robinson problem" and reposted a photo of the two together. The North Carolina Republican Party defended Robinson in a statement on X, saying that despite his denial of CNN's report, it wouldn't "stop the Left from trying to demonize him via personal attacks." The party referred to economic and immigration policies as the predominant election issues North Carolinians will care more about instead. "The Left needs this election to be a personality contest, not a policy contest because if voters focused on policy, Republicans win on Election Day," the party said. Scott Lassiter, a Republican state Senate candidate in a Raleigh-area swing district, did call on Robinson to "suspend his campaign to allow a quality candidate to finish this race." Ed Broyhill, a North Carolina member of the Republican National Committee, said he spoke to Robinson Thursday afternoon and still supports him as the nominee. In an interview, Broyhill suggested the online details may have been fabricated. "It seems like a dirty trick to me," Broyhill said. On Capitol Hill, U.S. Representative Richard Hudson of North Carolina, chair of the House GOP's campaign committee, told reporters the report's findings were "concerning." Robinson, he said, has some reassuring to do in the state. Robinson, 56, was elected lieutenant governor in his first bid for public office in 2020. He tells a life story of childhood poverty, jobs that he blames the North American Free Trade Agreement for ending, and personal bankruptcy. His four-minute speech to the Greensboro City Council defending gun rights and lamenting the "demonizing" of police officers went viral — and led him to a National Rifle Association board position and popularity among conservative voters.

The Ukrainian Cultural Center Toloka near Seattle, Washington, is home for 'friends of Ukraine' say its founders. Just over a year ago, it began offering a wide range of activities, including aid for refugees, language workshops, art classes, cultural events and more. Khrystyna Shevchenko has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Dmytro Savchuk

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