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In California, a new law will block public schools from notifying parents if their children decide to change their gender. That has led some school districts to challenge the state's authority over issues of gender identity. Genia Dulot has our story from Southern California.

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.

Japan's ruling party will hold a leadership vote next week to choose the country’s next prime minister. While the outcome is uncertain, Japan's foreign policy is expected to remain steady. VOA's Bill Gallo reports from Tokyo on the challenges ahead. Camera: Ken Watanabe, Gallo

KYIV — Ukraine's "victory plan" in the war against Russia depends on quick decisions being taken by allies this year, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday during a visit by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Zelenskyy told a joint press conference with von der Leyen that Ukraine planned to use a proposed multi-billion dollar European Union loan for air defense, energy and domestic weapons purchases. Zelenskyy singled out the importance of U.S. President Joe Biden to the victory plan, which he said the two leaders will discuss when they meet. The Ukrainian leader is travelling to the United States next week. "Most of the decisions from the plan depend specifically on him [Biden]. On other allies too, but there are certain points which depend on the goodwill and support of the United States," Zelenskyy said. Zelenskyy has provided regular updates on the plan's preparation but has given few clues to the contents, indicating only that it aims to create terms acceptable to Ukraine after more than 2-1/2 years of war following Russia's full-scale invasion. "The entire plan is predicated upon quick decisions from our partners. The plan is predicated upon decisions which should take place from October to December, and not delaying these processes," he told the press conference alongside von der Leyen.  

RABAT — Morocco has arrested 152 people, who will now face trial on accusations they used social media to incite an attempt at mass illegal migration into the adjacent Spanish enclave of Ceuta, a government spokesperson said.   In recent days, thousands of mostly young Moroccan men rushed to the northern city of Fnideq, bordering Ceuta, to attempt a crossing. Their efforts were thwarted by the heaviest security deployment ever seen the city, according to human rights activists there.   "All attempts have been foiled," spokesman Mustapha Baitas said at a news conference late on Thursday.   "Some 3000 people attempted illegal migration," he said, in a first official comment days after the crossing attempt.   Spain's two enclaves on Morocco's Mediterranean coast, Ceuta and Melilla, share the only land borders between the European Union and Africa. They sporadically experience waves of attempted crossings by migrants trying to reach Europe.   Morocco and Spain have strengthened their cooperation in addressing illegal migration since Madrid backed a Moroccan autonomy plan for disputed Western Sahara in 2022.   Videos shared by local media showed young people throwing stones at security forces as they were prevented from getting near the Ceuta border.   "No deaths have been reported," Baitas said, adding authorities acted in respect for the law.   In the first eight months this year, Morocco stopped 45,015 people from illegally migrating to Europe, according to interior ministry figures.   Last month, hundreds of migrants took advantage of a thick mist to swim to Ceuta, Spanish police said.   Tighter surveillance of Morocco's northern borders has prompted an increasing number of migrants to try the riskier and longer Atlantic route to the Canary Islands. 

Frankfurt, Germany — Germany wants to support Volkswagen and help it avoid factory closures but the ailing car giant will have to fix most of its problems itself, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said Friday.   Volkswagen said earlier this month it needed significant restructuring to stay competitive, and was considering shutting sites in Germany for the first time in its 87-year history.   The announcement stunned employees and added to concerns about Germany's flagship car industry as it grapples with high costs, increased competition from China and weak demand for electric vehicles (EVs).   "The majority of the tasks will have to be solved by Volkswagen itself," Habeck said during a visit to a VW plant in Emden in northwestern Germany.   He refused to comment on media reports that thousands of jobs could be threatened at Volkswagen, saying he "cannot interfere" in company policy.   But politicians could help the car sector by looking at ways to send the right "market signals", Habeck said, stopping short of mentioning any possible state aid for Volkswagen.   He pointed in particular to efforts to boost demand for EVs, insisting that electric driving "is the future."   Sales of battery cars have plummeted in Germany this year after the government phased out subsidies, dealing a blow to carmakers who have invested heavily in the transition away from fossil fuels.   Berlin recently laid out plans for new tax breaks for electric company cars to help turn the tide, Habeck noted.   The minister will on Monday host a high-level meeting with representatives from the car industry and unions to discuss the sector's woes.   Underlining the current challenges for carmakers, Mercedes-Benz on Thursday lowered its outlook for 2024 on the back of weak sales in the key Chinese market.   German rival BMW likewise trimmed its profit guidance earlier this month, also citing muted demand in China. 

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.

Taipei, Taiwan — A Taiwan court decided on Friday to retain capital punishment, but ruled its application should be "limited to special and exceptional circumstances." Democratic Taiwan has carried out 35 executions since a moratorium on capital punishment was lifted in 2010, with the latest — that of a 53-year-old man convicted for setting a fire that killed his family — occurring in April 2020. Campaigners against the death penalty have long argued that the practice, carried out by shooting an inmate in the heart from behind as they lie face-down on the ground, is an inhumane method of punishment. The debate was brought to Taiwan's Constitutional Court, which ruled Friday that it would retain the death penalty. "However, the death penalty is a capital punishment after all, and its scope of application should still be limited to special and exceptional circumstances," said chief justice Hsu Tzong-li during a lengthy readout of the court's decision. In a statement, the court said that while the right to life will be protected under Taiwan's constitution, "such protection is not absolute." "The TCC emphasized that because death penalty was the most severe punishment and irreversible in nature, its application and procedural safeguard [from investigation to execution] should be reviewed under strict scrutiny," it said in reference to the crime of murder. However, "the judgement did not address the constitutionality of death penalty in general or imposed on other offences," such as treason or drug-related offences. The court also ruled that imposing the death sentence be "prohibited" for "defendants with mental conditions, even if their mental conditions did not influence their offense in the cases in question." Additionally, death row inmates "should not be executed if they had mental conditions to the extent that have impeded their competency for execution," it said. The court case had been brought by the 37 inmates currently on death row in Taiwan. There are about 50 provisions in Taiwan's criminal laws that stipulate capital punishment to be the maximum sentence, and executions are carried out without notice once all appeals have been exhausted. In 2020, the Cabinet passed new procedures in its execution of death row inmates, allowing the condemned to hold final religious rites as well as leave a farewell voice or video message for their families. Capital punishment remains popular in Taiwan, with a recent survey by the Chinese Association for Human Rights showing that 80 percent were in favor of keeping it.

Islamabad — Militant attacks against security outposts in Pakistan’s northwestern border region Friday resulted in the deaths of at least six soldiers and injuries to 14 others, while 12 assailants were killed in return fire.    The predawn clashes occurred in militancy-hit districts of South Waziristan and neighboring North Waziristan bordering Afghanistan. The wounded include at least four soldiers who were described as “seriously injured.”    Multiple local security officials confirmed the casualties to VOA on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.    The Pakistani military’s media wing later released a statement confirming the fatalities of both militants and troops but did not mention any injuries suffered by the soldiers during the two attacks.   The statement reported that a group of militants attacked a security outpost in South Waziristan, triggering an “intense exchange of fire” between the two sides, resulting in the death of six personnel and five assailants.     The military stated that seven militants were killed while attempting to "infiltrate" the border from the Afghan side in North Waziristan. They were "surrounded" and "effectively engaged" by Pakistani border troops.   “A large quantity of weapons, ammunition, and explosives was also recovered,” the statement said. Militants affiliated with the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, are reported to have claimed responsibility for the deadly violence. The TTP routinely carries out and claims credit for staging attacks on security forces and government installations in South Waziristan and surrounding districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan. Officials have reported the deaths of hundreds of soldiers, police personnel, and civilians in the TTP-led violence in the province and elsewhere in Pakistan this year alone. The latest report from the provincial counterterrorism department documented the deaths of at least 100 police personnel and an equal number of civilians in the first nine months of 2024, with hundreds more sustaining injuries. The Pakistani government maintains the TTP, designated as a global terrorist organization by the United Nations, is orchestrating attacks from its Afghan sanctuaries with the help of the neighboring country’s radical Taliban leaders. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Baloch reiterated Islamabad’s concerns at her weekly news conference on Thursday. “We have shared concrete evidence of the involvement of these entities in terror attacks in Pakistan, and we expect the Afghan authorities to take action against those individuals who are responsible for these terror attacks,” Baloch said. “The Afghan authorities are fully aware of who these individuals are. They know the location of these individuals and entities inside Afghanistan. It is, therefore, their responsibility to ensure that their territory is not used to foment terrorism against Pakistan,” she added. The Taliban government, which is not officially recognized by any country, denies allegations that the TTP or any other foreign groups operate or are being allowed to threaten neighboring countries from Afghan soil. However, recent U.N. security assessments have contradicted Taliban claims, describing the TTP as “the largest terrorist group” in Afghanistan, with a force of around 6,000 members being trained and equipped at al-Qaida-run camps in the country. The increase in TTP cross-border attacks since the Taliban regained power in Kabul three years ago has strained relations between the two countries. The tensions have resulted in a significant decline in bilateral and transit trade between Pakistan and landlocked Afghanistan.

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.

ABUJA, Nigeria — Houses swept away to the very last brick. Inmates frantically fleeing the city's main prison as its walls got washed away by water rising from an overflowing dam. Corpses of crocodiles and snakes floating among human bodies on what used to be main streets. As torrential rains across Central and West Africa have unleashed the most catastrophic floods in decades, residents of Maiduguri, the capital of the fragile Nigerian state of Borno — which has been at the center of an Islamic extremists' insurgency — said they have seen it all. The floods, which have killed more than 1,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands across the region this year, have worsened existing humanitarian crises in the countries which have been impacted the most: Chad, Nigeria, Mali and Niger. Over four million people have been affected by flooding so far this year in West Africa, a threefold increase from last year, according to the U.N. With rescue operations still under way, it is impossible to get an accurate count of lives lost in the water. So far, at least 230 were reported dead in Nigeria, 265 in Niger, 487 in Chad and 55 in Mali, which has seen the most catastrophic flooding since the 1960s. While Africa is responsible for a small fraction of global greenhouse gas emissions, it is among the most vulnerable to extreme weather events, the World Meteorological Organization said earlier this month. In sub-Saharan Africa, the cost of adapting to extreme weather events is estimated at between $30 bilion-50 billion annually over the next decade, the report said. It warned that up to 118 million Africans could be impacted by extreme weather by 2030. Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, has been under significant strain. Over the last decade, Borno has been hit by a constant string of attacks from Boko Haram militants, who want to install an Islamic state in Nigeria and have killed more than 35,000 people in the last decade. Saleh Bukar, a 28-year-old from Maiduguri, said he was woken up last week around midnight by his neighbors. "Water is flooding everywhere!" he recalled their frantic screams in a phone interview. "They were shouting, ’Everybody come out, everybody come out!'" Older people and people with disabilities did not know what was going on, he said, and some were left behind. Those who did not wake up on time drowned right away. Local authorities are overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster: more than 400,000 people in Nigeria have been displaced, and at least 240 people were killed. Last week, floods killed about 80% of the animals at the Borno State Museum Park and an unspecified number of reptiles escaped. The city's main prison was so damaged that hundreds of inmates escaped. The water knocked down the walls of the local police station and some of the government's offices. The World Food Program has set up kitchens providing food to the displaced in Maiduguri as well as emergency food and cash assistance to people in the most hard-hit areas. USAID said Wednesday it has provided more than $3 million in humanitarian assistance to West and Central Africa, including $1 million provided in the immediate aftermath of the floods. But many say they were left to fend for themselves. Floods in mostly arid Niger have impacted over 841,000 people, killing hundreds and displacing more than 400,000. Harira Adamou, a 50-year-old single mother of six, is one of them. She said the floods destroyed her mud hut in the northern city of Agadez. "The rooms are destroyed; the walls fell down," she said. "It's a big risk to live in a mud hut but we don’t have the means to build concrete ones." Adamou, who is unemployed and lost her husband four years ago, said she has not received any support from the state and has not had the opportunity — or the means — to relocate. She and her children are living in a temporary shelter next to their shattered hut, and fret that the torrential rains might return. "I understood there was a change in the weather," she said. "I have never seen a big rain like this year here in Agadez." In Maiduguri, 15% of the city remains under water, according to local authorities. As forecasts predicted more rains across the region, Nigerian authorities warned earlier this week that more floods are expected. Bukar said he kept going back to see whether the water that swallowed his home had receded, but that has not happened. He said he has not received any aid from authorities except for some food items handed out at the local school, where he is sheltering with 5,000 others. He is trying to stay sane by helping others. Along with his friend, he helped recover 10 bodies and rescued 25 people, rowing down the streets in a canoe. He said he's also helping out cooking meals for those that are sheltering with him. "I am volunteering to help, but I am also a victim," he said. "Our people need us. They need help."

HONG KONG — Asian stocks surged Friday with Japan’s Nikkei leading regional gains after Wall Street romped to records following the Federal Reserve’s big cut to interest rates. U.S. futures and oil prices were lower. The Bank of Japan ended a two-day monetary policy meeting and announced it would keep its benchmark rate unchanged at 0.25%. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index soared 1.5% to close at 37,723.91 after the nation's key inflation data in August accelerated for a fourth consecutive month. The core consumer price index rose 2.8% year-on-year in August, exceeding the central bank’s 2% target and leaving room for further rate hikes. Markets are closely watching for hints on the pace of future rate hikes from BOJ Gov. Kazuo Ueda. "For the BOJ, given current economic conditions and recent central bank rhetoric, further policy adjustments are not expected until later this year or early 2025," Anderson Alves of ActivTrades said in a commentary. The U.S. dollar fell to 142.47 Japanese yen from 142.62 yen. The euro rose to $1.1178 from $1.1161. China refrained from further monetary stimulus as the central bank left key lending rates unchanged on Friday. The one-year loan prime rate (LPR), the benchmark for most corporate and household loans, stays at 3.45%, and the five-year rate, a reference for property mortgages, was held at 3.85%. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong added 1.1% to 18,211.06 while the Shanghai Composite index fell 0.2% at 2,730.00. Elsewhere, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.2% at 8,209.50. South Korea's Kospi was up 0.5% to 2,593.12. On Thursday, the S&P 500 jumped 1.7% to 5,713.64 for one of its best days of the year and topped its last all-time high set in July. The Dow Jones Industrial Average leaped 1.3% to 42,025.19, and the Nasdaq composite led the market with a 2.5% spurt to 18,013.98. Wall Street’s gains followed rallies for markets across Europe and Asia after the Federal Reserve delivered its first cut to interest rates in more than four years on Wednesday. That closed the door on a run where the Fed kept its main interest rate at a two-decade high in hopes of slowing the U.S. economy enough to stamp out high inflation. Now that inflation has fallen from its peak two summers ago, Chair Jerome Powell said the Fed can focus more on keeping the job market solid and the economy out of a recession. Wall Street’s initial reaction to Wednesday’s cut was a yawn. Markets had already run up for months on expectations for lower rates. Stocks edged lower after swinging a few times. "Yet we come in today and have a reversal of the reversal," said Jonathan Krinsky, chief market technician at BTIG. He said he did not anticipate such a big jump for stocks on Thursday. The Fed is still under pressure because the job market and hiring have begun to slow under the weight of higher interest rates. Some critics say the central bank waited too long to cut rates and may have damaged the economy. Some investment banks raised their forecasts for how much the Federal Reserve will ultimately cut interest rates, anticipating even deeper reductions than Fed officials. The U.S. presidential election adds to uncertainties. One fear is that both the Democrats and Republicans could push for policies that add to the U.S. government’s debt, which could keep upward pressure on interest rates regardless of the Fed’s moves. In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury held steady at 3.71%, where it was late Wednesday. The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks expectations for Fed action, fell to 3.58% from 3.63%. In other dealings, U.S. benchmark crude oil lost 7 cents to $71.09 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, declined 9 cents to $74.79 per barrel.

Pentagon — The U.S. is returning Special Forces troops to Chad after leaving at the country’s request nearly five months ago. "We have reached an agreement on the return of a limited number of Special Forces personnel," Maj. General Kenneth Ekman, who oversaw the  recent U.S. withdrawal from Niger at the request of U.S. Africa Command chief Gen. Michael Langley, told VOA in an exclusive interview Thursday. "It was a presidential decision by [Chadian] President [Mahamat] Deby, but the decision is made, and now we're working through the specifics on how we return," he added. In April, the U.S. pulled out some 70 Special Forces personnel from Chad ahead of the nation’s presidential election. Deby won that election and ultimately decided to allow U.S. forces to return, a decision that was only recently relayed to U.S. Africa Command. Ekman told VOA the U.S. military plans a smaller operation than the headquarters that forces previously maintained in Chad, whose 11,000-member counterterror force is fighting a growing number of Boko Haram and Islamic State militants around Lake Chad.  "The direction of approach from Chad is immensely important," Ekman said, especially following the U.S. military withdrawal from Niger that officially ended on Sunday with his departure from Niamey. "If our presence in Niger allowed us to go inside out, relative to the Sahelian-based VEO [violent extremist organization] threat, we now have to revert to going outside in." The head of U.S. Africa Command, General Michael Langley, has said his forces are starting to "reset and recalibrate" in the region. Before coups in Niger, the U.S. had hundreds of forces in two bases that served as major counterterrorism hubs. Burkina Faso and Mali also hosted U.S. Special Forces teams prior to coups in their countries that strained their relationship with the United States and ultimately cut off U.S. military access to prime locations from which to monitor terror groups and train local partners. Under U.S. law the coups prevent AFRICOM from direct military-to-military cooperation. Now, countries such as Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ghana, Benin and Chad will determine the U.S. counterterror strategy and force strength in West Africa. "Each partner has their own unique security concerns. They also have their own respective tolerance and willingness to abide the presence of U.S. forces," Ekman said. Ghana and Nigeria have made it clear to the U.S. that they are not interested in hosting U.S. forces, according to Ekman. But as the violent militant threat spreads primarily southwest from the Sahel, some West African nations along the coast are asking for more U.S. capabilities. Even before the coup in Niger, the U.S. started refurbishing an airfield in Benin to accommodate U.S. military aircraft. After the coup in Niger, the U.S. moved Special Forces into Ivory Coast as well, Ekman told VOA. Any decision to establish a larger military presence like the one the U.S. built up in Niger will ultimately be a policy decision. "I don’t think you’re going to see another Air Base 201," said a senior U.S. military official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing negotiations, referring to the $100 million drone base that the U.S. built in the Nigerien desert. Instead, the U.S. will likely try to work from within partner force garrisons through strengthening base fortifications and capabilities, but the U.S. has not made this type of agreement with any West African partners since the withdrawal from Niger. "We're not there yet," Ekman said. Diminished access Since U.S. counterterror operations were halted in Niger, Ekman cautions that the region has become "more opaque" as U.S. partnerships and access have "diminished." It is more difficult to monitor the terror threat in West Africa, which hurts the U.S. ability to counter it. Officials admit the U.S. is now "soul searching," its confidence shaken from broken partnerships and regional approaches that have failed to tamp down the terrorists. The U.S military has been tasked with "treating the symptom: terrorism," the senior military official said, acknowledging that diplomatic and economic approaches are what is needed to counter terrorism’s root causes on the continent. The U.S. military’s withdrawal appears to be a net loss for Niger, the United States and other regional partners who had benefited from U.S. intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities available through its bases in Niger. Since the July 2023 coup, extremist attacks have become more lethal as Niger has lost resources and partners. "They’re absolutely feeling [those losses]," the senior military official said. Ekman said he believes that the U.S. and Niger’s shared security objectives will continue to link the two nations even without American forces on the ground. "How we will pursue [those objectives], either together or apart, as a consequence of the withdrawal remains to be seen, but we wanted to make sure we kept all options on the table," he said.

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.

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.

PENTAGON — On Sunday, U.S. Africa Command’s Major General Kenneth Ekman was one of the last two U.S. service members to leave Niger as part of America’s military withdrawal, following the country’s July 2023 coup. Per an agreement reached by the U.S. and Niger in May, the only American service members that remain in the country are those securing the U.S. Embassy in the capital, Niamey. The general, who served as AFRICOM’s director of strategy, plans and programs before focusing solely on West Africa, spent the last few months methodically overseeing the withdrawal of about 1,100 American service members, along with U.S. weapons, drones and equipment that had been staged for years in two U.S. military bases in Niger. The task was completed on time and within the parameters set by the host nation, but the withdrawal has created a massive hole in the United States’ ability to monitor the growing violent extremist threat. In an exclusive interview at the Pentagon on Thursday, Ekman explained how the new U.S. footprint in West Africa is beginning to take shape to continue fighting a shared threat. Below are highlights from his discussion with VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb, edited for brevity and clarity: VOA: On what Nigerians should expect in terms of a partnership with the US military: Major General Kenneth Ekman: I think that remains to be seen. ... I think the starting impetus will be reflecting on the 15 years of very mutually beneficial partnership that we had up to this point. We have shed blood together, right? We have pursued their most acute security threats together, and so you can't erase that history … It would be really helpful if the Nigerians took the first step -- they asked us to leave after all -- their first step on what that government and the military that serves them would like next in a U.S. security partnership. And then it will be bounded. What I mean by that is, it's going to take a while for it ever to be what it was on July 25, 2023, which was the day prior to the coup. There are some obstacles--everything from the request that we withdraw, to our turnover of bases and facilities and equipment, to the fact that coup sanctions, Section 7008 sanctions, have been imposed against the junta. And so all of that combines to limit the "what next." We still have shared security objectives. How we will pursue them, either together or apart, as a consequence of the withdrawal remains to be seen, but we wanted to make sure we kept all options on the table. VOA:  On repercussions concerning military partnerships and training exercises with countries who’ve undergone a coup: Ekman: There are absolutely repercussions. Because when they're omitted, they lose everything from the chance to interact in a region that's becoming increasingly dis-integrated, right, to the chance to practice and practice at a high level within the context or the scenario of the exercise. So it is a net loss, right? It's a net loss for the region, and it's a loss for each of those individual countries as they are excluded. VOA:  On increased U.S. military presence in other West African nations: Ekman: What you're talking about is that layer of forces, most of which came from Niger, that we reposition around the Sahel. If our presence in Niger allowed us to go inside out, relative to the Sahelian based VEO (violent extremist organization) threat, we now have to revert to going outside in … Countries like Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Ghana, Benin, Chad, our access to them and the degree to which they want to partner with us will influence how we go outside in. We're at a different phase with each of those countries. What I mean is, each partner has their own unique security concerns. They also have their own respective tolerance and willingness to abide the presence of U.S. forces. So in some cases, we moved some forces well prior to the Niger coup, because that's where the threat was going. We were invited early on, and whether it was a small SOF (special operations forces) team or an ISR (intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance) platform, we moved them months ago.  The larger question is, and it's a policy question, where, and if we establish significant presence of forces, probably on a partner base, serving alongside them, doing everything from command and control to projecting things like ISR and personnel recovery, to sustaining them and to medically treating them. That is something where we're not there yet, and no agreements have been made. There are some cases where, for now, we're definitely not (establishing a significant force presence). So that's true in Nigeria. We have a very clear message from them … Likewise in Ghana. The ones where things are still kind of under consideration, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Benin, those were, what we want to do is, within the partners’ needs, support their partner-led, U.S.-enabled counter VEO ops. VOA: On U.S. military movements, specifically, refurbishing an airfield in Benin to accommodate U.S. aircraft, sending special forces to Ivory Coast and bringing U.S. forces back to Chad: Ekman: The most lethal violent extremist organization threat in the world resides in West Africa, and it resides in the Sahel. It's also spreading. The primary direction of travel is to the southwest, so well-prior to the Niger coup we were already working with partners on what they needed with regards to U.S. presence and capabilities. In the Benin case, we started that a while ago. In the Cote d'Ivoire case, it's been really post-coup (in Niger). So each of them is on their own timeline as we work with them… We did have some forces in Mali and Burkina Faso. We had special forces teams there as well. And given our current relationship, that's just not something that we can do, and so we had some forces available who needed to move and there were requirements in other countries. The specifics beyond that kind of remain to be seen. VOA: But the Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) case, the (U.S.) special forces were moved from Niger to there? Ekman: That's correct. VOA: OK, and then the airfield (refurbishment) in Benin (to accommodate U.S. aircraft) was started a little prior, but then also worked on during. Ekman: That’s it. A consistent request that we receive from all partners is intel sharing, right? And so that's something that we can offer uniquely… It is a common currency from which everyone benefits. VOA: That has diminished. Ekman: The region has become more opaque. Absolutely. We did remove about 70 U.S. Special Forces personnel (from Chad) at the end of April. That was at their request. They asked us to leave. An election was coming and we obliged. That's what partners do. Since then, they had a successful election on May 6. And so in the aftermath of that, they've started asking us, well, what can we do together? Our goal is to do something less than we had there before. We had a headquarters there before, but we have reached an agreement on the return of a limited number of special forces personnel. It is a presidential decision. So these are big policy decisions. It was a presidential decision by President Deby, but the decision is made, and now we're working through the specifics on how we return… His decision was conveyed to us in just recent weeks. Chad is really important because… it’s an outside-in strategy. And the direction of approach from Chad is immensely important. They've also been a significant contributor to Sahelian security. VOA: On the effect that losing Niger has on region counterterrorism efforts: Ekman: If there was one country that was most important on our ability to address Sahelian VEO problems or the Sahelian VEO challenge, it was Niger. So, for one, of Niger, I talked about it as a strategic setback, (but) the degree to which that setback endures ties to how we reposition and then what our partners want to do with us… That is a snapshot in time. All is not lost. VOA: On concerns that Niger could fall to violent extremist organizations: Ekman: Their risks have definitely gone up. Their ability to confront extremist organizations, intel sharing, partnership with our and other allied forces, it's gotten worse. So they are a capable force... the degree to which they can handle the problem themselves remains to be seen. It is a fact that in Niger, violent extremist attacks have become more lethal. That's a fact. Since the coup on July 26, 2023. They've got fewer resources and fewer partners. VOA: Have you seen any evidence, or heard anything from your engagements about JNIM starting to collaborate with some of the ISIS elements (in West Africa)? Ekman: I think that one varies. For what I can talk about in here, some cases they collaborate, some cases they compete, and that often manifest down to the local level. VOA: On Russia’s military presence in Niger: Ekman: In the Nigerian case, that presence is actually quite small. The Nigerians signed a memorandum of understanding with Russia related to security cooperation two governments ago. And so they fly Russian equipment. They drive Russian equipment. There's nothing new there. The Russian trainers who showed up? Didn't see much of them while we were there. And so, to date, Russian presence in Niger has been quite limited… We caution them of the malign impacts of partnering, particularly with Russian PMCs who have yet to help anybody from a security perspective. And then their methods are abhorrent to us, OK? And so that's where we, we encourage them to draw the line. VOA: On whether terrorists in the Sahel now have the capacity to try external operations: Ekman: Given the lack of access that we have, given the lack of ISR, our ability to gage… the trend in their development of capability and will, it's become more difficult. Our access and our partnerships have diminished. It's a tough operational problem.

Kyiv, Ukraine — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Friday she had arrived in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, to discuss Europe's support, winter preparedness, defense and progress on the G7 loans. "My 8th visit to Kyiv comes as the heating season starts soon, and Russia keeps targeting energy infrastructure," von der Leyen said on the X social network. Von der Leyen said Thursday more than $160 million from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets would be allocated to meet Ukraine's urgent humanitarian needs for this winter. Russia has knocked out about 9 gigawatts (GW) of Ukraine's energy infrastructure, which von der Leyen said was the "power equivalent of the three Baltic states." She also said that the EU aimed to restore 2.5 GW of power generating capacity and would increase exports to supply 2 GW of electricity to Ukraine. Von der Leyen will meet Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and other officials.

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