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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.

Marseille, France — Walking into court each day with her head held high, the ex-wife of a Frenchman on trial for orchestrating multiple rapes of her in her own bed for almost a decade has become a feminist icon.  With her now trademark auburn bob and dark glasses, 71-year-old Gisele Pelicot has become a figurehead in the battle against the use of drugs to commit sexual abuse.   Her life was shattered in 2020 when she discovered that her partner of five decades had for years been secretly administering her large doses of tranquilizers to rape her and invite dozens of strangers to join him.   But she has decided not to hide and demanded the trial of Dominique Pelicot, 71, and 50 co-defendants since September 2 be open to the public because, as she has said through one of her lawyers, it should be up to her alleged abusers — not her — to be ashamed.   "It's a way of saying ... shame must change sides," her attorney Stephane Babonneau said as the trial opened.    Since then, feminist activists have held up her stylized portrait by Belgian artist Aline Dessine, with the words "Shame is changing sides," to show support at protests.   The artist with 2.5 million followers on TikTok has given up all rights to the image.   Thousands protest Thousands protested in cities across France on Saturday in support of Gisele Pelicot and demanding an end to rape.  "Gisele for all, all for Gisele," read one hand-drawn poster at a gathering in the southern city of Marseille.  A day earlier, outside the courthouse in the southern town of Avignon, protester Nadege Peneau said she was full of admiration for the trial's main plaintiff.  "What she's doing is very brave," she said. "She's speaking up for so many children and women, and even men" who have been abused.  Gisele Pelicot in August obtained a divorce from her husband, who has confessed to the abuse after meticulously documenting it with photos and videos.  She has moved away from the southern town of Mazan where, in her own words, for years he treated her like "a piece of meat" or a "rag doll."   She now uses her maiden name, but during the trial has asked the media to use her former name as a married woman.  Her lawyer Antoine Camus said she had transformed from a devoted wife and retiree, who loved walks and choir singing, into a woman ready for a battle.  "I will have to fight till the end," she told the press on September 5, in her only public statement outside court in the first days of the four-month trial.  "Obviously it's not an easy exercise and I can feel attempts to trap me with certain questions," she added calmly.   Learning truth behind memory lapses She met Dominique Pelicot, her future husband and rapist, in 1971.  She had dreamed of becoming a hairdresser but instead studied to be a typist. After a few years temping, she joined France's national electricity company EDF, ending her career in a logistics service for its nuclear power plants.  At home, she looked after her three children and later seven grandchildren.  Only when the police caught her husband filming up women's skirts in a supermarket in 2020 did she find out the true reason behind her troubling memory lapses.  Camus, her lawyer, said his client "never wanted to be a role model."  "She just wants all this not to be in vain," he said. 

SEATTLE — A strike at Boeing "could go on for a while" as workers are confident they can get bigger wage increases and an improved pension, union leader Jon Holden said in an interview with National Public Radio on Saturday. More than 30,000 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), who produce Boeing's top-selling 737 MAX and other jets in the Seattle and Portland, began a strike Friday after overwhelmingly voting down a new contract. Boeing and union negotiators are to return to the bargaining table next week, in talks overseen by U.S. federal mediators, after more than 94% of workers voted to reject an initial contract offer that Holden had endorsed. Holden said the priorities for his members were a bigger wage increase and the restoration of a defined-benefit pension scheme that the union lost during a previous round of negotiations with Boeing a decade ago. "We have the most leverage and the most power at the most opportune time that we've ever had in our history, and our members are expecting us to use it," Holden told NPR. "I know that our members are confident. They're standing shoulder to shoulder and they're ready. So it (the strike) could go on for a while," he said. The initial deal included a 25% pay raise spread over four years and a commitment by Boeing to build its next commercial jet in the Seattle region, if the plane program is launched within the four-year period of the contract. Union members, venting frustration at years of stagnant wages and rising living costs, said removal of a performance bonus in the Boeing offer would erode half of the headline salary increase. Boeing's stock fell 3.7% on Friday. It has tumbled almost 40% so far this year, slashing the company's market value by roughly $58 billion. A long strike could further damage Boeing's finances, already groaning because of $60 billion in debt. A lengthy pause on plane production would also weigh on airlines that fly Boeing jets and suppliers that manufacture parts. 

PRAGUE — The head of NATO's military committee said Saturday that Ukraine has the solid legal and military right to strike deep inside Russia to gain combat advantage — reflecting the beliefs of several U.S. allies — even as the Biden administration balks at allowing Kyiv to do so using American-made weapons. "Every nation that is attacked has the right to defend itself. And that right doesn't stop at the border of your own nation," said Admiral Rob Bauer, speaking at the close of the committee's annual meeting, also attended by U.S. Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Bauer, of Netherlands, also added that nations have the sovereign right to put limits on the weapons they send to Ukraine. But, standing next to him at a news briefing, Lt. General Karel Řehka, chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, made it clear his nation places no such weapons restrictions on Kyiv. "We believe that the Ukrainians should decide themselves how to use it," Řehka said. Their comments came as U.S. President Joe Biden is weighing whether to allow Ukraine to use American-provided long-range weapons to hit deep into Russia. And they hint at the divisions over the issue. Biden met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday, after this week's visit to Kyiv by their top diplomats, who came under fresh pressure to loosen weapons restrictions. U.S. officials familiar with discussions said they believed Starmer was seeking Biden's approval to allow Ukraine to use British Storm Shadow missiles for expanded strikes in Russia. Biden's approval may be needed because Storm Shadow components are made in the U.S. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share the status of private conversations, said they believed Biden would be amenable, but there has been no decision announced yet. On Thursday Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that allowing long-range strikes “would mean that NATO countries, the United States and European countries, are at war with Russia.” His remarks were in line with the narrative the Kremlin has promoted since early in the war, accusing NATO countries of de-facto participation in the conflict and threatening a response. Providing additional support and training for Ukraine was a key topic at the NATO chiefs' meeting, but it wasn't clear Saturday if the debate over the U.S. restrictions was discussed. Many of the European nations have been vigorously supportive of Ukraine in part because they worry about being the next victim of an empowered Russia. At the opening of the meeting, Czech Republic President Petr Pavel broadly urged the military chiefs gathered in the room to be "bold and open in articulating your assessments and recommendations. The rounder and the softer they are, the less they will be understood by the political level." The allies, he said, must "take the right steps and the right decisions to protect our countries and our way of life." The military leaders routinely develop plans and recommendations that are then sent to the civilian NATO defense secretaries for discussion and then on to the nations' leaders in the alliance. The U.S. allows Ukraine to use American-provided weapons in cross-border strikes to counter attacks by Russian forces. But it doesn't allow Kyiv to fire long-range missiles, such as the ATACMS, deep into Russia. The U.S. has argued that Ukraine has drones that can strike far and should use ATACMS judiciously because they only have a limited number. Ukraine has increased its pleas with Washington to lift the restrictions, particularly as winter looms and Kyiv worries about Russian gains during the colder months. "You want to weaken the enemy that attacks you in order to not only fight the arrows that come your way, but also attack the archer that is, as we see, very often operating from Russia proper into Ukraine," said Bauer. "So militarily, there's a good reason to do that, to weaken the enemy, to weaken its logistic lines, fuel, ammunition that comes to the front. That is what you want to stop, if at all possible." Brown, for his part, told reporters traveling with him to the meeting that the U.S. policy on long-range weapons remains in place. But, he added, "by the same token, what we want to do is — regardless of that policy — we want to continue to make Ukraine successful with the capabilities that have been provided" by the U.S. and other nations in the coalition, as well as the weapons Kyiv has been able to build itself. "They've proven themselves fairly effective in building out uncrewed aerial vehicles, in building out drones," Brown told reporters traveling with him to meetings in Europe. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has made similar points, arguing that one weapons system won't determine success in the war. "There are a number of things that go into the overall equation as to whether or not you know you want to provide one capability or another," Austin said Friday. "There is no silver bullet when it comes to things like this." He also noted that Ukraine has already been able to strike inside Russia with its own internally produced systems, including drones. 

BEIJING — China's economy softened in August, extending a slowdown in industrial activity and real estate prices as Beijing faces pressure to ramp up spending to stimulate demand. Data published by the National Bureau of Statistics Saturday showed weakening activity across industrial production, retail sales and real estate this month compared to July. "We should be aware that the adverse impacts arising from the changes in the external environment are increasing," said Liu Aihua, the bureau's chief economist in a news conference. Liu said that demand remained insufficient at home, and the sustained economic recovery still confronts multiple difficulties and challenges. China has been grappling with a lagging economy post-COVID, with weak consumer demand, persistent deflationary pressures and a contraction in factory activity. Chinese leaders have ramped up investment in manufacturing to rev up an economy that stalled during the pandemic and is still growing slower than hoped. Beijing also has to deal with increasing pressure to implement large-scale stimulus measures to boost economic growth. While industrial production rose by 4.5% in August compared to a year ago, it declined from July's 5.1% growth, according to the bureau's data released. Retail sales grew 2.1% from the same time last year, slower than the 2.7% increase last month. Fixed asset investment rose by 3.4% from January to August, down from 3.6% in the first seven months. Meanwhile, investment in real estate declined by 10.2% from January to August, compared to last year. The figures released Saturday come after trade data for August saw imports grow just 0.5% compared to a year ago. The consumer price index rose 0.6% in August, missing forecasts according to data released Monday. Officials attributed the higher CPI to an increase in food prices due to bad weather. But the core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, rose by just 0.3% in August, the slowest in over three years.

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 — Nigerian troops have rescued 13 hostages who were kidnapped by an extremist group in the northwestern state of Kaduna, the country's army said on Saturday.  The army said in a statement that "the troops successfully overwhelmed the terrorists, forcing them to abandon their captives."  Several kidnappers were killed, and others were captured, the military added. It didn't specify which armed group the kidnappers belonged to.  The rescued hostages were taken to a military facility for a medical assessment before being reunited with their families. Weapons, ammunition, solar panels and cash were also discovered during the rescue operation.  Kidnappings have become common in parts of northern Nigeria, where dozens of armed groups take advantage of a limited security presence to carry out attacks in villages and along major roads. Most victims are released only after the payment of ransoms that sometimes run into the thousands of dollars.  At least 1,400 students have been taken from Nigerian schools since the 2014 kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls by Boko Haram militants in the village of Chibok in Borno state shocked the world.  Boko Haram, Nigeria's homegrown jihadi rebels, launched its insurgency in 2009 to establish Islamic Shariah law in the country. At least 35,000 people have been killed and 2.1 million people displaced due to the extremist violence, according to United Nations agencies in Nigeria.  

kyiv, ukraine — Ukraine's spy chief said Saturday that Russia's increased production of guided bombs as well as artillery ammunition deliveries from North Korea present major problems for Ukrainian forces on the battlefield.  The head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency GUR, Kyrylo Budanov, said North Korean military aid to Russia presented the biggest concern compared to support provided by Moscow's other allies.  "They supply huge amounts of artillery ammunition, which is critical for Russia," he said, pointing to the ramp up in the battlefield hostilities following such deliveries.  Ukraine and the United States, among other countries and independent analysts, say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is helping Russia in the war against Ukraine by supplying missiles and ammunition in return for economic and other military assistance from Moscow.  Russia's boost in the production of guided bombs also presented a "huge problem for the front line," Budanov said at the Yalta European Strategy conference organized by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation in Kyiv.   Ukraine's forces are stretched thin more than 30 months into the full-scale invasion, working to stave off Russian advance toward key towns in the country's east. Ukrainian forces have also made an incursion into the western Russian region of Kursk.  A ramp up in the production of the Iskander-type missiles has resulted in Russia's "massive use" of weapons to attack Ukraine, Budanov said.   This year's strikes on Ukraine's critical infrastructure have caused significant damage to the country's power grid, leading to power cuts. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has renewed pleas for air defense support from Ukraine's allies.  Budanov said Russian internal planning showed that Moscow will face a recruitment crunch in the middle of next year.  "During this period (summer 2025) they will face a dilemma: either to declare mobilization or to somehow reduce the intensity of hostilities, which may ultimately be critical for them," Budanov 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.

Kyiv, Ukraine — U.S. President Joe Biden will use the remaining four months of his term "to put Ukraine in the best possible position to prevail," a senior adviser said Saturday.  Speaking remotely to a forum in Kyiv, Ukraine, Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national security adviser, also said Biden will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in late September at the U.N. General Assembly in New York to discuss aid to Ukraine.  "President Zelenskyy has said that ultimately this war has to end through negotiations, and we need them to be strong in those negotiations," Sullivan said, adding Ukraine would decide when to enter talks with Russia.  Biden will be replaced next January either by Vice President Kamala Harris, who has indicated she will continue his policies of backing Ukraine, or by former President Donald Trump, who would not say at a debate earlier this week whether he wanted Kyiv to win the war.  The announcement of the upcoming Biden-Zelenskyy meeting came after Moscow and Kyiv earlier Saturday swapped 103 prisoners of war each in a UAE-brokered deal, and as Russian forces continue to gain ground in their grinding offensive in east Ukraine.  Sullivan, in his comments by video link to the forum in Kyiv, said "difficult and complicated" logistics — rather than unwillingness — was delaying aid to Ukraine.  "It's not a matter of political will," Sullivan said. "But given what Ukraine is up against, we've got to do more, and we've got to do better." 

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.

Caracas, Venezuela — Three American citizens, two Spaniards and a Czech citizen have been detained in Venezuela on suspicion of plotting to destabilize the country through "violent actions," the government said Saturday, adding that hundreds of weapons had been seized.   Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said that the five were held on suspicion of planning an attack on President Nicolas Maduro and his government.   The arrests come amid heightened tensions between Venezuela and both the United States and Spain over Venezuela's disputed July 28 presidential election, which the country's opposition accuses Maduro of stealing.   Maduro, a former bus driver, who succeeded iconic left-wing leader Hugo Chavez on his death in 2013, insists he won a third term but failed to release detailed voting tallies to back his claim.   "We know that the United States government has links to this operation," Cabello asserted.    He said the two Spaniards were recently detained in Puerto Ayacucho in the southwest.   He added that three Americans and a Czech national were also arrested and linked the alleged plot to intelligence agencies in the United States and Spain as well as to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.   "They contacted French mercenaries, they contacted mercenaries from Eastern Europe, and they are in an operation to try to attack our country," he said.   He added that "more than 400 rifles were seized" and accused the detainees of plotting "terrorist acts."   The United States, Spain and Czech Republic had yet to react to the sensational claims, which come amid a deepening standoff between Maduro and Western powers.    Maduro's 'dictatorship'  Tensions between Caracas and former colonial power Spain rose sharply after Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, 75, went into exile in Spain a week ago, after being threatened with arrest.   Earlier this week Caracas recalled its ambassador to Madrid for consultations and summoned Spain's envoy to Venezuela for talks after a Spanish minister accused Maduro of running a "dictatorship."   Venezuela was also angered by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's decision to meet with Gonzalez Urrutia and warned Spain against any "interference" in its affairs.    Caracas has additionally been engaged in a war of words with the United States, which recognized Gonzalez Urrutia as the winner of the election.    Washington announced Thursday new sanctions against 16 Venezuelan officials, including some from the electoral authority, for impeding "a transparent electoral process" and not publishing accurate results.   Venezuela denounced the measures as a "crime of aggression" and Maduro decorated four military officers among those targeted by the sanctions.    Maduro's claim to have won a third term in office sparked mass opposition protests, which claimed at least 27 lives and left 192 people wounded.    The opposition published polling station-level results, which it said showed Gonzalez Urrutia winning by a landslide.   About 2,400 people, including numerous teens, were arrested in the unrest.  After Venezuela's last election, in 2018, Maduro also claimed victory amid widespread accusations of fraud.   With the support of the military and other institutions, he managed to cling to power despite international sanctions.    Maduro's tenure since 2013 has seen GDP drop 80% in a decade, prompting more than 7 million of the country's 30 million citizens to migrate.  

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.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, haiti — A fuel truck exploded on a road in Haiti's southern peninsula Saturday, killing at least 16 people and leaving 40 survivors with serious burns, officials said.  Haiti Prime Minister Garry Conille said emergency teams were working to "save the lives of the seriously injured" after the incident, which occurred in the morning near the coastal city of Miragoane in the department of Nippes. "The government stands in solidarity with all the victims and their families," Conille said in a social media post.  Authorities in Nippes said 16 bodies were completely charred and unrecognizable.  A witness to the incident said the truck's gas tank had been punctured by another vehicle, and people rushed to the site to collect fuel.  "There were a lot of people. Those who were close to the truck got pulverized," said the man, who did not give his name, in a video interview with local outlet Echo Haiti Media.  When asked how many people might have been killed in the blast, he said it was difficult to say.  "You can't know, because there were a lot of people, bystanders and those collecting oil. There were a lot of people," he said.   Fuel deliveries to the Miragoane area have slowed in recent weeks as trucks were transported via ferry to avoid gang-controlled highways surrounding the capital of Port-au-Prince.  The spread of gangs in the capital and surrounding areas has fueled a humanitarian crisis with mass displacements, sexual violence, child recruitment and widespread hunger. A state of emergency is now in place nationwide.   Haiti's civil protection agency reported the identities of a 31-year-old man and two 23-year-old men who suffered burns over 89% of their bodies, and were being treated in a hospital in Les Cayes, in southern Haiti.  Two of them sustained second-degree burns, the agency said.  A similar incident in 2021 in the city of Cap-Haitien killed at least 60 people, after people were also thought to have been attempting to take fuel from a tanker truck. 

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.