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washington — The U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 on Thursday to reinstate landmark net neutrality rules and reassume regulatory oversight of broadband internet rescinded under former President Donald Trump.  The commission voted along party lines to finalize a proposal first advanced in October to reinstate open internet rules adopted in 2015 and re-establish the commission's broadband authority.  FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said the agency "believes every consumer deserves internet access that is fast, open, and fair."  "The last FCC threw this authority away and decided broadband needed no supervision," she said.  Net neutrality refers to the principle that internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, and without favoring or blocking particular products or websites.  The FCC said it was also using its authority to order the U.S. units of China Telecom, China Unicom and China Mobile to discontinue broadband internet access services in the United States.   Rosenworcel noted the FCC has taken similar actions against Chinese telecom companies in the past using existing authority.  Reinstating the net neutrality rules has been a priority for President Joe Biden, who signed a July 2021 executive order encouraging the FCC to reinstate net neutrality rules adopted under Democratic President Barack Obama.  Democrats were stymied for nearly three years because they did not take majority control of the five-member FCC until October.  Under Trump, the FCC had argued the net neutrality rules were unnecessary, blocked innovation and resulted in a decline in network investment by internet service providers, a contention disputed by Democrats.  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce criticized the FCC action saying it was "imposing a flawed, pre-television era regulatory structure on broadband" and "will only deter the investments and innovation necessary to connect all Americans."  Public interest group Free Press said the vote is a "major victory for the public interest" saying it "empowers the FCC to hold companies like AT&T, Comcast, Spectrum and Verizon accountable for a wide range of harms to internet users across the United States."  A group of Republican lawmakers, including House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Senator Ted Cruz, called the plan "an illegal power grab that would expose the broadband industry to an oppressive regulatory regime" giving the agency and states power to impose rate regulation, unbundle obligations and tax broadband internet providers.  Democrats on the FCC say they will not set rate regulations.  The Computer & Communications Industry Association, whose members include Amazon.com, Apple, Alphabet and Meta Platforms, back net neutrality, arguing the rules "must be reinstated to preserve open access to the internet."  USTelecom, whose members include AT&T, Verizon and others, called reinstating net neutrality "entirely counterproductive, unnecessary, and an anti-consumer regulatory distraction."  Despite the 2017 decision to withdraw the requirement at the federal level, a dozen states now have net neutrality laws or regulations in place. Industry groups abandoned legal challenges to those state requirements in May 2022. 

washington — The Supreme Court on Thursday appeared likely to reject former President Donald Trump's claim of absolute immunity from prosecution over election interference, but it seemed possible Trump could still benefit from a lengthy trial delay, possibly beyond November's election.  Chief Justice John Roberts was among at least five members of the court who did not appear to embrace the claim of absolute immunity that would stop special counsel Jack Smith's prosecution of Trump on charges he conspired to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.  But in arguments lasting more than 2-1/2 hours in the court's first consideration of criminal charges against a former president, Roberts also was among several justices who suggested that the case might have to be sent back to lower courts before any trial could begin. Roberts indicated he was unhappy with the reasoning adopted by the federal appeals court that ruled against Trump.  The timing of the Supreme Court's decision could be as important as the outcome. Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee, has been pushing to delay the trial until after the election, and the later the justices issue their decision, the more likely he is to succeed.  The active questioning of all nine justices left the strong impression that the court was not headed for the sort of speedy, consensus decision that would allow a trial to begin quickly.  Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, two of Trump's three high court appointees, suggested that former presidents might have some immunity and that in this case, lower courts might have to sort out whether that applied to Trump. That could further delay a trial.  Justice Amy Coney Barrett, the other Trump appointee, seemed less open to arguments advanced by Trump lawyer D. John Sauer.  Smith's team is asking for a speedy resolution. The court typically issues its last opinions by the end of June, about four months before the election.  Trump team's argument Trump's lawyers argue that former presidents are entitled to absolute immunity for their official acts. Otherwise, they say, politically motivated prosecutions of former occupants of the Oval Office would become routine and presidents couldn't function as the commander in chief if they had to worry about criminal charges.  Lower courts have rejected those arguments, including a unanimous three-judge panel of an appeals court in Washington.  The election interference conspiracy case brought by Smith in Washington is one of four criminal cases confronting Trump.  Smith's team says the men who wrote Constitution never intended for presidents to be above the law and that, in any event, the acts Trump is charged with — including participating in a scheme to enlist fake electors in battleground states won by Biden — aren't in any way part of a president's official duties.  Nearly four years ago, all nine justices rejected Trump's claim of absolute immunity from a district attorney's subpoena for his financial records. That case played out during Trump's presidency and involved a criminal investigation, but no charges.  Justice Clarence Thomas, who would have prevented the enforcement of the subpoena because of Trump's responsibilities as president, still rejected Trump's claim of absolute immunity and pointed to the text of the Constitution and how it was understood by the people who ratified it.  "The text of the Constitution … does not afford the president absolute immunity," Thomas wrote in 2020.  The court has several options for deciding the case. The justices could reject Trump's arguments and unfreeze the case so that U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan can resume trial preparations, which she has indicated may last up to three months.  The court could end Smith's prosecution by declaring for the first time that former presidents may not be prosecuted for official acts they took while in office.  It also might spell out when former presidents are shielded for prosecution and either declare that Trump's alleged conduct easily crossed the line or return the case to Chutkan so that she can decide whether Trump should have to stand trial. 

NEW YORK — A federal judge on Thursday rejected Donald Trump's bid to throw out an $83.3 million defamation verdict in favor of the writer E. Jean Carroll, who said the former U.S. president defamed her after she accused him of raping her decades ago. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan denied Trump's requests for a new trial, or to have the former Elle magazine advice columnist's case thrown out altogether. He also dismissed arguments that the jury's award to Carroll following Trump's "malicious and unceasing attacks" was too high, and that errors at the civil trial tainted the verdict. Trump is appealing the verdict and plans to appeal Thursday's decision. "We categorically disagree with Judge Kaplan's decision," his lawyer Alina Habba said in a statement. "It ignores long-standing constitutional principles and is a prime example of the lawfare raging across this country." Roberta Kaplan, a lawyer for Carroll, said she was not surprised by the decision, and said the $83.3 million award was "entirely reasonable." She is not related to the judge. Trump is the Republican presidential candidate in the 2024 election, and also a defendant in four criminal cases, including an ongoing hush money trial. In the Jan. 26 verdict, jurors agreed with Carroll that Trump defamed her in June 2019 by denying that he had raped her in the mid-1990s in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in Manhattan. Jurors awarded Carroll $18.3 million in compensatory damages for emotional and reputational harm, plus $65 million in punitive damages. Trump's lawyers argued that the judge instructed jurors improperly about the burden of proof needed to show malice and erred in striking testimony about his state of mind. According to the lawyers, Trump's testimony that "I just wanted to defend myself, my family, and frankly, the presidency" was relevant to whether he had acted maliciously, and that excluding it "all but assured" a big punitive damages award. But the judge said Trump's attacks had been seen by more than 100 million people, and that Trump defamed Carroll with out-of-court statements even during the trial. He also said Trump "put his hatred and disdain on full display" in the courtroom, including by muttering that the proceedings were a "witch hunt" and "con job," and walking out as Carroll's lawyer made her closing argument. "On this exceptional record, the punitive damages evidence passes constitutional muster," Judge Kaplan wrote. Last May, a different jury ordered Trump to pay Carroll $5 million over an October 2022 denial of Carroll's accusations, finding he had defamed and sexually abused her. Trump is also appealing that verdict.

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Concern grows over U.S. military aid to Israel as some accuse Israel of violating the human rights of Gazans plus a look at how the aid destined to Ukraine will make a difference on the battlefield. Amnesty International releases its annual report and warns of a breakdown in international law.

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Washington — The United States on Thursday issued further sanctions on Iran, targeting Iranian drones, including their use by Russia in the war in Ukraine, as Washington seeks to ratchet up pressure on Tehran.  In a statement, the U.S. Treasury Department said the action, taken in coordination with the United Kingdom and Canada, targets over one dozen entities, individuals and vessels it accused of playing a key role in facilitating and financing the clandestine sale of Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles to Iran's Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL).  MODAFL in turn supports Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and Russia's war in Ukraine, the Treasury said. “Iran’s Ministry of Defense continues to destabilize the region and world with its support to Russia’s war in Ukraine, unprecedented attack on Israel, and proliferation of UAVs and other dangerous military hardware to terrorist proxies,” said Treasury's Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence,Brian Nelson.  Washington also targeted two companies and a vessel involved in the shipment of Iranian commodities, the Treasury said. “The United States, in close coordination with our British and Canadian partners, will continue to use all means available to combat those who would finance Iran’s destabilizing activities," Nelson said. Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment.  Sahara Thunder plays key role  The Treasury said it targeted a company named Sahara Thunder, accusing it of being a main front company that oversees MODAFL's commercial activities in support of the IRGC and Russia's war in Ukraine.  It said the company plays a key role in Iran's design, development, manufacture and sale of thousands of drones, many of them ultimately transferred to Russia for use against Ukraine.  As of 2022, Russian officials were negotiating a deal for Sahara Thunder to deliver and produce thousands of drones per year at a facility in Russia under U.S. sanctions, the Treasury said.  Sahara Thunder's leadership and shipping network, which the Treasury said the company relied on for the sale and shipment of Iranian commodities on behalf of MODAFL to jurisdictions including China, Russia and Venezuela, were also targeted.  An Iran-based company involved in the procurement and development of unmanned aerial vehicles, its leadership and an Iranian cargo airline were also among those hit with sanctions. The U.S. earlier this month had warned it would impose further sanctions on Iran following its unprecedented attack on Israel.  Washington has since taken measures, including targeting Iran's drone program, steel industry and cyber actors.  Iran this month launched more than 300 drones and missiles against Israel, its first direct attack on the country, in retaliation for a suspected Israeli airstrike on its embassy compound in Damascus on April 11 that killed elite military officers.

washington — The Biden administration is not taking any options off the table to respond to China's excess industrial capacity, which is a top concern for the U.S. and its allies, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Reuters on Thursday. China exporting its way to full employment is not acceptable to the rest of the world, Yellen said in a Reuters Next interview in Washington. Yellen said that during her trip to China earlier this month, she was "successful" in raising U.S. concerns with Chinese officials about Beijing flooding global markets with electric vehicles (EVs), solar panels and other clean energy goods, threatening U.S. jobs. She added that Chinese officials acknowledge a problem with industrial overcapacity, but they need to address it. She said the issue, which threatens producers of similar goods in the U.S., Europe, Japan and emerging markets such as India and Mexico, was again "discussed intensively" with Chinese officials in Washington on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank spring meetings last week. Yellen added that the problem will not be resolved "in a day or a week." "So it's important that China recognize the concern and begin to act to address it," Yellen said. "But we don't want our industry wiped out in the meantime, so I wouldn't want to take anything off the table." The Biden administration is completing a review of the "Section 301" unfair trade tariffs on Chinese imports imposed by former President Donald Trump in 2018, which U.S. officials have said could lead to higher tariffs on some products. President Joe Biden last week called for the review to triple the Section 301 duties on Chinese steel to 25%. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai also told U.S. senators that the U.S. needed to take "early action, decisive action" to protect the fledgling American EV sector from Chinese imports. U.S. tariffs on Chinese vehicle imports are now about 27.5%, and few Chinese EVs are sold in the U.S. at the moment. "We have no problem with China producing and selling globally and exporting, but the United States and Europe and other countries also want to have some involvement in the ability to produce clean energy products that are going to be of great importance," Yellen said.  

The video shows an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, not Rafah.

Washington — U.S. President Joe Biden and leaders of 17 other countries with citizens believed or known to be held by Hamas are demanding the militant group accept a proposed cease-fire deal with Israel and release the hostages immediately.  The deal offered would “bring an immediate and prolonged ceasefire in Gaza, that would facilitate a surge of additional necessary humanitarian assistance to be delivered throughout Gaza, and lead to the credible end of hostilities,” they said Thursday in a statement released by the White House.  “Gazans would be able to return to their homes and their lands with preparations beforehand to ensure shelter and humanitarian provisions,” the statement said.  In addition to the United States, the 17 countries are Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Thailand, and the United Kingdom.  Hamas has rejected a proposed deal that would bring a cease-fire immediately to Gaza in return for the release of women, wounded, elderly and sick hostages, a senior Biden administration official told reporters in a briefing Thursday. However, he said there are signals from the group that suggest they are still considering the offer.  Various reports suggest Hamas is demanding a complete cease-fire, the full retreat of Israel Defense Forces troops from Gaza, an increase in humanitarian aid, and the full return of displaced Gazans to the north. The group maintains that Israel is not allowing Gazans to go home in an unrestricted way as the IDF has not pulled back from central Gaza.  The official said the deal being offered to Hamas allows the “unrestricted return” of Gazans to the northern part of the Palestinian enclave and includes provisions for a United Nations mission to ensure shelter and other assistance “over the first weeks of the cease-fire” for the population returning north.  The statement follows the release by Hamas of a video showing Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin on Wednesday. The video appears to be the first proof that the 24-year-old survived a severe injury during his capture on October 7 from the Nova music festival, during the Hamas attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people. The U.S.-designated terrorist group took about 250 others hostage, some of whom were released during a brief truce in November. Israel’s military response in Gaza has killed more than 34,000 people, mostly civilians, and has increased tensions in the Middle East. Video filmed on October 7 of Goldberg-Polin being taken hostage showed his left hand blown off, likely by a grenade. The video that Hamas released on Wednesday is undated and shows him with part of his left arm missing.  Biden and the leaders said Thursday they strongly support the ongoing mediation efforts. “Let us end this crisis so that collectively we can focus our efforts on bringing peace and stability to the region,” they said.  The senior administration official places the blame for the failure of negotiations on Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. The official said Sinwar is “ultimately the decision maker” on whether Hamas accepts the deal.  The official declined to confirm reports that Sinwar recently emerged briefly from the Hamas-dug tunnels to meet with his militants above ground.  “Justice will come for Sinwar,” he said.

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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Ariel Henry resigned Thursday as prime minister of Haiti, leaving the way clear for a new government to be formed in the Caribbean country, which has been wracked by gang violence that killed or injured more than 2,500 people from January to March. Henry presented his resignation in a letter signed in Los Angeles, dated April 24, and released on Thursday by his office on the same day that a council tasked with choosing a new prime minister and Cabinet for Haiti was sworn in. Henry’s remaining Cabinet meanwhile chose Economy and Finance Minister Michel Patrick Boisvert as the interim prime minister. It was not immediately clear when the transitional council would select its own interim prime minister. Addressing a crowded and sweaty room in the prime minister's office, Boisvert said that Haiti's crisis had gone on too long and that the country now found itself at a crossroads. The members of the transitional council stood behind him, as well as the country's top police and military officials. “After two long months of debate ... a solution has been found,” Boisvert said. “Today is an important day in the life of our dear republic.” He called the transitional council a “Haitian solution” and directing his remarks toward them, Boisvert wished them success, adding, “I believe the determination is there.” After the speeches, the soft clink of glasses echoed in the room as attendees served champagne flutes toasted with a somber “To Haiti.” The council was installed more than a month after Caribbean leaders announced its creation following an emergency meeting to tackle Haiti’s spiraling crisis. Henry had pledged to resign once the council was installed. The nine-member council, of which seven have voting powers, is also expected to help set the agenda of a new Cabinet. It will also appoint a provisional electoral commission, a requirement before elections can take place, and establish a national security council. The council’s non-renewable mandate expires Feb. 7, 2026, at which date a new president is scheduled to be sworn in. Smith Augustin, a voting member of the council, said that it was not clear if the council would decide to keep Boisvert on as interim prime minister or choose another. He said it would be discussed in the coming days. “The crisis is unsustainable,” he said. Regine Abraham, a nonvoting member of the council, recalled the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, explaining that “that violence had a devastating impact.” Abraham said that gangs now controlled most of Port-au-Prince, tens of thousands of Haitians have been displaced by violence and more than 900 schools in the capital have been forced to close. “The population of Port-au-Prince has literally been taken hostage,” she said. Gangs launched coordinated attacks that began on Feb. 29 in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and surrounding areas. They burned police stations and hospitals, opened fire on the main international airport that has remained closed since early March and stormed Haiti’s two biggest prisons, releasing more than 4,000 inmates. Gangs also have severed access to Haiti’s biggest port. The onslaught began while Prime Minister Henry was on an official visit to Kenya to push for a U.N.-backed deployment of a police force from the East African country. He remains locked out of Haiti. “Port-au-Prince is now almost completely sealed off because of air, sea and land blockades,” Catherine Russell, UNICEF’s director, said earlier this week. The international community has urged the council to prioritize Haiti’s widespread insecurity. Even before the attacks began, gangs already controlled 80% of Port-au-Prince. The number of people killed in early 2024 was up by more than 50% compared with the same period last year, according to a recent U.N. report. “It is impossible to overstate the increase in gang activity across Port-au-Prince and beyond, the deterioration of the human rights situation and the deepening of the humanitarian crisis,” María Isabel Salvador, the U.N. special envoy for Haiti, said at a U.N. Security Council meeting on Monday. Nearly 100,000 people have fled the capital in search of safer cities and towns since the attacks began. Tens of thousands of others left homeless after gangs torched their homes are now living in crowded, makeshift shelters across Port-au-Prince that only have one or two toilets for hundreds of residents. “Although I’m physically here, it feels like I’m dead,” said Rachel Pierre, a 39-year-old mother of four children. “There is no food or water. Sometimes I have nothing to give the kids,” she said as her 14-month-old suckled on her deflated breast. Many Haitians are angry and exhausted at what their lives have become and blame gangs for their situation. “They’re the ones who sent us here,” said Chesnel Joseph, a 46-year-old math teacher whose school closed because of the violence and who has become the shelter’s informal director. “They mistreat us. They kill us. They burn our homes.”

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.

JIUQUAN SATELLITE LAUNCH CENTER, China — China launched a three-member crew to its orbiting space station on Thursday as part of its ambitious program that aims to put astronauts on the moon by 2030.  The Shenzhou-18 spacecraft lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the edge of the Gobi Desert in northwestern China atop a Long March 2-F rocket at 8:59 p.m. (1259 GMT).  The spacecraft's three-member crew will relieve the Shenzhou-17 team, which has been staffing China's Tiangong space station since last October.  The China Manned Space Agency, or CMSA, held a send-off ceremony — complete with flag-waving children and patriotic music — for the Shenzhou-18 crew earlier on Thursday, as the three astronauts prepared to enter the spacecraft.  The trio is made of Commander Ye Guangfu, 43, a veteran astronaut who took part in the Shenzhou-13 mission in 2021, and fighter pilots Li Cong, 34, and Li Guangsu, 36, who are spaceflight rookies.    They are expected to reach the space station about six-and-a-half hours after liftoff.  China built its own space station after being excluded from the International Space Station, largely because of U.S. concerns over the Chinese military's involvement in the program. This year, the Chinese station is slated for two cargo spacecraft missions and two manned spaceflight missions.  The Shenzhou-18 crew will spend about six months on the space station. They will conduct scientific tests, install space debris protection equipment on the station, carry out payload experiments, and popularize science education, among other things, according to Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA.  Lin also said China was working toward eventually offering access to its space station to foreign astronauts and space tourists.  "We will accelerate the research and promotion of the participation of foreign astronauts and space tourists on flights on China's space station," he said in a press conference Wednesday.  The country is planning a mission to bring back samples from Mars around 2030 and three lunar probe missions over the next four years. It also wants to put astronauts on the moon by 2030.  China conducted its first crewed space mission in 2003, becoming the third country after the former Soviet Union and the U.S. to put a person into space using its own resources.  The U.S. space program is believed to still hold a significant edge over China's due to its spending, supply chains and capabilities. However, China has broken out in some areas, bringing samples back from the lunar surface for the first time in decades and landing a rover on the less explored far side of the moon.  The U.S. aims to put a crew back on the lunar surface by the end of 2025 as part of a renewed commitment to crewed missions, aided by private sector players such as SpaceX and Blue Origin.

Juba, South Sudan — South Sudanese farmers who have relied on United Nations agencies operating in that country now say they are afraid of losing a ready market for their produce should the U.N. follow through on its threat to scale down operations in the world's youngest nation. This comes after the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom expressed concerns about Juba's decision to impose taxes on some commodities purchased by the U.N. The United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan — UNMISS — has already scaled down its security operations in South Sudan. U.N. Special Representative of the Secretary-General in South Sudan Nicholas Haysom says Juba's move to enforce taxes on various services offered by the U.N. in South Sudan will lead to severe consequences, including cuts in aid and other humanitarian support. "Our concern is that the authorities have blocked our fuel, and we are unable to implement our mandate, including important elements, which affect and support South Sudanese — including the delivery of aid and food to vulnerable communities," he said. A joint statement by the United States, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom accused Juba of imposing taxes on a range of approvals and fees, contrary to international practice and to South Sudanese laws. These include the E-Petroleum Accreditation Permit, customs charges, the electronic cargo tracking note, the laboratory test on food rations, and the security escort fee. The U.N. warns this move has forced them to scale down operations in South Sudan, including security patrols, as a direct response to the action. "We have reached an agreement that the blocking of these vehicles is unlawful, and that they should be released as soon as possible," Haysom said. He warned that the ripple effect will be felt far and wide. So far, more than 60-thousand people are losing access to health services after the U.N. stopped airdrop exercises. South Sudan relies heavily on the U.N. for humanitarian aid. Amos Valerio is the chairperson of the Gitikiri farmer cooperative in Western Equatoria state that supports local farmers by connecting them with a ready market. One of their key markets is the World Food Program, which has been buying farm produce from local farmers and then taking this food to millions of South Sudanese in refugee camps across the country. "The fear we have right now is that if the U.N. withdraws from South Sudan, we will not have any partner again,” Valerio said. “We encourage the government to restore the U.N. to continue helping farmers and to continue with their activities in South Sudan.” Louise Wilson Mbiro, a farmer from Gitikiri Boma in Western Equatoria state, said she fears losing her biggest buyer of maize seeds. If the WFP leaves, farmers will not be able to sell the products they have already produced and those they were going to produce, she said, adding that the WFP’s presence and support encouraged farmers to produce more.  Before the WFP started buying their seeds, Mbiro said life was very difficult, and she could only sell one kilogram of maize at 5,000 South Sudanese pounds, which was not helping at all. But when WFP came, she said farmers could sell all their products at once, and get money in bulk, which was something that never used to happen. Currently, Mbiro said, she can sell 35 bags, and make 1 million South Sudanese pounds. Albino Akol Atak, South Sudan’s minister of humanitarian assistance and disaster management, said the government is trying to find a way to remove the taxes on the U.N.  "We are considering that as the contribution of [the] government of South Sudan to what they [the U.N.] are doing is exempt. Their operations including importation of some humanitarian asserts and any other equipment that are to be used to deliver services to the people of South Sudan.” Akol Atak said the exemption is part of the government's contribution to humanitarian assistance to its people.  But the U.N. says its fuel trucks are still being held up at various depots and the border. Unless the vehicles are released, Haysom said in a statement, the U.N. will stop most of its activities in South Sudan, including the support for vulnerable communities like refugees. The U.N. currently plays a leading role in ensuring stability in South Sudan as the country gears up for its first-ever general election in December.