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Islamabad — Thousands of supporters of Pakistan's imprisoned former prime minister, Imran Khan, rallied on the outskirts of Islamabad Sunday to denounce his “illegal” incarceration and demand his immediate release. Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, party organized the public gathering, one of the largest in the Pakistani capital's history.  The strong turnout came despite the police blocking the officially designated route for rally participants with shipping containers in an apparent bid to restrict convoys from other cities from reaching the venue. The administration also deployed riot police to prevent possible unrest. Social media videos and images showed PTI workers and leaders from elsewhere in Pakistan marching toward Islamabad. PTI activists were seen successfully removing containers to clear the way at several entry points. Police briefly clashed with and fired tear gas shells on PTI workers en route to the rally. Authorities later reported injuries to several police personnel due to stone pelting allegedly from Khan supporters, charges party leaders rejected.  “We will continue our efforts until Khan is freed from prison,” Hammad Azhar, a central PTI leader, told the rally.  Critics observed that Sunday’s rally demonstrated once again that the 71-year-old former cricket star-turned-prime minister remains Pakistan’s most popular politician despite facing a series of state-backed criminal prosecutions and lawsuits.  “Strong turnout for PTI rally despite the state's tactics to limit numbers through roadblocks and containers, and despite the risk of violent crackdowns and arrests,” Michael Kugelman, the director of the South Asia Institute at Washington’s Wilson Center, said on X. “Its size and popularity ensure its mobilization capabilities remain intact despite relentless attempts to curb it," Kugelman wrote. Khan completed 400 days in prison on Sunday. The charges against him range from corruption to sedition to stoking violent anti-army protests. He rejects all the allegations as politically motivated and asserts that the powerful Pakistani military is behind them to block his return to power.  Subsequently, appeals courts have overturned or suspended all his convictions for lack of evidence, but authorities quickly launched new charges to prevent him from leaving prison. The United Nations in July declared Khan’s detention arbitrary, saying there was no legal basis for keeping him in prison.   Mushahid Hussain, who recently retired from Pakistan’s Senate, the upper house of parliament, criticized Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government for “barricading Islamabad” through containers and coercion and for creating an “atmosphere of fear & force” in its attempt to block Sunday’s political rally. Hussain warned through a post on X that such efforts would impede political stability and economic recovery. “’Common Sense’ can be quite Uncommon!” he wrote. Sunday’s rally by the PTI in Islamabad was its first since parliamentary elections on February 8. Khan’s convictions at the time barred him from running, but his party candidates emerged winners of most seats in the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, but not enough to form the government.  The PTI alleged the vote was massively rigged to prevent its candidates from sweeping the polls. This allowed military-backed rival political parties to form a coalition administration with Sharif as prime minister. Hundreds of PTI workers and leaders, including women, have been jailed or under trial on charges defense attorneys reject as baseless and part of the state crackdown on the party. Khan served as Pakistan’s prime minister from 2018 until April 2022, when he was ousted through an opposition parliamentary no-confidence vote he alleges was planned by the military. Successive Pakistani governments and military officials have denied the allegations. Last month, his party announced that Khan had formally applied to run for chancellor of the University of Oxford in Britain from his prison cell. The election university website states that the new chancellor will be elected through an unprecedented online ballot process beginning on October 28.     Khan, an Oxford graduate, served as the chancellor of University of Bradford from 2005 to 2014.

New York — Jannik Sinner beat Taylor Fritz 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 with a relentless baseline game to win the U.S. Open men's championship on Sunday, less than three weeks after being exonerated in a doping case. The No. 1-ranked Sinner, a 23-year-old from Italy, won the second Grand Slam trophy of his nascent career — the other was at the Australian Open in January — and prevented No. 12 Fritz from ending a major title drought for American men that has lasted 21 years. Andy Roddick's triumph at Flushing Meadows in 2003 was the last Slam title for a man from the United States. The last before Fritz, a 26-year-old from California, to even contest a final at one of the four biggest tournaments in tennis also was Roddick, who lost to Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2009. Sinner extended his current winning streak to 11 matches and improved to 55-5 with a tour-high six titles in 2024. That includes a 35-2 mark on hard courts, the surface used at both the Australian Open and U.S. Open, and he is the first man since Guillermo Vilas in 1977 to win his first two Grand Slam trophies in the same season, something such greats as Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Federer never accomplished. Less than a week before competition began at Flushing Meadows, the world found out that Sinner had tested positive twice for anabolic steroids in March but was cleared because his use was ruled unintentional — the banned substance entered his system via a massage from a team member he later fired. As expected, Fritz enjoyed something of a home-court advantage on a cool afternoon under a nearly cloudless sky. In a celebrity-filled crowd that included Taylor Swift and her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, some spectators occasionally engaged in chants of "U-S-A!" between games or rose to their feet whenever he managed to pick up what felt in the moment like a crucial point. Fritz is not the sort to show much in the way of emotion, often greeting those instances with a little shake of his neon-colored racket. When he was broken in the match's first game, an inauspicious start that included a bad miss of a smash, Fritz grinned sarcastically. Sinner showed some jitters, too, and when he played a loose game that included a double-fault and other misses, that helped Fritz break back to eventually lead 3-2 after 20 minutes. That was pretty much the last significant highlight for Fritz or his fans until 3-all in the third set, when he smacked an overhead winner to get to 15-30, punched the air and screamed, "Let's go!" People in the stands rose, applauding and shouting. After Fritz deposited a volley winner to earn a break point a minute later, he celebrated in the same fashion, and thousands around him went wild. Sinner then double-faulted, putting Fritz in front 4-3. But when he tried to serve out the set at 5-4, Fritz buckled enough to let Sinner pull even by breaking. Sinner used a drop shot to lure Fritz to the front court, then slid a passing shot that Fritz volleyed into the net. Fritz bounced off his racket off the court. Sinner loped to the towel box, not even smiling. About 10 minutes later, the victory was Sinner's thanks to a closing four-game run. When it was over, Sinner raised his arms, threw his head back and closed his eyes. He generally asserts himself during matches in what perhaps is best described as a rather casual way. His style is less spectacular than solid, less magical than metronomic. Either way, it was masterful, using his long limbs and squeaking, sliding sneakers to get to everything before aiming high-speed shot after shot right near lines — and usually succeeding. Neither player seemed all that interested in venturing forward Sunday unless forced to, instead content to ply their forehands and backhands from the back of the court. That's decidedly Sinner's territory. By the end, Sinner, the second Italian to win a singles title at the U.S. Open, joining 2015 women's champion Flavia Pennetta, had an impressive ledger: just 21 unforced errors, 13 fewer than Fritz, and 23 winners. Going in, the matchup appeared to be one Fritz would only have a chance of keeping competitive provided he demonstrated his absolute best, particularly when serving. If that's so, the opening set turned out to be something less than an ideal for him. He put 36% of his first serves in, delivered only two aces — a total exceeded in the initial game of the second set alone — and wound up with more than twice as many unforced errors (12) as winners (five). Those sorts of stats would improve from Fritz's side, but he did not figure out a way to consistently put Sinner in trouble. Few can these days.

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Beijing — China said Sunday it would allow the establishment of wholly foreign-owned hospitals in nine areas of the country including the capital, as Beijing tries to attract more foreign investment to boost its flagging economy. In a document on the official website of China's commerce ministry, it said the new policy was a pilot project designed to implement a pledge the ruling Communist Party's Central Committee led by President Xi Jinping made at its July plenum meeting held roughly every five years. "In order to ... introduce foreign investment to promote the high-quality development of China's medical-related fields, and better meet the medical and health needs of the people, it is planned to carry out pilot work of expanding opening-up in the medical field," according to the document. The project will allow the establishment of such hospitals in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hainan — all relatively wealthy cities or provinces in eastern or southern China. The new policy excludes hospitals practicing traditional Chinese medicine and "mergers and acquisitions of public hospitals," the document read, adding that the specific conditions, requirements and procedures for setting up such foreign-owned hospitals would be detailed soon. The policy also allows companies with foreign investors to engage in the development and application of gene and human stem cell technologies for treatment and diagnosis in the pilot free-trade zones of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, and Hainan. This includes registration, marketing and production of products that can be bought nationwide, according to the document. The removal of restrictions on foreign investment in these fields comes as the world's second-largest economy faces growing headwinds with flagging foreign business sentiment, one of the issues threatening growth.

Mexico City — Thousands of Mexicans, mainly court employees and law students, protested in the capital Sunday against a controversial judicial reform that would see judges elected by popular vote.  They gathered in Mexico City as the Senate prepared to debate the initiative pushed by outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and approved by the lower house, called the Chamber of Deputies, in which the ruling party holds sway.  The proposed reform, which would see the election of judges of the Supreme Court and other tribunals as well as magistrates, has sparked diplomatic tensions with the United States, prompted protests by opponents, and upset financial markets.  "The judiciary will not fall," changed protesters who marched on the Senate, expected to vote on the proposal Wednesday.  Striking judicial workers have asked the Supreme Court to intervene in the matter, a request that Lopez Obrador has said had no legal basis.  The United States, Mexico's main trading partner, has warned that the reforms would threaten a relationship that relies on investor confidence in the Mexican legal framework.  Lopez Obrador, who will be replaced by his ally Claudia Sheinbaum on October 1, argues that the change was warranted because courts serve the interests of the political and economic elite. 

Tehran, Iran — Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian will visit neighboring Iraq on Wednesday, state media reported Sunday, in what will be his first trip abroad since he took office in July. Pezeshkian will head a high-ranking Iranians delegation to Baghdad to meet senior Iraqi officials.   The visit comes at the invitation of Iraq's premier, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, the official IRNA news agency quoted Iran's ambassador to Baghdad Mohammad Kazem Al-Sadegh as saying. The two countries will sign memoranda of understanding on cooperation and security, Sadegh said, without elaborating. He said the agreements were to have been signed during a planned visit to Iraq by Iran's late president, Ebrahim Raisi. But Raisi was killed in May along with the then-foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, when their helicopter crashed on a fog-shrouded mountainside in northern Iran. Since taking office, Pezeshkian has vowed to "prioritize" strengthening ties with the Islamic republic's neighbors.    Relations between Iran and Iraq, both Shiite-majority countries, have grown closer over the past two decades. Tehran is one of Iraq's leading trade partners and wields considerable political influence in Baghdad, where its Iraqi allies dominate parliament and the current government. In March 2023 the two countries signed a security agreement covering their common border, months after Tehran struck Kurdish opposition groups in Iraq's north. They have since agreed to disarm Iranian Kurdish rebel groups and remove them from border areas. Tehran accuses the groups of importing arms from Iraq and of fomenting 2022 protests that erupted after the death in custody of Iranian-Kurd woman Mahsa Amini. In January, Iran launched a deadly strike in northern Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, saying it had targeted a site used by "spies of the Zionist regime (Mossad)," an apparent reference to Israel. On Saturday, an exiled Iranian Kurdish group said one of its activists, Behzad Khosrawi, had been arrested in Iraq's northern city of Sulaimaniyah and handed over to "Iranian intelligence." Local Asayesh security forces said Khosrawi was arrested "because he did not have residency" in the Kurdish region, and denied he had any connection to "political activism."

Athens — Greece plans to impose a 20-euro ($22) levy on cruise ship visitors to the islands of Santorini and Mykonos during the peak summer season, in a bid to avert overtourism, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Sunday.  Greece relies heavily on tourism, the main driver of the country's economy which is still recovering from a decadelong crisis that wiped out a fourth of its output.  But some of its most popular destinations, including Santorini, an idyllic island of quaint villages and pristine beaches with 20,000 permanent residents, risk being ruined by mass tourism.  Speaking at a news conference a day after outlining his main economic policies for 2025, Mitsotakis clarified that excessive tourism was only a problem in a few destinations.  "Greece does not have a structural overtourism problem... Some of its destinations have a significant issue during certain weeks or months of the year, which we need to deal with," he said.  "Cruise shipping has burdened Santorini and Mykonos, and this is why we are proceeding with interventions," he added, announcing the levy.  Greek tourism revenues stood at about 20 billion euros ($22 billion) in 2023 on the back of nearly 31 million tourist arrivals.  In Santorini, protesters have called for curbs on tourism, as in other popular holiday destinations in Europe, including Venice and Barcelona.  Part of the revenues from the cruise shipping tax will be returned to local communities to be invested in infrastructure, Mitsotakis said.  The government also plans to regulate the number of cruise ships that arrive simultaneously at certain destinations, while rules to protect the environment and tackle water shortages must also be imposed on islands, he said.  Greece also wants to increase a tax on short-term rentals and ban new licenses for such rentals in central Athens to increase the housing stock for permanent residents, Mitsotakis said Saturday.  The government will provide more details on some of the measures Monday.

Saint-Denis, France — This time, it really is au revoir. A summer sporting bonanza which started under pouring rain on July 26 with a remarkable opening ceremony on the Seine River was ending Sunday with the Paralympics closing at a rain-soaked Stade de France. It lowers the curtain on successful back-to-back events that captivated fans and raised the bar high for others to follow. Good luck Los Angeles in 2028. As the stadium was lit up in the blue, white and red colors of the French national flag, a trumpet player played the national anthem “La Marseillaise” and Paralympic flagbearers then made their way into the stadium carrying national flags to the sound of “Chariots of Fire” by Vangelis. Later Sunday, famed French electronic music composer Jean-Michel Jarre was to close out the ceremony which was again led by artistic director Thomas Jolly. His intention this time was to turn the stadium into a giant open-air dance party. More than 20 DJs, including Etienne de Crecy, Martin Solveig and Kavinsky, were to perform in a tribute to French electro music to the theme “Journey of the Wave.” Or the wave goodbye from the 64,000 fans, and the city itself, to the more than 4,000 Paralympic athletes. Summer vibes kept going After the successful Olympics showcased the vibrancy of fans from around the world and the beauty of the city's iconic venues, there were doubts that the energy would keep going into the Aug. 28-Sept. 8 Paralympics. Those doubts were dispelled, with athletes enjoying strong support. Not all venues were sold out, but this was also because the summer holiday period was ending and children were returning to school. A surge of enthusiasm saw 2.4 million tickets of the 2.8 million tickets sold — second only to the 2.7 million sold at the 2012 London Games — and this was some feat considering that by late June only 1 million had been sold. Large swathes of Parisians vacated — some say fled — the city amid concerns over traffic chaos, political upheaval, social tensions and growing fears over security. But locals who stayed or French fans coming in from other towns and cities gave their athletes huge support over both Games. French success on and off the track In the Olympics, France tallied 16 golds among its 64 medals to finish fifth overall in the medal count, and it won 75 medals overall in the Paralympics. The Games themselves were a success for French President Emmanuel Macron. Transport ran well, there were very few organizational glitches and security issues were appeased, with police even engaging in friendly banter or posing for photos with fans — a rarity in France. For how long the feel-good factor stays remains to be seen. An early indication came on Saturday, when thousands took to the streets to protest the president’s appointment of a conservative new prime minister. There were some boos for Macron when he was introduced at the start of the ceremony. Plus ça change, as the French saying goes.

LONDON, Ky. — Authorities searched a rugged and hilly area of southeastern Kentucky on Sunday for a man who they believe may be linked to the shooting of nine vehicles and wounding of five people on a busy highway.  Although they said they couldn't yet name him a suspect in Saturday's shootings along Interstate 75, authorities said they consider 32-year-old Joseph A. Couch a person of interest and that they had recovered an SUV belonging to him. They later found a semi-automatic weapon near the scene that they believe was used in the shooting, but they haven't confirmed whether it belonged to Couch, said Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, a spokesperson for the Laurel County Sheriff's Office.  The search was focused on the remote area around where the shootings happened, which is north of London, a community of about 8,000 people roughly 75 miles (120 kilometers) south of Lexington.  "We're going to go in and we're going to find this guy," Acciardo told reporters.  Authorities consider Couch, who is from Woodbine, a small community about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of the shooting scene, to be armed and dangerous. They cautioned members of the public who might spot him not to approach him.  Acciardo said Sunday that law enforcement zeroed in on Couch on Saturday after they found an abandoned SUV registered to him near the crime scene. He said the shooting appeared to be a "random act" of violence, and wouldn't speculate as to a possible motive.  "There's been some speculation, but we're not ready to address that at this point," he said.  An AR-15 rifle was located Sunday afternoon in an elevated wooded area next to highway "that he could have shot down upon the interstate from," Acciardo said. Federal authorities are helping to process the evidence.  Acciardo said authorities were notified at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday about gunshots along the highway near exit 49. An individual who was "off that exit" fired multiple rounds into the northbound and southbound lanes, striking nine vehicles and wounding five people, he said. The shooter was not in a vehicle at the time.  "When our first two units got to the scene there, they said it was a madhouse: people on the sides of the road, emergency flashers going, bullet holes, windows shot out, nine vehicles shot. Can you imagine that? Just chaotic," Acciardo said during a news conference.  The wounded were hospitalized in stable condition early Sunday. Some had "very serious" injuries, including one person who was shot in the face, Acciardo said.  Residents of Laurel County were on edge as authorities searched on foot Sunday in a remote wooded area near the highway that has only one business and a few houses nearby. London Laurel Rescue squad sent a drone to assist. State lawmakers from Laurel County urged residents in the area to stay home during the search.  "We had numerous calls throughout the county and we're still getting them this morning," Acciardo said, of calls from concerned community members. "This is a remote area. If he was going to target some place that he wanted to do something like this, it was the perfect spot."  Rodney Goodlett, pastor of Faith Assembly of God in London, was helping direct traffic as parishioners gathered for a service Sunday morning. He said he expected the search to hold down attendance.  "There's definitely people … that probably won't be here today — just nervous with the suspect still at large," he said.  Goodlett said the congregation was going to pray for the community, the wounded and the first responders, some of whom attend Faith Assembly, where around 275 parishioners pray each week.  "This is tragic, obviously, that somebody would randomly do violent acts," he said. "You hear media things taking place all around our country, but then when it hits home, it's a little bit of a wake-up call."  Authorities believe there was only one shooter, and Acciardo said they do not think the shooting was sparked by road rage. Authorities released a photo of Couch and warned residents to be on the lookout, but Acciardo cautioned that they "have not determined that this is the individual that fired the weapon."  "We do have the area contained right now. It's a very fluid investigation. Our people are still on the scene. Our special response team is there. We are trying to find a shooter there," he said.  Acciardo said the search s dangerous for first responders and is painstaking because of thick foliage There are "a lot of woods, a lot of cuts in the rock," he said. "He could be hiding behind a tree and us walk right up on him."  "We're just hoping for a good resolution," Acciardo said.  In an video update on Facebook late Saturday night, London Mayor Randall Weddle tried to calm fears. He urged residents to call 911 if they hear or see anything suspicious near their homes.  "We're asking folks please do not go outside your home shooting because we might have first responders in that area. It's important to know you are safe. We have multiple agencies in this community, in the city of London and in Laurel County," Weddle said.  Weddle said searchers "know the general area where this individual is," but he would not release specific details.  "I am receiving initial reports from the Kentucky State Police and our Office of Homeland Security — together we are actively monitoring the situation and offering support in any way possible," Gov. Andy Beshear said in a post on X. "Please pray for everyone involved."

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.

Many Ukrainians are hoping the outcome of the U.S. elections will help bring an end to Russia’s war on Ukraine. While some worry that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump will take a softer approach on Moscow, others are concerned that under the policies of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, aid – while significant -will be slow to arrive. Anna Chernikova reports from Kyiv. VOA footage by Vladyslav Smilianets.

Milan, Italy — Italy's coast guard recovered six bodies off the coast of Sicily, believed to be some of the 21 missing from a migrant shipwreck earlier this month, Italian media reported Sunday.  The Italian coast guard said Wednesday that seven people, all male Syrian nationals, were picked up from a semi-sunken boat southwest of the island of Lampedusa after a shipwreck.  The survivors told rescuers they had set off from Libya on Sept. 1 and that 21 of the 28 people on board, including three children, had fallen into the sea in rough weather.  Italian news agency AGI reported that rescuers believe the six bodies are some of the 21 missing from the shipwreck, based on the coordinates of where they were found.  The central Mediterranean is among the world's deadliest migration routes. According to the U.N. migration agency (IOM), more than 2,500 migrants died or went missing attempting the crossing last year, and 1,116 since the beginning of the year.  The latest figures from the Italian interior ministry recorded that just over 43,000 migrants had reached Italy so far in 2024, well down from previous years. 

MAIDUGURI — At least 48 people were killed Sunday in a fuel tanker truck explosion following a collision with another vehicle in Niger state in north-central Nigeria, the state's disaster management agency said. The State Emergency Management Agency in north-central Niger state said the fuel truck collided with a truck carrying travelers and cattle. Several other vehicles were also caught up in the accident, it said. Local media reported that two of the other vehicles — a crane truck and a pickup van —were involved in the accident and caught in the fire. The emergency management agency's spokesperson Hussaini Ibrahim put the death toll at 48 and officials were still trying to clear the scene of the incident. Nigeria's state-owned firm NNPC Ltd last week hiked the price of gasoline by at least 39%, the second major increase in more than a year but shortages have continued, forcing motorists to queue for hours in the country's major cities and towns. 

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.

Kenyan police officer Stephen Ominde has his way of fighting crime. In 2020, he started the Mathare soccer team to keep young people off the streets and out of trouble. Four years on, the team is still going strong. Reporter Joel Masibo has more from Mathare, Nairobi, Kenya. Camera: Joseph Kinyua, Joseph Munyiri. In collaboration with Egab.co.

American Benjamin Hoerber says he has discovered his calling helping Ukraine’s military. He initially helped transport humanitarian aid. Now he also volunteers at a forge, making supports for trenches. Tetiana Kukurika has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Sergiy Rybchynski