Feed aggregator

washington — House Republicans unveiled on Friday their legislation to avoid a partial government shutdown at the end of the month and fund the government into late March, when a new president and Congress would make the final decision on agency spending and priorities for fiscal 2025. Republicans also added a hot-button immigration issue to the measure by requiring states to obtain proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport, when someone registers to vote. Inclusion of the citizenship requirement is a nonstarter in the Senate, complicating prospects for the spending bill's passage. Lawmakers are returning to Washington next week following a traditional August recess spent mostly in their home states and districts. They are not close to completing work on the dozen annual appropriations bills that will fund the agencies during the next fiscal year, so they'll need to approve a stopgap measure to prevent a shutdown when the new fiscal year begins October 1. "Today, House Republicans are taking a critically important step to keep the federal government funded and to secure our federal election process," Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement. "Congress has a responsibility to do both, and we must ensure that only American citizens can decide American elections." Bipartisanship urged But in a joint statement, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray said avoiding a shutdown requires bipartisanship, not a bill drawn up by one party. "If Speaker Johnson drives House Republicans down this highly partisan path, the odds of a shutdown go way up, and Americans will know that the responsibility of a shutdown will be on the House Republicans' hands," Schumer and Murray said. It is a crime under federal law for a noncitizen to vote, or even register to vote, in a federal election, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Johnson's decision to add the proof of citizenship requirement to the spending measure comes after the House Freedom Caucus called for it in a position statement last month. The group of conservatives, banking on a win by Republican nominee Donald Trump, also urged that the measure fund the government into early next year so Republicans could get more of their priorities in legislation. Some Republican leaders had wanted to pass the final spending bills by the end of this Congress so that the new president, whether it be Trump or Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, could focus more on getting staffed and pursuing their own top priorities rather than dealing with spending disagreements. Republicans say requiring proof of citizenship would ensure American elections are only for American citizens, improving confidence in the nation's federal election system. But opponents say the available evidence shows that noncitizen voting in federal elections is incredibly rare and such a requirement would disenfranchise millions of Americans who don't have the necessary documents readily available when they want to register. What remains to be seen is what happens if the bill passes the House this week and the Senate declines to take it up or votes it down. The bill would fund agencies at current levels until March 28, though there's also money to help cover additional security costs associated with Inauguration Day and $10 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief fund.

ASHEVILLE, north carolina — Seth Kaller, an appraiser and collector of historic documents, spreads a broad sheet of paper across a desk. It's in good enough condition that he can handle it, carefully, with clean, bare hands. There are just a few creases and tiny discolorations, even though it's just a few weeks shy of 237 years old and has spent who knows how long inside a filing cabinet in North Carolina.  At the top of the first page are familiar words but in regular type instead of the sweeping Gothic script readers are accustomed to seeing: "WE the People."  And the people will get a chance to bid for this copy of the U.S. Constitution — the only one of its type thought to be in private hands — at a sale by Brunk Auctions on September 28 in Asheville, North Carolina.  The minimum bid for the auction of $1 million has already been made. There is no minimum price that must be reached.  This copy was printed after the Constitutional Convention finished drafting the proposed framework of the nation's government in 1787 and sent it to the Congress of the ineffective first American government under the Articles of Confederation, requesting that it be sent to the states to be ratified by the people. Few copies remain  It's one of about 100 copies printed by the secretary of that Congress, Charles Thomson. Just eight are known to still exist and the other seven are publicly owned.  Thomson likely signed two copies for each of the original 13 states, essentially certifying them. They were sent to special ratifying conventions, where representatives, all white and male, wrangled for months before accepting the structure of the U.S. government that continues today.  "This is the point of connection between the government and the people. The Preamble — 'we, the people' — this is the moment the government is asking the people to empower them," auctioneer Andrew Brunk said.  What happened to the document up for auction between Thomson's signature and 2022 isn't known.  Two years ago, a property was being cleared out in Edenton in eastern North Carolina that was once owned by Samuel Johnston. He was the governor of North Carolina from 1787 to 1789 and he oversaw the state convention during his last year in office that ratified the Constitution.  The copy was found inside a squat, two-drawer metal filing cabinet with a can of stain on top, in a long-neglected room piled high with old chairs and a dusty bookcase, before the old Johnston house was preserved. The document was a broad sheet that could be folded one time like a book.  "I get calls every week from people who think they have a Declaration of Independence or a Gettysburg Address and most of the time it is just a replica, but every so often something important gets found," said Kaller, who appraises, buys and sells historic documents.  "This is a whole other level of importance," he added.  Washington letter Along with the Constitution on the broad sheet printed front and back is a letter from George Washington asking for ratification. He acknowledged there would have to be compromise and that rights the states enjoyed would have to be given up for the nation's long-term health.  "To secure all rights of independent sovereignty to each and yet provide for the interest and safety for all — individuals entering into society must give up a share of liberty to preserve the rest," wrote the man who would become the first U.S. president.  Brunk isn't sure what the document might go for because there is so little to compare it to. The last time a copy of the Constitution like this sold, it went for $400 - in 1891. In 2021, Sotheby's of New York sold one of only 14 remaining copies of the Constitution printed for the Continental Congress and delegates to the Constitutional Convention for $43.2 million, a record for a book or document.  But that document was meant to be distributed to the Founding Fathers as delegates to the Constitutional Convention. The signed copy being sold later this month was one meant to be sent to leaders in every state so people all around the country could review and decide if that's how they wanted to be governed, connecting the writers of the Constitution to the people in the states who would provide its power and legitimacy.  The auction listing doesn't identify the seller, saying it's part of a collection that is in private hands.  Other items up for auction in Asheville include a 1776 first draft of the Articles of Confederation and a 1788 Journal of the Convention of North Carolina at Hillsborough, where representatives spent two weeks debating if ratifying the Constitution would put too much power with the nation instead of the states.

Outrage over the murders of 6 hostages in Gaza, Israelis came out in droves demanding a ceasefire deal, as Prime Minister Netanyahu dug into his own demands. A conversation on the sentiment on the ground from policy expert Shira Efron with the Israel Policy Forum. Israel’s military operation in the West bank left dozens of people dead, including an American woman attending a demonstration against settlement expansion. Another warning from the U.N. on the humanitarian situation in Gaza and a conversation with a Doctors without Borders physician in Khan Younis on the polio vaccination efforts.

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.

Russian mercenaries hired to provide security in Burkina Faso began leaving the country in late August — they say to resist Ukraine's recent incursion into Russia. Data show the mercenaries have had little impact in the Sahel's war against Islamic terrorist groups. As Henry Wilkins reports, Burkina Faso saw one of the deadliest militant attacks in recent years the same week the Russians left.

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.

sao paulo, brazil — The pilots of a Brazilian passenger plane that crashed last month, killing all 62 people aboard, reported failure in the system to remove ice from the plane, according to a preliminary report made public Friday by Brazilian authorities. Investigators were careful to avoid saying this was the cause of the accident, stressing there was more work to be done. Still, their report lent further credence to aviation experts' main hypothesis: that the lift loss had been caused by ice formation on the plane's wings and failure of its deicing system. Weather reports from the day of the accident predicted ice formation in the region where the plane went down. Audio from the cockpit's voice recorder included comments from pilots indicating ice was accumulating and the deicing system was failing, Paulo Froes, an investigator in the air force's center for the investigation and prevention of air accidents, told reporters in Brasilia. "There are still many doubts. This accident shouldn't have happened, not in the conditions in which the plane was flying and was being operated. It had protection equipment," Carlos Henrique Baldin, head of the center's investigation division, told reporters. Operated by the airline Voepass, the flight departed August 9 from the city of Cascavel, in Parana state, bound for Sao Paulo's Guarulhos international airport. It crashed into the backyard of a home in a gated community in the city of Vinhedo, about 80 kilometers northwest of Sao Paulo. Footage of the ATR 72 twin-engine turboprop plunging while in a flat spin horrified people across Brazil.

NAIROBI, Kenya — A fire in a school dormitory in Kenya has killed 18 students and 27 others have been hospitalized, with 70 children unaccounted for, the country's deputy president said Friday. President William Ruto declared three days of mourning during which flags will be flown at half-staff in honor of the children who died. Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said only 86 out of more than 150 children had been accounted for, and urged community members who may have sheltered some of them to help account for them. Gachagua said that one more student had died at the hospital and that 37 pupils had been reunited with their parents so far. The cause of the fire Thursday night at Hillside Endarasha Primary school in Nyeri County was being investigated, police spokesperson Resila Onyango said. The school serves children up to the age of 14. Nyeri County Commissioner Pius Murugu and the education ministry reported that the dormitory that caught fire housed more than 150 boys between ages 10 and 14. Since most of the buildings are made from wooden planks, the fire spread quickly. The mixed, day and boarding private school, which has 824 students, is located 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of the capital, Nairobi, in the country's central highlands, where wooden structures are common. Nyeri County Gov. Mutahi Kahiga told journalists that rescue efforts were hampered by muddy roads caused by rain in the area. Anxious parents who had been unable to find their children among the survivors waited at the school, engulfed with grief. The parents were overcome by emotions after they were allowed to view the scene of the fire. John Rukwaro told journalists that his 11-year-old grandson was missing, and he had checked with area hospitals without success. The education ministry's permanent secretary, Belio Kipsang, said that the government was working with the school administration to account for all the children in the boarding section. "We are asking the parents who picked up their children and the community to support us as we consolidate the numbers to ensure that we account for every child who was boarding in this school," he said. Ruto called the news "devastating." "I instruct relevant authorities to thoroughly investigate this horrific incident. Those responsible will be held to account," he said in an X post, formerly known as Twitter. His deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, urged school administrators to ensure that safety guidelines recommended by the education ministry for boarding schools are being followed. School fires are common in Kenyan boarding schools, often caused by arson fueled by drug abuse and overcrowding, according to a recent education ministry report. Many students board because parents believe it gives them more time to study without long commutes. Some fires have been started by students during protests over the workload or living conditions. In 2017, 10 high school students died in a school fire in Nairobi started by a student. Kenya's deadliest school fire in recent history was in 2001 when 67 students died in a dormitory fire in Machakos county. The education ministry's guidelines recommend that dormitories should be spacious enough and have two doors on each end, an emergency door in the middle and that windows aren't fitted with grills to allow for escape in case of a fire. Fully serviced fire extinguishers and fire alarms are required at easily accessible spots. It wasn't immediately clear if these guidelines were followed at Hillside school and the area near the dormitory has remained cordoned off.

A Russian missile strike on the historic Ukrainian town of Lviv on September 4 killed at least seven people and damaged parts of the city’s historic downtown. On Thursday, rebuilding began, even as the city mourned the dead. Omelyan Oshchudlyak reports. Camera: Yuriy Dankevych.

washington — A South Korean senior official has rekindled debate over the U.S. commitment to that nation's defense, bringing up the possibility of the U.S. rolling back its nuclear umbrella if former President Donald Trump is reelected. Kim Tae-hyo, South Korea's deputy national security director, said in a Seoul forum Tuesday the reelection of Trump could "weaken a U.S. nuclear umbrella" designed to protect South Korea from North Korean aggression. "Trump as candidate can be seen as pursuing transactional benefits in terms of the South Korea-U.S. alliance," Kim said, according to news reports. "It is not unlikely that he would suggest negotiating defense cost-sharing or the deployment of U.S. strategic assets from a cost perspective." Skepticism about America's willingness and capability to protect South Korea from a North Korean nuclear attack has grown among South Koreans as North Korea's nuclear and missile programs become increasingly sophisticated. A recent poll by South Korea's Institute of National Unification revealed that 66% of respondents supported the country having its own nuclear weapons. Concern over commitment Gary Samore, former White House coordinator for arms control and weapons of mass destruction during the Obama administration, said Kim's remarks reflect widespread concern among U.S. allies. There is a concern that "Trump, if reelected, would pursue policies that will weaken U.S. alliances around the world, including in Europe and East Asia," Samore told VOA Korean Wednesday via email. "In the case of Korea, Trump might seek to resume summit diplomacy with Kim Jong Un and make concessions that weaken the U.S.-ROK alliance, as he did at the Singapore summit in June 2018," Samore said. ROK stands for Republic of Korea, the official name for South Korea. According to the joint statement released after the 2018 summit, Trump "committed to provide security guarantees" to North Korea, while the North Korean leader reaffirmed "commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." "However, I think it's premature to predict exactly what policies President Trump will adopt toward Korea if he is reelected," Samore added. "There are too many uncertainties, including, for example, who President Trump appoints for his top foreign policy and defense positions." Michael O'Hanlon, director of foreign policy research at the Brookings Institution in Washington, told VOA Korean Tuesday via email the South Korean official's assessment of Trump is justifiable. "I think the official is correct," O'Hanlon said, adding Trump could take steps to address this concern. "I do not know if he will." 'Treat us properly,' says Trump Trump has often complained that U.S. allies do not pay the U.S. enough for bases and troops used in their defense. In an April interview with Time magazine, Trump said, "I want South Korea to treat us properly," suggesting he would demand that South Korea pay more for the American troops stationed there. But Frederick Fleitz, who served as chief of staff of the National Security Council in the Trump White House, told VOA Korean by phone Tuesday that Trump's reelection is not likely to affect the U.S. nuclear umbrella. Making clear that he was speaking for himself, not for Trump, Fleitz said the former president "was a strong friend of Japan, South Korea and Taiwan when he was in office last time and he'll be a strong friend again." "Why would there be such a big change in a second Trump term when he didn't do that in the first term?" Fleitz asked. "The second Trump administration, concerning South Korea, will be countering the threat from North Korea and this new axis relationship between China, Russia, North Korea and Iran." Fleitz stressed there is no evidence to suggest Trump would link the defense cost-sharing with offering a nuclear umbrella, adding discussions on how much South Korea pays for U.S. troops in South Korea will not be a "deal breaker" for the second Trump administration. "It is an issue that will be resolved among friends," he said. "The security threats in the region are so severe — I think that's what the U.S. will focus on." Redeployment of nukes Robert Peters, a fellow for nuclear deterrence and missile defense at the Heritage Foundation, told VOA Korean Tuesday via email it is "far more likely" that America's extended deterrence commitment to South Korea would strengthen during a second Trump term. Peters said a second Trump administration could consider redeploying U.S. tactical nuclear weapons to the Korean Peninsula, due to the threats coming from North Korea and China. "I think a second Trump administration would field SLCM-N [nuclear-armed, sea-launched cruise missiles] in the near term and potentially reintroduce American nuclear weapons to South Korea as a means to assure the ROK, deter North Korea and strengthen regional stability," said Peters. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, is widely expected to inherit incumbent President Joe Biden's Asia policies should she win the election. The Biden administration is not considering the redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea. In 1991, the U.S. withdrew from South Korea all its nuclear weapons, roughly 100 in number, according to some studies. "The United States does not assess returning nuclear weapons to the Indo-Pacific as necessary at this time," a State Department spokesperson said in an emailed statement on May 31 in response to a VOA Korean inquiry. "The United States has no plans to forward deploy nuclear weapons to the Korean Peninsula." In April 2023, Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol adopted the Washington Declaration, in which the U.S. declared that its commitment to the defense of South Korea will be backed by the full range of U.S. capabilities, including nuclear. During this week's high-level security talks between the U.S. and South Korea, the Biden administration reiterated its commitment to defend South Korea with nuclear weapons if necessary to deter attacks from North Korea. "We reaffirm the U.S. extended deterrence commitment to the ROK using the full range of U.S. defense capabilities, and that any DPRK [North Korea] nuclear attack on the United States or its allies and partners is unacceptable and will result in the end of that regime," Bonnie Jenkins, U.S. undersecretary of state for arms control and international security,  told reporters after Wednesday's talks. VOA Korean contacted the Trump campaign and asked what Trump's stance is on the U.S. nuclear umbrella offered to South Korea, but did not receive a reply by the time this article was published.

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.

WASHINGTON — A Pakistani citizen living in Canada was arrested Wednesday and charged with planning an attack in New York City in support of the Islamic State group, the Department of Justice said Friday.  Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, is accused of plotting a mass shooting at a Jewish center in Brooklyn around October 7, 2024, nearly one year after Hamas' attack that killed about 1,200 people in Israel.  U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Khan, who is also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, aimed to kill "as many Jewish people as possible."   Khan attempted to travel from Canada to the United States, where he intended to use automatic and semiautomatic weapons to carry out the attack, according to the indictment.  He was arrested in Canada, just 19 kilometers from the U.S. border.  Khan told two undercover law enforcement officers of his plans to create "a real offline cell" of Islamic State supporters to carry out an attack, the indictment alleged.   He instructed them to obtain AR-style assault rifles, ammunition and other materials to carry out the attacks, and he identified specific locations where the attacks would take place.  Khan targeted New York City because it has "the largest Jewish population in America," prosecutors said.  "We are deeply grateful to our Canadian partners for their critical law enforcement actions in this matter. Jewish communities — like all communities in this country — should not have to fear that they will be targeted by a hate-fueled terrorist attack," Garland said in a statement.  Khan faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

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.

washington — Russia, Iran and China are ramping up efforts to impact the outcome of the U.S. presidential election and down-ballot races, targeting American voters with an expanding array of sophisticated influence operations. The latest assessment from U.S. intelligence agencies, shared Friday, warns that Russia remains the preeminent threat, with Russian influence campaigns seeking to boost the chances of Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump over Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris. Russian actors, led by networks created by the Kremlin-backed media outlet RT, "are supporting Moscow's efforts to influence voter preferences in favor of the former president and diminish the prospects of the vice president," a senior intelligence official told reporters, briefing on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information. "RT has built and used networks of U.S. and other Western personalities to create and disseminate Russia-friendly narratives while trying to mask the content in authentic Americans' free speech," the official said. And RT, the official added, is just part of a growing Kremlin-directed campaign that is looking to impact not just the race for the White House, but smaller elections across the United States, with an added emphasis on swing states. "Russia's influence apparatus is very large and it's worth highlighting that they have other entities that are active," the official said. "Russia is working up and down ballot races, as well as spreading divisive issues." Tracking the Russian influence efforts has become more difficult, with U.S. officials saying that there is a greater degree of sophistication and an increased emphasis on amplifying American voices with pro-Russian views rather than seeding social media with narratives crafted in the Kremlin. "It's not just about Russian bots and trolls and fake social media persona, although that's part of it," White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told VOA Friday. "We're not taking anything for granted," he added. "There's no question that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has every intent to try to sow discord here in the United States, to try to pump disinformation and Russian propaganda through to the American people, through what he believes were our credible sources, be they online or on television and we have to take that seriously." The intelligence officials declined to share additional specifics about Russia's network of influence operations. But indictments Wednesday from the U.S. Justice Department have shed some light on the scope of the Kremlin's recent operations. In one case, the U.S. charged two employees of RT with using fake personas and shell companies to funnel almost $10 million to Tenet Media, a Tennessee-based company producing videos and podcasts for a stable of conservative political influencers. The aim, prosecutors said, was to produce and disseminate content promoting what Moscow viewed as pro-Russian policies. In a separate action, the U.S. seized 32 internet domains linked to an operation directed by a key aide to Putin. The aim, U.S. officials said, was to mimic legitimate U.S. news sites to spread Russian-created propaganda. RT publicly ridiculed the allegations while some of the influencers working with Tenet posted statements on the X social media platform saying they were unaware of the company's links to Moscow. As for the latest U.S. intelligence allegations, the Russian Embassy in Washington has yet to respond to VOA's request for comments, though it has described previous accusations as "Russophobic." Requests for comment to the Trump and Harris campaigns have also, so far, gone unanswered. But earlier U.S. intelligence assertions of Russian support for Trump have raised the ire of the Trump campaign, which has pointed to public statements by Russia's Putin supporting Trump's opponents. "When President Trump was in the Oval Office, Russia and all of America's adversaries were deterred, because they feared how the United States would respond," national press secretary for the Trump campaign, Karoline Leavitt, told VOA in an email this past July. U.S. intelligence officials, however, said it would be a mistake to put any faith in Putin's words, including public comments Thursday expressing support for Harris. The U.S. intelligence community "does not take Putin's public statements as representative of Russia's covert intentions," the senior official said. "There are many examples over the past several years where Putin's public statements do not align with Russian actions. For example, his comments that he would not invade Ukraine." Experts say Iran, China trying to influence results U.S. intelligence agencies Friday emphasized Russia is not alone in its effort to shape the outcome of the U.S. elections in November, warning both Tehran and Beijing are sharpening their influence campaigns with just about 60 days until America voters go to the polls. "Iran is making a greater effort than in the past to influence this year's elections, even as its tactics and approaches are similar to prior cycles," the intelligence official said, describing a "multi-pronged approach to stoke internal divisions and undermine voter confidence in the U.S. democratic system. U.S. intelligence agencies previously assessed that Iran has focused part of its efforts on denigrating the Trump campaign, seeing his election as likely to worsen tensions between Tehran and Washington. U.S. officials last month also blamed Iran for a hack-and-leak operation targeting the Trump campaign, though they said that Iran-linked actors have also sought to infiltrate the Harris campaign. As for China, U.S. intelligence officials said it appears Beijing is still content to stay out of the U.S. presidential race, seeing little difference between Trump and Harris. But there are indications China is accelerating its efforts to impact other political races. U.S. intelligence "is aware of PRC [People's Republic of China] attempts to influence U.S. down-ballot races by focusing on candidates it views as particularly threatening to core PRC security interests," the official said. "PRC online influence actors have also continued small scale efforts on social media to engage U.S. audiences on divisive political issues, including protests about the Israel-Gaza conflict and promote negative stories about both political parties," the official added. 'Malicious speculations against China' The Chinese Embassy in Washington, Friday, rejected the U.S. intelligence assessment. "China has no intention and will not interfere in the U.S. election, and we hope that the U.S. side will not make an issue of China in the election," spokesperson Liu Pengyu told VOA in an email. Liu added that accusations Beijing is using social media to sway U.S. public opinion "are full of malicious speculations against China, which China firmly opposes." While U.S. intelligence officials have identified Russia, Iran and China, as the most prominent purveyors of disinformation, they are not alone. Officials have said countries like Cuba are also engaging in influence operations, though at a much smaller scale. And other countries are edging closer to crossing that line. "We are seeing a number of countries considering activities that, at a minimum, test the boundaries of election influence," according to the U.S. assessment. "Such activities include lobbying political figures to try to curry favor with them in the event they are elected to office." Misha Komadovsky contributed to this report.

RIO DE JANEIRO — Sergio Mendes, the celebrated Brazilian musician whose 1966 hit "Mas Que Nada" made him a global superstar and helped launch a long, Grammy-winning career, has died after months battling the effects of long COVID. He was 83. The death Thursday of the Brazilian pianist, songwriter and arranger was confirmed in a statement by his family. "His wife and musical partner for the past 54 years, Gracinha Leporace Mendes, was by his side, as were his loving children," the statement said Friday. "Mendes last performed in November 2023 to sold out and wildly enthusiastic houses in Paris, London and Barcelona." Mendes was born in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro's sister city, and studied classical music at a conservatory before joining jazz groups. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he began playing Bossa Nova as the genre was heating up in Rio's nightclub scene with Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto and others. In 1962, they traveled to New York for a Bossa Nova festival at Carnegie Hall. During the trip, Cannonball Adderley invited Mendes to collaborate on the album "Cannonball Adderley and The Bossa Rio Sextet," leading to his first American record, "The Swinger from Rio," after signing with Atlantic Records. Two years later, Mendes moved to California and formed Brazil '64, which evolved into Brazil '66 after he added two female vocalists. The group's debut album, produced by Herb Alpert, featured "Mas Que Nada." Sung entirely in Portuguese, "Mas Que Nada" was a mid-tempo Samba number originally released in 1963 by composer Jorge Ben Sor and updated three years later by Mendes, who had been playing the song in clubs and gave it a jazzier, more hard-hitting feel. "I put a band together called Brasil '66," he told The Guardian in 2019. "I'd always had instrumental groups, but when I added the two female singers — Lani Hall and Bibi Vogel — it made a different kind of sound. We recorded the song in Los Angeles, with me, the drums, bass and guitar all performing live." Mendes' version was a worldwide hit that helped perpetuate the Brazilian music boom of the 1960s. In 2006, a modern version of the song topped U.S. charts, as performed by the Black Eyed Peas. It was included in his album "Timeless," produced by will.i.am and also featuring Stevie Wonder, Justin Timberlake and John Legend, among others. "Sergio Mendes was my brother from another country," trumpet player Alpert wrote on Facebook, along with a photo from decades ago, sitting next to Mendes at the piano. "He was a true friend and extremely gifted musician who brought Brazilian music in all its iterations to the entire world with elegance." Mendes' other hits were an eclectic blend ranging from covers of the Beatles' "The Fool on the Hill" and "With a Little Help from My Friends," to his own Brazilian chant, "Magalenha." Mendes also composed the soundtrack for the film "Pele," featuring saxophonist Gerry Mulligan, and even produced an album recorded by the great Brazilian soccer player. Mendes won the 1992 Grammy Award for Best World Music Album for "Brasileiro" and two Latin Grammy Awards. He also received an Oscar nomination in 2012 for Best Original Song for "Real in Rio," from the animated film "Rio." "Brazilian soul was there," pianist, singer, and songwriter Marcos Valle told GloboNews about Mendes' music. Valle also noted that it was Mendes who helped open doors for other Brazilian artists of his generation, including himself, to reach foreign audiences.

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.

tel aviv, israel — As the first Egypt International Air Show wrapped up Thursday, industry analysts debated the significance of China’s presence, which included the most complete demonstration of its advanced Y-20 transport aircraft and the first showcase of its J-10 fighter jets in Africa. Analysts say the high-profile presence of the Chinese air force at the event held at Egypt’s El Alamein International Airport underscores China's growing technological prowess, military ambitions, and expanding influence in the Middle East and North Africa. But analysts also question how much demand the region will have for the Chinese military planes. “China is expanding and targeting the [Middle East] regional market,” Kostas Tigkos, manager of mission systems and intelligence at global military intelligence company Janes, told VOA. “This marks another milestone in China’s military diversification and opens doors to more collaboration in security domains, encourages investment opportunities and opens new channels to developing trade beyond traditional ties.” Tigkos said the Middle East’s ranking as the region with China’s highest bilateral trade growth rate, and source of half of its imported oil, gives it a strategic interest in fostering economic, security, supply route and energy source development. Interest in Chinese equipment Countries in the region, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are increasingly turning to China for military equipment, such as drones, missiles and anti-drone systems. Egypt has expressed interest in acquiring the J-10 fighter jet to diversify its military suppliers and enhance its capabilities. In July, Egypt’s air force commander, Lieutenant General Mahmoud Foaad Abdel Jawad, traveled to Beijing at China’s behest for a meeting with China’s air force commander, Star General Chang Dingqiu. According to an Egyptian military statement, the visit was characterized by Egypt’s “keenness to enhance areas of military cooperation with brotherly and friendly countries.” The statement added that the talks “opened new prospects between the air forces of both countries.” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi attended the opening ceremony for this week’s air show and visited the Chinese pavilion. Images of the Chinese-manufactured Y-20 transporter trailed by six J-10 jets flying over Egypt’s Giza pyramids in formation last week drew global attention, demonstrating distance and performance capabilities in the 10,000-kilometer flight from China to Egypt.  The Y-20 appearance at the airshow is significant, Wendell Minnick, editor of the "China in Arms" Substack newsletter, told VOA. “This is their attempt to match the U.S. heavy lift, long-range transport or aerial-refueled aircraft,” Minnick said. Capabilities China says the Y-20 can lift up to 66 tons and carry several tanks over a distance of 7,800 kilometers. Nicknamed “Chubby Girl” by China’s aviation industry for its broad fuselage girth, the Y-20 has been in development for 17 years.  Dubbed “Vigorous Dragon,” China’s Chengdu J-10C is a combat aircraft armed with air-to-air and surface attack weapons. Primarily an air-to-air combat aircraft that can perform strike missions, the J-10C has been compared to and contrasted with the U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcon.  “China needs these to project force beyond the mainland for expeditionary warfare,” Minnick said, “like the U.S. with the C-5 Galaxy and the C-17 Globemaster.” The C-5M Super Galaxy is the U.S. Air Force’s largest aircraft, strategically designed to transport cargo and personnel. With a cargo load of more than 127 tons, nearly double China’s Y-20, it can carry oversized cargo over oceans and take off and land on relatively short runways. The C-17 Globemaster III is “the most flexible cargo aircraft to enter the airlift force,” according to a U.S. Air Force press release, with a maximum payload of 74 tons. Nonetheless, China’s state media touted the Y-20’s performance debut and quoted the People’s Liberation Army Air Force saying it carried out six maneuvers on Tuesday, “including large angle ascension and dive, large slope turning and fast landing, showing the aircraft's outstanding maneuverability.” China’s Y-20 and J-10 appeared at last November’s Dubai Air Show, and the Y-20 took part in a joint drill in Russia in July and joint drills with Mozambique and Tanzania in August. But this was the first time the Y-20 had performed aerial maneuvers in a show outside China, and the first time the J-10 had performed in Africa. “China wants to have an Africa footprint as part of their expansionist plans,” Minnick said. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute in March reported, “China, which accounted for 19% of deliveries to sub-Saharan Africa, overtook Russia as the region’s main supplier of major arms.”   US suppliers Despite China’s military sales in the region, Middle East buyers won’t be cutting ties with U.S. suppliers in favor of China in the near future, according to defense experts, who note that while the Y-20 is cheaper than the U.S. C-17 or C-5, it is less impressive and more vulnerable to missile attacks. Minnick questions whether there will be any demand from customers in Africa and the Middle East for China’s military aircraft. The Chinese transporter requires “tremendous training, technical support and additional off-the-shelf parts and components that most Mideast countries can’t handle” on both technical and financial fronts, he said. “Iran is too poor,” Minnick said. “Saudi prefers Western aircraft, and Jordan is far more focused on internal security.” Other defense experts like Tigkos say the Y-20 and J-10 present opportunities for long-term business and relationships with training programs, spare parts and maintenance – if they can find buyers. “When a country is successful in the aviation realm, it marks a significant difference and ‘upgrade,’ if you will, toward helping foster relationships of trust and wider markets for China," he said. The first Egypt International Air Show was held Tuesday through Thursday with about 50 aircraft on display and with representatives from 100 countries and 300 companies in attendance, including U.S. industry giants Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

Zimbabwe’s heavy reliance on coal-based energy is hurting the health of people in mining regions who continue to be exposed to dirty air from coal burning. Columbus Mavhunga visited the Hwange thermal power station — about 700 kilometers from Harare — and the surrounding area, where residents have complained about the air pollution.