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Geneva — The U.N. refugee agency is expanding a humanitarian appeal for Sudan, as increasing numbers of people flee the country’s war and widespread hunger in search of safety in neighboring countries. The UNHCR reports more money is needed to aid and protect the swelling population of Sudanese refugees, and it is revising its appeal to $1.5 billion, up from $1.4 billion it requested in January. The appeal will help 3.3 million refugees and the local communities hosting them in neighboring countries through the end of the year. Ewan Watson, UNHCR head of global communications, has just returned from visits to Sudan’s White Nile State and a to the Renk and JamJin refugee camp in South Sudan’s Unity State. He described the situation there as “incredibly difficult, confusing, dangerous, and an appalling tragedy for civilians both still in Sudan and those who have had to leave the country due to the violence.” Briefing journalists Tuesday in Geneva, Watson said “It is one of the most neglected crises globally and for us, it is the most pressing displacement crisis in the world right now.” Since the conflict began in mid-April 2023, he noted that 10 million people have fled their homes in Sudan, “with many displaced multiple times.” Of these, the UNHCR reports nearly 8 million are displaced inside Sudan, while nearly 2 million people have gone to neighboring countries. Money from the January appeal has been used to assist Sudanese refugees who fled to the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. The UNHCR’s revised appeal has been expanded to include two new countries, Libya and Uganda. Since last year’s power struggle between rival generals from the Sudanese Armed Forces and paramilitary Rapid Response Forces triggered this catastrophic conflict, the UNHCR has registered 20,000 new arrivals in Libya from Sudan, mainly fleeing Darfur. “We understand that thousands more have arrived in Libya that are not registered and are in the East of the country. With more refugees continuing to arrive since the escalation of fighting in the Darfur region, local services available across the country are really overstretched,” Watson said. “Refugee families are being forced to sleep in the open as there is a lack of shelter,” he said. “Medical facilities also cannot keep up with growing needs and this is putting children, in particular, at risk of malnutrition.” He observed that Uganda, which already was the largest refugee hosting country in Africa, is fast becoming home to a burgeoning Sudanese refugee population. Since the outbreak of the war, he said more than 39,000 Sudanese refugees have fled to Sudan, “with 70 percent fleeing just this year. This is three times more than was initially expected or predicted.” “Most of them are arriving from Khartoum and have university level education and are looking to rebuild their lives,” he said, noting that most are being hosted and receiving humanitarian aid, including food, shelter, and health care in the Kiryandongo refugee settlement in the west of the country. “As more people arrive, these services continue to be stretched, while resources to expand assistance are lacking,” he said, adding that only 19 percent of the money required to run its humanitarian operations has been received. “This is abysmally insufficient to cover the most basic needs for people forced to flee. The cost of inaction is having grave consequences for refugees.” The UNHCR official said heavy rains expected in some of the hosting countries risk complicating the delivery of humanitarian aid, particularly in border areas. He appealed to international donors to provide the funds needed to help strengthen government-led efforts to deliver critical assistance to millions of vulnerable people. Otherwise, he warned more and more refugees will be forced to seek help “further afield in countries such as Libya, which are extremely difficult for refugees.” Last week, the United Nations published alarming new data showing that the rapid deterioration in food security in Sudan has left 755,000 people “in catastrophic conditions with a risk of famine in 14 areas.” Reacting to this latest food assessment by the Integrated Phase Classification, IPC, heads of three leading U.N. agencies warned that “Sudan is facing a devastating hunger catastrophe on a scale not seen since the Darfur crisis in the early 2000s.” In its latest update of fighting between the SAF and RSF in the southern town of Sinja the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, reports that more than 60,000 people have fled Sinja for safety, most moving east toward the state of Gedaref. “The fighting continues, and people are on the move as we speak so the situation is very volatile and these numbers could increase in the coming days,” Vanessa Huguenin, OCHA spokesperson told journalists in Geneva on Tuesday. “We and our humanitarian partners are present in Gedaref and are preparing for the arrival of people that have been displaced by the clashes, with food and nutrition supplies … We have a window of opportunity to act but time is running out and we need more funding and access,” she said.

Britain is set to hold a general election on Thursday, July 4, with polls suggesting the country is likely to elect a new leader. How might that change Britain’s stance on key issues like Russia’s war on Ukraine? Henry Ridgwell has more from London.

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Washington — It has been more than a month since Lai Ching-te took office as Taiwan’s newly elected president. Since the people of the self-governing island elected Lai in January, China has been increasing its pressure on Taiwan. Beijing considers Taiwan a part of its territory and views Lai as a “separatist.” China’s ambassador to the U.S, Xie Feng, did not respond to VOA’s request for an interview last year when he arrived in Washington.  VOA sat down with Taiwan’s top envoy to the U.S., Alexander Tah-Ray Yui, to talk about Lai’s foreign policy vision, China’s policies in the South China sea and new Chinese guidelines advocating for the punishment of those strongly supporting Taiwan independence. Also discussed was artificial intelligence and Taiwan’s influence in the Caribbean, where five countries have diplomatic ties with the island.   This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. VOA: As a representative of Taiwan in the U.S., what is the single most important thing you hope to accomplish here? Alexander Tah-Ray Yui, Taiwan’s top envoy to the U.S.: Be it security, defense, be it technology, culture, education, etc. — and it's been steadily growing — obviously, my wish to accomplish here is to reach out, not only to the government, to Congress, but also to the American people to show that Taiwan-U.S. relations are relevant and are important for both of us. It's reciprocal, beneficial for both peoples, and we'll continue to promote that. VOA: There's been mounting pressure from China, especially since the new [Taiwan] president started his office. What are some of the most challenging aspects of your diplomatic work here in the U.S., especially during an election year? And do you feel that pressure from China? Yui: After President Lai Ching-te’s assumption on May 20th, things have gotten even more aggressive — [China] conducted military maneuvers around the island, and the presence of military airplanes and ships, near and around our territorial waters is constant. At the same time, PRC [People’s Republic of China] has been conducting what we call “lawfare” — law warfare — lately. [On] June 15th, they [China] implemented the Coast Guard Law number three, which in that law, again, I'm just loosely interpreting, [the] Chinese Coast Guard, using that law, can arrest and detain all within their territorial waters, which includes the whole South China Sea, East China Sea, etc., detain foreigners, seamen, if they deem that they’re in unlawful activities. They can detain them [for] up to 60 days without due process. [On June 21] they [China] announced the 22 suggestions on penalizing Taiwan independence. Any Taiwanese — or actually any person, even foreigners — who are aiding, abetting, promoting Taiwan independence could be under these penal sanctions. They can be arrested, put under judicial process — if even in absentia — and the most it could be, [is] under death penalty sanctions if [they are] deemed extreme pro-independence movement supporters. Again, they're using [the] law to justify that everything they claim is theirs. My government announced that we are elevating the travel warnings to orange, which is second highest level of warning to our citizens to not make unnecessary travel to mainland China, Hong [Kong] and Macao because of this. You mentioned it is election season for the United States. Obviously, we all watch it with a lot of interest, a lot of attention… But we're certain that no matter what the outcome of the elections, the relationship between Taiwan and the United States will continue to grow. VOA: On to technology, Taiwan has been a world leader in semiconductors. China has been trying to be the global leader in artificial intelligence. How does Taiwan plan to compete with China?   Yui: Taiwan has a lot of relevance in terms of the AI revolution. China has been trying to, doing a lot of work, to advance AI … on microchips, semiconductors. They've devoted a lot of resources, a lot of money, a lot of manpower to try to replicate — I'm not saying overcome — just to replicate what Taiwan is doing. And so far, they have not been able to do so. So, it's important for us to maintain this superiority over mainland China. Because technology has to be used for good. It has to be used for exploring, expanding human imagination and benefits instead of being used to control its own people. VOA: China has been active in the Caribbean with its infrastructure and investments. Some analysts even call it a key battleground for China to isolate Taiwan in the Caribbean. What is Taiwan's position?   Yui: PRC has been utilizing the Road and Belt Initiative to try to bring Chinese state-owned companies to build this large and often unnecessary infrastructure, through Chinese financing at high costs. What we are doing and what other countries — the United States and Europe — is that we offer a different alternative to these kind(s) of developments, which is more humanistic. We've always been allies offering through our technical commission the necessary cooperation that they need in terms of medical assistance, education, technology, agriculture, etc. [This] is what they really need and not all these humongous, unnecessary projects that cost a lot of money.

President Biden weighs in on Monday’s seismic Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity that could shape America for years to come. Hurricane Beryl strengthened on Monday into a "potentially catastrophic" category 5 storm as it moved across the eastern Caribbean and now in the path of Jamaica. Another mass evacuation order for thousands of Palestinians in what could be part of a final push of Israel's intensive military operations in nine months of war. And warnings of a very real threat of starvation in Sudan.

Austin, Texas — Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in China fell for the 12th consecutive month in May, according to data released by China’s Ministry of Commerce.    The ministry in a June 21 press release said in the first five months of this year, China’s economy attracted $56.8 billion (RMB 412.51 billion) in FDI, a year-on-year decrease of 28.2%.  Analysts and foreign investors attribute the drop to political risks and China’s struggle to recover stable economic growth since the COVID pandemic.    Jeffrey — a senior Chinese venture capitalist operating investment funds in China since 2008 — who cannot use his full name or affiliation as he was speaking without his company's authorization, told VOA the boom in China’s venture capital industry has passed.    "China's economic growth rate has no room to accommodate a large amount of foreign investment," he said.     China’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annual growth was 6 to 7% in the five years leading up to the 2020 pandemic, when the economy recorded its weakest growth in four decades.  Exports boosted China's GDP growth by 8% in 2021 but it then dropped to 3% in 2022 and 5.2% in 2023 as the property sector, employment, and incomes slumped. The World Bank projects growth to drop to 4.8% in 2024, 4.1% in 2025, and 4% in 2026.     Frank Liu, a Chinese businessman living in China who works in cross-border investment between the United States and China but does not want his company to be identified due to concerns about repercussions for himself or his company, told VOA, "Foreign investors, especially Americans, have a different style from domestic Chinese investors. They like long-term investment, so they attach great importance to the stability of your (government's) policies."  China has cracked down on several industries in recent years to ensure adherence to the government line on political and social issues, including tutoring, entertainment, and online games, causing financial losses to companies and discouraging foreign investment.    Crackdowns on some foreign companies have also raised concerns.  Chinese authorities in March 2023 detained five Chinese employees of the Beijing office of Mintz Group, a U.S. due diligence company, on suspicion of illegal operations. In August, authorities questioned employees at the Shanghai branch of Bain & Company, a U.S. management consulting company. There have also been detentions of employees at British and Japanese companies in China.    Paul Orlando, an adjunct professor at the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Southern California School of Business, told VOA that many American technology companies and investors have withdrawn from China.  In emailed responses to VOA, he said, "There's an inability to ignore supply chain risks (brought to mind during COVID), and an inability to ignore political risks. These qualities were present some years ago, but the political changes and multiple examples of China's reach to influence domestic politics elsewhere has received more attention."  A declassified U.S. intelligence threat assessment released in February warned of Beijing’s “higher degree of sophistication in its influence activity,” including by using generative artificial intelligence (AI). The report warned of “growing efforts to actively exploit perceived U.S. societal divisions” online.  "Rather than a large market to enter, more people began to see China as a place where they would never get a fair shot at success or a place that was even actively working against them," said Orlando.    He said this mindset is also influenced by greater concerns about intellectual property protection, industrial espionage, and knowledge of worsening rights in Xinjiang and Hong Kong.  "The experience of the COVID period was too extreme. Investing in China even if you did live there or travel there frequently was difficult enough. Without living there or really spending time there it's even more difficult to know what you're investing in," Orlando added.  Chinese Premier Li Qiang invited American and other foreign companies to invest in China when meeting with a delegation led by Suzanne Clark, president of the American Chamber of Commerce, on February 28 and called on Washington not to adopt a policy of decoupling from China.  China has also vigorously promoted a visa-free policy and increased international flights to boost exchanges between Western countries and the Chinese people. But investors and analysts say more and more foreigners, especially in American investment circles, are leaving China.  William Reinsch, the Scholl Chair in International Business at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in an email to VOA, "Despite China's statements that Western investment is welcome, actions by the Ministry of State Security like raiding Western company offices and detaining employees send a more powerful signal than anything the government says."  Fears of a worsening trade war with China may also be keeping some investors at bay.   The U.S. announced in May it would increase tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and other products Washington says are unfairly subsidized by Beijing, and the EU and Canada followed suit. China warned it might respond with temporary anti-dumping tariffs on EU pork.  The U.S. Treasury Department issued a "Notice of Proposed Rulemaking" on June 21 to restrict and monitor U.S. investment in China's development of AI, computer chips and quantum computing. China responded that it reserved the right to take corresponding measures.  While there seems to be no improvement in relations between China and Western countries, senior Chinese venture capitalist Jeffrey said he was "not as pessimistic as public opinion" about foreign investment in China.  He believes that FDI will perk up if the Chinese economy can recover. Adrianna Zhang  contributed to this report.

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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS — Two exiled Hong Kong activists say bounties imposed on them last year are causing fear and anxiety as they conduct their advocacy work from U.S. soil amid concerns for their safety. Anna Kwok expected to face retaliation from the Hong Kong government when she became the executive director of the Washington-based advocacy organization Hong Kong Democracy Council in November 2022. Hong Kong authorities imposed a bounty on her and seven others on July 3, 2023. Frances Hui, who is the policy and advocacy coordinator for the U.S.-based Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, was one of an additional five who had bounties imposed on them in December. The 13 are accused of violating a controversial national security law that went into effect in the former British colony in July 2020. Despite being mentally prepared, Hui and Kwok said they felt shocked when the Hong Kong government issued arrest warrants and bounties worth $127,635 for them and the other overseas Hong Kong activists last year. Hui said the bounty felt like “a death certificate” as it confirmed she would not be able to set foot in Hong Kong again. “After learning about the bounty imposed against me, I suddenly felt like everything was out of my control because I could no longer get in touch with my family and close people in Hong Kong,” she said, adding that the event pushed her life onto a completely different path. “I’m officially a wanted fugitive, and whoever in Hong Kong is associated with me will get into trouble,” Hui told VOA by phone. While Hui described the experience as “jarring and shocking,” Kwok said she didn’t realize how the bounties could affect her until her bank account in Hong Kong was frozen. “At first, I was surprised for only 10 seconds and immediately went into work mode, thinking about how to use this incident to advance our advocacy agenda in media interviews,” said Kwok. “When I checked my Hong Kong bank account at 11 p.m. on July 3, 2023, I noticed my asserts were frozen and I suddenly realized the real-life implications of the bounty on my head,” Kwok told VOA by phone. These activists “betrayed their country, betrayed Hong Kong, disregarded the interests of Hong Kong people, and continue to endanger national security even when abroad,” the chief superintendent of Hong Kong’s National Security Department, Li Kwai-wah, said at a December 14 press conference. Eric Lai, a research fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Asian Law in the United States, said the Hong Kong government hopes to create a chilling effect that will further disconnect people in Hong Kong from overseas activists by issuing arrest warrants and bounties. “It’s a silencing tactic to both people around the bounty holders and the bounty holders themselves,” he told VOA by phone, adding that it is part of the Hong Kong government’s efforts to surveil, harass and intimidate political dissidents in exile. In addition to imposing bounties on more than a dozen activists, Hong Kong authorities canceled the passports of overseas activists last month. In the U.K., three men were charged in May with spying on members of the Hong Kong diaspora community on behalf of the territory’s intelligence service. Threat to mental health, personal safety Apart from targeting overseas activists, Hong Kong authorities have interrogated family members of the activists, including Hui’s mother and Kwok’s brothers and parents. Hui said the interrogations of her family members made her realize that her activism abroad could affect those who are still in Hong Kong. She said that is one way that Hong Kong authorities have limited her freedom. “It’s a very lonely experience to know that whatever I do could be connected to people who are associated with me; but I also know that if I stop my activism now, that’s exactly what the Chinese Communist Party would want, to intimidate and silence me,” she said. In addition to the sense of loneliness, Hui said the bounty has increased her fear of threats to her safety. “I have become extra cautious about talking to people, even those in the Hong Kong diaspora community, and my heightened sensitivity toward security issues has also contributed to my increased level of anxiety,” she said, adding that she is trying hard not to let fear dictate her advocacy work. As for Kwok, the fear for her safety became real when she began to receive death threats shortly before leaders convened for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, held in November in San Francisco. At the time, she was planning to attend protest rallies against Chinese President Xi Jinping. “I started receiving death threats and threats of raping me in my inbox, and those accounts are not afraid of using brutal language or insinuating physical harm against me,” she told VOA. She said the messages would appear in her inbox in a coordinated fashion. While she was shocked about the explicitness of those threats, she tried to take steps to rein in her fear, including maintaining regular contact with close friends, playing with her cats or diving into the world of fiction. These steps “help to assure me that things are okay and I’m doing something impactful, which is an important realization to me,” Kwok said. Despite their efforts to overcome the fear created by the bounties, Hui and Kwok say the Hong Kong government’s efforts to launch transnational repression are a threat to the entire diaspora community. “I think my personal experience shows that there are still many gaps in implementing protection mechanisms against transnational repression in many countries,” Kwok said, adding that the moves initiated by Hong Kong authorities are damaging trust within the diaspora community. While Hong Kong authorities try to isolate some overseas activists, Hui said she will continue to concentrate her advocacy efforts on speaking up for activists who have been imprisoned in Hong Kong. “There is a sense of mission for me, and I hope I can continue to advocate for those who can’t,” she said. In response to criticisms made by the activists, the Hong Kong government said the extraterritorial effect of the national security law is fully in line with the principles of international law and common practices adopted by several countries. “Absconders should not think they can evade criminal liability by absconding from Hong Kong, [because] ultimately, they will be held accountable for their acts constituting serious offences endangering national security and be sanctioned by law,” a Hong Kong government spokesperson told VOA in a written response.

washington — A House Democratic lawmaker has become the first in the party to publicly call for President Joe Biden to step down as the Democratic nominee for president, citing Biden's debate performance failing to "effectively defend his many accomplishments." Representative Lloyd Doggett of Texas said in a statement Tuesday that Biden should "make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw." "My decision to make these strong reservations public is not done lightly nor does it in any way diminish my respect for all that President Biden has achieved," Doggett said. "Recognizing that, unlike Trump, President Biden's first commitment has always been to our country, not himself, I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw. I respectfully call on him to do so." Senior Democratic leaders have been expressing support for Biden following the recent debate.

islamabad — A new study has revealed that recent floods in Pakistan have substantially weakened its societal resilience in coping with and recovering from such disasters as the threat from climate change continues to grow. The London-headquartered independent global charity Lloyd’s Register Foundation said Tuesday the findings are part of the latest edition of their flagship World Risk Poll Resilience Index. The study also highlighted that the number of Pakistanis who have experienced a disaster in the past five years has more than doubled since 2021, increasing from 11% to 27%. “This increase has been driven primarily by the extensive floods that hit the country in 2022, affecting regions containing around 15% of the population,” the study said. The report noted that community and society resilience scores declined sharply in the regions most affected by the floods, particularly in the southern Sindh province. “These scores declined because people reported losing confidence in the support of the government, community and infrastructure — at a national level, those who said their government cared ‘not at all’ about them and their well-being rose from 60% in 2021 to almost three-quarters [72%] in 2023.” Meanwhile, the country's already low individual and household resilience levels failed to improve, with Pakistan ranking in the bottom 10 globally for both resilience scores, according to the report. Nancy Hey, the director of evidence and insight at Lloyd’s Register Foundation, urged policymakers in Pakistan to prioritize rebuilding and strengthening the resilience of the most affected communities. She said this would better prepare them to face natural hazards and other potential causes of disasters in the wake of the growing threat of climate change. “For residents of Pakistan, catastrophic flooding is largely responsible for the doubling in disaster experience since 2021. This may have led to a ‘reality check’ for residents in terms of how prepared they feel for such events, with community and societal resilience particularly negatively affected,” Hey said. In 2022, Pakistan’s southern and southwestern regions experienced devastating floods triggered by climate change-induced unusually heavy monsoon rains, killing more than 1,700 people, affecting 33 million others, and submerging approximately one-third of Pakistan. The South Asian nation of about 245 million contributes less than 1% to global carbon emissions but bears the brunt of climate change. The country’s weather patterns have changed dramatically in recent years, and it officially “ranks fifth among the countries most affected by global warming.” April was recorded as the wettest month in Pakistan since 1961, with more than double the usual monthly rainfall, killing scores of people and destroying property as well as farmland. In May and June, Pakistan experienced relatively hotter heat waves, with temperatures in some districts rising to more than 52 degrees Celsius for days. The hot weather prompted authorities in May to temporarily shut down education for half of Pakistan's schoolchildren to protect them from heatstroke and dehydration. The United Nations has warned that an estimated 200,000 Pakistanis could be affected by the coming monsoon season and flash floods, as national weather forecasters project above-normal rainfall. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reviewed preparations for the monsoon season at a special meeting Tuesday and formed “a high-level committee” to handle potential emergencies, his office said in a statement. National Disaster Management Authority officials told the meeting that all relevant institutions and Pakistani troops remain on “high alert” in vulnerable districts. They were quoted as saying that “adequate stocks” of boats, tents, drainage pumps, medicines and other essential items were available for people in areas prone to rain-related disasters.”

YAOUNDE, CAMEROON — The Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad basin says several hundred fighters from jihadist groups Boko Karam and Islamic State West Africa Province have fled to Chad and Cameroon after the task force attacked camps and killed more than 70 terrorists Sunday. The ongoing operation, dubbed Lake Sanity 2, aims to obliterate all terrorist camps around Lake Chad, the task force said. In a video circulated on social media and broadcast on Chadian state TV, scores of villagers shouted that at least two dozen relatives died in attacks in villages along Cameroon’s border with Nigeria, and that 12 more people were injured. The four-nation task force, created to fight terrorism in Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger, said the deceased seen in the video are some of the more than 70 Boko Haram and Islamic State terrorists “neutralized” in Sunday’s attacks. The joint task force also said many jihadists surrendered in the air and ground operations but did not give a precise number. The troops said they captured many fighters and recovered large consignments of weapons. None of its ground troops suffered injuries, the task force said. The task force’s operations are targeting terrorist hideouts in border villages, including Mokolo and Waza in Cameroon. Moubi, Menchika and Madagali in Nigeria are also part of the operation. A release from task force spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Abubakar Abdullahi said the goal is to wipe out terrorist camps in villages on the borders of Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria, as well as the portion of the Lake Chad basin shared by the three neighbors. Midjiyawa Bakari, the governor of Cameroon’s Far North region, asked civilians to watch for fleeing terrorists because, he said, they are infiltrating neighboring towns and villages. He asked local militias to help in the effort and for people in border towns and villages to report to government troops any strangers or groups of people entering the country. Bakari, who spoke on Cameroonian state TV on Tuesday, said the porous nature of Cameroon’s border with Chad and Nigeria makes it difficult for troops to single handedly stop jihadists without the assistance of civilians. Chad's government said it also has deployed what it says are enough troops to stop terrorists from hiding in its territory. Chad said that within the past two days, its troops had killed or arrested many militants but provided no details. Boko Haram began launching attacks in Nigeria in 2009. In 2013, Cameroon, Niger and Chad reported that the terror group had launched attacks in their territories. The task force, which was created in 2014 to fight the militants, says it has about 11,000 troops and rescue workers. The United Nations says the conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, mainly in Nigeria, and forced 3 million to flee their homes.

Authorities severely curtail civil liberties necessary for free elections, while power ultimately lies in the supreme leader’s hands.

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.

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London — Britons look set to elect a new government by landslide as the country prepares to head to the polls on Thursday July 4. The vote comes amid weak economic growth and struggling public services, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the war in Gaza among the major foreign policy challenges lying ahead for the next administration.  The current opposition Labour Party under Keir Starmer is polling around 20% ahead of the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives, who have been in power for the past 14 years, a period that witnessed Britain’s bumpy exit from the European Union and a much-criticized response to the coronavirus pandemic.  “There is clearly widespread and very deep dissatisfaction with the Conservatives,” said Ursula Hackett, a political expert at Royal Holloway, University of London. “The question there is the cost of living, but I also think it's a sense of scandal and sleaze,” she told the Associated Press.  While Labour is in a buoyant mood ahead of the election, analysts caution that voter dissatisfaction appears to extend across the entire political spectrum — with little evidence of positive enthusiasm for the main opposition or its leader, Starmer.  Voter dissatisfaction  The town of Dartford, east of London, is known as a “bellwether” constituency. Its voters have picked a candidate from the winning party of every general election since 1964, making it a useful gauge of national political feeling.  Eighteen-year-old Yasmine Nicholls, who volunteers at a local food bank, is preparing to vote for the first time — but is already disillusioned.   “The people of England don't actually get to decide on what is going to happen in the country. … We don't really get to have a say in a lot of things that happen, we just have to follow,” she said.  Retired store worker Linda Skinner, who is 64, echoed that sentiment. “Governments are no longer for the people. To be honest, I haven't voted for a long time. Our votes don't count. The same people basically get in each time, Labour, Conservative, they are all the same,” she told AP.  For some, that lack of trust has been driven by recent political scandals.  “Across the board. I don't trust any of them. Especially when our (former) Prime Minister Boris Johnson lied. He lied straight across the board. He went to a party when everybody was in lockdown, and then from that point onwards, that's it, that was enough for me,” said pensioner Hilmi Hilmi.  Scandal  Johnson — who resigned last year following a series of scandals, including the breaking of COVID-19 lockdown rules — is one of five different Conservative prime ministers over the past eight turbulent years.  Analysts say the current Prime Minister Sunak is struggling to shake off that image amid new investigations by Britain’s Gambling Commission into Conservative members placing bets on the timing of the upcoming election.   Weak economy  The opposition Labour Party under Starmer is well ahead in most polls. But he would inherit a struggling economy, noted Anand Menon, a professor of international politics at Kings College London.  “We have crumbling public services after, in some cases, years of underinvestment. We've got very, very low median wage growth over the last 10 to 15 years. So we've got a public that is increasingly worried about the state of the economy.   “At the same time, we have very little in the way of money to address these problems. The tax burden is the highest it's been since the end of the Second World War. Debt repayments are high, and crucially, growth is very, very low. One of the first big questions to face a Starmer government is going to be, how are you going to raise the money to fix our crumbling public services?” Menon told VOA.  Global challenges  The next government will also face a daunting list of global challenges. There is uncertainty over future Western military aid for Ukraine, as Kyiv battles to regain lost ground from invading Russian forces.  Amid huge loss of life in Gaza, members of the Labour Party are demanding that Starmer be more critical of the Israeli government’s actions. Starmer has said he wants to recognize a Palestinian state as part of a wider peace process.  China continues to pose an economic and geopolitical challenge to the West. But Britain’s allies shouldn’t expect a dramatic change of foreign policy, said analyst Menon.  “One of the striking things about British politics at the moment is that over the two big crises of our time, Gaza and Ukraine, there's very little, if any, difference between the positions adopted by the big parties. So, I don't think there'll be much of a change,” Menon said.  Small parties  Britain’s smaller parties could play a big role in deciding the election outcome and the scale of Labour’s expected victory. The center-left Liberal Democrats have a chance of pushing the Conservatives into third place.  The anti-immigration, pro-Brexit Reform party could also peel off right-leaning Conservative voters. Reform leader Nigel Farage was widely criticized by other parties after saying the West provoked Russia into invading Ukraine, while party activists were recently filmed undercover using racist insults, drawing condemnation from across the political spectrum.

NEW YORK — Rudolph Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, federal prosecutor and legal advisor to Donald Trump, was disbarred in the state on Tuesday after a court found he repeatedly made false statements about Donald Trump's 2020 election loss. The decision was handed down by a New York appeals court in Manhattan. The court ruled that Giuliani be "disbarred from the practice of law, effective immediately, and until the further order of this Court, and his name stricken from the roll of attorneys and counselors-at-law in the State of New York." Giuliani has already had his New York law license suspended for false statements he made after the election. Giuliani was the primary mouthpiece for Trump's false claims of election fraud after the 2020 vote, standing at a press conference in front of Four Seasons Total Landscaping outside Philadelphia on the day the race was called for Democrat Joe Biden over the Republican Trump and saying they would challenge what he claimed was a vast conspiracy by Democrats. Lies around the election results helped push an angry mob of pro-Trump rioters to storm the U.S. Capitol on January 6 to stop the certification of Biden's victory.