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WASHINGTON — The ancient ritual meaning of Stonehenge is still a mystery, but researchers are one step closer to understanding how the famous stone circle was created. The unique stone lying flat at the center of the monument was brought to the site in southern England from near the tip of northeast Scotland, researchers reported Wednesday in the journal Nature. It's not clear whether the 5-meter (16-foot) stone was carried by boat or over land — a journey of more than 740 kilometers (460 miles). "It's a surprise that it's come from so far away," said University of Exeter archaeologist Susan Greaney, who was not involved in the study. For more than a hundred years, scientists believed that Stonehenge's central sandstone slab — long called the "altar stone" — came from much-closer Wales. But a study last year by some of the same researchers showed that the stone didn't match the geology of Wales' sandstone formations. The actual source of the stone remained unknown until now. For the study, the team was not permitted to chip away rocks at the site, but instead analyzed minerals in bits of rock that had been collected in previous digs, some dating back to the 1840s. They found a match in the sandstone formations of Orcadian Basin in northeast Scotland, a region that includes parts of the tip of the Scottish peninsula as well as the Orkney Islands. "That geological 'fingerprint' isn't repeated in any other area of sediment in the U.K.," said Aberystwyth University geologist Nick Pearce, a study co-author. Greaney said the difficult logistics of moving the stone such a long distance show a high level of coordination and cultural connection between these two regions of ancient Britain. Stonehenge was constructed around 5,000 years ago, with stones forming different circles brought to the site at different times. The placement of stones allows for the sun to rise through a stone "window" during summer solstice. The ancient purpose of the altar stone — which lies flat at the heart of Stonehenge, now beneath other rocks — remains a mystery. "Stonehenge isn't a settlement site, but a place of ceremony or ritual," said Heather Sebire, senior curator at English Heritage, who was not involved in the study. She said that past archaeological excavations had not uncovered evidence of feasting or daily living at the site. Previous research has shown cultural connections — such as similarities in pottery styles — between the area around Stonehenge and Scotland's Orkney Islands. Other stones at Stonehenge came from western Wales. While Britain is dotted with other Neolithic stone circles, "the thing that's unique about Stonehenge is the distance from which the stones have been sourced," said Aberystwyth University's Richard Bevins, a study co-author.

Washington — The last time Debra Tice hugged her son, he was 30 years old. Now the American journalist is 43 and still being held somewhere in Syria. “I can’t really get past that,” Debra Tice told VOA with a grimace. Wednesday marks 12 years since Austin Tice was abducted while reporting in Syria. His family and press freedom groups are re-amplifying calls for the U.S. government to secure his release. “Every year it seems like it’s different, because the news is different, and what we’re hearing from the White House changes year to year,” Debra said. “I never know what to expect, which is also just another stressor.” A Texas native and former U.S. Marine, Austin is an award-winning freelance journalist and photographer who worked for outlets that include The Washington Post, CBS and McClatchy. In the summer of 2012, ahead of his final year at law school at Georgetown, Austin traveled to Syria to report on the civil war. On August 14, as he headed to the border after an assignment, the journalist was detained at a checkpoint in Damascus. Aside from a brief video after his capture, little has been seen or heard of him since. On Wednesday, President Joe Biden reiterated his call for Austin’s immediate release.  “We have repeatedly pressed the government of Syria to work with us so that we can, at last, bring Austin home. Today, I once again call for his immediate release,” Biden said in a statement.  “The freedom of the press is essential, and journalists like Austin play a critical role informing the public and holding those in power accountable,” Biden added. On the tenth anniversary of his detention, Biden said in a statement that the U.S. government knows “with certainty” the journalist has been held by the Syrian government. In response, Syria denied holding him. Austin’s exact whereabouts are unknown, but he is still believed to be held captive somewhere in Syria. The U.S. State Department and Syria’s mission to the United Nations did not reply to VOA’s emails requesting comment. One challenge in securing the journalist’s release has been U.S. political sensitivities over engaging with the Syrian government, according to Bill McCarren, a press freedom consultant at the National Press Club in Washington. The U.S. and Syria do not have official diplomatic relations. The United States was among the first countries to cut ties with Syria over President Bashar al Assad’s response to antigovernment protests in 2011 that erupted in a civil war and led to the deaths of more than half a million people. Syria is still under expansive Western sanctions, but the Arab League regional organization in 2023 agreed to reinstate Syria’s membership after it was suspended more than a decade ago. “I love a challenge, but it does become wearing when you can’t really seem to get an equitable effort out of the government,” McCarren told VOA, referring to the United States. A historic prisoner swap earlier this month between the U.S. and Russia included the release of two American journalists — Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva. That means Austin is the sole American journalist unjustly held abroad. Learning about the prisoner swap was bittersweet for his mother. “It is just an incredible tumbler of emotions. And as a human and as a mother and as a woman of faith, of course we’re overjoyed to see these people walk free,” Debra said. “And then there’s the details about how long [the U.S. government] worked on it, and how diligently they worked on it, and how many countries they worked with on it. And that’s the part where I just become so frustrated,” she said. After 12 years of sporadic updates and little-to-no progress in her son’s case, Debra says she doesn’t think the U.S. government is working that hard to secure her son’s release. McCarren sees a double standard between U.S. policy on Syria and Russia, the latter of which has been ostracized by much of the world following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. “Relations are as strained as they have ever been, yet we were able to conduct these very intricate negotiations with Russia, and we were able to exchange hostages and get people home,” McCarren said. “And that doesn’t change our policy with Russia.” In May 2023, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the United States is “engaged with Syria, engaged with third countries” to try to bring Austin home. And in April of this year, President Assad said Syria has held meetings “from time to time” with Washington. Last week, a bipartisan group of 36 U.S. senators called on Biden to do everything he can to secure Austin’s release. With Biden nearing the end of his political career since stepping down from the presidential race, Debra hopes that he’ll prioritize securing her son’s release. She’s holding tight to the promise Biden made when he announced the U.S.-Russia prisoner swap that he would secure the release of all Americans wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad. “He’s got nothing to lose and everything to gain,” she said. More than a decade of shuttling between the family home in Texas and Washington to advocate for her son has taken a toll on her. “For 12 years, I haven’t been able to be myself, because I have to be this advocate in Washington,” she said. “I’m trying to help [the U.S. government] understand that my son is worth it. I have to prove his value? That’s just so demeaning.” Despite the time apart from her son, Debra said she has never lost faith that Austin will eventually be released. “I’ve never doubted that Austin’s going to walk free. So, it’s just a matter of time,” she said. “And for me, the time has been long — really long. And I’m sure it has been for Austin, too.”

Islamabad — The Islamist Taliban marked the third anniversary Wednesday of recapturing power in Afghanistan with a public holiday and a televised military parade at the former U.S.-run Bagram airbase, among other symbolic events. The so-called “victory day” celebrations occurred amid ongoing global criticism of the Taliban government, known as the Islamic Emirate, for allegedly creating “the world’s most serious women’s rights crisis” and making impoverished Afghanistan the only country where girls are banned from education beyond sixth grade. The ceremony at Bagram, around 40 kilometers north of the Afghan capital, Kabul, featured a 21-gun salute and speeches from top Taliban leaders, with thousands of people in the male-only audience, including foreign diplomats. The then-insurgent Taliban swept back to power on August 15, 2021, as the U.S.-led international forces withdrew from the country after their involvement in the Afghan war for almost 20 years. The Taliban’s prime minister, Hassan Akhund, stated in a message read by his chief of staff, "Allah granted the Mujahid nation of Afghanistan a decisive victory on this date over an international arrogant and occupying force." Akhund, largely considered a figurehead, was absent from Wednesday’s event. Akhund’s message said that the Taliban government “has the responsibility to maintain Islamic rule, protect property, people’s lives, and the honor of our nation.” The de facto Taliban government, not formally recognized by any country, cited the national solar calendar for marking the anniversary of “Afghanistan’s victory and freedom” from the U.S.-led “occupation” a day early. Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, wanted by the United States for terrorism with a $10 million bounty for his arrest, also addressed the Bagram event, urging global cooperation and engagement with the Taliban administration. "My message to the international community is that there is no need for dismay over the fact that you took our independence, and we reclaimed it successfully,” Haqqani said, without naming any country. “We do not want to hold anyone accountable. We have created favorable circumstances and have good intentions for them to cooperate with us in rebuilding Afghanistan, similar to how they helped during the occupation,” he said. Haqqani ran his network of militants, staging high-profile suicide bombings and other deadly attacks in support of Taliban insurgents on American and NATO forces during their presence in the war-torn South Asian nation. The Bagram parade was also an opportunity for the Taliban to showcase the military hardware, including tanks, helicopters, and Humvees, left behind by U.S. and NATO forces. Taliban leaders boasted about their conquest and subsequent achievements, such as establishing “peace and security” and an Islamic system in line with their harsh interpretation of Islam, but none of them responded to allegations of human rights abuses, particularly their sweeping curbs on women’s rights. They did not discuss hardships facing millions of Afghans. The United Nations and international aid agencies have ranked Afghanistan as one of the world’s "largest and most complex” humanitarian crises. They estimated that 23.7 million Afghans, more than half women and children, need humanitarian relief. A group of 29 U.N. experts Wednesday jointly called for “stronger and more effective” international action to address the deteriorating human rights situation in Afghanistan. “We stress that there should be no move to normalize the de facto authorities unless and until there are demonstrated, measurable, and independently verified improvements against human rights benchmarks, particularly for women and girls,” the Geneva-based experts said in a statement. In a separate joint statement this week, international non-governmental organizations warned of a growing aid funding gap. Speaking ahead of the three-year anniversary of the Taliban takeover, a top U.N. official on Tuesday urged the world to support Afghan women’s fight for freedom. “Three years’ worth of countless decrees, directives, and statements targeting women and girls – stripping them of their fundamental rights, eviscerating their autonomy,” Alison Davidian, the U.N. Women's country representative in Afghanistan, said while sharing details of the latest survey. She referred to religious edicts the reclusive Taliban supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, has issued over the past three years to govern the crisis-hit country, most of them leading to restrictions on the freedom of Afghan women and girls. Akhundzada rarely leaves the southern city of Kandahar, regarded as the country’s de facto capital. “To date, no woman in Afghanistan is in a leadership position anywhere that has influence politically at the national or provincial level. When Afghan women are engaged in the Taliban’s structures, their roles are largely about monitoring the compliance of other women with their discriminatory decrees,” Davidian told reporters in New York. “We must continue to invest in women. Nothing undermines the Taliban’s vision for society more than empowering the very part of the population they seek to oppress,” she stressed. Human Rights Watch reiterated its call for the global community to press the Taliban to remove curbs on women. "The third anniversary of the Taliban's takeover is a grim reminder of Afghanistan’s human rights crisis, but it should also be a call for action,” said Fereshta Abbasi, the U.S.-based watchdog’s Afghanistan researcher. The Taliban have dismissed criticism of their government as interference in internal matters of Afghanistan, saying their policies are aligned with local culture and Islam. Terrorism-related international sanctions on many top Taliban leaders, isolation of their administration, and continued suspension of foreign development aid have made it difficult for Kabul to address deepening economic troubles. The World Bank reported in April that the aftermath of the Taliban takeover had seen a stark decline in international aid, leaving Afghanistan without any internal growth engines and leading to "a staggering 26 percent contraction in real GDP.”

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.

In Mozambique, two young innovators are using recycled resources to improve lives in their community, creating solutions for using renewable energy and mapping flood-prone areas. Amarilis Gule has the report from Maputo.

NEW YORK — Donald Trump has lost his latest bid for a new judge in his New York hush money criminal case as it heads toward a key ruling and potential sentencing next month.  In a decision posted Wednesday, Judge Juan M. Merchan declined to step aside and said Trump's demand was a rehash "rife with inaccuracies and unsubstantiated claims" about the political ties of Mercan's daughter and his ability to judge the historic case fairly and impartially.  It is the third time that the judge has rejected such a request from lawyers for the former president and current Republican nominee.  All three times, they argued that Merchan, a state court judge in Manhattan, has a conflict of interest because of his daughter's work as a political consultant for prominent Democrats and campaigns. Among them was Vice President Kamala Harris when she ran for president in 2020. She is now her party's 2024 White House nominee.  A state court ethics panel said last year that Merchan could continue on the case, writing that a relative's independent political activities are not "a reasonable basis to question the judge's impartiality."  Merchan has repeatedly said he is certain he will continue to base his rulings "on the evidence and the law, without fear or favor, casting aside undue influence."  "With these fundamental principles in mind, this Court now reiterates for the third time, that which should already be clear — innuendo and mischaracterizations do not a conflict create," Merchan wrote in his three-page ruling. "Recusal is therefore not necessary, much less required."  But with Harris now Trump's Democratic opponent in this year's White House election, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche wrote in a letter to the judge last month that the defense's concerns have become "even more concrete."  Prosecutors called the claims "a vexatious and frivolous attempt to relitigate" the issue.  Messages seeking comment on the ruling were left with Blanche. The Manhattan district attorney's office, which prosecuted the case, declined to comment.  Trump was convicted in May of falsifying his business records to conceal a 2016 deal to pay off porn actor Stormy Daniels to stay quiet about her alleged 2006 sexual encounter with him. Prosecutors cast the payout as part of a Trump-driven effort to keep voters from hearing salacious stories about him during his first campaign.  Trump says all the stories were false, the business records were not and the case was a political maneuver meant to damage his current campaign. The prosecutor who brought the charges, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, is a Democrat.  Trump has pledged to appeal. Legally, that cannot happen before a defendant is sentenced.  In the meantime, his lawyers took other steps to try to derail the case. Besides the recusal request, they have asked Merchan to overturn the verdict and dismiss the case altogether because of the U.S. Supreme Court's July ruling on presidential immunity.  That decision reins in prosecutions of ex-presidents for official acts and restricts prosecutors in pointing to official acts as evidence that a president's unofficial actions were illegal. Trump's lawyers argue that in light of the ruling, jurors in the hush money case should not have heard such evidence as former White House staffers describing how the then-president reacted to news coverage of the Daniels deal.  Earlier this month, Merchan set a September 16 date to rule on the immunity claim, and September 18 for "the imposition of sentence or other proceedings as appropriate."  The hush money case is one of four criminal prosecutions brought against Trump last year.  One federal case, accusing Trump of illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, was dismissed last month. The Justice Department is appealing.  The others — federal and Georgia state cases concerning Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss — are not positioned to go to trial before the November election.

Washington — Sun Lijun, a 42-year-old semiconductor engineer, says worries about the quality of air and living, childhood education and the overall economic trajectory in China are some of the reasons he and his wife first started talking about moving to Japan almost a decade ago. In 2021, they did just that, leaving their life in China behind and relocating with their two children to Okinawa. Moving to Japan on a business management visa was a first step to "start over and then lead another lifestyle," he told VOA. Largest pool of residents Sun is not alone. He is one of hundreds of thousands of Chinese nationals who have relocated to Japan, where they are now the largest group of immigrants. According to data from the Japanese Immigration Service Agency, at the end of last year, 821,838 Chinese nationals were living in Japan, a 13% increase from 2022. Trends of Chinese immigration follow a broader increase in the number of foreigners relocating to Japan, which reached a record high of 3,410,992 people in 2023. With an aging population and widespread labor shortages, Japan has been rolling out immigration reforms in a bid to attract more foreign nationals to the country. Beginning in 2019, the Japanese government pushed to loosen qualifications that previously inhibited foreigners from establishing residence in the country. Now, those applying for business management visas and residency can bypass the country's previously strict standards for special skills, education and residence qualifications. Chinese demand The changes in Japanese immigration policy have come with consequences. In the case of Chinese nationals, new residents have driven up housing prices and the rate of real estate development across the country. Daniel Cheng, president of Wan Guo Jin Liang Company, told VOA that real estate developers in Tokyo often use Chinese sales teams, and that many Chinese-owned real estate companies focus on business with Chinese living in Japan or other places overseas. Tokyo has attracted many middle-class and wealthy Chinese immigrants, and that has pushed up the average price of newly built central city apartments by nearly 40% from 2022, to around $780,000, according to a report issued by the Tokyo-based Real Estate Economic Institute. That's much higher than the average price in the capital's greater metropolitan area, which is about $550,000 for an apartment. Chin JouSen's real estate agency, Yuzawa, focuses on the Chinese market. He said that when looking at buying property in Japan, China's wealthy mainly focus on preserving the value of their investment, whereas middle-class families are looking for a variety of choices that allow them to minimize the cost of living. Cheng said that Japan's stable political environment, good medical and social insurance, and property ownership rights are a key draw for Chinese. In China, by contrast, individuals may not own land. Water Lee, a consultant with InterDots, a company that provides immigration services to people from Hong Kong, told VOA that Hong Kongers are also among those relocating to Japan — given the changes in the political environment in the port city in recent years. Integration into Japan Despite the impact of the surge of new foreign residents, the rising cost of housing in Japan's capital, and the geopolitical rivalry between Tokyo and Beijing, Chinese migrants say public sentiment in Japan toward immigrants is positive. Chin JouSen recently founded his real estate business in Japan. He said that integrating into Japanese society is the most important thing an immigrant can do. And based on his experience, the Japanese are friendly and accepting, Chin said. However, while most Japanese people are friendly to foreigners, Tokyo-based aromatherapy business owner Michelle Takahashi, who is originally from Taiwan, told VOA that immigrants can sometimes feel subtle differences in how they are treated. "Japanese thinking on service work can sometimes make foreigners feel like they are being treated specially or differently. This can be a challenge for foreigners who don't speak Japanese," she said. The Japanese government provides new immigrants with specialists to help them adapt to the new language and culture. Kazuhiko Isozaki founded Beru Corporation in 2017. The company invests in unused, vacant houses, renovates them and rents them out to disadvantaged groups at low prices. He fully welcomed the influx of foreign capital, especially Chinese capital, into Japan. "The rise in land and housing prices has a positive impact on the economy, and foreign capital helps to drive up land prices," he said. "As Japan's population continues to decline and incomes within the country fall, it makes sense from an economic perspective to more effectively assist overseas capital and people in entering Japan." He said he hopes to engage in business helping foreigners buy real estate in Japan in the future, mainly through education and support services, to reduce the barriers for foreigners to buy houses in Japan. A slower, happier life As for Sun and his family, they have settled in Okinawa, Japan's sparsely populated island south of the main island. Sun says he enjoys the climate, slower pace of life and the internationalism he has found there. For a while, Sun operated a coin laundry before transitioning to property management. His two daughters are learning Japanese in school. "After immigrating to Japan, my quality of life and overall happiness of my family increased significantly," Sun said. VOA's Katherine Michaelson contributed to this report.

Afghan refugee Gul Ali and his family were living in Pakistan in November when they were deported back home. Just two months later, they came back to Pakistan, saying that they could not find shelter and work in Afghanistan. Muska Safi reports from Peshawar, narrated by Bezhan Hamdard.

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.

Seoul  — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who has effectively announced his resignation, helped transform Japan’s foreign policy, boosting its global role and accelerating a major military expansion, despite facing domestic challenges that ultimately led to his exit. In an unexpected announcement Wednesday, Kishida said he will not seek re-election as head of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, meaning he will step down as prime minister following an internal party leadership election next month. During Kishida’s three-year term, global geopolitical tensions sharply escalated. Kishida responded by taking several steps to align his country closer with the West and to loosen Japan’s self-imposed post-World War II military restraints. Most notably, Kishida increased Japan’s defense budget. Under a five-year plan unveiled in 2022, Japan is on track to become the world’s third-largest military spender, trailing the United States and China. Under Kishida, Japan announced for the first time that it will acquire missiles that can reach other countries, breaking a decades-old taboo against weapons that could have offensive uses. Kishida also deepened Japan’s security ties with like-minded partners, not only reinforcing its alliance with the United States but also enhancing cooperation with the Philippines, Australia, South Korea, and NATO. Those policies largely continued the vision of the late Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, who advocated a more assertive Japanese foreign policy. “But I think [Kishida] went beyond Abe in many ways,” said Daniel Sneider, an East Asia policy specialist at Stanford University. Under Kishida, Japan “moved beyond the kind of narrow definitions of self-defense that were the hallmark of Japanese security policy for so many decades,” Sneider added. Ukraine war impact A main reason Kishida was able to enact many significant changes to Japan’s security policy was Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began four months after Kishida took office. “Kishida understood very quickly that this was a huge turning point in postwar history,” Sneider said. Although the Ukraine war was on the other side of the world, Kishida viewed it as a violation of the fundamental principles of the post-World War II international order, “the first of which was not to use force to change boundaries,” Sneider said. For many Japanese, the lesson of Ukraine was clear: the country needed a more proactive foreign policy – especially with Russia next door and China and North Korea increasingly intent on upsetting the U.S.-led regional order. “Ukraine’s example was perfect to convince Japanese people that, look, talking peacefully is not enough – something else needs to be done,” said Mieko Nakabayashi, a former Japanese lawmaker and professor at Tokyo’s Waseda University. “Mr. Kishida used that rhetoric very well – and it was not only rhetoric, but a reality in the world. Therefore, it was very convincing,” Nakabayashi said. Kishida responded by quickly joining U.S.-led economic sanctions against Russia. Japan also sent Ukraine large amounts of humanitarian and military aid, which although non-lethal was unprecedented in Japan’s modern history. Taiwan support For Kishida, another foreign policy focus was Taiwan, the self-ruled island that China views as its own and has threatened to invade. Japan has much to lose if a regional war over Taiwan erupted. Its westernmost inhabited island is just 100 kilometers from Taiwan. And Japan hosts over 50,000 U.S. troops, who analysts say would likely be drawn into any Taiwan conflict. Although Japan has not committed to defending Taiwan, Kishida has expanded Japan’s rhetorical support for the island democracy. He has also boosted security cooperation with countries who aim to preserve the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. At international forums, Kishida repeatedly warned that "Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow,” a statement many saw as an implicit reference to the dangers of China invading Taiwan. Tough legacy at home Kishida’s more assertive, values-laden foreign policy won him admirers throughout the West, but his legacy at home is more complicated.  During his three years in office, Kishida suffered consistently low approval ratings – one poll in July suggested that only 15.5% of Japanese approved of his Cabinet. Many Japanese voters appear unhappy with Kishida’s handling of the economy. Not only did the policies of Kishida’s government fail to fix Japan’s long-standing stagnation, he and his cabinet struggled to respond to newfound inflation, which drove up consumer prices, especially following the Ukraine war. Kishida’s LDP also faced a series of domestic controversies, including one involving millions of dollars in undocumented political funds. In Kobayashi’s view, Kishida exerted more effort trying to protect his political allies than uncovering who was responsible for the allegedly misappropriated funds. “The perception [of Kishida] outside of Japan and inside of Japan are very different,” she said. “He was respected by international leaders because of his consistent role to protect democracy…however, looking at him from inside Japan, he lacked leadership.”

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.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Tropical Storm Ernesto was poised to become a hurricane shortly after brushing past Puerto Rico late Tuesday as officials closed schools, opened shelters and moved dozens of the U.S. territory's endangered parrots into hurricane-proof rooms. Ernesto is forecast to become a hurricane overnight as the center of the storm moves just northeast of Puerto Rico on a path toward Bermuda. Forecasters issued a hurricane watch for the U.S. and British Virgin Islands as well as the tiny Puerto Rican islands of Vieques and Culebra, which are popular with tourists. “Since there is some chance of Ernesto becoming a hurricane while it is near the Virgin Islands, a hurricane watch remains in effect,” the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said. The storm moved over the U.S. Virgin Islands on Tuesday night. After passing Puerto Rico, it is expected to move into open waters and be near Bermuda on Friday. Heavy rains began pelting Puerto Rico, and strong winds churned the ocean into a milky turquoise as people rushed to finish securing homes and businesses. “I'm hoping it will go away quickly,” said José Rodríguez, 36, as he climbed on the roof of his uncle's wooden shack in the Afro-Caribbean community of Piñones on Puerto Rico's north coast to secure the business famous for its fried street food. Ernesto was about 60 miles (95 kilometers) east-northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico late Tuesday night. It had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kph) and was moving northwest at 17 mph (28 kph). “We are going to have a lot of rain,” Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said as he urged people to be indoors by early Tuesday evening. He activated the National Guard as crews across the island visited flood-prone areas and older residents as part of last-minute preparations. Meanwhile, Department of Natural Resources officials who work at breeding centers for the island's only remaining native parrot, the Puerto Rico Amazon, moved them indoors. Ernesto Rodríguez with the National Weather Service warned that the storm's trajectory could change as it approaches Puerto Rico. “We should not lower our guard,” he said. As intermittent rain pelted Puerto Rico's northeast, residents in Piñones tried to squeeze in a couple more hours of work. María Abreu, 25, prepared fried pastries stuffed with shrimp, crab, chicken and even iguana meat as she waited for customers. “They always come. They buy them in case the power goes out,” she said. Down the road, Juan Pizarro, 65, picked nearly 100 coconuts from palm trees swaying in the strong breeze. He had already secured his house. “I'm ready for anything,” he said. Forecasters have warned of waves of up to 20 feet (six meters), widespread flooding and possible landslides, with six to eight inches (15-20 centimeters) of rain forecast for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) in isolated areas. Puerto Rico has six reservoirs that already were overflowing before the storm. Officials in Puerto Rico warned of widespread power outages given the crumbling electric grid, which crews are still repairing after Hurricane Maria razed it in September 2017 as a Category 4 storm. Juan Saca, president of Luma Energy, a private company that operates the transmission and distribution of power in Puerto Rico, urged people to report blackouts: “Puerto Rico's electrical system is not sufficiently modernized to detect power outages.” Outages also were a concern in the neighboring U.S. Virgin Islands for similar reasons, with blackouts reported on St. Thomas and St. John on Monday. “Don't sleep on this,” said U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Albert Bryan Jr., whose administration announced early Tuesday that it was closing all schools. The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency echoed those warnings, saying residents in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands “should be prepared for extended power outages.” Early Tuesday, Ernesto drenched the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, where officials closed several main roads and warned that the quality of potable water would be affected for several days. Meanwhile, the storm downed a couple of trees in Antigua, and knocked out power to most of the island. Ernesto also forced the cancellation of dozens of flights to and from Puerto Rico. Ernesto is the fifth named storm of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average Atlantic hurricane season this year because of record warm ocean temperatures. It forecast 17 to 25 named storms, with four to seven major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher.

MINNEAPOLIS — Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, one of the progressive House members known as the “Squad” and a sharp critic of how Israel has conducted the war in Gaza, has won her primary race in Minnesota. Omar successfully defended her Minneapolis-area 5th District seat against a repeat challenge from former Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels, a more centrist liberal whom she only narrowly defeated in the 2022 primary. Speaking to supporters in Minneapolis, Omar echoed some of the themes of the Harris-Walz presidential campaign. “We run the politics of joy," she said. "Because we know it is joyful to fight for your neighbors. ... We know it is joyful to make sure housing is a human right. We know it is joyful to fight for health care to be a human right. We know it is joyful to want to live in a peaceful and equitable world.” Omar avoided the fate of two fellow Squad members. Rep. Cori Bush lost the Democratic nomination in her Missouri district last week, and Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York lost his primary in June. Both faced well-funded challengers and millions of dollars in spending by the United Democracy Project, a super political action committee affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which appeared to sit out the Minnesota race. Samuels had criticized Omar’s condemnation of the Israeli government’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war. While Omar has also criticized Hamas for attacking Israel and taking hostages, Samuels said she’s one-sided and divisive. He also stressed public safety issues in Minneapolis, where a former police officer murdered George Floyd in 2020. Samuels said he was “very disappointed” with his loss. “What I was hoping is that a strong ground game and an attention to the details of folks who felt left out would trump an overwhelming superiority in dollars,” he said in an interview. “Clearly money matters a little more in politics than I had hoped." Omar reported raising about $6.2 million. Samuels raised about $1.4 million. Omar will face Republican Dalia Al-Aqidi, an Iraqi American journalist and self-described secular Muslim who calls Omar pro-Hamas. Meanwhile, conservative populist and former NBA player Royce White defeated Navy veteran Joe Fraser in Minnesota’s primary election for the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar in November. And former federal prosecutor Joe Teirab, supported by former President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and the National Republican Congressional Committee, won a contested GOP primary for Minnesota’s 2nd District seat held by Democratic Rep. Angie Craig. His opponent, defense attorney Tayler Rahm, won the endorsement at the district convention with support from grassroots conservatives. While Rahm announced in July that he was suspending his campaign and would instead serve as a senior adviser for Trump’s Minnesota campaign, he remained on the ballot. Teirab will face Craig in what’s expected to be Minnesota’s most competitive House race in November. “Tonight’s definitive results send a clear message that Republicans are united and ready for change," Teirab said in a statement. "We are ready to support candidates who will strengthen our economy, secure the border, and restore safety in our communities.” Craig issued a statement calling him “a guy who recently moved to the district because he saw a political opportunity." “He’s a guy who has spent months doing anything to win the support of Washington Republicans,” Craig said. "And he’s a guy who has made it his life’s mission to take away reproductive freedoms from families and give those decisions to politicians.” In the U.S. Senate race, White — an ally of imprisoned former Trump aide Steve Bannon and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones — shocked many political observers when he defeated Fraser at the party convention for the GOP endorsement. White's social media comments have been denounced as misogynistic, homophobic, antisemitic and profane. His legal and financial problems include unpaid child support and questionable campaign spending, including $1,200 spent at a Florida strip club after he lost his primary challenge to Omar in 2022. He argues that, as a Black man, he can broaden the party’s base by appealing to voters of color in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and others disillusioned with establishment politics. Following his win, White said in a post on the social platform X: “Bring it on commies… The People Are Coming.” Democratic leaders denounced him as a far-right extremist. "While Royce White’s language and policies seek to divide Minnesotans, Senator Amy Klobuchar is focused on bringing people together to get things done, and she is consistently ranked as one of the most bipartisan and effective legislators in the Senate," Ken Martin, the state Democratic Party chair, said in a statement. "The choice this November could not be more clear.” Fraser said earlier that White’s confrontational style and message won’t attract the moderates and independents needed for a competitive challenge against Klobuchar, who's seeking a fourth term. He said he offered a more mainstream approach, stressing fiscal conservativism, a strong defense, world leadership and small government. Fraser has also highlighted his 26 years in the Navy, where he was an intelligence officer and served a combat tour in Iraq. Neither had anywhere near the resources that Klobuchar has. White last reported raising $133,000, while Fraser took in $68,000. Klobuchar, meanwhile, has collected about $19 million this cycle and has more than $6 million available to spend on the general election campaign. She faced only nominal primary opposition. Another clash between establishment and grassroots Republicans played out in western Minnesota's 7th District. Trump-backed GOP Rep. Michelle Fischbach, considered one of the most conservative members of Congress, defeated small businessman Steve Boyd. Boyd ran to her right on a religious platform and blocked her from getting endorsement at the district convention. Boyd reported spending $170,000, while Fischbach spent over $1 million. Among the legislative primaries on the ballot Tuesday, Democrats picked former state Sen. Ann Johnson Stewart to face Republican Kathleen Fowke in a high-stakes race that will determine not only which party controls the state Senate, but whether Democrats maintain their narrow “trifecta” control of both chambers and the governor’s office. Democrats used that power to pass an ambitious agenda over the last two years that helped put Gov. Tim Walz on the radar of Vice President Kamala Harris before she picked him to be her running mate. It will be the only state Senate seat in the November ballot. The seat in the western Minneapolis suburbs had been held by Democrat Kelly Morrison, who will face Republican Tad Jude for Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District seat.

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