Russian disinformation narratives about illicit organ harvesting and biological experiments in Ukraine have no basis in fact. Russia intentionally distorts Ukrainian law intended to support vital medical procedures.
…
Month: January 2025
Economists mixed on possible impacts of Trump’s tariff proposals
President Donald Trump is widely expected to impose tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada as early as February 1 as part of a plan he says will boost the U.S. economy. But with much about the specifics still unknown, economists, business owners and everyday consumers are still trying to understand how it could impact them. Johny Fernandez reports from New York City. (Produced by: Bakhtiyar Zamanov)
…
Philippine president offers deal to China: Stop sea aggression and I’ll return missiles to US
MANILA — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. offered on Thursday to remove a U.S. missile system from the Philippines if China halts what he called its “aggressive and coercive behavior” in the disputed South China Sea.
The U.S. Army installed the Typhon mid-range missile system in the northern Philippines in April last year to support what the longtime treaty allies described as training for joint combat readiness.
China has repeatedly demanded that the Philippines remove the missile system, saying it was “inciting geopolitical confrontation and an arms race.”
Asked by reporters about China’s criticism of the missile system, Marcos said he did not understand the Chinese position because the Philippines does not comment on China’s missile systems which “are a thousand times more powerful than what we have.”
“Let’s make a deal with China: Stop claiming our territory, stop harassing our fishermen and let them have a living, stop ramming our boats, stop water cannoning our people, stop firing lasers at us and stop your aggressive and coercive behavior, and we’ll return the typhoon missiles,” Marcos told reporters in central Cebu province.
“Let them stop everything they’re doing and I’ll return all of those,” he said.
Chinese officials did not immediately comment on the Philippine leader’s remarks.
The U.S. Army’s mobile Typhon missile system, which consists of a launcher and at least 16 Standard Missile-6 and Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles, was repositioned about two weeks ago from the northern Philippines to a strategic area nearer the capital, Manila, in consultation with Philippine defense officials, a senior Philippine official told The Associated Press.
The Philippine official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of a lack of authority to discuss the sensitive issue in public, said the U.S. missile system is now nearer an area where Chinese and Philippine coast guard and navy forces have been involved in increasingly tense faceoffs in the South China Sea.
Tomahawk missiles can travel over 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers), which puts parts of mainland China within their range. The missile system will remain in the Philippines indefinitely, the Philippine official said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said last week that the Philippines is “creating tensions and antagonism in the region and inciting geopolitical confrontation and an arms race” by allowing the U.S. missile system to be positioned in its territory.
“This is a highly dangerous move and an extremely irresponsible choice,” Mao said.
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro has rejected China’s demand that the missile system be removed as interference in Philippine internal affairs.
The U.S. and the Philippines have repeatedly condemned China’s increasingly assertive actions to press its territorial claims in the South China Sea, where hostilities have flared over the past two years with repeated clashes between Chinese and Philippine coast guard forces and accompanying vessels.
Aside from China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims in the busy waterway, a key shipping route which is also believed to be sitting atop large undersea deposits of gas and oil.
…
Rwanda’s Kagame slams criticism of east Congo offensive as rebels push south
GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo — President Paul Kagame said Rwanda was ready for “confrontation” as he rejected criticism over his backing for M23 rebels who were pushing south on Thursday in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo after capturing the major city of Goma.
M23 rebels, with support from Rwandan troops, marched into Goma this week and are now advancing toward Bukavu, capital of neighboring South Kivu province, in the biggest escalation since 2012 of a decades-old conflict.
Rwanda is facing an international backlash over its actions in eastern Congo, where it has repeatedly intervened either directly or through allied militias over the past 30 years in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide.
But the chorus of condemnation, which has included Germany canceling aid talks with Rwanda and Britain threatening to withhold $40 million of annual bilateral assistance, was having no apparent effect on the ground.
After seizing Goma, a lakeside city of nearly 2 million and a major hub for displaced people and aid groups, M23 fighters were advancing south from the town of Minova, along the western side of Lake Kivu.
They tried to take the town of Nyabibwe, about 50 km north of Bukavu, on Wednesday but were pushed back by Congolese forces, a local resident told Reuters by phone.
A civil society source in Bukavu, who has contacts around the region, said clashes were ongoing on Thursday morning in a location known as Kahalala, about 20 km away from Nyabibwe.
“The Congolese army seems to be putting up fierce resistance there,” the source said.
In the latest diplomatic initiative, France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot arrived on Thursday in Congo’s capital Kinshasa, more than 1,600 km west of Goma. He was due to meet President Felix Tshisekedi, the Congolese presidency said.
Barrot’s visit comes two days after Congolese protesters in Kinshasa attacked the French embassy and several other foreign missions over their perceived support for Rwanda.
Any successful push south by M23 would see them control territory previous rebellions have not taken since the end of two major wars that ran from 1996 to 2003, and magnify the risk of an all-out conflict that draws in regional countries.
Troops from neighboring Burundi, which has had hostile relations with Rwanda, support Congolese troops in South Kivu. A spokesperson for Burundi’s military declined to comment on the current situation in Congo.
In Goma itself, where M23 say they plan to administer the city and appear to be settling in for a lengthy period of control, the border with Rwanda, which is close to the city center, was re-opened under M23 control, its spokesperson said.
Kagame accuses South Africa
Kagame responded angrily on X to a post by President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, 13 of whose soldiers have been killed in eastern Congo since last week. Ramaphosa attributed the fighting to an escalation by the M23 and the Rwandan army.
Kagame accused South African forces of working alongside a militia in Congo with ties to perpetrators of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and “threatening to take the war to Rwanda itself.”
“If South Africa wants to contribute to peaceful solutions, that is well and good, but South Africa is in no position to take on the role of a peacemaker or mediator,” Kagame wrote.
“And if South Africa prefers confrontation, Rwanda will deal with the matter in that context any day.”
Since the fall of Goma, Rwanda has also reacted angrily to calls for restraint from Western nations, accusing its critics of “victim-blaming” and turning a blind eye to what it says is Congo’s complicity in the slaughter of Tutsis.
Congo rejects Rwanda’s accusations, saying Kigali’s true motive for involvement in its eastern provinces is to use its proxy militias to control lucrative mineral mines. U.N. experts have documented the export of large quantities of looted Congolese minerals via Rwanda.
M23 is the latest ethnic Tutsi-led insurgency backed by Rwanda to fight in Congo since the 1994 genocide, when extremist Hutus killed about a million Tutsis and moderate Hutus, and were then toppled by Tutsi forces led by Kagame, who has been Rwanda’s president ever since.
About a million Hutus, some refugees and some genocide perpetrators, fled into eastern Congo in the aftermath of the genocide, and Rwanda accuses Congo of harboring Hutu-led militias bent on killing Tutsis and threatening Rwanda itself.
The eight-member East African Community, to which Rwanda and Congo both belong, held a virtual summit late on Wednesday to discuss the crisis. The final communique largely embraced Rwanda’s position.
It called for a peaceful resolution of the conflict through direct talks between Congo and armed groups. Congo rejects direct negotiations with the M23, which it considers a terrorist group.
The EAC also recommended a joint summit to discuss the crisis with the Southern African Development Community.
SADC member Angola, which has led the most recent efforts to broker a peace deal but is also a firm ally of Congo, called on Rwanda to withdraw its forces shortly after hosting Tshisekedi for talks in Luanda on Wednesday.
…
NATO, EU on high alert as undersea cable attacks escalate in Baltic
As authorities investigate the fourth Baltic Sea cable-cutting incident in recent months, European leaders have expressed concern about the frequency of attacks involving civilian vessels and critical civilian infrastructure.
The Vezhen, a Bulgarian-owned vessel, was detained this week in the Baltic Sea, suspected of dragging its anchor across the seafloor, severing a data cable between Sweden and Latvia.
Aleksander Kalchev, the CEO of the company that owns the Vezhen, denied that the damage was intentional.
Nevertheless, Swedish security services have boarded the vessel for further investigation.
Latvian Minister of Defense Andris Spruds, in a written response to VOA on Wednesday, confirmed that Latvia is working closely with Sweden and NATO to address the incident.
“Latvia’s Naval Forces’ diving team has conducted an inspection at the damage site and collected evidence in cooperation with Swedish Coast Guard vessels,” Spruds told VOA.
He emphasized that Latvia would deploy new technologies and continue working closely with NATO allies to enhance the protection of critical sea infrastructure. “These sabotage actions will not be tolerated, and we will continue to enforce bold actions within the rule of law,” Spruds said.
Growing pattern of attacks
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, whose country launched a sabotage investigation into damage to the Estlink 2 undersea power cable connecting Finland and Estonia on Dec. 25, has emphasized the urgency of the situation.
“This cannot continue,” he told Finnish Lannen Media this week. He called for stronger coordination within the European Union to prevent further attacks. “We must be on a common front in sanctions against Russia. That applies to every EU country,” he told a Finnish journalist.
The government in Poland, another Baltic Sea country with more than 1,000 kilometers of coastline, has called for enhanced security measures.
In an interview with VOA, Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said recent attacks on undersea cables — such as those between Latvia and Sweden, as well as Estonia and Finland — align with broader patterns of sabotage seen in the region. While investigations are ongoing, Poland views these incidents as deliberate actions, he said.
“Even if there is no direct evidence today, sabotage and provocations are part of Russia’s standard arsenal. … We are at a point where we have to assume that this is a conscious, deliberate action,” he told VOA on Tuesday.
Polish officials also emphasize the need for more coordinated maritime security measures.
“We want such policing missions to start taking place in the Baltic Sea. There is a lot of traffic when it comes to ships and vessels … and security is an absolutely fundamental issue here,” he told VOA.
Given its strategic importance and the increasing presence of Russian naval activity, he said, NATO must prioritize the Baltic Sea as a critical security zone.
“The Baltic Sea has become an arena where all tricks are allowed,” Siemoniak said.
Political and strategic motives
While evidence is still being gathered, the geopolitical implications of these attacks are becoming clearer. Analysts believe the sabotage is not just an attempt to disrupt communication networks but also a calculated effort to test NATO’s response capabilities and sow discord among member states.
Lawmakers in Finland, the newest member of NATO, have voiced concerns that these incidents may be part of a broader conflict that many Western governments are hesitant to acknowledge.
“If we don’t know whether we’re at war, it’s always best to assume that we are,” Jussi Halla-aho, the speaker of the Finnish Parliament, said in an interview earlier this month in the Turku daily Turun Sanomat.
Countering hybrid warfare
A significant challenge for NATO and its allies is how to respond effectively to these incidents. Unlike conventional military aggression, these acts of sabotage involve civilian vessels and infrastructure, making direct retaliation difficult.
“If we openly accuse Russia or China of these attacks, the next logical question is: What are we going to do about it?” Matti Posio, a Finnish foreign policy expert and chief editor at Lannen Media Oy, told VOA in an interview. “The reality is that options are limited, and that’s exactly what the perpetrators are counting on.”
With tensions rising, NATO is considering additional measures to secure the Baltic Sea, officials and observers told VOA. One option includes increasing naval patrols and surveillance of key maritime routes. However, “more drastic proposals — such as closing parts of the Gulf of Finland to Russian-linked vessels — remain politically sensitive and legally complex,” Posio said.
Dilemma for NATO and EU
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, who visited Latvia this week, issued a a statement with her Latvian counterpart.
“We are aware that Russia is a long-term threat to world peace and international order; therefore, NATO’s deterrence and defense measures must be further strengthened, while coordinating the Allied response to the intensifying threat posed by Russia,” their statement said.
As tensions rise, NATO has launched Baltic Sentry 2025 to enhance security and resilience. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has emphasized the need for greater coordination in protecting critical infrastructure from sabotage.
EU interior ministers will meet in Warsaw on Thursday. Among other topics, they will address growing concerns over sabotage targeting critical infrastructure in Europe.
The ministers are expected to discuss potential countermeasures and coordination efforts to strengthen security and deterrence against future disruptions.
…
Microsoft, Meta CEOs defend hefty AI spending after DeepSeek stuns tech world
Days after Chinese upstart DeepSeek revealed a breakthrough in cheap AI computing that shook the U.S. technology industry, the chief executives of Microsoft and Meta defended massive spending that they said was key to staying competitive in the new field.
DeepSeek’s quick progress has stirred doubts about the lead America has in AI with models that it claims can match or even outperform Western rivals at a fraction of the cost, but the U.S. executives said on Wednesday that building huge computer networks was necessary to serve growing corporate needs.
“Investing ‘very heavily’ in capital expenditure and infrastructure is going to be a strategic advantage over time,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on a post-earnings call.
Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, said the spending was needed to overcome the capacity constraints that have hampered the technology giant’s ability to capitalize on AI.
“As AI becomes more efficient and accessible, we will see exponentially more demand,” he said on a call with analysts.
Microsoft has earmarked $80 billion for AI in its current fiscal year, while Meta has pledged as much as $65 billion towards the technology.
That is a far cry from the roughly $6 million DeepSeek said it has spent to develop its AI model. U.S. tech executives and Wall Street analysts say that reflects the amount spent on computing power, rather than all development costs.
Still, some investors seem to be losing patience with the hefty spending and lack of big payoffs.
Shares of Microsoft — widely seen as a front runner in the AI race because of its tie to industry leader OpenAI – were down 5% in extended trading after the company said that growth in its Azure cloud business in the current quarter would fall short of estimates.
“We really want to start to see a clear road map to what that monetization model looks like for all of the capital that’s been invested,” said Brian Mulberry, portfolio manager at Zacks Investment Management, which holds shares in Microsoft.
Meta, meanwhile, sent mixed signals about how its bets on AI-powered tools were paying off, with a strong fourth quarter but a lackluster sales forecast for the current period.
“With these huge expenses, they need to turn the spigot on in terms of revenue generated, but I think this week was a wake-up call for the U.S.” said Futurum Group analyst Daniel Newman.
“For AI right now, there’s too much capital expenditure, not enough consumption.”
There are some signs though that executives are moving to change that.
Microsoft CFO Amy Hood said the company’s capital spending in the current quarter and the next would remain around the $22.6 billion level seen in the second quarter.
“In fiscal 2026, we expect to continue to invest against strong demand signals. However, the growth rate will be lower than fiscal 2025 (which ends in June),” she said.
…
Chinese app shakes up AI race
A small Chinese company sent shockwaves around the tech world this week with news that it has created a high-performing artificial intelligence system with less computing power and at a lower cost than ones made by U.S. tech giants. Michelle Quinn reports.
…
State Department says Trump froze foreign aid to ‘root out waste’
WASHINGTON — The State Department on Wednesday sought to clarify President Donald Trump’s order to freeze and review foreign development aid after the top U.S. diplomat blunted some of the chaos that ensued with an emergency order that could shield the world’s largest HIV program from the 90-day funding freeze.
At the White House, Trump said his pauses to foreign and domestic funding are part of his administration’s effort to root out “tremendous waste and fraud and abuse.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s late-Tuesday waiver exempts humanitarian aid, which he classifies as “life-saving medicine, medical services, food, shelter, and subsistence assistance, as well as supplies and reasonable administrative costs as necessary to deliver such assistance.”
The United Nations’ AIDS program welcomed the news, emphasizing the value of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, which serves 20 million people in 55 countries.
“UNAIDS welcomes this waiver from the U.S. government, which ensures that millions of people living with HIV can continue to receive life-saving HIV medication during the assessment of U.S. foreign development assistance,” said Executive Director Winnie Byanyima. “This urgent decision recognizes PEPFAR’s critical role in the AIDS response and restores hope to people living with HIV.”
‘Blocking woke programs’
In a Wednesday memo sent to journalists, the State Department explained its rationale for the freeze during the review and lauded early cost cuts, saying that “even at this early stage, over $1,000,000,000 in spending not aligned with an America First agenda has been prevented.”
The U.S. spent about $70 billion in foreign aid in fiscal year 2023, the most recent data available.
“We are rooting out waste,” the memo said. “We are blocking woke programs. And we are exposing activities that run contrary to our national interests. None of this would be possible if these programs remained on autopilot.”
The president, who said Wednesday at the White House that he “could stand here all day” and give examples of wasted fraud and abuse in the U.S. government, highlighted a few.
“We identified and stopped $50 million being sent to Gaza to buy condoms for Hamas,” he said. “Fifty million. And you know what’s happened to them? They’ve used them as a method of making bombs. How about that?”
The State Department echoed this, saying in a statement, “Without the pause, U.S. taxpayers would have provided condoms [and other contraceptive services] in Gaza, climate justice marketing services in Gabon, clean energy programs for women in Fiji, gender development programs in D.C., family planning throughout Latin America, sex education and pro-abortion programs for young girls globally, and much more. These types of programs do not make America stronger, safer or more prosperous.”
A day earlier, the State Department sent a memo citing examples of unworthy projects, including $102 million to fund humanitarian aid nonprofit International Medical Corps’ work in war-battered Gaza.
A USAID report says the agency delivered about $7 million worth of male condoms and about $1 million in female condoms in the 2023 fiscal year. In total, the agency said it disbursed nearly 138 million male condoms and 1.7 million female condoms worldwide.
Under USAID, the main administrator for U.S. foreign development funds, the bulk of contraceptive items were delivered to African countries, according to the report. Jordan was the only country in the Middle East to receive a shipment, which consisted of injectable and oral contraceptives valued at $45,680.
‘Dramatic overreach’
At the U.S. Capitol, lawmakers not only affirmed the need for accountability but also emphasized that Congress, not the White House, decides how U.S. taxpayer money is spent.
“I think it’s appropriate to have a review,” said Senator Kevin Cramer, a North Dakota Republican.
“It would be my hope, however, that the aid can be reinstated and flow to Ukraine,” Cramer said. “And then we’ll see in the next appropriation cycle whether or not Congress still has the will to continue that aid.”
“This is dramatic overreach by the White House, by the president,” said Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, a Democrat. “It’s unprecedented, uncalled for. This is money that we have appropriated in our role as members of the Senate and the House.”
…
Trump’s ‘make peace or die’ message to Putin is deepfake. Yet it fooled Russians
The Russian lawmaker attributed to Trump a quote from a deepfake video created by Ukrainian bloggers and shared on the Telegram messaging platform.
…
Generative AI makes Chinese, Iranian hackers more efficient, report says
A report issued Wednesday by Google found that hackers from numerous countries, particularly China, Iran and North Korea, have been using the company’s artificial intelligence-enabled Gemini chatbot to supercharge cyberattacks against targets in the United States.
The company found — so far, at least — that access to publicly available large language models (LLMs) has made cyberattackers more efficient but has not meaningfully changed the kind of attacks they typically mount.
LLMs are AI models that have been trained, using enormous amounts of previously generated content, to identify patterns in human languages. Among other things, this makes them adept at producing high-functioning, error-free computer programs.
“Rather than enabling disruptive change, generative AI allows threat actors to move faster and at higher volume,” the report found.
Generative AI offered some benefits for low-skilled and high-skilled hackers, the report said.
“However, current LLMs on their own are unlikely to enable breakthrough capabilities for threat actors. We note that the AI landscape is in constant flux, with new AI models and agentic systems emerging daily. As this evolution unfolds, [the Google Threat Intelligence Group] anticipates the threat landscape to evolve in stride as threat actors adopt new AI technologies in their operations.”
Google’s findings appear to agree with previous research released by other large U.S. AI players OpenAI and Microsoft, which found a similar failure to achieve novel offensive strategies for cyberattacks through the use of public generative AI models.
The report clarified that Google works to disrupt the activity of threat actors when it identifies them.
Game unchanged
“AI, so far, has not been a game changer for offensive actors,” Adam Segal, director of the Digital and Cyberspace Policy Program at the Council on Foreign Relations, told VOA. “It speeds up some things. It gives foreign actors a better ability to craft phishing emails and find some code. But has it dramatically changed the game? No.”
Whether that might change in the future is unclear, Segal said. Also unclear is whether further developments in AI technology will more likely benefit people building defenses against cyberattacks or the threat actors trying to defeat them.
“Historically, defense has been hard, and technology hasn’t solved that problem,” Segal said. “I suspect AI won’t do that, either. But we don’t know yet.”
Caleb Withers, a research associate at the Center for a New American Security, agreed that there is likely to be an arms race of sorts, as offensive and defensive cybersecurity applications of generative AI evolve. However, it is likely that they will largely balance each other out, he said.
“The default assumption should be that absent certain trends that we haven’t yet seen, these tools should be roughly as useful to defenders as offenders,” he said. “Anything productivity enhancing, in general, applies equally, even when it comes to things like discovering vulnerabilities. If an attacker can use something to find a vulnerability in software, so, too, is the tool useful to the defender to try to find those themselves and patch them.”
Threat categories
The report breaks down the kinds of threat actors it observed using Gemini into two primary categories.
Advanced persistent threat (APT) actors refer to “government-backed hacking activity, including cyber espionage and destructive computer network attacks.” By contrast, information operation (IO) threats “attempt to influence online audiences in a deceptive, coordinated manner. Examples include sock puppet accounts [phony profiles that hide users’ identities] and comment brigading [organized online attacks aimed at altering perceptions of online popularity].”
The report found that hackers from Iran were the heaviest users of Gemini in both threat categories. APT threat actors from Iran used the service for a wide range of tasks, including gathering information on individuals and organizations, researching targets and their vulnerabilities, translating language and creating content for future online campaigns.
Google tracked more than 20 Chinese government-backed APT actors using Gemini “to enable reconnaissance on targets, for scripting and development, to request translation and explanation of technical concepts, and attempting to enable deeper access to a network following initial compromise.”
North Korean state-backed APTs used Gemini for many of the same tasks as Iran and China but also appeared to be attempting to exploit the service in its efforts to place “clandestine IT workers” in Western companies to facilitate the theft of intellectual property.
Information operations
Iran was also the heaviest user of Gemini when it came to information operation threats, accounting for 75% of detected usage, Google reported. Hackers from Iran used the service to create and manipulate content meant to sway public opinion, and to adapt that content for different audiences.
Chinese IO actors primarily used the service for research purposes, looking into matters “of strategic interest to the Chinese government.”
Unlike the APT sector, where their presence was minimal, Russian hackers were more common when it came to IO-related use of Gemini, using it not only for content creation but to gather information about how to create and use online AI chatbots.
Call for collaboration
Also on Wednesday, Kent Walker, president of global affairs for Google and its parent company, Alphabet, used a post on the company’s blog to note the potential dangers posed by threat actors using increasingly sophisticated AI models, and calling on the industry and federal government “to work together to support our national and economic security.”
“America holds the lead in the AI race — but our advantage may not last,” Walker wrote.
Walker argued that the U.S. needs to maintain its narrow advantage in the development of the technology used to build the most advanced artificial intelligence tools. In addition, he said, the government must streamline procurement rules to “enable adoption of AI, cloud and other game-changing technologies” by the U.S. military and intelligence agencies, and to establish public-private cyber defense partnerships.
…
VOA Mandarin: How US cabinet nominees are vetted, approved
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate kicked off Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation hearing Wednesday. Candidates for the President’s Cabinet must be confirmed by the Senate. But individuals considered for politically appointed positions are thoroughly vetted during presidential transitions by a president-elect’s legal team. What to know about this process.
Click here for the full story in Mandarin.
…
VOA Mandarin: Taiwan mulls reaction to Trump’s tariff plans
U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose sweeping tariffs on semiconductors. How do analysts and people from Taiwan’s chip industry view the potential tariffs?
Click here for the full story in Mandarin.
…
UN: Fighting eases in DR Congo’s Goma as rebels gain ‘upper hand’
UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations said Wednesday that there is relative calm in the eastern Congolese city of Goma, following several days of intense fighting between the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels and the Congolese army for control of the city.
“There is, however, continued sporadic shooting, but an overall reduction in exchanges of fire within the city,” U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters. “Continued clashes have been reported in surrounding areas, including in Sake, northwest of Goma.”
Dujarric said bodies were in the streets, and humanitarians report at least 2,000 people have been injured by weapons and shrapnel since the fighting escalated.
In early January, M23 rebels broke a ceasefire agreement, launching a large-scale offensive in the mineral-rich east with the support of the Rwandan army. On Monday, M23 said it had captured Goma, the capital of North Kivu province and a city of more than 2 million people, thousands of whom have been displaced from other conflict areas. Rwanda has denied accusations that it supports the rebels.
Asked who controls the city, Dujarric said the U.N. assessment is that the M23 rebels clearly have “the upper hand.”
The U.N. has a peacekeeping mission in eastern Congo known as MONUSCO, currently with about 10,000 troops and police tasked with protecting civilians and disarming combatants. It has been in the process of drawing down its presence at the request of the Congolese government. In June, it left neighboring South Kivu province entirely. The rebels are reported to be pushing toward its capital, Bukavu.
In and around Goma, MONUSCO has reinforced its positions to counter the rebels’ advance deploying a quick reaction force, a rapid deployment battalion, a reserve battalion, a platoon of special forces and an artillery battery.
“The mission’s priority right now remains the protection of its personnel, its assets and the many civilians sheltering within U.N. premises,” Dujarric said. “Our peacekeepers are also planning on sending out patrols today in Goma to assess the situation, to conduct resupplies and assess routes.”
The U.N. says Goma’s airport remains closed, halting the flow of humanitarian supplies. Most of the roads connecting Goma with the rest of the country are also closed. Water and electricity have been cut off since Sunday, and internet access has been interrupted since Monday. Only mobile phones are working.
In the capital, Kinshasa, the situation was also calm Wednesday. Dujarric said the main roads were reportedly empty, and supermarkets were closed because of the high risk of looting. On Tuesday, protesters attacked, looted and burned some embassies, including those of Belgium, France and Rwanda. The United States said Tuesday it was closing its embassy until further notice. On Wednesday it advised Americans not to travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The U.N. Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have called for the M23 to immediately cease hostilities and withdraw from occupied territories. They have also called for the withdrawal of Rwandan forces and a return to the Luanda process of mediation overseen by Angolan President Joao Lourenco.
The East African Community, which includes DRC and Rwanda among its eight members, was expected to hold an emergency summit Wednesday evening. Reuters reported that Rwandan President Paul Kagame would attend, but Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi was not expected to participate.
Before the latest round of violence, eastern DRC was mired in one of the largest and most protracted humanitarian crises in the world, with nearly 6.5 million people displaced due to efforts by armed groups to seize control of the country’s valuable mineral deposits.
…
Russia weds biolab, organ conspiracies to discredit US, Ukraine
Russian disinformation narratives about illicit organ harvesting and biological experiments in Ukraine have no basis in fact. Russia intentionally distorts Ukrainian law intended to support vital medical procedures.
…
Online child sexual exploitation increasing in Kenya, says report
NAIROBI, KENYA — For young people like Winnie Muyam, accessing digital platforms was her way to connect with friends and entertainment, until last year when the 17-year-old said strangers began to chat with her.
“They started talking to me as a friend, telling me how beautiful I was,” she said. “From there they started sending pictures. They wanted to see my private parts and I felt so bad.”
The teenager said her efforts to flag her abusers through the platform’s reporting tools were futile. Her complaint was not acted upon.
While Muyam was able to avoid exploitation, up to 13% of minors online have been exploited or abused, according to a survey by Child Fund International and Africa Child forum.
A majority of the targeted children are 12 to 17 years old. The fund’s child advocacy and protection manager, Eunice Kilundo, said perpetrators try to play on their victims’ desperation for affection.
“They will pose as a very good friend,” said Kilundo. “They even give children rewards and lure them into going deeper and deeper up to the point where probably they may want children to send them their nudes and all that.”
In a fast-changing digital world, parents, caregivers, communities and governments face new challenges in keeping children safe, UNICEF said.
Researchers say a low capacity to investigate and prosecute online sexual exploitation in Africa creates a fertile ground for potential offenders. So Kenyan authorities are training officers in the justice system to handle such cases.
Kilundo said concerted efforts to combat such abuse will go a long way.
“It’s a high time everybody in the children sector — or even outside the children sector, the corporate, government, everyone — to demonstrate commitment and concern,” said Kilundo.
Kenyan law prohibits any sexual involvement with children under 18 years old, including online, without permission of a parent or guardian.
Dennis Otieno, senior counsel for Kenya’s Federation of Female Lawyers, told VOA that although such crimes can be prosecuted, some caregivers are oblivious to them and making them aware is crucial.
“The report rate for such cases is very low,” said Otieno. “Many people still do not understand there are crimes that can be committed through social media.”
More than 22 million people in Kenya have access to the internet, according to national data, and with increasing access to digital platforms, authorities believe programs such as this training will help keep children online safe.
…
Rare Declaration of Independence sold at Christie’s for $2.47 million
According to Harvard University, about 200 copies of the original Declaration of Independence were produced in 1776. Only about two dozen remain. In New York, a new copy from the times of the Founding Fathers was discovered. On Jan. 24, it was put on auction. Elena Wolf has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Videographer: Michael Eckels
…
Trump’s push for Greenland shakes up Arctic island’s politics
Nuuk, Greenland — The road south from Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, runs out at the tip of a blizzard-scoured peninsula stretching into the Labrador Sea. Icebergs drift beyond the sea ice toward the open ocean, carved off the glacier some 100 kilometers away at the head of the Nuup Kangerlua fjord.
Locals call this spot “the edge of the world.”
For local Inuit artist and researcher Vivi Vold, it is a place of spiritual power, somewhere she comes to connect with nature – intrinsic to her Greenlandic identity.
“It reminds me that I am Inuk, that I am Greenlandic… when I am in doubt and want to reconnect with myself and my Greenlandic identity, I find solace in nature,” Vold told VOA.
In her work, Vold researches Inuit “ways of knowing” and how they differ from Western concepts.
“I sense that there is more pride now than earlier. The pride has always been there, but it seems like now there is more acceptance of it. Everything I do as a researcher is about the land and the nature; hunting, the climate, and the way we think,” she said.
Greenlandic pride
A resurgence in indigenous pride can be felt across Greenlandic society. The eyes of the world are on this Arctic island, thanks largely to U.S. President Donald Trump.
In Greenlandic politics and media, in the pubs and coffee bars, and on social media, the conversation is about the island’s future. There is excitement – but also trepidation.
President Trump has repeatedly said that America needs to take control of Greenland from Denmark for, in his words, “international security.”
“I do believe Greenland, we’ll get, because it really has to do with freedom of the world… And you know what, the people don’t like the way they’ve been treated by Denmark. They don’t like the way they’ve been treated by Denmark and they do like us,” Trump told reporters Saturday on Air Force One.
Meanwhile, Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, attempted to build European solidarity in the face of the challenge posed by Trump’s comments Tuesday, visiting Berlin, Paris and NATO headquarters in Brussels in the space of a single day. Local media reported that France offered to send troops to Greenland in a show of unity with Copenhagen, but the offer was turned down.
A poll released on Wednesday, commissioned by the Danish Berlingske newspaper and the Sermitsiaq newspaper in Greenland, suggested that 85% of Greenlanders do not want to be part of the United States, with 6% in favor and 9% undecided.
However, almost half of respondents said they saw an opportunity with Trump’s interest in Greenland, with the other half seeing it as a threat.
The poll did not ask respondents whether they wanted to break ties with Denmark and become independent. A 2019 survey suggested that more than two-thirds of the Greenlanders want independence at some point in the future.
Danish colonization
A statue of the Norwegian-Danish missionary Hans Egede stands over the capital Nuuk. Greenlanders have lived under varying degrees of Danish rule ever since he landed here in 1721.
In recent years, the statue has been daubed with graffiti calling for its removal and for Greenland’s independence from Denmark. Nevertheless, in a 2020 poll, 62% of Greenlanders voted to keep the statue in place.
Greenland’s government is now largely autonomous and pushing for full independence. Under the terms of an agreement with Denmark, the territory has a right to hold a referendum on the issue.
“Things are changing in the world. We don’t know yet. But we need to have that discussion in Greenland without the outside world requiring us to give an answer to the end goal,” said Naaja Nathanielsen, Greenland’s minister for resources, business, justice and gender equality.
“We need to be able to discuss amongst ourselves how will independence look like, what kind of welfare do we want, what kind of democracy, what kind of institutions should guard it, what kind of constitution. We want those debates for ourselves,” she told VOA.
Independence challenges
Could Greenland stand on its own? Just 57,000 people inhabit the island’s 2.1 million square kilometers. Denmark pays an annual grant of around $800 million dollars, which makes up half the Greenland government’s revenue.
Trump may balk at the cost, said Marc Jacobsen, a researcher at the Royal Danish Defense College in Copenhagen.
“I’m not really sure if they are aware of what the cost is to keep a high living standard in Greenland with the welfare system as we know from the Nordic states. So, in comparison with the Inuit in Alaska or for instance [the indigenous people] in Puerto Rico, it’s a different living standard in Greenland. And that comes with a cost,” he told VOA.
There are hopes that the global attention now focused on Greenland will unlock investment to exploit its vast mineral wealth, which includes graphite, uranium and valuable rare earth metals.
“The problem is pretty much that they are staying there at the moment because nobody’s investing in getting them out,” said Ulrik Pram Gad, an expert on Greenland’s mineral wealth at the Danish Institute for International Studies.
“And that’s not a question of Greenlanders not wanting it or Denmark not allowing it. It’s a question of the only supply chains that exist concerning many of these resources are in China. And the Western world, you might say, cannot present a credible business model to the private companies that would in principle be able to use these materials.”
Tourism
A new international airport opened in November, making access to Nuuk much easier. International flights currently depart for Denmark, Canada and Iceland – but United Airlines is due to begin direct flights from New York later this year.
Greenland’s stark beauty is attracting more tourists.
“The international airport in Nuuk has opened up; there will be another one in Ilulissat where the fantastic ice-shelf glacier is. So there are opportunities for growth in tourism. There’s really a lot of desire for relations not just to the U.S., but to Canada, to Iceland, to Europe, to everybody. And if this turns into that, I think many Greenlanders will be happy,” Pram Gad told VOA.
For now, fishing is Greenland’s biggest industry by far, making up around 85% of total exports. It is deeply entwined with the Greenlandic way of life.
Jesper Jacobsen runs a fishing cooperative in Nuuk. In the depths of the January winter, customers drop in to buy cod and halibut, along with duck and reindeer meat brought in by local hunters. Whale, bear and walrus are sometimes available.
“We have fish and we have natural resources,” Jacobsen said. “And the Americans could pay a lot of money to rent the northern part of Greenland. They could use it for their military. Then we will have our independence because the Americans will pay a lot to rent the northern part of Greenland,” he told VOA.
“Make Greenland Great Again”
A ‘Make America Great Again’ or MAGA hat hangs in Jacobsen’s office, given by Donald Trump Jr.’s entourage when the U.S. president’s son visited Greenland in early January.
The visit continues to cause a stir. YouTubers arrived in the wake of the younger Trump’s visit, handing out U.S. dollars and hats bearing the slogan ‘Make Greenland Great Again.’ Some locals criticized the social media stunt. Others welcomed the attention.
“I don’t want to be a part of Denmark. I don’t like [the] Danish. They took children and they colonized us,” said 20-year-old student Hans Louis Petersen, proudly showing off his “Make Greenland Great Again” baseball cap.
Scandals
Petersen referenced a 1950s social experiment run by the Danish state, where Greenlandic children were taken to Denmark, sometimes without the full understanding of their parents. Many struggled to re-integrate when they returned.
Separately, in recent years it emerged that Danish doctors in the 1960s and 70s had implanted IUD contraceptive devices in Inuit women and girls without their permission, allegedly to limit population growth. A group of 67 Greenlanders is currently seeking $6.3 million in compensation from the Danish state. An investigation into the program is expected to be published later this year.
The scandals have further fueled the campaign for independence.
“I think there is a lack of understanding of the impact of these cases in Greenland,” said Greenlandic Minister Naaja Nathanielsen. “It’s not ancient history, it’s current history. We right now have women, men, families that are directly affected by the actions of the Danish state in the past. It’s traumatizing and some of them have not been able to become mothers.”
“This is not some cases that should be solved in a courtroom. They should be solved politically and with the proper amount of respect and understanding and assuming responsibility for the hurt inflicted on the Greenlandic people. And it’s absolutely necessary for us to move forward,” Nathanielsen told VOA.
Outside forces are building pressure on the government. The island’s prime minister, Mute B. Egede, has repeated the same message when questioned on Trump’s aim to take control of the territory.
“We have said very precisely that Greenland, and us in this country, do not want to be Americans. We don’t want to be Danes either,” Egede said in a televised debate on January 20.
“We are Greenlanders. We will stand firmly as Greenlanders and cooperate with the West. We will also cooperate with other countries in the world,” he added.
…
Year of the Snake is underway with Lunar New Year festivities
BEIJING — Lunar New Year festivals and prayers marked the start of the Year of the Snake around Asia and farther afield on Wednesday — including in Moscow.
Hundreds of people lined up in the hours before midnight at the Wong Tai Sin Taoist temple in Hong Kong in a bid to be among the first to put incense sticks in the stands in front of the temple’s main hall.
“I wish my family will be blessed. I hope my business will run well. I pray for my country and wish people peace. I hope this coming year is a better year,” said Ming So, who visits the temple annually on the eve of the Lunar New Year.
The holiday — known as the Spring Festival in China, Tet in Vietnam and Seollal in Korea — is a major festival celebrated by diaspora communities around the world. The snake, one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, follows the just-ended Year of the Dragon.
The pop-pop-pop of firecrackers greeted the new year outside Guan Di temple in Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, followed by lion dances to the rhythmic beat of drums and small cymbals.
Ethnic Chinese holding incense sticks in front of them bowed several times inside the temple before sticking the incense into elaborate gold-colored pots, the smoke rising from the burning tips.
Many Chinese who work in bigger cities return home during the eight-day national holiday in what is described as the world’s biggest annual movement of humanity. Beijing, China’s capital, has turned into a bit of a ghost town, with many shops closed and normally crowded roads and subways empty.
Traditionally, Chinese have a family dinner at home on New Year’s Eve and visit “temple fairs” on the Lunar New Year to watch performances and buy snacks, toys and other trinkets from booths.
Many Chinese take advantage of the extended holiday to travel in the country and abroad. Ctrip, an online booking agency that operates Trip.com, said the most popular overseas destinations this year are Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, the United States, South Korea, Macao and Vietnam.
Russians cheered, waved and took smartphone photos of a colorful procession with drummers, costumed dancers and large dragon and snake figures held aloft that kicked off a 10-day Lunar New Year festival in Moscow on Tuesday night.
Visitors shouted “Happy New Year” in Russian and expressed delight at being able to experience Chinese food and culture in Moscow, including folk performances and booths selling snacks and artwork.
…
Somali general confident of defeat against IS
For almost a month, security forces in the semi-autonomous Somali region of Puntland have been advancing on the mountainous hideouts of Islamic State militants.
The fiercest clashes occurred late last week when the regional forces dislodged the militants from Turmasaale, a strategic location about 150 kilometers southeast of Bosaso.
Puntland’s leader, Said Abdullahi Deni, went to the airport over the weekend to meet wounded soldiers, including a senior officer, a sign of clashes taking place. Before the Turmasaale clashes, the region’s forces seized caves, camps and small villages largely unopposed.
Brigadier General Ahmed Abdullahi Sheikh, who until recently was the commander of special operations for the Somali army and has been following the offensive in his home region, said losing Turmasaale was a blow for IS as it was the militants’ main supply route.
“This is where they were coordinating both attacks — mainly drone-deployed ammunition, IEDs, attacking the Puntland forces — but also getting their resupply, whether it’s rations or whatever. So it was a strategic achievement by the Puntland forces,” he said.
He said both sides suffered casualties from the fighting over Turmasaale, the biggest confrontation so far.
“There has been almost daily fighting. The Puntland forces have suffered casualties, mainly from IEDs, which is the weapon of choice of terrorism everywhere,” he said. “But they have been progressing on very well for the past three weeks. And they have captured several important locations. The regional forces so far have the upper hand for sure.”
The IS group’s main camps, located in the vicinity of Dhaadaar village, have yet to be reached.
The IS group claimed responsibility for attacks against Puntland forces, including a deadly suicide attack on Dec. 31, 2024, which the group said was carried out by militants from multiple countries.
Sheikh said he believes Puntland forces can achieve a military victory against IS before Ramadan, which starts in four weeks.
“This operation was planned very well. It was prepared very well,” he said. “The mobilization was exceptional. and they have huge support from the local communities, which is very important.”
Sheikh said the presence of foreign fighters in the Islamic State camps gives both locals and Puntland forces extra motivation.
“If you capture their bases and camps and strategic headquarters, that for me will be the measurement of victory,” he added.
IS presence in Somalia small but growing
It has been 10 years since about two dozen al-Shabab fighters defected from the group, set up an Islamic State Somalia branch and gave allegiance to the group’s then-leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The group remained small for years but appealed to foreign fighters who came to Somalia, mainly from the Middle East and from other parts of East Africa.
Some U.S. officials also believe that IS Somalia’s leader, Abdulkadir Mumin, is also the emir of IS global. Others disagree but there is consensus that Mumin is nonetheless a pivotal figure, with a recent United Nations report naming him as the group’s directorate of provinces, “placing him in a leadership role over [IS] affiliates in Africa.”
On the ground, observers believe Mumin is in firm control of the group as leader, as well as a dealmaker who acts between the locals and militants.
The office of IS in Somalia was already documented to run the terrorist group’s financial network.
The U.S. supports Somali security forces, training the elite Danab forces in multiple locations. The U.S. has also conducted airstrikes against al-Shabab and Islamic State, with 10 reported strikes in 2024.
One of the strikes killed Mohamed Mire, a top al-Shabab commander, on Dec. 24 in southern Somalia. Sheikh himself was trained by the U.S. and previously served as the commander of Danab.
A U.S. defense official declined to comment on the anti-IS operation underway in
Puntland but said the United States has not wavered in its support for Somali forces.
“The Department [of Defense] remains committed to supporting our partners in our shared efforts to disrupt, degrade, and defeat VEOs [violent extremist organizations] in the Horn of Africa,” the official told VOA, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing counterterror efforts.
The Pentagon “has maintained a long-term focus on working with African partner nations to build defense institutional capacity and enable partnered operations … with a particular focus on countering al-Shabab and ISIS-Somalia,” the official said, pointing, in particular, to more than a decade of support for the Danab Brigade.
The Trump administration withdrew U.S. forces from Somalia during the last few weeks of its first term in January 2021. But President Joe Biden reversed the decision in May 2022, sending in about 500 U.S. special operation forces to help Somali forces counter both IS and al-Shabab.
Some Somali officials fear a similar disengagement with Trump back in the White House.
Sheikh said he “doubts” it will be repeated.
“The terrorism is still a real threat and obviously is the threat in Somalia,” he said.
Abdi Hassan Hussein “Abdi Yare” is Puntland’s former chief of police and former head of the region’s intelligence agency.
He said the campaign to combat Islamic State is crucial for the broader security of Somalia and the region, as this group poses a security danger to all countries in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East.
Abdi Yare cautioned that the fighting could last a long time.
“It is difficult to predict the damage that can be done, and it is true that the area to be fought is very difficult in terms of traffic, necessitating the troops to carry infantry or guerrilla warfare, which may prolong the war,” he said.
Yare does not think the group’s power has diminished significantly.
“The group’s power has not diminished; it is still quite strong, and it is prepared for a long-term conflict, having drilled holes in Mount Al-Madow to deliver food, military equipment, and all necessary materials,” he said.
He estimates the group has between 1,200 and 1,600 fighters. That number is still unverified. For a long time, experts believed IS fighters in Somalia numbered only a few hundred.
A report issued this past November by the United Nations Sanctions Monitoring Team for Somalia, based on member state intelligence, estimated IS-Somalia had more than doubled in size to between 600 and 700 fighters.
It further warned the terror group’s numbers in Puntland were boosted by an influx of fighters from Ethiopia, Morocco, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania and Yemen.
Some experts told VOA they expected the trend to continue.
Abdi Yare predicts Mumin could flee to Yemen if the group is defeated in Puntland. He also warned that IS militants could resort to desperate attacks targeting civilians in populated cities like Bosaso.
your ad hereDefense secretary pulls Trump critic Gen. Milley’s security clearance, protective detail
Washington — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is pulling the security protections and clearance of retired Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Mark Milley, and he has ordered the Pentagon’s inspector general to review Milley’s actions while serving as the nation’s top uniformed officer to determine if a demotion is warranted, two defense officials confirmed late Tuesday.
The inspector general review will include “an inquiry into the facts and circumstances surrounding Gen Milley’s conduct so that the Secretary may determine whether it is appropriate to reopen his military grade review determination,” said Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot.
“The Secretary informed General Milley today that he is revoking the authorization for his security detail and suspending his security clearance as well,” he said.
Milley served as chairman during President Donald Trump’s first term in office. While the relationship initially went well, it soured deeply and fast, as Milley tried to advise and contain the president on a host of issues.
Milley pushed back on the president’s interest in using force domestically to quell protestors after the death of George Floyd, and he was at the center of a controversy in 2021 when he made independent calls to his Chinese counterpart. Trump called the calls an act of treason, but at the time Milley said the calls were routine and part of the scope of his job.
Milley in his final days as chairman after Trump had left office was equally outspoken about his former boss. He said at his official retirement ceremony “ we don’t take an oath to a king or a queen or to a tyrant or a dictator. And we don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator.”
“We don’t take an oath to an individual. We take an oath to the Constitution, and we take an oath to the idea that is America, and we’re willing to die to protect it,” he said at the time.
Hegseth’s chief of staff Joe Kasper said that the decision to strip Milley of his clearance and detail was taken because “undermining the chain of command is corrosive to our national security, and restoring accountability is a priority for the Defense Department under President Trump’s leadership.”
The moves, which were first reported by Fox News, also may include taking down Milley’s Army chief of staff portrait. Milley’s chairman portrait was stripped from the wall just hours after Trump was sworn in. The portraits were both paid for by a donation from the Association of the United States Army, not taxpayer dollars, and were a gift to Milley honoring his service.
…
India and China to restore direct flights as they move to stabilize ties
In a signal that India and China are moving to repair ties damaged by a border standoff, the two countries have decided to resume direct flights. Analysts say while their festering border dispute continues to remain a concern for India, relations are likely to improve as both countries prepare to face economic uncertainties. Anjana Pasricha has a report from New Delhi.
…
Plan to get electricity to more Africans wins $8B in new pledges
DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA — An initiative to connect 300 million Africans to electricity in the next six years has won new pledges worth more than $8 billion from lenders including the Islamic Development Bank and the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank.
The Mission 300 initiative, launched by the World Bank and the African Development Bank in April, is projected to cost $90 billion. Its implementation faces challenges because the economies of countries in the region are severely constrained, mainly due to sluggish revenue and high debt service costs.
“Our national balance sheets are insufficient… to achieve Mission 300’s objectives,” Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema told an Africa energy summit in Tanzania.
Funding for the project is expected to come from multilateral development banks, development agencies, private businesses and philanthropic organizations such as the Rockefeller Foundation, which is part of the initiative.
Muhammad al Jasser, chairman of the Islamic Development Bank, said in a statement released during the summit that ended on Tuesday, that the Jeddah-headquartered bank was committing $2.65 billion in project financing and another $2 billion to insure power projects in Africa.
Beijing-based AIIB is set to provide $1-1.5 billion in financing.
“Six hundred million people in Africa without access to electricity is intolerable,” said AIIB President Jin Liqun.
Others funding the project include the French Development Agency (AFD), which committed to providing $1.04 billion, and the OPEC Fund for International Development, which made an initial commitment of $1 billion, the AfDB said in a closing statement.
The additional finance builds on commitments of up to $48 billion from the World Bank and the AfDB, officials at the summit said. The two organizations’ contributions could be increased during implementation, they said.
Provision of 300 million people with access to electricity, half of those currently without power on the continent, is a crucial building block for boosting Africa’s development by creating new jobs, said World Bank President Ajay Banga.
Half of the targeted new connections will get electricity from existing national grids, officials said at the summit, while the other half will be from renewable energy sources, including wind and solar mini-grids.
Apart from lighting up homes and businesses, Mission 300 is expected to boost the provision of clean cooking energy to homes, cutting reliance on wood and charcoal which are harmful, said Tanzania’s president, Samia Suluhu Hassan.
…
Year of the Snake underway with Lunar New Year festivities
BEIJING — Lunar New Year festivals and prayers marked the start of the Year of the Snake around Asia and farther afield on Wednesday — including in Moscow.
Hundreds of people lined up in the hours before midnight at the Wong Tai Sin Taoist temple in Hong Kong in a bid to be among the first to put incense sticks in the stands in front of the temple’s main hall.
“I wish my family will be blessed. I hope my business will run well. I pray for my country and wish people peace. I hope this coming year is a better year,” said Ming So, who visits the temple annually on the eve of the Lunar New Year.
The holiday — known as the Spring Festival in China, Tet in Vietnam and Seollal in Korea — is a major festival celebrated by diaspora communities around the world. The snake, one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, follows the just-ended Year of the Dragon.
The pop-pop-pop of firecrackers greeted the new year outside Guan Di temple in Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, followed by lion dances to the rhythmic beat of drums and small cymbals.
Ethnic Chinese holding incense sticks in front of them bowed several times inside the temple before sticking the incense into elaborate gold-colored pots, the smoke rising from the burning tips.
Many Chinese who work in bigger cities return home during the eight-day national holiday in what is described as the world’s biggest annual movement of humanity. Beijing, China’s capital, has turned into a bit of a ghost town, with many shops closed and normally crowded roads and subways emptied out.
Traditionally, Chinese have a family dinner at home on New Year’s Eve and visit “temple fairs” on the Lunar New Year to watch performances and buy snacks, toys and other trinkets from booths.
Many Chinese take advantage of the extended holiday to travel both in the country and abroad. Ctrip, an online booking agency that operates Trip.com, said the most popular overseas destinations this year are Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, the United States, South Korea, Macao and Vietnam.
Russians cheered, waved and took smartphone photos of a colorful procession with drummers, costumed dancers and large dragon and snake figures held aloft that kicked off a 10-day Lunar New Year festival in Moscow on Tuesday night.
The Chinese and Russian governments have deepened ties since 2022, in part to push back against what they see as U.S. dominance of the world order.
Visitors shouted “Happy New Year” in Russian and expressed delight at being able to experience Chinese food and culture in Moscow, including folk performances and booths selling snacks and artwork.
…
US children fall behind in reading, make little improvement in math
WASHINGTON — America’s children have continued to lose ground on reading skills in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and have made little improvement in math, according to the latest results of an exam known as the nation’s report card.
The findings are yet another setback for U.S. schools and reflect the myriad challenges that have upended education, from pandemic school closures to a youth mental health crisis and high rates of chronic absenteeism. The national exam results also show growing inequality: While the highest-performing students have started to regain lost ground, lower-performing students are falling further behind.
Given every two years to a sample of America’s children, the National Assessment of Educational Progress is considered one of the best gauges of the academic progress of the U.S. school system. The most recent exam was administered in early 2024 in every state, testing fourth- and eighth-grade students on math and reading.
“The news is not good,” said Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, which oversees the assessment. “We are not seeing the progress we need to regain the ground our students lost during the pandemic.”
Among the few bright spots was an improvement in fourth grade math, where the average score ticked up 2 points on a scale of 500. It’s still 3 points lower than the 2019 pre-pandemic average, yet some states and districts made significant strides, including in Washington, D.C., where the average score increased 10 points.
For the most part, however, American schools have not yet begun to make progress.
The average math score for eighth grade students was unchanged from 2022, while reading scores fell 2 points at both grade levels. One-third of eighth grade students scored below “basic” in reading, more than ever in the history of the assessment.
Students are considered below basic if they are missing fundamental skills. For example, eighth grade students who scored below basic in reading were typically unable to make a simple inference about a character’s motivation after reading a short story, and some were unable to identify that the word “industrious” means “to be hard working.”
Especially alarming to officials was the divide between higher- and lower-performing students, which has grown wider than ever. Students with the highest scores outperformed their peers from two years ago, making up some ground lost during the pandemic. But the lowest performers are scoring even lower, falling further behind.
It was most pronounced in eighth grade math: While the top 10% of students saw their scores increased by 3 points, the lowest 10% decreased by 6 points.
“We are deeply concerned about our low-performing students,” said Lesley Muldoon, executive director of the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets policies for the exam. “For a decade, these students have been on the decline. They need our urgent attention and our best effort.”
The latest setbacks follow a historic backslide in 2022. In that year’s exam, student achievement fell across both subjects and grade levels, in some cases by unprecedented levels.
This round of testing again featured students whose lives were disrupted by the pandemic. When COVID hit in 2020, the fourth graders were in kindergarten, and the eighth graders were in fourth grade.
But Carr said poor results can no longer be blamed solely on the pandemic, warning that the nation’s education system faces “complex challenges.”
A survey done alongside the exam found in 2022 that fewer young students were reading for enjoyment, which is linked to lower reading scores. And new survey results found that students who are often absent from class — a persistent problem nationwide — are struggling the most.
“The data are clear,” Carr said. “Students who don’t come to school are not improving.”
The results provide fresh fuel for a national debate over the impact of pandemic school closures, though they’re unlikely to add clarity. Some studies have found that longer closures led to bigger academic setbacks. Those slower to reopen were often in urban and Democratic-led areas, while more rural and Republican-led areas were quicker.
The new results don’t show a “direct link” on the topic, Carr said, though she said students clearly do better when they’re in school.
Among the states that saw reading scores fall in 2024 are Florida and Arizona, which were among the first to return to the classroom during the pandemic. Meanwhile, some big school systems that had longer closures made strides in fourth grade math, including Los Angeles and New York City.
The success of big urban districts — 14 of which saw notable improvement in fourth-grade math when the nation as a whole saw only minor gains — can be credited to academic recovery efforts funded by federal pandemic relief, said Ray Hart, executive director of the Council of Great City Schools. Investing in efforts like intensive tutoring programs and curriculum updates is “really proving to make a difference,” he said.
Republicans in Congress were quick to cast blame on Democrats and former President Joe Biden’s administration.
Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee, said the decline is “clearly a reflection of the education bureaucracy continuing to focus on woke policies rather than helping students learn and grow.”
“I’m thankful we have an administration that is looking to reverse course,” he said in a reference to President Donald Trump.
Compared with 2019 results, eighth grade reading scores are now down 8 points. Reading scores are down 5 points in both grades. And in fourth grade math, scores are down 3 points.
Yet officials say there’s reason to be optimistic. Carr highlighted improvement in Louisiana, where fourth grade reading is now back above pre-pandemic levels, and in Alabama, which accomplished that feat in fourth grade math.
Carr was especially laudatory of Louisiana, where a campaign to improve reading proficiency resulted in both higher- and lower-performing students exceeding 2019 scores.
“I would not say that hope is lost, and I would not say that we cannot turn this around,” Carr said. “It’s been demonstrated that we can.”
…