Top US officials in Damascus to meet new Syrian rulers, State Department says

WASHINGTON — Top diplomats from the Biden administration are in Damascus on Friday to meet new Syrian authorities led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a State Department spokesperson said, the first in-person and official meeting between Washington and Syria’s de-facto new rulers.

The State Department’s top Middle East diplomat, Barbara Leaf, Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens and newly appointed Senior Adviser Daniel Rubinstein, who is now tasked with leading the Department’s Syria engagement, are the first U.S. diplomats to travel to Damascus since Syria’s opposition militias overthrew oppressive President Bashar al-Assad.

The visit comes as Western governments are gradually opening channels to HTS and its leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and start debating whether or not to remove the terrorist designation on the group. The U.S. delegation’s travel follows contacts with France and Britain in recent days.

In their meetings, the U.S. officials will discuss with HTS representatives a set of principles such as inclusivity and respect for the rights of minorities that Washington wants included in Syria’s political transition, the spokesperson said.

The delegation will also work to obtain new information about U.S. journalist Austin Tice, who was taken captive during a reporting trip to Syria in August 2012, and other American citizens who went missing during the Assad regime.

“They will be engaging directly with the Syrian people, including members of civil society, activists, members of different communities, and other Syrian voices about their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can help support them,” the department spokesperson said.

“They also plan to meet with representatives of HTS to discuss transition principles endorsed by the United States and regional partners in Aqaba, Jordan,” the spokesperson said.

The United States cut diplomatic ties with Syria and shut down its embassy in Damascus in 2012.

In a seismic moment for the Middle East, Syrian rebels seized control of Damascus on Dec. 8, forcing Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war, ending his family’s decadeslong rule.

The lightning offensive raised questions over whether the rebels will be able to ensure an orderly transition.

Forces under the command of al-Sharaa – better known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani – replaced the Assad family rule with a three-month transitional government that had been ruling a rebel enclave in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib.

Washington in 2013 designated al-Sharaa a terrorist, saying al Qaeda in Iraq had tasked him with overthrowing Assad’s rule and establishing Islamic sharia law in Syria. It said the Nusra Front, the predecessor of HTS, carried out suicide attacks that killed civilians and espoused a violent sectarian vision.

U.S. President Joe Biden and his top aides described the overthrow of Assad as a historic opportunity for the Syrian people who have for decades lived under his oppressive rule, but also warned the country faced a period of risk and uncertainty.

Washington remains concerned that extremist group ISIS could seize the moment to resurrect and also wants to avoid any clashes in the country’s northeast between Turkey-backed rebel factions and U.S.-allied Kurdish militia.

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China’s Xi swears in new leader of casino hub Macao

MACAO — Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the casino hub of Macao to diversify its economy as he swore in the former Portuguese colony’s new government on Friday at an event marking the 25th anniversary of its handover to China.

New Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai — Macao’s first leader born in mainland China — vowed to address the territory’s unbalanced and uncoordinated economic development.

Since its 1999 handover, the city of 687,000 has transformed from a monopoly-driven gambling enclave into the world’s largest gaming hub, drawing hordes of tourists from mainland China. The casino boom has improved living standards, but authorities are concerned that the semi-autonomous city’s economy is unhealthily dependent on the industry.

Some young people say the tourism-dominated economy has limited their career options and the city’s diversified development. Critics say years of easy money from tourists have discouraged local businesses from innovating and improving, with many residents relying on personal connections to solve problems rather than civic participation.

During a gala dinner on Thursday, Xi praised Macao’s progress on economic diversification over the last five years and its strengthened international influence. He called for the city to expand its international role while attracting global talent to build a better Macao.

On Friday, he said the city should enhance its industrial development planning, strengthen policy support and boost investment to nurture internationally competitive new industries, in what observers said were stronger and more specific comments than before.

“The special administrative region’s government and all sectors of society have to show more care to young people and create a better environment and conditions for their growth, talent development and fulfilling their aspirations,” he said.

Sam has promised to accelerate plans to boost tourism and other sectors such as Chinese medicine, finance, tech, exhibitions and commerce.

Although political activism has never seriously challenged to Beijing in Macao, authorities have tightened control in recent years, particularly after Hong Kong was rocked by months of huge anti-government protests in 2019.

Vocal political dissent has largely been silenced. A vigil commemorating China’s military crackdown on the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in 1989 was banned, and pro-democracy figures were barred from competing in legislative elections. Last year, the city toughened its national security law.

Xi said “national sovereignty, security and development interests are above all,” while noting the need to safeguard the city’s autonomy. He said security is a precondition for development and residents should cherish their hard-won stability and peace.

Like neighboring Hong Kong, Macao is governed separately from the rest of China under a system that allows it to maintain elements of Western-style economic and social systems. It is the only Chinese city where casino gambling is legal.

With Beijing’s policy agenda now dominating Macao’s development, the casino hub is deepening economic links and social integration with neighboring Guangdong province.

China has designated a special zone on Hengqin Island in neighboring Zhuhai city, jointly run by Guangdong and Macao, to help foster new industries. That zone is planned to have about 120,000 Macao residents by 2035.

Xi said that Macao must participate proactively in the Greater Bay Area initiative, which Beijing aims to link Macao, Hong Kong and nine other Guangdong cities into an economic powerhouse.

Xi is due to conclude his three-day trip to Macao on Friday. During his stay, he visited a university, the special zone on Hengqin Island and attended a lavish cultural performance. He also met with Macao’s former city leaders and Hong Kong’s chief executive, among others.

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Terror situation worsens in Sahel after US pullout, say experts

In September, the U.S. military completed its withdrawal from Niger, where it had two bases that helped partners in the Sahel counter terrorism. The pullout came after members of Niger’s military staged a coup in 2023. The U.S. military says the withdrawal has had a major impact on efforts to fight terrorism in the region. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has more.

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Australia announces $118 million deal to enhance policing in Solomon Islands

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — Australia announced on Friday it will pay for more police in Solomon Islands and create a police training center in the South Pacific island nation’s capital, Honiara, where Chinese law enforcement instructors are already based under a bilateral security pact with Beijing.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia would spend 190 million Australian dollars ($118 million) over four years on funding and training new Royal Solomon Islands Police Force recruits with a package that would “reduce any need for outside support.”

“My government is proud to make a significant investment in the police force of the Solomon Islands to ensure that they can continue to take primary responsibility for security in the Solomons,” Albanese told reporters in Australia’s capital, Canberra.

Albanese and his Solomons counterpart, Jeremiah Manele, said in a joint statement on Friday the package would build an enduring security capability in the Solomons, “thereby reducing its reliance on external partners over time.”

Australia has been energetically pursuing new bilateral security deals with its Pacific island neighbors since Beijing and the Solomons signed a security deal in 2022 under Manele’s predecessor, Manasseh Sogavare.

That deal has created fears among U.S. allies including Australia that the Chinese navy will be allowed to build a base in the strategically important Solomons.

Albanese’s Labor Party, which was the opposition at the time the pact was signed, described it as Australia’s worst foreign policy failure in the Pacific since World War II.

Australia has recently signed security deals with Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu and Nauru that effectively give Canberra veto powers over any security deals those countries might want to strike with third nations, including China.

Asked if the new deal would require the Chinese security presence to be removed from the Solomons, Albanese did not directly answer.

“The Solomon Islands of course is a sovereign nation. They have some measures in place and we expect that to continue,” Albanese said.

“As a result of this agreement, what we’ve done is make sure that Australia remains the security partner of choice,” he added.

Mihai Sora, a Pacific islands expert at the Lowy Institute, a Sydney-based international policy think tank, said the agreement was a “clear win for Solomon Islands, which has gained a much-needed boost to its law and justice sector.”

“But Solomon Islands has not committed to scaling back the essentially permanent rotating presence of around 14 Chinese police trainers in the country, who have been running their own parallel training program with Solomon Islands police since 2022,” Sora said in an email.

“So, the agreement falls short of a solid strategic commitment to Australia from Solomon Islands, and there’s no indication that it would derail China-Solomon Islands security ties,” Sora added.

Blake Johnson, an analyst at the Australian Security Policy Institute, a Canberra-based think tank, said Chinese policing in the Pacific gives Beijing tools to control Chinese expatriates and pursue other goals.

“They can be very heavy-handed in their response sometimes. There are also concerns around data and privacy risks associated with Chinese police in the region,” Johnson said.

“Sometimes they’re providing surveillance equipment. There are concerns about what that is being used for and what it’s capturing,” he added.

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VOA Mandarin: China faces operational challenges if it were to invade Taiwan, US says

The U.S. Defense Department’s annual report on China’s military power, released this week, says the PLA is accelerating modernization, but it still faces several operational challenges in executing a rapid and decisive invasion of Taiwan.

Click here for the full story in Mandarin. 

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VOA Mandarin: Chinese netizens react to Trump saying he, Xi can fix the world

During his first press conference as president-elect, Donald Trump mentioned U.S.-China relations, stating, “China and the United States can together solve all of the problems of the world.” The remark quickly trended on Weibo, sparking discussions among Chinese netizens.

Click here for the full story in Mandarin.

 

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VOA Russian: Europe targets Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’

Leaders of 12 European countries agreed at a meeting in Tallinn to expand sanctions against Russia’s “shadow fleet” that is used by Moscow to sell oil and evade Western sanctions. Several European states imposed new policies on Russian vessels transiting through European waters to curb Russia’s ability to use profits from illicit oil sales to fund its war in Ukraine.

Click here for the full story in Russian.

 

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VOA Russian: Defense minister charts Kremlin’s path toward a war with NATO

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said that a conflict between Russia and NATO is possible within the next decade. VOA Russian spoke to experts who agreed that Belousov is most likely voicing the Kremlin’s true intentions, and that the West should treat these statements seriously.

Click here for the full story in Russian.

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Mogadishu development project brings hope to Somalia 

washington — In a landmark event for Somalia, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Thursday officially launched the “New Mogadishu” development initiative, a transformative project that aims to reshape the capital’s economic landscape.

The initiative includes construction of a modern airport, a port and a key economic zone, all focused on fostering growth and attracting investment.

During the launch, Mohamud said the initiative showcases the resilience of the Somali business community.

“Somali businessmen have stepped up to provide essential services during challenging times, proving their commitment to the nation’s progress,” he said.

Mohamud also noted the initiative has the potential for massive job creation.

“The creation of this project is not just about infrastructure; it’s about creating opportunities for our youth and uplifting our communities,” he said.

“The launch of the New Mogadishu project marks a significant milestone for Somalia as it seeks to revitalize its capital and strengthen investor confidence, paving the way for a brighter economic future,” Mohamud added.

Fardowsa Osman Egal, Somalia’s minister of transport and aviation, emphasized the significance of the new airport in this project.

“It is a long dream that is materializing now. Due to the capacity and function of the current Mogadishu airport, which only has one runway, this new international airport will help us increase international flights,” she said. “The planned state-of-the-art airport and modern port will serve as vital infrastructure, creating a financial zone that is expected to draw both international and local investors.”

Valued at approximately $650 million, the New Mogadishu initiative is expected to significantly boost Somalia’s economic development.

On behalf of Somali business community, Mohamud Abdikarim Gabeyre, the chairman of the Somali Chamber of Commerce and Industry,  welcomed the initiative.

“New Mogadishu, on the northern outskirts of the capital, is a project we welcome because we heard that the Somali business community will get the priority of the investment, and we hope it will be successful,” he said.

On Wednesday, the president also inaugurated a $400 million groundbreaking development project named Gateway Complex, poised to transform Somalia’s capital by introducing Somalia’s first five-star hotel, managed by the globally recognized Rotana hospitality group, and an international convention center capable of hosting up to 5,000 attendees.

Plans also feature premium hotel apartments, a 300-bed modern hospital, a leading school, a vibrant shopping complex, residential units and recreational facilities.

Mogadishu has long suffered from lawlessness and terrorist attacks. Although the capabilities of the al-Shabab terrorist group have been weakened, it continues to pose a threat by assassinating civilians, particularly those who install security cameras on their shops and business centers.

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After a police stop in Serbia, journalist finds spyware on phone  

Washington / belgrade, serbia — An encounter with police in the Serbian city of Pirot earlier this year unnerved investigative reporter Slavisa Milanov.

A journalist for the independent media outlet FAR, Milanov was driving with a colleague in February when they were pulled over by police, who asked the pair to accompany them to a station to be tested for illegal substances.

Once there, Milanov said he was asked to leave his phone and personal belongings behind during a check.

The drug tests were negative, but when police handed Milanov his phone, he noticed the settings had been changed.

Suspecting that spyware may have been installed, he reached out to Amnesty International.

In a report published this week, the international watchdog confirmed Milanov’s suspicions, finding forensic evidence that spyware was installed on the phones of several journalists and activists, including Milanov.

In at least two cases, software provided by Cellebrite DI — an Israeli company that markets products for government and law enforcement agencies — was used to unlock the phones prior to infection, the report found. Then, Serbian spyware called NoviSpy took covert screenshots, copied contacts and uploaded them to a government-controlled server. 

“In multiple cases, activists and a journalist reported signs of suspicious activity on their mobile phones directly following interviews with Serbian police and security authorities,” Amnesty said.

‘Major consequences’ seen

Aleksa Tesic, who has reported on spyware in Serbia for the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, said the Amnesty report precisely documented for the first time cases showing technology abuse for the purpose of affecting civil liberties.   

“We had various indications that this was happening before, because Serbia has been interested in advanced spy software for more than 10 years. But this could now have major consequences for democracy in Serbia,” Tesic said.  

Serbia’s Security Intelligence Agency (BIA) rejected the findings. In a statement on its website, the agency said the report contained “nonsensical statements,” and that the BIA operates within local law.  

The Serbian Interior Ministry also denounced the report as incorrect.  

Milanov said the existence of spyware on his phone could “jeopardize me, my family, colleagues and my sources.”

“If anything happens to any of us, I will hold the state responsible for it. I don’t see who else it could be,” he told VOA Serbian.

Milanov is based in Dimitrovgrad, at the border of Serbia and Bulgaria, 330 kilometers from Serbia’s capital, Belgrade. He recalled to VOA the traffic stop and police headquarters, where he believes his phone was accessed.

“There, I was told to turn off my phone and leave other personal belongings during the check. Alcohol and drug tests were, of course, negative. Yet the policeman was, as it seemed to me, messaging with someone unknown to me,” Milanov said.

The reporter asked if he was free to go but was told, “We are waiting for the boss.”

Not long afterward, two men arrived. Milanov said they did not identify themselves.

“I assumed they were police inspectors. We went to another police station, where they questioned me about my work, financing, if I have traveled to Bulgaria recently and with whom,” he said.

Milanov answered the questions before being released with his belongings.

But changes to his phone settings led to a suspicion that something was wrong.

At home, he used specialized software and found that although he had left his phone off at the police station, it had been switched back on for the duration of his police encounter.

Call for accountability

Pavol Szalai, who heads the European Union-Balkans Desk of Reporters Without Borders, told VOA that Amnesty’s report corroborates  information his organization had about journalists targeted by surveillance. 

“Spyware and surveillance used in an illegitimate way kills journalism without spilling [any] blood of a journalist. Surveillance undermines confidentiality of sources, which is a cornerstone of press freedom,” he said. “And as for Serbia on the international level, it must be held accountable by the international organizations of which it is a member.”

Serbia is a European Union candidate country. But a report this year by the European Commission said the country lacked progress, including in the rule of law, the fight against corruption, nonalignment with Russia sanctioning and media freedoms.

A European Commission spokesperson told VOA that any attempts to illegally access citizens’ data, including journalists and political opponents, if confirmed, are not acceptable. 

“The commission expects national authorities to thoroughly examine any such allegations and to restore citizens’ trust,” the spokesperson said.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that while he could not comment on a specific case, the use of spyware raises concerns.

“Speaking broadly, we have made quite clear since the outset of this administration the concerns that we have about governments that use spyware to track journalists, to track dissident groups, to track others who legitimately oppose or report on government activities,” Miller said in response to a question by VOA. 

Grant Baker, a research analyst for technology and democracy at Freedom House, said Serbia should conduct an impartial investigation and provide remedy to those affected. 

“Authorities should also amend excessively broad laws regulating surveillance so they better align with both the European Court of Human Rights rulings and the International Principles on the Application of Human Rights to Communications Surveillance,” Baker said.  

The international community should also “make clear that such disproportionate surveillance is a grave threat to democracy,” Baker said.  

“While export controls are not a panacea, they are one important and necessary step to reducing the technology’s negative impact on human rights around the world,” he said. 

Serbia has a vibrant media landscape, but reporters often face political pressure, and impunity for crimes against journalists tends to be the norm, according to press freedom groups. 

Reporters Without Borders ranks Serbia 98th out of 180 on the Press Freedom Index, where 1 reflects the best environment for media.

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Somalia ‘open’ to Ethiopian troop role

The Somali government is “open” to a potential role for Ethiopian troops in an African Union mission scheduled to take over peacekeeping operations in the country next month.

A senior Somali government official on Thursday told VOA’s Horn of Africa Service that the Somali government has “secured” and “allocated” all troops needed from the four other AU-troop-contributing countries — Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya and Uganda — to participate in the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia, or AUSSOM. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he had not been cleared to speak with reporters.

But Somali leaders, he added, are now “ready to reconsider” Ethiopian involvement in AUSSOM following a conciliatory dialogue between the countries hosted by Turkey last week.

In recent months, Mogadishu had repeatedly demanded that Addis Ababa withdraw its troops from Somali territory unless Ethiopia canceled a controversial Memorandum of Understanding with Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland. The memorandum grants Ethiopia access to a 20-kilometer stretch of Red Sea coastline in return for potential recognition of Somaliland’s independence.

The anonymous official said although Somalia secured all troops from those four AU nations to compensate for the absence of Ethiopian troops, the recent diplomatic breakthrough has reopened the door for involving Ethiopia’s military support.

During the talks in Ankara, Ethiopia and Somalia agreed to respect each other’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.

The possible breakthrough came just weeks after a spokesperson for Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nebiat Getachew, told media outlets that Ethiopia’s focus was on al-Shabab.

“Ethiopia’s key role, in any situation — in bringing al-Shabab to a level where it cannot be a threat to the region, as well as its role in the establishment and stability of the Somali government — is known both by the Somalis and the international community,” he said.

“It is an undeniable fact that the Ethiopian army has made sacrifices in blood and bones for this great result,” Nebiat added. “The work of weakening the [Somalia-based] al-Shabab terrorist group will continue under any circumstances so that it does not pose a threat to our national security and the victories achieved through the sacrifices made so far are not reversed.”

In a Thursday meeting, the AU’s peace and security council expressed concern about the threat posed by al-Shabab and condemned the group’s attacks on Somali and AU forces.

The AU appealed to the U.N. Security Council to explore financing options for AUSSOM.

“This is vital for #AUSSOM to fulfill its mandate & support the #Somalia Security Sector Development Plan (SSDP),” the AU said in a post on the X social media platform.

Starting in January, AUSSOM will have 11,900 personnel operating on the ground in Somalia, including soldiers, police and civilian support staff, according to Somali and AU officials.

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Biden’s immigration legacy is a complex one

WASHINGTON — Immigration has been a defining challenge of the Biden presidency, marked by record numbers of asylum-seekers and other migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border. President Joe Biden pledged to modernize the nation’s immigration system and rebuild a refugee resettlement program that had hit historic lows under the previous administration. 

But despite issuing a record number of immigration-related executive actions — surpassing the Trump administration — Biden’s efforts drew criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. Critics on the right said the administration was being too lenient, while those on the left said it was too harsh.  

The Biden administration inherited a fractured immigration system, including a backlog of asylum cases, a reduction in refugee processing capacity, and policies such as Title 42 that significantly shaped migration patterns. 

During a webinar, Muzaffar Chishti, a senior fellow at Migration Policy Institute (MPI), provided an overview of the Biden administration’s record. He noted that Biden’s approach to enforcement away from the border has been seen as largely favorable by experts and immigration advocates.  

He said Biden administration officials focused on enforcement guidelines, rather than trying to deport everyone, yet the crisis at the border cast a long shadow over his legacy.  

He emphasized the success of legal immigration under Biden, pointing to the high numbers of visas issued, the record number of naturalizations and the resurgence of refugee admissions.  

About “3.5 million people were naturalized under the Biden administration, the highest of any one-term presidency,” he said. 

However, Chishti said the administration’s handling of border security was less successful. The administration faced overwhelming numbers of migrants, many arriving from countries beyond Mexico and Central America. 

“The Biden presidency entered office with a crisis at the border, which was precipitated by the COVID crisis and Title 42,” he said. The administration’s failure to call the situation a crisis, he added, contributed to a perception of mishandling, despite efforts to manage it through new programs like the CBP One app and various parole initiatives. 

Handling the border  

Marielena Hincapie, a visiting scholar at Cornell Law School who participated in the webinar, praised efforts under the Department of Homeland Security’s leadership to increase naturalization rates, expedite work permit processing, and implement innovative policies such as deferred action for undocumented workers who had experienced labor disputes.  

These measures, she said, benefited not only immigrants but also the broader U.S. workforce and economy. 

Hincapie also criticized the administration’s handling of border issues, calling it mismanagement.  

She highlighted the role of Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in exacerbating the crisis by busing and flying thousands of migrants to New York, Chicago and elsewhere. 

Hincapie also pointed to additional involvement at the state level, saying, “There’s not only the busing and flying of migrants, which DeSantis did, but also litigation.” 

“And I really see this as the Biden’s inner circle, his political and communications folks, failed to understand that this was a narrative war and the fact that they refused to call it a crisis when that is what voters were seeing. … They fell silent and decided not to prioritize immigration, and by doing so, they ceded the narrative,” she said. 

Migration shifts  

The Biden administration also faced shifts in migration patterns.  

Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh, associate policy analyst at MPI, said the reality at the U.S.-Mexico border shifted once again during Biden’s term with migrants arriving in large numbers from across the Western Hemisphere and from countries around the world.  

The demographics of migrants also changed, she said, from single adults to families, and many were seeking asylum, further complicating border processing.  

U.S. law offers asylum to people facing persecution in their home countries on the basis of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular group. 

Though there are two kinds of asylum, affirmative and defensive, not all asylum claims come from migrants arriving at the border. Immigrants may claim affirmative asylum within one year of their latest arrival in the United States or request a defensive asylum while fighting an order of deportation. 

“All this resulted in a high number of migrants released into the interior of the U.S.,” Putzel-Kavanaugh said.  

This brought the border crisis into the interior of the nation, with large numbers of newly arrived migrants heavily concentrated in cities like New York, Chicago and Denver — cities already facing housing shortages. 

Putzel-Kavanaugh also praised the Biden administration’s work to pair increased enforcement with options for safe and orderly legal migration.  

“We saw the introduction of programs like CBP One app, which allowed migrants to make appointments at ports of entry along the border, and the parole program for nationals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela,” she said.  

Despite these efforts, Putzel-Kavanaugh said many saw the measures as “too little, too late.” 

But that shift in migrant arrivals from irregular crossings to legally arriving at ports of entry has been one of the few success stories of Biden’s border management strategies.

Monthly migrant encounters dropped significantly from the highs of December 2022, with a decrease from more than 300,000 encounters to about 106,000 in October 2024, according to CBP figures.  

Issue for years to come 

While Biden’s efforts to modernize immigration systems and address asylum claims were significant, experts said the ongoing challenges of irregular migration and border security will remain a focal point in U.S. immigration policy for years to come. 

“I do think in summary, we do have two real important crises in our country,” Chishti said. “We do have a labor market crisis across occupations from low, mid to high levels [and a border crisis]. This is why a lot of these people who have come in, even though they came irregularly, have been absorbed.” 

Chishti pointed to remarks in 2022 from Jerome Powell, chair of the Federal Reserve, about the U.S. labor market and its dynamics. Powell said immigration is a key source of labor supply, and the significant decline in immigration levels during the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the labor supply-demand mismatch. 

That shortfall in immigration resulted in fewer workers available to fill jobs, particularly in sectors that traditionally rely on immigrant labor, such as health care, hospitality and agriculture. Powell acknowledged that addressing the labor supply constraints, including through immigration policy, could help ease pressure to raise wages and reduce inflation without significant harm to employment levels. 

“The reason nothing is happening on changes or reform to our legal immigration system — so we can get more people legally for our labor market needs — is because of the crisis of the border,” Chishti said. 

“These are twin crises, but they’re getting interlinked,” he said. “Unless we get the border crisis under control, we won’t be able to address our labor market crisis.”

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US says Pakistan developing missiles that eventually could hit US

WASHINGTON — A senior White House official on Thursday said nuclear-armed Pakistan is developing long-range ballistic missile capabilities that eventually could allow it to strike targets outside of South Asia, including in the United States.

In his stunning revelation about the onetime close U.S. partner, deputy national security adviser Jon Finer said Islamabad’s conduct raised “real questions” about the aims of its ballistic missile program.

“Candidly, it’s hard for us to see Pakistan’s actions as anything other than an emerging threat to the United States,” Finer told the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace audience.

“Pakistan has developed increasingly sophisticated missile technology, from long-range ballistic missile systems to equipment that would enable the testing of significantly larger rocket motors,” he said.

If those trends continue, Finer said, “Pakistan will have the capability to strike targets well beyond South Asia, including in the United States.”

His speech came a day after Washington announced a new round of sanctions related to Pakistan’s ballistic missile development program, including on the state-run defense agency that oversees the program.

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Music bridges memory gaps for New York Alzheimer’s patients

The Unforgettable Chorus in New York is using music to help people with memory loss reconnect with family, friends and themselves. Since 2011, the choir has been a beacon of hope, offering a space where those living with dementia can sing, participate and be part of a community. Johny Fernandez reports from New York City.

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US imposes sanctions on Iran, Houthi-related targets

The United States imposed sanctions on Thursday on Iran and Houthi-related entities, according to the Treasury Department website which listed a number of individuals, companies and vessels that had been targeted.  

The sanctions target three vessels involved in the trade of Iranian petroleum and petrochemicals, which generates billions of dollars for Iran’s leaders, supporting Tehran’s nuclear program, development of ballistic missiles and financing of proxies including Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis, the Treasury said. 

“The United States is committed to targeting Iran’s key revenue streams that fund its destabilizing activities,” Bradley Smith, acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a release. Smith said Iran relies on a “shadowy network” of vessels, companies, and facilitators for those activities.  

Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. 

The vessels targeted were the Djibouti-flagged crude oil tanker MS Enola, owned by Journey Investment company, the San Marino-flagged MS Angia, and the Panama-flagged MS Melenia. The last two tankers are managed and operated by Liberia- and Greece-registered Rose Shipping Limited. 

The sanctions block all property and interests in the United States of the designated parties, and U.S. persons and entities dealing with them could be exposed to sanctions or enforcement actions including fines.  

The Treasury said it also imposed sanctions on 12 individuals to pressure procurement and financing schemes by the Yemen Houthi group. Those included Hashem Ismail Ali Ahmad al-Madani, the head of the Houthi-aligned central bank in Sanaa, for their alleged roles in trafficking arms, laundering money and shipping illicit Iranian oil for the benefit of the Houthis.

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Trump pushes for conflict-ending Ukraine-Russia ‘deal’

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump says the leaders of Ukraine and Russia should be “prepared to make a deal” to end the brutal conflict that has consumed Ukraine since 2022. He also slammed President Joe Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to strike inside Russian territory with U.S.-provided weapons – hinting that when he takes office, he may reverse that move. VOA’s Anita Powell reports from Washington. Iuliia Iarmolenko, Kim Lewis and Kateryna Lisunova contributed.

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US ambassador: US arms manufacturers could help boost Vietnam’s capabilities

HANOI, VIETNAM — U.S. weapons manufacturers could work with Vietnamese counterparts to help build Vietnam’s armed forces, the U.S. ambassador to the southeast Asian country said on Thursday.

“Our goal is to ensure that Vietnam has what it needs to defend its interests at sea, in the air, on the ground and in cyberspace,” U.S. Ambassador Marc Knapper said at an international arms expo in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi.

The expo, held at the Gia Lam airport, brought together 250 exhibitors, including geopolitical rivals such as the United States, China, Russia, Ukraine, Israel and Iran.

U.S. exhibitors included Boeing and Textron Aviation. China was present with Norinco and Gaodu International Trade. Iran’s defense ministry pavilion wasn’t far from booths set up by Israeli companies Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries. Several Russian firms also attended, along with Ukraine’s Motor Sich.

Vietnam has been trying to increase its domestic arms manufacturing while reducing its reliance on Russia for weapon imports.

In 2022, Russia made up around 60% of all of Vietnam’s military purchases, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. But Vietnam’s longstanding efforts to diversify its imports have been accelerated by the war in Ukraine. It has also been trying to boost its own capacity to make arms and displayed military equipment it made at the expo.

A key driver for Vietnam is the escalating tensions in the South China Sea, a key trade and security route. It is a flashpoint in Asia and a fault line in the U.S.-China regional rivalry. Vietnam has been critical of China’s increasingly hostile actions in the disputed waters. Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries have overlapping claims in the busy sea passage.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hailed the event as a “message of peace, cooperation and development.” He was later given a tour of a military plane made by U.S. firm Lockheed Martin.

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France’s Macron visits cyclone-devastated Mayotte as residents plead for aid

MAMOUDZOU, MAYOTTE — French President Emmanuel Macron arrived Thursday in the Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte to survey Cyclone Chido’s destruction and was immediately confronted with a firsthand account of devastation across the French territory. 

“Mayotte is demolished,” Assane Haloi, a security agent, told Macron after he stepped off the plane. 

Macron had been moving along in a line of people greeting him when Haloi grasped his hand and spoke for a minute about the harrowing conditions the islands faced without bare essentials since Saturday when the strongest cyclone in nearly a century ripped through the French territory off the coast of Africa. 

“We are without water, without electricity, there is nowhere to go because everything is demolished,” she said. “We can’t even shelter, we are all wet with our children covering ourselves with whatever we have so that we can sleep.” 

Numbers of dead unknown 

At least 31 people have died and more than 1,500 people were injured, more than 200 critically, French authorities said. But it’s feared hundreds or even thousands of people have died. 

Macron arrived shortly after The Associated Press and other journalists from outside were able to reach Mayotte to provide accounts from survivors of the horror over the weekend when winds howled above 220 kph (136 mph) and peeled the roofs and walls from homes that collapsed around the people sheltering inside. 

In the shantytown Kaweni on the outskirts of the capital Mamoudzou, a swath of hillside homes was reduced to scraps of corrugated metal, plastic, piles of bedding and clothing, and pieces of timber marking the frame where homes once stood. 

“Those of us who are here are still in shock, but God let us live,” Nassirou Hamidouni said as he dug in the rubble of his former home. “We are sad. We can’t sleep because of all of the houses that have been destroyed.” 

Macron took a helicopter tour of the damage and then met with patients and staff at a hospital, who described having to work around the clock. 

A woman who works in the psychological unit became emotional as she described staff becoming exhausted and unable to care for patients. 

“Help the hospital staff, help the hospital,” pleaded the woman, whose name was not known. “Everyone from top to bottom is wiped out.” 

More help on the way 

Macron, who was wearing a traditional red, black and gold Mayotte scarf over his white dress shirt and tie, put his hand on her shoulder as she wiped away tears. 

He sought to reassure people that food, medical aid and additional rescuers arrived with him and more help was on its way in the form of water and a field hospital to be set up Friday. A navy ship brought 180 tons of aid and equipment, the French military said. 

But the visit took a testy turn when Macron was criticized for being out of touch about what was happening on the ground by a man who said they had gone six days in Ouangani without water or a visit from rescue services. 

The president said it took the military four days to clear the roads and get a plan in place to deliver aid. 

“If you want to continue shouting to get airtime,” Macron said as he was cut off, by the man saying he didn’t intend to shout. “If you are interested in my response, if not I will walk away.” 

Residents have expressed agony at not knowing if loved ones were dead or missing, partly because of the hasty burials required under Muslim practice to lay the dead to rest within 24 hours. 

“We’re dealing with open-air mass graves,” said Estelle Youssoufa, who represents Mayotte in the French parliament. “There are no rescuers, no one has come to recover the buried bodies.” 

Macron acknowledged that many who died haven’t been reported. He said phone services will be repaired “in the coming days” so that people can report their missing loved ones. 

France’s poorest territory 

Mayotte, with a population of 320,000 residents and an estimated 100,000 additional migrants, is France’s poorest territory. 

It is part of an archipelago located between mainland Africa’s east coast and northern Madagascar that had been a French colony. Mayotte voted to remain part of France in a 1974 referendum as the rest of the islands became the independent nation of Comoros. 

The cyclone devastated entire neighborhoods as many people ignored warnings, thinking the storm wouldn’t be so extreme. 

Signs of the disaster and its impact were everywhere. 

Streets remained swamped in puddles. Bright clothing was hung to dry on the wooden frames of homes and along the railings of a footbridge over a debris-strewn stream in the Kaweni slum. Throngs of motorbikes and cars lined up at a gas station still in service. 

Families sprawled out on blankets at a school where 500 people were taking shelter. Women washed clothing in buckets of water as children played with the pieces of a giant chessboard. 

Alibouna Haithouna, a displaced mother of four, was with her own mother who had been forced to leave a hospital after her son died there. 

“There was a tragedy. We lost my brother. We are here,” Haithouna said. “My brother’s body, we haven’t been able to get it from the hospital because there is a lot of paperwork to do and in addition to that you have to pay to recover the body.”

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French court finds 51 defendants guilty in mass rape trial

After a French court Thursday found all 51 defendants guilty in a drugging-and-rape case, the victim, Gisele Pelicot said that the trial has been a “difficult ordeal,” but that she never regretted making the case public.

Following a four-month trial in the southeastern city of Avignon, Pelicot’s ex-husband of 50 years, 72-year-old Dominique Pelicot, received a sentence of a maximum of 20 years in prison.

He pleaded guilty in September to repeatedly drugging his wife, raping her while she was unconscious and recruiting strangers to join him over a period of 10 years.

The five-judge panel handed Pelicot’s 50 co-defendants, a group of men from 27 to 74 years old, sentences ranging from three to 20 years in prison.

In her first comments following the verdicts, Gisele Pelicot told reporters her first thoughts were with her three children and her grandchildren, “because they are the future, and it is also for them that I have fought this battle.”

She said she was also thinking of all the other families affected “by this tragedy.” Finally, she said, “I think of the unrecognized victims whose stories often remain in the shadows. I want you to know that we share the same struggle.”

Pelicot has become a symbol of courage and resilience to many, and crowds of supporters gathered outside the courthouse as the case went on.

Asked by reporters about complaints by her supporters that the sentences were too lenient, Pelicot said she respected the court and the decision. She said, “I trust, now, in our capacity to collectively seize a future in which each one of us, woman and man, may live in harmony with mutual respect and understanding.”

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.

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Amazon workers strike at seven US facilities ahead of Christmas rush

Amazon.com workers at seven U.S. facilities walked off the job early on Thursday during the holiday shopping rush, aiming to pressure the retailer into contract talks with their union. 

Warehouse workers in cities including New York, Atlanta and San Francisco are taking part in the “largest” strike against Amazon, said the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents about 10,000 workers at 10 of the firm’s facilities. 

The company, however, said it does not expect any effect on its operations during one of the busiest times of the year. 

Unions represent only about 1% of the hourly workforce of Amazon, the world’s second-largest private employer after Walmart, and it has multiple locations in many metro areas. 

The Teamsters had given Amazon a Dec. 15 deadline to begin negotiations and warehouse workers had recently voted to authorize a strike. 

“If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed,” Teamsters’ General President Sean O’Brien said late on Wednesday. 

“We gave Amazon a clear deadline to come to the table and do right by our members. They ignored it. This strike is on them.” 

The retailer’s shares were trading 1.5% higher in premarket hours, a sign that investors do not expect a big disruption from the strike.  

The Teamsters have “intentionally misled the public” and “threatened, intimidated and attempted to coerce” employees and third-party drivers to join them, an Amazon spokesperson said on Thursday. 

Observers said Amazon was unlikely to come to the table to bargain as that could open the door to more union actions.  

It employs more than 800,000 people at its U.S. warehouses and has more than 600 fulfillment centers, delivery stations and same-day facilities in the country. 

Amazon has responded to recent organization efforts with legal challenges. Amazon has filed objections with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) over a 2022 union vote in Staten Island, alleging bias among agency officials.  

It also challenged the constitutionality of the NLRB in a September federal lawsuit. 

Earlier this year, the company announced a $2.1 billion investment to raise pay for fulfillment and transportation employees in the U.S., increasing base wages for employees by at least $1.50 to around $22 per hour, a roughly 7% increase. 

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China lets Sweden, Finland, Germany, Denmark board ship in cable breach case

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK — China has allowed representatives from Germany, Sweden, Finland and Denmark to board a Chinese bulk carrier at the center of an investigation into Baltic Sea cable breaches, the Danish foreign minister said on Thursday.

The Yi Peng 3 vessel is wanted in Sweden for questioning over a breach of two undersea fiber-optic cables in November and has been stationary in waters nearby for a month while diplomats in Stockholm and Beijing discussed the matter.

Investigators quickly zeroed in on the ship, which left the Russian port of Ust-Luga on Nov. 15, and a Reuters analysis of MarineTraffic data showed that the vessel’s coordinates corresponded to the time and place of the breaches.

The Baltic Sea cables, one linking Finland and Germany and the other connecting Sweden to Lithuania, were damaged on Nov. 17 and 18, prompting German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius to say he assumed it was caused by sabotage.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen on Thursday said his country had facilitated a meeting earlier this week between representatives from Germany, Sweden, Finland and China, helping break a monthlong standoff.

“It is our expectation that once the inspection has been completed by this group of people from the four countries, the ship will be able to sail towards its destination,” Lokke Rasmussen said.

LSEG data showed Yi Peng 3 remained anchored in the same spot in the Kattegat strait between Denmark and Sweden.

Swedish police in a statement said they participated on board the vessel as observers only, while Chinese authorities conducted investigations.

“In parallel, the preliminary investigation into sabotage in connection with two cable breaks in the Baltic Sea is continuing,” the police said.

The actions taken on board the ship on Thursday were not part of the Swedish-led preliminary investigation, the police added.

The breaches happened in Sweden’s exclusive economic zone and Swedish prosecutors are leading the investigation on suspicion of possible sabotage.

Western intelligence officials from multiple countries have said they are confident the Chinese ship caused the cuts to both cables. They have expressed different views on whether these were accidents or could have been deliberate.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson had urged the ship to return to Sweden to aid the investigation.

The was no immediate response from the Chinese Foreign Ministry outside of business hours on Thursday.

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Pakistan defends ballistic missile development amid new US sanctions

Islamabad — Pakistan sharply criticized the United States Thursday for imposing new sanctions against the nuclear-armed country’s long-range ballistic missile program, labeling the move as “double standards and discriminatory practices.”

U.S. State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller announced the measures on Wednesday, saying they were imposed under an executive order that “targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.”

Miller said the sanctions cover Pakistan’s state-owned National Defense Complex and three entities collaborating with it in the development of long-range ballistic missiles, including the Shaheen services of missiles.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry rejected the move as “unfortunate and biased.” The ministry statement said Islamabad’s defense capabilities are aimed at safeguarding Pakistan’s sovereignty and preserving peace in South Asia. 

“The latest installment of sanctions defies the objective of peace and security by aiming to accentuate military asymmetries,” the ministry said, apparently referring to Pakistan’s rivalry with nuclear-armed neighbor India.

“Such policies have dangerous implications for the strategic stability of our region and beyond,” the ministry warned, without elaborating.

The designation of National Defense Complex and other firms freezes all U.S. property they own and bars U.S. citizens from engaging in business transactions with them.

“Pakistan’s strategic program is a sacred trust bestowed by 240 million people upon its leadership. The sanctity of this trust, held in the highest esteem across the entire political spectrum, cannot be compromised,” the foreign ministry stated Thursday in response to the U.S. announcement.

The accompanying U.S. State Department fact sheet said the Islamabad-based National Defense Complex has worked to acquire items “intended to be used as launch support equipment for ballistic missiles and missile testing equipment” to advance the country’s missile development program.

The other companies hit with U.S. sanctions are Affiliates International, Akhtar and Sons Private Ltd., and Rockside Enterprise, all located in Karachi, according to the fact sheet.

“The United States will continue to act against proliferation and associated procurement activities of concern,” Miller said.

Pakistan’s Shaheen surface-to-surface rocket is capable of carrying nuclear warheads to a range of approximately 2,750 kilometers, with experts saying the range enables the solid-fueled, multistage missile to reach targets anywhere in India and parts of the Middle East.

New Delhi and Islamabad conducted their first nuclear weapons tests in May 1998, raising fears another war between the arch-rivals could escalate into a nuclear exchange in South Asia. Both nations have fought three wars, resulting in strained relations and persistent military tensions.

India and Pakistan oppose and refuse to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty, an international agreement aimed at curbing the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

“These country-specific U.S. sanctions against a close and longstanding strategic partner like Pakistan are unfortunate, divorced from historical realities, and indicate weaker U.S. commitment towards regional peace, security and strategic stability,” Syed Muhammad Ali, a security expert based in Islamabad, told VOA.

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Stampede in southwestern Nigerian city causes multiple deaths

ABUJA — A stampede at a religious event in Ibadan, the capital of Nigeria’s southwest Oyo state, resulted in multiple deaths and injuries, Governor Seyi Makinde said on Wednesday. 

The incident occurred at an Islamic high school where a large crowd had gathered for a family event.  

“While investigations are ongoing, the primary organizers of the event that led to this stampede have been taken into custody,” Makinde said in a statement posted on X. 

Reuters could not immediately establish how many people had died or what caused the incident. 

Emergency services, including medical personnel and ambulances, were immediately dispatched to the scene, Makinde said.  

Security forces were also deployed to control the situation and prevent further casualties. The event has been halted, and the rest of the attendees have been safely evacuated from the venue, he said. 

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Vietnam police arrest suspect in Hanoi cafe fire that killed 11

Hanoi — Police in Vietnam have arrested a man suspected of starting a blaze that killed 11 following an argument with staff in a Hanoi cafe, authorities said on Thursday, while two of seven pulled from the flames were admitted to hospital. 

In a statement, police said the man had confessed to using gasoline to set Wednesday’s fire on the ground floor of the three-story cafe, where people were also singing karaoke-style. 

The suspect is in his early 50s, said the state-run Tien Phong newspaper, adding that one witness reported hearing an explosion.  

“The fire blocked all the exits,” another witness told the paper. “The smell of gasoline was strong.”  

It took about 40 minutes to rein in the fire, reported just after 11 p.m., police added, with two of the seven rescued admitted to hospital.  

Images in an online newspaper, VnExpress, showed firemen working to douse the flames, while the bodies of several victims were carried away. 

“I noticed a column of smoke from afar,” it cited a witness as saying. “I was so frightened that I had to urge my grandchild to go downstairs.” 

“The flames were so fierce. We saw the fire … but there was nothing else we could do.” 

On Thursday, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh called for urgent investigation and strict action against anyone who violated the law. 

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