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I'm VOA's Joe Ramsey with your world wide news update.
The Pentagon says North Korean troops are on the move toward Ukraine. AP correspondent Sagar Meghani reports. Defense Chief Lloyd Austin says some of the roughly 10,000 North Koreans sent to Russia are edging closer to the Kursk region and in what he calls a "dangerous and destabilizing" development. "We're seeing them outfitted with Russian uniforms and provided with Russian equipment." Austin says there's a pretty high likelihood Russia will use those troops in combat. At a joint Pentagon news conference, South Korean counterpart Kim Yong-hyun said the deployment could boost security threats on the Korean Peninsula, noting through an interpreter in exchange for the troops, there's a "high chance" North Korea will ask Russia for high tech transfers. "... relating to tactical nuclear weapons, technologies relating to the advancement of ICBM also those regarding reconnaissance satellites." Sagar Meghani, Washington. The United States and other mediators are ramping up efforts to halt the wars in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. They are circulating new proposals to wind down the regional conflict during the Biden administration's final months. Negotiations have been stalled for months and the warring parties have shown no signs of backing down. Two senior White House officials are visiting Israel on Thursday for talks on halting the fighting. Two other officials familiar with the talks said a proposal to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah calls for a two-month cease-fire, during which Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah would end its armed presence in the south. The U.S., Egypt and Qatar have proposed a four-week cease-fire in Gaza, during which Hamas would release 8 to 10 hostages. This is VOA News. The two candidates for U.S. president are making what they call their closing arguments to voters in this final week before the election. VOA's senior Washington correspondent Carolyn Presutti reports. In this final week, the presidential campaigns take on the air of a court case, with voters acting as the jury until Tuesday. Former President Donald Trump making his case about the economy and immigration in Madison Square Garden, the epicenter of New York City. "After years of building up foreign nations, defending foreign borders and protecting foreign lands, we are finally going to build up our country, defend our borders and protect our citizens." For her rebuttal, Vice President Kamala Harris chose the Ellipse in Washington, with the backdrop of the White House, the future home for one of the presidential contenders. "It is time for a new generation of leadership in America." Harris laid out her own vision for America, seeking to strike a contrast with Trump. "It is time to turn the page on the drama and the conflict." Given how close the race is, the election may be too close to call on Tuesday night. Carolyn Presutti, VOA News, on the Ellipse. Authorities say flash floods in Spain have killed at least 95 people. Emergency services in Valencia said Wednesday that at least 92 people died in the eastern region due to the floods. Streets turned into rivers of muddy water, washing vehicles away at high speed. Police and rescue services used helicopters to lift people from their homes and rubber boats to rescue drivers stranded atop their cars. Britain's health security agency, the UKHSA, announced on Wednesday the country has detected its first case of the new mpox variant. But it says the risk to the general population remains low. Reuters correspondent Alice Rizzo reports. The case in a patient who had recently traveled to affected countries in Africa was detected in London, and the individual has been transferred to a specialist hospital, the UKHSA said. Close contacts of the case are being followed up by UKHSA and partner organizations. The clade 1b variant is a new form of the virus that is linked to a global health emergency declared by the World Health Organization in August. It has been widely circulating in the Democratic Republic of Congo in recent months and there have been cases reported in Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Sweden, India and Germany. Reuters correspondent Alice Rizzo. That wraps up this update, but the world and news never stop. For additional updates, visit our website. I'm Joe Ramsey, VOA News. |