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Paris — Tennis star Coco Gauff will join LeBron James as a flag bearer for the U.S. Olympic team at Friday's opening ceremony. Gauff, the reigning U.S. Open champion, is set to make her Olympic debut at the Paris Games and will be the first tennis athlete to carry the U.S. flag. She and James were chosen by Team USA athletes. "I mean, for me, the Olympics is a top priority. I would say equal to the Grand Slams. I wouldn't put it above or below, just because I've never played before. This is my first time," Gauff said earlier this year. "Obviously, I always want to do well, try to get a medal." Gauff and James, the 39-year-old leading scorer in NBA history, both compete in sports that are outside the traditional Olympic world and get attention year-round, not just every four years. The 20-year-old Gauff made the American team for the Tokyo Games three years ago as a teenager but had to sit out those Olympics because she tested positive for COVID-19 right before she was supposed to fly to Japan. Now Gauff, who is based in Florida, is a Grand Slam title winner in singles and doubles. She won her first major championship in New York in September, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the singles final of the U.S. Open, then added her first Grand Slam doubles trophy at the French Open this June alongside Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic. The same clay courts at Roland Garros used for the French Open will be where matches are going to be held for the Paris Olympics. The draw to set the brackets is Thursday, and play begins on Saturday. Gauff is seeded No. 2 in singles, matching her current WTA ranking behind No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland, and will be among the medal favorites. She and her usual doubles partner, Jessica Pegula, are seeded No. 1 in women's doubles. It's possible Gauff could also be entered in mixed doubles, but those pairings have not been announced yet. "I'm not putting too much pressure on it, because I really want to fully indulge in the experience," Gauff said about her Olympics debut. "Hopefully I can have the experience multiple times in my lifetime, (but) I'll treat it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

Paris — What was expected to be a simple coronation of Salt Lake City as the 2034 Winter Olympic host turned into complicated Olympic politics Wednesday, as the IOC pushed Utah officials to end an FBI investigation into a suspected doping coverup. The International Olympic Committee is angry about an ongoing U.S. federal investigation of suspected doping by Chinese swimmers who were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Games despite positive drug tests. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted Chinese explanations for the tests, and U.S. officials are now investigating that decision under an anti-conspiracy law passed after the Russian doping scandal at the Sochi Winter Games. President Thomas Bach wants to make sure WADA is the sole authority on Olympic doping cases, especially with the Sumer Olympics headed to Los Angeles in 2028. The IOC added a clause to Salt Lake's host contract, demanding that local organizers - including Utah Gov. Spencer Cox - push to shut down the federal investigation or risk losing the Olympics. Cox and others promised to lobby the U.S. president and Congress. "We agree that if the United States does not support or violates the World Anti-Doping Federation's rules, that they can withdraw the Games from from us and from the United States, " Cox said after the announcement. "That was the only way that that we could we could guarantee that we would get the Games." Even in the world Olympic diplomacy, it was a stunning power move to force government officials to publicly agree to do the IOC's lobbying.  After getting the Utah contingent's agreement on the clause, the IOC formally awarded the 2034 Winter Games to Salt Lake in an 83-6 vote.  The capital city of Utah was the only candidate after the IOC gave Salt Lake City exclusive negotiating rights last year in a fast-tracked process. The campaign team presenting the bid on stage to IOC members included Cox, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and Alpine ski great Lindsey Vonn. Back home, a 3 a.m. public watch party gathered to see the broadcast from Paris. The clause inserted into the contract requires Utah officials to to work with current and future U.S. presidents and members of Congress "to alleviate your concerns" about the federal investigation into doping. The IOC clause allows the Olympic body to terminate Salt Lake City's deal if the authority of WADA was undermined on U.S. territory.  WADA's role is under scrutiny for accepting a Chinese investigation that declared all 23 swimmers were contaminated by traces of a banned heart medication in a hotel kitchen. Three Chinese gold medals in the Tokyo Olympic pool were won by swimmers implicated in the case. Some are also competing in Paris next week. The case an be investigated in the U.S. under federal legislation named for a whistleblower of Russian state doping at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games. The IOC and WADA lobbied against passing the law, known as the Rodchenkov Act, which gives U.S. federal agencies wide jurisdiction of doping enforcement worldwide ahead of Los Angeles hosting the 2028 Summer Games. "We will work with our members of Congress," Gov. Cox told Bach and IOC voters ahead of the 2034 vote, "we will use all the levers of power open to us to resolve these concerns." Salt Lake City first hosted the Winter Games in 2002. That bid was hit with a bribery scandal, which led to anti-corruption reforms at the IOC. Future U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney was brought in to clean up the Games, which went off well despite tightened security. The Games were the biggest international sports event hosted by the U.S. following the Sept. 11 attacks five months earlier. "I am sorry for you, and for us, that this issue arose now," Bach said, addressing the Salt Lake City delegation ahead of the vote. It is an Olympic tradition for lawmakers and even heads of state to come to an IOC meeting and plead their case to be anointed as an host city. Russian President Vladimir Putin did it in 2007, speaking in English to secure the 2014 Winter Games for Sochi. British Prime Minister Tony Blair made a key intervention in 2005 to help win the 2012 Olympics for London. U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to Copenhagen in 2009 did not help in Chicago's losing cause for the 2016 Summer Games that went to Rio de Janeiro. For its second turn, Salt Lake City will get almost 10 full years to prepare — the longest lead-in for a modern Winter Games — amid longer-term concerns about climate change affecting snow sports and reducing the pool of potential hosts. Salt Lake City opted to target 2034 and so avoided potential commercial and logistical clashes with the 2028 Summer Games being hosted by Los Angeles. It will be the fifth Winter Games in the U.S. Before Salt Lake City in 2002, there was Lake Placid in 1980 and 1932, and Squaw Valley — now known as Olympic Valley — in 1960. In a separate decision earlier in Paris, the 2030 Winter Games was awarded — with conditions — to France for a regional project split between ski resorts in the Alps and the French Riviera city Nice. That project needs official signoff from the national government being formed, and the Prime Minister yet to be confirmed, after recent elections called by President Emmanuel Macron. He helped present the 2030 bid Wednesday to IOC members. 

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

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Abuja — The Nigerian military has rescued Ehi Abdul, one of the “Chibok girls” whose kidnapping by Boko Haram militants in 2014 generated worldwide attention. Authorities say the rescue operation late last month rescued 330 other captives and highlights the ongoing efforts to combat insurgents and rehabilitate victims in northeastern Borno state. Ehi Abdul, a Chibok schoolgirl kidnapped along with 275 others nearly a decade ago, is finally free. She spent about 10 years in the Sambisa Forest, where she says she was forced to marry eight Boko Haram fighters and bear them two children. Abdul and other former captives were handed over to the Borno state government on Monday after a month of health care and reintegration. Now 27, Abdul explains how she was discovered, and suggests some of the remaining Chibok girls may not want to return. She says, “Soldiers stopped us and asked where we were going. We told them we were visiting, and that's how we were rescued...” She says, “I haven't met some of my Chibok colleagues, while others don't want to leave... “Now that I am out, I can continue with my Islamic education,” she adds. Though now overrun by security forces, Boko Haram's presence in Nigeria's northeast inflicted years of terror. Girls were kidnapped, forced into marriages, and lived in constant fear. Another woman rescued, Fatima Abdul, recounted her harrowing experience living in the Sambisa Forest. She says, “Life there is suffocating. There’s no food, no water. Even Boko Haram fighters are suffering. “And they beat us for no reason.” Abdul says she has four children by different men. The Nigerian military’s continuous efforts, including this rescue, Operation Hadin Kai, aim to destroy Boko Haram's hideouts in the Sambisa Forest and restore normalcy in the northeast. Over the past two weeks, over 600 victims have been rescued. Muhammad Abdullahi, a Nigerian Navy captain, says the military is taking care of the former captives. "For those that are rescued, the responsibility from the military is that we carry out documentation as we call it, on receiving them; we clothe them as you can see. And of course, for the children, we also administer through our military medical team, we administer vaccination and immunization," he said. Wahidi Shuaibu, a major general in the Nigerian military, and commandant of Operation Hadin Kai, says the country remains dedicated to rescuing those still in captivity. "The theater will continue to do its best to rescue the remaining Chibok girls still in captivity in line with the strategic ideas of the chief of defense staff and the chief of army staff," he said. More than a decade of Boko Haram brutality ravaged Nigeria's Northeast, leaving tens of thousands dead and many kidnapped, including the Chibok girls taken in 2014. Although not completely eradicated, counterterrorism efforts have weakened Boko Haram and reduced attacks.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Berlin, Germany — Forced to choose between its ambitious climate goals and a major loss of electric vehicle market share to China, the European Union opted to protect its carmakers. But analysts say the long-term effect on efforts to reduce greenhouse gases remains to be seen. Provisional duties of up to 37.6% on Chinese-made EVs imposed by the EU earlier this month “might slow sales of EVs,” which are a key component of any plan to slow the rate of climate change, acknowledged Miranda Schreurs, professor at the Technical University of Munich, in an interview. “It probably does have to do with concerns about the tariffs and also concerns about the [extent to which] Europe is really supporting the transition to EVs right now,” said Schreurs, who specializes in environment and climate policy, including energy transitions. “That can have a negative impact if European consumers feel like the Green Deal is hurting them rather than helping them. … And many people are much more worried about inflation and their pockets … so there’s the question of what will the public accept?” The EU imposed the new duties, which come on top of an existing 10% tariff, after accusing Beijing of offering “unfair subsidization” that threatened economic injury to Europe’s own electric vehicle makers. The bloc said China-made EVs were selling at prices 20% lower than those of their European counterparts. Beijing retaliated last week with an anti-dumping probe into EU imports that singled out Danish, Dutch and Spanish pork firms. Schreurs said the trade dispute reflects major changes in the global auto market based on growing awareness of the threat posed by climate change and the potential of electric vehicles to eliminate a major source of the gases that are heating the planet. “China, which wasn’t a big international player in terms of automobile exports, has become the dominant player – the biggest player – in EV exports in the last several years,” she told VOA. “This is putting a lot of pressure on European manufacturers of automobiles.” Boosted by government policies and subsidies, China’s BYD overtook Tesla to become the world’s top EV maker last year. Some projections say Chinese-made EVs could account for 15% to 25% of all such vehicles sold in the EU by next year. Any slowdown in the sales of EVs will inevitably impact the continent’s so-called Green Deal, which aims to slash greenhouse gases in the transport sector, mainly by boosting the share of EVs. EU planning calls for emissions to be cut by 37.5% compared with 1990 levels by 2030, and for only zero-emission vehicles to be sold by 2035. However, many analysts believe the tariffs will have only a modest effect on the rate of conversion to EVs, and Schreurs said a dampening of enthusiasm for EVs could prompt more people to switch to public transportation, which would do even more to cut emissions. Wan-Hsin Liu, senior researcher at the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, told VOA the short-term price increase will be there, but “still far away from a price shock” that would deter consumers. “Even due to these countervailing duties, Chinese [battery electric vehicle] producers will not just transfer the whole duty costs to consumers completely,” said Liu, whose research focuses on China and innovation. Over the long term, she said, the price increase will still be manageable and other non-Chinese EV producers can make up for any reduction in sales from China. Schreurs said China could also help itself by shifting more of its auto-making to Europe, where about 13.8 million people work in the EU automotive industry, including 3.5 million in direct and indirect manufacturing, data from the European Commission shows. “If China is investing in Europe in a way that it’s creating jobs, it can also decrease tensions” with the EU, she said. “The support for [Chinese EVs] will be stronger both from the public and government officials.” Several Chinese EV makers are moving in that direction. Chery Auto signed a joint venture with Spain’s EV Motors to open a manufacturing site in Catalonia, while BYD will build its first EV production base in Hungary. Liu said a larger shift of that kind would not have to translate into fewer jobs in China, where officials have set a goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2060. “The market demand [for EVs] would only rise, so it doesn’t necessarily mean that [Chinese EV makers] build a factory in Europe and would then automatically close a factory in China,” she said. “These different kind of factories would serve different kinds of markets … so it does not mean green jobs in China will suffer.” Schreur said both China and Europe need green jobs “and to do this in a way that also reduces the footprint tied to the manufacturing of cars.” Consequently, “perhaps it makes more sense that the prices of [China-made] cars are raised somewhat right now.” The provisional tariffs remain subject to trade negotiations in November, and both Schreur and Liu believe the EU and China will be able to resolve some of their differences at that time. But Liu voiced some reservations. “China currently perceives the EU’s investigation and decision on EVs and others as protectionist measures with the goal to protect solely the domestic industry,” she said. “China thinks that the responsibility for causing a potential trade war lies within the EU.” In the end, she said, the outcome will depend on both sides’ willingness to compromise.

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SYDNEY — The trilateral AUKUS alliance and the growing strategic importance of the Indian Ocean are the focus of a multinational defense conference starting in Australia on Wednesday. The United States, Britain and Australia are developing military capabilities under the 2021 AUKUS partnership, while tensions in the Indo-Pacific region are bringing focus to the Quad diplomatic partnership, between Australia, India, Japan and the United States. The Indian Ocean Defense and Security 2024 conference in Perth, Western Australia, is bringing together senior Australian and international government, military and industry leaders. The event is hosted by the Western Australian government.  It will examine how the the AUKUS pact between the United States, Britain and Australia affects the four-nation Quad diplomatic partnership between Australia, India, Japan and the U.S. The origins of the Quad alliance date back to Australia’s response to the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Analysts say the AUKUS and Quad groupings share concerns over China’s increasing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.  Beijing has maritime disputes with several countries and a land boundary conflict with India. Vice Admiral Mark Hammond, chief of the Australian navy, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. Wednesday that, China is one of several areas of discussion at the Perth defense summit. “This is an opportunity to bring defense, political senior leadership and industry leadership into one room to discuss the role of the state of Western Australia and the importance of the Indian Ocean to the security, prosperity (and) economic wellbeing of the great nation of Australia," he said. "So, it is much broader than the issue of China, which tends to overshadow many things in our region.” Western Australia covers a third of the Australian continent.  Its coastline is vast, stretching for more than 20,000 kilometers, including islands. The state has several key naval and air force bases. The trilateral AUKUS accord is widely seen as a counter to China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region. Beijing has been strident in its criticism of the pact, insisting that Australia and its allies had “gone down a dangerous road for their own selfish political gains.”   Officials in Beijing have said previously that the Quad grouping was formed "to contain China.” Australia’s left-leaning government is seeking to stabilize ties with China, the country’s major trading partner, after years of diplomatic friction over various geopolitical and trade disputes.

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris heads to Indianapolis on Wednesday, marking one of her first public appearances since President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed her as the Democratic Party's nominee on Sunday. Harris is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech at Zeta Phi Beta (ZPB) Sorority Inc.'s biennial convention in Indianapolis. ZPB, founded in 1920 at Harris' alma mater Howard University, is one of the nation's largest historically Black sororities – social organizations with female-only memberships at colleges and universities whose purpose is to foster community, academic achievement and career development, among other things. Earlier this month in Dallas, Texas, Harris spoke to more than 20,000 members and alumnae of her own sorority at Howard University, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., at its national convention. Sorority figures play key roles in the group Win With Black Women, which organized a Zoom call with 44,000 attendees just hours after Biden endorsed Harris. The group said it raised more than $1.5 million for her campaign in just a few hours. A similar effort by Win With Black Men raised more than $1 million, adding to the $100 million raised by the Harris campaign in less than 48 hours. This is in addition to money raised by political action committees separate from the campaign. The largest one, the Future Forward PAC, reported $150 million in commitments in the first 24 hours. Sororities and fraternities There are nine historically Black sororities and fraternities, their male equivalent, known as the "Divine Nine." Sororities and fraternities are among the most important networks in the African American community, said Steve Phillips, founder of the political media organization Democracy in Color, and author of several books on demographic shifts in the American electorate. "Members are passionate, energetic and engaged throughout their entire lives," he told VOA, so these pre-existing and highly involved groups can swiftly emerge as formidable campaign resources. "We saw some of this with Obama in 2007 and 2008, and I expect it to be another order of magnitude fundraising and volunteering with Harris," he said. Sororities are pathways to another key resource – Black female celebrities. These groups are actively recruiting notable figures and celebrities as honorary members, said Samantha N. Sheppard, associate professor and chair of the Department of Performing and Media Arts at Cornell University. With Hollywood big names including Kerry Washington, Viola Davis, Jennifer Lewis and others pledging support for Harris, the "groundswell of Black women celebrity activism" has already begun, she told VOA. Harris' run for the nation's top job has energized African American voters, a key Democratic constituency whose enthusiasm waned when Biden was on top of the ticket. However, amid the rampant racist and sexist attacks on Harris online, they are also bracing themselves. "It's critical for Black women with platforms to work together to rise above the misogynoir that Harris will face," Sheppard said. Attacks are already being launched at Harris for traveling to Indianapolis and declining to preside over Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress, also happening Wednesday. From Indianapolis, Harris heads to Houston, Texas, to speak in front of the American Federation of Teachers on Friday.