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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Bipartisan legislation has been introduced in both houses of U.S. Congress to establish a path to American citizenship for thousands of Afghan evacuees admitted to the United States on temporary immigration status, the sponsors announced on Tuesday.

The bill also would expand eligibility for Special Immigration Visas (SIVs) beyond Afghans who worked for the U.S. government to those who fought alongside U.S. forces as commandoes and air force personnel, and to women who served in special counterterrorism teams.

Identical versions of the bill were introduced days before the first anniversary of the final U.S. troop withdrawal and the chaotic evacuation operation that ended America’s longest war and saw the Taliban overrun Kabul.

“We must keep our commitment to provide safe, legal refuge to those who willingly put their lives on the line to support the U.S. mission in Afghanistan,” Democratic Representative Earl Blumenauer, co-sponsor of the House bill with Republican Peter Meijer, said in a statement.

Three minority Republicans, including Senator Lindsey Graham, joined three majority Democrats in introducing an identical version of the Afghanistan Adjustment Act in the thinly divided Senate, enhancing its chances of passage.

Even so, a congressional aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the measure likely will face “resistance” from anti-immigration Republicans.

Many of the 76,000 Afghans flown out in last year’s evacuation operation entered the United States on humanitarian parole, a temporary immigration status that typically only lasts up to two years.

The legislation would allow those evacuees to apply for permanent legal status if they submit to additional background checks.

Generally, those Afghans only can gain permanent legal status in the United States by applying for asylum or through SIVs, programs beset by major backlogs.

(Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Editing by Sam Holmes)

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By Ayenat Mersie

KIAMBAA, Kenya (Reuters) – One inked fingernail and old burn scars: the story of Kenya’s past election traumas and current hopes is written on the skin of Philip Wangoi’s hands. 

    At 16, he was badly burned in a church set aflame during the post-election violence that rocked Kenya after the disputed 2007 elections. More than 1,200 people were killed. 

    Today, he cast his ballot peacefully in a poll still haunted by the ghosts of previous elections. Like millions of citizens, he prays politicians take disputes to the Supreme Court, instead of the streets.

    “I’m scared. Whenever it nears the election period, I get scared,” said Wangoi, clasping his scarred hands as his two young children played next to a puppy. 

    President Uhuru Kenyatta must step down due to term limits. The two frontrunners to succeed him are veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga and the current Deputy President, William Ruto. Kenyatta fell out with Ruto and has endorsed Odinga. 

    All three men were involved in the 2007 election, but back then Ruto backed Odinga against Kenyatta’s then-boss. Kenyatta and Ruto faced charges at the International Criminal Court over their alleged role in the violence; the cases were later dropped. 

    Many citizens are too discouraged to vote, saying they are being crushed by soaring food prices and corruption. Others, like Wangoi, are bitter that wealthy leaders find it so easy to forget the past for their own expediency. 

    “These politicians need these positions for their own personal benefits and interests … they don’t do anything for regular people,” said Wangoi from outside his home in Kiambaa, on the outskirts of Eldoret.

    After the disputed 2007 election, Wangoi’s family were targeted because they were from the same Kikuyu ethnic group as the winner. Fleeing angry mobs, Wangoi, his mother, and others sought refuge in a church. The building was set alight. 

    Wangoi dove through a window, burning his hands and legs. He stripped off his melting clothes and ran about 10 km (6 miles) to a hospital. Thirty people burned to death, including children.

    Wangoi is lukewarm about politicians, but says Kenyans must find better leaders. That’s why he’s voted every election he could. 

    “It is up to us Kenyans to ensure a peaceful election,” he said steadily. But even if most people want peace, a small mob paid to cause chaos can derail the process, he warned.

    For the sake of his family and others like them, he said, whoever loses must accept the results.

(Reporting by Ayenat Mersie; Editing by Katharine Houreld and Raissa Kasolowsky)

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By Nidal al-Mughrabi

GAZA (Reuters) – For many in Gaza, news of a truce between Israel and the Islamic Jihad after the most serious round of violence in just over a year was bittersweet.

As families aired laundry on blasted walls and sifted through the rubble to salvage whatever documents and furniture they could find, others laid their loved ones to rest.

“My life ended when he was martyred,” said Najwa Abu Hamada, 45, whose 19 year-old son Khalil was killed when he went out into the street outside their home and a car was hit. Her only child, he was born after 12 years of marriage and five failed IVF attempts.

“I promised him that joy will never find its way into my heart anymore,” she said.

At least 44 people, including 15 children, were killed in 56 hours of violence that began on Friday when Israeli air strikes hit a senior commander of the militant Islamic Jihad movement. More than 360 people were wounded in raids that continued all weekend, among them 151 children and teenagers, according to Gaza health officials.

Israel said it launched the air strikes as a pre-emptive operation against an imminent attack by the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad movement, targeting Islamic Jihad commanders and arms depots and doing all it could to limit civilian casualties.

In response, Islamic Jihad fired more than 1,000 rockets towards Israel, sending residents of southern and central areas, including major cities like Tel Aviv fleeing to bomb shelters.

Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system prevented any serious damage or casualties on its territory but there was no such protection for blockaded Gaza where some 2.3 million people live on a patch of 365 square kilometres (140 square miles).

“We heard an explosion, we were shocked. When we got out, we saw our children dismembered,” said Wessam Nejim, whose four nephews were killed on Sunday in Jabalia refugee camp, the largest of eight camps in Gaza that are home to Palestinians whose families fled or were expelled from towns and villages during the 1948 war of Israel’s creation.

“A child only four years old, why would he be targeted?”

The Israeli military said it was looking into the incident, which came a day after four children were killed in the same area by what Israel said was an Islamic Jihad rocket that veered off course and plunged to the ground shortly after being fired.

According to Israeli officials, around 20% of the rockets fired from Gaza misfired, causing extensive damage and casualties in the strip.

That account was rejected by both Islamic Jihad and Hamas, the militant group that governs Gaza, which said all the Palestinian deaths were caused by Israeli strikes.

“This is part of the Zionist mental warfare against our people, to create division between the resistance and the people it defends,” said Islamic Jihad Spokesperson Musab al-Braim.

As well as the casualties, at least 40 families were displaced as a result of the fighting and some 650 housing units sustained damage, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

For Muatasem Shamalakh, 28, the house he lived in, which was partially damaged in an earlier war in 2014, was now completely destroyed.

“Where can we go now?” he said.

(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Additional reporting and writing by Henriette Chacar; Editing by James Mackenzie, Alexandra Hudson)

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MOSCOW (Reuters) -Ukraine has suspended Russian oil pipeline flows to parts of central Europe since early this month because Western sanctions prevented it from accepting transit fees from Moscow, Russian pipeline monopoly Transneft said on Tuesday.

Benchmark Brent crude oil jumped by $2 per barrel to trade near $98 as the news added to concerns about reduced energy supplies. [O/R]

Europe is heavily reliant on Russian crude, diesel, natural gas and coal. Energy prices have rallied this year on short supply as Europe scrambles to replace Russian energy with alternative supplies.

Flows along the southern route of the Druzhba pipeline have been affected while the northern route serving Poland and Germany remains uninterrupted.

The suspension of pipeline flows on Tuesday will hit countries such as Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic, which all rely heavily on Russian crude and have limited ability to import alternative supply by sea.

The fact that refiners have to import seaborne oil on such short notice will make the job to secure alternative supply even more difficult in an already tight oil market, traders said.

Hungarian energy firm MOL and Slovak pipeline operator Transpetrol confirmed flows have been halted for a few days over the payment of transit fees.

MOL said it had reserves for several weeks and was working on a solution.

Hungary is one of the most reliant countries on Russia oil and its government has been lobbying hard to give it exemption from wider EU sanctions on Moscow.

Russia’s Transneft said it made payments for August oil transit to Ukrainian pipeline operator UkrTransNafta on July 22, but the money was returned on July 28 as the payment did not go through.

It said the shipments were halted from Aug. 4.

Transneft said in a statement that Gazprombank, which handled the payment, told it the money was returned because of European Union restrictions.

SANCTION RULES

Under the new sanctions, European banks have to receive approval from a relevant government authority instead of deciding by themselves whether to allow a transaction, Transneft said.

It added that European regulators had yet to decide on algorithms for all the banks, which complicates the dealings.

Transneft is considering alternative payment systems, but had sent a request for the transaction to be allowed, the pipeline monopoly said.

Hungary’s MOL and Unipetrol, controlled by PKN Orlen, are the main buyers of oil via the Druzhba route, also known as the Friendship pipeline, while Russia’s Lukoil, Rosneft and Tatneft are the main suppliers of oil.

UkrTransNafta did not respond to a request for comment.

Since March, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic have relied extensively on supplies of Russian Urals crude via the Druzhba pipeline and reduced their purchases of maritime crude.

A decline in European demand for Russian oil since Russia invaded Ukraine at the end of February has pushed the value of seaborne Urals, which serves to price Druzhba deliveries, to the widest discount in history against the dated Brent benchmark.

Moscow refers to the invasion as a “special military operation”.

Russia normally supplies about 250,000 barrels per day (bpd)via the southern leg of the Druzhba pipeline.

Russia, the world’s second biggest oil exporter and leading gas exporter, has already reduced gas pipeline flows to many EU members, citing problems with turbine maintenance on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline as well as sanctions against some buyers Moscow describes as “unfriendly”.

(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Barbara Lewis and Jason Neely)

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By Joori Roh

SEOUL (Reuters) – At least seven people died in and around the South Korean capital of Seoul overnight, authorities said on Tuesday, after torrential rain knocked out power, caused slips and left roads and subways submerged.

The southern part of Seoul received more than 100mm (3.9 inches) of rain per hour on late Monday, with some part of the city having received 141.5mm of rain, the worst rainfall in decades, according to Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

The accumulated rainfall in Seoul since midnight Monday stood at 420mm as of 5 a.m. Tuesday, with more rain forecast.

In the glitzy, highly concentrated Gangnam district, some buildings and stores were flooded and were without power, while cars, buses and subway stations were submerged, leaving people stranded.

“I was near Gangnam station last night when the rainfall intensified, with thunder and lightning striking every 30 seconds,” said Lee Dongha, a 27-year-old office worker in Seoul. “All of a sudden, buses, subway stations and streets were submerged, and that’s when I quickly decided to book an accommodation as I didn’t want to be left stranded, with nowhere to go.”

At least five people died in Seoul and two others in the neighbouring Gyeonggi Province by early Tuesday, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters said. Four died after being trapped in flooded buildings, one was believed to have been electrocuted, one person was found under the wreckage of a bus stop, and another died in a landslide, it said.

At least nine people were injured, while six were missing.

The headquarters raised the crisis alert to the highest and requested organisations adjust their working hours.

The KMA issued heavy rain warnings across the capital and the metropolitan area of 26 million as well parts of Gangwon and Chungcheong Province.

President Yoon Suk-yeol presided over an emergency response meeting, ordering authorities to focus on preventing casualties and quickly controlling and recovering flooded areas, the disaster headquarters said.

The KMA expects heavy rainfall for the central part of the country to continue through at least Wednesday.

While South Korea often experiences heavy rains in summer, “such sharp increase in precipitation and frequent torrential rains cannot be explained without the big trend of climate change,” a KMA official, who spoke in condition of anonymity, told Reuters. “This phenomenon is seen occurring more often due to climate change that has resulted in a prolonged summer.”

(Reporting by Joori Roh; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)

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SANTIAGO -Chile will seek to apply harsh sanctions on those responsible for a huge sinkhole near a copper mine in the country’s north, the mining minister said on Monday.

The mysterious hole of 36.5 meters in diameter that emerged in late July has provoked the mobilization of local authorities and led the mining regulator Sernageomin to suspend operations of a nearby mine owned by Canada’s Lundin in the northern district of Candelaria.

“We are going to go all the way with consequences, to sanction, not just fine,” Mining Minister Marcela Hernando said in a press release, adding that fines tend to be insignificant and the ruling must be “exemplary” to mining companies.

Chilean authorities have not provided details of the investigation into causes of the sinkhole.

Local and foreign media showed various aerial images of the huge hole in a field near the Lundin Mining operation, about 665 kilometers north of the Chilean capital. Initially, the hole, near the town of Tierra Amarilla, measured about 25 meters (82 feet) across, with water visible at the bottom.

The Canadian firm owns 80% of the property, while the remaining 20% is in the hands of Japan’s Sumitomo Metal Mining Co Ltd and Sumitomo Corp.

The minister added that although the country’s mining regulator had carried out an inspection in the area in July, it was not able to detect the “over-exploitation.”

“That also makes us think that we have to reformulate what our inspection processes are,” she said.

In a statement, Lundin said the over-exploitation referred to by the minister had been duly reported.

“We want to be emphatic that, to date, this hypothesis as reported by Sernageomin has not been determined as the direct cause of the sinkhole. The hydrogeological and mining studies will provide the answers we are looking for today,” Lundin said.

“Different events that could have caused the sinkhole are being investigated, including the abnormal rainfall recorded during the month of July, which is relevant,” added Lundin.

(Reporting by Fabian Andres Cambero; Writing by Carolina Pulice; Editing by Leslie Adler and Kenneth Maxwell)

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RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro on Monday denied that he has any intention of carrying out a coup if he loses October’s election, adding that he rejects a constitutional measure seen as an effort to protect him from crime accusations.

Efforts by Bolsonaro to turn an Independence Day military parade on Sept. 7 into a political event, less than a month before the presidential election, has raised concerns he may use the military to compensate for his sagging popularity.

“I’m not afraid of losing the election. I’m not worried about it,” Bolsonaro said in an interview on the Flow Podcast. “If I wanted to pull off a coup I wouldn’t say anything.”

Bolsonaro is running second in polls ahead of the election, trailing former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

In the same interview, the president raised suspicions against the country’s voting system, echoing an argument he has often repeated.

“What we want is transparency, because my reputation out there is of a coup plotter, of not wanting to accept the result of the elections,” he said.

Asked about recent news that allies of his were seeking a bill that would amend the constitution to grant ex-presidents a lifetime senator position, guaranteeing them congressional immunity, Bolsonaro said he had no interest in the proposal.

“They’re going to say that I’m asking for a reprieve … I don’t want that immunity.”

(Reporting by Pedro Fonseca; Editing by Michael Perry)

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By Chen Lin

SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday warned of the scope for miscalculations over tensions in the Taiwan Strait, which he said were unlikely to ease soon amid deep suspicion and limited engagement between the United States and China.

In a televised address ahead of the city-state’s national day on Tuesday, Lee said Singapore would be buffeted by that intense rivalry and tension in the region, which should prepare for a future less peaceful and stable than now.

“Around us, a storm is gathering. U.S.-China relations are worsening, with intractable issues, deep suspicions, and limited engagement,” Lee said.

“This is unlikely to improve anytime soon. Furthermore, miscalculations or mishaps can easily make things much worse.”

Lee said economic challenges were more immediate and that Singapore’s outlook has “clouded considerably”, adding that the government will roll out more measures in coming months to help people cope with rising prices.

Singapore’s inflation has reached more than a decade-high in recent months, and its central bank tightened its monetary policy on July 14 in an off-cycle move to cope with the cost pressure.

The city-state has earlier announced support package for mainly lower-income groups to help mitigate increased living costs from inflation and rising energy prices.

“The world is not likely to return anytime soon to the low inflation levels and interest rates that we have enjoyed in recent decades,” he said, adding the country of 5.5 million people must plan far ahead and transform industry, upgrade skills and raise productivity.

(Reporting by Chen Lin; Editing by Martin Petty)

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BRASILIA (Reuters) – Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s lead over incumbent Jair Bolsonaro has narrowed to 7 percentage points ahead of the October election, according to a new poll published on Monday.

The leftist leader has the support of 41% of voters against 34% for his far-right adversary, compared to 44% and 31% respectively last month, the BTG/FSB telephone poll said.

Lula’s lead has dropped steadily to 7 points from 13 last month and 14 in May, the poll said.

Other polls show Lula’s strong lead slipping but maintaining a double-digit advantage: Datafolha saw his advantage at 18-points and a Genial/Quaest poll last week said his lead had fallen to 12 points from 14 points.

Lula would still win a second-round runoff against Bolsonaro by 51% to 39% if the vote were today, a 12-point lead that has narrowed from 18 points last month, the BTG/FSB poll said.

Bolsonaro has stepped up social welfare spending, with pay-out of increased monthly stipends to low-income families starting on Tuesday, and he has worked to reduce fuel costs that have spurred inflation, the major complaint from voters.

His negative numbers have come down, with 44% of those surveyed seeing his government as bad or terrible, down from 50% in early June, while 53% say they would never vote for him, compared to 59% in June, the new poll said. Lula’s rejection rate has risen marginally to 45% of voters, it said.

The survey by pollster FSB commissioned by investment bank BTG Pactual polled 2,000 people between Aug. 5 and 7 and has a margin of error of 2 percentage points up or down.

(Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Steven Grattan and Bernadette Baum)

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BRASILIA (Reuters) – Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s lead over incumbent Jair Bolsonaro has narrowed to 7 percentage points ahead of the October election, according to a new poll published on Monday.

The leftist leader has the support of 41% of voters against 34% for his far-right adversary, compared to 44% and 31% respectively last month, the BTG/FSB telephone poll said.

Lula’s lead has dropped steadily to 7 points from 13 last month and 14 in May, the poll said.

Other polls show Lula’s strong lead slipping but maintaining a double-digit advantage: Datafolha saw his advantage at 18-points and a Genial/Quaest poll last week said his lead had fallen to 12 points from 14 points.

Lula would still win a second-round runoff against Bolsonaro by 51% to 39% if the vote were today, a 12-point lead that has narrowed from 18 points last month, the BTG/FSB poll said.

Bolsonaro has stepped up social welfare spending, with pay-out of increased monthly stipends to low-income families starting on Tuesday, and he has worked to reduce fuel costs that have spurred inflation, the major complaint from voters.

His negative numbers have come down, with 44% of those surveyed seeing his government as bad or terrible, down from 50% in early June, while 53% say they would never vote for him, compared to 59% in June, the new poll said. Lula’s rejection rate has risen marginally to 45% of voters, it said.

The survey by pollster FSB commissioned by investment bank BTG Pactual polled 2,000 people between Aug. 5 and 7 and has a margin of error of 2 percentage points up or down.

(Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Steven Grattan and Bernadette Baum)

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