VALENCIA, Venezuela (AP) — Josselyz Essa and a friend, two 9-year-olds with a budding interest in politics as Venezuela starts toward its next presidential election, bubbled with eagerness waiting for the campaign rally to start. Then a thunderous noise spread over the crowd in the streets of the northern city of Valencia.

The girls stretched up on their tiptoes and joined in the uproar, screaming as loud as they could: “María Corina! María Corina!” — that is María Corina Machado, the opposition politician they want to be president.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s thrice-elected former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif returned home Saturday on a chartered plane from Dubai, ending four years of self-imposed exile in London as he seeks to win the support of voters in parliamentary elections due in January.

He is expected to face tough competition from the party of former premier and his main rival, Imran Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in April 2022 and is currently imprisoned after a court convicted and sentenced him to three years in a graft case.

GENEVA (AP) — Swiss voters this weekend elect a parliament that could reshape Switzerland’s executive branch at a time when key concerns include migration, rising healthcare costs and climate change, which has shrunk the country’s Alpine glaciers.

Final ballots will be collected Sunday morning after the vast majority of Swiss made their choices by mail-in voting. Up for grabs are both houses of parliament.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Friday warned Iran and Iran-backed Islamist militias like Hezbollah not to get involved in the war in Gaza.

"I'm warning Iran, I'm warning Shiite militias in Iraq, I'm warning the Houthi in Yemen not to ignite and join in the terror," Baerbock said in Tel Aviv following a meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and opposition politician Benny Gantz.

She accused Hezbollah of seeking to draw all of Lebanon into the growing conflict, which broke out after Palestinian militant group Hamas launched bloody attacks on Israel on October 7 that killed more than 1,400 people.

Baerbock also voiced criticism of Israel's decision to place the densely populated Gaza Strip under a "complete siege" that involves cutting off supplies of electricity, drinking water and food. Israeli forces have pounded Gaza with repeated strikes, leaving thousands dead.

Brazilian congressional panel on Wednesday accused former President Jair Bolsonaro of instigating the country’s Jan. 8 riots and recommended that he be charged with attempting to stage a coup.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt took control of the nation’s finances a year ago on Saturday, amid political chaos and turmoil in the financial markets caused by former prime minister Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-budget.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A former justice official considered one of the main suspects in the killing of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in 2021 was arrested Thursday in Haiti’s capital after being on the run for more than two years, police said.

Joseph Badio once worked for Haiti’s Ministry of Justice and at the government’s anti-corruption unit until he was fired for alleged ethics violations weeks before the assassination.

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — The sudden resignation of a Guatemalan Cabinet minister appears to signal a division within the administration of President Alejandro Giammattei over how to remove roadblocks by pro-democracy protesters that have stretched into a third week.

Interior Minister Napoleón Barrientos, a retired brigadier general, resigned late Monday following a shooting near one of the roadblocks that killed one person and wounded two others.

Barrientos had said publicly that he preferred to seek dialogue with protesters who have demanded the resignation of Attorney General Consuelo Porras over her office’s investigations into the election victory of President-elect Bernardo Arévalo.

Porras had urged the blockades’ immediate removal, with force if necessary. On Monday, hours before Barrientos quit, she had called for him to be fired for not heeding a court order to clear them.

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A leading Cambodian opposition politician who was sentenced last month to 18 months in prison on charges of issuing worthless checks was convicted and sentenced on Wednesday to three more years of imprisonment for alleged incitement to commit a felony and incitement to discriminate on the basis of race, religion or nationality.

Presiding Judge Chhun Davy of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court also ordered Thach Setha, a vice president of the opposition Candlelight Party, to pay a 4 million riel ($1,000) fine.

Opposition parties in Cambodia frequently face legal challenges initiated by the government.

The case against Thach Setha was based on remarks posted on social media that he made in January to Cambodian overseas workers about then-Prime Minister Hun Sen and Cambodia’s relations with neighboring Vietnam.

GOMA, Congo (AP) — Congo’s president said he will gradually ease the state of military rule in the conflict-riddled east and lift some restrictions imposed more than two years ago.

Speaking to the nation Thursday, President Felix Tshisekedi said there would be a gradual easing of the state of siege in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, which includes ending a curfew, allowing peaceful demonstrations and for people to live normal lives.

The announcement comes more than two months ahead of presidential elections, when Tshisekedi hopes to secure a second term.

He implemented the state of siege in 2021, allowing military and police to take control from civilian institutions, in an attempt to stem rising violence.

THE HAGUE, Nethlerlands (AP) — The International Criminal Court announced Thursday it was dropping about 20 charges including murder, extermination, deportation, torture and persecution against a former government minister from the Central African Republic, citing a lack of evidence and available witnesses.

Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor at the court based in The Hague in the Netherlands, issued a statement saying he was withdrawing all charges against Maxime Jeoffroy Eli Mokom Gawaka because there were “no longer any reasonable prospects of conviction at trial.”

Mokom, 44, was released soon after the court made the announcement. He was accused of coordinating operations of the anti-Balaka, a mainly Christian group that fought against the predominantly Muslim Seleka rebel group. The fighting left thousands dead and displaced hundreds of thousands in 2013 and 2014.

During a pretrial hearing in August, Mokom’s defense team told judges that prosecutors had already uncovered evidence that could exonerate Mokom, even before his arrest in neighboring Chad in 2022.

As I write these words, I am sitting at home in Tel Aviv, trying to figure out how to protect my family in a house with no shelter or safe room, following with growing panic the reports and rumors of horrible events taking place in the Israeli towns near Gaza which are under attack. I see people, some of them my friends, calling on social media to attack Gaza more fiercely than ever before. Some Israelis are saying that now is the time to eradicate Gaza entirely — essentially calling for genocide. Through all the explosions, the dread and the bloodshed, speaking about peaceful solutions seems like madness to them.

Yet I remember that everything that I am feeling now, which every Israeli must be sharing, has been the life experience of millions of Palestinians for far too long. The only solution, as it has always been, is to bring an end of apartheid, occupation, and siege, and promote a future based on justice and equality for all of us. It is not in spite of the horror that we have to change course — it is exactly because of it.

Microsoft researchers said on Thursday they found what they believe is a network of fake, Chinese-controlled social media accounts seeking to influence US voters by using artificial intelligence.

The Chinese embassy in Washington said in a statement that accusations of China using AI to create fake social media accounts were “full of prejudice and malicious speculation” and that China advocates for the safe use of AI.

In a new research report, Microsoft said the social media accounts were part of a suspected Chinese information operation. The campaign bore similarities to activity which the US Department of Justice has attributed to “an elite group within [China’s] Ministry of Public Security”, Microsoft said.

The researchers did not specify which social media platforms were affected, but screenshots in their report showed posts from what appeared to be Facebook and Twitter, now known as X.

The report highlights a fraught social media environment as Americans prepare for the 2024 presidential election.

The US government has accused Russia of meddling in the 2016 election with a covert social media campaign and has warned of subsequent efforts by China, Russia and Iran to influence voters.

The report provided limited examples of the recent activity and did not explain in detail how researchers attributed the posts to China.

Microsoft said in a statement that the company’s researcher used a “multifaceted attribution model”, which relies on “technical evidence, behavioural evidence and contextual evidence”

Generative AI can create images, text and other media from scratch. The new content is much more “eye-catching than the awkward visuals used in previous campaigns by Chinese nation-state actors, which relied on digital drawings, stock photo collages, and other manual graphic designs”, the researchers wrote.

The paper cited an example of one AI-generated image, which Microsoft said came from a Chinese account, that depicts the Statue of Liberty holding an assault rifle with the caption: “Everything is being thrown away. THE GODDESS OF VIOLENCE.”

The Microsoft statement said the identified accounts had attempted to appear American by listing their public location as within the United States, posting American political slogans, and sharing hashtags relating to domestic political issues

On August 26, Gabon’s Ali Bongo will be standing for a third term in office as president of the Central African country.

Bongo has been in office since his father died in 2009.

Six of the country’s biggest opposition parties have coalesced into the coalition movement Alternance 2023 to challenge the incumbent. The platform’s consensus candidate is Albert Ondo Ossa, a 69-year-old economics professor and cabinet minister under the older Bongo.

Ossa, who also ran in the 2009 presidential election, spoke to Al Jazeera about his chances this Saturday and his plans for Gabon.

Al Jazeera: The Alternance 2023 platform brought together six of the presidential candidates. Why were you chosen as the consensus candidate?

Ossa: I was chosen because the platform felt that I was the best person to represent their interests. Gabonese people were asking for a consensual candidate to put an end to the hegemony of the Bongo dynasty. It was essential that we put up a united front, and that’s what we did. Each candidate has shown his or her determination to put aside personal interests or those of their political family in order to bring about the changeover that the people of Gabon are calling for. I was appointed in the best interests of the nation. It’s very exciting, but at the same time, I feel the weight of responsibility. I will do my utmost to live up to the expectations of the Gabonese people.

Al Jazeera: What do you think Gabonese people expect from you? How do you plan to meet their expectations?

Ossa: First and foremost, the Gabonese people want to turn the page on the Bongos. We’ve had three presidents since independence, and two of them were called Bongo. They’ve been in office for 60 years and that’s too much, far too much. Things have got to change. But more than political change, Gabonese people also want a better life. Gabon is a rich country, from its soil and subsoil, and the Gabonese people don’t feel they are benefitting from this wealth, the population is getting poorer. I’m going to implement rational management of the country’s resources. I’m going to eradicate mismanagement and embezzlement so that the Gabonese people finally get their due.

Al Jazeera: Can you give a summary of your plans in the short to medium term, if elected?

Ossa: By the end of my five-year term, I want Gabon to have all the infrastructure it needs to recover and take off. First of all, we need to reduce energy problems. I want to build power stations and ensure that Gabon is self-sufficient in energy. I also want to put people at the heart of development, ie, ensure that all Gabonese can find housing, study, healthcare and employment. I want the Gabonese people to regain their dignity and I want all Gabonese people to benefit from the fruits of growth.

Al Jazeera: This year, there will be a single ballot paper for the presidential and parliamentary candidates to be voted for. You are an independent candidate, without an elected representative on your side, which means that by voting for you, people will likely abstain from the legislative election. Do you think this is a handicap?

Ossa: Not at all. The Alternance 2023 platform and I are boycotting this legislative election. The single ballot paper was introduced unilaterally by the ruling party a month before the election and it gives an advantage to those who are best rooted on the ground, in their constituency, and therefore in the rearguard of the Bongo system. I don’t have any party or elected representative following me. But if I’m elected, I’m committed to rerunning legislative elections that are representative of the Gabonese people, so that everyone, whether a party candidate or an independent, has a chance.

Al Jazeera: There have been concerns about the transparency of previous polls. Do you think this election will be free and fair?

Ossa: When one is faced with a dictatorship, one adapts to its traps. Bongo can feel his defeat and is multiplying a series of acts to maintain himself in office ad vitam aeternam. This electoral law is a trap, but we are going to foil it. The first way is for the people to give their vote. The second way is the international community.

No African power can function without the international community. Previously, Ali Bongo lost the elections but he was able to run the country because the international community recognised his position. This year, we have been working to raise awareness among the international community and if he cheats again, this time the international community will not be on his side.

If he is defeated, he must leave without a fuss, without any deaths. We are going to give him the status of former president in conformity with the regulations in force. As president of the Republic, I will defend his interests and his integrity.

Al Jazeera: You ran against President Bongo in 2009 and lost. Do you think you have a chance this time?

Ossa: In 2009, I warned everyone about the danger Ali Bongo represented for Gabon. I had met him when we were both members of the government. At the time, nobody listened to me. Today people realise that he has impoverished the country, so it’s different. It’s only been a few days since I became the consensus candidate, but judging by the popular fervour and the way I’ve been welcomed at each of my rallies, I’m sure I’ll be victorious from this election.

Al Jazeera: There are concerns about the president’s health issues since his stroke in 2018. Do you think he is fit to lead the country?

Ossa: I’m a Christian, a practising Catholic, and I’m not talking about Ali Bongo’s health. The arguments I develop against him are political arguments. I never refer to his health. What happened to him can happen to anyone. I pray that he will regain his strength.

Al Jazeera: You were a minister under Omar Bongo and that has led to speculation that you benefitted from the networks you are now speaking against. What is your response to this?

Ossa: I didn’t take advantage of the system, the system took advantage of me. I was part of Omar Bongo’s government for three years and I say it loud and clear: I never killed or stole. I have nothing to be ashamed of. That’s why I’m looking Ali Bongo straight in the eye today. Those in power have no leverage over me because I’ve always done everything by the book, I’ve never done anything that went against my convictions, and people know that. Those three years in government have been years of learning to better understand the country’s problems.