WASHINGTON -- U.S. House Republicans on Wednesday nominated House Majority Leader Steve Scalise for speaker in a closed-door voting, paving the way for a floor vote in the chamber to elect a new speaker after Kevin McCarthy's historical ouster last week.

Scalise, the No. 2 Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives, won a 113-99 vote over Jim Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and co-founder of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. (US-House Speaker-Vote)

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JAKARTA -- Indonesian President Joko Widodo said Wednesday that Indonesia is committed to preparing as much as 5 million U.S. dollars in financial assistance to help fellow island states address climate change challenges and develop sustainable ocean management.

"The funding is expected to contribute to sustainable development. The funding is set to be spent for several concrete work projects, such as scholarship grants for people from coastal communities, the development of the Blue Startup Hub, and training for the digitalization of small and medium enterprises," Widodo said at a press conference at the 2023 Archipelagic and Island States (AIS) Forum held in Indonesia's Bali resort island. (Indonesia-Island States Forum-Climate Finance)

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DAR ES SALAAM -- Tanzania and Zambia have resolved eight out of the 24 trade barriers between the two neighboring countries to facilitate business, an official said Wednesday.

Hashil Abdallah, the permanent secretary of the Tanzanian Ministry of Industry and Trade, announced the resolution of the eight trade barriers at the end of a joint meeting of senior officials that addressed business challenges facing the two countries. (Tanzania-Zambia-Trade Facilitation)

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GAZA -- Regional mediation talks are being held to provide a safe passage for the evacuation of foreigners from the Gaza Strip and bringing urgent aid into the Palestinian enclave via Egypt, a Palestinian source told Xinhua on Wednesday.

The source, who requests anonymity, said the mediation talks were led by Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye, and have had support from Saudi Arabia and the United States. (Gaza-Safe Passage-Foreigner Evacuation) Enditem

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