Leaders at an African Union summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa have condemned Israel’s offensive in Gaza and called for its immediate end.

The decision by the Group of 20 of the world’s leading economies to admit the African Union as a permanent member is a powerful acknowledgement of Africa as its more than 50 countries seek a more important role on the global stage.

The Australian government has forecast the nation’s first balanced annual budget in 15 years but warns that economic pressures such as persistent inflation will sink the country into deeper debt.

Hours after the arrests, the opposition nominated a supposed transitional president that no one has recognized. Opposition leaders from various political parties organized protests in the weeks leading up to Feb. 7, the day they allege that Moïse’s term ended. Haiti’s Constitution allows presidents to serve a five-year term, and opponents argue that Moïse already reached that limit. The opposition condemned the arrests and noted the judge has automatic immunity as they accused Moïse’s administration of political repression. The opposition named another Superior Court Judge, Joseph Mécène Jean-Louis, as Haiti’s supposed transitional president after Moïse announced the arrests.

Workers for the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority - West, close floodgates in Harvey, La., just outside New Orleans, Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, in advance of Tropical Storm Marco, expected to come near the Southern Louisiana coast. Forecasters said it would likely remain just off the Louisiana coast through Tuesday. Despite Marco's weakening, a storm surge warning remained in place from Morgan City, Louisiana, to Ocean Springs, Mississippi. A tropical storm warning included Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana, and metropolitan New Orleans. A storm surge of up to 4 feet (1.2 meters) was forecast for parts of coastal Louisiana and Mississippi.

Qantas Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce walks through the airline's headquarters following a results announcement in Sydney, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020. Qantas Airways announced that the pandemic cost it 4 billion Australian dollars ($2.9 billion) in revenue in the last fiscal year and warned that international travel won't resume before mid 2021. (Dean Lewins/AAP Image via AP)CANBERRA Qantas Airways said Thursday the pandemic cost it 4 billion Australian dollars ($2.9 billion) in revenue in the last fiscal year and warned that international travel won't resume before mid-2021. The airline recorded a AU$771 million ($554 million) pre-tax profit in the first half of the fiscal year before the pandemic struck. Joyce said Qantas was in a better financial position than many airlines to survive the pandemic.

CANBERRA Australias response to the coronavirus pandemic tipped the governments budget 85.8 billion Australian dollars ($61 billion) into the red in the last fiscal year and will create AU$184 billion ($131 billion) more debt in the current year which would be the nations biggest deficit since World War II, treasury figures showed on Thursday. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg revealed Australias crumbling economic outlook based on increased government spending to stimulate to economy and declining tax revenue. The conservative government had forecast in December a AU$5 billion ($3.6 billion) surplus in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2020: the first surplus in 12 years. Australia has been in a recession throughout calendar 2020, partly due to drought and wildfires that preceded the pandemic. The government has spent AU$289 billion ($206 billion) in pandemic relief measures to save jobs and businesses.