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PARIS — U.S. President Joe Biden will meet Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris on Friday with a package of $225 million in weapons on the sidelines of D-Day anniversary events. It will be their first face-to-face talks since Zelenskyy visited Washington in December, when the two wrestled with Republican opposition to more Ukraine aid. They will meet again next week at a G7 summit in Italy, as rich nations discuss using Russian assets frozen after the Ukraine invasion to provide $50 billion for Ukraine. Zelenskyy told Reuters last month that Western countries are taking too long to make decisions about aid. Biden in remarks in Normandy, France, on Thursday drew a link between the World War Two battle against tyranny and Ukraine's war with Russia, calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a "dictator." The $225 million in new weaponry includes artillery rounds and air defense interceptors, among other items, sources said. Ukraine has struggled to defend the Kharkiv region after an offensive launched by Moscow on May 10 has overrun some villages. Biden last week shifted his position and decided Ukraine could launch U.S.-supplied weapons at military targets inside Russia that are supporting the Kharkiv offensive. The United States is trying to catch up with Ukraine's weaponry needs, deputy national security adviser Jon Finer said in Washington on Thursday. "If there were two things that we could provide an infinite number of to the Ukrainians to try to turn the tide in this war, it would be artillery munitions and air defense interceptors," but the U.S. lacked supply, Finer told a forum by the Center for a New American Security. Outside the physical battlefield, the Russia-Ukraine war is "also a competition that takes place in our factories, the factories in Europe, the factories in Ukraine," he said. Reaching consensus on the frozen assets has been complicated, Daleep Singh, deputy national security adviser for international economics, told the same group. "We're waist-deep in the sausage-making of trying to strike a deal," said Singh, who said he was heading back to Italy on Friday to continue the negotiations.

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian air force shot down all five missiles and 48 out of 53 drones over nine regions during Russia's overnight attack, Ukrainian military said on Friday. The Russian forces attacked Kyiv region with drones and Kh-101/Kh-555 missiles, causing a fire at one of the industrial facilities, according to the governor. Emergency services worked to put out the fire on Friday morning with no casualties reported. Kharkiv region governor Oleh Syniehubov said the drone attack knocked out windows in at least three residential buildings, damaging a store and a post office, among other local infrastructure. Three drones were destroyed over Dnipropetrovsk region, the governor said. Kirovohrad governor said the attack caused no damage in his region after military reported shooting down one drone. Khmelnytskyi governor also reported no damage, saying the air force shot down 11 targets over his region. Ukrainian military said seven drones were shot down over the southern Odesa region with three more downed in Kherson region and two more in Mykolaiv region. The attack did not damage any energy infrastructure, Ukraine's Deputy Energy Minister Mykola Kolisnyk said on national television. Russia has increasingly targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure this spring in combined attacks which dealt damage to its generation capacity, causing power cuts across the country.

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.

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.

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.

President Joe Biden has marked the 80th anniversary of D-Day by pledging during a ceremony at the American cemetery in Normandy that “we will not walk away” from Ukraine. He's drawing a direct line from the fight to liberate Europe from Nazi domination to today’s war against Russian aggression. We talk to Jesse Driscoll, a professor of political science and chair of the Global Leadership Institute at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at UC San Diego. Hamas rejects cease-fire deal. A teacher changing lives in the Northern Mariana Islands. And soy sauce flavored ice cream!

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.

WASHINGTON — The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday elected Somalia to the 15-member U.N. Security Council for a two-year term starting in 2025. The tiny Horn of Africa nation was among five countries that received the winning votes, alongside Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, and Panama. "It is both symbolic and strong diplomatic status for Somalia to appear among the Security Council members and this will help Somalia to have a better access for member nations," said Somalia analyst Abdiqafar Abdi Wardhere, who is based in Virginia. For the first time in more than 50 years, he said, Somalia will have a vote on decisions regarding world conflicts. "The Security Council is the only U.N. body that can make legally binding decisions such as imposing sanctions and authorizing use of force. Therefore, Somalia would get a vote that determines the world issues and resolutions," Wardhere said. Announcing the elections’ results, the U.N. General Assembly President Dennis Francis, said, "In a secret ballot, the elected countries secured the required two-thirds majority of Member States present and voting in the 193-member General Assembly." Following the news, the United Nations in Somalia congratulated the Somali government and its people "on their country's election today to a seat on the UN Security Council for 2025-2026." "Somalia has come a long way over the past three decades on its path to peace, prosperity, and security," said the UN Secretary-General’s Acting Special Representative for Somalia James Swan. "Election to a seat on the Security Council is recognition of that commendable progress." "Somalia’s experiences place it in a unique position to contribute to Council deliberations on international peace and security," Swan added. The Security Council’s five permanent veto-wielding members are Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States. The five countries that got elected Thursday will replace Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland, whose terms end December 31. Somali and the other elected new members will join existing non-permanent members Algeria, Guyana, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone and Slovenia, whose terms started in January. According to United Nations, the 10 non-permanent seats on the Security Council are distributed according to four regional groupings: Africa and Asia; Eastern Europe; Latin America and the Caribbean; and the Western European and other States group. The newly elected members were endorsed by their respective regional groups and ran largely uncontested. Margaret Besheer contributed this report from New York. 

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.

While marking the 80th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy, France, during World War II, U.S. President Joe Biden says global challenges are still present and urged unity in resisting Russian aggression today. VOA’s Anita Powell reports from Omaha Beach, Normandy.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Yemen's Houthi rebels have unveiled a new, solid-fuel missile in their arsenal that resembles aspects of one earlier displayed by Iran that Tehran described as flying at hypersonic speeds. The rebels fired their new "Palestine" missile, complete with a warhead painted like a Palestinian keffiyeh checkered scarf, at the southern Gulf of Aqaba port of Eilat in Israel on Monday. The attack set off air raid sirens but caused no reported damage or injuries. Footage released by the Houthis late Wednesday showed the Palestine being raised on what appeared to be a mobile launcher and rising quickly into the air with plumes of white smoke coming from its engine. White smoke is common with solid-fuel missiles. Solid-fuel missiles can be set up and fired faster than those containing liquid fuel. That's a key concern for the Houthis as their missile launch sites have been repeatedly targeted by U.S. and allied forces in recent months over the rebels' attacks on shipping through the Red Sea corridor. One such strike hit the Houthis even before they were able to launch their missile. For their part, the Houthis described the Palestine as a "locally made" missile. However, the Houthis are not known to possess the ability to manufacture complicated missile and guidance systems locally in Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country, which has been gripped by war since the rebels seized the capital, Sanaa, nearly a decade ago. The Houthis have, however, been repeatedly armed by Iran during the war despite a United Nations arms embargo. While Iran claims it doesn't arm the Houthis, ships seized by the U.S. and its allies have found Iranian weaponry, missile fuel and components on board. Iranian media reported the launch of the Palestine and described it as locally manufactured, citing the Houthis. However, design elements on the missile resemble other missiles developed by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. That includes one called the Fattah, or "Conqueror" in Farsi. Iran unveiled the missile last year and claimed it could reach Mach 15 — or 15 times the speed of sound. It also described the missile's range as up to 1,400 kilometers. That's a little short of Eilat from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, but missiles can be reconfigured to boost their range.  In March, Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news agency quoted an anonymous source claiming the Houthis had a hypersonic missile.  "While we cannot say for sure what exact version the 'Palestine' corresponds to, we can say with high certainty that it is an advanced and precision-guided (Guard)-developed solid propellant missile provided by Iran," wrote Fabian Hinz, a missile expert and research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Asked about the similarity between the Palestine and its missiles, Iran's mission to the United Nations told The Associated Press that Tehran "has not engaged in any activities in contravention" of U.N. resolutions. "Yemen's military power has grown since the war began ...  a fact rooted in the internal capacity and prowess of Ansar Allah," the mission said, using another name for the Houthis. Hypersonic weapons, which fly at speeds higher than Mach 5, could pose crucial challenges to missile defense systems because of their speed and maneuverability. Ballistic missiles fly on a trajectory in which anti-missile systems like the U.S.-made Patriot can anticipate their path and intercept them. The more irregular the missile's flight path, such as a hypersonic missile with the ability to change directions, the more difficult it becomes to intercept. China is believed to be pursuing the weapons, as is America. Russia claims it has already used them. It remains unclear how well the Palestine maneuvers and at what speed it travels.

UNITED NATIONS — Three European powers have written to the U.N. Security Council detailing Iran's violations of its 2015 nuclear deal, a step diplomats said Thursday aimed to pressure Tehran to resolve the issue diplomatically and to avoid reimposing U.N. sanctions.  The British, French and German letter did not explicitly threaten to "snap back" U.N. sanctions, but it noted that Security Council Resolution 2231, which enshrined the nuclear deal and provided that power, expires on October 18, 2025.  In its own letter, Iran rejected the European stance, noting that then-U.S. President Donald Trump reneged on the nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed U.S. economic sanctions on Iran, arguing they were within their rights to expand their nuclear work.  The effort by Britain, France and Germany, known informally as the E3, to ramp up pressure was also visible this week at the International Atomic Energy Agency, where they successfully pushed a resolution critical of Iran despite U.S. reservations.  The E3 letter, dated June 3, referred to a report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog last month that cited Iran's nuclear advances violating the 2015 deal, including by expanding its stockpile and production rates of highly enriched uranium.  That deal, struck with the E3, China, Russia and the United States, limited Iran's ability to enrich uranium, a process that can yield fissile material for nuclear weapons. In return, the U.S., U.N. and European Union eased sanctions on Iran.  Tensions with Iran have increased since the Iranian-backed Hamas militant group attacked southern Israel on October 7. Other Iranian proxies have attacked U.S., Israeli and other Western targets, and Tehran has accelerated its nuclear program while limiting the U.N. nuclear watchdog's ability to monitor it.  "Iran's nuclear escalation has hollowed out the JCPOA, reducing its nonproliferation value," said the E3 letter seen by Reuters, referring to the 2015 deal formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.  "Iran's decision to take remedial measures was in full accordance with its inherent right ... in reaction to the United States' unlawful unilateral withdrawal," Iran's U.N. ambassador said in a June 5 letter seen by Reuters.  Western diplomats and other sources familiar with the E3 letter said its purpose was to try to raise pressure on Iran within the Security Council and to buy time for a diplomatic solution before next year's expiration of their "snap back" power to reimpose U.N. sanctions on Iran.  The aim is to "take stock of Iran's nuclear advances, which have become unacceptable and are getting worse, and to increase pressure within the Security Council," said a source familiar with the letter.  U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reports twice a year to the council – traditionally in June and December – on the implementation of the 2015 resolution. The Security Council is due to discuss his next report on June 24.

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.

Zimbabwe is facing long hours of power cuts due to its dilapidated infrastructure and the impact of recurring droughts on hydropower. To help, the United Nations Development Program is installing solar panels on government-owned health facilities. Columbus Mavhunga reports from Bulawayo.

washington — On Wednesday, wrapping up his three-day official visit to China, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan tweeted about fulfilling his long-held dream of visiting Urumqi and Kashgar in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in western China. "For many years, I have had the opportunity to visit many historical cities that contributed to the establishment of the Turkic and Islamic civilization," Fidan said in his tweet. "However, Urumqi and Kashgar always remained in my heart as a regret. Thanks to my contacts in China, I finally visited these two ancient cities." Xinjiang, often referred to as East Turkestan by Uyghurs and the Turkish diaspora, is home to nearly 12 million ethnically Turkic and Muslim Uyghurs. Experts highlight the Uyghurs' significance in Ankara's ties with Beijing because of shared ethnic and religious bonds. "Turkish people have long held concern for the well-being of the Uyghurs, which influences decision-makers in the government," Erkin Ekrem, director of the Ankara-based Uyghur Research Institute, told VOA. "Actions or inactions concerning Uyghurs can impact the outcomes of local or national elections each term." Turkey hosts nearly 50,000 Uyghurs, many of whom fled escalating repression in Xinjiang, establishing one of the largest Uyghur communities outside China. Detention, imprisonment Since 2017, following reports of China's arbitrary mass detention and imprisonment of more than 1 million Uyghurs and other human rights violations against the Turkic Muslim population, the U.S. and several parliaments have designated China's actions in Xinjiang as genocide. In 2022, the United Nations Human Rights Office concluded in a report that Beijing's actions toward Uyghurs might constitute crimes against humanity. China denies these accusations, asserting that the measures in Xinjiang are acts of counterterrorism. Historically, Turkey has allowed Uyghurs in the country some freedom to protest China's treatment of Uyghurs. However, since urging China in 2019 to close the internment facilities and respect Uyghurs' human rights, the Turkish government has not publicly criticized China, according to experts. Turkey has long been pressured by China, one of its largest trade partners, to stop Uyghur advocates and organizations from calling out China's repression, Ekrem said. "Turkey has made efforts to limit Uyghur activism within its borders," he said, "but many Uyghur and East Turkestan groups and individuals operate within Turkish law, making it impossible for the government to completely comply with Chinese demands." During the trip, Fidan met with several high-ranking Chinese officials, including his counterpart, Wang Yi, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and Chinese security chief Chen Wenqing. He also held talks with officials in Xinjiang. In a statement following his meeting with Wang Yi in Beijing, Fidan described Urumqi and Kashgar as "ancient Turkic and Islamic" cities that serve as bridges between China, the Turkic world and the Islamic world. "They are symbols of our historical friendship and neighborliness," Fidan said. However, since 2017, China's official messaging to Uyghurs in Xinjiang is that they are a non-Turkic group with deep roots in the Chinese nation. According to Abdurresit Celil Karluk, professor at Haci Bayram Veli University in Ankara, Fidan's emphasis on the Turkic and Islamic identity of Urumqi and Kashgar, along with his decision to visit these cities, was a diplomatic signal to his Chinese counterparts and the international community that Turkey remains concerned about the fate of the Uyghurs. "To the best of my knowledge, previous high-level Turkish officials have not previously highlighted the Turko-Islamic identity of this region or Türkiye's geocultural presence in the region during their visits to Beijing," Karluk said in an email to VOA. "It seems that the message was intended for both China and Turkish domestic politics and the Uyghur diaspora." Repression rose In the past, however, repression against the Uyghurs has steadily increased after each visit of high-level Turkish officials to "East Turkestan," according to Karluk. "Since the early 2000s until 2012, at least four top Turkish government officials, including [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, visited East Turkestan," Karluk said. "Consequently, Uyghurs faced increasing repression, and since Erdogan's visit in 2012, Uyghurs have endured ongoing genocide." While in China, Fidan prioritized trade talks between the two countries, seeking to boost Chinese investment in Turkey and attract more Chinese tourism to help balance the trade deficit. "As you know, China is Turkey's second-largest trading partner, and currently, there's almost a $50 billion trade volume between the two countries," Fidan told China Media Group. "However, it's currently in favor of China, and during this trip, we are focusing on how to balance this trade deficit." According to Karluk, Turkey, as a developing country currently struggling with economic problems, seeks to benefit from China's Belt and Road Initiative. Conversely, China aims to utilize foreign diplomats' "visits to the East Turkestan to counter accusations" of genocide by portraying these visits as evidence of normalcy. "Fidan's visit to East Turkestan may serve several purposes: While Türkiye seeks to demonstrate [to] the world its concern for the Uyghurs, it also reminds China of Türkiye's deep ties to the region and thus Türkiye's geopolitical presence in the region. China is trying to put a positive spin on its treatment of the Uyghurs," he told VOA in an email. Chinese media reported that Fidan stated Turkey is committed to the "One China" principle, opposes any actions undermining China's territorial integrity, and agreed to "strengthen anti-terrorism" cooperation between the two countries. Some advocates of Uyghur independence believe that by inviting the Turkish foreign minister to Xinjiang and securing support from Turkey, a prominent Turkic Muslim-majority country, China aims to diminish the impact of international condemnations of its actions against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim minorities. "[T]his maneuver will be perceived by the international community, particularly Western nations, as an endorsement of China's genocidal regime," Salih Hudayar, a member of the Washington-based Uyghur group East Turkestan Government in Exile, said in an email to VOA.

nairobi, kenya — An estimated 70 percent of Africa's urban households buy food from informal sources, such as street vendors, kiosks, and traditional market sellers, recent studies have found.   Now, the African Union and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), are joining forces to design the first-ever guidelines to help African governments improve food safety in informal food markets. Starting Friday, these new guidelines will aim to help African governments engage with and improve regulatory oversight of  informal food markets, which are vital sources of affordable food and income for millions in Africa. Silvia Alonso, an epidemiologist at the institute, said improving food safety in the informal markets will help improve the health of the people and the countries' economies.  "A large portion of those informal markets have been rather neglected," said Alonso. "So, we felt that is a gap area that we need to start paying attention to. If we address food safety in informal markets, we are not only contributing to improving food safety across the continent, but also, indirectly, we will help with other outcomes and objectives, such as nutrition security, access to jobs, decent work, and equitable food systems."  The World Bank has reported that unhealthy practices in the informal markets cost African governments an estimated $16 billion in productivity losses annually.   Contaminated foods cause at least 91 million illnesses and 137,000 deaths each year, according to the World Health Organization.  The ILRI has embarked on training informal market food handlers and producers in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania.  Cecilia Chepkemoi, a milk vendor in Eldoret in the Rift Valley region, is one of hundreds of people trained in her area. Chepkemoi said she had very little knowledge of how to keep milk safe for consumption.  "I only knew how it was about boiling the milk, not about the hygiene of the milk," said Chepkemoi. "So after I went to the training with the ILRI, I now wash the cans with warm water, and I put the can outside to dry in the sun. After that, I pour the milk inside."  Alonso said working with governments and food handlers and producers is critical in keeping consumers healthy.  "Our expectation is the guidelines will enable governments to support the informal sector within the expected parameters and requirements," said Alonso. " ... So this can go from ensuring it's not contaminated with biological substances, with bacteria, with viruses, but also that it is wholesome in the sense of not carrying chemicals."   African governments have destroyed and confiscated food items in the markets to deal with outbreaks of diseases such as typhoid and cholera. Experts say such forcible shutdowns are counterproductive.  The three-month ILRI training has made Chepkemoi increase her sales and build good customer relationships.  "It has given me confidence and increased sales because the rate at which the customers are buying milk from me has gone high," Chepkemoi said. "And they have been confident in me because you find I even get orders from Nairobi. Even if I tell them, I don't have the milk right now, you just wait until tomorrow. They'll not go to another person. They will wait."  The consultation process on food safety in informal settings with member states will continue throughout 2024 and 2025. The document will be presented to African Union policy making bodies for approval next year.