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A new Netflix series has turned attention to a historic red-light district in Pakistan. Set in Lahore, "Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar" is one of the most popular non-English series on the streaming platform. But as VOA's Pakistan bureau chief Sarah Zaman reports, not everyone is happy with the attention. Videographer: Wajid Asad; video editor: Malik Waqar Ahmed.

washington — In China, the U.S. and lands in between, social media remain popular places for people to consume information, and they're often a headache for platforms dealing with disinformation and fake news. The short-video application Douyin, the Chinese version of parent company ByteDance’s TikTok, this week announced a new verification mechanism for suspected fake content. In a statement this week, Douyin said it would target "staged videos" intended to mislead audiences and require creators to label such content as fictional or dramatized. Douyin cited a case of a plastic surgeon in China’s Anhui province who staged a video to appear he saved a patient through emergency surgery, attracting a lot of attention. TikTok, Douyin’s sister app outside China, says it, too, has stepped up efforts to moderate and control content that aims to deliberately mislead for political reasons and includes a somewhat surprising target: state media. TikTok, despite being under a Chinese parent company, introduced measures announced on its U.S. website on May 23 that will restrict state media, including from China, from using the platform to spread disinformation and misinformation outside their own countries. "These updates advance our commitment to building a safe and secure platform that remains free from outside manipulation and influence," the company said in a statement. TikTok says that in the first four months of 2024, it disrupted 15 influence operations and removed 3,001 associated accounts, “most of which involved attempts to influence political speech, including around elections.” The TikTok statement cited efforts made on its platform to covertly influence an election in Indonesia and politics in Britain. “Now we’re expanding our state-affiliated media policies to further address state-affiliated media accounts that attempt to reach communities outside their home country on current global events and affairs. When we identify these accounts, they will become ineligible for recommendation, which means their content won't appear in the For You feed,” it said. TikTok said state media also would not be allowed to advertise outside their countries. It was not immediately clear if TikTok’s restrictions would apply to China’s state media in Taiwan. Beijing considers the self-governing island a breakaway province that must one day reunite with the mainland, by force if necessary. Taiwan, U.S. officials and analysts say Beijing, through harassment and intimidation, attempted to influence Taiwan’s elections in January, which saw the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party’s candidate win an unprecedented third presidential term in a row. While the TikTok announcement on its U.S. website didn’t specifically mention the U.S. presidential election, it highlighted “countering influence operations during a historic election year.” It says it removed in February 16 accounts from China with more than 110,000 followers that were promoting Chinese policies and culture in the U.S. "We assess this network operated from China and targeted a U.S. audience,” it said. “The individuals behind this network created inauthentic accounts in order to artificially amplify positive narratives of China, including support for the People's Republic of China’s (PRC) policy decisions and strategic objectives, as well as general promotion of Chinese culture. This network utilized accounts impersonating high-profile U.S. creators and celebrities in an attempt to build an audience." U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines testified before Congress on March 12 that the United States "cannot rule out" that China could use TikTok to influence the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Mike Gallagher, the former chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Special Committee on China, warned that TikTok has a "huge opportunity" to interfere with the 2024 U.S. election. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence's 2024 Annual Threat Assessment Report states that China may attempt to influence the 2024 U.S. election to some extent "because of its desire to sideline critics of China and magnify U.S. societal divisions." U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN in April that the U.S. has seen evidence of China’s attempts to influence and arguably interfere with the upcoming election. Beijing repeatedly has denied interfering in foreign elections, including in the U.S. Lin Jian, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, repeated that in response to a question about Blinken’s allegation at a regular briefing on April 29. “Non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs is a basic principle for China’s diplomacy. The U.S. presidential election is the U.S.’s internal affair. We have never had any interest and will not interfere in any way in the election,” he said, and then accused Blinken of making the allegation for political purposes. Move called insufficient Critics say this week’s TikTok announcement that it aims to combat election interference and disinformation is too little, too late. "I don't think the measures will be successful as long as TikTok's parent, ByteDance, is de facto controlled by the Chinese government. I think TikTok's parent could divest from control by the CCP [Chinese Communist Party]," Joshua Kurlantzick told VOA. He is a senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. Nathan Leamer, CEO of Fixed Gear Strategies and former policy adviser to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, told VOA that TikTok's new moves are symbolic. "I have no reason to believe these measures will do anything but promote the CCP’s interests," he said. "TikTok could be the gateway for a foreign adversary to have unprecedented sensitive data," Leamer said, adding that unless ByteDance divests TikTok, there is no way to protect the integrity of the platform. The Chinese Embassy in Washington didn't respond to VOA's request for comment. TikTok’s stated crackdown on state media comes after it filed a lawsuit May 7 against the U.S. government to try to prevent its forced sale of U.S. assets. U.S. President Joe Biden in April signed a bill requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok in the U.S. to retain access to the American market, due to concerns the company could share the private data of U.S. citizens with Chinese authorities. If ByteDance refuses to divest TikTok in the U.S. by January 19, 2025, it would be banned, according to the law. TikTok says the private data of its users is safe and secure, yet analysts note that Chinese law requires the company to cooperate with Chinese authorities, and that the data of users is vulnerable. As of January 2024, TikTok had an estimated 148.9 million U.S. users, making it the largest market for the Chinese application. TikTok’s CEO testified to Congress in March 2023 that ByteDance retains in the PRC at least seven years' worth of U.S. TikTok users’ data. Adrianna Zhang contributed to this report.

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.

The city of Sumy, Ukraine, is just 32 kilometers from the Russian border. Sumy and the region have been shelled more times in the first five months of 2024 than during all of last year, yet some villages on the Russian border still stand. Olena Adamenko visited the city for this story, narrated by Anna Rice. Videographer: Oleh Demianenko; Video editor: Mykhailo Zaika

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.

ABUJA — Armed men killed at least six civilians and five soldiers in an attack in Nigeria's southeastern Abia state, the military said Friday, prompting the state government to offer a $16,850 reward for information on the gunmen.  The attack on Thursday was the latest in a string of raids in a region rife with separatist violence.  The assailants killed five soldiers deployed as peacekeepers in the area, and the six civilians who died were caught in the crossfire, defense spokesperson Major-General Edward Buba said.  No group claimed responsibility, but the army blamed the outlawed separatist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement, which wants the surrounding region to secede from Nigeria.  The attack was at a military checkpoint at Obikabia junction in Obingwa local government area, Buba said in a statement.   "The military will be fierce in its response. We will bring overwhelming military pressure on the group to ensure their total defeat," he said.  Abia information commissioner Prince Okey Kanu urged the military to show restraint in their response.  The military has previously been accused by rights groups of using excessive force and targeting innocent civilians when responding to similar attacks, charges it denies.   The unrest in the southeast has put pressure on a government and military already struggling to contain attacks and kidnappings in the northwest, a 15-year-old Islamist insurgency in the northeast, and sectarian and herder-farmer clashes in central regions.  IPOB campaigns for the secession of southeastern Nigeria, where the majority belong to the Igbo group.  The movement's leader — Nnamdi Kanu, a British citizen arrested in Kenya in 2021 — is now on trial in Nigeria on terrorism charges.  More than a million people died, mostly from starvation, during a three-year civil war in the late 1960s when the region attempted to secede under the name of the Republic of Biafra.

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, will lead a high-level delegation to China next week on an official 5-day visit, Islamabad announced Friday.  During the visit that will begin June 4, Sharif will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and hold delegation-level talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, according to the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  Sharif, who will be accompanied by ministers and government officials as well as a group of Pakistani business leaders, will also meet high-ranking government officials and tycoons during the trip that will end June 8.  “The two sides will undertake discussions to further strengthen the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership; upgrade China-Pakistan Economic Corridor; advance trade and investment; enhance cooperation in security and defense, energy, space, science and technology, education; and promote cultural cooperation and people-to-people contacts,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch at the weekly news briefing.  The visit, that was expected to occur in May, comes at a time when Islamabad is anxiously seeking to ramp up the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC, in a bid to spur its ailing economy. However, Beijing is deeply concerned about the safety of Chinese citizens working in Pakistan on the flagship project of its global Belt and Road Initiative.  In recent weeks, Pakistan has ramped up efforts to meet Beijing’s key demand that Islamabad enhance the security of Chinese workers, and arrest and punish the perpetrators of a March suicide attack that killed five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver on their way to work at a hydropower project in the mountainous north.  Although no group claimed responsibility for the attack, Pakistan has said the attacker was an Afghan citizen whose handlers were based in Afghanistan.  A high-ranking Pakistani delegation visited Kabul Thursday to share the findings of its probe with the Afghan Taliban and demanded cooperation in arresting the perpetrators. Just days earlier, Islamabad revealed arresting 11 suspects that belonged to the banned militant outfit Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP.    Along with enhancing security protocols for Chinese nationals, Islamabad also recently announced more than $2.5 million in compensation for the families of the slain foreign workers.  Responding to VOA on whether Pakistan was confident it could satisfy China’s security concerns in the upcoming visit, Baloch said she disagreed with the notion that Beijing has “doubts in our approach on the issue of terrorism.”  “There’s already a robust dialogue on terrorism that takes place between Pakistan and China. The two countries have a history of trust and confidence in each other and that makes our relation much more effective,” the spokesperson said.  When asked if Islamabad had formally requested Beijing talk to Kabul to curb cross-border terrorism in Pakistan, Baloch refused to share details.  “I am not in a position to share the internal deliberations and privileged diplomatic conversations between Pakistan and its iron brother China,” she said responding to VOA.  A joint statement after a mid-May meeting between Pakistani and Chinese foreign ministers in Beijing called for international efforts to help Afghanistan “pursue good-neighborliness and firmly combat terrorism, including not allowing its territory to be used for terrorist acts.”  Despite United Nations’ reports and research by Washington-based research groups indicating otherwise, the Afghan Taliban deny the presence of terror groups on their soil.  Commenting on the Pakistani prime minister’s upcoming visit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told media Friday that Chinese and Pakistani leaders will “jointly draw up a blueprint for the growth of bilateral relations.”  “China stands ready to work with Pakistan through this visit to make greater progress in our all-weather strategic cooperative partnership and take new steps in the building of an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era,” she added.  Earlier in the week, Mao expressed support for Pakistan’s efforts to investigate the March attack while assuring cooperation in enhancing security for its workers there. “China supports Pakistan in continuing to get to the full bottom of what happened and hunting down and bringing to justice all the perpetrators,” Mao said. “China will continue to work with Pakistan to strengthen security cooperation and ensure the safety and security of Chinese personnel, projects, and institutions in Pakistan.”  At least 17 Chinese nationals have been killed in targeted attacks in Pakistan in recent years, dealing a blow to CPEC.

New York — A senior United Nations official said Friday that the organization remains “deeply concerned” about growing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, following North Korea’s latest attempted launch of a spy satellite and firing of ballistic missiles.  “We encourage all member states, and members of this council, to seek unity, and for all parties to create an environment conducive to dialogue and cooperation,” U.N. assistant political chief Khaled Khiari told a meeting of the Security Council. “At this particularly difficult moment in securing global peace and security, it is imperative to de-escalate the rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.”  Several council members, including the United States, Japan and South Korea, requested the meeting after North Korea unsuccessfully launched a spy satellite on May 27. That was followed on Thursday by the firing of a barrage of ballistic missiles toward its eastern sea.  Washington’s envoy said Pyongyang is advancing its prohibited weapons program “at an alarming rate,” and has launched more than 100 ballistic missiles since the beginning of 2022.  “Each of these launches — successful or not — is a flagrant violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions,” U.S. Deputy U.N. Ambassador Robert Wood said. “Each launch informs the DPRK of its capability gaps and allows Pyongyang to further advance its weapons programs.”  DPRK is the abbreviation for North Korea's official name: the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.  While the spy satellite exploded shortly after it was fired, an earlier launch in November was successful. In December, Pyongyang announced that it plans to launch three more military satellites this year.  North Korea’s U.N. envoy was defiant.  “We make it clear once again that the DPRK’s possession of space reconnaissance capabilities is an independent right that can never be abandoned or bartered for anything else,” Ambassador Kim Song told the council. “It is an important undertaking of absolute necessity for defense of the state sovereignty and legitimate self-defense.”  North Korea’s Monday launch took place just hours after a rare trilateral dialogue wrapped up in Seoul among China’s premier, Japan’s prime minister and South Korea’s president, with a call for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.  Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong said Friday it is imperative all parties adopt a rational and practical approach, swiftly resume dialogue, act calmly and not intensify tensions.  He expressed concern about a planned U.S. joint military exercise on the peninsula planned for August.  “Such a plan will only increase tensions and the risk of war and turmoil on the peninsula, making the goal of long-term stability ever more elusive,” he said. “China opposes the plan.”  South Korea’s ambassador said Pyongyang’s nuclear policy and its rhetoric are becoming increasingly hostile and aggressive towards his country.  “Pyongyang no longer regards its nuclear arsenal as just a deterrent against the U.S., but instead as a means to attack my country, the Republic of Korea, which the North Korean leader himself called in January not a fellow nation but, ‘the most hostile foreign enemy to be subjugated,’” Ambassador Hwang Joon-kook said.  Hwang added that North Korea announced Friday that the multiple short-range ballistic missiles it fired on Thursday were aimed at his country, and that Pyongyang says it will not hesitate to carry out a preemptive attack on “the enemies.”  “Faced with these menacing threats, the Republic of Korea has to take all necessary measures to protect national security and our people by maintaining a robust combined defense and deterrence posture,” Hwang said.  Russia-DPRK military cooperation  The United States and several other council members also raised, not for the first time, Russia’s procurement of weapons and munitions from North Korea for use in its war in Ukraine, in violation of the council’s own sanctions and arms embargo.  “The DPRK has also unlawfully transferred dozens of ballistic missiles and over 11,000 containers of munitions to aid Russia’s war against Ukraine, prolonging the suffering of the Ukrainian people,” Ambassador Wood said.  “We continue to monitor closely what North Korea gains in return,” said Ambassador Kazuyuki Yamazaki of Japan. “We cannot let the current situation become the new normal.”  Both Moscow and Pyongyang have previously denied the weapons allegations.  Several council resolutions prohibit North Korea from developing a ballistic missile program, as well as ban it from exporting arms or related material to other states.  Russia’s envoy said accusations that their activity with North Korea is illegal are “absolutely unfounded” and Moscow is simply cooperating with a friendly neighbor.  “The cooperation between Russia and the DPRK is exclusively constructive and lawful in nature,” Deputy Ambassador Anna Evstigneeva said. “It doesn’t threaten anyone or violate anyone, and it will continue.”  On March 28, Russia used its council veto to shut down the panel of experts who monitor implementation of the Security Council’s sanctions on North Korea, drawing criticism that it was trying to shield itself from scrutiny.  Since 2006, the council has adopted several sanctions resolutions intended to limit North Korea's access to funds and materials for its illicit nuclear and ballistic missile weapons programs. The council created the panel of experts in 2009, and since then they have documented implementation and alleged violations of council resolutions. But despite tough sanctions, Pyongyang continues to advance its weapons programs.  VOA Seoul Correspondent William Gallo contributed to this report.

Abuja, Nigeria — Nigerian President Bola Tinubu responded to criticism Thursday over a law he signed this week that changed the country’s national anthem back to the old song adopted when Nigeria achieved independence in 1960. Critics say the president’s priorities are mixed up and he is being insensitive to the plight of people dealing with inflation and insecurity. Human rights activist Deji Adeyanju said, "His government is not serious. They do not understand the times that we’re facing. Our greatest challenge now [is] economic issues. He has one of the worst economic teams. That should've been the primary responsibility and concern of the government, but instead they're spending precious time talking about the old national anthem. How does that solve inflation problems?” The old — and now current — national anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” was written in 1960 by British expatriate Lillian Jean Williams and adopted as Nigeria’s anthem when the country won independence that year. It was replaced in 1978 by “Arise O Compatriots,” which was written by a group of Nigerians in the aftermath of a brutal civil war. The bill to restore the old anthem was introduced in parliament and passed within one week — exceptionally fast-paced for Nigeria, where most bills take several months to be considered. Tinubu, in Abuja’s presidential village, said the old anthem represented the beauty of Nigeria's diversity. He also teased critics who object to the old anthem being written by a British expatriate, saying it was Britain who named the country Nigeria, yet the country’s identity remains. Nassarawa state resident Oliver Ugwu said reintroducing the old national anthem without public consultation was a questionable decision. "A greater percentage of the masses are saying there’s no need of going back,” he said. "We have already gotten our independence, so [what] we want now is to move forward for more development.” Another resident, Lukeman Ademola, said the national anthem law is a diversion from the country’s struggling economy. “What do we need national anthem for; what is the national anthem doing in our lives; how does it even help the masses?” Ademola said. “Look at people suffering; the prices of commodities, the prices of goods and services are just going higher. They’re using fuel as a means of taking these things higher, and even if the fuel comes down, the prices still remain like that. How is this going to help us?” Tinubu has faced a turbulent first year in office marked by widespread criticism and protests against his economic reforms, most prominently his scrapping of fuel subsidies that had kept prices more affordable for Nigerians.

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KAMPALA, UGANDA — Ugandan authorities objected Friday to new U.S. sanctions over what the United States calls significant corruption and gross human rights violations, saying the sanctions target parliament Speaker Anita Among and other officials who backed the 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Law. On Thursday, the U.S. State Department placed travel and financial sanctions on Among for what it called significant corruption tied to her leadership position.  Others sanctioned were ministers Amos Lugolobi, Agnes Nandutu and Mary Goretti Gitutu for allegedly misusing public resources and diverting materials from Uganda’s neediest communities.  Ugandan State Minister for Foreign Affairs Oryem Okello argued that all the ministers who were sanctioned are currently facing Ugandan courts of law, which have yet to find rule on the cases. The sanctions also target Lieutenant General Peter Elwelu for his role in clashes between Ugandan security forces and a local militant group that resulted in the deaths of over 100 people.   However, Okello said the U.S. government’s action is really targeting Among.  "My belief is that this is an insult and undermines our judicial system,” Okello said.  “The sanctions are unjust. They are punitive,” he said. “They are bullish because they know that we cannot do anything against it. And it’s just deliberate to punish the speaker for her role and leadership to fight LBGTQ and homosexuality in Uganda.” The U.S. State Department said it stands with Ugandans advocating for democratic principles, a government that delivers for all its citizens and accountability for actions committed by those who abuse their positions through corruption and gross violations of human rights.  Ugandan political analyst Mary Anne Nanfuka said that those people targeted by the sanctions are not acting on their own and that sanctions never work as a deterrent.     “I see that these Western countries want to pander to their electorate,” Nanfuka said.  “They know very well that they need the government to cooperate with them in certain areas. So, once push comes to shove, they will let it pass. Yes, it’s a gesture, but no, we are still not impressed,” she said.  Chris Obore, the head of public affairs in the Ugandan parliament, said the corruption allegations are political and vendetta-driven, otherwise they would have targeted the entire Ugandan cabinet.  The State Department specifically mentioned a giveaway of iron roofing sheets that were meant for a poor community but were instead shared by top government members among themselves.   “It is a sign of their latent anger against the speaker for presiding over the anti-homosexuality law,” Obore said. “It is clear that the U.K., U.S., Canada have been putting pressure when that law was being debated here. Because it is not about iron sheets. How did the speaker personally benefit from those iron sheets when public schools that were roofed are there?”  Okello said Uganda will engage U.S. government officials and get to the bottom of how the State Department decided to approve the sanctions.

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday called on Hamas militants to agree to a new offer from Israel on releasing hostages in exchange for a Gaza cease-fire, saying this is the best way to begin winding down the deadly conflict.  "With a cease-fire, that aid could be safely and effectively distributed to all who need it," Biden said.  "As someone who's had a lifelong commitment to Israel, as the only American president who has ever gone to Israel at a time of war, as someone who just sent the U.S. forces to directly defend Israel when it was attacked by Iran, I ask you to take a step back, think what will happen if this moment is lost," he said. "We can't lose this moment."  A hostage proposal put forward earlier this year called for the release of sick, elderly and wounded hostages in Gaza in exchange for a six-week cease-fire that could be extended to allow for more humanitarian aid to be delivered into the enclave.  The proposed deal fell apart earlier this month after Israel refused to agree to a permanent end to the war as part of the negotiations and ramped up an assault on the city of Rafah in southern Gaza.  Hamas said on Thursday it had told mediators it would not take part in more negotiations during ongoing aggression but was ready for a "complete agreement," including an exchange of hostages and prisoners if Israel stopped the war.  Talks mediated by Egypt, Qatar and others to arrange a cease-fire between Israel and the Islamist movement in the Gaza war have repeatedly stalled, with both sides blaming the other for the lack of progress.  A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan would meet on Friday with diplomats from 17 countries who have citizens held hostage in Gaza by Hamas.  Israel will not agree to any halt in fighting that is not part of a deal that includes the return of surviving hostages, a senior Israeli security official said Friday.  Overshadowing Biden was an Israeli airstrike in Rafah on Sunday that killed 45 Palestinians.  White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Tuesday that recent Israeli ground operations in Rafah would not prompt a U.S. withdrawal of more military aid.  Palestinian health authorities estimate more than 36,280 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel attacked the enclave in response to an October 7 Hamas assault in southern Israel. The Hamas attack killed around 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. 

For the first time in American history, a former president has been found guilty of a felony. A look at Ukrainian children abducted from their homes and a reversal of policy from some of Ukraine’s Western allies now allows them to use weapons they’ve supplied against targets inside Russia. The Secretary of Defense is in Singapore to discuss threats in the Indo-Pacific and South Africa’s election may have finished, but the politics are far from over.

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.