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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 International Court of Justice rules against Israel. Hundreds are feared dead after a massive landslide flattened dozens of homes and buried families alive in a remote village in northern Papua New Guinea. Israel's government has authorized efforts to renew talks with Hamas following the release of a video showing female hostages on October 7th. A look at Israeli public opinion following the recognition of a Palestinian state by three European countries. The President of Kenya is visiting Washington and there’s more violence in Myanmar. Plus, an update from Kyiv and a Norwegian real estate auction with geopolitical consequences.

Geneva — United Nations agencies warn the humanitarian situation for an estimated 800,000 people in and around the Sudanese city of El Fasher is rapidly deteriorating as clashes escalate between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Since fighting for control of El Fasher, the last stronghold of the Sudan Armed Forces in western Darfur, broke out March 10, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports an estimated 85 civilians have been killed and at least 700 wounded. According to the International Organization for Migration, at least 1,250 people have been displaced since May, noting that "these reported figures are underestimates and are likely to increase." "Due to the intensity of the fighting and lack of safe passage for civilians, it is anticipated that the number of reported casualties will rise," OCHA said Friday. "As indiscriminate bombing encroaches on different neighborhoods of the city," it said, "the increased use of civilian infrastructure and objects for military purposes by parties to the conflict and the increased presence of armed elements throughout the town exacerbates protection risks faced by civilians." A spokesperson for the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR), William Spindler, said that thousands recently have fled into neighboring Chad. "There have been many calls for the fighting to cease because of the impact it is having on the civilian population, and we continue to see people fleeing this region and crossing into Chad," Spindler said. He said more than 600 people a day are crossing the border from Darfur, noting that in the last month nearly 19,000 new arrivals have been registered and "provided with emergency assistance, including food for four days and soap." He said most refugee families are going to Adre, some 400 km. from El Fasher. "The numbers continue to be relatively small," Spindler said, "but we have received reports there might be impediments for people who would like to seek refuge in Chad, but they are not able to do that because of the fighting or because they are being prevented by armed actors to travel." “We also have received very worrying reports that some people who intended to either go to El Fasher from the surrounding countryside or cross into Chad have been killed,” he added. Chad already hosts more than 600,000 Sudanese who have fled fighting in their homeland over the years. In addition to this huge refugee population, the United Nations estimates around 170,000 Chad nationals also have returned from Sudan since the rival generals went to war in mid-April 2023. "Every week, an estimated 5,000 new arrivals continue to stream in, converging on 32 entry points in eastern Chad. With further, imminent attacks anticipated in Darfur, this number may further rise," said Blanche Anya, World Health Organization representative to Chad. Speaking from the capital, N'Djamena, Anya said Friday the refugee crisis was having a profound impact on the health of the refugees and returnees, the overwhelming majority of whom are women and children, and on Chad's fragile healthcare system which "is under immense pressure." "Many of the women and young girls have been raped. Malnutrition among children is widespread. Combined with measles and other epidemics, and overcrowding in under-resourced camps, we have an ongoing, serious health emergency. "Every week, 1,500 to 2,000 cases of severe acute malnutrition are registered. As the prospect of famine in Sudan grows, we will see its repercussions in the health status of the new refugees arriving in Chad," she said. Since the start of the crisis, WHO says 320 deaths have been reported among both the refugee and host populations. Of these, it says 184 deaths were malnourished children. As the rainy season approaches, WHO warns the health situation will become more dire with access to affected populations becoming more difficult. UNHCR's Spindler says the conditions of refugee camps in Chad, especially in Adre, are severely congested. "And that is why UNHCR has identified a new site in Dougui, Ouaddai province where we would like to evacuate and transfer the refugees who are in Adre and very close to the border," he said. "UNHCR, and its partners are racing against time to open the new site before the rainy season makes the roads impassable…Last Tuesday, the first rains fell in Adre. UNHCR aims to distribute lifesaving 'rain kits' before the imminent rainy season to the newly arrived and most vulnerable refugees. "People must be moved as soon as possible to the camp where they will be safe, and where it will be easier to provide them with the aid they need," Spindler said.

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.

TEHRAN, Iran — The helicopter carrying Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi caught fire soon after it crashed into a mountain and there was no sign it was attacked, state media reported, citing the military's crash investigators. The statement from the general staff of the armed forces in charge of investigating the crash was read on state television late Thursday. The first statement on the crash did not lay blame but said more details would come after further investigation. The crash Sunday killed Raisi, the country’s foreign minister and six other people. The general staff’s statement said the communications between the control tower and the crew of the helicopter before the crash contained nothing suspicious. It said the last communication of the crashed helicopter was between it and two helicopters accompanying it some 90 seconds before the crash. There was no sign of anything being shot at the helicopter, and its flight path did not change, the statement said. The aging Bell helicopter went down Sunday in a foggy, remote mountainous region of Iran’s northwest. The crash site was discovered Monday morning with all eight on board dead. Raisi was buried in a tomb at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad on Thursday.

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.

ISLAMABAD — A journalist in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province Friday died of a gunshot wound he sustained in an attack earlier this week, bringing the total number of media workers reported killed nationwide in 2024 to five. Doctors and officials confirmed the death of Nasrullah Gadani, who was undergoing treatment in a hospital in Karachi, the provincial capital, after being shot and injured by unidentified assailants in a remote Sindh district on Tuesday. There were no claims of responsibility for the attack.   Activists and colleagues said the slain journalist had consistently highlighted the civic issues plaguing impoverished Sindh in his reporting. Gadani also was critical of the powerful feudal lords in the region, which led to his repeated detention by the police, as noted by Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir in this social media post on X, formerly Twitter. The news of Gadani’s death sparked outrage among journalists and civil society members, leading to a protest demonstration demanding justice for the slain reporter.     “I am deeply in grief and sorrow along with Nasrullah’s family and the media organization he is affiliated with,” Murad Ali Shah, the provincial chief minister, said in a statement. Critics hold Shah’s government for allegedly being behind some of the recent attacks on media workers in Sindh. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, a leading independent rights watchdog, said it was “deeply concerned” by the situation facing journalists in the country. It urged the Sindh government to investigate Gadani’s killing and hold the perpetrators to account. Meanwhile, the Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ, has pressed Pakistan to immediately reveal the whereabouts of Ahmad Farhad Shah, a freelance journalist and poet.   Several unknown men seized Shah from outside his home at night in the capital, Islamabad, and forced him into a vehicle over a week ago, said a copy of a petition his wife filed with the federal high court shortly after the incident.   Shah’s wife, Syeda Urooj Zainab, has accused the Pakistani spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI, of abducting him for his activism against the country’s powerful military establishment. “The secretive, late-night seizure of journalist … Shah is further evidence of an intensifying crackdown on media freedom in Pakistan,” the CPJ quoted its program director, Carlos Martinez de la Serna, as saying on Thursday.   “Authorities must either present Ali Shah in court or immediately release him and ensure that law enforcement agencies do their job of investigating crimes against journalists,” Serna said. On Friday, the Islamabad High Court judge hearing the case summoned senior officers from the country’s intelligence agencies, including the ISI, to respond to the charges in the next hearing scheduled for May 29.    “His whereabouts remain unknown. Ahmad has spoken fearlessly about state oppression and enforced disappearance in the past,” Amnesty International wrote Friday on X. Pakistan’s ISI has long been accused of forced disappearances of journalists and political as well as human rights activists for criticizing the military’s role in national politics. The agency and successive governments have consistently denied the allegations.

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.

In the United States, community colleges traditionally give two-year associate’s degrees and certificates. That is changing as more of these colleges develop bachelor’s degree programs. The higher degree from these schools is making college more accessible and affordable nationally and internationally. Robin Guess reports. Camera: Roy Kim.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague did not recognize China’s claim over the Spratly Islands. China is the main polluter of the South China Sea where Beijing’s island-building, dredging, and overfishing causes severe environmental damage.

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.

Indigenous fashion designers gathered in the American Southwest to celebrate couture and creativity at the first ever Native Fashion Week. Gustavo Martinez Contreras has our story from Santa Fe, New Mexico.

May 20 marked Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s fifth anniversary as Ukraine’s president. By law, the president serves five years, but elections have been postponed while the country remains under martial law. Katerina Besedina examines Zelenskyy’s challenging term so far. Anna Rice narrates. VOA footage by Elena Matusovky.

Women’s soccer in the U.S. has been on the rise, bringing more girls than ever into the fold. Thai American Madison Casteen embraced soccer at a young age and aims to be one of the few Asian Americans to break into the professional leagues. Warangkana Chomchuen has the story, narrated by Neetikarn Kamlangwan.

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.