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WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has been holding up certain Boeing-made arms shipments to Israel, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, in what two of them said was an apparent political message to the close U.S. ally. The shipments, which have been delayed for at least two weeks, involved Boeing-made Joint Direct Attack Munitions, which convert dumb bombs into precision-guided ones, as well as Small Diameter Bombs. The sources did not elaborate further, including on the political nature of the holdups. But they come at a time when Washington is publicly pressuring Israel to postpone its planned offensive in Rafah until after it has taken steps to avert civilian casualties. The White House and Pentagon declined comment. The news of a delayed arms shipment was first reported by Axios over the weekend and Politico first reported on the types of arms delayed and the reasoning on Tuesday. Without addressing whether there had been a holdup in arms shipments, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reaffirmed that Washington's commitment to Israel's security was "ironclad." Still, when asked about the reports on the arms holdups, she added: "Two things could be true, in the sense of having those conversations, tough, direct conversations with our counterparts in Israel ... in making sure citizens lives are protected ... and getting that commitment." The Pentagon said on Monday that there had not been a policy decision to withhold arms from Israel, America's closest Middle East ally. Still, the delays appeared to be the first since Biden's administration offered its full support to Israel following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, during which about 1,200 people were killed and about 250 others were abducted. About 133 of them are believed to remain in captivity in Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's campaign to destroy Hamas has led to a seven-month-long military campaign that has killed a total of 34,789 Palestinians, most of them civilians, the Gaza Health Ministry said. The conflict has also left many of Gaza's 2.3 million people on the brink of starvation and sparked protests in the U.S. demanding that universities and Biden withdraw support for Israel - including the provision of weaponry. A senior Israeli official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, did not confirm any specific holdup in arms supplies but appeared to take the reports in stride: “As the prime minister has already said, if we have to fight with our fingernails, then we’ll do what we have to do.”

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The U.S. is expressing optimism that a cease-fire agreement in Gaza is within reach, a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a proposed deal that Hamas said it had accepted. Israeli forces went ahead with a limited operation in eastern Rafah, prompting Hamas to warn there will be no cease-fire if that military action continues. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has the latest.

PENTAGON — The U.S. Army has confirmed that a U.S. soldier was arrested last week during an unauthorized visit to the Russian far eastern port city of Vladivostok, one of two recently detained Americans in Russia. Army spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said Tuesday Staff Sergeant Gordon C. Black had been stationed in South Korea and signed out on permanent change of station leave on April 10 en route to Fort Cavazos, Texas. Instead of returning to the continental United States, Black flew through China to Vladivostok for “personal reasons.” “Black did not request official clearance, and [the Department of Defense] did not authorize his travel to China and Russia, Smith added.  U.S. officials told VOA he appeared to have traveled to Russia to see a woman whom he was romantically involved with. Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters Tuesday the Army is investigating the incident and that any leave to Russia was “strictly prohibited,” according to the Department of Defense’s foreign clearance guide. The White House said on Tuesday it confirmed “two separate cases" of U.S. citizens being detained in Russia, without identifying the second detainee. Russian officials identified the second American as William Russell Nycum. He was detained 10 days ago in Moscow on petty hooliganism and alcohol charges, according to the Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti. "The State Department is actively seeking consular access to both individuals, neither of whom are in Russia on behalf or in affiliation with the U.S. government," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. A Russian Ministry of Interior official informed the U.S. Embassy in Moscow on May 3 that Black was arrested a day earlier in Vladivostok for theft of personal property. Smith said the Army has no further information about the charge at this time and that Black will remain in a pretrial detention facility until his next hearing.  According to RFE/RL a TikTok account of Black’s romantic partner, Vladivostok native Aleksandra Vashchuk, contains numerous videos of the couple together in South Korea. In one video, Black is wearing his U.S. Army fatigues and kisses the camera of a woman, presumably Vashchuk, as she speaks in Russian. RFE/RL says Vashchuk refers to Black as her husband and affectionately as “pindos,” a Russian slang word for Americans that roughly translates to “Yankee punk.” The Associated Press reports that unnamed officials say Black is accused of stealing from his “girlfriend.” The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Representative Michael McCaul, said he is "deeply concerned" by reports of the detainment. "Putin has a long history of holding American citizens hostage," McCaul said in a post shared on X. "A warning to all Americans — as the State Department has said, it is not safe to travel to Russia." Among those being held are journalists Alsu Kurmasheva of RFE/RL and Evan Gershkovich of The Wall Street Journal, who have been detained on charges that they, their employers and their supporters reject as politically motivated.  Also being held is Paul Whelan, who in 2020 was convicted and sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges, which he and the U.S. government have repeatedly rejected.

WASHINGTON — The federal judge in Florida presiding over the classified documents prosecution of former President Donald Trump has canceled the May 20 trial date, postponing it indefinitely.  The order from U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon had been expected in light of still-unresolved issues in the case and because Trump is on trial in a separate case in Manhattan charging him in connection with hush money payments during the 2016 presidential election. The New York case involves several of the same lawyers representing him in the federal case in Florida.  In a five-page order, Cannon said on Tuesday that it would be imprudent to finalize a new trial date now, casting further doubt on federal prosecutors' ability to bring Trump to trial before the November presidential election.  Trump faces dozens of felony counts accusing him of illegally hoarding at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, classified documents that he took with him after he left the White House in 2021, and then obstructing the FBI's efforts to get them back. He has pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing.  Trump faces four criminal cases as he seeks to reclaim the White House, but outside of the New York prosecution, it's not clear that any of the other three will reach trial before the election.  The Supreme Court is weighing Trump's arguments that he is immune from federal prosecution in a separate case from special counsel Jack Smith charging him with plotting to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia, have also brought a separate case related to election subversion, though it's not clear when that might reach trial. 

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Vienna — After “frank” discussions in France where President Emmanuel Macron pressed him on Russia’s war in Ukraine, trade disputes and human rights, China’s President Xi Jinping heads Tuesday to meet more pro-Beijing governments in Serbia and Hungary.  Both countries have developed close ties with China and Russia under Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.  China has been investing billions in both countries, with projects ranging from factories and mining to electric vehicles and a railway to connect their capitals — Belgrade and Budapest.  China is both Hungary and Serbia’s largest trading partner outside the European Union.     Xi arrives in Serbia for the 25th anniversary of the NATO bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade in 1999. The U.S. apologized for what it called a “mistaken” bombing that killed three Chinese nationals and injured 20. Xi is expected to pay tribute to those killed at the site, which was turned into a Chinese cultural center.  Ja Ian Chong, associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore, told VOA, "Xi will probably try to stress the PRC's [People's Republic of China] role in supporting stability and maybe suggest but not openly accuse the United States of being destabilizing and unnecessarily aggressive.” But analysts say Xi’s visits to Serbia and Hungary also reflect Beijing's limitations amid the ups and downs in China-EU relations. Francesco Sisci, an Italian sinologist, told VOA, “It's interesting that ... China didn't manage to secure more significant countries for Xi's visit to Europe. It seems that China is having greater difficulties in its ties with European countries, and it has good ties with two governments who have also good ties with Moscow. That is — Europe is moving faster away from China as it sees it too close to Moscow." Like Beijing, both Serbia and Hungary have spoken against sanctions by the U.S. and EU on Moscow over Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, though Hungary has voted for them.  Orban, despite leading a nation that is both a member of the EU and NATO, has friendly relations with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and held talks with him on the sidelines of a forum in Beijing in October. Hungary buys most of its fuel from Russia and, unlike other EU members, has shown no interest in stopping. Serbia is a candidate to join the EU.  During the third Belt and Road International Cooperation Summit Forum, Xi also met with Orbán, the only EU leader who attended. Dragana Mitrovic, a political science professor at the University of Belgrade, says those relations have sparked tensions with Hungary’s partners in the West.     "In this moment of tense geopolitical competition and measuring economic and overall cooperation by strategic gains and losses, Hungary will continue to be under pressure from Brussels and Washington when pursuing cooperation with China," she said to VOA. While Hungary has benefited from billions in EU aid, Mitrovic notes Hungary is also one of the world’s biggest recipients of Chinese foreign investment.   China’s BYD, which last year sold more electric vehicles than Tesla, plans to build its first plant in Europe in Hungary. By building cars inside the EU, Beijing could avoid the threat of tariffs on electric cars imported from China.    Adrianna Zhang contributed to this report.

The world is watching students on U.S. college campuses protest Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza. Global reactions to the demonstrations, including to students’ arrests vary from pride and solidarity to alarm and condemnation. VOA's Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from the State Department.

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white house — President Joe Biden on Tuesday called out what he described as a "ferocious surge" of antisemitism, using a somber speech to tie together two grim anniversaries: his nation's annual commemoration of the Holocaust, and the beginning of the seventh month of hostilities in Gaza.   "This hatred continues to lie deep in the hearts of too many people in the world," Biden said as he delivered the keynote address at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's Annual Days of Remembrance ceremony.   He spoke at the U.S. Capitol before a group of legislators and a few elderly survivors of Nazi Germany's move to systematically exterminate 6 million Jews during World War II.  In his remarks, Biden sought to tie that event to militant Palestinian group Hamas' stunning attack that killed about 1,200 Israeli civilians on October 7. The attack provoked a conflict that is ongoing to this day and has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians.   "We've seen a ferocious surge of antisemitism in America and around the world," since the October attack, said Biden. "Now here we are, not 75 years later, but just seven and a half months later, and people are already forgetting, already forgetting, that Hamas unleashed this terror." 'You belong' Biden assured the Jewish community: "You belong. You always have, and you always will. … My commitment to the safety of the Jewish people, security of Israel, and its right to exist as an independent Jewish state is ironclad, even when we disagree."  Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, applauded Biden's speech and said in a statement that antisemitism is everybody's problem, not just one for Jews. "Rising antisemitic conspiracy theories and hate are a threat that undermines each and every American's safety and our core democratic norms and values," Spitalnick said. "We're grateful for President Biden's clear moral leadership confronting this threat, including through the historic U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism.  "We urge Congress to quickly move the Countering Antisemitism Act forward for a vote, support robust implementation of the National Strategy, and significantly increase funding for the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights to investigate fully and address acts of antisemitism — and all civil rights violations — on campus. It's time to make clear that just, inclusive societies are ones in which Jews and all communities are safe and free."  Mounting pro-Palestinian protests on U.S. college campuses have raised questions about whether criticizing the world's only Jewish state as it continues to besiege Gaza should be seen as antisemitic speech.  "It is perfectly OK to object to the policies of a state," said Mirette Mabrouk, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. "It is never OK to be a bigot. So, when the state of Israel conflates the two — conflates being Jewish with the policies of the state of Israel — it makes it significantly more difficult for people to object to the policies of Israel, because you don't want to come across as being antisemitic. That is absolute nonsense."  VOA asked White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre where the Biden administration draws that line.   "I shouldn't have to talk about a line," she replied. "It's very clear. It presents itself in the most hateful, abhorrent way. And antisemitism is hate speech. It is just hate speech. I'm not going to stand here and give examples. That's not something I'm going to do — it is obvious." 

windhoek, namibia — Two alleged poachers were recently shot to death by Namibian law enforcement officials who say the men had opened fire on police while being pursued for suspected poaching in the Etosha National Park. A press release issued by the Namibian police on Friday said that an exchange of gunfire at the Etosha National Park earlier that week led to the death of two suspected poachers. They were pursued for more than 60 kilometers (37.2 miles) and opened fire on the police, resulting in them returning fire that led to their deaths. A Namibian activist says poverty and inequality lead to wildlife crime. But police say they may shoot at anyone who brings guns into the park, where weapons are banned. Namibia has seen a recent surge in rhino poaching, with 28 rhinos killed in the first four months of this year, compared to seven in the same period of 2023. The police commander for Etosha National Park, Theopolina Nashikaku, said officers will not hesitate to use deadly force against suspected poachers. "Only authorized personnel, and only authorized security personnel are permitted to carry firearms," said Nashikaku. "So, if we meet you being the person who wants to carry firearms in that restricted environment, if we just meet you trying to cross the boundary into the national park or if we find you inside the park off course, we shall assist you to return to your maker." Poverty fuels crimes Michael Amushelelo, a Namibian activist and commissar for Economic Development of the Namibian Economic Freedom Fighters, a political party in Namibia, said the high levels of poverty and inequality fuel wildlife crime. "You cannot tell me that you have an entire army, you have an entire police force, you have a directorate of ranger parks but still our wildlife are still being killed like there is no one protecting them," Amushelelo said. Romeo Muyunda, the spokesperson of the environment ministry tasked with the protection of Namibia's wildlife, said the killing of the suspects is an isolated incident that doesn't take into account the many arrests that are made without the suspects being harmed. "This incident is isolated," Muyunda said. "I am sure this is the first of many that one [may] have heard [of] in Namibia, happening in Namibia. That means that we have been apprehending poachers sometimes in the park sometimes outside the park without fire."

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 2024 U.S. presidential campaign, candidates Joe Biden and Donald Trump are both using artificial intelligence to attract voters. VOA correspondent Scott Stearns reports on machine learning in this U.S. election.

Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up his two-day visit to France Tuesday — his first trip to Europe in five years. As Henry Ridgwell reports, China and Europe are seeking to mend ties but face major obstacles — including trade disputes and Beijing’s support for Russia.

state department — The United States’ and China's new climate envoys are holding their first in-person talks on Wednesday and Thursday in Washington, leading a bilateral working group discussion to accelerate concrete climate action. Some analysts caution that political and economic tensions between the world’s two largest emitters of carbon dioxide, or CO2, could hamper progress on the climate front. This week’s talks will take place against the backdrop of the Biden administration's probe into Chinese-made electric vehicles, or EVs, and calls to increase tariffs on the import of solar panels from China to protect domestic producers. John Podesta, senior adviser to U.S. President Joe Biden for international climate policy, and Liu Zhenmin, the People's Republic of China's special envoy for climate change, along with relevant officials from both countries, will convene this week's working-group talks. “The meeting will focus on areas identified in the Sunnylands Statement, including energy transition, methane and other non-CO2 greenhouse gases, circular economy and resource efficiency, low-carbon and sustainable provinces/states and cities, and deforestation, among others,” according to the State Department. Sunnylands statement In November 2023, John Kerry, then-U.S. special presidential envoy for climate, and Xie Zhenhua, China’s former special envoy for climate change, met in Sunnylands, California, to reaffirm their commitments to jointly address the climate crisis. The agreement focuses on many less competitive areas, according to analysts. “For example, in a first, both sides agreed to include methane in their 2035 climate goals and the agreement highlighted a target of promoting at least five large-scale cooperative projects in carbon capture, utilization and storage, or CCUS,” said Jennifer Turner, the director of the Washington-based Wilson Center’s China Environment Forum. CCUS is a process that captures carbon dioxide emissions from sources like coal-fired power plants and either reuses or stores it so it will not enter the atmosphere. In the Sunnylands statement, the U.S. and China also said they are determined to end plastic pollution. “The two countries have been meeting at the table for the Global Plastic Treaty but neither has made plastic a part of the bilateral talks. As is true in energy, we are also plastic waste superpowers and what actions we take in this space could also be game changing,” Turner told VOA on Tuesday. Digitally connected vehicles and solar panels However, the climate envoys are likely to steer clear of electric vehicles as an area for climate cooperation because they have become a huge area of tension. The Biden administration has said it would investigate Chinese-made digitally connected vehicles, citing potential national security risks and concerns over their capability to collect sensitive information about American users. On February 29, Biden criticized what it called PRC’s unfair practices in its auto industry.   “China’s policies could flood our market with its vehicles, posing risks to our national security,” Biden said in a statement. U.S. officials have also criticized China’s excess production in solar panels and lithium-ion batteries. In April, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said China’s subsidizing of clean energy and industrial overcapacity “hurts American firms and workers, as well as firms and workers around the world.” In October 2023, the European Commission, responsible for trade policy in the 27-nation European Union, launched an investigation into potential distortive subsidies for battery electric vehicles manufactured in China, possibly leading to additional tariffs. The investigation is ongoing. Chinese officials said the Biden administration’s actions are discriminatory. They have asked the U.S. to “stop overstretching the concept of national security” and “stop its discriminatory suppression against Chinese companies.” “I would like to stress that Chinese-made cars are popular globally not by using so-called ‘unfair practices,’ but by emerging from the fierce market competition with technological innovation and superb quality,” said a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, Mao Ning, on March 1 during a briefing in Beijing. She called the U.S. investigation “trade protectionism” and said, “such acts of politicizing economic and trade issues will only hinder the development of the U.S. auto industry itself.”

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washington — The U.S. military has finished construction of its Gaza aid pier, but weather conditions are making it unsafe to move the two-part facility into place, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.  The pier, which the U.S. military started building last month and which will cost at least $320 million, is aimed at boosting deliveries of desperately needed humanitarian assistance to Gaza, which has been ravaged by seven months of Israeli operations against Hamas.  "As of today, the construction of the two portions of the JLOTS — the floating pier and the Trident pier — are complete and awaiting final movement offshore," Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told journalists, using an acronym for Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore, the official name for the pier capability.  "Today there are still forecasted high winds and high sea swells, which are causing unsafe conditions for the JLOTS components to be moved. So the pier sections and military vessels involved in its construction are still positioned at the port of Ashdod," in Israel, Singh said.  U.S. Central Command "stands by to move the pier into position in the near future," she added.  The vessels and the under-construction pier were moved to the port because of bad weather last week. Once the weather clears, the pier will be anchored to the Gaza shore by Israeli soldiers, keeping U.S. troops off the ground.  Aid will then be transported via commercial vessels to a floating platform off the Gaza coast, where it will be transferred to smaller vessels, brought to the pier, and taken to land by truck for distribution.  Plans for the pier were first announced by U.S. President Joe Biden in early March as Israel held up deliveries of assistance by ground, and U.S. Army troops and vessels soon set out on a lengthy trip to the Mediterranean to build the pier.  Some two months later, the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. The United Nations said Tuesday that Israel had denied it access to the Rafah crossing, the key entry point for aid into the territory.