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washington — A U.S. plan to boost its Pacific air power is seen by analysts as an effort to reinforce deterrence in the Indo-Pacific and counterbalance China's attempt to gain dominance in the region. The U.S. Air Force plans to upgrade more than 80 fighter jets stationed at Japanese bases over the next several years as part of a $10 billion program to modernize its forces there. The Defense Department announced the plan last week, saying it aims to enhance the U.S.-Japan alliance and bolster deterrence in the Indo-Pacific. "This is a necessary upgrade that has been planned for some time. And combined with Japan's own investments, it will help maintain some degree of air power balance between the allies and China's progress in air force modernization," said James Schoff, senior director of the U.S.-Japan NEXT Alliance Initiative at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA. "Without it, the credibility of U.S. deterrent capacity would be much weaker, which could cause Beijing to doubt U.S. seriousness about protecting the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and prompt more aggressive Chinese behavior," Schoff said. The Taiwanese Defense Ministry said it spotted 37 Chinese aircraft near Taiwan on Wednesday as they headed to the Western Pacific for drills with the Shandong aircraft carrier. Chinese jets and warships have frequently made dangerous maneuvers around the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as a part of its own territory. Former U.S. Indo-Pacific Commander John Aquilino told the Senate Armed Services Committee in March that China could soon have the world's largest air force. China is currently the third-largest air power in the world, behind the United States and Russia. China's rapid military modernization efforts have led it to possess more than 3,150 aircraft, of which about 2,400 are combat aircraft, including fighters, strategic and tactical bombers, and attack aircraft, according to the Pentagon's 2023 report on China's military power. Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, told VOA on Monday that "U.S.-Japan relations should not target or harm other countries' interests and should not undermine regional peace and stability." Upgrade designed to help defend Japan In addition to protecting Taiwan, the upgrade — which includes the advanced F-35 jets — also will help U.S. Forces Japan (USFJ) deter North Korea and defend Japan's Southwest Islands, said James Przystup, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. Japan has a territorial dispute with China over what it calls the Senkaku Islands and what China calls the Diaoyu Islands. Japan and Russia also have a dispute over islands off Hokkaido, which Japan calls the Northern Territories and Russia calls the Kuril Islands. The U.S. aircraft upgrade plan is to modify several deployed F-35B jets stationed at the Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi prefecture south of Hiroshima. The Misawa Air Base in Japan's northern Aomori prefecture will see 36 F-16 aircraft be replaced with 48 F-35A jets. Aircraft will be rotated At Kadena Air Base in Japan's southern island of Okinawa, 48 F-15 C/D jets will be replaced with 36 new F-15EX jets. During the upgrades, fourth- and fifth-generation tactical aircraft will be dispatched on a rotational basis, according to the Pentagon. "The upgrades will provide qualitative and quantitative boosts to the USFJ inventory, which will also enhance the U.S.-Japan alliance's readiness against China, North Korea and Russia," said Ryo Hinata-Yamaguchi, a professor at the University of Tokyo and a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Indo-Pacific Security Initiative. "Benefits will be seen not only in aerial operations but also guarding U.S. and Japanese capabilities for naval and amphibious operations. The platforms are not simply about technological superiority for combat, but also more advanced electronic warfare capabilities to penetrate weaknesses of China, North Korea and Russia," he said. China often conducts joint air drills with Russia over the waters near South Korea and Japan. In December, Chinese and Russian jets entered South Korea's Air Defense Identification Zone, prompting Seoul to scramble fighter jets in response. David Maxwell, vice president of the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy, said, "Russia has been conducting some combined operations with China on a limited basis recently, so if Russia operates in the Indo-Pacific, it will certainly indicate these systems will contribute to the defense of U.S.-allies' interests." Maxwell said U.S. bases in Japan give the U.S. "a lot of operational flexibility to be able to deal with multiple contingencies, either on the Korean Peninsula or in the South China Sea, or really, anywhere in Asia." Okinawa is about 740 kilometers (459.8 miles) from Taiwan and 990 kilometers (615.1 miles) from South Korea's southern port city of Busan. Kadena, which the U.S. calls "the keystone of the Pacific," is the largest U.S. installation in the Indo-Pacific. Zack Cooper, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, who served as special assistant to the principal deputy undersecretary of defense for policy during the George W. Bush administration, said rotating aircraft presence at Kadena during the upgrade transition helps the U.S. disperse them in case of an attack. "Kadena Air Base is under greater threat than it's been in decades," from a range of Chinese capabilities, both ballistic and cruise missiles, he said. "There are a couple of options for how to deal with that. One is for the U.S. to disperse its forces more so that if there was an attack, there would be less concentration of U.S. forces."

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washington — The United States and its NATO allies have agreed that Ukraine’s path to  membership in the organization is “irreversible,” according to a communique released by the 32-member bloc during this week’s summit in Washington. “It’s not a question of if, but when,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters Wednesday. The United States was once deeply concerned about whether Ukraine was ready for NATO membership but now appears resolved to ensure Kyiv eventually joins the alliance. “We're providing that bridge to membership for Ukraine. It's really a significant deliverable,” Michael Carpenter, the senior director for Europe at the National Security Council, told VOA. Stoltenberg explained that when fighting stops in Ukraine, NATO will need to ensure that it stops for good. The way to ensure that, he added, is to secure NATO membership for Ukraine. Otherwise, he said, Russia could continue its aggression. Unlike the European Union, which began negotiations with Ukraine to join its ranks on June 25, there is no consensus yet about Ukraine joining NATO.   F-16 transfer under way Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the first American-made F-16 fighter jets were being delivered to Ukraine and were expected to patrol Ukrainian skies in the coming weeks. “The transfer of F-16s is officially under way, and Ukraine will be flying F-16s this summer,” he said at the summit. In a statement Wednesday, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and U.S. President Joe Biden announced that the Dutch and Danish governments were providing the F-16s, while Belgium and Norway had committed to send more aircraft to Ukraine. NATO member heads of state held their first working session of the summit  Wednesday as they sought to boost the alliance’s support for Ukraine and enhance their own defense and deterrence efforts. At the start of the session, Biden said Russia was ramping up its defense production with the help of China, North Korea and Iran. To counter them, he said, NATO members must continue to invest more in defense production. “We cannot allow the alliance to fall behind,” Biden said.   China called out In the NATO communique, all 32 allies also called on China to cease its support for Russia’s war effort against Kyiv, including its transfer of dual-use materials, such as weapons components, equipment and raw materials that serve as inputs for Russia’s military sector. China "cannot enable the largest war in Europe in recent history without this negatively impacting its interests and reputation,” the leaders wrote. Asked by VOA whether the statement was a strong enough message to deter China from continuing to support Russia, Stoltenberg replied in the press conference that Wednesday’s declaration was “the strongest message that NATO allies have ever sent on China’s contributions to Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine.” NATO allies invited Indo-Pacific partners from Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand to attend this week’s summit. Officials said their inclusion relayed the importance of these partners amid growing aggression from China, North Korea, Russia and Iran.  Iulia Iarmolenko contributed to this report.

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UNITED NATIONS — A backlog of 1,150 truckloads of humanitarian aid is waiting to be collected from the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing in the southern Gaza Strip, Israel said on Wednesday, prompting the United Nations to say: "We're doing what we can." COGAT, an Israeli Defense Ministry agency tasked with coordinating aid deliveries into Palestinian territories, said another 50 aid trucks are also awaiting collecting from the Palestinian side of the Erez crossing in northern Gaza. The U.N. said it is struggling to distribute aid within the enclave of 2.3 million people as the war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas enters its 10th month and law and order has broken down. "Yes, the aid is being dropped off. But on the other side of that, you have utter lawlessness, plus you have continuing conflict," said U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric. "We are continuing to do our best to get that to those people who need it. Our colleagues in Gaza are not sitting on their hands." He said that the U.N. trucks that manage to pick up aid "are doing it often at great cost, because they are being either looted or attacked by criminal elements," adding that, "Some aid is getting through, but very little." Obstacles to aid delivery The U.N. has has long complained of dangers and obstacles to getting aid into Gaza — Israel inspects and approves all aid trucks — and distributing it within the enclave, where a global hunger monitor last month said there is a high risk of famine. The top U.N. aid official for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Muhannad Hadi, briefed U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday — a day after visiting Gaza — Dujarric said. Hadi entered and exited through the Kerem Shalom crossing. "He saw groups of men with sticks waiting for trucks to leave the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza. All the trucks that he passed were badly damaged, with broken windshields, mirrors and hoods," Dujarric told reporters. Hadi also saw bags of fortified flour from the World Food Program (WFP) and the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA scattered alongside the road from Kerem Shalom into Gaza, Dujarric said. Military action limits distribution In northern Gaza, the WFP said military activity was limiting its operations. Israeli forces continued to press their offensive in north and central Gaza on Wednesday, dropping leaflets urging the evacuation of Gaza City. WFP has not delivered any food from the West Erez crossing for a couple of days, said WFP spokesperson Shaza Moghraby. "Distribution sites have been evacuated and shut down, terrified people are being displaced again, and every time this happens, it makes it more difficult for us to reach them. So, there is a major impact on our operations," she said.

new york — A U.S. judge on Wednesday said he would likely end bankruptcy for Rudy Giuliani, a onetime lawyer for former President Donald Trump. The move would enable lawsuits against Giuliani for defamation, sexual harassment and other claims to proceed in other courts.   U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane said at a court hearing in White Plains, New York, that he would rule Friday on competing requests from Giuliani - who was New York City's mayor from 1994 through 2001 - and his creditors about the future of his bankruptcy.   Giuliani, 80, filed for bankruptcy protection in December after a Washington, D.C., court ordered him to pay $148 million to two Georgia election workers that he falsely accused of rigging votes in the 2020 presidential election, which Democrat Joe Biden won.   The bankruptcy prevented the election workers from collecting on that judgment, while freezing other lawsuits stemming from Giuliani's work for Trump, as he sought to overturn his loss in the 2020 election.  Last week, Giuliani asked to convert his personal bankruptcy case into a straightforward liquidation, which would force him to sell nearly all of his assets. One group of creditors asked Lane to appoint a trustee to take over Giuliani's finances and businesses, which could lead to a lengthy and contested bankruptcy liquidation, while another group said Giuliani should be kicked out of bankruptcy altogether.   All three options pose significant risks for Giuliani.  Lane said dismissal was likely the best option, given the difficulties the court has had in getting straight answers from Giuliani about his finances. A trustee would likely face the same problems getting Giuliani's cooperation, while incurring additional expenses that would reduce Giuliani's ability to pay creditors, Lane said.   "I'm concerned that the difficulties we've encountered on transparency will continue," Lane said.   A dismissal of his bankruptcy would allow Giuliani's creditors to resume lawsuits against him, but it would also give him more freedom to appeal the $148 million defamation judgment that forced him to seek bankruptcy protection.   "We believe that the debtor's best chance of getting an appellate determination would be dismissal," Giuliani attorney Gary Fischoff said during Wednesday's court hearing.  Lane previously stopped Giuliani from spending money on the appeal while he was bankrupt, saying his Chapter 11 filing had paused litigation on both sides.   Rachel Strickland, representing the former Georgia election workers, Wandrea "Shaye" Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, said Giuliani should be kicked out of bankruptcy so her clients can try to collect on their judgment against him.   Giuliani "regards this court as a pause button on his woes while he continues to live his life unbothered," Strickland told Lane.   Moss and Freeman, who are Black, faced a deluge of racist and sexist messages, including threats of lynching, after Trump and his allies spread false claims that they were engaged in vote fraud.  A committee representing Giuliani's other creditors asked Lane to instead appoint a trustee to take over Giuliani's finances and businesses, like his podcasting engagements and coffee promotions. Committee attorney Phil Dublin said ending the bankruptcy now would create a "race to the courthouse" among the many people who have sued Giuliani.   Giuliani's other creditors include former employee Noelle Dunphy, who has accused Giuliani of sexual assault and wage theft, and the voting machine companies Dominion and Smartmatic, who have also sued Giuliani for defamation. Giuliani has denied the allegations.  In addition to the civil lawsuits, Giuliani is facing criminal charges in Georgia and Arizona for aiding Trump's efforts to subvert the 2020 election results, and his false claims about the election have caused him to lose his license to practice law in 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.

Abuja, Nigeria — The Nigerian parliament on Tuesday called for an investigation of the Samoa Agreement, a pact federal authorities signed with the European Union, after a media report that some of the deal’s clauses could promote same-sex relationships. Nigerian authorities have denied the claims and promised to act against news organizations reporting them. Lawmakers said authorities did not consult them before signing the bill. A majority voted to investigate the agreement, which is named after the Pacific Island nation of Samoa, where it was first reached in November. Critics such as House of Representatives member Aliyu Madaki said the Samoa Agreement needs to be clearer on clauses that promote gender rights. "The phrase 'gender equality' is a Trojan horse for deceptively bringing in all sorts of immorality to our country, as gender no longer means sexes male and female as traditionally understood. It now includes homosexuality, lesbianism, transgenderism and animalism," Madaki said. Nigerian authorities signed the Samoa Agreement among the EU and 79 other countries, including African, Caribbean and Pacific nations, on June 28. Authorities say the agreement aims to strengthen partnerships for democratic norms and human rights as well as promote economic growth and development. It’s also designed to help member nations tackle common challenges such as climate change, migration and security. Authorities said Nigeria signed the agreement after extensive reviews and consultations. The pact became a topic of national discussion following a report by a Nigerian newspaper, Daily Trust, that said the deal’s clause on gender rights could be misinterpreted to promote same-sex relationships. This week, Nigerian authorities held a media briefing in Abuja to debunk such claims and promised to sue the newspaper. Authorities also refuted claims that Nigeria will pocket $150 billion from signing the deal. Information Minister Mohammed Idris Malagi told reporters, "We are alarmed by the level of reckless reporting and statements by some media organizations and individuals that border on national security and stability. We find that despicable and wicked, because the allegation is nowhere in the document signed on behalf of the federal government. “It is, however, disheartening that some elements are abusing this free [media] environment guaranteed by the government," he said. Nigeria outlawed same-sex relations in 2014 and imposed a 14-year jail term for offenders. On Tuesday, the Nigerian Bar Association backed the government’s position after reviewing the agreement. But the chairperson of the Human Rights Committee at the African Bar Association, Sonnie Ekwokusi, told Lagos-based Channels Television that Madaki is making a valid point. "This Samoa agreement is littered with the phrases of the EU and United Nations,” Ekwokusi said. “I know the language of the EU. I know what they're talking about." Daily Trust has said that its reporting was in the interest of the public and that it will apologize only when it is proven that the “gender rights” cited in the agreement means traditional male-female relationships and nothing more.

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In Ukraine, Kyiv’s largest children’s hospital and some residential buildings were damaged by a Russian missile attack on July 8. The next day, residents were allowed to briefly go back to collect some personal belongings. Anna Kosstutschenko spoke to some of them as they returned from their homes. VOA footage and video editing by Pavel Suhodolskiy.

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.