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Beijing — Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Sunday congratulated new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on his election, state media reported, the first senior leader in Beijing to do so publicly. China is "willing to work with the new U.K. government to consolidate mutual political trust and expand mutually beneficial cooperation," Li told Starmer, according to state news agency Xinhua. Their call came after days of silence from top officials in Beijing, with the Chinese foreign ministry saying only that it noted the results of the U.K. election.  By comparison, Chinese leader Xi Jinping congratulated Iran's incoming President Masoud Pezeshkian just hours after his election Saturday. China was Britain's fifth-largest trading partner as of 2023, according to the U.K. Department for Business and Trade. But diplomatic relations between the two countries have been icy in recent years, with Beijing and London sparring over tightening communist control in former British colony Hong Kong. The two sides have also traded accusations of espionage, with Beijing saying last month that MI6 had recruited Chinese state employees to spy for the U.K. Xinhua reported Sunday that Li told Starmer that the "strengthening of bilateral coordination and cooperation was in the interests of both sides."

Britain’s new Prime Minister officially takes office after his UK Labour Party’s landslide victory in a parliamentary election that ended 14 years of Conservative government. Timothy Hellwig, Professor of Political Science with a focus on politics of European Nations at the University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences provides insights into what the historic vote says about how voters are feeling, and if it signals a shift of the trend toward right leaning leadership. And with the U.S. presidential election just months away, Senior Clinical Professor of Law and the director of Appellate Practice clinic at Cleveland State University Law Doron Kalir talks about what the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity could mean for democratic norms in the United States.

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Manila — The Philippines and Japan will sign a defense agreement on Monday that will allow their military forces to visit each other's soil, the Philippine president's communications office said on Sunday. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will witness the signing of the Philippines-Japan Reciprocal Access Agreement shortly after a courtesy call by Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, his office said. Kamikawa and Kihara are in Manila to meet their Philippine counterparts on Monday to discuss deepening cooperation on defense between two key allies of the United States in Asia. The Philippines has been bolstering ties with neighbors and other countries to counter what it describes as China's growing aggression in the South China Sea.   Japan, on the other hand, has faced off with China in the East China Sea over tiny, uninhabited islands that Beijing calls the Diaoyu and Tokyo calls the Senkaku. Formal negotiations for a Reciprocal Access Agreement between the Philippines and Japan started in November.

Tokyo — U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel expressed regret Saturday for the handling of two cases of sexual assaults allegedly committed by American military personnel on Okinawa, which have again stoked resentment of the heavy U.S. troop presence on the strategic island in Japan's far southwest. The issue broke out late last month, triggering an uproar over reports that two American service members had been charged with sexual assaults months earlier. Both cases were first reported in local media in late June. In one arrest made in March, a member of the U.S. Air Force was charged with the kidnapping and sexual assault of a teenager, and while in May a U.S. Marine was arrested on charges of attempted rape resulting in injury. Further details about the alleged victims were not released. Okinawa police said they did not announce the cases out of privacy considerations related to the victims. The Foreign Ministry, per police decision, also did not notify Okinawa prefectural officials. The cases are a reminder to many Okinawans of the 1995 rape of a 12-year-old girl by three U.S. service members, which sparked massive protests of the U.S. presence. It led to a 1996 agreement between Tokyo and Washington to close a key U.S. air base, although the plan has been repeatedly delayed due to protests at the site designated for its replacement on another part of the island. Emanuel said he deeply regretted what happened to the individuals, their families and their community, but fell short of apologizing. “Obviously, you got to let the criminal justice process play out. But that doesn’t mean you don’t express on a human level your sense of regret.” "We have to do better,” he said, adding that the U.S. military's high standards and protocols for education and training of its troops was “just not working.” Emanuel said the U.S. may be able to propose measures to improve training and transparency with the public at U.S.-Japan foreign and defense ministers’ security talks expected later this month in Tokyo. On Friday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said the Japanese authorities would do their utmost to provide more prompt disclosures of alleged crime related to U.S. military personnel on Okinawa while protecting victims’ privacy. The cases could be a setback for the defense relationship at a time when Okinawa is seen increasingly important in the face of rising tensions with China. Some 50,000 U.S. troops are deployed in Japan under a bilateral security pact, about half of them on Okinawa, where residents have long complained about heavy U.S. troop presence and related accidents, crime and noise. Emanuel commented on the issue while visiting Fukushima, on Japan's northeast coast. Earlier Saturday, the ambassador visited the nearby town of Minamisoma to join junior surfers and sample locally-caught flounder for lunch, aiming to highlight the safety of the area's seawater and seafood amid ongoing discharges of treated and diluted radioactive water from the tsunami-ruined Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. China has banned Japanese seafood over the discharges, a move Emanuel criticized as unjustified.

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Tehran, Iran — Iran's Masoud Pezeshkian will be sworn in before parliament in early August as the Islamic Republic's ninth president, state media reported Sunday.   "The swearing-in ceremony of the president will be held on August 4 or 5," said the official IRNA news agency, quoting Mojtaba Yosefi, a member of parliament's presiding board. "The president will have 15 days to present his proposed ministers to the parliament for a vote of confidence." Iranian presidents-elect are required to take an oath before parliament before officially taking office.   The swearing-in ceremony takes place after the president-elect receives an official endorsement by the Islamic Republic's supreme leader.   Iran's president is not the head of state, and the ultimate authority rests with the supreme leader — a post held by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for the last 35 years. Pezeshkian won a runoff election Friday against the ultraconservative Saeed Jalili to replace President Ebrahim Raisi who died in a helicopter crash in May. The 69-year-old reformist secured more than 16 million votes, around 54%, with Jalili winning more than 13 million, roughly 44%, out of about 30 million votes cast.   Turnout was 49.8%, Mohsen Eslami, an election spokesperson added, up from a record low of about 40% in the first round. On Sunday, Iranian newspapers published front-page photos of Pezeshkian and called for "unity" under the president-elect.

Dubail, UAE — An outspoken Iranian lawyer who has publicly criticized how the government handled the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini has been arrested, state media reported Sunday. The unrest followed the death of the 22-year-old detained by the police for allegedly not properly wearing her mandatory hijab. The massive protests quickly escalated into calls to overthrow Iran’s four-decade Islamic theocracy. The judiciary’s Mizan news agency said Sunday that Mohsen Borhani had been previously sentenced but did not give further details on his case or jail time. Borhani, also a university professor, became popular on social media for his critical views of the Iranian government during the 2022 demonstrations that shook the Islamic Republic and sparked a security crackdown that killed more than 500 people and saw over 22,000 detained. U.N. investigators said Iran was responsible for the physical violence that led to Amini's death. The lawyer's arrest came a day after reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian was elected to lead the country. Pezeshkian promised to ease enforcement of the country’s mandatory headscarf law and reach out to the West after years of sanctions and protests squeezing the Islamic Republic.

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New York — After a historically bad first half of the year, the box office is suddenly booming. “Despicable Me 4,” the Illumination Animation sequel, led the way over the holiday weekend with $75 million in ticket sales Friday through Sunday and $122.6 million since opening Wednesday, according to studio estimates Sunday. The Independence Day holiday weekend haul for the Universal Pictures' release further extends the considerable box-office reign of the Minions, arguably the most bankable force in movies today. And it also kept a summer streak going for Hollywood. Though overall ticket sales were down more than 40% from levels prior to the COVID 19 pandemic, heading into the summer moviegoing season, theaters have lately seen a succession of hits. After Sony’s “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” outperformed expectations, Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” rapidly cleared $1 billion in ticket sales worldwide, making it the first release since “Barbie” to reach that mark. Last weekend, the Paramount prequel “A Quiet Place: Day One” also came in above expectations. With “Deadpool & Wolverine” tracking for a $160 million launch later this month, Hollywood’s summer is looking up. “If you look at the mood of the industry about eight weeks ago, very different than today,” says Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. “The song says what a difference a day makes. What a difference a month has made.” It helps to have the Minions at your disposal. Since first debuting in the 2010 original “Despicable Me,” each entry of the franchise — including two sequels and two “Minions” spinoffs — has seemingly guaranteed to gross around $1 billion. The four previous movies all made between $939 million (2022’s “Minions: Rise of Gru”) and $1.26 billion (2015’s “Minions”) globally. That run has helped give Illumination founder and chief executive Chris Meledandri one of the most enviable track records in Hollywood. “Despicable Me 4,” directed by Chris Renaud and Patrick Delage, returns the voice cast led by Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig and doubles down on more Minion mayhem. Reviews (54% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) weren’t particularly good for the latest installment, which includes a witness protection plot and a group of Minions transformed into a superhero squadron. But in their 12-year run, little has slowed down the Minions. “This is one of the most beloved franchises, quite frankly, in the history of film, and certainly animation,” said Jim Orr, distribution chief for Universal. “Chris Meledandri and Illumination have their finger on the pulse of what families and audiences around the world want to see.” Family movies are powering the box office. “Despicable Me 4” performed strongly despite the still considerable drawing power of “Inside Out 2.” In its fourth weekend of release, the Pixar sequel added another $30 million domestically and $78.3 million overseas. “Inside Out 2,” with $1.22 billion in ticket sales thus far, is easily the year’s biggest hit and fast climbing up the all-time ranks for animated releases. It currently ranks as the No. 5 animated release worldwide. Instead of cannibalizing the opening weekend for “Despicable Me 4,” “Inside Out 2” may have helped get families back in the habit of heading to theaters. “What happened, I think, is the release calendar finally settled into a nice rhythm,” said Dergarabedian, referencing the jumbled movie schedule from last year’s strikes. “It’s all about momentum.” The continued strong sales for “Inside Out 2” were enough to put the film in second place for the domestic weekend. Last week’s top new film, “A Quiet Place: Day One,” slid to third with $21 million in its second weekend, with another $21.1 million from overseas theaters. That was a steep decrease of 60%, though the Paramount prequel has amassed $178.2 million worldwide in two weeks. The run of hits has caused some studios to boost their forecasts for the summer movie season. Heading into the most lucrative season at theaters, analysts were predicting a $3 billion summer, down from the more typical $4 billion mark. Now, closer to $3.4 billion appears likely. The weekend’s other top new release was Ti West’s “MaXXXine,” the third in a string of slasher films from A24 starring Mia Goth. In 2,450 locations, “MaXXXine” collected $6.7 million in ticket sales, a franchise best. The film, which follows “X” and “Pearl” (both released in 2022), stars Goth as a 1980s Hollywood starlet being hunted by a killer known as the Night Stalker. Angel Studios, which last year released the unexpected summer hit “Sound of Freedom,” struggled to find the same success with its latest Christian film, “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot.” It debuted with $3.2 million. Kevin Costner’s big-budget gamble, “Horizon: An American Saga,” didn’t do much to turn around its fortunes in its second weekend. The first chapter in what Costner hopes will be a four-part franchise – including a chapter two Warner Bros. will release in August – earned $5.5 million in its second weekend. The film, which cost more than $100 million to make, has grossed $22.2 million in two weeks. Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday. 1. “Despicable Me 4,” $75 million. 2. “Inside Out 2,” $30 million. 3. “A Quiet Place Day One,” $21 million. 4. “MaXXXine,” $6.7 million. 5. “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” $6.5 million. 6. “Horizon: An American Saga, Chapter 1,” $5.5 million. 7. “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot,” $3.2 million. 8. “Kaiki 2898,” $1.8 million. 9. “The Bikeriders,” $1.3 million. 10. “Kinds of Kindness,” $860,000.

In Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, an Italian expatriate runs a rather unique business for a foreigner, selling grilled pork, a highly appreciated dish. Gildas Da has the story narrated by Arzouma Kampaore.

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.

A young Frenchman who settled in Senegal a little over a year ago decided to master the local Wolof language. Now he’s teaching it to other people on social media. Allison Fernandes has the story, narrated by Michelle Joseph.

As the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza entered its ninth month Sunday, the Palestinian militant group said it is waiting for an Israeli response after dropping a key demand in its response to a U.S.-backed cease-fire proposal. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has the story.

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 — A West African leaders' summit opened amid political turmoil Sunday after the military rulers of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso cemented a breakaway union at a rival meeting.  The three countries announced they were forming a new confederation, and their defiant first gathering on the eve of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) summit marked another test for the regional bloc they split from earlier this year.  ECOWAS is already wrestling with sweeping jihadi violence, financial trouble and the challenges of mustering a regional force.  It was not clear how the fractured bloc would respond after Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso adopted a treaty establishing a "Confederation of Sahel States" in Niamey on Saturday.  But ECOWAS Commission chief Omar Alieu Touray said the three countries risked "political isolation" and losing millions of dollars in investments.  The break would also worsen insecurity and hamper the work of the long-proposed regional force, he said before the bloc began a closed-door session in Nigeria's capital Abuja.  "Our region is facing the risk of disintegration," he warned.  Backs turned  The juntas in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso came to power in a series of coups over recent years and announced their joint departure from ECOWAS in January.  They have shifted away from former colonial ruler France and expelled French troops, with Niger's General Abdourahamane Tiani calling for the establishment of a "community far removed from the stranglehold of foreign powers."  "Our people have irrevocably turned their backs on ECOWAS," Tiani said Saturday, rebuffing the bloc's pleas to come back into the fold.  The Sahel countries' ECOWAS exit was fueled in part by their accusation that Paris was manipulating the bloc and not providing enough support for anti-jihadi efforts.   Several West African leaders have called for the resumption of dialogue and Sunday's summit was the first for Senegal's new President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who said in May that reconciliation was possible.   Niger's ties with ECOWAS deteriorated following the July 2023 coup that brought Tiani to power, when the bloc imposed sanctions and threatened to intervene militarily to restore ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.   The sanctions were lifted in February, but relations remain bitter.  Military force  Ahead of the ECOWAS summit, defense and finance ministers have been looking into funding a "regional force to combat terrorism and restore constitutional order," according to the ECOWAS Commission.  It has called for the establishment of an initial 1,500-strong unit, and one proposal was to then muster a brigade of 5,000 soldiers at a cost of around $2.6 billion a year.  ECOWAS has launched military interventions in the past, but its threat of doing so after the coup in Niger fizzled out.   As the bloc grapples with regional challenges, Touray warned it was facing a "dire financial situation."  There were also reports of a rift over the possible reappointment of Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as ECOWAS chair.  Media adviser to the Nigerian president Bayo Onanuga told AFP that "while some countries want him to remain because the region has faced some crisis, the Francophone countries want the seat."  Several French-speaking countries sent their foreign ministers to Sunday's summit instead of their leaders.  Benin's foreign minister told AFP that President Patrice Talon would not be attending "for scheduling reasons" and denied a dispute, saying that Talon support Tinubu's reappointment.