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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.

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 World Health Organization says more farmers in Malawi have begun to benefit from shifting away from tobacco cultivation, just months after the country ratified a treaty that aims to address public health risks associated with tobacco. However, some farmers say there are challenges due to a lack of markets for their crops. Lameck Masina reports from Blantyre.

Hong Kong — A suspected Chinese state-sponsored hacking group has stepped up its targeting of Taiwanese organizations, particularly those in sectors such as government, education, technology and diplomacy, according to cybersecurity intelligence company Recorded Future.  In recent years, relations between China and Taiwan, a self-governed island across the Taiwan Strait that Beijing claims as its territory, have deteriorated. The cyberattacks by the group known as RedJulliett were observed between November 2023 and April 2024, during the lead up to Taiwan's presidential elections in January and the subsequent change in administration.  RedJuliett has targeted Taiwanese organizations in the past, but this is the first time that activity was seen at such a scale, a Recorded Future analyst said, speaking on condition of anonymity out of safety concerns.  The report said RedJuliett attacked 24 organizations, including government agencies in places like Laos, Kenya and Rwanda, as well as Taiwan.  It also hacked into websites of religious organizations in Hong Kong and South Korea, a U.S university and a Djiboutian university. The report did not identify the organizations.  Recorded Future said RedJuliett accessed the servers of those places via a vulnerability in their SoftEther enterprise virtual private network, or VPN software, an open-source VPN that allows remote connections to an organization's networks.  RedJuliett has been observed attempting to break into systems of more than 70 Taiwanese organizations including three universities, an optoelectronics company and a facial recognition company that has contracts with the government.  It was unclear if RedJuliett managed to break into those organizations: Recorded Future only said it observed the attempts to identify vulnerabilities in their networks.  RedJuliett's hacking patterns match those of Chinese state-sponsored groups, according to Recorded Future.  It said that based on the geolocations of IP addresses, RedJulliett is likely based out of the city of Fuzhou, in China's southern Fujian province, whose coast faces Taiwan.  "Given the close geographical proximity between Fuzhou and Taiwan, Chinese intelligence services operating in Fuzhou are likely tasked with intelligence collection against Taiwanese targets," the report said.  "RedJuliett is likely targeting Taiwan to collect intelligence and support Beijing's policy-making on cross-strait relations," the Recorded Future report said. Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately comment. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson dismissed the allegations. "I don't know the specifics of what you mentioned, but I can tell you that it's not the first time the company you mentioned has fabricated disinformation on so-called Chinese hacking operations. There is absolutely no professionalism or credibility to speak of in what the company does," the spokesperson, Mao Ning, said. Microsoft reported in August last year that RedJuliett, which Microsoft tracks under the name Flax Typhoon, was targeting Taiwanese organizations.  China has in recent years stepped up military drills around Taiwan and imposed economic and diplomatic pressure on the island.  Relations between Taiwan and Beijing worsened further after the election in January of Taiwan's new president Lai Ching-te, who China has deemed a "separatist," after he said in his inauguration speech that Taiwan and China were not subordinate to each other. Like his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen, Lai has said that there is no need to declare Taiwanese independence because it is already an independent sovereign state.  Like many other countries including the U.S., China has been known to engage in cyberespionage. Earlier this year, the U.S. and Britain accused China of a sweeping cyberespionage campaign that allegedly hit millions of people.  Beijing has consistently denied engaging in any form of state-sponsored hacking, instead saying that China itself is a major target of cyberattacks.  According to Recorded Future, Chinese state-sponsored groups will likely continue to target Taiwanese government agencies, universities and critical technology companies via "public-facing" devices such as open-source VPN software, which provide limited visibility and logging capabilities.  Companies and organizations can best protect themselves by prioritizing and patching vulnerabilities once they become known, Recorded Future's threat intelligence analyst 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.

BEIJING — Beijing wants the EU to scrap its preliminary tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles by July 4, China's state-controlled Global Times reported, after both sides agreed to hold new trade talks.  Provisional European Union duties of up to 38.1% on imported Chinese-made EVs are set to kick in by July 4 while the bloc investigates what it says are excessive and unfair subsidies.  China has repeatedly called on the EU to cancel its tariffs, expressing a willingness to negotiate. Beijing does not want to be embroiled in another tariff war, still stung by U.S. tariffs on its goods imposed by the Trump administration, but says it would take all steps to protect Chinese firms should one happen.  Both sides agreed to restart talks after a call between EU Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis and China's Commerce Minister on Saturday during a visit to China by Germany's economy minister, who said the doors for discussion are "open."  China's Global Times, citing observers, said the best outcome is that the EU scraps its tariff decision before July 4.  But the Commission, analysts and European trade lobby groups stressed that talks would be a major undertaking and China would need to come willing to make major concessions.  "Nobody will dare to do this now. Not before the elections in France," said Alicia Garcia Herrero, senior fellow at Bruegel, an influential EU affairs think tank, on whether the planned curbs could be dropped.  "The Commission can't change a decision it has been pondering for months on months on months," she added. "Yes, China is putting pressure on the member states, but they would need to vote with a qualified majority against the Commission."  The tariffs are set to be finalized on Nov. 2 at the end of the EU anti-subsidy investigation.  "The EU side emphasized that any negotiated outcome to its investigation must be effective in addressing the injurious subsidization," a Commission spokesperson said on Monday.  The Chinese commerce ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.  Talks are a 'good sign'   Siegfried Russwurm, head of Germany's biggest industry association BDI, said it was a "good sign" that both sides would hold talks in the ongoing dispute.  "You know the old saying: as long as there are talks you're not shooting at each other," he told German public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk.  Russwurm, who also serves as chairman for German conglomerate and car supplier Thyssenkrupp, said tariffs was the last thing Germany needed as a major exporting nation.  At the same time, Brussels' move to apply tariffs of varying degrees suggested a thorough analysis has taken place and that this was not an effort that targets the entire Chinese car sector in equal measure.  Meantime, Maximilian Butek, executive director at the German Chamber of Commerce in China, said there was "zero chance" that the preliminary tariffs would be removed by July 4 unless China eliminated all the issues flagged by the European Commission.  EU trade policy has turned increasingly protective over concerns that China's production-focused development model could see it flooded with cheap goods as Chinese firms look to step up exports amid weak domestic demand.  China has rejected accusations of unfair subsidies or that it has an overcapacity problem, saying the development of its EV industry has been the result of advantages in technology, market and industry supply chains.   "When European Commission President Von der Leyen announced she would investigate China's new energy vehicles ... I had an intuitive feeling it was not only an economic issue but also a geopolitical issue," said Zhang Yansheng, chief research fellow at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges.  Armed and ready  Trade relations between the 27-strong bloc and the world's No. 2 economy took an abrupt turn for the worse in May 2021 when the European Parliament voted to freeze ratification of what would have been a landmark investment treaty because of tit-for-tat sanctions over allegations of human rights abuses in China's Xinjiang region.  They came to blows again that year when China downgraded diplomatic ties with Lithuania and told multinationals to sever relations with the Baltic state after Vilnius invited democratically governed Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory, to open a representative office in the capital.  Although calling for talks, Beijing has also indicated that it has retaliatory measures ready if the EU does not back down, and that it considers Brussels wholly responsible for the escalating tensions.  The Global Times, which first reported China was considering opening a tit-for-tat anti-dumping investigation into European pork imports — which the commerce ministry confirmed last week — has also teed up an anti-subsidy investigation into European dairy goods and tariffs on large engine petrol cars.  Chinese authorities have dropped hints about possible retaliatory measures through state media commentaries and interviews with industry figures.  "It seems probable that Beijing will raise tariffs up to 25% for Europe-made cars with 2.5 or above liter engines," said Jacob Gunter, lead analyst at Berlin-based China studies institute MERICS.  "Pork and dairy are already on the table for Beijing, and likely more agricultural products will be threatened," he added.  "On the EU side, there are a variety of ongoing investigations ... so we should expect some sort of measures targeting distortions on [Chinese] products ranging from medical devices to airport security scanners to steel pipes." 

New York — Women in the U.S. have saved just a third of the amount that men have set aside for retirement, setting up a potential crisis among female retirees, according to a Prudential Financial survey released on Monday.   On average, men had saved $157,000 for retirement, while women had only put aside $50,000 according to a survey of 905 U.S. adults between the ages of 55 and 75.   "The financial futures of certain cohorts – such as women – are especially precarious," Caroline Feeney, CEO of Prudential's U.S. Businesses, said in a statement. "Women have a more challenging time saving for retirement," she added, citing inflation, housing prices and changes in tax policies as the main barriers.   Compared with the men surveyed, women were three times more likely to be focused on providing for their families and children than saving.   Of the respondents, 46% of men said they were looking forward to retirement and had more plans, compared with 27% of women polled, the survey showed.

New York — In the two years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned women's constitutional right to abortion, political contributions aimed at protecting abortion rights have far outstripped those to support anti-abortion causes. In the 2023-2024 election cycle leading up to the Nov. 5 vote, pro-abortion rights interests have given $3.37 million to federal candidates, political parties, political action committees (PACs) and outside groups, compared to about $273,000 from anti-abortion interests, according to data from OpenSecrets, which tracks money in politics. The level of spending by pro-abortion rights interests is expected to offer a financial boost to the campaigns of some Democratic candidates including U.S. President Joe Biden, who has made protecting abortion rights a central part of his campaign message for reelection. The Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, in 2022 overturned its 1973 Roe v. Wade precedent that had legalized abortion nationwide, prompting 14 states to since enact measures banning or sharply restricting the procedure. Groups like super PACs received 65.8% of contributions from those backing abortion rights in this election cycle, according to a Reuters analysis of OpenSecrets data. Republican candidates and party committees got the bulk — about 75.9% — of contributions from anti-abortion rights interests. PACs are typically set up to gather funds for candidates or political causes. They differ from outside money groups like super PACs, which can receive donations of unlimited size but cannot coordinate with campaigns directly. So far this election cycle, PACs and super PACs allied with anti-abortion causes have raised $3.54 million, while abortion rights groups have raised $15.3 million, OpenSecrets data showed. "The balance of spending between pro-abortion rights and anti-abortion rights groups always reflected the fact that there are more people who support abortion rights than who don't," said Mary Ziegler, a law professor at University of California, Davis. Ziegler said she would not be surprised if political donations to support or oppose abortion rights rose for the 2024 election cycle compared to the 2020 election cycle. 2020 election cycle set records The sums reported so far are dwarfed by those in the 2020 election cycle, in which abortion rights interests poured in $11.33 million in political contributions, with spending in the 2022 midterm election cycle coming in second with $10.67 million in contributions, OpenSecrets data showed. Contributions from anti-abortion interests totaled $6.41 million in the 2020 cycle, and $2.7 million in the 2022 midterm cycle, during which the outcomes for ballot measures and competitive races seemed to suggest that voters were eager to protect abortion access at the state level. With more than four months to go before the November election, it remains to be seen whether contributions this election cycle from abortion rights and anti-abortion causes will outstrip those in the 2020 cycle, when Biden beat the incumbent Donald Trump, a Republican. The impact of political contributions on race outcomes is complicated, Ziegler said, as voters have various priorities at the ballot box. "You can't dismiss the importance of it, but it's not like [more contributions] definitely means ballot initiatives are going to pass, Democrats are going to win, etc. It's not that simple," Ziegler said. During Trump's term as president, which started in 2017, he appointed a third of the current members of the Supreme Court and half of its conservative bloc, with all three of his picks coming from a list compiled by conservative legal activists. Trump's campaign earlier this month said he supports the rights of states to make decisions on abortion, supports exceptions for abortions in cases of rape, incest and life of the mother, and also supports protecting access to contraception and in vitro fertilization. Two of the top contributors to candidates and groups are Planned Parenthood - which advocates for abortion rights — and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America — which lobbies against abortion rights. So far this election cycle, Planned Parenthood has contributed $2.53 million, most of that to liberal groups, the Democratic party and its candidates. Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America has contributed about $92,600, almost all of it to Republican candidates and their party.

Gia Lai Province — Vietnam’s coffee growers have been hit hard by the worst drought in nearly a decade this year, and that could mean a morning espresso is about to get more costly.   The country is the world's second biggest coffee producer and the top producer of robusta beans, the variety most commonly found in espressos and instant coffees.   Domestic forecasts for next season's harvest in Vietnam remain grim, with the nation's Mercantile Exchange expecting a 10-16% fall in output due to the extreme heat.   Doan Van Thang is a 39-year-old coffee farmer from the central Gia Lai province.   “The drought dried up this whole area and the surrounding areas, and the water shortage is so severe that compared to last year, the harvest of coffee cherries is very low. We lost a lot of the output. It’s very small, very low this year.”   With the price of coffee beans hitting a record high, farmers are enjoying the extra cash.   They are also trying out new tactics to protect trees in the heatwave, like letting them grow for longer, allowing their roots to access deeper water reserves.   Growers also soften the soil around plants, or cover it with leaves to improve absorption of rainwater and fertilizers.   And a return of rainfall in recent weeks has improved the outlook, boosting confidence among farmers and officials.   But it remains unclear whether the improved weather conditions and new farming practices will help boost output and drive down prices of robusta beans. “We farmers should be happy when the price increases, but due to this drought, we are not very happy because the price increases but the output decreases. So in general, we're happy and we're sad at the same time because the climate changes erratically, and we can't grasp those changes, so we are more sad than happy because the output has decreased much more compared to previous years.”   The United States Department of Agriculture has been far less pessimistic than domestic projections - estimating Vietnam's next harvest to be roughly steady.   Whatever the impact on the harvest, coffee costs for drinkers around the world are likely to rise.   While record wholesale prices have so far had a limited impact on consumer prices, there are signs that might be changing.   Recent data from Eurostat showed coffee inflation up by 1.6% in the European Union in April and 2.5% in robusta-loving Italy.   That's still well below price rises from a year earlier, but it was higher than 1% in the March EU reading - a sign roasters may have started to pass their higher costs on to consumers.

Paris — The promises are appealing — and expensive.    Vying to oust the centrist government of President Emmanuel Macron in an upcoming two-round parliamentary election June 30 and July 7, French political parties of both the far right and far left are vowing to cut gasoline taxes, let workers retire earlier and raise wages.    Their campaign pledges threaten to bust an already-swollen government budget, push up French interest rates and strain France’s relations with the European Union.    “The snap election could well replace Macron’s limping centrist government with one led by parties whose campaigns have abandoned any pretense of fiscal discipline,’’ economist Brigitte Granville of Queen Mary University of London wrote Thursday on the Project Syndicate website.    The turbulence began June 9 when voters handed Macron a defeat at the hands of Marine Le Pen’s hard right National Rally party in EU parliamentary elections. Macron promptly and surprisingly called a snap parliamentary election, convinced that French voters would rally to prevent the first far-right government from taking power in France since the Nazi occupation in World War II.     Macron is aligned against both Le Pen’s National Rally and the New Popular Front, a coalition of far- to center-left parties.    “The center has kind of evaporated,’’ said French economist Nicolas Veron, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. The National Rally and the New Popular Front are “radical in very different ways, but they’re both very far from the mainstream.’’    The political extremes are benefiting from widespread voter discontent about painful price rises, squeezed household budgets and other hardships. The French economy is sputtering: The International Monetary Fund expects it to eke out weak growth of 0.7% this year, down from an unimpressive 0.9% in 2023.    The political pledges to put money in voters’ pockets sent economists reaching for calculators. Their answer: The costs could be considerable, at least tens of billions of euros.    News of National Rally’s political ascendance sent France’s CAC 40 stock index tumbling to its worst week in more than two years, although the market calmed somewhat last week. Yields on French government bonds also rose on worries about the potential strain on government finances.    Macron acknowledged that National Rally’s economic pledges “perhaps make people happy,” but claimed they would cost 100 billion euros ($107 billion) annually. And the left’s plans, he charged, are “four times worse in terms of cost.’’    Jordan Bardella, the National Rally president gunning to become France’s prime minister in the election, poo-poos the figure cited by Macron, saying it was “pulled out of the government’s hat.” But Bardella has yet to detail how much his party’s plans would cost or to say how they’d be paid for.    Likewise, the New Popular Front’s 23-page list of campaign pledges doesn’t cost them out or detail how they’d be financed. But the coalition vows to “abolish the privileges of billionaires,” taxing high earners, fortunes and other wealth more heavily. It says it doesn’t intend to add to France’s debts.    Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, whose France Unbowed party is fielding the largest number of candidates in the coalition, says its platform would require 200 billion euros ($214 billion) in public spending over five years but would generate 230 billion euros ($246 billion) in revenue by stimulating France’s economy.    Bardella vows to slash sales taxes — from 20% to 5.5% — on fuel, electricity and gas, “because I think there are millions of French people in our country who this year can no longer afford to heat themselves or are forced to limit their trips.” The Paris-based Institut Montaigne think tank estimates the cost of that pledge at between 9 billion and 13.6 billion euros ($9.6 billion to $14.5 billion) annually in lost revenue. France’s Finance Ministry estimates an even bigger dent in public coffers: 16.8 billion euros ($18 billion) per year.    On the left, the New Popular Front pledges to freeze prices for essentials — fuel, energy and foodstuffs — as part of a package to help some of France’s poorest. It’s also promising a considerable bump in the minimum wage, raising it by 200 euros ($214) to 1,600 euros ($1,711) net per month. The Institut Montaigne says that those two pledges together could amount to an annual hit of between 12.5 billion euros ($13.4 billion) and 41.5 billion euros ($44.4 billion) for public finances. It also warns that the wage bump could hurt the economy and jobs by making labor costlier.    Both the left and the right pledge to roll back pension reforms that Macron railroaded through parliament last year in the face of massive street protests, raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 to help finance the pension system. Doing so risks reopening the politically divisive question of how France can continue to adequately fund pensions as its population ages.    Even before the latest political turbulence, France was already under pressure to do something about its unbalanced government budget. The EU watchdogs have criticized France for running up excessive debts. France already is operating with a higher debt load than European neighbors, with its public debt at an estimated 112% of the size of its economy. That compares with less than 90% for the eurozone overall and just 63% for Germany.    The EU has long insisted that member states keep their annual deficits below 3% of gross domestic product. But those targets have often been ignored, even by Germany and France, the EU’s biggest economies.    France’s deficit last year stood at 5.5%. The EU’s Commission recommended that France and six other countries start an “excessive deficit procedure,’’ beginning a long process that can ultimately force a country to take corrective action.    The upcoming election is for the lower house of France’s parliament, the National Assembly. Macron would remain president until 2027 even if his party loses, which might require an awkward “cohabitation’’ with the National Rally on the far right or New Popular Front on the left.    Macron, who had sought to rein in France’s budget deficits, would have a greatly reduced say over economic policy, though he would still oversee foreign and defense policy. With a leftist or rightwing government calling the shots on economic policy, the country’s budget problems would likely go unresolved, leading to higher yields on French bonds.    The nightmare scenario would be a replay of what happened to the United Kingdom in September 2022 when then-Prime Minister Liz Truss spooked financial markets after proposing a wave of tax cuts without cutting any spending to offset them. Truss’ plan immediately sent the values of the British pound and U.K. government bonds tumbling. The Bank of England ultimately had to step in to stabilize financial markets, while Truss quit after just 45 days in office.    Something similar might happen if a right- or left-wing French government chose to ignore the EU’s budget rules and went on a spending spree that sent French bonds tumbling and interest rates higher. The European Central Bank might then be forced to buy French bonds to drive yields lower and calm markets.    “The ECB would be reluctant to come to the rescue of France itself unless and until any future government put in place a credible plan to bring the deficit down,’’ Andrew Kenningham, chief Europe economist for Capital Economics, wrote Thursday. “But if yields were spiraling out of control, it could also be forced to step in, just as the Bank of England did.’’ 

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Manila — The Philippines on Monday denounced Beijing's "aggressive and illegal use of force" during last week's South China Sea clash between its navy and the Chinese coast guard. Chinese sailors wielding knives, sticks and an axe foiled a Filipino attempt a week ago to resupply marines stationed on a derelict warship that was deliberately grounded atop the disputed shoal to assert Manila's territorial claims. A Filipino soldier lost a finger in the clash, with Manila also accusing the Chinese coast guard of looting guns and damaging inflatable boats and other equipment. "We are not downplaying the incident. It was an aggressive and illegal use of force," Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told a news conference. It was the latest and most serious incident in a series of escalating confrontations between Chinese and Philippine ships in recent months as Beijing steps up efforts to push its claims to nearly all of the strategically located waterway. "We will not give up an inch, not even a millimeter of our territory to any foreign power," Teodoro said, restating President Ferdinand Marcos' South China Sea policy. Teodoro said Manila will continue to resupply its warship at Second Thomas Shoal without asking for permission or consent from any other state. Second Thomas Shoal lies about 200 kilometers from Philippine's Palawan island and more than 1,000 kilometers from China's nearest major landmass, Hainan island. Beijing insisted its coast guard behaved in a "professional and restrained" way and blamed Manila for the clash. In previous confrontations Chinese forces have used water cannon and military-grade lasers and collided with Filipino resupply vessels and their escorts. "We see the latest incident in Ayungin (Second Thomas Shoal) not as a misunderstanding or an accident. It is a deliberate act of the Chinese officialdom to prevent us from completing our mission," Teodoro said.  Marcos, addressing the sailors who took part in the resupply mission, said Sunday the country "will not be intimidated or oppressed by anyone" but will "continue to exercise our freedoms and rights in support of our national interest, in accordance with international law."

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AMSTERDAM — Apple's App Store rules breach EU tech rules because they prevent app developers from steering consumers to alternative offers, EU antitrust regulators said on Monday, a charge that could result in a hefty fine for the iPhone maker. The European Commission, which also acts as the European Union's antitrust and technology regulator, said it had sent its preliminary findings to Apple following an investigation launched in March. The charge against Apple is the first by the Commission under its landmark Digital Markets Act which seeks to rein in the power of Big Tech and ensure a level playing field for smaller rivals. It has until March next year to issue a final decision. EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager cited issues with Apple's new terms. "As they stand, we think that these new terms do not allow app developers to communicate freely with their end users, and to conclude contracts with them," she told a conference. The Commission said under most of the business terms, Apple allows steering only through 'link-outs', meaning that app developers can include a link in their app that redirects the customer to a web page where the customer can conclude a contract. It also criticised the fees charged by Apple for facilitating via the App Store the initial acquisition of a new customer by developers, saying they went beyond what was strictly necessary for such remuneration. Apple said it had made a number of changes in the past several months to comply with the DMA after getting feedback from developers and the Commission. "We are confident our plan complies with the law, and estimate more than 99% of developers would pay the same or less in fees to Apple under the new business terms we created," the company said in an email. The EU executive said it was also opening an investigation into the iPhone maker over its new contractual requirements for third-party app developers and app stores and whether these were necessary and proportionate. DMA breaches can cost companies fines as much as 10% of their global annual turnover.

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NEW DELHI — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to an emboldened opposition for "consensus" Monday, as parliament opened following an election setback that forced him into a coalition government for the first time in a decade. Expected in the first session, which will run until July 3, is a preview of Modi's plans for his third term and the likely formal appointment of Rahul Gandhi as leader of the opposition, a post vacant since 2014. Modi's first two terms in office followed landslide wins for his right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), allowing his government to drive laws through parliament with only cursory debate. But now analysts expect the 73-year-old Modi to moderate his Hindu-nationalist agenda to assuage his coalition partners, focusing more on infrastructure, social welfare and economic reforms. "To run the country, a consensus is of utmost importance," Modi said in a speech shortly before entering parliament, calling on the opposition to play a constructive role. "People expect their representatives to debate and discuss issues which are important to the country... they don't expect disturbances or hindrances in the parliamentary proceedings," he said. "People want substance, not slogans." Modi led lawmakers in taking the oath as his cheering supporters thumped their desks in support, and opposition members waved the constitution in protest. He said he was "proud to serve" India. Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Monday called for a "peaceful and productive" session, but Indian media said they expected lively debate with a far stronger opposition. "All set to spar," one headline in the Hindustan Times read Monday. "Resurgent opposition set to push government," said the Indian Express front page. Rahul Gandhi, 54, defied analyst expectations to help his Congress party nearly double its parliamentary numbers, its best result since Modi was swept to power a decade ago. Gandhi is the scion of a dynasty that dominated Indian politics for decades and is the son, grandson and great-grandson of former prime ministers, beginning with independence leader Jawaharlal Nehru. Parliamentary regulations require the opposition leader to come from a party that commands at least 10 percent of the lawmakers in the 543-seat lower house. The post has been vacant for 10 years because two dismal election results for Congress — once India's dominant party — left it short of that threshold.

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.

SYDNEY — State and federal police in Australia are coordinating an investigation into an attack by a masked gang on the Melbourne office of a Jewish lawmaker.   Windows were smashed, and fires were lit, and the slogan "Zionism is fascism" was painted in red over a picture of the face of Josh Burns, a member of Australia’s House of Representatives. Investigators in the state of Victoria believe a group of at least five people broke windows, spray-painted anti-Semitic slogans and threw red paint into Burns' office. Police have confirmed the masked group also started two small fires. No one was hurt in Wednesday’s attack, but residents living in apartments above the lawmaker’s office in Melbourne had to be evacuated. No arrests have yet been made. A chorus of politicians and community groups has condemned the vandalism.   The Anti-Defamation Commission, a Jewish campaign group, said it was an "assault on our democracy and our sense of safety."   Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Australian radio that it was a distressing escalation of tensions that have been inflamed since the start of Israel’s war with Gaza in October.  Burns said the assault on his office was "premeditated, reckless and dangerous" and that he had been targeted in the past by vandals defacing his election posters. He told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that the abuse has been escalating. "Since the war in the Middle East began on Oct. 7, you know, my staff have been at the receiving end of some pretty horrendous comments and abuse on the phones," he said. "You know, I really do not want to see an escalation in political violence in Australia. We do not want to see a conflict on the other side of the world to be arriving here on our communities and our streets and in our neighborhoods. We want to remain the wonderful and peaceful multicultural Australia, where people are respected and free to live their lives in the Australian way."     Australia has said Israel has the right to defend itself after the Oct.. 7 attack by Hamas militants. Australia advocates a two-state solution in which Israel and a future Palestinian state coexist within internationally recognized borders.    Earlier this month, pro-Palestinian graffiti was daubed on the offices of senior government officials, including Attorney General Mark Dreyfus and Immigration Minister Andrew Giles. Police in Victoria state have been monitoring suspected crimes incited by the conflict in Gaza. Around 200 incidents have been reported, and 60 people have been arrested for alleged criminal damage and offensive behavior. Official data has shown that of the incidents reportedly linked to religious affiliation, 88 related to antisemitic attacks and 16 involved Islamophobia.   A Victorian police spokesperson has said previously that there was "no place in our community for hate crimes of any kind."