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Nigeria is grappling with the worst cost of living crisis in decades. With 31 million Nigerians projected by the U.N. to face acute hunger this year, a Lagos food bank has begun partnering with farmers to collect surplus produce. The aim is to make sure it ends up on families' tables instead of going to waste. Timothy Obiezu reports from Lagos.

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Israel’s military announced a “tactical pause” Sunday in daytime fighting around a critical aid route in Gaza. The plan falls short of a total cease-fire outlined by U.S. President Joe Biden. 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.

Stockholm — A Swede freed in a prisoner swap with Iran, 33-year-old EU diplomat Johan Floderus, said in his first words since his release that he was "in seventh heaven", in a video published Sunday. In the video obtained by AFP from the Swedish government, Floderus can be heard speaking to Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson by satellite phone while on a flight home from Iran on Saturday. "I'm in the sky and I feel emotionally like I'm in seventh heaven. I've been waiting for this for almost 800 days," an audibly exhilarated Floderus told a smiling Kristersson. "I've dreamt of this day so many times," he said, adding: "It's beginning to sink in that I've left Iran's airspace and am on my way home." Floderus could later be seen hugging his family members at Stockholm's Arlanda airport after he landed, in images released by the Swedish government. Floderus was arrested in Iran as he was about to return home from a holiday in April 2022. He was accused of espionage, for which he risked a death sentence. He and another Swedish national, Saeed Azizi, were released on Saturday in exchange for Hamid Noury, a 63-year-old Iranian former prisons official handed a life sentence in Sweden in 2022 for his role in mass killings in Iranian jails in 1988. A Swedish court had convicted Noury of "grave breaches of international humanitarian law and murder". He had said he was on leave during the period in question. Swedish officials have defended their decision to issue a pardon for Noury, amid criticism from exiled Iranians in Sweden, among others. "Under normal circumstances, Hamid Noury should have served his prison sentence," Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer told reporters late Saturday. "On the other hand, we had an exceptional situation, with two Swedish citizens detained in Iran on arbitrary grounds, with the risk of a death sentence in one of the cases." "This was a difficult decision, but one the government had to take," Strommer said. Another Swede, dual national and academic Ahmad Reza Jalali, has been on death row in Iran since 2017 after being convicted of espionage. His wife has criticized the Swedish government for not including him in the prisoner swap. Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said Stockholm had tried to secure his release, but Tehran refused to discuss his case as it does not recognize dual nationality. "Unfortunately, Iran refuses to recognize him as a Swedish citizen," Billstrom said.

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VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Sunday pleaded for an end to violence and civilian deaths in North Kivu, a conflict-stricken province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.  At least seven people were killed there on Friday and Saturday after people took to the streets to protest a surge in deadly attacks by suspected Islamist rebels.  "Painful news continues to arrive of attacks and massacres carried out in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo," Francis told crowds gathered in St. Peter's Square.  "I appeal to national authorities and the international community to do everything possible to stop the violence and safeguard the lives of civilians," he said during his Sunday Angelus message.  The pope deplored the "many Christians" killed in the conflict, saying "they are martyrs."  Francis also renewed calls for peace in Ukraine, Israel and the Palestinian territories, Sudan, Myanmar "and anywhere people suffer from war."  

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Berlin — German police said Sunday they shot and wounded a man who was threatening them with an axe and a firebomb in the northern city of Hamburg, hours before it hosted a match in the Euro 2024 soccer tournament.  Police officers opened fire after the man refused to lay down the ax, hitting him in the leg, German news agency dpa reported, citing Hamburg police. German media published images of a person lying in the street surrounded by paramedics and police officers.  The incident occurred in the downtown St. Pauli area of the northern port city, which was thronged with fans ahead of Sunday's soccer match between the Netherlands and Poland.  The police spokesman said there was no initial indication that the incident was related to the soccer game.  German authorities have put police on high alert during the tournament, which began on Friday and runs through July 14, for fear of possible fan violence and terrorist attacks.  On Friday, police shot to death an Afghan man after he fatally attacked a compatriot and later wounded three people watching the televised game between Germany and Scotland in a town in eastern Germany. Police said Sunday that the motive for that attack was still unclear. 

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MELBOURNE, Australia — Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Sunday promised a new pair of giant pandas to a zoo and urged Australia to set aside its differences with Beijing at the outset of the first visit to the country by China's second-highest ranking leader in seven years.  China's most powerful politician after President Xi Jinping arrived late Saturday in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia state, which has produced most of the Australian wine entering China since crippling tariffs were lifted in March that had effectively ended a 1.2 billion Australian dollar ($790 million) a year trade since 2020.  Li's trip has focused so far on the panda diplomacy, rebounding trade including wine and recovering diplomatic links after China initiated a reset of the relationship in 2022 that had all but collapsed during Australia's previous conservative administration's nine years in power.  Relations tumbled over legislation that banned covert foreign interference in Australian politics, the exclusion of Chinese-owned telecommunications giant Huawei from rolling out the national 5G network due to security concerns, and Australia's call for an independent investigation into the causes of and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Beijing imposed an array of official and unofficial trade blocks in 2020 on a range of Australian exports including coal, wine, beef, barley and wood that cost up to AU$20 billion ($13 billion) a year.  All the trade bans have now been lifted except for Australian live lobster exports. Trade Minister Don Farrell predicted that impediment would also be lifted soon after Li's visit with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao.  Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Li's visit was the result of "two years of very deliberate, very patient work by this government to bring about a stabilization of the relationship and to work towards the removal of trade impediments."  "We will cooperate where we can, we will disagree where we must and we will engage in our national interest," Wong said before joining Li at Adelaide Zoo, which has been home to China-born giant pandas Wang Wang and Fu Ni since 2009.  Li announced that the zoo would be loaned another two pandas after the pair are due to return to China in November.  "China will soon provide another pair of pandas that are equally beautiful, lively, cute and younger to the Adelaide Zoo, and continue the cooperation on giant pandas between China and Australia," Li said in Mandarin, adding that zoo staff would be invited to "pick a pair."  Wong thanked Li for ensuring that pandas would remain the zoo's star attraction.  "It's good for the economy, it's good for South Australian jobs, it's good for tourism, and it is a signal of goodwill, and we thank you," Wong said.  Li's visit is the first to Australia by a Chinese premier in seven years and marks an improvement in relations since Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's center-left Labor Party was elected in 2022.  Li noted that Albanese in November was the first Australian prime minister to visit China since 2016.  "China-Australia relations were back on track after a period of twists and turns," Li said on arrival on Saturday, according to a translation released by the Chinese Embassy in Australia on Sunday. "History has proven that mutual respect, seeking common ground while shelving differences and mutually beneficial cooperation are the valuable experience in growing China-Australia relations."  Hundreds of pro-China demonstrators, human rights protesters and democracy activists gathered outside the zoo before Li's visit.  Among the protesters was former Hong Kong lawmaker Ted Hui, who fled to Australia three years ago to avoid a prison sentence for his activism. He said the panda offer was a cynical move to soften China's image and to distract from the government's human rights failings.  "It's a public relations move by the Chinese regime and, disappointingly, the Australian government is reciprocating by welcoming him and shaking hands," Hui said.  Hui said Li showed cowardice by entering the zoo by a rear entrance while most of the protesters and China supporters had gathered at the main entrance. But Hui and other protesters were able to shout slogans at Li from a distance inside the zoo.  Li's agenda became more contentious after he left Adelaide and arrived in the national capital, Canberra, late Sunday for Parliament House meetings on Monday with Albanese and other political figures. Li will visit a Chinese-controlled lithium processing plant in resource-rich Western Australia state on Tuesday.  Albanese has said he will raise with Li recent clashes between the two countries' militaries in the South China Sea and Yellow Sea that Australia argues endangered Australian personnel.  Albanese will also raise the fate of China-born Australian democracy blogger Yang Hengjun, who was given a suspended death sentence by a Beijing court in February. Australia is also concerned for Hong Kong-Australia dual national Gordon Ng, who was among 14 pro-democracy activists convicted by a Hong Kong court last month for national security offenses.  Li's visit to Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia's processing plant south of the Western Australia capital of Perth will underscore China's interest in investing in critical minerals. The plant produces battery-grade lithium hydroxide for electric vehicles.  Australia shares U.S. concerns over China's dominance in the critical minerals, which are essential components in the world's transition to renewable energy sources.  Citing Australia's national interests, Treasurer Jim Chalmers recently ordered five Chinese-linked companies to divest their shares in the rare earth mining company, Northern Minerals.  Asked if Chinese companies could invest in processing critical minerals in Australia, Wong replied that Australia's foreign investment framework was "open to all."  "We want to grow our critical minerals industry," Wong said.  Australia is the second stop of Li's tour after New Zealand, and will end in Malaysia.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Islamabad — Afghanistan’s Taliban government said Sunday it will send a delegation to the two-day United Nations conference on Afghanistan, set to commence in Doha, Qatar, June 30. This will mark the first time the de facto Afghan rulers will attend a gathering of international envoys on Afghanistan since U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres started the process over a year ago, aimed at developing a coherent and unified world approach to engagement with the Taliban. Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief Taliban spokesman, told an Afghan television channel Sunday that their government had held internal discussions on the agenda for the third Doha conference and agreed to participate. “We will announce the composition of the delegation later, God willing. We believe this will serve the interest of Afghanistan,” Mujahid said in his interview, aired by TOLO News. He defended the decision and did not mention any conditions from their government, saying they consider any meetings facilitating humanitarian aid and investment in Afghanistan to be crucial. The U.N. has stated that the third Doha meeting aims to increase international engagement with the Taliban and Afghanistan at large "in a more coherent, coordinated and structured manner.” Guterres did not invite the Taliban to the first Doha meeting in May 2023, and the Afghan rulers refused an invitation to the second this past February. The fundamentalist Taliban had asked the U.N. during the lead-up to the second Doha meeting to only recognize their delegates as the country's official representatives. This meant that Afghan civil society leaders and women's rights activists would not be allowed to be present. The Taliban authorities also sought a meeting between their delegation and the U.N. at “a very senior level.” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres rejected the conditions. The international community does not recognize the Taliban government, as many of its top leaders remain under terrorism-related U.N. sanctions. Mujahid did not specify any conditions for their involvement in the forthcoming Doha conference. Curbs on women Sunday’s Taliban announcement comes amid persistent calls from Afghan and global rights monitors to ensure women’s representation at the table in the Doha meeting, with women’s and girls’ rights at the center of discussions. The hardline Taliban stormed back to power in Afghanistan almost three years ago, imposing sweeping curbs on women’s right to education and public life at large in line with their harsh interpretation of Islam. Afghan girls ages 12 and older are banned from attending secondary school, while women are prohibited from public and private workplaces, including the U.N., except for Afghan health care and a few other sectors. Women are not allowed to travel long distances by road or air unless accompanied by a close male relative and are banned from visiting public places such as parks, gyms, and bathhouses. The elusive Taliban supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, has rejected international criticism of his governance, including restrictions on women, as an interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs. The Taliban's ban on educating girls reached 1,000 days last week, with UNICEF, denouncing it as a "sad and sobering milestone and demanding its immediate removal. “For 1.5 million girls, this systematic exclusion is not only a blatant violation of their right to education but also results in dwindling opportunities and deteriorating mental health," UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said. The Taliban’s return to power in August 2021 has led to the worsening of economic and humanitarian conditions in the impoverished nation of more than 40 million people, reeling from years of war and the devastation of natural disasters. The World Food Program estimates that more than a quarter of the population needs food assistance for survival. “More than 12 million people in Afghanistan do not know where their next meal will come from,” the U.N. agency stated.

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.

London — The UK general election is being watched closely after stark warnings that rapid advancements in cyber-tech, particularly AI, and increasing friction between major nations threaten the integrity of 2024's landmark votes. "These rogue and unregulated technological advances pose an enormous threat to us all. They can be weaponized to discriminate, disinform and divide," the head of Amnesty International Agnes Callamard said in April. The UK election on July 4 -- four months before the United States -- will be seen as the "guinea pig" for election security, said Bruce Snell, cyber-security strategist at US firm Qwiet AI, which uses AI to prevent cyber-attacks. While AI has grabbed most of the headlines, more traditional cyber-attacks remain a major threat. "It's misinformation, it's disruption of parties, it's leakage of data and attacking specific individuals," said Ram Elboim, head of cyber-security firm Sygnia and a former senior operative at Israel's 8200 cyber and intelligence unit. State actors are expected to be the main threat, with the UK already issuing warnings about China and Russia. "The main things are maybe to promote specific candidates or agendas," said Elboim. "The second is creating some kind of internal instability or chaos, something that will impact the public feeling." The UK has an advantage over the United States due to the short time period between announcing and holding the election, giving attackers little time to develop and execute plans, said Elboim. It is also less vulnerable to attacks on election infrastructure as voting is not automated, he added. Deepfakes But hacking of institutions remains a threat, and the UK has already accused China of being behind an attack on the Electoral Commission.  "You don't have to disrupt the main voting system," explained Elboim. "For example, if you disrupt a party, their computers or a third party that affects that party, that's something that might have an impact."  Individuals are most at risk of being targeted, he added. Any embarrassing information could be used to blackmail candidates. But it is more likely the attacker will simply leak information to shape public opinion or use the hacked account to impersonate the victim and spread misinformation. Former Conservative party leader Iain Duncan Smith, a fierce Beijing critic, has already claimed that Chinese state actors have impersonated him online, sending fake emails to politicians around the world. However, it is the increased scope for using AI to create and distribute misinformation that is the real unknown quantity in this year's elections, said Snell. The spread of "deepfakes" -- fake videos, pictures or audio -- is of prime concern. "The levels of potential for fakery are just tremendous. It's something that we definitely didn't have in the last election," said Snell, calling the UK a "guinea pig" for 2024's votes. He highlighted software that can recreate someone's voice from a 30-second sample, and how that could be abused. Labour's health spokesman Wes Streeting has said he was a victim of deepfake audio, in which he appeared to insult a colleague. Bot farms Snell advised authorities to focus on a "shortcut" solution of "getting awareness out there, having people understand that this is the issue." Other software can be used to make fake pictures and videos, despite filters on many AI applications designed to prevent the depiction of real people. "AI is, while very sophisticated, also extremely easy to fool" into creating images of real people, said Snell. AI is also being used to create "bots", which automatically flood social media with comments to shape public opinion. "The bots used to be really easy to spot. You'd see things like the same message being repeated and parroted by multiple accounts," said Snell. "But with the sophistication of AI now... it's very easy to generate a bot farm that can have 1,000 bots and every one have a varying style of communication," he added. While software already exists to check if videos and pictures have been generated using AI to a "high level of competency", they are not yet used widely enough to curb the problem. Snell believes that the AI industry and social media firms should therefore take responsibility for curbing misinformation "because we're in a brave new world where the lawmakers have no idea what's going on."

Paris — Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned on Sunday that President Emmanuel Macron's unexpected decision to dissolve the National Assembly and call for snap legislative elections could backfire and plunge the country into chaos. Macron called the snap vote, to be held in two rounds on June 30 and July 7, after his centrist alliance was trounced by the far-right National Rally (RN) in last Sunday's European Parliament ballot. Sarkozy, the conservative former president who was in office from 2007 to 2012 and remains an important political figure, said possible chaos triggered by the dissolution of the assembly might be challenging to get out of, according to a report in the Journal du Dimanche.  "Giving the floor to the French people to justify the dissolution is a curious argument since this is precisely what more than 25 million French people have just done at the polls", Sarkozy, who is on friendly terms with Macron, said in reference to the European elections on June 9. "The risk is great they confirm their anger rather than reverse it," he said. A poll on Saturday appeared to support his concerns. The OpinionWay-Vae Solis poll conducted for Les Echos and Radio Classique forecast RN would lead in the first round of the parliamentary election with 33% of the vote, ahead of the Popular Front, the alliance of left-wing parties, with 25%. Macron's centrist camp had 20%. Thousands marched in Paris and cities across France on Saturday to protest against the far-right National Rally (RN) ahead of the upcoming elections.