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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's visit to China marks the latest effort by Ankara to establish itself at the center of a strategic trade route between Europe and China. But analysts say Beijing's suspicions over Ankara's support of Chinese Uyghur dissidents remain an obstacle. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.

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.

Washington — Unrelenting attacks on international shipping by Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen are taking a toll on commerce and aid efforts despite attempts by the United States and its partner to dampen the effects. A just-released report by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) finds Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden have affected at least 29 companies across more than 65 countries, driving up costs in multiple ways.  "As of mid-February, insurance premiums for Red Sea transits have risen to 0.7-1.0% of a ship’s total value, compared to less than 0.1% prior to December 2023," according to the DIA report. The report also noted companies that continue to transit the region face increased costs for additional “war risk” insurance and bonuses for crew members. As a result, the DIA assessment found container shipping through the Red Sea, which normally accounts for up to 15% of international maritime trade, fell by 90% from December 2023 through mid-February of 2024. Shipping companies seeking to avoid the Red Sea are also seeing increased costs, with trips around Africa adding about $1 million to the price of the journey. There is also a cost to aid efforts. “As of February, humanitarian relief for Sudan and Yemen is being delayed by weeks and costing aid organizations more because of longer routes around Africa,” the report said. In all, the DIA counted at least 43 Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden between November 19 [2023] and March 23. The Houthis have said their campaign in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden is in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza amid the war between Israel and Hamas. And the attacks show little sign of slowing down. According to U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations across the Middle East, Houthis militants in Yemen have launched at least 10 missiles, two aerial drones and one surface drone against targets in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since Sunday [June 9]. On Wednesday, a Houthi-launched naval drone hit the M/V Tutor, a Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned ship that had recently been docked in Russia, CENTCOM said. The attack caused severe flooding and damage to the engine room. This past December, the U.S. and eight other countries launched Operation Prosperity Guardian to help protect ships in the region from Houthi attacks. In February, the European Union launched its own mission, ASPIDES, to help further protect maritime traffic.  The U.S. and its allies have also conducted a series of strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen to deter further attacks on shipping, most recently late last month.  

With a robust field of candidates representing a spectrum of political ideologies and a highly diverse media environment across 27 states, European Parliament elections were genuinely competitive and fair.

Artists and other creators say their works have been used to build the multibillion-dollar generative AI industry without any compensation for them. Matt Dibble reports on a proposed U.S. law that would force AI companies to reveal their sources.

Tbilisi, Georgia — Many foreign-funded non-governmental organizations in Georgia say they will not comply with a new foreign agent law that came took effect this month, setting up a showdown with the government ahead of October elections.  The law would force any organization receiving more than 20% of its funding from overseas to register with the government as a foreign agent. Opponents say Georgia’s legislation is based on a similar crackdown in Russia and have dubbed it the “Russian law." They fear the ruling Georgian Dream Party is increasingly copying Moscow’s playbook to stifle scrutiny and criticism. In recent months, the government has launched a propaganda campaign against many NGOs and media organizations, accusing them of acting on behalf of foreign governments and undermining the Georgian state. Among their prime targets is Eka Gigauri, executive director of Transparency International, which has exposed government corruption.  Across the capital, Tbilisi, government propaganda posters feature Gigauri’s face with a threatening red mark scrawled across it, alongside similar depictions of other civil society figures. The captions accuse them of becoming enriched by foreign money or trying to sell out the Georgian state. “Personally, it's not so easy, but you are getting used to such things. At the end of the day, I have realized that I'm fighting for the right cause. I'm serving my country,” Gigauri told VOA in an interview earlier this month, adding that Transparency International will refuse to comply with the new law. “We will not live under the Russian law here. So, that's why we will not register. And this is the decision of each and every person who works for [Transparency International]. “This is the matter of dignity for us. We are the patriots of this country. We were serving this country for many years and the people of this country. And we are not going to put on ourselves the sign of ‘agent’ or ‘spy’ who was undermining the state's interest,” he said. Last week, the United States announced sanctions, including travel bans, against dozens of Georgian officials who supported the legislation.  “These actions risk derailing Georgia’s European future and run counter to the Georgian constitution and the wishes of its people,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters on June 7. Miller did not name the individuals singled out for travel bans, citing visa confidentiality laws. Supporters of the new law insist it is necessary to ensure transparency in public debate, dubbing it the "American law,” comparing it with the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act. “I think that every country that has respect for itself should have a similar law. So, we took an example from the United States, where the government makes sure that everything is transparent to it,” said Fridon Injia of the Party of European Socialists, which is closely aligned to Georgian Dream.  Legal experts reject that comparison, noting that the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act was passed in 1938 to counter lobbying on behalf of the Nazi government, while Georgia’s foreign agent law targets nonprofit civil society organizations. Media threat Georgia’s free press is also in the government’s sights. Publika, a small, independent media organization that mainly publishes online, also refuses to register as a foreign agent. “For me, the most unacceptable part is this label as an ‘agent,’ Publika’s editor-in-chief, Lika Zakashvili, said. “Because you imagine that we are a media outlet. We are journalists, and someone is coming here and wants to share their story against, for example, the government, or against some institution. And you are [labeling us] a foreign agent. You are losing your trust.  “It's just to make our work impossible here. And now the second goal … is to demonize the Western world,” Zakashvili told VOA. The new law gives authorities sweeping investigative powers against organizations and individuals, said Aka Zarqua, executive editor at the Governance Monitoring Center, which scrutinizes government spending and conduct. “You have to give them full financial disclosure of your own expenditures, all personal and sensitive information about your expenditures, and private communications," he told VOA. They also have the right to require from employees different information, like personal chats.”  Zarqua said the risks for a small, independent media organization like his are huge and could force it to close, “dismantling the whole civil infrastructure in Georgia.” Some NGOs are seeking ways to circumvent the law, including registering in other European countries such as Estonia — a tactic used by civil society organizations in Russia, Zarqua said. “The Georgian Dream Party is not the first to introduce such a law. It was implemented in Russia already in 2012, so there is some kind of experience there. So, we will try to use this experience and to just prolong our existence here as a non-governmental organization.” Zarqua said the future of his organization depends on the outcome of the fall elections.  “It could be a very different world after October 26,” he said.

Nairobi — The top U.S. law enforcement officer has concluded a five-day visit to Kenya, pledging to continue working with the East African nation to ensure peace and stability in the region. FBI Director Christopher Wray said there was a need for continued cooperation and collaboration with Kenyan security agencies to deal with ongoing terror threats from groups such as al-Shabab. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation will partner with Kenya's security agencies to enhance operations for the stability of Kenya and the region. Speaking at Kenya's Department of Criminal Investigations (DCI), FBI Director Christopher Wray said there was a need to work together to stop criminals who threaten the country and global peace and stability.  "I have said before that the bad guys are not constrained by international borders, so the good guys should not be either. And together, leveraging our collective insights and authorities and perspectives, we're making a huge impact on the threats we face. Terrorism, of course, is very much top among them," he said. While in Kenya, the FBI head visited shopping malls, a national park, and the Dusit D2 Hotel, which was attacked by al-Shabab militants in January 2019, resulting in the deaths of 21 people. In February 2020, a year after the Dusit D2 hotel terror attack, the FBI and the U.S. State Department partnered to assist Kenya in creating the Joint Terrorism Task Force, which consists of the country's security agencies and some ministries. The agencies rely on each other's expertise to fight threats. Kenyan security agencies have been accused of lacking coordination in dealing with terrorists when they storm populated areas like the Westgate Mall attack in 2013 and the Garissa University attack in 2015.  Kenya's head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Amin Mohamed, said the Joint Terrorism Task Force has helped his country provide better security to its citizens and visitors. "Our various security agencies were operating in silos. Then we said, why can't we all bring them like a one-stop shop, whereby now we can exchange information and ideas. And we have really registered a lot of success," he said. Kenyan security expert Richard Tuta said a security collaboration can defeat criminals who have defied borders. "I think what is of importance is that aspect of collaboration. Collaboration in terms of intelligence gathering, intelligence analyzing and intelligence dissemination. That is something that is very important because one thing that we should agree among us, all of us, is that it takes a network to beat a network. Criminals are networked, so security agencies must be networked," said Tuta. He said there are also more persistent security threats and challenges in the world that will require U.S. support for Kenya to manage. “Some aspects of crime defies country boundaries, like, for instance, matters to do with human trafficking, drug trafficking, terrorism, other issues, like, for instance, matters to do with cybercrime. All of it now, it requires a concerted effort to counter such like aspect of crime," said Tuta. The al-Qaida-linked terror group al-Shabab has been unsuccessful in conducting terror attacks in the capital, Nairobi, for the last couple of years, but the group continues to carry out attacks against government forces and civilians in northeastern and coastal regions that border Somalia. In his five-day visit to Nairobi, Wray met with the ethics and anti-corruption agency head and officials, and focused on countering corruption, money laundering, and other economic crimes. Washington said it will provide support, training, and modern investigation tools to help agencies prosecute economic crimes suspects that have contributed to terrorism and insecurity in the continent.  Kenyan government agencies hope the visit will make them better prepared to manage the security of the country and, if need be, the region. 

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 flotilla of Russian warships has arrived in Cuban waters to carry out joint maneuvers with Cuban armed forces, a visit that Moscow and Havana assure does not represent a threat to the region. Western governments are watching closely. Jonathan Spier narrates this report by Ricardo Marquina.

BORGO EGNAZIA, ITALY — The United States said Thursday it and other G7 members will provide Kyiv with a loan of up to $50 billion that will be paid back to Western allies using interest income from Russian assets frozen in Western financial institutions. The announcement came as U.S. President Joe Biden meets with leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy democracies Thursday at the luxury resort of Borgo Egnazia in Puglia, Italy, on the first day of their summit. Biden has been pushing G7 leaders to agree to his plan for Western allies to provide funds up front to Ukraine and to be paid back using interest income from the $280 billion in immobilized Russian assets. The frozen funds are expected to generate an interest income of $3 billion a year or more. The $50 billion loan will be paid back with the interest income for 10 years or more or until Russia pays reparation. The European Union in May had agreed on a less aggressive plan, which would provide Ukraine with the interest income as it is generated annually. Other G7 countries are expected to declare how much they’re willing to provide to Ukraine. The U.S. will not be the only lender but part of a “lending syndicate” with other G7 members. However, a senior administration official told reporters Thursday that the U.S. is willing to front the full $50 billion if needed.  The money can be made available “this calendar year” depending on how quickly Ukraine will be able to absorb it. “USAID has loan authority already established from Congress,” the official told VOA during the briefing for reporters. “There's not a set schedule that is required or a capped amount, but we have decided that we can provide up to $50 billion.” Under EU rules, the sanctions regime that freezes the funds must be unanimously renewed every six months by the bloc’s 27 member states. The official said that Germany, France, Italy, the European Commission and the president of the European Council have “committed” to keep the loan immobilized and will seek approval from the full membership of the EU. However, other requirements need to be worked out, including adoption by the EU as well as contracts between lenders, Ukraine and any intermediaries, the official said. In April, Biden signed legislation to seize the roughly $5 billion in Russian assets that had been frozen in U.S. financial institutions. The bulk of the frozen money, $190 billion, is in Belgium, and much of the rest is in France and Germany. Much is still unknown about the plan. However, the U.S. goal is to have a leaders’ declaration at the end of the summit that lays out a “framework that is not generic, that is quite specific in terms of what it would entail,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told VOA Wednesday. Core operational details still need to be worked out, he said. Attending the summit for the second consecutive year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is advocating for the deal to pass. He and Biden are scheduled to sign a separate bilateral security agreement outlining U.S. support for Ukraine and speak in a joint press conference Thursday evening.

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.

Washington — Russian authorities on Thursday said that American journalist Evan Gershkovich is to stand trial in the city of Yekaterinburg where he was detained over a year ago on charges his employer says are bogus. The Russian prosecutor general’s office said an indictment of Gershkovich has been finalized and his case filed to the Sverdlovsky Regional Court in Yekaterinburg. The city is about 1,400 kilometers east of Moscow. Gershkovich, a Russia correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, has been in custody since his arrest in March 2023 on espionage charges. The 32-year-old is accused of “gathering secret information” about a facility in the Sverdlovsk region that produced and repaired military equipment, the Prosecutor General’s office said in a statement. Gershkovich, his employer and the U.S. government all deny the accusations and the U.S. State Department has declared the reporter wrongfully detained. It is the first time that Russia has publicly detailed the accusations against the journalist. No evidence to substantiate the accusations has been provided in the case against Gershkovich, who was accredited by the Foreign Ministry to work in the country. Russia’s Washington embassy did not immediately reply to VOA’s email requesting comment. It is unclear when the trial will take place. Press freedom experts have previously told VOA a trial will almost certainly be a sham, but that it is a necessary step to securing Gershkovich's release through a prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington. Gershkovich is one of two American journalists currently jailed in Russia. The second — Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Alsu Kurmasheva — has been jailed since October 2023 on charges of failing to self-register as a so-called foreign agent and spreading what Moscow views as false information about the Russian military. Kurmasheva, a dual U.S.-Russian national, has denied the charges against her. The U.S. government has also called for her immediate release. Some information in this report came from the Associated Press.

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.

Brussels — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Ukraine should be able to hit military targets inside Russia to defend against attacks. “Ukraine has the right to strike military targets on Russian territory [as] part of the right for self-defense, and we have the right to support them in defending themselves,” Stoltenberg said Thursday, in response to a question from VOA at NATO headquarters in Brussels, where allies and partners were holding the 23rd meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG). The U.S.-led group brings together about 50 nations to coordinate military support for Kyiv in its fight against Russia’s illegal invasion.   Stoltenberg welcomed the decision by various allies and partners to loosen restrictions on the use of weapons against “legitimate military targets” inside Russia, which started the war by illegally invading Ukraine. “If they [Ukrainians] were not able to do so, then we would actually ask them to try to defend themselves, uphold the right of self-defense, with one hand tied on their back,” he said. “Self-defense is not escalation.” Stoltenberg said Ukraine’s right to cross-border strikes has become more obvious since Russia opened a new front to the north in Kharkiv and began attacking the area directly from Russian territory. “The border and the frontline is more or less the same, and of course, if the Russian forces, the artillery, the missile batteries, were safe as soon as they were on the Russian side of the border, it would become extremely difficult for Ukrainians to defend themselves,” he said. The U.S. recently gave Ukraine permission to strike ground targets inside Russia, specifically to defend against cross-border attacks on the Kharkiv region. Last week, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said the United States has “never” put restrictions on Ukrainians shooting down hostile aircraft, “even if those aircraft are not necessarily in Ukrainian airspace.” Retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, the former head of U.S. Central Command, told VOA this week that Ukrainians should be able to fire on any military targets inside Russia that's attacking Ukraine, “but with certain limits” on areas such as Russian nuclear capable sites. “You can't give them a sanctuary there,” he said. “I think that has significantly hurt the Ukrainian ability to respond this latest offensive.” Reconsidering restrictions For more than a year, the United States would not provide long-range tactical ballistic missiles known as ATACMS to Kyiv due to administration concerns that Russia would view their use for attacks inside Russian territory as an escalation of the war. ATACMS have a range of up to 300km and nearly double the striking distance of Ukraine’s missile arsenal. In late April, the U.S. first acknowledged that it had provided Ukraine with the long-awaited missiles in mid-March. Since then, the United States has announced four presidential drawdown authority packages (PDAs) for Ukrainian security assistance, totaling $1.9 billion, which pull from U.S. military stockpiles to provide Ukraine’s military with immediate needs. Asked by VOA whether the United States had provided Ukraine with more ATACMS since mid-March, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown said, “We’re working through the ATACMS piece, and we continue to provide that capability through our PDAs.” Brown was speaking to reporters aboard a U.S. military aircraft enroute to Brussels for the UDCG. The Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies reported Wednesday that Ukraine used at least 10 ATACMS in a strike against military targets deep inside Crimea this week, with Russia “failing to intercept any of them.” Russia also confirmed the use of ATACMS on targets inside Crimea, but claimed nine of the ATACMS were shot down, according to the Russian state media outlet TASS. Ukraine's military said Wednesday it had hit three Russian surface-to-air missile systems in Russian-occupied Crimea overnight. “One S-300 division near Belbek, as well as two S-400 divisions near Belbek and Sevastopol were attacked. Two radars of the S-300 and S-400 systems were destroyed. Regarding the third radar, information is being clarified,” Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said in a statement on X. Brown said the focus of Thursday’s Ukraine Defense Contact Group’s meeting would prioritize Ukrainian air defense, along with sustainment and the ability to train and equip Kyiv’s new forces. “Air defense is one of those things that, as we engage with the Ukrainians, that is the top of their list,” Brown said. Germany has announced it is providing Ukraine with another Patriot surface-to-air missile defense system, and Italy has announced it will deliver a SAMP-T air defense system to Ukraine. The New York Times and the Associated Press report that the United States is also providing another Patriot system, citing defense officials who were granted anonymity to discuss the move. The UDCG has also worked to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jet capability sometime during “this summer,” according to Brown. A number of Ukrainian pilots recently graduated from F-16 training in the U.S. state of Arizona, with more pilots and jet maintainers expected to complete training at various locations in the coming weeks. “It gives them some options in order to be able to extend the range of some of the munitions that they already have,” Brown said of the F-16s. McKenzie told VOA the Western fighter jets “can make a significant difference” for Ukraine, “especially if you allow shots into Russia.” “It will probably allow you to go after some of the standoff Russian airborne platforms that are dropping glide bombs and other weapons that are going deep into Ukraine,” he added. Speaking at the opening of Thursday's meeting, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the group has committed more than $98 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded 840 days ago. He also welcomed Argentina as the newest member of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. Ostap Yarysh in Washington contributed to this report.

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.