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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.

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.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is heading a coalition government as he begins a third term in office. His dependence on regional allies has raised questions about how effectively he will be able to pursue the transformational changes he promised ahead of the elections. From New Delhi, Anjana Pasricha has a 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.

Tokyo — Japanese laws making it easier for the country to deport failed asylum seekers took effect Monday, with campaigners warning that the new system will put lives at risk. The world's fourth-largest economy has long been criticized for the low number of asylum applications it accepts. Last year refugee status was granted to a record 303 people, mostly from Afghanistan. Now the government can deport asylum seekers rejected three times, under immigration law changes enacted last year. Previously, those seeking refugee status had been able to stay in the country while they appealed decisions, regardless of the number of attempts made. The revised law is "meant to swiftly deport those without permission to stay and help reduce long-term detentions," justice minister Ryuji Koizumi said in May. "Those who need protection will be protected, while those who violate the rules will be dealt with sternly," he said. Critics have raised concerns over the transparency of Japan's screening process, warning that the new rules could heighten the risk of applicants facing persecution after repatriation. "We're strongly concerned that the enforcement of this law will allow refugees who have fled to Japan to be deported, and endanger their lives and safety," the Japan Association for Refugees said on social media platform X. The group called for a "fair" system to be established instead that "protects asylum seekers in Japan according to the international standards." As of May, more than 2,000 Ukrainians were living in Japan under a special framework that recognizes them as "evacuees."

Wellington, New Zealand — Chinese Premier Li Qiang will visit New Zealand this week, Prime Minister Chris Luxon said Monday, a rare visit expected to focus on bolstering trade while setting aside security concerns. Li will be the first Chinese premier to visit New Zealand since 2017, embarking on a trip that is widely expected to also take him to Australia. China is New Zealand's largest export destination, and Wellington has been one of Beijing's closest partners among Western democracies. Relations have become strained in recent years as China has looked to expand its military and diplomatic reach across the Pacific. "I look forward to warmly welcoming Premier Li in New Zealand," Luxon said in a statement. "The premier's visit is a valuable opportunity for exchanges on areas of cooperation between New Zealand and China." Luxon said Li — China's number two official — would arrive to a ceremonial welcome and official dinner "later this week," before a series of bilateral meetings. Li follows a string of high-powered Chinese delegates who have made the trip to New Zealand in recent months. Foreign Minister Wang Yi held high-level talks during a visit to the capital, Wellington, earlier this year. New Zealand's recently elected center-right government has pivoted toward closer ties with Australia and the United States. It has also been mulling its involvement in the landmark AUKUS security pact between Washington, Canberra and London — a move that would greatly irritate China. New Zealand's foreign minister in May hit out at China's bid for an increased security presence in the Pacific Islands, warning against actions that could "destabilize" or undermine regional security. "New Zealand and China engage where we have shared interests, and we speak frankly and constructively with each other where we have differences," Luxon said on Monday. "Our relationship is significant, complex and resilient." Smoothing differences Jason Young, an expert on China-New Zealand relations, said Li's visit showed both sides were willing to set aside these disagreements. "The high-level visit in itself is a win," said Young, from New Zealand's Victoria University. "It's primarily designed for both sides to demonstrate that many challenges in the relationship are being managed." With China's economy showing signs of slowing down, diplomats and trade officials were looking to "engage with as many markets as they can," Young said. "New Zealand already has close to a third of our exports going to China. We're kind of at saturation point. Whereas for China, there's a lot more momentum to improve relations," he said. Li is expected to visit Australia after New Zealand, although Canberra has yet to confirm that leg of the trip. "The potential visit of the Chinese premier will be confirmed in the usual way," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters on Monday. China and Australia have been patching up their relationship in the wake of a bitter and costly trade dispute. Starting in 2020, a slew of Australia's most lucrative export commodities were effectively banned from China. But as relations have improved under a new government in Canberra, China has dropped tariffs on Australian beef, barley and wine, halted an import ban on timber and resumed shipments of coal.

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned of a new response against South Korea if the South continued with loudspeaker broadcasts and scattering leaflets. "If the ROK simultaneously carries out the leaflet scattering and loudspeaker broadcasting provocation over the border, it will undoubtedly witness the new counteraction of the DPRK," Kim Yo Jong said in a statement late Sunday carried by state news agency KCNA, using the official names of South and North Korea. South Korea resumed loudspeaker broadcasts directed at North Korea on Sunday, its military said, following through on a warning that it would do so if Pyongyang kept sending balloons carrying trash into the South. North Korea on Saturday launched about 330 balloons with trash attached; about 80 of them landed over the border, South Korea's military said. On Monday South Korea said a further 310 balloons had been launched, with about 50 landing in the South. "This is a prelude to a very dangerous situation," said Kim, a vice department director in the ruling Workers' Party, referring to the South's loudspeaker broadcasts. Pyongyang started sending balloons carrying trash and fertilizer, including possible manure, across the border in May, calling it retaliation for anti-North leaflets flown by South Korean activists as part of a propaganda campaign. "Seoul does not want military tension at the inter-Korean border, and Pyongyang does not want outside information threatening the legitimacy of the Kim regime," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. "For both sides, ‘escalating to deescalate’ is a risky proposition." The U.S.-led United Nations Command, which oversees the armistice that established the Demilitarized Zone between the two Koreas as fighting ended in the 1950-1953 Korean War, has said it is investigating the balloons, including the reports of possible fecal matter and other waste products. "We’d hope that everyone would come to the table to resolve their issues," said U.S. Army Colonel Isaac Taylor, a spokesman for United Nations Command. North Korea has in some cases fired weapons at the balloons and speakers. South Korea stopped the broadcasts under an agreement signed by the two Koreas’ leaders in 2018, but tensions have increased since then as Pyongyang pushed ahead with weapons development. South Korea's broadcasts include world news and information about democratic and capitalist society, with a mix of popular K-pop music. The sound is believed to travel more than 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) into North Korea. North Korean troops have been seen clearing trees and building fences within the Demilitarized Zone in recent weeks. Taylor said that United Nations Command does not assess that the intent of the work is to enable a "disparate" military buildup in the border zone, which would be a violation of the armistice. He noted that since North Korea's recent declaration that unification with the South is no longer a goal, it has pursued measures to "harden" its boundaries.

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.

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.

In Sudan's North Darfur state, displaced people and doctors say the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces are attacking hospitals and camps in the capital, El Fasher. Meanwhile, nonprofit groups say the world is paying little attention as a city that was supposed to be a haven for those forced out of their homes by war is being torn apart. Henry Wilkins has the story.

Far-right parties made major gains in European Union parliamentary elections, dealing stunning defeats to two of the bloc’s most important leaders: French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday (June 9) said he would dissolve parliament and call new legislative elections later this month. We talk with Matt Klink a political consultant with Klink Campaigns. Benny Gantz, a centrist member of Israel’s three-man war Cabinet, announced his resignation Sunday. And hundreds of naked cyclists rode through London and Mexico City streets to protest against car culture and demand rights for cyclists.

LOS ANGELES — Tens of thousands of people lined the streets of Hollywood on Sunday for the L.A. Pride Parade, one of the biggest events during a month of celebrations honoring the LGBTQ+ community in and around Los Angeles.  Rainbow flags ruled the day as revelers cheered the lively procession that featured "Star Trek" star and activist George Takei as the Icon Grand Marshal.  "As someone who has witnessed the struggles and triumphs of our community over the years, I am filled with gratitude for the progress we have made and inspired to continue the fight for full acceptance and equality for all," Takei said in a statement.  The parade's Community Grand Marshal was L.A. Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley. The department's first openly gay chief said she was "overjoyed" by the honor.  Following the parade, the L.A. Pride Block Party offered DJs, live performances, food trucks and a beer garden.  On Saturday night, Latin pop superstar Ricky Martin headlined a concert dubbed Pride in the Park at Los Angeles State Historic Park.  Other events scheduled for Pride Month include celebrations at Dodger Stadium and Universal Studios Hollywood. 

BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombia marked the first anniversary Sunday of the rescue of four Indigenous children who survived a small plane crash in the Amazon rainforest in an operation that gripped the world's attention. A small ceremony was held in a Bogota military base that included an emotional reunion between soldiers and Indigenous volunteers.  But the four children, who were found in a remote patch of rainforest a year ago after fending for themselves for 40 days, still face an uncertain future as authorities wait for a case worker to decide who should be awarded custody.  The siblings from Colombia's Huitoto tribe were 13, 9, 4 and 11 months old when the single-engine plane they were traveling in nosedived into the rainforest's canopy, killing their mother, Magdalena Mucutuy, and the other two adults on board. The group was traveling from the small village of Araracuara, deep in the Colombian Amazon, to the town of San Jose del Guaviare.  On Sunday, Colombia's Institute for Family Welfare posted a photo of the four children with their faces blurred on its X account, formerly Twitter, and published a statement saying they were healthy and were growing up successfully under state care.  "The Mucutuy siblings today spend their days enjoying life and learning. They have been accompanied by a team that specializes in ethnic affairs and works so that they don't lose their customs while they are far from their territory," the statement read.  The siblings survived on fruits and seeds from the rainforest before they were found on June 9 by a team of special forces soldiers and Indigenous volunteers. They had been combing the rough terrain around the plane crash for three weeks and used sniffer dogs and helicopters to locate the children.  However, a custody battle over the children broke out after their rescue that pitted their maternal grandparents against their deceased mother's partner, Manuel Ranoque.  Ranoque is the biological father of the two youngest children, Tien and Cristin. He also lived with the two older children and their mother for several years before the crash.  Ranoque was imprisoned in August over accusations that he had sexually abused one of the children before the crash.  In October, prosecutors in Colombia formally charged Ranoque with sexually assaulting a minor, an accusation he denies and says he will challenge in an upcoming trial.  On Sunday some of the relatives of the Mucutuy children also joined the soldiers and volunteers who were part of last year's rescue effort, known as "Operation Hope." They heard a mass and shared a barbecue with the rescue team and spoke briefly with the local press.  "I'm sad because I am still not with the children," Fatima Valencia, the children's grandmother, told Colombia's Caracol TV. "But I am very thankful to those who helped us rescue them."