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President Joe Biden says he’s restricting asylum to help “gain control” of the U.S.-Mexico border. Mexico’s newly elected president faces a long list of challenges, including persistent cartel violence, a deeply divided country, and cash-straitened social programs. This week marks the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy demonstrations in China. Veterans are in France to attend the 80th anniversary on Thursday of the D-Day landings, which will be marked with several ceremonies attended by world leaders

Hong Kong — Hong Kong police arrested four people and detained five others Tuesday as authorities sought to stamp out commemorations of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in mainland China on its 35th anniversary.  Police were out in force patrolling Hong Kong’s Victoria Park, where an annual candlelight vigil had been held until recent years. As police patrolled the area, including the two closest subway stations, they did not hesitate to take away people who were publicly marking the anniversary. Police late Tuesday said they made four arrests, including a 68-year-old woman who was chanting slogans, and suspected to have committed offenses "in connection with seditious intention," which carries a sentence of up to seven years in jail under a new domestic security law - known locally as Article 23. Videos from local media showed a woman shouting "The people will not forget." Three other people were arrested, including a 24-year-old man and a 69-year-old woman for allegedly attacking police officers and disorderly conduct, and a 23-year-old man on assault charges for allegedly attacking two security guards. Police told VOA the two men arrested were a Swiss and a Japanese national. Five other people were taken in for questioning over suspicion of disrupting public peace, but have been released, police said. Officers led away an elderly man who had held up two handwritten posters listing democracy movements in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan alongside a poem commemorating June 4. The police action came even though he folded his papers after being warned he would be arrested for “disorderly conduct,” according to a French news agency reporter who tweeted about the incident. Police told VOA they could not immediately provide information about this case, but he was reportedly released later. Separately, diplomats from Western countries were seen walking outside the park on Tuesday evening, followed by throngs of press, according to Hong Kong Free Press. Ahead of the anniversary, police detained performance artist Sanmu Chen in Causeway Bay, the busy Hong Kong shopping district where the park is located. Before officers approached him, Chen wrote the Chinese characters “8964,” which refer to the date of the crackdown, with his finger in the air. He also mimed the Chinese traditional tomb sweeping ritual of pouring wine onto the ground to mourn the dead, according to local media Hong Kong Free Press. He was released the same night, Hong Kong police told VOA. Local media reported several other people, including an activist who shouted, "People will not forget," were also taken away, while police searched and questioned a woman whose phone flashlight was turned on. In the past week, eight people were arrested for allegedly posting “seditious” messages, reports say. For years, the vigil in Victoria Park drew thousands of participants. At its height, 500,000 people gathered in remembrance of the crackdown, making Hong Kong the only place in China where June 4 commemorations could be held. For a time, it was also the world’s largest commemorative Tiananmen Square event. The vigils, however, disappeared after Beijing imposed its 2020 national security law on Hong Kong in response to widespread and sometimes violent 2019 protests over a later-rescinded extradition bill. The measure would have allowed authorities to send suspected financial criminals to the mainland for trial. The 2020 law criminalizes secession, subversion, collusion with foreign forces and terrorism. While the government credits it with restoring order, critics say it has curtailed Hong Kong’s freedoms, including the right to hold events like the vigil, that last major one of which was held in 2019. 2024 law Planners of past vigils tell VOA that authorities remain worried large-scale events could still be used as a platform for broader protest. The government appears to have confirmed those concerns with this year’s passage of Article 23, a domestic security measure that expands on the national security law, criminalizing and expanding penalties for offenses including sedition, secession and subversion. Addressing reporters on Tuesday, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said “different people may use different excuses to hide their intentions.” “It’s important we all bear that in mind, to be on guard all the time against attempts to cause trouble to Hong Kong, particularly disturbing public peace,” he said. One-time vigil organizer Richard Tsoi, a member of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, said Article 23 makes even small commemorations riskier. “Now with Article 23, the penalty is higher … so the risk is higher,” said Tsoi, who served eight months in prison after defying the government’s ban on holding the vigil in 2020. The group disbanded the following year. Some people, however, are commemorating privately. One activist posted a picture online of a wooden cross, flowers and a card with the words “People Will Not Forget” positioned by what appears to be Victoria Harbor. So far, no one has been arrested for posting images, but local media reported a former district councilor's display of candles in his shop was removed after a visit by plainclothes police officers. The Tiananmen Square crackdown occurred when government troops fired on student-led pro-democracy protesters on June 4, 1989. Hundreds, possibly thousands, died. At the park, one elderly man said there was no need to commemorate June 4. “It was a tragedy, but it’s over; just let it go. Now the mainland and Hong Kong are doing so well. I hope they don’t organize any more protests; it was terrible for Hong Kong’s economy,” said the man. He declined to reveal his name because he considers the topic sensitive. “Wherever you live, you hope it is peaceful and stable.” Asked if he was worried about the loss of Hong Kong’s freedom of expression, he said, “Everyone’s definition of freedom is different. You think freedom is like this. I think freedom is like that.... I need stability so that the economy is good and people can make a living.” Farther away, a young mother described fond memories of participating in one of the vigils as a teenager. “It was very peaceful. It was to let us remember what happened,” said April, using a pseudonym to protect her privacy. She now feels “helpless” about what had become of her beloved Hong Kong and “confused” about the events of the 2019 protests: who was in the wrong — violent protesters or police — and whether foreign influence was involved. “I try not to think about it,” she said. “I used to support fighting for justice, but now I think I should just shut my mouth.” Silence and lack of commemorations could mean future generations won’t know about Tiananmen — or at least not as much, Tsoi said. Since the end of the vigils, no place, not even democratic Taiwan, has been able to replace Hong Kong’s role in commemorating the crackdown. “If this continues, people will forget this incident, the related history and the truth, especially the new generation,” he said, adding that Hong Kong textbooks have heavily redacted accounts of that historic event, and books on the topic have been removed from libraries and most bookstore shelves. “I think the 1989 movement and June 4th is a major incident in ... China’s modern history, which still affects today. There are still many unanswered questions, such as why the government decided at the time to clear the square, and how many people died,” Tsoi said. “Such a major incident shouldn’t be forgotten; it should be examined.” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday expressed support for anyone reflects on the events of that one day in June of 1989. "As Beijing attempts to suppress the memory of June 4, the United States stands in solidarity with those who continue the struggle for human rights and individual freedom," he said. Staff at the U.S. consulate and European Union office in Hong Kong lined windowsills with candles, which were visible after dusk.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas on Tuesday said it could not agree to a peace deal without a clear Israeli position on a permanent cease-fire and complete withdrawal from Gaza. The decision followed Israeli leaders’ pledge to continue military operations until Hamas is destroyed, despite a cease-fire proposal announced by President Joe Biden days earlier. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara 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.

Trenton, New Jersey — Representative Andy Kim won the Democratic Senate primary in the U.S. state of New Jersey on Tuesday, putting him in a strong position for the general election in the blue-leaning state. The win comes a day after Democratic Senator Bob Menendez filed to run as an independent amid his federal corruption trial.  Kim, a three-term congressman who launched his campaign after charges against Menendez were announced last year, rose to the top in the state's dominant political party over a relatively short period. A former Obama national security official, he defeated an incumbent Republican in a 2018 House race and won a court ruling that toppled a unique-to-New Jersey system widely viewed as giving political bosses influence over who wins primaries.  "Our win today is a stunning victory for a people-powered movement that mobilized against corruption and stood up to the machine politics of New Jersey," Kim said in a statement.  Kim's victory comes after a bruising start to the primary, when a battle between him and New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy began to take shape. Murphy, a first-time candidate and the spouse of Governor Phil Murphy, bowed out of the contest, saying she did not want to engage in a negative campaign against a fellow Democrat. On Tuesday, Kim defeated labor leader Patricia Campos-Medina and longtime grassroots organizer Lawrence Hamm, who remained on the ballot.  Menendez, a three-term incumbent senator, declined this year to seek re-election as a Democrat but filed Monday in Trenton to run as an independent. He has said he hopes to be cleared of the charges this summer.  Democrats' tight hold on control of the Senate means they can hardly afford a competitive race in a state widely viewed as safe for the party. It's unclear how the trial of Menendez will end and how his candidacy could affect the race. Republicans are eager to exploit his run as a wedge to divide the Democratic vote. 

A report released Tuesday says hate and extremism in the United States rose in 2023, with record numbers of white nationalists and anti-LGBTQ groups trying to undermine the country’s inclusive democracy. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias breaks down the researchers’ findings and the implications for the November presidential election.

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.

On May 31, U.S. troops concluded first joint exercises practicing the reinforcement of Northern Finland in case of an attack from Russia. Both Norway and Finland have recently signed new defense pacts with the U.S. military giving access to bases in the far north of their territories. In this report for VOA, Henry Wilkins speaks to Finland's minister of defense and U.S. officers about what this means for the region.

Washington — In late May, the Faktor Druk printing plant in Kharkiv was hit during a missile attack. Serhii Polituchyi, CEO of Faktor Druk Corp., which owns the plant, rushed to the scene, arriving before firefighters, and watched as the building was engulfed in flames. Seven of his employees were killed and 21 wounded. According to Ukrainian authorities, the Russian military attacked Kharkiv and the neighboring city of Lubotyn with 15 missiles on May 23. One landed at Faktor Druk, the largest printing facility in Ukraine and one of the largest in Europe, destroying its binding shop — a 4,000-square-meter modern facility — and other critical equipment. The plant printed about 40% of all books in Ukraine, including school textbooks. Before the full-scale invasion, it took orders from 16 European countries and the United States. "The capacity allowed printing up to 50 million books per year, plus up to 100 million copies of magazines and 300 million newspapers. This is a huge blow to the industry," said Ihor Solovey, head of the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security, a Ukrainian government institution. Destroying Ukrainian identity Polituchyi said he thought that Russians were deliberately targeting the book publishing facility, pointing to four other missiles landing in the close vicinity of the printing facility. Solovey said it was the third printing house in Kharkiv hit by Russian missiles. "This is a direct attack by the Russians on the Ukrainian language," said Rostyslav Karandieiev, Ukraine's acting minister of culture and information policy. According to the Ukrainian Book Institute, Russian strikes and other aggressive actions have destroyed 174 libraries and almost 2 million books. The Smithsonian Institution, located in Washington, has also documented the massive destruction of Ukraine’s book publishing facilities, some of which are designated as cultural heritage sites, as well as libraries and archives. The Smithsonian, with its partners, such as at the Heritage Monitoring Lab in Ukraine, uses satellite sensing and imagery and on-the-ground examination to monitor conditions in Ukraine. In their recent assessment of potential damage to sites in Ukraine from the beginning of the invasion through April 30, 2024, Katharyn Hanson, head of research at the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative, told VOA that they concluded that up to 143 sites identified as libraries or archives have been potentially damaged. Its research in Donetsk Oblast found that cultural buildings had more than a 20% chance of being damaged compared with about a 13-14% chance for any other civilian buildings, including hospitals. "This finding leads us to believe with some confidence that cultural buildings were deliberately targeted in the region," she said. The Smithsonian's report, titled "Potential Damage to Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Sites," identified that between February 24, 2022, and April 30, 2024, potential damage was caused to 2,122 out of 28,710 cultural heritage sites in Ukraine, with the memorials and places of worship being the most affected. "Damage and looting to Ukrainian cultural heritage sites may represent criminal acts, [that] violate the 1954 Hague Convention, and be potential war crimes or crimes against humanity," the report says. The 1954 Hague Convention, to which Russia and Ukraine are member states, obligates its signature states to "respect" and "safeguard" cultural objects during armed conflict. After the hit, Russian Telegram channels spread information that the printing house in Kharkiv produced drones for the Ukrainian army, debunked by Ukrainian fact-checker Gwara media. Leading up to the 2022 full-scale invasion, Russian President Vladimir Putin published a lengthy essay arguing that "true sovereignty of Ukraine is possible only in partnership with Russia" because of the ties formed during" their shared history. They are, therefore, "one people." In the course of the invasion and occupation, Ukrainian authorities and human rights groups documented Russians targeting the expression of Ukrainian national identity, including speaking or reading in the Ukrainian language. In its March 2024 report, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights details violence and intimidation employed by Russia to impose Russian language, laws and education while "suppressing expressions of Ukraine" culture and identity." "Ukrainians opposing occupation or expressing their identity as Ukrainians were labeled as Nazis," the report says. "The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights has specifically warned that this denial of Ukrainian identity and history as a justification for war violates Ukrainians' right to self-determination." Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2024, claiming the Russian military was seeking the "denazification" of its neighboring country. Ukraine and Western nations condemned the actions, with the EU and Western countries leveling harsh economic sanctions against Moscow and providing military, food and medical aid to Kyiv. Ukraine's capital of book publishing The Buffett Foundation announced that it would help to rebuild the facility and replace the equipment. In a written reply to VOA, Howard Buffett, the son of billionaire Warren Buffett, said the foundation estimates it will spend at least $8 million. Despite focusing primarily on civilian needs in Ukraine, the foundation thought allocating funds to help the publisher was important. "Putin is actively targeting for destruction and occupation any civilian infrastructure that represents Ukrainian identity, including this publisher of textbooks for Ukrainian schools. This war is as much about affirming Ukrainians' right to exist as a people in a sovereign nation as it is about deterring Russian aggression that threatens the Western world," Howard Buffett wrote. The printing facility will remain in Kharkiv, a city 20 kilometers from the Russian border, which has been experiencing an almost-daily barrage from Russian drones and missile strikes. "Historically, Ukraine's vast majority of printing capacities are concentrated in Kharkiv. Experts believe that Kharkiv printing houses provide up to 80% of the total volume of printing services," Oleksandra Koval, director of the Ukrainian Book Institute, told VOA. Since the early 19th century, when a printing shop of Kharkiv University became one of the leading printing facilities in Ukraine under the Russian empire, the city has been attracting book publishers and writers. Factor Druk’s Polituchiy said that modern book printing requires a high degree of specialization, and most of these specialists live in Kharkiv, the second-largest city in Ukraine. He said that moving a printing plant with complex equipment to a safer area of the country would be prohibitively expensive. He plans to rebuild the printing plant and hopes that it will not be hit by another Russian missile or drone.

washington — China said it opposes a deployment of nuclear weapons to South Korea as it would pose danger to regional countries. Beijing was reacting to a report suggesting the United States should take such a measure to enhance deterrence against threats from North Korea.  "If the U.S. deploys tactical nuclear weapons in Asia-Pacific region, it will be a dangerous move that will seriously threaten the security of regional countries and undermine regional peace and stability," said Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington.  "We will continue to handle Korean Peninsula affairs based on their merits and our own position," he said in a statement sent to VOA on Monday. The embassy spokesperson described China's position on the Korean Peninsula as ensuring peace and stability and advancing political settlement that suits the common interests of all parties.  The remarks were made in response to a report released May 29 by U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, calling for a major boost to U.S. military buildup and readiness against countries such as North Korea and China. In the report, "Peace Through Strength," Wicker suggested the U.S. explore new options, such as a "nuclear sharing agreement in the Indo-Pacific and re-deployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in the Korean Peninsula."     He said these would "bolster deterrence on the Korean peninsula" as North Korea "continues to build more nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles capable of striking the United States and our allies in the Indo-Pacific."  In response to Wicker's report, a U.S. State Department spokesperson told VOA's Korean Service on Friday that "the United States does not assess returning nuclear weapons to the Indo-Pacific as necessary at this time" and "has no plans to forward deploy nuclear weapons to the Korean peninsula."  The spokesperson continued, "U.S. security commitments to allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region are steadfast and U.S. extended deterrence commitments to the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Australia remain ironclad."   In 1991, the U.S. withdrew from South Korea its nuclear weapons, which had been stationed there since the late 1950s. The U.S. has been providing extended deterrence commitment to South Korea and Japan, which means the U.S. military would use its full range of capabilities, including nuclear weapons, to defend its allies.   Washington and Seoul will hold their third Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) meeting next week in Seoul to discuss ways to enhance extended deterrence, South Korea's Defense Ministry said Tuesday.    The NCG was set up under the Washington Declaration announced in April last year when U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol held a bilateral summit in Washington.    On Sunday, after the U.S., South Korean and Japanese defense chiefs met in Singapore, the three countries announced they will conduct their first trilateral, multi-domain exercises, dubbed Freedom Edge, this summer.    Robert Peters, a research fellow for Nuclear Deterrence and Missile Defense at the Heritage Foundation, told VOA via email, "The United States should seriously consider redeploying nonstrategic nuclear weapons to [South] Korea" as they would help strengthen deterrence.  Nonstrategic nuclear weapons refers to low-yield tactical nuclear weapons designed to be used on the battlefield.  However, Thomas Countryman, who recently served as acting undersecretary of arms control and international security under the Biden administration, said "such a deployment would draw [South Korea's] attention away from building conventional capabilities that are more essential to continued deterrence."  Out of 200 tactical nuclear weapons the U.S. has in its active inventory, 100 are located in Europe and the other 100 are stored as a strategic reserve in the U.S, according to Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the RAND Corporation.  "With the Russian aggression over Ukraine, it is hard to imagine the United States taking any significant number of weapons out of Europe," said Bennett.    "With China on the rise, the United States will be inclined to leave its strategic reserve in the United States and certainly not deploy it in South Korea where it could potentially be vulnerable to Chinese or North Korean interdiction," he continued.  Gary Samore, former White House coordinator for arms control and weapons of mass destruction during the Obama administration, said, "The U.S. military opposes the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons or any nuclear weapons to [South] Korea, because they would be vulnerable to a North Korean attack."  Japan would not object to the U.S. deployment of nuclear weapons in South Korea "as long as they remain under U.S. control," said David Maxwell, vice president of the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy. "It is only when South Korea develops its own nuclear weapons, would it potentially kick off an arms race in 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.

JUBLJANA, Slovenia — Slovenia became the latest European Union country to recognize an independent Palestinian state after its parliament approved the move with a majority vote on Tuesday, dismissing a call for a referendum on the issue by the largest opposition party. The government last week decided to recognize Palestine as an independent and sovereign state following in the steps of Spain, Ireland and Norway as part of a wider effort to coordinate pressure on Israel to end the conflict in Gaza. "Today's recognition of Palestine as a sovereign and independent state sends hope to the Palestinian people in the West Bank and in Gaza," Prime Minister Robert Golob said on X. The vote was scheduled for Tuesday, and a parliamentary group for foreign affairs on Monday endorsed the government decision with a majority vote. The right-wing Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) of former Prime Minister Janez Jansa, however, then submitted a proposal on a consultative referendum on the recognition bid, which would have delayed the vote for at least a month. The SDS, the largest opposition party, argued that it was not the right time to recognize an independent Palestinian state, and that the move would only award the "terrorist organization Hamas." After the ruling coalition, which holds a majority in Slovenia’s 90-member parliament, tried to find the way around the referendum demand and proceed with the vote, the SDS withdrew its proposal but submitted it again hours later. The parliament committee for foreign affairs declared it inadequate and dismissed it at an extraordinary session. The decision was approved with 52 votes and nobody against it after the opposition SDS party had left the session. Previously, EU members Sweden, Cyprus, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria had already recognized a Palestinian state. Malta has said it could follow soon. Israel has been fighting against Hamas, which rules Gaza, since the cross-border Oct. 7 attack by militants in which some 1,200 people were killed and over 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Nearly 130 hostages are believed to remain captive in Gaza. Gaza health authorities say more than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war over the past seven months.

white house — Despite Israeli leaders pledging to continue military operations until Hamas is destroyed and Hamas saying it cannot accept a deal without Israeli commitment to a permanent cease-fire, mediators from the United States, Egypt and Qatar continue to push through a cease-fire proposal that President Joe Biden said last week had been agreed to by Israel. VOA White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara spoke with National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby about why Biden chose to announce the proposal instead of the Israelis, and what the challenges are to reaching a truce in Gaza. The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. VOA: President Joe Biden announced the cease-fire proposal on behalf of the Israelis, and then he rallied the G7 and the U.N. Security Council to support it. Can you explain the thinking behind his strategy? National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby: It was important to lay bare to the public what this proposal said, especially right after it was transmitted to Hamas, so that everybody can see how impactful this can be, so everybody can see what the eventual outcome might be, which is a permanent cessation of hostilities as a possibility from Phase Two. Also, because we want to make sure that Hamas knows that the world now knows what's in this proposal and what's at stake. VOA: Is the strategy partly to empower Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu not to buckle under pressure from his right-wing governing partners? How confident is the president that the Israelis will go through with this? Kirby: The Israelis have said it themselves – it's their proposal, they're signing up to it, they're acknowledging it, they're owning it, as they should. And we have every expectation that they'll continue to back this proposal because it is theirs and it is in their interest. It's also in Hamas' interest. They say they want the war to end; this is a path to end that war. VOA: I understand what happens now is we'll wait for the formal response from Hamas, however ... Kirby: Well, look, there could be some bartering and negotiations going forward. We'll see what Hamas comes back with.  VOA: The U.S. has said that it supports Israel's goal to destroy Hamas' governing and military capabilities. Are the administration and Israel aligned in terms of the parameters of what that means? Kirby: We believe that we are aligned, that we both want to see the hostages home. Certainly, the Israelis want that. We want to see a Gaza that is not governed by Hamas. We want to see a Hamas that can't threaten Israel the way they did on Oct. 7. And we believe through our conversations with our Israeli counterparts that they too want to see the suffering in Gaza alleviated. Now, that said, they have a right and responsibility to continue to go after Hamas. And we're going to continue to help them do that. How they do that matters, and we're still having conversations with them about what's going on in Rafah. VOA: We have the experience of Iraq, to understand what the implications of rooting out the Baath Party means. Does our understanding of that inform our strategy toward what Israel should do with Hamas? Kirby: We're not trying to compare this to the Baath Party in Iraq in that situation. These are totally two different situations. Look, we agree with Israel, not on everything, certainly. But we agree with them on the big things: They shouldn't have to live next door to a terrorist threat. They shouldn't have to be victimized the way they were on the 7th of October. They shouldn't have to see Gaza governed by Hamas. All of those things are true. And we're going to continue to work with them to defeat that threat. At the same time, it's important for this war to come to an end, as the president said, and the best way to do that is to get those hostages out because that leads to a temporary cease-fire, which can lead to a more permanent cessation of hostilities. VOA: Phase One is a six-week full and complete cease-fire, according to the president. Can Israel target Hamas leaders during this time? Kirby: They are allowed to continue, of course, their operations in Rafah unless or until we get a cease-fire in place. If we can get this hostage deal inked, if Hamas agrees to it, then an immediate cease-fire takes place for six weeks. And that means that there will be no military operations in Rafah or anywhere else in Gaza. VOA: Including targeting of Hamas leaders?  Kirby: The fighting comes to an end for the period of the cease-fire. VOA: Including on targets? Kirby: The fighting comes to an end. VOA: You said the Israel Defense Forces' recent actions in Rafah have not reached your definition of a major ground operation, which the U.S. does not support without credible Israeli plans to protect civilians. But hundreds have been killed just in recent days, and a million people have fled from Rafah. Isn't this, in effect, the same result that the U.S. wants Israel to avoid? Kirby: Look, we don't want any civilian casualties, whether it's from a targeted operation, an airstrike or something bigger than that. The right number of civilian casualties is zero. None of them are acceptable, nor should they be acceptable. But we have not seen Israel go into Rafah in a large, concerted, concentrated way. We have not seen major ground operations in Rafah. They are doing what they said they were going to do –going after Hamas leaders in a targeted, precise way. We're going to continue to watch this, obviously, and watch it closely. VOA: Why is a major ground operation the criteria for the U.S. red line when most of the civilians have been killed in airstrikes? Why not the number of civilian deaths as the red line, if you say that the correct number is zero? Kirby: The correct number is zero. And again, what we've told the Israelis is what the president said: that if they go in a heavy-handed way, major ground operations in Rafah in the population centers, that's going to cause us to have to relook at our own Gaza policy and the support that we're providing them. We have not seen them take that sort of a step right now. And again, we're watching it closely. 

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washington — Federal health advisers voted Tuesday against a first-of-a-kind proposal to begin using the mind-altering drug MDMA as a treatment for PTSD, handing a potentially major setback to advocates who had hoped to win a landmark federal approval and bring the banned drugs into the medical mainstream.  The panel of advisers to the Food and Drug Administration sided 10-1 against the overall benefits of MDMA when used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. They cited flawed study data, questionable research conduct and significant drug risks, including the potential for heart problems, injury and abuse.  "It seems like there are so many problems with the data — each one alone might be OK, but when you pile them on top of each other … there's just a lot of questions I would have about how effective the treatment is," said Dr. Melissa Decker Barone, a psychologist with the Department of Veterans Affairs.  The FDA is not required to follow the group's advice and is expected to make its final decision by August, but the negative opinion could strengthen FDA's rationale for rejecting the treatment.  The vote followed hours of pointed questions and criticisms about the research submitted on MDMA — sometimes called ecstasy or molly. Panelists pointed to flawed studies that could have skewed the results, missing follow-up data on patient outcomes, and a lack of diversity among participants. The vast majority of patients studied were white, with only five Black patients receiving MDMA, raising questions about the generalizability of the results.  "The fact that this study has so many white participants is problematic because I don't want something to roll out that only helps this one group," said Elizabeth Joniak-Grant, the group's patient representative.  The FDA advisers also drew attention to allegations of misconduct in the trials that have recently surfaced in news stories and a report by the nonprofit Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, which evaluates experimental drug treatments. The incidents include a 2018 report of apparent sexual misconduct by a therapist interacting with a patient.  Lykos Therapeutics, the company behind the study, said it previously reported the incident to the FDA and regulators in Canada, where the therapist is based. Lykos is essentially a corporate spinoff of the nation's leading psychedelic advocacy group, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, or MAPS, which funded the studies. The group was founded in 1986 to promote the benefits of MDMA and other mind-altering substances.  MDMA is the first in a series of psychedelics — including LSD and psilocybin — that are expected to come before the FDA in the next few years. The panel's negative ruling could further derail financial investments in the fledgling industry, which has mainly been funded by a small number of wealthy backers.  MDMA's main effect is triggering feelings of intimacy, connection and euphoria. When used to enhance talk therapy, the drug appears to help patients process their trauma and let go of disturbing thoughts and memories.  But the panel struggled with the reliability of those results, given the difficulties of objectively testing psychedelic drugs.  Because MDMA causes intense, psychological experiences, almost all patients in two key studies of the drug were able to guess whether they had received the MDMA or a dummy pill. That's the opposite of the approach generally required for high-quality drug research, in which bias is minimized by "blinding" patients and researchers to whether they received the drug under investigation.  "I'm not convinced at all that this drug is effective based on the data I saw," said Dr. Rajesh Narendran, a University of Pittsburgh psychiatrist who chaired the panel.  Panelists also noted the difficulty of knowing how much of patients' improvement came from MDMA versus simply undergoing the extensive therapy, which totaled more than 80 hours for many patients. Results were further marred by other complicating factors, including a large number of patients who had previously used MDMA or other psychedelics drugs recreationally. 

Peshawar, Pakistan — As the United Nations and the Taliban prepare to discuss Afghanistan in Doha, Qatar, on June 30, a New York-based global women's rights advocacy nongovernmental organization has urged the U.N. to demand the Taliban ensure full and equal participation of Afghan women, peacebuilders and human rights defenders in all discussions about Afghanistan's future.  During forthcoming meetings, the U.N. Security Council should demand that "the Taliban immediately reverse all policies and practices that restrict the full enjoyment of women's human rights, in accordance with Afghanistan's international obligations, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), as well as relevant Security Council resolutions," the group, the Working Group on Women, Peace and Security, said in a communication posted May 30 on its website.  Since taking power nearly three years ago, the Taliban have systematically violated women's human rights in both policy and practice by codifying gender-based discrimination across nearly every aspect of public and private life, including the recent announcement that the Taliban intend to resume public stoning of women as punishment for adultery, the group said in the digital communication "Monthly Action Points for the Security Council June 2024."  Afghan rights activists say the upcoming Doha meeting is an opportunity for the United Nations to raise the issue of restrictions on Afghan women with the Taliban.  Shinkai Karokhail, an Afghan women's rights activist based in Canada, told VOA that the call for inclusion of Afghan women in conversations about their future is of critical significance.   "Afghan women inclusion is important given their significant sufferings and exclusion from societal, economic and political life due to political changes in Afghanistan," said Karokhail, who added the Doha meeting agenda should prioritize the concerns of the Afghan community.   Azizuddin Maarij, a London-based Afghan rights activist, said women must be part of the upcoming Doha meeting.   "The meeting should invite women, men and civil activists who have actively worked for Afghan women's rights," Maarij told VOA via Skype.   Adela Behram, an Afghan women's rights activist and former Afghan presidential adviser, told VOA the international community should put pressure on the Taliban to change their ban on the education of women.   The Doha meeting scheduled for June 30 will be the third gathering on Afghanistan in Qatar's capital since U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres initiated the process in May 2023, in a bid to increase interaction with Afghan Taliban "in a structured manner."  The Taliban have not officially announced that they will participate in the Doha meeting. A Taliban foreign ministry spokesperson cited Taliban senior official Zakir Jalali in a May 29 post on the social media platform X, that "representatives of the Islamic emirate will take part in the main discussions" in Doha.   Jalali said the Taliban foreign ministry was waiting for the U.N. to share the latest details about the Doha huddle to enable Kabul to send its delegation there.  The U.N. has not issued an agenda for the planned meeting in Doha but the global agency's under-secretary-general for political and peacebuilding affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, visited Afghanistan from May 18 to 21, where her discussions, apart from other issues, with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi were focused on the Doha meetings.  DiCarlo, in her May 28 address to a U.N. Security Council meeting, cited Afghanistan as a "crying example" where women and girls are systematically denied rights and dignity, particularly in education.  This story originated in VOA's Deewa Service. 

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.