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The Department of Justice asked a court to partially terminate the decades-old agreement that protects the rights of immigrant children earlier this month. The government argues that the Flores Settlement Agreement is no longer needed because a new Department of Health and Human Services regulation finalized on April 30 will provide sufficient protections to immigrant […]

The post Government’s Move to Terminate Flores Agreement Could Leave Immigrant Children Unprotected appeared first on Immigration Impact.

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.

Everett, Washington/Washington, DC — When a superyacht worth $230 million pulled into the port of Everett, Washington, for repairs last month, it made a big splash in the city of 110,000 residents.  The 106-meter luxury behemoth known as the Amadea is currently in possession of the U.S. government, which alleges the yacht belongs to sanctioned Russian oligarch and politician Suleyman Kerimov, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.  Looking out over the port, Everett resident Bob Templeton wondered who was paying for the superyacht's upkeep. “They ought to sell it to somebody and get a lot of money,” he told VOA with a laugh.  Easier said than done. Templeton’s offhand remark cuts to the core of a dilemma faced by the United States as it attempts to use sanctions to rein in Russian aggression against Ukraine.  The U.S. government has moved to take ownership of the Amadea through a legal procedure called civil forfeiture. The end goal is to sell the vessel and transfer the proceeds to Ukraine.  But another Russian businessman, who is not under sanctions, has challenged that move, claiming that he is the Amadea’s true owner.  As the courts try to sort out the yacht’s ownership, U.S. taxpayers are footing the bill: over half-a-million dollars a month for maintenance.  And the complex legal battle could drag on for a long time, increasing the costs for the U.S. and delaying any benefit to Ukraine from the yacht’s seizure, according to Stefan Cassella, a former U.S. federal prosecutor and expert in civil forfeiture.  “Nobody who is a sanctioned oligarch owns anything in his own name,” he said. “You have an entire zoo of third parties who claim they own the property.”  Kerimov did not respond to a request for comment. The U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment.  Kleptocapture win  In May 2022, just months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, law enforcement in Fiji seized the Amadea at the request of the U.S. government.  That was a major victory for Task Force Kleptocapture, a unit of the U.S. Department of Justice created in the wake of the Russian invasion to enforce sanctions.  But completing the job has proved more complicated.  Since the 1980s, civil forfeiture has been the Department of Justice’s go-to tool for targeting drug dealers, the mafia and money laundering operations, according to David Smith, a former DOJ prosecutor who pioneered the practice.  It allows law enforcement to seize assets without convicting their owner of a crime. All that prosecutors must prove is that the assets were used in a crime, profited from a crime or resulted from criminal activity.  But when that crime is a sanctions violation, proving the asset is owned by a sanctioned person is critical.  Lawyers representing the company that owns Amadea have claimed the yacht actually belongs to Eduard Khudainatov, a former CEO of the Russian state oil company Rosneft, who is not subject to sanctions.  He and his legal team say the seizure is unlawful and based on a “misleading” FBI affidavit.  “Eduard Khudainatov is, and always has been, the rightful owner of the Amadea. The Biden Administration’s unconstitutional seizure of the vessel was based on demonstrable falsehoods that we will establish in court,” his spokesperson said in a statement to VOA. “The government asserts factual and legal theories that are divorced from forfeiture sanctions and money laundering laws, and unsupported by the cases interpreting those laws. This boondoggle is nothing more than political theater that has cost American taxpayers more than $20 million to date.”  The U.S. government disagrees, referring to Khudainatov as a “straw owner” of the Amadea.  According to prosecutors, Khudainatov is “supposedly the beneficial owner of at least eight yachts or yacht projects” — a fleet valued at over $1 billion. They include a yacht that prosecutors state is actually owned by Igor Sechin, the sanctioned incumbent CEO of Rosneft and a Putin ally.  Journalists have linked another one of the superyachts, the Scheherazade, to Putin himself. In May 2022, it was impounded in Italy.  While Khudainatov’s lawyers were unable to prevent the Amadea's transfer to the United States, they are currently fighting forfeiture in a New York court.  The DOJ states that Kerimov purchased the yacht in 2021, three years after he was added to sanctions list. Prosecutors allege that the oligarch or his proxies routed dollar transactions through U.S. financial institutions to maintain the Amadea, which would constitute a sanctions violation.  But proving Kerimov’s ownership — and disproving Khudainatov’s claim — is no simple task.  Assets like superyachts are often owned through a series of proxy owners, offshore companies and trusts. These entities are often registered in jurisdictions chosen for their secrecy.  Cassella, who has studied the case, says that Khudainatov’s legal team is dragging out proceedings, while the U.S. government is trying to compel him to answer questions and provide documentation that would prove he is not the Amadea's owner.  “This is civil forfeiture defense 101 for anybody who’s got an infinite amount of money to pay lawyers to oppose the forfeiture,” Cassella said.  Expensive process  While the legal battle goes forward, the U.S. government is paying to keep the Amadea running.  According to court filings, upkeep of the yacht costs roughly $600,000 a month. Insurance costs another $144,000 monthly, and there are other periodic expenses.  In a February filing, an official of the U.S. Marshals Service stated that the Amadea was also scheduled to undergo drydocking in March, which appears to have been delayed.  That procedure, which involves removing a vessel from the water to conduct repair work, was estimated to cost $5.6 million — although the government negotiated not to pay the other monthly costs during that period, the official noted.  In recent months, however, the U.S. government has taken steps to decrease the cost.  In February, it petitioned the court to sell the Amadea, citing the excessive costs of maintaining the yacht. Such a sale would effectively convert the yacht into cash, but not settle the ownership question.  In a filing opposing the sale, Khudainatov’s legal team stated that he had consistently offered to cover the cost of maintaining the Amadea.  On May 17, the U.S. government also submitted a motion to reject Khudainatov’s ownership claim, stating that he lacks standing to contest forfeiture.  If a judge agrees, that could allow the forfeiture to proceed.  Controversial, challenging strategy  While confiscating the assets of Russian oligarchs and top officials may not face fierce opposition from most Americans, civil forfeiture is controversial in the United States.  Advocacy organizations, both liberal and conservative, have criticized the practice, arguing that it allows law enforcement to seize private property without convicting the owner of a crime.  Smith, the former DOJ prosecutor, says the burden falls hardest on low-income Americans who struggle to pay for a lawyer.  This was one of the reasons why eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives in April 2022 voted against a bill calling for the Biden administration to seize sanctioned Russians’ assets to fund Ukraine.  Smith believes applying civil forfeiture to oligarchs is “arbitrary” and he is unsure whether the U.S. will be able to seize enough assets from oligarchs to make a meaningful difference for Ukraine.  “I would rather spend the money [subsidizing forfeiture investigations and proceedings] on other things than trying to forfeit these yachts,” he said. “And who knows how many will ultimately be forfeited.”  That concern is not unfounded. The Kleptocapture Task Force is working to forfeit or restrain around $700 million, but, so far, the United States has been able to transfer forfeited assets to Ukraine in only a handful of cases.  In May 2023, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland authorized sending $5.4 million to Ukraine that the U.S. had seized from sanctioned Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev. It represented the first such transfer of forfeited funds to Ukraine.  Later that year, the U.S. transferred over a million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine after seizing them en route from Iran to Yemen. In February 2024, the U.S. government, after breaking up a scheme to illegally procure military-grade technology for Russia, transferred $500,000 in forfeited Russian funds to Estonia to provide aid to Ukraine.  In April, the U.S. transferred another shipment of weapons seized from Iran to Ukraine. Those transfers put funds and ammunition in the hands of the Ukrainian government, but they were also of a significantly lower value than the Amadea.  Bigger cases involving oligarch assets may prove more difficult.  “It wouldn’t surprise me if it took 10 years to resolve some of these cases,” said former prosecutor Cassella.  Natasha Mozgovaya reported from Everett, Washington. Matthew Kupfer and Oleksii Kovalenko reported from Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is canceling student loans for 160,000 more borrowers through a combination of existing programs.  The U.S. Education Department announced the latest round of cancellations on Wednesday, saying it will erase $7.7 billion in federal student loans. With the latest action, the administration said it has canceled $167 billion in student debt for nearly 5 million Americans through several programs.  "From day one of my administration, I promised to fight to ensure higher education is a ticket to the middle class, not a barrier to opportunity," President Joe Biden said in a statement. "I will never stop working to cancel student debt — no matter how many times Republican-elected officials try to stop us."  The latest relief will go to borrowers in three categories who hit certain milestones that make them eligible for cancellation. It will go to 54,000 borrowers who are enrolled in Biden's new income-driven repayment plan, along with 39,000 enrolled in earlier income-driven plans, and about 67,000 who are eligible through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.  Biden's new payment plan, known as the SAVE Plan, offers a faster path to forgiveness than earlier versions. More people are now becoming eligible for loan cancellation as they hit 10 years of payments, a new finish line that's a decade sooner than what borrowers faced in the past.  The cancellation is moving forward even as Biden's SAVE Plan faces legal challenges from Republican-led states. A group of 11 states led by Kansas sued to block the plan in March, followed by seven more led by Missouri in April. In two federal lawsuits, the states say Biden needed to go through Congress for his overhaul of federal repayment plans.  A separate action by the Biden administration aimed to correct previous mistakes that delayed cancellation for some borrowers enrolled in other repayment plans and through Public Service Loan Forgiveness, which forgives loans for people who make 10 years of payments while working in public service jobs.  The Biden administration has been announcing new batches of forgiveness each month as more people qualify under those three categories.  According to the Education Department, one in 10 federal student loan borrowers has now been approved for some form of loan relief.  "One out of every 10 federal student loan borrowers approved for debt relief means one out of every 10 borrowers now has financial breathing room and a burden lifted," Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement.  The Biden administration has continued canceling loans through existing avenues while it also pushes for a new, one-time cancellation that would provide relief to more than 30 million borrowers in five categories.  Biden's new plan aims to help borrowers with large sums of unpaid interest, those with older loans, those who attended low-value college programs, and those who face other hardships preventing them from repaying student loans. It would also cancel loans for people who are eligible through other programs but haven't applied.  The proposal is going through a lengthy rulemaking process, but the administration said it will accelerate certain provisions, with plans to start waiving unpaid interest for millions of borrowers starting this fall.  Conservative opponents have threatened to challenge that plan, too, calling it an unfair bonus for wealthy college graduates at the expense of taxpayers who didn't attend college or already repaid their loans.  The Supreme Court rejected Biden's earlier attempt at one-time cancellation, saying it overstepped the president's authority. The new plan is being made with a different legal justification. 

Tehran, Iran — Concerns are growing among some people in Iran about who will replace Ebrahim Raisi as president of the Islamic republic after his death in a helicopter crash on Sunday.  "I'm more worried than sad," Mohadeseh Jalali said at Wednesday's funeral in Tehran for Raisi and his entourage who died when their aircraft hit a mountain in northwest Iran during bad weather.  The country is now set to hold an election on June 28 to elect a successor to Raisi.  "How do I find someone like him? I'm really worried about that," said 31-year-old cleric Mohsen, as state media reported a "million-strong" crowd in capital for the funeral.  "As far as I know, we don't have anyone of his stature," added Mohsen, who gave only his first name and who comes from Iran's clerical capital Qom.  Ahead of next month's election, campaigning is expected to begin after five days of national mourning announced on Monday.  A presidential election in Iran had not been expected until next year, and Sunday's crash has caused some uncertainty as to who will succeed Raisi.  The ultraconservative Raisi had been in office since a 2021 election that saw reformist and moderate candidates disqualified.  "I don't know what will happen" in these elections, Mohsen told AFP, adding that "among potential candidates, there is no consensus among the conservatives."  Conservatives and ultraconservatives further tightened their grip on power in March when they secured a landslide victory in parliamentary elections.  However, polling was marked by a turnout of 41%, the lowest since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.  Again, reformists and moderates had been mostly sidelined and disqualified from standing.  Raisi, during his three years in office, was not beyond criticism, including over his firm response to the widespread women's protest movement that began in September 2022.  That began after a 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurd, died in morality police custody in Tehran for allegedly breaching the strict dress code for women.  Months of unrest that followed saw hundreds of people killed, including dozens of security personnel, and thousands arrested.  Iran's economic crisis — intensified by American sanctions — and worsening tensions with its sworn enemy Israel under Raisi also added to critical voices raised during his tenure.  "I voted for him in the presidential elections of 2017 [when he finished second] and also in 2021," said Mostafa, 37, another cleric who asked that only his first name be used.  "I have no regrets at all," he said, adding, however, that "the government's economic performance can be criticized."  Mostafa said the late president "was not focused on the West" and "did not forget the countries" of the Middle East, such as Sunni Muslim regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia.  Mostly Shiite Iran and Saudi Arabia resumed ties in March 2023 in a China-brokered deal that ended seven years of hostility.  This resumption came under Raisi and when Hossein Amir-Abdollahian — another victim of Sunday's crash — was foreign minister.  Mohsen told AFP he believed Iran has gained enough experience since the 1979 Islamic revolution to be able to manage delicate successions.  As an example, he cited Ayatollah Ali Khamenei becoming supreme leader after the death in June 1989 of the founder of the revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.  Khamenei, who was president at the time, was designated to become head of the country and "there was no problem", Mohsen said.  Raisi, also an ayatollah, had been considered by many as a potential successor to Khamenei, who is 85, as has the supreme leader's son, Mojtaba Khamenei.  "The issue of leadership is a divine one," said Mohsen. "Whatever God wills, that will happen."  Civil servant Ali Mousavi Nejad, 35, said he was attending Wednesday's funeral to pay tribute to the victims of the crash and "to carry on their legacy."  He said the presence of so many people "sends a message to the enemies of the revolution — the path of these martyrs continues, and the people will not be dissuaded from supporting the revolution." 

The latest numbers show migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border have dropped. Illegal crossings usually increase in the spring, but officials say this April they fell by more than 6% compared with March. VOA’s immigration reporter Aline Barros has more.

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.

Spain, Ireland and Norway recognize the state of Palestine on Wednesday, Israel says they’re rewarding terrorism. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that the International Criminal Court’s announcement that it is seeking an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu endangers hopes for a cease-fire in Gaza. The latest from Kyiv and the frontlines in eastern Ukraine, a look at the violence in New Caledonia and French President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to visit. Plus, a preview of Kenyan President William Ruto’s visit to the White House.

Washington — The Senate on Wednesday confirmed the 200th federal judge of President Joe Biden's tenure, about a month earlier than when Donald Trump hit that mark in his term, though Trump still holds the edge when it comes to the most impactful confirmations — those to the Supreme Court and the country's 13 appellate courts.  The march to 200 culminated with the confirmation of Angela Martinez as a district court judge in Arizona. The milestone reflects the importance that Biden, a former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, placed on judicial confirmations after Trump put his enormous stamp on the federal judiciary with the confirmation of three Supreme Court justices.  "Reaching 200 judges is a major milestone," Schumer said just before the 66-28 vote. "Simply put, our 200 judges comprise the most diverse slate of judicial nominations under any president in American history."  The current pace of judicial confirmations for this White House came despite Biden, a Democrat, coming into office in 2021 with far fewer vacancies, particularly in the influential appellate courts, than Trump, a Republican, did in 2017.  "There is more work to do," Biden said in a statement after the vote. "Going forward, I will continue my solemn responsibility of nominating individuals who have excelled in their professional careers, who reflect the communities they serve and who apply the law impartially and without favoritism."  It's unclear whether Biden can eclipse his predecessor's 234 judges before the year ends, though.  Democrats have solidly backed the president's judicial nominees, but there have been some cracks in that resolve in recent weeks. Senator Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, said he would not support nominees who do not have some bipartisan support, and the two Democratic senators from Nevada are opposing a nominee who would become the nation's first Muslim appellate court judge. They did so after some law enforcement groups came out against the nomination.  The White House is aware of the obstacles as they rush to surpass Trump's accomplishment. It's a high water mark that remains a point of pride for the former president and senior Republicans who made it happen, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Filling dozens of judicial vacancies requires time on the Senate floor calendar, which becomes more scarce as senators in the narrowly divided chamber shift into election-year campaign mode.  Of the more than 40 current judicial vacancies nationwide, half are in states with two Republican senators. That matters because for district court judges, home-state senators still can exercise virtual veto power over a White House's nominations due to a long-standing Senate tradition.  White House officials say they have no illusions about the challenges they face but feel reaching 235 is possible. That doesn't please Republicans.  "Unfortunately, they learned from our example about prioritizing lifetime appointments," said Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican. Meanwhile, liberal advocacy groups are thrilled with the results so far.  "I just cannot rave enough about these judges," said Jake Faleschini, who leads nominations work at the Alliance for Justice. "It's been nothing short of transformative of the federal judiciary in terms of both excellence, but also demographic and professional diversity."  At this stage in his term, Trump had two Supreme Court justices and 51 appellate court judges confirmed to lifetime appointments. Biden has tapped one Supreme Court justice and 42 appellate court judges. Biden has more confirmations of the district judges who handle civil and criminal cases. Those nominations tend to be less hard fought.  Biden has emphasized adding more female and minority judges to the federal bench. On that front, 127 of the 200 judges confirmed to the bench are women. Fifty-eight are Black and 36 are Hispanic, according to Schumer's office. Thirty-five judges are Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders, more than any other administration, according to the White House.  In the appellate courts, 30 of the 42 circuit judges confirmed during Biden's term are women, according to the White House. Thirteen Black women have been chosen as circuit judges, more than all previous administrations combined.  Under Biden, more Hispanic judges have been confirmed to the appellate courts than any other administration.  As abortion access remains a vital priority for the Biden administration and a key argument for the president's reelection bid, the White House also points to several judges with backgrounds on the issue. They include Judge Julie Rikelman of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, who before her nomination argued on behalf of the abortion clinic in Dobbs v. Jackson, the 2022 ruling that dismantled Roe v. Wade; and Nicole Berner, a former attorney at Planned Parenthood who now serves on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.  Conservatives say it is fine to have diversity, but that should not be the focus.  "I think the right standard isn't trying to check boxes with nominees, but to try to find the men and women who are going to be faithful to the Constitution and the rule of law," said Carrie Severino, president of JCN, a conservative group that worked to boost support for Trump's nominees.  About a one-quarter of the judges Trump nominated were women and about 1 in 6 were minorities, according to the Pew Research Center.  Asked about the diversity of Biden's nominees, GOP senators said there was too much focus on "identity politics."  "I'm interested in competent lawyers who will administer justice fairly. Now, there are women that can do that. There are men that can do that. There are people of color that can do that," said Senator John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana. "But their primary characteristic that they're proudest of is racial identify or gender identify, and activist. And I just don't think that's what the American people want to see in their justice system."  Proponents of diversifying the federal judiciary counter that people who come before the court have more trust in the legal process when they see people who look like them. They said it's important to diversify the professional backgrounds of judges, too, so that more public defenders and those with a civil rights or non-profit background are considered.  "The American people deserve federal judges who not only look like America, but understand the American experience from every angle," said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat.

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.

AUSTIN, Texas — The families of 19 of the victims in the Uvalde elementary school shooting in Texas on Wednesday announced a lawsuit against nearly 100 state police officers who were part of the botched law enforcement response.  The families said in a statement that they also agreed to a $2 million settlement with the city, under which city leaders promised higher standards and better training for local police.  The announcement came two days before the two-year anniversary of one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. Nineteen fourth-graders and two teachers were killed on May 24, 2022, when a teenage gunman burst into their classroom at Robb Elementary School and began shooting.  The lawsuit is the latest of several seeking accountability for the law enforcement response. More than 370 federal, state and local officers converged on the scene, but they waited more than 70 minutes before confronting the shooter.  It is the first lawsuit to come after a 600-page Justice Department report was released in January that cataloged "cascading failures" in training, communication, leadership and technology problems that day.  The lawsuit notes state troopers did not follow their active shooter training and responsibility to confront the shooter, even as the students and teachers inside were following their own lockdown protocols of turning off lights, locking doors and staying silent.  "The protocols trap teachers and students inside, leaving them fully reliant on law enforcement to respond quickly and effectively," the families and their attorneys said in a statement.  Terrified students inside the classroom called 911 as agonized parents begged officers, some of whom could hear shots being fired while they stood in a hallway, to go in. A tactical team of officers eventually went into the classroom and killed the shooter.  "Law-enforcement's inaction that day was a complete and absolute betrayal of these families and the sons, daughters and mothers they lost," said Erin Rogiers, one of the attorneys for the families. "TXDPS had the resources, training and firepower to respond appropriately, and they ignored all of it and failed on every level. These families have not only the right but also the responsibility to demand justice."  A criminal investigation into the police response by Uvalde District Attorney Christina Mitchell's office remains ongoing. A grand jury was summoned this year, and some law enforcement officials have already been called to testify.  The lawsuit against 92 Texas Department of Public Safety officials and troopers also names the Uvalde School District, former Robb Elementary Principal Mandy Gutierrez and former Uvalde schools police Chief Peter Arredondo as defendants.  Another lawsuit filed in December 2022 against local and state police, the city, and other school and law enforcement, seeks at least $27 billion and class-action status for survivors. And at least two other lawsuits have been filed against Georgia-based gun manufacturer Daniel Defense, which made the AR-style rifle used by the gunman.  The settlement with the city was capped at $2 million because the families said they didn't want to bankrupt the city where they still live and to allow the community to continue to heal. The settlement will be paid from the city's insurance coverage.  Under the settlement, the city agreed to a new "fitness for duty" standard and enhanced training for Uvalde police officers. It also establishes May 24 as an annual day of remembrance, a permanent memorial in the city plaza, and support for mental health services for the families and the greater Uvalde area.  Another report commissioned by the city also noted rippling missteps by law enforcement but defended the actions of local police, which sparked anger from victims' families.  "For two long years, we have languished in pain and without any accountability from the law enforcement agencies and officers who allowed our families to be destroyed that day," said Veronica Luevanos, whose daughter Jailah and nephew Jayce were killed. "This settlement reflects a first good faith effort, particularly by the City of Uvalde, to begin rebuilding trust in the systems that failed to protect us."

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.

Experts say that in Ukraine, there has been a heavy increase in cases of anxiety, depression, adjustment disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health problems since Russia’s invasion in 2022, and it will likely have a long-term impact. For VOA, Lesia Bakalets has more.

ISLAMABAD — With one end of a rope tied to a tree and the other in her hand, Zareena Bibi steps into the canal that cuts through Lahore, Pakistan’s major eastern metropolis. Bibi does not know how to swim, but with the mercury rising, a dip in the muddy water of the tree-lined canal is the only way for her to cool off with her kids.  “It is such a relief. How do I describe? It feels very good,” Bidi told VOA. “We were so hot, children were crying so we came to bathe in the canal,” she said, complaining of a lack of electricity and running water at home.  The Pakistan Meteorological Department, or PMD, has predicted heat wave conditions until May 27 in most of the country, with parts of Punjab and Sindh — the two most populous provinces — slated to experience extreme heat.  “May is usually a hot month. But this time we are expecting temperatures to hit 50 to 51 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) in some parts,” Mahr Sahibzad Khan, director general of the Pakistan Meteorological Department, told VOA. “The sudden rise in temperatures has forced us to alert everyone.”  The PMD expects daytime temperatures to soar by 6 to 8 degrees Celsius above May’s average. Khan, however, told VOA he did not expect the severe heat to be deadly.  Still, authorities in Punjab closed schools for the week. Earlier, they reduced school timing and delayed board exams.  Provincial disaster management authorities in Punjab and Sindh have ordered hospitals to set up heat wave units to treat people for heat-related illnesses like dehydration and heatstroke.    In 2022 and 2018, unusually high temperatures between March and May killed dozens, mostly in Sindh. In 2015, more than a thousand people in the southern province perished due to heat-related illnesses.  The high temperatures not only affect lives, but livelihoods as well.  Rana Asif, a farmer with land in Okara, a city in Punjab, is watering his rice and corn crops more frequently this week to keep them from drying.  “We are forced to water our crops daily with cool, fresh water from the ground,” Rana, who usually waters his fields every other day, told VOA. “This is driving my cost up.”   Extreme heat in South Asia during the pre-monsoon season is becoming more frequent, according to the World Weather Attribution group of scientists. According to its research, climate change is making heat waves in Asia more frequent and extreme.  The latest spell of high heat, the second this month, comes on the heels of the wettest April that Pakistan recorded in six decades. The above-average rainfall killed dozens and destroyed vast areas of farmland.  Khan, too, held climate change responsible for the extreme spikes in temperature.  “High pressure and clear skies intensify the impact of the sun’s rays. … because of climate change, this phenomenon feels more intense,” Khan said.  While Pakistan contributes extremely little to climate change, it is among countries most vulnerable to the impact of changing weather patterns. However, Khan also blamed Pakistan’s urban sprawl for the miserable weather.  “The bigger problem is that cities are expanding horizontally. This is leading to the erosion of green areas. Even grass has a role,” Khan said. “You are losing that [green cover] and cities are expanding. Of course, that is causing problems.”    Despite high heat accelerating glacial melt, Khan said his department is not expecting floods anytime soon.  “We don’t expect flooding as our reservoirs have plenty of room at the moment. Even if more water comes down we have space to store it,” Khan said, cautioning that “if the monsoon component is added to it and temperatures also run high then we can have flooding.”  In 2022, Pakistan suffered catastrophic flooding as unusually heavy rains, blamed largely on climate change, submerged nearly a third of the country and caused $30 billion in damage.  Authorities are urging people to stay indoors and hydrated during the hottest hours of the day this week. But Khursheeda Bibi, who commutes for nearly 1.5 hours every day to her job as a cleaning lady at a private hospital, said she must step out to earn a living for her children.  “It’s so difficult to travel,” Bibi, a widow, told VOA. “But when I think that I have to do it for my children, then the heat doesn’t feel so bad.”  The PMD expects the heat wave to subside by May 28. However, another spell of extreme heat is slated to hit early June.

For over four decades, Costa Rica's farmers markets have been promoting local agriculture, creating vital economic lifelines and fostering a sense of community. Donaldo Hernández explores their enduring appeal in this story narrated by Veronica Villafañe.