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The Biden administration last month announced $6.4 billion in direct funding to back South Korean tech giant Samsung’s new semiconductor cluster in central Texas. That means big changes for the town of Taylor. Deana Mitchell has our story

Frankfurt, Germany — A prince, a former MP and several ex-army officers went on trial on Tuesday, accused of masterminding a plot driven by conspiracy theories to attack the German parliament and topple the government. In one of the biggest cases heard by German courts in decades, prosecutors accuse the group of preparing a "treasonous undertaking" to storm the Bundestag and take MPs hostage. The defendants, including one who covered his face with a file, took their seats in a specially built high-security courtroom in Frankfurt. Eight suspected members of the coup plot will take the stand in Frankfurt, as well as one woman accused of supporting their efforts to overthrow Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government. The minor aristocrat and businessman Prince Heinrich XIII Reuss, one of the group's ringleaders on trial, was said to be in line to become the provisional head of state after the current government was overthrown. The sensational plan, foiled by authorities at the end of 2022, is the most high-profile example of a growing threat of violence from the political fringes in Germany. The alleged plotters are said to have taken inspiration from "conspiracy myths" including the global QAnon movement and drawn up "lists of enemies." They also belonged to the German Reichsbuerger (Citizens of the Reich) — a political movement of extremists and gun enthusiasts who reject the legitimacy of the modern German republic. Alleged ringleaders According to prosecutors, the plotters believed Germany was run by a hidden "deep state" and were waiting for a signal from a fabricated international "Alliance" of governments to launch their coup. The proceedings in the highly complex case, in which a total of 26 people face trial, are being held across three different courts. Nine members of the group's "military arm" went on trial in Stuttgart at the end of April. A third set of proceedings is scheduled to begin in Munich in June. Among those in the Frankfurt dock next to Reuss are former soldiers Ruediger von Pescatore, Maximilian Eder and Peter Woerner, who are said to have founded the coup plotters' group in July 2021. The defendants also include several members of a "council" that prosecutors say was to replace the government after the coup — notably judge and far-right former MP Birgit Malsack-Winkemann. Malsack-Winkemann, a justice of the peace and ex-member of parliament for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, is said to have been lined up for the justice portfolio. Investigators believe the 59-year-old had passed on her inside knowledge of the German parliament to help the group plan an armed attack on the Bundestag building. Michael Fritsch, a former policeman from Hanover, was meanwhile allegedly in line to take over the interior ministry. Russian contacts The ninth defendant is Reuss's partner, a Russian citizen identified as Vitalia B. She is accused of "abetting" the alleged putsch plan and putting him in touch with a contact at the Russian consulate in Leipzig. Reuss and the other alleged ringleader of the group, von Pescatore, also sought a meeting with Russian officials in the Slovakian capital Bratislava in February 2022, prosecutors said. "How the Russian Federation responded, has not yet been clarified," prosecutors said. Reuss was allegedly tasked with negotiating an accord with Russia in the event of the coup succeeding. The threat from the far right has grown to become the biggest extremist menace to Germany, according to officials. In April, police charged a new suspect in relation to a separate coup plan, in which five others have already been indicted. The plotters, frustrated with Covid pandemic-era restrictions, planned to kidnap the German health minister, according to investigators. Germany has seen an increasing number of attacks against public figures in recent years, since the murder of conservative politician Walter Luebcke by neo-Nazis in 2019. This month, the former mayor of Berlin was attacked in a library, while a German member of the European Parliament was hospitalized after being jumped while putting up campaign posters.

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.

WASHINGTON — Ahead of a trilateral summit involving South Korea, Japan, and China this weekend in Seoul, Washington said it expects the event to be an opportunity for its two allies to manage their relations with Beijing. “The United States respects the ability of nations to make sovereign decisions in the best interests of their people,” said a spokesperson for the State Department. “Just as the United States takes steps to responsibly manage our relationship with the PRC, so do our partners and allies,” the spokesperson continued in an email to VOA’s Korean Service on May 15. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is China’s official name. The summit would come amid a heightened tension between Washington and Beijing over trade  and after China agreed with Russia to establish a “new era” partnership to create “a multipolar world order” during their summit last week. The three East Asian countries are expected to hold their summit from May 26 to 27, but the official dates have not been announced. Chinese Premier Li Qiang is expected to attend in place of Chinese President Xi Jinping to meet with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The meeting would be their first trilateral summit since December 2019. Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, told VOA on May 14 that Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul should be main drivers responsible for regional stability and security. Pointing out what Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said after a trilateral foreign ministers meeting in November, Pengyu said the three countries need to “address differences and disputes in peaceful ways” and “act as front runner of East Asia cooperation.” Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing are planning to discuss trade and investment, peace and security, and science and technology, among other items and include in a joint statement their cooperation on economic issues and infectious diseases, according to the Japan Times, citing Japanese government sources Sunday. Former U.S. officials said while it will be important for the three countries to meet and talk at the summit, differences that Seoul and Tokyo have with Beijing on North Korea are unlikely to be resolved. “With China determined to establish a new China-centric regional order and because of Beijing’s open-ended support for the DPRK, we should not expect progress on this issue,” said Evans Revere, a State Department official with extensive experience negotiating with North Korea. North Korea’s official name is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). “Nevertheless, it is important for South Korea and Japan to use this summit to convey their strong concerns,” Revere continued. At a bilateral summit last week, Beijing and Moscow criticized Washington and its allies for their “intimidation in the military sphere” against North Korea.   Zhao Leji, who ranks third in the Chinese Communist Party, visited Pyongyang in April and agreed with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to boost cooperation on mutual concerns. It was the highest-level talks the two countries had held in years. The upcoming summit comes after trilateral cooperation was agreed among Washington, Seoul and Tokyo at their Camp David summit in August 2023 to strengthen their deterrence against North Korean threats and to defend a free and open Indo-Pacific against Chinese aggressions. Joseph DeTrani, who served as the U.S. special envoy for six-party denuclearization talks with North Korea from 2003 to 2006, said, “China will ask that the ROK and Japan not to align with the U.S. against China, an issue that wasn’t on the table in 2019.” South Korea’s official name is the Republic of Korea (ROK). DeTrani said Seoul and Tokyo will “try to get China to convince North Korea to cease providing arms to Russia for its war in Ukraine” and “to use its leverage” with Pyongyang “to halt ballistic missile launches.” Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of Kim Jong Un, denied Pyongyang’s arms dealings with Moscow, according to state-run KCNA on Friday. The same day, North Korea launched a tactical ballistic missile, said KCNA.  Gary Samore, who served as the White House coordinator for arms control and weapons of mass destruction during the Obama administration, said the summit will become “an opportunity for communication” among Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing to avoid conflict, but the differences that grew among them since 2019 will not be resolved as South Korea and Japan “leaned in the direction of cooperating with the U.S.” Eunjung Cho contributed to this report.  

Gaborone, Botswana — Southern African leaders have launched a $5.5 billion humanitarian aid appeal as the region faces acute grain shortages due to El Nino-induced droughts. Leaders from the region’s bloc, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), met Monday to deliberate on the crisis following widespread drought and flooding that has left millions without enough to eat. In a communiqué released after the virtual meeting, leaders from 15 SADC member states agreed to launch an appeal to help affected populations. The leaders said the SADC Regional Humanitarian Appeal will augment domestic resources in response to the impact of El Nino weather patterns. El Nino resulted in warmer and drier conditions, leading to record-breaking droughts across the region in 2023 and the beginning of 2024. SADC executive secretary Elias Magosi said the humanitarian appeal will be revised in August as more member states finalize their assessments on the impact of El Nino and look toward an expected change to the La Nina weather pattern later this year. "Summit called member states to be proactive and strengthen anticipatory action programs to mitigate climate risks such as the La Nina phenomenon, which is projected for the 2024-2025 season,” Magosi said. Magosi said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Food and Agriculture Organization have pledged a combined $43 million toward the humanitarian appeal. Angolan President Joao Lourenco, who chaired the Monday meeting, appealed to the international community to respond. “This is a very important step taken by the organization (SADC) by launching this humanitarian appeal and we hope that there will be good feedback on the part of the international community of support to help us overcome this difficult moment that the region is facing," Lourenco said. El Nino has resulted in widespread crop failure within Southern Africa and has resulted in national emergency declarations in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.  

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.