Feed aggregator

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.  

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.

The International Criminal Court's prosecutor said on Monday he had requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defense chief and three Hamas leaders over alleged war crimes. We talk to Douglass Cassel who specializes in business and human rights, international human rights law, and international law at King & Spalding. Microsoft on Monday debuted a new category of personal computers with AI features. ChatGPT-maker OpenAI on Monday said it was working on temporarily muting a synthetic voice that sounds a lot like that of actress Scarlett Johansson. And a spoon that makes low salt food taste saltier.

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.

The White House — The White House says it chose Kenya for its first state visit for an African leader for many reasons — not least because the East African powerhouse has stepped up on the global stage, offering to staff a United Nations peacekeeping mission to Haiti that could see boots on the ground as early as this week.  VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell sat down with Frances Brown, the newly appointed director for African affairs at the National Security Council, ahead of a state visit by Kenyan President William Ruto. They discussed a range of issues, including technology, climate management, debt relief, democracy, health and more.  The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. VOA: In a few days, President Joe Biden hosts Kenyan President William Ruto at the White House, his first African leader for a state visit. Why was Kenya chosen and what deliverables can we expect? Frances Brown, NSC director for African affairs: We chose Kenya for a few reasons. No. 1 is the Kenya-U.S. partnership has really grown from a regionally focused one to a globally focused one. ... and we see a lot of complementarities in terms of what we're trying to do on climate. What we're trying to do on debt for the developing world, and on security issues.  The second reason we wanted to have this state visit with Kenya is that we are both democracies, and our bond is very deep as democracies, and our bond is very deep on people-to-people ties.  The third reason is that Kenya and the U.S. really work similarly in terms of bringing in the private sector to solve global challenges. So, we'll be talking a lot about those. The deliverables you'll see are in the realms of technology, clean energy and climate transition, of debt relief, of democracy, of people-to-people ties and on health-related issues.  VOA: Kenya hopes to soon have peacekeepers in Haiti. Why is this so important to the administration?  Brown: We do really welcome the Kenyans raising their hand to help lead this multinational security support mission in Haiti, because it's kind of an example of what I just mentioned of Kenya raising its hand to solve problems even outside of its region. ... As you may know, there's been planning under way for a number of months. It has included policing experts from around the world working to develop a concept of operations. Kenya is not going it alone. The U.S. has provided $300 million towards this, so it's a big thing for us.  VOA: Are there any other security agreements these two countries might come up with during the state visit? Brown: I would say watch this space, because I think security cooperation with Kenya is a really important plank. VOA: Is it going to be focused on threats from Somalia or from other parts of East Africa? Brown: The U.S. and Kenya have long cooperated on Somalia. I think you can look for security-related announcements that go beyond that. VOA: U.S. troops are pulling out of the Sahel and the so-called “Coup Belt.” What are the concerns the administration has about security in the Sahel region, especially as Russia expands its footprint there?  Brown: As has been widely reported, we are making an orderly withdrawal from Niger. I will say that is pretty consistent with our administration’s [counterterrorism] posture in general that we have made changes to our posture that are consistent with our CT policy. It is no secret that democracy is on the backfoot in a lot of places globally.  If you talk to democracy scholars, democracy is on something like its 20th year of global decline. So, Africa is not alone in this regard. The Biden administration is focused on lifting up and partnering with democracies to help them deliver.  You may have seen USAID’s initiative on democracy delivering. We're working with a few African countries on that. And I think this is, again, something that we'll be talking a lot to the Kenyans with, because President Ruto has talked about the imperative of democracy delivering.  VOA: Regarding issues of trade and the African Growth and Opportunity Act — obviously, this is going to be a decision made by Congress, but how does the administration feel about the benefits of trade and of barrier-free trade with the United States? Brown: President Biden has been really vocal that he sees AGOA reauthorization and AGOA modernization as a huge priority. It has been huge, I think from our perspective, but also from the perspective of the region. It's something we hear a lot about from our Kenyan partners. We do look to Congress for that. But as you know, reauthorization is due next year, and obviously we hope that things can get in motion before then. VOA: The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief — which has been a literal lifesaver for people around the African continent — is up for renewal next year. How does the White House see this program as contributing to national security? Brown: We see PEPFAR as essential. And as you know, PEPFAR has been supported with bipartisan congressional support and across administrations since the George W. Bush initiative initially. We think PEPFAR is delivering for people across the continent, and we've been proud to support it, and we look for reauthorization. VOA: When is President Biden going to visit Africa, and where will he go? Brown: So, I cannot make news at this moment by announcing presidential travel. But what I will say is thus far, I think President Biden's commitment to the relationship with the continent is pretty clear. If you think about Kenya, it's the first state visit that we're giving to a non-G20 country this term. There's only been five other state visits. ... But then you just look at the steady stream of Cabinet official travels to the continent over the past two years — by our count, there's 24 principals or Cabinet-level officials who've made that trip, all of them bringing their own agenda.  I'd also say just in terms of the other ways President Biden has shown his commitment, advocating for AU [African Union] membership with the G20 has been huge. Advocating for more African seats and international financial institutions and all the other transformative investment.  VOA: You’ve just joined the NSC in this capacity. What priorities do you bring to this post? Brown: I think I see this post as moving forward on the affirmative agenda that President Biden laid out first, and the Sub-Saharan Africa Strategy, which was published at the end of 2021. Then the African Leaders Summit, which came at the end of 2022. There were a lot of initiatives launched by those two events. Now we are running forward on implementation.  At the same time, of course, at the NSC, the urgent sometimes competes with the important, so of course, we're seized with managing crises. And we're really sobered by the crises that are happening in many parts of the continent. So, I see my role as a balance between those two, and I'm thrilled to be on board.

frankfurt, germany — A would-be prince, a former judge and parliamentarian, and retired military officers are among nine alleged conspirators who will stand trial on Tuesday for a suspected "Reichsbuerger" plot to overthrow Germany's democracy.  Prosecutors say they were ringleaders in a terrorist plot to topple the German government and install property investor Heinrich XIII Prinz Reuss, scion of a now throneless dynasty, as a caretaker head of state.  The case, to be held in a maximum-security courtroom on the outskirts of Frankfurt, is the second to open against members of a conspiracy involving at least 27 people.  The defendants taking their seats behind bulletproof glass on Tuesday constitute what prosecutors say would have been political and military leaders of a plot to storm parliament and detain legislators to initiate their seizure of power.  "They knew their seizure of power would involve killing people," prosecutors wrote.   The defendants have denied charges of terrorism and high treason.  Prosecutors say they are adherents of the "Reichsbuerger" (Citizens of the Reich) belief system, which holds that today's German state is an illegitimate facade and that they are citizens of a German monarchy that, they maintain, endured after Germany's defeat in World War I, despite its formal abolition.  Security services say the conspiracy theory, which has parallels to the QAnon movement that fueled the January 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol, has 21,000 adherents nationwide.  Nine accomplices who prosecutors say would have imposed martial law after a putsch went on trial in Stuttgart last month.  Tuesday's defendants include former army officers Maximilian Eder and Ruediger von Pescatore, and former judge and far-right ex-parliamentarian Birgit Malsack-Winkemann.  Prosecutors say Malsack-Winkemann used her parliamentary privileges to escort several of her co-conspirators around the Reichstag building in Berlin in a scoping exercise to plan the putsch.  Ringleaders are accused of seeking the backing of Russian officials, including during meetings at Russian consulates in Germany and in the Slovak capital, Bratislava.  This reflected their belief that an "alliance" of victor countries, including Russia and the United States, stood ready to support the resurrection of the real, submerged Germany that would replace today's post-World War II republic.  The suspects reject the charges against them. Eder told Stern magazine in an interview given from prison that the parliamentary tour had been intended to find suitable locations to accost lawmakers over what he believed was their involvement in a child molestation ring.  Prosecutors say the conspiracy had 500,000 euros in funds and had gathered over 100,000 rounds of ammunition.

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.

Guns have divided American voters, with nearly equal numbers taking opposite sides in the gun safety debate, according to Pew Research polling. U.S. presidential candidates Joe Biden and Donald Trump also have opposing views on guns and gun control. VOA correspondent Scott Stearns reports.

The deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in a helicopter crash sparked reaction from world leaders Monday. The United States noted Raisi's troubling human rights record. VOA Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports.

washington — As Iran’s Islamist rulers observe five days of mourning for the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a Sunday helicopter crash in the country’s northwest, many Iranians who oppose the Islamic Republic have been celebrating Raisi’s demise at home, abroad and on social media. Raisi, who died in the crash at age 63, was reviled by opponents of Iran’s authoritarian Islamist government for his pivotal role as a prosecutor who ordered mass killings of political prisoners in 1988 and for using his presidential powers to violently suppress a women’s rights protest movement that erupted nationwide in late 2022 and continued into 2023. Videos received by VOA’s Persian service on Monday and deemed credible appear to show people in different regions of Iran sharing sweets and chocolates to celebrate Raisi’s death. In one video sent to VOA Persian TV host Masih Alinejad and published by her on social media, a woman whose face is not shown carries a tray of sweet pastries in a public park and offers them to another woman whom she approaches nearby. In the ensuing brief conversation, one woman jokes about wanting to know the occasion for the pastries, while the other says they both know the occasion, in an apparent cryptic reference to Raisi’s death. VOA cannot independently verify the circumstances of the celebratory videos as it is barred from reporting inside Iran. Iranian opponents of the Islamic Republic in the diaspora engaged in more open celebratory activities outside Iranian diplomatic missions in major European cities on Monday. Videos posted to social media and shared with VOA Persian showed Iranians dancing to music in London, Copenhagen, The Hague, and Hamburg. The Islamic Republic’s Iranian critics also flooded social media with sarcasm and mockery of Raisi and his allies, using the Persian hashtag “heliclet,” a combination of the words helicopter and cutlet. Many Iranian social media users opposed to Islamist rule mocked the 2020 killing of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. missile strike in Baghdad by referring to him as a cutlet. The head of Iran’s cyber police warned against that type of social media activity Monday, saying "we are carefully monitoring cyberspace" and advising citizens that "in the current sensitive situation" they should "refrain" from publishing content that "provokes" public sentiments. VOA’s Persian service contributed to this report.

DAKAR, Senegal — Three Americans involved in a brazen weekend attack on Congo's presidential palace formed an unlikely band under the leadership of eccentric opposition figure Christian Malanga, who dabbled in gold mining and used cars — before persuading his Utah-born son to join in the foiled coup, according to officials' description of events. Six people, including Malanga, were dead and dozens arrested, including the three Americans, following that attack and another on the residence of a close ally of President Felix Tshisekedi, the Congolese army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Sylvain Ekenge said. Ekenge said Malanga was killed in a shootout early Sunday with presidential guards. The situation “is under control,” he said. Authorities said they were still trying to untangle how Malanga’s 21-year-old son, Marcel, went from playing high school football to allegedly trying to unseat the leader of one of Africa’s largest countries. “My son is innocent,” his mother, Brittney Sawyer, wrote in an email to The Associated Press, declining to elaborate. Sawyer had regularly posted proud family photos on social media, including one in December showing Marcel, a young sister and a toddler hugging in matching Christmas pajamas. In 2020, she posted photos of Marcel lifting weights and dancing during COVID lockdown. In a Facebook post early Monday, Sawyer angrily wrote that her son had followed his father. “This was an innocent boy following his father. I’m so tired of all the videos being posted all over and being sent to me. God will take care of you people!” One video that circulated on social media showed her son alongside a bloodied white man, whose identity was unclear, both covered in dust and surrounded by Congolese soldiers. Marcel has his hands raised and a frightened look on his face. It was far from the persona that Marcel appeared to have been building in videos recently posted on Facebook and TikTok showing him posing with stacks of dollar bills and talking about women. His father, Malanga, had described himself on his website as a refugee who thrived after settling in the U.S. with his family in the 1990s. He said he became a leader of a Congolese opposition political party and met high-level officials in Washington and the Vatican. He also described himself as a devoted husband and father of eight. Court records and interviews paint another picture. In 2001, the year he turned 18, Malanga was convicted in Utah in incidents including assault with a firearm that resulted in a 30-day jail sentence and three years of probation. That same year, he was charged with domestic violence in one assault incident, and battery and disturbing the peace in another, but he pleaded not guilty, and all counts were dismissed. In 2004, he was charged with domestic violence with threat of using a dangerous weapon, but he pleaded not guilty, and the charges were dismissed. Since 2004, records show several cases related to a custody dispute and a child support dispute. It is unclear if the disputes involved Sawyer. Malanga described himself as the organizer of the United Congolese Party, a movement aimed at organizing emigres like him against the “current Congolese dictatorship government regime.” He also described himself as president of the “New Zaire” government in exile and published a manifesto with plans for creating business opportunities and reforming Congo’s security services. Photos on Facebook and his website show him meeting then-senior U.S. political figures, including former Utah Rep. Rob Bishop and New York Rep. Peter King. Bishop told the AP he did not recall the meeting and couldn’t tell when the photo was taken. King could not be reached for comment. Dino Mahtani, an independent researcher into African issues, said he first heard of Malanga in 2018 while serving as a political adviser to the United Nations in Congo. He said Congolese authorities voiced suspicions that Malanga was involved in a purported plot to kill then-President Joseph Kabila. In an interview, Mahtani said he had never met Malanga but thinks Malanga was obsessed with capturing some form of power in Congo. He also speculated Malanga had been set up or betrayed in the weekend attack, given the implausible way it was carried out. “Somebody put him up to this. It could be external plotters but given his previous close relationship with at least one of Tshisekedi's current military commanders, there’s some chance the plot was known about internally and this allowed them to move quickly,” Mahtani said. The alleged coup attempt began at the Kinshasa residence of Vital Kamerhe, a federal legislator and a candidate for speaker of the National Assembly of Congo. His guards killed the attackers, officials said. Malanga, meanwhile, was live-streaming video from the presidential palace in which he is seen surrounded by several people in military uniforms wandering around in the middle of the night. He was later killed while resisting arrest, Congolese authorities said. Congo officials have not commented on how the attackers were able to get inside. “It's really difficult to imagine how 20, 30 guys thought that by storming the presidential palace when nobody is around at 4 a.m. in the morning could somehow take over the Congolese state," Mahtani said. A second American allegedly involved was identified as Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, according to images of a U.S. passport circulated by Congolese media. He graduated from the University of Colorado and attended business administration classes at Georgetown University, court records indicate. He later started a commodity trading business and worked as a courier and Uber driver — the records show. His connection to Malanga appeared to be through a gold mining company that was set up in Mozambique in 2022, according to an official journal published by Mozambique's government, and a report by Africa Intelligence newsletter. No information was released on the third American. The U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa said it was aware “U.S. citizens might have been involved in Sunday’s events,” adding in a statement that it would cooperate with authorities "as they investigate these violent criminal acts.”

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.

united nations — A senior U.N. humanitarian official said Monday that more than 800,000 Palestinians have been displaced from the southern Gaza city of Rafah since Israel began its ground offensive there two weeks ago. “Today, the once overcrowded camps and emergency shelters in Rafah have now largely emptied, with the majority of the displaced seeking refuge in Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah,” Edem Wosornu, U.N. director of operations and advocacy for the office of humanitarian affairs, told a meeting of the Security Council on the situation. She said the conditions at the displacement sites they are arriving at are “horrendous,” lacking adequate toilets, clean water, sewage and shelter. “These appalling conditions leave serious doubt as to the compliance with these basic obligations.” Wosornu said the United Nations and its partners are struggling to offer the displaced assistance, because they cannot get supplies into Gaza at the scale required. Israel’s envoy said it is “truly terrible” that civilians in Rafah have to be evacuated, but the move should be supported, not condemned. “They have moved to a designated humanitarian zone that is being filled with aid,” Ambassador Gilad Erdan told the council of the Israeli-designated sites. “And our hope is for many more civilians to leave Rafah and move out of harm’s way.” He said Israel is advancing its military operation in Gaza “slowly and carefully” to avoid civilian casualties, but that the operation must be done. Otherwise, he said, Israel would be granting immunity to the remaining Hamas terrorists in Rafah. The Palestinian envoy accused Israel of ignoring international calls to spare Rafah and of forcibly displacing its population. “People were forcibly displaced time and time again in horrific conditions,” Riyad Mansour said. “They are being displaced yet again by the hundreds of thousands, with nowhere to go, nowhere to stay, nowhere to be safe — dragging what remains of their lives, confronted with death all around them, abandoned to this terrifying fate.” The Security Council, the United States and many other countries have urged Israel not to enter Rafah because of the likelihood of high civilian casualties. Ambassador Robert Wood reiterated Washington’s “ironclad commitment” to Israel’s security but said despite “clear and consistent warnings” from the U.S. and others, Israel’s preparations to meet the needs of the displaced are insufficient. “Israel should take immediate and decisive actions to remedy this situation and ensure protection of civilians,” Wood said. “There must be no delay. Lives depend on it.” Aid crossings Wood said that included immediately reopening the Rafah border crossing. As of Monday, the main humanitarian crossing at Rafah remained closed. The Israel Defense Forces took it over on May 7, a day after launching its ground operation into eastern Rafah, and no aid trucks have crossed it since. The U.N.’s Wosornu said 82,000 metric tons of food and medical supplies are stranded and spoiling on the Egyptian side of the border, waiting to cross. The Kerem Shalom crossing is operational, but Wosornu said there is only limited access. While a new crossing into the north, known as Erez West or Zikim, is now being used for limited quantities of aid, humanitarians are not sure how much longer it can be used, since it falls within the vicinity of recent Israeli evacuation orders. Wosornu noted that 10 of 16 U.N.-supported bakeries will run out of stock and fuel within days if no additional supplies come in. She said another six in southern Gaza have stopped working, either because of fuel shortages or active fighting. Meanwhile, a $320 million U.S.-funded and -constructed floating pier off Gaza began receiving aid on Thursday, but only 10 truckloads have come through it since Saturday, a U.N. spokesperson said. Fuel supplies also remain dangerously low, limiting the movement of aid convoys. Humanitarian assistance into Gaza is particularly urgent, as the U.N. says 1.1 million Palestinians face catastrophic levels of hunger and parts of Gaza are on the brink of famine. 

The United States reassured Ukraine on Monday that it would continue providing Kyiv with support to counter the Russian offensive. But on the ground, analysts warn the humanitarian crisis is deepening. Veronica Balderas Iglesias reports.

TALLINN, Estonia — A Russian court on Monday opened the trial of a theater director and a playwright accused of advocating terrorism in a play, the latest step in an unrelenting crackdown on dissent in Russia that has reached new heights since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine. Zhenya Berkovich, a prominent independent theater director, and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk have been jailed for over a year. Authorities claim their play "Finist, the Brave Falcon" justifies terrorism, which is a criminal offense in Russia punishable by up to seven years in prison. Berkovich and Petriychuk have both repeatedly rejected the accusations against them. Berkovich told the court on Monday that she staged the play in order to prevent terrorism, and Petriychuk echoed her sentiment, saying that she wrote it in order to prevent events like those depicted in the play. The women's lawyers have pointed out at court hearings before the trial that the play was supported by the Russian Culture Ministry and won the Golden Mask award, Russia's most prestigious national theater award. In 2019, the play was read to inmates of a women's prison in Siberia, and Russia's state penitentiary service praised it on its website, Petriychuk's lawyer has said.