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The U.S. is planning on sending over one billion dollars' worth of military aid to Israel even as Israel is planning on military action in Rafah. This comes as aid trucks headed to Gaza were looted in the West Bank and Israel released a video they say shows Hamas militants in a UN compound. A look at Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Kyiv, including his stint on stage as a guitar player in a rock band in a Kyiv bar. A conversation about Iran’s nuclear program amid conflict with Israel and a look at the plight of internally displaced people.

NEW YORK — A jury was chosen on Wednesday to determine whether U.S. Senator Robert Menendez broke the law in what federal prosecutors have called a yearslong bribery scheme to benefit the governments of Egypt and Qatar, as well as himself.  Opening statements in the trial of New Jersey's senior senator are expected to begin later in the day before U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein in Manhattan. The trial could last into early July.  Twelve jurors and six alternates were chosen, including an investment banker, a commercial litigator, a retired economist, a doctor and multiple therapists. Jury selection took about 2½, and more than 130 prospective jurors were excused.  Menendez, 70, faces 16 criminal charges including bribery, fraud, acting as a foreign agent and obstruction.  He is being tried alongside New Jersey businessmen Wael Hana and Fred Daibes. The senator's wife, Nadine Menendez, 57, is scheduled to be tried on July 8, with the delay resulting from what her lawyers called a serious medical condition.  All the defendants have pleaded not guilty. The bribery trial is the senator's second. His first ended in 2017 in a mistrial after jurors deadlocked.  Prosecutors are expected to detail what they consider a complex and sordid array of corruption that lasted from 2018 to 2023.  The Menendezes are accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from Hana, Daibes and insurance broker Jose Uribe, in exchange for the senator's providing political favors and aid to Egypt and Qatar.   Prosecutors have said the senator promised to help Egypt obtain arms sales and other aid, helped Hana obtain a lucrative monopoly on certifying that meat exports to Egypt conformed to Islamic law, and tried to help Daibes secure millions of dollars from a Qatari investment fund.  Menendez, a Democrat, also was accused of trying to interfere in a federal criminal case against Daibes in New Jersey and in state criminal cases involving two of Uribe's associates.  Prosecutors have said FBI agents found more than $480,000 of cash in the Menendezes' home, much stashed in clothing, closets and a safe.  Bribes also included more than $100,000 in gold bars and a $60,000 Mercedes-Benz convertible, according to prosecutors.  Uribe pleaded guilty in March to bribery and fraud, and he agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.  While Nadine Menendez is not yet on trial, her husband's lawyers have suggested his defense might include an effort to blame her for withholding information and making him believe his activities were lawful.  Robert Menendez became a senator in 2006. Before being indicted, he would have been favored in his Democratic-leaning state to win a fourth full Senate term in November.  But any reelection bid now would be a long shot, reflecting recent polls of voters that show overwhelming disapproval of Menendez's job performance.  Menendez has suggested that he would try if acquitted to run as an independent. Only 9% of voters polled in March by Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill said they would prefer him to another Democrat or a Republican.  The senator has resisted calls to resign made from across the political spectrum but gave up leadership of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee after his indictment last September.  Stein admonished jurors to ignore media coverage of the trial. "If something comes up," the judge said, "switch off." 

Paris — France has declared a state of emergency in its overseas Pacific territory of New Caledonia after deadly protests by native-born, pro-independence activists who oppose efforts to expand the voting rights of French residents on the archipelago. Mainland France is glued to the events thousands of kilometers away — where fires were still burning Wednesday after two straight days of rioting that killed several people and left hundreds more wounded. Protesters have looted shops and torched cars and buildings, in the worst violence to hit the area in decades. Police have arrested hundreds, and French authorities extended a nighttime curfew. Sparking the anger is a measure to amend France’s constitution to give voting rights to French residents who have lived in New Caledonia for at least a decade. It passed France’s lower house on Wednesday. Both chambers of parliament still must vote a final time for it to become law. Pro-independence activists in the Pacific territory, including many indigenous Kanaks, strongly oppose the move, saying it will dilute their voice. “We feel oppressed, we’re angry,” one woman told Caledonia TV. She questioned whether people in France were listening to Kanaks like herself. But other residents support the constitutional change — or just want peace to return. French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has called for dialogue with the territory’s political actors to find a solution on the future of New Caledonia, which was once under French colonial rule. It is now a semi-autonomous territory. In three referendums over the years, its voters rejected independence from France.

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Washington — The United States on Wednesday imposed visa restrictions on more than 250 members of the Nicaraguan government and levied sanctions on three Nicaraguan entities in retaliation for "repressive actions" and a failure to stem migrant smuggling through the Central American country. Senior administration officials told reporters that the officials subject to visa restrictions included police and paramilitary officials, prosecutors, judges and public higher education officials. At the same time, the Departments of State, Homeland Security, and the Treasury issued a joint alert to notify airlines and travel agents about the ways smuggling and human trafficking networks are exploiting legitimate transportation services to facilitate illegal migration to the United States through Nicaragua. "Actions by the Nicaraguan government are of grave concern. President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo have put in place permissive-by-design migration policies," the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. The Nicaraguan government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Increasingly migrants have been flying into Nicaragua and then heading north overland to the U.S.-Mexico border as some smugglers have promoted the route through social networks. Many migrants in recent years have started their journeys in Brazil or other South American countries, but flying into Nicaragua avoids the often perilous journey through the jungle region known as the Darien Gap on the Colombia-Panama border. The administration of President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has struggled with record numbers of migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border and, as he runs for reelection in November, voters have increasingly said that immigration is a top concern. Senior Biden administration officials told reporters on a Wednesday conference call that sanctions would be levied against a Russian training center operating in Managua since October 2017 that enabled anti-democratic behavior and repression. A press release from the Treasury Department said Nicaragua was one of Russia's "main partners" in Central America and the training center provided specialized courts to the Nicaraguan National Police (NNP), which the statement called "a repressive state apparatus, carrying out extrajudicial killings, using live ammunition against peaceful protests, and even participating in death squads." In addition, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on two gold companies it said were "government affiliated." Gold is Nicaragua's top commodity export, the Treasury announcement said, and "this action aims to degrade the ability of the Ortega-Murillo regime to manipulate the sector and profit." Reuters was not immediately able to reach the companies for comment. Migrant apprehensions on the border halved from December to March, according to U.S. government data, in part because of increased enforcement by Mexican authorities, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has said.

Chattogram, Bangladesh — The 23 crew members of MV Abdullah, which was released on April 14 after 33 days of captivity by Somali pirates, met their families Tuesday afternoon as the vessel reached the Chattogram Port in Bangladesh.  The crew members received a warm welcome when vessel MV Jahan Moni-3, carrying them from Kutubdia in Cox's Bazar, reached New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT)-1.  Relatives waiting for the sailors' safe return had gathered at the port jetty with flowers.  Abdun Nur Khan Asif, younger brother of the chief officer, Atiqullah Khan, said, "I can't express in words how happy we are that my elder brother is back. The whole family was waiting for this day."  Ibrahim Khalilullah, a sailor, thanked the Bangladeshi people and the authorities for ensuring their safe return.  State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury told VOA that all the sailors on the ship are in sound health. "After being freed, they went to Dubai, from there they came to Bangladesh with the goods. The sailors are physically and mentally healthy and very well," he said.  Mizanul Islam, media adviser of KSRM, owner of the hijacked vessel, said the crew members will go to their respective homes and that care was taken to send them to their destinations safely.  The ordeal began on March 12 when the MV Abdullah was seized by Somali pirates about 600 nautical miles off the Somali coast en route from Mozambique to Dubai.  The pirates took control of the vessel and its crew, holding them until a ransom of $5 million facilitated their release on the night of April 13.  The vessel, which was hijacked for 33 days, first arrived at the outer anchorage of the Al-Hamriya Port in the United Arab Emirates on April 21 and anchored at the UAE port on the evening of April 22.   It departed for Bangladesh on April 28 after unloading 55,000 metric tons of coal.  When asked about the process of rescuing the ship, Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said, "We are an international maritime country. We have friendly relations with everyone, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the European Union. When a ship using an international route falls under the hands of pirates, all kinds of agencies and countries, including maritime, cooperate."  The state minister added, "And the pirates of the country that hijacked it also have a security issue. So, the pressure that was created by combining everything was of great help in saving the ship. Our dialogues, the pressure of the international community contributed to the rescue of the ship."  On behalf of Deputy Managing Director of KSRM Group Shahriar Jahan, Mizanul Islam told VOA, "It was a challenge for us to bring back the ship and the sailors safely and soundly. ... We had past experience. In 2010, one of our ships was captured by Somali pirates. Using this experience, we were able to bring the sailors back unharmed."  New crew members took charge of the MV Abdullah on Tuesday and sailed for the United Arab Emirates.  This story originated in VOA's Bangla Service. Some information for this report came from UNB Wires.

Washington — The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on two commanders of Sudan's paramilitary force, vowing pressure to stop the unit from an offensive on the Darfur city of el-Fasher. The Treasury Department said it was freezing any U.S. assets and criminalizing transactions with Ali Yagoub Gibril, Central Darfur commander of the Rapid Support Forces, and an RSF major general involved in operational planning, Osman Mohamed Hamid Mohamed. "The RSF military operation to encircle and besiege el-Fasher, North Darfur, has endangered the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement. "We stand ready to take additional measures against those individuals and institutions that actively escalate the war — including any offensive actions on el-Fasher," he said. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday also voiced alarm over reports of heavy fighting in densely populated areas as the RSF seeks control of el-Fasher, the last major city in Darfur not under its control. Tens of thousands of people have died, and millions have been displaced since war broke out in April 2023 between Sudan's army and the RSF after their head generals refused a plan to integrate. The United States has led diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting but has seen limited success and leverage, with RSF commanders unlikely to hold major assets in the West affected by sanctions. The RSF and Sudan's armed forces are seen as both wanting to secure a battleground victory, and each side has received support from outside players. The U.S. special envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello, is again traveling around the Middle East and Africa this week in hopes of making progress. The United States has accused both sides of war crimes and charged that the RSF has carried out ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity against the indigenous African-origin people of Darfur. The RSF's predecessor, the Janjaweed militia, carried out a scorched-earth campaign in the arid western region that the United States at the time described as genocide.

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Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Tbilisi, Georgia, in protest of the parliament's passage Tuesday of what critics call a Russian-style foreign agent law. The ruling party approved the legislation despite warnings from Washington and Brussels that such a move might threaten Georgia’s partnership with the West. VOA Georgian Service’s Ani Chkhikvadze has more details from Tbilisi.

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WASHINGTON — The White House will send an unofficial delegation to Taiwan this weekend for the inauguration of the island's democratically elected president, the Biden administration announced Wednesday, in a move that is certain to upset China but unlikely to draw excessive responses from Beijing as the two countries try to stabilize relations. A senior White House official said the move is in line with longstanding U.S. practice to send the delegation — which includes two former senior officials and a scholar — to the inauguration ceremony Monday. Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party will take office, succeeding Tsai Ing-wen of the same party. Beijing, which sees Taiwan as part of Chinese territory and vows to seize the island by force if necessary to achieve unification, sees Lai as a supporter of Taiwan's independence and has long opposed any official contact between Washington and Taipei. "In what ways the U.S. deals with the new Taiwan authorities on May 20 and afterwards will affect (the) cross-Strait situation and also the China-U.S. relations in the future," Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said Tuesday before the announcement, referring to the Taiwan Strait. "So we urge the U.S. side to act on President Biden's commitment of not supporting Taiwan independence," he said. The U.S. delegation will be in Taipei "to represent the American people," the White House official told reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the trip before it was announced. The official called Taiwan "a model for democracy not only in the region but also globally." Despite an absence of formal relations with Taiwan, the U.S. is the island's strongest ally and is obligated under a 1979 law to help Taiwan protect itself from invasion. It's unclear how Beijing would respond to an unofficial U.S. delegation at the Taiwanese inauguration, but "Beijing will be the provocateur should it choose to respond with additional military pressure or coercion," the U.S. official said, adding that the administration is not predicting how China would respond. Beijing has repeatedly warned Washington not to meddle with Taiwan's affairs, which it says are a core interest for China because it is a matter of sovereignty and territorial integrity. Beijing sees Washington's support for Taiwan as provocative. The U.S. insists any differences be resolved peacefully and opposes any unilateral changes by either side to the status quo. "We do not support Taiwan independence," the administration official said. "We support cross-Strait dialogue." Taiwan has topped the agenda in U.S.-China relations, which have soured over issues ranging from trade, cybersecurity and human rights to spying. The Biden administration, in its competition with China, has engaged in "intense diplomacy" aimed at preventing tensions from spiraling out of control. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have recently visited China in the administration's latest effort to keep communications open and minimize misunderstanding. Shortly after Lai was elected in January, President Joe Biden sent an unofficial delegation to Taipei to meet Lai, drawing protests from Beijing. Members of Congress also have traveled to Taiwan to meet the president-elect. Plans are underway for a congressional delegation to visit Taiwan shortly after the inauguration. Beijing reiterated its claim over Taiwan immediately after Lai was elected and said "the basic fact that Taiwan is part of China will not change." Days later, Nauru, a tiny Pacific nation, severed its diplomatic ties with Taiwan, which now is recognized by 12 governments, including the Vatican. Since then, Beijing has criticized a U.S. destroyer's passage through the Taiwan Strait. The U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet said the USS Halsey "conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit on May 8 through waters where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law." Navy Senior Capt. Li Xi, speaking for China's Eastern Theater Command, accused the U.S. of having "publicly hyped" the passage of the ship and said the command "organized naval and air forces to monitor" the ship's transit. Meanwhile, in a push to avoid Taiwan's global recognition, Beijing said this week that it would not agree to Taiwan's participation in this year's World Health Assembly, an annual meeting by the World Health Organization that could boost Taiwan's visibility on the world stage. "China's Taiwan region, unless given approval by the central government, has no basis, reason or right to participate in the World Health Assembly," said Wang Wenbin, speaking for the Chinese foreign ministry. Wang also said Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party, which came into power in 2016, has been "hellbent on the separatist stance" of Taiwan's independence and that Beijing has "sufficient reason and a solid legal basis" to bar Taiwan from the global organization. Here's the bipartisan delegation that the White House is sending to Taiwan this weekend: — Laura Rosenberger, chair of the American Institute in Taiwan, a nonprofit, private corporation established under a 1979 law to manage America's unofficial relations with Taiwan. — Brian Deese, a former director of the National Economic Council in the Biden administration. — Richard Armitage, a former deputy secretary of state under President George W. Bush. — Richard Bush, a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who previously served as chair of the American Institute in Taiwan.

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He captured the most famous faces in 1930s and early '40s cinema — Garbo, Crawford, Bogart and Gable. Now the work of George Hurrell, one of Hollywood's greatest portrait photographers, is on display at Washington’s National Portrait Gallery. For VOA News, Cristina Caicedo Smit has the story. Videographer: Hakim Shammo; Video editor: Cristina Caicedo Smit