Feed aggregator

BEIJING — Top Chinese officials gather in Beijing on Monday, with all eyes on how they might kickstart lackluster growth at a key political meeting that has traditionally seen officials unveil big-picture economic policy changes. The world's second-largest economy is grappling with a real estate debt crisis, weakening consumption, an aging population and geopolitical tensions overseas. President Xi Jinping will oversee the ruling Communist Party's secretive Third Plenum, which usually takes place every five years in October, though Beijing has offered few hints about what might be on the table. State media in June said the delayed four-day gathering would "primarily examine issues related to further comprehensively deepening reform and advancing Chinese modernization," and Xi last week said the CCP was planning "major" reforms. Analysts are hoping those pledges will result in badly needed support for the economy. "There are many hopes that this Third Plenum will provide some new breakthroughs on policy," Andrew Batson of the Beijing-based consultancy Gavekal Dragonomics told AFP. "China's government has struggled to execute a successful economic strategy since emerging from the pandemic," he added. But he said he did not expect a "fundamental departure from the course Xi has already laid out," in which technological self-sufficiency and national security outweigh economic growth. And the People's Daily, the Communist Party's official newspaper, warned on Monday that "reform is not about changing direction and transformation is not about changing color." Ting Lu, chief China economist at Nomura, said the meeting was "intended to generate and discuss big, long-term ideas and structural reforms instead of making short-term policy adjustments." The Third Plenum has long been an occasion for the Communist Party's top leadership to unveil major economic policy shifts. In 1978, then-leader Deng Xiaoping used the meeting to announce market reforms that would put China on the path to dazzling economic growth by opening it to the world. And more recently following the closed-door meeting in 2013, the leadership pledged to give the free market a "decisive" role in resource allocation as well as other sweeping changes to economic and social policy. Growth figures expected This year's conclave will begin the same day China is due to release its growth figures for the second quarter. Experts polled by AFP expect China's economy to have grown, on average, 5.3 percent year-on-year between April and June. Beijing has said it is aiming for 5% growth this year — enviable for many Western countries but a far cry from the double-digit expansion that for years drove the Chinese economy. Authorities have been clear they want to reorient the economy away from state-funded investment and instead base growth around high-tech innovation and domestic consumption. But economic uncertainty is fueling a vicious cycle that has kept consumption stubbornly low. Among the most urgent issues facing the economy is a persistent crisis in the property sector, which long served as a key engine for growth but is now mired in debt, with several top firms facing liquidation. Authorities have moved in recent months to ease pressure on developers and restore confidence, such as by encouraging local governments to buy up unsold homes. Analysts say much more is required for a full rebound as the country's economy has yet to bounce back more than 18 months after damaging COVID-19 restrictions ended. "Short-term stimulus is badly needed to boost the teetering economy," Nomura's Ting said. But, he added, "major steps towards market-oriented reforms might be limited this time."

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 — NATO and Ukrainian leaders are to meet Thursday in Washington, a day after NATO allies bolstered support for Ukraine to join the alliance. The NATO summit’s final day will also include talks with leaders from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and the European Union addressing security challenges and cooperation. A NATO communique released by the 32-member bloc Wednesday said Ukraine’s path to NATO membership is “irreversible.” “It’s not a question of if, but when,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters Wednesday. The United States was once deeply concerned about whether Ukraine was ready for NATO membership but now appears resolved to ensure Kyiv eventually joins the alliance. “We're providing that bridge to membership for Ukraine. It's really a significant deliverable,” Michael Carpenter, the senior director for Europe at the National Security Council, told VOA. Stoltenberg said that when fighting stops in Ukraine, NATO will need to ensure that halt will be the final end to violence there. The way to ensure it stops for good, Stoltenberg said, is NATO membership for Ukraine. Otherwise, he said, Russia could continue its aggression. Unlike the European Union, which began negotiations with Ukraine to join its ranks on June 25, there is no consensus yet about Ukraine joining NATO. F-16 transfer under way Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the first American-made F-16 fighter jets are currently being delivered to Ukraine and are expected to patrol Ukrainian skies in coming weeks. “The transfer of F-16s is officially under way, and Ukraine will be flying F-16s this summer,” he said at the summit. In a statement Wednesday, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and U.S. President Joe Biden announced that the Dutch and Danish governments were providing the F-16s, while Belgium and Norway had committed to send more aircraft to Ukraine. NATO member heads of state held their first working session of the summit Wednesday as they sought to boost the alliance’s support for Ukraine and enhance their own defense and deterrence efforts. At the start of the session, Biden said Russia was ramping up its defense production with Chinese, North Korean and Iranian help. To counter their efforts, he said, NATO members must continue to invest more in defense production. “We cannot allow the alliance to fall behind,” Biden said. China called out In the NATO communique, all 32 allies on Wednesday also called on China to cease its support for Russia’s war effort against Kyiv, including its transfer of dual-use materials, such as weapons components, equipment and raw materials that aid Russia’s defense sector. “The PRC cannot enable the largest war in Europe in recent history without this negatively impacting its interests and reputation,” the leaders wrote. Asked by VOA whether the statement was a strong enough message to deter China from continuing to support Russia, Stoltenberg replied in the press conference that Wednesday’s declaration is “the strongest message that NATO allies have ever sent on China’s contributions to Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine.” A spokesperson for China’s mission to the European Union rejected the NATO statement, calling it “filled with Cold War mentality and belligerent rhetoric.” NATO allies invited Indo-Pacific partners from Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand to also attend this week’s summit. Officials say their inclusion reflects their importance during growing Chinese, North Korean, Russian and Iranian aggression. Iulia Iarmolenko contributed to this report. Some information for this report was provided by Reuters

LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas baked Wednesday in its record fifth consecutive day of temperatures sizzling at 46.1 Celsius or greater amid a lengthening hot spell that is expected to broil much of the U.S. into the weekend. The temperature climbed to 46.1 shortly after 1 p.m. at Harry Reid International Airport, breaking the old mark of four consecutive days set in July 2005. And the record could be extended, or even doubled, by the weekend. Even by desert standards, the prolonged baking that Nevada's largest city is experiencing is nearly unprecedented, with forecasters calling it "the most extreme heat wave" since the National Weather Service began keeping records in Las Vegas in 1937. Already the city has broken 16 heat records since June 1, well before the official start of summer, "and we're not even halfway through July yet," meteorologist Morgan Stessman said Wednesday. That includes an all-time high of 48.8 C set on Sunday, which beat the previous 47.2 C record. Alyse Sobosan said this July has felt the hottest in the 15 years she has lived in Las Vegas. She said she doesn't step outside during the day if she can help it. "It's oppressively hot," she said. "It's like you can't really live your life." It's also dangerously hot, health officials have emphasized. There have been at least nine heat-related deaths this year in Clark County, which encompasses Las Vegas, according to the county coroner's office. Officials say the toll is likely higher. "Even people of average age who are seemingly healthy can suffer heat illness when it's so hot it's hard for your body to cool down," said Alexis Brignola, an epidemiologist at the Southern Nevada Health District. For homeless residents and others without access to safe environments, officials have set up emergency cooling centers at community centers across southern Nevada. The Las Vegas area has been under an excessive heat warning on three separate occasions this summer, totaling about 12 days of dangerous heat with little relief even after the sun goes down, Stessman said. Keith Bailey and Lee Doss met early Wednesday morning at a Las Vegas park to beat the heat and exercise their dogs, Breakie, Ollie and Stanley. "If I don't get out by 8:30 in the morning, then it's not going to happen that day," Bailey said, wearing a sunhat while the dogs played in the grass. More than 142 million people around the U.S. were under heat alerts Wednesday, especially in Western states, where dozens of locations tied or broke heat records over the weekend and are expected to keep doing so all week. Oregon has seen record daily high temperatures, with Portland reaching 39.4 C and Salem and Eugene hitting 40.5 C on Tuesday. The number of potentially heat-related deaths in Oregon has risen to 10, according to the state medical examiner's office. The latest two deaths involved a 54-year-old man in Jackson County and a 27-year-old man in Klamath County. On the other side of the nation, the National Weather Service warned of major-to-extreme heat risk over portions of the East Coast. An excessive heat warning remained in place Wednesday for the Philadelphia area, northern Delaware and nearly all of New Jersey. Temperatures were around 32.2 C for most of the region, and forecasters warned the heat index could soar as high as 42.2 C. The warning was due to expire at 8 p.m. Wednesday, though forecasters said there may be a need to extend it. The heat was blamed for a motorcyclist's death over the weekend in Death Valley National Park. At Death Valley on Tuesday, tourists queued for photos in front of a giant thermometer that was reading 48.9 C. Simon Pell and Lisa Gregory from London left their air-conditioned RV to experience a midday blast of heat that would be unthinkable back home. "I wanted to experience what it would feel like," Pell said. "It's an incredible experience." At the Grand Canyon, the National Park Service was investigating the third hiker death in recent weeks. Temperatures on parts of some trails can reach 49 C in the shade. An excessive heat warning continued Wednesday in many parts of southern and central Arizona. Forecasters said the high in Phoenix was expected to reach 45.5 C after it hit 46.6 C Tuesday, tying the previous record for the date set in 1958. Authorities were investigating the death of a 2-year-old who was left alone in a hot vehicle Tuesday afternoon in Marana, near Tucson, police said. At Lake Havasu, a 4-month-old died from heat-related complications Friday, the Mohave County Sheriff's Department said. The U.S. heat wave came as the global temperature in June was a record warm for the 13th straight month and marked the 12th straight month that the world was 1.5 degrees Celsius  warmer than pre-industrial times, the European climate service Copernicus said. Most of this heat, trapped by human-caused climate change, is from long-term warming from greenhouse gases emitted by the burning of coal, oil and natural gas, scientists say. Firefighters in Henderson, Nevada, last week became the first in the region to deploy what city spokesperson Madeleine Skains called "polar pods," devices filled with water and ice to cool a person exhibiting symptoms of heat stroke or a related medical emergency. Extreme heat in the West has also dried out vegetation that fuels wildfires. A blaze burning in northern Oregon, about 178 kilometers east of Portland, blew up to 28 square kilometers by Wednesday afternoon due to hot temperatures, gusty wind and low humidity, according to the Oregon State Fire Marshal. The Larch Creek Fire closed Highway 197 and forced evacuations for remote homes. In California, firefighters were battling least 19 wildfires Wednesday, including a 117-square-kilometer blaze that prompted evacuation orders for about 200 homes in the mountains of Santa Barbara County.

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.

SYDNEY — Papua New Guinea's sidelined Petroleum Minister Jimmy Maladina pleaded not guilty in a Sydney court Thursday to a charge of assaulting a woman during a domestic dispute. His lawyer Margaret Cunneen entered the plea on his behalf during his brief appearance in Waverley Local Court. Neither Maladina nor Cuneen made a statement to media waiting outside court. Police allege he assaulted a 31-year-old woman Saturday at an address in nearby Bondi in Sydney's expensive eastern suburbs and she suffered facial injuries. A conviction on the charge of assault resulting in bodily harm could carry a potential maximum sentence of five years in prison. Maladina, 58, remains free on bail with restrictions on contact with the woman, but there are no bail conditions that would prevent him from leaving Australia. Maladina will appear in court on July 17 when a magistrate will set a hearing date. Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape announced on Wednesday that Energy Minister Thomas Opa had taken over the petroleum portfolio since Maladina had stepped down during the court process. He remains a government lawmaker. Foreign government ministers can claim immunity from criminal prosecution in Australia if they are visiting on business. But there is no immunity for private visits. The Associated Press asked the Papua New Guinea High Commission in Australia on Tuesday whether Maladina was visiting on official business but received no reply. Papua New Guinea is Australia's nearest neighbor and an Australian colony until independence in 1975.

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.

NATO allies on Wednesday pledged to support Ukraine on an "irreversible” path to integration while calling on China to cease all support for Russia's war effort against Kyiv. This as new fighter jets are set to patrol the skies of Ukraine. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has the details.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said of Ukraine; “we'll continue to support them on the irreversible path to NATO membership.” We talk with University of Southern California professor Robert English, director of the USC School of International Relations. Alec Baldwin’s manslaughter trial begins. And what bat brains can help us understand human brain disorders.

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 — Taliban efforts to solidify the group’s control over Afghanistan are bringing a measure of peace and stability to its residents, but intelligence gathered by United Nations member states suggests the reprieve is not likely to last. A report issued late Wednesday by the U.N. sanctions monitoring team warns that Afghanistan will almost certainly remain a source for insecurity with terror groups like al-Qaida and Islamic State either finding safe haven or finding ways to exploit the Taliban’s weaknesses. “The country continues to be perceived as permissive or friendly territory by terrorist groups,” the report warns. “Continued Taliban tolerance of a range of terrorist groups, based across many Afghan provinces, sets the conditions for terrorism to project into neighboring States.” Al-Qaida, in particular, continues to thrive, taking advantage of its long-term ties to the Taliban despite being forced to keep a low-profile. Al-Qaida expansion U.N. member states contend al-Qaida has used the past year to reorganize and recruit, building out its network of training camps and safe houses across at least five Afghan provinces, including bases in the eastern city of Jalalabad and offices in Kabul. The expansion has also attracted more al-Qaida operatives, including some that the U.N. report described as “experienced instructors” from outside of Afghanistan, whose mission is “to enhance the security of dispersed cells.” The report further alleges that de facto al-Qaida leader Saif al-Adel, believed to be in Iran, has sent ethnic Arab operatives to the Afghan provinces of Kunar and Nuristan to improve training and facilitate communication with the group’s core leadership. Other key al-Qaida figures in Afghanistan have also found added safety thanks to the Taliban. Taliban protection Abu Ikhlas al-Masri, an al-Qaida commander captured in 2010 and held in a prison at Bagram air base until U.S. forces left in 2021, was placed in protective custody, the report says, "reflecting Taliban concerns that foreign intelligence agencies were looking for him." Two other al-Qaida officials, described in the report as “weapons engineers,” were also given protection by the Taliban, while an al-Qaida official from Libya was reportedly given an Afghan passport and a position at the Interior Ministry. “The intent behind these activities is not clear, nor are the consequences for the group’s capabilities, but the activities cause significant concern,” the report says of al-Qaida. US assessment The U.N. assessment stands, in some ways, in contrast to assessments shared late last year by the United States. “Al-Qaida is at its historical nadir in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and its revival is unlikely,” National Counterterrorism Center Director Christine Abizaid said in a statement marking the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks on the U.S. that killed almost 3,000 people. But such views are at odds with the picture put together by the U.N., which maintains al-Qaida has between 30 and 60 senior officials in Afghanistan, along with hundreds of fighters and almost 2,000 family members. Islamic State-Khorasan While al-Qaida may be seeing the start of a revival thanks to the Taliban rule of Afghanistan, the intelligence shared in the new U.N. report finds the Islamic State terror group is coming under pressure. U.N. member states "credit Taliban efforts to counter the threat from [IS-Khorasan],” it says. “But [they] question the Taliban’s counter-terrorism capabilities and have concerns about continued [IS-Khorasan] recruitment and dispersal.” The result, according to the report, is an Islamic State affiliate that is slowly positioning itself to undermine Taliban rule while actively carrying out attacks as far afield as Iran and Russia. IS-Khorasan capacity “remains strong,” according to the report, noting the group’s deadly attacks in Kerman, Iran, this past January and on a Moscow concert hall this past March. IS-Khorasan spreading The intelligence suggests IS-Khorasan has expanded into a number of adjacent Central Asian states. IS-Khorasan “is using Afghan nationals to conduct attacks in Pakistan, Pakistani nationals to conduct attacks inside Afghanistan, Tajik nationals to conduct attacks in Iran (Islamic Republic of) and the Russian Federation and has used a Kyrgyz national to carry out an attack in the Taliban’s heartland of Kandahar,” the U.N. report says. The terror group also appears to be growing in parts of Afghanistan. “[It] has strengthened in northern regions of Afghanistan, increasing recruitment within Tajik and Uzbek communities and stockpiling arms and explosives in remote mountainous areas," according to the report. And one of the U.N. member states warned it sees indications IS-Khorasan may be preparing to try to reestablish territorial control in some areas. IS undercover Other intelligence shared with the U.N. by its member states raises concerns that IS-Khorasan may be preparing to take down the Taliban from within. The report says there is evidence that IS-Khorasan operatives have infiltrated the Taliban’s Interior and Defense ministries, as well as its General Directorate of Intelligence. There is also concern that the group is finding ways to hide its true presence. The report estimates IS-Khorasan has 2,000 to 3,500 fighters, with members of other IS affiliates in Afghanistan helping to swell that number to as many as 6,000. But U.N. member states allege the group is embedding its fighters in as many as four other terror groups, including some that get training and welfare benefits from the Taliban-run government. IS special forces There is also some evidence to suggest IS-Khorasan has set up a special operations force in Iran. According to two U.N. member states, the force is made up of mostly Tajik and Uzbek nationals, charged with carrying out attacks on Shia shrines, clergy and Iranian police. One of the two U.N. member states said the force could have as many as 300 fighters and appears to be operating along Iran’s borders with Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Iraq. Central Asia As with the U.N. assessment of al-Qaida’s fortunes in Afghanistan, the U.N. assessment of a large and possibly growing IS presence in the country also runs counter to some U.S. assessments, which see a much smaller footprint. But more recent U.S. intelligence estimates have raised concerns about the ability of IS-Khorasan to project power into Central Asia and beyond. A top U.S. counterterrorism official last month warned that IS appeared to be trying to take advantage of changing migration patterns that are sending more Central Asians to the U.S. southern border with Mexico. Treasury Department sanctions unveiled last month also pointed to the involvement of an IS operative in Uzbekistan and the emir of the IS affiliate in the Republic of Georgia in a plot to smuggle operatives to the U.S. Global reach Some analysts say the additional details in the U.N. report are evidence that IS-Khorasan, also known as ISKP, remains on a worrisome trajectory. “ISKP intensified its Central Asia outreach after the U.S.-withdrawal from Afghanistan and rolled out Tajik and Uzbek media arms in 2022,” according to Lucas Webber, a research fellow at the global intelligence firm, The Soufan Center. “This initiative continues to expand,” he told VOA, pointing to the introduction of a new IS Tajik language magazine days after the group’s terror attack in Moscow. And there are other worrisome signs. “There has been an uptick in ISKP-linked arrests throughout Central Asia in the last few months,” Webber added, saying that could indicate the recent high-profile attacks could be “just the start of what the group has planned.”

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 — A U.S. plan to boost its Pacific air power is seen by analysts as an effort to reinforce deterrence in the Indo-Pacific and counterbalance China's attempt to gain dominance in the region. The U.S. Air Force plans to upgrade more than 80 fighter jets stationed at Japanese bases over the next several years as part of a $10 billion program to modernize its forces there. The Defense Department announced the plan last week, saying it aims to enhance the U.S.-Japan alliance and bolster deterrence in the Indo-Pacific. "This is a necessary upgrade that has been planned for some time. And combined with Japan's own investments, it will help maintain some degree of air power balance between the allies and China's progress in air force modernization," said James Schoff, senior director of the U.S.-Japan NEXT Alliance Initiative at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA. "Without it, the credibility of U.S. deterrent capacity would be much weaker, which could cause Beijing to doubt U.S. seriousness about protecting the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and prompt more aggressive Chinese behavior," Schoff said. The Taiwanese Defense Ministry said it spotted 37 Chinese aircraft near Taiwan on Wednesday as they headed to the Western Pacific for drills with the Shandong aircraft carrier. Chinese jets and warships have frequently made dangerous maneuvers around the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as a part of its own territory. Former U.S. Indo-Pacific Commander John Aquilino told the Senate Armed Services Committee in March that China could soon have the world's largest air force. China is currently the third-largest air power in the world, behind the United States and Russia. China's rapid military modernization efforts have led it to possess more than 3,150 aircraft, of which about 2,400 are combat aircraft, including fighters, strategic and tactical bombers, and attack aircraft, according to the Pentagon's 2023 report on China's military power. Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, told VOA on Monday that "U.S.-Japan relations should not target or harm other countries' interests and should not undermine regional peace and stability." Upgrade designed to help defend Japan In addition to protecting Taiwan, the upgrade — which includes the advanced F-35 jets — also will help U.S. Forces Japan (USFJ) deter North Korea and defend Japan's Southwest Islands, said James Przystup, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. Japan has a territorial dispute with China over what it calls the Senkaku Islands and what China calls the Diaoyu Islands. Japan and Russia also have a dispute over islands off Hokkaido, which Japan calls the Northern Territories and Russia calls the Kuril Islands. The U.S. aircraft upgrade plan is to modify several deployed F-35B jets stationed at the Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi prefecture south of Hiroshima. The Misawa Air Base in Japan's northern Aomori prefecture will see 36 F-16 aircraft be replaced with 48 F-35A jets. Aircraft will be rotated At Kadena Air Base in Japan's southern island of Okinawa, 48 F-15 C/D jets will be replaced with 36 new F-15EX jets. During the upgrades, fourth- and fifth-generation tactical aircraft will be dispatched on a rotational basis, according to the Pentagon. "The upgrades will provide qualitative and quantitative boosts to the USFJ inventory, which will also enhance the U.S.-Japan alliance's readiness against China, North Korea and Russia," said Ryo Hinata-Yamaguchi, a professor at the University of Tokyo and a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Indo-Pacific Security Initiative. "Benefits will be seen not only in aerial operations but also guarding U.S. and Japanese capabilities for naval and amphibious operations. The platforms are not simply about technological superiority for combat, but also more advanced electronic warfare capabilities to penetrate weaknesses of China, North Korea and Russia," he said. China often conducts joint air drills with Russia over the waters near South Korea and Japan. In December, Chinese and Russian jets entered South Korea's Air Defense Identification Zone, prompting Seoul to scramble fighter jets in response. David Maxwell, vice president of the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy, said, "Russia has been conducting some combined operations with China on a limited basis recently, so if Russia operates in the Indo-Pacific, it will certainly indicate these systems will contribute to the defense of U.S.-allies' interests." Maxwell said U.S. bases in Japan give the U.S. "a lot of operational flexibility to be able to deal with multiple contingencies, either on the Korean Peninsula or in the South China Sea, or really, anywhere in Asia." Okinawa is about 740 kilometers (459.8 miles) from Taiwan and 990 kilometers (615.1 miles) from South Korea's southern port city of Busan. Kadena, which the U.S. calls "the keystone of the Pacific," is the largest U.S. installation in the Indo-Pacific. Zack Cooper, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, who served as special assistant to the principal deputy undersecretary of defense for policy during the George W. Bush administration, said rotating aircraft presence at Kadena during the upgrade transition helps the U.S. disperse them in case of an attack. "Kadena Air Base is under greater threat than it's been in decades," from a range of Chinese capabilities, both ballistic and cruise missiles, he said. "There are a couple of options for how to deal with that. One is for the U.S. to disperse its forces more so that if there was an attack, there would be less concentration of U.S. forces."

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 — The United States and its NATO allies have agreed that Ukraine’s path to  membership in the organization is “irreversible,” according to a communique released by the 32-member bloc during this week’s summit in Washington. “It’s not a question of if, but when,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters Wednesday. The United States was once deeply concerned about whether Ukraine was ready for NATO membership but now appears resolved to ensure Kyiv eventually joins the alliance. “We're providing that bridge to membership for Ukraine. It's really a significant deliverable,” Michael Carpenter, the senior director for Europe at the National Security Council, told VOA. Stoltenberg explained that when fighting stops in Ukraine, NATO will need to ensure that it stops for good. The way to ensure that, he added, is to secure NATO membership for Ukraine. Otherwise, he said, Russia could continue its aggression. Unlike the European Union, which began negotiations with Ukraine to join its ranks on June 25, there is no consensus yet about Ukraine joining NATO.   F-16 transfer under way Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the first American-made F-16 fighter jets were being delivered to Ukraine and were expected to patrol Ukrainian skies in the coming weeks. “The transfer of F-16s is officially under way, and Ukraine will be flying F-16s this summer,” he said at the summit. In a statement Wednesday, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and U.S. President Joe Biden announced that the Dutch and Danish governments were providing the F-16s, while Belgium and Norway had committed to send more aircraft to Ukraine. NATO member heads of state held their first working session of the summit  Wednesday as they sought to boost the alliance’s support for Ukraine and enhance their own defense and deterrence efforts. At the start of the session, Biden said Russia was ramping up its defense production with the help of China, North Korea and Iran. To counter them, he said, NATO members must continue to invest more in defense production. “We cannot allow the alliance to fall behind,” Biden said.   China called out In the NATO communique, all 32 allies also called on China to cease its support for Russia’s war effort against Kyiv, including its transfer of dual-use materials, such as weapons components, equipment and raw materials that serve as inputs for Russia’s military sector. China "cannot enable the largest war in Europe in recent history without this negatively impacting its interests and reputation,” the leaders wrote. Asked by VOA whether the statement was a strong enough message to deter China from continuing to support Russia, Stoltenberg replied in the press conference that Wednesday’s declaration was “the strongest message that NATO allies have ever sent on China’s contributions to Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine.” NATO allies invited Indo-Pacific partners from Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand to attend this week’s summit. Officials said their inclusion relayed the importance of these partners amid growing aggression from China, North Korea, Russia and Iran.  Iulia Iarmolenko 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.

UNITED NATIONS — A backlog of 1,150 truckloads of humanitarian aid is waiting to be collected from the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing in the southern Gaza Strip, Israel said on Wednesday, prompting the United Nations to say: "We're doing what we can." COGAT, an Israeli Defense Ministry agency tasked with coordinating aid deliveries into Palestinian territories, said another 50 aid trucks are also awaiting collecting from the Palestinian side of the Erez crossing in northern Gaza. The U.N. said it is struggling to distribute aid within the enclave of 2.3 million people as the war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas enters its 10th month and law and order has broken down. "Yes, the aid is being dropped off. But on the other side of that, you have utter lawlessness, plus you have continuing conflict," said U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric. "We are continuing to do our best to get that to those people who need it. Our colleagues in Gaza are not sitting on their hands." He said that the U.N. trucks that manage to pick up aid "are doing it often at great cost, because they are being either looted or attacked by criminal elements," adding that, "Some aid is getting through, but very little." Obstacles to aid delivery The U.N. has has long complained of dangers and obstacles to getting aid into Gaza — Israel inspects and approves all aid trucks — and distributing it within the enclave, where a global hunger monitor last month said there is a high risk of famine. The top U.N. aid official for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Muhannad Hadi, briefed U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday — a day after visiting Gaza — Dujarric said. Hadi entered and exited through the Kerem Shalom crossing. "He saw groups of men with sticks waiting for trucks to leave the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza. All the trucks that he passed were badly damaged, with broken windshields, mirrors and hoods," Dujarric told reporters. Hadi also saw bags of fortified flour from the World Food Program (WFP) and the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA scattered alongside the road from Kerem Shalom into Gaza, Dujarric said. Military action limits distribution In northern Gaza, the WFP said military activity was limiting its operations. Israeli forces continued to press their offensive in north and central Gaza on Wednesday, dropping leaflets urging the evacuation of Gaza City. WFP has not delivered any food from the West Erez crossing for a couple of days, said WFP spokesperson Shaza Moghraby. "Distribution sites have been evacuated and shut down, terrified people are being displaced again, and every time this happens, it makes it more difficult for us to reach them. So, there is a major impact on our operations," she said.

new york — A U.S. judge on Wednesday said he would likely end bankruptcy for Rudy Giuliani, a onetime lawyer for former President Donald Trump. The move would enable lawsuits against Giuliani for defamation, sexual harassment and other claims to proceed in other courts.   U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane said at a court hearing in White Plains, New York, that he would rule Friday on competing requests from Giuliani - who was New York City's mayor from 1994 through 2001 - and his creditors about the future of his bankruptcy.   Giuliani, 80, filed for bankruptcy protection in December after a Washington, D.C., court ordered him to pay $148 million to two Georgia election workers that he falsely accused of rigging votes in the 2020 presidential election, which Democrat Joe Biden won.   The bankruptcy prevented the election workers from collecting on that judgment, while freezing other lawsuits stemming from Giuliani's work for Trump, as he sought to overturn his loss in the 2020 election.  Last week, Giuliani asked to convert his personal bankruptcy case into a straightforward liquidation, which would force him to sell nearly all of his assets. One group of creditors asked Lane to appoint a trustee to take over Giuliani's finances and businesses, which could lead to a lengthy and contested bankruptcy liquidation, while another group said Giuliani should be kicked out of bankruptcy altogether.   All three options pose significant risks for Giuliani.  Lane said dismissal was likely the best option, given the difficulties the court has had in getting straight answers from Giuliani about his finances. A trustee would likely face the same problems getting Giuliani's cooperation, while incurring additional expenses that would reduce Giuliani's ability to pay creditors, Lane said.   "I'm concerned that the difficulties we've encountered on transparency will continue," Lane said.   A dismissal of his bankruptcy would allow Giuliani's creditors to resume lawsuits against him, but it would also give him more freedom to appeal the $148 million defamation judgment that forced him to seek bankruptcy protection.   "We believe that the debtor's best chance of getting an appellate determination would be dismissal," Giuliani attorney Gary Fischoff said during Wednesday's court hearing.  Lane previously stopped Giuliani from spending money on the appeal while he was bankrupt, saying his Chapter 11 filing had paused litigation on both sides.   Rachel Strickland, representing the former Georgia election workers, Wandrea "Shaye" Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, said Giuliani should be kicked out of bankruptcy so her clients can try to collect on their judgment against him.   Giuliani "regards this court as a pause button on his woes while he continues to live his life unbothered," Strickland told Lane.   Moss and Freeman, who are Black, faced a deluge of racist and sexist messages, including threats of lynching, after Trump and his allies spread false claims that they were engaged in vote fraud.  A committee representing Giuliani's other creditors asked Lane to instead appoint a trustee to take over Giuliani's finances and businesses, like his podcasting engagements and coffee promotions. Committee attorney Phil Dublin said ending the bankruptcy now would create a "race to the courthouse" among the many people who have sued Giuliani.   Giuliani's other creditors include former employee Noelle Dunphy, who has accused Giuliani of sexual assault and wage theft, and the voting machine companies Dominion and Smartmatic, who have also sued Giuliani for defamation. Giuliani has denied the allegations.  In addition to the civil lawsuits, Giuliani is facing criminal charges in Georgia and Arizona for aiding Trump's efforts to subvert the 2020 election results, and his false claims about the election have caused him to lose his license to practice law in New York.