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SYDNEY — An Australian study claims that China’s monitoring of global internet users’ online habits — a practice that has made TikTok controversial in the United States — extends far beyond the popular social media app to numerous other platforms and even online games. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a research organization that receives funding from the Australian government and others overseas, said in a May 2 report that Beijing’s propaganda chiefs are forging ties with Chinese tech companies to gather personal data from a wide range of social media apps or platforms and popular online games. They include ride-sharing app DiDi, the action game Genshin Impact, and Temu, the popular online marketplace. The Australian study claims that China’s ambition is to harvest “strategically valuable” data from media, gaming, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. It states that China is “working to extend its influence abroad to reshape the global information ecosystem … to strengthen its grip on power, legitimize its activities and bolster China’s cultural, technological, economic and military influence.” There has been no response, so far, from Chinese authorities. Beijing has previously accused the Australian government of “anti-China hysteria” over various geopolitical and trade disputes. Samantha Hoffman, the lead author of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute report, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation this week that data obtained from apps, platforms and games could be valuable to China. “That could be data on the way that users make decisions. [With] Temu, it could be preferences that indicate the likes and dislikes of particular demographics,” she said. “If China is trying to shape the way that the world perceives and understands truth and reality, then this data will help to make those efforts more successful over time.” The report urged policymakers to “develop robust defenses and countermeasures to safeguard against future information campaigns orchestrated by Beijing.” It also asserts that much attention has been given to the Chinese-owned platform TikTok because of concerns that the user data it collects could be shared with Chinese authorities. It cautions, however, the problem “runs much deeper than just TikTok.” TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, has said it will mount a court challenge in the United States to what it called an “unconstitutional” law making its way through Congress that could require the platform to be sold or banned in that country. ByteDance has denied collusion with the Chinese government. Marina Zhang, an associate professor at the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney, told VOA she thinks the Strategic Policy Institute report is exaggerated. “[The] Chinese propaganda machine is huge, but to link all social media apps [to] this propaganda machine is a bit of overstretching,” she said. Zhang said she believes technological collaboration, and not confrontation, is in China’s best interests. “If segregation is going to happen and if reports like this [are] going to happen, China will be isolated from the rest of the world,” Zhang said. “So, we do not want to see a total technological decoupling between China and the West in terms of not just applications but also eventually in technological infrastructure. That is not going to be good for anybody.” Last year, Australia said it would ban TikTok on government devices, including cell phones, because of security and surveillance fears.

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A Venezuelan artist is turning plastic trash into artistic treasure. His latest project is a 200-meter-long masterpiece in a small city in Panama. Óscar Sulbarán reports, in this story narrated by Veronica Villafañe.

DETROIT — Federal investigators say they have “significant safety concerns” about a Ford SUV recall repair that doesn't fix gasoline leaks that can cause engine fires. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is demanding volumes of information from the automaker as it investigates the fix in a March 8 recall of nearly 43,000 Bronco Sport SUVs from the 2022 and 2023 model years, and Escape SUVs from 2022. All have 1.5-liter engines. Ford says the SUVs have fuel injectors that will crack, allowing gas or vapor to leak near hot engine parts that can cause fires, fuel odors and an increased risk of injuries. In an April 25 letter to Ford released Thursday, the agency's Office of Defects Investigation wrote that based on its review of the recall repairs, it "believes that the remedy program does not address the root cause of the issue and does not proactively call for the replacement of defective fuel injectors prior to their failure.” Ford’s remedy for the leaks is to add a drain tube to send the gas away from hot surfaces, and a software update to detect a pressure drop in the fuel injection system. If that happens, the software will disable the high-pressure fuel pump, reduce engine power and cut temperatures in the engine compartment. Owners also will get a “seek service” message. But in the 11-page letter to the automaker, the agency asks Ford to detail any testing it did to verify the remedy resolved the problem and whether hardware repairs are needed. It also asks the company to explain any other remedies that were considered and any cost-benefit analysis the company did when it picked the fix. Safety advocates have said Ford is trying to avoid the cost of replacing the fuel injectors and instead go with a cheaper fix that drains gasoline to the ground. Ford said Thursday that it is working with the NHTSA during its investigation. NHTSA also is asking ford to detail how the software will detect a fuel pressure drop, how much time elapses between cracking and detection, and what messages will be sent to the driver. It also asks what effect disabling the high-pressure fuel pump has on other fuel system parts, and how the SUVs will perform when the pump is disabled. The agency also wants to know how much fuel will leak and whether the amount complies with federal environmental and safety standards. And it wants to hear Ford's take on “its obligations (legal, ethical, environmental and other) to prevent and/or limit fuel leakage onto the roadway at any point during a vehicle's lifespan.” Ford has to provide information to the agency by June 21, the letter said. Depending on the results of its investigation, the agency can seek additional repairs that fix the fuel leaks. The company has said in documents that it has reports of five under-hood fires and 14 warranty replacements of fuel injectors, but no reports of crashes or injuries. In a previous email, Ford said it is not replacing fuel injectors because it is confident the recall repairs “will prevent the failure from occurring and protect the customer.” The new software triggers a dashboard warning light and allows customers to drive to a safe location, stop the vehicle and arrange for service, the company said. NHTSA documents filed by Ford say the problem happens only in about 1% of the SUVs. The company also said it will extend warranty coverage for cracked fuel injectors, so owners who experience the problem will get replacements. Repairs are already available, and details of the extended warranty will be available in June, Ford said. The recall is an extension of a 2022 recall for the same problem, according to Ford. The repair has already been tested on vehicles involved in the previous recall, and Ford said it’s not aware of any problems. The company also said it isn’t recommending that the SUVs be parked only outdoors because there’s no evidence that fires happen when vehicles are parked, and the engines are off. NHTSA said in documents that in the 2022 recall, which covered nearly 522,000 Bronco Sports and Escapes, Ford had the same remedy as the latest recall.  

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YAOUNDE, CAMEROON — Chad has ordered the immediate deployment of troops to maintain peace, especially in the capital, N'djamena, after provisional results of the May 6 presidential elections surprisingly published on Thursday night declared transitional ruler General Mahamat Idriss Deby winner with over 61% of the votes. The main challenger, Succes Masra, claimed he won, with over 73% of the votes. Residents in Chad's capital, N'djamena, said they awoke Friday morning to the sound of heavy gunshots. Forty-five-year old Oumar Saleh is a resident of the Machaga neighborhood spoke to VOA on Friday morning via a messaging app. Oumar said the shooting may have been ordered by Chad's government to intimidate those objecting to the results of Chad's May 6 presidential elections published by the country's elections management body, ANGE, Thursday night. Chadian state TV reports that there were isolated gunshots in N'djamena but does not say who the shooters are. Public Security and Immigration Minister Mahamat Charfadine Margui said in a release Thursday that enough police have been deployed to stop what he called the use of weapons and explosives all over Chad, but specifically in Ndjamena. Chad's military also said before the announcement of the partial results that enough troops had been deployed to protect people and their goods, especially in N'djamena and Moundou, the central African state’s second-largest city. According to the provisional results, transitional President General Mahamat Deby is the official winner with 61.3% of the votes, more than the 50% needed to avoid a run-off. Members of the opposition and the public say they are surprised ANGE published the figures in three days instead of 15 days after the voting, as stated in the electoral code. ANGE says it is legal to publish results within 15 days. Deby in a late-night message said he is very grateful to the majority that voted for him. Deby said he is now the democratically elected president of all Chadians, including opposition party leaders who lost. Deby says he is particularly delighted because he scored a resounding victory, and that he is going to work immediately to fulfill his electoral promises. Deby said he will concentrate on providing jobs for unemployed youths and strengthening Chad's internal security to guarantee peace and stability. ANGE says more than 75% of the registered 8.2 million voters took part in the vote. Deby's main challenger, Succes Masra, scored 18.53% of the vote while Albert Pahimi Padacke, the first transitional prime minister, got 7.91%. Masra had earlier declared that he won a resounding victory in the first round of voting, but that his victory was stolen by Deby. He spoke in a message broadcast on Facebook Thursday afternoon. He said Chadians voted en masse to say enough is enough to the over three-decade dictatorial rule of Chad's former president Idriss Deby Itno and his son Mahamat Idriss Deby. Masra said all his supporters and security forces should strongly oppose an attempt by Deby to steal victory from the people. Masra said all Chad civilians should calmly mobilize and demonstrate peacefully for the stolen victory to be restored. Opposition and civil society members say there is perceivable tension that may cause chaos in Chad following the publication of the results. Candidates have five days from the date of publication of provisional results to file complaints at the constitutional council, which has 10 days rule on fraud and irregularities allegations. Definitive results will be declared by Chad's Constitutional Council on May 21. Deby took power in April 2021 after the death of his father, Idriss Deby Itno, who died on the front line of a war against rebels after ruling for 30 years.

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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.

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JERUSALEM — The main United Nations aid agency for Palestinians closed its headquarters in East Jerusalem after local Israeli residents set fire to areas at the edge of the sprawling compound, the agency said. Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNWRA, said in a post on the social media platform X that he had decided to close the compound until proper security was restored. He said Thursday's incident was the second in less than a week. "This is an outrageous development. Once again, the lives of U.N. staff were at a serious risk," he said. "It is the responsibility of the State of Israel as an occupying power to ensure that United Nations personnel and facilities are protected at all times," he said. UNRWA, set up to deal with the Palestinian refugees who fled or were forced from their homes during the 1948 war around the time of Israel's creation, has long been a target of Israeli hostility. Israeli police said they had opened an investigation into a brush fire adjacent to the UNRWA compound. "Preliminary findings from the police investigation suggest the act was taken by young minors, purportedly falling below the statutory age threshold for criminal liability," it said. Since the start of the war in Gaza, Israeli officials have called repeatedly for the agency to be shut down, accusing it of complicity with the Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza, a charge the United Nations strongly rejects. Israel considers all of Jerusalem its indivisible capital, including eastern parts it captured in a 1967 war, which Palestinians seek as the future capital of an independent state. Lazzarini said staff were present at the time of the incident but there were no casualties. However outdoor areas were damaged by the blaze, which was put out by staff after emergency services took time to respond. Lazzarini said groups of Israelis had been staging regular demonstrations outside the UNRWA compound for the past two months and said stones were thrown at staff and buildings in the compound this week. In footage shared with Lazzarini's post, smoke can be seen rising near buildings at the edge of the compound while the sound of chanting and singing can be heard. A crowd accompanied by armed men were witnessed outside the compound chanting "Burn down the United Nations," Lazzarini said.

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CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Hope was fading Friday for 44 construction workers buried for days in the rubble of a building that collapsed in South Africa, with authorities saying rescuers are now faced with the challenge of moving thousands of tons of concrete with heavy machinery to see if there are any more survivors. The death toll rose to nine after a worker who was in critical condition died in the hospital, authorities said. Of the 28 workers rescued from the site, 21 were in critical condition or had life-threatening injuries following Monday's collapse of the five-story apartment complex that was under construction. With fears that the final death toll could exceed 50, authorities in the city of George on South Africa's south coast said large earth-moving equipment had arrived and rescue teams were removing huge slabs of concrete and rubble to reach deeper into the wreckage. City authorities said it was still a rescue rather than a recovery operation, but no survivors have been located or brought out since Wednesday. "Despite the introduction of large machinery, rescue techniques will still be applied meticulously and sensitively by the highly skilled and experienced disaster management team," the city said in a statement. It also revised the number of missing from 38 to 44 after determining that there were more construction workers at the site than previously thought. New information provided by the construction company showed there were 81 workers when the building came crashing down, not 75 as authorities had initially announced, it said. More than 600 personnel are involved in the rescue operation, with many brought in from nearby towns and cities. George, which is about 400 kilometers east of Cape Town, is a small city known as a vacation and golfing destination. Authorities say multiple investigations are under way into the cause of the collapse, including by police, the provincial government and the national department of labor.

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MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines' national security adviser called on Friday for Chinese diplomats to be expelled over an alleged leak of a phone conversation with a Philippine admiral in a significant escalation of a bitter row over the South China Sea. China's embassy in Manila had orchestrated "repeated acts of engaging and dissemination of disinformation, misinformation and malinformation," with the objective of sowing discord, division and disunity, Eduardo Ano said in a statement. Those actions "should not be allowed to pass unsanctioned without serious penalty," he said. China's embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the call to expel diplomats. The office of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The two countries have been embroiled in a series of heated standoffs this past year in disputed areas of the South China Sea as the Philippines, emboldened by support from the United States and other allies, steps up activities in waters occupied by China's vast coast guard. China has accused the Philippines of trespassing and of treachery, while Manila has scolded Beijing for what it says is a policy of aggression and dangerous maneuvering inside its exclusive economic zone. The expelling of diplomats could intensify a row that has so far seen heated exchanges, diplomatic protests and the ramming and water-cannoning of Philippine ships at two disputed shoals, the closest of which is more than 850 kilometers away from mainland China. Ano was referring to a news report this week of an alleged leak of a call between a Chinese diplomat and a Philippine admiral discussing a dispute over the South China Sea, which carried a transcript that showed the admiral agreeing to concessions with China. According to the transcript published by the Manila Times, the admiral agreed to China's proposal of a "new model," where the Philippines would use fewer vessels in resupply missions to troops at the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, and notify Beijing about missions in advance. Reuters has not heard the reported phone conversation and could not verify the contents of the published transcript. The report said the conversation had taken place in January and the transcript was provided by a "ranking Chinese official," which it did not name. 'Interference operations' Ano said he backed the defense minister's call for the foreign ministry to take appropriate action against embassy officials, who he claimed recorded an alleged phone conversation in violation of Philippine laws, including its anti-wiretapping act, as well as serious breaches of diplomatic protocols. "Those individuals in the Chinese Embassy ... and those responsible for these malign influence and interference operations must be removed from the country immediately," he said. China's foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Wednesday the embassy in Manila had released details about "relevant communications" between the two countries on managing the situation at the Second Thomas Shoal, where the Philippines has stationed troops at a grounded warship. Lin, in comments shared by the embassy, did not elaborate on what details or communications were released, or when, but said "facts are clear and backed by hard evidence that cannot be denied." "The Philippines has insisted on denying these objective facts and seeks to mislead the international community," Lin added. China has long been vexed by the Philippines' maintaining a small group of marines at the Second Thomas Shoal aboard a rusty ship that was intentionally grounded on a reef 25 years ago. Beijing has repeatedly said the Philippines had agreed to tow that ship away, which Manila has rejected. Manila-based political analyst Julio Amador said expelling diplomats should be part of the Philippines' diplomatic tool kit and Chinese Embassy officials had shown they did not value their working relationships with Philippine officials. "Diplomacy is based on trust, yet China is trying to make it look like all meetings between its diplomats and Philippine government representatives are negotiations with binding results," he said. "It has no right to make demands on the Philippines on how the latter manages areas over which it has sovereign rights."

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NEW DELHI — India said Thursday that Canada has shared no evidence to back its allegation that the Indian government was involved in the slaying of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada last year, despite the recent arrests of three Indian men in the crime. India's External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also reiterated India's longstanding allegation that Canada harbors Indian extremists. Three Indian nationals who had been living in Canada temporarily were arrested on Tuesday in the slaying last June of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had set off a diplomatic spat with India last September when he cited "credible allegations" of India's involvement in the slaying of the Sikh separatist. India rejected the accusations. Canadian Mounted Police Superintendent Mandeep Mooker said after the men's arrests that the investigation into whether they had ties to India's government was ongoing. Jaiswal said the two governments are discussing the case but that Canada has forwarded no specific evidence of the Indian government's involvement. Meanwhile, Jaiswal said New Delhi has complained to Canadian authorities that separatists, extremists and those advocating violence against India have been allowed entry and residency in Canada. "Many of our extradition requests are pending," he said. "Our diplomats have been threatened with impunity and obstructed in their performance of duties," Jaiswal added. "We are having discussions at the diplomatic level on all these matters," he said. The three Indian men arrested in Canada haven't yet sought any access to the Indian diplomats there, Jaiswal said. The three — Kamalpreet Singh, 22, Karan Brar, 22, and Karanpreet Singh, 28 — appeared in court Tuesday via a video link and agreed to a trial in English. They were ordered to appear in British Columbia Provincial Court again on May 21. They were arrested last week in Edmonton, Alberta. They have been charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

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TOKYO — Japan's Fisheries Agency has proposed expanding commercial whaling along the country's coast to fin whales, a larger species than the three currently permitted. The proposal comes five years after Japan resumed commercial whaling within its exclusive economic zone after withdrawing from the International Whaling Commission in 2019. It ended 30 years of what Japan called "research whaling" that had been criticized by conservationists as a cover for commercial hunts banned by the commission in 1988. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, whose electoral district is traditionally known for whaling, said Thursday the government supports sustainable use of whales as part of Japan's traditional food culture and plans to promote the industry. "Whales are an important food resource and we believe they should be sustainably utilized just like any other marine resources, based on scientific evidence," Hayashi told reporters. "It is also important to carry on Japan's traditional food culture." The Fisheries Agency said it is seeking public comments until June 5 on the proposed plan and will seek its approval at the next review meeting in mid-June. The agency decided to propose adding fin whales to the allowable catch list after stock surveys confirmed a sufficient recovery of the fin whale population in the North Pacific. The plan is not meant to increase whale meat supply and whalers who catch fin whales do not necessarily have to meet a quota, an agency official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the issue. For this year, the agency has set a combined catch quota of 379 for the three other whale species. Last year, Japanese whalers caught 294 minke, Bryde's and sei whales — less than 80% of the quota and fewer than the number once hunted in the Antarctic and the northwestern Pacific under the research program. Japan's whaling has long been a source of controversy and attacks from conservationists, but anti-whaling protests have largely subsided after Japan terminated its much-criticized Antarctic research hunts in 2019 and returned to commercial whaling limited to Japanese waters. Whale meat consumption in Japan was an affordable source of protein during the malnourished years after World War II, with annual consumption peaking at 233,000 tons in 1962. However, whale was quickly replaced by other meats, and supply has since fallen to around 2,000 tons in recent years, according to Fisheries Agency statistics. Japanese officials want to increase that to about 5,000 tons, to keep the industry afloat. On a visit to the former Tsukiji fish market area in downtown Tokyo, Yuuka Fujikawa from Hokkaido, said she has hardly seen whale meat sold at supermarkets. "I've actually never tried it myself," she said. "I want more people to appreciate the taste of whale," said Hideyuki Saito, from neighboring Saitama prefecture. "I want it to be more popularized." Carlos Sempere Santos, a 28-year-old tourist from Spain, said he couldn't imagine eating whale as whales are special and smart animals. Shirley Bosworth from Australia said she opposes whaling because whales "should be protected." Whales often get beached in Australia, where people unite to try and "push them back in the sea." A whaling operator Kyodo Senpaku Co. last year launched whale meat vending machines. The company also completed construction of its new 7.5 billion yen ($48 million) Kangei Maru — a 9,300-ton mother ship — and pledges to use it for sustainable commercial whaling.

NEWPORT BEACH, California — Scores of sick and starving pelicans have been found in coastal California communities in recent weeks and many others have died. Lifeguards spotted a cluster of two dozen sick pelicans earlier this week on a pier in coastal Newport Beach and called in wildlife experts to assist. Debbie McGuire, executive director of the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach, said the birds are the latest group that they've tried to save after taking in more than 100 other pelicans that were anemic, dehydrated and weighing only half of what they should. "They are starving to death and if we don't get them into care, they will die," McGuire said. "It really is a crisis." It is not immediately clear what is sickening the birds. Some wildlife experts noted the pelicans are malnourished even though marine life abounds off the Pacific Coast. Bird Rescue, which runs two wildlife centers in Northern and Southern California, reported 110 sick pelicans in the past three weeks, many entangled in fishing line or hooks. A similar event occurred in 2022, the group said. Wildlife organizations are focused on caring for the birds until they can be released back into the wild.