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Athens — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has officially dedicated an ancient Byzantine church as a mosque, drawing a protest from Greece. Many Greeks want a summit scheduled for Monday in Ankara between Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to be canceled.  Greece’s criticism centers on the formal opening of the Church of St. Saviour in Chora as a Muslim house of worship, four years after it was converted. The ancient site was a museum before its conversion to a mosque and is a United Nations-protected monument revered for its mosaic masterpieces. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presided remotely over the opening ceremony this past Monday from the presidential palace in Ankara. While the move to open the site as a mosque has won praise from the Muslim faithful in Turkey, it has angered many Greeks, among them Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. He said Erdogan’s decision is “unnecessary” and an insult. Speaking after talks Thursday with Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, Mitsotakis said if anything, the church’s conversion is an affront to, as he put it, the rich cultural history that Istanbul has to show for… at the crossroads of many civilizations. The Church of St. Saviour in Chora is the latest ancient church that Erdogan has converted since ordering Istanbul’s prized landmark, the Hagia Sophia, to be transformed in 2020 to a Muslim house of prayer.   Analysts view the conversions as part of an attempt by Erdogan to consolidate the conservative and religious support base of his ruling party amid an economic downturn gripping Turkey. The latest conversion has also drawn criticism from the United States, with the State Department calling on Turkey to preserve the monument’s diverse history and allow access to all visitors. In Athens, many political leaders are urging Mitsotakis to cancel a meeting he has scheduled with Erdogan for next week as part of a previously agreed plan to ease relations between the longtime foes.  Nikos Androulakis, the leader of Greece’s socialist party, is among those calling for the talks to be called off. “There is no way that I would go,” Androulakis said, adding, “This is a provocation.” The prospect of canceling the talks is a “no-go,” said Mitsotakis. “It is imperative to keep all channels of communication open,” said Mitsotakis. He went on to say, “It is much better that I face President Erdogan in person and express my strong opposition to this latest conversion, than allow this matter to spark another crisis between the two countries.”  Relations between Greece and Turkey have long been strained. The two neighbors and NATO members nearly went to war in 2020 over contested energy reserves in the Mediterranean. They have also been at odds over the divided island of Cyprus; it is split between a Turkish-Cypriot north and a Greek-Cypriot south. Since 1974, several efforts by the United Nations and the United States to reunite the island have failed. In recent remarks, Erdogan said all problems can be resolved between Greece and Turkey. In December, Erdogan made an official visit to Greece, where he met with Prime Minister Mitsotakis. They agreed on several measures to ease tensions.

In mid-April, the United States deployed a Tomahawk missile system to the Philippines, a move condemned by both Russia and China. The medium-range launcher can reach targets up to 1,600 kilometers away. Now, Russia says it plans to ramp up its production of similar missile systems.  Kateryna Besedina has the story, narrated by Anna Rice.

The U.S. has paused some arms shipments to Israel over a disagreement about military action in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Opponents of Prime Minister Netanyahu blame him for damaging the Israel/U.S. relationship, while allies of Netanyahu go so far as to claim Biden is helping Hamas. A look at graduation ceremonies at colleges that were the scenes of violent anti-Israel protests, Ukrainians and Russians living side-by-side in a Norwegian mining village, and a look at politics in South Korea and the push there to increase the birth rate. Plus, in Pakistan, it’s the anniversary of supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan stormed military properties to protest his arrest.

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With the number of deaths nearing 240 and about 235,000 people displaced, Kenyans are mourning their lost ones and trying to rebuild after weeks of heavy rains that resulted in deadly floods and landslides. And it’s not over yet as more rains are expected through June. VOA Nairobi Bureau chief Mariama Diallo has this report. VOA footage by Amos Wangwa.

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.

MARSEILLE, France — Joyful crowds gathered along the streets of France's southern port of Marseille on Thursday to see torchbearers carrying the Olympic flame through the city's most emblematic sites, a day after it arrived on a majestic three-mast ship for a welcoming ceremony.  It was the first leg of an 11-week journey across the country for the torch, which will be carried by about 10,000 bearers as it passes through more than 450 towns until the Games' opening ceremony in Paris on July 26.  Former soccer player Basile Boli, who played with the Marseille team in the 1990s, kicked off Thursday's relay from the Notre Dame de la Garde basilica that overlooks Marseille and the Mediterranean.  "I'm very proud," Boli said. "You feel like you're on top of the world, because with an Olympic flame there's a special fervor. ... It's the symbol of sport!"  Basketball player Tony Parker later took his turn in the relay, praising "a great honor." On a nearby crowded beach, swimmers and sunbathers cheered the torch bearers as the flame passed.  "The enthusiasm of Marseille for the flame is phenomenal," said Maurice Genevois, a local resident. "Honestly, I have rarely seen such a celebration."  Magali Evrard, who came from the town of Martigues, in Marseille's region, said "it's been so long since we started talking about this and now we're in it!  "We are on the road to Paris. We can't wait, it's great," she added.  A fencing champion, a skateboarder, a Michelin-starred chef and a comedian were also chosen to carry the flame on Thursday.  "Let's go for a fantastic celebration," said Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris Olympics organizing committee. "The Games are back in our country. ... Let's share this fantastic moment of celebration with millions of people in the country."  Participants were scheduled to run all day past landmarks in the city to bring the torch to the roof of the famed Stade Vélodrome, home to Marseille's passionate soccer fans.  Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said "it's fantastic to give that sense of pride to the French people and to show to the whole world what we're capable to achieve."  "'We're going to give happiness to the whole world," she added.  Torchbearers included Ukrainian gymnast Mariia Vysochanska, who won two gold medals at the 2020 European Championships and competed at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.  Her inclusion was an expression of solidarity with Ukraine as well as a symbolic gesture to mark Europe Day, which falls on May 9 each year. Vysochanska led a group of 27 other athletes who represent all European Union member states.  "It's a way to really celebrate Europe, its values and also to demonstrate our attachment to the European sport model," Oudea-Castera said. Ukraine received the green light last year to start accelerated talks on joining the EU.  "(Ukrainians) face that terrible war of aggression, and we want to really express that we support them the best we can," she added. "This is unity. This is hope. This is solidarity. And we want their victory."  Marseille on Wednesday celebrated with great fanfare the flame's arrival, with more than 230,000 people attending the ceremony in the Old Port, according to the city's mayor, Benoit Payan.  During the Games, the sailing competition and some soccer matches will be held in Marseille. 

HONG KONG — A top public relations executive from Chinese technology firm Baidu apologized Thursday after she made comments in a series of videos that critics said glorified a culture of overwork.  Baidu's head of communications Qu Jing sparked a public outcry in China after she implied in the videos that she was not concerned about her employees as she was "not their mom" and said she only cared about results. She also said that the relationship between her and her subordinates was purely an "employer-employee relationship."  The backlash was swift, with many on social media platforms like Weibo criticizing Qu for her lack of empathy.  Qu posted an apology Thursday on her private WeChat account, where she "sincerely apologized to all netizens" and clarified that she had not sought Baidu's permission before posting the videos.  Qu said that her short videos did not represent Baidu's stance. Baidu operates China's dominant search engine as well as Ernie Bot, an artificial intelligence service similar to ChatGPT.  "Many of the criticisms are very pertinent, I am reflecting deeply and humbly accept them," she said. "There are many inappropriate (things said) in the video that caused external misunderstandings about the company's values and corporate culture, causing serious harm. I sincerely apologize."  Qu also pledged to improve her communication and management style and care more for her colleagues.  Baidu did not immediately comment.  Chinese online media outlet 36Kr reported Thursday that Qu had left her position at Baidu. The Associated Press was not able to independently verify Qu's departure.  The videos, which have since been taken down, came at a time when many young people in China are pushing back against a culture of competition and grueling hours in the workplace.  Qu received criticism for a range of subjects she mentioned in the series of short videos on Douyin.  In the series, she brought up an incident of certain employees who sent hundreds of complaint letters against her to the office, and threatened to ruin their careers by ensuring that they could never again find a job in the industry.  In one of the videos, she criticized an employee who refused to go on a 50-day business trip during the COVID-19 pandemic. China had implemented strict travel restrictions that at times included weeks of quarantine for travel even within the country.  "Why should I take into consideration my employee's family? I'm not her mother-in-law," Qu said, adding that if employees refused to go on such business trips then they would not get salary raises or job promotions.  Chinese technology firms have long been criticized for their long working hours.  A public debate was sparked in recent years over the "996" work culture, where employees in technology firms were expected to work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. The issue was also spotlighted after the deaths of two employees of Chinese e-commerce firm Pinduoduo, one of whom collapsed suddenly on the street on her way home from work.  Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, also faced criticism in 2019 for endorsing the 12-hour workday culture, saying that those who enjoyed their work would not find the "996" practice to be a problem.

Miami, Florida — Former President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has been chosen to serve as a Florida delegate to the Republican National Convention, the state party chairman said Wednesday. Republican Party of Florida chairman Evan Power said the 18-year-old high school senior will serve as one of 41 at-large delegates from Florida to the national gathering, where the GOP is set to officially nominate his father as its presidential candidate for the November general election. NBC News first reported the choice of Barron Trump as a delegate. Barron Trump has been largely kept out of the public eye, but he turned 18 on March and is graduating from high school next week. The judge overseeing Donald Trump's hush money trial in New York said there would be no court on May 17 so that Trump could attend his son's graduation.  Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Trump's youngest daughter, Tiffany, are also part of the Florida delegation to the convention taking place in Milwaukee from July 15 to July 18. "We are fortunate to have a great group of grassroots leaders, elected officials, and members of the Trump family working together as part of the Florida delegation to the 2024 Republican National Convention," Power said in an emailed statement.

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Windhoek, Namibia — The World Health Organization (WHO) says Africa has a shortage of health care workers. The issue was addressed in Namibia this week at a forum in Windhoek. Speaking at the first WHO Africa Health Workforce Forum held in the capital, Namibia’s minister of health and social services, Kalumbi Shangula, warned that Africa’s shortage of health workers will impede the continent from achieving universal health coverage by 2030.  In order to reach universal health coverage by 2030 as envisaged in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals report, Africa needs to invest in training programs, offer incentives for health practitioners to remain in their home countries, and create initiatives to attract health professionals in the diaspora back to the continent.  Shangula spoke at the Africa Health Workforce Investment Charter event this week. “The number of Africans who have left the continent in search of greener pastures in other parts of the world are staggering," Shangula said. "It is a matter that needs to be addressed as a top priority for African governments and indeed all those who wish to see a shift in the historical as well as current trends.” Africa has a ratio of 1.55 health workers per 1,000 people. That is below the recommended WHO threshold of 4.55 health workers per 1,000 people. Africa’s Center for Disease Control Director-General Jean Kesaya says achieving universal health coverage by 2030 will require an additional 1.8 million health workers on the continent.  He says the critical shortage is projected to reach about 6.1 million by 2030 and is made worse by recurrent public health emergencies faced by countries on a daily basis. “In 2023 alone, Africa recorded 166 disease outbreaks and the trend I see in 2024 is not good," Kesaya said. "AU member states are far from realizing the 2017 AU Assembly decisions that called for rapid recruitment, training and deployment of 2 million institutionalized community health workers by 2030.” Global Health Director for the Africa Diaspora Development Institute (ADDI) Lee Whitaker says the institution has opened doors for diasporan healthcare workers to return to Africa and reverse the brain drain. He says the organization has “access to over forty-five-thousand black African physicians in America and only needs an invitation from the heart of any African state to come abroad.” Dr. Arikana Chihombori is the president of the ADDI, an organization that is mobilizing the African diaspora to return and invest in the continent. “Let the diaspora come in and invest in for-profit-clinics in Africa as well as for volunteer work in Africa," Chihombori said. "It has to be balanced! Because if they are going to leave their work where they are in Europe, in America, they can be here a little bit longer if they are going to make money and also donate some of their time. So a program that allows them to make money while they are stopping Africans from going to India and at the same time also giving to those who are less fortunate is actually a program that can be sustained but to completely hundred percent volunteer is not going to work, it’s not sustainable”. The forum, which was attended by health dignitaries from all over the world, concluded Wednesday with the launch of the Africa Health Workforce Investment Charter that aims to mobilize and sustain development, performance and retention of the health workforce in African Union countries.

Warsaw, Poland — Poland's defense minister said Thursday his country is strengthening the metal barrier along its border with Belarus to deter illegal migration. "We are mending the barrier on the Polish-Belarusian border, we are strengthening this barrier," Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on private Radio Zet. "The spending on these purposes is the highest in [Poland's] history." Kosiniak-Kamysz said the increased presence of Polish and allied military forces in regions close to the border is also helping to tighten the eastern frontier of NATO and the European Union. That presence has been increased since Russia's aggression in Ukraine in 2022. He spoke in favor of Poland building a line of defensive bunkers, trenches and ditches along that border and the one with Russia's exclave of Kaliningrad, steps that the Baltic states have already taken. Poland says a massive wave of illegal migration from Belarus, especially in 2022, was orchestrated by that country and by Russia to destabilize Poland, a Ukrainian ally, and the European Union. The influx was largely curbed by the metal barrier that Poland completed last year, but some illegal crossings continue. The minister's comments also suggested that the barrier is seen as a wider defense measure during Russia's war with Ukraine, which borders Poland.

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Yaounde — Chad's opposition, civil society groups and some election observers are condemning violence, threats and fraud, including the stuffing of ballot boxes, to favor transitional president General Mahamat Idriss Deby after the central African state’s May 6 presidential polls. Deby's main challenger, Prime Minister Succes Masra, is asking for international assistance, saying he is under surveillance and faces threats to his safety after at least two people were killed in the election. Masra says there has been persistent violence and threats against him and his supporters since election day. The Transformers, the party Masra leads, said on Facebook Wednesday that their candidate's residence is under drone surveillance, but gave no further details. The party denounced what it called threats and serious violence to intimidate their supporters, who they say have also been arbitrarily arrested since Monday's vote. Masra charged that Chad’s National Elections Management Agency, known as ANGE, is rigging the vote in favor of Deby. Masra urged civilians to defend what he called their will expressed at the ballot box against massive electoral fraud. Chad's Coalition of Moral Authorities for Mediation, or CONAMM, an association that includes traditional rulers, clerics, former government ministers and youth and women leaders, complained of massive fraud and intimidation during the polls. Speaking on Chad’s state television Thursday, CONAMM's secretary-general Baniara Yoyana said there were many irregularities including seizing and stuffing of ballot boxes in favor of Deby by government officials. He added such irregularities are pushing civilians who think that their democratic rights are being abused to riot. Chad's opposition and civil society say a government soldier who attempted to stuff ballot boxes in favor of Deby died in a hospital after he was assaulted and stabbed by angry voters near Moundou, Chad's second-largest city. They also say a civilian was killed on election day in Moundou following a dispute in a polling station. Chad's government acknowledges the killings but denies troops were ordered to vote and rig the election in favor of Deby. The central African state’s officials say ANGE is a permanent, independent and impartial body and refute what they say are allegations Deby wants to rig the election and proclaim himself Chad's president. Civil society groups and CONAMM say Chad may descend into chaos if the government and ANGE fail to ensure the results they will publish reflect the aspirations of Chad's citizens as expressed in Monday's polls. Saleh Kebzabo’s duty as Chad's government-appointed state mediator is to preempt and negotiate an end to potential crises and threats. He said he is pleading with all citizens to be calm and maintain peace while waiting for the official proclamation of Chad's May 6 presidential elections results by the country's constitutional council, which is the only body empowered to proclaim definitive results. Kebzabo said results civilians appear to be contesting are fake because Chad's Constitutional Council has not proclaimed any. Kebzabo said tensions are also provoked by a ban on filming or taking photos of result sheets in polling stations and publishing them on social media and radio and television. ANGE says it imposed the ban because opposition parties may manipulate results they film to ignite violent clashes. The European Union said Tuesday that Chad officials denied nearly 3,000 civil society members it financed from observing the presidential election. Deby was proclaimed transitional president in April 2021 after his father, Idriss Deby Itno, was killed in a gun battle with rebels following 30 years in power. He promised an 18-month transition to democracy but then extended it by two years. He is seen by many observers as the likely winner of the May 6 presidential polls, whose result will be proclaimed by Chad's Constitutional Council on May 21. The opposition and civil society accuse Deby ruling with an iron fist and say he is not ready to relinquish power. But Deby says he will hand over power if defeated.