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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.

In Ukraine, Kyiv’s largest children’s hospital and some residential buildings were damaged by a Russian missile attack on July 8. The next day, residents were allowed to briefly go back to collect some personal belongings. Anna Kosstutschenko spoke to some of them as they returned from their homes. VOA footage and video editing by Pavel Suhodolskiy.

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.

Biden addressed NATO leaders in an attempt to project strength and confidence, for audiences both at home and abroad. Ukraine will get more Patriot Missiles and F16 jets, The Israeli military steps up its attack in Gaza and the Israeli Defense Minister says the ultra-orthodox can expect draft notices to arrive shortly. Turkey is looking or Russian help with refugees from the Syrian civil war, plus an introduction to the UK’s new Prime Minister, Kier Starmer.

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan announced Wednesday it had extended the stay of more than 1.4 million lawful Afghan refugees for another year.  Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's office said the decision was made during a cabinet meeting he chaired in Islamabad.  The statement noted that the meeting approved extending the validity of proof of registration cards, or PoR, for Afghan refugees legally residing in the country to June 30, 2025. It added that the cards had expired last month on June 30.  The document enables refugee families in Pakistan to access health, educational, and banking facilities and protects them from forced deportations to Afghanistan.  The cabinet meeting occurred a day after the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, wrapped up a visit to Islamabad, where his discussions with Sharif and other senior officials focused on the problems facing the Afghan refugee community.   A post-visit UNHCR statement issued on Tuesday noted that its chief “called for the timely extension” of the PoR cards, describing them as a “critical identity document” held by Afghan refugees in Pakistan.   Refugee controversy  “Grandi expressed appreciation that the ‘Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan [IFRP]’ had been suspended and sought assurances that it would remain on hold,” the UNHCR said.   Pakistan implemented the plan last October and began expelling foreigners, primarily Afghans, who do not possess legal documents or have their visas expired. The crackdown stemmed from rising terror attacks against Pakistani security forces and civilians. More than 600,000 Afghans have since been forced to return to their home country.   A senior Pakistani official privy to Grandi’s meetings in Islamabad on Tuesday confirmed to VOA that his government had halted expulsions of undocumented Afghans under the IFRP. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter with the media.   However, on Wednesday, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson disputed the UNHCR’s assertions about Islamabad suspending the IFRP.  “This is not true,” Mumtaz Baloch told VOA in a written statement.   “It may be noted that no such understanding has been given by Pakistan to the UNHCR, including in recent meetings with the High Commissioner for Refugees,” Baloch emphasized.   She noted the “IFRP remains in place and is being implemented in an orderly and phased manner.”  Afghanistan’s Taliban government, as well as human rights groups, have condemned Islamabad’s plan to forcefully send Afghans back, saying it is in violation of refugee and international laws.   Rights activists also cited sweeping restrictions the fundamentalist Taliban have placed on women, barring them from most jobs and public places and prohibiting girls’ education beyond the sixth grade.  The Taliban have denied allegations Afghan refugees are responsible for security issues facing Pakistan. Islamabad says the Taliban have allowed anti-Pakistan militants to take refuge on Afghan soil and stage cross-border terrorist attacks, charges Kabul rejects.  Meanwhile, Pakistani officials announced Wednesday they had launched a new phase of scholarships for Afghan students, including girls.   Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s special representative on Afghanistan, revealed the information through his X social media platform.  “Glad to launch the third phase of Allama Iqbal scholarships for Afghan students. In the coming five years, 4,500 Afghan students will pursue studies in social and natural sciences in various universities of Pakistan,” Durrani wrote.

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.

SANTA FE, New Mexico — A New Mexico prosecutor on Wednesday said Alec Baldwin broke "cardinal rules" of gun safety in the 2021 killing of "Rust" cinematographer Halyna Hutchins while his lawyer said he was failed by firearms experts.  The 66-year-old Baldwin, on trial in Hollywood's first on-set shooting fatality in three decades, took notes at the defense table and listened calmly to opening statements in his involuntary manslaughter trial. The trial is largely unprecedented in U.S. history, holding an actor criminally responsible for a gun death during filming.  A New Mexico jury of 12 and four alternates — 11 women and five men — heard prosecutor Erlinda Johnson outline arguments that Baldwin disregarded safety during filming of the low-budget movie before pointing a gun at Hutchins during a rehearsal, cocking it and pulling the trigger as they set up a camera shot on a set southwest of Santa Fe.  "The evidence will show that someone who played make believe with a real gun and violated the cardinal rules of firearm safety is the defendant, Alexander Baldwin," Johnson said.  Baldwin's wife Hilaria Baldwin sat in the second row of the public gallery, his brother Stephen Baldwin in front of her.  His lawyer Alex Spiro pointed to "Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez — head of gun safety — and first assistant director Dave Halls — responsible for overall set safety. Both have been convicted in the shooting, and Spiro said they did not check the rounds in the gun to ensure it was safe for Baldwin to use.   "There were people responsible for firearms safety but actor Alec Baldwin committed no crime," said Spiro.  Hutchins was killed, and director Joel Souza wounded when Baldwin's reproduction 1873 Single Action Army revolver fired a live round, inadvertently loaded by Gutierrez.  Since a police interview on Oct. 21, 2021, the day of the shooting, Baldwin has argued the gun just "went off."   In an ABC News interview two months later, Baldwin told George Stephanopoulos he did not pull the trigger. A 2022 FBI test found the gun was in normal working condition and would not fire from full cock without the trigger being pulled.  Spiro said during his opening arguments that no one saw Baldwin "intentionally pull the trigger," but that it was the responsibility of firearms safety experts to ensure a firearm was safe for an actor "to wave it, to point it, to pull the trigger, like actors do."   State prosecutors charged Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter in January 2022. They dropped charges three months later after Baldwin's lawyers presented photographic evidence the gun was modified, arguing it would fire more easily, bolstering the actor's accidental discharge argument.  Prosecutors called a grand jury to reinstate the charge in January after an independent firearms expert confirmed the 2022 FBI study.  FBI testing broke the gun, and Baldwin's lawyers will tell jurors that destruction of the weapon prevented them from proving the gun was modified.  Armorer Gutierrez, whose job on the set of "Rust" included managing firearms safely, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in March for loading the live round. Prosecutors will have to persuade jurors Baldwin is also guilty of willful and reckless criminal negligence.

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.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — Two astronauts who should have been back on Earth weeks ago said Wednesday that they're confident that Boeing's space capsule can return them safely, despite breakdowns. NASA test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched aboard Boeing's new Starliner capsule early last month, the first people to ride it. Leaks and thruster failures almost derailed their arrival at the International Space Station and have kept them there much longer than planned. In their first news conference from orbit, they said they expect to return once thruster testing is complete on Earth. They said they're not complaining about getting extra time in orbit and are enjoying helping the station crew. "I have a real good feeling in my heart that the spacecraft will bring us home, no problem," Williams told reporters. The two rocketed into orbit on June 5 on the test flight, which was originally supposed to last eight days. NASA ordered the Starliner and SpaceX Dragon capsules a decade ago for astronaut flights to and from the space station, paying each company billions of dollars. SpaceX's first taxi flight with astronauts was in 2020. Boeing's first crew flight was repeatedly delayed because of software and other issues.

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.

YAOUNDE — Mixed reactions are swirling in Cameroon since Brenda Biya, the daughter of President Paul Biya, declared she is a lesbian. While LGBTQ activists see her declaration as an opportunity to push for greater rights in a country where same-sex relations are outlawed, anti-gay groups say they want Brenda Biya prosecuted. Brenda Biya, the 26-year-old daughter of Cameroon’s president, Paul Biya, said she has received what she calls tons of insults as well as congratulatory messages in the past seven days. The president’s daughter set off a firestorm of reaction in Cameroon last week when she shared pictures on social media of herself kissing her girlfriend and expressing her wish for them to live in harmony as a couple. She said LGBTQ people in Cameroon should be spared violence and brutality. In a video released Tuesday night, Brenda Biya She said LGBTQ people have been calling to tell her that as President Biya's daughter, she stands a chance of moving Cameroon toward abolishing laws that criminalize same-sex relations. Brenda said she wants to give hope and love to the many people in Cameroon who suffer simply because of who they are. Reverend Father Humphrey Tatah Mbui is director of communications at the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon’s Roman Catholic Bishops. He said he was curious to watch the videos shared by Brenda because President Biya’s family members are practicing Roman Catholics. Mbui said homosexuality, lesbianism or same-sex relationships are condemned by the church because it is sin against God's teaching. "The Church. however, is sympathetic towards people who find themselves in homosexuality, lesbianism or same-sex relationships. Just like Jesus Christ we condemn what is wrong, but we do not condemn the sinner because the sinner can always repent," he said. Mbui said the Church believes that if Brenda stops loving and having intimate relations with her female partner, God will reconsider her as his daughter. Bandy Kiki is an LGBT activist. She said churches should allow LGBTI people to enjoy their lives without religious obstacles. "There are some laws in the Bible which should absolutely not be accepted today -- for example capital punishment, slavery etc., and I think the Catholic Church is realizing that because in recent times we have seen some changes. We recently heard the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, allowing priests to bless same-sex relationships." President Biya has not publicly commented on his daughter's declaration. Brenda said she did not inform her family before sharing the videos on social media. On Wednesday, the Cameroon Association for the Criminalization of Same Sex Marriages said it had filed a complaint against Brenda for promoting an illegal activity in the central African country. Officials of Cameroon’s Ministry of Justice say they have received and will examine the complaint. Cameroonian law prohibits sexual relations with a person of the same sex and imposes a penalty of between six months to five years imprisonment on people found guilty. Rights groups say that Cameroon’s police target public gatherings of LGBTQ people, and thugs regularly beat people suspected to be same-sex couples.  Rights groups say about 16 people are currently in prison for alleged consensual same-sex conduct or gender nonconformity. VOA could not independently verify that number. 

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.