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Egypt’s eighth annual Aswan International Women Film Festival took place from April 20 to 25. This year's focus was on the resilience of women, with Egypt's economic turmoil and the war in neighboring Gaza as a backdrop. Cairo-based photojournalist Hamada Elrasam captured scenes around the festival in Aswan, Egypt's southernmost city known as the country's ancient gateway. Captions by Elle Kurancid.

The Center on Holocaust Survivor Care and Institute on Aging and Trauma helps older adults with a history of trauma cope with depression and anxiety resulting from their horrific experiences. These days, the center is also helping Holocaust survivors deal with the trauma of two modern wars in Ukraine and Israel. Angelina Bagdasaryan has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Videographer: Vazgen Varzhabetian  

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.

According to the World Health Organization, 1.3 million people died from tuberculosis in 2022. The disease is fully treatable but relies on timely diagnosis. Mireille Kamariza, a molecular bioengineer from the University of California, Los Angeles, has developed a test that can detect the bacteria quickly, precisely and inexpensively. VOA’s Genia Dulot has the story.

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.

BEIJING — The first scientist to publish a sequence of the COVID-19 virus in China said he was allowed back into his lab after he spent days locked outside, sitting in protest. Zhang Yongzhen wrote in an online post on Wednesday, just past midnight, that the medical center that hosts his lab had "tentatively agreed" to allow him and his team to return and continue their research for the time being. "Now, team members can enter and leave the laboratory freely," Zhang wrote in a post on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform. He added that he is negotiating a plan to relocate the lab in a way that doesn't disrupt his team's work with the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, which hosts Zhang's lab. Zhang and his team were suddenly told they had to leave their lab for renovations on Thursday, setting off the dispute, he said in an earlier post that was later deleted. On Sunday, Zhang began a sit-in protest outside his lab after he found he was locked out, a sign of continuing pressure on Chinese scientists conducting research on the coronavirus. Zhang sat outside on flattened cardboard in drizzling rain, and members of his team unfurled a banner that read "Resume normal scientific research work," pictures posted online show. News of the protest spread widely on Chinese social media, putting pressure on local authorities. In an online statement Monday, the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center said that Zhang's lab was closed for "safety reasons" while being renovated. It added that it had provided Zhang's team an alternative laboratory space. But Zhang responded the same day his team wasn't offered an alternative until after they were notified of their eviction, and the lab offered didn't meet safety standards for conducting their research, leaving his team in limbo. Zhang's dispute with his host institution was the latest in a series of setbacks, demotions and ousters since the virologist published the sequence in January 2020 without state approval. Beijing has sought to control information related to the virus since it first emerged. An Associated Press investigation found that the government froze domestic and international efforts to trace it from the first weeks of the outbreak. These days, labs are closed, collaborations shattered, foreign scientists forced out and some Chinese researchers barred from leaving the country. Zhang's ordeal started when he and his team decoded the virus on Jan. 5, 2020, and wrote an internal notice warning Chinese authorities of its potential to spread — but did not make the sequence public. The next day, Zhang's lab was ordered to close temporarily by China's top health official, and Zhang came under pressure from authorities. Foreign scientists soon learned that Zhang and other Chinese scientists had deciphered the virus and called on China to release the sequence. Zhang published it on Jan. 11, 2020, despite a lack of permission from Chinese health officials. Sequencing a virus is key to the development of test kits, disease control measures and vaccinations. The virus eventually spread to every corner of the world, triggering a pandemic that disrupted lives and commerce, prompted widespread lockdowns and killed millions of people. Zhang was awarded prizes overseas in recognition for his work. But health officials removed him from a post at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and barred him from collaborating with some of his former partners, hindering his research. Still, Zhang retains support from some in the government. Though some of Zhang's online posts were deleted, his sit-in protest was reported widely in China's state-controlled media, indicating divisions within the Chinese government on how to deal with Zhang and his team. "Thank you to my online followers and people from all walks of life for your concern and strong support over the past few days!" Zhang wrote in his post Wednesday.

Washington — A majority of Americans believe that China uses TikTok to shape U.S. public opinion, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted as Washington moves closer to potentially banning the Chinese-owned short-video app. Some 58% of respondents to the two-day poll, which closed on Tuesday, agreed with a statement that the Chinese government uses TikTok, which is owned by China's ByteDance, to "influence American public opinion." Some 13% disagreed, and the rest were unsure or didn't answer the question. Republicans were more likely than Democrats to see China as using the app to affect U.S. opinions. TikTok says it has spent more than $1.5 billion on data security efforts and would not share data on its 170 million U.S. users with the Chinese government. The company told Congress last year that it does "not promote or remove content at the request of the Chinese government." TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment. President Joe Biden last week signed legislation giving ByteDance 270 days to divest TikTok's U.S. assets or face a ban. TikTok has vowed to challenge the ban as a violation of the protections of free expression enshrined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and TikTok users are expected to again take legal action. A U.S. judge in Montana in November blocked a state ban on TikTok, citing free-speech concerns. The Reuters/Ipsos poll found 50% of Americans supported banning TikTok, while 32% opposed a ban and the rest were unsure. The poll only surveyed U.S. adults and doesn't reflect the views of people under age 18, who make up a significant portion of TikTok's users in the United States. About six in 10 poll respondents aged 40 and older supported a ban, compared with about four in 10 aged 18-39. The poll showed 46% of Americans agreed with a statement that China is using the app to "spy on everyday Americas," an allegation Beijing has denied. The app is ubiquitous in America. Even Biden's re-election campaign is using it as a tool to win over voters ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election. Biden's rival, Republican Donald Trump, who has criticized a potential ban and is the majority owner of the company that operates his social media app Truth Social, has not joined. A majority of Americans, 60%, said it was inappropriate for U.S. political candidates to use TikTok to promote their campaigns. Biden's signing of the law sets a Jan. 19 deadline for a sale — one day before his term is set to expire — but he could extend the deadline by three months if he determines that ByteDance is making progress on divesting the app. The poll, which was conducted online, gathered responses from 1,022 U.S. adults nationwide and had a margin of error of about 3 percentage points.

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.

TBILISI — Georgian lawmakers tussled in parliament on Wednesday as lawmakers resumed debating the second reading of a bill on "foreign agents" that has sparked weeks of protest, and a violent police crackdown on Tuesday. Georgian television showed commotion in the chamber. One pro-government deputy was seen throwing a book at opposition legislators, while others shouted and physically confronted opponents. The foreign agent bill has prompted an upsurge of violence in Georgia's often-rowdy parliament. Georgian security forces used water cannon, tear gas and stun grenades against protesters outside parliament late on Tuesday, sharply escalating the crackdown after lawmakers debated the "foreign agents" bill viewed by the opposition and Western nations as authoritarian and Russian-inspired. During the protests in Tbilisi Tuesday, police detained 63 people and six police officers were injured, Deputy Interior Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze said. Levan Khabeishvili, leader of the United National Movement party, Georgia's largest opposition bloc, spoke in parliament on Wednesday with his face heavily bandaged. His party said he was badly beaten by police at the protest, leaving him with concussion, broken facial bones, and missing four teeth. European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell wrote in a post on X on Wednesday: "I strongly condemn the violence against protesters in Georgia who were peacefully demonstrating against the law on foreign influence." The EU, which gave Georgia candidate status in December, has said the bill could derail Tbilisi's hopes of European integration if passed. Supporters of the bill, including Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party and former prime minister, say the foreign agent law would bolster national sovereignty amid what he said were Western attempts to lead Georgia into a confrontation with Russia.

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.

SEOUL, South Korea — Workers, activists and others in Asian capitals and European cities took to the streets on Wednesday to mark May Day with protests over rising prices and government labor polices and calls for greater labor rights. May Day, which falls on May 1, is observed in many countries to celebrate workers’ rights. May Day events have also given many an opportunity to air general economic grievances or political demands. Police in Istanbul detained dozens of people who tried to reach the central Taksim Square in defiance of a government ban on marking Labor Day at the landmark location. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has long declared Taksim off-limits for rallies and demonstrations on security grounds, but some political parties and trade unions have vowed to march to the square, which holds symbolic value for labor unions. In 1977, unidentified gunmen opened fire on a May Day celebration at Taksim, causing a stampede and killing 34 people. Wednesday, police erected barricades and sealed off all routes leading to the central Istanbul square. Public transport in the area was also restricted. Only a small group of trade union representatives was permitted to enter the square to lay a wreath at a monument in memory of victims of the 1977 incident. Riot police apprehended some 30 members of the left-wing People’s Liberation Party who tried to break through the barriers. In Indonesia, workers voiced anger at a new law they said violates their rights and hurts their welfare, and demanded protections for migrant workers abroad and a minimum wage raise. About 50,000 workers from Jakarta’s satellite cities of Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi were expected to join May Day marches in the capital, said Said Iqbal, the president of the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions. They gathered amid a tight police presence near the National Monument park, waving the colorful flags of labor groups and chanting slogans against the Job Creation Law and loosened outsourcing rules during a march to Jakarta’s main sports stadium, Gelora Bung Karno. “With the enactment of this law, our future is uncertain because many problems arise in wages, severance pay and the contract system,” said Isbandi Anggono, a protester. Indonesia’s parliament last year ratified a government regulation that replaces a controversial law on job creation, but critics said it still benefits businesses. The law was intended to cut bureaucracy as part of President Joko Widodo’s efforts to attract more investment to the country, which is Southeast Asia's largest economy. In Seoul, the South Korean capital, thousands of protesters sang, waved flags and shouted pro-labor slogans at the start of their rally on Wednesday. Organizers said their rally was primarily meant to step up their criticism of what they call anti-labor policies pursued by the conservative government led by President Yoon Suk Yeol. “In the past two years under the Yoon Suk Yeol government, the lives of our laborers have plunged into despair,” Yang Kyung-soo, leader of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, which organized the rally, said in a speech. “We can't overlook the Yoon Suk Yeol government. We'll bring them down from power for ourselves.” KCTU union members decried Yoon’s December veto of a bill aimed at limiting companies’ rights to seek compensation for damages caused by strikes by labor unions. They also accuse Yoon’s government of handling the 2022 strikes by truckers too aggressively and insulting construction sector workers whom authorities believed were involved in alleged irregular activities. Since taking office in 2022, Yoon has pushed for labor reforms to support economic growth and job creation. His government has vowed to sternly deal with illegal strikes and demand more transparent accounting records from labor unions. “The remarkable growth of the Republic of Korea was thanks to the sweat and efforts of our workers. I thank our 28.4 million workers,” Yoon said in a May Day message posted on Facebook. “My government and I will protect the precious value of labor.” Seoul rally participants later marched through downtown streets. Similar May Day rallies were held in more than 10 locations across South Korea on Wednesday. Police said they had mobilized thousands of officers to maintain order, but there were no immediate reports of violence. In Japan, more than 10,000 people gathered at Yoyogi park in downtown Tokyo for a May Day event, demanding salary increases that they said could sufficiently set off price increases. During the rally, Masako Obata, the leader of the left-leaning National Confederation of Trade Unions, said that dwindling wages have put many workers in Japan under severe living conditions and widened income disparities. “On this May Day, we unite with our fellow workers around the world standing up for their rights,” she said, shouting “banzai!" or long life, to all workers. In the Philippine capital, Manila, hundreds of workers and left-wing activists marched and held a rally in the scorching summer heat to demand wage increases and job security amid soaring food and oil prices. Riot police stopped the protesting workers from getting close to the presidential palace. Waving red flags and holding up posters that read: “We work to live, not to die” and “Lower prices, increase salaries,” the protesters rallied in the street, where they chanted and delivered speeches about the difficulties faced by Filipino laborers. Poor drivers joined the protest and called to end a government modernization program they fear would eventually lead to the removal of their dilapidated jeepneys, a main mode of public transport, from Manila’s streets.

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.

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 — The leaders of Australia’s state, territory and federal governments met Wednesday to combat gender-based abuse.   Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described violence against women in Australia as an “epidemic," and campaigners say gender-based violence in Australia must be declared a national emergency.   The Canberra government has said statistically, a woman has been killed in Australia every four days this year.    Officials at the Wendesday's meeting in Canberra said they want to find immediate, effective and practical ways to address family violence and the abuse of women. Various measures have been agreed, including a five-year $650 million plan to help vulnerable women who have been unable to leave a violent relationship because of a lack of money. The federal government says it will look at ways to reduce people's exposure to "violent pornography” and measures to combat male extremist views as well as violent and misogynistic content.   Authorities are proposing serious penalties for sharing sexually explicit material using technology like artificial intelligence. Legislation will also be introduced in early August to outlaw the release of private information online with an intent to cause harm – an abusive practice also known as doxxing. Albanese told reporters in Canberra Wednesday that all jurisdictions were working together. “This is indeed a national crisis, and it is a national challenge, and we are facing this with a spirit of national unity," he said. "Today is about who we are as a nation and as a society. We recognize that governments need to act but we also recognize that this is an issue for the whole of society." Thousands of people attended rallies in major towns and cities across Australia over the weekend. The protests followed a mass stabbing earlier this month in Sydney in which six people, including five women, were murdered at a shopping center. Demonstrators demanded not only tougher laws to protect women, but also a cultural change in men’s treatment of women and attitudes toward them. Rosalind Dixon, a law professor at the University of New South Wales, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that remanding suspected abusers in custody pending court hearings and electronic monitoring for those who are released would be positive steps. “There are global models and precedents; France, Spain, (the) United States - they’ve all experimented in this area," she said. "There’s a lot to learn. I think we should be looking first and foremost at how we can limit bail and add tracking in addition fairness and civil rights protections around those measures as a lesson from overseas.” Concern over gender violence in Australia isn’t new.   In 2021, there were nationwide rallies against sexual misconduct and harassment in the federal Parliament and in Australian society more broadly.

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.

As Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu vows to enter Rafah to rid the Gaza Strip of Hamas, the United States military has started to build a pier off the coast in hopes of providing more aid to civilians trapped in the violence. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb explains why this has some lawmakers worried about what’s next.

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.