Feed aggregator

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.

Taipei, Taiwan — China’s growing security presence in the Pacific will be scrutinized this week as the Solomon Islands holds its national election on Wednesday. While the Pacific island nation has been plagued by a slew of domestic issues such as youth unemployment and weakening health and education systems, some analysts say the election is a “de-facto referendum” on its relationship with China. “The results will determine whether the Solomon Islands continues growing its relationship with China or changes course in favor of a different approach,” Parker Novak, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council's Global China Hub, told VOA in a written response. Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, who seeks an unprecedented second consecutive term, has focused on deepening the country’s ties with China since he returned to power in 2019. After switching Solomon Islands’ diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 2019, Sogavare signed a series of security-related agreements with China, including a security pact in 2022 and a police cooperation agreement in 2023. The developments prompted the U.S., Australia and other Pacific island nations to express concerns about the security implications of these deals. So far, the Solomon Islands hasn’t revealed details of the controversial security pact with China. However, a leaked draft agreement shows that China could potentially deploy security and naval assets to the country. The lack of transparency around the security deal with China has prompted several opposition candidates in the Solomon Islands to vow to abolish or review the security pact. While opposition leaders have sounded the alarm about China’s growing security presence in the Solomon Islands, Sogavare has strongly defended his administration’s efforts to deepen bilateral ties with China. Centering his campaign around his signature “Look North strategy,” which aims to consolidate Solomon Islands’ economic and diplomatic ties with Asian countries, Sogavare has repeatedly emphasized how Chinese support with infrastructure developments and the Pacific Games has helped place the Pacific island nation “in a more favorable footing domestically and internationally.” In response to opposition politicians’ concerns about China’s growing influence over the Solomon Islands, China’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that Beijing supports the people of Solomon Islands “in choosing a development path that suits their national conditions.” Some experts say China’s entry into the Solomon Islands’ security sector in recent years has created friction with traditional security partners like Australia. “There has been an increase in friction as a result of China’s entry into the security space in the Solomon Islands and other parts of the Pacific,” said Mihai Sora, a research fellow in the Pacific Islands program at Lowy Institute in Australia. While the Solomon Islands is trying to retain relationships with partners like Australia amid its efforts to deepen ties with China, Sora said the Sogavare administration’s attempt will be difficult to execute because of continuing “strategic friction” between Beijing and Canberra, especially in the security space. [The Solomon Islands] “will need to resolve the increasing frictions,” he told VOA by phone. Chinese security presence in the Pacific comes into focus In addition to the Solomon Islands, China’s growing security presence in other parts of the Pacific region is also coming under scrutiny ahead of other major political events. Earlier this month, Tonga’s Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni said he would be open to accepting Chinese security support when the country hosts the Pacific Islands Forum in August. “There’s no reason to be concerned. China is offering to assist with the hosting of the foreign leaders' meeting,” he told reporters in the Tongan capital Nukuʻalofa. The Chinese Embassy in Tonga told AFP in a statement that Beijing “has no interest in geopolitical competition or seeking the so-called 'sphere of influence.’” Some analysts say Tonga’s decision to welcome China as a potential security provider reflects Pacific island nations’ efforts to diversify their security partners since 2021. “China has had success in presenting itself as a security stakeholder in the region and this is certainly of concern to Canberra, Wellington and Washington, who view China’s security interests in the Pacific as disruptive and indicative of China’s broader interests,” Anna Powles, an associate professor in security studies at Massey University in New Zealand, told VOA in a written response. Meanwhile, Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka told ABC Australia in March that the country has removed Chinese police embedded in its police force despite the earlier decision to uphold Fiji’s policing cooperation agreement with China. Some experts say Fiji is “walking a fine line” in its relationship with China and Western countries. “By not throwing away the police deal, Fiji is showing that they are not willing to go all in and align with the West,” Michael Walsh, an affiliated researcher at the Georgetown School of Foreign Service, told VOA by phone. In his view, Fiji’s careful calibration of its security relationship with China demonstrates that “they are going to keep having a relationship with China that extends into the security domain for the foreseeable future.” While some experts agree that China has made progress in expanding its security presence in the Pacific, Novak from the Atlantic Council said Beijing’s security influence in the region “shouldn’t be overstated.” “More often than not, Pacific islands countries have elected to maintain or even grow traditional security partnerships with countries like Australia, New Zealand and the United States while carefully maintaining their own sovereignty,” he told VOA.

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.

SRINAGAR, India — A boat carrying a group of people capsized in a river in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Tuesday, drowning four of them, news agency Press Trust of India reported. The boat capsized in Jhelum river near Srinagar, the region’s main city. Most of the passengers were children, and rescuers were searching for many others who were still missing. Heavy rains fell over the region in the past few days, leading to higher water levels in the river. Boating accidents are common in India, where many vessels are overcrowded and have inadequate safety equipment. Last year, 22 people drowned when a double-decker boat carrying more than 30 passengers capsized near a beach in Kerala state in southern India. In May 2018, 30 people died when their boat capsized on the swollen Godavari River in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Heavy rains lashed the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, flooding out portions of major highways and leaving vehicles abandoned on roadways across Dubai. Meanwhile, the death toll in separate heavy flooding in neighboring Oman rose to 18 with others still missing as the sultanate prepared for the storm. The rains began overnight, leaving massive ponds on streets as whipping winds disrupted flights at Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest for international travel and the home of the long-haul carrier Emirates. Police and emergency personnel drove slowly through the flooded streets, their emergency lights flashing across the darkened morning. Lightning flashed across the sky, occasionally touching the tip of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building. Schools across the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms, largely shut ahead of the storm and government employees were largely working remotely if able. Many workers stayed home as well, though some ventured out, with the unfortunate stalling out their vehicles in deeper-than-expected water covering some roads. Authorities sent tanker trucks out into the streets and highways to pump away the water. Rain is unusual in the UAE, an arid, Arabian Peninsula nation, but occurs periodically during the cooler winter months. Many roads and other areas lack drainage given the lack of regular rainfall, causing flooding. Initial estimates suggested over 30 millimeters (1 inch) of rain fell over the morning in Dubai, with as much as 128 mm (5 inches) of rain expected throughout the day. Rain also fell in Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. In neighboring Oman, a sultanate that rests on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, at least 18 people had been killed in heavy rains in recent days, according to a statement Tuesday from the country's National Committee for Emergency Management. That includes some 10 schoolchildren swept away in a vehicle with an adult, which saw condolences come into the country from rulers across the region.

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.

PENTAGON — Israel called Tuesday for new sanctions against Iran as part of the response to the Iranian military and some of its allies launching an unprecedented aerial attack on the Jewish state. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on social media that he reached out to more than 30 nations to push for sanctions against Iran’s missile program and for declaring Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organization. The United States is one of several countries that have already designated the IRGC as a terror group. Since October, the U.S. has imposed several rounds of sanctions targeting the Iranian ballistic missile program as U.N. sanctions expired. Israel also appears bent on exacting a measure of revenge militarily, despite pleas by world leaders for a de-escalation of the situation. Israeli military officials said Monday that Tehran must pay a price for Saturday’s barrage of some 350 missiles and drones, many launched from Iranian soil. The Iranian attack “will be met with a response,” said Israeli military chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi. “Iran will face the consequences for its actions,” he said, speaking from Nevatim air base in southern Israel. Israeli military officials did not elaborate on what that response could look like, though Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said it would come, “at the time that we choose.” The tough Israeli rhetoric comes even as its most ardent backer, the United States, has urged Israel to show restraint, arguing the failure of Iran’s drone and missile barrage to inflict much damage was itself a massive victory. "It's pretty telling that Iran launched over 300 air threats … and 99% of those were knocked down," said Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder. The White House on Monday was even more strident.  “Israel today is in a far stronger strategic position than it was only a few days ago," White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters, noting the range of countries that came to Israel’s aid. Britain, France, Jordan and Saudi Arabia joined with the U.S. and Israel to shoot down the Iranian missiles and drones. "Iran's vaunted missile program, something it has used to threaten Israel and the region, proved to be far less effective,” Kirby said. “Israel's defenses on the other hand proved even better than many had long assumed." The Pentagon said late Monday U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin “reiterated steadfast U.S. support for Israel's defense and reaffirmed the strategic goal of regional stability” as he spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Senior U.S. officials have said the Iranian attack on Israel, the first ever launched from Iranian soil, involved more than 110 ballistic missiles, 30 cruise missiles and more than 150 one-way, explosive aerial drones. They said Iranian proxy forces in Iraq, Syria and Yemen also took part in the attack. Iran, which described the Saturday assault as a success, said it was a response to a suspected Israeli airstrike on its embassy compound in Syria on April 1 that killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards officers, including two senior commanders. Some officials from Turkey, Jordan and Iraq said Sunday that Iran shared warnings of the attack ahead of time to avoid mass casualties and to prevent hostilities from escalating further. But Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson rejected such claims during a news conference in Tehran on Monday, saying, "There was no pre-arranged deal between us and any other side.” U.S. officials also disputed reports that the attack by Tehran was meant to be symbolic. “I've seen reporting that the Iranians meant to fail, that this spectacular and embarrassing failure was all by design,” said Kirby, calling such claims “categorically false.” “Given the scale of this attack, Iran's intent was clearly to cause significant destruction and casualties,” Kirby said. “The aim was to get as many of them [missiles and drones] through Israel's defenses as possible.”        Despite Iran’s intent, U.S. President Joe Biden has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the United States will not participate in any Israeli counteroffensive against Iran. But various U.S. officials said Monday that Washington’s support for Israel in the face of Iranian aggression remains “ironclad,” and that U.S. military assets placed in the region to fend off the Iranian barrage remained in place should Tehran try again. Still, concerns persist that the Iranian attack and a potential Israeli response could spark a wider regional conflict. “We call on all parties for self-restraint,” said Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Tamim during a visit to the U.S. State Department in Washington on Monday. “We hope escalations and tensions in the area will end,” Tamim said, adding Iraq does not want to see the region “dragged into a wider war that will threaten international security and safety.” European officials, likewise, urged caution. "We're on the edge of the cliff and we have to move away from it," Josep Borrell, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, told Spanish radio station Onda Cero. "We have to step on the brakes and reverse gear." French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday, his government will do all it can to avoid an escalation of the situation between Israel and Iran. Speaking to French media BFM-TV and RMC, Macron also urged Israel to pursue isolation of Iran rather than escalation. The White House later Monday confirmed those efforts are already underway, with members of the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations, or G7, already working on a new round of sanctions targeting industries that support Iran’s missile programs. The G7 includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States. Some information was provided by The Associated Press and Reuters.

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.

PANAMA CITY — The number of ships allowed through the drought-hit Panama Canal each day will be increased thanks to signs of an improvement in water levels, authorities said Monday. The interoceanic channel is a key transit point for international cargo, but low water levels blamed on climate change and the El Nino phenomenon last year led officials to limit the number of vessels using it. The Panama Canal Authority said Monday that it had informed clients it would gradually allow up to 32 ships through per day, compared with a limit of 27 announced a month ago. In 2022, it had welcomed an average of 39 ships a day. "The management and administration of water has been very efficient," canal administrator Ricaurte Vasquez told AFP. The arrival of the rainy season was also expected to help, he added. Restrictions on the maximum draft (water depth) of ships passing through the largest locks will be increased in mid-June to 13.71 meters (45 feet), from 13.41, authorities said. The century-old maritime channel, which usually handles about 6% of global maritime trade, uses rainwater stored in two artificial lakes. The canal, used mainly by customers from the United States, China and Japan, has a system of locks to raise and lower ships. For each vessel that passes through it, 200 million liters of fresh water are released into the sea.

HONG KONG — China’s economy expanded at a faster than expected pace in the first three months of the year, helped by policies aimed at stimulating growth and stronger demand, the government said Tuesday. The world’s second-largest economy expanded at a 5.3% annual pace in January-March, beating analysts’ forecasts of about 4.8%, official data show. Compared to the previous quarter, the economy grew 1.6%. China’s economy has struggled to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic, with a slowdown in demand and a property crisis weighing on its growth. The better-than-expected data Tuesday came days after China reported its exports sank 7.5% in March compared to the year before, while imports also weakened. Inflation cooled, reflecting deflationary pressures resulting from slack demand amid a crisis in the property sector. Industrial output for the first quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same time last year, and retail sales grew at an annual pace of 4.7%. Fixed investment, in factories and equipment, grew 4.5% compared to the same period a year earlier. The strong growth in January-March was supported by “broad manufacturing outperformance," festivities-boosted household spending due to the Lunar New Year holidays and policies that helped boost investments, according to China economist Louise Loo of Oxford Economics. “However, ‘standalone’ March activity indicators suggest weakness coming through post-Lunar New Year,” she said. “External demand conditions also remain unpredictable, as seen in March’s sharp export underperformance.” Loo noted that an unwinding of excess inventory, normalization of household spending after the holidays and a cautious approach to government spending and other stimulus will affect growth in this quarter. Policymakers have unveiled a raft of fiscal and monetary policy measures as Beijing seeks to boost the economy. China has set an ambitious gross domestic product (GDP) growth target of about 5% for 2024. Such strong growth usually would push share prices across the region higher. But on Tuesday, Asian shares fell sharply after stocks retreated on Wall Street. The Shanghai Composite index lost 1.4% and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong lost 1.9%. The benchmark for the smaller market in Shenzhen, in southern China, lost 2.8%. Stronger growth in the region's biggest economy normally would be seen as a positive for its neighbors, which increasingly rely on demand from China to power their own economies. However, strong growth figures are also viewed as a signal that the government will hold back on further stimulus.

CHICAGO — Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked roadways in Illinois, California, New York and the Pacific Northwest on Monday, temporarily shutting down travel into some of the nation's most heavily used airports, onto the Golden Gate and Brooklyn bridges and on a busy West Coast highway. In Chicago, protesters linked arms and blocked lanes of Interstate 190 leading into O'Hare International Airport around 7 a.m. in a demonstration they said was part of a global “economic blockade to free Palestine,” according to Rifqa Falaneh, one of the organizers. Traffic in the San Francisco Bay Area was snarled for hours as demonstrators shut down all vehicle, pedestrian and bike traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge and chained themselves to 55-gallon drums filled with cement across Interstate 880 in Oakland. Protesters marching into Brooklyn blocked Manhattan-bound traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge. In Eugene, Oregon, protesters blocked Interstate 5, shutting down traffic on the major highway for about 45 minutes. Protesters say they chose O’Hare in part because it is one of the largest airports. Among other things, they’ve called for an immediate cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas. Anti- war protesters have demonstrated in Chicago near daily since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people. Israeli warplanes and ground troops have since conducted a scorched-earth campaign on the Gaza Strip. The Israeli offensive has killed more than 33,700 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead. O'Hare warned travelers on the social platform X to take alternative forms of transportation with car travel “substantially delayed this morning due to protest activity.” Some travelers stuck in standstill traffic left their cars and walked the final leg to the airport along the freeway, trailing their luggage behind them. Among them was Madeline Hannan from suburban Chicago. She was headed to O'Hare for a work trip to Florida when her and her husband's car ended up stalled for 20 minutes. She got out and “both ran and speed walked” more than 1.6 kilometers (1 mile). She said she made it to the gate on time, but barely. “This was an inconvenience,” she said in a telephone interview from Florida. “But in the grand scheme of things going on overseas, it’s a minor inconvenience.” While individual travelers may have been affected, operations at the airport appeared near normal with delays of under 15 minutes, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation. Inbound traffic toward O’Hare resumed around 9 a.m. Near Seattle, the Washington State Department of Transportation said a demonstration closed the main road to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Social media posts showed people holding a banner and waving Palestinian flags while standing on the highway, which reopened about three hours later. About 20 protesters were arrested at the Golden Gate Bridge demonstration and traffic resumed shortly after noon, according to the California Highway Patrol. The agency said officers were making arrests at two points on the interstate, including one spot where roughly 300 protesters refused orders to disperse, “Attempting to block or shut down a freeway or state highway to protest is unlawful, dangerous, and prevents motorists from safely reaching their destinations,” the agency said in a statement. Oregon State Police said 52 protestors were were arrested for disorderly conduct following the Interstate 5 protest in Eugene, Oregon, about 177 kilometers (110 miles) south of Portland. Six vehicles were towed from the scene. New York Police made numerous arrests, saying 150 protesters were initially involved in the march around 3:15 p.m., but that number quickly grew. The bridge was fully reopened by 5 p.m. In Chicago, dozens of protesters were arrested, according to Falaneh. Chicago police said Monday that “multiple people” were taken into custody after a protest where people obstructed traffic, but they did not have a detailed count.

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.

HONOLULU — The Maui Fire Department is expected to release a report Tuesday detailing how the agency responded to a series of wildfires that burned on the island during a windstorm last August — including one that killed 101 people in the historic town of Lahaina and became the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. The release comes one day before the Hawaii Attorney General is expected to release the first phase of a separate comprehensive investigation about the events before, during and after the Aug. 8 fires. The reports could help officials understand exactly what happened when the wind-whipped fire overtook the historic Maui town of Lahaina, destroying roughly 3,000 properties and causing more than $5.5 billion in estimated damage, according to state officials. The Western Fire Chiefs Association produced the after-action report for the Maui Fire Department. After-action reports are frequently used by military organizations, emergency response agencies, government entities and even companies to help identify the strengths and weaknesses of the organization's response to an emergency. A similar after-action report was released by the Maui Police Department in February. It included 32 recommendations to improve the law enforcement agency's response to future tragedies, including that the department obtain better equipment and that it station a high-ranking officer in the island's communications center during emergencies. Hawaiian Electric has acknowledged that one of its power lines fell and caused a fire in Lahaina the morning of Aug. 8, but the utility company denies that the morning fire caused the flames that burned through the town later that day. But dozens of lawsuits filed by survivors and victims’ families claim otherwise, saying entities like Hawaiian Electric, Maui County, large property owners or others should be held responsible for the damage caused by the inferno. Many of the factors that contributed to the disaster are already known: Strong winds from a hurricane passing far offshore had downed power lines and blown off parts of rooftops, and debris blocked roads throughout Lahaina. Later those same winds rained embers and whipped flames through the heart of the town. The vast majority of the county’s fire crews were already tied up fighting other wildfires on a different part of the island, their efforts sometimes hindered by a critical loss of water pressure after the winds knocked out electricity for the water pumps normally used to load firefighting tanks and reservoirs. County officials have acknowledged that a lack of backup power for critical pumps made it significantly harder for crews to battle the Upcountry fires. A small firefighting team was tasked with handling any outbreaks in Lahaina. That crew brought the morning fire under control and even declared it extinguished, then broke for lunch. By the time they returned, flames had erupted in the same area and were quickly moving into a major subdivision. The fire in Lahaina burned so hot that thousands of water pipes melted, making it unlikely that backup power for pumps would have made a significant impact. Cellphone and internet service was also down in the area, so it was difficult for some to call for help or to get information about the spreading fire — including any evacuation announcements. And emergency officials did not use Hawaii’s extensive network of emergency sirens to warn Lahaina residents. The high winds made it hard at times for first responders to communicate on their radios, and 911 operators and emergency dispatchers were overwhelmed with hundreds of calls. Police and electricity crews tried to direct people away from roads that were partially or completely blocked by downed power lines. Meanwhile, people trying to flee burning neighborhoods packed the few thoroughfares leading in and out of town. The traffic jam left some trapped in their cars when the fire overtook them. Others who were close to the ocean jumped into the choppy waters to escape the flames.

SYDNEY —           Australia will work with international security agencies to assess global extremism after a stabbing at a church in Sydney. The attack, in which a 16-year-old boy was arrested, is being treated as an act of terrorism, according to the police. A bishop, a parish priest and several worshippers were injured Monday during a sermon that was being live-streamed. The teenage suspect was subdued by worshippers and arrested by the police. Australian investigators believe the alleged attacker was motivated by religious extremism. Declaring the attack a terrorist incident gives investigators greater powers and resources to probe the precise motivations of the alleged attacker. Australian intelligence agencies will work with their Five Eyes security alliance partners, including Canada and the U.S., to assess the global threat of extremism. Video of the service at the Assyrian Orthodox Church has shown an individual walking toward the altar. The alleged assailant then lunges at a clergyman and appears to stab him several times before churchgoers rush in to help.  There are screams of horror from the congregation at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Sydney. Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, a prominent Christian leader, was among those who were injured, along with a parish priest and a small number of worshippers.  None of the victims have life-threatening injuries. Outside the church, a large crowd angry at the attack clashed with the police.  “Bring him out!” they chanted, calling for retribution against the teenage suspect. A group of leaders from different faiths met with government officials and called for calm in the community. Western Sydney is one of Australia’s most culturally and religiously diverse regions. “There is no place for violence in our community. There is no place for violent extremism," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters Tuesday. "We are a peace-loving nation. This is a time to unite (and) not divide as a community and as a country.” Albanese was scheduled to meet with his national security advisers later on Tuesday in Canberra. Australia’s official national terror threat level remains at "possible," the second lowest in a five-category alert system.  A government advisory states that “there are a small number of people in Australia and overseas who want to cause Australia harm.” The church stabbings follow the murders of six people in a separate knife attack in a Sydney shopping center over the weekend. The attacker, a 40-year-old man from Queensland state with mental health issues, was shot dead at the scene by a police officer. Among the injured is a 9-month-old baby girl, who remains in hospital. The infant’s mother was killed in Saturday’s rampage.  It is not being treated as a terrorism-related attack.

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.

As President Joe Biden hosted Iraq’s prime minister on Monday, all eyes were on Iran, which over the weekend made a historic first strike on Israel. That attack has inflamed concerns of a wider regional war, something the two leaders focused on during their Oval Office meeting. VOA’s Anita Powell reports from the White House.

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.