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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.

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.

The United States is in dire need of construction workers, a builders’ industry group says. Nonprofits argue that the newly arrived migrants that have overwhelmed some U.S. cities in recent months could help. But not everyone agrees. Joti Rekhi reports from New York City.

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.

Israel bombed at least three homes in Rafah, raising fears that the ground assault could begin soon. Rafah is the last refuge in the Gaza Strip for people who fled the northern and central parts of the enclave. Reporter Evan Gershkovich marks one year in Russian prison. And, a million people expected to flood Niagara Falls to experience a rare solar eclipse.

TOKYO — Japan's unmanned moon lander woke up after surviving a second frigid, two-week lunar night and transmitted new images back to Earth, the country's space agency said Thursday. "We received a response from SLIM last night and confirmed that SLIM had successfully completed its second overnight," the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said in a post on the official X account for its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) probe. "Since the sun was still high in the sky last night and the equipment was still hot, we recorded images of the usual scenery with the navigational camera, among other activities, for a short period of time," it added. A black-and-white photo of the rocky surface of a crater accompanied the post on X, formerly Twitter. The SLIM lander touched down in January at a wonky angle that left its solar panels facing the wrong way. Around three hours after the landing -- which made Japan only the fifth nation to touch down on the moon -- JAXA decided to switch SLIM off with 12% power remaining to allow for a possible resumption later on. As the sun's angle shifted, the probe came back to life in late January for two days and carried out scientific observations of a crater with a high-spec camera. But the spacecraft was not designed for the freezing, fortnight-long lunar nights, when the temperature plunges to minus 133 degrees Celsius. So space agency scientists had cause for celebration when it was successfully revived in late February after its first lunar night. JAXA has dubbed SLIM the "Moon Sniper" for its precision landing technology. The aim of the mission is to examine a part of the moon's mantle -- the usually deep inner layer beneath its crust -- that is believed to be accessible. Thursday's news came after an uncrewed American lander called Odysseus -- the first private spaceship to successfully land on the moon -- was unable to wake up, its manufacturer said on Saturday, even after its solar panels were projected to receive enough sunlight to turn on its radio. 

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.

UNITED NATIONS — Security in Congo's mineral-rich east has deteriorated since recent elections, with a rebel group allegedly linked to neighboring Rwanda making "significant advances and expanding its territory," the U.N. special envoy for the conflict-wracked African nation said Wednesday. Bintou Keita told the U.N. Security Council this has created "an even more disastrous humanitarian situation, with internal displacement reaching unparalleled numbers." Last month, the United States told Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo that they "must walk back from the brink of war," the sharpest warning yet of a looming conflict. U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood again condemned "the aggressive military incursion" into eastern Congo by the M23 rebel group and the Rwandan Defense Force and attacks including on U.N. peacekeepers. He called on the leaders of Rwanda and Congo "to make the decision to pursue peace — for the sake of their people, the region and the world." Wood described M23 as "a group which has perpetrated appalling human rights abuses against civilians, including sexual and gender-based violence." He called the international community's failure to condemn the actions of Rwanda, which is a major troop contributor to U.N. peacekeeping forces, "dismaying" and said "the U.N. should reevaluate Rwanda's credibility as a constructive partner in peacekeeping." The U.S. State Department last month called for the withdrawal of Rwanda's troops and surface-to-air missile systems from eastern Congo and criticized M23, calling it a "Rwanda-backed" armed group. The Rwandan Foreign Ministry said last month that the country's troops are defending Rwandan territory as Congo carries out a "dramatic military build-up" near the border. The ministry's statement said Rwanda's national security is threatened by the presence in Congo of an armed group whose members include alleged perpetrators of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda during which more than 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutus who tried to protect them were killed. The rebel group, known by its initials FDLR, "is fully integrated into" the Congolese army, the statement said. Although Rwanda has long cited a threat posed by FLDR, authorities there had never admitted to a military presence in eastern Congo. Wood said the U.S. recognizes the FDLR "is a continuing threat to the Congolese people and a security threat to Rwanda that must be addressed." At Wednesday's council meeting the Congolese and Rwandan ambassadors again went after each other. Congolese Ambassador Zenon Ngay Mukongo called the M23 and Rwandan forces a "coalition of the axis of evil." He said a meeting of heads of state is planned for April and Congo is seeking lasting peace throughout the country and that it "will not accept window-dressing arrangements aimed at perpetuating insecurity and confusion" which encourages the M23 and Rwanda's "shameless exploitation of strategic minerals" in eastern Congo. Rwandan Ambassador Ernest Rwamucyo reiterated his government's serious concerns about the FDLR and called for Congo to resolve the security issues involving many rebel groups themselves. "We should also raise awareness about the dangers of genocide, the ideology, which has spilled over into the DRC," the initials of Congo's official name, the Democratic Republic of Congo, he said. Keita, the U.N. envoy, told the council that mediation by Angola between the countries has resumed. In response to a question afterward by reporters about Wednesday's confrontation between the ambassadors, she said, she strongly believes this mediation and other efforts to reduce tensions should be supported "in spite of the displeasure that we saw" in the council.

Violence and instability in Haiti are a threat to the country’s citizens and to the journalists reporting — at personal risk — on the latest developments. VOA’s Robin Guess has the story.

washington — U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Wednesday that Chinese subsidies for clean energy industries create unfair competition that “hurts American firms and workers, as well as firms and workers around the world.” Yellen said that during a visit she has scheduled to China, she intends to warn China its national underwriting for energy and other companies is creating oversupply and market distortion, among other problems. "I intend to talk to the Chinese when I visit about overcapacity in some of these industries, and make sure that they understand the undesirable impact that this is having — flooding the market with cheap goods — on the United States, but also in many of our closest allies," Yellen said in a speech in Norcross, Georgia. Yellen said she believes those subsidies will enable China to flood the markets for solar panels, electric vehicle parts and lithium-ion batteries, thus distorting production in other economies and global prices. "I will convey my belief that excess capacity poses risks not only to American workers and firms and to the global economy, but also productivity and growth in the Chinese economy, as China itself acknowledged in its National People's Congress this month," Yellen said. "And I will press my Chinese counterparts to take necessary steps to address this issue." Yellen is set for meetings in China in April, according to Politico. The Treasury has not yet confirmed her itinerary. The secretary visited Georgia to see a newly reopened solar cell manufacturing plant, which according to the Treasury closed in 2017 because of competition from factories in China. It is reopening now, though, after tax credits in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act fueled increased anticipated demand for solar panels. On Tuesday, China filed a complaint against the U.S. at the World Trade Organization, arguing the U.S.’s requirements for electric vehicle subsidies are discriminatory. Chinese officials did not comment on what prompted the decision. Yellen said she hopes to have a “constructive” dialogue with Chinese officials about subsidies and oversupply issues. She said outreach to businesspeople and governments around the world had prompted her to issue this warning. "These are concerns that I increasingly hear from government counterparts in industrialized countries and emerging markets, as well as from the business community globally," Yellen said. Some information for this report came from Reuters and The Associated Press. 

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.

TOKYO — Japan's Cabinet OK'd a plan to sell future next-generation fighter jets to other countries on Tuesday, its latest step away from the pacifist principles the country adopted at the end of World War II. The controversial decision to allow international arms sales is expected to help secure Japan's role in a year-old project to develop a new fighter jet together with Italy and the U.K., but it's also part of a move to build up Japan's arms industry and bolster its role in global affairs. For now, Tokyo says that it doesn't plan to export co-developed lethal weapons other than the new fighters, which aren't expected to enter service until 2035. Here is a look at what the latest change is about and why Japan is rapidly easing weapons export rules. What's changing? On Tuesday, the Cabinet approved a revision to its guidelines for selling defense equipment overseas, and authorized sales of the future jet. The government says that it has no plans to export other co-developed lethal weapons under the guidelines, and it would require Cabinet approval to do so. Japan has long prohibited most arms exports under the country's pacifist constitution, although it's begun to take steps toward a change amid rising regional and global tensions. In 2014, it began to export some non-lethal military supplies, and last December, it approved a change that would allow sales of 80 lethal weapons and components that it manufactures under licenses from other countries back to the licensors. The change, which was made in December, cleared the way for Japan to sell U.S.-designed Patriot missiles to the United States, helping replace munitions that Washington is sending to Ukraine. The decision on jets will allow Japan to export lethal weapons it co-produces to other countries for the first time. What is the new fighter jet? Japan is working with Italy and the U.K. to develop an advanced fighter jet to replace its aging fleet of American-designed F-2 fighters, and the Eurofighter Typhoons used by the U.K. and Italian militaries. Japan, which was previously working on a homegrown design to be called the F-X, agreed in December 2022 to merge its effort with a British-Italian program called the Tempest. The joint project, known as the Global Combat Air Program, is based in the U.K., and hasn't yet announced a new name for its design. Japan hopes the new plane will offer better sensing and stealth capabilities amid growing tensions in the region, giving it a technological edge against regional rivals China and Russia. Why is Japan changing its stance on arms exports? In its decision, the Cabinet said that the ban on exporting finished products would hinder efforts to develop the new jet, and limit Japan to a supporting role in the project. Italy and the U.K. are eager to make sells of the jet in order to defray development and manufacturing costs. U.K. Defense Minister Grant Shapps has repeatedly said Japan needs "updating" to not cause the project to stall. Kishida sought Cabinet approval before signing the GCAP agreement in February, but it was delayed by resistance from his junior coalition partner, the Buddhist-backed Komeito party. Exports would also help boost Japan's defense industry, which historically has catered only to the country's Self Defense Force, as Kishida seeks to build up the military. Japan began opening the door to some exports in 2014, but the industry has still struggled to win customers. The change also comes as Kishida is planning an April state visit to Washington, where he is expected to stress Japan's readiness to take a greater role in military and defense industry partnerships. Japan sees China's rapid military buildup and its increasing assertiveness as threats, especially growing tensions in the disputed East and South China Seas. Japan also sees increasing joint military exercises between China and Russia around Japan as a threat. Why are arms exports divisive? Because of its wartime past as an aggressor and the devastation that followed its defeat in World War II, Japan adopted a constitution that limits its military to self-defense and long maintained a strict policy to limit transfers of military equipment and technology and ban all exports of lethal weapons. Opposition lawmakers and pacifist activists have criticized Kishida's government for committing to the fighter jet project without explaining to the public or seeking approval for the major policy change. Recent polls show public opinion is divided on the plan. To address such concerns, the government is limiting exports of co-developed lethal weapons to the jet for now, and has promised that no sales will be made for use in active wars. If a purchaser begins using the jets for war, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said, Japan will stop providing spare parts and other components. What's next? Potential markets for the jet include the 15 countries with which Japan has defense partnership agreements, such as the United States, Germany, India and Vietnam. A defense official said Taiwan — a self-governed island that China claims as its own territory — is not being considered. He spoke on condition of anonymity due to briefing rules. More weapons and components could be added to the approved list under the new export guidelines. When Kishida goes to Washington in April, he's likely to talk to U.S. leaders about potential new defense and weapons industry cooperation. The new policy could also help Japan push for a bigger role in alliances and regional defense partnerships like Australia, the U.S. and the U.K.'s AUKUS.

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.