Feed aggregator

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea's launch of an unknown ballistic missile toward the sea off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula appears to have failed, South Korean military said on Wednesday. North Korea earlier this week criticized the deployment of a U.S. aircraft carrier to join joint drills with South Korea and Japan, and warned of "overwhelming, new demonstration of deterrence." The apparent failed missile launch originated from around Pyongyang, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. Japan's coast guard said a projectile believed to be the North Korean ballistic missile appeared to have fallen. Japan's Defense Ministry said the missile flew to an altitude of about 100 km (62 miles) and range of more than 200 km (124 miles). It appeared to be a failed test of a hypersonic missile, Yonhap News Agency said citing an unnamed military source. North Korea's last missile firing was on May 30. The missile launch comes a day after the 74-year anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War. North Korean state media KCNA said on Wednesday a mass rally in Pyongyang was held to commemorate the anniversary, calling it a day of "struggle against U.S. imperialism" and calling the U.S. the arch enemy. Recently, North Korea has been flying hundreds of balloons carrying trash toward the South including on Tuesday. Pyongyang also deployed a large group of soldiers to build new fortifications within the heavily armed border with South Korea, according to the South's military, occasionally inviting warning shots from South Korean counterparts.

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.

Austin, Texas — Ecuador says it will suspend visa-free entry into the country for Chinese citizens, starting July 1, citing a "worrying" increase in irregular migration.  Over the past few years, Ecuador has been the starting point for many of the thousands of Chinese citizens who have decided to take the long and treacherous journey through South America, Central America and Mexico to reach the southern U.S. border. Some who have already migrated to the United States say Ecuador's decision and the growing resolve of both Washington and Beijing to stop the flow of illegal migration is a sign that the door may be closing for those seeking to "zouxian" or "walk the line" – as the journey is popularly described in Chinese. Wang Zhongwei, a 33-year-old Chinese from Anhui, came to the U.S. by "walking the line" from Ecuador in May 2023. He said that after the Ecuadorian government's announcement, "the discussion [among Chinese illegal immigrants] has been heated, and this has a great impact [because] more than 80% of the people came through Ecuador." According to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol statistics, the monthly number of encounters for Chinese nationals at the southwestern border hit a record high of nearly 6,000 in December of 2023. In recent months, those encounters have started to come down, slipping to just more than 3,600 in May. In addition to a recent decision by U.S. President Joe Biden to temporarily restrict asylum eligibility at the U.S.-Mexico border, there are signs that Washington and Beijing are finding ways or at least trying to work together on the issue.   In May, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the Associated Press that Beijing is "willing to maintain dialogue and cooperation with the United States in the field of immigration enforcement" and accept the repatriation of people with verified Chinese nationality. In April, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas told a congressional hearing that he had "engaged" with his Chinese counterparts and that China had begun to accept the repatriation of Chinese immigrants who have no legal basis to stay in the United States. VOA emailed the Department of Homeland Security to inquire about U.S.-Chinese cooperation on the deportation of Chinese nationals but did not receive a response by the time of publication. Guo Bin, a Chinese citizen from Guangxi who arrived in the United States at the end of last year with his 12-year-old daughter, said he has heard of some Chinese who "walked the line" being deported in Los Angeles since May. "There are indeed deportations, and they can be deported on the spot," he said. According to posts from social media influencer Teacher Li, Chinese authorities recently issued two documents to public prosecutors that highlight their determination to crack down on those who "walk the line" and to strengthen border control. VOA could not independently verify the authenticity of the documents, but when it asked the Chinese Embassy about the documents the spokesman did not say they were fabricated. In an emailed response to questions about the post, Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. said: "China's Supreme Court performs its duty in keeping with the law." "On illegal migration, China's position is clear and consistent," he said. "We oppose and firmly combat all forms of illegal migration and human smuggling." Li also said that "China's law-enforcement agencies are working with the relevant countries to combat human smuggling and on extradition as well, in a joint effort to uphold the orderly flow of people across the countries." Earlier this year, Mexico strengthened its border control by setting up new checkpoints on major roads and increasing patrols at the more heavily used crossing points into the U.S. More illegal migrants have been intercepted as a result.  According to the Washington Office on Latin America, Mexican immigration forces set a new record for the number of immigrant arrests in a single month in January and February of this year. Guo said that he has heard about some Chinese who were intercepted while crossing Mexico.  "U.S. immigration officers cooperate with the Mexican government and go deep into central Mexico to intercept immigrants," he said.  Once Chinese migrants are intercepted, they are sent to southern Mexico, he said. If they want to continue "walking the line," they must start again from a place farther away from the U.S., which will cost them more money and time. Challenges aside, Wang and Guo say there are still ways to make it to the border.  Wang says the desire of people to leave China is still strong and that some are exploring new routes.  "You can fly to Cuba, and you can also fly to Bolivia," Wang said. In May, the Cuban government began allowing 90-day visa-free entry for Chinese citizens. Bolivia allows Chinese citizens holding ordinary passports to receive tourist visas upon arrival. Those with a transit visa can stay for 15 days or on a tourist visa for 30 days. The straight-line distance from Cuba to the southernmost tip of Florida is about 150 km. The narrow waterway has been a smuggling route for decades. And some Chinese have already tried, despite the risks. In October 2023, authorities in Florida say, 11 male and six female Chinese citizens were arrested after illegally entering Key Largo, Florida, from Cuba. Li Xiaosan, a Chinese dissident, arrived in the U.S. in February 2023 by "walking the line." He says he feels fortunate to be able to start a new life and sad for others who want to leave China now. Since arriving in the U.S., Li opened a translation company in New York and has passed his preliminary hearing for his political asylum application. He also obtained a work permit. He says that once Ecuador's new policy takes effect on July 1, even if Chinese people use other routes, the chances of successfully reaching the U.S. and staying will be significantly reduced. "The door is closed," Li said, adding that the question now is: "How many people can squeeze in through the cracks?"  Adrianna Zhang contributed to this report.

SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has pleaded guilty to a single felony charge for publishing U.S. military secrets in a deal with Justice Department prosecutors that secures his freedom and concludes a drawn-out legal saga that raised divisive questions about press freedom and national security.  The plea was entered Wednesday morning in federal court in Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth in the Pacific. He arrived at court shortly before the hearing was to begin and did not take questions.  Though the deal with prosecutors required him to admit guilt to a single felony count, it would also permit him to return to his native Australia without spending any time in an American prison. He had been jailed in the United Kingdom for the last five years, fighting extradition to the United States on an Espionage Act indictment that could have carried a lengthy prison sentence in the event of a conviction.  The abrupt conclusion enables both sides to claim a degree of victory, with the Justice Department able to resolve without trial a case that raised thorny legal issues and that might never have reached a jury at all given the plodding pace of the extradition process.   WikiLeaks, the secret-spilling website that Assange founded in 2006, applauded the announcement of the deal, saying it was grateful for "all who stood by us, fought for us, and remained utterly committed in the fight for his freedom."  The deal, disclosed Monday night in a sparsely detailed Justice Department letter, represents the latest and presumably final chapter in a court fight involving the eccentric Australian computer expert who has been celebrated by supporters as a transparency crusader but lambasted by national security hawks who insist that his disdain for government secrecy put lives at risks, and strayed far beyond the bounds of traditional journalism duties.  The U.S. Justice Department agreed to hold the hearing on the remote island because Assange opposed coming to the continental U.S. and because it's near Australia, where he will return.  The guilty plea resolves a criminal case brought by the Trump administration Justice Department in connection with the receipt and publication of war logs and diplomatic cables that detailed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan. Prosecutors alleged that he conspired with former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to obtain the records and published them without regard to American national security, including by releasing the names of human sources who provided information to U.S. forces.  But his activities drew an outpouring of support from press freedom advocates who heralded his role in bringing to light military conduct that might otherwise have been concealed from view. Among the files published by WikiLeaks was a video of a 2007 Apache helicopter attack by American forces in Baghdad that killed 11 people, including two Reuters journalists.  The indictment was unsealed in 2019, but Assange's legal woes long predated the criminal case and continued well past it.  Weeks after the release of the largest document cache in 2010, a Swedish prosecutor issued an arrest warrant for Assange based on one woman's allegation of rape and another's allegation of molestation. Assange has long maintained his innocence, and the investigation was later dropped.  He presented himself in 2012 to the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he claimed asylum on the grounds of political persecution, and spent the following seven years in self-exile there, hosting a parade of celebrity visitors and making periodic appearances from the building's balcony to address supporters.  In 2019, his hosts revoked his asylum, allowing British police to arrest him. He remained locked up for the last five years while the Justice Department sought to extradite him, in a process that encountered skepticism from British judges who worried about how Assange would be treated by the American criminal justice system.  Ultimately, though, the resolution sparing Assange prison time in the U.S. is a repudiation of sorts of years of ominous warnings by Assange and his supporters that the American criminal justice system would expose him to unduly harsh treatment, including potentially the death penalty — something prosecutors never sought. 

moscow — Russia said on Tuesday it was banning access inside Russia to the broadcasts of 81 different media outlets from the European Union — including Agence France-Presse and Politico — in retaliation for a similar EU ban on several Russian media outlets.  The European Union said in May it was suspending the distribution of what it described as four "Kremlin-linked propaganda networks," stripping them of their broadcasting rights in the bloc.  It said at the time that the ban applied to Voice of Europe, to the RIA news agency, and to the Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspapers.  The Russian Foreign Ministry hit back on Tuesday, releasing a list of 81 media outlets from 25 EU member states, as well as pan-European outlets, whose broadcasts it said would no longer be available on Russian territory.  It accused the outlets of "systematically distributing inaccurate information" about what Russia calls its special military operation in Ukraine.   France's Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency, Austria's ORF state TV company, Ireland's RTE broadcaster, digital outlet Politico and Spain's EFE news agency were among the outlets affected by the move, along with many other national broadcasters and newspapers.   "The Russian Federation has repeatedly warned at various levels that politically motivated harassment of domestic journalists and unjustified bans on Russian media in the EU will not go unanswered," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.  "In spite of this, Brussels and the capitals of the bloc's countries preferred to follow the path of escalation, forcing Moscow to adopt mirror and proportional countermeasures."  It said it would review its ban if the EU lifted its restrictions on RIA, Izvestia and the Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper, all of which it described as Russian media outlets.   Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the State Duma lower house of parliament, said in May that the EU move had shown that the West refused to accept any alternative point of view and was destroying freedom of speech.  'Unjustified measure'  Italy's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned the Russian decision to ban access to outlets including Italian broadcasters Rai and La7 and newspapers La Repubblica and La Stampa.  "We regret the unjustified measure taken against these Italian broadcasters and newspapers, which have always provided objective and unbiased information on the conflict in Ukraine," the ministry said.  AFP declined to comment, and RTE did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the measures, announced a day before the Russian trial of U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich on espionage charges is due to begin.   Jamil Anderlini, Politico's editor-in-chief for Europe, described the measures as "completely unacceptable" and said in a statement that it was "not the first time press freedoms have been restricted through politically motivated attacks."  "We call for the immediate lifting of these restrictions and continue to call for Evan's immediate release," he wrote.  The first American journalist to be detained on spy charges in Russia since the Cold War more than three decades ago, Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, has denied he is a Central Intelligence Agency spy. The Journal says Gershkovich was doing his job and denies he is a spy.  Many Western news organizations pulled staff out of Russia after it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and passed laws soon afterwards that set long prison sentences for "discrediting" the armed forces.  Russian officials say large parts of the Western media spread false, unbalanced stories about Russia, and that Western media organizations are waging an information war. 

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.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran's supreme leader issued a thinly veiled warning Tuesday to the sole reformist candidate in the country's upcoming presidential election, saying anyone who believes "all ways to progress" come from the United States shouldn't be supported.  While often speaking in parables like many Iranian politicians, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared to directly undercut the candidacy of 69-year-old heart surgeon Masoud Pezeshkian, who has aligned himself with officials from the administration of former President Hassan Rouhani. Rouhani helped reach Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, an accord Pezeshkian has fully embraced in contrast with his five hard-line opponents, who want an agreement fully on Iran's terms.  Khamenei also called for maximum turnout for Friday's vote, which analysts say could support Pezeshkian. The doctor's rallies have drawn large crowds in major cities, though it remains unclear whether his candidacy alone would be enough to push an apathetic public to vote to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, a protege of Khamenei who died in a helicopter crash in May.  "Some politicians in our country believe they must kowtow to this power or that power, and it's impossible to progress without sticking to famous countries and powers," Khamenei said in a speech marking the Shiite holiday of Eid al-Ghadir. "Some think like that. Or they think that all ways to progress pass through America. No, such people can't" run the country well, he said.  Khamenei's comments in his hourlong speech drew repeated cries of "Death to America, death to Israel" from a raucous crowd.  Khamenei's call comes after a parliamentary election that saw a record low turnout earlier this year. Voters across the capital, Tehran, who have spoken with The Associated Press have expressed widespread apathy over the election as Iran faces an economy crushed by Western sanctions and after widespread anti-government protests in recent years, particularly after the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini and women refusing to wear the country's mandatory headscarf, or hijab.  Pezeshkian, little known to the general public before registering for the campaign, has drawn large crowds in Tehran and other major cities. Among his most-prominent allies is former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who led negotiations for the nuclear deal.  Khamenei's remarks also can be seen as a warning to Zarif and even Rouhani himself, whose former administration has been blasted by hard-liners in the time since the collapse of the deal in 2018 after then-U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from it. Since then, Iran has advanced its program to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels while also hampering the ability of international inspectors to monitor it.  Pezeshkian also has been trying to adopt symbols of previous campaigns by popular reformists who seek to change Iran's theocracy from inside. His campaign slogan "For Iran," a call to nationalism rather than religion, mirrors an earlier campaign slogan used by former reformist President Mohammad Khatami.  Pezeshkian also has been photographed wearing green scarves — apparently trying to associate himself with the 2009 Green Movement protests that swept Iran after the disputed vote and bloody crackdown that saw hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad re-elected as president.  Khamenei made a point to seemingly link the upcoming election to the wider tensions in the Mideast amid the Israel-Hamas war.  "The Islamic Republic has enemies. One thing that helps the Islamic Republic overcome its enemies are the elections," Khamenei said. "If a good turnout is seen in these elections, it will make the Islamic Republic proud."  If all of the hard-line candidates stay in, they could split the vote against Pezeshkian and force a second round of voting a week later as Iranian law requires a winner to receive more than 50% of all votes cast. Typically, candidates drop out after the last debate and coalesce around one clear front runner.  "Pezeshkian is leading and over the next three days he will definitely widen the gap with others," said analyst Abbas Abdi, who is aligned with reformists. "Withdrawing is not going to help them."  Khamenei's remarks appeared timed to give his opponents ammunition for the last televised debate before the election, which happened just a short time later. Pezeshkian did not directly acknowledge the supreme leader's remarks but stuck to his stance that talks to restore the deal remained key. 

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.

sao paulo, brazil — Record floods that killed over 170 people and displaced half a million in southern Brazil are a warning sign of more disasters to come throughout the Americas because of climate change, an official at the United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday.   Roughly 389,000 people in the state of Rio Grande do Sul remain displaced from their homes because of the intense rain and flooding, which local officials say was the worst disaster in the region's history. Scientists say climate change made the flooding twice as likely to happen.  Andrew Harper, special adviser on climate action to the refugee agency, UNHCR, visited a flooded neighborhood in state capital Porto Alegre over the weekend and called it "a ghost town."  "It was underwater for almost 40 days. There wasn't even any rats running around. Everything had died," Harper said in an interview on Tuesday.  Since the floodwaters subsided, residents have not returned to the neighborhood, where streets are piled high with waterlogged garbage and debris. Many are still living in shelters, including Venezuelan refugees who had resettled in Porto Alegre.  UNHCR is helping the local government build temporary housing.  Residents of some hard-hit areas may never return, having been forced to move by repeated flooding, Harper said. But how many would become so-called climate migrants will only be known years after the disaster.  The floods surpassed all expectations that local authorities had for climate disasters, and governments need to do more to prepare for these events, Harper said.   "We're seeing the emergence in Brazil of what we may be seeing throughout the Americas. So to ignore this, they do it at their own peril," Harper said.  Governments need to understand where the people most vulnerable to climate change live, such as the neighborhood he visited in Porto Alegre, and include those people in their climate plans, he said.  "It's a warning signal, but we've been seeing warning signals now for five, 10 years," Harper added. "At what point do you basically have to slap somebody in the face and say, 'Wake up, you're not going to ignore this.'" 

london — Britain's King Charles welcomed Japan's Emperor Naruhito and his wife to London at a Buckingham Palace banquet on Tuesday, celebrating economic, diplomatic and cultural ties on the first day of a three-day state visit.   "Our governments are working together to provide a stable world for future generations," said Charles, flanked by Queen Camilla on one side and Naruhito on the other.  "Supporting all these shared endeavors are the enduring ties between our people that transcend geography — and that does not just mean how much we enjoy tea and talking about the weather."   The emperor's trip, postponed from 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, seeks to deepen the military, cultural and scientific links between the two countries.   Naruhito paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth, who was on the throne when the invitation was first issued, highlighted Charles' work on environmental projects and spoke of the strength of diplomatic ties.  "The multi-layered collaboration and exchange between our two countries is accelerating in various areas, including politics and diplomacy, the economy, culture and the arts, science and technology, as well as education," he said. "Our bilateral relations have never been more robust."   Charles' son and heir to the throne, Prince William, had earlier traveled to the hotel where the 64-year-old emperor and Empress Masako were staying, before the trio arrived for a ceremonial welcome at Horse Guards Parade on Tuesday.  The two heads of state — Charles wearing a top hat — then inspected the Guard of Honor as the rows of soldiers in their traditional scarlet uniforms and black bearskin hats stood in the summer heat.   They then traveled to Buckingham Palace in a gold-edged horse-driven carriage.   The visit is taking place in the run-up to an election in Britain on July 4, meaning that some of the usual political elements will be missing.   There will be no meeting at Downing Street between the emperor and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, although Sunak and opposition leader Kier Starmer both attended the banquet.  The visit comes at a difficult time for the British monarchy, after Charles, 75, was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, and as William's wife, Catherine, undergoes preventative chemotherapy treatment for cancer.  In another setback, Princess Anne, Charles' younger sister, suffered a head injury on Sunday after an incident believed to have involved a horse. While she is expected to make a full recovery, she pulled out of attending the state banquet.  Naruhito came to London in 2022 to attend Queen Elizabeth's funeral and is fond of Britain, having studied here in the early 1980s.   He has spoken of the kindness the British royals showed him at that time, including a visit to the royal family at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, where Charles took him fly fishing.   The pair took lunch at Buckingham Palace and then viewed Japanese-related items from the royal collection before a tour of Westminster Abbey.  

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.

Washington — The closed-door trial of American journalist Evan Gershkovich is set to begin on Wednesday in Russia, nearly 15 months after he was jailed on espionage charges that are widely viewed as baseless and politically motivated. A correspondent with The Wall Street Journal, Gershkovich was detained in March 2023 on spying charges that he, his employer and the U.S. government vehemently deny. The State Department has also declared Gershkovich wrongfully detained. Press freedom experts have said that the trial against Gershkovich will almost certainly be a politically motivated sham. The trial is taking place in Yekaterinburg, where Gershkovich was first detained. The city in the Ural Mountains is about 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) east of Moscow. Russian authorities have accused Gershkovich of “gathering secret information” about a military facility. But to date, Moscow has not publicly provided any evidence to substantiate the charges against Gershkovich, who was accredited by Russia’s foreign ministry to work in the country. Russia’s Washington Embassy did not immediately reply to a VOA email requesting comment. Secret trials are common practice in Russia for cases of alleged treason or espionage involving classified state material. The charges against Gershkovich carry a sentence of up to 20 years behind bars. In an open letter on Tuesday, The Journal’s editor-in-chief, Emma Tucker, reaffirmed her view that the trial will not be a fair display of justice. “To even call it a trial, however, is unfair to Evan and a continuation of this travesty of justice that already has gone on for far too long,” she wrote. It is not clear whether U.S. officials will be permitted to observe the trial. But Daniel Kanigan, the spokesperson of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, told VOA that the mission “will make efforts to attend any future proceedings.” Gershkovich is one of two American journalists currently jailed in Russia. Alsu Kurmasheva, a U.S.-Russian national who works at VOA’s sister outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Prague, has been jailed since October 2023 on charges of failing to self-register as a “foreign agent” and spreading what the Kremlin views as false information about the Russian army. Kurmasheva rejects the charges against her, and the U.S. government has called for her immediate release.

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.

Trident Pier, off Gaza Coast — Baking under the summer sun, U.S. troops find shelter in containers stationed on what is known as the "parking lot" of a floating pier in the Mediterranean Sea that aims to boost the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.   Just over the horizon, destroyed buildings and thick black smoke can be seen rising in the enclave of 2.3 million people, more than eight months into a war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas. Reuters was given rare access to the pier on Tuesday and saw aid pallets being moved from a vessel onto the 370-meter-long pier as it bobbed around with the incoming waves. The pallets were then taken by trucks to the coast.   For U.S. Army Sergeant Ibrahim Barry, who is a forklift operator on the pier, the operation is personal. Barry, who is Muslim, was in the U.S. when war broke out and watched as families in Gaza during Ramadan in March and April had no food with which to break their fast.   "Being in this mission [is] on a personal level for me," he said. "Helping to help them get food ... just taking care of people." U.S. President Joe Biden announced in March the plan to put the pier in place for aid deliveries as famine loomed in Gaza. As of Tuesday, 8,332 pallets had been delivered via the pier.   But nearly 6,900 pallets of those have just been sitting on Gaza's coast, in a marshaling area, waiting to be picked up by the United Nations for distribution. The World Food Program paused deliveries earlier this month over security concerns.   For many troops working on pier operations, this is their first combat zone. But not for Captain Joel Stewart, commander of Naval Beach group 1. "War is a terrible thing. I don't care where it is. I don't care what it is. It is destruction. It is never pretty. It is certainly not something that I ever want to see again," Stewart said while standing on the pier.   "The sailors, marines, merchant men, soldiers are all behind this mission because they see they are making a difference for the people of Gaza," Stewart said.   The pier's usage has been paused multiple times because of sea conditions and at one point was towed to the Israeli port of Ashdod for repairs.   A senior U.S. official said on Tuesday the pier may be extended well beyond its July 31 authorization date if the United States and aid organizations can get aid flowing again to Palestinians in the coming days and weeks.

Blantyre, Malawi — Malawi has started investigations into the cause of a plane crash that killed Vice President Saulos Chilima and nine others June 10 in northern Malawi. Government spokesperson Moses Kunkuyu said Sunday that German experts will look into several areas leading to the crash of the Dornier 228 aircraft, including the condition of the plane and circumstances.  The military plane went missing soon after it was advised not to land at an airport in northern Malawi because of bad weather.   The arrival of the German experts comes after Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera said last week he was puzzled with what caused the crash of the plane he has long used.  Chakwera said he asked foreign governments to help probe the accident, despite investigations being carried out by the Malawian Defense Force.  Michael Kaiyatsa, executive director for the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation, one of several organizations in Malawi that asked for an independent investigation into the crash, welcomes the move.  “However, it is important that the government should not interfere in any way in the investigation,” Kaiyatsa said. “This should be a totally independent investigation so that whatever comes out of it should be credible.”  The sudden death of Chilima sparked conspiracy theories in Malawi and abroad, with some suggesting it was an assassination plot.  Last week, police in Malawi arrested lawmaker Kamlepo Kalua and rights activist Bon Kalindo for circulating messages on social media alleging the plane crash was planned.  The two were charged with cybercrimes and were expected to appear in court June 25.  But Kaiyatsa said arresting those expressing their views on the plane crash would prevent some people from giving information to investigators.  “That’s why we have issued a statement strongly condemning the arrests, because what these arrests would do is to create an atmosphere of fear at a time when we need people to freely open up and clearly come out and provide information about what they know about the cause of the accident,” Kaiyatsa said.  Malawian security expert Sheriff Kaisi said transparency is needed in such investigations to win the confidence of Malawians regarding the investigators.  “We need to know if they are from Germany, which company in Germany, and what is the track record that they have been doing similar jobs. For example, investigating such accidents, and for how long they have done that, and what are the reports they have,” Kaisi said.  Kunkuyu said two of the investigators are from the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation, and one is from General Atomics, a company that has taken over the manufacture of Dornier 228 aircraft.

HARARE, ZIMBABWE — Officials in Zimbabwe, which is facing a growing problem of substance abuse — especially among unemployed youth, say arrests have surged in 2024, with close to 2,400 people taken into custody so far. Officials say economic difficulties are hampering efforts to curb the problem. Zimbabwean Information Minister Jenfan Muswere said the Cabinet recently approved a review of fines ranging from $30 to $400 or imprisonment not exceeding two years for any business convicted of selling illicit drugs. He said that in addition to the 2,373 people who have been arrested in 2024, 48 bases in six provinces have been raided and destroyed. “The fight against the scourge of drug and substance abuse will continue across all provinces of Zimbabwe,” Muswere said. “Religious organizations have embraced the fight against drug and substance abuse through campaigns encouraging particularly the youths to live drug-free lives.” Oscar Pambuka, who was recently released from jail after serving time for drug use, said more tools are needed to fight the vice, such as creating more jobs. He said he started taking crystal methamphetamine after he and his wife divorced and he had no job. “I began to associate with the new characters,” Pambuka said. “They became my new friends. And within those associations, I fell in love with a drug called crystal meth. ... It used to make me feel comfortable. It used to give me temporary joy.” But his drug use led to losing financial resources and his networks, he said, because many people don’t want to associate with drug users. He also lost weight — 20 kilograms (44 pounds) between 2016 and 2020 — although he started regaining some in jail. "I thank God for the incarceration,” he said. Officials say Zimbabwe’s economy has been hurt by U.S. sanctions against the government for alleged corruption and human rights abuses in the early 2000s. Critics attribute the economic decline to corruption and bad policies by Harare. Inflation is running at an annual rate of 55% — lower than the hyperinflation that plagued Zimbabwe in the past but still high enough to make the cost of living difficult for most ordinary Zimbabweans. Representatives from government and United Nations agencies in Zimbabwe are expected to meet with President Emmerson Mnangagwa in Harare this Wednesday to devise a national plan on drug and substance abuse.

NEW YORK — A judge on Tuesday modified Donald Trump's gag order, freeing the former president to comment publicly about witnesses and jurors in the hush money criminal trial that led to his felony conviction but keeping others connected to the case off limits at least until he's sentenced July 11.  Judge Juan M. Merchan's ruling — just days before Trump's debate Thursday with President Joe Biden — clears the presumptive Republican nominee to again go on the attack against his former lawyer Michael Cohen, adult film actor Stormy Daniels and other witnesses. Trump was convicted May 30 of falsifying records to cover up a potential sex scandal, making him the first ex-president convicted of a crime.  Trump's lawyers had urged Merchan to lift the gag order completely, arguing there was nothing to justify continued restrictions on Trump's First Amendment rights after the trial's conclusion. Trump has said that the gag order has prevented him from defending himself while Cohen and Daniels continue to pillory him.  The Manhattan district attorney's office asked Merchan to keep the gag order's ban on comments about jurors, court staffers and the prosecution team in place at least until Trump is sentenced on July 11 but said last week they would be OK with allowing Trump to comment about witnesses now that the trial is over.  Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records arising from what prosecutors said was an attempt to cover up a hush money payment to Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election. She claims she had a sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier, which he denies.  The crime is punishable by up to four years behind bars, but prosecutors have not said if they would seek incarceration, and it's unclear if Merchan would impose such a sentence. Other options include a fine or probation.  Following his conviction, Trump complained that he was under a "nasty gag order" while also testing its limits. In remarks a day after his conviction, Trump referred to Cohen, though not by name, as "a sleazebag."  In a subsequent Newsmax interview, Trump took issue with jury and its makeup, complaining about Manhattan, "It's a very, very liberal Democrat area so I knew we were in deep trouble," and claiming: "I never saw a glimmer of a smile from the jury. No, this was a venue that was very unfair. A tiny fraction of the people are Republicans."  Trump's lawyers, who said they were under the impression the gag order would end with a verdict, wrote a letter to Merchan on June 4 asking him to lift the order.  Prosecutors urged Merchan to keep the gag order's ban on comments about jurors and trial staff in place "at least through the sentencing hearing and the resolution of any post-trial motions." They argued that the judge had "an obligation to protect the integrity of these proceedings and the fair administration of justice."  Merchan issued Trump's gag order on March 26, a few weeks before the start of the trial, after prosecutors raised concerns about the presumptive Republican presidential nominee's propensity to assail people involved in his cases.  Merchan later expanded it to prohibit comments about his own family after Trump made social media posts attacking the judge's daughter, a Democratic political consultant. The order did not prohibit comments about Merchan or District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office prosecuted the case.  During the trial, Merchan held Trump in contempt of court, fined him $10,000 for violating the gag order and threatened to put him in jail if he did it again.  In seeking to lift the gag order, Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove argued that Trump was entitled to "unrestrained campaign advocacy" in light of Biden's public comments about the verdict, and Cohen and Daniels' continued public criticism. 

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.