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This is VOA News. I'm Alexis Strope.
U.S. and allies are warning Iran to stop the progress on a deal to provide Russia with ballistic missiles for use in Ukraine. AP Washington correspondent Sagar Meghani reports. The U.S. and its Western allies are warning Iran of serious consequences if it moves ahead with a plan to provide Russia with ballistic missiles for the war with Ukraine. American officials are worried by comments from Iran suggesting a deal is imminent. "We've sent very clear messages to, to Iran not to do it." Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the possibility of it happening and the need to address it are both "very real and very strong." "We really wanted to set down a marker here for Iran and for Russia that there will be swift consequences for them to do that." White House National Security spokesman John Kirby says Moscow's already received and used North Korean ballistic missiles in Ukraine and has used Iranian weapons in the war. "Drones by the hundreds." And Iran is looking to benefit, too. "They're hoping to get Russian military technology for themselves." Sagar Meghani, Washington. The Israeli military says a ship has delivered 200 tons of food, water and humanitarian supplies to Gaza inaugurating a sea route from Cyprus. The sea route is intended to bring more assistance to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the enclave five months into the war between Israel and Hamas. The food on the ship was sent by World Central Kitchen, the charity founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, and was transported by the Spanish aid group Open Arms. The ship left Cyprus on Tuesday. Gaza's Health Ministry said on Friday that 149 people were killed over the past 24 hours, bringing to at least 31,490 the number of Palestinians killed in the war. For additional stories, visit voanews.com. This is VOA News. The White House is encouraging U.S. Senate lawmakers to quickly take up a bill on the social media app TikTok after the measure [passed the House] passed the U.S. House of Representatives with bipartisan support earlier this week. VOA congressional correspondent Catherine Gibson has more from Capitol Hill. TikTok creators with concerns on Capitol Hill. "Tik Tik Tok, Tik Tik Tok." As the U.S. House passes a bill that would call on the social media app's Chinese parent company ByteDance to divest from TikTok in order for the app to continue operating in the United States. The White House supports the effort. TikTok has argued the bill limits freedom of expression and that the app does not pose a security risk. Catherine Gibson, VOA News. Germany, France and Poland are vowing to procure more weapons for Kyiv and step up production of military equipment along with partners in Ukraine. Their leaders promised Friday that Ukraine can rely on the trio of European powers as it tries to overcome a shortage of military resources. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk for a hastily arranged summit of the so-called "Weimar Triangle" of the three countries. A prosecutor leaves the Georgia [*elecson ca...] election case against Trump after a relationship with the district attorney. AP Correspondent Ed Donahue reports. A judge's ruling results in changes in the prosecution of former President Donald Trump in the Georgia election interference case. Judge Scott McAfee ruled District Attorney Fani Willis can step aside or Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade must be removed. Willis and Wade had a Romantic relationship. Wade later offered his resignation, saying he was doing so in the interest of democracy and to quickly move the case forward. Willis talked about the relationship during a hearing last month. "We would have brutal arguments about the fact that I am your equal. I don't need anything from a man. A man is not a plan." McAfee did not find the relationship was a conflict of interest, but said the allegations created an appearance of impropriety that infected the prosecution team. Donald Trump's team wanted Fani Willis and her team kicked off the case. I'm Ed Donahue. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has sought to mobilize support for his brand of right-wing populism, urging his supporters in his speech to help him, quote, "occupy Brussels" in European Union elections this summer. Orbán's address Friday, coinciding with the national holiday commemorating Hungary's failed 1848 revolution against Habsburg rule, railed against the EU and compared it to imperial occupiers that have dominated Hungary throughout history. Speaking from the steps of the National Museum in central Budapest, he drew a sharp contrast between his country and the, quote, "Western world," accusing the latter of being a source of rootlessness and destruction. He predicted a political shift in Europe and the United States in 2024. For additional stories 24 hours a day, visit voanews.com. I'm Alexis Strope, VO... |