|
This is VOA News. I'm Christina Manenti.
President Joe Biden wrapped up two days of meetings with leaders of the Group of 7 wealthy democracies in Italy on Friday. G7 leaders focused on threats they say China poses to the global economy and AI ethics as championed by Pope Francis. VOA's White House correspondent chief Patsy Widakuswara. Leaders held a session on economic threats posed by China, including Beijing's practice of flooding global markets with cheap electric vehicles, its trade and investment practices in developing countries and support for Russia's war machine. President Joe Biden highlighted the issue in his press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "China is not supplying weapons but the ability to produce those weapons and the technology available to do it, so it is in fact helping Russia." On Friday, the group also discussed the root causes of migration and how to combat the smuggling of migrants. Patsy Widakuswara, VOA News, Brindisi, Italy. Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to visit North Korea, the latest sign of deepening ties between Moscow and Pyongyang. VOA's Bill Gallo reports from Seoul, South Korea. As recently as 2017, Russia supported U.N. sanctions on North Korea. The world has changed, though. Now, Russia depends on North Korean weapons and its war in Ukraine. Both are searching for allies as part of their bigger struggle against the West, suggesting the cooperation could last. North Korea's satellite program is a likely area of cooperation. Recent North Korean launches have shown signs of Russia of help. Putin appears to be looking for more ways to help North Korea, but much of that interaction would violate U.N. sanctions. Bill Gallo, VOA News, Seoul, South Korea. The World Bank has approved a 2-and-a-quarter-billion-dollar loan for Nigeria to shore up revenue [and bank] and back economic reforms that have contributed to the worst cost-of-living crisis in many years. This is VOA News. Facing a bigger and better equipped enemy, Ukrainian forces are heavily reliant on older soldiers to defend the country against relentless Russian assaults. Reuters Freddie Joyner has the story. Ukrainian forces, now 27 months into a war with Russia, have become heavily reliant on older soldiers to defend the country, but they need reinforcements. 33rd Mechanized Brigade chief sergeant, call sign Deputy, is 44 years old. "In reality the average age of our brigade's soldiers is quite high. They understand why they're here: for the sake of their kids and grandchildren." Fewer volunteers line up to fight for their country than in the first months of the war. Ukraine is now under pressure to call up more troops. 50-year-old Ukrainian soldier "Bell" had this appeal to compatriots: "Everyone will have kids and families at some point. They need to be defended now, not whenever you're given a draft notice." Freddie Joyner from Reuters. A U.S. appeals court on Friday rejected a bid by President Joe Biden's administration to revive its directive that schools allow transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms and to join sports teams that align with their gender, which has been blocked in 20 Republican-led states. The ruling states 2021 U.S. Department of Education guidance improperly imposed new legal duties on public schools that do not exist in federal law. A police officer shot and injured a magistrate at a court in Kenya's capital Nairobi on Thursday before being killed in a shootout with other officers, according to the judiciary. Reuters correspondent Fiona Jones reports. The chief registrar said in a statement that Monica Kivuti, a magistrate at the Makadara Law Courts, was shot after rejecting a bond request for the police officer's wife. A statement from the chief justice, Martha Koome, said Kivuti and three other officers were injured in the ensuing shoot out. Koome said it is clear that the intention of the perpetrator was to kill the magistrate, ordering security at all courts across the country to be reinforced. A police report seen by Reuters stated that the policeman's wife had requested release on bail after pleading guilty to obtaining almost $23,000 by false pretenses. Fiona Jones from Reuters. Simran Preet Panesar, a former Air Canada manager who is wanted for his alleged role in a $20 million gold heist, the largest in Canadian history, is preparing to turn himself in. Panesar faces charges in connection with the April, 2023, theft from Toronto's Pearson Airport. The World Bank has approved a 2-and-a-quarter-billion loan for Nigeria to shore up revenue and big economic reforms that have contributed to the worst cost-of-living crisis in many years. I'm Christina Manenti, VOA New(s). |