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TAIPEI, Taiwan — China is preparing to launch a lunar probe Friday that would land on the far side of the moon and return with samples that could provide insights into geological and other differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side. The unprecedented mission would be the latest advance in the increasingly sophisticated and ambitious space exploration program that is now competing with the U.S., still the leader in space. China already landed a rover on the moon's far side in 2019, the first country to do so. Free from exposure to Earth and other interference, the moon's somewhat mysterious far side is ideal for radio astronomy and other scientific work. Because the far side never faces Earth, a relay satellite is needed to maintain communications. The Chang'e lunar exploration probe is named after the Chinese mythical moon goddess. The probe is being carried on a Long March-5 YB rocket set for liftoff Friday evening from the Wenchang launch center on the southern tropical island province of Hainan, the China National Space Administration announced. The launch window is 5-6 p.m. with the target of 5:27 p.m. Huge numbers of people crowded Hainan's beaches to view the launch, which comes in the middle of China's five-day May Day holiday. After orbiting the moon to reduce speed, the lander will separate from the spacecraft and begin scooping up samples almost as soon as it sets down. It will then reconnect with the returner for the trip back to Earth. The entire mission is set to last 53 days. China in 2020 returned samples from the moon's near side, the first time anyone has done so since the U.S. Apollo program that ended in the 1970s. Analysis of the samples found they contained water in tiny beads embedded in lunar dirt. Also in the past week, three Chinese astronauts returned home from a six-month mission on the country's orbiting space station after the arrival of its replacement crew. China built its own space station after being excluded from the International Space Station, largely because of U.S. concerns over the Chinese military's total control of the space program amid a sharpening competition in technology between the two geopolitical rivals. U.S. law bars almost all cooperation between the U.S. and Chinese space programs without explicit congressional approval. China's ambitious space program aims to put astronauts on the moon by 2030, as well as bring back samples from Mars around the same year and launch three lunar probe missions over the next four years. The next is scheduled for 2027. Longer-term plans call for a permanent crewed base on the lunar surface, although those appear to remain in the conceptual phase. China conducted its first crewed space mission in 2003, becoming the third country after the former Soviet Union and the U.S. to put a person into space using its own resources. The three-module Tiangong, much smaller than the ISS, was launched in 2021 and completed 18 months later. It can accommodate up to six astronauts at a time and is mainly dedicated to scientific research. The crew will also install space debris protection equipment, carry out payload experiments, and beam science classes to students on Earth. China has also said that it eventually plans to offer access to its space station to foreign astronauts and space tourists. With the ISS nearing the end of its useful life, China could eventually be the only country or corporation to maintain a crewed station in orbit. The U.S. space program is believed to still hold a significant edge over China's due to its spending, supply chains and capabilities. The U.S. aims to put a crew back on the lunar surface by the end of 2025 as part of a renewed commitment to crewed missions, aided by private sector players such as SpaceX and Blue Origin. They plan to land on the moon's south pole where permanently shadowed craters are believed to be packed with frozen water.

WASHINGTON — Russian military personnel have entered an air base in Niger that is hosting U.S. troops, a senior U.S. defense official told Reuters, a move that follows a decision by Niger's junta to expel U.S. forces. The military officers ruling the West African nation have told the U.S. to withdraw its nearly 1,000 military personnel from the country, which until a coup last year had been a key partner for Washington's fight against insurgents who have killed thousands of people and displaced millions more. A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Russian forces were not mingling with U.S. troops but were using a separate hangar at Airbase 101, which is next to Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, Niger's capital. The move by Russia's military, which Reuters was the first to report, puts U.S. and Russian troops in close proximity at a time when the nations' military and diplomatic rivalry is increasingly acrimonious over the conflict in Ukraine. It also raises questions about the fate of U.S. installations in the country following a withdrawal. "(The situation) is not great but in the short-term manageable," the official said. Asked about the Reuters report, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin played down any risk to American troops or the chance that Russian troops might get close to U.S. military hardware. "The Russians are in a separate compound and don't have access to U.S. forces or access to our equipment," Austin told a press conference in Honolulu. "I'm always focused on the safety and protection of our troops ... But right now, I don't see a significant issue here in terms of our force protection." The Nigerien and Russian embassies in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The U.S. and its allies have been forced to move troops out of a number of African countries following coups that brought to power groups eager to distance themselves from Western governments. In addition to the impending departure from Niger, U.S. troops have also left Chad in recent days, while French forces have been kicked out of Mali and Burkina Faso. At the same time, Russia is seeking to strengthen relations with African nations, pitching Moscow as a friendly country with no colonial baggage in the continent. Mali, for example, has in recent years become one of Russia's closest African allies, with the Wagner Group mercenary force deploying there to fight jihadist insurgents. Russia has described relations with the United States as "below zero" because of U.S. military and financial aid for Ukraine in its effort to defend against invading Russian forces. The U.S. official said Nigerien authorities had told President Joe Biden's administration that about 60 Russian military personnel would be in Niger, but the official could not verify that number. After the coup, the U.S. military moved some of its forces in Niger from Airbase 101 to Airbase 201 in the city of Agadez. It was not immediately clear what U.S. military equipment remained at Airbase 101. The United States built Airbase 201 in central Niger at a cost of more than $100 million. Since 2018 it has been used to target Islamic State and al Qaeda affiliate Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM) fighters with armed drones. Washington is concerned about Islamic militants in the Sahel region, who may be able to expand without the presence of U.S. forces and intelligence capabilities. Niger's move to ask for the removal of U.S. troops came after a meeting in Niamey in mid-March, when senior U.S. officials raised concerns including the expected arrival of Russia forces and reports of Iran seeking raw materials in the country, including uranium. While the U.S. message to Nigerien officials was not an ultimatum, the official said, it was made clear U.S. forces could not be on a base with Russian forces. "They did not take that well," the official said. A two-star U.S. general has been sent to Niger to try to arrange a professional and responsible withdrawal. While no decisions have been taken on the future of U.S. troops in Niger, the official said the plan was for them to return to U.S. Africa Command's home bases, located in Germany.

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 — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said late Thursday he does not see signs that Hamas is going to attack U.S. forces who are building a pier off the coast of Gaza to deliver aid to the war-torn strip by sea. "I don't see any indications currently that there is an active intent to do that," Austin told reporters at a press conference in Hawaii. Austin stressed that the top commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, CENTCOM chief Gen. Erik Kurilla, has put several security measures in place to keep the troops who are building the pier and helping with aid distribution safe. "Our allies are also providing security in that area as well, and so it's going to require that we continue to coordinate with them very closely to ensure that if anything happens that, you know, our troops are protected," Austin said. The new port is just southwest of Gaza City. Last week a mortar attack targeted the port site but officials said no one was hurt. "This is an accident, a very serious accident waiting to happen," Bradley Bowman, the senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told VOA. Bowman, who is also a U.S. Army veteran, said Thursday that efforts to feed those in desperate need are "laudable," but security concerns since the inception of this U.S. mission appear to remain unanswered while some of the plans are still being developed. "The kind of terrorists, the kind of person – I hesitate to use that term – that would … wage the October 7 terror attack, use human shields and hold innocent men, women and children as hostages, those are the very same people that will not hesitate to attack those trying to bring food and water to hungry and thirsty people," Bowman said. Crews from the USNS Roy P. Benavidez and several Army vessels started building the floating platform for the operation last week, according to a senior military official. Next will come construction of the causeway, which will be anchored to the shore by the Israel Defense Forces. U.S. and Israeli officials have said they hope to complete construction and begin operations this month. The senior military official told reporters the Pentagon expects deliveries to "begin at about 90 trucks a day … and then quickly increase to 150 trucks a day." Aid has been slow to get into Gaza because of long backups of vehicles at Israeli inspection points. The U.S. and other nations have been air-dropping food into Gaza, but each military plane only holds about one to three truckloads of food, a U.S. official told VOA. Aid organizations have said several hundred truckloads of food are needed in Gaza each day. Israel attacked Hamas in Gaza following Hamas’ October 7 terror attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and saw hundreds more taken hostage. In the nearly seven months since the attack, more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to Gazan health officials.  

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.

Moscow has cracked down on Russian media outlets that offer independent reporting on the war in Ukraine, prompting hundreds of journalists to flee. While in exile, these media workers have found ways to keep the news flowing into the heavily censored country. For VOA News, Lisa Bryant has the story from Paris. VOA footage by Vahid Karami.

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.

Paris — Reporting on our planet has become a risky business, according to a new report published Friday on World Press Freedom Day. It found hundreds of journalists worldwide have been attacked and dozens killed over the past 15 years covering issues like climate change, mining and deforestation. The survey by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, and the International Federation of Journalists offered a chilling snapshot of the dangers of environmental journalism — along with the risk posed by environmental skeptics and deniers of key issues like climate change. "The most concerning data is the overall result — that 70% of journalists interviewed said to us that while reporting on environmental issues, they have suffered at least one type of violence or attack. Which is very high,” said Guilherme Canela, who leads UNESCO’s Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists section. The study’s findings are based on interviews with more than 900 journalists reporting on environmental issues in 129 countries between 2009 and 2023. They show a sharp rise in attacks — by more than 40% over the last five years. That includes everything from physical attacks, like assaults and arrests, to lawsuits and digital or online aggression. Over the past 15 years, it found, 44 journalists have been killed and another 39 jailed covering environmental stories. "Of the 44 killings, in only five cases, there was a judicial decision regarding these killings," Canela said. "So, it’s not only a high level regarding the killings but also a high-level impunity rate regarding these killings." A case in point, Canela said, was the 2022 killing of British journalist Dom Phillips, who was investigating the environmental devastation in the Amazon. Phillips had received death threats before he was killed. Brazilian police have since arrested several suspects. Canela can only theorize about why environmental attacks are rising. "First, it shows that journalists are reporting more on environmental issues, and therefore, probably annoying more all the powerful interests, whichever they are, that, that are related to this," Canela said. Additionally, environmental reporting often means going to remote locations. The report notes that small, underfunded news outlets and independent reporters tend to be those covering environmental stories — making them all the more vulnerable to danger.

Police have arrested more than 2,000 people during pro-Palestinian protests at college campuses across the United States in recent weeks, according to an Associated Press tally Thursday. Israel and Hamas appear to be seriously negotiating an end to the war in Gaza and the return of Israeli hostages. the U.S. has reached out to China and Russia to match declarations by the United States and others that only humans, and never artificial intelligence, would make decisions on deploying nuclear weapons. We talk to Lance Hunter a Professor at Agusta University and co-author of “The military application of artificial intelligence technology in the United States, China, and Russia and the implications for global security.” And it’s Press Freedom Day. We’ll look at how Moscow has cracked down on Russian media outlets that offer independent reporting on the war in Ukraine, prompting hundreds of journalists to flee and work in exile.

Chad’s election on May 6 is almost certain to result in victory for transitional president and military leader Mahamat Idriss Déby, according to analysts. In the run-up to the vote, authorities have cracked down on the media and opposition leaders have been kept off the ballot. Despite that, experts say Chad will remain an important ally for Western security efforts in the Sahel region. Henry Wilkins reports. Camera: Henry Wilkins

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.

Kyiv, Ukraine — Ukraine has an AI-generated spokesperson called Victoria who will make official statements on behalf of its foreign ministry. The ministry said on Wednesday that it would "for the first time in history" use a digital spokesperson to read its statements, which will still be written by humans. Dressed in a dark suit, the spokesperson introduced herself as Victoria Shi, a "digital person," in a presentation posted on social media. The figure gesticulates with her hands and moves her head as she speaks. The foreign ministry's press service told AFP that the statements given by Shi would not be generated by AI but "written and verified by real people." "It's only the visual part that the AI helps us to generate," it said. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the new spokesperson was a "technological leap that no diplomatic service in the world has yet made." The main reason for creating her was "saving time and resources" for diplomats, he said. Shi's creators are a team called The Game Changers who have also made virtual reality content related to the war in Ukraine. The spokesperson's name is based on the word victory and the Ukrainian for artificial intelligence: shtuchniy intelekt. Shi's appearance and voice are modeled on a real person: Rosalie Nombre, a singer and former contestant on Ukraine's version of The Bachelor reality show. Nombre was born in the now Russian-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. She has 54,000 followers on her Instagram account, which she uses to discuss stereotypes about mixed-race Ukrainians and those who grew up as Russian speakers. The ministry said that Nombre took part free of charge. It stressed that Shi and Nombre "are two different people" and that only the AI figure gives official statements. To avoid fakes, these will be accompanied by a QR code linking them to text versions on the ministry's website. Shi will comment on consular services, currently a controversial topic. Ukraine last week suspended such services for men of fighting age living abroad, making it necessary for them to return to their country for administrative procedures and potentially face the draft. 

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 U.S. says it has been trying to engage North Korea by sending messages repeatedly despite Pyongyang’s apparent lack of interest in dialogue and its escalation of threats in the region. “We have sent such messages in multiple ways – through third parties and directly, orally and in writing – and have included specific proposals on humanitarian cooperation and other topics for discussion,” a State Department spokesperson said. “We have also emphasized our willingness to discuss practical steps both sides could take to address the security situation in the region,” the spokesperson continued via email to VOA’s Korean Service on April 26. “To date, however, the DPRK has shown no indication it is interested in engaging. Instead, we have seen a marked increase in the scope and scale of DPRK provocations, which have only served to raise regional tensions and increase the risk of accidental or unintentional escalation,” the spokesperson added. North Korea’s official name is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. North Korea has been conducting multiple missile and rocket tests, including what it said was its first nuclear counterattack drills using “super-large” artillery rockets carrying mock nuclear warheads on April 22. Pyongyang has also ramped up its cooperation with Russia, sending arms to support Moscow's fight against Ukraine. Russia has been shipping refined petroleum to North Korea above the limit of 500,000 barrels annually set by the U.N. Security Council, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said Thursday. The North Korean mission to the U.N. did not respond to a VOA inquiry on its reaction to the U.S. description of its efforts made to resume talks. Dialogue between the two has been deadlocked since October 2019 when working-level talks failed to reconcile differences over denuclearization and sanctions relief that became apparent a few months earlier at a summit in Hanoi. Washington has maintained that it is open to renewed dialogue on Pyongyang’s nuclear program without preconditions. Former U.S. officials suggested that the Biden administration provided the unusually detailed account of its efforts to engage Pyongyang in response to criticisms saying it has not done enough. “The Biden team is quite sensitive to the attacks coming from 'liberals,' especially critics who claim the administration has not attached sufficient priority to North Korea and has not done enough to pursue diplomacy with Pyongyang,” said Evans Revere, a former State Department official with extensive experience negotiating with North Korea. Revere added that some of these critics are arguing that Washington needs to change its approach, offer concessions and engage in arms control and threat reduction talks with North Korea. He said this explains not only the administration’s detailed description of its efforts at talks but its willingness to discuss “interim steps” toward denuclearization. Two senior U.S. officials said in March that Washington is willing to consider such steps and discuss sanctions and confidence-building measures. Robert Rapson, who served as charge d’affaires and deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul from 2018 to 2021, said the Biden administration may be trying to address China’s call for talks between Washington and Pyongyang. “It’s possible Beijing may have laid out a quid pro quo for any support with North Korea by calling on the U.S. to up its efforts to engage with Pyongyang – hence the statement” from the State Department, said Rapson. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a news conference in Beijing after talks with Chinese officials that he “encouraged” Beijing “to press Pyongyang to end its dangerous behavior and engage in dialogue.” Joseph DeTrani, who served as the special envoy for six-party denuclearization talks with North Korea from 2003 to 2006, said, “The Biden administration wants to make it clear, for the record and as we approach the November presidential election, that the administration was proactive in its policy toward North Korea and they did everything possible” to have Pyongyang “return to negotiations.”  

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. tax agency, said Thursday that it has taken steps to address a wide disparity in audit rates between Black taxpayers and other filers. And it said it is more closely examining the returns of larger numbers of wealthy people and major companies. "We are overhauling compliance efforts to advance our commitment to fair, equitable, and effective tax administration and hold ourselves accountable to taxpayers we serve," according to an annual update from the agency. A study from January 2023 involving university researchers and the Treasury Department found that IRS data-driven algorithms selected Black taxpayers for auditing at up to 4.7 times the rate of non-Black taxpayers. The study said the IRS disproportionately audited people who claim the Earned Income Tax Credit, which is aimed at low- to moderate-income workers and families: While Black taxpayers accounted for 21% of the claims for that tax break, they were the focus of 43% of the audits concerning the credit. "We have taken swift initial action to dramatically reduce the number of those audits. We have also made changes to the selection criteria for those audits," IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel said. Werfel, who was sworn in a little more than a year ago, has testified before Congress about the issue and last September he wrote to the Senate Finance Committee that the IRS would make changes. The discriminatory audits, he told reporters, "degrade trust in our tax system." Werfel and the IRS have tried over the past year to show how money from the Inflation Reduction Act, President Joe Biden's big climate, health and tax law, has helped to modernize the agency and improve taxpayer services. He also said that people making less than $400,000 per year would not be subject to more audits because of the new funding. Noting the promise to keep audit rates for people making $400,000 per year and less at 2018 levels, he said on Thursday that "we haven't in any way exceeded that rate." He added: "There is no new wave of audits coming for middle and low income" taxpayers — "that is not in our plans in any way, shape or form." The IRS is focusing the next year on using the funding boost to conduct higher rates of audits on suspected wealthy tax cheats after having collected hundreds of millions of back taxes this year. Ensuring that people pay their taxes is one of the tax collection agency's biggest challenges. The audit rate of millionaires fell by more than 70% from 2010 to 2019 and the rate on large corporations dropped by more than 50%. The IRS plans to raise audit rates on companies with assets of more than $250 million to 22.6% in 2026, from an 8.8% rate in the tax year 2019. It also plans to increase audit rates by tenfold on large complex partnerships with assets of more than $10 million. "While the IRS has accomplished a lot so far with IRA funding," he said, "we need to do much more to make improvements and transform the IRS for the benefit of taxpayers."