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washington — This month, when a story claiming Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had secretly purchased a $24 million castle from the British royal family went viral on China's Weibo social media platform, something interesting happened. A fake-news function on the platform debunked it as misinformation. Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Chinese social media platforms have been full of pro-Russia false claims and conspiracy theories, some of which the Chinese government has endorsed. Influential Chinese nationalist bloggers, as well as Russia's state media RT, regularly post and spread misinformation on Weibo. Less than 20 hours after RT posted the misinformation about Zelenskyy, Weibo attached a fact-checking note to the post. Public criticism of Russian state media is rare in China, but the fact-check function is part of Weibo's latest effort to regulate misinformation on the site. Weibo rolled out the feature, called Side Note, last August. Side Note allows qualified users to submit fact-checking notes on others' posts for Weibo to review. Over the past few months, users have added Side Note to posts from high-profile Weibo bloggers and foreign government-backed accounts, including RT and the U.S. Embassy in China. Weibo has tried to appear neutral when deciding what kind of misinformation to fact-check, debunking false claims from both liberal and nationalist influencers. But it has also used the feature to push Beijing's talking points on international issues. So far, Chinese government and state media accounts have not been subject to any fact-checking. Weibo's version of Community Note In July 2023, China's internet regulator told social media companies to crack down on false information. " 'Personal media' that create and publish rumors, stir up hot societal topics or matrix [linked cross-platform] publish and transmit illegal or negative information, creating a vile impact, are all to be closed, included in the platform database of blacklisted accounts, and reported to the internet information departments," said a memo from Central Cyberspace Administration of China. A month later, Weibo, one of China's biggest social media apps with a focus on news and current issues, came out with the Side Note feature. Like the Community Note function on X, Side Note lets qualified users take on the job of fact-checking, with Weibo getting the final say on approval or rejection. Other U.S. social media firms offer similar features. Facebook and Instagram offer "community standards" and "community guidelines," respectively, which flag posts containing disinformation. But unlike these firms, Weibo itself decides which posts stay up. The company says it selects qualified users from those with verified identities or high Weibo credit scores and is gradually expanding the feature to include more users. Side Note targets US Embassy Since January, posts by the U.S. Embassy in China have been tagged with Side Note at least three times. A post detailing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's expressed concerns about China's religious freedom received two notes, one accusing Blinken of having "no regard for facts." A February post sanctioning 17 Chinese companies for helping Russia's war effort in Ukraine got a note that included a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson's public remarks. And a post last month condemning Beijing for a collision between Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels got a Side Note message from Shen Yi, a prominent Chinese international relations professor with a strong nationalistic leaning.  In the note, Shen accused the U.S. of spreading misinformation on multiple "global social media platforms" to "smear China's national image." Chinese government accounts immune Most posts tagged with Side Note belong to influencers, including nationalist bloggers. For example, Shu Chang, who runs the popular nationalist account Guyan Muchan, saw a Side Note added to a post last week claiming that schoolchildren in the U.S. have to learn how to use "bulletproof boards" in classrooms. The Side Note clarified that the photos were from a hurricane self-protection exercise. In recent years, nationalist bloggers like Shu have become some of the most traffic-drawing opinion leaders on Weibo. Eric Liu, who analyzes Chinese censorship at China Digital Times, says one shouldn't read too much into Weibo fact-checking Shu's post. "A lot of her stuff isn't state narratives. She sensationalized it herself," Liu told VOA. "Weibo doesn't really have to protect her. Plus, [fact-checking her posts] adds to the credibility of the Side Note feature." Liu, who worked as a censor for Weibo and other Chinese internet companies before moving to the U.S., pointed out that Weibo has not used Side Note to fact-check government accounts or false information from state media. In a November post, Weibo thanked users for submitting Side Notes. "Ever since Side Note went online, active participation from every Side Note-er has effectively lowered the negative impact of controversial content and biased information, helping all users access information that's truer and more comprehensive," the post said. But Liu doesn't think of Side Note as a feature that truly gives users the power to regulate speech on the platform, because Weibo remains the final arbitrator of what notes can be added to what posts. "Weibo's Side Note isn't something that netizens can fully edit, as it's still user-generated content," he said. "In the end, it still needs to be reviewed by censors." Weibo did not respond to VOA's request for comment. Evie Steele contributed to this report.

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washington — The United States will withdraw its troops from Niger, a source familiar with the matter said late on Friday, adding that an agreement was reached between U.S Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Niger's leadership.  As of last year, there were a little more than 1,000 U.S. troops in Niger, where the U.S. military operated out of two bases, including a drone base known as Air Base 201 near Agadez in central Niger at a cost of more than $100 million.  Since 2018, the base has been used to target Islamic State militants and Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen, an al-Qaida affiliate, in the Sahel region.   Last year, Niger's army seized power in a coup. Until the coup, Niger had remained a key security partner of the United States and France.   But the new authorities in Niger joined juntas in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso in ending military deals with one-time Western allies like Washington and Paris, quitting the regional political and economic bloc ECOWAS, and fostering closer ties with Russia.  In the coming days, there will be conversations about how that drawdown of troops will look, the source told Reuters, asking not to identified.  The source said there would still be diplomatic and economic relationships between the U.S. and Niger despite this step.  Earlier Friday, The New York Times reported that more than 1,000 American military personnel will leave Niger in coming months.  Last month, Niger's ruling junta said it revoked with immediate effect a military accord that allowed military personnel and civilian staff from the U.S. Department of Defense on its soil.  The Pentagon had said thereafter it was seeking clarification about the way ahead. It added that the U.S. government had "direct and frank" conversations in Niger ahead of the junta's announcement and was continuing to communicate with Niger's ruling military council.  Hundreds took to the streets of Niger's capital last week to demand the departure of U.S. troops after the ruling junta further shifted its strategy by ending the military accord with the United States and welcoming Russian military instructors.  Eight coups in West and Central Africa over four years, including in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, have prompted growing concerns over democratic backsliding in the region. 

Restored mangroves earn Pakistan millions of dollars in global carbon credit markets. But political turmoil is keeping Pakistan from using the funds to strengthen its defense against climate change. VOA Pakistan Bureau Chief Sarah Zaman reports from deep in the Indus River delta.

Will Israel and Iran heed the call of world leaders to de-escalate tensions that could potentially lead to a region-wide war. Iran vowed a massive response but has so far had a muted reaction. In another tense part of the world, U.S. and European leaders stress the urgency of air defense for Kyiv as Russin attacks intensify. After months of delay, U.S. lawmakers plan to vote on aid for Ukraine Saturday. And a look at a coordinated international effort to support Ukraine’s government in its investigation and prosecution of Russian war crimes since its invasion in February 2022.

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United Nations — Two senior United Nations officials raised the alarm Friday that an attack on the North Darfur capital of El Fasher could be imminent and may trigger a deadly intercommunal conflict across Darfur. "In Darfur, recent reports indicate a possible imminent RSF attack on El Fasher, raising the specter of a new front in the conflict," U.N. political and peacebuilding chief Rosemary DiCarlo told the Security Council. The RSF are the Rapid Support Forces, the rebel militia that has been fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) for the past year. The two generals leading them were once allies in Sudan’s transitional government after a 2021 coup but have become rivals for power. The war began last April in the capital, Khartoum. It has since spread to other parts of the country, forcing more than 8 million people from their homes in search of safety. Nearly 2 million of them have fled Sudan to neighboring countries. Of those who remain, 25 million need humanitarian assistance. DiCarlo said clashes between the RSF and SAF-aligned members of the Joint Protection Forces have erupted in Mellit, a strategic town to the north of El Fasher. "Fighting in El Fasher could unleash bloody intercommunal strife throughout Darfur," she said. "It would also further impede the delivery of humanitarian assistance in an area already on the brink of famine." El Fasher is an established humanitarian hub. Fighting there would make it even more dangerous and complicated to store and deliver aid. "Beyond Darfur, greater Khartoum continues to be the epicenter of fighting between the SAF and the RSF," DiCarlo added. "Galvanized by recent gains, the SAF has intensified aerial raids in Khartoum, the Kordofan regions and parts of Darfur." The U.N. says the violence threatens 800,000 civilians living in El Fasher and risks setting off more violence in other parts of Darfur – where more than 9 million people need humanitarian assistance. "On 13 April, following weeks of rising tensions and airstrikes, RSF-affiliated militias attacked and burned villages west of El Fasher," Edem Wosornu told council members. "Since then, there have been continuing reports of clashes in the eastern and northern parts of the city, resulting in more than 36,000 people displaced," the director of operations and advocacy in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. She said medical charity Doctors Without Borders, or MSF, has reported that more than a hundred trauma patients have arrived at their El Fasher facility in recent days but said the number of civilian casualties is likely much higher. Final battle for Darfur A report released Friday by the Yale University Humanitarian Research Lab says satellite imagery and open-source information indicates that the RSF is either close to El Fasher or already inside its eastern and northeastern neighborhoods. "At least 11 villages are confirmed burned to the ground on the western access on the approach to El Fasher," Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of the lab, told VOA. He said it is their assessment that the RSF likely controls the north, east and west roads into El Fasher, and they have credible reports that the Sudanese army had to be re-supplied by air in the past week. "This suggests that SAF has already assessed that they do not have a ground route for resupply or escape," Raymond said. That means civilians are also trapped, including thousands of African Zaghawa, Masalit, Fur, and other non-Arab ethnic groups. "This is the final battle for Darfur," Raymond said. "If RSF is victorious, then they will be able to complete the genocide begun at the beginning of the 21st century, and all indications are consistent with the fact that they intend to." He said a victory in El Fasher would be pivotal, giving the RSF control over all the regional capitals in the Darfur region and creating a stronghold from which they can fight the remaining elements of the SAF for years to come. Darfur saw large-scale ethnic violence, crimes against humanity and genocide in the early 2000s when Arab "Janjaweed" militias targeted the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa. 

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.

Ukraine has appealed for its European allies to urgently step up weapons supplies as it struggles to hold ground against invading Russian forces. As Henry Ridgwell reports, Germany has called for allies to provide more air defense systems, as Russian drones and missiles rain down on Ukrainian cities.

Russia’s top diplomats walked out of the U.N. Security Council meeting when Israel’s representative took the stage.

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.

new york — A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump. The man burned for several minutes in full view of television cameras that were set up outside the courthouse, where the first-ever criminal trial of a former U.S. president is being held. "I see a totally charred human being," a CNN reporter said on the air. Officials said the man survived and was in critical condition at a local hospital. Witnesses said the man pulled pamphlets out of a backpack and threw them in the air before he doused himself with a liquid and set himself on fire. One of those pamphlets included references to "evil billionaires" but portions that were visible to a Reuters witness did not mention Trump. The New York Police Department said the man, who they identified as Max Azzarello of St. Augustine, Florida, did not appear to be targeting Trump or others involved in the trial. "Right now, we are labeling him as sort of a conspiracy theorist, and we are going from there," Tarik Sheppard, a deputy commissioner with the police department, said at a news conference. In an online manifesto, a man using that name said he set himself on fire and apologized to friends, witnesses and first responders. The post warns of "an apocalyptic fascist coup" and criticizes cryptocurrency and U.S. politicians, but it does not single out Trump in particular. Witnesses said they were disturbed by his actions. "He was on fire for quite a while," one witness, who declined to give his name, told reporters. "It was pretty horrifying." The smell of smoke lingered in the plaza shortly after the incident, according to a Reuters witness, and a police officer sprayed a fire extinguisher on the ground. A smoldering backpack and a gas can were visible. The downtown Manhattan courthouse, heavily guarded by police, drew a throng of protesters and onlookers on Monday, the trial's first day, though crowds have dwindled since then. The shocking development came shortly after jury selection for the trial was completed, clearing the way for prosecutors and defense attorneys to make opening statements next week in a case stemming from hush money paid to a porn star.

vancouver, british columbia — Just as the world is getting used to the rapidly expanding use of AI, or artificial intelligence, AGI is looming on the horizon. Experts say when artificial general intelligence becomes reality, it could perform tasks better than human beings, with the possibility of higher cognitive abilities, emotions, and ability to self-teach and develop. Ramin Hasani is a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the CEO of Liquid AI, which builds specific AI systems for different organizations. He is also a TED Fellow, a program that helps develop what the nonprofit TED conference considers to be “game changers.” Hasani says that the first signs of AGI are realistically two to five years away from being reality. He says it will have a direct impact on our everyday lives. What's coming, he says, will be "an AI system that can have the collective knowledge of humans. And that can beat us in tasks that we do in our daily life, something you want to do ... your finances, you're solving, you're helping your daughter to solve their homework. And at the same time, you want to also read a book and do a summary. So an AGI would be able to do all that.” Hasani says that advancing artificial intelligence will allow for things to move faster and can even be made to have emotions. He says proper regulation can be achieved by better understanding how different AI systems are developed. This thought is shared by Bret Greenstein, a partner at London-based  PricewaterhouseCoopers who leads its efforts on artificial intelligence. “I think one is a personal responsibility for people in leadership positions, policymakers, to be educated on the topic, not in the fact that they've read it, but to experience it, live it and try it. And to be with people who are close to it, who understand it," he says. Greenstein warns that if it is over-regulated, innovation will be curtailed and access to AI will be limited to people who could benefit from it. For musician, comedian and actor Reggie Watts, who was the bandleader on "The Late Late Show with James Corden" on CBS, AI and the coming of AGI will be a great way to find mediocre music, because it will be mimicked easily. Calling it “artificial consciousness,” he says existing laws to protect intellectual property rights and creative industries, like music, TV and film, will work, provided they are properly adopted. “I think it's just about the usage of the tool, how it's ... how it's used. Is there money being made off of it, so on, so forth. So, I think that that we already have ... tools that exist that deal with these types of situations, but [the laws and regulations] need to be expanded to include AI because they'll probably be a lot more nuance to it.” Watts says that any form of AI is going to be smarter than one person, almost like all human intelligence collected into one point. He feels this will cause humanity to discover interesting things and the nature of reality itself. This year’s conference was the 40th year for TED, the nonprofit organization that is an acronym for Technology, Entertainment and Design.

The Biden administration said it was not involved in Israel’s predawn drone strike inside Iran on Friday. As White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara reports, both Iran and Israel appear to be heeding calls for de-escalation, at least for now.

washington — China is challenging Japan’s latest analysis of the threat posed to the Indo-Pacific region by Beijing as a hyped-up threat and false accusation. In the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s annual Diplomatic Bluebook that was published Tuesday, China's military moves are described as posing "the greatest strategic challenge," according to Japanese media. An official English version has not been published. The Bluebook reportedly condemns China's actions in the South China Sea and its attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China Sea. At the same time, according to Japanese media, it says for the first time since 2019 that Japan seeks to build "a mutually beneficial relationship" with China "based on common strategic interests." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian rejected Japan's criticisms at a news briefing on Tuesday. "Japan has resorted to the same old false accusations against China and hype of 'China threat' in its 2024 Diplomatic Bluebook," he said. He continued: "We urge Japan to change its wrong course of actions, stop stoking bloc confrontation, truly commit itself to advancing a strategic relationship of mutual benefit with China and work to build a constructive and stable China-Japan relationship fit for the new era." Yuki Tatsumi, director of the Japan Program at the Washington-based Stimson Center, said, "Japan's concerns about Chinese behavior, both military and paramilitary, have been intensified for the last few years due to the acceleration of Beijing's aggressive behavior in East and South China Sea." She continued, "In addition, Tokyo has been put on alert about Beijing's increasingly hostile and aggressive rhetoric and behavior toward Taiwan." Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin could meet in early May in Hawaii, according to a Thursday report by The Japan Times citing unnamed Japanese officials. Kihara and Austin would discuss setting up a proposed allied command and control structure and a body to identify kinds of weapons the two countries will develop and produce together, said the report. These plans were announced April 10 at a bilateral summit in Washington. The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) announced on Tuesday that it will conduct a naval deployment including six surface ships, submarines, and two air units starting May 3 to support a free and open Indo-Pacific. The deployment includes visits to more than a dozen countries including the U.S., the Philippines, India, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Marshall Islands, Fiji and Palau. It is meant "to strengthen cooperation with the allied partner navies through conducting exercises," said JMSDF. Daniel Sneider, lecturer in international policy and East Asia Studies at Stanford University, said even as Tokyo is building its defenses and is concerned about Beijing's assertiveness and especially its relations with Moscow, its mention in the Diplomatic Bluebook of wanting to build relations with Beijing reflects Tokyo's balanced approach toward China. "The Bluebook reflects a balance between, on one hand, some degree of warning the Chinese off doing things that disrupt the order" in the region "and, on the other hand, making it clear that Japan really is not interested in some type of full-scale confrontation with China," including economic warfare, said Sneider. As to China, it tends to see "any attempts on the part of the Koreans and the Japanese to engage and improve relations as a sign of weakness," continued Sneider. China, Japan and South Korea plan to hold trilateral talks in May for the first time since 2019. They will meet in Seoul ahead of a Washington-Seoul-Tokyo trilateral summit expected in July.