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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.

Geneva —   In the wake of a recent outbreak of avian influenza detected in dairy cows and goats in the United States, the World Health Organization is calling on governments to increase their surveillance and to “remain vigilant” regarding the possible spread of this deadly disease to their countries.  Dr. Wenqing Zhang, head of the WHO’s global influenza program, said Friday that investigations are underway to determine the extent and severity of the H5N1 bird flu found in 29 herds across in eight U.S. states since March.  “While WHO and its partners are closely monitoring, reviewing, assessing and updating the risk associated with H5N1 and other avian influenza viruses, we call on countries to remain vigilant, rapidly report human infections if any, rapidly share sequences and other data, and reinforce biosecurity measures on animal farms,” said Zhang.  Zhang also told journalists in Geneva that on April 1 a laboratory-confirmed case of avian influenza was found in a man who was working at a dairy cattle farm in Texas. “The case in Texas is the first case of a human infected by avian influenza by a cow,” she said, noting that he most likely got infected “through the direct contact with cows.”  “Now we see multiple herds of cows affected in an increasing number of U.S. states, which shows a further step of the virus spillover to mammals,” she added, warning that “farm workers and others in close contact with cows should take precautions in case the animals are infected.”  Zhang also noted that so far there has been no detected transmission of the virus from cattle to other mammals, though bird-to-cow, cow-to-cow and cow-to-bird transmission have occurred during the current outbreaks.  “Although a lot is still under investigation, this suggests that the virus may have found ... routes of transmission other than what we previously understood,” she said. “While this sounds concerning, it is also a testament to strong disease surveillance which allows us to detect the virus.”  Avian influenza A(H5N1) first emerged in 1996. In 2020, the virus spread into Africa, Asia, and Europe and then in 2022, it crossed into North and South America.  “In recent years, we see the virus spillover to mammals,” Zhang said, noting that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has detected infections in “around 200 mammals.”  Human infections of avian flu are rare and tied to exposure to infected animals and environments. The WHO reports nearly 900 cases have been detected since 2003. About half of those infected with the disease reportedly have died.  In the early years, most cases were found in Asia and Southeast Asia. WHO reports the relatively few U.S. and European cases reported to the agency over the past two years have been mild.  Zhang said the virus in dairy cows currently circulating in the United States also has been detected in milk from infected animals.  “We also received reports that there is very high virus concentration in raw milks. But exactly how long the virus will be able to survive in the milks remains under investigation.  “So, we recommend that people really should consume pasteurized milk and milk products,” she said, adding that this recommendation applies to people “in the whole world.”  Nearly 20 vaccines are currently licensed for pandemic use for influenza. Zhang said two “candidate vaccine viruses” are available that can respond to bird flu outbreaks in dairy cows and other animals in the United States.  “Having candidate vaccine viruses ready allows us to be prepared to quickly produce vaccines for humans, if this becomes necessary,” she said, adding that at least four antiviral medications, including oseltamivir, widely marketed as Tamiflu, are available to treat people who may become sick with bird flu. 

london — European nations are struggling to agree on providing urgently needed weapons to Ukraine as Kyiv’s forces struggle to hold ground against invading Russian forces. Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure faced waves of drone and missile attacks from Russia again on Friday, with at least eight people killed, including two children, in an attack in the central Dnipropetrovsk region. An attack on the city of Chernihiv on Wednesday killed at least 13 people. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for NATO allies to provide more U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine following this week’s two-day European Union Special Council meeting in Brussels. “NATO has made it very clear that of the systems that are available in the NATO states, several could make a decision like ours — to hand over another system so that better protection is possible against the many attacks currently happening against Ukraine,” Scholz told reporters Thursday. “I would like to take this opportunity to emphasize this appeal once again. We have heard that there should be seven more, one of which is ours. And we hope that six more will be found in the NATO context.” On the eastern frontlines, Ukraine’s forces say they are outgunned by Moscow’s troops and are slowly losing ground in several areas. Kyiv has made repeated urgent appeals to the West for more military aid, but the Western hesitancy has only encouraged Moscow, said security analyst Amanda Paul of the Brussels-based European Policy Center. “The Russians have taken advantage of the failure of the West to give Ukraine sufficient military assistance, including air defense systems, to strike their infrastructure,” she said. Individual European states have sent significant volumes of military aid to Ukraine. In March, the European Union boosted its bloc-wide fund to provide weapons for Kyiv by $5 billion. A Czech-led initiative aims to supply Kyiv with up to 1.5 million artillery shells over the coming year and is set to deliver the first batch of 180,000 in the coming months. However, Russian military production appears to be outpacing both Western military aid and Ukraine’s own ability to manufacture weapons. Meanwhile, several EU states have stopped short of providing the longer-range weapons that Ukraine says it needs to target Russian supply lines. Germany has ruled out supplying its Taurus long-range missiles. Analyst Paul said that while we’re now seeing some stronger statements from the German Chancellor or from French President Emmanuel Macron, there are still alot of words and not much action, which adds to the problem. “It's only when the situation on the battlefield has become quite hot that Europeans have changed their narrative or began to supply Ukraine with more weapons, or at least make commitments,” Paul said. “Some countries have been concerned about the ramifications from Russia. We saw that for a very long period of time: ‘We don't want to escalate with the Kremlin.’ These sorts of narratives seem to disappear, at least vocally.” Despite the battlefield struggles, Ukraine’s military continues to strike back at Russia. Its forces claimed to have downed a TU-22 strategic bomber over Russian airspace Friday, some 300 kilometers from its border. Kyiv said the plane had earlier taken part in the bomb attack on Dnipropetrovsk. In a potentially major boost to Ukraine’s capabilities, its air force is set to receive the first of dozens of F-16 fighter jets from Denmark, the Netherlands and the United States in the coming months. A further three Dutch F-16s arrived at a Ukrainian training facility in Romania Wednesday. Several other NATO states, including Norway, Greece, and Belgium, have committed to supplying Ukraine with F-16s over the coming year. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on March 27 that the jets should appear over Ukraine in mid-summer. “So far, everything is going according to plan,” Kuleba told reports in an online briefing.

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. Agency for Global Media on Friday named Michael Abramowitz as the new permanent director of Voice of America.  In an email to staff Friday, USAGM chief executive Amanda Bennett said that Abramowitz, a former journalist and current president of the think tank Freedom House, will take up the position in coming months.  “I am sure he is familiar to many, if not most of you, for the remarkable work Freedom House has led advocating for democracy and human rights — and especially in defending and advocating for speech and press freedom around the world,” Bennett said in her email.  Abramowitz has been the president of Freedom House since 2017. A graduate of Harvard College, he began his career at the Washington Post, where he worked for 24 years. He also worked on genocide prevention and Holocaust education for eight years at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.  “Because of this expertise and experience, he has a deep understanding of the same work we have all devoted our lives and careers to,” Bennett said in her email.  Abramowitz is expected to begin his role at VOA in the early summer. In a video message to staff, he said he was honored to be appointed. “This is a storied institution which has an incredible history and most of all an incredible mission,” he said.  “The mission is deeply inspiring to me: the idea that every day we are providing authoritative, fair, comprehensive news and information to large parts of the world with a huge audience. And for many people VOA is the only source of that kind of information they have,” Abramowitz said.  Bennett herself served as VOA director from 2016 until 2020, when she resigned following the congressional confirmation of conservative filmmaker Michael Pack to lead USAGM.  Appointed by then-President Donald Trump, Pack’s time as head of USAGM was marked with lawsuits and whistleblower complaints. He resigned when Joe Biden became president and an independent investigation later determined that Pack repeatedly abused power and engaged in severe mismanagement, including attempts to interfere editorially. Following his departure, Congress added checks and balances to the USAGM chief executive role, including over hiring and firing of network heads.  Abramowitz will be VOA’s first official director since the brief tenure of Pack’s appointee Robert Reilly, who was in the role from December 2020 to January 2021. After Reilly’s dismissal, VOA was headed by acting directors Yolanda Lopez from 2021 until her September 2023 resignation, and current incumbent John Lippman.  In a statement, Abramowitz said he was looking forward to working at VOA given the concerning rate of disinformation coming from authoritarian governments around the world.  “VOA is a bulwark for truth and press freedom, and I am excited to take the helm of this organization and work alongside its talented journalists and staff. Together, we will win the information war,” he said.  Freedom House on Friday released a statement that thanked Abramowitz for his leadership.  “For the better part of a decade, Mike has been the driving force behind Freedom House’s growing success, setting a vision for the organization that amplified its effectiveness in the fight for freedom around the world,” said Jane Harman, a co-chair of the Freedom House board of trustees. As VOA director, Abramowitz will oversee 48 language services that reach around 354 million people weekly with independent TV, radio and digital media.

The two front-runners for U.S. president in November were on the campaign trail this week. President Joe Biden visited a northeastern city dealing with high crime rates, and former President Donald Trump visited Harlem. VOA’s senior Washington correspondent Carolyn Presutti looks at the candidates’ differing views on gun control. Videographer: Mike Burke

The Chinese-operated online markets Temu and Shein are shaking up e-commerce with their extremely low prices. But the firms are facing concerns from consumers and Congress. Evie Steele has the story from Washington.

Officials from Pakistani tribal districts along the Afghan border say uncleared landmines and ordnance remain a deadly legacy. Decades worth of buried explosives continue to end or ruin lives, and locals are calling for the government to step up demining efforts. From Peshawar, VOA’s Abdur Razzaq has the story, narrated by Bezhan Hamdard.

Harare, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has granted amnesty to 4,000 prisoners as part of efforts to decongest the country's crowded jails.  Pardoned prisoners at Chikurubi Maximum Prison in Harare were freed Friday after Mnangagwa released females, those with chronic ailments, juveniles and those with life sentences who have served at least 20 years.   There was no reprieve for inmates sentenced for murder, treason, armed robbery, robbery or those facing death sentences who were imprisoned for life.    Moses Chihobvu, head of the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services agency, told reporters, “We had 24,000-plus prisoners inside. So, the 4,000 going out … prisons are still full.” Chihobvu said the prisons and correctional services will benefit from the release by gaining space needed to accommodate inmates, but also in the savings gained from food and medical care. The pardoned prisoners refused to be identified, but spoke to reporters as they left the jail. One departing inmate, with 15 months left on a sentence for unlawful entry, was thrilled and grateful for the news of Mnangagwa’s pardons. The prisoner talked of looking forward to using skills learned in jail to look after family members. Another pardoned prisoner, who had served two months after being arrested for stealing from an uncle, said despite being treated well in jail and learning a lot, it was a painful experience the inmate aims to never repeat. Zimbabwe’s last pardon was in May 2023, but prisons continue filling up. Obert Muzembe, a criminologist at Muzembe Law Chambers, blames the declining economy.  “You look at the inflation rate in Zimbabwe. That puts pressure on the society, and many weak members of the society end up [resorting] to unlawful means to survive,” Muzembe said. “There are [a] number of issues that can be done in order to deal with the situation. Number one, of course, we need to educate the society, educate the community about crime,” he said. “Number two, you need the church to come up. Napoleon Bonaparte once said that the church is the moral compass of the society. And then, obviously, the economic measures that need to be taken in order to improve the well-being of the people. But above all, we need society itself to come through in terms of education through the church and various stakeholders.”  Those who were pardoned last year and were arrested again did not qualify for amnesty announced this week by Mnangagwa. 

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.

White House — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday the United States was not involved in Israel’s predawn aerial strike inside Iran and declined to confirm reports that Washington was notified of Israeli plans shortly before the attack.  “The reports that you've seen, I'm not going to speak to that except to say that the United States has not been involved in any offensive operations,” he said during a press conference following a meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers in Capri, Italy.  The G7 is focused on avoiding a wider war in the region, he said.  “You saw Israel on the receiving end of an unprecedented attack, but our focus has been on, of course, making sure that Israel can effectively defend itself, but also de-escalating tensions, avoiding conflict,” Blinken said.  Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who chaired the G7 meeting, said the U.S. had told its G7 partners it received “last minute” information from Israel about its actions.    In the G7 communique, Blinken and other foreign ministers announced plans for new sanctions against Iran for its strikes against Israel and urged de-escalation. Tehran appears to be heeding for now.  Israel’s strikes appear to be in retaliation for the hundreds of Iranian drones and missiles launched at Israel on April 13. Most were intercepted with the help of the United States and regional allies, including Jordan and Saudi Arabia, causing no loss of life and only little damage. That suggests Iran may have calibrated the strikes to limit casualties or telegraphed advanced notice, which the White House denies.  The early Friday attacks on Iran appear to be limited, with no casualties reported immediately.  U.S. President Joe Biden has been urging Israel to exercise restraint and avoid escalation following Iran’s attacks. His administration has been coordinating with allies and partners, including the G7 on a “comprehensive response.”  These could include new sanctions on Tehran and bolstered air and missile defense and early warning systems across the Middle East, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement earlier this week.  Iranian state media reported in the early hours of Friday local time that three explosions were heard in the Iranian city of Isfahan. Explosions were reported around the same time in Iraq and Syria.  Tehran said its April 13 attacks were in response to an Israeli airstrike on Iran’s consulate in Damascus, Syria, on April 1. The bombing killed Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi and other Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders. Israel neither confirms nor denies responsibility for the attack.  Analysts say Israel’s limited counterattack and Iran’s muted response show that both sides are willing to avoid further escalation, at least for now. Still, the risks of escalation are higher than ever before, said Brian Katulis, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute.  "The Iran-Israel shadow conflict has turned into a low-grade open war between the two countries,” he told VOA. “The Middle East is in unchartered territory."    Israeli strikes expected  Despite U.S. pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, some type of retaliatory strike by Israel was expected, said Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a Middle East analyst from Gaza and non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.   The Biden administration understands that Israel needs to do its own version of “face saving” retaliation after Iran's unprecedented and dramatic attacks last Saturday, he told VOA.  The party that could benefit most from any potential escalation is Hamas, said Alkhatib.  “The group has felt emboldened by Iran's direct strikes on Israel, hardening its negotiating position in the latest cease-fire and hostage exchange talks facilitated by Qatar,” he said.   Biden so far has been unsuccessful in pushing for a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas. Over the weekend the U.S.-designated terror group raised new demands that have thrown talks into disarray.  It’s unclear how the Israeli counterstrike on Iran could impact negotiation dynamics with Hamas.  “This is a moment of instability but also of opportunity,” said Laura Blumenfeld, a senior fellow at the Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies at Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies.  “World leaders agree that the key to de-escalation is to free the hostages,” she told VOA. The message to Hamas hostage negotiators, she added, is “quit while you're behind.” 

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.