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Geneva — United Nations officials say Palestinians in Gaza are in a state of desperation after nearly three months of being militarily battered and left without sufficient supplies of food, water and medicine. "The level of desperation of people is palpable and breathable. It is a situation of desperation that you can feel it, that you can really touch it with your hands," said Andrea De Domenico, head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Speaking from Jerusalem to journalists in Geneva on Friday, De Domenico said hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are crammed into ever smaller spaces and forced to set up makeshift shelters in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions, with no toilets or basic amenities. "There is no public service. There is a lack of shelter, a lack of water, a lack of food, and a lack of health. … This high pressure is turning more and more into increasing tension vis-à-vis the U.N. and vis-à-vis the humanitarian community who are unable to address their basic needs. "[The desperate Palestinians in Gaza] are not aggressive so far, but this tension will increase if we do not scale up our operations," he said, noting that when supply trucks cross the border into Gaza, Palestinians go to the trucks, thank the U.N. for coming and then "take whatever they can for them and their families to survive." The OCHA representative said his team has told him that "the faces of the people who are coming to the trucks … are clearly the faces of people who are starving." This Sunday will mark 100 days since Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups launched their attack on Israel, in which 1,200 people, mostly Israeli, were killed and around 250 hostages taken, among them two children. The brutal assault unleashed a ferocious response by Israel's military, reportedly resulting in the deaths of more than 23,000 Palestinians, about two-thirds of them women and children, and the massive destruction of civilian infrastructure, including homes, hospitals, schools and places of worship. "As U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has repeatedly urged, there must be an immediate cease-fire on human rights and humanitarian grounds," said Turk's spokeswoman, Liz Throssell. It is more urgent than ever that there be "a cease-fire to end the appalling suffering and loss of life, and to allow the prompt and effective delivery of humanitarian aid to a population facing shocking levels of hunger and disease," she said, adding that Israeli Defence Forces "must take immediate measures to protect civilians fully in line with Israel's obligation under international law." The U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) echoed this plea for an immediate and long-lasting cease-fire, stressing that this "is the only way to end the killing and injuring of children and their families and enable the urgent delivery of desperately needed aid." Speaking from Jerusalem, Lucia Elmi, UNICEF's special representative in the Palestinian territories, warned that conditions in the Gaza strip — especially for children — continue to deteriorate rapidly. "Children in Gaza are running out of time, while most of the lifesaving humanitarian aid they desperately need remains stranded between insufficient access corridors and protracted layers of inspections," she said. "Thousands of children have already died and thousands more will quickly follow" if the problems of conflict, disease and malnutrition are not quickly addressed, she added. By way of illustration, she noted that in the past two weeks, the number of diarrhea cases among children under five has almost doubled from 40,000 to 70,000. The conflict, along with the increased burden of disease and the increasing severity of malnutrition, is putting at risk over 135,000 children of severe acute malnutrition. "The combination of these three problems plus the lack of water and sanitation in terms of malnutrition is one of the key concerns at the moment," she said.

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.

ISLAMABAD — Officials in Pakistan have cautioned that relentless cross-border militancy is testing bilateral relations with Afghanistan's Taliban and could eventually push Islamabad to scale back support for the de facto Kabul rulers. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan provinces, both lining Pakistan's 2,600-kilometer (1,600-mile) border with Afghanistan, have experienced almost daily attacks since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in August 2021, killing hundreds of Pakistani security forces and civilians. The violence is mostly being carried out or claimed by the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. The group, listed as a global terrorist organization, is believed to be operating out of Afghan sanctuaries, allegedly with the support of Taliban authorities. Both countries have recently held repeated formal talks to discuss the issue, with the latest engagement occurring in early January when Islamabad hosted a high-powered Taliban delegation. But neither side has reported any breakthrough, nor has the diplomatic effort brought about a reduction in TTP-led extremist violence. "Don't expect immediate results; it's a process with pitfalls. However, continuous interaction can help galvanize the process," a senior Pakistani diplomat told VOA, speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to interact publicly with the media. Already-troubled relationship The official said that Pakistan's stepped-up diplomatic engagement with the Taliban stems from concerns the TTP could be planning to intensify violence in the upcoming spring and target national elections scheduled for next month. He warned that the increase in violence could deal a critical blow to an already-troubled relationship between the two countries. "That could certainly be a turning point, and the government of Pakistan may also run second thoughts about maintaining their support level with the Taliban," the official cautioned. The United States this week repeated its concerns about an uptick in TTP attacks against Pakistani security forces from the group's bases in Afghanistan, saying the violence has led to a deterioration in bilateral ties. "The relationship between Pakistan and the Taliban at the moment is not good. ... This security issue is dominating the Taliban's relationship with Pakistan," Thomas West, the U.S. special Afghan envoy, told a congressional hearing Thursday while discussing the growing TTP threat to regional stability. "I am very worried about that group. I spoke about it with Pakistani leaders when I visited last month. For regional stability and our own interests and Pakistan's stability, we should hope for concerted efforts to eliminate that group inside Afghanistan," West said. Visit by prominent Pakistani leader A prominent Pakistani religious party leader, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is known for his traditionally close ties with the Taliban, traveled to Afghanistan this week and held meetings with the leaders of the de facto authorities. He reportedly discussed the TTP, among other issues facing the two countries. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid had confirmed in the run-up to the visit that Kabul had officially invited Rehman to promote better ties between the two countries. Multiple sources confirmed to VOA that Rehman also met with reclusive Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada in his southern Kandahar headquarters, although neither side commented on the reported meeting. The Pakistani cleric also reportedly met with TTP leaders at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan. The host Taliban government reportedly arranged the meeting, but neither side confirmed that this happened. However, Islamabad distanced itself from Rehman's nearly weeklong trip, saying he traveled in "his individual capacity" and not "as an emissary of the government of Pakistan." No peace talks On Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told reporters in Islamabad that her government had no intention to engage in peace talks with the TTP. "Our demands from the Afghan authorities haven't changed; they remain the same, which is that the Afghan authorities should take action, effective action, against terrorist elements inside Afghanistan, including TTP leadership," she said. Kabul hosted and mediated talks between Pakistan and the TTP in mid-2022, but the group withdrew from the process later that year and has since renewed its attacks, killing hundreds of security forces and civilians last year alone. Pakistani officials allege Afghan Taliban members also facilitated and joined the TTP in some of the attacks. Taliban authorities reject the charges, advising Pakistan against externalizing its "internal security problems." The violence has also led to a government crackdown on undocumented Afghans in Pakistan, forcing more than half a million to return to their home country in the past few months and straining bilateral relations. No foreign country has recognized the Taliban government in Kabul, but Pakistan is among several neighboring countries, including China and Russia, that have informally maintained ties with Afghanistan's de facto authorities. The landlocked nation has traditionally relied on Pakistani land routes and seaports to conduct bilateral and international trade.

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.

Yaounde, Cameroon — Transport ministers from landlocked central African countries say increasing commodity prices are causing civil strife in Chad and the Central African Republic. The ministers, meeting Friday in Cameroon, say the three countries want to find immediate solutions to obstacles facing the transportation of goods moving from Cameroon's Douala and Kribi seaports to central African states. The Douala and Kribi seaports handle 90 percent of goods delivered to Chad and the Central African Republic, or C.A.R. The ministers and transport officials, meeting in the city of Kribi this week, said goods now take about a month instead of two weeks to arrive in Chad's capital, N'djamena.  Herbert Gontran Djono Ahaba, C.A.R.'s transport and civil aviation minister, said current food price spikes that are causing daily protests in Chad's towns and villages are fueled by insecurity, illegal police checkpoints, and the deteriorating roads along the more than 1,400 kilometers between the Douala seaport in Cameroon and the C.A.R. capital, Bangui, and the close to 1,600 kilometers between Douala and N'djamena. Chad and the C.A.R. say that last month, police used tear gas to disperse civilians in several towns and villages protesting hikes in commodity prices. There is a close to 35 percent increase in food prices, the two governments say. The ministers say price hikes have also been triggered by rebels, who continue to attack goods in transit to Bangui on the C.A.R. side of the border, and Boko Haram terrorists operating in Cameroon, Nigeria and Chad. Central African states say that rebels last month harassed and seized goods and money from scores of truck drivers on the transport corridor to N'djamena. Laurent Dihoulnet, secretary-general of Chad's Ministry of Transport, said the attacks, illegal police checkpoints and abuses against drivers in transit in Cameroon suffocate trade and increase food shortages and hunger in the sub-Saharan African states. He said Cameroon, C.A.R. and Chad transport ministers have decided to dismantle 16 illegal police and military checkpoints on the corridor from Cameroon's Douala seaport to Bangui. Dihoulnet said the ministers have authorized the creation of seven checkpoints that will assure the safety of drivers and their trucks and make sure goods, especially humanitarian needs, reach their destinations in the C.A.R. and Chad. Cameroon, Chad and the C.A.R. also said they will dismantle over 70 checkpoints they say are illegally set up by Cameroon police and military along the Douala-N'djamena corridor. Cameroon's police and military say the checkpoints are set up to control illicit trafficking of goods and protect truck drivers and their goods from armed groups, but the drivers say they are forced to pay illegal fees or bribes at the checkpoints. The transport ministers say joint military and police convoys will protect the drivers in areas prone to Boko Haram and C.A.R. rebel attacks. Cameroon says it is negotiating with the World Bank, the European Union and other international funding agencies to construct the roads and facilitate the passage of goods on transit. In their New Year's messages, Presidents Mahamat Idriss Deby of Chad and Faustin-Archange Touadera of the C.A.R. called for emergency food support for close to five million people they said are either facing hunger, threatened by food insecurity, or finding it especially hard to cope with rising prices. Chad and the C.A.R. say millions of their citizens are also going hungry because of climate shocks, inter-communal tensions, and rising food and fuel prices. The U.N.'s World Food Program says that 1.4 million people in Chad, a country that has experienced an influx of over 600,000 refugees in less than a year from the fighting in Sudan's Darfur region, and over two million C.A.R. civilians are threatened by a severe hunger crisis. 

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced the upcoming launch of a package of customer experience improvements for H-1B cap season. The measures are expected to increase efficiency and ease collaboration for organizations and their legal representatives.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is holding one-hour talks with veteran Chinese diplomat Liu Jianchao Friday morning, a day before Taiwan's presidential and legislative elections — a test for efforts to stabilize tensions between the United States and China.   Washington has cautioned Beijing against using the elections as a pretext for instability in the Taiwan Strait.  Liu, who heads the Chinese Communist Party’s International Liaison Department, is the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit the United States since U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit south of San Francisco on November 15.  A source familiar with the meeting said that in diplomacy, it is crucial to convey messages directly to China on "the importance of peace and stability in the region ahead of the Taiwan elections, and in light of recent PRC provocations in the South China Sea.”  This week, the Biden administration announced it would send a high-level unofficial delegation to Taipei after the elections, citing a longstanding precedent. The move is perceived as an effort to preempt a strong reaction from Beijing.  A Chinese spokesperson said Thursday that Taiwan’s elections are “purely China’s internal affairs” and that China firmly opposes any form of official contact between the United States and Taiwan.  The winner of Taiwan’s presidential election will be inaugurated May 20. The transition period is seen as sensitive in cross-strait relations.  Liu is seen as a leading contender to be China’s next foreign minister, according to some media reports and analysts. It is unusual for the minister of the International Liaison Department, a unit under the Communist Party’s Central Committee, to visit the United States, according to Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the Indo-Pacific Program at the German Marshall Fund.  “The most likely explanation for this visit, and the reason that he is being received by Blinken, is that Liu is likely to be China's next foreign minister. The visit provides an opportunity for the U.S. to take his measure in advance of his formal appointment, likely at the upcoming National People’s Congress” in early March, Glaser told VOA.  Senior U.S. officials attending Friday’s meeting include the State Department’s top diplomat on East Asian and Pacific affairs, Daniel Kritenbrink, and its China coordinator, Mark Lambert.   Communication between the world’s two largest economies will continue after Taiwan’s elections, as senior U.S. and Chinese officials are to attend next week's World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Blinken and Chinese Premier Li Qiang will attend the annual economic meetings at the Swiss mountain resort.     Blinken’s talks with Chinese officials are described as ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication, responsibly manage differences between the two nations and address various issues. These include global and regional security concerns, such as Russia’s war against Ukraine, as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.  According to some estimates, about half of all global trade flows through the Taiwan Strait, and its stability is critical to the global economy. VOA’s Cindy Saine contributed to this report.

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.

He defended the Azovstal steel plant, survived Russian captivity in occupied Olenivka and Donetsk, as well as torture and starvation. Anton Shtukin, a 20-year-old fighter with the National Guard of Ukraine, was released after a year of Russian captivity on May 6, 2023. Anna Kosstutschenko met with him and talked about his liberation. Camera and video edit: Pavel Suhodolskiy

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.

The U.N. estimates more than a million Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar in successive waves. And while most ended up in neighboring Bangladesh, some have taken boats to Indonesia where authorities are now considering using a former refugee island for their resettlement. VOA's Ahadian Utama has more

In its annual report published Thursday, Human Rights Watch accused Israel of war crimes and said many governments were expressing “selective outrage” over atrocities committed in the conflict in Gaza. Henry Ridgwell reports

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.

ISLAMABAD — Paskistani authorities said Friday they had arrested two alleged would-be suicide bombers linked to a regional affiliate of the Islamic State group known as Islamic State-Khorasan, or IS-K.   The provincial counterterrorism department said an "intelligence-based" operation had detained the two men near Peshawar, the capital of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan.     The statement said the alleged bombers "are members of Daesh Khorasan and graduated from a training facility for suicide bombers" in the eastern Afghan border province of Paktia. "Daesh Khorasan” is a local acronym for IS-K.     The statement also said the raid recovered two suicide vests, several hand grenades, and a pistol, adding that the suspects were planning to target regional Pakistani politicians.     IS-K routinely carries out and claims attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan, targeting civilians and security forces.   The United States considers IS-K as a significant danger to the security of the region and the entire globe. The U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan renewed those concerns Thursday.     "The terrorist group whose capabilities and intent concern us the most in Afghanistan is the Islamic State branch there, Islamic State Khorasan Province, or ISIS-K," Thomas West told a congressional hearing in Washington, using another acronym for IS-K.   "ISIS-K harbors clear intent to launch external attacks, and we monitor their capabilities and planning vigilantly," West added.     IS-K has particularly intensified its violent campaign in Afghanistan since the Taliban regained control of the conflict-torn country in August 2021. It has targeted minority Afghan Shiite Muslims and the Taliban, killing hundreds of people over the past two years.     The Taliban claim their security forces had significantly weakened IS-K, and that it is no longer a threat in Afghanistan or beyond.    

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.

Shanghai — China is willing to strengthen relations with Europe, President Xi Jinping said on Friday, at a meeting with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo in Beijing. De Croo arrived in China on Thursday, attending the inauguration of the new Belgian embassy in Beijing and meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the same day. "China is willing to work with the European Union to promote steady progress in China-EU relations in the new year," Xi told De Croo when the two men met on Friday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing? according to a readout by state broadcaster CCTV. "In the face of the chaotic international situation, it is necessary to build more bridges between China and Europe," Xi said, adding that the two sides should "jointly promote world peace, stability and prosperity." Beijing and the EU are major trade partners but the bloc has recently signaled a desire to reduce reliance on China in technology and other areas. The EU has launched an enquiry into China's subsidies for homegrown EV makers after accusations that their cheap products undercut European competitors -- claims denied by Beijing. And deteriorating ties between China and the West in recent years have given rise to concerns in Brussels over the potential vulnerabilities posed by AI, misinformation, and data security. De Croo on Friday tweeted that he had also met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang to "discuss our common challenges, like climate change, defending a rules-based international order or preventing future pandemics." The two men also spoke about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, De Croo said -- an issue that has strained ties between China and Europe over Beijing's refusal to condemn Moscow.

KYIV, Ukraine — U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is visiting the Ukraine capital, Kyiv, on Friday to announce a new package of support for Ukraine, including an increase in military funding for its war with Russia, a statement from his office said. Sunak is expected to announce that military funding for Ukraine for the next financial year will be $3.2 billion, the statement said. The funding would cover long-range missiles, air defense, artillery ammunition and maritime security. “I am here today with one message: the U.K. will also not falter," Sunak said. “We will stand with Ukraine, in their darkest hours and in the better times to come.” Sunak first visited Ukraine in November 2022, soon after he became prime minister. Britain has been one of Ukraine's most vocal backers. Britain is the second-biggest donor of military aid to Ukraine after the U.S., giving a total of $3.3 billion in 2022 and 2023. Sunak’s visit came hours after the British and U.S. militaries bombed Yemen, hitting more than a dozen sites used by the Iranian-backed Houthis. Thursday's strikes were a reminder of another war, which has raged for years in the Arab world’s poorest nation. The attack also risked triggering a wider regional conflict over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Those concerns have drawn attention away from Ukraine’s struggle — a shift that Zelenskyy is trying to counter through diplomacy. Both Ukraine and Russia are scrambling to replenish their weapons after 22 months of fighting and the potential for a protracted conflict. The roughly 1,500-kilometer front line has been largely static during winter, and both Ukraine and Russia require artillery shells, missiles and drones that enable long-range strikes. Ukraine says Moscow is receiving artillery shells and missiles from North Korea and drones from Iran. On Jan. 4, the White House cited U.S. intelligence officials as saying that Russia acquired ballistic missiles from North Korea and is seeking them from Iran. Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is pushing Kyiv’s Western allies to provide Ukraine with more support on top of the billions of dollars in military aid the country has already received. This week he visited three small Baltic countries — Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia — in search of new pledges. The eastern European countries, which are also amongst Kyiv’s staunchest supporters, promised more missiles, drones, howitzers and artillery shells. Zelenskyy has warned that Ukraine particularly needs air defense systems to fend off Russian aerial barrages. Recent massive Russian barrages — more than 500 drones and missiles were fired between Dec. 29 and Jan. 2, according to officials in Kyiv — are using up Ukraine’s air defense resources and leaving it vulnerable. Sunak said that the U.K. recognizes that Ukrainian security “is our security.” “Today we are going further — increasing our military aid, delivering thousands of cutting-edge drones, and signing a historic new Security Agreement to provide Ukraine with the assurances it needs for the long term,” he said. Support for Ukraine’s war effort is sputtering. A plan by the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden to send $60 billion in new funding to Kyiv is being held up in Congress. Europe’s pledge in March to provide 1 million artillery shells within 12 months has also fallen short, with only about 300,000 delivered by the end of last year.