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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.

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.

Bangkok — The threat of censorship may soon be lifted from Thailand’s movie industry, as a new government pushes a "soft power” agenda to boost the kingdom’s potential as a creative hub. Thailand was run for nine years by the arch-conservative government of former army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha, who seized power in a 2014 coup and presided over what rights groups say was a collapse in freedoms and restrictions on creative industries.  Antigovernment rappers and singers were hit with charges of sedition and royal defamation, while filmmakers and artists were put under surveillance, harassed by authorities or self-censored.  The new civilian government led by the Pheu Thai Party says it wants to foster a more open Thai society where creative organizations, including movie production companies, can flourish.  “Pheu Thai and coalition parties are ready to support freedom of expression,” Paetongtarn Shinawatra, chairwoman of the National Committee on Soft Power Development, said on Jan. 4. “Only movies with content that may affect the monarchy will remain prohibited from being screened in Thailand.” A key part of the reforms is to establish a new censorship board, which is likely to include movie industry professionals and unspecified members from the private sector.  Experts say the reforms could swiftly end the culture of state censorship, which until now banned or edited films deemed to “undermine or disrupt social order and moral decency or that might impact national security or the pride of the nation.” Television shows with LGBTQ+ themes and movies considered offensive to Buddhism have been banned or delayed for screening.  The horror movie “Shakespeare Must Die,” a reimagining of Macbeth by director Ing Kanjanavanit, has been banned since 2012 by the Thai government as a “national security threat.” The movie referenced the October 1976 attack by police and right-wing paramilitaries on leftist protesters occupying Bangkok's Thammasat University. As many as 100 of the protesters were killed and the Thai military staged a coup immediately afterward, ending a brief period of democracy. Ing’s 1997 film DogGod, portraying a cult following a dog, has recently been allowed to be screened after a decades-long ban. The populist Pheu Thai Party is selling a new, liberal image of Thailand, as long as the monarchy’s central role remains untouched.  A so-called Soft Power Act will ultimately establish a creative agency to shape and promote what is produced in Thailand, from film to food and fashion.  “It’s a good start,” said Kong Rithdee, deputy director of Thai Film Archives, an agency responsible for promoting Thai cinema heritage. “To do anything with the censorship law needs a lot of political will, because there’s always resistance from conservatives,” he said, adding that time will tell if the new censorship board ends the practice of banning challenging content.  “To drive a creative society, economy, they need to do away with censorship, work with a mentality of openness, allowing people to say and express what they want,” he said. Movie critic Chayanin Tiangpitayagorn said he welcomes reform efforts but that there is still one exception.  “Lifting censorship should be wholesale,” he said. “The fact that they still consider banning content affecting the monarchy is like putting yourself in a straitjacket without the need to.” Soft power politics  Paetongtarn, 37, is the daughter of Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand’s former prime minister and founder of the Thai Rak Thai party, which became today’s Pheu Thai Party. In August 2023, he made a surprising return to Thailand after 15 years in self-exile — in the same week that Pheu Thai came to power. The coalition that Pheu Thai forged with several conservative parties from the previous administration froze out the more radical and youthful Move Forward Party, despite Move Forward winning the public vote. Pheu Thai is now trying to win over that younger demographic by reforming conservative laws, including pushing for a same-sex marriage bill and easing film censorship. Paetongtarn's agenda is inspired by South Korea’s strategic state-backing of its own culture that launched the Korean Wave cultural phenomenon of K-pop music and K-dramas that are popular around the globe.  The relaxation of Thai censorship will be “a slight improvement,” said filmmaker Aekaphong Sarasante, who is waiting for the changes before he releases his documentary "Breaking the Cycle," about the rise of Thailand’s new political youth force, for screening.   “But I’m disappointed that it all happens only for political gain,” he said. Meanwhile, the core purpose of soft power to elevate a nation’s profile has been diluted, critics say, despite a $140 million budget and the promotion of Paetongtarn as the plan’s spokesperson.  Voranai Vanijaka, a lecturer in journalism at Thammasat University and a former political candidate, says how free Thailand’s cultural scene is comes with an asterisk. “The only way to know how much freedom we will have is to know the makeup of the censorship board,” he said. “How many from the private sector? How many from the government sector? Who has more weight? Who has more power?” 

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.

WASHINGTON — The United States and China wrapped up two days of military talks in Washington Tuesday, the Pentagon said, the latest engagement since the two countries agreed to resume military-to-military ties. Washington and Beijing are at loggerheads over everything from the future of democratically ruled Taiwan to territorial claims in the South China Sea. Ties are still recovering after the U.S. downed an alleged Chinese spy balloon in February. U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed late last year to resume military ties, severed by Beijing after a visit in August 2022 by then-House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan. The 17th round of the talks saw Michael Chase, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia, meet China's Major General Song Yanchao, deputy director of the central military commission office for international military co-operation, the Pentagon said. "The two sides discussed U.S.-PRC defense relations, and Chase highlighted the importance of maintaining open lines of military-to-military communication in order to prevent competition from veering into conflict," the statement added, using an acronym for the People's Republic of China. Pentagon officials say communication between the two militaries is key to preventing a miscalculation from spiraling into conflict. The top U.S. military officer, General Charles Q. Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff held a virtual meeting last month with his Chinese counterpart, General Liu Zhenli. China is willing to develop healthy and stable military-to-military relations with the U.S. "on the basis of equality and respect," its defense ministry said in a statement Wednesday, citing the meeting. It urged the U.S. to cut military deployment and "provocative actions" in the South China Sea, as well halt support for such actions by "certain countries," but did not identify them. It asked the U.S. to abide by the one-China principle and stop arming Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, despite Taiwan's strong objections, and vowed never to compromise on the issue. "The United States should fully understand the root causes of the maritime and air security issues, strictly restrain its front-line forces, and stop hyping up (the issues)," it added. Taiwan is holding presidential and parliamentary polls this weekend amid a ramped-up war of words between Taiwan and China.   U.S. officials have cautioned that even with some restoration of military communications, forging truly functional dialog between the two sides could take time. (Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart in Washington, Liz Lee in Beijing; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

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 Pentagon is now releasing details of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s secretive hospitalization: Austin was treated for prostate cancer in late December, according to medical officials at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and made an emergency trip to its intensive care unit on Jan. 1 due to complications from the procedure. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has details.

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.

Violence in Ecuador erupted Tuesday as a group of armed people took over a live TV broadcast, five police officers were kidnapped and explosions were reported nationwide. New information about U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization is released. And using mushrooms to fight wildfires

The White House continues to reject mounting calls for a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, sending mixed signals amid President Joe Biden’s efforts to appease some Americans’ calls for a cease-fire. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report.

Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s Aaron Zelin on how Islamic State terror group staged Jan. 3 suicide bomb attack that was Iran’s worst since its 1979 Islamic Revolution. Israeli attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner on her plan to sue Iran and North Korea for colluding to arm Hamas terrorists.

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 — The Securities and Exchange Commission said Tuesday that a post sent from the agency's account on the social platform X announcing the approval of a long-awaited bitcoin exchange-traded fund was "unauthorized," and that the agency's account was hacked.  The price of bitcoin briefly spiked more than $1,000 after the post on X, formerly known as Twitter, claimed "The SEC grants approval for #Bitcoin ETFs for listing on all registered national securities exchanges." Cryptocurrency investors had already driven bitcoin's price above $46,000 in anticipation of the approval.  An ETF would provide a way to invest in bitcoin without having to buy the cryptocurrency outright on a crypto exchange such as Binance or Coinbase.  But soon after the initial post appeared, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler said on his personal account that the SEC's account was compromised and, "The SEC has not approved the listing and trading of spot bitcoin exchange-traded products." Gensler called the post unauthorized without providing further explanation.  "Welp," wrote Cory Klippsten, CEO of Swan Bitcoin, on X. Like many bitcoin investors, Klippsten had been expecting the agency to approve bitcoin ETFs potentially as soon as this week.  The price of bitcoin swung from about $46,730 to just below $48,000 after the unauthorized post hit, then dropped to around $45,200 after the SEC's denial. It was trading around $46,150 at 6:15 p.m. ET.  It was unclear how the SEC's social media account was hacked. Shortly after Gensler's statement, it appeared that the SEC had gotten control over the account.  Politicians, particularly Republicans who have long expressed frustration at how Gensler operates the SEC, quickly expressed anger at the SEC's lax security controls over its accounts.  "Just like the SEC would demand accountability from a public company if they made a colossal market-moving mistake, Congress needs answers on what just happened," said Senator Bill Hagerty, who sits on the Senate Banking Committee.  This is not the first time there has been false market-moving information about the future of bitcoin on regulated exchanges. A false report in October implied that fund manager BlackRock had gotten approval for bitcoin ETF, causing bitcoin prices to jump sharply.  Elon Musk gutted Twitter's content moderation and security teams after taking over the platform in late 2022. And while internet watchdog groups have complained about a spike in toxic content, including antisemitic and other hate speech on X, many also worry about account integrity.  "The consequences of account takeovers could potentially be significant, and especially during an election year," said Brett Callow, an analyst with the cybersecurity firm Emsisoft.  A spokesperson for X did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that Israel has agreed to allow the United Nations to conduct an assessment of conditions in northern Gaza, as displaced Palestinian civilians taking refuge in the south of the enclave are begging to return to their homes. VOA's Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from the State Department

kyiv, ukraine — For nearly two years, some of Ukraine's largest broadcasters have worked together under the United TV Marathon.    But as the fight against Russia's full-scale invasion enters its third year, critics are questioning the usefulness and multimillion-dollar budget that goes into the broadcast.    Formed in February 2022, the coalition of six major broadcasters produces 24/7 coverage during the war. Each broadcaster — Suspilne, 1+1, Starlight Media, Media Group Ukraine, Inter Media Group, and the parliamentary Rada TV Channel — airs content for a set number of hours, with prime-time slots rotating between stations.     See related video by Cristina Caicedo Smit: When the Marathon — as the united broadcaster is called — was first announced, Ukraine's Ministry of Culture and Information Policy said the broadcasts were needed to consolidate resources and provide round-the-clock information objectively and promptly from across the country.  But journalists are starting to question whether the Marathon still offers value. Its relevancy was among the questions presented to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a press conference in late December.     A journalist from Life magazine noted that viewership is low and asked Zelenskyy's press secretary why the state allocates large sums to support it.       The state budget for 2024 allocates more than $45 million for the Marathon, along with the production of TV programming.  The Marathon restricts certain freedoms of journalists, said Iryna Sampan, a freelancer who works with outlets including Hromadske Radio and the Butusov Plus YouTube channel.       "It is possible to work freely and independently, but basically everything rests on the United Marathon," Sampan said. "The journalists themselves are already saying that it is not needed in the second year of the war."     She added that research showed the Marathon is "no longer needed. It has exhausted itself."    But Orest Drymalovsky, a TV presenter at Marathon member Starlight Media, defended the production.    "The Marathon played a very important role at the beginning of the Russian invasion, in the first days when chaos — people are running, lack of information, Russian PSYOPs, a lot of fakes," said Drymalovsky, host of the program "Vikna."     "Broadcasting was not interrupted," he said. "It was not possible to hack our system."  With the war in its second year, "we are doing important things," Drymalovsky said. "We can look at the information and coverage of events at the front. There are certain specifics that we can exhibit so as not to harm our defense force."   'Necessary' at the start Otar Dovzhenko, an expert at the nongovernmental Lviv Media Forum and chair of the Independent Media Council, agrees that in the early months, the Marathon was "relevant and necessary."       At the start of the full invasion, the Marathon "was seen as an effective tool for countering disinformation, a central official source of information that could replace people's less reliable sources," Dovzhenko said.      But "by the summer of 2022, the situation stabilized, and the need for the Marathon disappeared," he said.  Criticism of the broadcasts are less focused on the budget it takes to sustain it, and more that it is now seen as ineffective, Dovzhenko said, adding that some in the media "see it as a tool with which the government tries to influence society."   Ukraine's Ministry of Culture and Information Policy did not respond to VOA's request for comment.  Some media outlets are excluded from the Marathon. Neither 5 Kanal nor Priamyi, which are associated with former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, nor the opposition Espreso TV channel, are part of the Marathon.    Ukraine also took steps to close or sanction outlets with Russian affiliations.    In 2021, Zelenskyy signed a decree sanctioning ZIK, NewsOne and 112 Ukraine — three television stations believed to be affiliated with pro-Russian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk.    Olha Bereziuk, a journalist at the English-language news website Gordon, said she believes the closure of media from Medvedchuk's circle "is a step that provides security and protects the information space."   But, she said, "There are doubts about the control of the opposition media, in particular from Poroshenko's circle. I don't know if they will be represented and in what quantity. But it is felt that they need to allocate a little more airtime, and the Marathon itself is a little questionable about its existence, its purpose and its financing."    In a study published in August by the Ukrainian Institute for the Future, half of the respondents said they did not watch the Marathon, and only 13% said they watched regularly. Of those who did watch, only 14% said they had complete trust in the information.    

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.