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China is the leading player in Nigeria’s construction industry, according to the Chinese embassy in Abuja. However, Nigerian contractors and engineers say Chinese firms force them out of major projects. Alhassan Bala reports from Abuja, Nigeria, in this story narrated by Steve Baragona. Camera and video edit: Awwal Salihu

LONDON — Irish singer Sinead O'Connor, who was found unresponsive at an address in London in July last year, died of natural causes, the coroner said on Tuesday.  O'Connor, known for her stirring voice, outspoken views and 1990 chart-topping hit "Nothing Compares 2 U," was pronounced dead at the scene. Police had said her death, at the age of 56, was not being treated as suspicious.  The coroner's court said at the time that an autopsy would be conducted before a decision was made on whether to hold an inquest.  "This is to confirm that Ms O'Connor died of natural causes. The coroner has therefore ceased their involvement in her death," London Inner South Coroner's Court said in a statement.  Artists around the world reacted to the news of her death last year, with REM frontman Michael Stipe and U.S. musician Tori Amos among those who paid tribute to O'Connor's fierce honesty, intense presence and uncompromising spirit.  Thousands gathered outside O'Connor's former seaside home to bid farewell to her when her funeral was held in August, some singing along to hits blasted from a vintage Volkswagen camper van and others showering her hearse with flowers. 

In recent years, China has applied highly targeted economic pressure on Taiwan. Taiwanese officials say the moves are meant to sway the politics of the self-ruled island, which is claimed by Beijing. Ahead of Taiwan’s general election, VOA’s Bill Gallo spoke with fruit farmers, whose livelihoods depend on trade with China. VOA footage by Gallo and Stephen Boitano.

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.

The new year has been tough for vendors on New York City’s Brooklyn Bridge, as new rules banning them from selling their goods on the span went into effect this week. Nina Vishneva spoke with some who wonder where they will go next. Anna Rice narrates the story. VOA footage by Vladimir Badikov and Elena Matusovsky.

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.

In the Western United States, foresters are working to minimize threats from wildfires by thinning nearly 20 million hectares of forests. From the Rocky Mountain state of Colorado, Shelley Schlender reports on how scientists are using mushroom fungi to reduce wildfire risks organically

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 — Emmanuel Macron appointed 34-year-old Education Minister Gabriel Attal as his new prime minister on Tuesday, as the French President seeks to breathe new life into his second mandate ahead of European parliament elections. The move will not necessarily lead to any major political shift, but signals a desire for Macron to try to move beyond last year's unpopular pension and immigration reforms and improve his centrist party's chances in the June EU ballot. Opinion polls show Macron's camp trailing far-right leader Marine Le Pen's party by around eight to ten percentage points. Attal, a close Macron ally who became a household name as government spokesman during the COVID pandemic, will replace outgoing Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne. One of the country's most popular politicians in recent opinion polls, Attal has made a name for himself as a savvy minister, at ease on radio shows and in parliament. He will be France's youngest prime minister and the first to be openly gay. "Gabriel Attal is a bit like the Macron of 2017," said MP Patrick Vignal, referring to the point at which the president first took office as the youngest leader in modern French history, at the time a popular figure among voters. Vignal, who belongs to Macron's Renaissance party and first met Attal more than ten years ago, added that the education minister "is clear, he has authority." Attal and Macron would have a combined age just below that of Joe Biden, who is running for a second mandate in this year's U.S. presidential election. Macron has struggled to deal with a more turbulent parliament since losing his absolute majority shortly after being reelected in 2022. "The Macron-Attal duo can bring a new lease of life [to the government]," said Harris Interactive pollster Jean-Daniel Levy. But opposition leaders were quick to say they did not expect much from the change in prime minister, with Macron himself taking on much of the decision-making. "Elisabeth Borne, Gabriel Attal or someone else, I don't care, it will just be the same policies," Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure told France Inter radio.

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.

HARVEY, Ill. — Rudolph Williams says he was home in a Chicago suburb when he realized the doors and windows to his courtyard-style apartment had been boarded up with plywood, locking him inside. "I didn't know exactly what was going on," the 73-year-old said Monday in describing how he tried to open his blocked door. "What the hell?" His story — chronicled by his nephew on now-viral videos — has generated a firestorm of criticism about rental conditions at the dilapidated low-income apartment complex in Harvey, Illinois. People are also debating who's to blame; and Mayor Christopher Clark has promised an investigation. City officials, residents, property owners and the property management company have conflicting accounts about what happened Friday at the 30-unit complex roughly 48.28 kilometers 30 miles) south of Chicago. It started that afternoon when crews without any logos on their clothing or vehicles started boarding up units. Residents say they weren't warned and that the workers ignored residents telling them people were still inside. City officials say police were on site earlier in the day and performed well-being checks, but not when units were set to be boarded up. The property owners say the tenants claims about residents being boarded inside are false, and the property managers say the units were empty before they started boarding up units at the city's direction. No injuries were reported. Genevieve Tyler, who said she was recently laid off from her meat factory job, was home when she heard noises outside and ran for a second door in her apartment looking to escape because she thought it was a break-in. That's when she said she came upon crews boarding up her windows. "I feel sick," she said, adding that she was too scared to return home for two days. "I'm still sad." The complex, which is in clear disrepair, has been on the city's radar for months. One of the two buildings has no heat, with residents using stoves and space heaters to keep warm. A set of stairs has collapsed and is blocked to pedestrians. There is garbage everywhere: broken furniture, a large dumbbell and liquor bottles. There have also been numerous safety issues involving drugs and crime. Police were called to the property more than 300 times last year, according to Harvey Police Chief Cameron Biddings. City officials say the property owners, identified by the city as Jay Patel and Henry Cho, were warned about the unsafe conditions and urged to make changes. The owners were then notified that people had to evacuate by Oct. 28 and had to let residents know. However, only some residents say they got the message. Others who were notified say they were skeptical of the documents' legitimacy. Some got letters on official city letterhead saying they had to leave due to the safety risk, while others received papers from the property managers that said the building would be shut down. James Williams, Rudolph's nephew, who lives with him at the property, said a bunch of notices were strewn around the courtyard. He and other people on site helped free his uncle from the apartment Friday evening, partly by using a drill, he said. In a joint statement emailed late Monday, the property owners dismissed the residents' "viral allegations." The owners said they tried to negotiate more time with the city for renters to stay and aimed to have required repairs finished by March for the building to reopen. The owners hired property management company, Chicago Style Management, in November. Tim Harstead with Chicago Style Management disputed Williams' account, saying crews found one unauthorized person who left before they started boarding up units. "A lot of people in that area are squatters and trying to stay there," he said. On Monday, Mayor Clark and other city officials toured the complex, which lies off a busy street in the community of 20,000. In a series of interviews, Clark reluctantly acknowledged that people were still inside their units when the apartments started being shuttered, but he said he wanted to hear directly from residents rather than via social media videos. The city played no role in boarding up the apartments, he said, pledging that city police would investigate and might turn the matter over to the state's attorney or Illinois attorney general. Criticism of the city on social media was misdirected, he said. "It's horrible," Clark said. "What's even more horrible is the fact that they would attribute that to people who are trying to actually help the situation versus the people who actually put them in this situation." At least one city official, Alderman Tyrone Rogers, told media outlets over the weekend that residents' claims were a "total exaggeration." He did not return messages Monday from The Associated Press. Some residents, including 34-year-old Loren Johnson, left last month. He said the shutdown notice scared him off as did the broken heating and criminal activity. "They don't do anything, but they take full rent," he said of the landlords. Roughly half a dozen residents remained on Monday, saying they look out for each other. Mary Brooks, 66, lives in one of the few apartments that wasn't boarded up. She described herself as a cancer survivor with mental health issues who has nowhere else to go. She also said she has tried to reach city officials multiple times about the complex over her nearly four years of living there, a complaint she shared with the mayor when he visited her at home Monday. "Nobody pays attention to the poor," she said. "Nobody cares until something happens."

New Delhi — Pristine beaches in India and Maldives have emerged at the heart of a spat that has erupted between the two countries following derogatory comments posted by Maldivian ministers about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and subsequent calls by Indians to boycott the picturesque archipelago as a holiday destination.  The incident comes at a time when Maldives is seen moving closer to China under President Mohamed Muizzu, who took office in November. Modi, on a visit to India’s Lakshadweep islands last week praised the pristine beaches and posted photographs on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, of himself walking along the sand and snorkeling.  The islands lie about 200 kilometers from India’s mainland and are only visited by a few thousand every year. Modi said they should be on the list of “those who wish to embrace the adventurer in them.” He did not mention Maldives. But his posts were apparently seen by some in the tiny country as an effort to draw Indian tourists away from its luxury resorts to the lesser known domestic beaches of Lakshadweep.  “What a clown,” Mariyam Shiuana, a deputy minister, wrote on X referring to Modi. She called him a “puppet of Israel.” Two other ministers also made disparaging comments.  The posts were subsequently deleted, the three officials were suspended, and the Maldivian government distanced itself from the comments.  “The government of Maldives is aware of derogatory remarks on social media platforms against foreign leaders and high-ranking individuals. These opinions are personal and do not represent the views of the Government of Maldives,” the Maldives Foreign Ministry said in a statement.  It said that freedom of expression should be exercised in a manner that it does not “spread hatred, negativity, and hinder close relationships between the Maldives and its international partners.” But that did little to allay outrage in India as the “boycott Maldives” hashtag gathered momentum on social media.  Several celebrities including Bollywood stars and prominent cricket players shared social media posts with another hashtag #ChaloLakshadweep – meaning “Let’s go to Lakshadweep.”  One of India’s leading travel booking websites, EaseMyTrip said Monday that it would suspend bookings to Maldives.  “Amid the row over Maldives MP’s post on PM Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep, we have decided that we will not accept any bookings for Maldives,” the company’s head, Nishant Pitti said.  Indians accounted for the largest number of visitors to Maldives’ tropical beaches last year, making up more than 11% of tourists. Tourism accounts for about a quarter of the gross domestic product of Maldives and is vital for the nation of half a million.  India’s foreign ministry summoned the Maldivian envoy in New Delhi to convey its concerns over the comments about Modi Monday, according to domestic media reports.  The controversy has erupted as ties between Maldives and India have come under strain since President Muizzu took office.  Muizzu is currently on a state visit to Beijing – he broke the tradition of newly-elected Maldivian presidents heading to India for their first foreign visit.  He had campaigned on an “India Out” platform saying that he would reverse his predecessor’s “India First” policy. Since taking office, he has asked New Delhi to withdraw a small contingent of 70 military personnel deployed on the islands to assist in maritime surveillance, search and rescue operations and medical evacuations. He has also scrapped an agreement with the Indian navy for a hydrographic survey and said he will review over 100 agreements signed by the previous government with India.  Analysts said the latest controversy will only deepen the strain between the two countries. “It will vitiate the atmosphere because it has been blown out of proportion by right wing media and social media in India,” according to Manoj Joshi, distinguished fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi. “It is always better to take such comments on the chin and be mature because given time most of these countries return to India’s orbit due to the geographical linkages that make them dependent on their large neighbor.” The last decade has witnessed a geopolitical tug of war between India and China for a strategic presence in the Maldives, similar to that seen in other South Asian countries such as Sri Lanka. These countries straddle vital sea routes in the Indian Ocean.

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.

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan's defense ministry issued an alert Tuesday saying China has launched a satellite and urging caution days before the island's elections. Taiwan holds presidential and parliamentary elections Saturday that China has described as a choice between war and peace. In English, the presidential alert sent to residents' mobile phones cautioned there was a missile flyover. The alerts went off in the middle of an international news conference by Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu. He clarified it was a satellite launch, told journalists not to worry, and proceeded with the news conference. China views Taiwan, which is about 160 kilometers (100 miles) off China's east coast, as a renegade province that must come under its control.

MOSCOW — Russia has detained and brought drug-related charges against U.S. citizen Robert Woodland, who was apprehended by law enforcement earlier this month, a Moscow court said Tuesday. Moscow is holding several American nationals on espionage and other charges, as tensions between Russia and the United States balloon over the conflict in Ukraine. "On January 6, the Ostankinsky District Court of Moscow ordered Robert Romanov Woodland to be placed in detention for a period of two months, until March 5, 2024," the court said on social media. He is accused of the "illegal acquisition, storage, transportation, manufacture, processing" of drugs and faces up to 20 years in prison. Russian authorities have arrested several U.S. citizens in recent years, with critics accusing Moscow of using detainees as bargaining chips to exchange Russians jailed in the United States. Paul Whelan, an ex-US marine was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in jail on spying charges that he denies. In late March 2023, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich became the first Western journalist to be held on espionage charges in Russia since the Soviet era. US-Russian dual citizen, journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, was arrested in October. She has been charged with failing to register as a "foreign agent" and spreading misinformation. In December 2022, Russia released basketball superstar Brittney Griner in exchange for notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout — known as the "Merchant of Death" — who had been jailed in the United States.