The Armed Forces of the Philippines hosted the closing ceremony of Exercise Balikatan 2024, marking the successful conclusion of the largest annual combined military exercise between the Republic of the Philippines and the United States of America.

Philippine, U.S. and Australian military forces integrated land, sea and air platforms to simultaneously sense, target, strike and destroy a decommissioned ship off the western coast of Northern Luzon today.

The UN says at a time when fragile humanitarian operations urgently require expansion, border closures in southern Gaza are further limiting the ability to reach thousands of people living in dire conditions. Ciarán Donnelly with the International Rescue Committee describes how even the limited operation Israel launched earlier this week has thrown humanitarian operations into crisis. Despite deep divisions and a rise in antisemitism incidents, Jewish donors raise unprecedented funds to feed… Read Full Article

washington — Following Turkey’s decision to halt all trade with Israel because of the war in Gaza, there are concerns that bilateral relations might deteriorate further. Experts speaking to VOA Turkish argue this is a dramatic change in ties, whereas previously the economic aspect was usually the last one to incur damage despite political tensions.  Turkey announced last month it was restricting the export of 54 items to Israel, including steel, construction products and chemical… Read Full Article

The two-time winner talks Eurovision, protests in Sweden and why she wants to write a song about tax.

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.

Tehran, Iran — Iranians had the chance to cast ballots for parliament again Friday in regions where candidates failed to secure enough votes in March, when conservatives and ultra-conservatives won a majority. First-round voting saw a turnout of 41%, marking the lowest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Candidates needed at least 20% of all valid votes in their constituency to be elected in the initial round. Friday's vote was to fill the seats of 45 deputies, out of the 290 in parliament,… Read Full Article

This is the first general election since India ended the special status of Kashmir in 2019.

This is the first general election since India ended the special status of Kashmir in 2019.

Nicanor Boluarte’s arrest comes weeks after President Dina Boluarte's home was raided over corruption allegations.