Skies over Athens and southern Greece turned orange on Tuesday as strong winds blew sand and dust from northern Africa.

TOKYO — Japan’s first moon lander has survived a third freezing lunar night, Japan’s space agency said Wednesday after receiving an image from the device three months after it landed on the moon. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said the lunar probe responded to a signal from the earth Tuesday night, confirming it has survived another weekslong lunar night. Temperatures can fall to minus 170 degrees Celsius during a lunar night and rise to around 100 Celsius during a lunar day.  The probe, Smart Lander for Investing Moon, or SLIM, reached the lunar surface on Jan. 20, making Japan the fifth country to successfully place a probe on the moon.  SLIM landed the wrong way up with its solar panels initially unable to see the sun, and had to be turned off within hours, but powered on when the sun rose eight days later. SLIM, which was tasked with testing Japan's pinpoint landing technology and collecting geological data and images, was not designed to survive lunar nights. JAXA said on the social media platform X that SLIM's key functions are still working despite repeated harsh cycles of temperature changes. The agency said it plans to closely monitor the lander's deterioration.  Scientists are hoping to find clues about the origin of the moon by comparing the mineral compositions of moon rocks and those of Earth. The message from SLIM came days after NASA restored contact with Voyager 1, the farthest space probe from Earth, which had been sending garbled data back for months. An U.S. lunar probe developed by a private space company announced termination of its operation a month after its February landing, while an Indian moon lander failed to establish communication after touchdown in 2023.   

Sogavare vies with opposition parties to form governing coalition after inconclusive election.

Winds from the south have covered the Greek capital in sand and raised the risk of wildfires.

The head teachers send a letter to families over plummeting attendance figures.

The school, with 40% of pupils eligible for free meals, says it provides a "private school service".

US president says new weapons shipment could be on its way to Ukraine as soon as this week.

As the southern Indian state votes on April 26, thousands are flying back from the Gulf to cast their ballot.

The Texas-based company reports profits of $1.1bn in the first quarter, down from $2.51bn a year ago.

Annual report from international human rights group details hypocrisy of some of the world's most powerful countries.

WASHINGTON — Among a package of military aid bills it passed Tuesday, the U.S. Senate approved a bill that requires TikTok parent company ByteDance to sell the video hosting platform or risk the government banning the app for all U.S. users. President Joe Biden signed the bill into law Wednesday. If ByteDance refuses to sell TikTok within a year, it will be banned. Advocates of a ban argue that ByteDance has a record of cooperation with the ruling Chinese Communist Party and fear that the app will provide American users’ data to the Chinese government. However, TikTok has pushed back on these claims, arguing that it provides a firewall between user data and any outside manipulation. "This ban would devastate seven million businesses and silence 170 million Americans," the TikTok Policy account wrote Wednesday in a post on X. "The fact is, we have invested billions of dollars to keep U.S. data safe and our platform free from outside influence and manipulation. "As we continue to challenge this unconstitutional ban, we will continue investing and innovating to ensure TikTok remains a space where Americans of all walks of life can safely come to share their experiences, find joy, and be inspired," the post added. TikTok has launched a political offensive, encouraging its 170 million users to call lawmakers and spending $5 million on TV ads opposing the legislation, according to advertising tracking company AdImpact. TikTok has targeted young voters -- its primary user base -- with its advertising, raising fears in the Democratic Party that a ban would alienate consistent left-wing voters. In an interview with Bloomberg News last month, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo warned against support for a TikTok ban. "The politician in me thinks you’re gonna literally lose every voter under 35, forever," she said. But Joshua Kurlantzick, a senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the ban will likely take effect regardless of these political concerns. "Even if these young people are the voters that President Biden desperately needs to win reelection, TikTok still needs to be banned," Kurlantzick wrote to VOA Chinese. TikTok has aimed its TV ads at battleground states, including Nevada, Montana, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Ohio, where vulnerable Democratic senators are facing difficult reelection fights this fall. The company has also boosted its lobbying efforts, employing five public relations firms and spending more than $19.9 million on lobbying since last October, according to analysis by the nonprofit OpenSecrets. Jeremy Hurewitz, a strategic adviser at corporate intelligence consulting firm Interfor International, said TikTok’s efforts are unlikely to be successful because China is one of the few areas where lawmakers find bipartisan agreement. "The United States system may be chaotic, but when it comes to China, the political system is aware of the threat China poses to the United States," Hurewitz told VOA Chinese. Analysts have raised concerns about free speech over the potential ban. "This legislation is unconstitutional and a real blow to the free expression rights of 170 million people who create and engage with content on TikTok," said Kate Ruane, director of the Free Expression Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology, a nonprofit that advocates for digital rights. "Congress shouldn't be in the business of banning platforms," Ruane wrote to VOA. "They should be working to enact comprehensive privacy legislation that protects our private data no matter where we choose to engage online." Joel Thayer, lawyer and president of Digital Progress Institute, a nonprofit organization that aims to promote public interest in the digital economy, wrote to VOA that the ban displays to Chinese companies that the U.S. government is willing to risk profit for national security. "I think the message is very clear — feel free to provide your services but ensure to the American public that your company is not owned and controlled by the CCP," Thayer wrote to VOA. "If you want to do business in the United States, then you cannot collect sensitive data or pursue espionage campaigns at the behest of the Chinese government." Lisa Plaggemier, executive director of the National Cybersecurity Alliance, a nonprofit that advocates for cybersecurity, said the ban is necessary to uphold national security. "The scale of TikTok's user engagement, combined with China's track record of aggressive cyber activities, raises the specter of sophisticated cyberthreats targeting American users, including surveillance, data breaches and manipulation of online discourse," Plaggemier wrote to VOA. "The platform's interactive nature and extensive reach make it an attractive target for malicious actors seeking to undermine national security or advance foreign interests," Plaggemier added. "As such, policymakers face the critical task of balancing the benefits of information sharing and social connectivity with the imperative to protect citizens from cyber vulnerabilities inherent in platforms like TikTok." 

TikTok has said legislation 'would trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans'.

As the war enters its 790th day, these are the main developments.

Two years after the invasion of Ukraine prompted exodus of brands from Russia, many products are freely bought and sold.

The National Audit Office says a £35m pilot to test the expansion of free childcare in a few areas was cancelled.

Artificial intelligence surrounds U.S. political life, from fundraising to campaign advertising. Some lawmakers are looking to better police the use of generative content in this year’s presidential election as they say it threatens voter confidence in what is real. VOA correspondent Scott Stearns reports.

Major General Aharon Haliva acknowledged failure to warn of the October 7 attack.

University administrators crackdown on spreading pro-Palestine protests on US campuses

Prosecutors focus on 'catch and kill' scheme, accuse Trump of violating gag order in historic trial.

UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini said that attacks on his agency are aimed at stripping Palestinians of refugee status.