Concerns over Chinese balloon floating across US

China says it’s a civilian weather device that strayed after US officials feared it to be a surveillance apparatus. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following Concerns over Chinese balloon floating across US [A high altitude balloon floats over Billings, Mont., Feb. 1, 2023.] Credit: Larry Mayer/The Billings Gazette via AP US-China The [Chinese foreign ministry stated]( on Friday that a massive balloon floating across the US is a civilian weather monitoring balloon that strayed off its course. US officials have suspected it of being a high-altitude surveillance device, after it was observed over Montana on Wednesday. President Joe Biden has decided against "military options" to deal with the apparatus because of the potential risk to civilians, as it flies over “a number of sensitive sites,” including underground US military [intercontinental ballistic missile]( silos. It is unclear if the incident will affect US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s plans for his first trip to Beijing this weekend, in an attempt to ease tensions between the two superpowers. Iran Award-winning Iranian film director Jafar Panahi, who was arrested last summer, [began a hunger strike]( in prison against his detention. It comes amid months of anti-government protests across the country. Panahi is currently being held at the notorious Evin prison where he’s serving six years for a previous sentence for "propaganda against the system" that was suspended after he served two months in 2010 — but went back into effect in 2022 when he went to the Tehran prosecutor’s office to [inquire about the arrests]( of two other Iranian filmmakers. While he was banned from traveling, he continued to make underground films that were released abroad. South Sudan Pope Francis is on the final leg of his two-stop Africa tour, and has made a plea to the people of South Sudan to end [violence, ethnic hatred and corruption](. The world’s youngest nation has been hit by famine, recent floods and a civil war that broke out in 2013, only two years after its independence from Sudan. A shaky peace deal has failed to curb the ongoing violence. The pontiff is hoping to highlight, through this tour, some of the continent’s [most troubled yet ignored]( countries. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Belgium faces pressure to support sanctions on Russian diamonds]( [A member of auction house staff poses for a picture with a 19-carat pink diamond at Christie's auction house, in London, Oct. 18, 2017.]( Credit: Tim Ireland/AP/File photo Belgium has to decide how to proceed amid calls for sanctions against Russia's diamond industry. The Belgian city of Antwerp plays a big role in the [global diamond trade](, and would have much to lose. Hans Merket, of the International Peace Information Service (IPIS), joined the World's host Marco Werman from Antwerp to discuss the situation. [America’s top priority is to help Ukraine ‘defend itself’ as a sovereign nation, Blinken adviser says]( [US State Department Counselor Derek Chollet smiles ahead of a meeting in Serbia, Jan. 12, 2023.]( Credit: Darko Vojinovic/AP What are Washington's current [strategic goals and limitations]( in Ukraine? And how do they align with Kyiv? Derek Chollet, a counselor at the US State Department who advises Secretary of State Antony Blinken, joined The World's host Marco Werman to shed some light. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot The 65th Annual Grammy Awards will take place this Sunday in Los Angeles. Comedian and Daily Show host Trevor Noah will return to host the ceremony. And he's revealed that there will be a ["surprise performance"]( by a female artist. 🏆 [Screenshot of Pop Base tweet]( Credit: Twitter In case you missed it on The World --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.