From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm Liz Parker reporting.

The Trump administration on Friday announced wide-ranging sanctions against 38 Russian individuals and companies. Senior administration officials billing the sanctions as a response to Russia's pattern of Malign activities around the world.

Nikolai Patrushev, Russia's Federation Security Council Secretary, is one of the officials sanctioned.

He said Friday, "I have been in the U.S.A. many times. Regarding the fact that they have introduced sanctions, it doesn't mean we will not communicate with them. There are other countries where it is possible to communicate and work to resolve these questions."

U.S. officials say the sanctions are not in response to any single event or issue.

The move comes after Britain, the U.S. and other NATO countries expelled more than 150 Russian diplomats over the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter who were attacked with a nerve agent in Britain.

Dr. Christine Blanshard of Salisbury District Hospital gave an update on Sergei Skripal and his daughter's condition Friday. Here is Jill Craig.

Blanshard reiterated that that Yulia Skripal's condition had improved to stable and she continues to get better.

She also announced that Sergei Skripal is responding well to treatment, improving rapidly and is no longer in a critical condition.

Jill Craig, VOA news.

China's government says it will counterattack if President Donald Trump goes ahead with plans to raise U.S. tariffs on an additional $100 billion worth of Chinese goods.

Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng called the United States behavior utterly unreasonable and that Washington seriously misjudged the situation and made a big mistake.

This is VOA news.

Medical workers say seven Palestinian protesters were killed Friday and hundreds of others injured. This as thousands of Palestinians held a mass protest on the Gaza border where they were confronted by Israeli troops.

Robert Berger reports for VOA from Jerusalem.

Soldiers fired tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition to prevent a breach of the border fence.

The protesters burned tires near the fence as thick black smoke rose into the air.

Demonstrator Muhammad al-Tramsi said that by burning tires, Palestinians hoped to blind Israeli snipers. He said he is not afraid to die.

Israel has warned that any attempt to breach the fence and bring a flood of Palestinians across the border is a red line that will not be tolerated.

Robert Berger, for VOA news, Jerusalem.

The deaths spring the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since last week to at least 27.

Former South African President Jacob Zuma came out fighting on Friday after appearing in court. He is facing corruption charges over a suspected multibillion-dollar arms deal in the 1990s.

Zuma addressed about 1,000 cheering supporters after the case was adjourned.

He told the crowd this case has been brought back by politics. There are no real politics in opposition parties. He also said "I am innocent until proven guilty. But there are people who want to treat me like I am guilty."

Zuma will be back in court on June 8.

Brazil's top appeals court on Friday rejected former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's latest plea that he stay out of prison until he has exhausted all appeals to his corruption conviction, according to a court document.

Now his legal team is negotiating his surrender.

Lula remained holed up inside the metal workers union headquarters in São Paulo with aides and allies ignoring the federal judge's deadline of 5 p.m. to turn himself into authorities.

That's when he was supposed to begin serving a 12-year sentence for accepting bribes from an engineering firm in return for help landing contracts with Brazil's state-run oil company.

A few dozen anti-Lula protesters gathered in front of the federal police headquarters in Curitiba as a deadline approached. However, hundreds of demonstrators supported Lula.

I'm Liz Parker reporting from Washington.

That's the latest world news from VOA.