Israeli airstrikes hit multiple towns in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley on Wednesday, killing and injuring dozens, as the new head of Hezbollah warned that his forces will battle Israel until it is forced to appeal for peace. “We will make the enemy seek to demand an end to the aggression,” Naim Kassem said in a prerecorded speech from an undisclosed location. He said …
Netanyahu sparks uproar by firing popular defense minister
Jerusalem — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday, sparking protests around Israel. Some say the move could endanger the country’s security, as Israel continues to fight in both Gaza and Lebanon. After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the dismissal of his popular defense minister, thousands of Israelis took to the streets, blocking roads — including the main highway between Tel …
Taiwanese couple prosecuted for spreading China’s propaganda
Washington — Judicial investigators in Taiwan have indicted a couple affiliated with a small political party on charges of receiving millions of dollars from Chinese authorities to promote the Chinese government’s political agenda and influence Taiwan’s elections and referendums. Taiwan’s Chiayi District Prosecutors’ Office said Monday it has charged Chang Meng-chung and his wife, Hung Wen-ting, with violating Taiwan’s Anti-Infiltration Act and election laws by making …
Arab leaders congratulate Trump but wonder if he can end Mideast wars as promised
AMMAN, JORDAN — Arab leaders quickly congratulated Donald Trump on his U.S. presidential election victory. Some are hopeful he could bring an end to conflicts raging in the Middle East while others are looking for a stronger stance against Iran. Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, United Arab Emirates leaders, and Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, all congratulated Donald Trump on …
Ukrainian physicians find homes – and jobs – in Latvia
Over 160,000 Ukrainians fled their home country and came to the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia since the Russian invasion. Physicians were among the 50 thousand or so refugees who came to Latvia. Vladislavs Andrejevs spoke with some of them in Riga. Anna Rice narrates his story. (Camera: Vladislavs Andrejevs ; Produced by Yuriy Zakrevskiy) …
Russia paints doomsday portrayal of US elections
The FBI said more than 50 election sites across five battleground states received hoax bomb emails on Election Day in the U.S., and the emails in four of these states came from a Russian domain. None of the threats sent to polling sites in Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Arizona were deemed credible, and while causing a brief disruption, they did not affect the voting, …
Hanoi demands Beijing return detained Vietnamese fishermen, ramps up island-building
Ho Chi Minh City — Vietnam is taking a more outspoken and transparent approach in response to China’s recent detention of Vietnamese fishermen in the South China Sea, analysts tell VOA. Hanoi is also moving forward with the construction of a new airstrip on a reef in its exclusive economic zone to further assert its sovereignty and challenge Beijing’s claims. Late last week, deputy spokesperson for …
Ukraine reports destroying 38 Russian drones
Ukraine’s military said Wednesday it shot down 38 of the 63 aerial drones that Russian forces launched in overnight attacks. The Ukrainian air force said it intercepted the drones over the Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Kirovohrad, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy, Zhytomyr and Zaporizhzhia regions. Vitaliy Kim, the governor of Mykolaiv, said on Telegram that Russia’s attack damaged energy infrastructure, but did not hurt anyone. Russia’s Defense Ministry …
Germany’s awkward coalition faces make-or-break moment
berlin — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition faces a make-or-break moment on Wednesday as leaders of the three parties convene to forge compromises between their differing visions on rescuing the economy from decline. Relations between Scholz’s center-left Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and free-market Free Democrats (FDP) have sunk to new lows over the past week as they aired their respective strategies without consulting one another. …
Iran uses open and covert methods to sway US voters
Foreign adversaries used increasingly sophisticated meddling operations to target the November 5 U.S. presidential race between Democratic party candidate Vice President Kamala Harris and her Republican party opponent, former President Donald Trump. Iran has sought to influence and interfere with the results of the poll by promoting disinformation narratives favorable to its own foreign policy goals. The societal division in the U.S. and predictions of …
Indonesia to permanently relocate thousands of residents after volcanic eruptions
JAKARTA, Indonesia — The Indonesian government plans to permanently relocate thousands of residents after a series of eruptions of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano which killed nine people and damaged thousands of houses, officials said. Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, located on Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara province, erupted on Sunday night, followed by smaller eruptions on Monday and Tuesday, and remains on the highest volcanic alert status. …
Listeners protest as Turkey silences radio station
In Turkey, listeners of Acik Radyo are protesting after regulators revoked the Istanbul-based station’s license. For nearly 30 years, Acik sought to bridge the country’s divides. Analysts say the action against it is part of a wider government media crackdown. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. …
Police fire tear gas at protests of deadly canopy collapse in Serbia
NOVI SAD, Serbia — Protesters threw flares and red paint Tuesday on the City Hall building in the Serbian city of Novi Sad in rage over last week’s collapse of a concrete canopy at the railway station that killed 14 people. Police responded by firing tear gas canisters. The protesters surrounded the building in central Novi Sad, breaking windows and throwing stones and other objects despite …
Swedish court sentences far-right politician for insulting Muslims
MALMO, Sweden — A Swedish court sentenced a far-right politician Tuesday to four months in jail for two counts of “incitement against an ethnic group” after making hateful comments at political rallies two years ago. The Danish-Swedish 42-year-old man, who was not named but has been identified by Swedish media as Rasmus Paludan, founder and head of the Danish nationalist anti-immigration party Stram Kurs, had been …
Report: Russia deceives OPEC on oil sales to fund Ukraine war
LONDON — Russia is “flagrantly violating” its agreements with the OPEC oil cartel by concealing the true amount of oil it is producing and selling, according to a new report that says the profits are funding Moscow’s war on Ukraine. The investigation by the Ukrainian Center for Defense Reforms asserts that Russia is breaching an OPEC agreement to cut oil production. The think tank is chaired …
Report: Russia deceives OPEC on oil sales to fund Ukraine war
Russia is “flagrantly violating” its agreements with the oil cartel OPEC by concealing the true amount of oil it is producing and selling, according to a new report that says the profits are funding Moscow’s war on Ukraine. Henry Ridgwell reports. …
Lack of justice makes media more vulnerable to attacks, analysts say
In countries experiencing war or internal conflict, attacks on journalists are happening with impunity. Watchdog groups say most killings of journalists in recent years have gone unresolved. With Liam Scott, Cristina Caicedo Smit has the story. …
A week after Spain’s floods, families hopeful missing loved ones are alive
SEDAVI, Spain — Francisco Murgui went out to try to salvage his motorbike when the water started to rise. He never came back. One week after catastrophic flooding devastated eastern Spain, Maria Murgui still holds out hope that her father is alive and among the unknown number of the missing. “He was like many people in town who went out to get their car or motorbike …
Iran claims Iranian-German prisoner died before he could be executed
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — An Iranian official claimed Tuesday that Iranian-German prisoner Jamshid Sharmahd died before Tehran could execute him — directly contradicting the country’s earlier announcement he had been put to death. The comment by Asghar Jahangir came after Germany shut down all three Iranian consulates in the country over Sharmahd’s death, leaving only the embassy in Berlin open. Germany later disputed Jahangir’s remark. …
Brazilian police official chosen as next head of Interpol
London — Brazilian police official Valdecy Urquiza will be the next chief of Interpol, the global police organization announced Tuesday. Urquiza was elected secretary-general by a vote of Interpol’s general assembly at its meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, and will take up the post when the gathering ends on Thursday. Currently Interpol’s vice president for the Americas, Urquiza is the first chief of the Lyon, France-based organization …
Israel’s drawn-out conflict raises pressure – and questions – among Israeli reservists
As the wars in both Gaza and Lebanon drag on, the burden on Israeli reservist soldiers is growing. Some say they don’t believe the government has their best interests at heart and are choosing not to show up for reserve duty. Linda Gradstein reports from Jerusalem. Camera: Ricki Rosen …
Palestinian health officials say Israeli strikes kill 30 in Gaza
Palestinian health officials said Tuesday a series of Israeli airstrikes killed at least 30 people in the Gaza Strip. One strike late Monday hit a house where displaced families were sheltering in Beit Lahiya, killing at least 20 people, the officials said. Other deadly strikes took place in Gaza City, Zuweida and Deir al-Balah. Israel’s military said Tuesday its forces had killed militants and militant …
Ukraine reports downing 48 Russian drones
Ukraine’s military said Tuesday it shot down two Russian guided missiles as well as 48 of the 79 drones that Russian forces used in overnight attacks. The intercepts took place over the Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Khmelnytskyi, Kyiv, Odesa, Poltava, Sumy and Zhytomyr regions, the Ukrainian air force said. Ivan Fedorov, governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, said Tuesday a Russian attack killed at least six people and …
World’s first wooden satellite, developed in Japan, heads to space
KYOTO, JAPAN — The world’s first wooden satellite, built by Japanese researchers, was launched into space on Tuesday, in an early test of using timber in lunar and Mars exploration. LignoSat, developed by Kyoto University and homebuilder Sumitomo Forestry, will be flown to the International Space Station on a SpaceX mission, and later released into orbit about 400 km (250 miles) above the Earth. Named after …