The government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is facing mounting criticism over the rise of gender-based violence in Turkey, which ranks among the world’s worst countries for violence against women. Just last week in Istanbul, a 19-year-old Turkish man killed two young women — first, his 19-year-old girlfriend at his home, and then a woman, also 19, whom he met in the city. He beheaded …
Georgia’s civil society teams up to monitor crucial election, defying ‘foreign agent’ law
As the Republic of Georgia prepares to hold crucial elections on October 26, there are fears that the ruling Georgian Dream party may not easily give up power. As Henry Ridgwell reports from the capital, many civil society groups are mobilizing to ensure the election is free and fair. …
Georgian groups defy ‘foreign agent’ law, team up to monitor crucial election
TBILISI, GEORGIA — An uneasy calm has descended on the streets of Tbilisi ahead of a crucial election on October 26, widely seen as a referendum on Georgia’s future. Beneath the surface, there is palpable tension. Campaign billboards, most for the ruling Georgian Dream Party, vie for voters’ attention with countless European Union, NATO and Ukrainian flags hanging from windows and graffitied on the city’s red …
China hosts World Media Summit in Xinjiang amid human rights concerns
washington — China hosted its sixth World Media Summit this week in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, in northwestern China. Organizers say more than 500 participants from 208 leading media organizations participated in the event, which was cohosted by state-run Xinhua News Agency and the Xinjiang regional government. The three-day summit, which ended on Thursday, focused on “Artificial Intelligence and Media Transformation.” Chinese media highlighted the …
Threat of famine persists in Gaza, experts warn
UNITED NATIONS — A United Nations-backed food security report warned Thursday that most of the residents of the Gaza Strip will face emergency levels of hunger in the coming months and that the threat of famine persists as aid dwindles and winter approaches. “Famine looms. This is intolerable,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on social media platform X. He said crossing points must open immediately, bureaucratic …
Turkey fears Israel’s Lebanon offensive will spark new refugee exodus
With Israel continuing its Lebanon offensive, the United Nations says a quarter of a million people have sought sanctuary in Syria. And with the numbers expected to grow, Turkey is bracing for a new exodus. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. …
US sanctions Chinese entities for building, shipping Russian Garpiya drones used in Ukraine
washington — The United States on Thursday announced fresh sanctions targeting Chinese and Russian entities for their role in designing, building and shipping attack drones that have resulted in mass casualties in Ukraine. The sanctions target two Chinese entities, Xiamen Limbach Aircraft Engine Co., Ltd., and Redlepus Vector Industry Shenzhen Co Ltd (Redlepus), Russian entity TSK Vektor and TSK Vektor’s General Director Artem Mikhailovich Yamshchikov. A …
Death of ex-One Direction member Liam Payne at 31 shocks fans around the world
Buenos Aires, Argentina — The death of Liam Payne, who shot to stardom as a member of British boy band One Direction and grappled with intense global fame while still in his teens, sent shockwaves across the world Thursday as Argentine investigators continued their investigation at the scene. Fans, music-industry figures and fellow musicians paid tribute to Payne, 31, who died after falling from a hotel …
UK foreign minister to visit China to rebuild damaged ties
London/Beijing — British Foreign Secretary David Lammy will visit China on a two-day visit starting on Friday in a bid to improve relations between the two countries after years of tensions over security concerns and alleged human rights abuses. Lammy will hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing before visiting Shanghai to meet British businesses operating in China, a spokesperson for Prime Minister …
Yazidi woman rescued from Gaza says she attempted suicide 21 times under Hamas
Fawzia Amin Saydo was just 11 years old when she was enslaved by ISIS in 2014. On October 1, she was rescued by an international team. She spoke with VOA’s Kawa Omar about the last 10 years of her life. Amy Katz narrates this report. …
Israel says it killed a Hezbollah commander in Lebanon strike
Israel’s military said Thursday it killed a Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon, while also announcing a new round of evacuation orders in the Bekaa Valley. The Israel Defense Forces identified the commander killed as Hussein Awada and said he was responsible for firing projectiles across the border into Israel. Israel has issued multiple rounds of evacuation orders for parts of Lebanon, saying people need to …
Gaza unemployment surges to 80% as economy collapses, UN agency says
ZURICH — Unemployment in Gaza has soared to nearly 80% since the Israel-Hamas war erupted, with the devastated enclave’s economy in almost total collapse, the International Labour Organization said Thursday. Economic output has shrunk by 85% since the conflict with Israel began a year ago, plunging almost the entire 2.3 million population into poverty, the United Nations agency said. The conflict has caused “unprecedented and wide-ranging …
North Korea says revised constitution now defines South as ‘hostile state’
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea confirmed Thursday that its recently revised constitution defines South Korea as “a hostile state” for the first time, two days after it blew up front-line road and rail links that once connected the country with the South. The back-to-back developments indicate North Korea is intent on escalating animosities against South Korea, increasing the danger of possible clashes at their tense …
Japan’s ruling LDP at risk of losing majority in election, polls show
TOKYO — Japan’s ruling party may lose its majority in the lower house, according to media polling ahead of the October 27 election, meaning it would likely have to rely on coalition partner Komeito to stay in power. The Liberal Democratic Party may not reach the 233 seats it needs for an outright majority in the 465-seat chamber, the Nikkei newspaper said on Thursday. The LDP …
India flight from Frankfurt hit with latest fake threat
Bengaluru, India — The latest in a string of hoax threats made against Indian airlines targeted a flight from Germany, the airline said Thursday, with the plane landing safely in Mumbai. More than a dozen fake bomb threats have been made against flights operated by multiple Indian air services this week, prompting government and civil aviation authorities to warn that “very strict action” will be taken. …
One Direction singer Liam Payne dead after falling from Buenos Aires hotel balcony
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Former One Direction singer Liam Payne was found dead after the 31-year-old fell from his third-floor room balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentine police said on Wednesday. Police said in a statement that they were called to the CasaSur hotel in the capital’s leafy Palermo neighborhood after being notified of an “aggressive man who could be under the effects of …
China boosts funds for housing projects to support embattled sector
BEIJING — China will expand a “white list” of housing projects eligible for financing and increase bank lending for such developments to $562 billion by year-end, Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development Ni Hong said on Thursday. Redevelopment of cities will also gather pace, with a million “urban villages” to be included in such plans, Ni said at a press conference, adding that people being resettled …
Sydney beaches closed due to toxic ‘tar balls’
sydney — Beaches in Sydney including the iconic Bondi were closed to bathers on Thursday after hundreds of black balls suspected to be toxic washed up on the city’s shores. Waverley Council said it had closed Bondi, Bronte and Tamarama beaches as a precaution, while neighboring Randwick Council has closed an additional four beaches to the south. Bondi and Maroubra Beach to the south were later …
Biden visits Germany, with Ukraine topping agenda
US President Joe Biden heads to Germany on Thursday, a week later than planned and on a compressed timeline after Hurricane Milton grounded him last week. Both he and Germany’s leader have been facing mounting pressure over their support for Ukraine — both having recently announced new security packages. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell reports. …
Georgia struggles to emerge from Russian shadow ahead of crucial election
As the Republic of Georgia prepares for a crucial election on October 26, Russia’s influence looms over the vote. As Henry Ridgwell reports from Tbilisi, the former Soviet republic is struggling to carve out a new future aligned to the West as it tries to reconcile its troubled past. …
FBI, French authorities coordinate on Islamic State arrests
washington — Recent arrests in the United States and in Europe have law enforcement and intelligence agencies on alert, bolstering concerns about a reinvigorated Islamic State terror group bent on lashing out against the West. FBI officials Wednesday confirmed the bureau shared information with French authorities following last week’s arrest of 27-year-old Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, an Afghan national in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on charges connected to …
Iran FM slams Western sanctions as ‘hostile action,’ state media says
Tehran, Iran — Iran ‘s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday that new Western sanctions against Iran were “hostile action” and would not help to resolve regional tensions, state media reported. “The new Western sanctions against Iran are considered a hostile action and will not help the existing situation,” he told reporters in Jordan’s capital, Amman, according to IRNA state news agency. On Monday, …
Lebanese refugee crisis raises political tensions in Iraq and demographic concerns in Kirkuk
Washington/Kirkuk, Iraq — Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah are driving tens of thousands of Lebanese into Iraq — with more expected as the security situation deteriorates. The sudden influx is generating political concerns, especially in Iraq’s volatile Kirkuk region. Iraqi officials say that as of October 9, about 8,000 Lebanese refugees have entered Iraq. Kirkuk, a multi-ethnic province contested by Kurds, Arabs and Turkmens, is already burdened …
Two US radio stations end Russian-backed ‘propaganda’ programming
Washington — Russian-backed radio programmer Sputnik no longer broadcasts in the Washington market after years of criticism that its local radio station, WZHF, carries antisemitic content and false information about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Political cartoonist Ted Rall, who described himself as a guest on Sputnik’s programming, posted a comment Tuesday on X: “Biden/Harris say they’re fighting for democracy. Yet: today Sputnik News US is being …