STRASBOURG, FRANCE — One person died and two police officers were seriously injured in a knife attack in eastern France on Saturday that occurred during a demonstration, the local prosecutor said. Three more officers were lightly wounded in the attack in the city of Mulhouse, carried out by a 37-year-old suspect who is on a terror prevention watchlist, prosecutor Nicolas Heitz told AFP. The list, called …
France says gangster ‘The Fly’ was arrested in Romania
PARIS — Mohamed Amra, a French fugitive known as “The Fly,” who was freed by gunmen in a brazen attack against a prison van in May, was arrested in Romania on Saturday, the French interior minister said. French police had launched a massive manhunt for the fugitive, whose escape resulted in the deaths of two prison guards and was seized upon by right-wing politicians as evidence …
Pope’s doctors say sepsis could threaten his fight against pneumonia
ROME — The Vatican carried on with its Holy Year celebrations without the pope Saturday, as Pope Francis battled pneumonia and a complex respiratory infection that doctors say remains touch-and-go and will keep him hospitalized for at least another week. Francis slept well overnight, Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said in a brief early update Saturday. But doctors have warned that the main threat facing the 88-year-old …
Trump-Putin summit preparations are underway, Russia says
Preparations are underway for a face-to-face meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Russia’s deputy foreign minister said Saturday, marking a dramatic shift away from Western isolation of Moscow over its war in Ukraine. Speaking to Russian state media, Sergei Ryabkov said a possible Putin-Trump summit could involve broad talks on global issues, not just the war in Ukraine. “The question is …
Vietnam’s railway drive raises risk of mismanagement, debt traps, analysts say
HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM — Analysts are pointing to management and funding issues for Vietnam’s planned north-south, high-speed rail initiative and express concerns over potential “debt traps” and growing Chinese influence as Beijing funds a railway connecting the two countries. The comments come as Vietnam is expanding its infrastructure by building railways using Chinese and Vietnamese funding, projects that could help the country’s outlook in …
More Israeli hostages released in Gaza following return of Bibas remains
More Israeli hostages were released Saturday in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees as part of a ceasefire deal as a body returned from Gaza Friday was confirmed to be that of hostage Shiri Bibas. Eliya Cohen, 27; Omer Shem Tov, 22; and Omer Wenkert, 23, waved while holding their release certificates before being handed over to the Red Cross Saturday in the …
Israel prepares to receive 6 more hostages as fragile ceasefire appears to hold
Israel prepared Saturday to receive six more hostages, the latest exchange to take place under a fragile ceasefire that was threatened this week by the return of a misidentified body. Four of the hostages set to be released Saturday at 8:30 a.m. were taken by Hamas, a U.S.-designated terror group, during its attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Another two have been held since …
From VOA Mandarin: Congressman proposes ban on student visas for Chinese nationals
Congressman Riley Moore recently wrote an op-ed urging the administration to ban all student visas for Chinese nationals to prevent the CCP from using U.S. academic institutions as platforms for espionage. Experts told VOA Mandarin that due to the number of espionage cases Chinese students in the U.S. involved in, it might be more helpful to close the CCP-sponsored Chinese students and scholars’ associations on …
Ukraine marks war’s 3rd anniversary as US support wavers
Uncertainty looms over U.S.-Ukraine relations as Ukraine enters the fourth year of war with Russia. Recent shifts in Washington’s rhetoric have raised fears that Ukraine could be pressured into an unfavorable peace deal — or be left to confront Russia without U.S. support. While most Ukrainians are now in favor of peace talks, many insist any settlement be on Ukraine’s terms. Myroslava Gongadze has the …
Pope’s condition not life-threatening, but his life is still in danger, doctors say
Pope Francis’ medical team said Friday that his medical condition was not life-threatening, but that the pontiff was not out of danger. “If the question is, ‘Is he out of danger?’ the answer is, ‘No,’ ” Sergio Alfieri, the head of the team of doctors at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital taking care of the pope, said. “But if you then ask us if, at this moment, …
N. Koreans’ high casualties in Ukraine blamed on inexperience
washington — North Korean troops that joined Moscow’s forces about four months ago in Russia’s border region of Kursk are estimated to have suffered considerable casualties in the war against Ukraine, which analysts attribute to their lack of front-line combat experience. Numbers from different sources vary, but more than 3,000 North Korean soldiers are believed to have died or been injured while fighting Ukrainian forces. The …
Thousands fly to Lebanon for funeral of Hezbollah’s slain leader
BEIRUT — Nearly five months after Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike, thousands of supporters of the longtime leader of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group have flown into Beirut for his funeral on Sunday. Nasrallah was killed on Sept. 27 when Israel’s air force dropped more than 80 bombs on Hezbollah’s main operations room in southern Beirut. It was the biggest and most consequential of …
Arrest made in stabbing at Berlin’s Holocaust memorial
berlin — Police arrested a man suspected in a stabbing Friday at Berlin’s Holocaust memorial that left a Spanish tourist seriously injured, police said. There was no immediate indication of a motive for the attack, which came two days before Germans vote in a national election. Police spokesman Florian Nath said at a news conference that the attack happened at 6 p.m., “probably with a knife. …
German police arrest Russian man over attack plot
BERLIN — German police said Friday they have arrested an 18-year-old Russian man on suspicion of planning a “politically motivated” attack in Berlin, two days before national elections. The man was detained late Thursday in the state of Brandenburg, which surrounds Berlin, police and prosecutors said in a statement. Authorities did not provide further details about the attack plot, but the Tagesspiegel newspaper reported the suspect …
US Treasury’s Bessent, China’s He trade economic complaints in call
WASHINGTON — U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent traded policy complaints with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Friday, with Bessent telling Beijing to do more to curb fentanyl trafficking and rebalance its economy, and He voicing concerns about President Donald Trump’s new tariffs, the two governments said. The top economic officials from the world’s two largest economies agreed to keep up communications, the Treasury said in …
57% of Ukrainians trust President Zelenskyy, Ukrainian institute says
February 24 marks the three-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with international efforts aimed at ending the conflict in progress. Amid criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by the new Trump administration, research shows the majority of Ukraine’s population trusts Zelenskyy and is not ready to elect a president during war time. Lesia Bakalets reports from Kyiv. Camera: Vladyslav Smilianets …
Russian region holding Ukrainian Prisoners of War as ‘bargaining chip’
RFE/RL — Iya Rashevskaya was told her husband — a member of the country’s armed forces – had gone missing in the frontline in the eastern Donetsk region, in April 2023. The news of Serhiy Skotarenko’s disappearance came just a month after he had joined the military, having given up his job abroad. Rashevskaya soon found out that her husband, a native of Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhya …
Netanyahu: Hamas will ‘pay the price’ for not returning body of Israeli hostage
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday Hamas will “pay the price” for failing to release the body of hostage Shiri Babas, according to the peace agreement with Israel. “We will act with determination to bring Shiri home along with all our hostages — both living and dead — and ensure Hamas pays the full price for this cruel and evil violation of the agreement,” …
Commercial airlines warned as Chinese navy holds live-fire exercises off Australia
SYDNEY — Airlines modified flight paths between Australia and New Zealand on Friday after China notified Australia that the People’s Liberation Army Navy would hold live-fire exercises off the New South Wales coast in international waters, a rare event. Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters on Friday afternoon that the time period for the Chinese navy exercises had expired, and it was unclear if live …
China says Philippine aircraft ‘illegally’ flew over disputed sea
BEIJING — Beijing accused the Philippines on Friday of “illegally” sending three aircraft into airspace over the disputed South China Sea, adding to long-standing territorial tensions between the two countries. China claims almost the entire South China Sea and has brushed off competing claims by the Philippines and other countries, despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis. Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) …
Netanyahu orders ‘intensive’ West Bank operations after Israel bus blasts
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday ordered an “intensive operation against centers of terrorism” in the occupied West Bank, his office said, after three buses exploded in central Israel without causing any reported injuries. Three devices detonated on buses in the city of Bat Yam on Thursday evening and two others were being defused, according to police, with Israel’s defense minister accusing “Palestinian …
Hamas releases bodies of three hostages and unidentified woman
Hamas released the bodies of three Israeli hostages and a fourth, unidentified woman, Thursday as phase one of the ceasefire deal with Hamas is set to expire early next month. The United States is pushing the warring parties to move forward with the second phase, as Arab nations scramble to find an alternative to President Donald Trump’s declaration that he will take over Gaza. White …
Vance delivers warning to Europe at conservative gathering
Vice President JD Vance sketched his conservative view of foreign affairs Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference, accompanied by foreign politicians who say they support President Donald Trump’s agenda. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell reports from Washington. Camera: Anthony LaBruto …
VOA Mandarin: How will China help developing countries promote AI?
After China’s DeepSeek gained global recognition, some argue that the U.S.-China rivalry in AI may be upended. In addition, the Chinese Communist Party is actively offering to help developing countries strengthen their AI capacity building. Observers said that China is selling its AI software to targeted regions, which can challenge U.S. AI and serve as a strategy for Chinese companies to get more business overseas. …