washington — Photojournalist Kyaw Swa Tun, who was released last week from Yangon’s notorious Insein Prison after serving more than two years, has recounted the brutal treatment he endured at the hands of prison guards in an exclusive interview with VOA. “When the authorities learned I was a journalist,” he said, “I was isolated, tortured privately and subjected to threats of further harm if any news …
Finnish authorities open probe into ruptured undersea cable between Finland, Germany
HELSINKI, Finland — Finnish authorities said Wednesday they have opened an investigation into the rupture of a data cable under the Baltic Sea, adding to a Swedish probe into the possible sabotage of that link and another cable. The C-Lion1 cable, which runs between Finland and Germany was damaged on Monday, the day after similar damage to a cable that crosses the Baltic between Lithuania and …
Ukraine fires British Storm Shadow missiles into Russia, reports say
It’s reported that Ukraine has fired British-supplied Storm Shadow long-range missiles into Russia for the first time. It follows U.S. President Joe Biden’s reported decision earlier this week to approve the use of American longer-range missiles on targets deep inside Russia. Henry Ridgwell reports from London. …
Sharing information ‘is delivering freedom,’ Jimmy Lai says at Hong Kong trial
washington — Wearing a gray jacket and flanked by prison officers, pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai smiled and waved to supporters Wednesday as he entered the Hong Kong courtroom. For his son, Sebastien, Lai’s testimony at his national security trial hearing was a chance to see — from afar — how his 77-year-old father is doing. Sebastien Lai followed the hearing from Washington, where he has been …
Too little too late? Ukrainians react to US permission to strike deep into Russia
Many Ukrainians welcome the U.S. decision to let Ukraine use U.S.-supplied missiles to strike deep into Russian territory. But on the streets of Ukraine’s capital, many also say they feel the decision, coming 1,000 days into the war, is too little too late. For VOA, Anna Chernikova reports from Kyiv. VOA footage by Vladyslav Smilianets. …
China reclaims position as second-largest donor to Pacific Islands, report finds
China has surpassed the United States and regained its place as the second-largest bilateral donor to the Pacific Islands, according to a new report published Wednesday by the Lowy Institute. Australia remains the largest donor. Every year, the Lowy Institute, an Australia-based research group, releases a Pacific Aid Map that tracks loans and grants to the region in detail. The 2024 map includes spending in …
Iran defies international pressure, increasing its stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium, UN says
VIENNA — Iran has defied international demands to rein in its nuclear program and has increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, according to a confidential report by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog seen Tuesday by The Associated Press. The report by the International Atomic Energy Agency said that as of Oct. 26, Iran has 182.3 kilograms (401.9 pounds) of uranium enriched up …
Protesters scuffle with police in Serbia as they demand arrests over a deadly roof collapse
belgrade, serbia — Scuffles erupted for a second day Wednesday in a northern Serbian city between police and opposition protesters demanding arrests over a deadly roof collapse at the city’s railway station earlier this month. Anti-government protesters sought to block a courthouse in Novi Sad, where the roof collapse at the station on Nov. 1 killed 15 people and injured two others. Riot police pushed the …
Fearful after arrest, Cambodian reporter who exposed scam centers quits media
BANGKOK — The announcement by Cambodian journalist Mech Dara that he will quit journalism after his recent arrest shows how effective legal threats are in silencing media, say analysts. Dara, who worked for several media outlets, made a name for himself as an investigative reporter, including by exposing illegal scam centers that operate in Cambodia and have links to powerful interests. In September, authorities arrested the …
Strike blamed on Israel kills 36 in historic Palmyra, Syrian media say
DAMASCUS, SYRIA — Syria’s state-run media said a strike on the country’s historic town of Palmyra on Wednesday killed 36 people and wounded more than 50, an attack that Damascus has blamed on Israel. The Israeli military declined to comment. The news agency SANA said the strikes also led to “significant material damage to the targeted buildings and the surrounding area. Palmyra is known for the …
Spain will legalize hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants
MADRID — Spain will legalize about 300,000 undocumented migrants a year, starting next May and through 2027, the country’s migration minister said Wednesday. The policy aims to expand the aging country’s workforce and allow foreigners living in Spain without proper documentation to obtain work permits and residency. Spain has largely remained open to receiving migrants even as other European nations seek to tighten their borders to …
Gaza health officials say Israeli attacks kill at least 17
Gaza health officials said Wednesday a series of Israel attacks killed at least 17 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. In one attack, an Israeli strike hit a house in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza, killing at least 12 people. The Israeli military also reported Wednesday that one of its soldiers was killed and another wounded during fighting with Hamas militants in northern Gaza. In …
Facing unemployment and rockets, African migrants are trapped in Lebanon
Lebanon is home to an estimated 176,000 migrants, many of them African women working menial jobs. Since the conflict began, many of them have been displaced, facing uncertain futures. Marcus Harton narrates this report from Ethel Bonet in Beirut. …
China overtakes Germany in industrial use of robots, says report
BERLIN — China has overtaken Germany in the use of robots in industry, an annual report published by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) showed on Wednesday, underscoring the challenges facing Europe’s biggest economy from Beijing. In terms of robot density, an important indicator for international comparisons of the automation of the manufacturing industry, South Korea is the world leader with 1,012 robots per 10,000 employees, …
National security trial of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai: what’s happened so far
HONG KONG — Hong Kong media tycoon and pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai, 76, testified in court for the first time on Wednesday in his landmark national security trial, accused of endangering China’s national security by colluding with foreign forces. Lai was first arrested, under the national security law in August 2020, and has spent much of the time since in prison. He also faces separate sedition …
Russian farmers ditch wheat for other crops after heavy losses
MOSCOW/IRTYSH VILLAGE, RUSSIA — Russian farmers say they will sow less wheat after heavy losses this year, switching to more profitable crops such as peas, lentils, or sunflowers. Such decisions will have direct implications for global wheat prices and inflation in major buyers like Egypt, as Russia is the world’s top exporter of the grain. The trend represents a challenge for President Vladimir Putin’s plan to …
NATO holds large Arctic exercises in Russia’s backyard
Rovaniemi, Finland — Thousands of NATO soldiers are taking part in large-scale artillery exercises in Finland’s Arctic this month, seen by some as a signal to neighboring Russia over its war on Ukraine. Sounds of cannon fire and rocket artillery echo across the snowy, hilly Lapland landscape as some 3,600 soldiers from the United States, Sweden, the United Kingdom, France and other NATO members conduct live …
Myanmar led world in landmine victims in 2023: monitor
BANGKOK — Landmines and unexploded munitions claimed more victims in Myanmar than in any other country last year, a monitor said on Wednesday, with over 1,000 people killed or wounded in the country. Decades of sporadic conflict between the military and ethnic rebel groups have left the Southeast Asian country littered with deadly landmines and munitions. But the military’s ouster of Aung San Suu Kyi’s government …
Azerbaijan accused of cracking down on critics ahead of COP29
Several international human rights organizations have raised alarm about Azerbaijan’s crackdown on rights defenders, government critics and journalists before the start of the COP29 climate change conference currently being held in its capital, Baku. “We urge every delegation attending COP29 to press the Azerbaijani government to end its clampdown on civil society, guarantee the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly throughout and …
Spain’s royals return to flood disaster zone for 1st time since being pelted by mud
BARCELONA, Spain — Spain’s royal couple returned Tuesday to the area devastated by last month’s catastrophic flooding for the first time since enraged survivors pelted them and top elected officials with mud on their first visit to the disaster zone. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia visited the town of Chiva along with a central government minister and the regional leader of eastern Valencia, whom many …
G20 wraps with talk of climate change, poverty reduction, tax on billionaires
rio de janeiro — Leaders of the world’s largest economies ended their two-day G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro with a statement supporting the priorities of the Global South: climate change, poverty reduction and taxing billionaires. The Global South is generally considered to be developing countries, as well as Russia and China. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, host of the G20 summit, focused the …
Iran increases its near weapons-grade uranium
Iran has increased its supply of uranium that has been enriched to 60% purity, according to confidential International Atomic Energy Agency reports sent to member states and seen by several news agencies. Atomic weapons can be created when uranium enriched to 60% is further enriched to 90%. The enrichment procedure is a short, technical process. However, Iran has offered to cap its stockpile …
Falling yuan poses challenge for China’s policymakers
new delhi — The Chinese yuan has plummeted since U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s victory, and finance experts are questioning why the Chinese government is not doing more to defend the currency. “The slide in the yuan’s value reflects the negative expectations of the world towards China-U.S. relations after the recent victory of Donald Trump, as well as some misperception in the international market towards China’s growth,” …
Relatives of wounded Ukrainian veterans become main caregivers
In Ukraine, wounded veterans who need long rehabilitation are mostly cared for by relatives. They face the difficult job with little help from the state. Lesia Bakalets has more from Kyiv. Camera: Vladyslav Smilianets …