Manila, Philippines — A Philippine court has convicted and sentenced to life 17 Islamic militants for kidnapping for ransom 21 people, including European tourists and Asian workers, from a dive resort in Malaysia more than two decades ago, officials said Monday. The Filipino militants belonged to the small but violent Abu Sayyaf group. Among those convicted by the Regional Trial Court in Taguig city, a suburb …
US missile deployment to Philippines ‘incredibly important’ for combat readiness, US general says
MANILA, Philippines — The U.S. Army’s recent deployment of a midrange missile system to the northern Philippines was “incredibly important” and allowed American and Filipino forces to jointly train for the potential usage of such heavy weaponry in Asian archipelago conditions, a U.S. general said Monday. The Biden administration has moved to strengthen an arc of military alliances in the Indo-Pacific to better counter China, including …
Former Albanian President Meta arrested for alleged corruption
TIRANA, Albania — Albania’s left-wing Freedom Party said Monday its leader and former Albanian President Ilir Meta has been arrested on alleged corruption charges. Meta, 55, was arrested in the capital, Tirana, by officers with the National Investigation Bureau, according to local media. Local television stations showed masked, plainclothes police officers taking Meta from his vehicle after he returned from neighboring Kosovo ahead of holding a …
Israel busts spy ring acting for Iran, security services say
Jerusalem — Israel’s security services have broken up a spy ring that was gathering information on behalf of Iranian intelligence in the latest attempt by Tehran to recruit Israelis for espionage, the Shin Bet and police said on Monday. Seven Israelis from Israel’s north, including the port city of Haifa, were arrested after an investigation found they had gathered intelligence on Israeli military bases and energy …
French government takes new blows over deal to sell painkiller maker to US fund
Paris — French drugmaker Sanofi’s confirmation that it will sell a controlling stake in its consumer health unit to a U.S. investment fund sparked a new political backlash Monday, stoked by fears the deal marks a loss of sovereignty over key medications. Paris “must block the sale” using powers to protect strategic sectors, Manuel Bompard, a senior lawmaker in the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, …
Russia on track to ban adoptions from countries allowing gender change
In late September, the Russian parliament backed new legislation that will make it harder for some people to adopt children from the country. Some adoption advocates say the legislation is really designed to punish the West. VOA Russian has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Andre Sergunin …
US envoy in Beirut for talks with Lebanese officials
U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein was in Beirut Monday for talks aimed at trying to bring a resolution to the conflict along the Israel-Lebanon border, part of a diplomatic push that is also bringing Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the region in search of a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. Hochstein told reporters he had a “constructive” meeting with Nabih Berri, the speaker of Lebanon’s …
Vietnam parliament elects army general as state president
HANOI — Vietnam’s parliament elected on Monday army general Luong Cuong as the new state president in a widely anticipated move that is expected to bring some stability to Vietnamese politics after a turbulent phase of departures and reshuffles. Cuong, 67, takes over the role from To Lam, who was appointed president of the Communist-run, one-party country in May and then also took on the more …
Moldova’s EU referendum goes to wire after Sandu decries vote meddling
CHISINAU, Moldova — A knife-edge majority of 50.17% voted “yes” in Moldova’s pivotal referendum on joining the European Union, nearly final results showed on Monday, after President Maia Sandu said Sunday’s twin votes had been marred by “unprecedented” outside interference. The tight finish – with fewer than 1.5% of the ballots still to be counted – is far from a resounding endorsement of the pro-EU path …
‘Gives us what you stole from us,’ Australian senator yells at visiting King Charles
CANBERRA, Australia — An Indigenous senator told King Charles III that Australia is not his land and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the monarch is not needed as the country’s head of state as the British royal visited Australia’s parliament on Monday. Indigenous independent Senator Lidia Thorpe was escorted out of a parliamentary reception for the royal couple after shouting that British colonizers have taken Indigenous …
New Zealand, Cambodia cite political risks due to high energy transition costs
SINGAPORE — Political risks due to potential loss of public support over rising power tariffs are a major impediment to transitioning to cleaner electricity sources, ministers from New Zealand and Cambodia told an energy industry event on Monday. “It’s incredibly important to take the public with you, given that end of the day, they have to believe that what you’re doing is enhancing their lives,” Shane …
Indonesia’s Prabowo plans military academy retreat for new cabinet
JAKARTA, INDONESIA — Indonesia’s new President Prabowo Subianto will take his cabinet members on a three-day retreat at a military academy nestled in a Javanese mountain range, where they will sleep in tents, an unusual start for a government in the Southeast Asian country. Former special force commander Prabowo was sworn in as Indonesia’s eighth president on Sunday, taking over from Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to lead …
Wounded Ukranian war vets train for wintry sports competition
In February, Canada will host the first-ever winter Invictus Games, an athletic competition for wounded and injured veterans from around the world. This year, 550 athletes from 25 countries will compete in both traditional Invictus Games sports as well as new winter sports. Ukraine will be represented by 35 veterans. Tetiana Kukurika caught up with one of them in this story narrated by Anna Rice. …
Lebanese media say Israeli strikes hit Hezbollah-linked finance group
Beirut — Lebanese state media reported Israeli strikes Sunday on branches of a Hezbollah-linked financial association, including near the country’s only airport, after the Israeli military warned it would attack Al-Qard Al-Hassan’s branches. The strikes mark an expansion of the Israeli campaign against Iran-backed group Hezbollah after a year of cross-border exchanges that escalated in late September into a full-blown war. Lebanon’s official National News Agency …
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy seeks strong reaction to North Korean involvement in war
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday he was seeking a strong reaction from countries who have acknowledged that North Korea is becoming more involved in Russia’s more than 2-1/2-year-old war against Ukraine. Speaking in his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said there was ample satellite and video evidence that North Korea was sending not only equipment to Russia, but also soldiers to be prepared for deployment. …
Indonesia’s new president announces Cabinet; largest in country’s history
JAKARTA — Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced his Cabinet late Sunday, hours after he was inaugurated. The lineup of 109 ministers, vice ministers and head of national agencies was the largest in the country’s history, and he named it the “Red and White Cabinet,” referring to the colors of Indonesia’s national flag. Prabowo became the eighth president of Southeast Asia’s largest economy on Sunday. The Cabinet …
Brazil’s Lula cancels Russia trip for BRICS summit after head injury
Brasilia, Brazil — Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Sunday canceled his trip to Russia for the BRICS summit, following medical advice to temporarily avoid long-haul flights after hurting his head in an accident at home. In a statement, the presidential office said Lula, 78, will now participate in the BRICS meeting via videoconference. He was initially scheduled to depart at 5 p.m. on …
Serbia’s president talks with Putin and vows he’ll never impose sanctions on Russia
BELGRADE — European Union candidate Serbia will continue to refuse to impose sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine despite Western pressure, Serbia’s leader said after his telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday. Populist Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Instagram that he believes the call, what he said was his first in more than two years with the Russian president, will …
Iran protests EU support for UAE over disputed islands
Tehran — Iran summoned the ambassador of Hungary, whose country holds the rotating European Union presidency, to protest a joint E.U.-Gulf Cooperation Council statement on islands controlled by Iran but claimed by the UAE, state media reported Sunday. The statement, published after the first summit between the two regional blocs on Wednesday, said, “We call on Iran to end its occupation of the three islands of …
Israel to take legal action against Macron over naval trade show ban
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday he had ordered his ministry to start legal proceedings against French President Emmanuel Macron after Paris banned Israeli firms from participating in an upcoming military naval trade show. The decision to bar Israeli firms is the latest incident in a row fueled by the Macron government’s unease over Israel’s conduct in the wars in Gaza and Lebanon. …
Thousands join right-wing rally against Spanish government
Madrid — Thousands of people packed a Madrid square on Sunday to protest against Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government and demand an early election, at a rally backed by right-wing parties. Waving red and yellow Spanish flags, protesters massed in the Plaza de Castilla, a large square in the heart of Madrid’s financial district and called on Sanchez to resign, shouting “traitor.” More …
Libyan held in Germany over suspected Israel embassy plot
Berlin — A Libyan suspected of planning an attack on the Israeli embassy in Berlin and links to the Islamic State group will appear before a judge on Sunday, German prosecutors said. The suspect, identified only as Omar A., was arrested on Saturday evening at his home in Bernau, just outside the German capital, the federal prosecutors’ office said. Omar A. was accused of …
Israel escalates Beirut bombing, says it hit Hezbollah ‘command center’
Jerusalem — Fighting raged on two fronts Sunday as Israel targeted what it said was a Hezbollah “command center” in the Lebanese capital, while in Gaza rescuers reported 73 people killed in a single airstrike. The strikes on Hezbollah’s south Beirut stronghold came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Iran-backed group of attempting to assassinate him by targeting his residence. It also came as …
Kyiv launches more than 100 drones over Russia; missile strike on Ukraine injures 17
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian air defenses shot down more than 100 Ukrainian drones Sunday over Russia’s western regions, Moscow officials said, while 17 people were injured in the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih in a ballistic missile attack. The Russian Defense Ministry said 110 drones were destroyed in the overnight barrage against seven Russian regions. Many targeted Russia’s border region of Kursk, where 43 drones were …