China

Millions of dollars have been taken from people in the Kurdistan Region through fake stock exchange companies. According to Mohammed Hussein from the Iraqi Economists Network, some websites were created to trade commodities internationally, but they were scams that stole people’s money. Experts say the lack of laws to regulate online trading in Iraq and Kurdistan has allowed these scams to grow. Many people without …

After the main water station in Kobani, Syria, was targeted, the city and its countryside were left without drinking water. While residents try to obtain water via wells, and doctors express concerns about the outbreak of diseases due to the lack of clean water.  Click here for the full TV story in Kurdish.   …

TAIPEI, TAIWAN — The Chinese government on Tuesday launched four consecutive trade measures against the United States, including 10%-15% tariffs, an antitrust investigation on Google, a blacklist of two U.S. companies, and export controls on five types of metals. Analysts said that Beijing’s four consecutive countermeasures were intended not only to retaliate against the United States but also to increase bargaining chips in negotiations with the …

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are set soon to hold a high-stakes phone call on the tit-for-tat tariffs each has imposed on the other country’s exports. Trump’s new 10% tariff on Chinese goods took effect at midnight Monday, with China quickly announcing it would impose 15% tariffs on U.S. coal and liquified natural gas, as well as 10% tariffs on crude …

Beirut, Lebanon — Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa said his government aims to restore ties with the United States in the coming days but has not yet had any contact with the Trump administration, according to an interview with The Economist.  Sharaa, declared Syria’s interim head of state last week, also noted that U.S. troops were in Syria without government approval, adding that any such presence …

Taipei, Taiwan — Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra kicks off a four-day trip to China on Wednesday that is expected to focus on economic and trade ties. During the visit, which will include a meeting with China’s leader Xi Jinping, analysts say the prime minister will also seek Beijing’s help in boosting Chinese tourists’ confidence in traveling to Thailand. Paetongtarn’s trip comes amid growing concerns among …

Israel’s military said Tuesday its forces killed a gunman in the occupied West Bank who had fired at soldiers. The Israel Defense Forces said the exchange of gunfire took place at a checkpoint in the village of Tayasir. Israeli emergency services said at least six people were injured, including two soldiers. In recent weeks the Israeli military has been conducting an operation in the area, …

BANGKOK — Thailand will suspend electricity supply to some border areas with Myanmar in an effort to curb scam centres, its government said on Tuesday, amid growing pressure on the illegal compounds that have ensnared vast numbers of people of multiple nationalities. According to the United Nations, hundreds of thousands of people have been trafficked by criminal gangs and forced to work in scam centers and …

The air forces of the Philippines and the United States held joint patrols over the South China Sea on Tuesday, a move that angered China, which also conducted a “routine patrol” over a disputed shoal. The Philippines and the United States have ramped up security arrangements under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. against a backdrop of rising tension between Manila and Beijing stemming from overlapping claims …

Two defense attorneys have announced that the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office of Mashhad has issued indictments against at least 17 lawyers on charges of “propaganda against the regime.” On Monday, attorneys Marzieh Mohebbi and Sina Yousefi stated on the social media platform X the moves were made, “despite a previous ruling for dismissal and cessation of prosecution.” Click here for the full story in …

TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has ordered the swift implementation of measures to give consumers relief from inflated food prices, including an unprecedented release of stockpiled rice to bring down costs, a minister said on Tuesday. At a news conference, Economy Minister Ryosei Akazawa said Ishiba had instructed the cabinet to proceed quickly with countermeasures as the prices of rice, vegetables and other living …

U.S. President Donald Trump is set to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks Tuesday at the White House with Israel’s ceasefire with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip at the top of the agenda. The talks come at a key phase in the ceasefire. Israel and Hamas have less than four weeks to agree on the terms of the second phase, which would …

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea aims to rebuild its aviation safety system from scratch, the transport ministry said on Tuesday, launching a new committee to improve air travel in the country that suffered two major aviation incidents a month apart. “In order to restore trust in our country’s aviation safety system, the government will make a determined effort to rebuild the aviation safety system from …

Sydney — Australia on Monday imposed sanctions on extreme right-wing online network “Terrorgram” as part of its efforts to combat a rise in antisemitism and online extremism, following similar moves by Britain and the United States.  Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the government’s action would make it a criminal offense to engage with “Terrorgram” and help prevent children from becoming caught up in far-right extremism.  “Terrorgram …

CAIRO — Liberian-flagged crude oil tanker Chrysalis, which was attacked by Yemen’s Houthis last year, sailed through the Red Sea this week, the Suez Canal said Monday, in one of the first voyages since the militia announced a halt in attacks on ships not linked to Israel. Shipping companies, many of which have suspended Red Sea voyages and rerouted vessels around southern Africa to avoid potential …

As the first stage of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has taken effect, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza. But many find their homes completely destroyed. Linda Gradstein has the story from Jerusalem. VOA footage by Enas Tantesh and Amjed Tantesh. …

U.S. stock markets fell sharply in early trading Monday but pared their losses after President Donald Trump paused a planned 25% tariff on Mexican imports. The three major U.S. stock indices — the Dow Jones Industrial Average of 30 blue chip stocks, the broader S&P 500 and the tech-heavy NASDAQ — all dropped nearly 2% or more on fears that Trump’s new tariffs targeting Canada, …

BANGKOK — A journalist who covers environmental issues from Cambodia has been banned from entering the country where he has been based for the past five years. British reporter Gerry Flynn told VOA that immigration officials denied his re-entry to Cambodia on Jan. 5, when he tried to return after a vacation in Thailand. The journalist went public with the incident Monday. “It’s not just a …

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has made its first comment on Western media reports that Iran is trying to ship a missile propellant ingredient from China, telling VOA it is aware of the reports published last month, while declining to confirm their veracity.   Responding to a VOA query about the purported Iranian scheme, a State Department spokesperson said in a Jan. 30 statement, “We are aware …

DAMASCUS, Syria — At least 15 people were killed and dozens wounded Monday when a car bomb exploded on the outskirts of a northern Syrian city, local civil defense and a war monitor reported. The car on the outskirts of the city of Manbij detonated next to a vehicle carrying agricultural workers, killing 14 women and one man, the local Syrian civil defense reported. Another 15 …

SYDNEY — Fast-moving floodwaters rose Monday in northeastern Australia after forcing many to flee, blacking out homes, and sweeping away a chunk of a critical bridge. Storms have already dumped more than a meter of rain in two days in parts of Queensland, engulfing homes, businesses and roads in muddy waters, authorities said. Aerial footage showed rural communities surrounded by the floodwaters, cut off from nearby …

TOKYO — Japan’s space agency said Sunday it successfully launched a navigation satellite on its new flagship H3 rocket as the country seeks to have a more precise location positioning system of its own.  The H3 rocket carrying the Michibiki 6 satellite lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center on a southwestern Japanese island.  Everything went smoothly and the satellite successfully separated from the rocket as …

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he will discuss his country’s self-declared “victory over Hamas,” countering Iranian aggression and expanding diplomatic relations with Arab countries as he meets this week with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House. Trump Tuesday is set to greet Netanyahu, the first foreign head of state he is meeting with since taking office for a second four-year term …

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — Syria’s interim president made his first trip abroad Sunday, traveling to Saudi Arabia in a move likely trying to signal Damascus’ shift away from Iran as its main regional ally. Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was once aligned with al-Qaida, landed in Riyadh alongside his government’s foreign minister, Asaad al-Shaibani. The two men traveled on a Saudi jet, with a Saudi flag visible …