South Korea says fatal crash cockpit transcript nearly complete

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — South Korean investigators said Saturday they were close to finalizing the transcript of the cockpit voice recorder from a fatal plane crash that left 179 people dead last week. The recording may hold clues to the final moments of Jeju Air flight 2216, which was carrying 181 passengers and crew from Thailand to South Korea on Sunday when it belly-landed before slamming …

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South Korea investigators ask acting president to clear way for Yoon’s arrest

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — South Korean investigators again asked the country’s acting president on Saturday to order the presidential security service to comply with an arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. The security service, along with military troops, on Friday prevented prosecutors from arresting Yoon Suk Yeol in a six-hour standoff inside Yoon’s compound. The investigators secured the warrant to arrest Yoon over his …

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Palestinian health ministry says 1 dead in Israel West Bank raid

RAMALLAH, WEST BANK — The health ministry in the occupied West Bank said one person was killed and nine injured in an Israeli raid on a refugee camp, with the Israeli military saying Saturday it had opened fire at “terrorists.” An 18-year-old man, Muhammad Medhat Amin Amer, “was killed by bullets from the (Israeli) occupation in the Balata camp” in the territory’s north, the Palestinian health …

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Myanmar junta to free 5,864 prisoners under amnesty

Myanmar’s military government will release 5,864 prisoners, including 180 foreigners, under an amnesty marking the Southeast Asian nation’s independence day, state media said Saturday. Myanmar has been in turmoil since early 2021, when the military overthrew an elected civilian government and violently suppressed pro-democracy protests, sparking a nationwide armed rebellion. The junta has said it will hold elections this year, but the plan has been …

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VOA Mandarin: Year-end bonuses reveal extremes between China’s tech, traditional industries

Economists say Chinese official policies will affect year-end bonuses issued by companies, including high-tech and internet industries that are expected to give out higher-than-expected bonuses. State-owned enterprises will also have better year-end bonuses. By contrast, financial institutions were offering less, and a manufacturing worker expressed disappointment over the lack of year-end bonuses because of overcapacity. Click here for the full story in Mandarin.   …

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Myanmar’s new cybercrime law will suppress information, say analysts

WASHINGTON — Myanmar’s military leaders have enacted a new cybersecurity law that analysts say will provide the junta with extensive control over access to information.   The expansive law — which has 16 chapters and 88 articles — includes regulations on Virtual Private Networks, or VPNs, which allow internet users to circumvent website blocks. It penalizes users who access or share media articles and information from banned …

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Analysts: South Korea’s political turmoil works in China’s favor

WASHINGTON — South Korea’s political turmoil is deepening since its martial law debacle, and analysts say China may have an opportunity to increase its leverage over the country. The current political chaos in Seoul is “working to[ward] Beijing’s advantage,” said Evans Revere, who served as the acting assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific Affairs during the George W. Bush administration. “China, with its …

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Biden blocks Japan’s Nippon Steel from buying US Steel

Washington — President Joe Biden has made good on his months of public opposition to the proposed purchase of American company U.S. Steel by Japan’s Nippon Steel, announcing Friday he is blocking the $14.9 billion takeover.   The acquisition would “place one of America’s largest steel producers under foreign control and create risk for our national security and our critical supply chains,” he said in a statement. …

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South Korean investigators try to detain impeached Yoon

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean investigators on Friday attempted to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived martial law decree last month, as hundreds of his supporters gathered near his residence in Seoul, vowing to protect him. About 20 investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials and police officers were seen entering the gate of Yoon’s residence in Seoul to execute …

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Israel continues striking Syrian army positions

Israel bombed Syrian army positions south of the city of Aleppo on Thursday, according to residents, local media and rights groups, marking the latest strikes by Israel against a country whose longtime president was overthrown last month. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights group said the strikes targeted defense and research facilities. Residents reported hearing big explosions in their vicinity. Syrian state television reported the …

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Carter leaves complex legacy on Korean Peninsula

washington — Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has a complex legacy on the Korean Peninsula, former U.S. officials say, including the vital role he played in defusing a crisis between the United States and North Korea in 1994. Thomas Hubbard, former U.S. ambassador to South Korea from 2001 to 2004, told VOA Korean by phone Wednesday that Carter’s interventions in North Korea significantly lowered tensions, despite …

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Amendments to school textbooks by Syria’s new authorities draw outcry

WASHINGTON — Amendments to school textbooks by Syria’s new authorities have sparked outrage from parents, educators and rights groups.  The changes, announced Wednesday, affect first-to-12th-grade schoolbooks in all Syrian schools, with a focus on history, religion and science textbooks.  The Education Ministry under the country’s caretaker government announced the decision following the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in an Islamist-led rebel offensive just weeks …

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Syrian security forces search for pro-Assad militants in Homs, state media say

Syrian security forces searched Thursday for former soldiers and pro-Assad militants in the city of Homs who have refused to turn in their weapons, state media said. The SANA news agency cited a military official saying the rebels who ousted longtime President Bashar al-Assad had set up centers in Homs for the soldiers and militants to turn in their arms in a process carried out …

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Israeli airstrikes kill at least 10 in southern Gaza

Palestinian medics said an Israeli airstrike Thursday killed at least 10 people and injured 15 others in southern Gaza. The strike hit a tent camp housing displaced families in the al-Mawasi area west of the city of Khan Younis. Those killed included Gaza police chief Mahmoud Salah and his aide, Hussam Shahwan, officials said. Israel warned Wednesday it will intensify its strikes against Hamas if …

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Palestinian Authority suspends Al Jazeera broadcasts

WASHINGTON — The Palestinian Authority on Wednesday temporarily suspended Al Jazeera broadcasts across the Palestinian territories, according to media reports.   A ministerial committee suspended the broadcaster’s operations over what it described as broadcasting “inciting material and reports that were deceiving and stirring strife” in the territories. The committee included the culture, interior and communications ministries.  The Qatari-owned Al Jazeera came under criticism last week by the …

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Protesters in Syria call for justice for disappeared activists

A few dozen protesters gathered in the Syrian city of Douma on Wednesday to demand answers in the disappearance of four prominent activists who were abducted more than a decade ago. The demonstrators called on Syria’s new rulers — the Islamist-led rebels who seized power last month — to investigate what happened to them. The disappeared activists in question are Razan Zaitouneh, her husband, Wael …

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China-backed election raises fears of ‘negative peace’ in Myanmar

WASHINGTON — As Myanmar’s military government prepares for elections in 2025, attention turns to neighboring China, which, critics say, is pressuring Southeast Asian nations to treat the vote as a solution to Myanmar’s ongoing political crisis. A military coup in Myanmar in February 2021 overthrew the democratically elected government and triggered a civil war that left thousands of people dead and millions displaced. Myanmar’s neighbors have …

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Deadly Israeli airstrikes hit northern, central Gaza

Palestinian officials said Wednesday that Israeli airstrikes in northern and central Gaza killed at least 15 people. One of the strikes hit a house in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza, while another hit the Bureij refugee camp in the center of the Gaza Strip. Israel’s military did not immediate comment on the attacks, but earlier Wednesday, it warned people to evacuate the Bureij area, …

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Taiwan’s president says Beijing remains the obstacle for resuming cross-strait exchanges

Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te reiterated his administration’s willingness to welcome equal and dignified exchanges with China but said Beijing remains the obstacle for both sides to resume regular exchanges. “Taiwan hopes to have healthy and orderly exchanges with China under the principle of reciprocal dignity, and [Beijing] can cooperate with Taiwan openly and generously,” Lai said during his first New Year address since becoming president …

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VOA Mandarin: Experts react to Xi Jinping’s New Year’s speech

Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his New Year’s address on Tuesday, said China’s economy has rebounded, with GDP projected to exceed 130 trillion yuan ($17.8 trillion). Regarding Taiwan, he asserted that “no one can stop the historic trend of national reunification.” Analysts, however, noted a stark disconnect between Xi’s economic optimism and the realities felt by Chinese citizens. Click here for the full story in …

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VOA Mandarin: China 2025: Seven major developments to watch

Amid a slowing economy, China has wrapped up a challenging 2024 that ended with heightened public discontent and social unrest following the eruption of several random attacks in the past two months. How will 2025 unfold in China? Several China watchers sum up seven major developments to keep an eye on in China. Click here for the full story in Mandarin.   …

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VOA Kurdish: Kurds’ quest for rights in the new Syria

As Syria undergoes a transformative phase, its diverse communities are seeking to secure their place in the nation’s evolving political landscape. Among them, the Kurds seek recognition of their long-denied national rights, a topic that remains ambiguous in the agenda of the emerging authorities. VOA Kurdish Service discussed this issue with three experts who emphasized threats from Turkey and the need for the U.S. to …

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Somali security forces fend off Islamic State attack in Puntland

Authorities in the Somali autonomous region of Puntland said eight foreign militants were killed following an attack by Islamic fighters on security forces early Tuesday. Residents said the attack started with a suicide bombing that targeted an area in Dharjale village in the far eastern highlands of Puntland, where security forces and officials were camped. In an audio statement posted on the Telegram channel of …

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Israeli attacks push Gaza health care system near collapse, UN rights office says

GENEVA — Repeated Israeli attacks on Gaza’s hospitals and nearby operations have brought Gaza’s health care system to its knees, according to a report issued Monday by the U.N. human rights office. The 19-page report finds, “Israel’s pattern of deadly attacks” on and near hospitals “has led to the destruction of most hospitals in Gaza,” leading to sustained combat in and around many hospitals and “pushing …

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