TOKYO — Depending on whom you ask, the bones that have been sitting in a Tokyo repository for decades could be either leftovers from early 20th-century anatomy classes, or the unburied and unidentified victims of one of the country’s most notorious war crimes. Activists, historians and other experts who want the government to investigate links to wartime human germ warfare experiments met last weekend to mark …
IOC apologizes for South Korea gaffe in Olympics opening ceremony
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — The International Olympic Committee apologized Saturday for a gaffe during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics in which South Korean athletes were incorrectly introduced as North Korean. As the South Korean delegation sailed down the Seine River in the French capital, they were introduced with the official name for North Korea: “Republique populaire democratique de Coree” in French, then “Democratic People’s …
Blinken arrives in Laos, set for talks with Chinese foreign minister
Vientiane, Laos — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived early Saturday in Laos, where he will attend a regional meeting and hold talks with his Chinese counterpart, part of a multination Asia visit aimed at reinforcing ties with regional allies in the face of an increasingly assertive Beijing. The top U.S. diplomat is due to meet China’s Wang Yi on the sidelines of an Association …
Harris urges Netanyahu to end Gaza war; Trump says he’ll solve it if elected
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump offered competing views on the war in Gaza as they met separately with Israel’s prime minister this week. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara reports. Warning: This video includes graphic images that some may find disturbing. …
Harris urges Netanyahu to end war; Trump says he’ll resolve it if elected
washington — Likely U.S. election rivals Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump offered competing views on Israel’s conduct in its war in Gaza, as they separately met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week. While reiterating support for Israel’s right to self-defense “from Iran and Iran-backed militias,” and condemning Hamas as a “brutal terrorist organization,” Harris delivered a forceful call to immediately reach …
Southeast Asia aims to attract remote workers with new visa scheme
bangkok — Countries in Southeast Asia are hoping to boost their economies by luring long-staying professionals with digital nomad visas. In recent years East and Southeast Asian countries including Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan have launched digital nomad visas, which allow remote workers to live and work within their borders. International tourism and foreigners’ spending contributes significantly to these countries’ economies. Indonesia launched its KITAS E33G visa, …
Gaza mediators, Israeli spy chief to meet in Rome, Egyptian media say
Cairo — Egyptian, Qatari and U.S. mediators are to meet with Israeli negotiators in the Italian capital on Sunday in the latest push for a Gaza truce, Egyptian state-linked media said. “A four-way meeting between Egyptian officials and their American and Qatari counterparts, in the presence of Israel’s intelligence chief, will be held in Rome on Sunday to reach an agreement on a truce in Gaza,” …
US defers removal of some Lebanese, citing Israel-Hezbollah tensions
washington — The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security. …
Netanyahu to meet Trump in talks seeking to ease tensions
Washington — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit former U.S. President Donald Trump at Trump’s Florida resort on Friday, a meeting that could ease recent tensions between leaders who forged a close alliance during Trump’s years in the White House. Netanyahu’s visit to Trump, the Republican nominee in the 2024 U.S. presidential race, comes a day after meetings in Washington with Democratic President Joe Biden …
Typhoon Gaemi wreaked most havoc in country it didn’t hit directly – the Philippines
BEIJING — What was Typhoon Gaemi was heading to inland China on Friday after weakening to a severe tropical storm soon after making landfall on the east coast the previous night. The storm felled trees, flooded streets and damaged crops in China but there were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage. Five people died in Taiwan, which Gaemi crossed at typhoon strength on Thursday …
Pakistan boosts security of Chinese workers amid growing terrorism
Islamabad — “We have never seen a Chinese reaction like this one,” says regional security affairs analyst Ahmed Rashid, referring to Beijing’s persistent public demand that Pakistan ensure the safety of Chinese nationals since a March 26 suicide attack killed five Chinese workers there. As Pakistan fights a resurgent wave of terrorism that has killed hundreds of local civilians and security personnel this year, officials insist …
Vietnam Communist Party chief’s funeral draws thousands of mourners
HANOI, Vietnam — Thousands of mourners gathered in Hanoi on Friday for the second day of the funeral of the man who dominated Vietnamese politics for over a decade, Communist Party general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. His death, at 80, last week in Hanoi marked the start of a succession struggle within the party that will likely to continue until the all-important National Party Congress of …
Brazil apologizes for post-WWII persecution of Japanese immigrants
Sao Paulo — The Brazilian government on Thursday apologized for human rights violations in the persecution and incarceration of Japanese immigrants in the years after World War II. “I want to apologize on behalf of the Brazilian state for the persecution your ancestors suffered, for all the barbarities, atrocities, cruelties, tortures, prejudice, ignorance, xenophobia and racism,” said Eneá de Stutz e Almeida, president of the Amnesty …
Netanyahu’s speech to Congress seen as unlikely to shift US policy on Israel-Hamas war
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech on Wednesday to Congress highlighted US partisan divisions on his conduct of the war against the Hamas terror group, and some of his differences with President Joe Biden on how best to secure Israel’s future. VOA’s Michael Lipin looks at how Netanyahu’s address and Biden’s decision last weekend not to run for reelection may affect US policy on the …
Biden, Netanyahu meet to discuss Gaza war and cease-fire talks
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met separately with Israel’s leader Thursday at the White House — as a sensitive moment in the Gaza conflict collided with an unprecedented moment in American politics. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also plans to meet on Friday with former President Donald Trump. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell reports from Washington. …
US, Taiwan, China race to improve military drone technology
washington — This week, as Taiwan was preparing for the start of its Han Kuang military exercises, its air defense system detected a Chinese drone circling the island. This was the sixth time that China had sent a drone to operate around Taiwan since 2023. Drones like the one that flew around Taiwan, which are tasked with dual-pronged missions of reconnaissance and intimidation, are just a …
North Korean charged in ransomware attacks on US hospitals
Kansas City, Kansas — A man who officials say worked for one of North Korea’s military intelligence agencies has been indicted for his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to hack American health care providers, federal prosecutors announced Thursday. A grand jury in Kansas City, Kansas, indicted Rim Jong Hyok, who is accused of laundering ransom money and using the money to fund additional cyberattacks on defense, …
China seeks to boost influence by playing peacemaker
Taipei, Taiwan — China hosted a series of high-profile diplomatic meetings this week aimed at projecting an image as a global peacemaker in two major global crises, the Russia-Ukraine war and the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the southern city of Guangzhou, his first trip to China since Russia invaded Ukraine in February …
Mourners gather in Vietnam for leader’s funeral
Hanoi, Vietnam — Thousands of black-clad mourners including top Vietnamese officials gathered Thursday in Hanoi for the funeral of Communist party leader Nguyen Phu Trong as two days of national mourning began. The 80-year-old, who died at a military hospital in the capital Hanoi last week “due to old age and serious illness,” was the most powerful leader the country had seen in decades. Trong, who …
Some US states purge Chinese companies from investments amid tensions with China
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — As state treasurer, Vivek Malek pushed Missouri’s main retirement system to pull its investments from Chinese companies, making Missouri among the first nationally to do so. Now Malek is touting the Chinese divestment as he seeks reelection in an August 6 Republican primary against challengers who also are denouncing financial connections to China. The Missouri treasurer’s race highlights a new facet of …