China

washington — China hosted its sixth World Media Summit this week in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, in northwestern China. Organizers say more than 500 participants from 208 leading media organizations participated in the event, which was cohosted by state-run Xinhua News Agency and the Xinjiang regional government.  The three-day summit, which ended on Thursday, focused on “Artificial Intelligence and Media Transformation.”  Chinese media highlighted the …

UNITED NATIONS — A United Nations-backed food security report warned Thursday that most of the residents of the Gaza Strip will face emergency levels of hunger in the coming months and that the threat of famine persists as aid dwindles and winter approaches. “Famine looms. This is intolerable,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on social media platform X. He said crossing points must open immediately, bureaucratic …

With Israel continuing its Lebanon offensive, the United Nations says a quarter of a million people have sought sanctuary in Syria. And with the numbers expected to grow, Turkey is bracing for a new exodus. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. …

washington — The United States on Thursday announced fresh sanctions targeting Chinese and Russian entities for their role in designing, building and shipping attack drones that have resulted in mass casualties in Ukraine. The sanctions target two Chinese entities, Xiamen Limbach Aircraft Engine Co., Ltd., and Redlepus Vector Industry Shenzhen Co Ltd (Redlepus), Russian entity TSK Vektor and TSK Vektor’s General Director Artem Mikhailovich Yamshchikov. A …

Fawzia Amin Saydo was just 11 years old when she was enslaved by ISIS in 2014. On October 1, she was rescued by an international team. She spoke with VOA’s Kawa Omar about the last 10 years of her life. Amy Katz narrates this report. …

Israel’s military said Thursday it killed a Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon, while also announcing a new round of evacuation orders in the Bekaa Valley. The Israel Defense Forces identified the commander killed as Hussein Awada and said he was responsible for firing projectiles across the border into Israel. Israel has issued multiple rounds of evacuation orders for parts of Lebanon, saying people need to …

ZURICH — Unemployment in Gaza has soared to nearly 80% since the Israel-Hamas war erupted, with the devastated enclave’s economy in almost total collapse, the International Labour Organization said Thursday. Economic output has shrunk by 85% since the conflict with Israel began a year ago, plunging almost the entire 2.3 million population into poverty, the United Nations agency said. The conflict has caused “unprecedented and wide-ranging …

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea confirmed Thursday that its recently revised constitution defines South Korea as “a hostile state” for the first time, two days after it blew up front-line road and rail links that once connected the country with the South. The back-to-back developments indicate North Korea is intent on escalating animosities against South Korea, increasing the danger of possible clashes at their tense …

TOKYO — Japan’s ruling party may lose its majority in the lower house, according to media polling ahead of the October 27 election, meaning it would likely have to rely on coalition partner Komeito to stay in power. The Liberal Democratic Party may not reach the 233 seats it needs for an outright majority in the 465-seat chamber, the Nikkei newspaper said on Thursday. The LDP …

BEIJING — China will expand a “white list” of housing projects eligible for financing and increase bank lending for such developments to $562 billion by year-end, Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development Ni Hong said on Thursday. Redevelopment of cities will also gather pace, with a million “urban villages” to be included in such plans, Ni said at a press conference, adding that people being resettled …

sydney — Beaches in Sydney including the iconic Bondi were closed to bathers on Thursday after hundreds of black balls suspected to be toxic washed up on the city’s shores. Waverley Council said it had closed Bondi, Bronte and Tamarama beaches as a precaution, while neighboring Randwick Council has closed an additional four beaches to the south. Bondi and Maroubra Beach to the south were later …

Tehran, Iran — Iran ‘s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday that new Western sanctions against Iran were “hostile action” and would not help to resolve regional tensions, state media reported.    “The new Western sanctions against Iran are considered a hostile action and will not help the existing situation,” he told reporters in Jordan’s capital, Amman, according to IRNA state news agency.   On Monday, …

Washington/Kirkuk, Iraq — Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah are driving tens of thousands of Lebanese into Iraq — with more expected as the security situation deteriorates. The sudden influx is generating political concerns, especially in Iraq’s volatile Kirkuk region. Iraqi officials say that as of October 9, about 8,000 Lebanese refugees have entered Iraq. Kirkuk, a multi-ethnic province contested by Kurds, Arabs and Turkmens, is already burdened …

Israel’s threat to retaliate for Iran’s October 1 missile strikes is raising concerns of a nuclear confrontation in the region. VOA’s Heather Murdock reports from Istanbul. …

Jerusalem — Israeli delegations taking part in the major defense show Euronaval in France next month will not be permitted to set up a stand or exhibit hardware following a decision by the French government, organizers said Wednesday, prompting outrage from Israel. The decision comes as tensions are rising between Israel and France following comments by President Emmanuel Macron criticizing the civilian casualties in the Israeli …

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has been admitted to hospital for a respiratory infection, his office said on Wednesday after media reported the ex-premier missed a court hearing in a defamation case he has lodged. The 99-year-old Mahathir, who served as prime minister for more two decades, has a history of heart problems and has undergone bypass surgeries. He has been …

Israeli forces carried out airstrikes Wednesday on Beirut’s southern suburbs, sending plumes of smoke rising from at least two neighborhoods. The Israel Defense Forces said its fighter jets struck a Hezbollah underground weapons warehouse. The attacks followed Israel’s latest evacuation order that warned people to leave areas in Beirut that the Israeli military said were near Hezbollah facilities. Israel also reported more than 50 projectiles …

LONDON — The world is on the brink of a new age of electricity with fossil fuel demand set to peak by the end of the decade, meaning surplus oil and gas supplies could drive investment into green energy, the International Energy Agency said on Wednesday. But it also flagged a high level of uncertainty as conflicts embroil the oil and gas-producing Middle East and Russia …

BEIJING/TAIPEI — China will not promise to renounce the use of force over Taiwan but this is aimed at external interference and a small minority of separatists, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said on Wednesday following the country’s latest war games around the island. China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, staged a day of large-scale drills around the island on Monday it said …

washington — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s tour of Southeast Asian countries shows Seoul has stepped up the country’s role in supporting regional security, but there are limits to what it can do to help them push back against China’s growing aggression, analysts say. Yoon made several pledges to support regional security during visits to the Philippines, Singapore and Laos, where he attended the closing …

LONDON — British Foreign Secretary David Lammy is expected to visit Beijing and Shanghai, the highest-level trip to China since the Labour government came to power. Analysts say they will be watching the trip for signs of a possible reset in U.K.-China relations, which have been fraught in recent years.  Reuters reported last week that Lammy is expected to meet with Chinese officials in Beijing and …

Israel has become the top target of Iranian cyberattacks since the start of the Gaza war last year, while Tehran had focused primarily on the United States before the conflict, Microsoft said Tuesday. “Following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, Iran surged its cyber, influence, and cyber-enabled influence operations against Israel,” Microsoft said in an annual report. “From October 7, 2023, to July 2024, nearly …

Geneva — The World Health Organization said on Tuesday it had been able to start its polio campaign in central Gaza and vaccinate tens of thousands of children despite Israeli strikes in the designated protected zone hours before. As part of an agreement between the Israeli military and Palestinian militant group Hamas, humanitarian pauses in the year-long Gaza war had been due to begin early on …

Washington — The National Zoo’s long dark panda drought is coming to an end. Eleven months after the zoo sent its three wildly popular pandas — Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji — back to China, a new pair of bears arrived in the United States on Tuesday. They will be transported from Dulles International Airport in suburban Virginia to the zoo. …