China

KILIS / IZMIRl, TURKEY — Hundreds of Syrian refugees lined up Monday at Turkey’s southern Oncupinar border crossing in Kilis province to return to their homeland after the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Syrians who spoke to VOA Turkish said they were happy to soon be back in their country, as they saw a new beginning there. Muhammed Taha, who crossed into Turkey in 2014, …

BANGKOK — One of the most powerful ethnic minority armed groups battling Myanmar’s army has claimed the capture of the last army outpost in the strategic western town of Maungdaw, gaining full control of the 271-kilometer (168-mile) border with Bangladesh. The capture by the Arakan Army makes the group’s control of the northern part of Rakhine state complete and marks another advance in its bid for …

TAIPEI, TAIWAN — FILE – A recruiter talks with an applicant at a booth at a job fair at a shopping center in Beijing, on June 9, 2023. A record of more than one in five young Chinese are out of work, their career ambitions at least temporarily derailed by a depressed job market as the economy struggles to regain momentum after its long bout with …

Following the overthrow Sunday of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, Israel has seized control of a demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan Heights and attacked weapons factories near Damascus. Linda Gradstein reports for VOA from Jerusalem. …

The Biden administration is shoring up its CHIPS Act funding agreements before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20. Trump has previously disparaged the CHIPS Act and called for higher tariffs instead of subsidies to incentivize companies to build semiconductor factories. What would be the future of TSMC under the Trump administration? See the full story here. …

Without hesitation and after more than 13 years in exile, hundreds of Syrian refugees rushed to return to their country this week in the hope of reuniting with their families and reestablishing their lives. Joan Cabasés Vega spoke with some of the refugees from the Masnaa border crossing between Lebanon and Syria. See the full story here. …

The number of people who successfully registered for China’s 2025 national public service exam reached a historic high of 3.416 million. For many young people, securing a position as a civil servant has become the preferred choice for a stable career, particularly in light of China’s economic uncertainties and intense pressures in the job market. See the full story here. …

BANGKOK, THAILAND — A recent altercation between fishermen from Thailand and the Myanmar navy has publicized the long-running dispute between the two countries about overlapping fishing rights, experts say.  In the early hours of November 30, Myanmar patrol boats fired on 15 Thai fishing vessels off Ranong province in southern Thailand. One Thai national was killed while four Thai crew members were detained along with 27 …

Taipei, Taiwan  — Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun has reappeared in public after a media report claimed he was under disciplinary investigation. Analysts say that while his reappearance suggests Dong is politically safe, it does not mean China will stop its anti-corruption purge against the military. Dong attended a security forum in Shanghai last Thursday on the security situation in the Gulf of Guinea. This marked …

Damascus residents are celebrating a rebel victory that quickly swept through Syria, culminating with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s overthrow and departure to Moscow over the weekend, ending a half-century of his family’s rule. VOA’s Heather Murdock reports from Istanbul with Moawia Atrash and Ahmad Fallaha in Damascus, Syria. …

Geneva — Two days before FIFA confirms Saudi Arabia as the 2034 World Cup host, the United Nations’ top human rights official pledged Monday to try to ensure migrant labor standards are “properly respected” around the tournament. Saudi Arabia is the only candidate and sure to win Wednesday when FIFA will ask an online meeting of its 211 member federations to award the 2034 hosting rights …

Israel’s military said Monday that four of its soldiers were killed in fighting in southern Lebanon. A military statement said the soldiers were all from the same brigade, but it did not specify when they were killed or the circumstances of their deaths. The development comes nearly two weeks after Israel and the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah began a cease-fire. The agreement, which calls for …

BEIJING — China’s military appears to be preparing for widely anticipated drills in response to a recent visit by Taiwan’s president to Hawaii and Guam.  Taiwan’s defense ministry said Monday that it detected Chinese naval and coast guard ships entering the Taiwan Strait and the western Pacific and that China had restricted airspace along its southeast coast through Wednesday.  There was no immediate confirmation from the …

Much of Earth’s lands are drying out and damaging the ability of plant and animal life to survive, according to a United Nations report released Monday at talks where countries are working to address the problem. The report was released at the U.N. summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on combating desertification — once-fertile lands turning into deserts because of hotter temperatures from human-caused climate change, …

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — South Korea’s defense ministry insisted that President Yoon Suk Yeol remained in charge of the country’s armed forces on Monday, even as the justice ministry enforced a travel ban against him following his attempt to declare martial law last week.  The developments deepened what legal scholars described as an extraordinary constitutional crisis. Although Yoon is being investigated for treason, and the head …

WASHINGTON — The fall of the Assad regime in Syria will not impact U.S. support, at least for now, for one of Washington’s most steadfast allies in the fight against the Islamic State terror group, according to senior American officials.  Speaking just hours after Russian officials confirmed former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad had fled Damascus and taken refuge in Moscow, and a day after rebel forces …

Sydney — Civil society groups and academics say that Australia is falling behind other countries in tackling slavery. The government this week released its response to an independent assessment of Australia’s slavery laws. The review found that the legislation had “not yet caused meaningful change” for victims and made various recommendations to strengthen the law.  The Australian government has accepted 25 of 30 recommendations made by …

U.S. President Joe Biden declared Sunday that the sudden demise of the Syrian government under Bashar Assad was a “fundamental act of justice,” but that it was “a moment of uncertainty” for the Mideast. Biden, speaking at the White House, said the collapse of the decades-long iron rule by the Assad family was “the best opportunity in a generation for the Syrian people to forge …

London — Half a century of rule by the Assad family in Syria crumbled with astonishing speed after insurgents burst out of a rebel-held enclave and converged on the capital, Damascus, taking city after city in a matter of days. Opposition forces swept across the country and entered Damascus with little or no resistance as the Syrian army melted away. President Bashar Assad, Syria’s ruler for …

DAMASCUS, SYRIA — The Syrian government collapsed early Sunday, falling to a lightning rebel offensive that seized control of the capital of Damascus and sent crowds into the streets to celebrate the end of the Assad family’s 50 years of iron rule. Syrian state television aired a video statement by a group of men saying that President Bashar Assad had been overthrown and all prisoners had …

TOKYO — A frog holding a taro-leaf umbrella. A parade of frolicking animals. An Ukiyo-e style Mount Fuji. Giant waves. A Japanese artist who goes by the name Lito carves these delicate designs on fallen leaves, giving life back to them. The world of Lito’s delicate art, which he began in 2020 and posts on social media almost daily, has won fans from around the world. …

BEIRUT — The fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government Sunday brought to a dramatic close his nearly 14-year struggle to hold onto power as his country fragmented amid a brutal civil war that became a proxy battlefield for regional and international powers. Assad’s downfall came as a stark contrast to his first months as Syria’s unlikely president in 2000, when many hoped he would be …

Syria’s government appears to have fallen after opposition fighters said they entered Damascus following a stunning advance. Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said the government was ready to “extend its hand” to the opposition and hand over its functions to a transitional government. “I am in my house and I have not left, and this is because of my belonging to this country,” Jalili …

beirut — Lebanon’s health ministry said Saturday that Israeli strikes killed six people in the country’s south, 10 days into a ceasefire between the Hezbollah group and Israel.  Both Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah face accusations of having breached the truce that took effect on November 27 to end a war that has killed thousands in Lebanon and sparked mass displacements on both sides.  “The Israeli enemy’s …