China

London — The European Parliament overwhelmingly passed an emergency resolution Thursday condemning the Chinese government’s persecution of Uyghurs and urging China to immediately and unconditionally release detainees, including Uyghur economist Ilham Tohti and Gulshan Abbas. The resolution is fueled by widespread concern from the international community and highlights its continued concern about the human rights situation in Xinjiang. The resolution, which was adopted by a vote …

WASHINGTON — A new source of tension in the South China Sea — until now focused on fisheries, resource extraction and freedom of navigation — is beginning to get attention: the undersea fiber-optic cables that crisscross the strategic waterway and carry almost all of the region’s internet and other telecommunications traffic. Since 2020, according to published reports, the United States has been urging countries in the …

zurich — Two months before FIFA is set to confirm Saudi Arabia as the 2034 World Cup host, the soccer body was urged again Friday to allow independent scrutiny of the kingdom’s human rights obligations for the tournament. A group of law and human rights experts plus Saudi activists abroad want FIFA to mandate ongoing reviews — and a potential termination clause — into the 2034 …

VIENTIANE, LAOS — Myanmar’s worsening violence took center stage at this week’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Vientiane, Laos, as regional leaders grappled with the inability to implement their Five-Point Consensus. This outline for peace agreed upon nearly four years ago, calls for an end to the violence in the country, constructive dialogue among the parties, humanitarian aid and appointment of a special envoy …

Seoul, South Korea — North Korea on Friday accused South Korea of sending drones to drop anti-regime leaflets over Pyongyang, an accusation that Seoul immediately denied. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, North Korea’s foreign ministry said South Korean drones have entered Pyongyang at night on three occasions since October 3, scattering “numerous” leaflets. The ministry called the alleged incursion a “grave political and …

STOCKHOLM — Japanese organization Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots movement of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki who are also known as Hibakusha, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.   Below are some facts about the background and efforts of the movement.   Atomic bombing of Japan    In 1945 the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan to bring an end to World War II and …

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WASHINGTON — The United States still believes that Iran has not decided to build a nuclear weapon despite Tehran’s recent strategic setbacks, including Israel’s killing of Hezbollah leaders and two largely unsuccessful attempts to attack Israel, two U.S. officials told Reuters. The comments from a senior Biden administration official and a spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) added to public remarks …

seoul, south korea — South Koreans flocked to bookstores Friday and crashed websites in a frenzy to snap up copies of the work of novelist Han Kang in her home country, after her unexpected win of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature. However, the author herself was keeping out of the limelight. The country’s largest bookstore chain, Kyobo Book Centre, said sales of her books had …

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CAIRO — A Liberia-flagged tanker was struck twice with missiles and drones in the Red Sea on Thursday morning, in an attack claimed by Iran-aligned Houthi militants.  The Olympic Spirit was hit about 135 kilometers southwest of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, British maritime security firm Ambrey said. The tanker, en route from Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah to Muscat in Oman, was struck on its starboard side. …

BEIRUT / ISTANBUL — Hundreds of Turkish citizens seeking refuge from Israel’s attacks on the armed group Hezbollah were evacuated from Lebanon Thursday on board two Turkish naval ships. The two vessels — the TCG Sancaktar and TCG Bayraktar — also delivered 300 tons of humanitarian aid, including food, blankets and tents, upon arrival at Beirut’s port on Wednesday. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said the ships …

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia’s immigration officers on the tourist island of Bali have arrested a Chinese suspect sought by Beijing for helping run over $14 billion investment scam to clients in China, officials said Thursday. The 39-year-old man, identified only by his initial, LQ, was arrested on October 1, when an immigration auto-gate in Bali’s Ngurah Rai international airport denied him departure for Singapore. The biometric …

MELBOURNE, Australia — China will resume importing Australian live lobsters by the end of the year, removing the final major obstacle to bilateral trade that once cost Australian exporters more than 20 billion Australian dollars ($13 billion) a year, Australia’s prime minister said Thursday.  Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made the announcement after meeting Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian summit in Vientiane, …

VIENTIANE, LAOS — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced hope Thursday for cooperation with Thailand and Malaysia after recent turbulence as he met their prime ministers at an Asia summit. In a shift of focus after exhaustive diplomacy on the Middle East crisis, Blinken is representing the United States in Laos at the annual East Asia Summit, which President Joe Biden is skipping for the …

Vientiane, Laos — Southeast Asian leaders stepped up pressure on China to respect international law following clashes in the disputed South China Sea during annual summit talks on Thursday, but Chinese Premier Li Qiang was defiant as he blamed “external forces” for interfering in regional affairs. The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ meeting with Li followed recent violent confrontations at sea this year between China …

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HONG KONG — A Hong Kong court rejected jailed publisher Jimmy Lai ‘s request to have a jury trial for his libel case against a pro-Beijing newspaper Thursday, the latest setback for the activist who suffered multiple blows in other legal battles. Lai, the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, is one of the city’s leading activists who was prosecuted under a sweeping national security …

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TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan celebrated its National Day holiday Thursday against the background of threats from China, which claims the self-governing island republic as its own territory. The celebration marks the establishment of the Republic of China, which overthrew the Qing Dynasty in 1911 and fled to Taiwan as Mao Zedong’s Communists swept to power on the mainland during a civil war in 1949. Taiwan was …

taipei, taiwan — China has used transnational harassment and intimidation to prevent Chinese people living in Japan from engaging in protests and activism, a new report by Human Rights Watch said. Most of the 25 Chinese people interviewed by Human Rights Watch, including ethnic minorities from Xinjiang, Tibet and Inner Mongolia, said Chinese police have warned them, sometimes through their relatives in China, against taking part …

 Washington — Local media in Myanmar are reporting that six FTC-2000G fighter jets purchased from China have arrived, and observers are concerned that Chinese military support for the Myanmar military is prolonging the conflict and worsening civilian suffering.  China’s supply of fighter jets, such as the FTC-2000G, has helped the junta maintain air superiority, and that has caused widespread casualties across Myanmar. According to media reports, …

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The United Nations says a quarter million people have fled Israeli attacks in Lebanon over the past two weeks for the relative safety of Syria. Most of them are Syrians who went to Lebanon to escape their country’s civil war but are now back home with no place to stay. VOA’s Heather Murdock has more from Istanbul with Yan Boechat and Diego Baravelli in Hasakah, …