China

Three American citizens jailed for years in China arrived in the United States late Wednesday as part of a prisoner swap between Washington and Beijing. The swap, which the White House announced earlier Wednesday, marked a rare diplomatic agreement between the United States and China as U.S. President Joe Biden’s tenure comes to a close. Beijing announced Thursday that the United States has returned four …

washington — Jailed pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai dismissed as “impossible” the idea that the Chinese government could be overthrown, during testimony in his much-condemned Hong Kong national security trial on Thursday, as foreign governments continue to call for his immediate release. “To think about overthrowing the CCP [Chinese Communist Party], I think it’s out of the dimension of any discussion. It’s impossible,” Lai said. “Do you …

SIBOLANGIT, INDONESIA — A landslide triggered by torrential rains in Indonesia’s Sumatra island killed at least seven people, officials said on Thursday, adding to the death toll from landslides in the region this week. Rescuers recovered the bodies of the victims, including a driver and passengers, from a tourist bus that was covered by trees, mud and rocks on the road from the capital, Medan, to …

Taipei, Taiwan — Taiwan President Lai Ching-te will kick off on Saturday a week-long overseas trip to visit the island’s three diplomatic allies in the Pacific region, marking his first diplomatic tour since taking office in May. The visit will include stops in the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Palau, as well as stopovers in U.S. territories such as Hawaii and Guam. It comes as China continues …

Cairo — Israeli military strikes killed at least 17 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, medics said, as forces stepped up their bombardment of central areas and tanks pushed deeper into the north and south of the enclave. The escalation came a day after Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah started to observe a ceasefire in Lebanon, ending more than a year of hostilities and raising hopes …

BEIRUT — Israeli tank fire hit six areas in southern Lebanon on Thursday and the Israeli military said its ceasefire with Hezbollah was breached after what it called suspects, some in vehicles, arrived at several areas in the southern zone. A ceasefire between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah took effect Wednesday under a deal brokered by the U.S. and France, intended to allow people in …

BEIJING — China repatriated 240 arrested Chinese gambling and fraud suspects from Cambodia on Thursday, with some 500 more expected to be escorted back, Chinese state media said, as Beijing stepped up a years-long effort to combat Chinese organized crime in Southeast Asia. The arrested group constituted the second batch China has chartered planes to repatriate from Cambodia after a first round in April when more …

HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM — A Vietnamese decree taking effect at end of December that increases requirements on social media platforms in the country to share user information is a continuation of Hanoi’s yearslong effort to control online activity, analysts and activists have told VOA. Decree 147, on the management, provision and use of internet services and information in cyberspace, promulgated earlier this month, will …

BANGKOK — Once the country with the worst record for securing justice in journalist killings, the Philippines is improving, say some experts. But more work is needed to protect reporters. When he assumed the presidency in 2022, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. pledged to “support and protect the rights of the media.” In October 2022, he said, “The nation counts on media in improving access to information and …

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — The biggest November snowstorm to hit South Korea’s capital in more than a half century blanketed the capital Wednesday, grounding hundreds of flights, disrupting commuter traffic and leaving at least two dead. South Korea’s weather agency said 20 to 26 centimeters of snow fell in northern areas of Seoul and nearby areas. The agency said it was the heaviest snowstorm Seoul has …

Tehran, Iran — Iran is set to meet on Friday with France, Germany and the United Kingdom for talks on its nuclear program after the three governments joined with the United States to have Tehran censured by the U.N. atomic watchdog. Last week’s chiding prompted a defiant response from Tehran, but its officials have since signaled willingness to engage with other parties ahead of the return …

WASHINGTON — The United States has dismissed Russia’s warning that it will take every measure necessary if South Korea provides lethal weapons to Ukraine. Patrick Ryder, press secretary for the Department of Defense, said Tuesday that “it’s a little bit of gaslighting there,” when asked during a press briefing about Russia warning South Korea against providing weapons to Ukraine. “Russia obviously invaded Ukraine,” Ryder said. “They …

Wednesday marks the 74th anniversary of the start of the battle of Chosin Reservoir, a key moment in the Korean War. On November 27, 1950, Chinese forces launched a surprise attack on American troops that lasted 17 days in freezing weather. VOA Mandarin has an exclusive interview with Robert Harlan, one of the survivors of the Battle of Chosin Reservoir (Lake Changjin). Harlan’s experience is …

A U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was holding on its first day as thousands of Lebanese returned to their homes in southern Lebanon. Many in Israel hope the truce will also lead to an end to the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Linda Gradstein has more from Jerusalem. …

The Lebanese Army said Wednesday it was sending more troops to southern Lebanon to help oversee the first hours of the new ceasefire between Hezbollah militants and the Israeli military. The truce, after nearly 14 months of fighting, appeared mostly to be holding. But the Israeli military said it shelled two villages in southern Lebanon, Khiam and Kfar Kila, with its soldiers opening fire after …

A cease-fire between Israel and the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah went into effect early Wednesday, bringing a halt in fighting that U.S. and French leaders said could create a path to another truce in the Gaza Strip. As the cease-fire went into place, there were streams of cars heading toward southern Lebanon where months of intensified fighting and Israeli evacuation orders forced people to flee …

THE HAGUE — The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor asked judges on Wednesday to issue an arrest warrant for the head of Myanmar’s military regime for crimes committed against the country’s Rohingya Muslim minority. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, who took power from elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup in 2021, is accused of crimes against humanity for the deportation and persecution of …

SHANGHAI — Volkswagen will exit its controversial plant in China’s Xinjiang region, after years of investor pressure to abandon its presence in the region, where rights groups have documented abuses including mass forced labor in detention camps. Volkswagen and its Chinese partner agreed to sell the asset to a Shanghai government-owned buyer, the German car maker said on Wednesday, confirming an earlier report by Reuters. The …

BEIJING — China declined on Wednesday to comment about the marriage of the son of jailed former leader Bo Xilai to an individual from Taiwan, saying only that it opposed “malicious” speculation about the matter. Public discussion is taboo in the case of Bo, once considered a contender for top leadership but jailed for life in 2013, and the issue of his son’s marriage is made …

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — A Malaysian court on Wednesday allowed corruption charges linked to the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal filed against jailed former Prime Minister Najib Razak and the former treasury chief to be dropped, their lawyers said. Najib faces several trials linked to the scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), from which Malaysian and U.S. authorities say about $4.5 billion was stolen in a …

U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday welcomed a ceasefire deal between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon. However, there is no indication the deal will hasten a truce and hostage-release deal in Gaza, where Israel is battling the Palestinian militant group Hamas. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara reports. …

Two years ago this week, Chinese university students marched in the streets in cities across China holding blank sheets of paper as a silent dissent against the government’s harsh pandemic policies. On the anniversary of the White Paper Movement, exiled Chinese dissidents worldwide have drawn attention to pressing issues such as Beijing’s transnational repression of dissent, escalating political persecution in Hong Kong and mainland China, …

A senior Chinese official has reinterpreted the principle of “Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong,” a cornerstone of the “one country, two systems” framework established during the 1997 handover. Zhang Yong, deputy director of the Legal Affairs Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, said Tuesday that Hong Kong’s governance involves not only its residents but also the Central Government in Beijing. See the …

Reports of labor protests from across Iran continue this week, with new sit-ins Tuesday by Iranian retirees, employees of Tehran Metro Operating Company, the medical staff from four hospitals in Ahvaz, and 3,000 contract workers from 12 refineries in South Pars. Workers in a variety of jobs across Iran are protesting government economic and social policies, at a time of high inflation and stagnant salaries. …