China

Syria’s military said it has withdrawn its forces from the central city of Hama after intense fighting with insurgent forces, marking another major defeat for President Bashar al-Assad in the country’s ongoing civil war. The army issued a statement Thursday that it was redeploying its troops outside Hama to protect the city’s civilian population. The rebels said earlier Thursday they had entered the city and …

Turkish-backed Syrian rebels’ lightning victories are threatening to stoke tensions among Turkey, Iran and Russia — the main outside players in Syria’s 13-year-long civil war. But some analysts predict diplomacy could prevail, as Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. …

AMMAN, Jordan — Syrian rebels said on Thursday they had started pushing into Hama, a major city where pro-government forces backed by intense Russian airstrikes are trying to stave off a new rebel victory and halt the insurgents’ lightning advance.   Rebel commander Hassan Abdul Ghany posted on social media that the insurgents had begun to penetrate Hama. State media had earlier reported that pro-government forces …

Seoul, South Korea — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is now facing impeachment after a shock bid to suspend civilian rule. But he is far from the first South Korean president to see his rule descend into acrimony and scandal.  Here is a recap of the downfalls of previous South Korean leaders. 2016: Park impeached, jailed In December 2016, Park Geun-hye, president since 2013, was …

  Seoul, South Korea  — Leaders of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s political party say they will not back a motion by the opposition party to impeach the embattled president over his short-lived attempt to impose martial law. Han Dong-hun, the leader of the conservative People Power Party, called Yoon’s shock decision this week “unconstitutional” when speaking to reporters Thursday, and said he had asked the …

JAKARTA, INDONESIA — Members of the Southeast Asian regional bloc ASEAN are planning to hold a ministerial meeting in Thailand later this month to discuss the crisis in member-nation Myanmar, Indonesia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Roy Soemirat told reporters Thursday. At the invitation of current ASEAN host Laos, the meeting will talk about ways to approach the crisis which has gripped Myanmar since a 2021 military coup, …

HONG KONG — Hong Kong leader John Lee said on Thursday he had replaced two senior officials in an unexpected move that he said would maximize social and economic benefits and help the city “catch up” with other tourism destinations. Hong Kong has struggled to revive its appeal among international tourists after sometimes violent mass protests in 2019 and strict travel rules imposed during the COVID-19 …

Residents and authorities in the Iraqi city of Mosul are concerned that a recent offensive by rebel groups in northwestern Syria could spill across the border and reignite fighting in Northwestern Iraq, an area controlled by Islamic State militants from 2014 to 2017. VOA’s Kawa Omar reports from Mosul. Bezhan Hamdard narrates the story. …

Many Israelis will remember 2024 as the year that more than 100 Israeli hostages spent in captivity after being kidnapped by Hamas last year. Until the hostages are free, some analysts say Israelis remain trapped in the trauma of October 7. Linda Gradstein reports from Jerusalem. VOA footage: Ricki Rosen. …

Taipei, Taiwan — China’s recent unveiling of its prototype of a 6-ton tiltrotor unmanned aerial vehicle is stirring up debate over its potential use in combat.    The drone, the Lanying R6000, is purportedly intended for nonmilitary uses, but concept drawings that displayed Chinese military logos on the wings and body of the aircraft sparked worries that it may be used for military transportation, surveillance, reconnaissance …

Peshawar/Karachi, Pakistan — Milk from buffalo is creating controversy in Pakistan as the country finalizes an agreement with China to export the product.   Much of Pakistan’s milk production comes from buffalo. And recently, Pakistani milk producer Fauji Foods Limited, which is owned by the military, agreed to an export deal with China’s Royal Group. The deal comes at time of rising inflation in Pakistan, sparking …

BEIRUT — Syria said Wednesday its counteroffensive has pushed back insurgents attempting to advance to the strategic central city of Hama, while the insurgency says it captured more Syrian troops and Iran-backed militants in fierce battles. The latest flareup in Syria’s long civil war comes after forces opposed to Syrian President Bashar Assad over the past few days captured large parts of the northern city of …

Taipei, Taiwan — In the past year an economic downturn, persistent youth unemployment and a property crisis have plagued China at home. Abroad, Beijing has expanded its cooperation with Russia despite warnings from Western leaders that a closer alliance between the two countries is a source of growing concern. In 2024, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin held three bilateral meetings. The two …

Iranian Nobel Peace laureate Narges Mohammadi has been temporarily released from prison on medical grounds, her lawyer said Wednesday. Mostafa Nili said on the social media platform X the release would last three weeks and was connected to an operation Mohammadi had last month to remove a benign tumor. Mohammadi has been imprisoned since November 2021 in relation to her work against the wearing of …

Palestinian medics said Israeli airstrikes killed at least five people Wednesday in the central Gaza Strip. The Israeli military also said Wednesday it made a number of arrests after Israeli settlers attacked several towns in the occupied West Bank. The Israel Defense Forces said the violence included settler attacks on the village of Beit Furik where settlers hurled stones and wounded two border police. Settler …

BANGKOK — More than 30,000 people have been forced to flee their homes due to severe flooding in southern Thailand, where the death toll climbed to 29, officials said Wednesday. Days more heavy rain are forecast in the area, which has already been battered by torrential floodwaters, with more than 155,000 households currently affected, according to the Thai government’s public relations department. Five southern provinces have …

BANGKOK — A second major Myanmar ethnic rebel group has said it is ready for Beijing-mediated talks with the junta to end more than a year of renewed fighting that has ravaged areas along the Chinese border. The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), with about 8,000 available fighters, has fought the Myanmar military for more than a decade for autonomy for the Kokang ethnic minority …

Seoul, South Korea — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief declaration of martial law appeared to backfire Wednesday, as lawmakers prepared to begin impeachment proceedings and one of the country’s largest labor unions launched an indefinite general strike demanding his resignation. In a late-night televised address, Yoon announced martial law, claiming it was necessary to “eradicate anti-state forces” and “protect constitutional order.” The declaration marked …

TAIPEI, TAIWAN — Taiwan’s top China policymaker on Wednesday said Chinese military threats would only drive the two sides further apart, as state media in the island’s giant neighbor warned of a strong response to a U.S. visit by Taiwan’s president. China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has expressed anger at President Lai Ching-te’s weekend trip to Hawaii on his way to …

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te arrived in Tuvalu on Wednesday, a Tuvalu official said, reinforcing ties with the remote Pacific Island nation on the front line of climate change. “Taiwan’s president and his delegation arrived this morning in Tuvalu,” a Tuvalu government official told Reuters. Lai flew in on a private jet from the Marshall Islands and will stay in Tuvalu for the day before leaving …

United Nations — The United Nations said Tuesday that tens of thousands of Syrians have been displaced in the recent fighting between rebels and the government in northwest Syria as the rebels rapidly make territorial gains. “While thousands have arrived in the central and southern regions of the country, many are trapped at front lines, unable to seek safety in other areas in the country,” Adam …

WASHINGTON — Chinese hackers blamed for compromising U.S. telecommunications infrastructure and spying on American presidential campaigns and American officials are still entrenched in those systems, according to senior U.S. officials who warn it could be years before the hackers are kicked out. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the FBI on Tuesday urged U.S. telecommunication companies and their customers to take additional precautions, …

Syrian rebels advancing against government forces pushed close on Tuesday to the major city of Hama, rebels and a war monitor said, after their sudden capture of Aleppo last week rocked President Bashar al-Assad.   Rebels and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said insurgents had captured villages including Maar Shahur a few miles north of the city. Syrian state media said reinforcements …

The success of Syrian rebels against Damascus forces in the last few days is offering Turkey an opportunity to secure key strategic goals in Syria. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. …