China

European allies in the Baltic region are investigating how two fiber optic data cables were severed earlier this week — with suspicion falling on a Chinese vessel in the area. Germany has said the incident was clearly sabotage. As Henry Ridgwell reports, Western nations have warned of a sharp increase in so-called hybrid attacks by adversaries on key infrastructure. Camera: Henry Ridgwell …

Chinese hackers are positioning themselves in U.S. critical infrastructure IT networks for a potential clash with the United States, a top American cybersecurity official said Friday. Morgan Adamski, executive director of U.S. Cyber Command, said Chinese-linked cyber operations are aimed at gaining an advantage in case of a major conflict with the United States. Officials have warned that China-linked hackers have compromised IT networks and …

RIO DE JANEIRO — As the world’s two largest economies vie for influence in South America, Brazil sits at the heart of the global power struggle. The choices the country makes in the coming years could reshape the region’s economic and political trajectory, according to analysts. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Brazil for a state visit and the G20 Summit marked the 50th anniversary …

London — European allies in the Baltic region are investigating how two fiber-optic data cables were severed earlier this week, with suspicion falling on a Chinese vessel in the area. Germany has said the incident was clearly sabotage.  The Danish navy said this week it is following the Yi Peng 3, a Chinese bulk carrier, as it moves through the Baltic Sea. As of Friday, marine …

TAIPEI, TAIWAN — Violent attacks in China this month have killed 43 people and injured more than 70, raising questions about why the tragic incidents occurred and sparking discussion and debate online. VOA spoke with observers who see a link between the incidents and a lack of effective measures to address the underlying social and mental health issues caused, in part, by the country’s current economic …

JERUSALEM — Israel’s military said on Friday it had killed two commanders involved in Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack, pressing its north Gaza offensive a day after the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants over the war. With Israel also fighting Hamas ally Hezbollah in Lebanon, live AFPTV footage showed several strikes early Friday on Beirut’s southern suburbs, where the Iran-backed group holds sway. The International …

WASHINGTON — In his first message aimed at Washington since the U.S. presidential election, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has expressed his unwavering determination to hold onto nuclear weapons, U.S. analysts say. At a conference with army officials last Friday, Kim vowed to bolster his country’s nuclear capabilities “without limit,” while condemning Washington for its nuclear deterrence strategies with Seoul. “The U.S., Japan and South …

Washington — Vietnamese journalist Pham Chi Dung marked a grim milestone this week: five years in a prison cell.   The journalist, blogger and VOA contributor is now one-third of the way through a 15-year term after being convicted of “propaganda against the state.”  He was arrested for promoting media freedom, for cooperating with foreign media to deliver “distorted information,” and for his criticism of the Communist …

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel’s war against Hamas militants in Gaza. In a statement on its website, the ICC said the warrants charge each man with the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare, along with crimes against …

A U.S. envoy was expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday amid a push to secure a cease-fire in Israel’s war with the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah. Envoy Amos Hochstein reported progress in what he described as constructive talks this week with Lebanese officials, including Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally mediating for the militants. Israeli forces continued their military campaign …

MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The death toll from Super Typhoon Man-yi in the Philippines has risen to 12, the national disaster agency said Thursday as widespread flooding subsided. Man-yi submerged villages and smashed flimsy buildings in the archipelago nation over the weekend, packing maximum sustained wind speeds of 185 kilometres (115 miles) an hour. It was the sixth major storm in a month to strike the Philippines. …

An Australian teenager died Thursday in Laos, a week after drinking alcohol tainted with methanol. Nineteen-year-old Bianca Jones is the fourth person to die since a group became sick during a night out in the town of Vang Vieng. The other deaths include an American and two Danes. “This is every parent’s worst fear and a nightmare no one should have to endure,” Australian Prime …

washington — Photojournalist Kyaw Swa Tun, who was released last week from Yangon’s notorious Insein Prison after serving more than two years, has recounted the brutal treatment he endured at the hands of prison guards in an exclusive interview with VOA. “When the authorities learned I was a journalist,” he said, “I was isolated, tortured privately and subjected to threats of further harm if any news …

washington — Wearing a gray jacket and flanked by prison officers, pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai smiled and waved to supporters Wednesday as he entered the Hong Kong courtroom. For his son, Sebastien, Lai’s testimony at his national security trial hearing was a chance to see — from afar — how his 77-year-old father is doing. Sebastien Lai followed the hearing from Washington, where he has been …

China has surpassed the United States and regained its place as the second-largest bilateral donor to the Pacific Islands, according to a new report published Wednesday by the Lowy Institute. Australia remains the largest donor. Every year, the Lowy Institute, an Australia-based research group, releases a Pacific Aid Map that tracks loans and grants to the region in detail. The 2024 map includes spending in …

VIENNA — Iran has defied international demands to rein in its nuclear program and has increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, according to a confidential report by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog seen Tuesday by The Associated Press.  The report by the International Atomic Energy Agency said that as of Oct. 26, Iran has 182.3 kilograms (401.9 pounds) of uranium enriched up …

BANGKOK — The announcement by Cambodian journalist Mech Dara that he will quit journalism after his recent arrest shows how effective legal threats are in silencing media, say analysts. Dara, who worked for several media outlets, made a name for himself as an investigative reporter, including by exposing illegal scam centers that operate in Cambodia and have links to powerful interests. In September, authorities arrested the …

DAMASCUS, SYRIA — Syria’s state-run media said a strike on the country’s historic town of Palmyra on Wednesday killed 36 people and wounded more than 50, an attack that Damascus has blamed on Israel. The Israeli military declined to comment. The news agency SANA said the strikes also led to “significant material damage to the targeted buildings and the surrounding area. Palmyra is known for the …

Gaza health officials said Wednesday a series of Israel attacks killed at least 17 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. In one attack, an Israeli strike hit a house in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza, killing at least 12 people. The Israeli military also reported Wednesday that one of its soldiers was killed and another wounded during fighting with Hamas militants in northern Gaza. In …

Lebanon is home to an estimated 176,000 migrants, many of them African women working menial jobs. Since the conflict began, many of them have been displaced, facing uncertain futures. Marcus Harton narrates this report from Ethel Bonet in Beirut. …

BERLIN — China has overtaken Germany in the use of robots in industry, an annual report published by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) showed on Wednesday, underscoring the challenges facing Europe’s biggest economy from Beijing. In terms of robot density, an important indicator for international comparisons of the automation of the manufacturing industry, South Korea is the world leader with 1,012 robots per 10,000 employees, …

HONG KONG — Hong Kong media tycoon and pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai, 76, testified in court for the first time on Wednesday in his landmark national security trial, accused of endangering China’s national security by colluding with foreign forces. Lai was first arrested, under the national security law in August 2020, and has spent much of the time since in prison. He also faces separate sedition …

BANGKOK — Landmines and unexploded munitions claimed more victims in Myanmar than in any other country last year, a monitor said on Wednesday, with over 1,000 people killed or wounded in the country. Decades of sporadic conflict between the military and ethnic rebel groups have left the Southeast Asian country littered with deadly landmines and munitions. But the military’s ouster of Aung San Suu Kyi’s government …

rio de janeiro — Leaders of the world’s largest economies ended their two-day G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro with a statement supporting the priorities of the Global South: climate change, poverty reduction and taxing billionaires. The Global South is generally considered to be developing countries, as well as Russia and China. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, host of the G20 summit, focused the …