China

The U.S. military has struck a number of Islamic State group camps in Syria this week, killing as many as 35 militants, U.S. Central Command said Wednesday.  The airstrikes in the desert of central Syria were done Monday evening and targeted multiple locations and senior leaders of the group. The attacks came on the heels of a number of joint operations with Iraqi forces that …

WASHINGTON — The United States on Wednesday imposed curbs on hundreds of targets in fresh action against Russia, taking aim at sanctions circumvention in a signal that the U.S. is committed to countering evasion. The action, taken by the U.S. Treasury and State departments, imposed sanctions on nearly 400 entities and people from over a dozen countries, according to statements from the Treasury and State departments. …

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA — Archaeologists in Cambodia have unearthed a dozen centuries-old sandstone statues in a “remarkable discovery” at the Angkor World Heritage Site near the city of Siem Reap, authorities said Wednesday. The statues — depicting “door guardians” — were discovered last week near the north gate leading to the 11th-century Royal Palace at Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Khmer Empire, said Long …

Beijing — Beijing said Wednesday it had lodged a complaint with the World Trade Organization over the European Union’s decision to impose hefty tariffs on Chinese-made electric cars. The extra taxes of up to 35% were announced Tuesday after an EU probe found Chinese state subsidies were undercutting European automakers, but the move has faced opposition from Germany and Hungary, which fear provoking Beijing’s ire and …

BEIJING — China’s stimulus efforts could come with a cost and they must be carried out alongside reforms to ensure sustainable economic growth, Liu Shijin, a former central bank adviser, said in remarks published Wednesday. “Stimulus could come with a cost and we should combine stimulus with reforms,” Chinese media outlet Yicai quoted Liu as saying at a forum on Tuesday. Liu said funds should be …

Israel’s military issued new evacuation warnings Wednesday for people in parts of eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, warning of military actions against Hezbollah targets in the area. An Israel Defense Forces spokesperson said people in Baalbek, Ain Bourday and Douris should leave their homes. Israeli forces have frequently followed such warnings with airstrikes as they carry out a campaign Israeli officials say is meant to push …

BAGHDAD — The ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) came first in a parliamentary election in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq, winning 39 seats, the election commission said on Wednesday, positioning it to lead the next regional government. The KDP’s historic rival and junior coalition partner in government, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), was second with 23 seats, the commission told a news conference. It …

JIUQUAN, China — China declared a “complete success” after it launched a new three-person crew to its orbiting space station early Wednesday as the country seeks to expand its exploration of outer space with missions to the moon and beyond. The Shenzhou-19 spaceship carrying the trio blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 4:27 a.m. local time atop a Long March-2F …

JAKARTA, INDONESIA — Indonesian authorities investigating graft have arrested a former trade minister turned government critic on suspicion of improperly granting a sugar import permit in 2015 that led to losses of $25 million. Thomas Trikasih Lembong was named a suspect and arrested late on Tuesday by prosecutors from the attorney general’s office, accused of giving the permit to a private company at a time when …

NEW YORK — A Kenyan man who plotted a 9/11-style attack on a U.S. building was training as a commercial pilot in the Philippines when his plans were interrupted, a federal prosecutor told a New York jury Tuesday. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon Bodansky told a federal jury in Manhattan that Cholo Abdi Abdullah plotted an attack for four years that he hoped to carry out on …

Bangkok — Thailand is hoping that a new draft bill that aims to introduce entertainment complexes and casinos throughout the country will give its economy and tourism a much-needed boost. Experts say the prospect of building casinos brings both benefits and risks to the Southeast Asian country. Thai officials announced last week that they expect a draft of the Entertainment Complex Act will be submitted to …

In Shanghai, police, not trick-or-treaters and partygoers, are taking to the streets this week as the city approaches Halloween. The strengthened police force accompanies official notices prohibiting citizens from “role-playing” on Halloween, signaling the government’s paranoia over the social instability the holiday’s festivities could bring. Videos online show police cars lining the streets of Shanghai, with some officers approaching crowds and instructing them to disperse …

London — The European Union, United Kingdom, and Canada on Tuesday announced fresh sanctions targeting the Myanmar junta’s access to “military materiel, equipment and funds.”  The new curbs, against entities supplying aviation fuel and equipment to Myanmar’s military, were aimed at constraining its “ability to conduct airstrikes on civilians,” according to Britain.  It said the month of August saw the highest number of airstrikes on record …

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia is “committed” to maintaining crude capacity at 12.3 million barrels per day, Energy Minister Prince Abulaziz bin Salman said on Tuesday. Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in Riyadh, he said the world’s largest oil exporter would maintain its crude targets while also pursuing its climate aims. “We will monetize every molecule of energy this land has, period,” Prince Abdulaziz …

Berlin — Germany has recalled its ambassador to Iran over the reported execution of German-Iranian national Jamshid Sharmahd and summoned the Iranian charge d’affaires to voice Berlin’s protest against the killing, the German foreign office said on Tuesday. “We have sent our strongest protest against the actions of the Iranian regime & reserve the right to take further action,” the foreign ministry said in a post …

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — Survivors and family members of campers killed in a 2022 landslide at an agritourism farm in Malaysia have filed a lawsuit contending the disaster was caused by negligence – not only excessive rainfall as an earlier government report concluded. “We want this lawsuit to bring to the public’s attention the real reasons why this tragedy happened,” said Tan Ei Ein, whose 7-year-old …

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad was discharged from hospital on Monday, his aide said, after the 99-year-old had been admitted earlier this month because of coughing due to a lower respiratory infection. Mahathir, who served as prime minister for more than two decades, has a history of heart problems and has been in and out of hospital several times in recent …

WASHINGTON/BEIJING/TAIPEI — Chinese President Xi Jinping asked U.S. President Joe Biden last year to change the language the United States uses when discussing its position on Taiwanese independence, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the private conversation. During last November’s Biden-Xi meeting near San Francisco, Xi and his aides asked Biden and his team to tweak the language in U.S. official statements. China wanted the …

PENTAGON — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday that military cooperation between North Korea and Russia “poses a significant security threat to the international community.” The comments at a Cabinet meeting in Seoul followed Yoon saying Monday that the deployment of North Korean troops to the battlefield in Ukraine could happen “more quickly than anticipated,” according to South Korean intelligence assessments. The U.S. Defense …

Beijing — A knife attack near a school in China’s capital on Monday injured five people, including three children, police said. The attack occurred midafternoon in Beijing’s northwestern Haidian district. None of the injuries was life-threatening, police said in a statement. A 50-year-old suspect surnamed Tang was detained at the scene and is under investigation, police said. The location of the attack given by the statement …

United Nations Security Council members urged Israel and Iran on Monday to end their spiraling cycle of tit-for-tat attacks on one another, following Israel’s retaliatory strikes against Iran. “All sides must exercise restraint. No good can come of pouring more fuel on the flames of this escalating cycle of violence,” said British Ambassador Barbara Woodward. Iran’s foreign minister requested the Security Council meet in an …

Iida City, Japan  — In August 1945, as Soviet troops closed in on Japanese positions in occupied China, 14-year-old Hideo Shimizu was given a grim task: Collect and dispose the burnt bones of prisoners who had been murdered. Only later did he realize he had helped destroy evidence of one of the 20th century’s most horrific war crimes: the actions of Unit 731, a covert branch …

Japan remains divided over how to confront its violent past, with parts of the country’s World War II history still sparking controversy. Now, one man with direct ties to that history is breaking decades of silence at great personal cost. VOA’s Bill Gallo reports from Iida City, Japan. Camera: Ken Watanabe, Gallo …

The United Nations Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting Monday to discuss the situation in the Middle East following Israel’s retaliatory strikes against Iran. Council president Switzerland said Iran requested the meeting with the support of Algeria, China and Russia. “Israeli regime’s actions constitute a grave threat to international peace and security and further destabilize an already fragile region,” Iran’s Foreign Minister …