China

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 …

JAKARTA, Indonesia — A major labor group in Indonesia has called on the government to bail out troubled textile giant Sritex, after President Prabowo Subianto ordered his ministers to save the firm from bankruptcy. Prabowo, who took office last week, has ordered his cabinet to find solutions for Sritex quickly, after a court last week accepted a petition by one of its trade partners over unpaid …

SHANGHAI — Shanghai police patrolled the downtown streets over the weekend to crack down on Halloween celebrations in China’s most international city. Local authorities appeared to be trying to prevent a repeat of last year, when Halloween revelers thronged central Shanghai, with some dressed in costumes that poked fun of the Chinese stock market, youth unemployment and strict COVID-19 policies. This weekend, the police presence, online …

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi on Sunday proposed a two-day cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, with the militant group also freeing four hostages during the halt in fighting if implemented. Neither Israel nor Hamas offered any immediate response to el-Sissi’s plan, the first he has proposed during months of playing a role, along with the United States and Qatar, in trying to broker a …

Tehran — Iranian armed forces killed at least four “terrorists” in the southeast of the country on Sunday after a deadly jihadist attack on police the day before. At least 10 police officers were killed in the attack, one of the deadliest claimed by a jihadist group in a border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The attack targeted police cars in Taftan county, part of Sistan …

Padang, Indonesia — One of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes erupted Sunday, spewing thick columns of ash at least three times and blanketing villages with debris, but no casualties were reported. Mount Marapi, in Agam district of the province of West Sumatra, is known for sudden eruptions that are difficult to predict because they are not caused by a deep movement of magma, which sets off tremors …

Israel is bracing for a possible Iranian response to its strikes on Iran early Saturday. Israel said the strikes were “precise and targeted” and focused on military targets in a number of areas in Iran. Iranian media reported that four soldiers were killed. Linda Gradstein reports from Jerusalem. Camera: Ricki Rosen …

SEOUL — Hundreds of thousands of members of South Korea’s Christian groups held a service in Seoul on Sunday to protest  against a landmark court ruling that acknowledged same-sex the rights of partners in same-sex couples to state health insurance.   The supreme court in July upheld a high court ruling that a same-sex partner was eligible for spousal benefits from the National Health Insurance Service, a …

Baalbek, Lebanon — Since war erupted between Israel and Hezbollah, the famed Palmyra Hotel in east Lebanon’s Baalbek has been without visitors, but long-time employee Rabih Salika refuses to leave — even as bombs drop nearby. The hotel, which was built in 1874, once welcomed renowned guests including former French President Charles de Gaulle and American singer Nina Simone. Overlooking a large archaeological complex encompassing the …

Bangkok — Thousands of well-wishers lined the banks of Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River Sunday to watch King Maha Vajiralongkorn ride a glittering royal barge procession to mark his 72nd birthday. A flotilla of 52 ornately decorated boats, paddled by more than 2,000 oarsmen decked out in scarlet and gold, carried the king and Queen Suthida in formation through the heart of the Thai capital to a …

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — An Israeli attack on Iran damaged facilities at two secretive military base southeast of the Iranian capital, satellite photos analyzed Sunday by The Associated Press show. In the past, experts have linked one site to Tehran’s onetime nuclear weapons program and the other to its ballistic missile program. Some of the damaged buildings sat in Iran’s Parchin military base, where the …

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes on northern Gaza have killed at least 22 people, Palestinian medical officials said.  The Gaza Health Ministry’s emergency service said that 11 women and two children were among those killed in the strikes late Saturday on several homes and buildings in the northern town of Beit Lahiya. It said another 15 people were wounded and that the death toll …

Tokyo — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s conservative ruling party braced for a blow to its comfortable majority in the lower house of parliament in Sunday’s elections amid public rage over the party’s financial scandals and discontent over a stagnant economy. The results could weaken Ishiba’s grip on power, possibly leading Japan into political uncertainty, though a change of government was not expected.  Ishiba took office …

Beijing — China will take “countermeasures” to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, the government said, lambasting a $2 billion arms sale package by the United States to Taiwan.  The United States is bound by law to provide Chinese-claimed Taiwan with the means to defend itself despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties, to the constant anger of Beijing.  On Friday, the Pentagon said the United …

Jerusalem — Israeli officials say its series of strikes Saturday overnight on Iran achieved their objectives. “Following the directive of the political echelon, we carried out precise and targeted strikes on targets in different areas in Iran,” Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a televised briefing. “These included missile manufacturing facilities used by Iran in its attacks on the State of Israel over the …

washington — Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) President Jin Liqun on Saturday criticized advanced economies for creating trade barriers including for renewable energy goods, saying there was “no longer free trade” in the global economy.  The United States last month locked in steep tariff hikes on Chinese imports — including a 100% duty on electric vehicles — to strengthen protections for strategic domestic industries from China’s …

taipei, taiwan — More than 180,000 people celebrated LGBTQ+ equality and diversity in Taipei on Saturday at east Asia’s largest Pride march, joined by Taiwan Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim and the reigning queen of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind.  Taiwan legalized same sex marriage in 2019 in a first for Asia and is a bastion of tolerance and liberalism in a region where the rights of …

TALISAY, Philippines — The number of dead and missing in massive flooding and landslides wrought by Tropical Storm Trami in the Philippines has reached nearly 130 and the president said Saturday that many areas remained isolated with people in need of rescue.  Trami blew away from the northwestern Philippines on Friday, leaving at least 85 people dead and 41 others missing in one of the Southeast …

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — An attack on an Iranian police convoy Saturday in the country’s restive southern province of Sistan and Baluchestan killed at least 10 officers, authorities said.  Details remain scarce over the attack in Gohar Kuh, some 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) southeast of the Iranian capital, Tehran.  Initially, reports simply described an attack by “miscreants” without more information. But shortly after, Iranian state …

DUBAI — Ten Iranian border guards were killed in an attack in restive southeastern Iran on Saturday, state media quoted the Interior Ministry as saying, in the latest clash with suspected Sunni Muslim militants. The 10 were killed in an ambush in an area that borders Afghanistan and Pakistan. It has long been the site of clashes between Iranian security forces and Sunni militants, as well …

JERUSALEM — Israel delivered its long-expected response to Iranian missile attacks early Saturday by carrying out a series of airstrikes against the Islamic Republic. Here’s what to know: Multiple targets were struck Under the cover of darkness, Israel struck multiple sites in different parts of Iran. Explosions were heard in the capital, Tehran, which sits deep inside the country. The Israeli military said its “precise and …

TAIPEI, TAIWAN — Kiribati President Taneti Maamau, who has led the Pacific Island nation to build closer ties with China in recent years, secured his third term in office on Saturday. He defeated two other candidates in an election closely monitored by countries around the world. Maamau won about 55% of the vote, while his nearest challenger, Kaotitaaake Kokoria, won 42% of the vote, New Zealand’s …