Paris — Refugee Paralympic Team triathlete Ibrahim Al Hussein said Monday he had come to “give a message of hope” after taking part in his third Paralympic Games. Born in Syria, Al Hussein fled the civil war in his homeland, first seeking refuge in Turkey before settling in Greece in 2014. But prior to his managing to flee Syria, the future Paralympian was injured during the …
Tens of thousands protest killing of six hostages in Gaza
After the bodies of six slain Israeli hostages were found in a tunnel in southern Gaza, Israelis have reacted with shock and anger. Some blame the Israeli government for not reaching a cease-fire deal with Hamas earlier. Israel’s largest labor union announced a general strike starting Monday until the government signs a deal. Linda Gradstein reports for VOA from Jerusalem. Camera: Ricki Rosen …
Iraq to impose 2-day curfew for first census in decades
Baghdad, Iraq — Iraq will impose a two-day curfew in November for the country’s first census in 27 years, the authorities announced Sunday. The “curfew will be imposed in all provinces of Iraq on November 20 and 21 to conduct a population census,” Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani said in a statement. Ravaged by decades of conflict and violence, Iraq has postponed a census several times, …
EU ‘condemns dangerous actions’ by China against Philippine ship
Brussels — The European Union accused China on Sunday of taking “dangerous actions” against the Philippines, as Beijing and Manila blamed each other of deliberately ramming their coast guard ships. The collision marks the latest in a spate of similar incidents in recent weeks in the South China Sea, where Beijing claims almost all of the economically vital body of water despite competing claims from other …
Iranians loom over Paralympic sitting volleyball competition
Paris — Sitting volleyball is a Paralympic sport played close to the ground: Players scoot around the court and hit over a net that stands jus 1.15 meters tall. So having the world’s second-tallest man at the front of that net can make quite the difference for an already-dominant Iranian team. Standing at 2.46 meters and measuring 1.8 meters seated with his arms raised, Morteza Mehrzadselakjani …
Helicopter of Iran’s late president Raisi crashed due to weather, final report says
Dubai, United Arab Emirates — The helicopter crash in which Iran’s late President Ebrahim Raisi was killed was primarily caused by weather conditions that included thick fog, Iran’s state TV said on Sunday, citing the final investigation report on the incident. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, a hardliner who was seen as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, died when his helicopter crashed in …
Israel recovers the bodies of 6 hostages in Gaza, including Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin
JERUSALEM — Israel on Sunday said it had recovered the bodies of six hostages in Gaza, including a young Israeli-American man who became one of the most well-known captives held by Hamas as his parents met with world leaders and pressed for his release. The military said all six had been killed shortly before the arrival of Israeli forces. Their recovery sparked calls for mass protests …
African leaders in Beijing eyeing big loans and investment
Beijing — African leaders descend on China’s capital this week, seeking funds for big-ticket infrastructure projects as they eye mounting great power competition over resources and influence on the continent. China has expanded ties with African nations in the past decade, furnishing them with billions in loans that have helped build infrastructure but also sometimes stoked controversy by saddling countries with huge debts. China has sent …
Health authorities begin large-scale polio vaccinations in war-ravaged Gaza
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Palestinian health authorities and United Nations agencies on Sunday began a large-scale campaign of vaccinations against polio in the Gaza Strip, hoping to prevent an outbreak in the territory that has been ravaged by the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Authorities plan to vaccinate children in central Gaza until Wednesday before moving on to the more devastated northern and southern parts of the …
Storm lingers in Japan, bringing heavy rain to some areas
tokyo — Tropical Storm Shanshan brought torrential rain Sunday to Japan’s Shizuoka area, 180 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, as weather officials warned the storm would linger for several more days. Shanshan, packing winds of 65 kilometers per hour, made landfall Thursday, leaving landslides, flooded rivers, torn branches and scattered debris in its path. In southwestern Japan, people were busy cleaning up muddied homes and throwing out …
Doctor who helped Agent Orange victims wins Magsaysay Award
MANILA, Philippines — A Vietnamese doctor who has helped seek justice for victims of the powerful defoliant dioxin “Agent Orange” used by U.S. forces during the Vietnam War is among this year’s winners of the Ramon Magsaysay Awards — regarded as Asia’s version of the Nobel Prizes. Other winners announced on Saturday were a group of doctors who struggled to secure adequate health care for Thailand’s …
Iran needs $100B in foreign investment, says president
tehran, iran — Iran’s president said Saturday his country needs some $100 billion in foreign investment to achieve an annual target of 8% economic growth up from the current rate of 4%. The remarks by Masoud Pezeshkian, who was elected in July, came in his first live televised interview by state TV. Pezeshkian said Iran needs up to $250 billion to reach its goal but more …
Israel says it has discovered unidentified bodies in Gaza
REHOBOTH BEACH, DELAWARE — Israel said it has discovered a number of bodies in Gaza during combat, and that its military is working to extract and identify the bodies, which will take several hours. It asked that the public refrain from spreading rumors as to the identities of the bodies. U.S. President Joe Biden said his staff was in contact with the Israelis and confirmed that …
China, Philippines trade accusations after ships collide
TAIPEI, Taiwan — China and the Philippines accused each other of causing a collision between their two vessels Saturday in the latest flareup of tensions over disputed waters and maritime features in the South China Sea. In a statement posted on social media, Chinese coast guard spokesperson Liu Dejun was quoted as saying that a Philippine ship maneuvered and “deliberately collided” with a Chinese coast guard …
Japan wants its hardworking citizens to try a 4-day workweek
tokyo — Japan, a nation so hardworking its language has a term for literally working oneself to death, is trying to address a worrisome labor shortage by coaxing more people and companies to adopt four-day workweeks. The Japanese government first expressed support for a shorter working week in 2021, after lawmakers endorsed the idea. The concept has been slow to catch on, however; about 8% of …
Japan lodges protest over Chinese survey ship in its territorial waters
TOKYO — Japan lodged a formal protest via China’s embassy against what it called an incursion by a Chinese survey ship into its territorial waters Saturday, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said. The ministry expressed “strong concern” after the ship was spotted near Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, early in the morning. The Chinese ship, confirmed in territorial waters at 6 a.m., left shortly before 8 a.m., according …
Tourist helicopter carrying 22 goes missing in Russia’s Kamchatka
Moscow, Russia — A helicopter with 22 people aboard, most of them tourists, has gone missing in Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula in the far east, regional authorities said Saturday. “Today at about 1615 (0415 GMT) communication was lost with a Mi-8 helicopter … which had 22 people on board, 19 passengers and three crew members,” Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Solodov said in a video posted on Telegram. Rescue …
Yemen’s Houthi rebels suspected of firing missiles at container ship
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Two missiles suspected to have been fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted a Liberian-flagged container ship in the Gulf of Aden late Friday, splashing down nearby without causing damage, authorities said. The attack comes after the Houthis repeatedly assaulted and then boarded a Greek-flagged oil tanker in the nearby Red Sea, planting explosives on it that they later detonated. That attack, …
Iran police commander dismissed after death in custody
Tehran, Iran — Iran’s police force has dismissed the commander of a city in the northern province of Gilan after the death in custody of a detainee, state media said Saturday. Mohammad Mir Mousavi, 36, was arrested on July 22 after being involved in a fight in Lahijan, police said in a statement carried by the official news agency IRNA. “The police commander … was dismissed …
Dispute over border telecom plan further strains China-North Korea ties
washington — A new sign of discord has emerged in the ties between North Korea and China over Beijing’s plan to install telecommunication facilities near its border, which analysts say could be a way for China to exert its influence over its southern neighbor. Pyongyang has apparently objected to China’s plan to install the facilities, which could broadcast FM radio signals into North Korea. Pyongyang sent …
China accuses Philippine ship of deliberately hitting coast guard vessel
Beijing — Beijing accused a Philippine ship of deliberately running into a Chinese coast guard vessel on Saturday near a flashpoint shoal in the South China Sea, the latest in a spate of similar incidents in recent weeks. China claims almost all of the economically vital waterway despite competing claims from other countries and an international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis. A …