China

BEIRUT — Hezbollah said Saturday its fighters were confronting Israeli troops in Lebanon’s southern border region, where the Israeli military said it struck militants from the Iran-backed movement at a mosque. Rapidly escalating violence in recent days saw intense Israeli strikes on Hezbollah strongholds across Lebanon as ground troops conducted raids near the border, transforming nearly a year of cross-border exchanges into full-blown war. In the …

SEOUL, South Korea — They began a pilgrimage that thousands before them have done. They boarded long flights to their motherland, South Korea, to undertake an emotional, often frustrating, sometimes devastating search for their birth families. These adoptees are among the 200,000 sent from South Korea to Western nations as children. Many have grown up, searched for their origin story and discovered that their adoption paperwork …

beirut — A dog clings to Hussein Hamza inside a car as he pans his camera around to show the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon.  “Poor thing. Look at this, he’s clinging to me out of fear,” Hamza says in the video he posted online. “A missile hit here,” he said, his voice shaking.  As Israel pummels southern Lebanon with airstrikes, tens of …

jerusalem — Israel’s multilayered air-defense system appears to have passed another test after fending off Iran’s latest missile barrage.  In Tuesday’s night’s strike, Iran fired over 180 missiles toward Israel. The attack set off air raid sirens across the country and sent residents scrambling for shelter, but caused only a handful of minor injuries and limited damage, in large part because many were intercepted or landed …

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london — With an escalating war in the Middle East, uncertainty over Western military aid for Ukraine, and the U.S. presidential election looming next month, new NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has no time to settle in. The former Dutch prime minister was appointed to the role at a ceremony at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday, where he told delegates that “there can be no lasting …

new delhi / washington — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over a Cabinet meeting on security Friday to address the escalating conflict in the Middle East. According to Press Trust of India, the meeting focused on the implications on trade and the supply of petroleum products. India expressed grave concern regarding the escalation of the security situation involving Israel and its neighbors, emphasizing that “the …

manila, philippines — The Philippines on Friday denounced China ‘s alleged assault of Vietnamese fishermen in the South China Sea, where Manila and Beijing are also locked in violent confrontations that have led to fears of armed conflict. Vietnam has accused “Chinese law enforcement forces” of beating the 10 fishermen with iron bars and robbing them Sunday of thousands of dollars’ worth of fish and equipment …

kyiv, ukraine — Ukrainian feminist activists staged a topless protest Friday outside the Embassy of Iran, which Kyiv and the West say is arming Russia. Ukraine’s Femen group is a feminist art collective that has for years staged stunts in Ukraine and abroad, with its trademark move being women appearing with their chests bare, protest slogans written across their bodies. Kyiv has branded Iran an “accomplice” …

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Washington — As a nuclear standoff between the United States and North Korea continues with no diplomatic off-ramp in sight, some experts in Washington say an information campaign aimed at pressing North Korea should be considered as an alternative strategy, while others caution against such an approach. The discussion comes as the North escalates tensions while the U.N. Security Council remains split over how to respond …

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM — Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday that Iran and its regional proxies will not back down from Israel hours after an Israeli attack on Beirut that is thought to have targeted the heir apparent to Tehran-backed Hezbollah’s slain secretary general. “The brilliant action of our armed forces a couple of nights ago was completely legal and legitimate,” Khamenei said in a rare …

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan — Work, classes and flights resumed across Taiwan on Friday after Typhoon Krathon brought torrential rainfall to the island but finally dissipated over a mountain range. A heavy rain advisory remained in place for the northern coast and mountainous areas, where two landslides occurred early Friday. Krathon had brought much of the island to a standstill for three days but weakened to a tropical …

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened to use nuclear weapons and destroy South Korea permanently if provoked, state media reported Friday, after the South’s leader warned that Kim’s regime would collapse if he attempted to use nuclear arms. The exchange of such rhetoric between the rival Koreas is nothing new, but the latest comments come during heightened animosities over the North’s …

Cairo — The war unleashed by Israel after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, has ravaged not only the people of Gaza but also taken a toll on neighboring Egypt, keeping its government officials busy and straining its economy — while also bringing some benefits. The conflict has spawned countless hours of diplomatic activity and a long list of visits by envoys from …

One year on, a conflict sparked by Hamas’ terror attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people has grown into a raging conflict that has killed more than 40,000 and threatens to engulf the Middle East. The warring parties have rebuffed peace deals and blown through pauses and cease-fires – and the next U.S. president will likely inherit the challenge. VOA’s Anita Powell reports from Washington. …

Washington — The State Department has confirmed to VOA the success of a complicated mission to rescue an Iraqi national and former Islamic State sex slave from Gaza via Israel.  Because of a long-running diplomatic rift between Israel and Iraq, it took months of vigorous efforts by humanitarian activists and direct intervention from U.S. diplomatic missions in the region to coordinate the young woman’s rescue. Cooperation …

Johannesburg — In South Africa’s capital of Johannesburg, some of the most ubiquitous vehicles on the streets are the thousands of minibus taxis crammed tight with daily commuters traveling from the dusty townships into work. At the other end of the spectrum are souped-up sports cars and flashy convertibles zooming around the leafy suburbs that are home to the elite. Increasingly, however, there’s another kind of …

While China and the West have been pushing for more electric vehicles on the road, gas-powered cars still dominate in Africa. Chinese automakers are tapping into the South African car market, the largest on the continent, with prices so attractive that dealers say existing brands risk being pushed to the curb. Kate Bartlett has the details from Johannesburg. …

GENEVA  — The World Health Organization launched a global plan Thursday to address the growing threat of dengue and other deadly arboviruses, which have affected millions of people around the world and put billions more at risk.   “The rapid spread of dengue and other arboviral diseases in recent years is an alarming trend that demands a coordinated response across sectors and across borders,” said WHO Director-General …

The United States’ policy on China has been mostly consistent from the administration of Donald Trump to the White House of Joe Biden — with both presidents viewing China as America’s biggest competitor. But in the race for the next president, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have slightly different approaches toward the global superpower. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee explains. …

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