U.S. President Joe Biden met with his national security team Monday and spoke with the king of Jordan to defuse heightened tensions in the Middle East after a pair of high-profile assassinations. Israel’s leader has warned the country will exact a “heavy price” if attacked by Iran or its proxies in the region. VOA’s Anita Powell reports from the White House. …
Attention toward traditional Palestinian scarf grows as Israel-Hamas war rages
Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, a Palestinian symbol has seen increased global attention: the keffiyeh. Once a simple article of Bedouin clothing, the Arab headdress has become symbolic: to some, a sign of resistance; to others, something to be banned, and others still, an article of high fashion. VOA’s Keith Lane brings us this report. …
US urged countries to ‘pass messages’ to Iran against escalation, State Department says
WASHINGTON — The United States has been urging countries through its diplomatic engagements to tell Iran that escalation in the Middle East is not in their interest, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Monday. Speaking at a daily briefing, Miller said this was a “critical moment” for the region and that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was working the phones to help calm the tensions, …
Torrential rains kill more than 150 in China in 2 months
Beijing — Landslides and flooding have killed more than 150 people around China in the past two months as torrential rainstorms batter the region. The search was ongoing Monday for victims of a flood and mudslide in a mountainous Tibetan area in Sichuan province that left nine people dead and 18 others unaccounted for, state media said. The early Saturday morning disaster destroyed homes and killed …
Putin ally holds talks in Iran as Middle East teeters on brink of wider war
MOSCOW — A senior ally of President Vladimir Putin arrived in Tehran on Monday for talks with Iranian leaders including the president and top security officials as the Islamic Republic weighs its response to the killing of a Hamas leader. Russia has condemned the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, leader of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Iran last week and called on all parties to refrain …
Threats by Turkey’s Erdogan against Israel escalate regional tensions
As tensions mount between Israel and Iran, there are warnings that threats by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to intervene in Gaza could make things worse in the region. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. …
State media: Court jails Vietnamese tycoon for 21 years for $146 mn fraud
Hanoi — A former Vietnamese property and aviation tycoon was jailed for 21 years on Monday for fraud and stock market manipulation worth $146 million, state media said. Trinh Van Quyet was among 50 defendants found guilty in what is the latest corruption case targeting the communist country’s business elite. A Hanoi court said Quyet, who owned the FLC empire of luxury resorts, golf courses and …
Myanmar junta says senior officers held as rebels take over major base
London — Myanmar’s junta has lost communications with senior officers at a major military base near the Chinese border, in a rare admission of battlefield failure after rebels announced they had taken control of the key regional army headquarters. The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) rebel group, which said on July 25 it had taken over the base but kept fighting to gain full …
APEC businesses propose new climate bonds, carbon credit network
TOKYO — Asia-Pacific business executives urged emerging economies in the region to issue climate bonds indexed to a basket of currencies, which would reduce the risk from foreign exchange fluctuation in raising funds for clean energy transition. The group of business executives comprising ABAC, which is APEC’s Business Advisory Council, also proposed on Sunday launching a pilot program to develop a voluntary carbon market (VCM) for …
US expected to propose barring Chinese software in autonomous vehicles
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Commerce Department is expected to propose barring Chinese software in autonomous and connected vehicles in the coming weeks, according to sources briefed on the matter. The Biden administration plans to issue a proposed rule that would bar Chinese software in vehicles in the United States with Level 3 automation and above, which would have the effect of also banning testing on U.S. …
Houthi rebels hit container ship, say they shot down US drone
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck a Liberian-flagged container ship traveling through the Gulf of Aden, authorities said Sunday, the first assault by the group since Israeli airstrikes targeted them. The rebels separately said they shot down another U.S. spy drone Sunday, later publishing imagery of the aircraft’s wreckage on the side of the mountain. The Houthis offered no …
Jordan’s Safadi urges de-escalation of regional tensions in rare Iran visit
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi concluded a rare visit to Iran on Sunday with a plea for an end to the escalation of violence and for the region to be able to live in “peace, security and stability.” Safadi’s visit to Iran follows continued diplomatic contacts by the United States and its partners including France, Britain, Italy and Egypt to prevent …
US and others urge citizens to leave Lebanon
The United States, Western partners, and Jordan are telling their citizens to leave Lebanon. This as Washington deploys additional military to the Middle East in posturing the White House describes as defensive amid fears of an Iranian military strike on Israel. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi reports. …
Yazidis seek justice on 10th anniversary of Islamic State genocide
Amman, Jordan — Advocates for justice for Iraq’s Yazidi community say much more needs to be done 10 years on to address the brutal genocide it experienced at the hands of Islamic State militants on August 3, 2014, and its aftermath. On August 3, 2014, Islamic State militants invaded Iraq’s Sinjar province brutally attacking, killing, displacing, and enslaving hundreds of thousands of Yazidis in their ancient …
Foreign nationals told to leave Lebanon as war fears surge
Beirut — Urgent calls for foreign nationals to leave Lebanon grew on Sunday with France warning of “a highly volatile” situation as Iran and its allies ready their response to high-profile killings blamed on Israel. Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, which has traded near-daily fire with Israeli forces since the Gaza war broke out in October, announced its fighters had fired a barrage of rockets at Israel’s …
Jordan’s foreign minister to hold talks in Iran as tensions rise
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi will travel to Iran on Sunday in a rare visit to discuss regional developments with his Iranian counterpart following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Iranian state media reported. Regional tensions have spiked following the assassination of Haniyeh on Wednesday, which came a day after an Israeli strike in Beirut which killed Fuad …
Lebanon marks 4 years since port blast as war fears loom
Beirut, Lebanon — Lebanon on Sunday marks four years since a catastrophic explosion at Beirut’s port killed more than 220 people, with fears of all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah hanging heavy over the grim commemoration. Several marches are set to converge on the port in the afternoon to remember the victims and demand justice. Nobody has been held responsible for the August 4, 2020, disaster …
China stands by Maduro in Venezuela to safeguard its investments
washington — Venezuela’s recent presidential election results have sparked widespread protests domestically and drawn sharp criticism internationally. While the U.S. has thrown its support behind opposition challenger Edmundo Gonzalez, China and Russia swiftly endorsed the incumbent, Nicolas Maduro, who has held power for 12 years. On Monday, Venezuela’s electoral council declared that the president had secured 51% of the vote, compared to 44% for Gonzalez. These …
Fears of Middle East war grow after Hamas leader’s killing
Beirut, Lebanon — Middle East tensions soared Saturday as Iran and its allies readied their response to the assassination of Hamas’ political leader, blamed on Israel, spurring fears of a regional war. Israel ally the United States said it would move warships and fighter jets to the region, while Western governments have called on their citizens to leave Lebanon — where the powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah movement …
Iran says short-range projectile killed Hamas’ leader
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said a short-range projectile was behind the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh and accused the United States of supporting the attack, which it blamed on Israel, state TV reported Saturday. The televised statement, which reiterated a call for retaliation, said a rocket with a 7-kilogram (about 15-pound) warhead was used to target the residence of Hamas’ political leader …
Israeli strikes kill 15 Palestinians in Gaza school, 9 West Bank militants
RAMALLAH, WEST BANK — An Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced persons in Gaza City killed at least 15 Palestinians on Saturday, hours after two strikes in the occupied West Bank killed nine militants, including a local Hamas commander, Hamas said. The Israeli military said the first of two West Bank airstrikes hit a vehicle in a town near the city of Tulkarm, targeting a …
6.8-magnitude earthquake hits off Philippines’ Mindanao
Manila, Philippines — A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the southern Philippines on Saturday, the United States Geological Survey said, but no tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of damage. The shallow quake hit just before 6:30 a.m. about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) from the village of Barcelona on the east side of Mindanao island, the USGS said. Many people …