China

Amman, Jordan — A number of Western governments are urging their citizens to leave Lebanon as tensions between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants escalate. Lebanon is bracing for an Israeli military response to a suspected Hezbollah rocket strike that killed 12 Druze children and young people on a football field in the Golan Heights on Saturday.    Israel has said it would retaliate and civilians are bracing …

PHNOM PENH — The wreckage of a Cambodian military helicopter that went missing more than two weeks ago with two pilots aboard was spotted Monday on a mountaintop with no survivors immediately seen, the government and state news agency reports said.  A Defense Ministry statement posted on its Facebook page said that a search flight spotted the wreckage of the Chinese-made Z-9 helicopter in the heavily …

Seoul, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has regained weight and appears to have obesity-related health problems such as high blood pressure and diabetes, and his officials are looking for new medicines abroad to treat them, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers on Monday. The 40-year-old Kim, known for heavy drinking and smoking, comes from a family with a history of heart problems. …

Jerusalem — Israel’s military opened an investigation into suspected abuse of a Palestinian held at a detention camp for prisoners captured during the Gaza war, it said on Monday, drawing an outcry from right-wing protesters and politicians. The military said its Advocate General had ordered the inquiry “following suspected substantial abuse of a detainee.” It provided no further details. Army Radio said military police had showed …

BEIJING — Lawmakers from at least six countries said Chinese diplomats were pressuring them not to attend a China-focused conference in Taiwan, in what they described as efforts to isolate the self-governed island.  Politicians in Bolivia, Colombia, Slovakia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and one Asian country that declined to be named said they were getting texts, calls and urgent requests for meetings that would conflict with their …

SYDNEY — Australia’s left-leaning government has appointed the country’s first special envoy for social cohesion amid tensions over Israel’s war in Gaza. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Monday that friction in the community was causing “a great deal” of concern. Australia’s special envoy for social cohesion is Peter Khalil, the son of Egyptian migrant parents and a governing Labor party lawmaker in Federal parliament. Khalil will …

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SINJAR, Iraq — When Rihan Ismail returned to her family’s home in the heartland of her Yazidi community, she was sure she was coming back for good. She had yearned for that moment throughout long years of captivity. Islamic State militants had abducted then-adolescent Ismail as they rampaged through Iraq’s Sinjar district, killing and enslaving thousands from the Yazidi religious minority. As they moved her from …

Jakarta, Indonesia — Coal firms in major CO2 emitter Indonesia are overlooking planet-warming methane emissions, obscuring the full environmental impact of their operations, according to a report published Monday. Methane — which is responsible for about one-third of warming from greenhouse gases — is a key focus for countries wanting to slash emissions quickly and slow climate change.  London-based energy think tank Ember analyzed the emission …

INDONESIA — Sofyan Sabi’s sea-dwelling community has fished beneath the waves off the Indonesian coast for centuries, but climate change and overfishing have forced him and many of his contemporaries on land to make a living. The Bajau tribe of fishermen led a nomadic life at sea for generations, spending days and nights on boats with thatched roofs in the waters between Indonesia, Malaysia and the …

Washington — The U.S. State Department has described as “deplorable” reports Iran’s tiny Jewish minority was coerced into participating in the recent Iranian presidential election, in a statement obtained exclusively by VOA. The reported coercive measures, verified by VOA, included Iranian authorities for the first time setting up special ballot stations for Jews to vote in a presidential contest and organizing an unprecedented campaign event for …

Jerusalem — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned from the United States and threatened swift retaliation for an attack from Lebanon that killed 12 Druze children and teenagers. It was the largest death toll from a Hezbollah attack on Israel since the war with Hamas began in October. Netanyahu cut short his trip to the United States by a few hours to fly back to Israel. …

BEIJING — Lawmakers from at least six countries say Chinese diplomats are pressuring them not to attend a China-focused summit in Taiwan, in what they describe as efforts to isolate the self-governed island.  Politicians in Bolivia, Colombia, Slovakia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and one other Asian country that declined to be named say they are getting texts, calls and urgent requests for meetings that would conflict with …

Bangkok — The United Nations’ special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, has told VOA he welcomes Thailand’s plans for a task force to help Thai banks vet business with Myanmar’s military regime for possible arms deals. Thailand announced the task force last week, nearly a month after a report by Andrews exposed the lead role Thailand’s banks have taken in financing arms purchases …

TEL AVIV, Israel — The Middle East was bracing for a potential flare-up in violence on Sunday after Israeli authorities said a rocket from Lebanon struck a soccer field in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, killing 12 children and teens in what the military said was the deadliest attack on civilians since Oct. 7. The strike raised fears of a broader regional war between Israel and Hezbollah, …

TEHRAN — Iran’s supreme leader on Sunday formally endorsed Masoud Pezeshkian as president, allowing the reformist politician and heart surgeon to take charge of a country weakened by economic sanctions over its nuclear program. During an endorsement ceremony, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged Pezeshkian to prioritize neighbors, African and Asian nations as well as countries that have “supported and helped” Iran in Tehran’s foreign relations policies. Khamenei …

 MAJDAL SHAMS, Golan Heights, — Thousands of mourners attended funeral ceremonies on Sunday for the 12 children and teenagers killed by a rocket strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights as Israel vowed swift retaliation against the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.   Hezbollah denied any responsibility for the attack on Majdal Shams, the deadliest in Israel or Israeli-annexed territory since Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault sparked the war in …

HONG KONG — Three of the world’s top auction houses are racing to expand in Hong Kong, eager to woo young Asian buyers even as the global art market retreats from pandemic-era highs. In the span of two months, Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Bonhams will each see the culmination of yearslong efforts to upgrade their regional headquarters in the southern Chinese city. Sotheby’s on Thursday unveiled showrooms …

sydney, australia — The world’s largest platypus conservation center has welcomed its first residents as part of a project to protect the semi-aquatic mammal found only in Australia amid threats to its habitat from extreme weather and humans.  The four platypuses — two females and two males — were released over the last two weeks into a custom-built research facility at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in …

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MANILA, Philippines — Philippine government personnel transported food and other supplies Saturday to a shoal occupied by a Filipino navy contingent but closely guarded by Beijing’s forces in the South China Sea. No confrontations were reported, Philippine officials said.  It was the first Philippine government supply trip to the Second Thomas Shoal, which has been the scene of increasingly violent confrontations between Chinese and Philippine forces …

beirut — TEL AVIV, ISRAEL – A rocket strike Saturday on a soccer field killed at least 11 children and teens, Israeli authorities said, in the deadliest strike on an Israeli target along the country’s northern border since the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah erupted. It risked unleashing a broader regional war. Israel blamed the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah for the strike in the Israeli-controlled Golan …

Lyon, France — The head of Iraq’s delegation said Olympic chiefs had rejected their request not to display Israel’s flag next to Iraq’s during the Paris Games. Iraq’s men’s football team beat Ukraine 2-1 Wednesday in Lyon and lost 3-1 to Argentina on Saturday. “When we arrived at Lyon Stadium [Wednesday], we found the Iraqi flag displayed next to the Israeli flag,” despite Israel’s team not …

Istanbul, Turkey — Turkey staged new artillery strikes against Kurdish separatist positions in northern Iraq, the defense ministry and Iraqi sources said Saturday. While President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this month said operations against the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, in Iraq were coming to an end, a security source in northern Iraq said the latest overnight shelling was “intense.” “In line with our right to self-defense …