Seoul, South Korea — Lee Jang-mi, a 34-year-old Seoul office worker, laughs with a hint of embarrassment as she acknowledges fitting the stereotype of a single, childless South Korean woman. “I’m one of those people who doesn’t want kids,” says Lee with an exaggerated grin, rolling her eyes and gesturing toward herself. Though she’s currently in a relationship, Lee is unmarried and hesitant to start a …
Seeking reelection, Algeria’s Tebboune touts gains
Algiers, Algeria — Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who assumed Algeria’s presidency during mass pro-democracy protests, is touting his achievements as he seeks another term. Yet, five years after the movement faded, some say real change remains elusive. The Hirak protests, which led to the ousting of longtime autocratic president Abdelaziz Bouteflika in 2019, aimed for a comprehensive political overhaul. Tebboune, a minister under Bouteflika, took over as president …
New Zealand spy report calls out China for interference
Wellington, New Zealand — New Zealand’s spy service branded China a “complex intelligence concern” Tuesday and warned the Pacific nation was vulnerable to foreign interference. In an annual threat report, the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service said several countries were undertaking “malicious activity” on its shores and called out China’s attempts as “complex and deceptive.” In particular, Beijing was accused of using front organizations to …
Papal visit brings new attention to church sex abuse scandals in East Timor
dili, east timor — When the Vatican acknowledged in 2022 that Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning East Timorese independence hero, had sexually abused young boys, it appeared that the global clergy sexual abuse scandal that has compromised the Catholic Church’s credibility around the world had finally arrived in Asia’s newest country. And yet, the church in East Timor today is stronger than ever, …
UN experts: Iran executed more than 400 people this year
Geneva — U.N. experts voiced alarm Monday at a surge in executions in Iran last month that pushed the total in the country so far this year to over 400. At least 81 people were put to death in Iran in August alone, significantly more than the 45 reported in July, a group of 11 independent United Nations rights experts said in a statement. The reported …
Cambodia’s Hun Manet faces biggest test yet as he marks one year in power
phnom penh, cambodia — A year after succeeding his father as Cambodia’s prime minister, Hun Manet is facing widespread public anger over a regional economic cooperation plan with Vietnam and Laos that is testing his political acumen. Thousands of Cambodians living in Japan, South Korea and Australia have staged protests against the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area (CLV-DTA) initiative, citing fears of ceding sovereignty or inviting large-scale …
Shuttered in Shanghai, Chinese bookstore reopens in Washington
Washington — A Chinese bookstore reopened in Washington on Sunday, six years after the Chinese government forced it to close its doors in Shanghai. JF Books was teeming with books — and customers — when it opened its doors in Washington’s Dupont Circle neighborhood. In the storefront, the shop’s name is displayed in English and Mandarin in neon green lights. The sporadic rain was perhaps fitting …
Iran brings new charges against jailed reformist
Tehran — Jailed Iranian activist and former Cabinet member Mostafa Tajzadeh, a prominent figure of the Islamic Republic’s reformist camp, has been charged with “propaganda” against the state, local media said Monday. Tajzadeh, jailed since July 2022 in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, served as deputy interior minister under the presidency of Mohammad Khatami, a reformist who oversaw a rapprochement with the West between 1997 and 2005. …
South Korea’s president skips opening ceremony of parliament amid political strife
Seoul, South Korea — President Yoon Suk Yeol boycotted the formal opening of South Korea’s parliament Monday as his squabbles with the opposition deepen over allegations of wrongdoing by top officials and his wife. It’s a tradition for South Korean presidents to deliver a speech at opening ceremonies for National Assembly sessions, and Yoon is the first to skip the event since the country’s transition from …
Suspected attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels target 2 ships in the Red Sea, officials say
Dubai, UAE — Suspected attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted two ships in the Red Sea on Monday, authorities said, near where crews hope to salvage a tanker loaded with oil and still ablaze after another assault by the group. The attacks are believed to be the latest in the Iranian-backed rebels’ campaign that has disrupted the $1 trillion in goods that pass through the Red …
Swathes of China, Japan log record summer temperatures
Beijing — Swathes of China logged the hottest August on record last month, the weather service said, as Japanese authorities announced that 2024 had been its warmest summer since records began. China is the leading emitter of the greenhouse gas emissions scientists say are driving global climate change. Beijing has pledged to bring planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions to a peak by 2030 and to net zero …
Refugee Paralympian Al Hussein brings ‘message of hope’
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 …