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Tel Aviv, Israel — Hundreds of protesters in Tel Aviv, Israel, voiced their frustration with the government Saturday for failing to secure a truce to bring the remaining hostages in Gaza home.  Flag-waving demonstrators in the country’s commercial hub held placards with slogans including “Deal now,” “Stop the war” and “We won’t abandon them,” and beat drums and chanted “Why are they still in Gaza?”   …

BATROUN, Lebanon — Israeli naval forces captured a senior Hezbollah operative in north Lebanon, an Israeli military official said Saturday, as the conflict between the Iran-backed group and Israel showed few signs of easing.  Earlier on Saturday, Lebanese authorities said it was investigating whether Israel was behind the capture of a Lebanese sea captain who was taken away by a group of armed men who had …

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK — Achieving justice in the targeted killings of journalists is a difficult task made even more complicated in cases that take place in wartime, experts say. On a global scale, 85% of journalist killings around the world since 2006 remain unsolved, according to a report released by UNESCO on Saturday. In 2013, the United Nations declared November 2 the International Day to End Impunity …

Tokyo — Nearly 200,000 people in western Japan were urged to evacuate Saturday as authorities warned of landslides and floods, while the remnants of a tropical storm trickle over the country. The Japan Meteorological Agency said “warm, moist air… was causing heavy rainfall with thunderstorms in western Japan” partly due to Kong-rey, which was downgraded to an extratropical low-pressure system from a typhoon. The city of …

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s supreme leader on Saturday threatened Israel and the U.S. with “a crushing response” over attacks on Iran and its allies. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spoke as Iranian officials are increasingly threatening to launch yet another strike against Israel after its October 26 on the Islamic Republic that targeted military bases and other locations and killed at least five people. Any further …

Iran was quick to downplay the impact of Israel’s attack on key military sites on its territory on October 26. But satellite images suggest Israel has degraded Tehran’s air defense and missile-production capabilities, analysts say. Fabian Hinz of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies said Israel had dealt a “significant blow” to Iran’s ability to produce long-range ballistic missiles. Ability to sustain long-range attacks …

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Perched on two fingers on the roof of an art gallery in Wellington, New Zealand, the giant sculpture of a hand has loomed over the city for five years.  Named Quasi, the 16-foot — almost 5-meter — creation of Australia-based sculptor Ronnie van Hout bears an unsmiling human face — because why not?  Some found it disturbing, and now, after five years …

sydney — A 5.48-meter Australian crocodile that held the world record as the largest crocodile in captivity has died, a wildlife sanctuary said on Saturday. He was thought to be more than 110 years old. Cassius, weighing in at more than one ton, had been in declining health since October 15, Marineland Melanesia Crocodile Habitat said on Facebook. “He was very old and believed to be …

Rescuers in northeastern Lebanon searched for survivors Friday after Israeli airstrikes killed at least 52 people, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Israel airstrikes pounded Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley early Friday, sending families fleeing from their homes. Video from the scene showed some buildings in rubble as smoke rose above the skyline. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said 72 people were injured in the bombardment. Israeli warplanes also destroyed …

When the U.S. Department of Treasury imposed sanctions on three companies belonging to Denis Postovoy on Wednesday, it was yet another move to break up what U.S. authorities say was an international scheme to violate sanctions. A month earlier, on September 16, law enforcement officials arrested the 44-year-old Russian national in Sarasota, Florida. He was charged with conspiring to violate sanctions on Russia, commit smuggling, …

WASHINGTON — Airstrikes carried out by the U.S. military this week against several Islamic State targets in Syria highlight concerns about the terror group’s growing presence in the war-torn country, experts say. U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, said Wednesday that its forces had conducted strikes on Monday targeting multiple camps belonging to IS, or ISIS, in the Syrian desert. Nearly 35 IS operatives, including senior leaders, …

For the first time in years, the Middle East and North African region is seeing a surge in interest from international investors. Major companies like Google, Microsoft and Adobe recently took part in one of the largest technology events in the region when Dubai hosted Expand North Star 2024, which attracted over 6,500 exhibiting companies, 1,800 startups and 1,200 investors from 180 countries. Over the …

When the U.S. Department of Treasury imposed sanctions on three companies belonging to Denis Postovoy on Wednesday, it was yet another move to break up what U.S. authorities say was an international scheme to violate sanctions. A month earlier, on September 16, law enforcement officials arrested the 44-year-old Russian national in Sarasota, Florida. He was charged with conspiring to violate sanctions on Russia, commit smuggling, …

Moorhead, Minnesota, is home to more than 3,000 Kurds, some of whom have been there since the mid-1970s. They are the town’s largest minority group and hope this election might bring them representation in local government. Dakhil Shammo of VOA’s Kurdish service went to Minnesota and met with two local candidates in this story narrated by Amy Katz. …

Gaza, Gaza Strip — Forty-seven Palestinians were killed and dozens injured, most of them children and women, in overnight Israeli bombardment of the the central Gaza Strip, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported Friday. The attacks occurred in the city of Deir Al-Balah, the Nuseirat camp and the town of Al-Zawayda, it said.  The Israeli military said its troops had identified and eliminated “several armed terrorists” …

After nearly a year’s deadlock, Iraq’s parliament elected a new speaker Thursday. Prominent Sunni lawmaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, who served as parliament’s speaker from 2006 to 2009, was elected by 182 of the 269 politicians in attendance. Iraq’s parliament has been without a speaker since last November, following a ruling of the Federal Supreme Court in a case that involved then-speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi, the country’s most …

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea on Friday bragged about its recently tested new intercontinental ballistic missile, calling it “the world’s strongest.” Outside experts saw the claim as propaganda, though the test did show  advancement in the North’s quest to build a more reliable weapons arsenal.  A missile that North Korea launched Thursday flew higher and stayed in the air longer than any other weapon the …

Paekon Township, Myanmar / WASHINGTON — In a crowded church filled with mourners on September 6, a young high school teacher sat among friends, her face streaked with tears as she gazed at the makeshift shrouds covering the small bodies laid out before her. Among them were her students — children she had taught, known and cared for deeply. “I couldn’t recognize some of them,” she …

Germany will close three Iranian consulates in response to Iran’s announcement of the execution of Jamshid Sharmahd, a German Iranian national and a U.S. resident, earlier this week. “We have repeatedly and unequivocally made it clear to Tehran that the execution of a German citizen will have serious consequences,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Thursday in announcing the closure of the consulates in Frankfurt, …

bangkok — A recent attack on a Chinese consulate in Myanmar reflects growing anti-Chinese sentiment in the country fed by Beijing’s support of the ruling junta, experts say.  On October 18, the Chinese consulate in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, was struck by a small explosive device. Reports say the building was damaged but there were no casualties.  It was the first attack was on a Chinese …

Recent attempts by Iran to establish deterrence through direct strikes on Israel have mainly failed, according to analysts, leaving the Islamic Republic more vulnerable to its prime foe. Israel’s recent retaliatory airstrikes on Iran are said to have dismantled all of Iran’s S-300 defense missile system. The strikes came in response to Iran’s October 1 ballistic missile attacks against Israel. Iran says it is still …

Islamabad — Pakistan pushed back Thursday against China’s criticism of the safety of Chinese personnel in the country, calling the comments “perplexing” and contrary to established diplomatic traditions between the neighbors. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Baloch said at a weekly news conference in Islamabad that the government is dedicated to ensuring the security of Chinese nationals, projects, and institutions in Pakistan.  Baloch was responding to a …

Gaza, Lebanon and Sudan will take decades to recover from the conflicts raging on their soil, the International Monetary Fund said on Thursday after downgrading the region’s growth forecast.   Israel’s military actions against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Sudan’s civil war would have enduring impacts, the IMF said.   “The damage caused by these conflicts will leave lasting scars …

Papua New Guinea on Thursday declared a boycott of next month’s UN climate summit, branding the global warming negotiations a “waste of time” full of empty promises from big polluters. While plenty have criticized the annual COP summit in the past, it is rare for any government to so totally dismiss the UN’s premier climate talks. “There’s no point going if we are falling asleep …