China

Washington — The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on two people and one entity based in the United Arab Emirates, accusing them of being involved in a network that launders millions of dollars generated by IT workers and cybercrimes to support the North Korean government.  The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement that the two people hit with sanctions worked through a UAE-based front …

Taipei, Taiwan — Australia signed two multi-million dollar deals with Nauru and Papua New Guinea last week that analysts say will help Canberra counter China’s growing influence in the Pacific. The deals, which support development in Nauru and pledge to pour hundreds of millions over the next 10 years into the establishment of a rugby team in Papua New Guinea, also give Australia some power to …

As talks restart for a hostage release and ceasefire in Gaza, the arriving winter means life will get even harder for the two million Palestinians living in the territory. Linda Gradstein in Jerusalem, with Enas Tantesh and Amjed Tantesh in southern Gaza, have this report. (Videographer: Enas Tantesh and Amjed Tantesh) …

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that Israel would have security control over Gaza after its war against the Hamas militant group. “After eliminating Hamas’s military and governmental capabilities in Gaza, Israel would have security control over Gaza with complete freedom of action” Katz posted on X. He compared the vision for Gaza to the situation in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli forces …

Washington — The United States hit North Korea and Russia on Monday with new sanctions targeting Pyongyang’s financial and military support to Moscow as well as its ballistic missile program. The sanctions, which list North Korean banks, generals and other officials, as well as Russian oil shipping companies, are the latest U.S. measure aimed at disrupting North Korea’s support to Russia’s war in Ukraine. The North …

Seoul — South Korean authorities made a new attempt on Tuesday to search the presidential office and obtain evidence as part of a probe into the legality of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived bid to impose martial law, the Yonhap news agency reported.   Yoon was impeached on Saturday over his martial law decree and suspended from his presidential duties.   A joint investigation team including …

Tehran — Iran’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that its embassy in Syria would reopen once the “necessary conditions” are met, after the diplomatic mission was vandalized following the ouster of Tehran ally Bashar al-Assad.  “The reopening of the embassy in Damascus requires preparations, the most important of which is ensuring the security and safety of the embassy and its staff,” said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil …

bangkok — Rights groups and activists Monday continued to urge the government of Laos to provide answers about the suspected abduction of prominent rights advocate Sombath Somphone, who was last seen at a police checkpoint in the country’s capital 12 years ago. In CCTV footage captured by a roadside camera on December 15, 2012, in central Vientiane, Sombath is seen being pulled over at a police …

For 11 years, Fatima Osman was hoping for the return of her son Muhammad. When the regime of President Bashar al-Assad fell, prisoners from Syrian jails were released. It was only then that Osman found out her imprisoned son was killed in prison 10 years ago. Click here for the full story in Kurdish. …

Food experts are raising concerns about the safety of agricultural imports into the Kurdistan Region, saying many products contain high levels of harmful chemicals like nitrite. These chemicals, often caused by excessive fertilizer use, can lead to serious health problems, including cancer. Despite warnings since 2019, many imported crops are not properly tested for chemicals, as smuggling and corruption allow unsafe products to enter the …

The first delivery of 38 M1A2T Abrams main battle tanks purchased by Taiwan from the United States arrived early Monday at the army training base in Hsinchu County, northern Taiwan. Analysts say the tanks will provide a generational upgrade to Taiwan’s armored forces. Click here to see the full story in Mandarin. …

BRUSSELS — The EU on Monday for the first time imposed fully fledged sanctions, including asset freezes and visa bans, on Chinese firms for supplying Russia’s military for the war on Ukraine. It has also added North Korea’s defense minister to its sanctions blacklist after the secretive state sent troops to Russia to reinforce its military. The move — part of the EU’s 15th round of …

During Syria’s brutal 13-year civil war, the country was divided up in a multi-sided conflict between several armed factions whose ideologies, composition, and alliances were constantly shifting. Now, the rapid collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government has left both Syrians and foreign observers wondering who will fill the vacuum and what comes next. The key players who will likely determine Syria’s future: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) …

Outside al-Mujtahid Hospital in Damascus, families study gruesome printouts taped to the walls. The pictures are of the bodies of prison victims, mangled from years of torture. Everyone in the crowd is searching for someone. Most leave without answers. A young woman in a black ponytail walks away from the wall, shrieking. “You knew about this. You always knew,” she yells. “You didn’t do anything …

Taipei, Taiwan — Taiwan has received 38 advanced Abrams battle tanks from the United States, the defense ministry said Monday, reportedly the island’s first new tanks in 30 years. Washington has long been Taipei’s most important ally and biggest arms supplier — angering Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its own territory. The M1A2 tanks — the first batch of 108 ordered in 2019 — arrived in Taiwan …

More than 60,000 residents of northern Israel were evacuated 14 months ago when Hezbollah began bombing the area in support of Hamas and its war against Israel. Now, as a tenuous ceasefire with Hezbollah takes hold, some Israeli residents are returning, although many say they are choosing to wait and see what happens. Linda Gradstein reports from the Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona, near the …

Gaza’s health ministry said Monday that Israel’s offensive against Hamas militants in the Palestinian enclave has killed more than 45,000 people. The conflict has also wounded nearly 107,000 people, the ministry said. It does not distinguish between civilians and fighters in its count, but has previously said more than half of those killed have been women and children. The Gaza health ministry said in its …

The office of the U.N.’s Syria envoy said Monday that he stressed the need for a Syria-led political transition as he met in Damascus with the head of the rebel group that led the ouster of longtime President Bashar al-Assad. The transition should be based on the principles of a 2015 U.N. Security Council resolution that calls for “credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governance,” within six …

SYDNEY — Australian authorities are responding to a surge in antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes. Australian police said offensive graffiti that demeaned Islam was found under a bridge in the Sydney suburb of Sefton on Sunday.   The New South Wales state Premier Chris Minns said “this racism and Islamophobia is disgusting and corrosive to the very fabric” of multiculturalism.   Sefton is a majority-Muslim district. …

Bangkok — Thailand said on Monday it will host two regional meetings on Myanmar this week, with at least one to have representatives of the junta, as the Malaysian Prime Minister said efforts were being made to bring Myanmar back to the fore of ASEAN. Thai foreign minister Maris Sangiampongsa will hold the separate consultations on Dec 19 and 20, after Thailand in October offered to …

BEIJING — China’s Communist Party must “turn the knife inward” to eliminate problems of discipline, including corruption, President Xi Jinping said, a new call to hunt down corrupt officials and those who corrupt them. Since coming to power over a decade ago, Xi has cracked down on corruption involving party members, whether they were corrupt high-ranking “tigers” or lowly “flies” who failed to implement government policies. …

Damascus, Syria — In the large courtyard of the Faculty of Letters at Damascus University, hundreds of jubilant students trampled on Sunday a statue, symbol of the former power, a week after the fall of the capital. “The atmosphere is extraordinary, everyone is happy, look at the joy of the people,” exclaims Rinad Abdallah, an 18-year-old medical student. In front of her, the several-meter-high statue of …

Seoul, South Korea — South Korean law enforcement authorities will request that impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol appear for questioning this week over his short-lived martial law decree as they expand a probe into whether his ill-conceived power grab amounted to rebellion. A joint investigative team involving police, an anti-corruption agency and the Defense Ministry plans to convey a request to Yoon’s office that he appears …

Tripoli, Libya — One of Libya’s main refineries in the west has been shut down after clashes between local armed groups erupted early Sunday and caused fires on infrastructure, state oil company NOC said. Several tanks at the Zawiya refinery, a town 45 km west of Tripoli and the only one in western Libya that supplies the local market with fuel, caught fire, according to videos …