China

China has told its automakers to halt big investment in European countries that support extra tariffs on Chinese-built electric vehicles, two people briefed about the matter said, a move likely to further divide Europe. The new European Union tariffs of up to 45.3% came into effect on Wednesday after a year-long investigation that divided the bloc and prompted retaliation from Beijing. Ten EU members including …

Palestinian health officials said an Israeli raid Thursday in the occupied West Bank killed at least three people.  The operation included airstrikes in the area of the Nur Shams refugee camp.  The Israeli military said it was targeting “terrorist infrastructure” and that it killed a Hamas militant who was involved in planning attacks.  Since Hamas attacked southern Israel in October 2023, Israeli forces have killed …

TEHRAN, Iran — America’s presidential election next week comes just after Iran marks the 45th anniversary of the 1979 U.S. Embassy hostage crisis — and for many, tensions between Tehran and Washington feel just as high as they did then. Iran remains locked in the Mideast wars roiling the region, with its allies — militant groups and fighters of its self-described “Axis of Resistance” — battered …

seoul, south korea — More than 100 North Koreans have gone missing after being caught by secret police while trying to defect from the isolated country or even for trying to call relatives in South Korea, a Seoul-based human rights group said Thursday. The Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG) released a report detailing patterns of enforced disappearances through its study based on interviews with 62 North …

IRBIL, Iraq — Election results from the vote for the regional parliament in Iraq’s semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region show the two dominant Kurdish parties have maintained their hold while an opposition party has made inroads, officials said Wednesday. According to the Independent High Electoral Commission, the Kurdistan Democratic Party — with its base of support in the regional capital, Irbil, and in the city of Dohuk …

SEOUL/TOKYO — North Korea conducted what appeared to be its longest ever intercontinental ballistic missile test on Thursday, as South Korea warned Pyongyang could seek missile technology from Russia in exchange for deploying troops to help with the war in Ukraine. The missile was launched on a sharply lofted trajectory from an area near the North’s capital and splashed down about 300 km (190 miles) west …

Israeli airstrikes hit the historic eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek on Wednesday, killing at least 19 people, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Hours before it struck, Israel’s military issued evacuation orders for the entire city and parts of eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, where Baalbek is located. Tens of thousands of Lebanese fled in a chaotic scene of panic, one Lebanese civil defense official said. “The …

Pentagon and United Nations — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his South Korean counterpart, Kim Yong-hyun, urged North Korea on Wednesday to withdraw from Russia an estimated 10,000 troops, which both countries believe are headed to fight alongside Russia in its war in Ukraine. “They’re doing this because [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has lost a lot of troops, a lot of troops. And, you know, …

ISLAMABAD — China has increased diplomatic pressure on close ally Pakistan to take action against the militants responsible for repeated attacks on Chinese workers, warning that the violence is “unacceptable” and poses “a constraint” on Beijing’s investments under its Belt and Road Initiative, or BRI. The rare public warning accusing Islamabad of consistent security lapses concerning Chinese workers was issued by Beijing’s ambassador, Jiang Zaidong, while …

The decision by Saudi authorities to sentence a cartoonist to an extra 23 years in prison marks an escalation in the kingdom’s suppression of dissent, analysts say. Mohammed al-Ghamdi, a cartoonist for Qatar-based Lusail newspaper, was already serving six years on a range of charges. But a court in October reopened the case and sentenced him to an additional 23 years without the possibility of …

harare, zimbabwe — Zimbabwe is aiming to be home to Africa’s largest steel plant, but disputes over the project continue even as it ramps up production. Over the past few months, villagers have been accusing the Chinese steel plant’s subsidiary Dinson Iron and Steel Company, or DISCO, of taking over their land without compensation, damaging the environment and not helping them relocate. There are also concerns …

The U.S. military has struck a number of Islamic State group camps in Syria this week, killing as many as 35 militants, U.S. Central Command said Wednesday.  The airstrikes in the desert of central Syria were done Monday evening and targeted multiple locations and senior leaders of the group. The attacks came on the heels of a number of joint operations with Iraqi forces that …

WASHINGTON — The United States on Wednesday imposed curbs on hundreds of targets in fresh action against Russia, taking aim at sanctions circumvention in a signal that the U.S. is committed to countering evasion. The action, taken by the U.S. Treasury and State departments, imposed sanctions on nearly 400 entities and people from over a dozen countries, according to statements from the Treasury and State departments. …

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA — Archaeologists in Cambodia have unearthed a dozen centuries-old sandstone statues in a “remarkable discovery” at the Angkor World Heritage Site near the city of Siem Reap, authorities said Wednesday. The statues — depicting “door guardians” — were discovered last week near the north gate leading to the 11th-century Royal Palace at Angkor Thom, the last capital of the Khmer Empire, said Long …

Beijing — Beijing said Wednesday it had lodged a complaint with the World Trade Organization over the European Union’s decision to impose hefty tariffs on Chinese-made electric cars. The extra taxes of up to 35% were announced Tuesday after an EU probe found Chinese state subsidies were undercutting European automakers, but the move has faced opposition from Germany and Hungary, which fear provoking Beijing’s ire and …

BEIJING — China’s stimulus efforts could come with a cost and they must be carried out alongside reforms to ensure sustainable economic growth, Liu Shijin, a former central bank adviser, said in remarks published Wednesday. “Stimulus could come with a cost and we should combine stimulus with reforms,” Chinese media outlet Yicai quoted Liu as saying at a forum on Tuesday. Liu said funds should be …

Israel’s military issued new evacuation warnings Wednesday for people in parts of eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, warning of military actions against Hezbollah targets in the area. An Israel Defense Forces spokesperson said people in Baalbek, Ain Bourday and Douris should leave their homes. Israeli forces have frequently followed such warnings with airstrikes as they carry out a campaign Israeli officials say is meant to push …

BAGHDAD — The ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) came first in a parliamentary election in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq, winning 39 seats, the election commission said on Wednesday, positioning it to lead the next regional government. The KDP’s historic rival and junior coalition partner in government, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), was second with 23 seats, the commission told a news conference. It …

JIUQUAN, China — China declared a “complete success” after it launched a new three-person crew to its orbiting space station early Wednesday as the country seeks to expand its exploration of outer space with missions to the moon and beyond. The Shenzhou-19 spaceship carrying the trio blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 4:27 a.m. local time atop a Long March-2F …

JAKARTA, INDONESIA — Indonesian authorities investigating graft have arrested a former trade minister turned government critic on suspicion of improperly granting a sugar import permit in 2015 that led to losses of $25 million. Thomas Trikasih Lembong was named a suspect and arrested late on Tuesday by prosecutors from the attorney general’s office, accused of giving the permit to a private company at a time when …

NEW YORK — A Kenyan man who plotted a 9/11-style attack on a U.S. building was training as a commercial pilot in the Philippines when his plans were interrupted, a federal prosecutor told a New York jury Tuesday. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon Bodansky told a federal jury in Manhattan that Cholo Abdi Abdullah plotted an attack for four years that he hoped to carry out on …

Bangkok — Thailand is hoping that a new draft bill that aims to introduce entertainment complexes and casinos throughout the country will give its economy and tourism a much-needed boost. Experts say the prospect of building casinos brings both benefits and risks to the Southeast Asian country. Thai officials announced last week that they expect a draft of the Entertainment Complex Act will be submitted to …

In Shanghai, police, not trick-or-treaters and partygoers, are taking to the streets this week as the city approaches Halloween. The strengthened police force accompanies official notices prohibiting citizens from “role-playing” on Halloween, signaling the government’s paranoia over the social instability the holiday’s festivities could bring. Videos online show police cars lining the streets of Shanghai, with some officers approaching crowds and instructing them to disperse …

London — The European Union, United Kingdom, and Canada on Tuesday announced fresh sanctions targeting the Myanmar junta’s access to “military materiel, equipment and funds.”  The new curbs, against entities supplying aviation fuel and equipment to Myanmar’s military, were aimed at constraining its “ability to conduct airstrikes on civilians,” according to Britain.  It said the month of August saw the highest number of airstrikes on record …