Berlin — Europe is prepared to respond “within an hour” if the United States levies tariffs against the European Union, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a pre-election debate with his conservative challenger Friedrich Merz. In the first duel ahead of the Feb. 23 election, Merz portrayed Scholz as a ditherer who had led Germany into economic crisis, while the Social Democrat presented himself as an …
49 migrant bodies found in 2 mass graves in southeastern Libya
Cairo — Libyan authorities have uncovered nearly 50 bodies from two mass graves in the country’s southeastern desert, officials said Sunday, in the latest tragedy involving people seeking to reach Europe through the chaos-stricken North African country. The first mass grave with 19 bodies was found Friday in a farm in the southeastern city of Kufra, the security directorate said in a statement, adding that authorities …
Pope reminds armed forces to act for defense, respect international laws
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Sunday told soldiers, police and other law enforcement officials from around the world that armed force can only be used for legitimate defense and must always respect international law. The pontiff reappeared in public for the first time since he was diagnosed with bronchitis Thursday to celebrate an outdoor Jubilee Mass for the armed forces, police and security personnel. However, …
Israel withdraws from corridor splitting Gaza as tenuous ceasefire holds
A new benchmark was reached Sunday in the tenuous Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza, with Israeli troops withdrawing from the Netzarim corridor, a narrow strip of land that bisects the territory. It allowed more Palestinians to return to the northern sector where they once lived, but much of the land has been leveled by 15 months of fighting. Cars heaped with belongings, including water tanks and …
Rescuers recover 1 body and search for 28 people in a landslide in southwest China
Beijing — Emergency teams in China’s southwestern Sichuan province raced against time Sunday to locate 28 people after a landslide triggered by rains killed one person and buried homes. Nearly 1,000 personnel were deployed following the landslide in the village of Jinping in Junlian county on Saturday. Some officers navigated through the remains of collapsed buildings, using drones and life-detection radars to locate any signs of …
Baltic states switch to European power grid, ending Russia ties
VILNIUS — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania said on Sunday they had successfully synchronized their electricity systems to the European continental power grid, one day after severing decades-old energy ties to Russia and Belarus. Planned for many years, the complex switch away from the grid of their former Soviet imperial overlord is designed to integrate the three Baltic nations more closely with the European Union and to …
Dalai Lama’s elder brother, who led several rounds of talks with China, dies at 97
NEW DELHI — The elder brother of the Dalai Lama and former chairman of the Tibetan government-in-exile in India, Gyalo Thondup, who led several rounds of talks with China and worked with foreign governments for the Tibetan cause, has died. He was 97. Thondup died at his home in Kalimpong, a hill town in the Himalayan foothills of eastern West Bengal state, on Saturday evening, media …
Kosovo votes for new parliament as foreign aid dwindles and talks with Serbia are stalled
PRISTINA, KOSOVO — Kosovars cast their votes Sunday in a parliamentary election considered a key test for Prime Minister Albin Kurti as talks on normalizing ties with rival Serbia remain stalled and foreign funding for one of Europe’s poorest countries in question. Kurti’s left-wing Vetevendosje, or Self-Determination Movement Party, is seen as the front-runner but is not expected to win the necessary majority to govern alone, …
China to roll back clean power subsidies after boom
BEIJING — China’s top economic planning agency said on Sunday it was taking steps to scale back subsidies for renewable energy projects after a boom in solar and wind power installations. China broke its own records for new solar installations in 2024 with installed capacity up 45% from the previous year. China now has almost 887 GW of installed solar power, more than six times the …
Economists raise concern over sustainability of Indonesian meal program
JAKARTA, INDONESIA — Economists are raising concerns about the viability of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s program launched this year to combat child nutrition. According to an Indonesian Ministry of Health Nutritional Status Study report, 21.6% of children ages 3 and 4 experienced stunting caused by malnutrition in 2022. The first stage of the Free Nutritious Meal Program, extending through March, is intended to provide around 20 …
Released Thai hostages return to Bangkok after being held for over a year in Gaza
BANGKOK — Five Thai workers released after being held hostage for over a year in Gaza arrived in Bangkok on Sunday. Sarusak Rumnao, 32, Watchara Sriaoun, 33, Sathian Suwannakham, 35, Pongsak Thaenna, 36, and Bannawat Saethao, 27, were freed on Jan. 30 as part of an exchange arrangement. They were embraced by family members, some of whom cried, in the arrivals hall at Suvarnabhumi airport. Thai …
Head of UN chemical weapons watchdog meets Syrian leader
DAMASCUS, SYRIA — The head of the world’s chemical weapons watchdog met Syria’s new leader Saturday, in a first visit to Damascus since the ousting of Bashar al-Assad, who was repeatedly accused of using such weapons during Syria’s 13-year civil war. More than a decade ago, Syria agreed to hand over its declared stockpile for destruction, but the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has …
Scandal-hit narco-musical ‘Emilia Perez’ wins Spanish film prize
GRANADA, SPAIN — Narco-musical Emilia Perez won best European film at Spain’s equivalent of the Oscars on Saturday, after social media posts by the movie’s star prompted a backlash in the middle of awards season. The mostly Spanish-language musical tells the story of a Mexican drug cartel boss who transitions to life as a woman and turns her back on crime. Before the scandal broke, the …
Rescuers search for 30 people missing after landslide in China
BEIJING — Chinese rescuers searched for some 30 people after a landslide Saturday in southwestern Sichuan province buried 10 houses and forced hundreds of residents to evacuate. The Ministry of Emergency Management deployed hundreds of rescuers including firefighters following the landslide in a village in Junlian county. Two people were pulled out alive and about 200 others were relocated, state broadcaster CCTV said. A villager told …
Thailand leader seeks more cooperation with China
TAIPEI, TAIWAN — Thailand’s prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, vowed to deepen cooperation with China to tackle the cyber scam centers that have troubled both countries, and she signed more than a dozen agreements to elevate bilateral economic ties between the two nations at the conclusion of her visit to China on Saturday. Some analysts say the Thai prime minister’s four-day visit shows that Thailand is managing …
Ukrainians in Colorado open food truck featuring traditional food
Ukrainians Yevhenia and Kostiantyn Mukhin fled Kherson in 2022 with nothing but a backpack. They made their way to Denver, Colorado, determined to rebuild their lives, but also to spread the joy of Ukrainian culture. Svitlana Prystynska reports the story narrated by Anna Rice. …
Hundreds protest in London against proposed ‘mega embassy’ for China
Hundreds of demonstrators protested Saturday at a site earmarked for Beijing’s controversial new embassy in London over human rights and security concerns. The new embassy, if approved by the U.K. government, would be the “biggest Chinese Embassy in Europe,” one lawmaker said earlier. Protester Iona Boswell, a 40-year-old social worker, told AFP said there was “no need for a mega embassy here” and that she …
Emboldened by Trump, Iranian dissidents demand overthrow of rulers
PARIS — Thousands of opponents to Iran’s authorities rallied in Paris on Saturday, joined by Ukrainians to call for the fall of the government in Tehran, hopeful that U.S. President Donald Trump’s ‘maximum pressure’ campaign could lead to change in the country. The protest, organized by the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran, which is banned in Iran, comes as two of the group’s …
Massive protest in Germany against far-right AfD ahead of election
MUNICH, GERMANY — More than 200,000 protesters rallied in Munich, Germany, on Saturday against far-right extremism ahead of the country’s general election. The far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany, or AfD, is in second place in recent polls and has prompted widespread protests across the country before voters cast their ballots on Feb. 23. The protest at Munich’s Theresienwiese — where Oktoberfest takes place each year — …
Lebanese leader forms new government, pledges reforms
BEIRUT — Lebanon formed a new government Saturday, following unusually direct U.S. intervention in the process and in a step intended to bring the country closer to accessing reconstruction funds following a devastating war between Israel and Hezbollah. Speaking to reporters at the presidential palace, new Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the 24-member Cabinet would prioritize financial reforms, reconstruction and the implementation of a United Nations …
Zelenskyy hints at ‘intensive’ talks with Trump as US, Ukraine discuss peace deal
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not confirmed that he will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump next week but said the coming weeks may be “very intensive in diplomacy.” Trump said on Feb. 7 that he is likely to meet with Zelenskyy next week. The site of the meeting “could be Washington,” he said, adding that he would not be going to Kyiv. He also …
Baltics switch off Russian power grid
VILNIUS, LITHUANIA — Three Baltic states on Saturday cut ties with Russia’s power grid to join the European Union’s network, the culmination of a years-long process that gained urgency with Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — all former Soviet republics now in the European Union and NATO — had wanted to block Russia’s ability to geopolitically blackmail them via the electricity system. “We …
Uyghurs mark 28 years since Ghulja violence, condemn ongoing repression
WASHINGTON — The first week of February is marked by grief for Zubayra Shamseden not only because she lost loved ones nearly three decades ago, she says, but because China’s repressive policies toward Uyghurs continue. “I have been commemorating this day and protesting for the past 28 years, every February 5,” Shamseden told VOA. “The Ghulja massacre in 1997 was the beginning of today’s ongoing genocide …
North Korea says its nuclear weapons not a ‘bargaining chip’ as Trump, Ishiba meet
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — North Korea said on Saturday its nuclear weapons are not meant for negotiations but are intended for combat use against enemies that threaten its people and world peace, its state media reported. The statement comes after U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House on Friday. The two leaders expressed their commitment to ensuring North Korea …