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 …
US approves sale of $7.4B in bombs, missiles to Israel
WASHINGTON — The United States on Friday announced the approval of the sale of more than $7.4 billion in bombs, missiles and related equipment to Israel, which has used American-made weapons to devastating effect during the war in Gaza. The State Department has signed off on the sale of $6.75 billion in bombs, guidance kits and fuses, in addition to $660 million in Hellfire missiles, according …
Hamas set to release 3 Israeli hostages as ceasefire deal holds
Hamas has identified three more Israeli hostages it plans to free on Saturday as part of a fragile ceasefire agreement, even as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to talk up his plan to take ownership of the Gaza Strip. The three men, captured by Hamas during its attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, will be part of the fifth exchange since a ceasefire between …
Sweden wants to tighten gun laws after mass shooting
Sweden said Friday it wants to tighten its gun laws, following a lone gunman’s mass shooting of 10 people Tuesday with his licensed firearms at an education center in Orebro, about 200 kilometers west of Stockholm. After killing seven women and three men between the ages of 28 and 68, the attacker apparently killed himself with one of his weapons. The coalition government said in …
Trump, Ishiba declare ‘new golden age’ for US-Japan ties
US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba met at the White House on Friday, declaring a “new golden age” for US-Japan ties. The visit came amid Trump’s early foreign policy moves that have rattled allies and adversaries alike. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report. …
US defense secretary hosts Australian counterpart
pentagon — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth welcomed Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles to the Pentagon on Friday, after Australia made its first $500 million payment to the United States under the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal involving Washington, Canberra and London. “The check did clear,” Hegseth joked to Marles and reporters ahead of the defense ministers’ meeting. Marles said the “strength of American leadership” in the …
Vietnam braces for fallout from US tariffs on Chinese goods
WASHINGTON — Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh instructed his Cabinet to prepare for a possible global trade war after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs of 10% on all Chinese products. “Prepare for the possibility of a world trade war this year,” the prime minister said at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, according to the Dan Tri online newspaper. Pham spoke after Trump announced a pause …
Trump updates Iran peace deal effort to reflect new realities, analysts say
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace overtures toward Iran this week — made as he signed a directive to put the country under “maximum pressure” for malign behavior — signal a revived policy that some analysts say has evolved from his first term as he adapts to Iran’s new circumstances. Trump made his overture in a Wednesday post on his Truth Social platform, saying he …
VOA Uzbek: Central Asian countries moving closer to China
While Russia is still controlling Central Asian countries politically and economically, those states are also looking for new partners, especially with China, to help ensure their own development. And according to the regional experts, even if the U.S. starts a tough policy against Beijing, it will not have a serious impact on Central Asia, and they will not stop their economic relations with China. Click …
VOA Russian: What economic measures can US use to force Russia to end war?
VOA Russian spoke to U.S. experts who outline how a mix of U.S. sanctions, export controls and other methods of applying pressure on the Russian economy can help President Donald Trump’s administration to force Moscow to stop the war in Ukraine. Experts agree that if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not engage in negotiations, the U.S. should expand punitive economic measures to hurt the Russian …
Cyprus jails Syrian man over toddler death on overloaded migrant boat
NICOSIA, CYPRUS — A Cyprus court sentenced a Syrian national to three years in prison after finding him guilty of causing the death by negligence of a 3-year-old girl from dehydration aboard an overloaded migrant boat that was adrift for six days without adequate supplies of food and water. The Attorney General’s Office said Friday the Famagusta criminal court ruled that the 48-year-old captain had failed …
Trump hosts Japan’s Ishiba amid early moves that have rattled some allies
WHITE HOUSE — U.S. President Donald Trump hosts Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House on Friday, in a visit that Tokyo hopes will reaffirm the U.S.-Japan alliance amid Trump’s early foreign policy moves that have rattled allies and adversaries. Trump and Ishiba are expected to discuss increasing joint military exercises and cooperation on defense equipment and technology, ramping up Japanese investments to the …
US to push Russia to end war in Ukraine through sanctions
The U.S. special envoy to Russia and Ukraine said Thursday the U.S. plans to significantly step up pressure on Russia through sanctions to end the war in Ukraine. In an exclusive interview with the New York Post, Special Envoy Keith Kellogg said there is a lot of room to increase sanctions on Russia, particularly in Russia’s energy sector. He characterized sanctions enforcement on Russia as …
Iran’s supreme leader criticizes proposed nuclear talks with US
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — Iran’s supreme leader said Friday that negotiations with America “are not intelligent, wise or honorable” after U.S. President Donald Trump floated the idea of nuclear talks with Tehran. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also suggested that “there should be no negotiations with such a government” but stopped short of issuing a direct order not to engage with Washington. Khamenei’s remarks upend months of …
VOA Kurdish: USAID freeze threatens security of Syria’s al-Hol camp
The USAID freeze has had a direct impact on the al-Hol camp in northeast Syria, where 90% of the funding for organizations working in the camp depends on USAID. The camp administrator said that if aid is cut and no solution is found, the camp will get out of control, which would threaten the security of the region as a whole. Click here for the …
Israel orders army to plan to let Palestinians leave Gaza
Israel’s defense minister has ordered the Israel Defense Forces to devise a plan for Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal for how the devastated territory would be administered. “I have instructed the IDF to prepare a plan to enable voluntary departure for Gaza residents,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday, adding they could go “to any country willing to …
VOA Kurdish: Official warns of breaking point if amnesty not offered
A former Iraqi deputy prime minister told VOA that 70,000 Sunni Arab detainees are in Iraqi prisons, with most having confessed under pressure or torture and sentenced to death or life imprisonment. He warned that if the amnesty law is not implemented, Sunni Arab anger could reach a breaking point. Click here for the full story in Kurdish. …
VOA Kurdish: Three religious and cultural projects restored in Mosul
After years of destruction, Mosul’s historic landmarks, including the al-Hadba minaret and al-Nuri mosque, have been restored. Led by UNESCO and supported by the United Arab Emirates and other partners, the reconstruction aims to preserve the city’s cultural identity while rebuilding its infrastructure. Beyond monuments, efforts also focus on reviving daily life, supporting residents, and restoring Mosul’s diverse heritage. Click here for the full TV …
Trump imposes sanctions on International Criminal Court
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday authorized economic and travel sanctions targeting people who work on International Criminal Court investigations of U.S. citizens or U.S. allies such as Israel, repeating action he took during his first term. The move coincides with a visit to Washington by Israel’s Prime Minister Benajmin Netanyahu, who — along with his former defense minister and a leader of …
Zelenskyy marks 6-month anniversary of Ukraine’s Kursk operation
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy paid tribute to the country’s “warriors” in the Kursk operation in an address Thursday marking the six-month anniversary of the operation in Russia. “With our active operation on Russian territory, we have brought the war home to Russia, and it is there that they must feel what war is. And they do,” Zelenskyy said in his daily address. He said Ukrainian …
VOA Russian: Momentum lost for North Korean troops in Russia
Thousands of North Korean troops helped Russia regain some of its territory in the Kursk region following Ukraine’s counterattack, but the Russian army is now using them less on the front line and have pulled some back. VOA Russian spoke to experts who noted that despite initial successes, the losses in manpower among North Korean recruits became overwhelming as they were unprepared and not trained …
WHO: More routes out of Gaza needed to evacuate thousands who need lifesaving treatment
UNITED NATIONS — The top official for the World Health Organization in Gaza said Thursday that more routes out of the enclave are urgently needed for the medical evacuation of thousands of Palestinians, including children, in need of lifesaving medical treatment. “There should be more patients going through Rafah into Egypt, but we also want other medical corridors,” Dr. Rik Peeperkorn told reporters in a video …
Azerbaijan detains two more journalists as watchdogs denounce crackdown
Azerbaijani authorities detained two more journalists this week, bringing the number held in the past year to nearly two dozen. Police on Wednesday arrested Shamshad Agha, of the news website Argument, and Shahnaz Beylargizi of Toplum TV. A court in the capital, Baku, on Thursday ordered the journalists to be held in pretrial detention for two months and one day, and three months and 15 …
Japan’s Ishiba faces balancing act in first meeting with Trump
Seoul, South Korea — When Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba meets with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday, his goal, according to Japanese officials, will be straightforward: reaffirm the U.S.-Japan alliance and build a strong rapport with Trump. But many in Tokyo see Ishiba’s goal as even simpler: to avoid a diplomatic disaster with a newly re-elected Trump, whose “America First” foreign …