DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — An Iranian official claimed Tuesday that Iranian-German prisoner Jamshid Sharmahd died before Tehran could execute him — directly contradicting the country’s earlier announcement he had been put to death. The comment by Asghar Jahangir came after Germany shut down all three Iranian consulates in the country over Sharmahd’s death, leaving only the embassy in Berlin open. Germany later disputed Jahangir’s remark. …
Brazilian police official chosen as next head of Interpol
London — Brazilian police official Valdecy Urquiza will be the next chief of Interpol, the global police organization announced Tuesday. Urquiza was elected secretary-general by a vote of Interpol’s general assembly at its meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, and will take up the post when the gathering ends on Thursday. Currently Interpol’s vice president for the Americas, Urquiza is the first chief of the Lyon, France-based organization …
Israel’s drawn-out conflict raises pressure – and questions – among Israeli reservists
As the wars in both Gaza and Lebanon drag on, the burden on Israeli reservist soldiers is growing. Some say they don’t believe the government has their best interests at heart and are choosing not to show up for reserve duty. Linda Gradstein reports from Jerusalem. Camera: Ricki Rosen …
Palestinian health officials say Israeli strikes kill 30 in Gaza
Palestinian health officials said Tuesday a series of Israeli airstrikes killed at least 30 people in the Gaza Strip. One strike late Monday hit a house where displaced families were sheltering in Beit Lahiya, killing at least 20 people, the officials said. Other deadly strikes took place in Gaza City, Zuweida and Deir al-Balah. Israel’s military said Tuesday its forces had killed militants and militant …
Ukraine reports downing 48 Russian drones
Ukraine’s military said Tuesday it shot down two Russian guided missiles as well as 48 of the 79 drones that Russian forces used in overnight attacks. The intercepts took place over the Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Khmelnytskyi, Kyiv, Odesa, Poltava, Sumy and Zhytomyr regions, the Ukrainian air force said. Ivan Fedorov, governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, said Tuesday a Russian attack killed at least six people and …
World’s first wooden satellite, developed in Japan, heads to space
KYOTO, JAPAN — The world’s first wooden satellite, built by Japanese researchers, was launched into space on Tuesday, in an early test of using timber in lunar and Mars exploration. LignoSat, developed by Kyoto University and homebuilder Sumitomo Forestry, will be flown to the International Space Station on a SpaceX mission, and later released into orbit about 400 km (250 miles) above the Earth. Named after …
China warns military members against online dating, gambling
BEIJING — In an unusual warning, China’s navy told young officers and personnel that they could get ensnared by online dating scams and virtual gambling if they let down their guard, exposing themselves to security risks and undermining the military. Addressing those born from 1990 who are “becoming the core of the army,” the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy said in a social media post that …
Israel notifies UN it will not cooperate with UN agency for Palestinian refugees
[[ Near-universal concern and condemnation has followed Israel’s formal announcement to the United Nations that it will not cooperate with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, after Israel’s parliament voted to cut ties last week. In Washington, at the U.N. and on the ground, officials and residents are raising alarms over the disintegrating humanitarian situation in Gaza and elsewhere. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell …
China attempts to boost birth rate amid mounting challenges
TAIPEI, TAIWAN — Jasmine Chen has been married for two years, but the idea of having children is not part of her plans. The 28-year-old bank teller who lives in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou said raising children in China is just too expensive. “Even though anyone can raise children, regardless of their economic situation, I would want to make sure that I could give …
Lebanon death toll in Hezbollah-Israel war surpasses 3,000
The death toll in Lebanon surpassed 3,000 Monday in the 13-month-long conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, with the vast majority killed since hostilities dramatically escalated in mid-September and Israel invaded south Lebanon on October 1. The Lebanese health ministry said more than 13,000 people have also been wounded. More than a million people have been displaced in the tiny country. Israel says the dead include …
Analysts: North Korea’s ties with Russia elevate danger to itself
washington — Pyongyang may have bet all its chips on its relationship with Moscow by committing the lives of its soldiers to fight for Russia’s war efforts against Ukraine, according to analysts. North Korean soldiers are gearing up for an anticipated battle in the Russian border region of Kursk. According to the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine on Saturday, more than 7,000 North Korean soldiers in the …
UAE opens its annual oil and gas summit as industry weathers Mideast wars and awaits US election
abu dhabi, united arab emirates — The United Arab Emirates opened its annual oil-and-gas summit on Monday as it plans to increase the country’s energy output as global prices stay volatile and world politics remain uncertain ahead of the U.S. presidential election. The massive Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference comes after the UAE just last year hosted the United Nations COP28 climate talks. Those …
Philippine military drills to seize an island in the South China Sea
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine military opened two weeks of combat drills Monday that will include seizing an island in the disputed South China Sea and likely be frowned upon by China. More than 3,000 Filipino army, navy and air force personnel will take part in the maneuvers, which Philippine military officials said were not directed against any country. China has rapidly expanded its military and …
Russia to launch two Iranian satellites Tuesday, Tehran’s Moscow envoy says
Russia will launch two Iranian satellites into orbit using a Soyuz launcher on Tuesday, Iran’s ambassador to Moscow said Monday, as the two U.S.-sanctioned countries deepen their scientific relationship. “In continuation of the development of Iran-Russia scientific and technological cooperation, two Iranian satellites, Kowsar and Hodhod, will be launched to a 500 km orbit of Earth,” Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali said in a …
Russia, Indonesia begin unprecedented naval drills
Indonesia and Russia began their first-ever joint naval exercises Monday in the Java Sea. These bilateral drills work to support an Indonesian foreign policy agenda that prioritizes nonalignment in the face of conflict between world powers. The drills have been divided into two phases and will take place over the course of five days near Indonesia’s Surabaya city, east of the capital, Jakarta. In the …
At UN, US confronts Russia over North Korean troops for Ukraine
New York — Russia refused to confirm its plans for North Korean troops it reportedly plans to deploy in its fight against Ukraine, during a confrontation with the United States Monday at the U.N. Security Council. “I heard the statement [of the Russian envoy], as did others in this room, but the one question still remains that that statement does not address, and that is whether …
Shards of IS Part 1: Forgotten children of Islamic State locked away in Syria
At 21 years old, Noah Soulay is a grown man. He is tall, slim and speaks English with an American accent. He says he lived in New York for some time as a child. He is now incarcerated in Syria. When he was 12, Soulay’s stepfather brought him and his mother here from Trinidad and Tobago to join Islamic State. At the height of its …
Shards of IS Part 1: Forgotten children of Islamic State locked away in Syria
People who were once the world’s most feared terrorists are in Syrian camps and jails without trials, and so are their children …
Serbian minister to resign over concrete canopy collapse that killed 14 people
belgrade, serbia — Serbia’s construction minister said Monday he was stepping down days after a concrete canopy collapsed at a railway station, killing 14 people and severely injuring three. Minister Goran Vesic announced his resignation at a hastily called press conference as anger mounted in the Balkan country over the fatal collapse that happened just before noon on Friday in the northern city of Novi Sad. …
Thousands rally again in Georgia to protest Oct. 26 parliamentary election they say was rigged
Tbilisi, Georgia — Thousands of opposition supporters rallied outside Georgia’s parliament for the second straight Monday to denounce the Oct. 26 election as illegitimate after the ruling party was declared the winner amid allegations of vote-rigging helped by Russia. The protesters, who waved Georgian and European Union flags, demanded a new parliamentary election under international supervision and an investigation of the alleged ballot irregularities. Opposition leaders …
UN expresses concern for Sudan heritage sites looted amid civil war
UNESCO – the U.N. agency for the protection of cultural heritage – says it is concerned that museums in Sudan are being looted during the ongoing civil war. VOA gained access to one damaged and apparently ransacked museum. VOA’s Henry Wilkins has more from The House of the Khalifa in the city of Omdurman. …
EU, South Korea urge withdrawal of North Korean troops from Russia’s war with Ukraine
Seoul, South Korea — South Korea and the European Union on Monday jointly condemned North Korea’s supply of weaponry to Moscow and demanded that it withdraw troops it has sent as Russia wages war against Ukraine. The EU and South Korea were holding their first “Strategic Dialogue” meeting in Seoul, shortly after Washington and Seoul sounded the alarm about North Korea sending soldiers to help Russia. …
Trial opens in France in beheading of teacher over prophet cartoons
Paris — The trial of eight people in Paris on terrorism charges started on Monday over the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty, who was killed by an Islamic extremist after showing caricatures of Islam’s prophet to his middle school students for a lesson on freedom of expression. Paty’s shocking death left an imprint on France, and several schools are now named after him. Paty was killed …
Malaysia complains to Vietnam over South China Sea reef expansion, sources say
Malaysia has sent a complaint letter to Vietnam over its alleged expansion of a South China Sea reef that both countries claim as their own, two officials told Reuters, in a rare bilateral escalation not involving China. The move brings to light another of the multiple disputes in the strategic waterway, most of which China claims sovereignty over, with Beijing involved in frequent altercations with …