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 …
Turkey replaces pro-Kurdish mayors with state officials in southeast
ISTANBUL, Turkey — Turkey stripped three elected pro-Kurdish mayors of their posts in southeastern cities on Monday, for convictions and charges on terrorism-related offenses, the interior ministry said, appointing state officials in their places instead. Local governors replaced the mayors in the provincial centers of Mardin and Batman, while the mayor of Halfeti in Sanliurfa province was also unseated, it said. All belonged to the pro-Kurdish …
Central bank independence challenged in many countries, Thai bank governor says
BANGKOK — The independence of central banks is being challenged and they have come under more pressure lately than at any time in the past decade, the Bank of Thailand chief said, according to a speech transcript released on Monday. “Central bank independence in many countries, including Thailand, is being challenged despite having done a reasonable job over past decades,” Governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput said in remarks …
French families sue TikTok over alleged failure to remove harmful content
PARIS — Seven French families have filed a lawsuit against social media giant TikTok, accusing the platform of exposing their adolescent children to harmful content that led to two of them taking their own lives at 15, their lawyer said on Monday. The lawsuit alleges TikTok’s algorithm exposed the seven teenagers to videos promoting suicide, self-harm and eating disorders, lawyer Laure Boutron-Marmion told broadcaster franceinfo. The …
Two of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards die in gyroplane crash
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Two of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards died in a gyroplane crash in the southeastern region on Monday, the semi-official Fars news agency cited the force’s public relations department as saying. The accident happened near Sirkan, a city in the province of Sistan-Baluchustan bordering Afghanistan and Pakistan, which has long been the site of frequent clashes between Iranian security forces and Sunni militants …
Israel notifies UN it will not cooperate with UNRWA after new legislation
Israel’s foreign ministry said Monday the country formally notified the United Nations that it will not cooperate with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, once new Israeli legislation goes into effect early next year. The move follows the Israeli parliament’s approval of legislation severing ties with the agency and banning it from operating in Israel. “Despite the overwhelming evidence we submitted to the UN …
China urges France to get EU to arrive at palatable EV trade solution
BEIJING — China has urged France to take on “an active role” to push the European Commission toward a solution acceptable to both the European and Chinese electric vehicle industries, Beijing’s commerce ministry said on Monday, citing its minister. Wang Wentao, in a meeting with French junior trade minister Sophie Primas in Shanghai on Sunday, reiterated the European Union’s investigation into China’s EVs is a …
Japan grounds its V-22 Osprey fleet again after flight incident
Washington — Japan has grounded its fleet of V-22 Osprey aircraft again after an incident last Sunday where one of the hybrid helicopter-aircraft tilted unexpectedly and hit the ground while trying to take off. The V-22 was taking part in the joint U.S. military exercise Keen Sword and carrying 16 passengers, including three U.S. service members. During takeoff it “became unstable as it swayed from side …
Israel sends troops into Syria, detaining alleged Iranian agent
Israel said Sunday it launched a ground raid into Syria, seizing a Syrian it claimed was involved in Iranian networks supporting militants in the region. The Israeli raid into Syria was its first during the current 13-month Middle East conflict. Syria did not immediately confirm the operation. The Israeli army did not say where the raid occurred or when, but identified the man seized …
Second Taiwanese fighter killed in Ukraine
Taipei, Taiwan — A second Taiwanese volunteer fighting alongside Ukrainian soldiers against Russia has been killed, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said Sunday. The man was a member of the Ukrainian Foreign Legion, the ministry said in a statement, expressing condolences to his family, who did not want him publicly identified. The ministry said it was informed of the man’s death Saturday and that Taiwan’s representative office in …
5 migrants die trying to reach Spain’s Canary Islands
Madrid — Five bodies were found floating in the sea Sunday after the inflatable boat they were travelling in punctured around 90 km (56 miles) off the Spanish island of Lanzarote, in the Canary Islands, Spanish Sea Rescue services told Reuters. A spokesperson said a rescue aircraft sighted two inflatable boats heading toward the archipelago, and that one of them had one of its floats deflated. …
Death toll tops 200 in Spain’s deadliest modern-day natural disaster
Spain’s government reports more than 200 dead and dozens still missing following the deadliest flash floods in that country’s modern history. Locals say they feel abandoned by their government. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more. …
Iran president says potential cease-fire ‘could affect’ response to Israel
Tehran — Iran’s president said Sunday a potential cease-fire between its allies and Israel “could affect the intensity” of Tehran’s response to Israel’s recent strikes on Iranian military sites. “If they [the Israelis] reconsider their behavior, accept a cease-fire and stop massacring the oppressed and innocent people of the region, it could affect the intensity and type of our response,” Masoud Pezeshkian said, quoted by state …
UN expert: Iran transformed Yemen’s Houthi rebels into potent military force
UNITED NATIONS — Yemen’s Houthi rebels have been transformed from a local armed group with limited capabilities to a powerful military organization with support from Iran, Iraqi armed groups, Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants and others, U.N. experts said in a new report. The Iranian-backed Houthis have exploited the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and worked to enhance their status in Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” to gain popularity …
Russia sends nearly 100 drones into Ukraine, as Zelenskyy urges tougher sanctions against Moscow
Kyiv, Ukraine — Moscow sent 96 drones and a guided air missile into Ukraine overnight into Sunday, Ukrainian officials said. According to Ukraine’s Air Force, 66 drones were destroyed during the overnight barrage, along with the missile. A further 27 drones were “lost” over various areas, it said, likely having been electronically jammed, while one drone flew into Belarusian airspace. No casualties were reported. Ukrainian President …
A crowd of Spain’s flood survivors toss mud and shout insults at King Felipe VI
VALENCIA, Spain — A crowd of angry survivors of Spain’s floods tossed mud and shouted insults at Spain’s King Felipe VI and government officials when they made their first visit to one of the hardest hit towns on Sunday. Government officials accompanied the monarch who tried to talk to locals while others shouted at him in Paiporta, an outskirt of Valencia city that has been devastated. …
Amid war and deep hunger, Gaza fisherman struggle to feed families
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — After over a year of war in Gaza, Palestinian fishermen gather along the coastline, desperately casting their nets in hopes of catching enough for their families amid widespread hunger. Since Israel began a military onslaught in Gaza after Hamas’ October 2023 attack, Israeli restrictions in the waters off the enclave have made life almost impossible for fishermen, who no longer …
Germany’s Scholz summons top ministers over rival plans to fix economy
Berlin — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will hold meetings with his top two ministers to try to find common ground after they put forward contradictory plans to fix the nation’s ailing economy, a government source told Reuters on Sunday. A document leaked by Christian Lindner’s finance ministry raised eyebrows in Berlin last week, with its push for tax cuts and fiscal discipline widely interpreted as a …
Ukrainian front-line school system goes underground to protect against bombs, radiation
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine — To be a parent in the Ukrainian front-line city of Zaporizhzhia means weighing your child’s life against the Russian weapons within striking distance. Most rain death in an instant: the drones, the ballistic missiles, the glide bombs, the artillery shells. But Russian soldiers control another weapon they have never deployed, with the potential to be just as deadly: The nearby Zaporizhzhia nuclear power …
Palestinians say Israel struck Gaza clinic during polio campaign; army denies it
CAIRO — Palestinian officials say an Israeli drone strike on a clinic in northern Gaza where children were being vaccinated for polio wounded six people, including four children. The Israeli military denied responsibility. The alleged strike occurred Saturday in northern Gaza, which has been encircled by Israeli forces and largely isolated for the past year. Israel has been carrying out another offensive there in recent weeks …
Moldovan runoff election starts amid fraud and intimidation claims
CHISINAU, Moldova — Moldovans are casting votes in a decisive presidential runoff Sunday that pits pro-Western incumbent Maia Sandu against a Russia-friendly opponent, as ongoing claims of voter fraud and intimidation threaten democracy in the European Union candidate country. In the first round held October 20, Sandu obtained 42% of the ballot but failed to win an outright majority. She will face Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former …
Russia, Ukraine accuse each other of obstructing prisoner swaps
MOSCOW — Kyiv called on Moscow on Sunday to provide a list of Ukrainian prisoners of war ready for a swap after Russia accused Ukraine of sabotaging the exchange process. In requesting the list of Ukrainians from his Russian counterpart, Ukrainian human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets wrote on his Telegram messaging channel: “We are always ready to exchange prisoners of war!” Kyiv and Moscow have …
B-52 bombers arrive in Middle East, US military says
Washington — American B-52 bombers have arrived in the Middle East, the U.S. military said Saturday, a day after Washington announced their deployment in a warning to Iran. “B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers from Minot Air Force Base’s 5th Bomb Wing arrived in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility,” the military command for the Middle East and surrounding countries said in a post on social media. …
North Korean ‘white paper’ says South Korea’s president raised risk of nuclear war
seoul — North Korean state media released a white paper Sunday accusing South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol of exposing his country to the danger of nuclear war through his policies toward the North. The document, compiled by North Korea’s Institute of Enemy State Studies and released by state news agency KCNA, criticized Yoon’s “reckless remarks” about war, abandoning elements of an inter-Korean agreement, engaging in …