Taipei, Taiwan — Australia signed two multi-million dollar deals with Nauru and Papua New Guinea last week that analysts say will help Canberra counter China’s growing influence in the Pacific. The deals, which support development in Nauru and pledge to pour hundreds of millions over the next 10 years into the establishment of a rugby team in Papua New Guinea, also give Australia some power to …
Winter’s arrival in Gaza brings further dread and suffering
As talks restart for a hostage release and ceasefire in Gaza, the arriving winter means life will get even harder for the two million Palestinians living in the territory. Linda Gradstein in Jerusalem, with Enas Tantesh and Amjed Tantesh in southern Gaza, have this report. (Videographer: Enas Tantesh and Amjed Tantesh) …
Keith Kellogg as Trump’s Ukraine-Russia envoy: Right man for the mission?
President-elect Donald Trump has chosen retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg to be his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, where Trump has promised to bring a quick end to the war. VOA’s Tatiana Vorozhko looks into Kellogg’s career, his vision for ending the war, and the challenges he might face in his new mission. Rafael Saakov and Andriy Borys contributed.VOA footage by Oleksii Osyka. Video …
Lawyer accused of being Chinese spy loses legal case against UK intel agency
London — A lawyer accused of trying to interfere in British politics on behalf of the Chinese government has lost a legal challenge against the U.K.’s domestic intelligence agency MI5. Britain’s Security Service issued a security alert to all lawmakers in January 2022, warning that London-based lawyer Christine Lee was knowingly engaged in “political interference activities in the U.K.” in coordination with the Chinese Communist Party’s …
Israel’s defense minister envisions Israeli post-war security control in Gaza
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that Israel would have security control over Gaza after its war against the Hamas militant group. “After eliminating Hamas’s military and governmental capabilities in Gaza, Israel would have security control over Gaza with complete freedom of action” Katz posted on X. He compared the vision for Gaza to the situation in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli forces …
US hits North Korea and Russia with new sanctions, Treasury says
Washington — The United States hit North Korea and Russia on Monday with new sanctions targeting Pyongyang’s financial and military support to Moscow as well as its ballistic missile program. The sanctions, which list North Korean banks, generals and other officials, as well as Russian oil shipping companies, are the latest U.S. measure aimed at disrupting North Korea’s support to Russia’s war in Ukraine. The North …
South Korean authorities make new attempt to raid presidential office, Yonhap reports
Seoul — South Korean authorities made a new attempt on Tuesday to search the presidential office and obtain evidence as part of a probe into the legality of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived bid to impose martial law, the Yonhap news agency reported. Yoon was impeached on Saturday over his martial law decree and suspended from his presidential duties. A joint investigation team including …
Iran says awaiting ‘necessary conditions’ to reopen Syria embassy
Tehran — Iran’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that its embassy in Syria would reopen once the “necessary conditions” are met, after the diplomatic mission was vandalized following the ouster of Tehran ally Bashar al-Assad. “The reopening of the embassy in Damascus requires preparations, the most important of which is ensuring the security and safety of the embassy and its staff,” said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil …
Suspected abduction of Lao rights advocate remembered on 12-year anniversary of disappearance
bangkok — Rights groups and activists Monday continued to urge the government of Laos to provide answers about the suspected abduction of prominent rights advocate Sombath Somphone, who was last seen at a police checkpoint in the country’s capital 12 years ago. In CCTV footage captured by a roadside camera on December 15, 2012, in central Vientiane, Sombath is seen being pulled over at a police …
Western nations agree to ‘disrupt, deter’ Russian shadow fleet
TALLINN, estonia — Twelve Western countries have agreed to measures to “disrupt and deter” Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of vessels in order to prevent sanctions breaches and increase the cost to Moscow of the war in Ukraine, Estonia’s government said Monday. The measures were agreed to by Germany, Britain, Poland, the Netherlands, the five Nordic nations and the three Baltic states, said Estonia, where leaders of …
VOA Kurdish: Ten years later, mother hears her son was killed in Sednaya prison
For 11 years, Fatima Osman was hoping for the return of her son Muhammad. When the regime of President Bashar al-Assad fell, prisoners from Syrian jails were released. It was only then that Osman found out her imprisoned son was killed in prison 10 years ago. Click here for the full story in Kurdish. …
VOA Kurdish: Experts warn of health risks from unsafe food imports into Kurdistan Region
Food experts are raising concerns about the safety of agricultural imports into the Kurdistan Region, saying many products contain high levels of harmful chemicals like nitrite. These chemicals, often caused by excessive fertilizer use, can lead to serious health problems, including cancer. Despite warnings since 2019, many imported crops are not properly tested for chemicals, as smuggling and corruption allow unsafe products to enter the …
VOA Mandarin: New US-made tanks expected to boost Taiwan’s defense against China
The first delivery of 38 M1A2T Abrams main battle tanks purchased by Taiwan from the United States arrived early Monday at the army training base in Hsinchu County, northern Taiwan. Analysts say the tanks will provide a generational upgrade to Taiwan’s armored forces. Click here to see the full story in Mandarin. …
Labor organization: International migrants play crucial role in global economy
GENEVA — Migrants play a crucial role in the global economy by filling essential jobs in foreign countries and sending much-needed remittances to their home countries, according to a report released Monday by the International Labour Organization. The report’s release comes as President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to deport millions of undocumented migrants from the United States. During his presidential campaign, he accused them of draining …
EU sanctions Chinese firms, North Korean minister over Ukraine war
BRUSSELS — The EU on Monday for the first time imposed fully fledged sanctions, including asset freezes and visa bans, on Chinese firms for supplying Russia’s military for the war on Ukraine. It has also added North Korea’s defense minister to its sanctions blacklist after the secretive state sent troops to Russia to reinforce its military. The move — part of the EU’s 15th round of …
Who controls Syria after Assad?
During Syria’s brutal 13-year civil war, the country was divided up in a multi-sided conflict between several armed factions whose ideologies, composition, and alliances were constantly shifting. Now, the rapid collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government has left both Syrians and foreign observers wondering who will fill the vacuum and what comes next. The key players who will likely determine Syria’s future: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) …
As refugees go home, families fear Syria’s ‘disappeared’ are lost forever
Outside al-Mujtahid Hospital in Damascus, families study gruesome printouts taped to the walls. The pictures are of the bodies of prison victims, mangled from years of torture. Everyone in the crowd is searching for someone. Most leave without answers. A young woman in a black ponytail walks away from the wall, shrieking. “You knew about this. You always knew,” she yells. “You didn’t do anything …
Germany’s Scholz loses confidence vote, setting up early election in February
BERLIN — Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a confidence vote in the German parliament on Monday, putting the European Union’s most populous member and biggest economy on course to hold an early election in February. Scholz won the support of 207 lawmakers in the 733-seat lower house, or Bundestag, while 394 voted against him and 116 abstained. That left him far short of the majority of 367 …
Taiwan receives first batch of US-made Abrams tanks
Taipei, Taiwan — Taiwan has received 38 advanced Abrams battle tanks from the United States, the defense ministry said Monday, reportedly the island’s first new tanks in 30 years. Washington has long been Taipei’s most important ally and biggest arms supplier — angering Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its own territory. The M1A2 tanks — the first batch of 108 ordered in 2019 — arrived in Taiwan …
North Korea involvement in Ukraine marks ‘dangerous expansion’ of conflict, US and allies say
Washington — Ten countries and the EU called North Korea’s growing involvement in Russia’s war in Ukraine a “dangerous expansion” on Monday, in a joint statement released by the United States. Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to reinforce Russia’s war effort, including to the Kursk border region where Ukraine reported Monday that its fighters had killed or wounded at least 30 North Korean soldiers. “Direct …
France’s new prime minister begins work amid a mountain of challenges
France’s latest prime minister, Francois Bayrou, gets to work this week to form a new cabinet, push a stopgap budget bill and — more precariously — scout for support for longer-term budget legislation to tackle the country’s fiscal woes — a move that led to his predecessor’s downfall. The task and stakes are enormous for the 73-year-old centrist, a veteran politician and longtime mayor of …
Despite ceasefire with Hezbollah, residents of northern Israel are hesitant to return home
More than 60,000 residents of northern Israel were evacuated 14 months ago when Hezbollah began bombing the area in support of Hamas and its war against Israel. Now, as a tenuous ceasefire with Hezbollah takes hold, some Israeli residents are returning, although many say they are choosing to wait and see what happens. Linda Gradstein reports from the Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona, near the …
Gaza ministry says death toll tops 45,000 people
Gaza’s health ministry said Monday that Israel’s offensive against Hamas militants in the Palestinian enclave has killed more than 45,000 people. The conflict has also wounded nearly 107,000 people, the ministry said. It does not distinguish between civilians and fighters in its count, but has previously said more than half of those killed have been women and children. The Gaza health ministry said in its …
Race against time for rescuers as hundreds feared dead in Mayotte
Saint-Denis de la Reunion, France — Rescuers raced against time Monday to reach survivors after a devastating cyclone ripped through the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, destroying homes across the islands, with hundreds feared dead. Images from Mayotte, which like other French overseas territories is an integral part of France and ruled from Paris, showed scenes of devastation, with homes reduced to piles of rubble. …