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. …
Norway announces $242 million in Ukraine aid
Norway announced Monday $242 million in new military aid for Ukraine, including help securing access to the country’s vital Black Sea ports. “It is essential to protect the Ukrainian population and Ukrainian infrastructure from attacks by Russia’s Black Sea Fleet,” Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said in a statement. “It is also important to protect exports by sea of grain and other products, which generate …
UN envoy advocates Syrian-led transition process in talks with rebel leader
The office of the U.N.’s Syria envoy said Monday that he stressed the need for a Syria-led political transition as he met in Damascus with the head of the rebel group that led the ouster of longtime President Bashar al-Assad. The transition should be based on the principles of a 2015 U.N. Security Council resolution that calls for “credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governance,” within six …
Australia reels from hate crimes enflamed by Middle East tensions
SYDNEY — Australian authorities are responding to a surge in antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes. Australian police said offensive graffiti that demeaned Islam was found under a bridge in the Sydney suburb of Sefton on Sunday. The New South Wales state Premier Chris Minns said “this racism and Islamophobia is disgusting and corrosive to the very fabric” of multiculturalism. Sefton is a majority-Muslim district. …
Thailand to host two regional meetings focused on Myanmar this week
Bangkok — Thailand said on Monday it will host two regional meetings on Myanmar this week, with at least one to have representatives of the junta, as the Malaysian Prime Minister said efforts were being made to bring Myanmar back to the fore of ASEAN. Thai foreign minister Maris Sangiampongsa will hold the separate consultations on Dec 19 and 20, after Thailand in October offered to …
China’s Xi calls on party to ‘turn knife inward’ to end corruption
BEIJING — China’s Communist Party must “turn the knife inward” to eliminate problems of discipline, including corruption, President Xi Jinping said, a new call to hunt down corrupt officials and those who corrupt them. Since coming to power over a decade ago, Xi has cracked down on corruption involving party members, whether they were corrupt high-ranking “tigers” or lowly “flies” who failed to implement government policies. …
In Damascus, students and schoolchildren resume classes without Assad
Damascus, Syria — In the large courtyard of the Faculty of Letters at Damascus University, hundreds of jubilant students trampled on Sunday a statue, symbol of the former power, a week after the fall of the capital. “The atmosphere is extraordinary, everyone is happy, look at the joy of the people,” exclaims Rinad Abdallah, an 18-year-old medical student. In front of her, the several-meter-high statue of …
South Korean investigators request that impeached president appear for questioning
Seoul, South Korea — South Korean law enforcement authorities will request that impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol appear for questioning this week over his short-lived martial law decree as they expand a probe into whether his ill-conceived power grab amounted to rebellion. A joint investigative team involving police, an anti-corruption agency and the Defense Ministry plans to convey a request to Yoon’s office that he appears …
One of Libya’s main refineries shut down after fighting
Tripoli, Libya — One of Libya’s main refineries in the west has been shut down after clashes between local armed groups erupted early Sunday and caused fires on infrastructure, state oil company NOC said. Several tanks at the Zawiya refinery, a town 45 km west of Tripoli and the only one in western Libya that supplies the local market with fuel, caught fire, according to videos …
UN launches fresh attempt to resolve Libya’s election impasse
The United Nations will convene a technical committee of Libya experts to resolve contentious issues and put the country on the path to long-awaited national elections, the acting head of the U.N. mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said Sunday. A political process to resolve more than a decade of conflict in Libya has been stalled since an election scheduled for December 2021 collapsed amid disputes over …
Erdogan to visit Ethiopia, Somalia in early 2025 after brokering deal
Istanbul — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Ethiopia and Somalia early next year after brokering a deal to end tensions between the two Horn of Africa neighbors, he said on X Sunday. “I will visit Ethiopia and Somalia in the first two months of the New Year,” he wrote in a message that referred to the deal between Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and …
Zelenskyy offers Syria humanitarian grain deliveries
Kyiv, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Sunday that he would provide Syria with grain and other agricultural products on a humanitarian basis, a week after the fall of Moscow’s ally, President Bashar al-Assad. “Now we can help the Syrians with our wheat, flour and oil: our products that are used globally to ensure food security,” he said in his daily address. “We are coordinating …
North Korean media report South Korean President Yoon’s impeachment
Seoul, South Korea — North Korean state media KCNA on Monday reported on the South Korean parliament passing President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment vote Saturday. Yoon was impeached in a second vote by South Korea’s opposition-led parliament over his short-lived attempt to impose martial law, which shocked the nation. KCNA had reported for the first time on Dec. 11 South Korea’s martial law crisis which was …
Israel will close its Ireland embassy over Gaza tensions
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel said Sunday it will close its embassy in Ireland as relations deteriorated over the war in Gaza, where Palestinian medical officials said new Israeli airstrikes killed over 30 people including several children. The decision to close the embassy came in response to what Israel’s foreign minister has described as Ireland’s “extreme anti-Israel policies.” In May, Israel recalled its ambassador to …
Israeli airstrikes target Syrian military depots
Israel launched dozens more airstrikes into neighboring Syria over the weekend, claiming ongoing threats to its security. Syria’s new leadership calls those threats a false pretext, adding it has no desire for a new conflict. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more. …
Pope Francis makes 1st papal visit to France’s Corsica
AJACCIO, Corsica — Pope Francis on the first papal visit ever to the French island of Corsica on Sunday called for a dynamic form of laicism, promoting the kind of popular piety that distinguishes the Mediterranean island from secular France as a bridge between religious and civic society. Francis appeared relaxed and energized during the one-day visit, just two days before his 88th birthday, still displaying …
Ukrainian drones strike Russia as Kyiv reels from consecutive massive air attacks
KYIV — Ukrainian drone strikes on southern Russia killed a 9-year-old boy and set fire to a major oil terminal, officials said Saturday, the day after Moscow launched a massive aerial attack on its neighbor that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said was one of the heaviest bombardments of the country’s energy sector in the nearly three-year war. The boy died when a drone struck his family’s …
UN envoy calls for sanctions relief to help rebuild Syria
DAMASCUS, Syria — A U.N. envoy called Sunday for a quick end to Western sanctions against Syria as the country’s new leaders and regional and global powers begin to chart a path forward following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian government has been under strict sanctions by the United States, the European Union and others for years as a result of Assad’s brutal response …
South Korea’s Yoon impeached over martial law attempt
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — South Korean lawmakers have impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his attempt to impose martial law, a high-stakes move that must now be approved by judges. In a Saturday vote, 12 conservative lawmakers joined opposition forces to impeach Yoon, who is just halfway through his single five-year term. The impeachment suspends Yoon’s powers until the Constitutional Court decides whether to formally remove …
Rescue underway for damaged Russian oil tankers in Kerch Strait
MOSCOW — A Russian oil tanker carrying thousands of tons of oil products split apart during a heavy storm Sunday, spilling oil into the Kerch Strait, while another tanker was also in distress after sustaining damage, Russian officials said. An emergency rescue operation is now underway, Russian officials told state news outlets Sunday. The Volgoneft-212 tanker, which was carrying a crew of 13 and a cargo …
Fiji says 7 foreigners hospitalized after drinking cocktails
Suva, Fiji — Seven foreigners including four Australians and an American have been hospitalized after drinking cocktails at a five-star Fiji hotel resort, health officials said Sunday. The hotel guests were taken to hospital on Saturday night suffering “nausea, vomiting and neurological symptoms,” Fiji’s health ministry said in a statement. They fell ill after drinking a cocktail prepared at a bar in the luxury Warwick Fiji …