DUBAI — Ten Iranian border guards were killed in an attack in restive southeastern Iran on Saturday, state media quoted the Interior Ministry as saying, in the latest clash with suspected Sunni Muslim militants. The 10 were killed in an ambush in an area that borders Afghanistan and Pakistan. It has long been the site of clashes between Iranian security forces and Sunni militants, as well …
Five things to know about Israel’s attack on Iran
JERUSALEM — Israel delivered its long-expected response to Iranian missile attacks early Saturday by carrying out a series of airstrikes against the Islamic Republic. Here’s what to know: Multiple targets were struck Under the cover of darkness, Israel struck multiple sites in different parts of Iran. Explosions were heard in the capital, Tehran, which sits deep inside the country. The Israeli military said its “precise and …
Kiribati president secures 3rd term as China, US vie for Pacific leverage
TAIPEI, TAIWAN — Kiribati President Taneti Maamau, who has led the Pacific Island nation to build closer ties with China in recent years, secured his third term in office on Saturday. He defeated two other candidates in an election closely monitored by countries around the world. Maamau won about 55% of the vote, while his nearest challenger, Kaotitaaake Kokoria, won 42% of the vote, New Zealand’s …
Israel deploys multilayered missile defense system
Israel has multilayered air defenses against attacks by regional adversaries such as Iran, where military sites were hit by Israeli strikes on Saturday in the latest exchange in the escalating conflict between the Middle East rivals. Israel said it was retaliating for Tehran’s missile attack on Israeli targets on October 1. Israel has been honing its air defenses since coming under Iraqi Scud salvoes in …
Indonesia presses China for more investment in high-speed railways
Jakarta — One year after the opening of Indonesia’s first high-speed railway that connects Jakarta to Bandung, named Whoosh, Indonesia is courting China to invest in an extension of the line eastward to the port city of Surabaya in East Java. The rail service is one of former President Joko Widodo’s flagship infrastructure projects and part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The Whoosh attracted over …
Russian attacks on central Ukraine, Kyiv kill 5
Russian missile strikes killed three people including a child in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro while a teenager and another person died in attacks on Kyiv and the surrounding region, officials said Saturday. Overnight strikes on Dnipro wounded 19 others and damaged multiple buildings, said Sergiy Lysak, the governor of the central Dnipropetrovsk region. A two-story residential building was destroyed, he said. Images shared by …
Georgia votes in an election that could take it toward the EU or into Russia’s orbit
Georgians headed to the polls Saturday in a ballot many citizens see as a make-or-break vote on the opportunity to join the European Union. The pre-election campaign in the South Caucasus nation of 3.7 million people has been dominated by foreign policy and marked by a bitter fight for votes and allegations of a smear campaign. Some Georgians complained of intimidation and being pressured to …
Israel says major assault on Iran ‘achieved’ objectives; US urges nations to press Iran to stop further attacks
Israel says it has completed a major assault on Iran after more than a year of fighting, which began with an attack by Iranian proxy group Hamas on the Jewish state and has grown into a multi-front conflict directly involving Tehran and its other regional proxies. In a statement issued early Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces said its warplanes safely returned home after conducting “precise …
Israel launches strikes on military targets in Iran
The Israel military says it has launched strikes on military targets in Iran, as Iranian media reported several explosions were heard in Iran’s capital, Tehran, and the nearby city of Karaj early Saturday. The Israel Defense Forces said in a post on X that it was conducting “precise strikes on military targets” in Iran, but did not elaborate. “The regime in Iran and its proxies …
Kurdish attack in Ankara could derail prospects for peace talks, analysts say
A Kurdish militant group on Friday claimed responsibility for an attack on a major state-run defense company in Turkey’s capital, an action that analysts say could complicate prospects for renewed peace talks between the Turkish government and the country’s Kurdish minority. Two assailants set off explosives and opened fire Wednesday at the aerospace and defense company TUSAS in Ankara, killing five people and wounding 22, Turkey’s …
UN says Gaza residents are dying as medical evacuations dry up
GENEVA — United Nations agencies warn that medical evacuations from conflict-ridden Gaza have essentially dried up, putting at risk the lives of thousands of people, including children, with serious illnesses and injuries because they are unable to get the treatment they need. “Children are being medically evacuated from Gaza at fewer than one child per day. If this lethally slow pace continues, it would take more …
Zelenskyy: North Korean troops are poised for deployment
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that Russia is expected to deploy North Korean soldiers to combat as early as Sunday. In a statement posted to his official X social media account, Zelenskyy said the prediction is based on military intelligence he received in a Friday briefing from armed forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. Zelenskyy called the move a “clear escalation by Russia,” adding that “the …
North Korea eyes Russian military assistance in exchange for Ukraine troop deployment, say experts
washington — North Korea is likely anticipating Russian technical assistance to perfect its nuclear and missile programs in exchange for sending its troops to support Russia in the Ukraine war, U.S. experts say. On Wednesday, the U.S. government confirmed for the first time the presence of at least 3,000 North Korean troops in Russia. Last Friday, South Korea’s intelligence agency said North Korea had sent 1,500 …
Will specter of war in Ukraine overshadow Xi and Putin’s push for global reform?
Washington — The 2024 BRICS summit in Russia this week provided Moscow and Beijing with a showcase for their shared anti-West sentiment and global ambitions, but analysts say the war in Ukraine may be fracturing the “no limits” relationship between the two countries. The location of the summit was strategically significant, given international efforts to isolate Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine. “For Russia as …
Kremlin denies WSJ report of Elon Musk’s contacts with Putin
MOSCOW — The Kremlin on Friday denied a Wall Street Journal report about regular contacts between Elon Musk and President Vladimir Putin. “No, this is not true,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Peskov said that Putin had one contact with Musk — the world’s richest man — and it was before 2022. The Journal said Musk had been in regular contact with Putin since late …
Storm blows away from Philippines leaving 82 dead — but it may do a U-turn
MANILA — Tropical Storm Trami blew away from the northwestern Philippines on Friday, leaving at least 82 people dead in landslides and extensive flooding that forced authorities to scramble for more rescue boats to save thousands of terrified people who were trapped, some on their roofs. But the onslaught may not be over: State forecasters raised the rare possibility that the storm — the 11th and …
Beijing gets new Catholic bishop, days after Vatican-China deal renewal
Vatican City — A new assistant Catholic bishop for Beijing was ordained on Friday, three days after the Vatican and Chinese officials extended an accord on appointments in China, the Vatican said. Bishop Matthew Zhen Xuebin, 54, was named to the role by Pope Francis, who approved his nomination within the framework of a diplomatic deal originally struck in 2018 that gives Chinese officials some …
A nightclub in Beirut shelters displaced people
Skybar, once was a luxurious nightclub in Beirut, a place to see and be seen. Now it is home to over 400 displaced people seeking refuge from Israel’s ground operation in south Lebanon and airstrikes in Hezbollah-controlled suburbs of Beirut. Bezhan Hamdard narrates this report by VOA’s Turkish Service. …
EU Commission chief promises Bosnia flood aid, support for reform on membership path
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday promised support for Bosnia as the troubled Balkan country struggles with reform needed to advance toward membership in the European Union. Von der Leyen was in Bosnia as part of a trip this week to aspiring EU member states in the Western Balkans to assure them that EU enlargement remains a priority for …
Blinken meets Lebanese PM as war rages
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Friday with Lebanon’s prime minister to discuss Israel’s strikes on the country as Washington presses the Beirut government to take charge against Hezbollah. Blinken, on his way back from a Middle East tour, met in London with Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who came in from a conference on Lebanon in Paris the day before. The two smiled before …
Iran’s imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate sentenced to another 6 months in prison
Iranian authorities have issued an additional six-month prison sentence against Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, a group campaigning for the activist said. The Free Narges Coalition said in a statement on Thursday that Mohammadi was sentenced on Oct. 19 to an additional six months in prison on the charge of “disobeying and resisting orders.” According to the statement, the charge was brought after Mohammadi …
Indonesia’s new president trains cabinet at military-style camp
Indonesia’s newly inaugurated President Prabowo Subianto hosted his cabinet Friday at an army academy retreat in the mountains where ministers dressed in camouflage fatigues, stayed in tents and were ordered to march. The 73-year-old former general became leader of the world’s fourth most populous nation on Sunday, pledging to bolster Indonesia’s defenses and fight corruption. Prabowo, accused of rights abuses under dictator Suharto in the …
Taiwan president ‘won’t yield an inch’ in defense of island’s territory
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said Friday the island will not cede an inch of its territory, as China maintains military pressure on Taipei to accept its claim of sovereignty. Lai made the remarks during a visit to the Kinmen islands off China for the 75th anniversary of a victory over communist forces in the Battle of Guningtou. It followed a fortnight of intense military activity …
Germany, India look to boost ties on defense, green energy
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to deepen defense ties with New Delhi and bring the two countries’ militaries closer, he said on Friday, after meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Germany has not traditionally had close defense ties with India, but is now pitching to join the latter’s effort to wean its arms base from decades of dependence on Russia, at a time when the …