Reports obtained by VOA Persian confirm that restrictions on female political prisoners at Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad remain in effect. A recently released former inmate of Vakilabad Prison, speaking to VOA, revealed that the restrictions were imposed “without any prior notice” following a meeting between inmates of Ward 6 and political prisoner Fatemeh Sepehri, held outside the ward on December 5. She added, “Prisoners’ access …
VOA Mandarin: Vietnam suspends Chinese e-commerce platforms Temu and Shein
Vietnam has recently ordered both Temu and Shein, Chinese cross-border shopping platforms, to suspend operations, following a similar move by Indonesia. Analysts say businesses and officials believe the Chinese platforms pose a significant threat to local small- and medium-sized enterprises, forcing authorities to take countermeasures. VOA Mandarin reports that more countries are expected to roll out similar restrictions. Click here for the full story in …
VOA Russian: How Moscow’s propaganda narrative on Syria changed after Assad’s fall
VOA Russian speaks with Ksenia Kirillova, an analyst with Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) and The Jamestown Foundation, on how Syria is being portrayed by Russian propaganda. Russian pro-government botnets have already started pushing the narrative that “Syria is of no benefit for Russia” following the fall of Moscow’s ally Bashar al-Assad. Click here for the full story in Russian. …
Azerbaijani rights defender receives US human rights award in absentia
Rufat Safarov, a prominent human rights defender from Azerbaijan, was one of the recipients of the U.S. secretary of state’s 2024 Human Rights Defender Award. He did not attend Tuesday’s ceremony in Washington, because he’d been arrested December 3, hours after visiting the U.S. Embassy in Baku to receive his visa to travel to the United States. During the ceremony, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, …
2024: Ukraine-Russia war deadlock sets stage for possible negotiations
In 2024, Russia’s war in Ukraine reached a near-standstill, with Russia pressing forward while Ukraine’s counterattacks faltered. Both sides, well matched in advanced military tech, struggled to make headway, shifting attention toward possible peace talks. Ukraine launched strikes into Russian territory to boost its bargaining power, and despite a possible weakening of U.S. support under the incoming Trump administration, hopes remain that renewed diplomacy could …
FIFA names Saudi Arabia as 2034 World Cup host
ZURICH — FIFA has confirmed Saudi Arabia as host of the 2034 World Cup in men’s soccer. The Saudi bid was the only candidate and was acclaimed by the applause of more than 200 FIFA member federations. They took part remotely in an online meeting hosted in Zurich on Wednesday by the soccer body’s president, Gianni Infantino. The decision was combined with approving the only candidate …
Russia monitoring situation in Syria, highlights need to protect its military bases
Russia said Wednesday it is closely monitoring the situation in Syria and is in contact with “those who are currently controlling the situation.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov highlighted Russia’s need to ensure the security of its diplomatic facilities and its military bases in Syria, where Russian troops were based for years supporting the Syrian military in the country’s civil war. Peskov’s comments came days after …
Hundreds of arrests and mysterious beatings as Georgia cracks down on pro-EU protests
TBILISI, Georgia — Seventy-five-year-old Marina Terishvili’s teenage son Mamuka was shot dead at a nationalist rally in Georgia in 1992. Now her other son, Giorgi, has been arrested for his role in protests against perceived Russian influence in their homeland. Seven police cars pulled up at her house in the capital Tbilisi on Friday and took Giorgi, a 52-year-old taxi driver, into custody, she said. He …
Human trafficking rises sharply after dropping during pandemic, UN says
VIENNA — Human trafficking has risen sharply due to conflicts, climate-induced disasters and global crises, according to a United Nations report published on Wednesday. In 2022, the latest year for which data is widely available, the number of known victims worldwide rose to 25% above 2019’s pre-pandemic levels, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s Global Report on Trafficking in Persons said. A sharp fall …
BHP, Rio Tinto face sexual harassment class actions in Australia
Melbourne, Australia — Global mining giants BHP Group and Rio Tinto are facing class actions alleging widespread and systemic sexual harassment at Australian mine sites, law firm JGA Saddler said on Wednesday. JGA Saddler said women who spoke out about the harassment were allegedly discriminated against by the miners and that it expects “thousands of female workers” at the two companies to join the class actions. …
Myanmar’s economy to shrink as floods compound crisis, says World Bank
Myanmar’s economy is expected to shrink by 1% in the current fiscal year, the World Bank said Wednesday, sharply downgrading its economic forecast as severe floods compounded the challenges facing the conflict-torn country. In June, the bank had projected Myanmar’s economy would grow 1% during the current fiscal year, which ends in March 2025, but warned of increasing poverty and escalating violence. The country of …
Ex-defense chief in South Korea tried to kill himself after being arrested over martial law case
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s previous Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun was stopped from attempting suicide while in detention over last week’s martial law, officials said, as police were reported to be raiding President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office Wednesday in their intensifying investigation. The main liberal opposition Democratic Party also plans to submit a new motion to impeach Yoon for his Dec. 3 declaration that …
UN official: More political will needed to get aid to Palestinians
NEW YORK — The senior United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Gaza said Tuesday that the situation is “utterly devastating,” and more political will is urgently needed to get enough aid to desperate Palestinians in Gaza. “I have said this to the [Security] Council — there’s no substitute, no system can and will substitute or compensate for an absence or lack of political will,” Sigrid Kaag said. …
US says review of Nippon-US Steel tie-up ongoing as US Steel shares tumble
A national security review of Nippon Steel’s $15 billion bid for U.S. Steel is ongoing and President Joe Biden will see what it yields before making a decision on whether to block it, the White House said on Tuesday, cautioning he still opposes the tie-up. The statement comes after shares of U.S. Steel tumbled more than 10% on Tuesday afternoon following a Bloomberg report suggesting …
Syrian former prisoners speak out on Assad regime’s collapse
As Syrians danced in the streets over President Bashar al-Assad’s fall from power, Anwar Etnesh drove his car into the dense traffic clogging the route from his hometown Daraa north to Damascus. Hordes of Syrians like Etnesh were heading to Syria’s capital to celebrate the end of the Assad family’s rule. But Etnesh was on a mission to find his 55-year-old cousin, whom Assad soldiers …
As climate change intensifies, vulnerable states seek legal redress against polluters
At a landmark hearing Tuesday on climate change law at the United Nation’s top court in The Hague, Britain argued that only existing climate treaties should have any bearing on a state’s obligations to address the crisis, echoing calls from other big economies. Small island states have told the court that global warming poses an existential risk, arguing that international human rights laws must apply, …
US Treasury transfers $20 billion in Ukraine loan funds to World Bank
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday said it transferred the $20 billion U.S. portion of a $50 billion G7 loan for Ukraine to a World Bank intermediary fund for economic and financial aid. The Treasury Department said the disbursement makes good on its October commitment to match the European Union’s commitment to provide $20 billion in aid backed by frozen Russian sovereign assets alongside …
Syria post-Assad: Alawite minority faces uncertainty under Islamist rebel control
Washington — Calls are mounting around the world to safeguard Syria’s ethnic and religious minorities following the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime by Islamist rebels. Concerns particularly focus on the future of the Alawite community, a sect from which the Assad family originates. The swift offensive that led to the capture of Damascus was headed by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or …
With Assad out, Turkey steps up assault on Syria’s Kurds
Following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, a Turkish-backed Syrian militia is moving against Kurdish forces of the YPG in Syria, which the U.S. supports. Ankara accuses the armed group of being affiliated with militants fighting Turkey and promises to prevent the group from exploiting a power vacuum in Syria. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. …
VOA Mandarin: China beefing up naval deployment surrounding Taiwan
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense spokesperson said on Tuesday that the current naval deployment by China in the region extending from Japan’s southern islands to the South China Sea is the largest since the military exercises surrounding Taiwan prior to the 1996 Taiwanese presidential election. “This poses a significant threat to us,” the spokesman said. Notably, the Chinese military has not yet provided public explanations about …
VOA Russian: Chechen wars and the formation of the political model of the Russian state
December 11th will mark 30 years since the beginning of the First Chechen war. The initial Russian assault on Chechnya signaled not just the start of a merciless conflict that killed tens of thousands of civilians in Chechnya, but also the end of Russia’s liberal dream. As Russia’s first war after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the First Chechen war served as a prologue to …
VOA Mandarin: Protesters in London call for accountability for China’s human rights violations
On this year’s International Human Rights Day on Tuesday, human rights organizations representing Chinese dissidents in exile from Hong Kong, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, and Tibet held a protest outside the Chinese Embassy in London. The organizations called for accountability for China’s human rights violations and demanded that the British government confront Beijing’s ongoing abuses. They urged Britain to end its economic activities with China to …
South Korea’s ex-defense minister formally arrested over martial law imposition
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — A former South Korean defense minister was formally arrested Wednesday over his alleged collusion with President Yoon Suk Yeol and others in imposing martial law last week, as authorities investigate whether their acts amount to rebellion. Martial law, the first in more than 40 years, lasted only about six hours but has triggered a domestic firestorm and large street protests. Yoon and …
Taiwan says China has launched biggest maritime operation in decades
TAIPEI, TAIWAN — Defense officials in Taiwan say China has deployed nearly 90 naval and coast guard vessels in waters stretching from islands in the south of Japan to the South China Sea. The deployment is the largest to regional waters in almost three decades, Taiwanese officials say, and part of what appears to be a military exercise. China has not yet commented on the movements …