Kyiv, Ukraine — Ukraine on Friday said it was evacuating thousands of people from an embattled northeastern town that Kyiv retook from Russia about six months after Moscow launched its invasion in 2022. Kupiansk, a key rail hub in the northeastern Kharkiv region, has suffered deadly shelling attacks in recent months as Moscow’s forces get within a few kilometers of the town. The region’s governor had …
South Korea says North troop dispatch to Russia is ‘grave security threat’
seoul, south korea — South Korea said on Friday that it believes North Korea has sent troops to Russia, marking a grave security threat to the international community that Seoul will respond to with all available means, the presidential office said in a statement. Separately, the country’s spy agency said North Korea was participating in the war in Ukraine and had decided to send 12,000 troops, …
Israel conducts raids on Gaza after killing Hamas chief Sinwar
Jerusalem — Israel conducted raids on Gaza on Friday, pressing its yearlong war to crush Hamas after dealing it a massive blow with the killing of its leader, Yahya Sinwar. Hailing the killing of Sinwar, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war sparked by Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack was not over but added that it was “the beginning of the end.” He called the …
American reportedly kidnapped from southern Philippine town
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine police said Friday it has launched a search after gunmen reportedly abducted an American national, who was shot in the leg as he tried to resist before being spirited away from a southern Philippine coastal town by speedboat. If confirmed to be a case of kidnapping for ransom, it would be the latest reminder of the long-running security problems that have …
New body to monitor North Korea sanctions enforcement faces doubts about legitimacy
Washington — A question of legitimacy surrounds a new body created to monitor the enforcement of sanctions on North Korea in the absence of a U.N. experts panel with authority to track Pyongyang’s expanding illegal military transfers to Moscow. The United States, South Korea and Japan announced the formation of a Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) on North Korea as an alternative to the dissolved U.N. …
Death of Hamas leader brings hope, peril
Washington — The killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar after what appears to have been a chance encounter with Israeli forces has sparked renewed hope in Washington that the conflict that has ravaged Gaza and set the Middle East on the brink of a regional war could give way to a potentially peaceful resolution. In the hours following Israeli confirmation of Sinwar’s death Thursday, in fighting …
US extends immigration protections to Lebanese nationals
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Thursday new guidelines offering temporary immigration protection to some Lebanese nationals in the United States, allowing them to remain and work in the country. These protections include Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) and a new Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Lebanon, following months of escalating conflict and instability in the region. Eligible Lebanese nationals who have been …
New debate ignited over Seoul’s right to nuclear reprocessing
washington — As North Korea escalates tensions on the Korean Peninsula, a new debate has ignited in Seoul over whether South Korea should have the right to reprocess spent nuclear fuel — a step that would allow for the extraction of a fissile material that can be used to build nuclear weapons. According to the South Korean Embassy in Washington, Ambassador to the U.S. Cho …
Turkey’s ruling party uses misinformation to downplay scope of femicide
The government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is facing mounting criticism over the rise of gender-based violence in Turkey, which ranks among the world’s worst countries for violence against women. Just last week in Istanbul, a 19-year-old Turkish man killed two young women — first, his 19-year-old girlfriend at his home, and then a woman, also 19, whom he met in the city. He beheaded …
Georgia’s civil society teams up to monitor crucial election, defying ‘foreign agent’ law
As the Republic of Georgia prepares to hold crucial elections on October 26, there are fears that the ruling Georgian Dream party may not easily give up power. As Henry Ridgwell reports from the capital, many civil society groups are mobilizing to ensure the election is free and fair. …
Georgian groups defy ‘foreign agent’ law, team up to monitor crucial election
TBILISI, GEORGIA — An uneasy calm has descended on the streets of Tbilisi ahead of a crucial election on October 26, widely seen as a referendum on Georgia’s future. Beneath the surface, there is palpable tension. Campaign billboards, most for the ruling Georgian Dream Party, vie for voters’ attention with countless European Union, NATO and Ukrainian flags hanging from windows and graffitied on the city’s red …
China hosts World Media Summit in Xinjiang amid human rights concerns
washington — China hosted its sixth World Media Summit this week in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, in northwestern China. Organizers say more than 500 participants from 208 leading media organizations participated in the event, which was cohosted by state-run Xinhua News Agency and the Xinjiang regional government. The three-day summit, which ended on Thursday, focused on “Artificial Intelligence and Media Transformation.” Chinese media highlighted the …
Threat of famine persists in Gaza, experts warn
UNITED NATIONS — A United Nations-backed food security report warned Thursday that most of the residents of the Gaza Strip will face emergency levels of hunger in the coming months and that the threat of famine persists as aid dwindles and winter approaches. “Famine looms. This is intolerable,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on social media platform X. He said crossing points must open immediately, bureaucratic …
Turkey fears Israel’s Lebanon offensive will spark new refugee exodus
With Israel continuing its Lebanon offensive, the United Nations says a quarter of a million people have sought sanctuary in Syria. And with the numbers expected to grow, Turkey is bracing for a new exodus. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. …
US sanctions Chinese entities for building, shipping Russian Garpiya drones used in Ukraine
washington — The United States on Thursday announced fresh sanctions targeting Chinese and Russian entities for their role in designing, building and shipping attack drones that have resulted in mass casualties in Ukraine. The sanctions target two Chinese entities, Xiamen Limbach Aircraft Engine Co., Ltd., and Redlepus Vector Industry Shenzhen Co Ltd (Redlepus), Russian entity TSK Vektor and TSK Vektor’s General Director Artem Mikhailovich Yamshchikov. A …
Death of ex-One Direction member Liam Payne at 31 shocks fans around the world
Buenos Aires, Argentina — The death of Liam Payne, who shot to stardom as a member of British boy band One Direction and grappled with intense global fame while still in his teens, sent shockwaves across the world Thursday as Argentine investigators continued their investigation at the scene. Fans, music-industry figures and fellow musicians paid tribute to Payne, 31, who died after falling from a hotel …
UK foreign minister to visit China to rebuild damaged ties
London/Beijing — British Foreign Secretary David Lammy will visit China on a two-day visit starting on Friday in a bid to improve relations between the two countries after years of tensions over security concerns and alleged human rights abuses. Lammy will hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing before visiting Shanghai to meet British businesses operating in China, a spokesperson for Prime Minister …
Yazidi woman rescued from Gaza says she attempted suicide 21 times under Hamas
Fawzia Amin Saydo was just 11 years old when she was enslaved by ISIS in 2014. On October 1, she was rescued by an international team. She spoke with VOA’s Kawa Omar about the last 10 years of her life. Amy Katz narrates this report. …
Israel says it killed a Hezbollah commander in Lebanon strike
Israel’s military said Thursday it killed a Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon, while also announcing a new round of evacuation orders in the Bekaa Valley. The Israel Defense Forces identified the commander killed as Hussein Awada and said he was responsible for firing projectiles across the border into Israel. Israel has issued multiple rounds of evacuation orders for parts of Lebanon, saying people need to …
Gaza unemployment surges to 80% as economy collapses, UN agency says
ZURICH — Unemployment in Gaza has soared to nearly 80% since the Israel-Hamas war erupted, with the devastated enclave’s economy in almost total collapse, the International Labour Organization said Thursday. Economic output has shrunk by 85% since the conflict with Israel began a year ago, plunging almost the entire 2.3 million population into poverty, the United Nations agency said. The conflict has caused “unprecedented and wide-ranging …
North Korea says revised constitution now defines South as ‘hostile state’
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea confirmed Thursday that its recently revised constitution defines South Korea as “a hostile state” for the first time, two days after it blew up front-line road and rail links that once connected the country with the South. The back-to-back developments indicate North Korea is intent on escalating animosities against South Korea, increasing the danger of possible clashes at their tense …
Japan’s ruling LDP at risk of losing majority in election, polls show
TOKYO — Japan’s ruling party may lose its majority in the lower house, according to media polling ahead of the October 27 election, meaning it would likely have to rely on coalition partner Komeito to stay in power. The Liberal Democratic Party may not reach the 233 seats it needs for an outright majority in the 465-seat chamber, the Nikkei newspaper said on Thursday. The LDP …
India flight from Frankfurt hit with latest fake threat
Bengaluru, India — The latest in a string of hoax threats made against Indian airlines targeted a flight from Germany, the airline said Thursday, with the plane landing safely in Mumbai. More than a dozen fake bomb threats have been made against flights operated by multiple Indian air services this week, prompting government and civil aviation authorities to warn that “very strict action” will be taken. …
One Direction singer Liam Payne dead after falling from Buenos Aires hotel balcony
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Former One Direction singer Liam Payne was found dead after the 31-year-old fell from his third-floor room balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentine police said on Wednesday. Police said in a statement that they were called to the CasaSur hotel in the capital’s leafy Palermo neighborhood after being notified of an “aggressive man who could be under the effects of …