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 …
China boosts funds for housing projects to support embattled sector
BEIJING — China will expand a “white list” of housing projects eligible for financing and increase bank lending for such developments to $562 billion by year-end, Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development Ni Hong said on Thursday. Redevelopment of cities will also gather pace, with a million “urban villages” to be included in such plans, Ni said at a press conference, adding that people being resettled …
Sydney beaches closed due to toxic ‘tar balls’
sydney — Beaches in Sydney including the iconic Bondi were closed to bathers on Thursday after hundreds of black balls suspected to be toxic washed up on the city’s shores. Waverley Council said it had closed Bondi, Bronte and Tamarama beaches as a precaution, while neighboring Randwick Council has closed an additional four beaches to the south. Bondi and Maroubra Beach to the south were later …
Biden visits Germany, with Ukraine topping agenda
US President Joe Biden heads to Germany on Thursday, a week later than planned and on a compressed timeline after Hurricane Milton grounded him last week. Both he and Germany’s leader have been facing mounting pressure over their support for Ukraine — both having recently announced new security packages. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell reports. …
Georgia struggles to emerge from Russian shadow ahead of crucial election
As the Republic of Georgia prepares for a crucial election on October 26, Russia’s influence looms over the vote. As Henry Ridgwell reports from Tbilisi, the former Soviet republic is struggling to carve out a new future aligned to the West as it tries to reconcile its troubled past. …
FBI, French authorities coordinate on Islamic State arrests
washington — Recent arrests in the United States and in Europe have law enforcement and intelligence agencies on alert, bolstering concerns about a reinvigorated Islamic State terror group bent on lashing out against the West. FBI officials Wednesday confirmed the bureau shared information with French authorities following last week’s arrest of 27-year-old Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, an Afghan national in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on charges connected to …
Iran FM slams Western sanctions as ‘hostile action,’ state media says
Tehran, Iran — Iran ‘s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday that new Western sanctions against Iran were “hostile action” and would not help to resolve regional tensions, state media reported. “The new Western sanctions against Iran are considered a hostile action and will not help the existing situation,” he told reporters in Jordan’s capital, Amman, according to IRNA state news agency. On Monday, …
Lebanese refugee crisis raises political tensions in Iraq and demographic concerns in Kirkuk
Washington/Kirkuk, Iraq — Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah are driving tens of thousands of Lebanese into Iraq — with more expected as the security situation deteriorates. The sudden influx is generating political concerns, especially in Iraq’s volatile Kirkuk region. Iraqi officials say that as of October 9, about 8,000 Lebanese refugees have entered Iraq. Kirkuk, a multi-ethnic province contested by Kurds, Arabs and Turkmens, is already burdened …
Two US radio stations end Russian-backed ‘propaganda’ programming
Washington — Russian-backed radio programmer Sputnik no longer broadcasts in the Washington market after years of criticism that its local radio station, WZHF, carries antisemitic content and false information about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Political cartoonist Ted Rall, who described himself as a guest on Sputnik’s programming, posted a comment Tuesday on X: “Biden/Harris say they’re fighting for democracy. Yet: today Sputnik News US is being …
Are growing tensions between Israel and Iran a nuclear threat?
Israel’s threat to retaliate for Iran’s October 1 missile strikes is raising concerns of a nuclear confrontation in the region. VOA’s Heather Murdock reports from Istanbul. …
Israeli minister criticizes Macron over France defense show ban
Jerusalem — Israeli delegations taking part in the major defense show Euronaval in France next month will not be permitted to set up a stand or exhibit hardware following a decision by the French government, organizers said Wednesday, prompting outrage from Israel. The decision comes as tensions are rising between Israel and France following comments by President Emmanuel Macron criticizing the civilian casualties in the Israeli …
Zelenskyy ‘victory plan’ includes push for NATO invitation, reconstruction aid
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for Ukraine to receive an unconditional invitation to join NATO and for the deployment of a non-nuclear deterrent to Russian aggression as he went before Ukraine’s parliament Wednesday to outline his “victory plan” in the fight against Russia’s invasion. “Together with our partners, we must change the circumstances so that the war ends. Regardless of what Putin wants,” Zelenskyy said. …
Italy delivers first migrants to Albania under new deal
SHENGJIN, Albania — A ship carrying the first group of migrants to be processed in Albania under a deal with Italy arrived in the port of Shengjin on Wednesday morning, setting in motion Rome’s controversial plan to process thousands of asylum seekers abroad. Italy has built two reception centers in Albania, in the first scheme by a European Union nation to divert migrants to a non-E.U. …
Former Malaysian PM Mahathir, 99, hospitalized with respiratory infection
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has been admitted to hospital for a respiratory infection, his office said on Wednesday after media reported the ex-premier missed a court hearing in a defamation case he has lodged. The 99-year-old Mahathir, who served as prime minister for more two decades, has a history of heart problems and has undergone bypass surgeries. He has been …
Israeli airstrikes hit Beirut suburbs
Israeli forces carried out airstrikes Wednesday on Beirut’s southern suburbs, sending plumes of smoke rising from at least two neighborhoods. The Israel Defense Forces said its fighter jets struck a Hezbollah underground weapons warehouse. The attacks followed Israel’s latest evacuation order that warned people to leave areas in Beirut that the Israeli military said were near Hezbollah facilities. Israel also reported more than 50 projectiles …
‘Age of electricity’ to follow looming fossil fuel peak, IEA says
LONDON — The world is on the brink of a new age of electricity with fossil fuel demand set to peak by the end of the decade, meaning surplus oil and gas supplies could drive investment into green energy, the International Energy Agency said on Wednesday. But it also flagged a high level of uncertainty as conflicts embroil the oil and gas-producing Middle East and Russia …
China says it will not renounce use of force over Taiwan
BEIJING/TAIPEI — China will not promise to renounce the use of force over Taiwan but this is aimed at external interference and a small minority of separatists, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said on Wednesday following the country’s latest war games around the island. China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, staged a day of large-scale drills around the island on Monday it said …
South Korea steps up commitment to South China Sea, with limits
washington — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s tour of Southeast Asian countries shows Seoul has stepped up the country’s role in supporting regional security, but there are limits to what it can do to help them push back against China’s growing aggression, analysts say. Yoon made several pledges to support regional security during visits to the Philippines, Singapore and Laos, where he attended the closing …
British foreign secretary expected to visit Beijing, Shanghai
LONDON — British Foreign Secretary David Lammy is expected to visit Beijing and Shanghai, the highest-level trip to China since the Labour government came to power. Analysts say they will be watching the trip for signs of a possible reset in U.K.-China relations, which have been fraught in recent years. Reuters reported last week that Lammy is expected to meet with Chinese officials in Beijing and …
Report: Iran cyberattacks against Israel surge after Gaza war
Israel has become the top target of Iranian cyberattacks since the start of the Gaza war last year, while Tehran had focused primarily on the United States before the conflict, Microsoft said Tuesday. “Following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, Iran surged its cyber, influence, and cyber-enabled influence operations against Israel,” Microsoft said in an annual report. “From October 7, 2023, to July 2024, nearly …
Thousands attend funeral service in Bosnia for 19 killed in floods
JABLANICA, Bosnia-Herzegovina — Several thousand mourners in southern Bosnia converged Tuesday around 19 caskets covered in traditional Islamic green cloth, part of a funeral service held for those killed during the destructive floods and landslides that hit the country in early October. Torrential rains and winds slammed four municipalities in central and southern Bosnia early on Oct. 4, catching people by surprise. Entire areas were cut …
Georgia’s leaders stoke fears of Russian war ahead of pivotal election
The republic of Georgia – which was part of the Soviet Union until independence in 1991 – is preparing for a crucial election on October 26th, which is widely seen as a choice between a future aligned with the West or Russia. Western powers accuse the ruling Georgian Dream party of a backsliding of democracy. As Henry Ridgwell reports from the capital, Tbilisi, the party’s …
WHO: Gaza polio campaign starts well, despite Israeli strikes
Geneva — The World Health Organization said on Tuesday it had been able to start its polio campaign in central Gaza and vaccinate tens of thousands of children despite Israeli strikes in the designated protected zone hours before. As part of an agreement between the Israeli military and Palestinian militant group Hamas, humanitarian pauses in the year-long Gaza war had been due to begin early on …
Chinese Pandas arrive in US, headed to National Zoo in Washington
Washington — The National Zoo’s long dark panda drought is coming to an end. Eleven months after the zoo sent its three wildly popular pandas — Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji — back to China, a new pair of bears arrived in the United States on Tuesday. They will be transported from Dulles International Airport in suburban Virginia to the zoo. …