Islamabad — Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization of Eurasian countries gathered in Pakistan Tuesday for an annual, two-day meeting to discuss ways to enhance regional security, stability, and development cooperation. Authorities have placed Islamabad under a security lockdown for the SCO gathering, deploying thousands of forces, including troops, in and around the Pakistani capital to protect the high-profile event due to a recent surge in …
Microsoft: Cybercriminals increasingly help Russia, China, Iran target US, allies
WASHINGTON — Russia, China and Iran are increasingly relying on criminal networks to lead cyberespionage and hacking operations against adversaries such as the United States, according to a report on digital threats published Tuesday by Microsoft. The growing collaboration between authoritarian governments and criminal hackers has alarmed national security officials and cybersecurity experts. They say it represents the increasingly blurred lines between actions directed by Beijing …
Frontex: Irregular EU border crossings fell 42% this year
Warsaw, — Detected irregular crossings into the European Union fell 42% in the first nine months of 2024 compared to the same period last year, EU border agency Frontex said on Tuesday. Frontex released its latest statistics shortly before a summit of the bloc’s leaders in Brussels later this week, where immigration is among topics high on the agenda. The number of detected crossings into the …
Russia, China bolster defense ties at ‘substantive’ talks
Russia and China held “substantive” defense and military talks to bolster ties, Russia’s defense minister said on Tuesday, as Moscow and Beijing cement a “no limits” partnership and step up criticism of U.S. efforts to extend its influence in Asia. “The military departments of Russia and China are united in their assessments of global processes, and they have a common understanding of what needs to …
Summit in Australia urges science to do more to embrace First Nations climate knowledge
SYDNEY — An international conference in Australia of First Nations people is calling on scientists to engage with Indigenous experts to find solutions to climate change. Indigenous Australians consider the land to be the mother of creation. To them, it is a living, breathing mass that contains secrets and wisdom. Tribal leaders have gathered in Dubbo, 390 kilometers northwest of Sydney, to urge governments and scientists …
Iran condemns EU, UK sanctions on Tehran, denies providing ballistic missiles to Russia
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran condemned new EU and British sanctions on Tehran and denied providing ballistic missiles to Russia, spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Esmaeil Baghaei, said in a post on X on Tuesday. The European Union agreed on Monday to impose sanctions on seven people and seven organizations, including airline Iran Air, for their links to Iranian transfers of ballistic missiles to Russia. …
Deadly Russian missile attack hits Mykolaiv
Officials in Ukraine’s Mykolaiv region said Tuesday a Russian missile attack killed at least one person and injured 16 others. Mykolaiv Governor Vitaliy Kim said on Telegram the attack damaged an infrastructure facility, restaurant and shopping areas, as well as residential buildings. Ukraine’s military said Tuesday that Russia’s overnight attacks included nine missiles and 17 drones, with Ukraine’s air defenses destroying 12 of the drones. …
Son of Singapore’s founding PM Lee says plans to demolish family home
SINGAPORE — The youngest child of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew said on Tuesday he would apply to demolish the statesman’s home in line with his wishes, following the death of Lee’s daughter last week. Lee Kuan Yew’s three children, one of whom is Singapore’s third Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, were split on what to do with their father’s home after his death …
Israeli retaliation against Iran to include military sites, not nuclear or oil
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told U.S. President Joe Biden that an Israeli retaliatory attack on Iran would target only military targets, and not oil or nuclear facilities, according to U.S. officials. The officials were cited by the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal, which both reported late Monday that Netanyahu made the pledge during a phone call between the leaders last week. A White …
Hong Kong policy address seen pivoting from security to economic growth
HONG KONG — Hong Kong is expected to announce measures to boost the city’s economy in its annual policy address on Wednesday, including slashing liquor tariffs, as it seeks to revive the financial hub that has been struggling to recover since the pandemic. Hong Kong’s small and open economy has felt the ripple effects of a slowdown in the Chinese economy. The city’s economy expanded by …
Ailing and silenced in prison, Belarus activist symbolizes the nation’s repression
TALLINN, Estonia — The last time any of Maria Kolesnikova’s family had contact with the imprisoned Belarusian opposition activist was more than 18 months ago. Fellow inmates at the penal colony reported hearing her plead for medical help from inside her tiny, smelly cell. Her father, Alexander Kolesnikov, told The Associated Press by phone from Minsk that he knows she’s seriously ill and tried to visit …
Europe’s water security under threat, environment agency warns
Copenhagen, Denmark — Pollution, habitat degradation, climate change and overuse of freshwater resources are putting a strain on Europe, with only a third of its surface water in good health, the European Environment Agency warned Tuesday. “The health of Europe’s waters is not good. Our waters face an unprecedented set of challenges that threatens Europe’s water security,” EEA executive director Leena Yla-Mononen said in a statement. …
North Korea’s Kim holds security meeting as tensions with Seoul soar
SEOUL, SOuth Korea — North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un convened a top national security meeting Monday, state media reported, directing a plan of “immediate military action” at a time of spiking tensions with the South. The meeting in Pyongyang was attended by the country’s top security officials, including the army chief and other military officials, as well as the ministers of state security and …
UN: Over 400,000 children in Lebanon displaced in 3 weeks by war
BEIRUT — More than 400,000 children in Lebanon have been displaced in the past three weeks, a top official with the U.N. children’s agency said Monday, warning of a “lost generation” in the small country grappling with multiple crises and now in the middle of war. Israel has escalated its campaign against the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militant group, including launching a ground invasion, after a year of …
German secret services alarmed by Russian threat
berlin — Increased acts of espionage and sabotage, possible direct military confrontation with NATO as early as 2030: German secret services sounded the alarm Monday about the growing danger they believe Moscow’s interference in Germany and Europe represents. It was a bleak picture that the three heads of the German intelligence services painted Monday during their annual hearing before MPs. “It’s burning almost everywhere,” said the …
Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters arrested outside New York Stock Exchange
NEW YORK — About 200 demonstrators protesting Israel’s war in Gaza were arrested in a sit-in outside the New York Stock Exchange on Monday, police said. The protesters chanted “Let Gaza live!” And “Up up with liberation, down down with occupation!” in front of the stock exchange’s landmark building in lower Manhattan. “The reason we’re here is to demand that the U.S. government stop sending bombs …
Death toll in Bosnia’s floods reaches 26
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina — The death toll from this month’s devastating floods and landslides in Bosnia has reached 26 people, while rescue teams are searching for at least one more person still missing 10 days after a rainstorm caused havoc in the Balkan country, authorities said Monday. Torrential rains and winds hit four municipalities in central and southern Bosnia on October 4. Homes, roads and bridges were …
Funeral held in Iraq for Iranian general killed by Israel with Nasrallah
Karbala, Iraq — A funeral procession took place Monday in the Shiite holy city of Karbala in central Iraq for General Abbas Nilforushan, who was killed in Lebanon along with the leader of the pro-Iranian Lebanese Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, during an Israeli strike on Beirut in late September, an AFP photographer noted. The Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s ideological army, announced Friday that the body of General Nilforushan …
Paris Motor Show opens during brewing EV trade war between EU, China
Paris — The Auto manufacturers competing to persuade drivers to go electric are rolling out cheaper, more tech-rich models at the Paris Motor Show, targeting everyone from luxury clients to students yet to receive their driving licenses. The biennial show has long been a major industry showcase, tracing its history to 1898. Chinese manufacturers are attending in force, despite European Union threats to punitively tax imports …
EU targets Iran officials, airlines for supplying drones, missiles to Russia
BRUSSELS — The European Union on Monday imposed sanctions on Iran’s deputy defense minister, senior members of its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and three airlines over allegations that they supplied drones, missiles and other equipment to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine. Deputy Defense Minister Seyed Hamzeh Ghalandari is one of seven senior officials now banned from traveling in Europe and whose assets in the …
China urges caution in Israel-Iran tensions, calls for cease-fire
BEIJING — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on all parties involved in tensions between Israel and Iran on Monday to exercise caution and avoid escalating the situation. In a phone conversation with Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, Wang also urged Israel to ensure the safety of personnel of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), a foreign ministry statement said. He also reiterated Beijing’s …
China’s Premier Li begins Pakistan visit amid rare strains in relations
ISLAMABAD — Chinese Premier Li Qiang began a four-day visit to Pakistan on Monday under tight security for bilateral talks and to attend the heads of government meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) hosted in Islamabad this week. Pakistan is on high alert after a recent increase in deadly insurgent attacks nationwide, including a suicide car bomb attack in Karachi last week that targeted a …
Polish leader Tusk defends decision to suspend asylum law
Warsaw — Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Monday defended a plan to temporarily suspend the right to asylum as human rights and civil society organizations express concerns about the move. Poland has struggled since 2021 with migration pressures on its border with Belarus — which is also part of the European Union’s external border. “It is our right and our duty to protect the Polish …
Taiwan’s former President Tsai calls for release of publisher Jimmy Lai
Prague — Former Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen is among the world leaders calling for the release of pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai from jail in Hong Kong, where he is standing trial on national security charges that are widely viewed as politically motivated. “They should release him,” Tsai told VOA about Jimmy Lai. She made the statement shortly after she delivered a speech at the Forum 2000 …