PALMYRA, SYRIA — Experts are returning to Syria’s war-ravaged heritage sites, hoping to lay the groundwork for restoring them and reviving tourism, which they say could provide a much-needed boost to the country’s decimated economy after nearly 14 years of war. Once-thriving landmarks like the ancient city of Palmyra and the medieval Crusader castle of Crac des Chevaliers remain scarred by years of conflict, but local …
Taiwan considers multibillion-dollar arms purchase from US, sources say
WASHINGTON/TAIPEI — Taiwan is exploring buying arms worth billions of dollars from the United States, sources briefed on the matter said, hoping to win support from the new Trump administration as China continues to apply military pressure on the island. Three sources familiar with the situation, speaking to Reuters on the condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation, told Reuters that Taiwan is in …
VOA Persian: Telecommunications retirees rally across Iran
Protests in Iran continued Monday as telecommunications retirees gathered in at least nine provinces, despite snowfall in some regions. Click here for the full story in Persian. …
Syria arrests 3 men suspected of links to 2013 Tadamon massacre
TADAMON, SYRIA — Security forces in Syria said Monday that they arrested three people involved in the execution of hundreds of civilians by government forces in Damascus in 2013, two years after the country’s 13-year civil war began. Dozens of police and security trucks lined the streets of Tadamon, a Damascus suburb near the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp, where they carried out the arrests in the …
Getting Cyprus natural gas to market via Egypt hailed as milestone
NICOSIA, CYPRUS — A pair of agreements outlining how sizable natural gas deposits inside Cypriot waters will get to market via processing facilities in Egypt are a milestone for energy cooperation, Cyprus’ president said Monday. President Nikos Christodoulides said the cooperation between Cyprus and Egypt is helping to define the regional energy map, calling the agreements “game-changers” that are “pivotal for our strategic partnership.” The first …
Chinese official tours Thai-Myanmar border, highlights crackdown on scam centers
Bangkok — Efforts to shut down online scam centers in Myanmar appeared to gain momentum Monday as a top Chinese security official visited both sides of the Thai-Myanmar border ahead of expected large-scale repatriations of workers in the illicit industry. The visit by Liu Zhongyi, China’s vice minister of public security and commissioner of the Criminal Investigation Bureau, was part of a stepped-up effort by the …
Top Greek scientist: Santorini earthquake outlook remains uncertain
ATHENS — The Greek government’s chief seismologist says the frequency of earthquakes affecting Santorini and nearby islands has eased in recent days, but that the outlook for continued tremors in the coming weeks remains uncertain. “Unfortunately, for now, we must wait. These seismic sequences do not end quickly. They follow their own timeline,” seismologist Costas Papazachos told state-run ERT radio Monday. “Hopefully, this particular sequence will …
Doctors change pope’s treatment to tackle ‘complex’ situation, Vatican says
Vatican City — Doctors have changed treatment for Pope Francis’ respiratory tract infection to tackle a “complex clinical situation” and he will remain in hospital for as long as necessary, the Vatican said on Monday. “The results of the tests carried out in recent days and today have demonstrated a polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract, which has led to a further modification of the therapy,” …
China aims to improve ties with EU amid transatlantic tension
Taipei, Taiwan — China has launched a new round of diplomatic outreach to European countries amid rising tension between the United States and its European allies. While top U.S. officials and European leaders clashed over issues such as values, democracy and Ukraine at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi held bilateral meetings with several top European officials, …
Rubio visits Saudi Arabia as Israel, Hamas move closer to end of first phase of ceasefire
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in Saudi Arabia on Monday as part of a tour of the region that includes a focus on the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Rubio was expected to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman amid objections from Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations about U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to move Palestinians out of Gaza. Trump …
China urges US to ‘correct its mistakes’ after State Department removes Taiwan web reference
BEIJING/TAIPEI — China on Monday urged the United States to “correct its mistakes” after the U.S. State Department removed previous wording on its website about not supporting Taiwan independence, which it said was part of a routine update. The fact sheet on Taiwan, updated last week, retains Washington’s opposition to unilateral change from either Taiwan or from China, which claims the democratically governed island as its …
China’s Xi holds rare meeting with business leaders amid slowing economy, US tensions
BEIJING — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday spoke at a symposium attended by business leaders including Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma, state media reported, as Beijing grapples with a slowing economy and growing tensions with the U.S. Other private business leaders who attended the symposium included Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, Xiaomi’s Lei Jun, BYD’s Wang Chuanfu, Unitree’s Wang Xingxing, and CATL’s Robin Zeng, a video published …
France hosting European talks on Ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron is set to host a group of European leaders for talks Monday focused on the situation in Ukraine amid a shift in the U.S. approach to the conflict and suggestions by U.S. officials that Europe would not have a role in peace talks. Among those expected to attend were leaders from Britain, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark. NATO …
US says strike in Syria killed Al-Qaeda affiliate official
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military said Sunday it killed a member of an Al-Qaeda affiliate organization in a precision airstrike in Syria. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it conducted the strike Saturday “in Northwest Syria targeting and killing a senior finance and logistics official in the terrorist organization Hurras al-Din (HaD), an al-Qaida affiliate,” according to a statement on X. CENTCOM did not identify its target. …
New downloads of DeepSeek suspended in South Korea, data protection agency says
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — South Korea’s data protection authority on Monday said new downloads of the Chinese AI app DeepSeek had been suspended in the country after DeepSeek acknowledged failing to take into account some of the agency’s rules on protecting personal data. The service of the app will be resumed once improvements are made in accordance with the country’s privacy law, the Personal Information Protection …
North Korea’s Kim makes rare visit to father’s tomb
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has paid his respects at a family mausoleum to mark the birthday of his late father and former leader Kim Jong Il, state media KCNA said on Monday. Kim Jong Il’s birthday, which falls on Feb. 16, is widely celebrated as a major holiday in North Korea, called the Day of the Shining Star. But it …
China condemns sailing of Canadian warship in Taiwan Strait
Beijing — China’s military on Monday condemned the sailing of a Canadian warship in the Taiwan Strait, saying its air and naval forces had monitored and warned the ship, a mission that came just a few days after U.S. Navy ships made a similar mission. The U.S. Navy, and occasionally ships from allied countries like Canada, Britain and France, transits the strait around once a month. …
Turkish delegation meets with Kurdish leader in Iraq amid peace efforts
Baghdad — A Turkish opposition party delegation arrived in Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region Sunday against the backdrop of peace efforts between Ankara and a banned Kurdish separatist movement in Turkey. The delegation led by Sirri Sureyya Onder and Pervin Buldan, two senior officials with the pro-Kurdish People’s Equality and Democracy Party, or DEM, in Turkey, met with Masoud Barzani, the head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party …
Rubio says Hamas must be eradicated
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Hamas must be eradicated. He spoke alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he echoed President Donald Trump’s vision for a Gaza free from the influence of Hamas. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more. …
‘Conclave’ leads the pack, ‘Emilia Perez’ faces test at Britain’s BAFTA film awards
London — Stars including Cynthia Erivo, Hugh Grant, Ariana Grande, Lupita Nyong’o, Timothee Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan walked the red carpet at London’s Royal Festival Hall for the awards, known as BAFTAs. The prizes are closely watched for clues about who will triumph at Hollywood’s Academy Awards on March 3, in an unusually hard-to-call awards season. They also have a distinctly British accent. The ceremony kicked …
Lebanon says woman killed as Israeli forces fire on returnees to southern Lebanon ahead of ceasefire deadline
BEIRUT — A woman was killed and several other people wounded Sunday when Israeli forces opened fire on a group of residents attempting to return to the village of Houla in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese state-run news agency reported. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the incident, which comes two days before the deadline for implementation of a ceasefire agreement that ended …
UK’s Starmer to press Egypt for release of hunger-striking mum’s son
London — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has told a mother who has been on hunger strike for 140 days that he will press the Egyptian government to release her son. In a statement Sunday, Starmer confirmed that he met Laila Soueif and said he will do “all that I can” to secure the release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a British-Egyptian dual national who has spent …
US: Hamas ‘must be eradicated’
The U.S. fully endorsed Israel’s war aims in Gaza on Sunday, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying that Hamas “must be eradicated” and “cannot continue as a military or government force.” Rubio met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem at the start of a regional tour as the first phase of a tenuous Israel-Hamas ceasefire expires in two weeks, with the second …
Russian troops intensify attacks on Ukrainian forces in east, military says
KYIV — Russian troops have sharply stepped up their attacks in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv’s military said on Sunday, as a NATO official predicted Moscow would increase the pace and intensity of its assaults with talks to end the war approaching. The main attacks were concentrated near the imperiled logistics hub of Pokrovsk, Kyiv said, with U.S. and Russian officials expected to hold talks in the coming …