World

  Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers his policy speech at the extraordinary session of parliament's lower house Nov. 29, 2024, in Tokyo. Taipei, Taiwan — Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru has been actively advocating for the establishment of a collective security alliance in Asia similar to that of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Europe and North America. Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party set up a new committee in November specifically to discuss this “Asian NATO” concept. However, such an ambitious plan is unlikely to take place under the second term of U.S.-elect President Donald Trump, according to experts. Ishiba has reportedly advocated for bolstering regional deterrence by integrating existing ...

  FILE - Former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte attends a meeting of the North Atlantic Council, on the day he succeeds Jens Stoltenberg as NATO Secretary General, at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Oct. 1, 2024. NATO foreign ministers open two days of talks Tuesday in Brussels with support for Ukraine high on the agenda as the country fights to defend itself from a Russian invasion that began nearly three years ago. Allies have already pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in new military aid ahead of the meetings, including new rounds of assistance from the United States and Germany. In addition to the NATO ministerial talks, the agenda also includes the latest round of meetings for the NATO-Ukraine council as Ukraini...

  FILE - An Indonesian customs official shows a smuggled iPhone 16 Pro Max before destroying it after it was confiscated alongside dozens of Apple phones and tablets, at the customs office of Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, on November 29, 2024. JAKARTA, INDONESIA — Indonesia plans to increase requirements on local components for smartphones made and sold in the country, its deputy industry minister said on Tuesday, a move aimed at boosting the domestic manufacturing sector. The plan follows Indonesia\'s banning last month of sales of Apple\'s iPhone 16 after it failed to meet a requirement that smartphones sold domestically must comprise at least 40% locally made parts. Apple has since made a $100 million inve...

  FILE - President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with the House GOP conference, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump has named billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens as his envoy to Britain, a prestigious posting for the Republican donor whose contributions this year included $2 million to a Trump-backing super PAC. Trump, in a post on his Truth Social site Monday evening, announced he was selecting Stephens to be the U.S. ambassador to the Court of Saint James. The Senate is required to confirm the choice. "Warren has always dreamed of serving the United States full time. I am thrilled that he will now have that opportunity as the top Diplomat, representing the U.S.A. to one of ...

  FILE - A Pakistan Navy soldier stands guard next to a loaded Chinese ship, at Gwadar port, about 700 kilometers (435 miles) west of Karachi, Pakistan, Nov. 13, 2016. Due to China’s slowing domestic economy and intensified trade disputes with the West, Chinese manufacturers are increasingly turning to developing countries to offload their surplus stocks, resulting in a flood of low-cost products. VOA Mandarin takes a look at how that affects merchants and consumers in a country like Pakistan. See the full story here.   By：VOA

  Demonstrators stand at a barricade during protests against the government's decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union in Tbilisi, Georgia, early Dec. 3, 2024. TBILISI, Georgia — Police in Georgia\'s capital again moved to disperse thousands of demonstrators on Monday after over 200 people were detained during four previous nights of protests against the government\'s decision to suspend negotiations to join the European Union. Police used water cannons and tear gas to drive protesters away from the parliament building where they have gathered each night since Thursday when the ruling Georgian Dream party declared its decision to put EU accession talks on hold. Georgian Dream\'s disputed victory in the country\...

  A drone view shows a damaged bridge following floods caused by Storm Bora, in Faliraki, on the island of Rhodes, Greece, Dec. 2, 2024. ATHENS, Greece — Authorities on the Greek islands Rhodes and Lemnos declared a state of emergency Monday after storms battered the islands, leaving two dead and widespread damage. Rescue teams, assisted by the military and local authorities, rescued many older residents in flood-hit areas, after strong winds and torrential rain over the weekend flipped cars, caused power outages and damaged roads. Two men were killed in a flooded village on Lemnos, while scores of people were evacuated and taken to hotels in the island\'s main port. Vassilis Kikilias, the minister for climate crisis and civil protectio...

  FILE - An aerial picture taken on July 12, 2021 shows a view of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral on the "Ile de la Cite" island in the Seine river in Paris. NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump will attend the reopening celebration for Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris this weekend, his first foreign trip since the election. The cathedral is set to reopen Saturday after more than five years of reconstruction following a devastating fire in 2019. The invite-only ceremonies Saturday and Sunday will be high-security affairs, with about 50 heads of state and government expected to attend. Trump announced his trip in a post on his Truth Social site Monday evening. "It is an honor to announce that I will be traveling to Paris, ...

  FILE - 155 mm M795 artillery projectiles are stacked during manufacturing process at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Scranton, Pa., Thursday, April 13, 2023. PENTAGON — President Joe Biden has asked Congress for an additional $24 billion to support Ukraine and replenish U.S. weapons stockpiles, two U.S. officials tell VOA, as the administration continued Monday to push out new aid packages from the last congressionally approved funds for Kyiv before Biden leaves office on January 20. Officials who have seen the administration’s request, on condition of anonymity to discuss its details, told VOA, that the new support would include $16 billion to restock U.S. weapons under the Pentagon’s presidential drawdown authority (PDA), along...