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The World Food Program warned it could become a "full-scale human catastrophe"

The biggest declines were along the routes through the Western Balkans and Central Mediterranean  

The EU agreed on a 14th package of sanctions in June including a ban on transshipments of Russian gas as of March 2025 but stopped short of an outright ban

China and Russia declared a 'no limits' partnership in February 2022 when President Vladimir Putin visited Beijing less than three weeks before his forces launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine

Tourists come not just for the colors, but also region's distinctive architecture, lakes and towns

Indigenous Australians consider the land to be the mother of creation

EU agreed on Monday to impose sanctions on seven people and seven organizations

NATO chief vows to support Ukraine despite Russian threats

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 in 2015, in a public spat that saw the siblings estranged. Eldest son Lee Hsien Loong, who stepped down as Singapore's prime minister earlier this year, thought it should be up to the government to decide what to do with the property, including potentially retaining it as a heritage landmark. However his sister, Lee Wei Ling, who died on Oct. 9, and younger brother Lee Hsien Yang said the single-story bungalow, built in 1898 in central Singapore, should be demolished in accordance with their father's wishes. "After my sister's passing, I am the only living executor of my father Lee Kuan Yew's estate," Lee Hsien Yang wrote on Facebook on Tuesday. "In his will, he wished for the house to be demolished 'immediately after' Wei Ling moved out of the house. It is my duty to carry out his wishes to the fullest extent of the law." He said he would apply to demolish the house and planned to build a small private dwelling to be retained by the family, adding that it was time for the government to approve the demolition. The office of current Prime Minister Lawrence Wong did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Lee Kuan Yew told the Straits Times newspaper in 2011 that he wanted the house demolished because it would "become a shambles" if it were opened to the public, and he hoped its removal would improve land values in the neighborhood. In 2018, a ministerial committee set up to consider the future of the house laid out three options, and said the decision would be left to a future government. The options were to retain the property by officially categorizing it as a national monument or for conservation, retain the basement dining room, which has the greatest historical significance and tear down the rest of the property, or allow the property to be fully demolished for redevelopment. At that time, Lee Hsien Loong said he accepted the committee's conclusion and the range of options laid out.

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 3.3% in the second quarter from a year earlier, and is forecast to grow 2.5-3.5% for the year. Although tourism numbers have rebounded since COVID, with 46 million visitors expected this year, consumption and retail spending remain sluggish, while stock listings have dried up and capital flight remains a challenge. In February, Hong Kong's financial secretary announced new measures spanning property, tourism and financial services, noting headwinds including a complex geopolitical environment and ballooning budget deficits. But in a meeting last month between China's top official on Hong Kong affairs, Xia Baolong and Hong Kong leader John Lee, Xia emphasized a need for further "reforms" to spur economic growth, in line with China's national strategy. He called on the Hong Kong government to "unite and lead all sectors of society" to promote reforms, while urging businessmen to help in this drive. One commentator in the state-run China Daily said Xia's speech suggested a need for "economic and social reforms." Lee has said the focus this year would be on economic development and people's livelihoods. His government pushed through new national security laws in March which Lee said had improved stability. Some countries including the U.S. have criticized Lee for leading a years-long security crackdown that has jailed opposition democrats, shutdown liberal media outlets and curbed freedoms. Local media also reported possible plans to phase out some of Hong Kong's more squalid sub-divided flats, tiny cubicles that have been criticized as below acceptable living standards. Lee is also expected to push more tourism-related initiatives. On real estate, a key pillar of the economy, Lee is under pressure to do more to revive a market that has fallen around a fifth from its 2021 peak. Some market players, including Midland Realty's Hong Kong residential CEO Sammy Po, have called for further cutting of red tape to help Chinese buyers, including younger ones on talent schemes, to transfer capital and secure mortgages. Liquor taxes could also be slashed from the current 100% - one of the highest rates globally - to try to turn the city into a spirits trading hub in the way that it became an Asian wine trading hub after wine duties were abolished in 2008. The move may benefit local bars and restaurants that have struggled since COVID, with many local residents now opting to travel across the northern border to the Chinese city of Shenzhen to dine more cheaply. Retail sales were down 7.7% for the first eight months of 2024 compared with the same period a year before.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday reiterated that state energy firm Petronas will continue to conduct oil and gas exploration activities in Malaysia's exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, despite objections from China. This includes exploration activities in Petronas' Kasawari gas development off Sarawak state on Borneo, he told parliament. "We will continue, but we will not close the door on discussions with any country," Anwar said. He said Malaysia had territorial disputes with many of its neighbors, including Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia, and said undue focus was placed on its differences with China. "We have issues but these issues do not affect diplomatic relations. These issues do not affect trade relations and close friendships with our neighbors," he said. Anwar said last month Malaysia's exploration activities were within its territory and were not intended to be provocative or hostile towards China, following the media leak of a diplomatic note from Beijing. In the note, carried by a Philippine news outlet, Beijing asserted that Malaysia's oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea breached its territory. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea and has deployed a fleet of coast guards deep into Southeast Asia, including the EEZs of Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Vietnam, complicating those country's exploration efforts. China rejects a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague that Beijing's expansive claims had no basis under international law. Petronas's oil and gas projects in the South China Sea have had several encounters with Chinese vessels in recent years. The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, a U.S. think tank, said in a report this month that Chinese coast guard vessels have made frequent visits to Malaysian exploratory wells off Sarawak this year, passing as close as 1,000 meters from gas production platforms at Timi, Kasawari, and Jerun. Petronas' Kasawari field holds an estimated 10 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves and commenced first production in August this year.

Taipei, Taiwan — China’s stock markets had a volatile day on Monday, showing mixed responses to the finance ministry’s latest fiscal policies, released during a closely watched briefing over the weekend. Hong Kong shares dropped 0.75% while its mainland peers rebounded, including the Shanghai Composite’s 2.07% gain, although the rally slowed.   While some investors remained hopeful on Beijing’s promise of fiscal support, analysts warned that the fiscal measures, along with the central bank’s monetary easing in late September, are neither aggressive enough nor growth boosting although they are in “the right direction” to address structural issues facing the world’s second-largest economy. Disappointing fiscal stimulus “Markets conversation has already started to come up with the consensus that monetary injection or interest rate cuts cannot fix the fundamental problem,” Raymond Yeung, the Hong Kong-based chief economist of Greater China at the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, told VOA on Saturday. He added that investors in China were left guessing on the size of the government’s stimulus.  Prior to the weekend briefing, investors were reportedly hoping for a 2 trillion to 10 trillion yuan ($283 billion-$1.4 trillion) stimulus package as China had pumped 4 trillion yuan ($564 trillion) to bail out its economy in 2008. China’s Finance Minister Lan Foan, however, stayed mum on the size of the stimulus package Saturday, although he pledged support to defuse local debt risks, bolster the country’s sagging property market and hinted at a deficit increase for additional fiscal support, if needed. That, Yeung said, was a “very conservative approach” since Beijing probably doesn’t want “a stock market bubble,” yet it wouldn’t help Chinese stock investors assess their trade this week. Stimulus can’t fix the economy He also expected market corrections to continue, as investors are concerned over whether Beijing’s stimulus plan can make the immediate growth-boosting impact to reverse high unemployment rates and the economic slowdown. The central bank’s monetary easing failed to reduce inflation in September, with both consumer and producer price growth falling short of expectations and deflationary pressures continuing to worsen. China’s consumer price index, a key gauge of inflation, grew lower-than-expected by 0.4% last month, compared to August’s increase of 0.6%, China’s National Bureau of Statistics said Sunday. Also, China’s producer price index, which measures the cost of goods at the factory gate, fell by 2.8% in September, marking the 24th consecutive month of decline. But the monetary policy helped push China’s stock prices higher for seven consecutive trading days before they took the biggest dive since 2020 last Wednesday due to a lack of new stimulus measures. Stock market correction to continue? On Saturday, while some users of the Chinese social media platform, Weibo, shared Lan’s optimistic views toward China’s economic outlook, others expressed disappointment, saying that they expect Chinese shares to see a weeklong free fall.    A Weibo user in Hunan, named “adrianolove1999,” wrote that he expects to ‘’bottom fish’’ this Friday. ‘’Why Friday? Because the shares will have a five-day losing streak.” He Jiangbing, an economist based in Hubei, China, said, by his estimate, the finance ministry is planning at least 3.2 trillion yuan ($451 trillion) worth of bond issuances, which await a final approval from the standing committee of the National People’s Congress when it meets later this month. Those will include 1 trillion yuan ($141 trillion) to replenish six major state-run bank’s capital for lending, another 1.2 trillion yuan ($169 trillion) as debt relief for local governments and the remaining 1 trillion yuan ($141 trillion) as subsidies to boost consumption or reserved for the under-privileged class, he added. Given the central government’s financial difficulty, He describes the size of the stimulus plan as “good enough” to help ease liquidity or boost share prices. Putting the cart before the horse But such money-printing measures won’t address the root cause of China’s economic slowdown, he said. “The [Chinese] economy won’t be revived by such fiscal policy, which can only keep the economy from collapsing. This is putting the cart before the horse. Printing money won’t solve any problem,” the economist told VOA by phone. China needs to improve its relations with the world’s major economies, which in turn will boost its exports and stop the exodus of foreign businesses, especially at a time when two thirds of China-based Japanese companies have left, he said. China also needs to reverse its emphasis on state-run businesses and its earlier course of tightening regulatory oversight, which has been threatening the survival of private enterprises, he added. Without addressing these root causes first, he argued, China’s economy won’t recover.   

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea said North Korea blew up the northern parts of inter-Korean roads no longer in use on Tuesday, as the rivals are locked in rising animosities over North Korea's claim that South Korea flew drones over its capital, Pyongyang. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a brief statement that North Korea blew up parts of the roads on Tuesday. It said South Korea's military is bolstering its readiness and surveillance posture but gave no further details. The explosions came a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called a meeting with his top military and security officials. During the meeting, Kim described the alleged South Korean drone flights as the "enemy's serious provocation" and laid out unspecified tasks related to "immediate military action" and the operation of his "war deterrent" for defending the country's sovereignty, the North's state media reported earlier Tuesday. North Korea earlier put frontline artillery and other army units on standby to launch strikes on South Korea, if drones from South Korea are found over North Korea again. South Korea has refused to confirm whether it sent drones but warned it would sternly punish North Korea if the safety of its citizens is threatened. Destroying the roads would be in line with leader Kim Jong Un's push to cut off ties with South Korea, formally cement it as his country's principal enemy and abandon the North's decades-long objective to seek a peaceful Korean unification. During the previous era of inter-Korean detente in the 2000s, the two Koreas reconnected two road routes and two rail tracks across their heavily fortified border. But their operations later were suspended one by one as the Koreas wrangled over North Korea's nuclear program and other issues. Last week, North Korea said it would permanently block its border with South Korea and build front-line defense structures to cope with "confrontational hysteria" by South Korean and U.S. forces. South Korean officials said North Korea had already been adding anti-tank barriers and laying mines along the border since earlier this year. They said North Korea has also planted mines and removed lamps along its sections of the inter-Korean roads and taken out ties on the northern side of the railways.

There are 50 U.S. states, but voters from seven so-called battleground states are expected to determine the outcome of the 2024 presidential election. The Southwestern state of Arizona used to reliably lean toward Republican candidates. But President Joe Biden, a Democrat, won the state in 2020. And this year, Arizona’s electoral votes are up for grabs again.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected accusations that Israeli troops had deliberately targeted UNIFIL peacekeepers in Lebanon as "completely false." Meanwhile, an Israeli strike in Gaza hit shelters for displaced people. China holds massive military drill surrounding Taiwan and Syrian rebels are threatened by suicide drones. A look at what might motivate undecided American voters, and a glimpse at Indigenous People’s Day celebrations in Los Angeles.

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 her several months ago at the facility near Gomel, where she is serving an 11-year sentence, but has failed whenever he goes there. On his last attempt, he said the warden told him, “If she doesn't call or doesn't write, that means she doesn't want to.” The 42-year-old musician-turned-activist is known to have been hospitalized in Gomel in May or June, but the outcome was unclear, said a former prisoner who identified herself only as Natalya because she feared retaliation from authorities. “I can only pray to God that she is still alive,” Kolesnikov said in an interview. “The authorities are ignoring my requests for a meeting and for letters — it is a terrible feeling of impotence for a father.” Kolesnikova gained prominence when mass protests erupted in Belarus after the widely disputed August 2020 election gave authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko a sixth term in office. With her close-cropped hair, broad smile and a gesture of forming her outstretched hands into the shape of a heart, she often was seen at the front of the demonstrations. She became an even greater symbol of defiance in September of that year when Belarusian authorities tried to deport her. Driven to the Ukrainian border, she briefly broke away from security forces in the neutral zone at the frontier and tore up her passport, then walked back into Belarus. She was convicted a year later of charges including conspiracy to seize power. Natalya, whose cell was next to Kolesnikova’s before being released in August, said she had not heard her talking to guards for six months. Other inmates heard Kolesnikova's pleas for medical assistance, she said, but reported that doctors did not come for “a very long time.” In November 2022, Kolesnikova was moved to an intensive care ward to undergo surgery for a perforated ulcer. Other prisoners become aware of her movements because “it feels like martial law has been declared" in the cellblock, Natalya said. "Other prisoners are strictly forbidden not only to talk, but even to exchange glances with Maria.” Her sister, Tatiana Khomich, said she was told by former inmates that the 5 feet, 9 inches Kolesnikova weighed only about 45 kilograms (100 pounds). “They are slowly killing Maria, and I consider that this is a critical period because no one can survive in such conditions,” said Khomich, who lives outside Belarus. The last time Kolesnikova wrote from prison was in February 2023. Letters to her “are ripped up before her eyes by prison personnel,” her sister said, relaying accounts from other former inmates. Kolesnikova, who before the 2020 protests was a classical flutist who was especially knowledgeable about baroque music, is one of several major Lukashenko opponents to disappear behind bars. The prisons department of the Belarusian Interior Ministry refused to comment on Kolesnikova’s case. The U.N. Human Rights Committee has repeatedly demanded Belarusian authorities take “urgent protective measures” in relation to Kolesnikova and other political prisoners held incommunicado. In September, the European Parliament demanded that Belarus release all political prisoners. Former inmates say Kolesnikova wore a yellow tag that indicates a political prisoner. That marks them for additional abuse by guards and officials, rights advocates say. The human rights group Viasna counts about 1,300 political prisoners in Belarus, including the group's Nobel Peace Prize-winning founder, Ales Bialiatsky. At least six have died behind bars. “It was too late to save Alexei Navalny (from prison in Russia), and it was too late for six people in Belarus. We and the Western world don't have much time to save Maria's life,” Khomich said. Amnesty International has begun a campaign to raise awareness about Kolesnikova's fate, urging people to take up her plight with Western officials and politicians. Other prominent opposition figures who are imprisoned and have not been heard from in a year or more include Siarhei Tsikhanouski, who planned to challenge Lukashenko in the 2020 election but was imprisoned; his wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, took his place on the ballot and was forced to leave the country the day after the vote. Aspiring opposition candidate Viktar Babaryka also was imprisoned before the election as his popularity among prospective voters soared. Kolesnikova was his campaign manager but then joined forces with Tsikhanouskaya. Prominent opposition figure Mikola Statkevich and Kolesnikova's lawyer, Maxim Znak, are imprisoned and have not contacted the outside world since the winter of 2023. Lukashenko denies Belarus has any political prisoners. At the same time, in recent months he has unexpectedly released 115 prisoners whose cases had political elements; those released had health problems, wrote petitions for pardons and repented. Belarus is deeply integrated with Russia, and some observers believe Lukashenko is concerned about the extent of his dependence on Moscow, hoping to restore some ties with the European Union by releasing political prisoners ahead of a presidential election next year. “Minsk is returning to the practice of bargaining with the West to try to soften sanctions and achieve at least partial recognition of the results of the upcoming presidential election,” said Belarusian analyst Alexander Friedman. “Lukashenko’s regime is interested in not becoming part of Russia and therefore wants at least some communication with the West, offering to talk about political prisoners.” Lukashenko’s critics and human rights activists say they see no real change in government policy since all leading pro-democracy figures are still behind bars and authorities have seized three times as many opposition activists to refill the prisons. “It is difficult to consider these pardons as a real thaw since the repressions continue, but the West should encourage Lukashenko to continue releasing political prisoners,” Khomich said. “The regime is sending clear signals to Western countries about its readiness to release people, and it's very important that [the signal] is heard, and the opportunity is seized.”