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From Washington, this is VOA news. Coming up, Russia-Ukraine topic on agenda for President Obama in Europe. Efforts to put the Mideast peace talks back on track. Hello everyone, I'm Steve Norman.
President Obama is in Italy for an audience with Pope Francis and talks with Italian leaders expected to focus on Ukraine and Russia. Earlier in Brussels, Mr. Obama met with NATO and European Union officials and said the West has no plans to use force against Russia in Crimea. But the president said just because Russia has a deep history with Ukraine, it does not mean it can dictate Ukraine's future and run roughshod over its neighbors. Malaysia says newly analyzed satellite images show 122 possible objects that could be parts of a missing Malaysian airliner in the Indian Ocean. Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told reporters Wednesday the potential debris was located in French satellite photos taken on March 23rd. "Some objects were a meter in length, others were as much as 23 meters in length. Some of the objects appeared to be bright, possibly indicating solid material." While stressing it is not yet confirmed the objects are parts of the missing aircraft, he said the development represents "another new lead" in the investigation. The Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared March 8th on its way to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry traveled to Jordan on Wednesday in hopes of jumpstarting Middle East peace talks. VOA's Scott Stearns reports that Mr. Kerry met with Jordan's King Abdullah and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a bid to narrow the gaps in peace negotiations. At issue is the future of these talks, eight months into a nine-month peace process. Israel wants Palestinian leaders to extend the talks before Israel releases the fourth and last group of prisoners agreed to as part of this process. Palestinians say they will quit the talks now if the Israeli cabinet does not vote to release those detainees as promised by Saturday. While U.S. officials say he is here to narrow the gaps in peace talks, Kerry's more immediate challenge is figuring out what each side might be willing to continue if Israel refuses the prisoner release and if Palestinians respond by pushing tougher international sanctions against Israel. Among the issues dividing Israelis and Palestinians is security, the borders of a two-state solution, and the status of Jerusalem as a capital. Scott Stearns, VOA news, Amman. A U.S. court has convicted Osama bin Laden's son-in-law of conspiring to kill Americans for his role as a fiery spokesman for the al-Qaeda terrorist group. A jury in New York decided Wednesday that Kuwaiti-born Imam Suleiman Abu Ghaith was guilty of three terrorism-related charges. He faces a possible life prison term when he is sentenced in September. Abu Ghaith was the highest-ranked al-Qaeda figure to face trial in the United States since the attacks on New York and Washington that killed nearly 3,000 people. The jurors were shown video of Abu Ghaith sitting next to bin Laden and two other al-Qaeda leaders the day after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks as they tried to justify them. Kenya has again ordered Somali refugees across the border to return to designated camps, following recent attacks and threats in the country attributed to Somali militants. VOA's Gabe Joselow reports the Somali community says the directive unfairly punishes innocent people. On Wednesday, Kenyan Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku issued a statement ordering all refugees residing in the country to return to camps in Dadaab and Kakuma. Any refugee caught violating the directive "will be dealt with in accordance with the law." The directive could affect tens of thousands of refugees living and working outside the camps. Kenya's high court last year rejected a previous attempt by the government to force refugees back into camps, saying the order threatened the "rights and fundamental freedoms" of those living in urban areas. A statement from Ole Lenku cites "emerging security challenges" as the reason for the new order. Gabe Joselow, Nairobi. Egyptian army chief General Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has officially announced that he is resigning from the armed forces so he can run in a presidential election that he is expected to easily win. He warned that he could not fix the country's problems, such as a poor economy and high unemployment, alone, and that everyone must work to rebuild the country. For more on these stories and the rest of the hour's news, check out our website at voanews.com. |