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From Washington, this is VOA news. Coming up, continuing violence in eastern Ukraine. Taliban releases video of U.S. prisoner handover. Hello everyone, I'm Steve Norman.
Ukraine struggled late Wednesday to regain control of key sections of its border with Russia after pro-Russian separatists overran key military headquarters in an hours-long battle. A second border post in the eastern city of Luhansk also fell to rebels. Witnesses, including Western reporters, said Ukrainian forces abandoned the Luhansk base after running out of ammunition. Meantime, in a Warsaw speech, President Obama said the free world is now united against what he called Russia's "dark tactics" in Ukraine, where Russian forces in March seized control of Crimea. "Bigger nations must not be allowed to bully the small, or impose their will at the barrel of a gun or with masked men taking over buildings. And the stroke of a pen can never legitimize the theft of a neighbor's land, so we will not accept Russia's occupation of Crimea or its violation of Ukraine's sovereignty. Our free nations will stand united so that further Russian provocations will only mean more isolation and costs for Russia." After his Warsaw speech, Mr. Obama went on to Brussels for a working dinner with leaders from the Group of 7 nations. Bashar al-Assad has won a landslide victory in the Syrian presidential election, securing a third seven-year term while fighting a bloody civil war against rebels seeking his ouster. Syria's parliament speaker said more than ten million people voted for Mr. Assad in Tuesday's election, giving him almost 89 percent of the vote. Voter turnout was 73 percent. This election was held in government-controlled areas only. Assad government has sought to present this vote as a democratic solution to Syria's three-year conflict. The Afghan Taliban released a video showing its fighters handing over captured American soldier Bowe Bergdahl to U.S. military last Saturday in an eastern province bordering Pakistan. Sergeant Bergdahl is believed to have spent most of his time with the Taliban since he was captured by them almost five years ago. Ayaz Gul reports. The Taliban video shows U.S. Army Sergeant Bergdahl waiting in a white pick-up truck surrounded by heavily armed Taliban fighters. As a commentator narrates the events, a clean-shaven Bergdahl is seen with a close-cropped haircut, wearing a white salwar kameez, the traditional Afghan clothing. He blinks frequently as he looks at and listens to his captors. As Blackhawk helicopters circle overhead, one lands nearby and the captive soldier is then led to his rescuers by two men, one taking Bergdahl by the hand as the other waves a white flag. Ayaz Gul, for VOA news, Islamabad. The Taliban freed Sergeant Bergdahl last Saturday in exchange for five Afghan detainees who were held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Tens of thousands of people turned out in Hong Kong for a vigil marking the 25th anniversary of the bloody crackdown on protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. A sea of candles lit the massive Victoria Park late Wednesday as throngs gathered to sing songs and listen to speeches marking the massacre that ended the 1989 pro-democracy movement in China. Renz Tse, an activist taking part in the vigil, says it is crucial that Beijing know Hong Kong supports democratic freedoms and opposes violence. "We understand the importance of fighting for the democracy of the China because Hong Kong is a part of China and nowadays the political reforms are now opposed by the Communist Party -- they are trying to elect a chief executive that only responds to the mainland China government." The situation was much quieter in Beijing on Wednesday and security was tight on Tiananmen Square. Hundreds of Chinese officers checked identifications and kept journalists from reporting in the square. Beijing allows no public discussion of the 1989 massacre, in which soldiers killed hundreds, if not thousands, of unarmed protesters. [U.S.] U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos has made an urgent appeal for $60 million over the next three months to address critical food nutrition and health care needs in Somalia. Amos said more than 850,000 people in Somalia require urgent assistance. That's the latest world news from VOA. |