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From Washington, this is VOA news. In Sierra Leone, new rules prohibiting harboring any Ebola victim. Humanitarian convoy reportedly has returned to Russia. I'm Vincent Bruce reporting from Washington.
Sierra Leone has passed a measure making it illegal to harbor people with Ebola. Under the new rule, anyone found hiding an Ebola patient could face up to two years in jail. Sierra Leone's parliament passed the law late Friday. On Saturday, Britain's Department of Health said a British citizen living in Sierra Leone has tested positive for Ebola. Few other details have been immediately available. Western monitors say the Russian aid convoy that crossed into Ukraine Friday has gone back to Russia, easing international tensions as German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Ukraine's capital voicing renewed hopes for peace. Ms. Merkel met Saturday with Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko and pledged about $660 million in German aid to help rebuilt cities in eastern Ukraine battered by months of fighting. Pro-Russian rebels in the Russian-speaking east launched their rebellion in April. Since then, an estimated 2,000 people have been killed as government forces seek to regain control of the region. Egypt is urging Israelis and Palestinians to accept a permanent cease-fire and return to indirect talks in Cairo even as violence continues in Gaza. The call from Egypt's Foreign Ministry came after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met Saturday in Cairo with Egypt President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and senior officials of the Arab League. Earlier Saturday, Israeli aircraft fired two missiles at a 12-floor apartment building in Gaza This is VOA news. An Islamist militia based in Libya's coastal city of Misrata claims to have seized Tripoli airport from a rival Zintan group. A Misrata spokesman said the airport was taken Saturday after six weeks of battling with the powerful militia from the western mountains. If the claim is confirmed, it would mean a major defeat for the nationalist fighters who have held the airport since the 2011 fall of longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi. Two unidentified airstrikes hit the Islamists' positions in Libya's capital the previous night, killing at least 10 fighters and wounding many others. The Islamists have accused Egypt and United Arab Emirates of orchestrating the strikes. Tripoli's airport is in ruins after being battered during weeks of fighting. Bombings across Iraq have left at least 30 people dead a day after an assault on a Sunni mosque killed at least 60 worshipers as they attended weekly prayers. Officials say a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle into an Interior Ministry building in Baghdad Saturday, killing at least eight people and wounding several others. There has been no immediate claim of responsibility. It's a "code red" for aircraft in Iceland after a small volcanic eruption that triggered fears that ash in the atmosphere could disrupt air travel. The code red warning, Iceland's highest, signifies that an eruption is imminent or in progress. Coast guard officials in Libya say a boat carrying at least 200 migrants has capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, close to Libya's coast. Most of the African nationals aboard the vessel, which reportedly went down Friday, are feared to have drowned. Fresh fighting between India and Pakistan along their disputed Kashmir border has killed at least four civilians and wounded several others on both sides. Ayaz Gul reports from the Pakistani capital. Indian and Pakistani authorities are blaming each other for starting the border clashes in violation of a mutual cease-fire in the divided Kashmir region. Senior Indian security officials say their forces retaliated after Pakistani troops fired guns and mortar rounds Saturday morning on a dozen Indian border posts and nearby villages. The hostilities, they claim, have killed and wounded several civilians. Indian authorities say over 3,000 villagers have also been evacuated to safe areas. Army officials in Pakistan are reporting deaths of at least two villagers and injures to many others, including women on their side of the disputed Kashmir border. Ayaz Gul, for VOA news, Islamabad. U.S. President Barack Obama, responding to days of racial violence in Ferguson, Missouri, has ordered a review of the government practice of providing military hardware to state and local police. That's according to senior officials who spoke Saturday at the White House. More details at voanews.com. I'm Vincent Bruce in Washington. That's the latest world news from VOA. |