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From Washington, this is VOA news. British man suspected of Ebola death in Macedonia. NATO and Turkish officials discuss ways to deal with Islamic State attackers in Syria. I'm Ray Kouguell reporting from Washington.
Britain will start enhanced screening of passengers arriving from West Africa at two London airports and the Eurostar train station while a suspected Ebola death of a British man was reported in Macedonia. Macedonian hospital officials say the victim showed symptoms of Ebola. Those who brought him to the hospital are in isolation and his Skopje hotel has been sealed off. It is unclear if the man was in Africa before heading to Macedonia. Ebola has killed about 3,900 people in West Africa and been detected in several other countries. The United States military says Kurdish militias are in control of most of the Syrian city of Kobani located on the Syria-Turkey border. The city has been under attack by militants from the Islamic State group. The assessment comes amid intensified U.S.-led airstrikes on IS targets in and around the city. U.S. and NATO officials are holding talks in Turkey. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Turkey's contributions to fighting the militants are ongoing. "Turkey, being a strong nation itself, having a strong army itself, of course also has great capabilities itself to defend itself. But we will always be ready to support Turkey." Australia's military says its warplanes conducted their first airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Iraq. Student leaders of the Hong Kong pro-democracy protest have called on supporters to continue on occupying public spaces. It came just hours after the government called off talks meant to ease weeks of tensions in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. The talks have been set for Friday. This is VOA news. A suicide bomber killed at least 42 people in Yemen's capital in an attack apparently targeting an anti-government demonstration by Shiite Houthi rebels. There is no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing Thursday in the Tahrir Square section of central Sana'a, which the rebels have controlled since last month. Pakistan and India continued to exchange heavy gun and mortar fire along their disputed Kashmir border. At least 17 civilians have died while thousands are fleeing to safety on both sides since the violence broke out more than a week ago. Ayaz Gul reports. The deadly clashes are taking place along a densely populated 200-kilometer border that separates Pakistan's Punjab province from the Indian-controlled portion of the divided Kashmir region. Each side blames the other for initiating the firing, but it is difficult to independently verify how the violence broke out. Islamabad and New Delhi are also accusing each other of intentionally targeting civilian populations. Regional commander of the Pakistani border security forces Major-General Khan Tahir Javed Khan says that more than 250 outposts and nearby villages have come under attack. He describes it as the most intense shelling from India in decades. Ayaz Gul, for VOA news, Sialkot, Pakistan. The new Palestinian unity government held its first cabinet meeting Thursday. Fatah and Hamas officials convened amid rubble and destruction in Gaza. Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said the new government's priority is reconstruction. Entire neighborhoods in Gaza were obliterated by Israeli missiles during this summer's two-month-long war between Israel and Hamas militants. Mexican federal authorities say they have captured Vicente Carrillo Fuentes, the alleged leader of the Juarez Cartel. U.S. authorities have offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction. French novelist Patrick Modiano is the winner of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Literature. Peter Englund, permanent secretary for the Swedish Academy, made the announcement Thursday. "The Nobel Prize in Literature for the year 2014 is awarded to the French author, Patrick Modiano, for the art of memory with which he has evoked the most ungraspable human destinies and uncovered the life-world of the occupation." Modiano's writing often focuses on life under German occupation in World War II France. International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde says the global economy is facing, in her words, "the risk of a new mediocre, where growth is low and uneven." Lagarde offered her assessment of the world's economic fortunes to international financial leaders at the annual IMF and World Bank meetings Thursday in held Washington. I'm Ray Kouguell in Washington. That's the latest world news from VOA. |