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From Washington, this is VOA news. Coming up, the latest on the Ebola outbreak. Key ruling party wins in India's regional elections.
Liberia's president on Sunday mad an impassioned plea for all nations to commit to the fight of Ebola. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf warned that the time for "talking or theorizing is over." The worst Ebola outbreak of the deadly virus has killed more than 4,500 people, almost all in West Africa, with close to 2,500 deaths alone in Liberia. Meanwhile, food aid from the World Food Program is arriving in Sierra Leone. Hassan Sesay is a resident of the town of Waterloo just outside the capital, Freetown. "Things are very hard for us. May God help them. We want World Food Program to do more for us." On Sunday, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told a gathering of health experts in Berlin that the 28-nation EU needs to become faster and more effective and should do a better job of sharing its capabilities in the fight against Ebola. Turkey says it will not arm Kurdish fighters in their battle with Islamic State militants for control of Kobani, the Syrian town just across the border from Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Sunday called the embattled Kurdish forces "equal" to the Kurdistan Workers Party, which waged a 30-year armed campaign for self-rule in Turkey. Turkey and the U.S. consider the group to be terrorist. Meanwhile in neighboring Iraq, Australia says it has reached agreement to allow its forces into Iraq to help the fight against the Islamic State militants. This is VOA news. The Hong Kong leader has accused "foreign forces" of involvement in the Chinese territory's pro-democracy protests. During a TV interview late Sunday, Leung Chun-ying said the weeks-long demonstrations are "not entirely a domestic movement." However, he declined to name the foreign countries or groups he believes are behind the protests. His comments echo recent commentary in China's state-run media, which has accused the United States and other western countries of manipulating the protests. Earlier on Sunday, Hong Kong police clashed with protesters, deepening a sense of impasse between the government and the pro-democracy movement. At least 40 people are missing and presumed dead after an unexpected blizzard struck a popular Himalayan trekking route last week. Nepalese search teams, travelling by helicopter, continue to scan the high-altitude areas in what is gradually turning into a rescue operation. At least 39 hikers are confirmed dead, among them Canadians, Indians, Israelis, Slovaks and Poles, but mostly Nepalese porters. Many of the hikers were on Nepal's popular trail when the storm produced avalanches. India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party gained control of two key states, trouncing the Congress Party. The results will strengthen Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who won a landslide victory in national elections five months ago. Anjana Pasricha has details. The Bharatiya Janata Party's huge margin over its rivals put it on course to form governments in the northern Haryana and western Maharashtra states, setting off huge celebrations by party workers. BJP head Amit Shah called the victories an endorsement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Shah says people have put a stamp of approval on the programs and the manner in which the BJP has been running the federal government. In a tweet, Prime Minister Modi called the win "historic" and a matter of immense happiness and pride. Anjana Pasricha, for VOA news, New Delhi. Four civilians have been killed in new fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine. Last month's cease-fire has mostly held in the region except in separatists' strong hold of Donetsk, where Kyiv's forces and the insurgents have engaged in daily clashes. Sweden's military is searching its waters near Stockholm after detecting "foreign underwater activity," possibly a damaged Russian submarine. Sweden has described the search 50 kilometers east of Stockholm as an "intelligence operation" and the country's biggest since the Cold War. Russia denied Sunday any of its submarines were involved in the incident. That's the latest world news from VOA. |