VOA NEWS

November 30, 2014

From Washington, this is VOA news. The Taliban claims responsibility for deadly attack in Kabul. Court acquits former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. I'm Vincent Bruce reporting from Washington.



Afghan officials say two civilians and three Taliban attackers have died in an assault on a foreign guest house in Kabul.

Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman, Sediq Sediqqi: "There was a house belonging to an international NGO that came under the attack. The police came to the area and tried to kill these attackers who likely to help them ???. One was able to explode the explosives."

Of the civilian victims, at least one was a foreign national. Both worked for an international aid organization.



Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was acquitted in a retrial of the case that originally accused him of responsibility for the deaths of protesters during the 2011 revolution that ended his rule in Egypt. Edward Yeranian has more for VOA from Cairo.

Supporters of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak applauded after Judge Mahmud Rashidi declared him innocent.

The landmark case was a retrial of charges first brought against Mubarak in 2011, alleging he was responsible for the deaths of 239 protesters during the uprising that overthrew him.

Edward Yeranian, for VOA news, Cairo.

Mubarak was also acquitted of corruption charges but will remain in a prison hospital while serving a three-year sentence from earlier conviction for embezzlement.



Turkish officials are disclaiming a Kurdish announcement that members of the group calling itself the Islamic State attacked the Syrian border city of Kobani on the Turkish side of the border.

More on these stories at voanews.com. This VOA news.



Taiwan's ruling Nationalist Party, known for its engagement with old enemy China, suffered a worse than expected defeat in local elections Saturday. The results could hurt the Nationalist Party's odds of holding the presidency in 2016 and could slow talks with Beijing.

George Tsai is a political science professor at Chinese Cultural University in Taipei. He says that the Nationalists, or KMT party, must now work to hold public support for deals with China. "Ma Ying-jeou will be further challenged from within and without and the cross-Strait relation will face challenges ahead, and KMT people might jump boat and challenge his authority. It's going to be difficult for Ma Ying-jeou. People are fed up though with his governance."

The elections give momentum to the chief opposition party, the Democratic Progressive Party, which takes a tougher stance on China.



At a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers Saturday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas briefed Arab foreign ministers in Cairo about the impasse in peace negotiations with Israel.

Abbas said multiple obstacles prevent the Palestinians from entering into negotiations with Israel, especially unilateral actions such as the Israeli cabinet's action this month to officially define Israel as a nation-state of the Jewish people and affirm the country's essential Jewish character.

Abbas added officially declaring Israel is a Jewish state, along with other measures the Netanyahu government is considering, amounts to "apartheid."



Protests continued in the U.S. Saturday following a grand jury decision not to charge a white police officer who killed an unarmed black teenager in the state of Missouri after a street confrontation.

Saturday marked the start of a seven-day march organized by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The so-called "Journey for Justice" is set to travel from the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson to Jefferson City, Missouri's capital.



Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has vowed to "not leave any stone unturned" in tracking down the terrorists who attacked a mosque Friday. [More than 80 worshippers were attacked and at least 100 others wounded.] More than 80 worshippers were killed and at least 100 others wounded when a series of explosions followed by gunfire outside the crowded central mosque in Kano struck just after the start of Friday prayers.



And Pope Francis clasped his hands and bowed his head Saturday as he stood next to Istanbul's Mufti Rahmi Yaran, who was performing a prayer in Turkey's 17th century Sultan Ahmet mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque.



I'm Vincent Bruce reporting from Washington.

That's the latest world news from VOA.