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From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm Vincent Bruce reporting. The United States Supreme Court will decide if same-sex couples have the right to marry under the U.S. constitution.
The United States Supreme Court will decide if same-sex couples have the right to marry under the constitution. The hight court announced Friday that it will examine and rule on appeals of lower-court rulings that backed bans on such marriages in the states of Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. Ten other states also prohibit such unions. Last week, Florida became the 36th U.S. jurisdiction to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The nine high-court justices will hear oral arguments in April, with a ruling expected in June. The United States and Britain say they will work together to prevent attacks by Islamic radicals and counter violent extremism as police across Europe arrest dozens of terrorist suspects. U.S. President Barack Obama said after meeting in Washington with British Prime Minister David Cameron that the U.S. "continues to stand unequivocally" with France and all of its partners on the threat of terrorism. He also said the United States will help France seek justice for last week's terrorist attacks. "Today we continue to stand unequivocally, not only with our French friends and allies, but with, also, all of our partners who are dealing with this scourge." Mr. Cameron said the U.S. and Britain both face threats to their national security from "people who want to do us harm." He said the Islamic extremists who seek to attack the West are following "a poisonous and fanatical ideology." This VOA news. U.S. President Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron say any moves to impose new sanctions on Iran would jeopardize ongoing negotiations to reach a deal to curb its nuclear program. At a joint news conference after talks at the White House, Mr. Obama made clear to the U.S. Congress that he will veto any legislation that calls for new sanctions. Mr. Cameron said he also personally contact with some U.S. senators about the issue. "On Iran, we remain absolutely committed to ensuring that Iran cannot develop a nuclear weapon. The best way to achieve that now is to create the space for negotiations to succeed. We should not impose further sanctions now. That would be counterproductive and it could put at risk the valuable international unity that has been so crucial to our approach." President Obama said he is requesting the lawmakers hold off for a few months to see if it is [possible resolve] possible to resolve the Iran issue without resorting potentially to war. The U.S. Defense Department says several hundred U.S. troops will start moving to the Middle East in the next four to six weeks to help train moderate Syrian rebels to fight the Islamic State group. The program to train moderate Syrian rebels could involve about 1,000 U.S. trainers and support personnel moving into facilities in Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia that are still being prepared. A convoy of Chadian tanks and armored vehicles motored out of the capital Friday to help fight the Nigerian insurgent group Boko Haram. Chadian journalist Michel Didama told VOA's French-to-Africa Service that he saw the convoy heading south. It was not clear if the troops might enter Boko Haram's strongholds in northeastern Nigeria. Chad said earlier this week that it would support Cameroon, whose president, Paul Biya, had appealed for a coordinated international response to Boko Haram. Following news earlier in the week, Guinea had reported its lowest weekly total of new Ebola cases since mid-August That country says schools will be open on Monday. Schools have been closed for months in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to halt transmission of the Ebola virus, which is spread through contact with bodily fluids. On Wednesday, the World Health Organization said Guinea had reported its lowest weekly total of new Ebola cases since the week ending August 17. Similar declines were reported in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and the WHO said each of the three countries now has sufficient capacity to isolate and treat their [parents] patients. In stocks in the U.S., stocks were up across the board on the NASDAQ, also the Dow. I'm Vincent Bruce reporting from Washington. That's the latest world news from VOA. |