VOA NEWS

January 24, 2015

From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm Vincent Bruce reporting. A plan to combat extremism is outlined in Switzerland.



U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry outlined the far-reaching, long-term strategy. Speaking to leaders, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Kerry called for a "holistic" approach that includes accountable governance, and economic, political and educational empowerment for all.

"We will certainly not defeat our foes by vilifying potential partners or by suppressing the very freedoms that terrorists try to destroy. Unless we direct our energies in the right direction, we may very well fuel the very fires that we want to put out."

Kerry added that in the weeks to come, the world must work to strengthen security and stability in Yemen, North Africa, Somalia and Nigeria.



Reports say Russia has ended all nuclear material security cooperation with the U.S. under the Cooperative Threat Reduction Programs because of the tensions over Ukraine.

U.S. experts say this step by the Kremlin increases the risk of nuclear materials getting into the hands of terrorists.



Yemen's political future remained uncertain Friday, with parliament reportedly planning to decide Sunday whether to accept the resignation of President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.

President Hadi, Prime Minister Khaled Bahah and his cabinet tendered their resignations Thursday, days after a Houthi militia besieged key government positions in the capital, demanding changes to draft constitution.



Saudi Arabia's new king, Salman, is pledging to continue the policies of his half-brother, the late King Abdullah, who was buried Friday in the capital, Riyadh.

King Abdullah died earlier in the day.



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Alexander Zakharchenko, the leader of Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, said Friday there will be no further peace talks with Kyiv as Zakharchenko, head of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic, said his forces would attack Ukrainian government troops "[unless] until we reach the borders of the Donetsk region."

Russia's RIA Novosti news agency also quoted him as adding "If I see a threat to the soil of Donetsk from any population center, I will also eliminate the threat there."



The World Health Organization this week reported a steep decline of Ebola cases over the last three weeks in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. The WHO says the trend is very encouraging, but warns the Ebola epidemic is far from over and countries must remain vigilant.

Bruce Aylward is with the World Health Organization: "To stop transmission, we've got to go beyond dealing with the consequences and really start dealing with the transmission chains. And, that means understanding where exactly the transmission is arising from in each area, being able to properly and accurately identify the contacts, and being able then to monitor them and ensure any new infections are detected before they can infect other people."



North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un reportedly will visit Moscow in May to commemorate the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

The visit, confirmed to VOA by the press office of the Russian presidency, will be Mr. Kim's first foreign trip since taking power in 2011.

Last month, the United Nations General Assembly committee on human rights passed a resolution urging the Security Council to refer Pyongyang to the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity.

Russia, a veto-wielding Security Council member seeking to boost ties with the North, has the power to block any such move.



In stocks, the Dow was down 141 points, the S&P 500 down 11 points, NASDAQ was up [7 point] 7 points.



A U.S. official has wrapped up a visit to Havana, saying her talks there mark an "important step forward" in restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba, but noting they are "just a first step" (and) that the road ahead is long and complex.

"It is obviously part of what we're talking about when we say we have profound disagreements with the Cuban government when we talk about democracy and human rights and support for civil society and independent actors." -- the voice of Roberta Jacobson, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere Affairs, making those comments Friday.



I'm Vincent Bruce in Washington.

That's the latest world news from VOA.