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From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm Ray Kouguell reporting. Radical left takes control in Greece.
Greece's youngest ever prime minister, 40-year-old Alexis Tsipras, was sworn in Monday after his victorious far-left Syriza party entered a coalition with far right rivals. Henry Ridgwell reports. From the outset, Alexis Tsipras appears determined to shake up Greek politics. Arriving at his swearing-in ceremony wearing an open collar with no tie, he refused the traditional blessing from Orthodox priests. As he entered the prime minister's office for the first time, supporters applauded and embraced their new leader. His popularity is based on a promise of ending austerity. He has pledged to re-negotiate the terms of the $268 billion EU and IMF bailout. Far-left Syriza fell just short of an outright majority and entered a coalition with the far-right Independent Greeks Party. Henry Ridgwell, the VOA news, London. A Greek fighter jet crashed during a NATO training mission in Spain Monday, killing 10 people. The victims included eight French nationals and two Greeks. Officials say the Greek F-16 lost power as it took off from the Los Llanos NATO base near Madrid, slamming into a fleet of other planes sitting on the ground. President Barack Obama pledged $4 billion in American investments and loans to India. On the second day of a three-day visit to India, Mr. Obama told a business conference attended by U.S. and Indian corporate executives that there are "still too many barriers" in completing deals between the two countries. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged reforms in his country to cut business taxes and eliminate obstacles that have deterred corporations from investing in his country. This is VOA news. A drone strike killed three suspected al-Qaeda militants Monday in Yemen. The unmanned aircraft targeted a vehicle in Yemen's eastern desert. Uncertainty remains in the capital, Sana'a, following a take-over by Houthi rebels last week. The upheaval and subsequent resignations by the Yemen's president and his cabinet prompted the United States to suspend consular services at its embassy in Sana'a beginning Monday. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg condemned what he called the "sharp escalation of violence" by Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, and dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin's claim the Ukrainian army is a "NATO legion." Following a meeting of NATO-Ukraine Commission held in Brussels at the request of the Ukrainian government, Mr. Stoltenberg said indiscriminate attacks, like last Saturday's rocket attack on the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol that left 30 civilians dead and 100 injured, are "unjustified and unacceptable." Ebola is on the wane in Liberia. Cases have declined from a peak of more than 300 a week in August to now fewer than 10 per week this month. Lisa Schlein has details. Liberia's Minister for Commerce and Industry, Axel Addy, said Monday that 13 of 15 counties now are reporting zero cases of Ebola for 21 days, the period of incubation for the disease. He says the dramatic drop in the number of people falling ill from the virus is giving rise to hopes that this menace is nearing its end. "We think we can make it to zero by end of February [at] the latest. We are very close to that." Addy attributes this dramatic turnaround to better logistics and greater community participation. Lisa Schlein, for VOA news, Geneva. The Nigerian military reported new fighting with Boko Haram insurgents Monday. It came a day after the group seized an army barracks in northeastern Borno state and attacked the state capital, Maiduguri. A small drone crashed onto the grounds of the White House early Monday, prompting a lockdown of the complex while authorities took a good close look at it. A man later came forward, saying he was responsible, telling authorities he was flying the drone recreationally and accidentally lost control of it. Officials say the man is a Washington resident and is cooperating with law enforcement officials. President Obama and his wife, Michelle, were visiting India at the time. However, their daughters stayed behind in Washington. About 30 million people in the northeastern United States are bracing for a powerful winter storm that could dump up to 90 centimeters of snow and cripple transportation. The National Weather Service says the storm could bring heavy snow, hurricane-strength winds and widespread coastal flooding through Tuesday. The storm will affect an area stretching from New Jersey to the Canadian border, including New York City and Boston, which could get up to a meter of snow. I'm Ray Kouguell reporting. That's the latest world news from VOA. |