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From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm Victor Beattie reporting. A U.S. warning of a reign of terror in eastern Ukraine.
A top U.S. diplomat for Europe warned U.S. lawmakers Tuesday says people in eastern Ukraine and Crimea are living under "a reign of terror." Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said Russian tanks, armored vehicles and artillery have poured across the border in recent days. "In eastern Ukraine, Russia and its separatist puppets have unleashed unspeakable violence and pillage. This is a manufactured conflict controlled by the Kremlin, fueled by Russian tanks and heavy weapons and financed at Russian taxpayers' expense." She says the conflict has cost 6,000 Ukrainian lives and those of hundreds of young Russian soldiers. Ms. Nuland says an internationally agreed cease-fire reached mid-February in Belarus appears to be holding, with both sides withdrawing heavy weapons from the front lines, although she says the process is incomplete. Another suicide bomber detonated explosives at a Monday market in the northeast city of Maiduguri, Nigeria, Tuesday, killing at least 34 people. The blast occurred just three days after a bomb blast killed more than 50 in the Borno state capital -- scene of the repeated attacks by Boko Haram insurgents. Authorities were able to successfully dispose of a second explosive device Tuesday. Reuters reports militants also attacked the town of Ngamdu in the border of Yobe and Borno states, killing a dozen people, while the French press agency says the Nigerian army repelled another attack on Gombi in Adamawa state late Monday. The attacks come as a joint military force of Chadian, Nigerian and Cameroonian troops helped Nigeria battle the insurgency ahead of March 20 national elections in Nigeria. This is VOA news. The United States Tuesday denounced violence by police in the crackdown on protesting students in Myanmar, also known as Burma. Jen Psaki is a U.S. spokesperson: "We urge the government of Burma to respect the right of protesters to assemble peacefully as a means of expressing their views. Freedom of assembly is an important component of any democratic society. We condemn the use of force taken against peaceful protesters. We are deeply concerned by reports of violence by police and other individuals against protesters and journalists in Letpadan. We are deeply concerned by the reports of arrests and will continue to closely monitor the situation." Police beat student protesters with batons Tuesday to break up a march demanding the government scrap an education reform law that protesters say is aimed at centralizing control of universities. Iran's foreign minister said Tuesday a letter sent to his government from a group of U.S. lawmakers warning that a possible nuclear agreement could be revoked once President Obama leaves office suggest the United States is not trustworthy. A letter co-signed by 47 Senate Republicans released Monday warned Iranian leaders any deal by Mr. Obama with Tehran could last only until he leaves office in 2017 unless submitted to Congress for a vote. Mitch McConnell is the Senate's leader: "All of us should be suspicious of an administration that's so intent on keeping the elected representatives of the American people out of this deal. You have to ask yourself why, why. And there is only conclusion you could reach, which is he intends to make a bad deal, anything ???at large, the Iranian nuclear infrastructure in place, and ignores their behavior on a whole range of other issues, you just have to be suspicious as to why the administration would not want our participation." Negotiators are facing a self-imposed deadline to complete a basic deal by the end of March, with a final agreement by the end of June. Ivory Coast's former first lady Simone Gbagbo has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in the post-election violence of 2010-2011, and the ballot was won by current incumbent Alassane Ouattara. A court in Abidjan found her guilty of undermining state security and organizing armed gangs in violence that left 3,000 people dead. Prosecutor Soungalo Coulibaly said many victims of the violence were burned alive. Therefore, he says, the prosecution is satisfied with the result. But the French press agency says she could receive a presidential pardon. According to a source close to Mr. Ouattara, AFP says he will likely pardon her. Two pilots hoping to fly a solar-powered plane around the world landed at Ahmedabad, India. Late Tuesday, the second leg of their journey, Swiss scientists Andre Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard planned to fly around the world without fuel, using only energy harnessed from the sun and stored in batteries. After India, their next stop will be Myanmar, also known as Burma. I'm Victor Beattie, VOA news. That's the latest world news from VOA. |