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From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm David Forrest reporting. No deal yet with Iran.
Two top foreign ministers helping to negotiate a nuclear agreement with Iran are sounding confident that an agreement can be reached by Tuesday's deadline. That's Germany's Frank-Walter Steinmeier. He said Sunday that several elements are missing and that Iran has to be more flexible. But he said he believes Iran wants the talks to end. Britain's Philip Hammond also says he believes an agreement can be reached. But he, too, said Iran has to make some tough decisions. Votes are being counted in Nigeria's presidential and parliamentary elections. The Independent National Electoral Commission says about 350 polling units were open Sunday after delays and technical problems on Saturday. Opposition supporters disputed results from River state even before they were announced. Riot police are on the scene at the Independent National Electoral Commission office in Port Harcourt where hundreds of opposition supporters are demonstrating over what they say are voting irregularities. President Goodluck Jonathan up for reelection was challenged by Muhammadu Buhari, a former military general. Arab leaders say Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen will continue until Houthi rebels surrender and withdraw from the territory they have seized. That announcement came Sunday at the end of a two-day summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Saudi U.S. ambassador Adel Al-Jubeir spoke Sunday on the CBS program "Face the Nation." "The use of force in Yemen is to defend the legitimate government and protect the people of Yemen. We have a coalition of over 10 countries that are participating in those operations." Leaders at Sharm El-Sheikh also agreed to a joint military force. This is VOA news. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal Sunday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of hypocrisy. He told an Arab summit Mr. Putin should not profess support for the Middle East while at the same time supporting Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. The remarks came after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi announced that a letter from Mr. Putin would be read out to the meeting. In February, Mr. Putin received a grand welcome in Egypt, but relations between Saudi Arabia and Russia have been cool over Russian support for Mr. Assad. Tunisian security forces say they have killed the main suspect in the recent museum attack that targeted foreign tourists. Tunisia's state news agency says Abou Sakhr Lokman was killed along with eight others late Saturday during an anti-terrorist operation near the Algerian border. A funeral was held Sunday for former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. In attendance was former U.S. President Bill Clinton, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Mr. Lee called the founder of Singapore died Monday at the age of 91. French voters went to the polls Sunday to cast their ballots in a second round of local elections. Early results suggest President François Hollande's Socialist Party lost leadership of half of its current local councils. The strong winner appears to be former President Nicolas Sarkozy's UMP. The conservative National Front of Marine Le Pen moved forward but only slightly. A German newspaper reports that the Germanwings co-pilot accused of intentionally crashing his plane into the Alps may have had vision problems. Bild am Sonntag reports investigators found evidence that 27-year-old co-pilot Andreas Lubitz feared losing his eyesight due to a detached retina. Prosecutors said Friday searches of Lubitz's house uncovered documents that suggested "an illness and appropriate medical treatment." Police also found evidence that he was treated for a psychological illness. The newspaper reported that Lubitz's girlfriend with whom he lived was pregnant. Indiana Governor Mike Pence says he does not regret approving a new state law that keeps the government from forcing people and businesses to provide services they find objectionable on religious grounds. Some gay rights organizations have called it a state-sponsored waver for discrimination. Activists have called for a boycott of Indiana. Voting got under way in Uzbekistan Sunday where voters were considered certain to return President Islam Karimov to a fourth term in office. Mr. Karimov has ruled the country for a quarter-century. From the VOA news center in Washington, I'm David Forrest. That's the latest world news from VOA. |