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From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm Ray Kouguell reporting. Russian President Putin criticizes the United States.
Mr. Putin accused the United States of trying to dominate international relations but says Russia is still always open to cooperation. He spoke Thursday in an annual live question and answer session on Russian television in which he took questions from members of the public. Mr. Putin also said Russia's economic performance has remained strong despite a slump in oil prices and Western sanctions over Moscow's involvement with Ukraine. A prominent Ukrainian journalist known for his pro-Russian views was fatally shot. Ukraine's Interior Ministry says Oles Buzina, chief editor of the newspaper Sevodnya was shot near his home in Kyiv by two masked gunmen. On Wednesday, Oleh Kalashnikov, a former lawmaker loyal to ousted pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych, was killed in a similar attack outside his apartment in Ukraine's capital. President Petro Poroshenko says it appears the crimes have the same origin and emphasized the need for an immediate and transparent investigation. Thousands of people marched through the South African city of Durban Thursday to protest recent anti-immigrant violence that has left five people dead and thousands displaced. In a suburb of Johannesburg, police fired rubber bullets and tear gas Thursday to break up a crowd of anti-immigrant protesters aiming to attack foreign-owned shops. The violent attacks in South Africa first targeted shops owned by foreign nationals, mainly from Somalia and Ethiopia. The attacks have since spread to all African foreigners. The violence has forced many families to flee and end up in makeshift camps protected by armed guards. This is VOA news. Al-Qaeda militants have taken control of a major airport in Yemen's southern city of Mukalla. A major oil terminal in southern Yemen also fell under the control of militants. Yemeni Vice President Khaled Bahah says he does not want foreign troops in his country and wants negotiations to make peace. VOA's Heather Murdock reports. From Saudi Arabia Thursday, Vice President Khaled Bahah called for new peace talks. "We are still hoping that there is no ground campaign will be along with the air campaign. This is what we are hoping." He calls on Yemeni people to abandon tribal loyalties in favor of national unity. But the fighting rages on between Houthi militants and their allies and the allies of the internationally recognized government. Saudi Arabia has been conducting airstrikes in Yemen for weeks on the side of the government, and rival regional power Iran is believed to be on the Houthi side. Heather Murdock, Cairo. Negotiators from Iran and a group of world powers will hold their next round of talks on Iran's nuclear program next week in Vienna. The two sides will be working April 22 and 23 on taking the framework agreement they crafted earlier this month and turning it into a final deal by their self-imposed June 30 deadline. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson says the Florida mailman who landed a one-man helicopter on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol Wednesday literally flew "under the radar." A federal judge charged 61-year-old Doug Hughes Thursday with violating restricted airspace and illegally flying an unregistered aircraft. Hughes told the Tampa Bay Times newspaper that he wanted to carry out an act of civil disobedience to bring attention to campaign finance reform and what he calls government corruption. He had nothing on board except letters to all 535 members of Congress. African Union observers have given tacit approval to elections in Sudan. But speaking to reporters, the head of the mission, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, said observers are concerned that the suppression of human rights may have constrained participation. President Omar al-Bashir is widely expected to win the vote, which the opposition boycotted. Mr. Obasanjo said observers estimate only a 30 to 35 percent voter turnout. A new deal between Republicans who head congressional tax committees and a key Democratic senator Thursday may advance efforts to win approval of a controversial U.S. trade agreement called the Trade Promotion Authority, or TPA. Republican Senator Orrin Hatch and Representative Paul Ryan changed the TPA to add provisions intended to protect human rights, make the bill's contents public and other concessions in order to win the support of Senator Ron Wyden, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance committee. If the TPA is approved, it will mean Congress could vote to approve or reject trade agreements but cannot amend or delay them. I'm Ray Kouguell in Washington. That's the latest world news from VOA. |