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From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm David Forrest reporting.
Greece appears to have one last chance to put together an economic reform plan. That chance will come at a full 28-nation European Union summit on Sunday. Leaders at an emergency eurozone summit in Brussels Tuesday were angry when Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras failed to present a plan in writing. Mr. Tsipras only said that his proposal makes "improvements" in Greece's earlier request for more bailout money. Finland's Finance Minister Alexander Stubb denies that Greece is being forced out of the eurozone. "We are not enforcing Greece out, outside of the euro. Quite the contrary, we are trying to do everything in our power to keep Greece inside the euro. But it's up to them to take that decision." Meanwhile, many Greeks banks are closed and withdrawals at cash machines are limited just $67 a day. Store shelves in Greece are rapidly emptying and gas stations are drying up. No one knows exactly what is going to happen next. An unidentified Western diplomat in Vienna said Tuesday that the nuclear talks with Iran have been extended for the last time after missing the June 30 deadline for a final agreement. Iran and six leading nations have now extended talks until Friday. Iranian negotiators say there are no definite deadlines. Gunmen stormed a residential compound in northeastern Kenya Tuesday, killing 14 people. Al-Shabaab militants have claimed responsibility. Joseph Nkaissery is Kenya's interior minister: "Al-Shabaab ???, so precisely we do not have their actual number, but we ??? move in small numbers." The incident took place in a village located near Kenya's border with Somalia. For more information on that story, check our website voanews.com. This is VOA news. Nigerian authorities have released 180 people who were arrested for alleged links to Islamist extremist group Boko Haram. Chris Stein takes a look. The release of the captives comes a month after a report by Amnesty International alleging severe detainee abuse by the Nigerian military. Some of the 180 men, women and children who were released Monday by the military in the Borno State capital of Maiduguri told VOA they suffered no ill treatment during their detention. The move was welcomed by Amnesty International, whose report documented torture and extrajudicial murders by the military at detention centers in the northeast. Chris Stein, Dakar. Burundi's ruling party has won the country's parliamentary elections. The country's National Electoral Commission says the CNDD-FDD party won 77 out of 100 seats in the National Assembly. The win sets the stage for the presidential election scheduled for July 15. Britain Tuesday marked the tenth anniversary of the Islamist suicide attacks on London's public transportation system. Fifty-two people were killed on July 7, 2005, when four young men set off bombs in three subway trains and a bus during the morning rush hour. [Britain Prime Minister] British Prime Minister David Cameron issued a statement. "This is one of those days where everybody remembers exactly where they were when they heard the news and it's the day when we recall the incredible resolve and resolution of Londoners and the United Kingdom, a day when we remember the threat we still face." Earlier, Mr. Cameron bowed silently before laying a wreath in Hyde Park, where a memorial has been set up to honor the victims. Republican senators Tuesday vented frustration over U.S. efforts to fight Islamic State radicals, also known as ISIL. Members of the Armed Services Committee grilled Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey at a hearing. Committee Chairman John McCain blasted as delusional President Barack Obama's reiteration of U.S. strategy at the Pentagon Monday. Secretary Carter said America will deal IS a lasting defeat in Iraq and Syria through multiple lines of efforts. Representatives of various Taliban factions met Tuesday night with officials of the Afghan government. Other national and international parties were included in the talks. There is the possibility of a follow-up meeting later Wednesday if the talks show progress. The White House welcomed the discussions. Spokesman Josh Earnest called them "an important step in advancing prospects for a credible peace." Afghan's deputy foreign minister is heading the government delegation. Taliban delegates are led by Mullah Abbas Durrani from Qatar. From the VOA news center in Washington, I'm David Forrest. That's the latest world news from VOA. |