VOA NEWS

August 1, 2015

From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm David Byrd reporting. The World Health Organization says a new vaccine has proven effective against the deadly disease, Ebola.



Researchers say that the experimental vaccine has so far been 100 percent effective in trials conducted in Guinea.

WHO Director General Dr. Margaret Chan says that the new vaccine could be what she called "a game changer." "It will change the management of the current Ebola outbreak and future outbreaks."

The Ebola outbreak that swept through West Africa last year has killed more than 11,000 people. Most of the victims were in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.



The United States is calling on the Taliban's new leaders named Friday to succeed the late Mullah Omar to take part in what the U.S. sees as an extremely promising opportunity for what's called "a genuine peace" with the Kabul government. From Islamabad, Ayaz Gul has the details.

The Taliban broke off the scheduled meeting in Pakistan Friday with representatives of the Afghan government on short notice. Members of the group said they needed to settle leadership questions following confirmation of the death of Mullah Omar.

The disclosure this week by both the Afghan government and the Taliban that Mullah Omar actually died more than two years ago complicated the situation, raising questions about who in fact was leading the insurgents all that time.

The Taliban acted relatively quickly and announced Friday that Mullah Akhtar Mansoor is its new chief but that declaration did not bring up the question of further peace talks with the Afghan government.

Ayaz Gul, for VOA news, Islamabad.



For more on these stories, please log on to our website. That's www.voanews.com. This is VOA news.



Suspected Jewish settlers firebombed two homes in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Friday, burning to death a Palestinian toddler and wounding several of his family members.

Israeli military spokesman Peter Lerner called the arson attack near the northern city of Nablus "nothing short of a barbaric act of terrorism."

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas received a phone call from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu called the overnight attack "reprehensible and horrific."

"We are shocked and outraged. We condemn this. There is zero tolerance for terrorism wherever it comes from, whatever side of the fence it comes from, we have to fight it and fight it together."

Hundreds of people joined protests and there were sporadic clashes between Israelis and Palestinians as news of the 18-month-old child's death spread.

The Palestinian Liberation Organization said it holds Mr. Netanyahu's government fully responsible for the attack.



Security issues will be a focal point for Secretary of State John Kerry as he meets with Egyptian officials in Cairo this weekend on the first leg of a five-nation tour of the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

A senior State Department official said Friday the U.S. is "deeply concerned" about unrest in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, where an Islamic State-affiliated militant group has claimed responsibility for a series of deadly attacks.

In a Friday briefing, the official said Egyptians are facing serious threats from Islamic State-linked militants and the U.S. needs to support the country's efforts to achieve stability.

The official said security would be among the issues that Mr. Kerry would discuss with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Sunday.



Reports from the town of Maiduguri in northeastern Nigeria say at least five people are dead after a suicide bomber struck in Gamboru market on Friday.

Though no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, the region is a hotbed of Boko Haram activity.

On Thursday Nigeria's army said it had rescued 59 women, children and old men being held hostage by the Islamist militant group.



The man charged with the shooting deaths of nine African-American churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina, has pleaded not guilty to 33 federal charges.

Dylann Roof entered the plea Friday during a brief arraignment in a federal court in Charleston, even though his defense attorney said that Roof wants to plead guilty.

The attorney said he could not advise his client to plead guilty until prosecutors say whether or not they will seek the death penalty.

Roof faces federal charges including hate crimes and obstructing the practice of religion. He also faces murder and attempted murder counts in the state of South Carolina.



For more, visit our website. I'm David Byrd.

That's the latest world news from VOA.