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From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm Steve Karesh reporting. Secretary of state discusses the Iran deal with Iran's neighbors.
Secretary of State John Kerry says Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers agreed the Iran nuclear deal will contribute to their region's security. Kerry commented in Doha, Qatar, following talks with Gulf ministers on the Iran nuclear deal. He said the two sides also agreed to establish working groups that would seek to expand regional security. Appearing with Kerry and speaking through a translator, Qatari Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiya offered a cautious endorsement of the Iran nuclear agreement, calling it the best option available. "This was the best option amongst other options in order to try to come up with a solution for the nuclear weapons of Iran through dialogue, and this came up as a result of the efforts exerted by the United States of America and its allies. We are sure that all the efforts that have been exerted make this region very secure, very stable." Al-Attiya later added that Gulf Arabs ultimately would like to see a ban on nuclear weapons in the entire Middle East. In a related story, a new survey in the United States shows that by a two-to-one margin, Americans oppose the international accord to restrain Iran's nuclear development program and think it will make the world less safe. The public opinion poll released Monday by Quinnipiac University in Connecticut showed that registered voters, by a 57 percent to 28 percent margin, oppose the deal. You are listening to VOA news. U.S. President Barack Obama issued an urgent call to action Monday while unveiling new regulations aimed at cutting carbon pollution that comes from the nation's power plants. Under the plan, power plants would reduce their carbon emissions by 32 percent below 2005 levels by the year 2030. In his remarks at the White House, Obama argued time is running out. "But this is one of those rare issues, because of its magnitude, because of its scope, that if we don't get it right, we may not be able to reverse. And we may not be able to adapt sufficiently. There is such a thing as being too late when it comes to climate change." To reinforce the impact, he noted that the regulations will cut the number of pollutants that can lead to asthma by 70 percent. The Pentagon says the military has launched its first armed drone missions out of Turkey. VOA correspondent Carla Babb has the latest. The new flight missions from Turkey come as the U.S. launched attacks against non-Islamic State forces for the first time. But who were these enemy forces? They could be members of the al-Qaeda-linked affiliate known as the al-Nusra Front. The U.S. launched the airstrikes Friday at forces who were attacking rebels trained by the coalition to fight the Islamic State militant group. The U.S. says it will protect these trained Syrian rebels against a broad range of threats in their home country as they work to defeat Islamic State. Pentagon says it has no reason to believe the people who it attacked Friday in Syria were associated with the Syrian regime. It reiterated Monday it was not at war with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Carla Babb, VOA news, the Pentagon. In Myanmar, weeks of heavy rains made worse by a cyclone that hit last week caused flooding and landslides. Authorities there say 46 people have died. The Ministry of Relief and Resettlement announced Monday that about 200,000 residents in northern and western Myanmar have been affected by the disasters. Some areas have seen floodwaters several meters deep. The government of Puerto Rico has confirmed that it failed to make a $58 million debt payment that was due Saturday, a move that amounted to a default for the first time in its 117 years as a United States possession. Puerto Rican Governor Alejandro García Padilla shocked investors in June when he said the island's debt, totaling $72 billion, was unpayable and required restructuring. You are listening to VOA news live from Washington. For more, check us out online at voanews.com with a complete rundown of all the top stories and more details. I'm Steve Karesh reporting from Washington. That's the latest world news from VOA. |