VOA NEWS

September 11, 2015

From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm David Forrest reporting. More decisions on the migrant crisis.



The United States said Thursday it will accept 10,000 Syrian refugees in the coming year.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the U.S. has already accepted many refugees.

"This fiscal year that will end at the end of this month, the United States is on track to take in about 15,000 Syrian refugees. The president has directed his team to scale up that number next year."

Meanwhile, the European Parliament overwhelmingly voted to support a call by European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker for country-by-country mandatory refugee quotas over the next two years.

Romania is rejecting the quota plan, saying there is "no way" it would agree to take in as many asylum-seekers as Juncker wants.



Rebels killed 56 Syrian soldiers in an assault on a government air base in Idlib province.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the soldiers were either killed during the capture of the base or afterword.



The U.S. Senate on Thursday failed to pass a Republican resolution that would have blocked the nuclear agreement between Iran and six other nations. Sixty votes were needed to pass but the measure to reject the accord got 58 votes in favor and 42 against.

President Barack Obama now has the go-ahead to sign the agreement.



The fossilized bones of 15 members of an ancient species believed to be related to humans have been discovered in a cave in South Africa.

The hominid - described as a "new species" of human - has been named Homo naledi after the "Rising Star" cave where the bones were found.

The find was announced Thursday by an international team of scientists.



This is VOA news.



China's foreign minister says his government is in looking into the reported kidnapping of a Chinese national by Islamic State militants. The comment came a day after the militant group published photos of two men and demanded unspecified ransom for their release.

It identified them as 50-year-old Fan Jinghui of China and 48-year-old Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad of Norway. The report did not say when the hostages were captured or where they are being sent.



There's been a second day of protests in London against the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Henry Ridgwell takes a look.

Protests against Netanyahu's visit continued in London Thursday as demonstrators blocked trucks delivering supplies to an arms fair.

On Downing Street, British Prime Minister David Cameron offered his support to Israel before talks with Netanyahu.

"Britain remains staunch in our defense of Israel's right to exist and right to defend itself. We also remain thoroughly committed to the two-state solution and the peace process."

Netanyahu said he was ready to resume unconditional direct negotiations with the Palestinians, but security topped the Israeli prime minister's agenda.

Henry Ridgwell, London.



A new political survey in the U.S. shows Democrat socialist Bernie Sanders edging ahead of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Iowa, the Mid-western state where voters will begin in February the process of selecting the party's 2016 presidential nominee.

A Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday indicates Sanders is supported by 41 percent of the state's Democrats to 40 percent for Clinton - a marked change from two months ago when Clinton held a 19-point lead in Iowa. Vice President Joe Biden, who is not a candidate but may enter the race, won 12 percent support.



Heavy rains in already drenched areas of central and northern Japan caused major flooding Thursday. Tens of thousands of people were forced to evacuate.

The worst hit area was the city of Joso, where water overflew the banks of the Kinugawa River.



A spokesman for the political party of former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo says he will try to make sure October election does not take place.

Boubacar Kone told VOA the people of the Ivory Coast have already begun organizing protests against the election.

The remarks follow the naming of 10 candidates by the Constitutional Council, including that of President Alassane Ouattara.

Kone said the process is invalid because President Ouattara, he says, is constitutionally ineligible to run for a second term.



From the VOA news center in Washington, I'm David Forrest.

That's the latest world news from VOA.