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From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm David Forrest reporting. The coup in Burkina Faso comes to an end.
The coup leader has apologized to the country and says he plans to hand over power to a civilian government. In a statement Monday, General Gilbert Diendéré, said he will step down as the country's de facto leader at the conclusion of talks mediated by the Economic Community of West African States. The U.S. [Security] National Security Adviser, Susan Rice, is warning China that Chinese-sponsored cyber espionage is a major stumbling block to U.S.-China relations. Speaking in Washington, she said such spying must stop. Those comments come just three days ahead of a state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Analysts say this Friday's meeting between the two presidents [are] is expected to be blunt. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Monday "significant progress" has been made in the U.N.'s long-running probe into allegations Iran worked to develop nuclear weapons. Yukiya Amano said he reported to the IAEA's board about a trip to Iran that included visiting the Parchin military site that has been a key focus of the investigation. He said environmental samples were taken at Parchin before his visit in a process that included Iranian representatives, in his words, "swiping samples." Pope Francis Monday visited the Cuban city of Holguin. It was the second stop on a tour of the island nation and it came one day after the pope met with Fidel and Raul Castro. The two brothers have ruled Cuba since 1959. The pope next visits several other cities in Cuba before flying Tuesday to the United States. This is VOA news. U.S. Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker has suspended his race for the White House. Analysts and insiders attributed the Wisconsin governor's decision to a lack of funding. Walker said he had become disillusioned with the Republican race, and that the overall campaign had, in his words, "drifted into personal attacks." He called on the remaining candidates to develop what he called "a positive, conservative alternative to the current frontrunner," Donald Trump. Hungary's parliament has authorized the army to use non-lethal force against migrants who try to enter the country illegally. Hungary has already sealed its border with Serbia with razor wire and now Hungarian soldiers may use rubber bullets, tear gas and net guns. They can also search houses for illegal migrants. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told parliament Monday the migrants, in his words, "are overrunning us." "They're not just banging on the door," he says, "they're breaking the doors down on top of us." Other European nations are strongly critical of Hungary's reaction on the migration crisis. Europe is giving an overall thumbs-up to the electoral victory of Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. Lisa Bryant takes a look. In tweets, statements and interviews, European Union leaders and top officials have largely endorse Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras's win on Sunday. Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem said he is looking forward to moving ahead with Greek reforms under a new bailout deal. French President François Hollande said the win marked a significant success for Tsipras. With 35.5 percent of the votes, Syriza's win is commanding but not overwhelming. Lisa Bryant, Paris. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have agreed to coordinate their actions of their countries' armed forces in and around Syria to prevent an unintended military confrontation. They met Monday at the Russian presidential residence outside Moscow. Netanyahu said the talks were conducted in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Prospects for U.N.-sponsored [high power], or rather, power-sharing agreement in Libya dimmed Monday as heavy fighting erupted in the city of Benghazi. Two rival governments are vying for control of the country. The U.N.'s envoy to Libya, Bernardino León, remained locked in negotiations in Morocco as a deadline for peace talks came and went Sunday. Last week, León warned that his announced September 20 deadline was the very last moment for Libyans to come together. The envoy is now calling for an immediate cease-fire. From the VOA news center in Washington, I'm David Forrest. That's the latest world news from VOA. |