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From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm David DeForest reporting. Tear gas fired at migrants in Greece.
Police at the Greek-Macedonian border fired the tear gas at protesters trying to pull down part of a fence separating the two countries. No arrests were made, no injuries reported. The violence took place Wednesday at the Idomeni border crossing, the site of similar [cra...] clashes, rather, between stranded migrants and officials earlier in the week. International Monetary Fund experts say the risk of financial instability has risen in wealthy nations and remains high in emerging markets. José Viñals is a senior IMF official, who spoke to journalists Wednesday: "Confidence in policy traction has slipped amid concerns about the ability of overburdened monetary policies to offset the impact of higher economic and political risks." Viñals said that recent market turmoil reflects faltering growth, rising uncertainty and falling confidence among investors. A strong earthquake hit northern Myanmar Wednesday night. It was felt throughout the region and in parts of neighboring China and India. There have been no immediate reports of casualties. The magnitude 6.9 quake was centered in the jungle about 220 kilometers from Mandalay, Myanmar's second-biggest city. Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi Wednesday defended the transfer of two islands to Saudi Arabia. Mr. Sissi went on television to assure angry Egyptians that he did not give up a single "grain of sand." The Egyptian government announced this week that it plans to hand over control of the Red Sea islands of Sanafir and Tiran to the Saudis. Mr. el-Sissi said the islands belong to Saudi Arabia. This is VOA news. The U.S. State Department is accusing authoritarian regimes around the world of suppressing their people with what it called "increasing vigor and viciousness." Its 40th annual human rights report says (quoting now) "authoritarian governments stifle civil society because they fear public scrutiny, and feel threatened by people coming together in ways they cannot control. (end of quote)" Jordanian police shuttered the main office of the Muslim Brotherhood group in the capital, Amman, Wednesday. Edward Yeranian takes a look. Jordanian police and security forces officially shut down the main headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood group, sealing its doors with red wax. Officials and employees of the pro-Egyptian faction were asked to leave the facility before it was closed. The Jordan Times newspaper reported that two competing factions of the Muslim Brotherhood were vying for control of the group and that leaders occupying its headquarters had never officially applied for a license to operate. A new rival faction has applied for a license. Edward Yeranian, Cairo. The government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad held parliamentary elections Wednesday despite the civil war. The elections were dubbed a "farce" by political activists, rebel commanders and Western governments, but they are seen as an indication that Mr. Assad has no intention of stepping down as demanded by his opponents. Russia and China want countries neighboring Syria to inform the U.N. if those countries discover that any extremist group wants to get chemical weapons. Both countries sent a draft resolution through the Security Council Wednesday, saying terrorists are a "clear and present threat" to Europe. The resolution would call on such countries as Turkey and Iraq to monitor extremists for any moves toward building or acquiring chemical bombs. A U.S. defense official sys several Russian military aircraft flew a series of simulated attack passes near a U.S. destroyer in the Baltic Sea over the course of two days this week. U.S. officials said the Russian action was more aggressive than anything they've seen for a long time. The first incident took place April 11. The following day, the warplanes did 11 more simulated attack passes just nine meters above the U.S.S Donald Cook. This time, the jets were joined by a military helicopter that took pictures of the U.S. destroyer. U.S. federal prosecutors have charged a Liberian immigrant living in suburban Philadelphia with lying about his past to enter the United States. Officials said Wednesday Mohammed Jabbateh, known as "Jungle Jabbah," has been charged with concealing his past as a commander of rebel groups during Liberia's first civil war. In Washington, I'm David DeForest. That's the latest world news from VOA. |