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From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm David DeForest reporting.
The first Chibok schoolgirl to be rescued is being debriefed by authorities. Chris Stein has more. Army spokesman Sani Usman said in a text message that the girl was found in the village of Baale near the northeast Nigerian town of Damboa. A vigilante leader in Chibok, Aboku Gaji, told VOA vigilantes found her while setting up an ambush near Boko Haram camp. "As we lie ambush, they come on us." Gaji identified the girl as Amina Ali. Gaji said the rescued girl had a baby with her. She was also with her husband, a fellow Boko Haram captive she had married while in captivity. Chris Stein, Lagos. The head of U.S. Africa Command, General David Rodriguez, says the U.S. military is "prepared to support" a train-and-equip mission in Libya. He said such a mission is possible when the Libyan government is ready for it. It would be intended to help Libya fight Islamic State militants. The U.S. government's top intelligence official says he has seen indications of foreign hackers attempting to spy on U.S. presidential candidates. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said as campaigns intensify, there will probably be more hacking attempts. He spoke Wednesday at a cybersecurity event in Washington. Venezuelan police fired tear gas at protesters in Caracas Wednesday. Thousands of protesters tried to reach the headquarters of the country's electoral commission to demand a referendum on recalling Socialist President Nicolas Maduro. A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the coast of Ecuador Wednesday just hours after another quake of about the same intensity struck the same area. The U.S. Geological Survey said the new quake was 24 kilometers in depth and located near the city of Rosa Zarate. This is VOA news. Afghanistan is downgrading its representation to the international group trying to arrange peace talks with the Taliban. The actions is a show of anger at Pakistan. Afghanistan says Pakistan needs to honor its commitments to take action against militant groups operating from country. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Wednesday in Cairo with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. The two discussed ways of reviving the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Here is State Department spokesman Mark Toner: "Egyptians have also floated some ideas that they might have about the Middle East peace process, and the secretary wanted to hear directly from President el-Sissi about what some of those ideas are." The spokesman did not elaborate on any specific new effort to restart Israel-Palestinian peace process. In a move to bolster his ruling coalition, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has invited hardline nationalist Avigdor Lieberman to join his government. The two men met Wednesday. Political sources say Mr. Netanyahu agreed to Lieberman's demand to be appointed defense minister. Rescue workers in three Sri Lankan villages are digging through mud and debris trying to find victims of huge landslides. At least 37 people are dead. Dozens of people are reported missing and are feared to have been buried alive. Flooding triggered by torrential rains caused the landslides. A U.S. airstrike has killed what are called two "high-value individuals" in an attack on an Islamic State building in Iraq. Baghdad-based military spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said Wednesday the May 13 strike killed Abu Hamza and Abu Safiya as well as a third militant. U.S. President Barack Obama extended overtime pay benefits Wednesday for 4.2 million American workers. It is an attempt to increase the paychecks for [employer] employees who often work long hours without getting any extra money. His order doubles the pay threshold at which U.S. companies have to pay overtime to employees who work for more than 40 hours a week from $23,660 to nearly $47,500. Myanmar State Counselor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi says the Obama administration's decision to continue certain sanctions on Myanmar will not harm her country. On Tuesday, the Obama administration further eased financial sanctions on Myanmar to support the nation's political reforms and economic growth as well as to facilitate U.S. trade with the country. Japanese automaker Mitsubishi's president is stepping down after a controversy erupted last month over a mileage cheating scandal. Testuro Aikawa appeared with the Mitsubishi chairman Wednesday to announce his departure from the company, taking responsibility for the scandal. In Washington, I'm David DeForest. That's the latest world news from VOA. |