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From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm David DeForest reporting. Two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a marketplace in Tel Aviv Wednesday, killing four people and wounding five.
Israeli police are calling it a terrorist attack and say the gunmen used automatic weapons. Micky Rosenfeld is a police spokesman: "Two terrorists opened fire at a very busy mall shopping center and restaurant area in the center of Tel Aviv. Immediately police units were dispatched to the area and responded and engaged with those terrorists. One of the terrorists was shot at the scene and arrested and a second terrorist was shot at the scene and arrested as well." Israeli police say the two gunmen are cousins from the West Bank town of Hebron. Wednesday's shootings were carried out at the Sarona marketplace in central Tel Aviv. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress Wednesday. "In every sector of India's forward march, I see the U.S. as an indispensable partner." In his speech, Mr. Modi called for a closer relationship between India and the United States, particularly when it comes to fighting terrorism. Mr. Modi's trip to the U.S. is an attempt to strengthen the growing relationship between the two countries. It is also an opportunity for the prime minister to assert India has a global power. As Hillary Clinton basks in the glory of gaining enough votes to get the Democratic presidential nomination, she and Democratic rival Bernie Sanders inched closer to what party loyalists hope will be a period of reconciliation. Clinton claimed her party's nomination after primary election victories in California, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota. Sanders won North Dakota and Montana's primaries. President Barack Obama called both candidates on Tuesday. This is VOA news. A U.S. State Department spokesman says his department will provide a congressional panel with preliminary information about the deliberate editing of a 2013 public briefing. An exchange with a reporter on the subject of the Iran nuclear negotiations was deleted from the video but retained in the briefing transcript. The edit had raised questions about the administration's transparency on the talks. The spokesman says a "preliminary response" will be given to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He said a fuller response will be given in a week or so. U.N. investigators accused the Eritrean government of a quarter-century of human rights violations. Lisa Schlein takes a look. The commissioners call Eritrea an authoritarian state, with no independent judiciary, national assembly or democratic institutions. They say crimes of enslavement, imprisonment, enforced disappearances and other inhumane acts are committed to instill fear in the population and deter political opposition. Commission Chairman Mike Smith says violations, including torture, rape and murder, occur in hidden places. He estimates between 300,000 and 400,000 people have been enslaved all for the past 25 years. Lisa Schlein, Geneva. More than 20 people were wounded after police in Papua New Guinea opened fire on a student protest Wednesday in the capital, Port Moresby. There are reports of at least four people being killed. The incident occurred on the campus of the Pacific nation's namesake university as the students were preparing to march toward parliament to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Peter O'Neill. O'Neill is facing allegations of corruption. A suicide bomber blew up his car outside a police headquarters near Turkey's border with Syria. Officials say four people were killed in the blast in the town of Midyat in Kurdish majority Mardin province. As many as 30 people were wounded. Afghan police say insurgents abducted 47 passengers from a bus in Kunduz province in northern Afghanistan Wednesday morning. A provincial police chief says security forces rescued a few of the hostages and then began planning an operation to rescue the rest. A Nigerian rebel group has rejected the government's offer of talks to end pipeline attacks. Those attacks have been disrupting the country's oil production. The group known as the Niger Delta Avengers said on its Twitter account Wednesday it was not negotiating with any government committee. It also said the group Wednesday blew up an oil well belonging to the Chevron oil corporation. The Avengers have claimed responsibility for a wave of attacks in southern Nigeria on facilities owned by chevron, Shell and ENI. From the VOA news center in Washington, I'm David DeForest. That's the latest world news from VOA. |