|
From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm David DeForest reporting.
New Zealand officials confirm two people were killed when an earthquake hit 90 kilometers from the city of Christchurch. The 7.8 magnitude quake caused damage to buildings more than 200 kilometers away in the capital, Wellington. Here is New Zealand Prime Minister John Key: "We also know that New Zealanders responded absolutely as they should in the sense they didn't go down to the beach, they didn't go and ignore the warnings. They took the advice seriously. We now know that those around the country, the tsunami risk has been downgraded to coastal warnings. But we also urge people just to continue to be cautious." The quake was followed by a series of strong aftershocks. The United States has agreed to take in refugees being held by Australia in Papua New Guinea. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Sunday the accord is a one-time agreement and will not be repeated. He said the priority is the resettlement of women, children and families. An committee of Israeli government ministers approved a bill Sunday to legalize Jewish settlement outposts built on private Palestinian land. The measure must pass three separate readings in parliament and get approval from the Supreme Court before it becomes law. It is aimed at stopping the Supreme Court-ordered evacuation of a West Bank settlement. Russian-leaning candidate Igor Dodon has declared victory over pro-European rival Maia Sandu in Moldova's presidential election. With many of the ballots counted, he says he has over 54 percent of the vote. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov announced his resignation Sunday. Exit polls in that country's presidential runoff election show a Borisov nominee losing badly to a pro-Russia candidate. This is VOA news. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's administration is starting to take shape. He announced Sunday that Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus will be his new chief of staff -- the highest-ranking White House employee who is basically the top assistant to the president. He also named media executive Steve Bannon as his chief strategist and counselor. Earlier, Trump said he will deport two to three million undocumented migrants who have criminal records. He told the CBS network's "60 Minutes" that he will keep his campaign pledge to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border to thwart the stream of illegal migration into the country. The British and French foreign ministers did not participate in special talks with their European Union counterparts today to discuss how to deal with President-elect Donald Trump. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini called the meeting in Brussels after Trump's unexpected victory Tuesday. A group of refugees held in Australian-run camps in the South Pacific will be resettled in the United States. The governor of Myanmar Sunday reported heavy fighting in the western state of Rakhine. Government forces have been hunting for insurgents in an area near the border with Bangladesh. Officials say the insurgents are linked to attacks that killed nine police officers last month. A government statement said the latest fighting was triggered by an ambush on police Saturday by an estimated 60 attackers armed with guns and knives. South Korean prosecutors are likely to question President Park Geun-hye this week concerning a corruption scandal that has crippled her administration and sparked massive rallies calling for her resignation. Ms. Park, whose approval rating has fallen to just five percent, would be the first sitting South Korean President questioned by prosecutors about a criminal case. The investigation into a multi-million-dollar influence peddling scheme, allegedly organized by one of the president's longtime friends has shattered Ms. Park's carefully crafted political image as an incorruptible leader. The Iraqi military says it has captured the city of Nimrud from Islamic State militants. Iraq's Joint Operations Command says the 9th division of the Iraqi army has taken the city and has raised the Iraqi flag over its buildings. Colombia's government and its largest rebel group announced a new, modified peace accord Saturday. The government and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia said in a joint statement they had incorporated proposals from various other groups in the new agreement. An earlier agreement was rejected by voters in a referendum. In Washington, I'm David DeForest. That's the latest world news from VOA. |