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From Washington, this is VOA news. Hello, I'm Steve Miller.
U.S. President Donald Trump defended his administration's response to Puerto Rico's hurricane destruction on Friday. "There's nothing left. It's been wiped out. The houses are largely flattened, the roads are washed away. There is no electricity, the plants are gone. They're gone, it's not like send a crew in to fix them. Have to build in brand new electric. Sewage system's wiped out, never been anything like this." Trump insisted the federal government is engaged fully in the effort to help the island recover from Hurricane Maria. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson embarked on his second trip to China Thursday, seeking Beijing's cooperation on a "maximum pressure" campaign against North Korea's nuclear provocations. China is North Korea's number one trade partner. Washington says enlisting China's help is key to cutting off Pyongyang's ability to earn hard currency. Asia expert Douglas Paal says China's influence over North Korea is limited. "The North is very reluctant to take instructions from China. It will exploit whatever it can get from China, but it doesn't look for political guidance from China." South Korean Foreign Affairs Minister Kang Kyung-wha said earlier this week in Washington that although time is running out, there is still room for a diplomatic resolution. A member of President Donald Trump's cabinet is out of a job for chartering expensive planes at government expense rather than taking cheaper commercial flights. A White House statement issued Friday said, "Secretary of Health and Human Services Thomas Price offered his resignation earlier today and the president accepted it." Price's resignation takes effect at midnight. This is VOA news. The U.N. refugee agency warns funds for humanitarian assistance for Burundian refugees have dried up. Lisa Schlein reports from UNHCR headquarters in Geneva. More than 420,000 Burundians who have sought refuge in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance, but the U.N. refugee agency says it is practically run out of cash. Only 19 percent of the agency's revised $429 million appeal has been received. UNHCR spokesman Andre Mahecic: "There simply is not enough aid to go around. The services are not kept up to the standards that they should be." Mahecic says many refugees risk catching communicable diseases. Because the money is not available, he says only 56 percent of identified survivors of sexual and gender-based violence are receiving the physical and psychological care they need. Lisa Schlein, for VOA news, Geneva. Al-Shabaab militants stormed a military base near the town of Barire located close to the Somali capital of Mogadishu. Jim Randle has the details. They used suicide car bombs followed by fighters armed with heavy machine guns, rocket propelled grenades and other small arms. At least 30 people were killed. The governor of Lower Shabelle province said government forces repulsed an initial attack, which began about 4:30 a.m. local time, but the militants launched a second assault and heavy fighting ensued. In a statement aired by Radio Andalus, the group said its militants overran the base, killing 30 government soldiers and seizing 11 vehicles, five of which were "battlewagons" -- pickup trucks with weapons mounted on the back. General Shegow Ahmed denied the claims and said the Somali National Army remains in control of the base. Another government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the gunbattle lasted about two hours. Jim Randle, VOA news. A rush hour stampede during a sudden monsoon downpour at a railway station in Mumbai killed at least 22 people and wounded more than 30. The cause of the stampede on a bridge at the city's central Elphinstone station during the rainstorm was being investigated. Akash Koteja, one of the injured, said the stampede took place after the cloudburst caught commuters off guard, prompting scores to scurry for cover under the roof of the station's pedestrian overbridge. Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont has closed an electoral rally campaigning for secession from Spain. He said Sunday's vote will provide citizens in the northeastern region a right to be heard and recognized globally. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has fiercely opposed the vote. I'm Steve Miller. That's the latest world news from VOA. |