VOA NEWS

December 17, 2017

From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm Liz Parker reporting.



President Trump's first legislative victory may be close. U.S. President Donald Trump continued to tout his party's major tax bill Saturday. The president telling reporters "everybody's going to benefit" if it is signed into law.

"This is going to bring money in. As an example, we think $4 trillion will come flowing back into the country. That's money that's overseas that's stuck there for years and years."

Republican lawmakers finalized a version of this bill on Friday. The compromise bill is $1.5 trillion. If approved and signed into law, the tax legislation will be the first major legislative achievement of President Trump's nearly 11-month presidency.



Secretary of State Rex Tillerson of the United States is not mincing words about the Trump administration's resolve when it comes to North Korea's growing nuclear capabilities.

"We have been clear that all options remain on the table in the defense of our nation. But we do not seek, nor do we want, war with North Korea."

Tillerson spoke at a meeting on North Korea's proliferation convened by Japan, which holds the rotating Security Council presidency this month.

In Washington, President Trump pointed to Russia to step up pressure against Pyongyang, a day after his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.



Argentina has dismissed the head of its navy following last month's disappearance of a submarine with 44 crew members. The move comes one month after the last contact with the submarine ARA San Juan.

The sub disappeared in the South Atlantic on November 15 with 44 sailors aboard.



This is VOA news.



A recent report has found tens of thousands of children were abused in Australian institutions over past decades. Most of the perpetrators were members of the clergy and school teachers, according to that report.

The report took the Royal Commission five years to complete and says children were preyed upon as those in charge looked the other way.

Leonie Sheedy, one of the abused: "Children like me who were raised in Australia's orphanages, children's homes and foster care - we certainly were not safe from the predators and the sadists of this nation, and we deserve redress for all forms of abuse."

The government has yet to formally respond to the commission's report, but Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the scale of abuse was a "national tragedy."

"I want to thank and honor the courage of the survivors and their families who've told, often for the first time, the dreadful stories of abuse that they received from people who actually owed them love and protection."

The Royal Commission has made more than 400 recommendations, including the requirement that members of the clergy report abuse confided in them during confession.

The Catholic Church has rejected that request. The archbishop of Melbourne said any priest who broke the seal of confession would be excommunicated.



The U.N. refugee agency reports aid agencies are bracing for another humanitarian emergency in Yemen as people flee from intensified fighting in frontline areas on Yemen's west coast.

Fourteen hundred people have fled from Hudaydah and Taizz governorates in the past few days. This follows the recent fighting in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a and neighboring areas.

Agency spokesman Babar Baloch says emergency relief kits for 2,000 families in Hudaydah have been sent and more relief for thousands of other families is on the way. But, he says Saudi Arabia's blockade of Yemen is harming emergency operations.

"The blockade of Yemen, which has yet to be fully eased, has also resulted in shortages and subsequent price increases for fuel, water and essential commodities, including food and vital medicines. This has hit many displaced and local Yemenis as well as refugees."



A new commission out of Hollywood intends to advance equality in the workplace within the U.S. entertainment industry. This follows a wave of sexual misconduct accusations.

"It's time to end the culture of silence," a statement on the commission read on Friday.



I'm Liz Parker reporting from Washington.

That's the latest world news from VOA.