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This is VOA news. I'm David Byrd in Washington.
Ethiopia's Defense Ministry says it will take all necessary measures to restore order after violence broke out in the country's Somali region. Federal troops clashed with local paramilitary police after the Ethiopian federal military in armored vehicles moved into Jijiga late Friday night. By dawn Saturday, they had surrounded the office of the regional president, the parliament building and other key government installations. Eyewitnesses told VOA there was a brief firefight between members of the regional paramilitary police unit and federal troops. Disgruntled locals reportedly took to the streets, looting property and setting buildings on fire. The Ogaden National Liberation Front, which has fought to "liberate" the Somali region, alleges that the fighting "resulted in loss of life." The organization called on Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to halt the military's activities and initiate peaceful dialogue. The Workers' Party in Brazil has named former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as its nominee for the country's top job even though he is in prison. Delegates of the left-leaning party confirmed da Silva, who served two terms as president between 2003 and 2010, with enthusiastic approval at their convention in São Paulo. Since March, [President Lula] former President Lula has been jailed on a corruption conviction. He denies any wrongdoing and claims he is being politically persecuted. Members of Brazil's top electoral court have suggested he will be barred from running in October's elections. Gaza's Health Ministry said a 15-year-old Palestinian died on Saturday from wounds sustained by Israeli fire at a border protest on Friday The Palestinian Health Ministry and the Gaza rights group Al-Mezan say in the past four months, 155 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza. This is VOA news. U.S. and North Korean negotiators exchanged barbs at a security conference in Singapore Saturday, leaving efforts to rid the North of atomic weapons at an uncertain juncture. AP correspondent Mike Hempen reports. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is accusing North Korea and other countries, including Russia, of continuing to violate U.N. sanctions designed to pressure the North to give up its nuclear arsenal. "Any violation that detracts from the world's goal of finally fully denuclearizing North Korea would be something that America would take very seriously." North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho says his country will not be bullied into concessions. He is demanding the U.S. undertake "confidence building" measures if negotiations are to be successful. And he says both sides need to take phased steps, something the U.S. opposes. Pompeo remains optimistic the North will denuclearize but says the timetable remains a work in progress. I'm Mike Hempen. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says his country will freeze the assets of two U.S. government officials in retaliation for sanctions against Turkey's justice and interior [ministry] ministers, that is, over the detention of an American pastor. Speaking in Ankara, Erdoğan said Turkey had been patient since the U.S. treasury sanctions were imposed on Wednesday. But he ordered authorities to freeze the assets of America's justice and interior ministers in Turkey if there are any. It is not clear what effect the move will have because of the different cabinet structures in Ankara and Washington. The U.S. imposed sanctions against Turkey's Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu and Justice Minister Abdülhamit Gül after the arrest of evangelical pastor Andrew Craig Brunson. Turkey says Brunson is linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party and a U.S.-based Muslim cleric it blames for a failed coup attempt in 2016. Congo's Health Ministry says the number of confirmed cases in a new outbreak of the Ebola virus has risen to 13, including three deaths. The World Health Organization has warned this new outbreak of the deadly virus in North Kivu province poses a particular challenge as the region is a war zone with several active armed groups. Police in Bangladesh's capital fired tear gas and used batons on Saturday to disperse hundreds of protesting students angry over the traffic deaths of two fellow students. The English-language Daily Star reported that up to 25 people were injured. The owners and workers of bus companies have said they will not run their vehicles unless they feel safe after dozens of buses were either vandalized or torched in Dhaka and elsewhere. For more, visit our website. I'm David Byrd, VOA news. |