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This is VOA news. I'm Nicole Livas.
U.S. Attorney General William Barr released a summary Sunday afternoon, saying special counsel Robert Mueller says neither President Donald Trump, his campaign nor anyone associated with it conspired with Russia to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. But the summation of the findings is getting diametrically opposed interpretations from the president and Democrats. AP correspondent Ben Thomas reports. "There was no collusion with Russia. There was no obstruction, and none whatsoever, and it was a complete and total exoneration." That was President Trump's summation of the Mueller report as he left Florida Sunday evening. But House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler says just the opposite, tweeting the special counsel is clearly and explicitly not exonerating the president. Nadler says Congress must hear from Attorney General William Barr about his decision-making and see all the underlying evidence for the American people to know the facts. Ben Thomas, Washington. And now more from Nadler, who says the attorney general's letter makes a key point as he sees it. "President Trump is wrong. This report does not amount to a so-called total exoneration. Special counsellor Mueller was clear that his report 'Does not exonerate' the president." Several Democratic presidential candidates - Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren - also said Sunday that a summary of the Mueller report filtered through the president's "hand-picked attorney general" is unsatisfactory. More details and reaction on voanews.com. U.S.-backed Syrian fighters cleared explosives in the last area retaken from the Islamic State group on Sunday and arrested a number of militants hiding in tunnels. This comes one day after declaring military victory and the end of the extremist self-styled caliphate. This is VOA news. Viking Ocean Cruises says all the passengers and crew are safe and the Viking Sky has docked in Norway after it had to be rescued. AP correspondent Julie Walker reports. The cruise ship made it ashore Sunday accompanied by tugboats. The day before, passenger Alexus Sheppard from California shared video online of what happened when they hit rough seas and issued a mayday after engine trouble. Chairs and other furniture went flying across the floor and part of the ceiling came down. "I'm a yachts woman. I've spent a lot of time in yachts and this was unlike anything [inaudible] before. So that was absolutely horrible." I'm Julie Walker. The U.N. children's fund reports nearly half of the 1.7 million people affected by Cyclone Idai in southern Africa are children. The official number of deaths has now risen to over 700. VOA's Lisa Schlein reports from Geneva. Conditions in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe remain critical. Thousands of people are still trapped by the flood waters, many huddled on rooftops and in trees waiting to be rescued. UNICEF spokesman Christophe Boulierac says children are particularly susceptible to infectious diseases. "Without safe and effective water, sanitation and hygiene services, children are at high risk of preventable diseases including diarrhea, typhoid and cholera." Lisa Schlein, for VOA news, Geneva. A military-backed party has taken the lead Sunday in Thailand's first election since a 2014 coup. Preliminary results suggest junta leader and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha could stay in power. According to the country's Election Commission, with 92 percent of votes counted, the Palang Pracharat party was first with 7.5 million votes. But that falls short of the numbers required for an outright majority in parliament. Pheu Thai, the governing party ousted by the coup, was next with 7 million votes. The country likely faces several weeks of haggling among political parties before a potentially unstable coalition government is formed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington looking for an electoral advantage from U.S. President Donald Trump's expected formal recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights. Netanyahu (, who) faces corruption charges and a tough re-election contest on April 9, is meeting at the White House on Monday and having dinner there on Tuesday. He'll also give a speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a major U.S. lobbying group for the Jewish state. Trump's stance breaks with long-standing U.S. policy and the international community, which considers the Golan Heights as Israeli-occupied, not a sovereign holding. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Monaco Sunday as part of a European tour clouded by mixed feelings about how to engage with China. I'm Nicole Livas, VOA news. |