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(This is) VOA news. I'm Marissa Melton.
It's September 11, the 18th anniversary of the worst terror attacks ever to occur on U.S. soil. Here is AP correspondent Rita Foley. Those who are old enough likely remember where they were when hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a filed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The president says he remembers, too. "I vividly remember when I first heard the news." President Trump says he was watching TV when the news broke. "I was looking out of a window from a building at Midtown Manhattan, directly at the World Trade Center, when I saw a second plane at a tremendous speed go into the second tower. It was then that I realized the world was going to change." The president spoke at the Pentagon where one of the hijacked planes crashed on 9/11. I'm Rita Foley. Officials in the Bahamas say 2,500 people are listed as missing more than a week after Hurricane Dorian ravaged Abaco and Grand Bahama islands. Authorities say a number of those unaccounted for may be staying in shelters or were evacuated from the islands. They say official lists are still being drawn up. The death toll from Dorian stands at 50, but as the search for victims and cleanup goes on, officials expect that number to climb substantially. Early estimates say the Category 5 hurricane - the strongest storm ever to strike the Bahamas - caused about $3 billion in damage. U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he is considering five people for his new national security adviser. That's after firing John Bolton on Tuesday. He didn't provided any names of those he is considering. The U.S. leader said he expects to name Bolton's replacement next week. Trump said he wished Bolton well even as he dismissed him on Tuesday in a tweeter statement. Bolton maintains he resigned and was not fired. From Washington DC, this is VOA news. France is urging victims to come forward in a Jeffrey Epstein's sex probe. AP correspondent Charles De Ledesma has more. French police are appealing for help into the disgraced financier's alleged sexual exploitation of women and girls and say they've already interviewed three people who identified themselves as victims. The police appeal on Twitter provided both a phone number and an Interior Ministry email address the victims and witnesses to use. It said police specialists have been mobilized for the French probe which opened on August 23. They are investigating the alleged rape of minors and other possible charges linked to the Epstein case. I'm Charles De Ledesma. The Trump administration is hitting back reports that it evacuated a high-level Russian CIA spy from Moscow after he revealed that President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election in favor of Donald Trump. In addition, CNN said the president Trump's handling of sensitive information in his dealings with Russian officials was concerning to the American intelligence community. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the reporting was wrong and "puts people at risk." California lawmakers sent to the government a bill that would give new wage and benefit protections to workers at so-called gig economy companies such as Uber and Lyft. AP correspondent Julie Walker has more. The 56-15 Assembly vote marked a victory for labor unions and a defeat for tech companies that vehemently oppose the proposal. The bill would make it harder for companies to classify workers as independent contractors. Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has already said he supports it. If signed, the proposal could have national implications as politicians and businesses confront the changing nature of work in the gig economy, which affects not just Uber and Lyft but a wide array of industries. I'm Julie Walker. Tens of thousands of tons of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant might have to be released into the Pacific Ocean. This is from Japan's environment minister. The water used to cool damaged fuel cores after the plant was damaged by the earthquake and tsunami in 2011 is being stored in giant tanks at the site. But Tokyo Electric Power, which operates the facility, says it will run out of storage space for the water in 2022. Environment Minister Yoshiaki Harada said, "The only option," in his opinion, "will be to drain tanks into the sea and dilute it." In a rare address to his nation, Cameroon's President Paul Biya said he has ordered his prime minister to engage in what he called an inclusive dialogue on the issues that are tearing the central African state apart. Violence in Cameroon has killed more than 2,000 people in the troubled English-speaking regions. Biya also called on foreign nations to help him stop Cameroonians in their countries from sponsoring violence back home. Marissa Melton, VOA news. |