|
This is VOA news. I'm Marissa Melton.
President Donald Trump has made a surprise visit to Afghanistan. AP's Ed Donahue reports. This was the president's first visit to the scene of America's longest war. "There's nowhere I'd rather celebrate this Thanksgiving than right here with the toughest, strongest, best and bravest warriors on the face of the earth." The president told the troops there are peace talks going on with the Taliban. "We'll see if they want to make a deal. It's got to be a real deal, but we'll see. But they want to make a deal. And they only want to make a deal because you are doing a great job." The first stop for the president at Bagram was a dining hall. He served meals as for eating "I had some of the mashed potatoes. I had a bite of mash potatoes and I never got to the turkey because the general said come on over and let's take some pictures." About 12,000 U.S. forces remain in Afghanistan. Ed Donahue, Washington. North Korea has confirmed it tested a super-large multiple rocket launcher, the latest reminder of Pyongyang's end-of-year deadline for nuclear talks. [the official north] the official Korean Central News Agency said leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the volley test-fire on Thursday and expressed satisfaction with the results. It's North Korea's 13th round of weapons test since early May, making 2019 one its busiest years for missile tests. Kim has given the United States until the end of the year to make concessions in nuclear talks that have been stalled since February. Germany's justice minister is calling for the country to strengthen laws on anti-Semitic crimes as part of the government's response to a deadly attack in eastern Germany. Currently, discrimination against particular groups [are] is [considered agg... are] considered aggravating factors, but the law does not specifically refer to Jews. The move follows a deadly October attack in Halle, Germany. A gunman opened fire on a kebab shop killing a customer and a passerby. From the news center in Washington D.C., this is VOA news. Deadly violence once again was a fact of life in Iraq as the civil unrest continues to take a heavy toll. We get a report from AP correspondent Karen Chammas. On the strategic Ahrar Bridge in Baghdad, security forces fired live ammunition, killing several protesters and wounding many more. The violence came as protesters occupied three main bridges in the capital, leading towards the heavily fortified Green Zone, the seat of Iraq's government. Meanwhile, violence across southern Iraq continued throughout the night, with security forces killing over dozen protesters and wounding many others. Protesters had set fire to the Iranian consulate in the holy city of Najaf in one of the worst attacks targeting Iranian interests in the country since the anti-government protests erupted two months ago. I'm Karen Chammas. The death toll in earthquake-ravaged Albania rose to at least 41 on Thursday after nine bodies were pulled from the rubble. Hope has faded for finding additional survivors from Tuesday's quake. It was the strongest temblor to hit the country in more than three decades. Reuters correspondent Michelle Hennessy has more. Hundreds of aftershocks have been felt as the death toll continues to climb. Forecast rain could begin to hamper rescue efforts while hundreds of displaced people are now sleeping in tents. The prime minister has announced that Albanians who lost their homes will be put up in hotels over winter and promised new housing in 2020. International rescuers are now on hand still searching for survivors, hoping that the people still missing might have survived days after the quake. That's Reuters Michelle Hennessy reporting. President Trump has signed two congressional bills in support of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protesters. There has been quick Chinese reaction. Beijing summoned U.S. Ambassador Terry Branstad to lodge a formal complaint over what it sees as interfering in the affairs of its semi-autonomous territory. Hong Kong activists have been praising the American action. Meanwhile, Hong Kong police spokesman today was describing damage he said protesters caused at the city's Polytechnic University. "The campus has been maliciously occupied and damaged over the past two weeks and the university and many of the facilities in ruins. And the university management has notified to police of these severe damage." Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has rejected President Trump's idea to designate Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations. López Obrador calls it interventionism. And more with Black Friday, it's the biggest shopping day of the year in the United States when retailers count on taking in a major portion of the year's profit. Stores and online shopping sites offer deep discounts to attract customers. Tens of millions of shoppers are expected to take part. Marissa Melton, VOA news. |