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This is VOA News. I'm Tommie McNeil.
United Nations top court opened hearings on the allegation that Israel's committing genocide in Gaza. AP correspondent Karen Chammas. Everyone in the courtroom at the International Court of Justice was ordered to stand as a line of judges entered the big hall. The judges have opened two days of legal arguments in a case filed by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide in its Gaza war. Israel rejects the allegation. In a statement after the case was filed last year, the Palestinian Authority urged the court to call on Israel to stop what it called its onslaught against the Palestinian people. Although it normally considers the U.N. and international tribunals unfair and biased, Israel has sent a strong legal team to defend its military operation in Gaza. I'm Karen Chammas. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to seek governance reforms. It's part of a plan to rally the region behind a post-war vision for Gaza that includes concrete steps toward a Palestinian state. Blinken says he has secured commitments from multiple countries in the region to assist with rebuilding and governing Gaza after the war against Hamas. Finland's Interior Ministry confirmed Thursday the nation will extend the closure of its border with Russia by four weeks until February 11. VOA Jeff Caster. Finland closed its border with Russia late last year in response to a growing inflow of asylum seekers, which it said was an orchestrated move by Moscow, a claim which the Kremlin denies. The border had been scheduled to reopen January 15, but at a news conference in Helsinki Thursday, Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen told reporters "it is absolutely necessary" to continue closing the eastern border as authorities say the threat of Russia's influence still exists. The Finnish Border Guard reports some 900 asylum seekers from nations such as Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen entered Finland from Russia in November. The Border Guard said ... Ah, it's VOA Jeff Caster. This is VOA News. U.S. officials are calling for Iran to immediately release an oil tanker and the crew that Tehran says it seized. Iranian officials say the country's navy has taken possession of the ship in retaliation for what Tehran says is the "theft" of Iranian oil from the same vessel last year. More from VOA's Steve Herman. Iran's official news agency says the St. Nicholas oil tanker was seized off the coast of Oman as a response to past American actions against Iranian oil shipments as part of U.S. sanctions on Tehran. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Thursday the boarding of the Marshall Islands-flagged, Greek-controlled tanker reportedly loaded with 145,000 tons of crude oil and staffed by a mostly Philippine crew is an illegal act and Tehran's justification for its action has no merit. Steve Herman, VOA News, Washington. The Pentagon's internal watchdog says he will review the secrecy surrounding Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's hospitalization and why the Defense Department waited days to inform the White House that he had transferred authority to his deputy. VOA's Rick Pantaleo with details. Not only will the watchdog look into secrecy around Secretary Austin's stay at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, but will check why the Defense Department waited days to inform the White House that he had transferred authority to his deputy. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said at the White House Thursday that there were limits to how closely the government could track the whereabouts of officials, even those like Austin, who are in the line of succession. "We're not gonna track the GPS coordinates on somebody's mobile phone in the administration, and we're not gonna plant a microchip in their neck like they're a poodle." It's still unclear how Austin's cancer treatment will affect his travel or other public engagements going forward. Rick Pantaleo, VOA News. House Republicans are off to raucous start in their first week back in Washington after an extended holiday break. Some are openly criticizing the new House Speaker, Mike Johnson. Others helped sink a routine procedural vote to express their displeasure with topline spending levels that Johnson negotiated with Democrats for the current fiscal year. Most Republicans are saying that they do support Johnson, saying he is doing the best he can, but it took only eight Republicans to oust the former [skea...] Speaker Kevin McCarthy, along with 208 Democrats siding with them. A similar revolt from just a handful of Republicans would leave Johnson vulnerable as well. You'll find more at voanews.com, again, voanews.com. I'm Tommie McNeil, VOA News. |