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This is VOA News. I'm Alexis Strope.
An Israeli airstrike kills 18 members of a family in Gaza as mediators hope for a cease-fire. AP correspondent Rica Ann Garcia reports. What was once a home and a warehouse sheltering displaced people is now a pile of rubble flattened by the strike. The attack came hours after officials from the U.S., Egypt and Qatar wrapped up two days of cease-fire talks and expressed optimism that a deal can be reached. They expect to work out implementation details in Cairo within the coming days. Health authorities say that the Palestinian death toll in the 10-month-old war between Israel and Hamas has passed 40,000. The Israel military, which rarely comments on individual strikes, said it struck "terrorist infrastructure" in central Gaza where rockets had been launched towards Israel recently. It also reported ongoing attacks on militants in the region. I'm Rica Ann Garcia. The Palestinian minister of health, Majed Abu Ramadan, said on Saturday the ministry had detected the first confirmed case of polio in the Gaza Strip. "We declare today that there have (has) been a case of active poliomyelitis recorded in Gaza Strip." The patient, a 10-month-old baby in the city of Deir al-Balah, who had not received the necessary polio vaccination dose. He urged the international community [to m...] to demand a cease-fire in order to vaccinate hundreds of children. "On this occasion, I urge all the international community and all those who control what happens in the world, first, to stop this severe war on Gaza. The destruction should stop now. Cease-fire should be employed now." At least 95 percent vaccination coverage will be needed during each of the two rounds of the campaign to prevent polio spread and reduce its emergence, given the devastation in Gaza. This is VOA News. Services at many Indian hospitals have been put on hold as doctors strike to protest the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor last week. Rachel Graham from Reuters has more. Doctor Kanika Sahani was among protesters in New Delhi. "All the doctors, nurses, and medical staff work for the welfare of the patients," she says, "But we cannot handle violence or threats to us or our children. We will not tolerate this." The government urged doctors to return to duties in the public interest. In a statement, it said a committee would be set up to improve protection for healthcare professionals. Patients queued up at hospitals, some unaware before they set out that strikes would interfere with their care. Rachel Graham from Reuters. Venezuelans across the world responded to a call from their country's political opposition. They have taken to the streets to defend the faction's claim to victory over President Nicolás Maduro in last month's disputed presidential election. The demonstrations in Caracas, Tokyo, Sydney, Mexico City and other cities were an effort by the main opposition coalition to make visible what they insist is the real outcome of the election, call on governments to throw their support behind candidate Edmundo González and express support to Venezuelans who are in their home country, fearful of speaking against Maduro and his allies. At least 16 villagers were killed and 20 others were abducted in northeastern Congo during attacks by militants with ties to the Islamic State group, a local civil society group said Friday. VOA's Tommie McNeil reports. The attackers with the Allied Democratic Forces staged a series of attacks on locals. Some were working on their farmlands between Wednesday and Friday. According to an official, the death toll remains provisional as the fate of 20 others kidnapped remains unknown. Dozens of villages across Congo have been besieged by armed groups made up of either local rebels fighting for power and valuable mineral resources, or militants with extremist ideologies. The Allied Democratic Forces have carried out growing attacks in the region and sometimes across the border with neighboring Uganda, where it was originally formed. Tommie McNeil, VOA News. Poland's prime minister [re...] has reacted to reports that revived speculation about who blew up the Nord Stream pipelines in 2022. Donald Tusk said Saturday that the initiators of the gas pipeline [should be] should, quote, "apologize and keep quiet." The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Ukrainian authorities were responsible for blowing up the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in September, 2021. One of Tusk's deputies Friday denied the accusation that Warsaw was partly responsible for its damage. For additional stories, visit voanews.com. I'm Alexis Strope, VOA News. |