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Hi, I'm VOA's Alexis Strope with your worldwide news update.
Officials say Qatar has decided to pause its key mediation efforts between Hamas and Israel. The announcement comes after growing frustration with the lack of progress on a cease-fire deal. But one official said Saturday that Qatar is highly likely to return to the efforts if both sides show "serious political willingness" to reach a deal on the war in Gaza. It is not immediately clear whether the remaining Hamas leadership hosted by Qatar must leave. A diplomatic source briefed on the matter says the Hamas political office no longer serves its purpose in Qatar. At least 26 people have been killed and more than 60 injured in a bomb blast at a railway station in Quetta in southwestern Pakistan on Saturday. Reuters correspondent Diane To reports. A security camera captured the moment a deadly blast went off at a busy train station in southwest Pakistan on Saturday. That's according to police, who said they suspect it was a suicide bombing. This eyewitness described people running around in chaos. "Some people were injured, some with blown-up legs, some with blown-up arms and hands," he said. A separatist militant group, the Baloch Liberation Army, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement emailed to Reuters. The group wants independence for Balochistan, a province of about 15 million people that borders Afghanistan to the north and Iran to the west. It's the biggest of several ethnic insurgent groups battling the government, saying it unfairly exploits the province's rich gas and mineral resources. Balochistan's inspector general of police said the attack on the train station in the provincial capital Quetta was targeting army personnel. Pakistan is grappling with a surge in strikes by separatist groups in Balochistan. In August, at least 73 people were killed after militants attacked police stations, railway lines and highways. That was Reuters correspondent Diane To. This is VOA News. A Moscow official says Russia may be open to hearing Donald Trump's proposals for ending the war on Ukraine. AP correspondent Charles De Ledesma reports. Russia's deputy foreign minister says Moscow is open to hearing President-elect Donald Trump's proposals on ending the war in Ukraine. Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow and Washington were "exchanging signals" on Ukraine via closed channels. He did not specify whether the communication was with the current administration or Trump and members of his incoming administration. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, meanwhile, reassured Ukraine of European support during a visit to Kyiv on Saturday. Ukrainian officials say a Russian drone killed one person and wounded at least 13 in the port city of Odesa overnight. I'm Charles De Ledesma. Thousands of protesters filled the streets of Valencia on Saturday to demand accountability for the regional government's handling of catastrophic floods that have claimed the lives of more than 220 people. In one of Europe's deadliest natural disasters in decades, the floodwaters devastated the Valencia province, leaving nearly 80 people still missing. As protesters gathered in the city center Saturday, many called for the resignation of regional leader Carlos Mazón, accusing him of mishandling the crisis. A date has been set for President-elect Donald Trump to meet President Joe Biden at the White House. AP correspondent Shelley Adler reports. President Biden will welcome President-elect Trump back to the White House in a few days. President Joe Biden extended the invitation in a congratulatory call with President-elect Trump earlier this week. "I assured him that I would direct my entire administration to work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition." And that will begin this Wednesday when the two leaders meet in the Oval Office. While the post-election meeting is traditional, Trump did not host Biden for the get-together after the Republican lost the election in 2020. I'm Shelley Adler. Tens of thousands of people celebrated the fall of the Berlin Wall 35 years ago in Germany's capital on Saturday. There were open-air concerts, art installations and official events on Saturday commemorating one of the country's most historic days on November 9, 1989. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that it was a "lucky day" for which Germans are still grateful today. The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 and it stood for 28 years as the front line of the Cold War between the Americans and the Soviets. It was built by Communist authorities to cut off East Germans from the supposed ideological "contamination" of the West and to stem the tide of people fleeing East Germany. Today, only a few stretches of the Wall remain, mostly as a tourist attraction. That wraps up this update, but the world and news never stop. For additional updates, visit our website. I'm Alexis Strope, VOA News. |