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I'm VOA's Joe Ramsey with your worldwide news update.
A U.S.-brokered cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah held on its first day as thousands of Lebanese returned to their homes in southern Lebanon. Many in Israel hope the cease-fire will also lead to an end to the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Linda Gradstein has more from Jerusalem. Defying Israeli warnings not to return, thousands of residents of southern Lebanon streamed back to their homes Wednesday as cessation of hostilities appeared to hold. During the more than 13 months of heavy fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, more than a million Lebanese fled their homes in the south and in Beirut. According to the cease-fire terms, Hezbollah is to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli troops will gradually leave south Lebanon to be replaced by about 10,000 Lebanese army soldiers. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured his people that Israel has full backing from the United States to act against any violation of the cease-fire. But some Israeli analysts say Israel has made similar pledges before and has not responded to Hezbollah violations of cease-fires in the past. Linda Gradstein, VOA News, Jerusalem. U.S. President Joe Biden's administration is urging Ukraine to draft more men of fighting age to increase the size of its military. AP correspondent Jennifer King reports. A senior Biden official who spoke on the condition of anonymity says they want Ukraine to lower the mobilization age to 18 from the current age of 25. The country has more than one million citizens in uniform, but conscription is a sensitive topic. Ukraine just lowered the draft age from 27 to 25 this past April. The U.S. official says "the pure math" of the situation is that Ukraine's military is outnumbered and must dramatically increase troops if it's going to stay in the fight with Russia. Jennifer King, Washington. This is VOA News. The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor has asked judges to issue an arrest warrant for the head of Myanmar's military regime for crimes committed against the country's Rohingya Muslim minority. Senior General Min Aung Hlain seized power from elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021 and is accused of crimes against humanity for the deportation and persecution of the Rohingya. He is accused of forcing nearly a million people into neighboring Bangladesh to escape what has been called an ethnic cleansing campaign involving mass rapes, killings and the torching of homes. Wednesday's request will now go to a panel of three judges who will weigh the evidence provided. A woman who joined Namibia's independence movement in the 1970s is a strong contender to become its first female leader after the country voted in a presidential election on Wednesday. AP correspondent Charles De Ledesma reports. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is the current vice president and the ruling SWAPO Party's candidate for president. She already leads after the results of special early voting among citizens overseas and the armed forces were announced. But SWAPO faces growing frustration due to high unemployment and economic hardship, issues that have brought election upsets in neighboring South Africa and Botswana this year. Fourteen other candidates are running for president. I'm Charles De Ledesma. A spokesperson for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Wednesday several of Trump's cabinet and administration picks were targeted with actions including bomb threats and swatting. Reuters correspondent Jillian Kitchener reports. Spokesperson Caroline Levitt said law enforcement acted quickly to ensure the safety of those targeted on Tuesday and Wednesday. The family home of Elise Stefanik, Trump's pick for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, was targeted with a bomb threat. Stefanik said she, her husband and their three-year-old son were not home at the time. Lee Zeldin, Trump's choice to head the Environmental Protection Agency, said he and his family received a pipe bomb threat with a, quote, "pro-Palestinian themed message." Zeldin also said the family was not home at the time. Levitt did not say who else was targeted, while the FBI said it was aware of "numerous bomb threats" and "swatting incidents" targeting Trump nominees. In a statement, the FBI said it takes all potential threats seriously and is working with its law enforcement partners. Reuters correspondent Jillian Kitchener. That wraps up this update but the world and news never stop. For additional updates, visit our website, voanews.com. I'm Joe Ramsey, VOA News. |