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Hi, I'm VOA's Alexis Strope with your worldwide news update.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday that the United States has had direct contact with the rebel faction Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which led the offensive that overthrew Syria's President Bashar al-Assad. "We have impressed upon everyone we've been in contact with the importance of helping find Austin Tice and bringing him home. And we've also shared the principles that I just laid out for our ongoing support, principles again that have now been adopted by countries throughout the region and well beyond. And we've communicated those." Blinken, speaking after meeting the foreign ministers of Arab nations in Turkey and Jordan, said a joint communiqué had been agreed that sets out the principles that other nations want to see followed in Syria's political transition, including inclusivity and respect for minorities. Syria's neighbor Jordan was hosting Saturday's gathering in Aqaba. Russia and Iran, who were Assad's key supporters, were not invited. Families in Gaza City mourned their loved ones after at least seven were killed in an Israeli strike on a school on Saturday. Reuters correspondent ??? reports. According to the civil emergency service in Gaza, at least seven Palestinians were killed and 30 wounded after an Israeli strike on a former school. They say it was sheltering displaced people in Gaza City. A spokesperson for the Israeli military said it was looking into the report. Earlier on Saturday, the Israeli military said it had targeted Hamas militants who were operating within a school compound in Gaza City and that it had taken measures to reduce harm to civilians. According to medics, the dead include a woman and her baby. It was unclear whether the other fatalities were Hamas fighters. The Palestinian Islamist group denies embedding fighters among civilians in Gaza. That was Reuters correspondent ???. This is VOA News. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday named ally Devin Nunes, a former U.S. lawmaker who now runs Trump's Truth social media platform, to serve as chairman of the president's intelligence advisory board. Reuters correspondent Freddie Joiner reports. The White House panel offers the president independent assessments of intelligence agencies' effectiveness and planning. Nunes, who is currently the CEO of Trump's Truth Social social media platform, led the U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee during part of Trump's first White House term. He is also a longtime defender of Trump. Nunes has alleged that the FBI had conspired against Trump during its investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, in which Trump defeated Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. According to a post on his platform Saturday, Trump said Nunes will stay on as Truth Social CEO while serving on the advisory panel. That was Reuters correspondent Freddie Joiner. Former soccer player Mikheil Kavelashvili has become president of Georgia as the ruling party tightens its grip in what the opposition calls a blow to the country's EU aspirations and a victory for Russia. Kavelashvili easily won Saturday's vote given the Georgian Dream Party's control of a 300-seat electoral college that replaced direct presidential elections in 2017. Georgian Dream retained control of parliament in an October 26 election that the opposition alleges was rigged with Moscow's help. Georgia's outgoing president and main pro-Western parties have since boycotted parliament and demanded a rerun of the ballot. U.S. Marines are starting a partial transfer from Okinawa, Japan, to Guam. AP correspondent Mimmi Montgomery reports. The partial transfer of U.S. Marines from Okinawa in Japan to Guam is now underway, 12 years after Japan and the U.S. agreed to reduce American troop presence on the southern Japanese island. Under the plan, some 9,000 Marines will be transferred off Okinawa in phases, including some 4,000 that are going to Guam. Okinawa, which was under U.S. postwar occupation until 1972, is home to a majority of more than 50,000 American troops based in Japan under a bilateral security pact. Many Okinawans have long complained about the heavy U.S. military presence on the island. I'm Mimmi Montgomery. Members of Venezuela's political opposition, who have been sheltering for months in the Argentine diplomatic compound in the capital Caracas, are trying to grow a sense of urgency among the governments working to secure their safe departure from their home country. On Saturday, they told reporters that their living conditions are deteriorating due to constant harassment from the government of President Nicolás Maduro. The Argentine diplomatic facility has been guarded by Brazil since Venezuela expelled Argentina's diplomats in August. That wraps up this update, but the world and news never stop. For additional updates, visit our website. I'm Alexis Strope, VOA News. |