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I'm VOA's Joe Ramsey with this worldwide news update.
The U.S. on Wednesday again delivered weapons to Ukraine as the Trump administration waits for Russia's response to a cease-fire deal that Kyiv has endorsed. AP correspondent Sagar Meghani reports. "It's up to Russia now." President Trump says he hopes Moscow signs off on a proposal that could lead to the war ending. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says it's important not to get ahead of things, and Russia needs more detailed information from the U.S. before making any decision. Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also waiting for Moscow's answer, saying a 30-day cease-fire would allow both sides to work out a step-by-step plan for ending the war. A Trump envoy is expected to travel this week to Moscow where he could meet with Putin. Sagar Meghani, Washington. Pakistan's military said security forces stormed a train on Wednesday that had been hijacked by separatist militants. It said forces killed all 33 attackers, ending a day-long standoff involving hundreds of hostages. Reuters correspondent Arrthy Thayaparan reports. The Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, blew up a railway track and opened fire on the train as it was traveling through southwestern Pakistan. It was carrying over 400 passengers. A military spokesperson said 21 hostages and four security troops were killed over the course of the standoff. The BLA said before the army announcement that it had killed 50 passengers. The group had threatened to start executing hostages unless authorities met a 48-hour deadline for the release of political prisoners, activists and missing people it says had been abducted by the military. Reuters correspondent Arrthy Thayaparan. This is VOA News. The International Criminal Court said former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was taken into custody by the ICC on Wednesday following his arrest in Manila on murder charges linked to his war on drugs. Reuters correspondent Olivia Zollino reports. The 79-year-old arrived at Rotterdam Airport on a chartered plane and was transferred to a detention unit on the Dutch coast. The court's warrant for his arrest alleges that, as president, Duterte created, funded and armed death squads that carried out murders of purported drug users and dealers. Duterte's war on drugs was a signature of his presidency, which lasted from 2016 to 2022. The anti-drugs crackdown killed thousands and drew condemnation from around the world. Reuters correspondent Olivia Zollino. After hundreds of people were killed in massacres on Syria's coastline last week, locals say widespread calls for justice may give the country's new government a chance to stabilize. Heather Murdoch reports from northwest Syria. ??? was in his home with his two sons on Friday morning when armed men stormed into his house. "We refused to evacuate our homes. It was my family, my cousin and I. They entered the house and killed my cousin and two other families. They raided our house and threatened to behead us. They looted everything, money and cars." Hundreds of people were killed here in Syria's coastal area last week and over the weekend, with some death counts exceeding 1,400. Analysts say many of the killings were acts of revenge for the abuses of dictator Bashar al-Assad's regime, which collapsed in early December. Many of the victims were Alawite, the religious sect of former regime leaders, but not necessarily abusers themselves. Analysts say the fighting was initially provoked by pro-Assad attackers who also committed mass killings. Heather Murdoch, in Istanbul with our team in Syria, VOA News. U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to escalate the global trade war with new tariffs on trading partners as 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum kicked in. Reuters correspondent Jillian Kitchener reports. Canada, the biggest foreign supplier of steel and aluminum to the United States, announced its retaliatory tariffs on billions of dollars of U.S. products starting Thursday. The EU's countermeasures are due to take effect next month, targeting up to $28 billion worth of U.S. goods. 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. |