Health experts are calling for action to expand cancer care and control in the developing world. A paper published by the medical journal Lancet says cancer was once thought of mostly as a problem in the developed world. But it says cancer is now a leading cause of death and disability in poor countries.
Experts from Harvard University and other organizations urge the international community to fight cancer aggressively. They say it should be fought the way HIV/AIDS has been fought in Africa.
Cancer kills more than seven and a half million people a year worldwide. The experts say almost two-thirds are in low-income and middle-income countries.
They say cancer kills more people in developing countries than AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined. But they say the world spends only five percent of its cancer resources in those countries.
Felicia Knaul from the Harvard Medical School was one of the authors of the paper. She was in Mexico when she was found to have breast cancer. She received treatment there. She says the experience showed her the sharp divide between the rich and the poor in treating breast cancer.
FELICIA KNAUL: "And we are seeing more and more how this is attacking young women. It's the number two cause of death in Mexico for women thirty to fifty-four. All over the developing world, except the poorest-poorest, it’s the number one cancer-related death among young women. And, I think we have to again say that there is much more we could do about it than we are doing about it."
Professor Knaul met community health workers during her work in developing countries. She says they were an important part of efforts to reduce deaths from cervical cancer. They were able to persuade women to get tested and to get vaccinated against a virus that can cause it.
The experts say cancer care does not have to be costly. For example, patients can be treated with lower-cost drugs that are off-patent. This means the drugs are no longer legally protected against being copied.
In another new report, the American Cancer Society says cancer has the highest economic cost of any cause of death. It caused an estimated nine hundred billion dollars in economic losses worldwide in two thousand eight.
That was one and a half percent of the world economy, and just losses from early death and disability. The study did not estimate direct medical costs. But it says the productivity losses are almost twenty percent higher than for the second leading cause of economic loss, heart disease.
And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver with Vidushi Sinha. I’m Barbara Klein.
Weekly Address: America Is a Place Where Hard Work Should Be Rewarded
WASHINGTON, DC — In this week’s address, the President made the case for why it’s past time to raise the minimum wage. Increasing the national minimum wage to $10.10 an hour would benefit 28 million Americans, and make our economy stronger. While Republicans in Congress have blocked this commonsense proposal, a large and growing coalition of state and local leaders and owners of businesses large and small have answered the President’s call and raised wages for their residents and employees. This progress is important, but there is more that can be done. No American who works full time should have to raise a family in poverty. That’s why the President will continue to push Congress to take action and give America its well-deserved raise.
The audio of the address and video of the address will be available online at www.whitehouse.gov at 6:00 a.m. ET, October 11, 2014.
Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
October 11, 2014
Hi, everybody. For the first time in more than 6 years, the unemployment rate is below 6%. Over the past four and a half years, our businesses have created more than 10 million new jobs. That’s the longest uninterrupted stretch of private sector job creation in our history.
But while our businesses are creating jobs at the fastest pace since the ‘90s, the typical family hasn’t seen a raise since the ‘90s also. Folks are feeling as squeezed as ever. That’s why I’m going to keep pushing policies that will create more jobs faster and raise wages faster – policies like rebuilding our infrastructure, making sure women are paid fairly, and making it easier for young people to pay off their student loans.
But one of the simplest and fastest ways to start helping folks get ahead is by raising the minimum wage.
Ask yourself: could you live on $14,500 a year? That’s what someone working full-time on the minimum wage makes. If they’re raising kids, that’s below the poverty line. And that’s not right. A hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay.
Right now, a worker on the federal minimum wage earns $7.25 an hour. It’s time to raise that to $10.10 an hour.
Raising the federal minimum wage to ten dollars and ten cents an hour, or ten-ten, would benefit 28 million American workers. 28 million. And these aren’t just high schoolers on their first job. The average worker who would benefit is 35 years old. Most low-wage workers are women. And that extra money would help them pay the bills and provide for their families. It also means they’ll have more money to spend at local businesses – which grows the economy for everyone.
But Congress hasn’t voted to raise the minimum wage in seven years. Seven years. And when it got a vote earlier this year, Republicans flat-out voted “no.” That’s why, since the first time I asked Congress to give America a raise, 13 states, 21 cities and D.C. have gone around Congress to raise their workers’ wages. Five more states have minimum wage initiatives on the ballot next month. More companies are choosing to raise their workers’ wages. A recent survey shows that a majority of small business owners support a gradual increase to ten-ten an hour, too. And I’ve done what I can on my own by requiring federal contractors to pay their workers at least ten-ten an hour.
On Friday, a coalition of citizens – including business leaders, working moms, labor unions, and more than 65 mayors – told Republicans in Congress to stop blocking a raise for millions of hard-working Americans. Because we believe that in America, nobody who works full-time should ever have to raise a family in poverty. And I’m going to keep up this fight until we win. Because America deserves a raise right now. And America should forever be a place where your hard work is rewarded.
The 100 civics (history and government) questions and answers for the naturalization test are listed below. The civics test is an oral test and the USCIS Officer will ask the applicant up to 10 of the 100 civics questions. An applicant must answer 6 out of 10 questions correctly to pass the civics portion of the naturalization test.
On the naturalization test some answers may change because of elections or appointments. As you study for the test, make sure that you know the most current answers to these questions. Answer these questions with the name of the official who is serving at the time of your eligbility interview with USCIS. The USCIS will not accept an incorrect answer. Although USCIS is aware that there may be additional correct answers to the 100 civics questions, applicants are encouraged to respond to the civics questions using the answers provided below. Question 1.
What is the Supreme Law of the land?
The supreme law of the land is the Constitution.
Question 2.
What does the Constitution do?
The Constitution does the following: sets up the government;defines the government;protects basic rights of Americans.
Question 3.
The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
The first three words of the Constitution are “We the People.”
Question 4.
What is an amendment?
An amendment is a change (to the Constitution) or an addition (to the Constitution).
Question 5.
What do we call the first 10 amendments to the Constitution?
We call the first 10 amendments to the Constitution the Bill of Rights.
Question 6.
What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?
Rights or Freedom(s) from the 1st Amendment are: speech religion assembly press and petition the government.
Question 7.
How many amendments does the Constitution have?
The Constitution has 27 amendments.
Question 8.
What did the Declaration of Independence do?
The Declaration of Independence announced our independence (from Great Britain),declared our independence (from Great Britain), said that the United States is free (from Great Britain).
Question 9.
What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?
Two rights in the Declaration of Independence are: life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness.
Question 10.
What is freedom of religion?
Freedom of religion is the right to practice any religion, or not practice a religion.
Question 11.
What is the economic system in the United States?
The economic system in the United States is: capitalist economy,market economy.
Question 12 What is the “rule of law”?
The rule of law says: Everyone must follow the law, leaders must obey the law, government must obey the law, no one is above the law.
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text
Friday, October 10th, 2014
From Washington, this is VOA news. British man suspected of Ebola death in Macedonia. NATO and Turkish officials discuss ways to deal with Islamic State attackers in Syria. I'm Ray Kouguell reporting from Washington.
Britain will start enhanced screening of passengers arriving from West Africa at two London airports and the Eurostar train station while a suspected Ebola death of a British man was reported in Macedonia.
Macedonian hospital officials say the victim showed symptoms of Ebola. Those who brought him to the hospital are in isolation and his Skopje hotel has been sealed off.
It is unclear if the man was in Africa before heading to Macedonia.
Ebola has killed about 3,900 people in West Africa and been detected in several other countries.
The United States military says Kurdish militias are in control of most of the Syrian city of Kobani located on the Syria-Turkey border. The city has been under attack by militants from the Islamic State group.
The assessment comes amid intensified U.S.-led airstrikes on IS targets in and around the city.
U.S. and NATO officials are holding talks in Turkey. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Turkey's contributions to fighting the militants are ongoing.
"Turkey, being a strong nation itself, having a strong army itself, of course also has great capabilities itself to defend itself. But we will always be ready to support Turkey.”
Australia's military says its warplanes conducted their first airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Iraq.
Student leaders of the Hong Kong pro-democracy protest have called on supporters to continue on occupying public spaces.
It came just hours after the government called off talks meant to ease weeks of tensions in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. The talks have been set for Friday.
This is VOA news.
A suicide bomber killed at least 42 people in Yemen's capital in an attack apparently targeting an anti-government demonstration by Shiite Houthi rebels.
There is no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing Thursday in the Tahrir Square section of central Sana'a, which the rebels have controlled since last month.
Pakistan and India continued to exchange heavy gun and mortar fire along their disputed Kashmir border. At least 17 civilians have died while thousands are fleeing to safety on both sides since the violence broke out more than a week ago. Ayaz Gul reports.
The deadly clashes are taking place along a densely populated 200-kilometer border that separates Pakistan's Punjab province from the Indian-controlled portion of the divided Kashmir region.
Each side blames the other for initiating the firing, but it is difficult to independently verify how the violence broke out. Islamabad and New Delhi are also accusing each other of intentionally targeting civilian populations.
Regional commander of the Pakistani border security forces Major-General Khan Tahir Javed Khan says that more than 250 outposts and nearby villages have come under attack. He describes it as the most intense shelling from India in decades.
Ayaz Gul, for VOA news, Sialkot, Pakistan.
The new Palestinian unity government held its first cabinet meeting Thursday. Fatah and Hamas officials convened amid rubble and destruction in Gaza.
Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said the new government's priority is reconstruction.
Entire neighborhoods in Gaza were obliterated by Israeli missiles during this summer's two-month-long war between Israel and Hamas militants.
Mexican federal authorities say they have captured Vicente Carrillo Fuentes, the alleged leader of the Juarez Cartel.
U.S. authorities have offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
French novelist Patrick Modiano is the winner of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Peter Englund, permanent secretary for the Swedish Academy, made the announcement Thursday.
"The Nobel Prize in Literature for the year 2014 is awarded to the French author, Patrick Modiano, for the art of memory with which he has evoked the most ungraspable human destinies and uncovered the life-world of the occupation.”
Modiano's writing often focuses on life under German occupation in World War II France.
International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde says the global economy is facing, in her words, "the risk of a new mediocre, where growth is low and uneven.”
Lagarde offered her assessment of the world's economic fortunes to international financial leaders at the annual IMF and World Bank meetings Thursday in held Washington.
This is the VOA Special English EDUCATION REPORT "In loco parentis" is a Latin term meaning "in the place of a parent." It describes when someone else accepts responsibility to act in the interests of a child.
This idea developed long ago in British common law to define the responsibility of teachers toward their students. For years, American courts upheld in loco parentis in cases such as Gott versus Berea College in 9teen thirteen.
Gott owned a restaurant off campus. Berea threatened to expel students who ate at places not owned by the school. The Kentucky high court decided that in loco parentis justified that rule.
In loco parentis meant that male and female college students usually had to live in separate buildings. Women had to be back at their dorms by 10 or 11 on school nights.
But in the 1960s, students began to protest rules and restrictions like these. At the same time, courts began to support students who were being punished for political and social dissent.
In 1960, Alabama State College expelled 6 students who took part in a civil rights demonstration. They sued the school and won. After that, it became harder and harder to defend in loco parentis.
Students were not considered adults until 21. Then, in 1971, the 26th amendment to the Constitution set the voting age at 18. So in loco parentis no longer really applied.
Slowly, colleges began to treat students not as children, but as adults. Students came to be seen as consumers of educational services.
Gary Dickstein, an assistant vice President at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, says in loco parentis is not really gone. It just looks different. Today's parents, he says, are often heavily involved in students' lives. They are known as "helicopter parents." They always seem to hover over their children.
Gary Dickstein says these parents are likely to question decisions, especially about safety issues and grades. They want to make sure their financial investment is not being wasted.
As a result, "in loco parentis" has been replaced by what some administrators call a "partnership" between the school and the family. In fact, the orientation program for new students at Virginia Tech this summer includes a meeting for parents called "Parents as Partners.”
And that's the VOA Special English EDUCATION REPORT, written by Nancy Steinbach. Our Foreign Student Series is online at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text
Wednesday, October 8th, 2014
From Washington, this is VOA news. Islamic State forces close in on Syrian town near the Turkish border. Progress reported in the fight against Ebola. I'm Ray Kouguell reporting from Washington.
The United Nations special envoy to Syria says Kurds defending the city of Kobani against the Islamic State are very close to no longer being able to fight off the militants.
Staffan de Mistura says the Kurds are fighting with great courage, but that the international community needs to come to their defense. He said other cities that have fallen into Islamic State hands suffer through massacres, rapes and horrific violence.
The United States says its air campaign against the militants near Kobani has been useful.
Turkey's President Erdogan says bombs are not enough and a major ground offensive is needed.
Hong Kong students and government officials reached an agreement to begin formal talks on demands for political reforms. They are scheduled for Friday.
Myanmar, also known as Burma, says President Thein Sein pardoned more than 3,000 prisoners.
The order releases anyone with at least 1 year of time served and less than 6 months left of their sentence.
The latest amnesty comes as the country's reformist government prepares for next month's meeting of Asia-Pacific leaders in Myanmar.
The head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control says the fight against Ebola in Africa will be long and hard, but there are real signs of progress.
Dr. Thomas Frieden says this includes better training, more understanding of the virus, and safer practices, including burials for Ebola victims.
Dr. Frieden says there are no new cases in Nigeria and the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is contained. He also says there is a decrease in the number of new cases in parts of Liberia-- 1 of the hardest-hit countries.
This is VOA news.
The Hague-based International Criminal Court opened a 2-day status hearing on the case against Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. The Kenyan leader faces crimes against humanity-- charges that are related to his alleged role in post-election violence 7 years ago. Lisa Bryant reports.
The 1st day of the status hearing at the International Criminal Court, pretty much ended the way it began, with the prosecution claiming the Kenyan government was blocking access to key documents for its case against President Uhuru Kenyatta and the defense arguing it was doing its best to comply.
At the end of the 2-hour hearing, prosecution lawyer Benjamin Gumpert summed up his frustrations.
"We are, I would respectfully submit, deadlocked.”
Kenya's President faces 5 counts at the ICC for his alleged role in overseeing post-election violence in late 2007 and early 2008.
Lisa Bryant, Paris.
A new report says at least 11,000 people have been killed as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency in northeastern Nigeria.
The estimate comes from researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, who compiled a database on deadly violence in Nigeria that goes back to 1998.
At least 8 militants are dead in northwest Pakistan following 2 suspected U.S. drone strikes on Tuesday on Taliban compounds. Both attacks happened in the North Waziristan tribal region.
As Islamic State militants continue to terrorize Iraqi civilians, the U.N. warns it is struggling to cope with the humanitarian needs of almost 2,000,000 people displaced by violence in that country. VOA's Margaret Besheer reports.
The U.N.'s deputy humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, Kevin Kennedy, said via a video link from Irbil that there needs to be a sustained international effort to address the growing humanitarian crisis.
"While we understand that the world's attention is focused primarily on the very serious security situation in Iraq and the region, we believe the humanitarian situation - which is the other side of the coin - deserves equal serious consideration and the full support of all who can lend a hand.”
Kennedy said the U.N. and its partners are facing 3 major challenges - reaching those in need because they are spread among 1,500 locations in Iraq, some not under government control; a shortage of shelter, and the impending winter.
Margaret Besheer, VOA news, the United Nations.
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry will be announced today.
On Tuesday, 2 Japanese scientists and a Japanese-born American physicist were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics for their invention of the environmentally-friendly blue light emitting diodes commonly known as LEDs.
The 3 were honored for their work in the 1990s in creating energy-efficient white light from semiconductors.
American officials say they are working to reduce visa delays that have affected foreign science students, researchers and others. The delays involve a security clearance process called Visas Mantis. Through this program, different government agencies try to identify visa applicants who could threaten national security.
The aim is to protect American military technology or technology with possible military uses to other countries or to terrorists. A two thousand five report said that seventy percent of Mantis requests came from China, Russia and Ukraine.
The United States strengthened its visa requirements after the terrorist attacks in two thousand one. But the Visas Mantis program already existed by then. The State Department combined several programs dating to the Cold War into the current program in nineteen ninety-eight.
There have been delays before. Officials said the average processing time in October of two thousand three was seventy-five days. The wait was cut to fifteen days under pressure from Congress. But the wait time has increased again over the past year.
Andy Laine, a State Department spokesman, says the program now has more workers and new procedures. He says the changes went into effect on May twenty-ninth with the goal to process all requests within two weeks.
But he also says many visas are delayed because foreign students do not bring all their paperwork when requesting their travel documents. He advises students to make an appointment at an American embassy or consulate as soon as they are accepted to a school. They should take all their acceptance materials with them.
Higher education groups complained about the delays for foreign science students and scholars. So did professional groups that hold international conferences in the United States.
The delays may be one reason why graduate school applications from international students have slowed for the third year. Early findings show that applications rose just four percent from two thousand eight to two thousand nine.
The Council of Graduate Schools says this followed an increase of six percent last year and nine percent the year before that. International applications increased by twelve percent from two thousand five to two thousand six.
And that's the VOA Special English EDUCATION REPORT, written by Nancy Steinbach. Earlier reports in our Foreign Student Series are at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Bob Doughty.
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text
Tuesday, October 7th, 2014
From Washington, this is VOA news. A nurse in Spain becomes the first person to contract Ebola outside of West Africa's epidemic, and Australia's military joins a U.S.-led mission against Islamic State militants. I'm Michael Lipin reporting from Washington.
A Spanish nurse who treated an Ebola patient in Madrid has contracted the virus, becoming the first person to be infected outside of West Africa.
Spanish health officials said Monday the nurse was part of a medical team that treated a 69-year-old Spanish priest who died of Ebola in a Madrid hospital last month. The priest had been flown back from Sierra Leone, where he became infected.
U.S. President Barack Obama said he believes the chances of an Ebola outbreak in the United States are "extremely low.”
Speaking Monday, Mr. Obama said his administration is working on systems to screen airline passengers to identify people who might have the deadly virus. He also pledged to continue support for West African nations fighting the virus.
Australian war planes have flew their first combat missions over Iraq.
Australia's Defense Ministry said Monday two of its aircraft conducted the mission overnight in northern Iraq but did not fire on any targets.
The Australian military action is part of a U.S.-led effort to combat Islamic State militants who have taken over large parts of Iraq and Syria.
U.S. forces have conducted weeks of airstrikes against Islamic State targets in both nations.
The U.S. military said Sunday its most recent attacks involved destroying tanks and firing on militant positions in the Syrian towns of Raqqa and Al Mayadin, and hitting other targets near the Iraqi towns of Fallujah, Hit and Sinjar.
This is VOA news.
Hong Kong student activists leading a week-long occupation of city streets are set to have more talks with a government official on Tuesday to discuss how to start a dialogue on democratic reform.
The Hong Kong Federation of Students says it agreed on several terms of a public dialogue that could begin as early as this week. But it says there are still differences about what kinds of democratic reforms would be on the agenda.
Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said Monday his government's desire for a dialogue is sincere.
The activists have objected to a Chinese government ruling that Hong Kong can only elect its leader under universal suffrage in 2017 if candidates are vetted by a largely pro-Beijing committee.
Hong Kong officials have said they must abide by that ruling.
More reports about the Hong Kong protests have been among the top stories in global news programs in the past week. But Chinese state media have limited their coverage of the demonstrations and echoed Beijing's position that they are "illegal" and "doomed to fail." VOA's Bill Ide has more from the Chinese capital.
On the streets in Beijing, several people that we spoke with did not even know about the protests.
One Beijing resident and his friend told us they did not know about "Occupy Central" but began telling us about a recent spike in cases of dengue fever in Guangzhou, thinking that was the news we were referring to.
This older Beijing resident, surnamed Liu, says the United States has its own version of democracy and so does China.
He says China's version is both democratic and requires the centralization of authority. If there is democracy, but no central authority, then the country will be in chaos, he adds.
However, not all were convinced that the protests were bad.
One younger Beijing resident, surnamed Wang, says he has seen reports about the protests, but really does not understand what it is all about, adding that he would like to know more but cannot seem to find any information about their core demands.
Bill Ide, VOA news, Beijing.
The new head of NATO says the Western military alliance is concerned about the situation in Ukraine, which recently has seen repeated violations of a cease-fire between government forces and pro-Russian separatists.
Speaking in Poland on Monday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg [said] praised the Ukrainian government for, in his words, "doing a lot" to respect the cease-fire and reach a political solution to the conflict.
The former Norwegian prime minister also called on Russia to use "all of its influence" to ensure that the separatists respect the truce, as well.
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text
Tuesday, October 7th, 2014
From Washington, this is VOA news. A nurse in Spain becomes the first person to contract Ebola outside of West Africa's epidemic, and Australia's military joins a U.S.-led mission against Islamic State militants. I'm Michael Lipin reporting from Washington.
A Spanish nurse who treated an Ebola patient in Madrid has contracted the virus, becoming the first person to be infected outside of West Africa.
Spanish health officials said Monday the nurse was part of a medical team that treated a 69-year-old Spanish priest who died of Ebola in a Madrid hospital last month. The priest had been flown back from Sierra Leone, where he became infected.
U.S. President Barack Obama said he believes the chances of an Ebola outbreak in the United States are "extremely low.”
Speaking Monday, Mr. Obama said his administration is working on systems to screen airline passengers to identify people who might have the deadly virus. He also pledged to continue support for West African nations fighting the virus.
Australian war planes have flew their first combat missions over Iraq.
Australia's Defense Ministry said Monday two of its aircraft conducted the mission overnight in northern Iraq but did not fire on any targets.
The Australian military action is part of a U.S.-led effort to combat Islamic State militants who have taken over large parts of Iraq and Syria.
U.S. forces have conducted weeks of airstrikes against Islamic State targets in both nations.
The U.S. military said Sunday its most recent attacks involved destroying tanks and firing on militant positions in the Syrian towns of Raqqa and Al Mayadin, and hitting other targets near the Iraqi towns of Fallujah, Hit and Sinjar.
This is VOA news.
Hong Kong student activists leading a week-long occupation of city streets are set to have more talks with a government official on Tuesday to discuss how to start a dialogue on democratic reform.
The Hong Kong Federation of Students says it agreed on several terms of a public dialogue that could begin as early as this week. But it says there are still differences about what kinds of democratic reforms would be on the agenda.
Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said Monday his government's desire for a dialogue is sincere.
The activists have objected to a Chinese government ruling that Hong Kong can only elect its leader under universal suffrage in 2017 if candidates are vetted by a largely pro-Beijing committee.
Hong Kong officials have said they must abide by that ruling.
More reports about the Hong Kong protests have been among the top stories in global news programs in the past week. But Chinese state media have limited their coverage of the demonstrations and echoed Beijing's position that they are "illegal" and "doomed to fail." VOA's Bill Ide has more from the Chinese capital.
On the streets in Beijing, several people that we spoke with did not even know about the protests.
One Beijing resident and his friend told us they did not know about "Occupy Central" but began telling us about a recent spike in cases of dengue fever in Guangzhou, thinking that was the news we were referring to.
This older Beijing resident, surnamed Liu, says the United States has its own version of democracy and so does China.
He says China's version is both democratic and requires the centralization of authority. If there is democracy, but no central authority, then the country will be in chaos, he adds.
However, not all were convinced that the protests were bad.
One younger Beijing resident, surnamed Wang, says he has seen reports about the protests, but really does not understand what it is all about, adding that he would like to know more but cannot seem to find any information about their core demands.
Bill Ide, VOA news, Beijing.
The new head of NATO says the Western military alliance is concerned about the situation in Ukraine, which recently has seen repeated violations of a cease-fire between government forces and pro-Russian separatists.
Speaking in Poland on Monday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg [said] praised the Ukrainian government for, in his words, "doing a lot" to respect the cease-fire and reach a political solution to the conflict.
The former Norwegian prime minister also called on Russia to use "all of its influence" to ensure that the separatists respect the truce, as well.
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text
Sunday, October 5th, 2014
From Washington, this is VOA news. Protesters rally in defiance in Hong Kong. An international presence against Ebola in Sierra Leone. I'm Vincent Bruce reporting from Washington.
Late Saturday, leaders of Hong Kong's main student union conditionally agreed to new negotiations with authorities.
Earlier in the day, it was Leung Chun-ying, chief executive of city's business district, declaring the city streets must be reopened by Monday morning.
That was soon followed by 1000s of defiant pro-democracy protesters staging a huge rally in the business district.
The health ministry of France says a French nurse who contracted Ebola in Liberia while working for Doctors Without Borders has recovered. She was treated at a hospital near Paris.
Also Saturday, a hospital in the German city of Hamburg says it has successfully treated and discharged a Senegalese scientist who contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone.
In Sierra Leone, Anthony Banbury of the United Nations talked about some of the emergency support offered by the world body.
"UNMEER will be focusing on supporting a logistics response, will be bringing in helicopters and cars and motorcycles so community mobilizing, mobilization workers can have better transportation access.”
The World Health Organization says the current outbreak of the disease-- the worst on record-- has infected more than 7,400 people in West Africa.
A suicide bomber has killed at least 4 people in a predominantly Shiite area of the Pakistani city of Quetta.
Police say the man detonated his explosives in a busy bazaar.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in the Hazara neighborhood.
This is VOA news.
The United States says the Swedish government's newly announced recognition of a Palestinian state is premature.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki: "We believe international recognition of a Palestinian state is premature. We certainly support Palestinian statehood, but it can only come through a negotiated outcome, a resolution of final status issues and mutual recognitions by both parties.”
Psaki said Israelis and Palestinians must be the ones to agree on the terms on how they live in the future two states.
Fighting in northern Syria continued Saturday as Islamic State militants continued closing in on a Kurdish town near the Turkish border.
Kurdish forces backed by U.S.-led airstrikes are trying to defend the town of Kobani from the militant advance.
The parents of U.S. aid worker Peter Kassig threatened in the Islamic State group's latest beheading video have appealed to his captors to "show mercy" and let him go.
Ed and Paula Kassig of the U.S. state of Indiana made their plea in a video statement released Saturday.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged to do everything possible to defeat the Islamic State militant group a day after the video surfaced showing the beheading of British aid worker Alan Henning.
After meeting with his security team, Cameron said in a broadcast message that the Islamic State group must be held responsible for Henning's murder.
"As a country what we must do with our allies is everything we can to defeat this organization in the region, but also to defeat it at home. And we must do everything we can to hunt down and find the people responsible for this.”
North and South Korean officials have agreed to resume high-level talks sometime in late October and early November. The talks have been stalled for several months.
The new agreement to hold talks follows a rare and sudden visit to South Korea by a delegation of 3 senior North Korean officials.
West African leaders hope to contain the spread of the Ebola virus by December of this year, but say it can only be done with a robust international help. Countries most hit by the deadly virus, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, are appealing to the international community to join the effort. They met at a U.S.- African forum in Washington DC.
U.S. officials say they do not believe a sick passenger removed from an international flight that landed at Newark Liberty International Airport in the northeast U.S. state of New Jersey is infected with the Ebola virus.
Officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dressed in hazmat suits met United Flight 998 from Brussels Saturday and escorted a man who had been vomiting and his daughter off the plane. They are believed to have come from Liberia.
There is more on all of these stories at our website voanews.com. I'm Vincent Bruce reporting from Washington.
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