VOA news for Saturday, July 5th, 2014 скачать в хорошем качестве

VOA news for Saturday, July 5th, 2014

Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text Saturday, July 5th, 2014 From Washington, this is VOA news. Iraqi prime minister vows to stay in office. Negotiations with Boko Haram sought by northern Nigerians. I'm Vincent Bruce reporting from Washington. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is vowing to fight for a third term in office despite growing pressure for him to step down. In a statement read on state television by an announcer Friday, Mr. Maliki said "I will never give up my candidacy for the post of prime minister." He vowed to remain in office until the Islamic militants who have overrun large areas of the country are defeated. Mr. Maliki's alliance of Shiite parties won parliamentary elections in April. But since then Sunni Islamist militants have captured large areas of northern and western Iraq and thrown the country into crisis. The country's leading Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, said Friday that parliament's inability to quickly form a new government was a "regrettable failure." Israeli police have clashed with Palestinian protesters in East Jerusalem as thousands of people gathered to mourn the Palestinian teenager killed in a suspected revenge attack. Palestinian demonstrators threw rocks at Israeli police and were met with tear gas and stun grenades Friday in a third day of angry protests. Israeli police had increased security in anticipation of more demonstrations following the funeral of Mohammed Abu Khudair. Friends and family buried the teen Friday in a cemetery in the Arab neighborhood of Shuafat. Khudair's body was found in a Jerusalem forest Wednesday about an hour after he was forced into a car by unknown kidnappers. Authorities say they are investigating whether the killing was in response to the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teens buried earlier in the week. More on these stories at voanews.com. In the northern Nigeria town of Chibok, residents are calling for the government to negotiate with Boko Haram militants to earn the freedom of 200 schoolgirls abducted nearly three months ago. Friday, members of the Chibok community held a news conference in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, where they also called for greater security to protect Chibok and surrounding areas from Boko Haram. There is still no reply from Russia or separatist leaders in Ukraine to Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko's request for a new round of talks on Saturday. Mr. Poroshenko said he suggested a time and place for the talks during a phone call with European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. He said he is waiting for the other side to confirm. South Sudan is preparing to mark three years of independence on July 9th. But an ongoing conflict and faltering peace process have prompted some serious soul-searching about the political future. VOA's Gabe Joselow reports on efforts to push a political reset in the form of a transitional government. While it should be a time of celebration, South Sudan continues to be torn apart by a power dispute between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar that turned violent late last year. The two leaders agreed in May to establish a "transitional government of national unity." A month later on June 10th, they set a 60-day deadline to form the interim government. But talks between the two sides have once again broken down due to opposition complaints about the exclusion of displaced people and groups in exile from the talks. Meanwhile, a group of British aid agencies warned this week that conflict, displacement and a lack of donor funds could push some populations into famine in the coming weeks. Gabe Joselow, VOA news, Nairobi.