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UN Imposes Sanctions on Former Yemen President

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The U.N. Security Council has imposed sanctions on Yemen's former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, and two Shiite Muslim leaders for threatening Yemeni peace and stability. The U.S.-sponsored sanctions include a worldwide travel ban and a freezing of foreign assets. The council agreed that Saleh had worked with the Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, in undermining efforts by the new president, Rabbu Mansour Hadi, to establish stability and democracy. A U.S. official who asked not to be named said the sanctions made it clear that the international community will not tolerate efforts to use violence to thwart the aspirations of the Yemeni people. Yemen has been in political upheaval since the former president was forced to step down in 2011. Earlier Friday, Yemen announced the formation of a new Cabinet, a key demand of the Houthis, who threatened a revolution if no government was named. Yemen's political factions signed a deal last week asking Hadi and Prime Minister Khaled Bahah to put together a politically neutral government committed to human rights. Houthis had given Hadi an ultimatum to form a new government by next week or face what they called "all revolutionary options." The new Cabinet includes General Mahmoud al-Subaihi, who is known for fighting al-Qaida, as defense minister, and veteran diplomat Abdullah al-Saaidi as foreign minister.

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Anti-Islamic State Coalition Fights Radical Jihadi Propaganda

The United States is urging its allies to counter the Islamic State’s slick propaganda campaign, which experts say appears to be generating tremendous appeal throughout the Middle East. But some analysts say defeating the militants on the battlefield is necessary to win the war for hearts and minds. VOA correspondent Meredith Buel reports.

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The Correspondents

The Correspondents is VOA’s weekly discussion of the world’s top stories, as seen through the eyes of our dedicated reporters in the US and around the globe. Hosted by Mil Arcega, our panel of journalists goes beyond the headlines to give listeners and viewer real context and understanding of what’s driving the story.

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Berlin Wall Anniversary

Burkhart Veigel was one of East Germany's most wanted men. A West Berliner in the 1960s, Veigel helped dig tunnels under the Berlin Wall.

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UN Nuclear Agency Makes No Progress in Iran Probe

Iran is failing to address suspicions it may have researched how to build an atomic bomb, a U.N. watchdog agency's report showed on Friday, potentially complicating efforts by six powers to reach a deal with Tehran on its nuclear program. The report by the International Atomic Energy Agency said Tehran had still not provided information about two specific areas of the IAEA's investigation that it was supposed to do more than two months ago. The confidential document was issued to IAEA member states less than three weeks before a self-imposed Nov. 24 deadline for Iran and the six global powers to end a decade-old standoff over the Islamic Republic's atomic activities. “Iran has not provided any explanations that enable the agency to clarify the outstanding practical measures,” the IAEA report said. It was referring to two steps that Iran had agreed to carry out by late August, to help clarify allegations of explosives tests and other activity that could be used to develop a nuclear weapons capability. Iran denies any nuclear weapons aims. The continuing deadlock in the IAEA's long-running inquiry suggests that any renewed headway will probably have to wait until after the negotiations between Iran and the United States, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia are concluded. Western officials say Iran must step up cooperation with the IAEA to help clarify its concerns as part of a broader diplomatic settlement, suggesting that some of the relief from sanctions the oil-producing country seeks will depend on this.

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Kyiv: Russian Weapons, Troops Are in East Ukraine

Ukraine says Russia has sent dozens of tanks, heavy weapons, ammunitions and soldiers into Kremlin-backed eastern Ukraine. Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council spokesman, Andriy Lysenko, said in a televised briefing Friday that at least 32 tanks, 16 howitzer artillery systems and 30 trucks loaded with ammunition and fighters from Russia crossed into separatist-held Ukrainian territory Thursday. "Supplies of military equipment and enemy fighters from the Russian Federation to the anti-terrorist operation zone are continuing," said Lysenko. "In particular, yesterday from the Russian territory in the direction of Krasny Luch town in the Luhansk region. The movement of military equipment consisting of 32 tanks, 16 D30 howitzer artillery systems, and 30 KAMAZ trucks carrying ammunition and fighters was reported.'' "If confirmed, these actions would be yet another blatant example of Russia's disregard for international law, and further evidence that Russia is not abiding by the commitments it signed up to in the Minsk agreements," said Pentagon spokeswoman Eileen Lainez. Lysenko also said five Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and more than a dozen wounded in fighting in the past 24 hours. Ukraine and the West have frequently accused Moscow of backing separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk with arms and troops. Russia has denied any direct role in the uprising, which has cost more than 4,000 lives since April.

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Will Lower Oil Prices Pressure Exporters?

The global price of oil has fallen sharply in recent months, providing some benefits to consumers and putting economic pressure on exporting countries, including two that are involved in disputes with the West. But as VOA’s Al Pessin reports from London, the impact on Iran and Russia may not be as great as some might expect.

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Success Seizing Trafficked Animals Leads to New Problem

An expanding crackdown in Southeast Asia on the trafficking of endangered species has led to a new challenge - what to do with the thousands of animals rescued every year.

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Man Wounded in Jerusalem Car Attack Dies

An Israeli hospital official said a second Israeli has died after a car attack on pedestrians in East Jerusalem earlier this week. Israeli police said a Palestinian driver deliberately rammed into a crowd Wednesday, killing a police officer and wounding several more people, including the young man of about 20 who succumbed to his injuries Friday. Police fatally shot the driver when he got out of the vehicle. The car attack followed a clash between Israeli police and dozens of Palestinians who threw rocks at the officers near a disputed Jerusalem holy site after Jewish nationalists announced plans to visit the area. The militant Islamist group Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. The ancient compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary, is a flash point in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In a move that drew international ire and triggered Jordan to recall its ambassador, Israel briefly closed al-Aqsa mosque inside the site last week amid growing unrest after police killed a suspected Palestinian gunman in a nearby Arab neighborhood. Access to al-Aqsa remains limited. Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld announced early Friday that heightened security measures would continue in Jerusalem's old city and that men under age 35 remained banned from the holy site.

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Murder-for-Hire Charge Dropped Against AC/DC Drummer

New Zealand prosecutors have dropped a murder-for-hire charge against the drummer for the legendary rock band AC/DC, just one day after it was filed. Police charged 60-year-old Phil Rudd Thursday with attempting to procure murder, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. But when prosecutors took over the case from police Friday, they quickly dropped the charge, saying there was not enough evidence to proceed. Rudd still faces a charge of threatening to kill, and possessing methamphetamine and marijuana. Local media reported Rudd was trying to hire a hit man to kill two men whose identities were not disclosed. The Australia-born Rudd, who now lives in New Zealand, left AC/DC in 1983, but rejoined the band in 1994. AC/DC is one of the highest-grossing bands of all-time, with hit songs that include "Back in Black," "Thunderstruck" and "You Shook Me All Night Long." The band is due to release a new album, titled "Rock or Bust" next month. Earlier this year, the band announced that rhythm guitarist and founding member Malcom Young was leaving the group. His family said the 61-year-old Young is suffering from dementia.

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Former US Ambassador Under Federal Investigation

U.S. authorities are investigating a former American ambassador who until last month was advising the State Department on civilian aid to Pakistan. The Washington Post first reported Thursday that authorities last month searched the Washington home of Robin Raphel. According to the newspaper, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is leading a counterintelligence probe of the 67-year-old career diplomat. U.S. State Department officials confirmed that Raphel's security clearance was pulled in October, ending a contract she had with the government agency to advise of civilian aid to Pakistan. Raphel served as ambassador to Tunisia from 1997 to 2000 and was the assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs under former U.S. President Bill Clinton. She retired from the diplomatic corps in 2005 after 30 years and went on to work as a contractor with the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad in 2009. Most recently, Raphel worked in Washington in the State Department's office of the U.S. Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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German Rail Strike to Affect Berlin Anniversary Celebrations

Germany's capital is gearing up for the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall this weekend, but some people may not be able to make it to the celebrations because of a four-day strike by train drivers. The work stoppage affects not only long-distance and regional rail services, but also the local networks. Zlatica Hoke reports the strike, organized by the train drivers union, follows a series of shorter strikes, including a two-day walkout last month

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Paper: US Vets Reported Exposure to Chemical Agents in Iraq

More than 600 U.S. veterans of the Iraq War said they were exposed to chemical weapons agents since 2003 and that the Pentagon took little or no action, The New York Times reported Thursday. Thursday's report said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel discovered the incidents of exposure during an internal review of questionnaires that troops filled out at the end of their deployments in Iraq. A total of 629 service personnel reported exposure to degrading chemical agents in Iraq, including mustard gas agents. The Times reported that others also may have been exposed, including foreign soldiers, contractors and Iraqi troops and civilians. The newspaper said Pentagon officials failed to recognize the large number of reported cases or track affected soldiers to offer adequate medical treatment. It is unclear why the Pentagon failed to act, but defense officials said they will now reach out to veterans who report encounters with chemical agents.

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Republican Surge Changes Trade Politics

Some long-stalled trade agreements may move forward now that there is a new, Republican majority in the U.S. Senate. As VOA's Jim Randle reports from Washington, getting congressional approval for trade deals may require some unusual political alliances.

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Burkina Faso Leader Rejects AU Demand on Relinquishing Power

Burkina Faso's army-appointed leader has rejected a demand from the African Union that he return power to a civilian-led government within two weeks or risk sanctions. Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Zida said Thursday that "a council of elders" would select what he called an "eminent civilian personality" to lead the transitional government before elections next November. However, he said the process would not be rushed, either by international pressure or the growing unrest within Burkina Faso since the military seized power a week ago. "We are not afraid about the sanctions," Zida said, adding that stability for the "peaceful Burkina people" was more important. "Sanctions is not really our matter at this time." West African leaders The agreement on a transitional government was reached with the help of the presidents of Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal, who arrived Wednesday in the capital, Ouagadougou. A reporter for VOA on the scene said the heads of state asked politicians, religious leaders and civil society groups to each name three candidates to lead the transitional government. The United States continued Thursday to call for a civilian-led transition in Burkina Faso. Deposed President Blaise Compaore, whose resignation Friday ended his 27-year rule, is now in Ivory Coast. Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara said this week that Compaore was welcome to stay for as long as he wished.

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