VOA 60 - Your World in 60 seconds

VOA 60 - Your World in 60 seconds VOA60 brings you the daily news in sixty seconds for your region, anywhere around the world.

VOA 60 is a 1 minute overview of the day's top news stories -- comprised of compelling video clips with simple captions. It is short, concise, and straight to the point so that viewers will be able to get their daily dose of news in less time.

03/13/2025

VOA60 World PM update:

((UPDATE)) Pakistan: Hundreds of people attended funeral prayers on Thursday in the southwestern city of Quetta for victims of a recent train attack. Commandos rescued over 300 passengers from the insurgents, who killed 21 civilians and four troops.

((NEW)) Russia: President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia agrees in principle with the U.S. ceasefire proposal, but the terms need to be worked out and that it should lead to lasting peace.

((NEW)) Syria: A residential building was targeted by an Israeli airstrike in the capital, Damascus, which Israel's military said was a command center of the militant Palestinian Islamic Jihad group. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said hours after the strike on Thursday, "whoever attacks us or plans to attack us, we attack them."

Russia: Video posted on social media showed Russian forces raising the Russian flag and the flag of Russia's airborne forces over the town of Sudzha in the Kursk region, as Russia gains back territory lost to Ukrainian forces seven months ago.

((NEW)) Greece: Veteran conservative lawmaker Constantine Tassoulas was sworn in to a five-year term as the new president Thursday, as the government continues to face public anger over a deadly rail disaster two years ago.

03/13/2025

Angola: Direct peace talks between the Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 rebels will begin in the Angolan capital, Luanda, on March 18, Angola's presidency said in a statement Wednesday. Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi has until now rejected direct talks with the M23 and the government has not officially confirmed its participation.

Zimbabwe: The chair of the 16-nation southern African regional bloc SADC, Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa, announced Thursday that the group decided to end its military deployment to the eastern DR Congo after losing at least a dozen soldiers in conflict there in January.

South Africa: Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana outlined plans to shore up the budgets for health and defense for 2025 and proposed to raise the value-added tax (VAT) by 0.5% in his budget speech to parliament in Cape Town on Wednesday.

Ethiopia: Aid agencies distributing U.S. food aid in Ethiopia's war-affected Tigray region say they have had to stop feeding millions of people due to the Trump administration's restrictions on foreign aid. Authorities in Tigray say the cut will put between 1.2 and 1.4 million individuals at risk.

Zimbabwe: Former Olympic champion in swimming Kirsty Coventry is aiming to become the first African and first woman to become International Olympic Committee President at next Thursday's election. The 41-year-old Zimbabwean is one of seven contenders for the prestigious position.

03/13/2025

Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte said he will protect police and the military amid ICC case. Taiwan targets military personnel with identity cards from mainland China. And thousands in Nepal celebrate Holi. This is VOA60 Asia for March 13, 2025.

03/13/2025

VOA60 World for March 13:

Pakistan: Authorities have sent to Quetta hospital the bodies of 25 hostage passengers, including four paramilitary force soldiers, killed on a hijacked train travelling from Quetta to Peshawar.

Bosnia: The parliament of Republika Srpska adopted late Wednesday an initiative to amend its constitution, aiming to strip Bosnia's state institutions of their powers within Serb-majority territory, widely seen as a final step toward the secession of the Serb entity from Bosnia and threatening the 1995 peace accords that ended four years of war.

Russia: Video posted on social media showed Russian forces raising the Russian flag and the flag of Russia's airborne forces over the town of Sudzha in the Kursk region, as Russia gains back territory lost to Ukrainian forces seven months ago.

Argentina: Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Casa Rosada, the workplace of President Javier Milei, in Buenos Aires on Wednesday after police clashed with pensioners and soccer fans at another demonstration earlier in the day. Protests by pensioners have been held every Wednesday for weeks amid benefit cuts they say lowered their standard of living.

Italy: Pope Francis' recovery from double pneumonia continued Wednesday as a chest X-ray confirmed improvement, two days after doctors declared he’s no longer in imminent danger of death.

03/13/2025

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Wednesday to escalate a global trade war with further tariffs on European Union goods, as major U.S. trading partners, the EU and Canada, retaliated against his 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports.

During a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin Wednesday, President Trump added Ireland to the list of countries he says are taking advantage of the United States. Martin countered by noting Ireland's contributions to the U.S.

President Trump's Middle East special envoy, Steve Witkoff, arrived in Moscow on Thursday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Thursday that a 30-day ceasefire, proposed by the U.S. to pause the war in Ukraine, would simply give Kyiv's forces a respite.

A U.S. judge Wednesday extended his order blocking federal authorities from deporting a detained Columbia University student. The Trump administration is trying to deport Mahmoud Khalil, who is a legal U.S. resident, over his role in pro-Palestinian protests last year and accuses him, without evidence, of supporting Hamas, which Washington labels a terrorist group. Khalil has not been charged with any criminal offense.

NASA and SpaceX on Wednesday delayed the launch of a replacement crew to the International Space Station due to a technical problem. The new crew needs to get to the station so that two astronauts, who became stuck in space for nine months after a trip on Boeing's faulty Starliner capsule, can head home.

03/12/2025

VOA60 World PM update:

((NEW)) Pakistan: Authorities on Wednesday said an insurgent attack on a train carrying hundreds of people has ended, with all attackers killed following a daylong standoff. Some of the hostages taken were killed, but it is unclear how many. The Baloch Liberation Army group on Wednesday released video allegedly showing the attack.

((NEW)) Netherlands: A plane believed to be carrying former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte landed the Netherlands on Wednesday. Duterte was arrested in Manila airport on Tuesday on a warrant from the International Criminal Court over his alleged extrajudicial killings during his war on drugs.

U.S.: President Donald Trump officially increased tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25% on Wednesday. The European Union has announced countermeasures, imposing duties on U.S. industrial and farm products worth about $28 billion, starting April 1.

Somalia: A car bomb exploded Tuesday at a hotel in the central city of Beledweyne, kicking off an hours-long militant attack that killed an unknown number of people. The al-Qaida-affiliated al-Shabab claimed responsibility.

Greenland: The center-right Demokraatit Party won the territory’s election, in a surprise result that favors a party that supports independence from Denmark. The election drew far greater attention due to U.S. President Donald Trump’s stated goal of taking control of the island "one way or the other.''

03/12/2025

VOA60 World for March 12:

Pakistan: Security forces exchanged gunfire Wednesday with hundreds of separatist militants, as the security personnel attempted to rescue hundreds of people who were on board a hijacked train in Balochistan. Officials said at least 27 militants have been killed and more than 150 of the 450 passengers rescued. The Baloch Liberation Army group claimed responsibility for the attack.

U.S.: President Donald Trump officially increased tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25% on Wednesday. The European Union has announced countermeasures, imposing duties on U.S. industrial and farm products worth about $28 billion, starting April 1.

Somalia: A car bomb exploded Tuesday at a hotel in the central city of Beledweyne, kicking off an hours-long militant attack that killed an unknown number of people. The al-Qaida-affiliated al-Shabab claimed responsibility.

Greenland: The center-right Demokraatit Party won the territory’s election, in a surprise result that favors a party that supports independence from Denmark. The election drew far greater attention due to U.S. President Donald Trump’s stated goal of taking control of the island "one way or the other.''

Ukraine: Firefighters tackled a blaze in the city of Sumy in northern Ukraine after a Russian attack late on Tuesday. Russia attacked Ukraine with 133 Shahed drones and simulator drones of various types and three ballistic missiles, Ukraine’s Air Force said. Russia invaded Ukraine three years ago.

03/12/2025

Mauritius: Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam met his visiting Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, Wednesday in Port Louis to discuss bilateral ties, particularly in defense and maritime security. The Indian Ocean nation has been home to a joint British-U.S. military base since the 1970s.

03/12/2025

A memorial was held Tuesday for alleged victims of extra-judicial killings during the administration of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte in Manila. Duterte faces charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court after his arrest Tuesday.

U.S. President Donald Trump officially increased tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25% on Wednesday. China said Wednesday it would take "all necessary measures" to protect its interests in response to new U.S. tariffs.

The South Korean and U.S. armies held a combined air assault drill on Tuesday as part of the annual Freedom Shield exercise. Hours later North Korea fired several ballistic missiles into the sea. North Korea views the exercise as an invasion rehearsal.

Exiled Tibetans in India have rejected Beijing's assertion that the Dalai Lama's successor will be chosen by China. A statement came after the spiritual leader mentioned his future successor in a new book. China on Tuesday insisted that the Dalai Lama “should abide by the laws and regulations of the state” on the matter.

03/12/2025

U.S. President Donald Trump officially increased tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25% on Wednesday. The European Union has announced its own countermeasures, imposing duties on U.S. industrial and farm products worth about $28 billion starting April 1.

The United States decided to resume intelligence sharing and security assistance to Ukraine, after senior officials from the two countries met in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Ukraine Tuesday announced its readiness to accept a U.S. proposal for "an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire" in the war with Russia, pending Kremlin approval. The Kremlin had no immediate comment.

The Republican-majority U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday took a key step toward funding the federal government past a March 14 deadline by passing a short-term spending measure. The measure still must pass the Republican-majority Senate to be signed into law.

The U.S. Department of Education said on Tuesday it would lay off more than 1,300 of its employees as part of an effort to halve the organization's staff. President Trump campaigned on a promise to close the department. The union representing more than 2,800 agency workers said it would fight what it called the "draconian cuts."

The National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday recommended a ban on some helicopter flights after the January collision between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter that killed 67 people.

03/11/2025

VOA60 World PM update:

((NEW)) Philippines: A plane carrying former President Rodrigo Duterte took off from Manila on Tuesday night for The Hague in the Netherlands following his arrest on an ICC warrant after arriving with his family from Hong Kong.

((NEW)) Pakistan: Relatives of passengers taken hostage by separatist militants anxiously sought information about their loved ones on Tuesday at Quetta railway station in Balochistan, after militants with the Baloch Liberation Army attacked a train carrying hundreds of people and threatened to kill them if their demands were not met.

Russia: The Russian military on Tuesday said air defenses shot down 337 Ukrainian drones over 10 Russian regions overnight, in what appears to be the biggest Ukrainian drone attack on Russia in three years. The attack killed one person and wounded multiple others, officials said. There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials on the attack.

Italy: Doctors upgraded the prognosis for Pope Francis on Tuesday, saying he is no longer in imminent danger of death from the double pneumonia that has kept him hospitalized for nearly a month in the longest and gravest threat to his 12-year papacy.

Saudi Arabia: High-stakes talks between Ukraine and the United States started Tuesday in the Red Sea port town of Jeddah. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hopes the talks will revive "pragmatic" U.S. ties after his contentious meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump last month.

03/11/2025

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is arrested on an ICC warrant. Japan commemorates 14 years since the Fukushima earthquake. And Asian stock markets drop on U.S. trade concerns. This is VOA60 Asia for March 11, 2025.

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