VOA news for Tuesday, September 13th, 2016

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• published: 13 Sep 2016
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VOA news for Tuesday, September 13th, 2016 Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm David DeForest reporting. A cease-fire goes into effect in Syria. The truce calls for an initial 48-hour, renewable, cease-fire at any location where anti-government forces are operating. "The earliest reports are that there is some reduction in violence as well as a few reports of fighting here and there.” U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry declared it may be the last chance to preserve the country fractured by five years of civil war. The joint U.S.-Russia accord stipulates that aid agencies should not be impeded from reaching towns and areas in need of help. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is skipping a campaign to California after being diagnosed with pneumonia. The Clinton campaign says her doctor gave Clinton antibiotics and advised her to rest. Here is New York University ethicist Arthur Caplan: "I think pneumonia is a common condition. It often is undiagnosed in people. It's something that you treat with antibiotics, usually, and rest and making sure that people have liquids. I don't think it's gonna impair her in any way from running the campaign.” Clinton's Republican opponent, Donald Trump, told Fox news he hopes she gets well soon. Trump said he plans to release the results of a physical exam he had during the past week. Clinton at 68 and Trump at 70 are among the oldest candidates ever to seek the U.S. presidency. The U.S. and its allies have responded to North Korea's fifth nuclear test conducted on Friday with calls for new sanctions. China is giving off ambiguous signals about whether it will support any additional actions against its traditional ally. South Korea's president held an emergency meeting with political leaders on Monday. This is VOA news. A human rights group says it has found evidence of war profiteering by some of South Sudan's top political leaders. Actor George Clooney and activist John Prendergast are the co-founders of the rights group Sentry. Here is Clooney: "This morning we're prepared to give evidence of massive criminal behavior by the president of South Sudan and by his opposition, the ousted vice president of South Sudan and their generals.” The two shared the findings Monday at a news conference in Washington. The report accuses South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, former first Vice President Riek Machar and South Sudanese generals of stealing millions of dollars from state coffers. Afghan officials say security forces Monday killed two suicide bombers, ending a two-hour siege at a hospital in Kandahar. The gunfight also left an officer of Afghanistan's intelligence agency dead. Officials said the siege began after two assailants wearing suicide vests stormed the Mirwais Hospital compound in Kandahar and opened fire at security guards. The assault took place shortly before the provincial governor was due to arrive. A spokesman says patients, attendants and staff were all not harmed. Gulf Arab states are expressing concern about a bill that was passed in the U.S. Congress that would allow families of the victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S. to sue the Saudi government for allegedly supporting terrorism. The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, of which Saudi Arabia is a key member, said the legislation "contravenes the foundations and principles of relations between states, notably sovereign immunity.” The U.S. House of Representatives passed the legislation Friday despite White House threats to veto the bill. The Senate passed the bill last May. Police in southeastern Turkey said a car bomb on Monday in the city of Van wounded at least 48 people. The blast happened in an area between the local offices of the ruling AKP party and the governor's office. It was not immediately clear who was responsible. The Philippine president says he wants all U.S. forces out of his country's south where they have been advising local troops battling Muslim extremists. Speaking before newly-appointed government officials on Monday, Rodrigo Duterte blamed the U.S. for the restiveness of Muslim militants in the region. It is the first time he has publicly opposed the presence of American troops in the country. Mr. Duterte did not set any deadline or say how the withdrawal would proceed. The State Department characterized Mr. Duterte's comments as "unhelpful.” A spokesman said the U.S. has not received any official communication on the matter and remains committed to its alliance with the Philippines. Looking at markets, on Wall Street, U.S. stock indexes were up at the close of trade today. In Washington, I'm David DeForest. That's the latest world news from VOA.