VOA news for Tuesday, February 25th, 2014

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• published: 25 Feb 2014
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Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text Tuesday, February 25th, 2014 From Washington, this is VOA news. U.S. Defense Secretary Hagel proposes deepest cuts since World War II. Ukraine orders arrest of ousted President Yanukovych. I'm Ray Kouguell reporting from Washington. U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is proposing the largest cuts to the Army since before World War II. It comes at a time when the Obama administration is talking about the need for a smaller, more agile U.S. military force. VOA's Luis Ramirez reports. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said this is a time for reality at the Department of Defense, which now is required to bring its budget down to !$496,000,000,000 from a high of nearly !$700,000,000,000 at the height of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. "This will be the 1st budget to fully reflect the transition DoD is making after 13 years of war, the longest conflict in our nation's history." But the cuts go far beyond what the Pentagon was spending before the 2 conflicts. They include slashing an entire fleet of Cold War era A-10 attack jets and trimming the number of Army troops from the post-9/11 peak of !570,000 to between !440,000 and !450,000-- the lowest since 1940. Luis Ramirez, VOA news, at the Pentagon. The proposed cuts still need to be approved by Congress, where they are likely to face stiff opposition. The interim government in Ukraine issued an arrest warrant for ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, accusing him and other officials of mass murder of protesters. His whereabouts are not clear. VOA's Al Pessin has more from Kyiv. No 1 seems to know where he is but the interim government wants him found. The ousted President made his last public appearance on Saturday at a television station in eastern Ukraine-- his political stronghold-- and he was reported to be trying to flee the country. But while some in that part of Ukraine have taken to the streets to show their support, it seems no 1 in the capital expects Mr. Yanukovych to return. Dozens of parliament members from his party have been voting with the opposition since Friday when they voted him out of office. The parliament elected an interim President and he wants a new government formed by Tuesday to run the country until new Presidential elections set for May. Al Pessin, VOA news, Kyiv. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is questioning the legitimacy of the interim government. He says there is no one for the Russian government to communicate with in Ukraine and calls Mr. Yanukovych's removal essentially "an armed mutiny." The United States and Britain are warning Russia not to send forces into Ukraine. European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton traveled Monday to Kyiv, where she met with Ukraine parliament speaker Oleksandr Turchynov, who was made the country's acting President on Sunday. Egypt's interim prime minister announced the resignation of his cabinet in a surprise move that could pave the way for the country's military chief Abdel Fattah el-Sissi to declare his candidacy for President. Hazem el-Beblawi made the announcement Monday, but did not give a specific reason for the decision. A published report says Iraq signed a !$195,000,000 million deal to purchase weapons from Iran, breaking a U.N.-imposed embargo on weapons sales by Tehran. Reuters news agency says it will include light and medium arms, various types of ammunition, day and night vision goggles, protection against chemical agents and communication equipment. A spokesman for the Iraqi prime minister would not confirm or deny the sale, but said such a deal would be understandable given Iraq's current security troubles. Gunmen have killed a top Pakistani Taliban commander near the country's border with Afghanistan. VOA's Sharon Behn has details. Unidentified gunmen on Monday opened fire on a car carrying Taliban commander Asmatullah Shaheen, killing him and several militants traveling with him. According to Shaheen's relatives, the ambush took place in the militant stronghold of North Waziristan. It was unclear who was behind the attack, but local officials blamed rival Taliban factions. "The killing comes at a critical point in the government's peace efforts with the militants," says Interior Minister Choudhry Nisar Ali Kahn. He says, "God willing we will make this country a peaceful country, whatever it takes." Sharon Behn, VOA news, Islamabad. The United States is urging Uganda to repeal the new anti-gay law that President Yoweri Museveni signed on Monday. The White House says the law is an affront and a danger to Ugandan gays, and could undermine public health, including efforts to combat AIDS. I'm Ray Kouguell, VOA news. These and other stories on our website at voanews.com.