VOA NEWS
December 24, 2017
From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm Richard Sheehe reporting.
Philippine police and disaster officials say at least 133 people are dead and dozens missing after a tropical storm triggered mudslides and floods.
Multiple deaths were reported on Friday.
Police say 12,000 people have left their homes for higher ground.
The Philippines see(s) about 20 typhoons and storms each year, especially in December.
The U.N. Security Council unanimously agreed to impose another round of sanctions on North Korea, targeting sectors that fuel its illicit weapons programs.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un should take the resolution seriously.
"On November 29, Pyongyang launched an intercontinental ballistic missile -- this was another attempt by the Kim regime to masquerade as a great power while their people starve and their soldiers defect. But for the international community, this is an unprecedented challenge from a defiant state, so we have leveled an unprecedented response. This resolution ratchets up the pressure on North Korea even further, building on our last resolution, which included the strongest sanctions ever imposed on them."
The new resolution builds on those three earlier rounds of tough sanctions imposed on Pyongyang just in the past year.
Some council members also have noted that North Korea appears to be illegally exporting coal and acquiring prohibited oil through a network of deceptive shipping practices. In order to stop that, the new measures attempt to close loopholes in maritime interdiction and inspection regimes.
You can get more VOA news online at voanews.com also with social media, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. This is VOA news.
The man accused of deliberately driving into Christmas shoppers on a busy street in the Australian city of Melbourne has been charged with 18 counts of attempted murder. We get more from Grace Lee of Reuters.
Eighteen counts of attempted murder and one count of conduct endangering life. Those are the charges of Saeed Noori, who was behind the wheel in Thursday's vehicle attack in Melbourne.
He appeared in court on Saturday accused of deliberately ploughing into Christmas shoppers at one of the busiest intersections in the city.
Police say the 32-year-old is known to have mental problems and to use drugs, but they ruled out terrorism as a motive for the attack.
Noori will next appear in court on Wednesday. It's also been ordered for him to be assessed by psychologists.
Officials say 12 people are still in hospital, including three who are in critical condition.
The attack has prompted a plan for increased police presence at Melbourne events as the holiday season comes into full swing.
That's Grace Lee of Reuters.
In the United States, the FBI has arrested an American man who allegedly plotted a terrorist attack on a popular tourist site in San Francisco apparently to be carried out on Christmas Day.
Federal authorities announced Friday they arrested 26-year-old Everitt Aaron Jameson of Modesto, California, earlier this week.
Jameson allegedly told undercover FBI agents that he planned to target the heavily visited Pier 39 in San Francisco by remotely detonating explosives and then shooting people with a rifle as they fled.
Agents said they found a suicide note at Jameson's home, as well as rifles, a handgun, ammunition, and a last will and testament.
The U.S. is providing Ukraine with weapons in an effort to help the country with its fight against Russian-backed separatists in the eastern part of the country.
The U.S. State Department said in a statement Friday that the decision to supply Ukraine with "enhanced defensive capabilities" is in keeping with the effort to help Ukraine build long-term defense capability to defend its sovereignty. The statement added that the U.S. assistance is entirely "defensive in nature."
The California wildfire that continues to blaze through more than 100,000 hectares is now the largest wildfire in the state since 1932.
The so-called Thomas fire has been burning in Southern California since December 4 and has scorched more than 100,000 hectares.
Fire officials say that more than 2,800 fire personnel continue to battle the blaze. One firefighter lost his life and a civilian died as well.
Christians are planning to celebrate Christmas with celebrations in many countries under heightened security, especially in Muslim majority nations in the Middle East and Asia.
Pakistan's government says it's going to deploy several thousand more security personnel around churches. And Egyptian police say they'll be conducting regular searches of areas around churches for any problems.
I'm Richard Sheehe in Washington.
That's the latest world news from VOA.