Input: UNECA Director Says Dangers in Guinea are Serious -The director of governance at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa says the current crisis in Guinea is a reflection of the internal conflict within the military

Guinea

Guinea

the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa

military

Dangers

director


Input: Bodies of people killed during a rally are seen at the capital's main mosque in Conakry, Guinea-Okey Onyejekwe warns that the entire West African region will be destabilized if Guinea becomes a failed state

mosque

Conakry, Guinea

Guinea

state

West African

region

people

Okey Onyejekwe

rally

people

killed

Conakry, Guinea


Input: But Onyejekwe says there has been resistance over the choice of Burkina Faso President Blaise Campoare as mediator of the crisis

Onyejekwe

Burkina Faso

Blaise Campoare


Input: “The choice of President Campaore itself was controversial among certain quarters, especially among the opposition and civil society groups who did not think he was going to be an honest broker

groups

Campaore


Input: And now with the leadership situation and the internal contestation for power within the military, it really makes it not worthwhile the effort to continue with it,” Onyejekwe argues

military


Input: He also expressed the hope that both the African Union and ECOWAS will intensify efforts to organize elections to ensure a return to constitutional rule

African Union

ECOWAS


Input: “The situation in Guinea is very serious and very fluid and extremely tense, and I do not think that the present leaders who are trying to fill the vacuum have the mandate to speak on behalf of (junta leader) Dadis Camara,” he said

Guinea

leader

Dadis Camara


Input: The talks were intended to reduce escalating tensions following a failed assassination attempt last week on the junta leader

leader


Input: “Coups d’état basically overthrow the hierarchical and regimentation that exists in the military

military


Input: Dadis Camara himself is a captain, but the issue here to me is a lot lager than that

Dadis Camara

captain


Input: It’s a reflection of the internal conflict that is brewing within the military and also outside the military,” Onyejekwe said

military

military


Input: Some political analysts believe suspension of the crisis talks undermines efforts by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to resolve the political crisis

Economic Community of West African

ECOWAS

analysts


Input: Critics Allege Rwanda’s Ruling Party Hindering Opposition Democracy Participation-In Rwanda, critics are reportedly accusing the ruling party of hindering the opposition’s full participation in the country’s democracy

Rwanda

Ruling Party

Hindering Opposition Democracy

party

Allege Rwanda’s

critics


Input: This comes after President Paul Kagame was re-elected chairman of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF)

Rwandan Patriotic Front

RPF

Paul Kagame

chairman


Input: “They have been saying that the ruling party doesn’t give out political space

party


Input: President Paul Kagame being elected was automatically expected by Rwandans,” Gasasira said

Paul Kagame


Input: Political observers tip incumbent President Paul Kagame to win next year’s election for another seven-year term

Paul Kagame


Input: Gasasira said several opposition parties are holding talks to form a coalition ahead of the election

coalition

parties

Gasasira


Input: President Kagame came to power shortly after the genocide

Kagame

genocide


Input: “On Friday, we got a press release whereby the opposition in the Diaspora which is in Netherland and other parts of Europe…they emerged (under) one umbrella

Europe


Input: They want to elect a presidential candidate to fight with President Kagame in the incoming presidential election,” Gasasira said

candidate

Kagame


Input: Tens of thousands were reportedly killed in Rwanda's genocide-Jean Bosco Gasasira, editor of the independent Umuvugizi Newspaper, said President Kagame is almost set to win next year’s election

Rwanda's

Umuvugizi Newspaper

Tens of thousands

Jean Bosco Gasasira

editor

Kagame

genocide

Rwanda's

killed

Rwanda's


Input: “Paul Kagame has been overwhelmingly elected as the incoming chairman of the ruling party, RPF

party

RPF

Paul Kagame

chairman


Input: Him being elected as the chairman of the ruling party automatically makes him the next presidential candidate in the general election which takes place in 2010,” he said

party

chairman

candidate


Input: Gasasira said Kagame’s election was expected

Gasasira

Kagame’s


Input: President Kagame’s RPF came to power shortly after the 1994 genocide

Kagame’s RPF


Input: Hundreds of thousands of Rwandans were killed in the 100-day massacre which was reportedly triggered by the assassination of former President Juvenal Habyarimana

Rwandans

Juvenal Habyarimana

massacre

Rwandans

assassination

Juvenal Habyarimana


Input: Gasasira said critics of Kagame’s administration are accusing the ruling party of hindering democracy -- a charge the RPF denies

administration

party

RPF

Gasasira

Kagame’s


Input: Government officials do not deny the massacre but blame unidentified "terrorists" for one of the deadliest incidents since the start of an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's administration more than a year ago

Government

administration

officials

Bashar al-Assad's


Input: United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the U.N.-Arab League envoy for Syria, Kofi Annan, condemned the violence

Syria

United Nations

U.N.-Arab League

Ban Ki-moon

envoy

Kofi Annan


Input: Responsibility -Syrian government TV charged that “terrorists” were responsible for the massacre in Houla

Syrian

Houla

government


Input: The government often refers to rebel soldiers and other opponents as “terrorists,” claiming that they are part of an outside plot to destabilize the country

country

government

soldiers


Input: Thousands of mourners turned out Saturday in Syria's largest city, Aleppo, to protest the killings

Syria's

city

Aleppo

mourners

protest

Aleppo


Input: Large student protests have roiled the city in recent days, after months of relative quiet compared to the rest of the country

city

country


Input: Other attacks -Anti-Syrian regime mourners chant slogans as they carry the body of soldier Khaled Shurbajy, who was shot by Syrian security forces in Dir el Zour last week after disobeying orders to fire on anti-Assad protesters, May 26, 2012-In the Qaddam district of Damascus, government security forces opened fire on mourners, causing a large crowd to scatter in all directions

Dir el Zour

Damascus

Qaddam district

regime

Syrian security forces

soldier

Khaled Shurbajy

anti-Assad protesters

government security forces

mourners

shot

Khaled Shurbajy

Syrian security forces

Dir el Zour

fire

Qaddam district


Input: Hilal Khashan, who teaches political science at the American University of Beirut, says he doubts the killings in Houla will provoke serious international outrage, since the world has grown weary of the conflict

Houla

world

the American University of Beirut

Hilal Khashan


Input: Amateur video -Handout photo released by Syrian opposition's Shaam News Network shows UN observers at hospital morgue before their burial in central Syrian town of Houla on May 26, 2012

Syrian

Syrian

town

Houla

hospital morgue

Shaam News Network

UN

observers


Input: Still, he sees the killings as a sign that the Assad government is slowly collapsing

government

Assad


Input: “There [is] no doubt in my mind, that Assad's regime is faltering, but it is dying hard," he said

regime

Assad's


Input: "Before the regime expires, it will take along with it a large number of innocent civilians.

regime


Input: Cease-fire -The killings in Houla strike another blow at a cease-fire brokered by Kofi Annan

Houla

Kofi Annan


Input: Close to 300 U.N. monitors are on the ground in Syria to observe the cease-fire which began on April 12, but violence is picking up again, after an initial lull

Syria

U.N.


Input: U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reported what he called “small progress” in implementing the plan, Friday

U.N.

Ban Ki-moon


Input: He went on to accuse the government of “unacceptable levels of violence and abuses.

government


Input: Amateur video shows families burying the dead from Friday's massacre between several long rows of cinder blocks

families


Input: As elsewhere in Syria, emotions in the cluster of towns that make up Houla are running high

Syria

Houla


Input: Witnesses say the killing began when government forces shelled the village of Teldau soon after Friday prayers

Teldau

government forces

shelled

Teldau


Input: A woman resident of Teldau claims on a video distributed by opposition forces that she and her daughters-in-law managed to escape the village after it came under attack from militiamen who destroyed part of her house

house

Teldau

village

woman

forces

daughters-in-law

militiamen


Input: Three Kurdish Activists Killed in Paris-Three Kurdish activists, including a founding member of the PKK militant group, were shot dead in what the French interior minister termed an "assassination.

Paris

French

PKK

militant group

Kurdish Activists

Kurdish activists

member

shot

member

Killed

Paris

dead

member


Input: 7 Japanese Confirmed Killed in Algeria -SEOUL — -Japan has confirmed that at least seven of its nationals died after they were taken hostage by militants in Algeria

Algeria

SEOUL

Japan

Algeria

Japanese

nationals

militants

Killed

Algeria


Input: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, late Monday in Tokyo, confirmed what had been feared in recent days - that most of the Japanese engineers unaccounted for at the besieged natural gas complex in the Algerian desert had been killed

complex

Japanese

Tokyo

Japanese

Algerian desert

Shinzo Abe

engineers

killed

engineers


Input: Algeria's government says at least 37 foreign nationals died after Islamists stormed the natural gas refinery at In Amenas last Wednesday

natural gas refinery

Algeria's

In Amenas

government

foreign nationals

Islamists

stormed

natural gas refinery

In Amenas


Input: Besides Japanese employees of the facility, American, British, French, Norwegian, Filipino and Romanian workers also died

facility

American

British

French

Norwegian

Romanian

Japanese employees

workers


Input: Japanese officials say they have unanswered questions about the response taken by Algeria's military

Japanese

Algeria's

military

officials


Input: Its forces on Thursday opened fire, saying the kidnappers were attempting to escape with some of the foreign hostages

forces


Input: Algeria says five of the attackers were captured alive Saturday

Algeria

attackers


Input: Undated photo obtained by ANI Mauritanian news agency reportedly shows former Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) emir Mokhtar Belmokhtar speaking at an undisclosed location

location

ANI Mauritanian

Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb

AQIM

news agency

Mokhtar Belmokhtar


Input: Islamist Mokhtar Belmokhtar, in a video posted on the Internet, has claimed responsibility

Mokhtar Belmokhtar


Input: He says he was acting in the name of al-Qaida and that the attack was conducted, in part, as a response to the French military operation against al-Qaida linked militants in Mali

French

Mali

al-Qaida

military

al-Qaida


Input: A Public Relations staff of JGC Corp answers reporters at its headquarters in Yokohama, in this photo taken by Kyodo, January 16, 2013

Yokohama

headquarters

JGC Corp

Kyodo

reporters


Input: Abe says the bodies of seven Japanese engineers were located in an Algerian hospital

hospital

Japanese

Algerian

Abe

engineers


Input: The prime minister says their deaths are "extremely regrettable" and the act of terrorism at the Japanese-built facility is "despicable" and "unforgivable.

facility

prime minister


Input: He adds that he is at a loss for words when thinking about the family members of those who were killed

members


Input: Abe says his government will continue working with the international community to fight terrorism

government

Abe


Input: Three more Japanese, who were employees of JGC Corporation, remain missing

JGC Corporation


Input: The prime minister says he has instructed his staff to take all possible measures to locate those who are still unaccounted for

minister


Input: Suicide Blast at Pakistan Court Complex-Officials in Peshawar say the attack involved at least one suicide bomber and several gunmen

Peshawar

Pakistan Court Complex

bomber

gunmen

attack


Input: [CDATA[*/-initInfographics(-{-groups:[],-params:[],-isMobile:true-})

groups


Input: India Angered by Prisoner's Death in Pakistan-The killing of an Indian prisoner by inmates in a Pakistani jail has fueled deep anger and demands for justice in India

jail

India

Pakistan

Indian

Pakistani

India

prisoner

killing

prisoner

jail


Input: Blast Targets Pakistani Security Personnel-The explosion in Quetta ripped through a vehicle used by security forces, killing at least 12 people -- 11 security personnel and a civilian

Pakistani

Quetta

Security Personnel

people

personnel

civilian

vehicle

Blast


Input: New Jersey Maintenance Workers Among Powerball Winners-A group of 16 maintenance workers from a county government garage in New Jersey share one of three winning tickets in the $448 million Powerball lottery jackpot, their boss said on Friday

New Jersey

New Jersey

Maintenance Workers

Powerball Winners

group

government

boss


Input: “Yes, we have 16 county workers from the Vehicle Maintenance Department who have won the lottery,” Ocean County Vehicle Maintenance Department Director Jim Pine told Reuters

Vehicle Maintenance Department

Ocean County Vehicle

Maintenance Department

Reuters

Jim Pine


Input: White, a divorced father of a 16-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter, savored his win at a news conference at lottery headquarters by recalling when he first realized he hit it big

headquarters

father

son

daughter


Input: “It's crazy, I've got to tell you,” White said of the moment on Thursday morning at Elliott Contracting in Minneapolis, where he works as a project engineer

Minneapolis

White

Elliott Contracting


Input: He jumped up and ran around the office, and asked several people to look at the ticket to verify the Powerball number of 32 and numbers 5-25-30-58-59

office


Input: He then went to the Minnesota Lottery office, where he chose to take a cash payment of $86 million, or $58.3 million after taxes, from his $149 million share of the total jackpot

Minnesota

Lottery office

He

went


Input: “I have been waiting for this moment all my life,” White said, after being asked why he came forward so quickly

White


Input: He was joined by Kim VanReese, 45, his partner of about 4-1/2 years; Ron Bowen, his boss; and Bowen's wife, Nancy Bowen, who works at the firm

firm

Kim VanReese

Ron Bowen

boss

Bowen's

wife

Nancy Bowen


Input: White, who said he had been looking at a used Acura NSX sports car before the jackpot, said he would not leave his employer in a lurch but added: “I don't want to work for anybody else for the rest of my life, I mean for a paycheck.

Acura

car


Input: New Jersey Lottery spokeswoman Judith Drucker said on Friday the owners of the two winning tickets sold in New Jersey, including the Ocean County group, have not come forward

New Jersey

New Jersey

Ocean County

Lottery

group

spokeswoman

Judith Drucker


Input: That prize was split among winners in Maryland, Kansas and Illinois

Maryland

Kansas

Illinois

winners


Input: The biggest single-winner Powerball jackpot, of $590.5 million, was claimed in June by an 84-year-old Florida woman who opted for a lump-sum payment of nearly $371 million rather than the 30-year option

Florida

woman


Input: Powerball tickets are sold in 43 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands

District of Columbia

U.S. Virgin Islands


Input: Five states - Kansas, Maryland, Delaware, North Dakota and Ohio - allow the winners to remain anonymous, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association

Kansas

Maryland

Delaware

North Dakota

Ohio

Multi-State Lottery Association

winners


Input: The third winner was in Minnesota, where he held a press conference on Thursday

Minnesota


Input: Pine said the winners would go public next week, although they have not yet decided when they will validate their ticket

winners


Input: “They are the most outstanding, dedicated group of people, and you'll be so pleased to meet them next week,” Pine said

group

Pine


Input: Winning tickets were sold at an Acme Markets store in the Jersey shore town of Little Egg Harbor and at a Super Stop & Shop supermarket in South Brunswick, said Judith Drucker, spokeswoman for the New Jersey Lottery

Jersey

town

South Brunswick

New Jersey

Little Egg Harbor

Acme Markets

Super Stop & Shop

Judith Drucker

spokeswoman


Input: He said he was so excited about winning he ran around the office of the Minneapolis contracting firm where he works

office

Minneapolis


Input: Zimbabwe Court Takes Up Mugabe Re-election Challenge-HARARE — -Zimbabwe’s Electoral Court has begun hearing Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s challenge of the re-election of President Robert Mugabe in the July 31 polls

Zimbabwe

HARARE

Zimbabwe’s Electoral Court

Mugabe

Morgan Tsvangirai’s

Robert Mugabe


Input: Mugabe's swearing in has been put on hold and investors have been cautious since the re-election of the 89-year-old leader because of his policy of seizing foreign owned firms

firms

investors

leader


Input: The election commission declared that Mugabe defeated Tsvangirai, 61 to 34 percent in the July 31 polls, which Tsvangirai is challenging

Mugabe


Input: He wants the election commission to produce all election material before the Constitutional Court hears the challenge of Mugabe’s re-election on Saturday

Constitutional Court


Input: Christopher Mugaga, an economist who heads Econometer Global Capital in Harare, says the stock market will only recover if Mugabe comes clear on the “indigenization” policy that was part of his election campaign

Harare

Econometer Global Capital

Christopher Mugaga

economist

Mugabe


Input: Indigenization refers to Zimbabwe’s policy of seizing the majority stake of foreign owed companies

companies


Input: "There has been speculation on how they are going to fund or finance the 51 percent stake the government is taking from foreign companies

government

companies

they

51 percent stake

fund

companies

finance

they

companies


Input: There is need for Mugabe to see to it that his indigenization policy does not appear as a vendetta or a slogan

Mugabe


Input: This week, Mugabe told delegates honoring the country’s heroes of independence that the “indigenization” policy has not affected this southern African country as critics say

country

African

Mugabe

delegates

heroes

critics


Input: Tsvangirai and his Movement for Democratic Change accuse the Zimbabwe Election Commission of rigging the election for Mugabe's Zanu PF party

Movement for Democratic Change

the Zimbabwe Election Commission

Mugabe's Zanu PF party

Tsvangirai


Input: “Zimbabwe's economy remains one of the most stable economies in the region for now," said Mugabe

region

Mugabe


Input: Ladies and Gentlemen, comrades and friends, the empowerment agenda remains central to government's priorities," he said

friends


Input: The election manifesto of Mugabe’s Zanu PF party was “Taking Back The Economy: Indigenize, Empower, Develop and Create Employment.’

Mugabe’s Zanu


Input: So far, investors seem to be at odds with that, as they are selling off their shares

investors


Input: A journalist checks his mobile phone outside the Constitutional Court in Harare, Aug. 9, 2013

Harare

Constitutional Court

journalist


Input: Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Court has until August 23 to decide the election dispute

Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Court


Input: If the case is dismissed, Mugabe will be sworn in within 48 hours

Mugabe


Input: Zimbabwe’s election is set to dominate a meeting of Southern African leaders in Malawi

Malawi

Southern African


Input: On Wednesday, they were at the Electoral Court to force the commission to produce all election materials

Electoral Court


Input: In 2008, African leaders refused to recognize an election in which Mugabe claimed victory over Tsvangirai

African

Mugabe


Input: They forced the two to form a fragile power-sharing government that ended with the July 31 elections

government


Input: The polls were Tsvangirai’s third attempt to defeat Mugabe, Zimbabwe's ruler since 1980

Mugabe


Input: Lewis Uriri, the lawyer for Tsvangirai, told reporters that the court reserved judgment

court

Lewis Uriri

lawyer

Tsvangirai

reporters


Input: MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai speaks at the burial of an activist in Harare, Aug. 14, 2013

Harare

MDC

leader

Morgan Tsvangirai

activist


Input: Bangladeshi 3G Network Launch to Usher in Internet-DHAKA, BANGLADESH — -Bangladesh's 160 million people will leap into the Internet era in October when high-speed mobile phone services are launched in the nation's two biggest cities

DHAKA

BANGLADESH

cities


Input: The country already has 107 million mobile phone users, but Internet services lag far behind, with barely 36,000 subscribers by either mobile or fixed lines

country


Input: Top Bangladeshi mobile phone operator Grameenphone said on Monday it will roll out a third-generation mobile network in parts of the capital Dhaka and port city Chittagong in October, reaching seven other cities by the end of the year

Bangladeshi

capital

Dhaka

city

Chittagong

network


Input: Grameenphone, which is majority owned by Norway's Eleanor, won 10 megahertz of 3G spectrum at a much-awaited auction on Sunday, paying $210 million

Grameenphone

Norway's Eleanor

$210 million


Input: “This marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Grameenphone and Bangladesh

Bangladesh


Input: The country is getting ready for the data centric era, and our mission is to help the nation move ahead through providing Internet for all,” Vivek Sood, chief executive of Grameenphone, said in a statement

country

nation

Vivek Sood

executive

Grameenphone


Input: Grameenphone plan-The company, which leads the mobile market with a 44 percent share, pledged to do its best to make 3G widely available through “affordable” packages

company

Grameenphone


Input: Around 47 million Bangladeshis live in poverty, according to a World Bank report released in June, although this number has fallen sharply over the last decade

World Bank


Input: Egyptian Orascom Telecom's Banglalink, Robi, a joint venture between Malaysia's Axiata Group and Japan's NTT DoCoMo, and Airtel, majority owned by India's Bharti Airtel, won bids for 5 megahertz of spectrum each at a price of $105 million

Egyptian Orascom Telecom's Banglalink, Robi

Malaysia's Axiata Group

Japan's NTT DoCoMo

Airtel

India's Bharti Airtel


Input: Rights Group Details Syrian Massacre-BEIRUT — -Atrocities and massacres have been regular occurrences in Syria’s two-and-half year civil war, but Human Rights Watch provided details Friday about one of the worst massacres carried out by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad

Syrian

BEIRUT

Syria’s

Human Rights Watch

Bashar al-Assad


Input: The Human Rights Watch (HRW) report documents in exacting detail the summary executions of 248 people by Syrian government forces and allied irregular units in the mainly Sunni Muslim towns of al-Bayda and Baniyas on May 2 and 3 this year

al-Bayda

Human Rights Watch

HRW

Syrian government forces

units

people


Input: Samira, the wife of one of the sons, said the four were forced into a next-door apartment along with a neighbor

apartment

Samira

wife

sons


Input: I started screaming to my father-in-law,” Samira told the HRW investigators

father-in-law

Samira

investigators


Input: “I ran to the window and saw around 20 soldiers leave the apartment.

apartment

soldiers


Input: “I first saw my husband’s body by the door,” Samira continued

Samira


Input: “The remaining three were in a room on top of each other

room


Input: Each of the men had three bullets in him

men

bullets


Input: But we were unable to get him to a hospital

hospital


Input: The dead included women and children, some of them infants

women

children

infants


Input: We moved the bodies into one room and covered them

room


Input: Nearby, soldiers entered the home of the Bayasi family, the HRW report said

home

HRW

soldiers

Bayasi

family

entered

soldiers

home


Input: According to three local residents, all the family members—nine men, three women, and 14 children—were executed with the exception of a three-year old girl who they said was wounded but survived

family members

men

women

children

girl


Input: A local resident, Majed, who was among the first to discover the corpses also shared his grisly story with HRW

HRW

resident

Majed


Input: “I was busy helping the surviving residents leave the town when the fiancé of one of the Bayasi women asked me to go with him to check on her," he said

town

Bayasi

women


Input: "We saw no one in the first room

room


Input: As we entered further into the house, we got to a room where we found so many corpses

house

room


Input: Mothers and children piled on top of each other

Mothers

children


Input: One mother was still covering her son

mother

son


Input: Click to enlarge-Shortly after the summary executions took place, the Syrian government acknowledged that its forces had been active in the towns—Sunni enclaves in a region overwhelmingly populated by pro-Assad Alawite Muslims—but insisted they had been battling “terrorists.

Syrian

towns

Sunni enclaves

region

government

forces


Input: I thought he may have survived, but as I turned her over, I saw that he had been also shot

he


Input: My friend’s fiancé was also killed

My friend’s fiancé


Input: We closed the windows of the house because we did not want any wild animals to come in.

house


Input: The HRW report also detailed a separate incident in which the wife of a man called Muhammad Shaker said she found her husband with bullet wounds to his head and shoulder

HRW

wife

man

Muhammad Shaker

husband

bullet


Input: His insides were all out,” she told HRW

HRW


Input: Cell phone video-The Human Rights Watch report includes cell phone video recordings made by survivors to support much of the testimony gathered by HRW

Human Rights Watch

HRW


Input: Some images of the dead – although only of dead men – also were shown the following days on Syrian state television

Syrian

state

men


Input: The dead men were said to be “terrorists.

men


Input: Syrian government officials denied that its forces had carried out a massacre of unarmed civilians, but Ali Haidar, minister of state for national reconciliation affairs, later told the Wall Street Journal that “mistakes” may have been made and that a government committee was investigating

Syrian

state

government

Wall Street Journal

government

committee

officials

forces

Ali Haidar

minister


Input: HRW investigators also spoke to survivors who discovered the bodies in the cell phone store in al-Bayda

HRW

investigators


Input: This citizen journalist image provided by The Syrian Revolution against Bashar Assad, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows Syrian army soldiers standing in front of dead bodies at Bayda village

Syrian

Syrian

Bayda

village

army

journalist

Bashar Assad

soldiers


Input: “What we saw inside it [the store] I cannot describe,” said Mohammad, an opposition activist

store

Mohammad

activist


Input: “The room was four meters by four meters

room


Input: Why al-Bayda and Baniyas were earmarked for such treatment isn’t clear, but some opposition activists say the executions were meant to encourage Sunni Muslims to leave the region

al-Bayda

Baniyas

region

Sunni Muslims


Input: Based on eyewitness testimony of survivors who saw or heard government and pro-government forces detain and then execute their relatives, the 68-page HRW report suggests the majority of those killed, generally by three bullets to the head, were non-combatants executed several hours after firefights between the army and rebels had ended

government

pro-government forces

army

relatives

bullets

detain

government

relatives

execute

government

relatives


Input: Both sides in Syria’s increasingly sectarian conflict, though, have committed atrocities

Syria’s


Input: Earlier this week, the United Nations commission charged with investigating human rights violations in Syria released an updated version of its findings listing a number of violations committed by both the rebels and Assad government forces

Syria

United Nations

government

Assad

forces


Input: “Government and pro-government forces have continued to conduct widespread attacks on the civilian population, committing murder, torture, rape and enforced disappearance,” the commission said

Government and pro-government forces

civilian population


Input: But the commission also noted that Syrian rebels “have committed war crimes, including murder, execution without due process, torture, hostage taking.

Syrian


Input: The commission said the Syrian government was responsible for eight massacres since the beginning of the year, while the rebels were responsible for one

Syrian

government


Input: According to the survivors, government forces started to ransack and loot houses early in the afternoon, and then rounded up the men, separating them from the women and children

houses

government

forces

men

women

children


Input: The men were either shot on the spot or moved to the main square and shot there

main square

men

shot

men

moved

men


Input: The bodies were later moved to a mobile phone store where they were partially burned, the HRW report said

mobile phone store

HRW

bodies


Input: Obama Speaks by Phone to Iran's Rouhani-WHITE HOUSE — -President Obama and Iran's president, Hassan Rouhani, have spoken by telephone, discussing efforts to resolve long-running international concerns over Iran's nuclear program

Iran's

Obama

Rouhani

Obama

Iran's

president

Hassan Rouhani

Speaks

Obama

spoken

Obama


Input: Even with the history of mistrust between the U.S. and Iran, Obama said, steps taken so far could offer hope for resolving the dispute over Iran's nuclear program

U.S.

Iran

Obama


Input: The very fact that this was the first communication between an American and an Iranian president since 1979 underscores the deep mistrust between our countries, but it also indicates the prospect of moving beyond that difficult history," said Obama

Iranian

countries

American

president

Obama


Input: Iran has always denied that the program is aimed at developing a nuclear weapon

Iran

weapon


Input: Obama again mentioned a "fatwa" by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khameini against the development of nuclear weapons, and a similar pledge by President Rouhani to the world body

Obama

Ayatollah Khameini

Rouhani

weapons


Input: He said the United States respects the right of Iran to access peaceful nuclear energy, in the context of Iran meeting its obligations

United States

Iran

Iran


Input: Obama said there is "a basis for resolution," but that the test of Iran's commitment will be meaningful, transparent and verifiable actions that could also bring Iran relief from economic sanctions

Iran

Obama


Input: "A path to a meaningful agreement will be difficult and at this point both sides have significant concerns that will have to be overcome, but I believe we have a responsibility to pursue diplomacy and we have a unique opportunity to make progress with the new leadership in Tehran," he said

Tehran


Input: The administration official said President Obama would engage in additional direct contacts with Rouhani if it would be helpful in resolving the Iranian nuclear issue

Iranian

administration

official

Obama

Rouhani


Input: Obama revealed his phone call with President Rouhani at the beginning of a previously unscheduled appearance in the White House briefing room

room

White House

Obama

Rouhani

call

Rouhani


Input: The official indicated that the meeting in New York between Secretary of State John Kerry and Iran's foreign minister created a "positive environment" for the phone call

New York

State

John Kerry

minister


Input: The official said the U.S. has been in touch with other governments about the conversation, including Israel and Gulf nations, and with members of Congress

U.S.

Israel

Gulf

Congress


Input: The official said Israel has "every right to be skeptical" given the history of inflammatory statements by Iran, but that the U.S. is trying to achieve an objective that would serve the security interests of the U.S., Israel and world

Israel

Iran

U.S.

U.S.

Israel


Input: On Capitol Hill, House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce credited "damaging sanctions" for getting the Iranian leader on the phone with Obama, adding that pressure must be maintained

Iranian

Capitol Hill

House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee

Ed Royce

leader

Obama


Input: Obama also spoke about what he called a "major diplomatic breakthrough," the path toward an expected United Nations Security Council vote on a binding resolution to place chemical weapons under international control

United Nations Security Council

Obama

weapons


Input: "I reiterated to President Rouhani what I said in New York

New York

Rouhani


Input: Although there will surely be important obstacles to moving forward and success is by no means guaranteed, I believe we can reach a comprehensive solution," said President Obama

Obama


Input: A senior administration official said the White House received word Friday morning that Rouhani wanted to talk with President Obama before the Iranian leader departed New York

Iranian

New York

administration

White House

official

Rouhani

Obama

leader


Input: The approximately 15-minute phone conversation was "cordial" and conducted through interpreters, with President Obama beginning by congratulating Rouhani for his victory in Iran's election

Iran's

Obama

Rouhani


Input: The administration official said the White House had also noticed President Rouhani's tweets to Obama, which expressed gratitude for his hospitality and the phone call

administration

White House

official

Rouhani's

Obama


Input: President Obama said he and the Iranian leader directed their teams to "continue working expeditiously" in cooperation with the P5+1 group of nations to pursue an agreement

Iranian

teams

group

Obama

leader


Input: Egyptian Police Fire Teargas at Student Protesters -CAIRO — -Egyptian police fired teargas at protesting students at Cairo's al-Azhar university on Wednesday hours after authorities announced the detention of Muslim Brotherhood leader Essam El-Erian, part of a crackdown against the Islamist movement

Egyptian

CAIRO

Egyptian

Cairo's al-Azhar university

Police

police

university

Muslim Brotherhood

students

Essam El-Erian


Input: Students at the country's top institution for Islamic teachings have been demonstrating for weeks in support of ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, whom the army toppled in July after mass protests against his rule

institution

army

Students

Mohamed Morsi


Input: Morsi, Erian and 12 other Brotherhood leaders are expected to go on trial on Monday on charges of inciting violence

Brotherhood

Morsi

Erian


Input: The charges relate to the deaths of about a dozen people in clashes outside the presidential palace last December after Morsi enraged protesters with a decree expanding his powers

palace

Morsi


Input: The trial of three senior Muslim Brotherhood leaders on charges of inciting violence was halted on Tuesday after the judge withdrew from the case for unexplained reasons

Muslim Brotherhood

judge


Input: The trials are likely to create more political upheaval in Egypt, which has a peace treaty with Israel and controls the Suez Canal, a vital global trade route

Egypt

Israel

the Suez Canal


Input: The Brotherhood, which demands Morsi's reinstatement, accuses the army of staging a coup that sabotaged democratic gains made since a popular uprising toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011

Brotherhood

army

Hosni Mubarak


Input: A man looks at bodies laid out in a make shift morgue after Egyptian security forces stormed two huge protest camps at the Rabaa al-Adawiya and Al-Nahda squares where supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi were camped, in Cairo, on August 14, 2013

morgue

camps

Egyptian

Cairo

Rabaa al-Adawiya and Al-Nahda

man

forces

Mohamed Morsi


Input: At least 1,000 people, including members of the security forces, were killed in the violence that followed Morsi's overthrow

members

Morsi's


Input: Hundreds of Morsi supporters were killed when police forces stormed two protest camps on Aug. 14

camps

Morsi

supporters

police forces

stormed

police forces

camps


Input: An Egyptian court in September banned the Muslim Brotherhood group and seized their funds to try to crush the movement, which the government accuses of inciting violence and terrorism

Egyptian

court

Muslim Brotherhood group

government


Input: The Brotherhood's discipline and hierarchy helped it win elections after the revolt that toppled Mubarak, eventually propelling Morsi into power

Mubarak

Morsi


Input: The head of al-Azhar university had called on the police to enter campus grounds to “protect souls and properties”, according to an interior ministry statement

campus

al-Azhar

university

police

interior ministry

ministry


Input: Now the army-led government and its supporters regard the Brotherhood as a terrorist group and enemy of the state

state

government

Brotherhood

group


Input: The security forces and police, feared and despised under Mubarak, are lauded for cracking down on the organization

police

organization

forces

Mubarak


Input: The Brotherhood says it is committed to peaceful protest

Brotherhood


Input: But as members go into hiding, its key building blocks - local groups of seven members known as usras - are under pressure

building

groups

members


Input: Critics of the government say it is becoming more authoritarian, stifling dissent and limiting freedom of speech

government


Input: Human rights groups and some liberal politicians have expressed alarm over a draft law under debate that would place severe restrictions on protests

groups


Input: New York-based Human Rights Watch said the law would give police carte blanche to ban protests in Egypt

Egypt

Human Rights Watch

police


Input: “This draft law would effectively mandate the police to ban all protests outright and to use force to disperse ongoing protests,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch

Middle East

police

Human Rights Watch

Sarah Leah Whitson

director


Input: “The final law will be an important indicator of the extent to which the new government is going to allow for political space in Egypt.

Egypt

government


Input: Student supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi carry a comrade injured during clashes with Egyptian security forces outside Al-Azhar university in Cairo on October 28, 2013

Egyptian

Cairo

Al-Azhar

university

Mohamed Morsi

comrade


Input: Demonstrations at Al-Azhar are a sensitive matter because the institution has historically toed the government line

Al-Azhar

institution

government

Demonstrations

Al-Azhar


Input: Erian, the deputy leader of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice party, was taken into custody early on Wednesday from a residence in New Cairo where he had been in hiding

residence

New Cairo

Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice party

Erian

leader


Input: “He's been arrested and details will soon be released,” an Interior Ministry source told Reuters

Interior Ministry

Reuters

He's

arrested


Input: Local media circulated a photo of what they described as the moment he was arrested, showing a smiling Erian standing next to a bed with two packed duffle bags

he

Erian

arrested


Input: Senior members of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood Mohamed Morsi, right, and Essam el-Erian hold a press conference on the latest situation in Egypt in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011

Egypt

Cairo

Egypt

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood

members

Mohamed Morsi

Essam el-Erian


Input: Indonesian Teen Pimps Offer Young Girls For Sex-Teenagers have always been involved in prostitution, but there’s increasing evidence that young people are getting involved on the business side of the trade -- teenaged girls are serving as pimps for other young girls

Indonesian

people

girls

girls


Input: In some ways, that helps to make child prostitution an invisible crime

child


Input: Bertone says society needs to address the needs of those children who become involved in prostitution

Bertone

children


Input: “I think the biggest problem is that girls in Indonesian society are not valued,” Bertone said

Indonesian

girls


Input: Bertone encourages authorities to introduce other ways of engaging young girls in more productive ways

girls


Input: Indonesia isn’t the only country reporting the phenomenon of teen pimps

Indonesia

country


Input: A web search found reports going back five years where authorities had arrested or charged teenagers for recruiting other teen girls for prostitution in at least a dozen countries, including the United States and Canada

authorities

countries

United States

Canada

teenagers

girls

arrested

teenagers

Canada


Input: Nowhere is the trend more pronounced than in Indonesia, where human trafficking and sex tourism involve up to 70,000 children each year, according to the U.N. International Labor Organization

Indonesia

U.N. International Labor Organization


Input: What’s new, however, are reports of girls as young as 14 serving as sex solicitors for other young girls

girls

girls


Input: Indonesia’s National Commission for Child Protection report 21 girls between 14 and 16 years of age have been caught working as “mamis” so far this year

Indonesia’s National Commission for Child Protection

girls

caught

girls


Input: “Even just two years ago, there was not much evidence of children pimping other children,” said Andrea Bertone, Director of HumanTrafficking.org

children

Andrea Bertone


Input: Bertone says the leap from victim to entrepreneur has been made easy for those savvy in the use of their smartphones

Bertone

entrepreneur


Input: Young people can use text messages and social media to book clients and make transactions, experts explain

clients


Input: Kerry on Iran Nukes: No Deal Better than Bad Deal-WASHINGTON — -U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says international negotiations over Iran’s nuclear ambitions will continue, but the United States will not rush to get a deal

Iran

WASHINGTON

U.S.

United States

State

Kerry

Secretary

John Kerry


Input: Kerry downplayed reports of differences between the United States and France at the latest round of talks concerning conditions Tehran would have to meet while a long-term solution is negotiated

United States

France

Tehran

Kerry


Input: “And I would say a number of nations, not just the French but ourselves and others, wanted to make sure that we had the tough language necessary, the clarity in the language necessary to be absolutely certain that we were doing the job and not granting more or doing something sloppily that could wind up with a mistake," Kerry said

French

Kerry


Input: Earlier, France said it was concerned that a proposed deal would not curb Iran's uranium enrichment

France


Input: Israel, meanwhile, warned against any deal that would leave some of Iran's nuclear fuel-making capacity intact

Israel


Input: Kerry sought to address objections voiced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli

Kerry

Benjamin Netanyahu


Input: “Nobody has talked about getting rid of the current architecture of sanctions," Kerry said

Kerry


Input: It seems to me that Israel is far safer if you make certain that Iran cannot continue the program.

Israel

Iran


Input: In Iran, President Hassan Rouhani said his country will not give up what it considers its nuclear rights, including uranium enrichment on Iranian soil, in any deal with international negotiators

Iran

country

Iranian

Hassan Rouhani


Input: Kerry appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press program after talks in Geneva failed to yield an accord between Iran and the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany

Geneva

Iran

Germany

Security Council

Kerry

appeared

Kerry


Input: “We always said, President Obama has been crystal clear, do not rush

Obama


Input: We need to get the right deal," Kerry said

Kerry


Input: Kerry said the United States will pursue peaceful avenues to keep Iran from possessing a nuclear weapon, but added that President Barack Obama “has taken no option off the table.

United States

Iran

Kerry

Barack Obama

weapon


Input: In the meantime, he said the United States and France agree on the need for caution

United States

France


Input: US Destroys 6 Tons of Ivor

US


Input: US Juggles Talks on Two Middle East Disputes-WASHINGTON — -The Obama administration is facing a scheduling crisis

US

WASHINGTON

administration

Obama


Input: It is involved in nearly simultaneous negotiations on two of the most contentious issues in the Middle East: Iran’s nuclear program and the Israeli-Palestinian dispute

Middle East


Input: And it is yet to be determined whether or not you have a third party, namely the United States that is prepared to do what is necessary—assuming all the other factors are in place.

United States


Input: “The tougher the US is on Iran, the more leverage it has pushing Israel toward concessions on the Palestinians,” Bard College Professor Walter Russell Meade predicted in an October blog post

US

Iran

Israel

Bard College

Walter Russell Meade


Input: “The more risks the Administration takes and concessions it makes to get a deal with Iran, the tighter the Israelis are tempted to circle the wagons.

Iran

wagons


Input: The Israeli Prime Minister seemed to confirm that point in remarks ahead of meeting Secretary of State John Kerry November 8

Israeli

State

Prime Minister

John Kerry

meeting

John Kerry


Input: “Israel is not obliged by this agreement and Israel will do everything it needs to do defend itself and to defend the security of its people,” Netanyahu said

Israel

Israel

Netanyahu


Input: Yousef Munayyer, Executive Director of Washington, DC-based Jerusalem Fund, explains that in international bargaining, there is always some linkage of the issues

Washington

Jerusalem

Yousef Munayyer


Input: “Those who link these two issues believe Netanyahu really wants the US to do something about Iran,” he said

US

Iran

Netanyahu


Input: “What I mean by that is that the Israeli Prime Minister has very successfully used the issue of Iran to deflect attention away from the incessant settlement expansion that has happened, particularly under his time in the premiership.

Israeli

Iran


Input: Pushing Iran to the top of the global agenda, says Munayyer, focuses international attention away from the peace process, where nothing has transpired

Iran

Munayyer


Input: And, on top of that, he says, “the Palestinian negotiating team has resigned.

Palestinian

team


Input: To the Administration’s way of thinking, as John Kerry recently told Israeli television, once Israel signs a peace deal with the Palestinians, the remaining 19 or 20 countries which have not made peace with Israel – will do so immediately

Israeli

Israel

Israel

John Kerry


Input: But for now Israel’s attention is focused on what will happen in Geneva

Geneva


Input: It also seems increasingly likely that any deal struck between the six world powers and Iran will be rejected by Israel, making Netanyahu even less willing to agree to any U.S. mediation efforts aimed at bringing Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table

Iran

Israel

U.S.

Netanyahu


Input: Aaron David Miller, Vice President for New Initiatives at the Washington-based Wilson Center’s Middle East Program, believes that the P5+1 nuclear talks with Iran were orchestrated based on a premise that if the US addressed Israel concerns on Iran, then Israel might then come to a deal with the Palestinians – something he says was a mistake

Iran

US

Israel

Iran

Israel

New Initiatives

Wilson Center’s Middle East Program

Aaron David Miller


Input: Miller believes the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations are in deep trouble, unrelated to what he calls the “ill-advised timing” of Iran talks

Iran

Miller


Input: “You have large gaps between the two sides

sides


Input: The IceCube Laboratory-/*<

IceCube Laboratory


Input: Burma Releases More Political Prisoners-Five prisoners were released Tuesday, December 31 as part of an amnesty announced by the Burmese government

Burma

Burmese

government

Political Prisoners

prisoners


Input: President Thein Sein vowed to release all remaining political prisoners by the end of the year, but rights groups say many still remain unjustly behind bars

groups

Thein Sein

prisoners


Input: Violence in Iraq's Anbar Province-Iraqi government troops have surrounded Fallujah, which was overrun along with most parts of the provincial capital, Ramadi, by al-Qaida fighters last week

Iraq's Anbar Province

Iraqi

Fallujah

capital

Ramadi

government

al-Qaida

troops

fighters

surrounded

troops

Fallujah


Input: Yemeni Guantanamo Detainees in Limbo-WASHINGTON, D.C. — -For 12 years Mahmoud Abd al-Aziz al-Mujahid, an alleged former bodyguard of Osama bin Laden, has been held as a detainee at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

Limbo

WASHINGTON

Cuba

Yemeni Guantanamo Detainees

Guantanamo Bay

Mahmoud Abd al-Aziz al-Mujahid

bodyguard

Osama bin Laden

held

Mahmoud Abd al-Aziz al-Mujahid

Guantanamo Bay


Input: The Yemeni native was among the original 20 “worst of the worst” enemy combatants to arrive at Guantanamo’s Camp X-Ray in January 2002

Yemeni

Guantanamo’s Camp X-Ray

combatants

arrive

combatants

Guantanamo’s Camp X-Ray


Input: As a former chief prosecutor at Guantanamo’s Office of Military Commissions for terrorism trials Morris Davis told VOA nearly a year ago, recidivism is inevitable

Guantanamo’s Office of Military Commissions

VOA

prosecutor

Morris Davis


Input: “If you sent the cleared detainees home, somebody in that group is going to do something stupid at some point in the future, and the president hasn’t been willing to have his name on that happening,” Davis said

home

group

you

detainees

president

Davis

sent

home


Input: He previously served as the U.S. deputy chief of mission in Yemen from 2004 to 2007

U.S.

Yemen


Input: Khoury says Yemen does not have the capacity to deal with returning detainees

Yemen

Khoury


Input: “One was something that they wanted--a modern prison system

prison


Input: About nine years ago, Saudi Arabia introduced the concept of ‘soft rehabilitation,’ based on the principle that terrorism can’t be defeated by force, but by incentive and religious reorientation

Saudi Arabia


Input: Saudi rehabilitation centers have been panned by some as being too soft – in at least one center, prisoners have access to an Olympic-size swimming pool, a sauna, a gym and television

Saudi


Input: Last week, after years of investigations, he was cleared for transfer to Yemen by the Pentagon

Yemen

Pentagon

he

transfer

Yemen

Pentagon


Input: But, as program director Said al-Bishi told AFP last May, "In order to fight terrorism, we must give them an intellectual and psychological balance... through dialogue and persuasion.

AFP

director

Said al-Bishi


Input: And, as Carnegie Endowment’s Christopher Boucek has noted, Saudi Arabia’s rehabilitation programs have had positive and “intriguing” results, with recidivist and re-arrest rates of only one to two percent

Saudi

Christopher Boucek


Input: Yemen has asked the US for $20 million to cover the cost of building such a facility which some observers say would be a bargain compared with the $800,000 per year the US spends keeping each detainee in Cuba

building

facility

Yemen

US

US

Cuba

observers


Input: These 56 men have never been charged with a crime and, like the others in Guantanamo, have been held in violation of international law for years,” she added

Guantanamo

men


Input: But like 56 other Yemenis slated for transfer, he is unlikely to return home until Yemen can show he is no longer a threat

home

Yemen

he


Input: In a major speech last May, President Obama pledged to “lift the moratorium” on Yemeni transfers and announced the appointment of new senior envoys charged with making those transfers happen

Yemeni

Obama

envoys


Input: Since then, the U.S. has transferred 11 detainees --Algerians, Saudis, Sudanese and Uighurs, but none to Yemen

U.S.

Algerians

Saudis

Sudanese

Uighurs

Yemen

detainees

transferred

U.S.

Sudanese


Input: Yemeni transfers halted for four years-Washington stopped transferring Yemenis from Guantanamo to authorities in Yemen in 2010, after learning that the so-called “underwear bomber” who attempted to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight in December 2009 had been trained by al-Qaida-linked militants in Yemen

Yemeni

Washington

Yemen

Yemen

Guantanamo

Northwest Airlines

Yemenis

who

militants

flight

transferring

Washington

Guantanamo

Yemen


Input: Since then, the fear among many officials is that in the lawless political climate of Yemen, repatriated Yemeni’s could pose a terrorist threat

Yemen

officials


Input: A September 2013 national intelligence report on the “reengagement” of former Guantanamo prisoners shows that out of a total of 603 detainees released, 100 or 16-percent have returned to terrorist or insurgent activities and another 74 or 12-percent are believed to have done so

Guantanamo


Input: MSF Says Thousands Flee into Bush in South Sudan State-Eight days after a cessation of hostilities agreement was signed for South Sudan, unrest in southern Unity state has forced thousands to flee into the bush, international medical aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Friday

Sudan State

South Sudan

Unity state

Bush

bush

MSF

group

Doctors Without Borders

MSF

Thousands

thousands

Flee

Bush


Input: "In the past three days, the situation became too unstable and the only way to provide medical care was to take patients out of the hospital and to flee with the population into the bush," MSF head of mission Raphael Gorgeu said

hospital

MSF

patients

Raphael Gorgeu


Input: MSF said that more than 10,000 people who had been displaced by fighting in the Unity state capital, Bentiu, and fled to Leer have been displaced a second time by the recent fighting

Unity state

capital

Bentiu

Leer

MSF

people

fled

Leer


Input: "The longer the population lives out in the open without adequate food, clean water or shelter, the more vulnerable they become to disease outbreaks and malnutrition," the medical aid group said

group


Input: During a visit to South Sudan this week, U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said some 3.7 million South Sudanese are "severely food insecure.

South Sudan

Sudanese

U.N.

Valerie Amos

visit

South Sudan

Valerie Amos


Input: Prior to the outbreak of fighting on Dec. 15, that number was one million, the U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, Toby Lanzer, said in a tweet

South Sudan

U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator

Toby Lanzer


Input: The number of civilians with acute & emergency food needs in #SouthSudan has risen from 1 million before 15 December to well over 3 million

civilians


Input: Seven of the 11 political detainees have been conditionally released to the custody of the Kenyan government, but South Sudan has said it has evidence to charge the remaining four with treason

South Sudan

Kenyan government

political detainees


Input: Although the cessation of hostilities agreement called for fighting to stop within 24 hours of the pact's signing, there have been reports of clashes around South Sudan, particularly in Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile states, which have seen some of the heaviest fighting of the six-week conflict

South Sudan

Jonglei, Unity

Upper Nile


Input: MSF repeated calls made in the cessation of hostilities agreement for parties to the South Sudan conflict to allow aid organizations access to affected communities, and allow patients to receive medical treatment irrespective of their origin or ethnicity

South Sudan

MSF

organizations

patients


Input: Among those who fled were some 240 South Sudanese MSF staff members, who took some of the most severely ill patients at Leer Hospital with them, the aid group said in a statement

South Sudanese MSF

Leer Hospital

aid group

members

patients


Input: Empty tins litter the ground at the looted compound of an aid agency in Malakal, South Sudan

compound

Malakal

South Sudan

agency


Input: The medical aid group two weeks ago suspended activities in Malakal, in Upper Nile state, after its facilities there were looted and its staff threatened

Malakal

state

Upper Nile

group


Input: A week earlier, MSF's compound in Bentiu

compound

Bentiu

MSF's


Input: MSF Executive Director Arjan Hehenkamp told VOA early this week that, in the largest state in South Sudan, Jonglei, only the town of Lankien still has a functioning secondary hospital after the medical facilities in the provincial capital, Bor, and the town of Akobo were closed because of heavy fighting

hospital

state

South Sudan

Jonglei

town

Lankien

capital

Bor

town

Akobo

MSF

VOA

Arjan Hehenkamp


Input: Patients who were able to flee on their own also left the hospital, which was completely empty on Friday, MSF said

hospital

MSF

Patients

left

Patients

hospital


Input: MSF said it was extremely worried for the safety and well-being of its staff members and patients

MSF

members

patients


Input: The only way to provide medical care was to take patients out of the hospital and to flee with the population into the bush

hospital

patients


Input: Since the current crisis began in December, more 860,000 people in South Sudan have been forced to flee their homes, according to a report released Friday by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

South Sudan

their homes

U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

OCHA

people


Input: An estimated 740,000 people are displaced inside South Sudan, with the largest increase in the past week in Unity state, in particular in oil-producing Leer and Koch counties, OCHA said

South Sudan

state

counties

Unity

OCHA


Input: Kerry Heading to Ukraine as Russia Tightens Grip on Crimea-Secretary of State John Kerry will be heading to Kyiv Monday for discussions there Tuesday, the U.S. top diplomat tweeted as Russia continued to assert increasing control over Ukraine's Crimean peninsula

Ukraine

Russia

Kyiv

U.S.

Russia

Crimea

Crimean

State

Kerry

Secretary

John Kerry

diplomat

Heading

Kerry

Ukraine

heading

John Kerry

Kyiv


Input: "Secretary Kerry will meet with senior representatives of Ukraine’s new government, leaders of the Rada (Ukraine's parliament), and members of civil society

Ukraine's

Ukraine’s new government

Rada

parliament

Kerry

representatives

leaders

members

meet

Kerry


Input: We, the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States and the President of the European Council and President of the European Commission, join together today to condemn the Russian Federation's clear violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” the G7 said in a statement

Canada

France

Germany

Italy

Japan

United Kingdom

United States

Russian

Ukraine

European Council

European Commission


Input: We have decided for the time being to suspend our participation in activities associated with the preparation of the scheduled G-8 Summit in Sochi in June,” the group said

Sochi

group


Input: Ukraine's new prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, said the Russian decision is a declaration of war

Russian

minister

Arseniy Yatsenyuk


Input: The pro-Western government in Kyiv, which ousted pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych last month, has appealed to the international community for help

Kyiv

government

Viktor Yanukovych


Input: Prime Minister Yatsenyuk said in an address from parliament Sunday "we are on the brink of disaster" and called for Russia to pull back its military and abide by international obligations

Russia

parliament

military

Yatsenyuk


Input: In Washington, Secretary Kerry on Sunday condemned Russia's “incredible act of aggression” in Ukraine and threatened economic sanctions by the United States and allies to isolate Moscow, but called for a peaceful resolution to the crisis

Washington

Ukraine

United States

allies

Moscow

Secretary

Kerry


Input: “You just don't in the 21st century behave in 19th century fashion by invading another country on completely trumped up pretext,” Kerry told the CBS program “Face the Nation.

country

CBS

Kerry


Input: News agencies in Moscow report Russian President Vladimir Putin told U.S. President Obama, in a Saturday telephone call, Moscow reserves the right to protect ethnic Russians in Crimea and eastern Ukraine

Moscow

Russian

U.S.

Moscow

Ukraine

Crimea

Vladimir Putin

Obama


Input: The Secretary will reaffirm the United States' strong support for Ukrainian sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and the right of the Ukrainian people to determine their own future, without outside interference or provocation," says a statement by the U.S. State Department

Ukrainian

Ukrainian

U.S. State Department

Secretary


Input: The autonomous Ukrainian republic, home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet, has an ethnic Russian majority and has historic ties to Moscow

Ukrainian

republic

Russian

Moscow

Russia's Black Sea Fleet


Input: Unidentified soldiers, widely believed to be Russian troops, took up positions around Simferopol

Russian

Simferopol

soldiers

troops


Input: Ukrainian soldiers and police seen on the streets appeared to be following an order from the region's pro-Russian prime minister to fall under his command or resign

streets

Ukrainian

police

soldiers

minister


Input: Russian political party flags and a Soviet banner fly at a war memorial in Crimea's capital, Simferopol, Ukraine, March 2, 2014

Russian

Soviet

Crimea's

Simferopol

Ukraine


Input: He dismissed the legitimacy of the new government in Kyiv, characterizing it as composed of extremists

government


Input: In Kyiv, meanwhile, prosecutors have opened a treason case against the newly-appointed head of Ukraine's Black Sea fleet, after he renounced his post and swore allegiance to pro-Russian leaders in Crimea

Kyiv

Ukraine's Black Sea

Crimea

prosecutors

fleet


Input: Authorities said Admiral Denys Berezovsky, appointed Saturday, offered no resistance later in the day when his headquarters in Sevastopol were surrounded by Russian troops

headquarters

Sevastopol

Russian

Denys Berezovsky

troops


Input: I will be headed to Kyiv, Ukraine tomorrow night for discussions there Tuesday

Kyiv

Ukraine

I

headed

Kyiv


Input: While the events in Crimea have as yet proved bloodless, fears are rising that in eastern Ukraine, with sizable factions both pro- and anti-Russian, any movement of Russian troops would provoke a far more inflammatory reaction

Ukraine

Russian

Crimea

troops


Input: NATO warning -NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Ramussen warned Moscow on Sunday it was threatening peace in Europe with its seizure of Crimea

Moscow

Europe

Crimea

NATO

NATO

Anders Fogh Ramussen


Input: He said NATO supports the right of the Ukrainian people to determine their future

Ukrainian

NATO


Input: He said Ukraine is a "valued" NATO partner and urged Russia to "de-escalate" the tension in the region

Ukraine

Russia

region

NATO


Input: Ukraine withdrew its coast guard vessels from two ports in Crimea and moved them to other Black Sea bases on Sunday

ports

bases

Ukraine

coast

Crimea

Black Sea

vessels

withdrew

Ukraine

vessels

ports

bases


Input: Ukraine's border guard said in a statement that vessels from the Crimean ports of Kerch and Sevastopol had been moved to Odessa and Mariupol

ports

Kerch

Odessa

Mariupol

Crimean

vessels

moved

vessels

ports

Mariupol


Input: The situation on Ukraine's frontiers was stable apart from in Crimea, the statement said

Crimea


Input: Putin has declared he has the right to invade Ukraine to protect Russian citizens

Ukraine

Russian

Putin


Input: Russian forces have seized Crimea, where they have a naval base at Sevastopol, but have not entered other parts of Ukraine

base

Russian

Sevastopol

Ukraine

Crimea

parts

forces

entered

forces


Input: On Saturday President Obama said the United States is suspending participation in meetings to prepare for the G8 economic summit later this year in Sochi, Russia

United States

Sochi

Russia

Obama


Input: Obama said the appropriate way to address this matter is by direct engagement with the Ukrainian government and through international monitors

Ukrainian

government

Obama


Input: Armed servicemen wait near Russian army vehicles outside a Ukrainian border guard post in the Crimean town of Balaclava, March 1, 2014

Russian

Ukrainian

town

Balaclava

border

Crimean

army

servicemen

vehicles


Input: Officials say Hagel told Shoygu that without a change on the ground, Russia is risking more regional instability, global isolation, and an escalation that would threaten European and international security

Russia

European

Hagel


Input: NATO ambassadors met Sunday in Brussels to discuss Ukraine

Brussels

Ukraine

NATO

ambassadors

met

Brussels


Input: A meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission was also scheduled

NATO-Ukraine Commission

meeting

NATO-Ukraine Commission


Input: Ukraine's U.N. Ambassador Yuriy Sergeyev pauses during a news conference following an U.N. Security Council meeting on his country's political crisis, Saturday, March 1, 2014, in the United Nations headquarters

headquarters

U.N.

U.N. Security Council

United Nations

Ambassador

Yuriy Sergeyev

conference

Yuriy Sergeyev

meeting

Yuriy Sergeyev


Input: In New York, the United Nations said now is the time for "cool heads to prevail.

New York

United Nations


Input: Ukrainian Ambassador Yuriy Sergeyev told the Security Council that 15,000 Russian troops are already in Crimea under the pretense of protecting Russian citizens

Ukrainian

Russian

Russian

Crimea

Security Council

Ambassador

Yuriy Sergeyev

troops


Input: Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin blamed the West for ratcheting up tensions in Ukraine and backing protests that ousted President Viktor Yanukovych last month

Russian

Ukraine

West

Ambassador

Vitaly Churkin

Viktor Yanukovych


Input: Also on Sunday, President Barack Obama spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron and Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski, according to senior administration officials

German

British

Polish

administration

Barack Obama

Angela Merkel

David Cameron

Bronislaw Komorowski

officials


Input: Russia has said its troop movements in Crimea, where it leases a naval base in Sevastopol, conform to agreements with Ukraine

base

Russia

Sevastopol

Ukraine

Crimea


Input: Crimea is a Black Sea peninsula placed under Ukrainian control in 1954 by then-Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev

Ukrainian

Crimea

Black Sea

Nikita Khrushchev


Input: It became part of Ukraine when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991

Ukraine

the Soviet Union


Input: Crimea has a tiny border with Russia on its far eastern point

Russia

Crimea

border


Input: Most of the people living in Crimea are ethnic Russians, but the region also is home to ethnic Muslim Tartars who generally show disdain toward Russia

Russia

Crimea

region


Input: Rallies in Russia-Police officers detain a protester in central Manezhnaya Square in Moscow, on March 2, 2014, during an unsanctioned rally against the Russia's military actions in Crimea

Russia

Moscow

Manezhnaya Square

Crimea

military

Police officers

protester

detain

Police officers

protester

Manezhnaya Square


Input: In Moscow and St. Petersburg, thousands of people turned out for officially sponsored demonstrations supporting Russia’s military thrust into Crimea

Moscow

St. Petersburg

Crimea

military


Input: Smaller anti-war demonstrations took place in both cities, resulting in about 300 arrests

cities


Input: Public opinion polls in Russia indicate that majorities of people here believe that the Ukraine’s largely Russian speaking peninsula should belong to Russia

Russia

Russia


Input: Hints emerged Sunday as to Russia’s goal in Crimea

Crimea


Input: The purpose of the talks, they said, was to re-state the "complete illegitimacy" of Russian action in Ukraine and discuss available responses

Russian

Ukraine


Input: Russian state news agency reported that a referendum scheduled for March 30 in Crimea will give voters the choice of: independence, continued autonomy within Ukraine, or annexation by Russia

Russian

state

Ukraine

Russia

Crimea

agency


Input: On a parallel track, Russia’s Duma is to debate next week a new law that would make it easier for Russia to absorb new territories

Russia

Russia’s Duma


Input: Under this legislation, local referendums would trump international treaties

trump


Input: VOA's Scott Stearns contributed to this report from Washington

Washington

Scott Stearns


Input: VOA's Elizabeth Arrott contributed from Simferopol, Ukraine

Simferopol

Ukraine

Elizabeth Arrott


Input: VOA's Jim Brooke contributed from Moscow

Moscow

Jim Brooke


Input: According to the officials, the U.S. and its allies are looking into offering an "off-ramp" if Moscow chooses to pursue its concerns diplomatically

U.S.

allies

Moscow

officials


Input: International tools, they said, are available to President Vladimir Putin to address concerns about the safety of ethnic Russians, such as through the United Nations and/or through monitors from the Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe

Europe

United Nations

Organization for Cooperation and Security

Vladimir Putin


Input: Pistorius Witness Describes 'Terrified' Screaming-Week four of the Oscar Pistorius trial began Monday with a neighbor saying she heard screams from both a woman and a man on the morning the athlete shot and killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp

Pistorius

'Terrified' Screaming

Oscar Pistorius

woman

man

athlete

Reeva Steenkamp

shot

athlete

Reeva Steenkamp

killed

athlete

Reeva Steenkamp


Input: The testimony from Anette Stipp was consistent with other witnesses who said they heard a woman's screams coming from the home of Pistorius around 3 a.m. on February 14, 2013

home

Anette Stipp

witnesses

Pistorius


Input: The South African court hearing the case said Monday that after a two-week recess in April, the trial will continue until May 16

South African

court


Input: Defense lawyers have argued neighbors were actually hearing Pistorius scream in a high-pitched voice

lawyers

Pistorius


Input: Pistorius has acknowledged killing Steenkamp, but says he thought he was shooting at an intruder through a bathroom door

bathroom

Pistorius

Steenkamp

he

intruder

killing

Pistorius

Steenkamp


Input: Questioned by prosecutor Gerrie Nel, Stipp testified that she heard gunshots followed by what she called "terrified, terrified screaming" from a woman

prosecutor

Gerrie Nel

Stipp

woman


Input: Stipp also said she heard a man screaming

Stipp

man


Input: The witness said she told her husband Johan, who testified earlier in the trial, that she thought a "family murder" had taken place

husband

Johan

family


Input: Pistorius has pleaded not guilty to charges of premeditated murder

Pistorius


Input: Thailand Charges Journalists for Human Trafficking Report-BANGKOK — -Two journalists in Thailand are facing criminal charges for publishing a story about Thai security forces' alleged involvement in trafficking Rohingya Muslims from Burma

Thailand

Thai

Burma

journalists


Input: The story was originally produced by the Reuters news agency, which this week won the Pulitzer Prize for international reporting for its coverage of the Rohingya issue

Reuters

agency


Input: FILE - Volunteers and police board vehicles before proceeding to Rohingya refugee camps to collect data for the census in Sittwe, March 31, 2014

Rohingya

Sittwe

police

board

vehicles


Input: Outbreaks of ethnic conflict in Burma in recent years have led to thousands of Rohingya, an ethnic minority who are denied citizenship in Burma, to flee the country, often by boat

Burma

Burma

country

Rohingya

boat

flee

Rohingya

country

boat


Input: This week Reuters won a Pulitzer Prize for a series of articles detailing the Rohingyas’ struggle to leave Burma and find refuge abroad

Burma

Reuters


Input: The report alleged Thai naval forces and police cooperate with human traffickers to send Rohingya to primitive jungle camps until their families can pay a ransom

Thai

Rohingya

police

forces

families


Input: Morison called the case against he and his colleague "spurious" and "deeply flawed.

Morison

colleague


Input: While praising Reuters on its award, he said the news agency had failed to provide support to Phuketwan in the case

Reuters

agency


Input: The London-based Reuters has made no comment on the charges against the two journalists

Reuters

journalists


Input: The Royal Thai Navy has not taken action against Reuters

Royal Thai Navy

Reuters


Input: Morison blames a mistranslation into Thai of the English language report published in Phuketwan, and said the Royal Thai Navy's legal action is a bid to close the website down because of its coverage of the Rohingya and human trafficking over several years

Thai

Royal Thai Navy's

Morison


Input: "It is all about one paragraph from Reuters that has been mistranslated by the Royal Thai Navy - it is a paragraph in which the Royal Thai Navy was not mentioned in the original English version, and yet in the Thai version that was presented to police, the Royal Thai Navy is mentioned three times," Morison noted

Thai

Reuters

Royal Thai Navy

Royal Thai Navy

police

Royal Thai Navy


Input: Thai reporter Chutima Sidasathian and Australian editor Alan Morison face charges brought by the Royal Thai Navy for criminal defamation and breaches of Thailand's tough Computer Crimes Act

Thai

Australian

the Royal Thai Navy

Chutima Sidasathian

editor

Alan Morison


Input: And we have no doubt that the Royal Thai Navy is out to shut down Phuketwan.

Royal Thai Navy


Input: Both reporters have received widespread support, including the International Commission of Jurists and U.N. rights groups and Thailand's own Human Rights commission

International Commission of Jurists

U.N.

groups

Human Rights commission

reporters


Input: Human Rights Watch deputy Asia director Phil Robertson said the Royal Thai navy appears to be seeking to pressure Phuketwan

Asia

Human Rights Watch

Royal Thai navy

director

Phil Robertson


Input: "This is a little bit about Thai navy payback where Phuketwan has been a thorn in the side of the Navy for many years in the handling of the Rohingya and the Navy is determined to put them through the ringer and sadly the Thai government - the prosecutor and also the political leadership appears to have washed their hands of this despite the fact that it's going to leave a very dark stain on Thailand's record for respecting media freedom," he said

Thai

Thai

Navy

Navy

government

prosecutor


Input: Both Morison and Chutima face five years in prison for computer crimes charges, and two years in prison for defamation charges

prison

prison

Morison

Chutima


Input: On the 2014 Reporters without Borders World Press Freedom Index Thailand is ranked 130 on a list of 180 countries

Borders World Press Freedom Index Thailand


Input: Morison, a former newspaper editor in Melbourne, Australia, established the website more than five years ago

Melbourne

Australia

newspaper

Morison

editor


Input: Morison said the charges are questionable and appear targeted at Chutima who had assisted Reuters journalists and other reporters on the story

Reuters

Morison

Chutima

journalists

reporters


Input: I am sure the manner in which [Chutima] has helped open up the Rohingya story to the international organizations is one of the reasons for this prosecution

organizations


Input: She has been the person who has, I guess, singularly opened up the Rohingya story to international media attention," he said

person


Input: Last July, Chutima and Morison published a news story that quoted material from Reuters alleging how "some Thai naval security forces work systematically with smugglers to profit" amid the surge of Muslim Rohingya fleeing Burma

Thai

Burma

Reuters

Morison

forces

smugglers

Muslim Rohingya

fleeing

Muslim Rohingya

Burma


Input: US Says It Does Not Recognize E. Ukraine Polls-The United States says it does not recognize the results of “so-called” referendums held on Sunday in eastern Ukraine, viewing them as "a transparent attempt to create disorder.

US

Ukraine

United States

Ukraine


Input: White House spokesman Jay Carney offered the assessment at a press briefing on Monday, a day after pro-Russia separatists held votes in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions claiming overwhelming popular support for the regions’ secession from Ukraine

Ukraine’s

Ukraine

Donetsk

Luhansk

White House

Jay Carney


Input: The authorities in Kyiv should also continue to respond to such acts with the maximum restraint and within the parameters of Ukrainian law and international human rights principles,” said Ban

Kyiv

Ukrainian


Input: FILE - Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, separatist mayor of Slovyansk in eastern Ukraine, holds up a referendum ballot

Slovyansk

Ukraine

Vyacheslav Ponomaryov

mayor


Input: Speaking a day after controversial referendums in eastern Ukraine, Vyacheslav Ponomaryov described Ukrainian troops there as occupiers

Ukraine

Ukrainian

Vyacheslav Ponomaryov

troops


Input: “They should go ... We're going to defend our territory,” he said in his sandbagged administrative building in Slovyansk, the most heavily defended rebel city in the east

building

Slovyansk

city

territory


Input: Earlier Monday, separatist leaders in Donetsk region appealed to Moscow to consider its absorption into the Russian Federation to “restore historic justice.

Donetsk

Moscow

Russian Federation

region


Input: Pro-Russian separatists in Luhansk region followed suit, the Associated Press reported

Luhansk

region

the Associated Press


Input: Similar moves precipitated Russia's annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region in March

Ukraine’s Crimea

region


Input: The call in Donetsk was made by Denis Pushilin, a leading member of the self-declared “Donetsk People's Republic,” at a news conference in the city

Donetsk

Donetsk People's Republic

city

Denis Pushilin


Input: "We do not recognize the results," Carney said

Carney


Input: "Based on the will of the people and on the restoration of a historic justice, we ask the Russian Federation to consider the absorption of the Donetsk People's Republic into the Russian Federation,” he said

Russian Federation

Donetsk People's Republic

Russian Federation


Input: Pushilin said Ukraine, Belarus and Russia - states that formed the core of the now defunct Soviet Union - belonged in a restored historic union

Ukraine

Belarus

Russia

Soviet Union

Pushilin


Input: The results of the Donetsk and Luhansk votes should be implemented peacefully, Russia said earlier, without saying what further action it might take

Donetsk

Russia


Input: Meanwhile, Moscow has called on Ukraine's government on Monday to hold a nationwide debate of the country's future structure in light of the poll results in the country’s east

Moscow

government


Input: However, he added that he wanted to "continue dialogue with those in the east of Ukraine who have no blood on their hands and who are ready to defend their goals in a legitimate way.

Ukraine


Input: Secessionist referendum official Alexander Malyhin holds a document as he speaks to journalists in the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk May 12, 2014

Ukrainian

city

Luhansk

Alexander Malyhin

journalists


Input: The European Union has also condemned the votes as illegal

The European Union


Input: He expressed disappointment that Russia not only did not use its leverage to forestall the votes but that Russian media even attempted to legitimize them

Russia

Russian


Input: European Union foreign ministers added two Crimean companies and 13 people to the bloc's sanctions list, EU diplomats said

Crimean

European Union

companies

EU

diplomats


Input: These are in addition to 48 Russians and Ukrainians who have already been targeted with EU asset freezes and visa bans

EU


Input: The EU ministers also hinted on Monday that any disruption of elections in Ukraine on May 25 could trigger new economic sanctions against Russia

Ukraine

Russia

EU


Input: But the EU remains far behind the United States in the severity of the sanctions it has imposed on Russia

United States

Russia

EU


Input: Some European governments fear tough trade sanctions on Russia could undermine their own economies, just recovering from the financial crisis, and provoke Russian retaliation

Russia

Russian

European


Input: Coup accusations-Turchynov also accused Russia of working to overthrow legitimate state authorities in Ukraine on Monday after pro-Russian rebels declared a resounding victory in referendums in Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions

Russia

state

Ukraine

Ukraine’s Donetsk

Luhansk

Turchynov


Input: Ukraine's May 25 election is intended to secure democratic continuity and legitimacy after pro-Moscow president Viktor Yanukovych fled the country in February, and Western governments have threatened more sanctions in the vital areas of energy, financial services and engineering if Moscow disrupts the vote

country

governments

Moscow

areas

Viktor Yanukovych


Input: A pro-Russian gunman stands guard outside an administrative building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk May 12, 2014

building

Ukrainian

city

Luhansk

gunman


Input: He also expressed concern over apparent efforts to disrupt Ukraine's presidential elections, scheduled for May 25, saying that international efforts should now be centered on allowing Ukraine to hold a free and fair poll

Ukraine

Ukraine


Input: Ukraine’s government is already struggling with its anti-separatist military campaign and is reported to be short on men

government

military

men


Input: Analysts say they fear the authorities are likely to rely on irregulars more and that the fighting could spread beyond the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, which voted Sunday

Donetsk

Luhansk


Input: Luhansk separatist leader Valery Bolotov said now that the plebiscites are over, his pro-Russian militiamen as well as separatists from Donetsk will start turning their attention elsewhere to help other regions agitate for a break from Ukraine

Donetsk

Ukraine

Valery Bolotov

militiamen


Input: He said separatists will not enter into any talks with Kyiv and that the only negotiations currently are about prisoner and hostage exchanges

prisoner


Input: TV wars-Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged Western ambassadors on Monday to base the reports they write for their countries about the crisis in Ukraine on what they see on Russian television

base

Russian

Ukraine

Russian

Western

Sergei Lavrov


Input: Lavrov accused Ukraine of blocking Russian television broadcasts onto its territory and, echoing charges by Kyiv about Moscow, said the fellow former Soviet republic's media were broadcasting lies about the crisis

Ukraine

Russian

Kyiv

Moscow

Soviet

territory

media

Lavrov


Input: They are trying to set up an information blockade and, with unbiased information closed off to viewers and radio listeners, run completely shameless lies,” Lavrov told a news conference

viewers

listeners

Lavrov


Input: “The ambassadors in Moscow obviously see what Russian TV is showing in live broadcasts and I am sure they are obliged to report to their capitals the facts they see live

Moscow

Russian


Input: Otherwise they would be doing a totally unprofessional job,” said Lavrov

Lavrov


Input: Russian media, most under direct or indirect government control, are widely viewed in the West as distorting news about events in Ukraine both for internal and external consumption

Russian

Ukraine

West

media

government


Input: Carney gave credit to Kyiv authorities for what he said were efforts to address grievances of residents of Ukraine's east through negotiations

Ukraine's

Kyiv

Carney


Input: Moscow turns up pressure on Kyiv-Russian state-controlled gas company Gazprom has reiterated its threat to stop supplying Ukraine with gas if it does not pay in advance for June deliveries, Russian news agencies reported on Monday

Moscow

Russian

Ukraine

Russian

company

Gazprom

agencies

pay

Gazprom

Ukraine


Input: Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said Gazprom will present Ukraine's state energy company Naftogaz with a bill for June on Tuesday, demanding payment by June 2, the reports said

state

Gazprom

company

Naftogaz

Alexei Miller

payment

Gazprom

Naftogaz


Input: Gazprom says Ukraine owes it $3.51 billion and has warned in recent weeks that it would demand pre-payment for gas from next month

Ukraine

Gazprom

$3.51 billion

owes

Gazprom

Ukraine


Input: President Vladimir Putin warned European gas customers last month that deliveries could be disrupted if Gazprom cuts supplies to transit nation Ukraine

nation

Ukraine

European

Vladimir Putin


Input: Jamie Dettmer contributed to this story from Donetsk

Donetsk

Jamie Dettmer


Input: Kyiv and Western governments have been accusing Moscow of orchestrating the current unrest in Ukraine’s east and south

governments

Moscow

Western

Ukraine’s


Input: U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for an end to the undermining of Ukraine's territorial integrity

U.N.

Ban Ki-moon


Input: Thai Coup Leaders Tighten Grip-BANGKOK — -The U.S. military has canceled training and readiness exercises with Thailand, as well as a visit to the Asian nation by U.S. Pacific Fleet commander originally scheduled for June, the Pentagon said Saturday

Thai

Thailand

nation

Asian

U.S. military

military

U.S. Pacific Fleet

Pentagon

Tighten Grip

commander


Input: "As we have made clear, it is important that the Royal Thai Armed Forces end this coup and restore to the people of Thailand both the principles and the process of democratic rule, including a clear path forward to elections," Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said in a statement

Thailand

Royal Thai Armed Forces

Pentagon

John Kirby


Input: Soldiers forced those protesters from their camps in the hours after the coup

camps


Input: The new anti-coup demonstrators managed to foil soldiers who blocked them from marching to the monument Saturday afternoon

monument

demonstrators

soldiers


Input: When troops cut off a major avenue on the march route, there were brief scuffles

troops


Input: But protesters hopped on the Bangkok “Skytrain” to circumvent the roadblock

roadblock

Bangkok


Input: Among those on the streets were Poongsa Poongchan, who said he spontaneously decided to join the march

streets

Poongsa Poongchan


Input: Independent researcher Art Werapong, at the rally at the monument, said he decided to participate even if it meant defying the military junta’s decree prohibiting public gatherings of more than five people

monument

military

researcher

Art Werapong

rally

Art Werapong

monument


Input: I’ve got a family, I’m educated

family


Input: Thailand's Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra talks to media during a press conference in Bangkok, Thailand, May 7, 2014

Bangkok

Thailand

Yingluck Shinawatra


Input: Among those observing the Victory Monument rally was Sean Boonpracong, a former national security adviser in the government of former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra

Victory Monument

government

Sean Boonpracong

adviser

Yingluck Shinawatra


Input: Yingluck, whose Peau Thai Party won a landslide victory in the last nation election in 2011, is being detained by the military

nation

Peau Thai Party

military

Yingluck


Input: A spokesman said the military intends to keep her in custody for “no more than a week.

military

spokesman


Input: Sean told VOA he appreciated U.S. diplomats condemning Prayuth’s order to impose media censorship

U.S.

VOA

Sean

diplomats


Input: "It’s best that they allow more freedom of information to flow, just like (U.S.) Ambassador Kristie Kenney said, so people don’t have to go underground and be in the dark.

U.S.

Ambassador

Kristie Kenney


Input: Thailand’s army chief, who has named himself prime minister, has now also assumed all legislative power

army

chief

minister


Input: He termed the anti-coup rally Thailand’s “first Internet anti-coup protest,” as it was not organized by the pro-government Red Shirt movement, of which he was a leader

leader


Input: The military on Saturday told 35 more people to report to army facilities, going beyond the previous category of political figures and protest leaders

military


Input: On the list were several intellectuals

intellectuals


Input: Chulalongkorn University political science professor Panitan Wattanayagorn said the summons to writers and academics shows the military is engaging in a more systematic crackdown than it did following the last coup in 2006

Chulalongkorn University

military

professor

Panitan Wattanayagorn


Input: “The military may ask for cooperation from them to do things, not to do things and maybe monitor their behavior," said Panitan

military


Input: With the senate newly dissolved, former lawmaker Dr. Jetn Sirathranont -- who had called on then-Prime Minister Yingluck to resign -- said the general's takeover came as no surprise

Jetn Sirathranont

Yingluck


Input: “If you have the Senate, we will have the many senators who don't agree with the coup detat.Someone may speak in the Senate against Gen. Prayuth," said Jetn

Senate

Senate

senators

Prayuth


Input: His junta on Saturday dissolved the kingdom’s partly-elected Senate

Senate


Input: If they still prolong the Senate, it will make the job of Gen. Prayuth more difficult.

Senate


Input: The United States has suspended $3.5 million in military aid to Thailand, and says it is reviewing whether to cut another $7 million in assistance

The United States

Thailand

military


Input: The U.S. State Department also warned U.S. citizens against non-essential travel to the country

U.S.

country

U.S. State Department


Input: The Thai military already had banned Yingluck and more than 150 other political figures from leaving Thailand without permission

Thai

Thailand

military


Input: It is not clear if the other politicians in custody are being held in the same location

location


Input: The country's caretaker prime minister, Niwattumrong Boosongpaisan, was among those summoned by military authorities

military

minister

Niwattumrong Boosongpaisan

authorities


Input: Until the bloodless coup, he had been in charge of the kingdom on an acting basis after a court ordered Yingluck to step down earlier this month on charges of nepotism

kingdom

court


Input: Thailand has been wracked by six months of political disputes and sometimes violent demonstrations

Thailand


Input: Crisis talks between rival political parties broke down early this past week

parties


Input: Meanwhile, several hundred citizens took to the streets Saturday to voice their opposition to Thursday’s coup, an act of civil disobedience banned by the military’s governing council

streets

council

citizens

took

streets


Input: Thailand's army has staged 12 coups in the last 80 years

army


Input: In a loosely organized demonstration, hundreds circled the capital’s Victory Monument, chanting “soldiers get out” and “no coup.

Victory Monument

soldiers


Input: Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha, who led the coup Thursday, declared himself acting prime minister Friday and dissolved the Senate on Saturday, has assumed all lawmaking powers

Army

Senate

Prayuth Chan-ocha

minister


Input: Many of those voicing opposition to Prayuth's actions claim no alliance with Thailand’s color-coded protesters, who have polarized Thai politics for years

Thai


Input: Saudi MERS Data Review Reveals Spike in Number of Deaths-RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA — -Saudi Arabia announced a jump of nearly 50 percent in deaths from a new virus on Tuesday after re-examining old data that also showed the number of infections since 2012 was a fifth higher than previously reported

SAUDI ARABIA

Saudi Arabia


Input: The increase in total confirmed cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome [MERS] to 688 from 575, and the rise in deaths from the virus to 282 from 190, came in a review of data ordered by the Health Ministry last month

Health Ministry


Input: “Clearly any backward look will push the total numbers up but that does not signify any change in the virus, only previous under-reporting,” said Ian Jones, a virologist at Britain's University of Reading

Britain's University of Reading

Ian Jones


Input: “Infectious disease does not respect country, cultural or religious boundaries, so absolute clarity and the adoption of best practice for isolation and treatment are the most effective means of minimizing numbers until such time as the source and route of infection are identified and avoided,” he added

country


Input: The Health Ministry said on Sunday it had set up a new command and control center to tackle MERS and any future public health crisis more effectively

Health Ministry


Input: The new center will work with the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control, it said

the World Health Organization

the Centers for Disease Control


Input: The sharp increase in deaths now attributed to MERS, which causes coughing, fever and pneumonia in some, means the mortality rate from the virus in Saudi Arabia is now 41 percent, instead of the 33 percent previously thought

Saudi Arabia


Input: However, the ministry said that although the total number of historical cases had risen, the rate of infection in the most recent outbreak appeared to be slowing

ministry


Input: Of the total, 53 patients were still being treated, while 353 had recovered, the statement said

patients


Input: “While the review has resulted in higher total number of previously unreported cases, we still see a decline in the number of new cases reported over the past few weeks,” Tariq Madani, head of the Health Ministry's scientific advisory board, was quoted as saying in an emailed statement

Health Ministry's scientific advisory

Tariq Madani


Input: New measure-The Health Ministry said it had put in place new measures to make sure better data gathering, reporting and transparency were being observed, including standardization of testing and better guidelines for labeling and storing samples

The Health Ministry


Input: On Monday, acting health minister Adel Fakieh announced he had relieved deputy minister Ziad Memish from his post

Adel Fakieh

minister

Ziad Memish


Input: Fakieh was appointed in April after King Abdullah sacked his predecessor Abdullah al-Rabeeah following a new MERS outbreak

Fakieh

Abdullah

Abdullah al-Rabeeah


Input: Saudi authorities, including Memish, had been criticized by some international scientists for their handling of the crisis, including what they saw as a lack of collaboration with specialist laboratories offering to help investigate the outbreak

Saudi

Memish


Input: Divisions, Harsh Realities Plague Obama's Afghan Surge-When President Obama took office six years ago, among the many burdens he inherited were two costly and complex wars: Iraq and Afghanistan

Afghan

Iraq

Afghanistan

Obama's

Obama


Input: He campaigned hard against the U.S. invasion of Iraq, calling it the “wrong war” and promised to bring home American combat troops, which took place in 2011

U.S.

Iraq

American

troops


Input: The situation on the ground has not deterred Obama from pursuing his endgame

Obama


Input: In May, he said all American combat troops will leave at the end of this year

American

troops


Input: Bush and 9/11-President George W. Bush, accompanied by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (L), speaks in front of the west side of the Pentagon on September 12, 2001

Pentagon

Bush

George W. Bush

Donald Rumsfeld


Input: It was the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington September 11, 2001 that got the United States in Afghanistan to start with

New York

Washington

United States

Afghanistan

attacks

New York

Washington


Input: Former president George W. Bush ordered an invasion to top topple the Taliban government and al-Qaida terrorists who were being given sanctuary – in particular, al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden

Taliban government

al-Qaida

al-Qaida

George W. Bush

Osama Bin Laden

invasion

George W. Bush

al-Qaida


Input: The Taliban regime was toppled in about two months time, but bin Laden escaped capture, to be found and killed by American special operation forces under Obama’s command a decade later

American

Taliban

regime

special operation forces

bin Laden

Obama’s

killed

bin Laden


Input: Bush continued his policy of counterterrorism military operations in Afghanistan, but soon turned his attention towards Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein as the number one national security threat against the United States

Afghanistan

Iraqi

United States

military

Bush

Saddam Hussein


Input: Critics say that switch in focus was a key misstep — one that would inform the narrative of Obama’s policy when he took office in 2009

Critics

Obama’s


Input: “While we weren’t looking, al-Qaida has strengthened itself, it’s strengthened the Taliban, it’s strengthened all these local militant outfits,” said South Asia expert Shamila Chaudhary, who advised former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and the late diplomat Richard Holbrooke on Afghanistan and Pakistan during Obama’s first term

Afghanistan

Pakistan

South Asia

al-Qaida

Taliban

Shamila Chaudhary

Hillary Clinton

Richard Holbrooke

Obama’s


Input: The other war — Afghanistan — has posed a different set of dilemmas for the president

Afghanistan

president