From Washington, this is VOA News.
I’m Frances Alonzo reporting.
Pope Francis has called for an immediate ceasefire in war-torn Syria.
And as VOA's Jeff Custer reports, previous international efforts to establish a ceasefire have quickly eroded throughout the country's conflict that has stretched on for more than five years.
“The Pope addressed the ongoing conflict during his weekly general audience at the Vatican Wednesday. He said a halt in fighting should be put in place long enough for civilians, particularly children, to escape areas subject to bombings. The most recent attempt at a ceasefire was a short-lived, U.S.-Russian-brokered deal focusing on the battered, northern city of Aleppo.
Monitors said Tuesday Russian jets resumed heavy bombing in rebel-held, eastern districts of Aleppo, killing more than 20 people.
Jeff Custer, VOA News, Washington.”
Twelve people have died in Myanmar's Rakhine state in recent clashes between armed troops and men, according to state media Wednesday. It’s a growing challenge for the country's new democratically elected government.
Four soldiers and one attacker were killed on Tuesday when hundreds of men, wielding pistols and swords, attacked troops.
Hong Kong rebel lawmakers swore, shouted, banged drums and rallied against "tyranny" Wednesday. It happened when they took their oaths of office in the city's parliament, as they call for a split from Beijing.
Samsung Electronics Wednesday slashed its latest quarterly profit estimate by one-third. It comes in the wake of the highly-damaging recall crisis of the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco. It might end up costing the world's largest smartphone maker trillions of dollars.
This is VOA News.
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