From Washington, this is VOA news…
I'm Dave DeForest reporting
EU officials move to make the migrant return process fair and humane:
European Union officials are pledging that there will be "no automatic return" for the migrants before the migrants are given a chance to apply for asylum. The announcement follows angry protests by international human rights activists who have been accusing the EU of denying migrants the basic rights of refugees to seek asylum.
NATO is preparing to step up its response to threats from the Islamic State group and from Russia. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said
He says that NATO is not seeking confrontation with Russia nor a cold war. He told VOA NATO is implementing the biggest reinforcement to its collective defense since the end of the Cold War in response to the new security environment.
Dutch voters are going to the polls to vote on whether to back a European Union free trade agreement with Ukraine. The referendum is nonbinding, but it will be an important measure of EU support. It comes just three months before British voters cast ballots on whether to remain in the European Union.
Dutch opponents of the EU agreement say its ultimate goal is to bring Ukraine into the bloc. Supporters say the agreement would aid economic development on both sides and improve human rights in Ukraine.
A Panamanian law firm says the 11.5 million documents leaked from its offices this week about offshore bank accounts were stolen by hackers, not divulged by an insider. Ramon Fonseca is one of the founders of the Mossack Fonseca firm. He says he has ruled out an inside job.
This is VOA news.
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Words in This Story
automatic –adj. do as though by a machine, without thought or consideration
deport –v. to force a person to leave a country
confrontation –n. a serious, angry disagreement or fight between groups
implement –v. to begin to do something, to put a plan into motion
referendum –n. a popular vote on a single question
nonbinding –adj. an agreement that does not have the force of law
bloc –n. a group of people or countries connected by a treaty or agreement
divulge –v. to tell, to reveal
