Wendy Sherman, the chief U.S. negotiator at nuclear talks with Iran, says she is hopeful for a final deal.
Ms. Sherman spoke to VOA on Thursday. She said she believed the negotiators are making progress. But, in her words, “there are still some very crucial decisions that need to be made.”
Negotiators from Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the U.S. are trying to reach a nuclear agreement with Iran by November 24th. The so-called P5+1 negotiators held talks with Iran at the gathering of the United Nations General Assembly.
Ms. Sherman said nuclear negotiations are central to her discussion with Iranian officials. But she said another important issue is the detention of Americans citizens in Iran, including reporter Jason Rezaian.
Obama warns about spread of Ebola virus
U.S. President Barack Obama warned world leaders in New York on Thursday that Ebola is becoming "a growing threat to regional and global security."
At the United Nations meeting on the outbreak, Mr. Obama said that public health systems in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone are “near collapse” and "if this epidemic is not stopped, this disease could cause a humanitarian catastrophe across the region.”
On Tuesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that up to 1.4 million people in West Africa could be infected with the Ebola virus by January 2015.
Boko Haram releases one of the 200 kidnapped girls
Police in Nigeria said Boko Haram has released one of the 200 females it kidnapped in April.
A Nigerian police spokesman said the 20-year-old hostage was found Wednesday in the village of Mubi in Adamawa state.
An leader from Chibok, where the girls were kidnapped, said the name the woman gave for herself was not on the list of kidnapped girls. He said the woman was traumatized and could not communicate clearly.
Words in the News
final – adj. at the end; last
central – adj. in the middle of something : located in the center of a thing or place
collapse – v. to fall down or inward suddenly; to break down or fail suddenly in strength, health or power
trauma – n. a very difficult or unpleasant experience that causes someone to have mental or emotional problems usually for a long time