Romney claims the lead, but the race to face President Obama isn’t over. And India’s ruling party says it knows voters are unhappy.
I’m Terry Win, reporting from Washington.
U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney was the winner in six of the ten states that held (nominating contests) on the so-called “Super Tuesday”. It was the biggest single day on the process to nominate President Obama’s opponent for the November election. Romney got the big prizes winning a (narrow) victory in the crucial battleground state of Ohio.
“We’re doing so counting. We’re counting up the delegates for the convention and it looks good. And we are counting down the days until November, and that looks even better.”
The winner in Ohio over his main (rival), former U.S. senator Rick Santorum was by a (margin) of just 1%. Romney also secured primary victories in Vermont, Virginia and Massachusetts as well as caucus election wins in Idaho and Alaska. But Santorum said he wasn’t about to give up.
“Tonight it’s clear, it’s clear. We’ve won races all over this country against the odds. When they thought, ‘Oh, Ok, he’s finally finished,’ we keep coming back.”
For more on the U.S. presidential race, look at the top of our webpage voanews.com.
Six British soldiers are believed dead after their (armored) vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan. The soldiers were (patrolling) in Helmand province Tuesday evening when the blast struck. If the deaths are confirmed, it would be the single deadliest incident for British troops in Afghanistan in the past six years.
The U.N. humanitarian chief is traveling to the battered Syrian city of Homs on the first day of her mission to get (unhindered) access to those in need of aid. A U.N. spokesman said Valerie Amos arrived in Damascus today as international pressure mounts on Syria’s government to end a crackdown on a year-long opposition uprising. A Chinese envoy is also in Syria to press for an end to violence there. Li Huaxin met officials to explain a six-point peace plan put forward by Beijing that calls for a political dialogue through (mediation) of the United Nations and the Arab League. The plan also calls for the U.N. to play a lead role in coordinating humanitarian relief efforts.
A top U.S. envoy says progress was made in negotiations with North Korea officials on details of a plan to supply 240,000 tons of U.S. food aid to the communist nation. Robert King, the special envoy for human rights in North Korea, spoke to reporters after talks today in Beijing. The talks could clear the way for the first U.S. (food assistance) to North Korea in three years.
Chinese officials are attempting to discredit Tibetans who have set themselves on fire to protest China’s rule over the region. Wu Zegang, a head of the prefecture where many of the self-immolations have taken place, said today the protests were being orchestrated and planned by foreign Tibetan exile groups who want to divide China. The London-based Free Tibet called the statements part of China’s (propaganda) to deflect criticism.
“I think it’s a very quickest and easiest way for China to interrogate this accusation. It’s really to allow both international observers and international media to travel freely to the areas where the self-immolations have taken place and then to interview people freely and openly and to actually find out what’s going on, because at this moment we are only hearing this China side, and then the side of Tibetans who are risking really generally arrest to get this story out.”
That’s Stephanie Brigden of Free Tibet in London.
China’s emergence as the world power was a major driver of (diplomatic talks) this week in India by prominent global affairs analysts. We are looking to create a tighter global partnership between the United States, India and Japan. Tomohiko Taniguchi, former Japanese diplomat, says the dealing with China is easier when democracy speak together with (one voice).
“There is a recognition, increasing recognition that when it comes to deal with the Chinese, it is always better to consult with light-minded people, almost always or before you talk to the Chinese, because many concerns that the American share are in common with those held by the Japanese, and more and more by the Indians.”
And that’s the latest news from Washington, I’m Terry Win.