VOA news for Friday, May 8th, 2015

Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text VOA news for Friday, May 8th, 2015 From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm David Forrest reporting. Exit polls show Conservatives surging in Britain. A key exit poll shows British Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives on course to win the most seats in parliament while falling just short of an outright majority. The survey was released by national broadcasters just minutes after the polls closed. The survey showed Conservatives winning 316 seats to the opposition Labor Party's 239. The Scottish Nationalist Party was set to win 58. U.S. and Saudi officials have agreed to pursue a humanitarian bombing pause in Yemen, where fighting has forced thousands of people to flee the country. At a news conference in Riyadh Thursday, Secretary of State John Kerry and his Saudi counterpart, Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, said efforts are underway to forge a five-day cease-fire. VOA's Pam Dockins is covering the story. The Saudi foreign minister said there had been no initial contact with the Houthis in terms of whether or not they would abide by the cease-fire, but both sides urged them to do so. He said there will be more details within the coming days about the proposed plan, which would affect all of Yemen. The Saudi foreign minister said that he hoped the Houthis would care enough about the Yemeni people to support the plan. VOA's Pam Dockins. A U.S. appeals court in New York ruled Thursday that the National Security Agency's collection of Americans' phone records is illegal. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals said in a 97-page opinion that the practice exceeds the scope of what Congress authorized. The decision came in a suit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union contesting the collection of what the agency called "metadata" -- millions of records of phone calls. This is VOA news. The United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo has called for more cooperation with the Congolese army after two peacekeepers were killed and 13 wounded in an ambush in Beni territory near the Ugandan border. The mission says the Ugandan Islamist ADF rebels are suspected of carrying out the attack and has warned other groups against collaborating with terrorism. Political violence in Burundi has left three people dead and at least 13 others wounded as demonstrations continue against President Pierre Nkurunziza's decision to run for a third term. Mohammed Yusuf reports. Witnesses and a Red Cross official say the latest unrest occurred Thursday after police intervened to stop clashes between the president's supporters and opponents in the capital, Bujumbura. In the neighborhood of Cibitoke, protesters clashed with police officers. Demonstrators say supporters of the president threw a grenade at them, killing their colleagues and injuring others. Bujumbura has seen protests almost every day since the president announced his plans last month to run for a third term. Mohammed Yusuf, Bujumbura. The U.S. Senate has approved legislation giving Congress the right to review, and possibly reject, any eventual agreement aimed at restraining Iran's nuclear development program. Michael Bowman reports. Republican Senator Bob Corker, who co-authored the bill, explained what would be missing without the legislation. "Without this bill, there is no limitation on the president's use of waivers to suspend the sanctions Congress has put in place. There is no requirement that Congress receive full details of any agreement with Iran. There is no review period for Congress to examine and weigh in on an agreement.” The bill's co-author, Democratic Senator Ben Cardin, said congressional involvement will strengthen America's hand if and when a nuclear accord is reached. Michael Bowman, the Capitol. Residents in the U.S. states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas and Nebraska began cleaning up after a series of tornadoes strafed the region. One person was killed and at least 12 injured. U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch says the Justice Department will decide whether to conduct an investigation into alleged civil rights violations by the Baltimore Police Department. Lynch spoke today at a congressional hearing. A new threat by an alleged American member of the Islamic State terrorist group has U.S. intelligence officials taking notice, although so far there seems to be little to back it up. Abu Ibrahim Al Ameriki wrote on the blog "Just Paste It" that last Sunday's attack in Garland, Texas, is only the beginning. He claims dozens of IS soldiers across 15 states are ready to strike any target. I'm David Forrest in Washington. That's the latest world news from VOA.