By VOA

Zambia has named Vice President Guy Scott as the country’s interim, or temporary, leader following the death of President Michael Sata.

Mr. Sata died Tuesday of an unidentified sickness. He was 77.

Guy Scott is 70 years old. He is Africa’s first white president since F.W. de Klerk governed South Africa from 1989 to 1994.

Zambia's new interim president is Guy Scott. (REUTERS/Larry Downing/Files)

Zambian officials said the country will hold elections to choose its next president within three months.

Top Chinese official admits to taking bribes

Chinese former army General Xu Caihou has admitted to taking huge bribes. He is the highest-level Chinese military official to be targeted in President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign.

Mr. Xu was vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission. China has not yet announced charges against him. However, officials banned him from the Chinese Communist Party and withdrew his title as general.

U.S. airlines find problems with Ebola travel bans

U.S. airlines say current software cannot identify all travelers coming from Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone. These are the countries with the most severe Ebola problems.

Airline officials say they may not able to know where a passenger began his or her travels. There are no direct flights to the U.S. from any of the three countries.

Officials say they also worry that a travel restriction for West African countries might frighten the public and reduce travel generally.

Rebels, Iraqi Kurds Help Syrian Kurds Fight in Kobani

A group of 50 rebels from the Free Syrian Army has arrived in the Syrian city of Kobani. They plan to help Kurdish forces in their month-long battle with fighters of the Islamic State militant group.

The Free Syrian Army spent the last 3 years fighting Syrian forces to remove President Bashar al-Assad from office.

Also Wednesday, a group of Iraqi Kurdish fighters flew into an airport in southeastern Turkey. They then traveled toward the Syrian border with Turkish security escorts. About 90 to 100 Kurdish fighters were expected to join the fight soon in Kobani.

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Words in the News

interim – adj. used or accepted for a limited time : not permanent

bribe – n. something valuable (such as money) that is given in order to get someone to do something.

escort –n. a person or group of people who go with someone to give protection or guidance

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