From Washington,this is VOA News.

North Korea has executed Jang Song Thaek, the uncle of leader Kim Jong Un, who until recently was seen as one of Kim's chief advisors.

The official Korean Central News Agency says Jang was put to death Thursday after a facing a special military tribunal.

The report called him "a traitor to the nation for all ages who perpetrated anti-party, counter-revolutionary factional acts in a bid to overthrow the leadership of our party and state".

Jang was accused of several crimes, including corruption, womanizing and drug use.

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Bangladesh on Thursday executed an opposition leader convicted of war crimes just hours after the Supreme Court rejected his last-minute appeal.

Bangladeshi officials confirmed that Abdul Qader Mollah was hanged to death at 10:01 p.m. local time.    

Mollah was convicted of committing war crimes during the nation's war of independence against Pakistan in 1971. Critics fear his execution could begin a fresh wave of political violence before national elections set for next month.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry headed back to the Middle East on Thursday, one week after his previous visit ended with Palestinian dissatisfaction over U.S. ideas for an elusive peace deal with Israel.

The top U.S. diplomat met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah in the West Bank.

Kerry is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday. A previous meeting with Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem was postponed due to the snowstorm which hit the city.

The chairman of the U.S. Senate committee that has crafted existing sanctions against Iran is speaking out against new penalties while international negotiations continue to limit Tehran’s nuclear program.

As VOA's Michael Bowman reports Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Johnson backs the Obama administration’s intensive lobbying effort to convince lawmakers to give diplomacy a chance.

Time is running out for the senate to consider boosting sanctions against Tehran this year and any bill to do so with face hurdles in the banking committee giving Thursday's comments by Chairman Johnson.

“A new round of U.S. sanctions now could rupture the unity of the international coalition against Iran’s nuclear program,”

The committee’s top Republican, Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho, disagrees.
 
“Sanctions clearly worked to bring Iran to the negotiating table. I remain convinced that we must maintain that leverage moving forward.”

The opportunity for congressional action this year has all but passed, and any new sanctions measure that might be approved would face a near-certain veto by President Barack Obama.

Michael Bowman VOA News CAPITOL HILL.

A key European Union envoy says the 28-member trade bloc is ready to provide more financial aid to Ukraine, if Kyiv agrees to sign the trade cooperation agreement with the bloc it backed away from last month.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele, speaking Thursday in Brussels, said the EU help will include helping the cash-strapped Kyiv government negotiate a key loan from the International Monetary Fund.  

Fuele called upon Ukraine authorities to stop using forces against protesters and free those taken into detention.

The historical drama 12 Years a Slave and 1970s con-artist caper “American Hustle” led the Golden Globe Awards nominations Thursday with seven nods each. The awards will be handed out next month.