From Washington, this is VOA news. Hello, I'm Steve Miller.

Spain's King Felipe the Sixth has condemned the Catalan authorities, saying they had placed themselves "outside the law" by holding an independence vote Sunday.

"These authorities have in a clear and definitive way placed themselves outside of the law and democracy. They wanted to break Spain's unity."

Separatist leaders in Catalonia have vowed to declare independence in the northeastern region this week following Sunday's disputed referendum. The central government has declared the vote illegal and invalid.

Las Vegas authorities continue their investigations into the mass shooting that left at least 59 dead and over 500 injured.

Las Vegas Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said Stephen Paddock thought about how he was going to carry out this attack.

"The fact that he had the type of weaponry and the amount of weaponry in that room - it was pre-planned extensively. And I'm pretty sure he evaluated everything that he did in his actions, which is troublesome."

U.S. President Donald Trump called Paddock "a sick man, a demented man," who had " a lot of problems."

U.S. President Donald Trump witnessed firsthand the destruction in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico on Tuesday.

He used the occasion to heap praise on federal and military recovery efforts that have come under harsh criticism for being too little and too late to save lives of storm victims in isolated areas left without water and other necessities for more than a week.

Trump shook hands with Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, a vocal critic of the federal response, but did not mention her as he complimented Puerto Rico's Governor Ricardo Rossello and others for their leadership.

Be sure to follow Voice of America on social media platforms for more. This is VOA news.

Aid agencies are scaling up efforts to contain an outbreak of diarrheal diseases that could have serious health consequences for many of the more than half million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar or living in squalid, overcrowded conditions in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Lisa Schlein has the story.

U.N. refugee spokesman Andrej Mahecic says there are no firm statistics yet on cases of acute watery diarrhea among the newly arrived refugees.

"And we are taking action to try to prevent severe illness and deaths. We have seen an increasing trend of diarrheal disease cases, including cases of diarrhea with severe dehydration. So far, refugees with these conditions have been treated at clinics run by UNHCR and other agencies, and at local public health facilities."

Cholera is endemic in Bangladesh and fears of a potential outbreak of the fatal disease are growing. Mahecic notes cholera can spread easily among the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya who are living in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions.

Lisa Schlein, for VOA news, Geneva.

Kenya's top university has been closed following unrest and allegations from students of police brutality. It's the latest sign of the deepening tensions over the re-run of the presidential election later this month. Mohammed Yusuf reports.

The University of Nairobi has been closed after days of unrest, following the arrest of a student leader who is also a member of parliament.

The lawmaker was arrested for insulting the president and also assaulting a voter.

Last week's protests prompted some police officers to enter the university compound and beat up students, frog marching others.

In an interview with Nation Television, the head of the police say the university administration invited the police to deal with the situation at the school.

The students planned a protest Tuesday against the police brutality and the school administration. But the university announced it was closed until further notice, citing what it called a deteriorating security situation.

Student leader Ronny Mamba disagrees with the stated reason for closure.

"As you can see here, no student is armed. We are only armed with our brains. No student is carrying a gun. No students have clobbered another student. Therefore, there is no insecurity."

Mohammed Yusuf, for VOA news, Nairobi.

An outspoken deputy of Cambodia's detained opposition leader fled the country Tuesday.

Known internationally for campaigns to fight sex trafficking and assert women's rights, Mu Sochua had been among the most vocal opposition politicians in Cambodia since Kem Sokha was arrested and accused of plotting to take power with U.S. help.

The new CEO of Uber met with London transport officials on Tuesday.

Uber wants to keep operating in the capital and has appealed the decision that it was not fit and proper to operate.

I'm Steve Miller in Washington.

That's the latest world news from VOA.