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From Washington, this is VOA news. Coming up, Sunni insurgents making advances in Iraq. The ILO says child labor is declining. Hello everyone, I'm Steve Norman.
Iraqi security officials say Islamist militants who took over the city of Mosul Tuesday have now seized the city of Tikrit, less than 200 kilometers from the capital Baghdad. The officials say militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant have moved southward from Mosul, taking control of Iraq's biggest oil refinery and Tikrit, the hometown of fallen Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Witnesses are saying militants have taken over several police stations and the governor is missing. As many as 500,000 people have fled and Islamist militants made their advances across hearts of northern Iraq. We get the story now from Edward Yeranian in the VOA Middle East bureau. Amateur video showed Islamic militants from the al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant executing captive Iraqi soldiers and cutting off the heads of others as they brag about defending Muslims. It was not clear if the video was from fighting in Mosul or earlier battles. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki blasted Iraqi military officials who deserted their posts and fled Mosul, claiming in a speech Wednesday that they were part of a plot. He insisted that residents of Mosul and other volunteers should work to recapture the city and defeat the invaders. Edward Yeranian, for VOA news, Cairo. Russia has warned Ukraine against refusing an offer from Moscow that could cut the price Kyiv pays for natural gas by about 20 percent. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Ukraine could be driving negotiations toward a "dead-end" by asking for deeper discounts. Russian news agency quotes Mr. Putin as saying if Ukraine refuses the deal, talks will shift to a whole other level -- something he said Russia does not want. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk said earlier the discount of $100 per thousand cubic meters is not a suitable substitute for the re-written contract Ukraine has been seeking. Officials from both sides continued negotiations Wednesday in Brussels as they tried to resolve the dispute on pricing in Ukraine's multi-billion-dollar energy debt. Russia has threatened to cut off gas supply to Ukraine, which could also have effects on supplies to other parts of Europe. Officials in northeastern Nigeria are disputing reports that Boko Haram militants kidnapped 20 women from a village near Chibok, where more than 200 girls were kidnapped in April. In a telephone interview with VOA, the Borno state police commissioner said local police are not aware of any abduction. The chairman of the Chibok local government also told VOA he had not heard about any kidnappings. The Associated Press reported Boko Haram militants abducted 20 women late last week from a small settlement a few kilometers from Chibok. The AP tells VOA that it stands by its story. The International Labor Organization is reporting progress is being made in reducing the number of children forced to work. Lisa Schlein reports from ILO headquarters in Geneva. The International Labor Organization reports child labor has declined by one third since 2000, down to 168 million in 2012. The ILO reports sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rate of child labor with one out of five children forced to work. But the most child laborers are in the Asia and Pacific region. The agency says the greatest reduction in child labor is in Latin America and the Caribbean, where cash transfer programs for children and families are being implemented. It notes cash and in-kind child and family benefits, when combined with access to education and health services, are effective in combating child labor. Lisa Schlein, for VOA news, Geneva. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff says her country is ready to host the World Cup football tournament which begins later today and dismissed criticism of the massive costs of staging the event. Angry protests have erupted in recent months across Brazil over the $11 billion spent to build stadium and transportation projects in the 12 host cities. Brazil plays Croatia in the World Cup's opening match. That's the latest world news from VOA. |