VOA NEWS

August 12, 2014

From Washington, this is VOA news. U.S. president welcomes Iraq's selection of a new candidate for the post of prime minister, and Russia says it is sending an aid convoy to Ukraine as Western nations warn Moscow against military intervention in its neighbor. I'm Michael Lipin reporting from Washington.



U.S. President Barack Obama has called on Iraqi political leaders to unite in order to fight an Islamist insurgency in northern and western Iraq.

Speaking to reporters on Monday while on vacation, Mr. Obama urged Iraq to quickly form a new government that is inclusive of all Iraqi sectarian groups and addresses their grievances.

Mr. Obama said such an Iraqi government would make it easier for the United States to help Iraqis combat Islamic State militants also known as ISIL, which has threatened the northern city of Irbil, where U.S. personnel and their Iraqi Kurdish allies are based.

"Just as the United States will remain vigilant against the threat posed to our people by ISIL, we stand ready to partner with Iraq in its fight against these terrorist forces. Without question, that effort will be advanced if Iraqis continue to build on today's process and come together to support a new and inclusive government."

Earlier Monday, Iraq's president asked Shiite lawmaker Haider al-Abadi to form a new government. He has 30 days to do so.

Mr. Obama said he and Vice President Joe Biden telephoned Mr. Abadi to express their support.

Iraq's current Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has been seeking a third term as prime minister after parliamentary elections in April. He has rejected calls to step down in favor of a less polarizing figure such as Mr. Abadi.



Russia says it is sending a civilian relief convoy into violence-plagued eastern Ukraine in cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross

Thousands of people in Ukraine's Russian-speaking east are suffering shortages of water, medicine and electricity as Ukrainian forces battle pro-Russian separatists trying to establish an autonomous region near the Russian border.

Russia's announcement of a Red Cross-backed relief mission to the region sparked confusion when the aid agency said it did not agree to the move because details still needed to be clarified.

Earlier Monday, U.S. President Obama and his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko spoke by phone and agreed that any Russian presence in Ukraine without Kyiv's consent would violate international law.

Western governments have warned Moscow not to use humanitarian aid as a pretext for military invasion of Ukraine.



Nigeria's Health Ministry says it has confirmed a new case of the deadly Ebola virus in Lagos.

Officials said Monday the number of confirmed Ebola cases in the capital has risen to 10, two of them resulting in death.

Four West African countries have been scrambling to contain the disease, including Nigeria, Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. Ebola has killed more than 960 people in those nations.

Ivory Coast says it is taking new precautions to prevent the regional Ebola outbreak from reaching the country. As VOA West Africa correspondent Anne Look reports, one of those precautions involves Ivory Coast's national airline.

In Ivory Coast, the government says until further notice, Air Côte d'Ivoire will not be flying routes from affected countries to Abidjan.

The government has also banned all carriers servicing the country from transporting passengers from Ebola-affected countries to Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast has not reported any cases of Ebola. Government spokesman Bruno Kone said they want to keep it that way.

The government says in addition to the ban on travelers from those areas, authorities at the Abidjan airport will be screening all arriving passengers for fever, using infrared thermometer devices.

Anne Look, VOA news, Dakar.



Announcing sad news here, veteran U.S. actor-comedian Robin Williams has been found dead at his home in northern California. Authorities said he apparently committed suicide. He was 63.

They said Williams was found unconscious and not breathing after emergency personnel were called to his home on Monday.

Officials said they believe he died from asphyxia, but the exact cause of death is under investigation.

The Oscar and Emmy-winning actor's publicist issued a statement saying Williams had been battling depression lately.

He won acclaim for roles in numerous films, including "Good Will Hunting," "Mr. Doubtfire," "Good Morning Vietnam" and "Dead Poets Society."



That's the latest world news from VOA.