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From Washington, this is VOA news. President Obama confirms death of a U.S. hostage by Islamic State. World leaders criticize Russian President Putin over Ukraine intervention. I'm Ray Kouguell reporting from Washington.
President Obama confirmed the death of American hostage Abdul-Rahman Kassig, saying the aid worker was killed "in an act of pure evil" by Islamic State militants. Confirmation of Kassig's death came following a review of a video released Sunday by Islamic State that purported to show extremists beheading 18 Syrian soldiers, and concluded with a militant claiming to have killed the American. The video did not show Kassig's beheading. World leaders gathered at the close of the G20 summit in Australia sharply rebuked Russian President Vladimir Putin over Moscow's intervention in Ukraine. President Obama said Sunday Moscow will remain isolated internationally and Mr. Putin continues to violate international law and treaties that are aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine. "At this point the sanctions that we have in place are biting plenty good. We retain the capabilities and we have our teams constantly looking at mechanisms in which to turn up additional pressure as necessary." Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot called on Mr. Putin to atone for the shooting down of a Malaysian passenger jet over rebel-held eastern Ukraine, while British Prime Minister David Cameron called the Russian leader a "bully." Leaders of the G20 representing the world's largest, advanced and developing economies did manage to adopt a plan to boost global economic growth by more than $2 trillion over five years by investing in infrastructure and increasing free trade. This is VOA news. A female suicide bomber blew herself up at a market in northeast Nigeria, killing at least 13 people. There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast Sunday in Azare, a town in Nigeria's Bauchi state. The similar bombings have been carried out in the region by the Islamist militants of Boko Haram, who are waging an insurgency against the government. Earlier Sunday, the Nigerian army said it had pushed Boko Haram militants out of northeastern town of Chibok, the home of more than 200 schoolgirls the group kidnapped earlier this year. The hardest hit of the West African nations facing the deadly Ebola outbreak, Liberia, is setting a national goal of recording no new cases by Christmas, December 25th. In a nationwide radio address Sunday, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said that her country's path to recovery will be difficult, but that Liberia's health care system must be better prepared for any future disease epidemic. More than half of West Africa's almost 5,200 Ebola deaths have been recorded in Liberia. The U.N. Children's Fund, UNICEF, will be opening 10 new Ebola Community Care Centers this week in Sierra Leone's Bombali district, one of the areas hardest hit by the deadly virus. Lisa Schlein has details. UNICEF representative in Sierra Leone Roeland Monasch, speaking from Freetown, says the focus of these centers is to isolate all Ebola cases to avoid infecting others and to provide infected people with safe care in the community. The centers will be run by the government of Sierra Leone through its District Health Management Team, with the participation of local non-governmental organizations. Monasch says a recent national survey regarding Ebola shows knowledge and awareness of the disease is exceptionally high in Sierra Leone. "Stigma and discrimination reduced significantly. But, misconceptions, although also reduced, remain." Lisa Schlein, for VOA news, Geneva. Burkina Faso's military rulers say the country's new interim civilian leader will be announced no later than today. Politicians and representatives of the army, civil society and religious and traditional leaders met Sunday to name an interim president to lead the country back to civilian rule after longtime President Blaise Compaore abruptly stepped down last month. A female member of Afghanistan's parliament survived a suicide bombing that did claim the lives of at least three bystanders and wounded more than 10 others, including the lawmaker. Police say Shukria Barakzai was traveling in a convoy through Kabul on Sunday when the bomber detonated the explosives. Barakzai was slightly wounded in the attack, but is listed in good condition. The women's rights advocate is a strong supporter of President Ashraf Ghani. I'm Ray Kouguell in Washington. That's the latest world news from VOA. |