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From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm Ray Kouguell reporting. President Obama warns violent extremists.
President Obama says the world needs to confront requiters and propagandists for violent extremism because military force cannot stop terrorism. Speaking at a summit in Washington Wednesday, President Obama said the terrorists will ultimately lose. "I'm confident that, just as we have for more than two centuries, we will ultimately prevail. And part of what gives me that confidence is the overwhelming response of the world community to the savagery of these terrorists -- not just revulsion, but a concrete commitment to work together to vanquish these organizations." President Obama rejected the notion that terrorist groups represent Islam and told delegates that the fight against extremism cannot be won with military might alone. The three-day conference which ends Thursday comes as the U.S. and its allies are struggling with rapid, bloody rise of the extremist group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and recent terrorist attacks in Australia, Canada, France and Denmark. The White House says that it is "crystal clear" that Russia and the separatists in eastern Ukraine are not living up to the cease-fire agreement negotiated last week in Minsk, Belarus, and warns this puts them "at risk of greater costs." The comments came after separatists took over Debaltseve, a strategic rail hub that links the separatist strongholds of Luhansk and Donetsk, and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko ordered several thousand of his troops to pull out of the town. The rebels reportedly captured hundreds of government troops and surrounded those it did not take prisoner, cutting off their food and water supplies. President Poroshenko's office reported late Wednesday his government will ask the U.N. to send a peacekeeping mission to Ukraine. This is VOA news. The head of Nigerian militant group Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, is threatening to disrupt the country's elections, which were already postponed until next month because of violence. The warning appeared in a new video posted online. Boko Haram has repeatedly warned Nigerians not to vote in the presidential and parliamentary elections, now set for March 28 after their postponement last week. Meanwhile, reports from southeastern Niger say at least 20 people were killed after an unidentified plane dropped a bomb on a village near the Nigerian border. Nigeria denies responsibility for the bombing. Tunisia is vowing a "strong and violent response" after suspected militants linked to al-Qaeda killed four Tunisian police officers near the Algerian border. About 20 rebels attacked security forces at a checkpoint in the country's mountainous Kasserine region. The Arab League is urging a peaceful solution to the growing crisis in Yemen. VOA's Heather Murdock reports. On Twitter this week, resigned Yemeni Information Minister Nadia Sakkaf called on Houthi rebels to let resigned President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi out of the country for emergency health care. President Hadi resigned last month after one of several power-sharing agreements between the government and the Houthis fell apart. On Wednesday, the Arab League repeated the call for Hadi's release from house arrest and the return of government weapons. Heather Murdock, Cairo. Geneva prosecutors have raided the Swiss office of the British banking giant HSBC and announced a criminal investigation into accusations it was laundering money. Prosecutors are investigating criminal charges of "aggravated money laundering" against the bank, but stressed the probe could be broadened to include what they call "physical persons suspected of committing or participating in acts of money laundering." In U.S. politics, former Florida governor and expected presidential contender Jeb Bush delivered a strong criticism of President Obama's foreign policy during a speech in Chicago, Illinois, Wednesday. VOA's Jim Malone has details. Jeb Bush sounded like a candidate as he delivered a foreign policy speech to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs that began with a withering critique of President Barack Obama's handling of foreign policy. "Under this administration, we are inconsistent and indecisive. We have lost the trust and confidence of our friends. We definitely no longer inspire fear in our enemies." Bush said his core approach to foreign policy included a commitment to a strong domestic economy, strengthening alliances abroad and rebuilding the U.S. military to counter foreign threats. Jim Malone, Washington. A four-year-old beagle named Miss P was the winner of the top prize at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York. I'm Ray Kouguell in Washington. That's the latest world news from VOA. |