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From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm David Byrd reporting. Iraqi soldiers have retaken most of the country's largest oil refinery from Islamic State militants.
A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition said troops recaptured all of the Baiji refinery on Saturday. However, officials in Salahuddin province, where it is located, said there is still sporadic fighting. Last week, Islamic State militants attacked and briefly took over a portion of the sprawling complex, including some storage tanks, a technical institute and a distribution point. The governor of Salahuddin province said that Iraqi forces were in full control of the refinery "from a military perspective." However, he said some insurgents remain hidden inside the huge complex. The Baiji refinery produced about 175,000 barrels of oil per day before it shut in June, when Islamic State militants attacked it. Iraqi forces retook the facility in November but later lost control of it. A suicide bomber killed at least 33 people in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday. Officials say more than 100 others were wounded in the attack in Jalalabad. The attacker set off the blast outside a bank where government employees were gathered to collect their salaries. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says the Islamic State group has claimed responsibility. President Ghani called the incident "horrific." He referred to the group as "Daesh" - an acronym for its name in Arabic. The Taliban had earlier denied responsibility for the bombing, calling it an "evil act." The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan condemned the attack, saying the continuing use of suicide attacks in densely populated areas might amount to a war crime. This is VOA news. Thousands of people demonstrated across Germany Saturday in protest of a planned free trade deal between Europe and the United States. The protests, billed as a "Global Day of Action," come ahead of a new round of talks on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP, beginning Monday in New York. Opposition to the agreement centers around concerns it will lower food and other safety standards. To U.S. lawmakers reached a deal Thursday on legislation giving President Obama trade promotion authority to seal the TTIP as well as another key accord with Asian nations. Congress would only be able to vote up or down on the agreements, not make any changes. The International Monetary Fund warned Saturday that while economic growth in advanced countries has strengthened, some emerging economies are facing weaker commodity prices and exports. In a communique, the IMF said it is committed to taking additional measures to support a "more robust, balanced and job-rich global economy." A three-day spring meeting of both the World Bank and IMF concludes Sunday in Washington, amid growing concerns that Greece might fail to reach agreement with its European Union and IMF creditors on a $270 billion financial bailout package. The head of the European Central Bank says a Greek default would put the world in what he called "unchartered waters." U.S. President Barack Obama used his weekly media address to emphasize America's commitment to fighting global warming. Mr. Obama said that 2014 was the planet's warmest year on record and the world is looking to the United States to lead in the fight against climate change. "This is the only planet we've got. And years from now, I want to be able to look our children and grandchildren in the eye and tell them that we did everything we could to protect it." The president said the earth's rising temperatures are having very serious implications, including stronger storms, deeper droughts and longer wildfire seasons. Mr. Obama said he will formally observe Earth Day Wednesday at Florida's Everglades, a location he described as one of the most special places in our country and one of its most fragile. The president said that rising sea levels are putting the national treasure at risk. An all-day Earth Day rally and concert attracted massive crowds to the National Mall here in Washington Saturday. Usher, Mary J. Blige, No Doubt, Common and Train were among those performing during the free Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day concert near the Washington Monument. The rally is a joint initiative with the Global Poverty Project to end extreme poverty. I'm David Byrd. That's the latest world news from VOA. |