VOA NEWS

July 22, 2015

From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm David Forrest reporting. A new tool to battle Boko Haram.



Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari says a regional joint task force will be set up to fight the militant group.

"The ministers of defense met and have agreed that each country will contribute as a composition of the multi-regional task force and they are to be in place by the end of this month."

Mr. Buhari says Nigeria will lead the new task force and that troops from several Nigerian neighboring states could be deployed against the militants.

Mr. Buhari is in the middle of a four-day visit to Washington.



Burundians voted in a presidential election Tuesday highlighted by President Pierre Nkurunziza's bid to win a third term and an opposition boycott.

Critics said Mr. Nkurunziza should not be allowed to serve a third term.

VOA's Central Africa service reported the capital, Bujumbura, was calm during voting hours Tuesday and that the turnout was very low.

Pre-election gunfire and explosions left at least two people dead in the capital.



U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter met Tuesday in Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The talks come a week after the finalization of an Iran nuclear agreement that Mr. Netanyahu opposes.



U.S. President Barack Obama demanded Tuesday that Iran release three Americans it is holding and help find a fourth believed to be in the country.

Mr. Obama told a Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Pittsburgh that the U.S. will not relent until Americans unjustly detained in Iran are allowed to come home.



For more on that, check our website voanews.com. This is VOA news.



U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says implementing the international nuclear agreement with Iran will make the world safer, improve the standard of living for Iranians and potentially open up opportunities between the United States and Iran.

"I hope that we will succeed in persuading people why this agreement actually prevents conflict, provides for security for the region and will prevent the acquisition of a nuclear weapon."

Kerry was interviewed by VOA's Persian service.



Ohio Governor John Kasich became the 16th Republican to join the 2016 presidential race Tuesday. Jim Malone reports.

John Kasich is in his second term as Ohio's governor and previously served 18 years as a congressman, including as chairman of the House Budget Committee.

Kasich told a crowd at Ohio State University that he has a proven record.

"... and here is how we've done it: by staying together, not by dividing each other, but by staying together with our eyes on the horizon"

Kasich has a reputation as an effective budget cutter. But he also has an independent streak and at times has defied his party's conservative wing.

Jim Malone, Washington.



Pope Francis on Tuesday called on world leaders to take "a very strong stand" on climate change at a United Nations summit later this year in Paris.

The pope spoke at a Vatican conference attended by dozens of mayors and governors from around the world, who signed a joint declaration demanding action on human-induced global warming.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio was in attendance.

"We are committed to an 80 percent reduction (of) greenhouse gases by 2050, mirroring the pledge of so many of you represent here today and we're proud to be the largest city in the world to make that commitment."

The declaration states the Paris summit in December may be the last effective opportunity for world leaders to negotiate meaningful environmental policy.



The Turkish government has announced it will step up border security following Monday's suicide bombing in the town of Suruç, on the border with Syria. Dorian Jones reports.

In a statement, the prime minister's office announced it had identified a suspect in the bombing and is looking into his national and international links. The attack killed 32 people, mainly youths, who were preparing to take part in relief efforts in the nearby Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani.

The government has described the attack as the first on Turkish soil by the Islamic State group and pledged to tighten the border with Syria.

Turkey is now bracing itself for the prospect of further attacks.

Dorian Jones, Istanbul.



Stock indexes down on Wall Street today.



From the VOA news center in Washington, I'm David Forrest.

That's the latest world news from VOA.