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From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm David DeForest reporting. Iraqi security forces surround the city of Fallujah ahead of a planned offensive.
Fallujah has been held by the Islamic State group longer than any other city in Iraq. IS fighters are believed to be deeply entrenched there, and as fighting and airstrikes around the city have intensified, the plight of the civilians trapped inside has worsened. Melissa Fleming is a U.N. spokeswoman: "Many people are reported to have been killed or buried alive under the rubble of their homes in the course of ongoing military operations. So we are saying it is absolutely essential that safe routes are opened that will allow the civilians in the city to access safety and life-saving assistance." While some 800 people have managed to escape, thousands of others have not. More than 700 migrants are feared to have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea this week. The United Nations refugee agency says migrants were in three smuggling boats that wrecked in the water. The survivors were taken to Italy. UNHCR official William Spindler says migrants keep trying to reach Europe: "So far 200,000 people have crossed the Mediterranean this year and in the case of Italy some 40,000 have arrived since the beginning of the year and before this latest tragedy about 1,700 had already been reported dead or missing." :William Spindler. Iran's state media said Sunday Iranians will not be able to make the Hajj pilgrimage this year. According to Iran's IRNA news agency, the decision has been made following a failure of the two governments to reach an agreement on terms of this year's Hajj. Iran accuses the Saudis of creating obstructions to an agreement. This is VOA news. Yemeni military officials say two days of fighting between Yemeni government forces and Houthi rebels have left at least 48 people dead. The rebels attacked a region between central Marib and Shabwa provinces and were beaten backed by loyalist solders. A Yemeni general says his forces will not stop fighting until they have retaken the entire region from the Houthis. The Rolling Thunder parade of motorcycles rolled into Washington Sunday to support the U.S. military on the country's Memorial Day weekend. The annual show of support for American veterans turned into a rally for presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Thousands of motorcyclists cheered as Trump vowed to rebuild the military. Gary Johnson won the Libertarian party presidential nomination on Sunday. its former Massachusetts Governor William Weld was chosen to run as Johnson's running mate. Johnson's candidacy gains attention for his small party at a moment when a majority of Americans have unfavorable opinions of the major parties' front-runners. French President François Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel marked the 100-year anniversary of the Battle of Verdun Sunday, laying a wreath at the cemetery in France for the 300,000 soldiers killed. Here is French leader Hollande. He says Europeans' duty is to love their homeland and protect their common house, Europe. The two leaders said just as their countries once enemies had managed to become close allies, the European Union should pull together to deal with the current migrant crisis and a possible British exit from the EU. Israeli media say police are recommending that charges be brought against the wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Sara Netanyahu is accused of misuse of state fund and inflated household spending. She has denied any wrongdoing. State prosecutors will decide if to bring charges. Relatives of a Pakistani taxi driver who was killed in last week's U.S. drone strike targeting the leader of the Afghan Taliban have formally lodged a police complaint against unnamed U.S. officials. The driver was transporting Taliban chief Mullah Mansoor when missiles fired by a drone struck their car in Pakistan's Baluchistan province, killing both of them. Meanwhile, in Islamabad Sunday, Pakistan's Interior Ministry says a DNA sample has confirmed that Mansoor was the one killed in the drone strike. The United Nations says five peacekeepers were killed in an attack Sunday by militants in central Mali. One other peacekeeper was wounded. No group has taken responsibility for that attack. In Washington, I'm David DeForest. That's the latest world news from VOA. |