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From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm David Byrd reporting. Bangladeshi authorities deployed heavy security throughout the capital Dhaka Saturday following an 11-hour standoff with a group of militants who killed 20, mostly foreign civilians at an upscale restaurant.
Security forces rescued at least 13 hostages during the siege. Most of those who died were Italian and Japanese nationals. At least two police officers were also killed. Six of the militants were killed and one captured when Bangladeshi security personnel stormed the building. In a televised address to the nation Saturday, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that her country would not let "conspirators succeed in their mission" to tarnish its image. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a statement the United States condemns the attack in the strongest terms. He called the attack a "despicable act of terrorism." Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton met with officials from the FBI for three and one half hours in Washington Saturday as part of a probe into her use of a private email server when she was secretary of state. A campaign spokesman said Clinton gave a voluntary interview at the FBI headquarters in Washington. FBI officials are expected to conclude their investigation soon. Legal experts have said they do not expect any criminal charges to be filed against the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. The FBI and the Justice Department have been investigating whether anyone in Clinton's office broke the law by using a personal email server while she was secretary of state. For more on these stories and the rest of the day's news, log on to our website voanews.com. This is VOA news. Elie Wiesel, who survived the holocaust and went on to become an influential author and Nobel Peace Prize winner, has died. He was 87. Born in 1928 in Romania, Wiesel wrote extensively of his imprisonment in Nazi death camps and in 1986 won the Nobel Prize for Peace. He was probably best known for his autobiography Night, which detailed his experience at Auschwitz. He also helped found the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity and was instrumental in helping to found the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC. "We teach by example, relief as examples. If we could reduce the hate in one person, I think that each serves to create the difference to the whole world. I believe in that. ???" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that Wiesel was a beacon of light and exemplar of humanity. President Obama said in a statement that Wiesel's life and the power of his example urges us to be better. In the face of evil, we must summon our capacity for good. Tens of thousands people marched through London Saturday to protest Britain's decision to leave the European Union. Demonstrators crowded the area around Parliament Square, many holding signs and chanting slogans denouncing the June 23 vote to leave the EU. Keiran MacDermott was one of the march organizers: "you know, it was won by a very small margin, it can cause massive financial hardship to our country. It can, it's going to take a lot of opportunities away from the young people of this country, cause the breakup of the U.K., you know, based on all these factors, it's parliament's duty to judge whether or not this is good advice." The marchers are hoping to prevent Britain from triggering an article 50 provision of the Lisbon Treaty, which starts the formal process of leaving the EU. It could be several days before the results of Australia's elections [is] are clear. The conservative and Labor Party candidates are in a virtual dead heat. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said shortly after midnight local time he had "every confidence" that his ruling conservative party, that is, had won. "We will be able to form that majority government, but let me say this, let me say this, without any, any fear of contradiction the Labor Party has no capacity in this parliament to form a stable majority government. That is a fact." Opposition leader Bill Shorten said that Turnbull's conservative coalition government had failed to deliver on its promises. Parties need at least 76 seats to form a majority government. I'm David Byrd in Washington. That's the latest world news from VOA. |