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From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm David DeForest reporting.
Insurgents disguised as doctors attacked Afghanistan's largest military hospital in the capital, Kabul, Wednesday, killing at least 30 people and wounding dozens. Security forces quickly surrounded the facility, killing all the insurgents by the end of an hours-long siege. Witnesses said the attack began with a suicide car bombing at the entrance to the Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan hospital. Islamic State loyalists claimed responsibility for the attack. U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley says the United States must see "some sort of positive action" from North Korea before any discussions to lower tensions on the Korean peninsula can begin. North Korea fired four ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan's northwest coast on Monday. Haley defended the installation of the THAAd anti-missiles in South Korea. "Tell me why we wouldn't do the THAAD in light of 24 ballistic missiles, in light of two nuclear tests. Knowing that we're going to protect our allies, we are not going to leave South Korea standing there with the threat of North Korea facing them and not help." Speaking to reporters, Haley described North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as "not a rational person." Iraqi soldiers on Wednesday recaptured a prison outside Mosul that had been controlled by Islamic State jihadists and was reported to be used [by] for hundreds of executions. The securing of the jail came as part of a mission to retake west Mosul. The Islamic State group reportedly has moved some of its high-ranking commanders and their families from the de facto capital of Raqqa to the nearby Syrian province of Deir Ezzor. The move came as forces continue to push toward Raqqa. This is VOA news. South Africa's government late Tuesday officially revoked its notice of intent to withdraw from the International Criminal Court at The Hague. Now the matter will be debated in parliament. Anita Powell has more. South Africa announced its intent to leave the court in 2015 amid disagreement with the court after South Africa declined to act on an ICC arrest warrant for Sudan's president during an African Union summit he attended in Johannesburg. African nations have frequently accused the International Criminal Court of targeting Africans. The court disputes this charge and notes it is investigating situations in a number of countries, but the ICC has yet to try a case from a non-African nation. Anita Powell, Johannesburg. At least 19 girls were killed Wednesday when fire swept through the Guatemalan shelter for children. Before the fire, there have been reports of a rebellion by the youths housed at the overcrowded Virgen de Asuncion home for children. Several dozen people were injured. Bolivian President Evo Morales signed a law Wednesday doubling the amount of land that can be legally used to grow coca plants. Coca plants are used to make cocaine. The leftist leader told a public event that coca beat the United States. He said he wanted to show that his nation would not bow to the will of the U.S. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said Wednesday that his country and Turkey want to see their relations improve. He spoke to reporters in Berlin where he hosted a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu after weeks of disputes. German officials were angered by Turkey's president when he accused Germany of Nazi practices. Gabriel said he made it clear that making comparisons to Nazi Germany is a line that must not be crossed. Thousands of women from across the United States took the day off on Wednesday to show their economic value in a move that coincided with International Women's Day. The event was dubbed by organizers as "A Day Without Women." In New York, organizers of the Women's March held another rally before embarking on a march that passed by several important landmarks in the women's rights movement. South Korea's highest court has announced it will rule Friday on the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye. The Constitutional Court says the ruling will be televised live. South Korean lawmakers voted in December to remove Ms. Park from office over a corruption scandal. However, under the South Korean system, the Constitutional Court must confirm the decision before it can take effect. The main allegation is that she colluded with a friend to extort $70 million from South Korean companies. On Wall Street, U.S. stock indexes were mixed at the close of trade today. From the VOA news center in Washington, I'm David DeForest. That's the latest world news from VOA. |