|
From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm Jonathan Smith reporting.
The death toll from Saturday's massive truck bombing in the Somali capital Mogadishu has risen to nearly 240, that is, with more than 300 wounded. It's the [deadly] deadliest attack in the country's history. Angry protesters took to the streets condemning al-Shabaab. The militant group, which often claims attacks in Mogadishu, has so far stayed silent. But the Somali government and terror experts strongly believe the group was responsible. In Washington, the U.S. State Department condemned the attack "in the strongest terms." One of the wounded was VOA reporter in Mogadishu, Abdulkadir Mohamed Abdulle. Abdulle sustained injuries to the neck, hand and burns throughout his body. But he was in good spirits as he spoke to VOA about his condition. The Somali government has called for three days of national mourning. The American Secretary of State Rex Tillerson conceded Sunday that Iran is in "technical compliance" with the international agreement to curb its nuclear weapons development. But he said President Trump wants Congress to adopt "a more complete strategy" to fix what the president believe are flaws in the agreement. Kurdish Peshmerga fighters are refusing to obey an order by Iraqi soldiers to withdraw from the oil-producing city of Kirkuk. That leaves the two sides in a standoff because the deadline for leaving has passed. Reporters in the area say there have been no clashes, but they noted fighters on both sides are poised for conflict. This is VOA news. After more than six decades of moderate and centrist governments, Austria appears to be shifting to the right after the conservative party won Sunday's parliamentary election. Reuters correspondent Pascale Davies reports. The spotlight is on 31-year-old Sebastian Kurz, who stepped to become one of the world's youngest leaders if he is voted in as chancellor. Despite his fresh face, the foreign minister has used a traditional line when it comes to immigration. He frequently reminds voters that he opposed opening borders in 2015. Kurz wants to restrict benefits for refugees and other new arrivals. The migration crisis playing into the hands of far-right Freedom Party, whose candidates came close to winning last year's presidential runoff. The election stoking more concern among liberals about the rise of populism in Europe. Many Austrians have been complaining about stagnant leadership. Kurz also campaigned for tax cuts and reduced EU regulations although there is almost no chance that Austria would ever leave the EU. Islamic State fighters have left the Syrian city of Raqqa after they reached a withdrawal agreement with the U.S.-backed Syrian militias surrounding them. Hundreds of civilians have left Raqqa in recent days from the neighborhoods held by Islamic State fighters, taking advantage of the slowdown in the fighting by coalition troops. That slowdown is meant to help civilians [safety] safely, that is, evacuate. Wildfires in the western American state of California's famed wine country continue to intensity, taking lives and destroying buildings. This is fire captain Jimmy Bernal in Rancho, California. "It was wind driven. Wind driven is basically powerful winds just started pushing and intensifies the fire." The death toll has now risen to at least 39. Others are still unaccounted for. Hundreds of them and about a hundred thousand people have evacuated their homes. A runoff vote for the presidency of Liberia will be held between former footballer George Weah and incumbent Vice President Joseph Boakai, according to the electoral commission's announcement on Sunday. With over 95 percent of votes counted in the West African country, Weah has taken 39 percent, Boakai 29 percent - neither of them getting anywhere near the 50 percent required to win the presidency outright after the initial election last week. There is more on these and other developing and late breaking stories, from around the world, around the clock, at voanews.com and on the VOA news mobile app. I'm Jonathan Smith reporting from the world headquarters of the Voice of America in Washington. That's the latest world news from VOA. |