Iraqi President Fouad Massoum has asked a deputy speaker of parliament to form a new government. If he is successful, Haider al-Abadi would take the place of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Kurds, Sunnis and his fellow Shi’ites have asked Mr. Maliki to leave office. But he says he will seek a third term as Prime Minister.
Separately, the United States continued airstrikes against Islamic State militants in northern Iraq. U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said the three days of airstrikes have been, in his words, “very effective” in stopping the militants from moving toward the city of Irbil.
New Cease-Fire Between Israel and Hamas
Israel and Hamas have begun a new 72-hour cease-fire. The two sides will now have another chance to negotiate an end to a month of fighting that has caused the deaths of 2,000 people.
Egypt helped the two sides reach the cease-fire agreement. It took effect early Monday. Both sides are now meeting in Cairo to try to reach a long-term agreement to end the fighting.
An earlier 72-hour cease-fire ended Friday with no progress toward a longer-term truce. It ended with Hamas restarting its rocket attacks on Israel and the Israeli military carrying out new airstrikes in Gaza.
President Obama, Ukraine’s President Talk
President Barack Obama spoke with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko by telephone on Monday. He said any Russian involvement in Ukraine without permission from the Ukrainian government would be a violation of international law.
Earlier Monday, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the alliance has seen no signs of Russian forces pulling back from the border with Ukraine. He said there is, in his words, a “high probability” that Russia will send troops into eastern Ukraine.
Nigeria Confirms Ebola Case
Nigeria’s health ministry says it has confirmed a new case of Ebola in the capital Lagos. Officials in Nigeria say there are now 10 confirmed cases of the virus in the city. They say two people have died.
Nigeria, Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone have been working hard to control the spread of the disease. More than 960 people have died since the outbreak began earlier this year.
Words in the News
seek – v. to search for (“They are seeking a cure for cancer.”); to try to get (“She is seeking election to public office.”); to plan to do (“Electric power companies are seeking to reduce their use of coal.”)
negotiate – v. to talk about a problem or situation to find a common solution
ceasefire – n. a halt in fighting, usually by agreement
violate – v. to fail to obey or honor; to break (an agreement)
spread – v. to become longer or wider; to make or become widely known
