News Wrap: Iraqi forces recapture Ramadi center

JEFFREY BROWN:

The decision is in, in the Tamir Rice killing, a case that's roiled Cleveland and riveted the country. A grand jury will not indict a white officer for killing the black 12-year-old.

The county prosecutor announced today the evidence didn't indicate criminal conduct. We will have this story in full, and more on new killings in Chicago, after the news summary.

In Iraq, government troops have recaptured the center of Ramadi from Islamic State fighters. The military trumpeted its success today, even as pockets of resistance persisted.

We have a report from Juliet Bremner of Independent Television News.

JULIET BREMNER:

The Iraqi flag once again flies over Ramadi, but this is victory at a terrible cost. Homes and businesses are reduced to little more than rubble in what seems to be a ghost town.

Initial claims of victory came on state television this morning, as soldiers took control of a key government complex. The jihadis who took Ramadi in may used propaganda pictures to demonstrate their welcome. In truth, many Sunnis who lived here have more sympathy with I.S. than with the Shia-dominated Iraqi army.

Regaining control of the streets of Ramadi is a significant victory, depriving the militants of one of their greatest prizes, the capital of Anbar Province just an hour-and-a-half's drive away from Baghdad. There was a warning to leave Ramadi before this final assault.

Now a war-weary population must be encouraged to return.

JEFFREY BROWN:

Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, a Taliban suicide bomber killed at least one person today and wounded 33, many of them children. The attack struck near a school near to the Kabul airport and damaged shops, homes and vehicles in the mostly civilian area.

MAN (through interpreter):

I was standing near my shop when suddenly I heard a huge explosion and everything became dark around me. Shattered pieces of iron hit me. I was 10 feet away from this explosion. I saw a teenager, a boy. He was killed on the ground. It was really terrible.

JEFFREY BROWN:

The Taliban said the target was a convoy of foreign forces passing through the area.

The Islamist militants of Boko Haram launched attacks across two cities in Nigeria today, leaving 80 people dead. Suicide bombers struck in Maiduguri, killing 30 people overnight. Twenty more died in an explosion outside a mosque at dawn. Nearly 100 miles away, the town of Madagali was rocked by twin suicide bombings, killing 30 people there. Just last week, Nigeria's president claimed that Boko Haram is no longer capable of such attacks.

South Korea and Japan have reached a landmark agreement in a longstanding dispute over so-called comfort women. They were Koreans used as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II. The new agreement includes an apology from Japan and a promise of more than $8 million.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he hopes it ends decades of animosity over the issue.

SHINZO ABE, Prime Minister, Japan (through interpreter):

Today, Japan and South Korea will enter into a new era. I hope this agreement will serve as a momentum for Japan and South Korea to put their hands together and open up the new era.

JEFFREY BROWN:

Only 46 of the women survive, many now in their 80s and 90s. Some said today they support the South Korean government's efforts. Others complained the money will create a foundation for the victims, but will not be paid directly to them as formal compensation.

Back in this country, the incidence of asthma in children appears to be declining for the first time in decades. That finding, by the National Centers for Health Statistics, appears in the journal "Pediatrics." The study covered 2001 to 2013. Asthma rates began to fall toward the end of that period. Researchers suggest declines in air pollution could be a factor.

Wall Street dipped today after a new drop in oil prices hurt energy stocks. The Dow Jones industrial average lost about 24 points to close at 17528. The Nasdaq fell seven points, and the S&P 500 slipped four.

And the man who was clown prince of the Harlem Globetrotters has died. Meadowlark Lemon passed away Sunday in Scottsdale, Arizona. He spent nearly 25 years with the Globetrotters, entertaining crowds with his nonstop comic chatter, trick plays and antics on the court. In his prime, he was one of the most popular athletes in the world. Meadowlark Lemon was 83 years old.