Al-Qaeda threat evolving, Obama say

By AFP
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WASHINGTON

The threat from US arch foe Al-Qaeda is evolving and taking root in new places around the world, US President Barack Obama warned Tuesday.

"In Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, and Mali, we have to keep working with partners to disrupt and disable these networks," Obama told US lawmakers in his annual State of the Union address, adding the United States had put "Al-Qaeda's core leadership on the path to defeat."

Obama also vowed on Tuesday to veto any new bill by lawmakers to impose new sanctions against Iran in the middle of delicate negotiations to rein in its nuclear program.

"The sanctions that we put in place helped make this opportunity possible. But let me be clear: if this Congress sends me a new sanctions bill now that threatens to derail these talks, I will veto it. For the sake of our national security, we must give diplomacy a chance to succeed," Obama said.

On the minimum wage, the US President urged Congress to raise the federal minimum wage, challenging legislators to help reverse deepening income disparity across the country.

"Give America a raise," Obama told Congress in his State of the Union speech, urging support for a proposed bill that would hike the base rate nearly 40 per cent.