VOA NEWS

November 17, 2015

From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm David DeForest reporting. The U.S. president reacts to the terrorist attacks on Paris.



U.S. President Barack Obama says it would be a mistake to send American ground troops to the Middle East to fight Islamic State militants

Speaking at the end of the G-20 summit in Turkey, Mr. Obama defended the U.S. military's air campaign in Iraq and Syria to support regional fighters.

The American leader rejected calls from some of his U.S. political opponents that only Syrian Christians and not Muslims be allowed to enter the U.S. as refugees. He calls such a stance "shameful and not American."

At least ten U.S. governors are balking at letting Syrian refugees settle in their states.



French President François Hollande says his government will step up its offensive in Syria, where Friday's terrorist attack had been planned. Lisa Bryant takes a look.

Speaking at a rare joint session of parliament, French President François Hollande called for tighter European border controls and new powers to expel people deemed a national security threat.

He described as state of war against the Islamic State group, which has taken responsibility for attacks that killed at least 129 people Friday in Paris.

Lisa Bryant, Paris.

Also Monday, French authorities detained 23 people in police raids across the country.

And U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry landed in Paris Monday under heavy security to show solidarity with France.



At least seven people were killed in Somalia's capital in a shootout between soldiers at a displaced persons' camp.

Witnesses say the shooting occurred Monday as people in the camp lined up to obtain food cards. A camp resident says a soldier tried to move people into the line, sparking a dispute that escalated into gunfire.



This is VOA news.



A new video attributed to the Islamic State is warning of a Paris-style attack on Washington.

The unverified video, appearing on social media Monday, threatened all countries involved in military operations against the militant group, saying they will suffer the same fate as France.



A senior United Nations official is warning of a potential migration crisis in the Sahel region of Africa. Lisa Schlein reports.

The United Nations says the Sahel countries are among the nations most at risk for crises and disasters. It reports more than 24 million people in the nine Sahelian countries are expected to suffer from moderate to severe hunger next year. It warns about 750,000 children across the region will lose their lives because of malnutrition-related causes.

Lisa Schlein, Geneva.



Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi attended the closing session of the current parliament on Monday.

Her party, the National League for Democracy, recently won a landslide victory over the government- and military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party.

The NLD will have an absolute majority in the new parliament.



South Korea's Yonhap news agency says U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will travel to Pyongyang, North Korea, later this week for a possible meeting with Kim Jong Un.



Seventeen Angolans accused of planning a rebellion and coup have gone on trial in Luanda.

Authorities arrested the activists in June after they met to discuss a book called "From Dictatorship to Democracy."

Their defense lawyer told the court Monday charges should be dropped because the activists broke no laws and have a constitutional right to freedom of speech.

Amnesty International calls the trial a "travesty of justice."



Israeli troops shot and killed at least two Palestinians when clashes erupted during an attempt to destroy the house of a suspected Palestinian attacker. The home being targeted was that of Mohammed Abu Shahin accused of killing an Israeli man last June.

The Israeli military says hundreds of Palestinians threw rocks and firebombs at security forces prompting them to return fire Monday at the Qalandia refugee camp near Ramallah.



Nicaragua has sent more than 1,000 Cuban migrants, heading to the United States, back to Costa Rica, accusing Costa Rica of deliberately sparking a humanitarian crisis.

The crisis began last week when Costa Rica said it would issue temporary transit visas to more than 1,000 Cubans who crossed into the country from Panama.

Costa Rica's immigration chief said the government initially was deporting Cubans who arrived without proper visas, but criminal gangs began using the deportation process to facilitate the illegal transportation of migrants to the United States.



In Washington, I'm David DeForest.

That's the latest world news from VOA.