VOA NEWS

November 18, 2015

From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm David DeForest reporting. French officials say they are seeking a second fugitive.



The anonymous officials said an analysis of the recent Paris terrorist attacks indicates that one person directly involved is still unaccounted for.

Paris police say 16 people have been arrested and detained in the region since Sunday.

Meanwhile, French warplanes continued bombing Islamic State targets in Syria on Tuesday, hitting the group's de facto capital of Raqqa.

A friendly football match between Germany and the Netherlands was canceled on Wednesday after police officials said they received a serious bomb threat.



U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says Syria could be weeks away from a "big transition." A plan for political change in Syria emerged last week from talks in Paris.



Russian officials have concluded that it was a bomb that brought down its passenger jet over the Sinai Peninsula last month. President Vladimir Putin is vowing vengeance against those who carried out the attack.

The Russian leader did not specifically blame the Islamic State group for downing the Metrojet aircraft and killing all 224 people aboard, but the Russians did launch an aerial bombardment on Raqqa, the Islamic State's self-described capital in northern Syria.



In the Philippines, to participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit this week, U.S. President Barack Obama pledged to help allies boost maritime security.

"My visit here underscores our shared commitment to the security of the waters of this region and to the freedom of navigation."

The White House announced a package of up to $259 million in new aid over the course of two years, including ($)79 million for the Philippines.



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U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan is calling for a pause in the U.S. acceptance of Syrian refugees, citing security fears following the Paris terrorist attacks.

He said the Republican-led House of Representatives could vote within days to delay President Barack Obama's plan to let 10,000 Syrian refugees into the United States over the next year.



U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antóenio Guterres [react] reacted, rather, to growing fears about the refugees.

"There are every day 5 to 7,000 people here, women and children fleeing violence. It would be totally unfair to blame refugees for what is today the development of terrorist activities in the world." :Antóenio Guterres.



Israel has outlawed an Islamist group it accuses of playing a key role in instigating violence at Jerusalem's Temple Mount site revered by Jews and Muslims.

The government announced Tuesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet approved the widely expected measure.

Mark Regev is an Israeli government spokesman: "These measures were taken to protect the public from an organization that is extreme and racist, and organization that partners with the Hamas terrorists and organization that preaches violence and hatred."

The head of the Islamic Movement in Israel vowed to fight the decision. And another movement official, Kamal Khatib, accused the Israeli government of trying to punish the Islamic group for its position on Jerusalem and the mosque.

The group provides religious and educational services for Israeli Arabs but it has also been behind a campaign to accuse Israel of trying to take over the al-Aqsa mosque.



An explosion at a market in Yola, Nigeria, Tuesday killed 32 people and wounded 80. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.



The Rwandan Senate has endorsed constitutional amendments that would allow President Paul Kagame to stay in office for another two decades. The vote Tuesday in the Senate was unanimous.

The proposed changes will be put to a national referendum, where they are expected to win easy approval.



The Republican-led U.S. Senate is preparing to vote against the centerpieces of President Barack Obama's environmental agenda less than two weeks before the start of a U.N. climate change conference in Paris.

The Senate is expected to pass a resolution disapproving the president's Clean Power Plan, and another disapproving limits on carbon emissions from U.S. power plants. Neither is likely to have much practical effect.



On Wall Street, U.S. stock indexes were down at the close of trade today.



In Washington, I'm David DeForest.

That's the latest world news from VOA.