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From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm David DeForest reporting. Officials look for a terrorism suspect.
Moroccan authorities say Belgium has formally requested help in tracking a key suspect in the Paris massacres. A statement from Rabat said Belgium's king had asked Morocco's king for cooperation in finding Salah Abdeslam. Abdeslam has avoided arrest since crossing into Belgium from Paris hours after the November 13 terrorist attacks. Brussels, meanwhile, remains on lockdown and police there are pressing forward with a search for other terrorist suspects. The city streets and roadways were largely empty, with the city's subway and shops closed for a third day. Late Monday, the U.S. State Department issued a worldwide travel alert warning Americans that Islamic State extremists and other terrorist organizations continue planning attacks in multiple regions. And less than two weeks after the deadly attacks in Paris, U.S. President Barack Obama will welcome his French counterpart, François Hollande, to the Oval Office on Tuesday. British Prime Minister David Cameron offered France new assistance Monday for its airstrikes against Islamic State insurgents in Syria. He said he will ask the British parliament later in the week to approve joining the fight against the jihadists. "... how such action would be one element of a comprehensive and long term strategy to defeat ISIL in parallel with major international effort to bring an end to the war in Syria." :David Cameron. The United States has imposed sanctions on four Burundians it says have contributed to the turmoil in the Central African country. President Barack Obama took action against the four men with an executive order issued on Monday. For more on that story, check our website voanews.com. This is VOA news. Eurozone finance ministers have approved a $2.1 billion bailout for Greece. The move follows Greece's acceptance last week of key economic reforms. New austerity measures include higher taxes on wine and road use as well as more limited protection for distressed mortgage holders. The government is racing to complete a bailout supported recapitalization of its troubled banks before the end of 2015 and still faces a long list of more painful measures that include an overhaul of the national pension system. A Palestinian attacker stabbed two Israelis at a gas station on the edge of the West Bank on Monday. One of the two Israelis has died. The Palestinian was shot and killed by authorities. Earlier, Israeli police in Jerusalem shot and killed one Palestinian teenager and wounded another after the two stabbed an elderly man with scissors. A U.S. official says American special forces will go into northern Syria very "very soon" on a mission to help coordinate local fighters and the efforts of a U.S.-led coalition targeting Islamic State militants. As winter approaches in Afghanistan, the Taliban offensive continues with a much greater intensity than it previously did [does] at this time of year. Ayaz Gul takes a look. Late last week, the Taliban seized control of the remote Yamgan district in northeastern Badakhshan province. The Islamist insurgency has expanded its activities in northern Afghanistan particularly after it briefly captured the strategically important city of Kunduz in September. Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqi says Afghan forces have launched an operation to evict the insurgents, promising "good results" very soon. Ayaz Gul, Islamabad. Mali began three days of mourning Monday for the victims of Friday's hotel attack that killed 19 people. Neighboring Senegal, Mauritania and Guinea are also observing mourning periods. Malian authorities are searching for at least three suspects they believe are connected to the attack. A new poll shows the level of trust among Americans for their government is at the [lowest] one of the lowest levels in the past half-century. According to a Pew Research Center survey which was released on Monday, only 19 percent of Americans trust the government "always or most of the time." This is in stark contrast to just 15 years ago, when 60 percent of Americans said they trusted the government. A mere 20 percent described government-run programs as well-run. The survey found Americans view elected officials as dishonest and selfish compared to "typical Americans." Seventy-four percent said elected officials act in their personal interest rather than in the country's interest. In Washington, I'm David DeForest. That's the latest world news from VOA. |