VOA NEWS

March 19, 2017

From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm Joe Parker reporting.



The secretary of state cautions these are dangerous times. The top U.S. diplomat is in China on the third and final leg of his first Asia tour.

Focusing on North Korea and its controversial nuclear and missile programs, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Saturday described the events of the day after meeting in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.

"Foreign Minister Wang has agreed that we will work together to see if we cannot bring the government in Pyongyang to a place where they want to make a different course - make a course correction and move away from their development of their nuclear weapons. But it is with a certain sense of urgency that we both feel because of the current situation that we have on the peninsula."

Tillerson plans to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday. Beyond North Korea, discussions are likely to focus on trade and South China Sea territorial disputes.



A man with suspected links to radical Islam was fatally shot at a Paris airport on Saturday after attempting to steal the rifle of a patrol soldier, according to officials

The man was identified by the Associated Press as 39-year-old Ziyed Ben Belgacem. He wrestled the soldier to the ground and attempted to take her rifle, according to French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.

He said it was the female soldier who was attacked by the man who brought her to the ground and tried to take her weapon. She managed to hand on but her two comrades thought it was necessary in their right to do so to open fire to protect her, especially to protect all the people who were around.

No one else was injured in the incident, which took place at Paris's Orly Airport at about 8:30 in the morning local time.

The Paris prosecutors' office said the suspect had his home searched in 2015 after the terror attack in Paris that killed 130 people.



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Islamic Republic News Agency, the IRNA, reported today that the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman has condemned an airstrike on a mosque near Aleppo in northwestern Syria.

Bahram Qassemi said that attacking holy and religious places is extremely culpable, disgraceful and unjustifiable irrespective of the intention and purpose. He added accepting the responsibility for the attack by the Central Command of the American forces and explaining their reason for the motive for the attack will not absolve them of the responsibility.

About 46 people, mostly civilians, died in an airstrike on what the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and regional media say was a mosque.



U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said the meeting of finance ministers of the G20 countries was a success today despite the ministers not reaching agreement to fully oppose trade protectionism.

Mnuchin pointed out the United States does believe in free trade.

"We do believe in free trade but we believe in balanced trade. And where there is excessive trade surpluses, our trade deficits that something that we will look over time that we think is important to correct."

Citing, however, U.S. President Donald Trump's commitment to American companies and workers, Mnuchin [point] pushed back on and effectively omitted a ban on protectionism from the joint statement released at the end of the summit.



Buses began transporting Syrian rebels and their families Saturday from the last opposition-held neighborhood in the central city of Homs.

So far, nearly 1,500 people have evacuated, most of whom were civilians. Their departure is part of a Russian-backed deal signed earlier this month.

Homs Governor Talal Barazi told AFP that 423 rebel fighters had also left the district.



Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said today that he expects parliament to move to allow capital punishment - a change that could officially end Turkey's bid to join the European Union.

The EU has long said that reinstating capital punishment in Turkey, which was outlawed there in 2004, would be the end of Turkey's decades-long bid to join the bloc.

Tensions in Europe already are high as Turkey prepares for the April 16 referendum, which would give President Erdoğan more power.



Former U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton says she is ready to participate in the public discussion about the change in the country's political climate since the November presidential election.

"I do not believe that we can let political divides harden into personal divides. And we can't just ignore or turn a cold shoulder to someone because they disagree with us politically."

The former secretary of state has made few public appearances since losing the election in November. She is rumored to be considering a run for New York mayor but her assistants have downplayed that notion.



Joe Parker in Washington.

That's the latest world news from VOA.