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From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm Richard Sheehe.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday hinted at his surprise announcement as he prepared to depart South Korea. "The partnership between our two nations and our two people is deep and enduring. We have been proud to stand by your side for many decades as an unwavering friend and a loyal ally." Trump made his remarks during a toast at a state dinner being held in his honor in Seoul. He also told attendees that the partnership between the U.S. and South Korea has never been stronger as the threat of the North and its nuclear program looms. Not everyone welcomed the president there, however. Protesters gathered on a main square as the president's motorcade drove past. Many advocated diplomacy over force on the Korean peninsula. As one protester put it, "if he wants in the world as a president of the most powerful nation, he should come out for negotiation for unconditional talks with North Korea." The president heads next to China. Authorities have finished the grim work of identifying the 26 victims in Sunday's shooting in Texas. Fred Milanowski, a special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, also offered clarification on the weapon used in the shooting. "ATF firearms expert examined that rifle yesterday all indications are that that is not a fully automatic weapon. That is a semi-automatic weapon." He said that agents were going to test-fire the rifle to confirm and examine shell casings they have collected. The shooting happened at a rural church in Texas, and among the dead were eight members of a single family. You can always point your browser to voanews.com. We're also on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. This is VOA news. French and Swiss police Tuesday arrested 10 people suspected of planning an attack just days after France adopted controversial new anti-terror legislation. Lisa Bryant has more on the cross-border raids. Media reports say nine people were arrested in France and the tenth in Switzerland during police raids that targeted suspects ages 18 to 65. Those detained reportedly included a pair of radicalized brothers known to French intelligence. The arrests mostly took place in the Paris suburbs and southeastern France and they apparently were in response to an increase in communications via social media and telegram. According to reports, intelligence officials believe that their plans were being discussed for violent action, possibly targeting France's southern Côte d'Azur region. The government says France has thwarted 32 attacks since 2015, including 13 this year alone. Many people are fearful of more to come. Lisa Bryant, for VOA news, Paris. A bomb-and-gun attack on the headquarters of a private Afghan television station in Kabul Tuesday left at least four people dead and more than 20 wounded. The Islamic State claimed responsibility. Three more explosions were also heard during the siege which lasted several hours before Afghan security forces gunned down the attackers. NATO is set to increase its Afghanistan training mission by some 3,000 troops. Andrew Palczewski has more. The fresh NATO personnel will not have a combat role but the alliance hopes more soldiers can train the Afghan army and air force to complement U.S. President Donald Trump's strategy to send more American counterterrorism troops to the country. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg made the announcement at a news conference Tuesday. "In particular, we are focusing on training the Afghan special operations forces, which have proven so key in the fight against the insurgents, the terrorists, the Taliban." NATO defense ministers are expected to approve the deployment as part of a two-day meeting that begins Wednesday. NATO officials say that the troops will be deployed from the start of 2018. Andrew Palczewski, VOA news. The United States' opposition to Iraq Kurdish independence is being welcomed in Turkey. Washington's robust opposition to its longtime ally, the Iraq's Kurds in their independence bid, came as a welcome surprise for Turkey since Ankara fears the establishment of any Kurdish independent state would fuel the secessionist demands of the Kurdish minority in southeastern Turkey. The United Nations is demanding that the Saudi-led coalition allow humanitarian aid to Yemen through all ports and airports. A U.N. spokesman warned that "any further shocks to imports of food and fuel may reverse recent success in mitigating threats of famine." I'm Richard Sheehe in Washington. That's the latest world news from VOA. |