Reuters, Washington
At least four of the Paris attackers were listed in a central counter-terrorism database maintained by the United States (US) intelligence community, five US officials said on Thursday.
At least one and possibly more of the attackers was also on a more selective US “no fly list”, three of the officials said, though they would not provide a specific number.
In coordinated attacks in Paris last Friday, 129 people were killed and more than 300 were wounded. The self-styled Islamic State (IS) group has claimed responsibility for the worst violence in France since World War Two.
France pushes UN to support IS fighting
Reuters, United Nations
France wants the United Nations Security Council to push all able states to join the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq after the militants claimed responsibility for downing a Russian plane over Egypt and attacks in Paris, Lebanon, Turkey, and Tunisia.
France circulated a draft resolution to the 15-member council on Thursday that calls on countries “to redouble and coordinate their efforts to prevent and suppress terrorist acts committed specifically” by the group, which is also known as ISIS and ISIL.
The action rivals a Russian bid for U.N. approval of international military action against the militant group. On Wednesday, Russia submitted an edited draft of a text initially circulated to the council on Sept. 30.
Obama arrives in KL for summit amid security
Reuters, Kuala Lumpur
U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in Malaysia on Friday on the final leg of a series of summits aimed at furthering Washington’s bid to rebalance ties towards Asia and challenge China’s increasingly assertive posture in the region.
Security was unusually tight in the Malaysian capital with police citing unconfirmed reports of an “imminent terrorist threat”, following last week’s attacks in Paris and the downing of a Russian airliner over Egypt by Islamic State militants.
12 soldiers, 19 terrorists dead in Yemen attacks
AFP, Aden
Al-Qaeda launched simultaneous attacks on two army positions in southeastern Yemen early today that left 12 soldiers and 19 terrorists dead, an army officer said.
The attacks targeted army positions near the town of Shibam and in Wadi Sir, both in Hadramawt province, a stronghold of Al-Qaeda whose militants control its capital Mukalla.
North, South Korea to hold rare talks next week
AFP, Seoul
North and South Korea agreed Friday to hold rare talks next week, aimed at setting up a high-level dialogue that might provide the foundation for a sustainable improvement in cross-border ties.
The talks, to be held on November 26 in the border truce village of Panmunjom, will be the first inter-governmental interaction since officials met there in August to defuse a crisis that had pushed both sides to the brink of an armed conflict.
