VOA慢速英语:French Officials Say All on Plane Dead in Crash

Tuesday in the French Alps. French officials said all on the plane were killed. The victims include 16 schoolchildren.

The plane was traveling from Barcelona, Spain, to Dusseldorf, Germany when it went down.

The French Interior Minister  said one of the plane's black boxes had been found and would be examined.

Obama meets with Afghan president Ashraf Ghani

President Barack Obama announced Tuesday that the U.S. will not reduce troop numbers in Afghanistan this year. He made the announcement after meeting in Washington with Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani.

Mr. Ghani had asked the United States to reconsider its withdrawal plan. About 9,800 American soldiers are in Afghanistan to advise and train Afghan troops.

Mr. Obama had announced plans to cut back the troops numbers to 5,500 by the end of 2015.

Mr. Ghani and Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah also met Monday with other U.S. officials, including Secretary of State John Kerry. Mr. Kerry described the talks as “productive."

Shi’ite rebels clash with opposing militias in Yemen

Yemen’s Shi'ite rebels made progress Tuesday in southern Yemen fighting with militias loyal to the country's current president.

The rebels -- known as Houthis -- entered the town of al-Dhalea and fought fierce gunbattles with militias who support Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

To the north in Taiz province, the rebels and soldiers loyal to ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh clashed with anti-Houthi protesters. The soldiers fired on the protesters, killing at least one.