At the White House, President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki discussed Iraq's requests for new military and other assistance to help fight resurgent al-Qaida networks threatening Iraq's stability.  

It was their first face-to-face meeting since December 2011, just days before the last U.S. troops pulled out of Iraq.

Iraq's military and police now face a deteriorating situation, with al-Qaida attacks and other violence claiming at least 6,000 lives this year.  Mr. Maliki wants weapons, helicopters, and intelligence cooperation.  

Obama said much of their talks focused on the al-Qaida threat.

"Unfortunately al-Qaida has still been active and has grown more active recently, so we had a lot of discussion about how we can work together to push back against that terrorist organization, that operates not only in Iraq but also poses a threat to the entire region and to the United States," said President Obama.

President Obama mentioned continuing counter-terrorism assistance, and said the strategic partnership remains strong, but did not mention any new agreement.

U.S. government assistance to buy food has been cut for millions of poorer Americans, the result of Washington's ongoing contentious debate on spending priorities.

The U.S. provides food stamp aid for more than 47 million people to help them buy groceries each month. It boosted the aid during the recession in 2009 that proved to be the country's biggest economic downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s. But the extra assistance ended Thursday, at the end of October.

The aid is sent to about one in seven Americans. But with the cutback in the program, a family of four that had been getting $668 a month will get $36 less.

A new report on international adoptions says a growing number of adopted children are older and have special needs.

Nearly 50 percent in the United States had adopted a child with special needs.

Chinese state media are releasing more details about what they call a "terrorist attack" Monday in Tiananmen Square.

Chinese Central Television says eight suspected Islamist separatists from the troubled northwest region of Xinjiang had been planning the attack since September and had accumulated more than $6,500 to help carry it out.

The broadcaster says three of the suspects drove a Mercedes SUV packed with "Tibetan knives" and 400 liters of petrol into the square on Monday, killing themselves, two tourists, and wounding dozens of others. The five others have been arrested.

South Korea says is debating lifting sanctions imposed on North Korea after the 2010 sinking of a South Korean warship. South Korea's opposition argues the trade limits originally aimed at punishing North Korea for sinking the ship are also hurting South Korea.

VOA Daniel Schearf reports from Seoul.

South Korea's top official on North Korea relations says the government is considering calls to end the punitive sanctions. Known as the “May 24th sanctions,” they ban all trade and investment with the North. The only exception to the sanctions is the joint Kaesong industrial park, where production was allowed but expansion confined.
 
The trade restrictions were imposed as punishment after public outrage over the 2010 sinking of the Cheonnan, a South Korean warship. Seoul blamed a North Korean submarine for torpedoing the ship, killing 46 sailors on board.
 
But on Friday South Korea's Unification Minister, Ryoo Kihl-jae, said the government was examining the possibility of lifting the sanctions.

Daniel Schearf,VOA News,SEOUL.

Germany says it would like to talk to U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden about what he knows about the vast American spying programs, including the alleged monitoring of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cellphone.
 
Berlin's top security official, Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich, said Friday Germany would welcome any information the U.S. fugitive, now living in asylum in Russia, could provide.