U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in Cairo at the start of an eight-nation trip that is expected to focus on Middle East peace talks, the war in Syria, and negotiations over Iran's nuclear program.

VOA State Department correspondent Scott Stearns is traveling with Kerry and has this report.

A senior administration official says Kerry's talks here with Egyptian civilian and military leaders will stress Washington's interest in a sustainable and inclusive way forward following July's coup against President Mohamed Morsi.

Later, Kerry will meet with Saudi leaders to discuss the political situation in Egypt, possible talks to end Syria's civil war, and negotiations over Iran's nuclear program.  Saudi officials have questioned Iran's sincerity in the talks.  A senior U.S. official says Washington shares Riyadh's concerns about Tehran's nuclear program and its support for groups the United States considers terrorists.

Kerry will visit Poland to talk about trade and investment as well as joint military training.  He will hold meetings in Jordan about the war in Syria and about Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Kerry will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem. 

In the United Arab Emirates Kerry will talk about Syria, Egypt, and Iran.

Scott Stearns,VOA News Cairo.

The Malian government has condemned the killing of two French journalists who had been kidnapped in the country's north.

Malian government spokesman said the government condemned the "barbaric and cowardly" act in the strongest of terms.

Earlier, French President Francois Hollande called the killing "despicable" and expressed "indignation" after the murders were confirmed.

Pakistan has summoned the U.S. ambassador to register a strong protest against the killing of Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud in a U.S. drone strike.

Ayaz Gul filed this report from ISLAMABAD.

The United States had a $5 million bounty on Mehsud for his role in a deadly suicide attack on a CIA compound in a border province of Afghanistan in 2009.  His group also had claimed responsibility for a failed bombing in New York's Times Square in 2010.  

The 34-year-old leader had taken over the banned militant group, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, in 2009 when its previous head was killed, also by a US drone strike the same year.

Khan said he repeatedly warned the American ambassador in recent weeks that drone strikes should not target Taliban leaders while the newly-elected government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is attempting to engage in peace talks with Taliban extremists.  

Ayaz Gul,VOA News ISLAMABAD

Niger authorities have intercepted 127 migrants who were trying to cross the desert into Algeria, days after officials found the bodies of 92 migrants who attempted a similar trip.

Officials say the migrants were caught Saturday in five vehicles as they left the northern town of Arlit.

The head of an NGO in Arlit says authorities freed the migrants who were from the town.

U.S. federal prosecutors have filed a murder charge against the suspected gunman in the deadly shooting at Los Angeles International Airport.
 
According to a note found in his bag, the suspect Ciancia was determined to kill at least one officer of the Transportation Security Administration.

Chinese state media are releasing more details about what they say was a terrorist attack in Tiananmen Square carried out by militant Uighurs - a mainly Muslim ethnic group in western China. And reports coming in from Xinjiang Province tell of a crackdown on the minority Uighur community there.

China Central Television says eight Islamist separatists from Xinjiang province had been planning the attack in Beijing for more than a month.

For more on this story and completely look at today's news,visit our website www.geilien.cn