From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm Michael Brown reporting.

The White House on Monday made clear it sees no way that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad can stay in power for the long term.

The White House press secretary said the U.S.'s main priority is defeating the Islamic State fighters in Syria and then to "create an environment for a change in leadership."

"I can't imagine a stable and peaceful Syria where Bashar al-Assad is in power. I think we all recognize that happens and there can be a multi-pronged approach. We are ensuring that ISIS is contained and there is a de-escalation of the proliferation of chemical weapons and at the same time creating the environment for a change in leadership." :White House spokesman Sean Spicer.

The U.S. launched a missile attack on the airfield U.S. officials believe Syria used as a base to assault rebels fighting the Assad regime with chemical weapons.

Dozens were killed; hundreds more were injured.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's attendance at the G7 meeting of foreign ministers in Italy appears to be overshadowed by his trip to Moscow Wednesday for talks with Russian leaders.

Tillerson accused Moscow of failing to prevent the allege(d) chemical attack by the Assad regime that killed nearly 100 people, including children.

Tillerson has urged the Kremlin to rethink its support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The U.S. responded to the chemical attack by firing missiles at targets on a Syrian airbase.

In Washington Monday, the White House spokesman said President Trump ??? the constitution to order the strike. Sean Spicer also said additional military action in Syria does remain an option.

For more news, we invite you to join us at our website. That is voanews.com. From here in Washington, this is VOA news.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for bombings at two Coptic churches in Egypt that killed at least 44 people and injured more than 100 as worshipers gathered to mark Palm Sunday.

After the bombings, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi declared a three-month state of emergency.

Egypt's Christian minority, which makes up roughly ten percent of the population, has increasingly been targeted by Islamist extremists.

The hacking tools used by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency may have been involved in at least 40 cyberattacks in 16 countries.

Those are the findings in a report released Monday by the computer security company, Symantec.

It said in its report it bases information on CIA files released by WikiLeaks last month. It found that tools in WikiLeaks recent releases have been linked to the electronic infiltration of international, financial, energy and aerospace organizations across the world.

The CIA refused to comment directly on the report by the computer security company or the authenticity of the documents released by WikiLeaks.

Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has been named as a [U.N. ambassador] U.N. Messenger of Peace with a special focus on girls' education.

"Education is a right of every child and especially for girls, this right should not be neglected. If we want to go forward, we have to give education to girls. And once you educate girls, you change the whole community, you the whole society. So really, I'm honored getting this award"

During a ceremony at the U.N. headquarters Monday, being live around the world on Facebook and YouTube, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres hailed Malala as "a very committed and generous person."

"Today, I am proud to designate you the youngest-ever United Nations Messenger of Peace, with a special focus on girls' education, honoring the fact that you have shown, even in the face of grave danger, an unwavering commitment to peace, conscious of your consistent focus on the best in humankind and your resolve to foster a better world."

Malala's advocacy brought retaliation from the Taliban which preferred to see women and girls oppressed. She was shot in 2015 while riding her school-bus and endured a long recovery.

Malala became an advocate for girls' education when she was just 11 years old and living under Taliban rule in Pakistan's Swat Valley.

U.S. police say a man shot and killed a female school teacher in a class in the western state of California before taking his own life Monday. Police do not believe two students were not target by the shooter.

They are working to determine the relationship between the shooter and the teacher and whether the shooting stemmed from a domestic dispute.

I'm Michael Brown reporting in Washington.

That's the latest world news from VOA.