| Envoy says Iraq can't wait for US military aid Posted: 01 Jul 2014 04:12 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Iraq is increasingly turning to other governments like Iran, Russia and Syria to help beat back a rampant insurgency because it cannot wait for additional American military aid, Baghdad's top envoy to the U.S. said Tuesday.
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| US presses Russia to stop backing Ukraine separatists Posted: 01 Jul 2014 03:59 PM PDT  US Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday pushed Russia to stop backing pro-Moscow insurgents in Ukraine, as the West mulled further sanctions against the government of Vladimir Putin. In a call to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Kerry "expressed strong concern about the refusal of Russian-supported separatists to take the necessary steps" to enable the extension of a shaky 10-day ceasefire. Kerry "stressed the importance of taking steps to de-escalate," and reiterated Washington's support for Kiev, a State Department spokesperson said in a statement. He "also made clear that we and our European and international partners will continue to press Russia to end all support and weapons flowing to separatists," and do more to police the porous border, the statement said.
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| UN: Over 4,000 child soldiers in armed conflicts Posted: 01 Jul 2014 03:50 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations has documented more than 4,000 cases of children recruited and used in conflicts in 2013 and said in a report Tuesday that thousands more are estimated to have joined armies and rebel groups around the globe. |
| Fears of extremism rise in Muslim nations Posted: 01 Jul 2014 03:44 PM PDT  Fears about Islamic extremism are rising in nations with large Muslim populations from the Middle East to South Asia and support for radical groups is on the slide, according to a poll released Tuesday. Concern about extremism has increased in the past 12 months amid the dragging war in Syria and attacks by Nigeria's Boko Haram militants, the Pew Research Center found after interviewing more than 14,200 people in 14 countries. Extremist groups such as Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Boko Haram and even Hamas, which won elections to take control of running the Gaza Strip, are also losing support. The review was carried out from April 10 to May 25, before the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant -- now renamed the Islamic State -- took over the northern Iraqi town of Mosul in a lightning offensive which has seen it seize a large swathe of territory.
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| U.S. troops in Baghdad to fly Apache helicopters, drones Posted: 01 Jul 2014 03:21 PM PDT  The nearly 500 American troops sent to Baghdad to bolster security for the US embassy are equipped with Apache attack helicopters and small unarmed surveillance drones, Pentagon officials said Tuesday. President Barack Obama on Monday ordered 200 additional troops to the Iraqi capital to ensure the safety of American diplomats and other personnel working in the city, as Baghdad government forces face a challenge from advancing Sunni extremists. The reinforcements will include troops to fly and maintain Apache attack helicopters and unarmed surveillance drones, Pentagon press secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby told a news conference.
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| Militant urges Muslims to build Islamic state Posted: 01 Jul 2014 03:10 PM PDT  BAGHDAD (AP) — The leader of the extremist group that has overrun parts of Iraq and Syria has called on Muslims around the world to flock to territories under his control to fight and build an Islamic state.
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| As Israel buries teens, new threats against Hamas Posted: 01 Jul 2014 02:43 PM PDT  JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's prime minister threatened Tuesday to take even tougher action against Hamas following an intense wave of airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, as the country buried three Israeli teens it says were kidnapped and killed by the Islamic militant group.
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| Sunnis, Kurds shun Iraq parliament Posted: 01 Jul 2014 02:09 PM PDT  By Raheem Salman and Oliver Holmes BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Sunnis and Kurds walked out of the first session of Iraq's new parliament on Tuesday after Shi'ites failed to name a prime minister to replace Nuri al-Maliki, dimming any prospect of an early national unity government to save Iraq from collapse. The United States, United Nations, Iran and Iraq's own Shi'ite clergy have pushed hard for politicians to come up with an inclusive government to hold the fragmenting country together as Sunni insurgents bear down on Baghdad.
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| Syria-Iraq 'caliph' incites Muslims to holy war Posted: 01 Jul 2014 02:09 PM PDT  By Yara Bayoumy DUBAI (Reuters) - The leader of the al Qaeda offshoot now calling itself the Islamic State has called on Muslims worldwide to take up arms and flock to the "caliphate" it has declared on captured Syrian and Iraqi soil. Proclaiming a "new era" in which Muslims will ultimately triumph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi issued the call to jihad - holy war - in an audio message lasting nearly 20 minutes that was posted online on Tuesday. It was his first purported message since the group - previously known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) - proclaimed the caliphate on Sunday and declared him its leader, in an audacious bid to sweep away state borders and redraw the map of the Middle East. Baghdadi, who has assumed the mediaeval title of caliph, used the message to seek to assert authority over Muslims everywhere.
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| Japan takes historic step from post-war pacifism, OKs fighting for allies Posted: 01 Jul 2014 01:59 PM PDT  By Linda Sieg and Kiyoshi Takenaka TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan took a historic step away from its post-war pacifism on Tuesday by ending a ban that has kept the military from fighting abroad since 1945, a victory for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe but a move that has riled China and worries many Japanese voters. The change, the most dramatic policy shift since Japan set up its post-war armed forces 60 years ago, will widen Japan's military options by ending the ban on exercising "collective self-defense", or aiding a friendly country under attack. Abe's cabinet adopted a resolution outlining the shift, which also relaxes limits on activities in U.N.-led peace-keeping operations and "grey zone" incidents short of full-scale war, Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera told reporters. Long constrained by the post-war constitution, Japan's armed forces will become more aligned with the militaries of other advanced nations in terms of its options.
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| Japan's Cabinet eases post-WWII limits on military Posted: 01 Jul 2014 01:57 PM PDT  TOKYO (AP) — Since Japan's defeat in World War II, its military has been shackled by restrictions imposed by a victorious U.S. and that, over time, a majority of Japanese adopted as their own. Now, the shackles are being loosened.
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| Oil flat despite US, China factory strength Posted: 01 Jul 2014 01:35 PM PDT The price of oil held steady Tuesday despite signs that manufacturing activity grew in the U.S. and China, the world's two biggest oil consumers. |
| Stocks make strong start to second half; dollar flat Posted: 01 Jul 2014 01:30 PM PDT  By Richard Leong NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock markets around the world rose at the start of the second half of 2014 on Tuesday, propelled by solid U.S. and Chinese data and the notion that central banks will keep interest rates low for some time. Encouraging U.S. and Chinese factory figures pointed to stabilization in the world's two biggest economies, while weaker data on euro zone manufacturing and inflation supported the view the European Central Bank might lower interest rates to help the region's businesses and avert deflation.
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| Iraqi Kurds dig frontier around disputed areas Posted: 01 Jul 2014 01:08 PM PDT  MARIAM BEK, Iraq (AP) — As Islamic extremists seek to sweep away borders in their advance across the Middle East, Kurds in northern Iraq appear to be in the process of digging a new one, asserting their claim to hotly disputed territory and expanding their semi-autonomous region in a bid for greater autonomy or outright independence.
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| Militant leader calls for Muslims to build state Posted: 01 Jul 2014 12:51 PM PDT  BAGHDAD (AP) — The leader of the extremist group that seized much of northern Iraq and Syria called on Muslims worldwide on Tuesday to join the battle and help build an Islamic state in the newly conquered territory.
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| Courts Give Last-Minute Relief To Non-Profits After Hobby Lobby Posted: 01 Jul 2014 12:48 PM PDT Two federal courts granted a preliminary injunction to Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), the Archdiocese of St. Louis, and the Diocese of Cheyenne immediately following the Supreme Court ruling in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby on Monday, June 30. "Thanks to the courts' decisions, Eternal Word can now freely practice what they preach. The death knell is sounding for the HHS Mandate," said Lori Windham, Senior Counsel at the Becket Fund and counsel for Eternal Word, in a press release. |
| Islamic State, Al-Qaeda rivalry could spark dangerous contest Posted: 01 Jul 2014 12:38 PM PDT  The declaration of an Islamic caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria is a direct challenge to Al-Qaeda and could set off a dangerous contest for the leadership of the global jihadist movement, experts say. "This competition between jihadists could be very dangerous," said Shashank Joshi of the London-based Royal United Services Institute, warning that Al-Qaeda may look to make a "spectacular" show of force. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) announced on Sunday it was establishing a caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria where it has seized control.
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| Situation for Iraqi children 'extremely volatile': UN Posted: 01 Jul 2014 12:31 PM PDT  The Sunni militant onslaught in Iraq has created "an extremely volatile and dangerous situation for children," a top UN official warned Tuesday. There were "disturbing reports" of the recruitment of child soldiers and other "grave violations" against minors in the conflict, said Leila Zerrougui, the UN special representative for children and armed conflict. The jihadist group leading the Iraqi offensive had since 2011 been on the United Nation's black list in particular because of its attacks against schools, Zerrougui noted. It accuses seven national armies and 50 armed groups of using child soldiers -- including Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Syria.
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| U.N. Security Council seeks compromise to boost aid access to Syria Posted: 01 Jul 2014 12:16 PM PDT  By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - With nearly 11 million Syrians in need of humanitarian help, U.N. Security Council members are pushing Russia and China to support a compromise draft resolution to boost cross-border access and threaten sanctions on those that stand in the way. After more than a month of negotiations, during which Islamist fighters have taken swathes of Iraq and Syria, the June 27 draft obtained by Reuters on Tuesday tries to win over Moscow and Beijing with language similar to that used in a unanimously adopted resolution on Syria's chemical weapons. It does not reference Chapter 7 of the U.N. charter, which covers the council's authority to enforce decisions with economic sanctions or military force, though the language is the same as what would normally be in a Chapter 7 resolution. Russia says it would veto a Chapter 7 resolution that would allow cross-border aid deliveries without Syrian government consent.
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| Millennials Care More About the World Cup Than Actual News Posted: 01 Jul 2014 12:16 PM PDT  The day's top news stories aren't captivating the attentions of most Americans, but news junkies are still more concerned about the VA healthcare scandal and the violence in Iraq than whether America will beat Belgium tonight. According to a new Pew Research survey, people over 30 are at least slighty more likely to follow those stories closely instead of the World Cup. 55 percent of Hispanics follow the World Cup very or fairly closely, compared to 32 percent of whites and blacks. With the exception of young adults obsession with the World Cup, the VA healthcare scandal is still the most popular stories among all age groups, though it has faded from the spotlight.
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| Parliament's (very) short session underscores tensions pulling at Iraq Posted: 01 Jul 2014 12:12 PM PDT Iraq's new parliament convened Tuesday in a bid to confront the country's potential fracturing. But in an indication of deepening political rifts, calls for unity in the face of severe security threats were drowned out by shouting between Kurds and members of President Nouri al-Maliki's Shiite coalition. "We will crush beneath our shoe anyone who tears down the Iraqi flag," shouted Kathim al-Sayadi, a member of Prime Minister Maliki's coalition, more or less accusing a Kurdish member who complained that Baghdad's economic policies were hurting the Kurdish people of treason. Other Maliki supporters accused the Kurds of not doing enough to keep Iraq from disintegration – an indication of the tensions deepened by the fall of much of northern Iraq to fighters declaring an Islamic state. "They should push ISIS from Iraqi soil, and after that they can come and demand their rights from the Iraqi government," says Mohammad Naji Mohammad, a member of Maliki's State of Law coalition. |
| Fourth of July Travel: Red Hot This Year Posted: 01 Jul 2014 12:00 PM PDT  This Fourth of July weekend, some 41 million Americans will take planes, trains, buses and cars to celebrate the red, white and blue – up 1.9 percent over the 40.3 million people who traveled for the holiday last year, according to auto club AAA. "Travel volume for Independence Day has grown four out of the past five years and is expected to be more than 6 percent higher than the average of the past 10 years," said AAA in a statement. Lower airfares are certainly one reason for the higher travel figures this holiday weekend, Patrick Fragale, chief content officer of CheapOair, told CNBC. AAA projects that more than 8 in 10 holiday travelers this Fourth, or 34.8 million people, will be taking a road trip.
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| Has Putin reached his limit on his willingness to intervene in Ukraine? Posted: 01 Jul 2014 11:46 AM PDT As eastern Ukraine descended into all-out war on Tuesday – including what Russian media describe as a "tank battle" near the village of Karlivka – following the lifting of a ten-day ceasefire, Vladimir Putin warned that he would hold Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko personally accountable for the consequences. "Regrettably, President Poroshenko took a decision to resume combat operations, and we – I mean myself and my colleagues in Europe – have failed to persuade him that a path to lasting, sustainable peace cannot be through war. Until now, [Poroshenko] had nothing to do with orders to begin military actions, but now he has taken full responsibility upon himself – not only military but also political responsibility, which by far is more important," President Putin told a meeting of Russia's top diplomats in Moscow Tuesday. Putin said that he had reached agreement on the need to extend the ceasefire and press forward with peace talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande in a late night telephone conversation that also included Mr. Poroshenko. |
| Time not on Iraq's side, US warns amid political chaos Posted: 01 Jul 2014 11:29 AM PDT  The United States again pressed Iraqi leaders Tuesday to form a new government as soon as possible, warning as the new parliament broke up in chaos that "time is not on Iraq's side." "It was important that Iraq's new parliament convened today, as they pledged to do," State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said. US Secretary of State John Kerry visited Iraq last week to try to push the fractious Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish sides to accelerate steps to filling the three key government posts -- speaker, president and prime minister. The aim is to unify the government and help it confront the threat of Islamic militants who have captured a swathe of northern territory, and declared Iraq and Syria a new Islamic state.
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| Iran will send arms to Iraq but not troops: minister Posted: 01 Jul 2014 11:25 AM PDT  Iran will not send troops to fight a militant offensive in Iraq but will supply weapons if the government in Baghdad asks for help, the deputy foreign minister said Tuesday. "We have no intention of sending our armed forces into Iraq. Iraq has its own powerful army," Hossein Amir Abdollahian said on a visit to Moscow, although he said the country would be sending military "consultants". He said Iraq had not yet asked for arms but "in the case that there was such a demand... we would supply the necessary weapons for the fight against terrorism."
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| Norway seeks Muslim suspected of fighting in Syria Posted: 01 Jul 2014 10:58 AM PDT HELSINKI (AP) — Norway's intelligence service says it is seeking a Norwegian-born Muslim believed to have joined rebel ISIL fighters in the al-Qaida breakaway group in Syria. |
| Tourniquets make comeback with American police Posted: 01 Jul 2014 10:22 AM PDT  HOUSTON (AP) — Rushing into a Houston home, police officer Austin Huckabee encountered a drunken, combative man bleeding profusely on the kitchen floor. He quickly realized the blood was spurting in rhythm with the man's heart and cardiac arrest was just moments away.
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| Iraq parliament session ends in chaos as turmoil deepens Posted: 01 Jul 2014 09:38 AM PDT  Iraq's new parliament broke up in chaos Tuesday, with lawmakers walking out and making threats despite global calls for the formation of a government needed to face a Sunni militant onslaught. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's bid for a third term has been battered by the jihadist-led offensive that has seized large chunks of five provinces, adding fuel to dissatisfaction over persistent allegations of sectarianism and monopolising power. The crisis has alarmed world leaders, displaced hundreds of thousands of people and polarised Iraq's Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish populations. Kurdish lawmaker Najiba Najib initially interrupted efforts to select a new speaker, calling on the federal government to "end the blockade" and send withheld budget funds to Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region.
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| ISIL leader vows revenge for wrongs committed against Muslims: audio Posted: 01 Jul 2014 09:20 AM PDT The leader of the al Qaeda offshoot that has taken control of parts of Iraq and Syria has urged Muslims around the world to fight to avenge wrongs committed against their religion. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, head of the group that now calls itself the Islamic State, issued the call to jihad - holy war - in an audio message lasting nearly 20 minutes that was posted online on Tuesday. It was his first purported message since the group - previously known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) - proclaimed a 'caliphate' on the territory it has captured. Baghdadi named a string of countries, from Central African Republic to Myanmar (Burma), where he said violations were being committed against Muslims. |
| Extremist group leader calls on Muslims to travel to Iraq, Syria to help build Islamic state Posted: 01 Jul 2014 09:03 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Extremist group leader calls on Muslims to travel to Iraq, Syria to help build Islamic state. |
| Iraqi parliament deadlocks over new government Posted: 01 Jul 2014 08:30 AM PDT  BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's new parliament deadlocked less than two hours into its first session when minority Sunnis and Kurds walked out on Tuesday, dashing hopes for the quick formation of a new government that could hold the country together in the face of a militant blitz.
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| Jihadi group captures Syrian border town Posted: 01 Jul 2014 08:17 AM PDT  BEIRUT (AP) — The al-Qaida breakaway Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant captured a key Syrian town near the Iraq border from other rebels on Tuesday and advanced toward a stronghold of its main jihadi rivals, an activist group said.
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| Iraq parliament makes no progress on government Posted: 01 Jul 2014 07:46 AM PDT  BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's new parliament deadlocked less than two hours into its first session when minority Sunnis and Kurds walked out, dashing hopes for the quick formation of a new government that could hold the country together in the face of a militant blitz.
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| Jihadists seize key Syria town on Iraq border: monitor Posted: 01 Jul 2014 07:42 AM PDT  The jihadist Islamic State (IS) took control of the key Syrian border town of Albu Kamal on Tuesday after a fierce three-day battle with rival fighters, a monitor said. A spokesman for rebels fighting IS as well as President Bashar al-Assad's regime said the jihadists took over the town after pouring in reinforcements from neighbouring Iraq, where they have seized chunks of territory in a swift offensive. The takeover comes two days after IS declared a "caliphate" in territory they seized in both Syria and Iraq, and ordered the world's Muslims to obey its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
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| Iraqi Parliament Members Can't Stand to Be in the Same Room Posted: 01 Jul 2014 07:41 AM PDT  The stakes could not have been higher as Iraq's Sunni and Kurdish delegates walked out of parliament on Tuesday during a session in which they were set to form a new government.
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| Jihadists must free Kurdish schoolboys held in Syria, say HRW Posted: 01 Jul 2014 07:40 AM PDT Jihadists from the Islamic State must free some 133 Kurdish schoolboys kidnapped in Syria a month ago, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday. The group, formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, kidnapped some 153 schoolchildren on May 29. Since their capture, IS has released around 15 children, including all the girls that had been held, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group. "Two of the boys who escaped told the media that ISIS was forcing the children to undergo lessons in Sharia and jihadist ideology, and one of these boys said that ISIS beat the children who misbehaved," HRW said. |
| Truck by truck, Israel builds trade gateway to Arab world Posted: 01 Jul 2014 07:35 AM PDT  By Ari Rabinovitch and Tova Cohen HAIFA Israel (Reuters) - The hydraulic ramp of a Turkish freighter taps down on the eastern Mediterranean port of Haifa and, under a full moon, 37 trucks roll off onto an otherwise empty pier. In a convoy that stretches hundreds of meters, the trucks travel east across northern Israel, bringing goods from Europe to customers in Jordan and beyond. Until three years ago the cargo these trucks carry – fruits, cheese, raw material for the textile industry, spare parts, and second-hand trucks – would have come through Syria. Three years after Syria plunged into violence, Israel is reaping an unlikely economic benefit.
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| Some Syrian Islamist groups reject Islamic 'caliphate' Posted: 01 Jul 2014 07:32 AM PDT Some Islamist groups fighting in Syria have rejected the announcement of an Islamic caliphate by an increasingly powerful rival. Nine groups, including fighters and religious scholars, have dismissed the statement by Islamic State, an al Qaeda offshoot which declared its leader ruler of the Muslim world on Sunday after military gains in neighboring Iraq. The group, formerly called the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant or ISIL, has seized parts of eastern Syria and western Iraq but is still battling rival Islamist fighters in Syria. "The terms of the caliphate have not been realized at present, especially in terms of state organizations," the statement by the nine groups said, calling on Muslims to avoid siding with Islamic State. |
| 1 in 6 Returned Soldiers Use Opioid Painkillers, Study Finds Posted: 01 Jul 2014 07:21 AM PDT  Almost half of the U.S. soldiers who have recently returned from deployment have chronic pain, and 15 percent use opioid painkillers, a new study finds. These new estimates of chronic pain and opioid use among soldiers are higher than those seen among the civilian population, the researchers said. About 45 percent had combat injuries and chronic pain that lasted at least three months, and 15 percent said they had used opioid painkillers in the past month, according to the study published today (June 30) in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. Opioid medications are strong painkillers prescribed for chronic pain, but those who take them can become addicted, accidentally overdose or develop other health problems.
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| Iraq lifts social media ban, some websites still blocked Posted: 01 Jul 2014 07:17 AM PDT  By Matt Smith DUBAI (Reuters) - Iraq has lifted a 17-day social media ban imposed to disrupt the communications of armed militants who have seized much of its west and north, although about 20 news websites remain blocked, industry sources said on Tuesday. One source said that Iraq had come under pressure from foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to end the ban but the state telecoms company did not explain why it had done so. The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which on Sunday declared its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi caliph of the Muslim world, is the driving force behind the rebellion by Sunni Muslim groups and has used social media to publicise its agenda. The revolt, which began with the June 10 capture of Mosul, prompted state-run Iraq Telecommunications and Post Company (ITPC) to block some social media platforms on June 13, Reuters reported last month.
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