| NATO shakes up Russia strategy over Ukraine crisis Posted: 03 Sep 2014 04:38 PM PDT  By Adrian Croft and Kylie MacLellan NEWPORT Wales (Reuters) - NATO will bolster its eastern defenses and buttress support for Kiev at a summit starting on Thursday, prompted by the Ukraine crisis to enact the most radical shift in its strategy towards Russia since the end of the Cold War. President Barack Obama and other NATO leaders meeting at the Celtic Manor resort in south Wales will also discuss how to tackle Islamic State which has emerged as a new threat on the alliance's southern flank. NATO leaders will set up a "spearhead" rapid reaction force, potentially including several thousand troops, that could be sent to a hotspot in as little as two days, officials say. Eastern European NATO members, including Poland, have appealed to NATO to permanently station thousands of troops on its territory to deter any possible Russian attack.
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| US and British leaders vow united stand on Ukraine Posted: 03 Sep 2014 04:17 PM PDT  US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron vowed to stand together in support of Ukraine against Russia in a joint statement in The Times newspaper on Thursday. "Russia has ripped up the rulebook with its illegal, self-declared annexation of Crimea and its troops on Ukrainian soil threatening and undermining a sovereign nation state," the two leaders wrote. "With Russia trying to force a sovereign state to abandon its right to democracy and determining the course of its future at the barrel of a gun, we should support Ukraine's right to determine its own democratic future and continue our efforts to enhance Ukrainian capabilities.
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| Ex-NSA Chief Keith Alexander Says JPMorgan Hack Proves U.S. Financial System Is ‘Vulnerable’ Posted: 03 Sep 2014 04:04 PM PDT An August cyberattack that resulted in the successful theft of gigs of data from JPMorgan Chase proves that the U.S. Anonymous sources told Bloomberg last week that the FBI and NSA were launching an investigation into the attack that targeted JPMorgan — the largest bank in the U.S. Alexander retired as Director of the NSA and head of U.S. In the years since Alexander's tenure began at NSA in 2005, the former general repeatedly expressed his concern over so-called "advanced persistent threat" hacks, which can target government agencies and private companies for months or years undetected. |
| IS militants vow to 'de-throne' Putin over Syria support Posted: 03 Sep 2014 03:51 PM PDT  Islamic State militants have issued a threat to President Vladimir Putin, vowing to oust him and "liberate" the volatile North Caucasus over his support of the Syrian regime. The General Prosecutor's Office of Russia demanded that access to the address, which was posted on YouTube on Tuesday and features what jihadists say is a Russian-supplied fighter jet, be blocked. "This is a message to you, oh Vladimir Putin, these are the jets that you have sent to Bashar, we will send them to you, God willing, remember that," said one fighter in Arabic, according to Russian-language captions provided in the video. "And we will liberate Chechnya and the entire Caucasus, God willing," said the militant.
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| Slain US journalist was also an Israeli citizen Posted: 03 Sep 2014 03:25 PM PDT  JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel confirmed on Wednesday that slain American journalist Steven Sotloff was also an Israeli citizen, while President Barack Obama vowed to build a coalition to "degrade and destroy" the extremist group that carried out the videotaped beheading.
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| Steven Sotloff's family breaks silence: 'A mere man trying to find good' Posted: 03 Sep 2014 03:17 PM PDT  Family Spokesperson Dares ISIS Leader to Debate Him on Islam
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| Al-Qaeda Establishes New Branch in Indian Subcontinent Posted: 03 Sep 2014 03:15 PM PDT  Al-Qaeda announced the creation of its newest branch that will operate in the Indian subcontinent, the Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported on Wednesday. In a video message, Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al Zawahiri said that "Qaedat al-Jihad" will help the terrorist organization expand into India, Burma, and Bangladesh. Al Zawahiri said that the new offshoot will be led by Pakistani militant Asim Umar. In the 55-minute video released by the organization's propaganda arm, Al Zawahiri pledged the terrorist group's continued allegiance to Taliban leader Mullah Omar. According to Reuters support for Omar was "an apparent snub to the Islamic State," which was disavowed by Al-Qaeda for its brutal fighting against Sunnis in Syria.
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| Sotloff Family Remembers Slain Journalist As 'Gentle Soul' Posted: 03 Sep 2014 03:08 PM PDT  Barak Barfi, a research fellow at the New America Foundation, delivered a brief televised statement on behalf of the family grieving for the journalist beheaded by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. "Steve had a gentle soul that this world will be without," Barfi said. ISIL released the video of Sotloff's brutal death on Tuesday, two weeks after its videotaped beheading of photojournalist James Foley sparked international outrage. Sotloff had appeared on the Foley tape, and some U.S.
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| Obama's global plan to target Islamic State foreign fighters Posted: 03 Sep 2014 03:06 PM PDT The Obama administration wants to enlist the world in efforts to stem the flow of foreign fighters to international terrorist organizations like the Islamic State (IS) – with President Obama to host a meeting of world leaders later this month. According to Samantha Power, US ambassador to the United Nations, Mr. Obama will take advantage of the large gathering of world leaders at the annual September opening of the UN General Assembly in New York to call a Security Council "summit" on the issue. Together with Secretary of State John Kerry's travel to the Middle East next week to begin building a regional coalition to address the challenge posed by IS (also known by ISIS or ISIL), Obama's Sept. 25 summit underscores the importance that the United States is placing on making the issue a worldwide priority. |
| US wants UN action on foreign terrorist fighters Posted: 03 Sep 2014 02:58 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States is hoping for unanimous approval of a U.N. resolution calling for global action against the growing phenomenon of foreigners traveling to fight for terrorist groups when President Barack Obama hosts a Security Council summit later this month, U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said Wednesday. |
| Christie tests overseas diplomacy with Mexico trip Posted: 03 Sep 2014 02:53 PM PDT  MEXICO CITY (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie took a spin on the international stage Wednesday, bringing state business to Mexico City and testing his diplomatic savvy as he considers a run for U.S. president in 2016.
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| NATO plan to cost hundreds of millions: general Posted: 03 Sep 2014 02:50 PM PDT  A plan to form high-readiness military units to be approved at this week's NATO summit in Wales would cost "several hundred million euros" a year to implement, a NATO general told AFP on Wednesday. "Keeping people on alert carries a certain cost," General Jean-Paul Palomeros, who heads up one of two NATO strategic commands, said in an interview. "We will become more efficient," said Palomeros, who is in charge of modernising NATO forces. Palomeros said the Readiness Action Plan being adopted in response to what NATO sees as Russian intervention in the conflict in eastern Ukraine could be in place "by the end of the year".
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| Navistar CEO says company's big divestitures behind it Posted: 03 Sep 2014 02:46 PM PDT  The company's top priority now, Chief Executive Officer Troy Clarke told Reuters, is regaining market share lost as it struggled to recover from a disastrous bet it made on a costly proprietary smog-reduction system. The emissions-related debacle sent Navistar's warranty expenses skyrocketing even as sales tumbled. "Any discussions that we've had with them most people would consider within the normal course of commercial business between a supplier and a user of technology," Clarke said.
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| International Crises Force GOP 2016 Contenders to Cram on Foreign Policy Posted: 03 Sep 2014 02:29 PM PDT  Republican presidential hopefuls may have thought they had a few more months to bone up on foreign policy before the 2016 race kicked into gear. This summer's cascade of international crises, however, has sent many of them cramming. The G.O.P. responses to the news out of Iraq, Ukraine, the Middle East and West Africa have begun to illuminate a divide among potential White House candidates: those who want to be seen as hawks, those who are projecting more caution, and a few who clearly want more time to study the world. "As long as you're ready, there is no downside to engaging," said Dan Schnur, a former adviser to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) who now runs the Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California. "But you don't get a second chance to make a first impression."
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| Al-Qaeda declares new branch in Indian sub-continent Posted: 03 Sep 2014 02:24 PM PDT  Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri launched a new branch of the global Islamist extremist movement on Wednesday to reinvigorate and expand its struggle in the Indian sub-continent. In a video spotted in online jihadist forums by the SITE terrorism monitoring group, Zawahiri said the new force would "crush the artificial borders" dividing Muslim populations in the region. Al-Qaeda is active in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where its surviving leadership are thought to be hiding out, but Zawahiri said "Qaedat al-Jihad" would take the fight to India, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Founded by Osama bin Laden, who was killed in Pakistan by US commandos in May 2011, Al-Qaeda has long claimed leadership of the jihadists fighting to restore a single caliphate in Muslim lands.
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| Obama to lead Security Council session September 25 Posted: 03 Sep 2014 02:22 PM PDT  President Barack Obama will lead a UN Security Council session on the threat of foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria on September 25, a US official said Wednesday. The meeting will take place at the level of heads of state or government and coincide with the annual United Nations General Assembly, according to US envoy Samantha Power. It will be the second time that Obama chairs a meeting of the top world body. The United States currently holds the rotating presidency of the 15-member council.
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| Saudi sentences American, 23 others for terrorism Posted: 03 Sep 2014 02:16 PM PDT RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — A court in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday sentenced an American and 23 other people to prison on charges they created a terrorist cell and planned attacks on foreigners and oil pipelines. |
| Kerry building coalition to fight Islamic militants Posted: 03 Sep 2014 02:11 PM PDT  Top US diplomat John Kerry revealed Wednesday he was working to forge a global coalition to fight the "medieval savagery" of Islamic militants terrorizing a swathe of Syria and Iraq and blamed for killing two journalists. As President Barack Obama called for an international front against the group known as the Islamic State (IS), US officials also revealed that two videos showing the beheadings of Steven Sotloff and James Foley were not filmed at the same time.
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| United Arab Emirates backs world fight on IS Posted: 03 Sep 2014 01:51 PM PDT  The United Arab Emirates voiced readiness Wednesday to back world efforts to confront the threat from jihadists, amid calls by Western powers for an international fight against the Islamic State. The UAE affirms "its solidarity with regional and international efforts against terrorist threats... and its readiness to take needed measures to confront this phenomenon in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2170," its foreign ministry said. The resolution, passed last month, seeks to cut funds and the flow of foreign fighters both to the Islamic State, which has seized swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq, and to Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, Al-Nusra Front. The UAE said it "stands against terrorist threats facing our region and the world, especially with the dangerous human rights violations by terrorist groups in Iraq, Syria and other Arab and Muslim countries such as Yemen, Somalia, Libya, and Afghanistan suffering from... movements such as IS, Al-Nusra, and Al-Qaeda."
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| Jihadists beheadings sow fear, prompt Muslim revulsion Posted: 03 Sep 2014 01:50 PM PDT  Brutal beheadings recorded on video by the jihadist Islamic State are intended to terrorise the group's enemies, but are also angering and alienating the Muslims the group claims to represent. On Tuesday, the jihadist group released a new video purporting to show the beheading of Steven Sotloff, the second US journalist to be decapitated by its fighters in a fortnight. For Rita Katz, director of extremist monitoring group SITE, releasing videos of the beheadings of Sotloff and journalist James Foley before him "has a straight-forward purpose from an analytical standpoint: intimidation". The Islamic State claim "to be the only 'true Muslims' and resort to murder and mayhem as a psychological tactic to terrorise other people," said Asma Afsaruddin, a professor at Indiana University's religious studies department.
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| Al Qaeda announces India wing, renews loyalty to Taliban chief Posted: 03 Sep 2014 01:45 PM PDT  Al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahri on Wednesday announced the formation of an Indian branch of his militant group he said would spread Islamic rule and "raise the flag of jihad" across the subcontinent. In a 55-minute video posted online, Zawahri also renewed a longstanding vow of loyalty to Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar, in an apparent snub to the Islamic State armed group challenging al Qaeda for leadership of transnational Islamist militancy. Zawahri described the formation of "Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent" as a glad tidings for Muslims "in Burma, Bangladesh, Assam, Gujurat, Ahmedabad, and Kashmir" and said the new wing would rescue Muslims there from injustice and oppression. Counter-terrorism experts say al Qaeda's aging leaders are struggling to compete for recruits with Islamic State, which has galvanized young followers around the world by carving out tracts of territory across the Iraq-Syria border.
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| Health Care Spending Expected to Climb Next Year Posted: 03 Sep 2014 01:45 PM PDT After years of health care spending hovering at record lows, federal actuaries say health care spending is expected to surge in the next decade as the economy strengthens, the population ages and millions of new people gain health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. In its annual report published in Health Affairs, the Office of the Actuary at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) projected Wednesday that health care spending for 2014 will increase by 5.6 percent and by an average 6 percent for 2015 through 2023. The uptick comes after health care spending growth for 2013 is projected to be at a near record low level of 3.6 percent –the fifth consecutive year of slowed growth-due to the sluggish economic recovery, as well as severe federal budget cuts brought on by sequestration and a combination of other factors. The federal actuaries say the most important driver to boost health spending in the next few years is the strengthening economy, though an aging demographic as well as more people getting treatment through their newly acquired health care plans under Obamacare will also contribute to a faster rate of health care spending. |
| Statement by H.E. Shaikh Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Khalifa, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United States of America Posted: 03 Sep 2014 01:18 PM PDT WASHINGTON, Sept. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- We have received with sincere sadness the news of the brutal beheading of journalist Steven Sotloff, the second such terrorist act perpetrated by members of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). These savage acts by ISIL can only symbolize hatred, extremism and terrorism, values which do not represent the essence of Islamic teachings. |
| EU backs global fight against IS after Sotloff 'atrocity' Posted: 03 Sep 2014 01:12 PM PDT  The European Union said Wednesday it was "more committed than ever" to the international fight against the Islamic State after the murder of US journalist Steven Sotloff by the jihadist group. "The outrageous murder of the American journalist Steven Sotloff is another demonstration of the ISIL's determination to pursue and extend its terror strategy," the 28-nation bloc said in a statement from Brussels. Sotloff, 31, was beheaded by a black-clad jihadist in a video released by the Islamic State, which has also threatened to kill a British man.
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| MPs demand Jordan stay out of war on IS jihadists Posted: 03 Sep 2014 12:55 PM PDT  A group of Jordanian deputies demanded Wednesday that the kingdom stay out of any war against Islamic State jihadists who have captured swathes of territory in neighbouring Iraq and Syria. Twenty-one MPs, who represent various factions in the 150-seat parliament, sent a memorandum to speaker Atef al-Tarawneh demanding "the government not involve Jordan (in the fight) against the Islamic State". "We do not want to be dragged into an international coalition," said Khalil Attia, one of the deputies who signed the memorandum. Jordan's King Abdullah is to attend a NATO summit on Thursday of Western leaders including US President Barack Obama.
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| Jihadists executed more than 500 in Iraq: HRW Posted: 03 Sep 2014 12:45 PM PDT  Evidence indicates that militants from the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group executed more than 500 captives in Iraq earlier this year, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday. Around 1,700 soldiers surrendered to IS in June after its fighters seized second city Mosul and swept south towards Baghdad. "Information from a survivor and analysis of videos and satellite imagery has confirmed the existence of three more mass execution sites, bringing the total to five, and the number of dead to between 560 and 770 men, all or most of them apparently captured Iraqi army soldiers," HRW said. "Another piece of this gruesome puzzle has come into place, with many more executions now confirmed," said Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director at the rights watchdog.
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| Obama calls for anti-jihadist front as Europeans weigh strikes Posted: 03 Sep 2014 12:32 PM PDT  US President Barack Obama called Wednesday for an international front against jihadists in Iraq and Syria after they beheaded a second American reporter, as Britain and France weighed military action. "We know that if we are joined by the international community, we can continue to shrink ISIL's sphere of influence, its effectiveness, its financing, its military capabilities," said Obama, referring to the Islamic State (IS). Britain, with one of its nationals also under threat of beheading, said it would not rule out taking part in air strikes if necessary. "I can assure you that we will look at every possible option to protect this person," Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said.
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| Obama in Britain ahead of NATO summit Posted: 03 Sep 2014 12:19 PM PDT  Newport (United Kingdom) (AFP) - US President Barack Obama landed in Britain on Wednesday on the eve of a two-day NATO summit of Western leaders, an AFP photographer saw.
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| ISIS Not as Dangerous to US as al Qaeda, Top Terror Official Says Posted: 03 Sep 2014 12:10 PM PDT  ISIS Lacks Capacity to Carry Out Large Scale Attacks on US, Official Says
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| Global drive to stop jihadis going to Syria, Iraq Posted: 03 Sep 2014 12:07 PM PDT  PARIS (AP) — New laws make it easier to seize passports. Suspected fighters are plucked from planes. Authorities block finances and shut down radical mosques.
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| Iran looks to better EU ties with Italian at helm Posted: 03 Sep 2014 12:02 PM PDT  Iran is looking forward to improved relations with the European Union following the appointment of an Italian to be the bloc's next foreign policy supremo, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said here Wednesday. Zarif's comments came after talks with Federica Mogherini, the current Italian foreign minister who will shortly take over from Britain's Catherine Ashton as the public face of EU relations with the rest of the world. Zarif said the crisis in Iraq and Syria demonstrated that the EU and Iran need to work together to address common challenges. "The same challenges (Iran faces) are before the EU, both as international security and local and domestic security.
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| Islamic State 101: What the US is doing to counter the threat Posted: 03 Sep 2014 11:56 AM PDT Pentagon officials have a mantra when it comes to taking on the Islamic State, also known as ISIS and ISIL: The US military may be able to use American weapons to blunt the advance of IS, but any lasting change will have to come through political reform. Until then, says Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, "We should expect ISIL to regroup and stage new offenses." The territorial ambitions of IS include taking over "Lebanon, the current state of Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Kuwait," Dempsey added. 2. What has the US done so far to take on IS in Iraq? |
| Bosnia arrests 16 would-be fighters, Balkans move against jihadists Posted: 03 Sep 2014 11:43 AM PDT  Bosnian police arrested 16 people Wednesday on charges of joining European-based Islamists and helping them travel to fight in Syria and Iraq. "Sixteen people were arrested" in an operation across the capital Sarajevo and several other Bosnian towns, said Kristina Jozic, a spokeswoman for the state police agency SIPA. "They are suspected of having recruited, organised and financed the departure of Bosnian nationals to Syria or Iraq, or of taking part in the conflicts in Syria and Iraq alongside foreign radical terrorist organisations and groups," Jozic said. Bosnia passed a law in April allowing for prison terms of up to 10 years for convicted Islamist radicals and their recruiters.
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| Beheading of US journalists 'act of savagery': Iraq FM Posted: 03 Sep 2014 11:34 AM PDT  Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari on Wednesday condemned the beheading of two American journalists by jihadists as "an act of savagery and evil" that shows the urgency of defeating them. "We have condemned very strongly and abhorred the killing... of two American journalists," Zebari said at a televised joint news conference with his Canadian counterpart John Baird. "This is what we in Iraq are facing daily. The Islamic State (IS) jihadist group has released videos showing the beheading of American journalists and James Foley Steven Sotloff, the latter of which emerged online Tuesday.
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| Kerry hosts rare reunion of secretaries of state Posted: 03 Sep 2014 11:31 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State John Kerry warned Wednesday against creeping American isolationism, making the case that U.S. global leadership is essential in uncertain times as he hosted a rare public reunion of five of his predecessors.
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| Boko Haram battles for land in northeast Nigeria, 26,000 displaced Posted: 03 Sep 2014 11:21 AM PDT  By Joe Hemba DAMATURU/MAIDUGURI Nigeria (Reuters) - Boko Haram militants have driven more than 26,000 people from the northeastern town of Bama amid fierce fighting, witnesses and security sources said on Wednesday, as the Islamists focus more on taking and holding territory. The government of Borno state, where Bama is located, said it still controlled the town. Local sources had earlier said the Boko Haram, which began its assault on Monday, had won control of much of Bama by Tuesday. As that fighting wore on, news came that the insurgency scored another victory on Tuesday by taking the smaller town of Bara, to the southwest roughly halfway between Maiduguri and the national capital Abuja, without firing a shot.
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| Group: Islamic militants killed 770 Iraqi troops Posted: 03 Sep 2014 11:05 AM PDT  BAGHDAD (AP) — Militants from the Islamic State group carried out a mass killing of hundreds of Iraqi soldiers captured when the extremists overran a military base north of Baghdad in June, a leading international watchdog said Wednesday.
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| Isis Wallet becomes Softcard to avoid confusion with militant group Posted: 03 Sep 2014 10:51 AM PDT  Mobile-payment service wants to distance itself from extremist group the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also called ISIS.>
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| Isis mobile wallet rebrands as Softcard Posted: 03 Sep 2014 10:51 AM PDT  US mobile payments firm Isis has officially changed its name to Softcard, completing the process of distancing itself from a militant Islamic group sometime known by the same acronym. The company, which is backed by US wireless giants AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, announced in July it was dropping the name Isis, which may also be a reference to the militant group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). "However coincidental, we have no desire to share a name with this group and our hearts go out to those affected by this violence," chief executive Michael Abbott said in a statement.
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| US official: IS not invincible, already weakened Posted: 03 Sep 2014 10:44 AM PDT  The jihadists of the so-called "Islamic State" pose a real threat to the West but are "not invincible," and air strikes have exposed their weaknesses, a senior US intelligence official said Wednesday. Matthew Olsen, director of the National Counter-Terrorism Center, said there is no "credible" evidence that the IS militants fighting in Iraq and Syria are plotting an imminent attack on American soil. US air strikes in Iraq over the past month have shown the militants are vulnerable on the battlefield, Olsen said, at an event organized by the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington.
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