| Blackwater guards get heavy sentences in 2007 Iraq killings Posted: 13 Apr 2015 03:57 PM PDT  A former Blackwater guard was sentenced to life in prison and three others received 30-year sentences Monday for their roles in a 2007 mass shooting in Iraq that left at least 14 civilians dead. The four ex-employees of the US private security firm were convicted last October on an array of charges ranging from first degree murder to voluntary manslaughter stemming from the incident in Baghdad's Nisour Square. During a two month-trial in US federal court in Washington, a jury heard how the four defendants opened fire with sniper rifles, machine guns and grenade launchers in the bustling square as they escorted a diplomatic convoy. US federal judge Royce Lamberth sentenced Nicholas Slatten, who was accused of firing the first shots, to life in prison on the first-degree murder charge.
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| Ex-guards to get lengthy prison sentences for Iraq shootings Posted: 13 Apr 2015 03:41 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge sentenced one former Blackwater security guard to life in prison and three others to 30-year terms for their roles in a 2007 shooting that killed 14 Iraqi civilians and wounded 17 others.
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| After delays, Iraq expects U.S. F-16s to be delivered in summer Posted: 13 Apr 2015 03:38 PM PDT After delays caused by the war with Islamic State, Iraq hopes to take first deliveries of its F-16 fighter jets from the United States this summer, a senior Iraqi official said. The disclosure came ahead of a visit by Iraq's Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, who was scheduled to meet with President Barack Obama in Washington on Tuesday. The Iraqi official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the transfer as an important development for Iraq's armed forces and cited a July-August timeframe. The Pentagon had no immediate comment. |
| Ex-guards get lengthy prison sentences for Iraq shootings Posted: 13 Apr 2015 03:14 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Rejecting pleas for mercy, a federal judge on Monday sentenced former Blackwater security guard Nicholas Slatten to life in prison and three others to 30-year terms for their roles in a 2007 shooting that killed 14 Iraqi civilians and wounded 17 others.
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| Ex-Blackwater guards sentenced to prison in Baghdad killings Posted: 13 Apr 2015 03:13 PM PDT  By Lindsay Dunsmuir WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A former Blackwater security guard was sentenced to life in prison and three others got 30-year terms on Monday in the massacre of 14 unarmed Iraqi civilians at a Baghdad traffic circle in 2007, closing a case that had outraged Iraqis and inflamed anti-U.S. sentiment around the world. The Sept. 16 incident stood out for its brazenness and formed a tense backdrop to talks between the United States and Iraq over the continued presence of U.S. forces in Iraq. A heavily armed, four-truck Blackwater Worldwide convoy the men were in had been trying to clear a path for U.S. diplomats.
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| Hackers attack two Belgian media groups Posted: 13 Apr 2015 02:55 PM PDT  Hackers launched attacks Monday against the Belgian media groups Rossel and IPM, targeting the websites of newspapers in Belgium and France, officials said. The Rossel group was already subject Sunday to a major cyber attack, which blocked access for several hours to the websites of the Belgian daily Le Soir and the French regional newspaper La Voix du Nord. "People tried again today, but it (the attack) was less serious and powerful," Rossel managing director Bernard Marchant told AFP by phone late Monday. He said Le Soir and La Voix du Nord were also targeted but gave no details.
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| Islamic State, Boko Haram use rape as tactic of war: UN Posted: 13 Apr 2015 02:47 PM PDT  Extremist groups like Islamic State and Boko Haram are increasingly resorting to rape and sexual violence as a tactic of war, according to an annual UN report released Monday. 2014 "was marked by harrowing accounts of rape, sexual slavery and forced marriage being used by extremist groups, including as a tactic of terror," Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in the report. Rape and other forms of sexual violence are being used to advance recruitment, terrorize populations, displace communities and generate revenue through sex trafficking, the slave trade and ransom. Islamic State (IS) and Boko Haram were among 13 groups added to a UN list of parties that resort to sexual violence - a measure intended to focus greater international attention on those conflicts.
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| How veterans are working to keep Chicago's children safe Posted: 13 Apr 2015 02:19 PM PDT For school children, some Chicago streets can be a dangerous place. While the city of Chicago has seen steadily declining murder rates since the peak in early-1990s, some neighborhoods remain remain comparatively violent. The "crime gap" in neighborhoods like Englewood and Austin is reflected in murder rates some 10 times higher than the rest of the city. For students who must navigate these neighborhoods on their way to school, every day can be a struggle. This is precisely why a group of veterans working for the group Leave No Veteran Behind, through Chicago's Safe Passage program work to protect children living in some of the city's roughest neighborhoods. |
| Iraqi forces launch counter-attack against Islamic State in Anbar Posted: 13 Apr 2015 01:54 PM PDT Iraqi security forces launched a counter-attack on Islamic State in the western province of Anbar on Monday, seeking to reverse an early setback in a new campaign to recapture the country's Sunni heartland. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the new Anbar offensive last week, but Islamic State (IS) then overran two districts on the northern outskirts of the provincial capital Ramadi. A policeman in one of those districts, Albu Faraj, said security forces had recaptured around 40 percent of it on Monday, but were facing stiff resistance from the militants. "Today, Anbar province, and specifically Ramadi, is subject to the most aggressive attack in more than a year," Anbar governor Suhaib al-Rawi told al-Hadath television channel late on Monday. |
| U.S. judge sentences three former Blackwater guards to 30 years each in prison in Baghdad shooting Posted: 13 Apr 2015 01:26 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Monday handed down lengthy prison terms to three former Blackwater guards convicted in the 2007 massacre of 14 unarmed Iraqis, closing a chapter of the U.S. war in Iraq that tested relations between the two countries. Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard were sentenced to 30 years each for voluntary and attempted manslaughter. (Reporting by Lisa Lambert; Editing by Peter Cooney) |
| U.N. says Iraq government responsible for protecting journalists Posted: 13 Apr 2015 01:06 PM PDT The Iraqi government is responsible for protecting foreign and local journalists, the United Nations said on Monday, after the Baghdad bureau chief for Reuters had to leave the country when he was threatened in reaction to a Reuters report. "Freedom of expression and the right to impart and to receive information underpin democracy and the rule of law," Dujarric told reporters in New York. |
| Pentagon: Islamic State loses ground in Iraq, gains in Syria Posted: 13 Apr 2015 12:58 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Islamic State militants have lost control of up to 6,500 square miles (16,800 sq. kilometers) in Iraq but have gained a bit of ground in Syria since last August, the Pentagon said Monday.
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| Putin Looking to Sell Anti-Aircraft Missiles to Iran Posted: 13 Apr 2015 12:20 PM PDT With talks between Iran and major world powers at a critical phase, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a decree officially dropping Russia's embargo on the sale of sophisticated air defense systems to Tehran. The move was telegraphed in February, when a top Russian arms company executive discussed plans to offer weapons to Iran, but at the time Russia was still nominally observing a United Nations-imposed ban on weapon sales to Tehran. The move clears the way for a long-delayed transfer of Russian-made S-300 air defense missiles to Iran. The missiles, while not the most advanced air defense weapon made in Russia, are nonetheless considered highly effective. |
| French parliament debates bill to give spies more power Posted: 13 Apr 2015 12:10 PM PDT  French spies could get more power to bug and track would-be Islamist attackers inside the country and require Internet companies to monitor suspicious behavior, under a bill to be debated in parliament on Monday. "The bill as it stands is vague, risks abuse and casts the net of surveillance disproportionately wide," said Gauri van Gulik, a deputy director at Amnesty International, urging Paris to rethink the bill before taking a step "toward a surveillance state". More than three months after 17 people were killed in attacks by three Islamist gunmen in Paris, the government is pushing measures that will allow spy agencies to tap phones and emails without seeking permission from a judge. Speaking to parliament, Prime Minister Manuel Valls pledged France would not gather vast quantities of data under the new law, contrasting it with the Patriot Act the United States introduced after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
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| U.S. allies conduct 17 air strikes in Syria, Iraq: military Posted: 13 Apr 2015 11:32 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.-led forces targeted Islamic State militants in Syria with three air strikes from Sunday to Monday morning and conducted 14 strikes against the group in Iraq, the U.S. military said. All of the strikes in Syria hit targets near Kobani, it said in a statement released on Monday. Strikes in Iraq hit near Bayji, the military said, with six destroying an improvised vehicle bomb, an Islamic State fighting position and a mortar system. Forces also conducted air strikes near Al Huwayjah, Ramadi, Sinjar and Tal Afar. (Reporting by Lisa Lambert; Editing by Emily Stephenson) |
| Iraq PM says will ask US for more arms, strikes Posted: 13 Apr 2015 11:25 AM PDT  Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Monday he will use a visit to the United States to seek increased air support and arms deliveries to aid Baghdad's battle against jihadists. "Number one is a marked increase in the air campaign and the delivery of arms," Abadi told journalists when asked what he wants during a visit to Washington, where he is to meet President Barack Obama on Tuesday. Abadi also said that "we want strict measures to stop the flow of foreign terrorists to Iraq", and that international efforts are needed to curb oil and antiquities smuggling, by which the jihadists gain funding. He is expected to ask that Iraq be allowed to defer payment for arms purchases, given its major shortage of funds because of a decline in oil prices and the cost of its war against the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group.
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| Security boosted in Tripoli as factions seek outside help Posted: 13 Apr 2015 10:57 AM PDT  Authorities in the Libyan capital vowed Monday to boost security after twin attacks on foreign embassies but warned that a lack of international recognition was hindering their fight against jihadists. The appeal came as political party leaders and activists gathered in the Algerian capital for a new round of UN-mediated peace talks aimed at reaching an accord to end the chaos and violence at home. Libya's controversial army chief, Khalifa Haftar, visited Jordan where King Abdullah II pledged Amman's support in his fight against Islamist "terrorists" in the east of the country. Since a 2011 revolt that toppled dictator Moamer Kadhafi, Libya has been politically divided, with two governments and two parliaments, as armed groups battle for its oil wealth and cities.
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| Journalist Leaves Iraq Under Threat for Exposing War Crimes Posted: 13 Apr 2015 10:56 AM PDT  The Baghdad bureau chief for the Reuters news agency was forced to leave Iraq over the weekend after militias threatened his life for reporting that an ISIS suspect in custody had been murdered in Tikrit recently by Iraqi national police, according to the newswire and informed sources. Ned Parker, an American journalist who leads Reuters' coverage in Iraq, safely departed the country after his name and photo were broadcast and posted online by individuals affiliated with Shi'a militias who demanded he be expelled from Iraq or killed, the news agency and friends of the journalist said. Last week, Reuters correspondents were present when an ISIS suspect in custody in Saddam Hussein's hometown Tikrit was hacked to death by a mob of Iraqi national policemen shouting that they were avenging a colonel killed by ISIS, the Sunni-Muslim terror group that controls large swaths of western and northern Iraq. Tikrit, a Sunni town north of Baghdad, was recently reclaimed from ISIS by security forces with help from U.S. airstrikes.
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| UNESCO condemns 'mad' destruction of Iraq's Nimrud Posted: 13 Apr 2015 10:26 AM PDT  The UN's cultural agency issued a fresh condemnation Monday of jihadists' destruction of Iraq's Nimrud, once the jewel of Assyria and home to a treasure considered one of the 20th century's main archaeological finds. "I condemn this mad, destructive act that accentuates the horror of the situation," UNESCO head Irina Bokova said in a statement. The Islamic State group on Saturday circulated an undated video showing militants equipped with sledgehammers and power tools breaking artefacts before rigging the site with large barrels of powder. Nimrud, founded in the 13th century BC, is one of the most famous archaeological sites in a country often described as the cradle of civilisation.
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| France's govt wants emergency surveillance powers Posted: 13 Apr 2015 09:59 AM PDT  PARIS (AP) — French Prime Minister Manuel Valls called Monday for emergency government surveillance powers in case of an exceptional threat, a move prompted by the deadly Paris attacks earlier this year.
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| Iraq PM retires over 300 army officers Posted: 13 Apr 2015 07:50 AM PDT  Iraq's prime minister retired more than 300 officers as part of efforts to restructure the army after multiple divisions collapsed during a jihadist offensive last year, his office said Monday. Haider al-Abadi "sent more than 300 officers at the defence ministry into retirement as part of a plan to reorganise the army and make it more effective and efficient," it said. The one-sentence statement did not provide details on the ranks and positions of the officers, or specifics on why they were removed from Iraq's massive officer corps. Abadi has removed army and police officers including senior leaders on several occasions, firing some and allowing others to retire, but this is the largest number to be sacked at one time.
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| Egypt soldier killed a day after deadly Sinai blasts Posted: 13 Apr 2015 07:43 AM PDT  Separate militant attacks in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula killed one soldier and wounded another Monday, a day after jihadists loyal to the Islamic State group killed 14 people in twin bombings. The army has sent in troops and armour to fight a dogged insurgency in the Sinai that has grown since then army chief and now President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ousted his Islamist predecessor Mohamed Morsi in 2013. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Monday's attacks, but Ansar Beit al-Maqdis said it was behind Sunday's two bombings. The first, a roadside bombing on an army vehicle near the town of Sheikh Zuweid, killed six soldiers.
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| 10 Things to Know for Today Posted: 13 Apr 2015 07:01 AM PDT  Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:
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| THIS OLD HOUSE® Features a New Home for a Wounded Iraq War Veteran Posted: 13 Apr 2015 07:00 AM PDT CONCORD, Mass., April 13, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As television's first home improvement series, THIS OLD HOUSE began its broadcast in 1979 featuring expert home renovation for national audiences. Thirty-five years later, the beloved cast of experts (general contractor Tom Silva, master carpenter Norm Abram, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, landscape contractor Roger Cook, and host Kevin O'Connor) bring viewers a special project—not an old house, but a brand new home for a wounded Iraq war veteran overseen by the non-profit organization Homes for Our Troops. Three special episodes of THIS OLD HOUSE will be featured as a part of PBS "Stories of Service", a multi-platform initiative that unites powerful stories and conversations around our military veterans. Since September 11th 2001, over 1,700 US military veterans have returned home from the frontlines with a range of life-threatening injuries. |
| Iraq's premier says more support needed to 'finish' IS Posted: 13 Apr 2015 06:42 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's prime minister said Monday his country needs greater support from the international coalition so it can "finish" the Islamic State group. |
| Attacks in Baghdad, north of Iraqi capital kill at least 15 Posted: 13 Apr 2015 06:21 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — A car bomb parked near an outdoor market in a busy commercial area in Baghdad killed at least 10 civilians on Monday while attacks elsewhere in and north of the Iraqi capital killed 5 more people, officials said. |
| Jordan pledges support for Libya in talks with general Posted: 13 Apr 2015 06:20 AM PDT  King Abdullah II on Monday pledged Jordan's support for efforts by Libya to confront "terrorist organisations", in talks with Libyan army chief Khalifa Haftar. The king "stressed Jordan's continued support for Libya in its efforts to restore security and stability in the country and confront terrorist groups that threaten its sovereignty and the unity of its people," it said. The meeting between Abdullah and Haftar also discussed military cooperation between Jordan and Libya, the statement added without elaborating. In an interview with AFP in March, Haftar vowed to seize Libya's second city Benghazi from Islamist militias he has been battling since last May and urged international support for his campaign.
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| White House Brief: Things to know about Hillary Clinton Posted: 13 Apr 2015 06:08 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — A look at key things to know about Hillary Rodham Clinton, who entered the 2016 Democratic presidential campaign on Sunday:
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| Islamic State militants breach Iraq refinery perimeter, repelled Posted: 13 Apr 2015 05:34 AM PDT Islamic State militants breached the security perimeter around Iraq's largest refinery in Baiji early on Monday but were beaten back by security forces and coalition air strikes, local officials said. The refinery was under siege for five months after Islamic State militants tore through Iraq last summer. Security forces drove the militants out of the nearby town of Baiji in November. |
| Combat in Yemen risks stirring sectarian hatred Posted: 13 Apr 2015 05:23 AM PDT  By Mohamed Mukashaf and Noah Browning ADEN/DUBAI (Reuters) - Three weeks of fighting across Yemen may be pushing a country where Sunnis and Shi'ites have prayed in the same mosques for centuries toward a sectarian war. Most combatants deny they are motivated by religion in the conflict. Iran-allied Shi'ite Houthi rebels say they are leading a just revolution and Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia contends it has been bombing the Houthis to protect the Yemeni state. Conflict and power struggles are not new to Yemen, one of the most heavily armed societies in the world. But the sectarian trend was captured on a video shared by Yemeni Facebook users. "We're here to defend our religion in jihad against the apostates and Houthis...you're not people, you're animals!" After nearly three weeks of airstrikes by Saudi Arabia and its Sunni Gulf neighbours who see the Houthis as Iranian puppets, Yemen risks being carved up along religious lines.
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| Iran calls for new Yemeni government, increasing tension with Saudis Posted: 13 Apr 2015 05:21 AM PDT  By Raushan Nurshayeva ASTANA (Reuters) - Iran on Monday urged the formation of a new Yemeni government and offered to assist in a political transition, comments likely to anger Saudi Arabia, which is backing Yemen's president against a rebel force allied with Iran. The Houthi advance towards the Yemeni city of Aden forced President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee to Riyadh last month and triggered a Saudi-led campaign of air strikes to try to drive back the rebels, who share their Shi'ite faith with Iran. "I had the privilege of participating in the Bonn Conference when we created the Afghan government.
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| Iraq exhumes remains of 164 from Tikrit graves Posted: 13 Apr 2015 04:27 AM PDT  Iraq has exhumed the remains of 164 people believed to have been massacred by jihadists from mass graves in Tikrit, the human rights ministry said Monday. "Search teams have discovered the remains of 164 (victims) so far in four mass graves during work over the past week," ministry spokesman Kamel Amin told AFP. He said documents and mobile phones that have been found indicate the dead are victims of the infamous Speicher massacre, named for the military base near which up to 1,700 mostly Shiite recruits were abducted by the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group last year. The remains were discovered inside former president Saddam Hussein's palace compound in Tikrit, which officials say holds 10 mass graves, while three more are located outside it.
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| Hawkish U.S. foreign policy at heart of Rubio's presidential bid Posted: 13 Apr 2015 03:10 AM PDT  By Steve Holland and Alistair Bell MIAMI/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Marco Rubio will make a muscular foreign policy a focal point when he announces his presidential candidacy on Monday, portraying himself as the Republican most ready to handle threats to America in a chaotic world. Advisers say a key part of the Cuban-American's election strategy for 2016 will be a "peace-through-strength" global view based on increased defense spending. To highlight his foreign affairs credentials, Rubio, 43, a first-term senator from Florida, will announce his bid for the Republican nomination with a speech at Miami's Freedom Tower, where thousands of Cuban exiles fleeing the communist-run island in the 1960s were first registered by U.S. authorities. His support registers in single digits in opinion polls on likely Republican contenders, but aides believe Rubio, who was on 2012 nominee Mitt Romney's short list for vice president, will rise when voters take a closer look at him.
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| Hillary 2016 Launches With Corporate Style, Little Substance Posted: 13 Apr 2015 03:00 AM PDT  Sunday evening, some hours after Hillary Clinton released a video announcing her bid for the presidency, I opened a web browser and pressed play to take a look. The production values are much better.
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| 'Fault in Our Stars' wins big at MTV awards Posted: 13 Apr 2015 12:47 AM PDT  Teen tear-jerker "The Fault in Our Stars" and "American Sniper" actor Bradley Cooper were the big winners at the MTV Movie Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday. Cooper took Best Male Performance for "Sniper" -- Clint Eastwood's Iraq war drama which was nominated for six Oscars and was a massive hit at the North American box office. Shailene Woodley took the honor in the female category -- as well as the special MTV Trailblazer Award -- for her turn in "The Fault in Our Stars" as a teenager with cancer who falls in love with a fellow young cancer sufferer (Ansel Elgort) at a support group.
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| More than 6,000 European jihadists in Syria: EU official Posted: 12 Apr 2015 11:29 PM PDT  The number of Europeans fighting with jihadist groups in Syria could exceed 6,000, a top EU official told a French newspaper Monday. "At the European level, we estimate that 5,000-6,000 individuals have left for Syria," EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jouriva told Le Figaro in an interview, adding the true number was likely to be far higher due to the difficulty of tracking foreign fighters in the conflict. "At the time of the attacks in Paris and Copenhagen, we decided not to allow ourselves to be guided by fear," she said, referring to January's twin Islamist attacks in the French capital and the subsequent deadly shootings on a cultural centre in Denmark. Focusing on those seeking to leave for Syria to wage jihad, or those returning from the conflict, meant intervening "too late", she said.
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| US, Europe demand Libya ceasefire as embassies attacked Posted: 12 Apr 2015 10:10 PM PDT  The United States and European powers pressed Libya's rival factions to set an "unconditional" ceasefire at talks restarting on Monday, as two attacks on foreign embassies were linked to Islamic State militants. Morocco is hosting a UN-backed dialogue between representatives of the two rival governments controlling the country, separate to talks that were to resume Monday in Algeria. An AFP photographer said a vehicle used by the security guards was riddled with bullet holes, while it appeared that the main embassy building had not been hit.
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| Gay couple overjoyed to feature in Clinton launch video Posted: 12 Apr 2015 06:31 PM PDT  When Jared Milrad and Nate Johnson participated in a video about "big changes," they had no idea their same-sex wedding plans would feature in Sunday's campaign launch by Hillary Clinton. "We were both out shopping, working on wedding invitations," Milrad told AFP, overjoyed to be part of the Clinton rollout -- and part of a large-scale change in US social attitudes.
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