| Pentagon plans to increase drone flights by 50 percent Posted: 17 Aug 2015 04:50 PM PDT  JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. (AP) — Faced with escalating aggression from Russia and China, the Pentagon is planning to increase its use of drones by about 50 percent over the next several years, using the Army and civilian contractors to put more of the unmanned aircraft in the air.
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| Controversy Swirls Over Swedish Retailer's Decision to Stock Darker-Toned Bandages Posted: 17 Aug 2015 03:35 PM PDT  To that end, last week Swedish retailer Apoteket announced last week that it hopes to begin selling a more diverse selection of bandages—they're called "plasters" in Sweden—in its 370 stores. Meeting the needs of that diverse population may seem like a smart decision for Apoteket to make. Eva Fernvall, Apoteket's communications director, appeared on a radio program with Paula Dahlberg, the blogger behind the Swedish website Everyday Racism.
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| Army skydivers returning to Fort Bragg after member's death Posted: 17 Aug 2015 03:30 PM PDT  CHICAGO (AP) — Members of a U.S. Army skydiving team were grieving and regrouping Monday after one of their parachutists died from injuries suffered during a stunt at the Chicago Air & Water Show. Team members returned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, for counseling, and the team canceled an appearance at the Kansas City Air Show this weekend. Experts say there are always dangers when free-falling at 120 mph, but they are compounded in stunts involving multiple skydivers.
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| US: Patriot pullout from Turkey reflects weaker Syria Posted: 17 Aug 2015 01:33 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. decided to pull its Patriot missile defense force out of Turkey mainly because it sees a declining Syrian military threat, including a depleted stockpile of Scud missiles capable of striking Turkish territory, the Pentagon said Monday. |
| Obama golfs, reads and enjoys private beach on vacation Posted: 17 Aug 2015 12:58 PM PDT  CHILMARK, Mass. (AP) — Lots of golf, a family outing on a private beach and a stack of books. President Barack Obama's two-week vacation on Martha's Vineyard is shaping up as a pretty low-key retreat.
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| Pentagon eyes sharp increase in drone flights by 2019: official Posted: 17 Aug 2015 12:37 PM PDT  The Pentagon is planning a sharp increase in daily drone flights over conflict zones around the globe in the next four years as it tries to meet the reconnaissance and air strike needs of combatant commanders, a spokesman said on Monday. Navy Captain Jeff Davis, a Defense Department spokesman, said the number of unmanned drone flights, known as combat air patrols, would be increased by about 50 percent by 2019 - from between 60 and 65 a day to about 90. "We've seen a steady demand signal from all of our geographic combatant commanders to have more of this capability," Davis told reporters at the Pentagon.
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| For Clinton and Biden, a long and tangled friendship Posted: 17 Aug 2015 11:41 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Over the past quarter century or so, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Joe Biden have collaborated and competed, shared more than a dozen staffers, fought each other for a presidential nomination and then served together in the Cabinet of the man who beat them both.
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| Clerics gather in Egypt to counter extremist fatwas Posted: 17 Aug 2015 10:49 AM PDT  Top Muslim clerics gathered in Egypt on Monday to address extremist religious edicts in the face of an unprecedented threat from Islamic State group jihadists who have declared a "caliphate". The muftis -- usually the official interpreters of Islam in their countries -- are meeting alongside other clerics over two days in Cairo to cope with what the clerics described as a rash of extremist fatwas, or edicts.
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| U.S., allies conduct 18 air strikes in Syria, Iraq: U.S. military Posted: 17 Aug 2015 10:40 AM PDT A coalition led by the United States conducted 13 air strikes against the Islamic State in Iraq on Sunday, and it also targeted the militant group in Syria with five air attacks, according to a statement released on Monday. Two strikes near Baiji in Iraq destroyed nine Islamic State vehicles, seven buildings and three explosive devices, the Combined Joint Task Force said in the statement. |
| Iraqi parliament refers Mosul report to prosecutor, Abadi Posted: 17 Aug 2015 10:39 AM PDT  By Saif Hameed and Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's parliament on Monday referred to the public prosecutor a report calling for the trial of former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and dozens of other top officials over the fall of Mosul to Islamic State last year, lawmakers said. The panel's report alleges Maliki had an inaccurate picture of the threat to the northern city because he chose commanders who engaged in corruption and failed to hold them accountable.
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| Turkey PM says all coalition options exhausted Posted: 17 Aug 2015 09:48 AM PDT  Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Monday said he had exhausted all options to form a coalition government, leaving the country facing snap elections just months after the June 7 polls. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lost its overall majority in the June 7 legislative polls for the first time since it came to power in 2002, in a major setback for its co-founder President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. AKP leader Davutoglu met Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) chief Devlet Bahceli in Ankara, in what was seen as a last ditch chance to agree a coalition government.
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| Iraq judicial council rejects calls for top judge to resign Posted: 17 Aug 2015 09:17 AM PDT  BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's judicial authority on Monday rejected calls for the country's most senior Supreme Court judge to resign from his post, even though it was among the demands of protesters who took to the streets last week calling for widespread government reforms.
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| Egypt enacts sweeping anti-terror laws in wake of June car bombing Posted: 17 Aug 2015 05:52 AM PDT Egypt has enacted a swath of new laws that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi says are necessary to fight the country's growing insurgency. Mr. Morsi was deposed in a 2013 coup by then-Army chief Sisi, and his party declared a terrorist organization. |
| Soldier's journey to heal spotlights 'soul wounds' of war Posted: 17 Aug 2015 05:36 AM PDT  SAN DIEGO (AP) — "It was just another day in Mosul," the soldier began, his voice shaking. Sgt. 1st Class Marshall Powell took a deep breath. He couldn't look at the other three servicemen in the group therapy session.
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| One big question: Will stocks lose $10 trillion in 2015 or in 2016? Posted: 17 Aug 2015 05:31 AM PDT We doom our fortunes by ignoring historical facts, cycles and patterns — anything to stay optimistic, even when a crash is imminent, and even if one is in progress, argues MarketWatch columnist Paul B. ... |
| Russia, Iran say future of Assad a matter for Syrians Posted: 17 Aug 2015 04:51 AM PDT  Russia and Iran said on Monday that Syrian groups must decide the future of Bashar al-Assad, with Moscow opposing any pre-negotiated exit of the Syrian president as part of a peace deal. Speaking at a joint news conference, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, reiterated their countries' backing for Assad in the conflict, which has killed around a quarter of a million people since 2011. The future of Assad remains a sticking point in diplomatic efforts by regional and global players to end the Syria crisis - one that talks in recent weeks between Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United States, among others, have failed to resolve.
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| For Kurdish youth in Turkey, autonomy is no longer enough Posted: 17 Aug 2015 04:30 AM PDT In her flowing dress, leather sandals, and sunglasses, Ozgur Yesha, whose name means "Live Free" in Kurdish, looks a lot like an American hippie from the sixties. |
| Iraq lawmakers refer report on Mosul fall to judiciary Posted: 17 Aug 2015 04:27 AM PDT  Iraqi lawmakers voted Monday to refer to the judiciary a report holding top officials, including ex-premier Nuri al-Maliki, responsible for the fall of second city Mosul, the parliament speaker said. "Parliament voted to refer the (Mosul) file, including facts and evidence and names," to the judiciary, speaker Salim al-Juburi said in televised remarks. An investigation and follow up and accounting of all those who caused the fall of Mosul will be carried out," Juburi said.
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| Chemical watchdog 'concerned' by Iraq attack reports Posted: 17 Aug 2015 04:07 AM PDT  The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons on Monday voiced "serious concern" over reports that the Islamic State group has used chemical weapons in Iraq. "Recent reports of possible use of chemical weapons in Iraq by non-State actors are a matter of serious concern," The Hague-based OPCW said in a statement. German officials said last week that Kurdish fighters had been attacked on Tuesday with chemical weapons, possibly chlorine or mustard gas, in northern Iraq, leaving many peshmerga suffering from "respiratory irritation.
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| Army parachutist dies after collision at Chicago air show Posted: 17 Aug 2015 03:47 AM PDT  Army Golden Knights parachutist Corey Hood had collided with an unidentified Navy parachutist during the Chicago Air & Water Show, the Chicago Sun Times reported. Hood, who was from Cincinnati, served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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| 9 Trump Positions that Make Liberals Want to Move to Canada Posted: 17 Aug 2015 03:15 AM PDT Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump went toe-to-toe with Chuck Todd of NBC's "Meet the Press" in an interview that was aired on Sunday – covering the waterfront of issues from immigration and abortion rights to battling ISIS. The multi-billionaire businessman is far ahead of the rest of the 17-member Republican field with 25 percent of the vote nationwide in the latest Fox News poll. U.S. – Iran nuclear agreement: Trump says President Obama did a lousy job of negotiating the agreement to curb Tehran's nuclear program, including allowing a lifting of sanctions to be included as part of the deal. |
| AP PHOTOS: Editor selections from the Middle East Posted: 17 Aug 2015 02:13 AM PDT Across the Mideast this past week, a scorching heatwave gripped Egypt and other countries, causing people to look for ways to cool off any way they could. |
| Prominent writers blast Mexican president over journalist slayings Posted: 16 Aug 2015 11:54 PM PDT  A group of prominent writers, artists and intellectuals have called on the Mexican president to address the country's terrible record on protecting journalists who report on drug violence and other criminal activity. Across Mexico, 88 journalists have been murdered since 2000, according to Reporters Without Borders, and another 20 or so have disappeared. Nearly 500 prominent voices, including Britain's Salman Rushdie, American writer Paul Auster and Canada's Margaret Atwood, signed an open letter on Sunday to President Pena Nieto decrying violence against journalists.
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| Questions and answers about the war wound 'moral injury' Posted: 16 Aug 2015 10:32 PM PDT  A psychological wound known as moral injury is gaining attention in the aftermath of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, with veterans now being treated for these injuries to the soul — even as medical experts debate whether moral injury is a condition unto itself or a subset of post-traumatic stress disorder.
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| US Army parachutist dies after Chicago air show accident Posted: 16 Aug 2015 09:57 PM PDT  A US Army parachutist who was critically injured after a mid-air collision during a Chicago air show stunt died Sunday, media reported. Sergeant First Class Corey Hood, 32, of Cincinnati, hit an apartment building and fell to the ground after colliding with another parachutist during the Chicago Air & Water Show on Saturday, the Chicago Tribune said. The other parachutist, from the US Navy's Leap Frogs, suffered a broken leg.
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| US Army skydiver dies from Chicago air show injuries Posted: 16 Aug 2015 09:51 PM PDT  CHICAGO (AP) — A U.S. Army skydiver who had served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan died Sunday from injuries suffered in a midair collision with another jumper during a stunt at the Chicago Air & Water Show, authorities said.
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| Today in History Posted: 16 Aug 2015 09:00 PM PDT Today is Monday, August 17, the 229th day of 2015. There are 136 days left in the year. |
| Turkey's embattled lira falls to new low against dollar Posted: 16 Aug 2015 05:47 PM PDT  Turkey's embattled lira hit a new historic low in value against the dollar Monday as investors took fright at ongoing political uncertainty and the prospect of early elections. The current pressure was prompted by the collapse of coalition talks between the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), paving the way for early elections. The government is also waging an unprecedented two-pronged "anti-terror" operation against jihadists in Syria and Kurdish militants in southeast Turkey and northern Iraq, further rattling investors.
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| Fate of Iran nuclear deal still 'not clear': Khamenei Posted: 16 Aug 2015 05:38 PM PDT  The fate of Iran's nuclear deal with world powers is still undecided but it will not leave the country vulnerable to US influence, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Monday. Khamenei, the country's highest authority, said in a statement quoted on his website that Tehran would block any US attempt to influence Iran despite the historic accord. "They think that through this agreement -- the fate of which is not clear as no one knows if it will be approved here or in America -- they could find a way to intrude into the country," Khamenei said.
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| US to increase military drone flights: report Posted: 16 Aug 2015 05:17 PM PDT  The US military will drastically increase drone flights over the next four years, in a bid to boost intelligence and strike capabilities across a growing number of conflict zones, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Pentagon is planning to expand the number of daily flights from 61 at present to as many as 90 by 2019, a senior defense official told the Journal. The move represents the first significant increase in the controversial US drone program since 2011, reflecting the rise in global hotspots.
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