| Iraqi militia leader condemns Turks' abduction, but slams Ankara policy Posted: 17 Sep 2015 03:24 PM PDT  The head of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, one of Iraq's fiercest Shi'ite militias, on Thursday denounced the abduction of 18 Turkish workers in Baghdad earlier this month but condemned Turkey as Iraq's biggest enemy. The Turkish captives appeared in a video days after their abduction, apparently held by an armed group that used a familiar Shi'ite Muslim slogan and threatened to attack Turkish interests in Iraq if its demands were not met. Iraqi security forces investigating the Turks' abduction raided the Baghdad headquarters of Kataib Hezbollah, another Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia, but without result.
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| Obama still has confidence in U.S. General Austin: White House Posted: 17 Sep 2015 03:19 PM PDT  President Barack Obama still has confidence in General Lloyd Austin, head of the U.S. military's Central Command, and his leadership in the fight against Islamic State forces in Syria, the White House said on Thursday. The U.S. military is coming under pressure because of setbacks in the battle against Islamic State, including a disastrous debut for a force of U.S.-trained Syrian rebels and the fall of the Iraqi city of Ramadi to the militant group earlier this year.
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| Croatia overwhelmed by flood of migrants, EU calls summit Posted: 17 Sep 2015 02:38 PM PDT  By Maja Zuvela TOVARNIK, Croatia (Reuters) - Croatia threatened to close its border with Serbia on Thursday as migrants fled from overwhelmed police, trekked through fields and tried to steal into Slovenia by train in a desperate march westwards that is sowing discord and recrimination in Europe. The European Union's newest member said some 8,000 migrants had trudged across its border from Serbia in one day, driven from trying to enter through Hungary by a metal fence, tear gas and water cannon. Amid desperate scenes at a railway station on Croatia's eastern frontier, where thousands were left stranded overnight under open skies, the European Union called an emergency summit next week to try to overcome disarray in the 28-nation bloc.
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| Detroit's status as bicycling hotspot grows with Slow Roll Posted: 17 Sep 2015 02:27 PM PDT  DETROIT (AP) — Move aside, Motor City, and make way for an export that's turning Detroit's auto legacy on its wheels.
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| US preparing shift in approach in Syria Posted: 17 Sep 2015 02:13 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is preparing a major overhaul of its failed effort to train thousands of moderate Syrian rebels to fight the Islamic State group, shifting from preparing rebels for frontline combat to a plan to embed them with established Kurdish and Arab forces in northeastern Syria, U.S. officials said. |
| Exclusive: Syrian army starts using new weapons from Russia - military source Posted: 17 Sep 2015 02:12 PM PDT  By Tom Perry BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian military has recently started using new types of air and ground weapons supplied by Russia, a Syrian military source told Reuters on Thursday, underlining growing Russian support for Damascus that is alarming the United States. "We can say they are all types of weapons, be it air or ground." The source said the army had been trained in the use of the weapons in recent months and was now deploying them, declining to give further details other than saying they were "new types." Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said on Thursday Russia had provided new weapons and trained Syrian troops how to use them, without saying when or naming any specific systems. The Russian government said on Thursday its military support for Damascus was aimed at fighting terrorism, safeguarding Syria's statehood and preventing a "total catastrophe" in the region.
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| Pentagon preparing shift in approach in Syria Posted: 17 Sep 2015 02:05 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is preparing a major overhaul of its failed effort to train thousands of moderate Syrian rebels to fight the Islamic State group, shifting from preparing rebels for frontline combat to a plan to embed them with established Kurdish and Arab forces in northeastern Syria, U.S. officials said.
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| New York man arrested on charges of attempting to support Islamic State Posted: 17 Sep 2015 02:01 PM PDT Authorities arrested a U.S. citizen in New York on Thursday on charges that he attempted to provide support to Islamic State and planned to travel overseas to join the militant group, the Justice Department said. Ali Saleh, 22, used Twitter to post support for the militants and communicate with an Islamic State facilitator while making multiple attempts to travel to the Middle East to join the organization, Justice Department officials said. |
| German spy says Salafists trying to recruit refugees: newspaper Posted: 17 Sep 2015 01:46 PM PDT Ultra-conservative Islamists are seeking to recruit Sunni Muslims among the refugees in Germany by offering to help them, the head of domestic intelligence agency (BfV) said in a newspaper interview. The German government expects 800,000 new arrivals this year as Europe faces its worst refugee crisis since the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s. "We're observing that Salafists act like philanthropists and helpers, deliberately seek contact with refugees and then invite them to the relevant mosques to recruit them for their cause," BfV head Hans-Georg Maassen told regional German newspaper Rheinische Post in comments due to be published on Friday. |
| Factbox: Canadian party leaders to debate economy, security, environment Posted: 17 Sep 2015 01:40 PM PDT  (Reuters) - The leaders of Canada's main political parties will face off in the second leaders' debate on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. CONSERVATIVE PARTY: ECONOMY - Prime Minister Stephen Harper touts his economic record as his strongest suit, pledging to balance the budget this year despite a mild contraction in the economy in the first two quarters, and points to Europe to show the risks of high taxes and debt. Recent figures showed the Conservatives ran a budget surplus in the 2014-15 fiscal year, a year earlier than expected.
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| Hollande says will ask EU summit to 'work with Turkey' on refugee crisis Posted: 17 Sep 2015 01:37 PM PDT  French President Francois Hollande said Thursday that he will urge a special EU summit next week to help Turkey keep Syrian refugees on its soil until the neighbouring country's war ends. The European Union must "work with Turkey" in order to "ensure that those who are in Turkey can stay there, work there and have all the resources they need to wait until the situation in Syria is resolved", Hollande told reporters in Modena, Italy, after holding talks with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. Hollande said that aside from pledging assistance to Turkey, leaders attending next Wednesday's emergency EU summit on Europe's escalating migrant crisis must also set up "hotspots" or registration centres for asylum seekers.
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| Activists: Syrian army stages airstrikes on IS-held Raqqa Posted: 17 Sep 2015 01:03 PM PDT  BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian warplanes carried out a wave of airstrikes in the Islamic State-held city of Raqqa, activists said, in rare attacks that coincided with a visit by a U.N. envoy to Damascus on Thursday.
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| Moscow urges US to engage Syria, offers military talks Posted: 17 Sep 2015 12:58 PM PDT  MOSCOW (AP) — Russia on Thursday strongly urged the United States and its allies to engage the Syrian government as a "partner" in the fight against the Islamic State group, and offered to share any information about its military supplies to Damascus with Washington.
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| The Latest: Croat PM says Croatia can't hold refugees Posted: 17 Sep 2015 12:27 PM PDT  TOVARNIK, Croatia (AP) — The latest developments as European governments rush to cope with the huge number of people moving across Europe. All times local (CET):
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| Over 10,000 march against terrorism in Turkey's capital Posted: 17 Sep 2015 12:19 PM PDT  More than 10,000 people took part in an anti-terrorism rally in Turkey's capital Ankara on Thursday, as the army continues a major offensive against Kurdish militants, who have killed dozens of security force members since July. It comes three days before another demonstration on the same theme in Istanbul, to be addressed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan's two-month-old offensive against the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), with whom he had been in peace talks for three years, has divided Turkey.
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| 'Islamist' shot dead after stabbing German policewoman Posted: 17 Sep 2015 12:02 PM PDT  An Iraqi man who spent time in jail for membership in an Islamist terrorist group was shot dead by German police Thursday after he stabbed and seriously wounded a policewoman. The 41-year-old man had been convicted in 2008 of planning an attack in Berlin against former Iraqi prime minister Iyad Allawi, a prosecution spokesman told AFP. Thursday's incident began around 0700 GMT, when four police cars were called to the western Berlin district of Spandau because the man was reported acting aggressively and threatening passers-by, police said.
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| AP FACT CHECK: Some off-base foreign policy claims in debate Posted: 17 Sep 2015 11:43 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — The latest Republican presidential debate laid bare inconsistencies and misrepresentations about foreign policy as well as off-base claims about matters at home:
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| Drone strike targets Islamic State affiliated militants in Afghanistan Posted: 17 Sep 2015 11:34 AM PDT  By Jibran Ahmad PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - A drone strike killed five suspected militants in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday when missiles slammed into a camp of fighters affiliated with Islamic State, Taliban and security officials said. The strike took place in the Nazyan area of Nangarhar, near the border with Pakistan, two Pakistani security officials said.
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| Fiery Fiorina steals show at presidential debate Posted: 17 Sep 2015 11:03 AM PDT  Carly Fiorina emerged as a true presidential contender in Wednesday's Republican primary debate, displaying both passion and a command of foreign policy -- and landing stinging blows against frontrunner Donald Trump. Steely-eyed and confident, the former Hewlett-Packard chief executive stole the show at times and won over the audience at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, where 11 White House hopefuls engaged in a three-hour debate marathon. Less than five months before voters cast ballots in the first nominating contests, the Republican field remains remarkably broad, with political outsiders Trump and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson dominating opinion polls and the establishment candidates scrambling to make their mark.
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| Fiorina looking to capitalize on another strong debate Posted: 17 Sep 2015 11:00 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina finds herself in a position to build on a strong debate performance for the second time in six weeks, enjoying glowing reviews for demonstrating a command of policy details while taking on front-runner Donald Trump.
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| Scorecard: How the GOP candidates fared in their 2nd debate Posted: 17 Sep 2015 10:33 AM PDT  SIMI VALLEY, California (AP) — Here's a look at how the eleven Republican candidates for president participating in the main-event debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Southern California fared on Wednesday night.
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| German police kill Islamic extremist after knife attack Posted: 17 Sep 2015 10:14 AM PDT  BERLIN (AP) — German police shot and killed a known Islamic extremist after he threatened passers-by and attacked an officer with a knife on the streets of Berlin, officials said Thursday.
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| Pope wears cross of slain Iraqi priest Posted: 17 Sep 2015 09:39 AM PDT  Pope Francis revealed Thursday that he now wears a cross that belonged to a Iraqi priest who was wearing it when he was slain for his faith. "It is a cross this priest had in his hands when he had his throat cut for refusing to renounce Jesus Christ," the pontiff told a gathering of young monks and nuns. "This cross, I wear it here," he added, indicating his chest.
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| Refugee journey: From Hungary to Vienna, tired but welcome Posted: 17 Sep 2015 09:05 AM PDT At first sight the train looked empty, but a closer look showed it was full of sleeping migrants, exhausted after finally crossing into Hungary. Journalists were not allowed on the train, but I managed to get on board the next one, searching for three Syrian families I had traveled with on their journey from the Mediterranean to northern Europe. |
| Boeing rivals step up pressure for UK spy plane competition Posted: 17 Sep 2015 08:35 AM PDT  Global defense companies are clamoring for the chance to compete with Boeing for a multi-billion-dollar contract to provide Britain with submarine-hunting aircraft, as the UK government ponders a gap left by recent defense cuts. At a time of rising Western tensions with Russia -- whose submarines are suspected of entering Swedish and Finnish waters -- Britain is struggling to carry out its own aerial hunts for such boats since scrapping its Nimrod spy-plane program in 2010. Defence Minister Michael Fallon confirmed on Wednesday that a British government defense and security review due to conclude in November could state the need for a new maritime patrol aircraft.
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| Islamic State bombings kill 14 in Iraqi capital Baghdad Posted: 17 Sep 2015 07:31 AM PDT  Bomb attacks claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group killed at least 14 people and wounded 55 others Thursday in the Iraqi capital, security and medical officials said. One of the two attacks struck close to the entrance of a marketplace near Tayran Square. Police said the bombings took place less than 25 minutes apart.
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| Kurdish militants rule out unilateral ceasefire in Turkey Posted: 17 Sep 2015 06:54 AM PDT  By Ece Toksabay ANKARA (Reuters) - A commander of the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) ruled out a unilateral ceasefire on Thursday and accused the Turkish government of pursuing war to gain more votes. Hundreds have been killed in almost daily bloody clashes between the PKK and security forces in the largely Kurdish southeast since a long-standing ceasefire and peace overtures fell apart in July. With an election looming in six weeks, Ankara says the militants must put down their weapons and return to their camps in northern Iraq before it will halt operations and restart peace talks.
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| Pope decries 'ocean of pain' in Syria and Iraq Posted: 17 Sep 2015 06:10 AM PDT Pope Francis condemned on Thursday the "ocean of pain" engulfing Syria and Iraq, where civil war and the advance of Islamic State militants have forced millions from their homes. Addressing a meeting of Catholic charities and bishops who work in the Middle East, Francis described the conflicts in the two countries as "one of the most overwhelming human tragedies of recent decades". "No one can pretend not to know! Everyone is aware that this war weighs in an increasingly unbearable way on the shoulders of the poor," Francis said. |
| Seeking Syria clarity, US set to join Russia military talks Posted: 17 Sep 2015 05:59 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Amid increasing unease and uncertainty over Russia's intentions, the Obama administration plans to accept an offer from Russia for direct talks on its military buildup in Syria that U.S. officials believe is aimed at propping up Syrian President Bashar Assad.
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| UK terrorism watchdog criticises government anti-extremism plan Posted: 17 Sep 2015 05:06 AM PDT  By William James LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's anti-extremism strategy risks increasing the threat of radicalisation in Muslim communities, the country's terrorism law watchdog said on Thursday, warning it could play into the hands of those seeking to recruit extremists. Prime Minister David Cameron has described the need to stop young Britons being radicalised as the "struggle of our generation" and is planning new laws later this year to counter extremism and the spread of the Islamist ideology of Islamic State militants. David Anderson, Britain's independent reviewer of anti-terrorism laws, said the plans to clamp down on individuals and organisations accused of extremism could backfire.
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| IS says it's behind 2 Baghdad suicide blasts that killed 21 Posted: 17 Sep 2015 04:58 AM PDT  BAGHDAD (AP) — Two suicide bombers targeted Iraqi police checkpoints in commercial areas in central Baghdad during rush hour Thursday, killing at least 21 people, officials said. The Islamic State group swiftly claimed responsibility for the blasts.
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| EU rebukes Hungary as refugee crisis tensions escalate Posted: 17 Sep 2015 04:43 AM PDT  By Gergely Szakacs and Maja Zuvela BUDAPEST/SID, Serbia (Reuters) - The European Union's migration chief rebuked Hungary on Thursday for its tough handling of a flood of refugees as asylum seekers thwarted by a new Hungarian border fence and repelled by riot police poured into Croatia, spreading the strain. Croatian police said more than 5,000 migrants had arrived from Serbia since Hungary sealed its southern EU border with Serbia on Tuesday. "Maybe the border to Croatia is open, maybe it is closed, but we are going to try," said a Syrian man at the Serbian border town of Sid who gave his name as Abed, one of the many who had given up hope of crossing from Serbia into Hungary.
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| National Cycling Event for Injured Service Members Rolls into Charleston Posted: 17 Sep 2015 04:00 AM PDT CHARLESTON, S.C., Sept. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) Soldier Ride® presented by USAA® offers injured veterans from across the country a chance to maximize rehabilitation, and reduce stress and combat depression by cycling. This year, the event has added more than 10 new locations, including a chance for our nation's service members to explore Charleston, S.C. from Oct. 15-18. "We can't wait to experience the rich culture of the area," said Dan Schnock, director of Soldier Ride at WWP. |
| Iran urges Gulf Arabs to accept post-nuclear deal thaw Posted: 17 Sep 2015 03:58 AM PDT  Iran urged its Gulf Arab neighbours Thursday to reconcile themselves to the international rapprochement that led to its July nuclear agreement with world powers and to halt their hostile propaganda. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Marizeh Afkham said that a joint statement issued by Gulf Arab foreign ministers on Tuesday accusing Iran of interference in their countries' internal affairs was the same baseless rhetoric some of them had been uttering for decades. "It is surprising that in the post-nuclear talks atmosphere, two or three of our southern neighbours... try to continue the failed policy of considering the Islamic Republic of Iran a threat," she said.
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| Trump targeted, Fiorina shines in US Republican debate Posted: 17 Sep 2015 03:03 AM PDT  Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump stepped into a hornet's nest in Wednesday's debate as rivals turned their sights on the billionaire, while Carly Fiorina showed she had earned her place on the main stage. Ten challengers flanked Trump on stage at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California, seeking an opening against the man who has defied all political odds to lead the race for the party's nomination ahead of the November 2016 election. "Mr. Trump, we don't need an apprentice in the White House, we have one right now," Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker told Trump -- a snarky reference to the title of the real estate mogul's reality television show.
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| Walls and violence will not solve migrant crisis: EU Commissioner Posted: 17 Sep 2015 02:31 AM PDT The European Union's migration commissioner said on Thursday that barriers of the kind that Hungary had erected on its Serbian border were temporary solutions that only diverted refugees and migrants to other countries and escalated tensions. Hungary on Wednesday detained 29 people as migrants demanding to be let through its newly-shut EU frontier clashed with riot police firing water cannon and tear gas. "The majority of people arriving in Europe are Syrians in need of our help," Dimitris Avramopoulos told a joint news conference with Hungary's foreign and interior ministers. |
| British air strikes have killed 330 IS fighters: minister Posted: 17 Sep 2015 01:43 AM PDT  British air strikes in Iraq have killed around 330 Islamic State (IS) group fighters since they began in September 2014, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said in a statement on Thursday. "The estimated number of IS fighters killed as a result of UK strikes from September 2014 to 31 August 2015 is around 330," the minister said, in response to a question from Green Party MP Caroline Lucas. Britain currently has eight Tornado GR4 fighters and several Reaper drones conducting strikes, as well as a Sentinel and an Airseeker -- both surveillance craft.
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| Fiorina shines early; Rubio, Christie do, too, at GOP debate Posted: 17 Sep 2015 01:21 AM PDT  SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (AP) — Celebrity real estate mogul Donald Trump and 10 more Republican candidates for president met at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library for the party's second prime-time debate. Five takeaways from Wednesday night's debate:
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| US general: Only handful of Syrian fighters remain in battle Posted: 17 Sep 2015 01:14 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans and Democrats lambasted the Obama administration's strategy to combat the Islamic State group after a top U.S. general admitted that just a handful of U.S.-trained Syrian rebels are still on the battlefield fighting the militants.
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| Intel officials say upbeat reports on IS didn't change views Posted: 17 Sep 2015 01:09 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Whether or not the U.S. Central Command was sugarcoating intelligence to create the appearance of progress in the fight against Islamic State militants, the command's upbeat reports didn't manage to convince the rest of the intelligence community, current and former officials say. |
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