| US 'concerns' over Russian missile system Posted: 25 Nov 2015 02:16 PM PST  Russia's decision to deploy its most hi-tech air defense system to its base in Syria is raising "significant concerns" for the US military, a US official said Wednesday. Moscow says it is sending S-400 anti-aircraft missiles to Latakia in northwestern Syria, in a move that comes after Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet in the increasingly crowded air space along the border on Tuesday. The S-400 missiles have a range of about 400 kilometers (250 miles) -- meaning they could reach deep into Turkey or pose a potential threat to US-led coalition planes -- adding yet another dangerous element to an already volatile mix of competing military interests in Syria.
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| Biden calls for greater cooperation at Europe's borders Posted: 25 Nov 2015 02:15 PM PST  US Vice President Joe Biden called at a Western Balkans summit Wednesday for greater cooperation at European borders to deal with the flow of migrants and to fight terrorist threats. Biden's attendance at the meeting of presidents in Zagreb was seen as highlighting Washington's renewed interest in the fragile Western Balkans as the region deals with an unprecedented influx of refugees and other migrants. "It is clear there is a need to improve cross-border cooperation, information sharing and to deal with the flow of refugees while stepping up our ability to counter terrorist threats as well," Biden said afer the summit.
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| US Syria sanctions target World Chess chief, IS oil buyer Posted: 25 Nov 2015 02:12 PM PST  The United States slapped sanctions Wednesday on backers of the Syrian regime including a middleman accused of buying oil from the Islamic State group and the Russian head of the World Chess Federation. The Treasury Department singled out four individuals and six entities for their support of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
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| U.S. reviews Thailand's trade benefits after labor complaint Posted: 25 Nov 2015 01:42 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will review Thailand's eligibility for trade benefits after complaints the country is not properly protecting workers' rights, the U.S. Trade Representative said on Wednesday. U.S. umbrella union group AFL-CIO said Thailand had breached standards under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), which allows duty-free access for some imports, on a range of issues including acceptable conditions of work and forced labor. ... |
| French lawmakers vote to extend airstrikes against IS Posted: 25 Nov 2015 12:55 PM PST  PARIS (AP) — French lawmakers voted Wednesday to continue airstrikes in Syria against the Islamic State group that claimed responsibility for the Nov. 13 attacks that killed 130 people in Paris, while Germany's chancellor said her country would do more in the international fight against the group.
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| Obama says no specific terror threat against US Posted: 25 Nov 2015 12:38 PM PST  President Barack Obama sought Wednesday to reassure jittery Americans traveling home for Thanksgiving that they face no credible and immediate terror threat and said that security services are working around the clock to keep the US safe. As millions of Americans loaded into cars, planes, trains and buses to head home for Thursday's national holiday, Obama urged calm. "I want the American people to know... that we are taking every possible step to keep our homeland safe," Obama said, trying to strike a balance between putting the public at ease and appearing complacent.
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| Iraq political dispute leads to gunfire at TV station Posted: 25 Nov 2015 12:38 PM PST  An argument between an Iraqi lawmaker and a political bloc spokesman escalated from angry words to gunfire at a television station in Baghdad, the men involved said on Wednesday. The fracas between MP Kadhim al-Sayadi of the State of Law bloc and Citizen's Bloc spokesman Baligh Abu Gallal -- both members of Shiite parties -- broke out at the Dijla TV station on Tuesday night. "Sayadi began to attack us verbally and then called his guards and began helping them try to take us outside the channel," Abu Gallal said in a statement received by AFP.
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| Hollande urges Germany to do more in IS fight Posted: 25 Nov 2015 12:24 PM PST  French President Francois Hollande on Wednesday urged Germany to do more in the fight against Islamic State jihadists after he held talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel following the Paris attacks. Hollande met his closest EU partner during a week of intense but so far faltering efforts by France to build a coalition to crush IS in its fiefdom in Iraq and Syria. Hollande said he hoped Germany "can do even more in the fight against Daesh in Syria and Iraq", using another term for IS, which claimed responsibility for the carnage in the French capital.
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| Tunisia closing border with Libya after deadly bus bombing Posted: 25 Nov 2015 12:23 PM PST  Tunisia said Wednesday it is closing its border with Libya, a hotbed of Islamist unrest, a day after a deadly suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group. No reason was given, but the interior ministry said earlier the explosive used in the attack that killed 12 presidential guards was the same used to make suicide belts illegally brought from Libya and seized last year. The National Security Council, headed by President Beji Caid Essebsi, decided to close the frontier from midnight with "reinforced surveillance of maritime borders and in airports", a statement said.
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| The Latest: Israel woos Russian tourists after crises Posted: 25 Nov 2015 12:01 PM PST  ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The latest on the war in Syria, including a Russian warplane shot down by Turkey. All times local:
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| Italy's artful arsenal against Islamic State Posted: 25 Nov 2015 12:00 PM PST Up to now, the West's war on Islamic State (IS) has been mainly one of words and weapons. On Tuesday, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi opened a new front, directed at the influx of refugees into Italy from conflict zones like Syria and Iraq. Italy, after all, has plenty of art to go around, from Greek temples to the La Scala opera house. |
| Canada reviewing military role in anti-IS fight: PM Posted: 25 Nov 2015 11:51 AM PST  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada was reviewing its role in the fight against Islamic State jihadists, during a visit to London Wednesday in which he also bantered with Queen Elizabeth II. Trudeau has committed to withdrawing Ottawa's six warplanes out of Iraq and Syria following his appointment as Canada's first Liberal prime minister in almost a decade earlier this month. "The form that our military engagement, which will continue, will take is currently being worked out in close collaboration with our allies," Trudeau told reporters on his first visit to London as prime minister.
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| The Latest: Merkel: Germany will do more in fight against IS Posted: 25 Nov 2015 11:33 AM PST  BRUSSELS (AP) — The latest on the attacks in Paris and security alert in Brussels. All times local:
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| Germany's Merkel vows more support for France after attacks Posted: 25 Nov 2015 11:33 AM PST  PARIS (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday she would think about how Germany could further support France in fighting terrorism following the Nov. 13 attacks by Islamist militants in Paris that killed 130 people. "When the French president asks me to think about what more we can do, then it is our duty to reflect on this and we will also react very quickly here," Merkel told a joint news conference with French President Francois Hollande in Paris. ...
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| Can Bernie Sanders Ignore National Security and Win? Posted: 25 Nov 2015 11:24 AM PST  While the 2016 presidential campaign debate has shifted sharply to concerns about national security in the wake of the ISIS terrorist attacks in Paris, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont has struck many as oddly tone deaf as he struggles to overtake Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Since then, he has done little to broaden his campaign stump speeches to include his views on foreign policy and battling ISIS, even as Clinton, Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump and other GOP candidates escalate their rhetoric to promise tough, unflinching leadership in the war on terrorism. During a four-day swing through Georgia and South Carolina that ended Monday, Sanders said little about combatting ISIS unless specifically asked by reporters or members of the audience, according to The Washington Post.
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| Biden meets Balkan leaders at summit on refugees, threats Posted: 25 Nov 2015 11:21 AM PST  ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Former Balkan rivals on Wednesday pledged joint efforts with the United States and the European Union in protecting European borders from a record surge of asylum-seekers amid fears that Islamic militants may have infiltrated the flow.
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| French lawmakers vote to extend air strikes in Syria Posted: 25 Nov 2015 11:05 AM PST  French lawmakers on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to extend air strikes against Islamic State group targets in Syria, which have been stepped up following the Paris attacks. Paris has intensified its campaign against IS since the November 13 Paris assaults that left 130 people dead, this week launching its first strikes from the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean. The National Assembly approved a motion to prolong strikes by 515 votes to four, with 10 abstentions, as the defence minister said all 27 other European Union members had offered "direct or indirect" military support.
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| Obama: No credible intelligence about plot against US Posted: 25 Nov 2015 10:30 AM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama said there currently is no "specific and credible" intelligence indicating a terrorist plot on the United States, as he sought to reassure anxious Americans for the Thanksgiving holiday.
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| Tunisia shutting border with Libya for 15 days Posted: 25 Nov 2015 09:50 AM PST  Tunisia announced Wednesday it is closing its land border with war-torn Libya for 15 days after a deadly bus bombing in Tunis claimed by the Islamic State group. The National Security Council, headed by President Beji Caid Essebsi, decided to close the frontier from midnight with "reinforced surveillance of maritime borders and in airports", a statement said. Thousands of Tunisians have travelled to Libya, as well as to Iraq and Syria, to fight alongside Islamic extremists, according to the authorities.
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| EU's Mogherini says Moscow agrees to keep up diplomacy on Syria Posted: 25 Nov 2015 09:43 AM PST Russia and Europe agreed to keep trying for a diplomatic solution in Syria, the office of EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Wednesday after she spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. A day after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border, Mogherini's office said both "agreed on the need to safeguard the diplomatic track for the Syrian crisis opened in Vienna", referring to talks in the Austrian capital. Mogherini also "underlined the importance to join forces in the fight against Daesh and to coordinate the efforts," her office said in a statement, using a term for Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq. |
| Tunisia says suicide bomber carried out bus attack claimed by Islamic State Posted: 25 Nov 2015 09:37 AM PST  By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian authorities said on Wednesday a suicide bomber wearing a vest packed with plastic explosive blew up a presidential guard bus a day earlier, killing at least 12 troops in an attack claimed by Islamic State militants. Tuesday's explosion on a main boulevard in the capital drove home the vulnerability of Tunisia to Islamist militancy, following assaults on a seaside tourist hotel in June and the Bardo Museum in Tunis in March also claimed by Islamic State. One of the Arab world's most secular nations, Tunisia has increasingly become a target for militants after being hailed as a beacon of democratic change in the region since its 2011 uprising ousted autocrat Zine Abidine Ben Ali.
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| AP EXPLAINS: Turkmen minority caught up in Syrian civil war Posted: 25 Nov 2015 09:18 AM PST  The shooting down of a Russian military plane by Turkey in Syria's Latakia province and the killing of one of the Russian pilots by a rebel group that includes local Turkmen fighters has brought the Syrian minority into focus. Here is a brief explanation on who the Syrian Turkmens are and how they have been affected by the civil war, now in its fifth year.
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| IKEA assembles a solution for Syrian refugees Posted: 25 Nov 2015 09:02 AM PST The Swedish furniture giant IKEA has a 57-square-foot solution to a giant, global problem: smarter shelters for refugees. Violence has forced nearly 60 million people from their homes across the world, according to the latest figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. As the crisis in Syria has forced 4 million people to seek refuge elsewhere, host countries are scrambling to build refugee camps and shelters as quickly as possible. |
| AP Interview: Mere force won't defeat IS, says Jordan prince Posted: 25 Nov 2015 08:16 AM PST  AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Extremist Islamic ideologies pose a global challenge, but can't be eradicated by military force alone, a brother of Jordan's king said Wednesday.
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| IS claims Tunisia attack, suspected bomber's body found Posted: 25 Nov 2015 07:33 AM PST  TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — The body of a suspected suicide bomber was found at the scene of an attack on Tunisia's presidential guard, and the Islamic State group claimed responsibility Wednesday for the attack that left 13 people dead.
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| Tunisia says suicide bomber behind bus attack in capital Posted: 25 Nov 2015 07:26 AM PST  By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian authorities said on Wednesday a suicide bomber carried out the attack a day earlier on a presidential guard bus, killing at least 12 people and forcing the government to impose a nationwide state of emergency. The explosion on a main boulevard in the capital drove home the vulnerability of Tunisia to Islamist militancy, following gun assaults on a seaside tourist hotel in June and the Bardo Museum in Tunis in March, both claimed by Islamic State. It was the first suicide bombing in the capital.
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| EU must limit migrant numbers: French PM Posted: 25 Nov 2015 06:11 AM PST  French Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Tuesday urged the European Union to limit the number of migrants it allows into the bloc, following heightened security concerns after the Paris attacks. "Europe must say that it can no longer accommodate so many migrants, it is not possible," he said in extracts from a lunch with foreign media published by Germany's Suddeutsche Zeitung. "Controlling the European Union's external borders is essential to the future of the EU.
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| Indonesia increases security after video calls for attack Posted: 25 Nov 2015 06:10 AM PST JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Authorities increased security across Indonesia after a video appearing on social media threatened attacks against police and other targets, police and officials said Wednesday. |
| Iran general Soleimani lightly wounded in Syria Posted: 25 Nov 2015 05:19 AM PST  General Qassem Soleimani, commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' foreign operations wing, was lightly injured in fighting against Syria rebels near Aleppo, a monitoring group and a security source said Wednesday. Soleimani "was injured a few days ago" in an offensive in the southwest of Aleppo province, a security source on the ground told AFP. The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor of the war, also said the general had been hurt.
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| Is There Really a ‘Christian Genocide’ in Syria and Iraq? Posted: 25 Nov 2015 05:00 AM PST  Republican presidential candidates Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz last week made headlines when they proposed that the U.S. should only admit Christian refugees fleeing the civil war in Syria. There was substantial backlash to the suggestion that individuals' religions should be a factor in determining who was worthy of being granted refugee status, including a rebuke from President Obama, who called a "religious test" un-American. Cruz and Bush argue that Christians are the victims of genocide at the hands of ISIS.
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| China says must learn from Paris attacks Posted: 25 Nov 2015 03:32 AM PST China must learn lessons from the Paris shootings and all government departments should improve intelligence-gathering to prevent similar attacks in the country, the government said on Wednesday. Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun said China must strengthen the sharing of intelligence on counter-terrorism, putting information on people and materials into a national anti-terrorism intelligence system. The platform was introduced last year as part of changes to a security law following an upsurge in violence in China's far western region of Xinjiang. |
| How National Security Tough Talk Is Taking over the GOP Campaign Posted: 25 Nov 2015 03:30 AM PST  The 2016 presidential race is undergoing a sweeping reconfiguration, with national security taking on new prominence following the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and the downing of Russian fighter jet by Turkey that has the U.S. and its allies calling for calm on both sides. Not surprisingly, the entire GOP presidential field has blamed President Obama and his policies for the current state of global affairs and, in particular, for the rise of ISIS, which still controls large swaths of territory inside Iraq and Syria.
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| Defiant Merkel vows to stand by refugee policy despite security fears Posted: 25 Nov 2015 02:44 AM PST  By Madeline Chambers and Paul Carrel BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed on Wednesday to stick to her open-door refugee policy, defying criticism at home and abroad which has intensified due to growing fears about a potential security risk after the Islamist attacks in Paris. Conservative Merkel faces splits in her right-left coalition and pressure from EU states, including France, over her insistence that Germany can cope with up to 1 million migrants this year and that Europe must accept quotas to take them in. In a 40-minute speech to the Bundestag lower house of parliament, Merkel said the security threat level in Germany was high but insisted that people must carry on with normal life.
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| Germany to send up to 650 soldiers to Mali for peacekeeping mission Posted: 25 Nov 2015 01:54 AM PST  Germany is ready to send up to 650 soldiers to Mali to bolster the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the West African country and to help France in the region, Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday. "We will shortly ask parliament to approve a mandate of up to 650 soldiers," von der Leyen said after a meeting of the Bundestag lower house of parliament's defence committee.
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| Tunisia says suicide bomber behind bus attack that killed 13 Posted: 25 Nov 2015 01:38 AM PST  By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian security officials said on Wednesday a suicide bomber carried out the attack on a presidential guard bus, killing at least 13 and forcing the government to impose a nationwide state of emergency. Tuesday's blast on a main boulevard in the capital underscored Tunisia's vulnerability to Islamist militancy following the gun assaults on a Sousse hotel in June and the Bardo Museum in Tunis in March, both claimed by Islamic State. It was also the first suicide bombing in the capital.
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| Syrian refugees in US fear for those left behind Posted: 25 Nov 2015 12:07 AM PST  Sitting on a donated couch in her modest Chicago apartment, Safa Mshymish knows she is among the lucky ones: a Syrian refugee welcomed into the United States before the tide of public opinion turned. "Just like any mother who loves her children and wants to see them sleep peacefully, so do I. Just like any mother wants to feed her children, so do I," she said.
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| Americans in Training Posted: 25 Nov 2015 12:00 AM PST  As the United States grapples with immigration, newcomers from all over the world celebrate the most American of holidays.
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| A Very Refugee Thanksgiving Posted: 25 Nov 2015 12:00 AM PST As the United States grapples with immigration, newcomers from all over the world celebrate the most American of holidays. |
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