| White House asks allies to step up in IS campaign Posted: 23 Nov 2015 04:46 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House urged allies on Monday to do more in the campaign against the Islamic State, while President Barack Obama faced pressure in return to show the U.S.-led coalition will intensify efforts in response to the Paris attacks, even without a major shift in strategy.
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| Brussels extends terror alert, fourth suspect charged over Paris attacks Posted: 23 Nov 2015 04:33 PM PST  Brussels will stay at the highest security threat level for another week over fears of an imminent attack, the Belgian government said Monday, as authorities charged a fourth suspect in connection with the terror assaults in Paris. As Brussels remained under lockdown, the United States issued a worldwide travel alert warning American citizens of "increased terrorist threats" in "multiple regions". France meanwhile launched its first strikes against Islamic State from a newly deployed aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean, as the country ramped up its fight against the jihadist group that has claimed the November 13 gun and suicide bomb attacks.
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| U.S. issues global travel alert as manhunt continues for Paris attackers Posted: 23 Nov 2015 04:26 PM PST  By Arshad Mohammed and Chine Labbé WASHINGTON/PARIS (Reuters) - Citing "increased terrorist threats" from militant groups in various regions of the world, the U.S. State Department issued a global travel alert on Monday following deadly militant attacks in France and Mali. "Current information suggests that (Islamic State), al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, and other terrorist groups continue to plan terrorist attacks in multiple regions," the State Department said in a warning posted on its website. Although it did not mention the Nov. 13 Paris attacks claimed by the Islamic State group in which 130 died, the department noted that militants had carried out attacks in France, Nigeria, Denmark, Turkey, and Mali during the past year. "Authorities believe the likelihood of terror attacks will continue as members of (Islamic State) return from Syria and Iraq," it said. "Additionally, there is a continuing threat from unaffiliated persons planning attacks inspired by major terrorist organizations but conducted on an individual basis.
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| Britain's Cameron pressures MPs over Syria strikes vote Posted: 23 Nov 2015 04:23 PM PST  British Prime Minister David Cameron vowed Monday to make his case for Britain joining air strikes on Syria this week as he unveiled a new defence strategy stressing counter-terrorism and intelligence. Cameron said he would make a statement in the House of Commons on Thursday as he steps up pressure for MPs to back joining international action against Islamic State jihadists following the November 13 attacks in Paris, which killed 130 people. "As the murders on the streets of Paris reminded us so starkly, ISIL (another term for Islamic State) is not some remote problem thousands of miles away -- it is a direct threat to our security at home and abroad," Cameron said.
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| US issues travel warning in wake of terror attacks Posted: 23 Nov 2015 04:16 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans should be alert to the possible travel risks, especially during the holidays, following increased terrorist threats around the world, the State Department warned on Monday.
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| Suicide vest found in Paris raises possible link to suspect Posted: 23 Nov 2015 04:15 PM PST  PARIS (AP) — A street cleaner on Monday found an explosive vest similar to those used in the Paris attacks near the place where a fugitive suspect's cellphone was found, raising the possibility that he aborted his mission, either ditching a malfunctioning vest or fleeing in fear.
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| For Obama, war against Islamic State is a tough sell Posted: 23 Nov 2015 04:06 PM PST French President François Hollande visits the White House Tuesday in an unusual position: a European leader out to persuade a war-resistant American president to step up efforts to destroy the Islamic State. President Obama is expected to be a tough sell. Not only has he dedicated much of his presidency to trying to extract the United States from the long wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but he has also sought to get America off a war footing by resisting a plunge into the Syrian civil war. |
| Detroit, Austin welcome Syrian refugees despite governors Posted: 23 Nov 2015 04:03 PM PST DETROIT (AP) — The mayors of Detroit and Austin said Monday they are welcoming Syrian refugees despite pushback by their states' Republican governors following the deadly attacks in Paris. |
| US aims to boost offensive against IS global network Posted: 23 Nov 2015 03:56 PM PST  The United States on Monday sought to rally greater cooperation among allies seeking to crush the Islamic State group's "global network," on the heels of attacks in Paris, Beirut and Baghdad. Special envoy Brett McGurk urged allies to "increase pressure on ISIL at its core," the State Department said. "We need to do more as a coalition to coordinate our efforts and pressure ISIL across its global network," it added, using another acronym for the group.
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| French jets strike Islamic State as Britain offers help Posted: 23 Nov 2015 03:28 PM PST  By Leigh Thomas PARIS (Reuters) - French jets from the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier struck Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria on Monday while Britain offered France the use of an air base in Cyprus to hit the militants group behind the Paris attacks. French President Francois Hollande met British Prime Minister David Cameron in Paris on Monday as part of efforts to rally support for the fight against Islamic State and Hollande is also due to visit Washington and Moscow this week.
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| US issues global travel alert due to 'increased terrorist threats' Posted: 23 Nov 2015 03:17 PM PST  The United States issued a worldwide travel alert on Monday warning American citizens of "increased terrorist threats" in the wake of the Paris attacks. A massive manhunt is underway in France and Belgium for Belgian-born Salah Abdeslam, suspected of playing a role in the coordinated shooting and suicide bombings of November 13 claimed by the Islamic State group. The United States has been on heightened alert in the wake of the attacks, which killed 130 people.
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| France strikes IS targets as Syria diplomacy hits 'high gear' Posted: 23 Nov 2015 03:16 PM PST  France on Monday launched the first air strikes from its aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean as global efforts to combat the Islamic State group gathered pace and world leaders met for talks on the Syrian conflict. British Prime Minister David Cameron said he would make his case to parliament on Thursday to join the coalition striking IS in Syria. In the first sorties from the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier on Monday, newly deployed in the eastern Mediterranean, France bombed IS targets in the Iraqi cities of Ramadi and Mosul, followed by air raids in Syria.
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| US issues travel warning following terror attacks Posted: 23 Nov 2015 03:03 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department is alerting Americans to the possible risks of travel due to increased terrorist threats around the world.
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| Man pleads guilty to death of 3-year-old son Posted: 23 Nov 2015 02:47 PM PST ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) — An Iraq war veteran has pleaded guilty to his role in the death of his 3-year-old son months after he and his wife adopted the boy from South Korea. |
| Iraq is planning a solar powered skyscraper that’s 1,000 feet taller than the Burj Khalifa Posted: 23 Nov 2015 02:43 PM PST  Nicknamed The Bride and intended to reach over 1,000 feet higher than Dubai's towering Burj Khalifa, the soon-to-be tallest skyscraper in the world is coming to none other than the southeastern Iraqi town of Basra. Designed by the London and Iraq-based architecture firm AMBS architects, the proposed structure will call the shores of the Shatt al-Arab River home, and will supposedly run on nothing but solar energy. To get a sense of just how tall The Bride will be upon completion of construction, you could put Paris' Eiffel Tower on top of the Burj Khalifa and still come up short. If it's ever actually built, the entire structure of The Bride will stand roughly 3,780 feet tall and will be comprised of four conjoined towers, each measuring in at a different height. To make the 230-story, heavens-tickling building even taller, AMBS's design calls for the construction of a roughly 616-foot antenna at the very top. Moreover, the firm describes The Bride as "the first vertical city in the world," boasting over 5 million square feet of floor space for hotels, residential units, offices, commercial lots, as well as parks and gardens. Initial rendering of The Bride's "veil" AMBS "It will be enjoyed by thousands of people in endless ways, within it, on it, or under it," says AMBS. "From walking in the vast shaded parks and promenades at ground level, to having lunch or shopping in a sky-square hundreds of metres above sea level." Related: As lavish as ever, Dubai's Fire Service might soon use jetpacks to fight fires What makes The Bride particularly compelling is AMBS's intention of making it a net-zero structure, meaning it will to operate on as much energy as it produces. With temperatures consistently reaching 110+ degrees Fahrenheit during summers in Basra, the surplus of solar energy in the region made it a prime candidate to pull off such a design. Concerning the incredibly high heat, AMBS also plans to build what it's calling a "veil," in which it aims to cover the skyscraper's central tower with a glazed canopy to provide public areas with much-needed shade. Though AMBS recently announced the design of The Bride, it refrained from offering a specific date for when construction of the tower would begin. Also watch: Raimond de Hullu's vision for Oas1s green buildings Please enable Javascript to watch this video
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| Iraqi Kurdistan minister urges Canada to boost aid to fight ISIS Posted: 23 Nov 2015 02:35 PM PST The top diplomat for Iraqi Kurdistan on Monday urged Canada to provide more aid in the fight against Islamic State, particularly if the newly-elected Liberal government follows through on a pledge to halt airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. Falah Mustafa Bakir, head of the Kurdistan Regional Government's department of foreign relations, said his government would respect the decision of the Canadian government if it withdraws fighter jets from the region, but would like to see more support in the form of weapons ammunition, equipment, training and capacity building. "If that (withdrawal) was a decision of the Canadian government of course we respect that, but at the same time we would like to ask for the expansion of other types of support so it would be compensated." Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last week that Canada will stick to its plan to pull six jets from bombing missions against Islamic State, despite the group's claiming responsibility for attacks in Paris that killed at least 130 people and which prompted the United States, France, Britain and others to promise more strikes. |
| Countering Islamic State: How much can a squeeze on oil revenue do? Posted: 23 Nov 2015 02:27 PM PST Air strikes by the United States and Russian militaries show a new focus in international efforts against the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Iraq and Syria: to undercut the group by degrading its ability to use oil as a financial lifeline. It's a logical strategy – seizing on what many experts see as the biggest way to meaningfully constrict funding for the Islamic State (often abbreviated as IS, ISIS, or ISIL). Russia's defense minister said Friday that the Russian air strikes destroyed 15 oil refining or storage facilities and 525 oil trucks – and said this will put a serious dent in IS oil revenues, according to an Associated Press report. |
| Russia's Putin in Iran for talks focusing on Syria Posted: 23 Nov 2015 01:36 PM PST  TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Russia's President Vladimir Putin visited Tehran on Monday for talks with Iranian leaders that focused on the Syrian crisis and an international peace plan intended to end the conflict.
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| France finds explosive belt, detects Paris suspect's phone Posted: 23 Nov 2015 01:15 PM PST  By Chine Labbé and Gabriela Baczynska PARIS/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A suspected explosive belt was found dumped near Paris on Monday and the mobile phone of a fugitive believed to have taken part in the attacks on Nov. 13 was detected in two locations in the city, a source close to the investigation said. France and Belgium have launched a manhunt following the attacks that killed 130 people, with a focus on Brussels barkeeper Salah Abdeslam, 26, who returned to the city from Paris hours after the attacks and is still at large. Abdeslam's mobile phone was detected after the attacks in the 18th district in the north of Paris, near an abandoned car that he had rented, and then later in Chatillon in the south, the source said on Monday.
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| Is Russia's Syria intervention a 'holy war'? Russian Orthodox Church: 'yes' Posted: 23 Nov 2015 01:13 PM PST For many in the West, the idea that a church would take an overtly hawkish stance in the conflict in Syria is an utterly foreign concept. Recommended: Sochi, Soviets, and tsars: How much do you know about Russia? Not well known or understood in the West, the Russian Orthodox Church has been Russia's chief source of spiritual identity for most of its 1,000-year existence. |
| Who is fighting the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq? Posted: 23 Nov 2015 01:07 PM PST  - SYRIA: The Syrian army numbered 178,000 troops in 2015, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). Syria's army has been roughly halved from its pre-war strength by deaths, defections and increased draft dodging.
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| 3 Reasons Americans Are Losing Confidence in Obama’s Fight Against ISIS Posted: 23 Nov 2015 12:30 PM PST  In the wake of the ISIS attacks in Paris, President Obama and his efforts to defeat the extremist group have come under withering criticism from Congress — including members of his own party -- and from hopefuls on the presidential campaign trail. On Sunday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (CA), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, summed up the prevailing mood about the U.S. led coalition campaign when she said during an appearance on CBS's Face the Nation, "[The anti-ISIS fight] has gone on too long now. While the 14-month-old military campaign against jihadists has suffered setbacks before, a new sense of pessimism has taken hold since the Paris attacks killed at least 130 and injured more than 300.
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| President Obama Returns to DC Amid ISIS Intelligence Report Investigation Posted: 23 Nov 2015 12:12 PM PST  President Obama made his way back to Washington, D.C., early this morning, facing a problem that has plagued some of his top military officials: an expanded investigation into intelligence reports that were possibly doctored to paint a rosy picture of Mideast conflict. At issue is whether analysts at Central Command, which oversees U.S. Department of Defense operations in the Middle East, altered assessments of the campaign against ISIS to make it appear as though the United States and Western partners were making more progress than they really were, at least according to claims from a whistleblower assigned to Centcom. The chairmen of both committees are also forming a task force in the "near future" to investigate allegations of intelligence manipulation, aides with both panels confirmed.
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| EU, Turkey leaders to meet on migration on Nov. 29 Posted: 23 Nov 2015 11:40 AM PST European Union and Turkish leaders will meet in Brussels on Sunday to discuss migration issues and improving relations between the EU and Ankara, the chairman of the summit Donald Tusk said on Twitter on Monday. The EU badly needs Turkey's cooperation to stem the flow of migrants to the 28-nation bloc as wars in Syria, Iraq and Africa have triggered a flood of an estimated 1 million refugees seeking a safer and better life in the rich EU only this year. Purpose: Re-energize our relations & stem migration flow," Tusk said. |
| Kerry rallies Gulf Arabs behind renewed anti-IS push Posted: 23 Nov 2015 11:29 AM PST  US Secretary of State John Kerry travelled to the Gulf on Monday to stress the urgent need to unite a region riven by conflict against the threat from the jihadist Islamic State group. Kerry believes his ambitious plan to bring Syria's other warring parties to the negotiating table is the key to isolating and ultimately defeating the IS extremists. "We're working very hard to accelerate the efforts out of Vienna, to give that diplomatic process life," he said.
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| Russia's Putin in Iran for talks set to focus on Syria Posted: 23 Nov 2015 11:28 AM PST TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Russia's President Vladimir Putin visited Tehran on Monday for talks with Iranian leaders that focused on the Syrian crisis and an international peace plan intended to end the conflict. |
| Brussels on high alert as police hunt Paris attack fugitive Posted: 23 Nov 2015 11:01 AM PST BRUSSELS (AP) — Brussels will remain on the highest alert level and maintain security measures that have severely disrupted normal life in the city until at least Monday as it faces an "imminent" threat of attack, Belgium's prime minister said Monday, urging his population to remain calm. |
| 'Belgian' Islamic State fighter urges jihadis to emulate Paris: video Posted: 23 Nov 2015 10:57 AM PST A Islamic State fighter identified as Belgian urged his "brothers" abroad to follow the example of the Paris attacks, which he praised for bringing havoc to France, an Islamic State video published on Monday showed. "I am addressing a message to my brothers who have stayed behind, oh my brothers, fear Allah and follow the example of those brothers who upturned France in a few hours," the fighter said in French. Identified by the nom de guerre "Abu Qatada al-Beljiki" (the Belgian), the fighter said the Paris attacks had made millions cry but brought joy to "the faithful." He was shown with a face covered by a white scarf standing in front of other masked fighters holding rifles. |
| Cameron pledges to outline strategy against IS this week Posted: 23 Nov 2015 10:43 AM PST  LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister David Cameron will begin to lay out his case this week for the Royal Air Force to start hitting Islamic State targets in Syria, something he has been eager to do but feared being blocked by Parliament.
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| Iran, Russia vow to oppose 'external attempts' to dump Assad Posted: 23 Nov 2015 10:01 AM PST  Russia and Iran will jointly oppose "external attempts" at regime change in Syria, a Kremlin official said Monday in Tehran after President Vladimir Putin met supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The comments were a direct rebuff of repeated demands from the United States, France, Britain and Saudi Arabia that President Bashar al-Assad should step down and play no future role in war-torn Syria. On his first trip to Iran in eight years, Putin, accompanied by his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, went straight into a meeting with Khamenei, the Islamic republic's ultimate authority.
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| Iraq closes northern airspace over missiles launched at Syria Posted: 23 Nov 2015 08:55 AM PST  Iraq closed its northern airspace to all flights on Monday for at least two days due to military traffic from Russia's air campaign in neighboring Syria. The closure was expected to affect domestic commercial routes to Erbil and Sulaimaniya as well as international flights from Turkey, Jordan, the Gulf and Austria. A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition, which launches reconnaissance and resupply flights from Erbil, said all military traffic had also been halted.
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| France strikes IS in Iraq from newly deployed carrier Posted: 23 Nov 2015 08:51 AM PST  France launched air strikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq on Monday in the first sorties from the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, newly deployed in the eastern Mediterranean. "We carried out strikes in Ramadi and Mosul in support of ground forces that were pushing against troops of (the Islamic State group)," said army chief of staff General Pierre de Villiers, aboard the carrier. The Charles De Gaulle has 26 fighter jets, more than trebling France's strike capacity in the US-led mission against IS.
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| French jets strike IS targets in Iraq from Charles de Gaulle warship Posted: 23 Nov 2015 08:31 AM PST French jets struck Islamic State targets in Iraq on Monday, taking off from the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier for the first time, the military said on Twitter on Monday. France's defense minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, had told Europe 1 radio on Sunday the flagship of the French Navy, deployed to the eastern Mediterranean to back France's involvement in air strikes in Iraq and Syria, would be fully operational from Monday. |
| Latest developments after Paris attacks Posted: 23 Nov 2015 08:27 AM PST  The Paris attacks that killed 130 people have sparked sweeping searches, a maximum-level alert in Brussels and an intensified military operation against the Islamic State group that has claimed responsibility for France's worst terror strike. French police have conducted nearly 300 searches since the November 13 massacre and deployed 10,200 police in the greater Paris region. The suspected ringleader, Belgian jihadist Abdelhamid Abaaoud, was killed along with his 26-year-old female cousin Hasna Aitboulahcen, in a massive raid by police Wednesday.
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| Kerry: US trying to speed up efforts to defeat Islamic State Posted: 23 Nov 2015 08:07 AM PST  ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States is seeking new military, counterterrorism and diplomatic ideas to destroy the Islamic State group faster, Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday, acknowledging the difficulty in eliminating extremists who've exploited four years of chaos in the Middle East to become a global threat. He said greater military cooperation with Russia was possible under the right circumstances.
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| France boosts IS fight as Brussels locked down Posted: 23 Nov 2015 07:45 AM PST  France launched military missions over Islamic State areas in Syria and Iraq Monday from a newly-deployed aircraft carrier as Brussels was locked down for a third day amid fears of a repeat of the Paris terror attacks. President Francois Hollande met British Premier David Cameron in Paris in an effort to widen an international alliance against the jihadist group as the Charles de Gaulle, stationed in the eastern Mediterranean, went into action. In Europe's institutional capital, police in Brussels arrested five more people but Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam remained at large.
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| Spain arrests man accused of recruiting inmates for Islamic State Posted: 23 Nov 2015 07:42 AM PST Spanish police on Monday arrested a prisoner accused of trying to radicalize and recruit fellow inmates to join Islamic State. The man was originally from Morocco and was already serving time in a prison in Segovia, near Madrid, for crimes linked to violence against women, the police said in a statement. Spain has stepped up efforts to stop citizens joining Islamic State this year, fearing people recruited to fight in Syria and Iraq could return to launch attacks at home. |
| UK opposition faces split over Syria air strikes Posted: 23 Nov 2015 07:29 AM PST  British opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn was Monday under increasing pressure to allow his Labour Party's lawmakers a free vote in parliament on British air strikes against the Islamic State group in Syria. Prime Minister David Cameron will present the case for action this week before asking parliament to vote, and looks set to receive the backing of some Labour MPs despite Corbyn's opposition to the strikes. Shadow defence minister Maria Eagle on Monday told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that "there will be some support from the Labour party for him (Cameron) to do what he wishes" if they approve of his plan.
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