| Hollande announces France to redeploy aircraft carrier Posted: 13 Jul 2016 04:21 PM PDT PARIS (AP) — President Francois Hollande has announced that France will redeploy the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier this fall to step up the fight against the Islamic State group and suggested an increase in ground troops for training and support to take back Mosul, in northern Iraq. |
| Saudi attacks bear IS 'hallmark,' CIA director says Posted: 13 Jul 2016 03:27 PM PDT  CIA director John Brennan said Wednesday that three bomb attacks which struck Saudi Arabia last week bore the "hallmark" of the Islamic State group. "Those three attacks were, I think, the work of ISIL," Brennan said at an event at a Washington think tank, using the US government's preferred abbreviation for the Islamic State group. "ISIL presents a very, very serious threat not just to Europe and the United States... but inside of Saudi Arabia," he told an audience at the Brookings Institution.
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| Ginsburg’s Fury Shows Just How Much Trump Has Changed Politics Posted: 13 Jul 2016 02:43 PM PDT  There was a time when military officers would rather be water-boarded than talk publicly about politics. In an interview with The New York Times on Friday, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 83, said, "I can't imagine what this place would be — I can't imagine what the country would be — with Donald Trump as our president. On Monday, Ginsburg told CNN: "[Trump] has no consistency about him.
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| Factbox: New British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's forthright comments Posted: 13 Jul 2016 02:22 PM PDT Boris Johnson, the popular and flamboyant ex-mayor of London, was on Wednesday appointed Foreign Secretary by new British Prime Minister Theresa May. Well-known for his provocative newspaper columns and undiplomatic language, below are some of Johnson's forthright comments: TURKISH PRESIDENT TAYYIP ERDOGAN POEM (MAY 2016) Earlier this year Johnson won a "President Erdogan Offensive Poetry competition" run by The Spectator magazine. "Hooray, I say. |
| Aircraft carrier group returns home; fought Islamic State Posted: 13 Jul 2016 02:16 PM PDT  NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — An aircraft carrier strike group returned home to Norfolk on Wednesday, ending an extended deployment that supported the battle against Islamic State forces in Iraq and Syria.
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| Top IS commander Shishani killed: jihadist-linked agency Posted: 13 Jul 2016 01:56 PM PDT  A top Islamic State group commander, Omar al-Shishani, has been killed in Iraq, the jihadist-linked Amaq agency said on Wednesday. The Pentagon announced in March that Shishani, known as Omar the Chechen, was believed to have died of injuries received in an air raid targeting his convoy in northeastern Syria -- details at odds with Amaq's account. Citing a "military source," Amaq said Shishani was killed "in the town of Sharqat as he took part in repelling the military campaign on the city of Mosul", referring to the last IS-held city in Iraq.
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| Mali World Heritage site in danger: UNESCO Posted: 13 Jul 2016 01:33 PM PDT  A World Heritage site in central Mali that features elaborate pre-Islamic mud houses is in danger of deteriorating because it cannot be protected adequately in the face of insecurity, UNESCO said on Wednesday. The Old Towns of Djenné includes four archeological sites with nearly 2,000 houses whose decorative facades have remained intact since the 3rd century B.C. The buildings are among the most famous in Mali, a country that also boasts the ancient town of Timbuktu. The World Heritage Committee said insecurity was preventing measures to safeguard the site against the deterioration of construction materials, urbanization and erosion.
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| IS says senior commander al-Shishani killed in Iraq Posted: 13 Jul 2016 01:15 PM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — An Islamic State-run media outlet says Omar al-Shishani, one of the group's top military commanders, has been killed in fighting near the Iraqi city of Mosul. |
| Heartbreaking Image of Burned Girl Captures Agony of Iraq Posted: 13 Jul 2016 11:55 AM PDT  Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered new security measures in Baghdad in response to the blast, and three days of mourning were declared in its aftermath. ISIS has been weakened in Iraq and Syria in recent months because of battlefield losses and desertions, and some analysts have suggested that the group is in danger of losing its so-called caliphate, territory controlled by the group that stretches from eastern Syria to western Iraq.
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| Air raids in northern and central Syria kill and wound many Posted: 13 Jul 2016 10:30 AM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — Airstrikes on markets in northern and central Syria killed and wounded dozens of people on Wednesday, opposition monitoring groups said, as the government reported "huge material damage" to Aleppo's main museum caused by rebel shelling. |
| France to re-deploy aircraft carrier this year in IS fight: president Posted: 13 Jul 2016 10:17 AM PDT  Paris (AFP) - France will send more military advisors to Iraq and its aircraft carrier will return to the Middle East later this year in the fight against the Islamic State jihadist group, President Francois Hollande said Wednesday.
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| Latest Baghdad bombing jeopardizes diverse neighborhood Posted: 13 Jul 2016 09:13 AM PDT  BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's deadliest single bombing in 13 years of war has turned the Baghdad district where it took place into the centerpiece in an increasingly bitter rivalry between the country's prime minister and its Iranian-backed Shiite militias eager to hold sway over the city's most diverse and prosperous area.
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| Germany's far-right AfD implodes over Brexit, good for Merkel Posted: 13 Jul 2016 09:03 AM PDT  By Erik Kirschbaum BERLIN (Reuters) - Support for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (Afd) has fallen dramatically amid party infighting, racially-tinged criticism of Germany's popular national soccer team and even a local backlash over Britain's vote to leave the EU. Analysts said the unexpectedly rapid implosion of the far-right AfD from 15 percent in opinion polls two months ago to a year-low of 8 percent on Wednesday could make it easier for Angela Merkel to retain power in next year's election. Because Merkel's center-right conservatives, their center-left Social Democrat coalition allies and other parties reject any AfD alliance, the populist party's rise had cast doubt on her hopes of finding a partner big enough for a fourth term.
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| EU asylum overhaul to ease tension over migrants Posted: 13 Jul 2016 08:07 AM PDT  The EU on Wednesday proposed fresh changes to the bloc's uneven asylum rules, in part to stop migrants from choosing some countries over others and sowing tension across the union. Most of the 1.3 million asylum-seekers who entered the bloc since January 2015 from war-torn countries like Syria and Iraq have headed to wealthy Germany and Sweden, placing a hefty burden on those countries. "We want to reform our policy, not just set minimum standards but firm and fair standards replacing the current scattered approach," Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos told a press conference.
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| Iran calls in French envoy over exiled opposition rally Posted: 13 Jul 2016 06:28 AM PDT  Iran has summoned the French ambassador and lodged a formal protest over a rally outside Paris held by an exiled opposition group last weekend, a diplomatic source said Wednesday. The National Council of Resistance in Iran (NCRI), which includes the former rebel People's Mujahedeen of Iran (MEK), claimed that 100,000 Iranians attended the annual rally at Le Bourget, near Paris, on Saturday.
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| Bombings kill 12 in Iraqi capital Posted: 13 Jul 2016 05:49 AM PDT  BAGHDAD (AP) — Three bombings in Iraq's capital on Wednesday killed at least 12 people, including a suicide bombing in a mainly Shiite neighborhood that had been attacked the day before, Iraqi officials said.
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| Man takes his dog diagnosed with cancer on one last epic road trip Posted: 13 Jul 2016 04:30 AM PDT  There is no bond greater than a person and his or her loyal canine companion. After his faithful chocolate lab, Bella, was diagnosed with cancer and given only three to six months to live, Robert Kugler from Nebraska decided to give her the time of her life with one last farewell adventure. Back when Bella was diagnosed with cancer in May of 2015, Kugler was forced to amputate one of her front legs. "They said this is the worst news I could give you; she had advanced osteosarcoma and it's already in her lungs so you need to either take her leg today or put her down," Kugler told WOWT. SEE ALSO: A filmmaker turned his van into a home and now travels the country Image: Robert Kugler, Facebook Bella, only 9 years old, was given just a few months to live, so Kugler, who had just finished school, decided to travel the country with her instead of heading straight into the job market. Image: Robert Kugler, Facebook Kugler, a marine vet, headed to the Marine Corps Ball in Chicago first, then continued going east, hitting up the Northeastern United States. From there, the two headed south toward Florida, until Kugler was called to help a veteran's organization in Kansas City. "We lingered at home for nearly three months, working a little, trying to put the story together to share it. But it didn't feel complete. She was still here, with so much life left," Kugler told Mashable . "So, when the chance came to give a bud a ride to North Carolina, I decided to finish the southern route and make it to the Keys, which we did!" Image: Robert Kugler, Facebook Image: Robert Kugler, Facebook "I feel like right now this is my purpose. The chapter in my life right now is just exploring with my dog," Kugler said. Although the journey is a somewhat of a farewell tour for Bella, it's also helped him with some of the losses that he has dealt with in the past. "I lost my brother in Iraq in 2007 and my oldest sister in a car accident two Easters ago. When you see lives end shortly before people get to do many of things they dream of doing, it changes your perspective on life," Kugler told Mashable . Image: Robert Kugler Of course road trips are always about making great memories. "[We were] hiking in the Adirondacks when Bella insisted on coming up to the waterfall with me and a friend I had made in town. Once she got up there she couldn't make it down. I tried showing her a few options that I thought would be a good route and she looked at me like 'Dad, I need help.' Something about being scooping her up and carrying her off of the rocks and across the water really strengthened the bond at that very moment. As if I were telling her 'I got you, and I always will.'" Image: Robert Kugler, Facebook Although Bella and Kugler have been traveling on and off since November, the two aren't showing signs of quitting just yet. Kugler says he terminated his lease, stuffed his belongings into a barn and is ready to keep tackling the United States. "I'd like to get my 4Runner geared up as a more organized camping rig, then go out towards the [National] Parks," Kugler told Mashable . "Taking Bella to each state really isn't the priority, it's more having her along to experience my own 'hero's journey' and appreciate each other's spirit and life on the planet." As for the pup, Kugler says that "Bella is doing pretty darn awesome." You can follow the rest of Bella and Kugler's journey on Instagram.
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| IS suicide bomber kills four at Iraq checkpoint Posted: 13 Jul 2016 03:45 AM PDT  A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle at a checkpoint near Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least four people, officials said, an attack claimed by the Islamic State group. The bombing at a checkpoint leading to the Husseiniyah area, northeast of the capital, also wounded 21 people, the officials said. IS issued a statement saying an Iraqi carried out a suicide bombing targeting a checkpoint, but gave the location of the attack as Shaab, an area adjoining Husseiniyah.
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| Turkey PM says aims to develop relations with Syria, Iraq Posted: 13 Jul 2016 03:24 AM PDT By Gulsen Solaker and Orhan Coskun ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey aims to develop good relations with Syria and Iraq, and both countries need to be stable for counter-terrorism efforts to succeed, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Wednesday. Turkey has long been one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's staunchest opponents, arguing that only his departure could stabilize Syria. |
| Islamic State car bomb attack kills seven north of Baghdad Posted: 13 Jul 2016 03:05 AM PDT  A suicide bomber killed at least seven people north of Baghdad on Wednesday, security and medical sources said, in the second bombing claimed by Islamic State in the district in as many days. Islamic State, which regularly carries out such bombings in the capital and other parts of Iraq, where it seized large swathes of territory in 2014, said in an online statement it had targeted the army. A suicide bombing in the central Karrada district on July 3, claimed by Islamic State, killed at least 292, making it one of the worst among the hundreds of such attacks carried out in Iraq since U.S.-led forces toppled Saddam Hussein 13 years ago.
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| Woody Harrelson to re-team with director Rob Reiner for Iraq war film Posted: 13 Jul 2016 01:56 AM PDT  American actor Woody Harrelson is in talks to star in Rob Reiner-directed Iraq war film "Shock And Awe", according to Deadline. The politically-charged plot, penned by Reiner's "LBJ" screenwriter Joey Hartstone, centers on a group of journalists investigating claims about Saddam Hussein's alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction - the official reason given by the Bush administration for the invasion of Iraq. The feature, produced by Reiner, Matthew George and Michele Reiner, is the second film to be financed by Jorva Entertainment, and has in development for several years and is scheduled to start production this year.
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| Germany will recall soldiers from Turkey if MP visit blocked: vice chancellor Posted: 13 Jul 2016 01:41 AM PDT  Germany will recall soldiers serving at the Incirlik airbase in Turkey if Ankara continues blocking German lawmakers from visiting the troops, Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said in remarks published on Wednesday. Turkey, angered by a resolution passed by the German parliament last month that branded the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman forces a genocide, has denied German lawmakers access to the base.
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| Timeline: Jihadist attacks in Saudi Arabia Posted: 13 Jul 2016 12:58 AM PDT Jihadists have carried out many shootings and bombings in Saudi Arabia since 2014, soon after Islamic State's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, called on his supporters there to mount attacks at home instead of traveling to join him in Syria or Iraq. Most of the attacks targeted minority Shi'ite Muslims or security officers and were either carried out by people who pledged allegiance to Islamic State or were claimed by the militant group in subsequent online postings. Saudi Arabia had earlier barred its citizens from going to fight in jihad overseas, used its clergy to denounce Islamic State, imposed prison terms for supporting the group and joined U.S.-led airstrikes against it in Syria. |
| Saudi Arabia's new jihadists: poorly trained but hard to stop Posted: 13 Jul 2016 12:58 AM PDT  By Angus McDowall RIYADH (Reuters) - Technical hitches limited the death tolls in three suicide attacks in Saudi Arabia but the apparent coordination of the blasts suggests jihadis have the tools to sustain their bombing campaign. Three young Saudis detonated explosive vests near a Shi'ite mosque in Qatif last Monday, killing only themselves, while an attack by another young Saudi suicide bomber at the Prophet's mosque in Medina killed four policemen. Before dawn the same day a 34-year-old Pakistani driver had blown himself up in a car park outside the U.S. consulate in Jeddah but only injured two security guards.
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| A look at who got what they wanted, a year after nuke deal Posted: 13 Jul 2016 12:48 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Here are some of the major points of contention in last year's seven-nation Iran nuclear deal, and who is getting their way: |
| Syrian rebels say Russian jets hit refugee camp along Jordan border Posted: 12 Jul 2016 10:52 PM PDT By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - Jets believed to be Russian on Tuesday struck a refugee camp along Jordan's north-eastern border with Syria, killing at least 12 people and injuring scores in the first such Russian strike near the Jordanian border, rebels said. The Russian Defence Ministry was not immediately available for comment. Said Seif al Qalamoni, a rebel spokesman in a brigade that belongs to the Western-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA), said the raids were close to the Hadalat refugee camp, one of two large camps in the area. |
| Obama pays tribute to Dallas officers shot in racial attack Posted: 12 Jul 2016 09:20 PM PDT  DALLAS (AP) — President Barack Obama urged Americans rattled by a week of violence and protests to find "open hearts" and new empathy Tuesday in a speech that seesawed between honoring police officers for their bravery and decrying racial prejudice that can affect their work.
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| Will Rio Olympics be a security 'hell'? Posted: 12 Jul 2016 07:30 PM PDT  Right as a top Brazilian official was confidently guaranteeing safety at next month's Olympics, Rio cops were about to head to their latest nerve-jangling assignment: body parts discovered on Copacabana beach. Officially, Rio de Janeiro is all ready to provide security for the some half million people expected to flock to the biggest sporting event on the planet from August 5-21.
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| South China Sea ruling deepens tensions between US, China Posted: 12 Jul 2016 07:25 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — A landmark international tribunal ruling on the South China Sea threatens to sharpen the differences between the United States and China, highlighting a growing gulf between the world powers.
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| Iraqi forces link up south of Mosul, tightening noose around Islamic State Posted: 12 Jul 2016 07:03 PM PDT  Iraqi government forces advancing on the Islamic State-held city of Mosul retook a village from IS on Tuesday and linked up along the Tigris river with army units pushing from a separate direction, Defence Minister Khalid al-Obeidi said. The territorial gain, which followed the recapture of a key air base nearby at the weekend, further isolated Mosul in preparation for a government assault to recover Iraq's second largest city 60 km (40 miles) to the north. "Forces from the 9th Armoured Division and the counter-terrorism service liberated Ajhala village north of Qayara base," Obeidi said on Twitter.
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