| Turkey troops say they seize power; crowds answer Erdogan call to defy them Posted: 15 Jul 2016 05:41 PM PDT  By Nick Tattersall and Ece Toksabay ISTANBUL/ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish troops said on Friday they had seized power but President Tayyip Erdogan vowed that the attempted coup would be put down and crowds answered his call to defy a curfew order and take to the streets to support him. Gunfire and explosions rocked both the main city Istanbul and capital Ankara in a chaotic night, but by the early hours of Saturday there were indications that the coup was crumbling. If successful, the overthrow of Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey since 2003, would mark one of the biggest shifts in the Middle East in years, transforming one of the most important U.S. allies while war rages on its border.
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| U.S. urges support of Turkey government as world watches coup Posted: 15 Jul 2016 05:37 PM PDT By Alistair Bell WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States called on all parties in Turkey to support President Tayyip Erdogan's government against a coup attempt on Friday as world leaders expressed concern about the upheaval in a NATO member country that bridges Europe and the Middle East. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry spoke by phone and gave their support to Erdogan after Turkey's military said it had seized power. "The President and Secretary agreed that all parties in Turkey should support the democratically-elected government of Turkey, show restraint, and avoid any violence or bloodshed," the White House said in a statement. U.S. government sources said a coup attempt was under way in Turkey but it was unclear who was prevailing. |
| Obama: All parties in Turkey should support Erdogan gov't Posted: 15 Jul 2016 05:19 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Friday urged all sides in Turkey to support the democratically elected government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan amid a military takeover of the key NATO ally.
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| The Nice attack: The Internet as instigator Posted: 15 Jul 2016 05:19 PM PDT As the physical territory of Islamic State shrinks in Iraq and Syria – and along with it any appeal for Muslims to join a collapsing caliphate – the militant group has relied more and more on its appeal in digital territory. IS has stepped up its online messaging, hoping to incite more do-it-yourself terrorists in distant lands, such as the French-Tunisian man who drove a truck down a promenade of people in Nice, France. The main tool of IS is now the Internet, a global transmitter that allows it to "inspire sympathizers and adherents anywhere, turning lost souls into soulless killers," as Lisa Monaco, President Obama's top adviser for counterterrorism, puts it. |
| World unites in horror at Nice carnage, backs France Posted: 15 Jul 2016 05:17 PM PDT By Andreas Rinke and Dmitry Solovyov ULAANBAATAR/MOSCOW (Reuters) - World leaders united in horror and pledged their determination to fight terrorism on Friday after a truck attack on a Bastille Day crowd in the French Riviera city of Nice killed 84 people. U.S. President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin and European and Asian leaders meeting for a summit in Mongolia joined in condemnation of what they called a terrorist attack in messages to French President Francois Hollande. Police sources said the truck was driven by a 31-year Tunisian known to authorities for petty crime but not Islamic radicalism, who was eventually shot dead after an exchange of gunfire with police. |
| Turkish military has a history of staging coups Posted: 15 Jul 2016 05:15 PM PDT  Turkish military jets have flown over Turkey's capital, Ankara, and deadly fighting has been reported in what appears to be an attempted military coup. A military statement says the military has seized control of the country because of rising autocratic rule and increased terrorism, though Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has said "a minority" within the military has attempted a coup and he has urged citizens to take to the streets to support the government.
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| Turkey army says it seizes power; Erdogan says: 'We will overcome this' Posted: 15 Jul 2016 04:54 PM PDT By Nick Tattersall and Tulay Karadeniz ISTANBUL/ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey's military said on Friday it had seized power but President Tayyip Erdogan vowed that the attempted coup would be put down. If successful, the overthrow of Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey since 2003, would be one of the biggest shifts in the Middle East in years, transforming one of the most important U.S. allies while war rages on its border. "We will overcome this," Erdogan said, speaking on a video call to a mobile phone held up to the camera by an announcer on the Turkish sister station of CNN. |
| US Declassifies Secret 9/11 Documents Known as the '28 Pages' Posted: 15 Jul 2016 04:35 PM PDT  The U.S. intelligence community has officially lifted the veil on 28 classified pages from the first congressional investigation into the 9/11 terror attacks that some believe, once exposed, could demonstrate a support network inside the United States for two of those al-Qaeda hijackers. Today, the Obama administration declassified those documents -- closely held secrets for over 13 years -- and Congress released them to the public this afternoon. The FBI and U.S. intelligence agencies had kept the information secret until now, citing reasons of national security.
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| US, Russia strike deal on 'concrete steps' to save Syria ceasefire Posted: 15 Jul 2016 03:38 PM PDT  US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov said Friday they had agreed on "concrete steps" to salvage a failing truce and tackle jihadist groups in Syria but refrained from laying out their deal. "I want to emphasise though that they are not based on trust, they define specific sequential responsibilities all parties to the conflict must assume with the intent to stop altogether the indiscriminate bombing of the Assad regime and stepping up our efforts against Al-Nusra," Kerry said, referring to the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda. The United States was touting a proposal for closer US-Russian military cooperation in Syria against Al-Qaeda and Islamic State fighters, but Russia has been cool to the idea.
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| Turkey in facts and figures Posted: 15 Jul 2016 03:22 PM PDT  Turkey's army launched a coup attempt on Friday in a country that has seen three full military coups since 1960. Here are some key facts on the strategically important Muslim-majority nation which is battling threats on two main fronts, against Islamic State group jihadists and Kurdish militants. Covering about 784,000 square kilometres (300,000 square miles), Turkey is slightly smaller than Pakistan but larger than the US state of Texas.
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| Tunisian 'terrorist' kills 84 in Nice truck attack Posted: 15 Jul 2016 03:18 PM PDT  Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Friday called the man who rammed his truck into a crowd in Nice a 'terrorist' with probable links to radical Islam, as France plunged into mourning for the 84 people killed in the attack. At least 10 children and teenagers were among the dead, mown down as Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel ploughed his lorry through the festive crowd of thousands watching fireworks for France's national day on Thursday night. Anti-terrorism prosecutor Francois Molins said the Tunisian attacker was "completely unknown" to the intelligence services but that the assault was "exactly in line with" calls from jihadist groups to kill.
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| Obama decries 'tragic and appalling attack' in Nice Posted: 15 Jul 2016 03:10 PM PDT  President Barack Obama on Friday decried the deadly truck attack in Nice as a "tragic and appalling" assault on freedom, and pledged firm US support for France. "We cannot give in to fear or turn on each other or sacrifice our way of life," Obama told a gathering of diplomats at the White House attended by French Ambassador Gerard Araud.
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| France calls up reservist forces after deadly Nice rampage Posted: 15 Jul 2016 03:09 PM PDT  NICE, France (AP) — France called up thousands of reserve security forces Friday as authorities tried to determine why a Tunisian deliveryman known only to be a petty criminal took the wheel of a 19-ton truck and plunged through a terrified seaside crowd on Bastille Day, leaving 84 people dead and more than 200 wounded.
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| Lessons from Nice: Syria not the end of the road in battle against ISIS Posted: 15 Jul 2016 03:08 PM PDT Within hours of the Bastille Day terrorist attack in Nice, French President François Hollande was pledging to ramp up France's role in the war on the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Soon after, Secretary of State John Kerry, in Moscow after having marked Bastille Day with French officials in Paris, called Syria – home to the Islamic State – the "incubator" of the recent horrendous attacks like the one in Nice Thursday. |
| Trump's VP pick Mike Pence: political chops and contrasts Posted: 15 Jul 2016 03:05 PM PDT  Donald Trump's running mate Mike Pence adds precious Washington experience to the Republican presidential ticket, but he is also a Christian conservative who draws sharp contrasts with the brash billionaire. Pence, 57, is the governor of Indiana, a lawyer by training and former radio talk show host with strong communication skills. Seen as disciplined and relatively discreet, Pence was apparently the favorite of Trump's children, who exercise much influence over the political novice as he campaigns for president.
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| Obama briefed on situation in Turkey Posted: 15 Jul 2016 02:47 PM PDT  Washington (AFP) - US President Barack Obama has been briefed by aides on events in Turkey, the White House said Friday, as a shock military coup attempt was underway.
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| Trump, Pence don't agree on key social, economic policies Posted: 15 Jul 2016 02:44 PM PDT DENVER (AP) — Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has picked his running mate — Indiana Gov. Mike Pence. A former congressman, Pence is in many ways what Trump is not: a strong social conservative with deep ties to the party's establishment. As such, there is a record of deep disagreements between the two names on the top of the GOP ticket this year. |
| Libyan forces battling Islamic State in Sirte suffer losses in push to advance Posted: 15 Jul 2016 02:41 PM PDT  Forces aligned with Libya's U.N.-backed government suffered losses from snipers and mines on Friday as they battled Islamic State to win control of a strategic conference center in the coastal city of Sirte. Islamic State is clinging on in the center of Sirte in the face of a two-month campaign by brigades mainly composed of fighters from the western city of Misrata. Losing Sirte would represent a major setback for Islamic State, which established its most important base outside Syria and Iraq in the Libyan city.
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| With 84 dead, France investigates whether truck attacker acted alone Posted: 15 Jul 2016 02:24 PM PDT  By Sophie Sassard, Michel Bernouin and Tom Bergin NICE, France (Reuters) - French authorities were trying to determine on Friday whether a Tunisian who killed at least 84 people by plowing a truck into Bastille Day crowds had acted alone or with accomplices, but said the attack bore the hallmarks of Islamist militants. Thursday night's attack in the Riviera city of Nice plunged France into new grief and fear just eight months after gunmen killed 130 people in Paris. The truck zigzagged along the city's seafront Promenade des Anglais as a fireworks display marking the French national day ended.
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| IS publications do not refer to Nice attack Posted: 15 Jul 2016 02:19 PM PDT  Publications issued by the Islamic State jihadist group on Friday make no reference to the truck attack in the French city of Nice that killed at least 84 people. Releases by the extremist group or its affiliated Amaq news agency make no mention of the attack which French anti-terrorism prosecutor Francois Molins said was "exactly in line with" calls from jihadist groups to kill. Late on Thursday, a Tunisian named as Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel rammed a truck into a Bastille Day crowd in the coastal French city after a firework display.
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| Oil prices rally in late trading after Turkish military takes over Posted: 15 Jul 2016 02:03 PM PDT Oil prices extended gains in post-settlement trading on Friday after Turkey's armed forces said they had taken power in the country to protect the democratic order and to maintain human rights. Supply outages across the world have led to crude prices rallying from 12-year lows touched earlier in the year. For the oil market, a military coup raises concerns of an impact to the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline, which runs from Iraq's Kirkuk oil fields to the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan in Turkey. |
| Ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair says Brexit vote 'humbling' Posted: 15 Jul 2016 01:51 PM PDT LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Friday that he was humbled and discomforted by last month's Brexit vote, saying Britain's decision to leave the European Union left him questioning his understanding of politics despite his decades of experience. |
| Donald Trump names Indiana Governor Mike Pence as running mate Posted: 15 Jul 2016 01:50 PM PDT The real estate mogul took to Twitter and made the vice presidential announcement after leaked news reports and a tragedy in France upended campaign plans. |
| How France's foreign policy turned more hawkish Posted: 15 Jul 2016 01:47 PM PDT French president Francois Hollande vowed to step up military campaigns in Iraq and Syria in a speech on Thursday night, just hours after a man drove a truck into a crowd of people in the city of Nice, killing 84 people. |
| Obama on Attack in Nice: ‘This Is a Threat to All of Us’ Posted: 15 Jul 2016 01:30 PM PDT NEWS BRIEF "This is a threat to all of us." That was President Obama's message to nations across the world Friday as he condemned Thursday night's bloodshed in Nice, France. Obama addressed the attack during a White House reception for the diplomatic corps, whose ranks include French Ambassador Gérard Araud. Noting that at least two Americans, a father and son on vacation, were killed in the attack, Obama emphasized that the threat of terrorism is a shared problem. |
| US and Russia unite over Nice as they debate Syria Posted: 15 Jul 2016 01:28 PM PDT  The top diplomats of Russia and the United States joined forces to pay tribute to the victims of the Nice attacks Friday as they debated how to end the war in Syria. Secretary of State John Kerry and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov took a break from their talks to visit the French embassy in Moscow to sign a book of condolences. US officials are touting a proposal for closer US-Russian military cooperation in Syria against Al-Qaeda and Islamic State fighters, but Russia has been cool to the idea.
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| Veterans' groups disturbed by 'Orange is the New Black' Posted: 15 Jul 2016 01:07 PM PDT  Leading veterans' groups are disturbed by the way veterans hired as prison guards are portrayed in the new season of the Netflix series, "Orange is the New Black."
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| 9/11 Commission Releases 28 Page Classified Report on Saudi Ties to 9/11 Posted: 15 Jul 2016 01:01 PM PDT  Saudi Arabia welcomed on Friday the release of classified pages of the official report on the Sept. 11 attacks, and hoped their release would clear up suspicions about Riyadh's actions, intentions or long-term friendship with the United States. "Since 2002, the 9/11 Commission and several government agencies, including the CIA and the FBI, have investigated the contents of the '28 Pages' and have confirmed that neither the Saudi government, nor senior Saudi officials, nor any person acting on behalf of the Saudi government provided any support or encouragement for these attacks," Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States, Abdullah al-Saud, said in a statement.
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| Supporters of Shiite cleric rally in Baghdad, demand reform Posted: 15 Jul 2016 12:56 PM PDT  BAGHDAD (AP) — Tens of thousands of supporters of a powerful Iraqi Shiite cleric rallied in central Baghdad on Friday to press demands for reform and an end to alleged corruption in the government.
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| UK jails former airman, Libya fighter for involvement in Syria war Posted: 15 Jul 2016 12:15 PM PDT A former member of Britain's air force and a wheelchair-bound man who fought against Muammar Gaddafi during the 2011 uprising were sentenced by a British court to nine years in jail for terrorist offences related to the Syrian war, police said. Stephen Gray and Abdalraouf Abdallah, who were arrested by in 2014, pleaded guilty to a range of offences, police in the northwestern city of Manchester said in a statement. Gray, who served with the Royal Air Force in Iraq and converted to Islam when he left the military in 2004, tried to travel to Syria to join an organization designated as a terrorist movement, the statement said. |
| 20 loyalist troops killed fighting IS in Libya's Sirte Posted: 15 Jul 2016 12:10 PM PDT  Twenty Libyan unity government fighters were killed and more than 100 wounded Friday in clashes with the Islamic State group in the jihadists' coastal stronghold of Sirte, pro-government forces said. Fighting was fiercest around Sirte's conference centre, which has become a command headquarters for IS at the heart of the city, a statement from forces loyal to the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) said. The jihadist group said on Twitter that two IS militants, a Libyan and an Egyptian, carried out suicide car bombings in southern Sirte targeting government forces.
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| International coalition to add military resources to IS fight: France Posted: 15 Jul 2016 12:09 PM PDT  Paris (AFP) - France's Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Friday that the military resources of the international coalition battling the Islamic State group would be boosted after the truck attack in Nice.
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| Truck attack in Nice reflects 'new normal' for Europe Posted: 15 Jul 2016 11:49 AM PDT European leaders and security chiefs have a sobering message after the Bastille Day killings in Nice: such lone attacks using ordinary vehicles are nearly impossible to prevent and can be carried out by almost anyone. "We have moved into a new era," said Prime Minister Manuel Valls. "We are now faced with a different modus operandi," he said in the Belgian capital which, like cities in France, is still on a state of high alert with troops and heavily armed police on the streets and on guard at major public events. |
| Film Friday (7/15): This Week's New Movie Trailers Posted: 15 Jul 2016 11:19 AM PDT  Watch all of this week's new film trailers, including new looks at Damien Chazelle's La La Land and Warren Beatty's Rules Don't Apply, plus potential awards contender Loving, White Girl, Other People, and more. Plus, get a quick update on the latest movie news and release date announcements. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at Metacritic
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| UN: Iraq can defeat IS but must work on what happens after Posted: 15 Jul 2016 11:16 AM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Recent victories in Fallujah and Qayyarah show that the Iraqis are capable of defeating the Islamic State group but the country must consolidate control of armed groups and promote political reconciliation in order to achieve lasting peace and stability, a United Nations official said Friday. |
| France investigating whether truck attacker acted alone Posted: 15 Jul 2016 11:16 AM PDT  By Sophie Sassard and Michel Bernouin NICE, France (Reuters) - French authorities were trying to determine on Friday whether a Tunisian who killed at least 84 people by ploughing a truck into Bastille Day crowds had acted alone or with accomplices, but said the attack bore the hallmarks of Islamist militants. Thursday night's attack in the Riviera city of Nice plunged France again into grief and fear just eight months after gunmen killed 130 people in Paris.
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| US Military: Pentagon open to sending more troops to Iraq Posted: 15 Jul 2016 10:25 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military says the Pentagon is open to sending additional troops to Iraq if needed to meet specific requirements of the Iraqi security forces as the fight against Islamic State militants continues. |
| Nice attack: What we know so far Posted: 15 Jul 2016 10:04 AM PDT  Eighty-four people have been killed after a truck slammed into a crowd of people celebrating Bastille Day in the southern French city of Nice. Here is what we know so far about what French President Francois Hollande has declared an "undeniable" terrorist attack. A 30,000-strong crowd had gathered on the glitzy beachfront avenue, the Promenade des Anglais, to watch a firework show for France's national day.
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| More than 700 Iraqi men and boys missing from Fallujah:UN Posted: 15 Jul 2016 09:19 AM PDT  A total of 738 men and boys remain missing after they were detained by militias backing the Iraqi government offensive to retake Fallujah from Islamic State jihadists, a UN envoy said Friday. Jan Kubis told the Security Council that the UN mission in Iraq had received credible reports of torture, killings and disappearances by the militias and Iraqi security forces during the Fallujah offensive. Iraqi forces seized control of Fallujah, a longtime jihadist bastion, in late June, a month after a vast operation was launched.
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| 8 things you really didn't want to know about vice presidential nominee Mike Pence Posted: 15 Jul 2016 08:24 AM PDT  After months of mostly meaningless speculation, the answer has finally arrived: Donald Trump has chosen Indiana Governor Mike Pence to be his vice presidential running mate. Though Pence has served both in Congress and in the Governor's office, he's not particularly familiar to the American public. Those with intact long-term memories might remember him as the "anti-gay, pro-pizza rights" governor who didn't really want to learn about women's periods and who once called himself "Rush Limbaugh on decaf." But trust us, there's more. SEE ALSO: One year later: A look at the headlines at the start of Donald Trump's campaign Though Pence previously supported Ted Cruz in the GOP race, his propensity to say absurd things makes him a good pairing with Trump. From gun control to health care, he's managed to touch many hot topics over the decade. Here's a selection of some of Pence's more embarrassing verbal missteps and actual thoughts. 1. Whoops! Pence doesn't actually agree with Trump and has called his views 'offensive.' As a running mate, it's important that the two candidates are on the same page. Trump may have some work ahead of him given what Pence previously said about Trump's anti-Muslim immigration stance. While Trump was riding a wave of post-San Bernardino anger with his proposal to ban Muslims entrance into the U.S., Pence spoke out against the move, calling it "offensive and unconstitutional." Trump hasn't budged on his stance so it'll be interesting if Pence will have to. 2: He wanted to defund programs that helped people with HIV and redirect the money to gay conversion therapy. Pence's 2000 campaign website included something known as the Pence agenda, which supported "an audit to ensure that federal dollars were no longer being given to organizations that celebrate and encourage the types of behaviors that facilitate the spreading of the HIV virus." Instead, Pence wanted to redirect funds "toward those institutions which provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior," including, potentially, gay conversion therapy. In 2015, a spokesman for the CDC reported that Indiana had one of the "worst HIV outbreaks among IV [drug] users in the past two decades." 3. He voted to keep guns in public school parking lots. Like many Republicans, Pence has been staunchly pro-gun and has done his best to enact legislation to protect gun rights. In 2014, he signed a bill that would allow parents (and others) to keep guns locked in their cars in school parking lots. At the time, a spokeswoman for Pence said: In January 2016, Pence backed more gun bills, including one that would make carrying a firearm legal on the state's college campuses. And another bill would make it easier for repeated alcohol offenders to obtain a firearm. 4. A 'one man crusade' against abortion rights, Pence signed some of the most restrictive anti-abortion legislation in a decade. In March of 2015, Pence signed a bill that banned abortions motivated by fetal abnormalities, and required that all fetuses be "interred or cremated by a facility" regardless of the fetus' age. In response, a group of women who were inspired by Pence's "sudden interest" in their bodies organized a "Periods for Pence" protest, and began to call his office and leave stories about their menstrual cycles on his voicemail. Needless to say, Pence was not pleased. 5. Pence once compared Obamacare to 9/11. While Pence hasn't followed Trump down the "birther" rabbit hole, he has caused a stir with extreme views on President Obama's health care legislation. Perhaps the most well-known example is from June 2012 when, as a congressman, he compared the Supreme Court's upholding of the Affordable Care Act to the terror attacks on September 11th during a closed-door meeting. What, exactly, he said is unknown but word got around fast enough that he was forced to issue an apology, saying, "My remarks at the Republican Conference following the Supreme Court decision were thoughtless. I certainly did not intend to minimize any tragedy our nation has faced and I apologize." 6. He supported a bill that made it legal for people to deny pizza to customers on the basis of their sexuality. Governor Pence is best known for his support of the "Religious Freedom Act," a bill that nominally protected people's right to religion, but informally allowed businesses to discriminate on the basis of sexuality. The bill caused a national uproar when one small-town Indiana pizza shop, Memories Pizza, disclosed that as a result of the act, they would refuse to cater gay weddings. Pence later signed a revised version of the bill in 2015. 7. Governor Pence compared Baghdad to a flea market in Indiana. Any governor is going to stand up for his state so one can't fault Pence for touting how great the state of Indiana is. But comparing your state to an unstable Middle East country where suicide bombers are a regular occurrence isn't the best way to go about that. In 2007, Pence, still a congressman, was part of a group of GOP lawmakers who paid a visit to Shorja, Iraq in an attempt to show support for then-president Bush's "surge" in the country. That's when Pence compared Baghdad to Indiana: The comment came just months after dozens were killed in a deadly car bombing. Of course, in the years since then, the nature of the conflict in Iraq has changed, but the deadly violence hasn't. Among many suicide bombings Baghdad has seen in the years since Pence's visit, Shorja was hit with deadly bombings in May 2014, July 2014, and February 2015. 8. And finally, he opposed hate crimes legislation on the grounds that it would discriminate against people who wanted to discriminate. In 2009, Mike Pence opposed the Matthew Shephard and James Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which would have expanded hate crime legislation to include gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability. Pence opposed the legislation on the grounds that pastors could "be charged or be subject to intimidation for simply expressing a Biblical worldview on the issue of homosexual behavior." Instead of expanding state and local agencies to prosecute murders like Matthew Shephard (who was tortured and murdered for being gay), Pence chose to defend the rights of people who wanted to discriminate. Donald Trump and Governor Pence: a match made in presidential heaven. Image: TASOS KATOPODIS/AFP/Getty Images
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