| Trump calls Obama, Clinton Islamic State 'co-founders,' draws rebuke Posted: 11 Aug 2016 05:55 PM PDT  By Ginger Gibson and Steve Holland WASHINGTON/MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - Republican Donald Trump called President Barack Obama and Democratic rival Hillary Clinton the "co-founders" of Islamic State, ratcheting up his assertion that they are responsible for the rise of the militant group and sparking renewed criticism of his leadership ability. Clinton's White House campaign on Thursday called the remarks a "false claim," in Clinton's latest response to a series of attacks by Trump in which he has sought to portray America as less safe, blaming Democrats and depicting himself as the only one who can restore security. Democrats, in turn, have used Trump's often hyperbolic statements ahead of the Nov. 8 election to argue that he is unfit to be president and lacks the temperament to be trusted with matters of national security.
|
| Two suspects held in possible Rio Olympics plot : police Posted: 11 Aug 2016 05:36 PM PDT  Police arrested two people on Thursday suspected of supporting Islamic State in planning a possible attack during the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Police had arrested 12 people before Thursday's operation, all suspected of collaboration with Islamic State militants. Brazil's federal police said three others have been interrogated and later released.
|
| Man killed in Canada raid made 'martyrdom video,' planned attack: police Posted: 11 Aug 2016 05:19 PM PDT  By Robert MacMillan STRATHROY, Ontario (Reuters) - The man killed during a Canadian police raid at his home in Ontario on Wednesday was a supporter of Islamic State who was in the final stages of preparing an attack on a Canadian city with a homemade bomb, police said on Thursday. Police went to the home of Aaron Driver in the small town of Strathroy after receiving credible information, including a "martyrdom video," from U.S. authorities that he planned what could have been a "dreadful" attack, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said at a news conference. Driver died after he detonated an explosive device in the backseat of a taxi as police closed in and opened fire, the RCMP said in Ottawa.
|
| Shifting tone, Trump entertains the notion he could lose Posted: 11 Aug 2016 05:12 PM PDT  ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Straying from his trademark bravado, Donald Trump acknowledged Thursday that his presidential campaign is facing challenges and could ultimately fall short — a rare expression of humility by the Republican presidential nominee.
|
| The Latest: Trump: I can stop raising cash for Republicans Posted: 11 Aug 2016 04:49 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the U.S. presidential race (All times EDT):
|
| Jonah Hill on 'crazy' true story behind 'War Dogs' Posted: 11 Aug 2016 03:57 PM PDT  A real-life story of two Miami friends who found military business opportunities during the Iraq war was "crazy" and "unbelievable" enough for actor Jonah Hill to star in the Hollywood big screen retelling. "War Dogs," out in theaters on Aug. 18, is a dramedy inspired by two young men, played by Hill and Miles Teller, living in Miami Beach during the Iraq War who exploit a little-known government initiative that allowed small businesses to bid on U.S. military contracts. "it's just a story that's so crazy you can't believe it actually happened," Hill told Reuters on Thursday for a special screening of the film.
|
| Clinton, Trump spar over Islamic State claim, economy Posted: 11 Aug 2016 03:23 PM PDT  Hillary Clinton admonished Donald Trump on Thursday for claiming she and President Barack Obama were the founders of the Islamic State group, as the White House rivals also clashed on plans to improve the US economy. "No, Barack Obama is not the founder of ISIS," Clinton tweeted as she accused her 2016 election rival of a "smear" against the president. "And I would say, the co-founder would be crooked Hillary Clinton," Trump added.
|
| AP FACT CHECK: Trump wrongly calls Obama 'founder' of IS Posted: 11 Aug 2016 02:49 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump says President Barack Obama is the "founder" of the Islamic State group. He's not, of course.
|
| Libya pro-govt forces say Sirte battle in 'final phase' Posted: 11 Aug 2016 02:41 PM PDT  Pro-government forces battled Thursday to clear the Islamic State group from its main Libyan stronghold of Sirte, after dealing a major blow to the jihadists by seizing their headquarters. Sirte's fall would be a huge setback to the jihadists' efforts to expand their self-proclaimed "caliphate" beyond Syria and Iraq where they have also suffered losses. Forces loyal to Libya's UN-backed unity government made a significant breakthrough Wednesday in their nearly three-month-old offensive to retake Sirte, seizing a conference centre where IS had set up a base.
|
| Man in Ontario raid made 'martyrdom video,' planned attack: Canadian police Posted: 11 Aug 2016 02:35 PM PDT By Robert MacMillan STRATHROY, Ontario (Reuters) - The man killed during a Canadian police raid at his home in Ontario on Wednesday was a supporter of Islamic State who was in the final stages of attacking a major urban center with a homemade bomb, police said on Thursday. Police raided the home of Aaron Driver in the small town of Strathroy after receiving credible information, including a "martyrdom video," from U.S. authorities that he planned what could have been a "dreadful" attack, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said. Driver died after he detonated an explosive device in the backseat of a taxi as police closed in, the RCMP said in Ottawa. |
| Kurds say Islamic State oil overseer killed in joint ops with U.S Posted: 11 Aug 2016 01:19 PM PDT The Islamic State militant in charge of the group's oil operations in Iraq and Syria was killed on Thursday in a joint operation between the Iraqi Kurdish and U.S. Special forces, the Kurdistan Region Security Council said in a statement. Sami Jassim al-Jabouri, also known as Haji Hamad, and his aide were killed "in the vicinity of Qaim," an Iraqi town near the Syrian border, the statement said. A Pentagon spokesman said coalition forces conducted a combined operation against an Islamic State "associated target" in Iraq on Aug. 11 but were assessing the results of the operation. |
| Mississippi woman gets 12 years for trying to aid Islamic State Posted: 11 Aug 2016 01:08 PM PDT Jaelyn Delshaun Young, 20, had pleaded guilty to one count in March as did her co-defendant and husband, Muhammad Oda Dakhlalla, 23. Judge Sharion Aycock of the Northern District of Mississippi imposed a 12-year sentence and ordered Young to serve 15 years of supervised release once she is released from prison, the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement. Young and Dakhlalla were arrested at a Mississippi airport in August 2015 while attempting to board a flight to Turkey. |
| CAIR Challenges Donald Trump to Repudiate Adviser and RNC Speaker Who Called Islam 'a Cancer' at Hate Group Event Posted: 11 Aug 2016 12:56 PM PDT WASHINGTON, Aug. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today challenged GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump to repudiate a top adviser, who spoke at the Republican convention and was considered as a vice presidential pick, for stating in an address to an anti-Muslim hate group that Islam is a "cancer" and not a real religion.CAIR, the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, said that at an event Wednesday night in Texas hosted by the anti-Islam hate group ACT! For America, Retired Army Lt. Gen. ... |
| Iraq Kurds say IS financier killed in joint raid with US Posted: 11 Aug 2016 12:55 PM PDT  "A joint operation was conducted by our Directorate General of Counter Terrorism and US Special Forces in the vicinity of Al-Qaim near the Iraqi-Syrian border," the Kurdish Regional Security Council said in a statement. It said the raid killed Sami Jassem Mohammed al-Juburi, a man sanctioned by the US Treasury Department for supervising operations to fund the Islamic State group, including via the sale of oil and gas. The US-led anti-IS coalition confirmed its forces had taken part in a joint raid in Iraq on Thursday.
|
| GOP says US command manipulated Islamic State intel reports Posted: 11 Aug 2016 12:54 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Intelligence assessments approved by senior leaders at U.S. Central Command exaggerated the progress of anti-terrorism efforts they ran against Islamic State militants, a House Republican task force said in an initial report released Thursday.
|
| The Latest: McConnell calls GOP Senate chances 'very dicey' Posted: 11 Aug 2016 12:48 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the U.S. presidential race (All times EDT):
|
| The Latest: Clinton denounces Trump childcare plan Posted: 11 Aug 2016 11:36 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the U.S. presidential race (All times EDT):
|
| U.S. military was too positive on Islamic State fight: congress Posted: 11 Aug 2016 11:29 AM PDT By Patricia Zengerle and Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Central Command painted too rosy a picture of the fight against Islamic State in 2014 and 2015 compared with events on the ground and grimmer assessments by other analysts, according to a U.S. congressional report issued on Thursday. The report came from a task force established by the Republican chairmen of the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, Intelligence Committee and Defense Appropriations subcommittee. The Republican report found "widespread dissatisfaction" among analysts at Tampa-based U.S. Central Command who felt their superiors were distorting their research. |
| Ukraine blocks jihadist routes to Syria: security service Posted: 11 Aug 2016 11:17 AM PDT  Ukraine's security service said on Thursday it had blocked channels being used by jihadists travelling to fight with the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq and detained an 'IS recruiter' from one of the former Soviet republics. "The Ukranian security service, prosecutor's office, police and migration service have blocked several channels for the transit of foreign fighters to the IS international terrorist group through our state's territory," the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said in a statement. The SBU said an apartment in the government-held northeastern city of Kharkiv was being used as a temporary shelter by alleged IS members who intended to travel to both Syria and Iraq.
|
| Trump Doubles Down on His Claim That Obama Was a ‘Founder’ of ISIS Posted: 11 Aug 2016 11:15 AM PDT  Conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt's interview this morning with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump sounded like the pundit's descent into his own personal hell. The night before, Trump had made one of his signature wild claims, this time that President Obama is the "founder" of the terror group ISIS. Hewitt tried in vain to help Trump clarify.
|
| Iraq politicians must pull together for Mosul: US Posted: 11 Aug 2016 10:01 AM PDT  Feuding Iraqi politicians should unite as a crucial operation to retake the city of Mosul from the Islamic State group draws near, a top US envoy said Thursday. The latest turmoil in Baghdad saw a bitter row break out between Iraq's defence minister and parliament speaker, who are also the country's most prominent Sunni politicians. The White House's special envoy to the coalition battling IS, Brett McGurk, said he had so far seen no impact on the campaign but called for greater cohesion ahead of Mosul.
|
| US military 'manipulated' intel in IS fight Posted: 11 Aug 2016 10:01 AM PDT  US military leaders painted an overly optimistic picture of American efforts to fight the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, a damning government report released Thursday found. "From the middle of 2014 to the middle of 2015, the United States Central Command's (CENTCOM's) most senior intelligence leaders manipulated the command's intelligence products to downplay the threat from ISIS in Iraq," Republican Congressman Mike Pompeo said in a statement, using an IS acronym. "The result: consumers of those intelligence products were provided a consistently 'rosy' view of US operational success against ISIS," he added, noting this "may well" have put US troops at risk.
|
| The Latest: Trump campaign says Clinton favors status quo Posted: 11 Aug 2016 09:41 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the U.S. presidential race (All times EDT): |
| Iraq corruption row won't derail Mosul offensive, says U.S. envoy Posted: 11 Aug 2016 09:37 AM PDT  Iraq's offensive to dislodge Islamic State from its de facto capital Mosul is on track despite a spat between two senior politicians over alleged corruption in the military, the U.S. envoy to the coalition fighting the militant group said. Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi and parliament speaker Salim al-Jabouri last week exchanged accusations of bribery over defense contracts, leading to judicial investigations and sparking concerns that the offensive could be delayed. Asked about how the spat had affected the Mosul campaign, Brett McGurk told a news conference in Baghdad: "We've seen no impact in terms of the overall timeline." The U.S. is leading the coalition providing air and ground support to the Iraqi army in the war on Islamic State, whose forces swept through northern and western provinces inhabited mostly by Iraq's Sunni minority two years ago.
|
| Call from Scolari helped Brazil avoid soccer elimination Posted: 11 Aug 2016 09:31 AM PDT  SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil didn't need Marta to win at the Rio Games. All it took was a speech from its ex-coach and a couple of goals from its latest wonder kid.
|
| Germany mulls taking away citizenship from jihadists Posted: 11 Aug 2016 08:44 AM PDT  Germany unveiled Thursday tough new anti-terror measures after two attacks claimed by the Islamic State group, including a controversial proposal to strip jihadist fighters of their German nationality. Deportations of convicted criminal migrants will also be sped up while police resources are to be greatly boosted under the security package drawn up by Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere. "Germans who participate in fighting abroad for a terror militia and who have another citizenship should lose their German nationality," de Maiziere said.
|
| IEA cuts oil demand forecast on Brexit impact Posted: 11 Aug 2016 08:02 AM PDT  The IEA said Thursday it had cut its oil demand growth forecast for 2017 because of a weaker outlook for the world economy following Britain's vote to leave the European Union. Global oil demand growth is now expected to slow to 1.2 million barrels per day in 2017 from 1.4 mb/d this year "due to a dimmer macroeconomic outlook", the International Energy Agency said in its monthly oil market report. The IEA had previously forecast growth of 1.3 mb/d for 2017.
|
| Families say Colorado men killed fighting ISIS shared traits Posted: 11 Aug 2016 07:35 AM PDT  CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (AP) — Two men who were reportedly killed in combat while fighting the Islamic State group in Syria left suburban Denver neighborhoods for a war zone because of camaraderie and an unshakeable drive to right an injustice, their families said Wednesday.
|
| Brazil advance; Argentina, Mexico out Posted: 11 Aug 2016 06:36 AM PDT  By Andrew Downie RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Hosts Brazil finally found their form to progress to the quarter-finals of the Olympic soccer tournament with a comprehensive 4-0 win over Denmark on Wednesday, after holders Mexico and twice winners Argentina were sent packing. After drab goalless draws in their first two matches, Brazil needed a win to calm the nerves of a soccer-mad nation and guarantee a place in the last eight, and first-half goals by Gabriel Barbosa and Gabriel Jesus provided a perfect platform. Luan and Barbosa added two more goals in the second period to carry Brazil to the top of Group A and a Saturday showdown against fellow South Americans Colombia.
|
| Turkish jets attack PKK in northern Iraq after attacks Posted: 11 Aug 2016 02:30 AM PDT ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish jets raided suspected Kurdish rebel targets across the border in northern Iraq, Turkey's state-run news agency reported Thursday, following a wave of attacks that killed at least 12 people. |
| U.N. says to help Iraq tackle rampant corruption Posted: 11 Aug 2016 01:31 AM PDT  A United Nations agency said on Thursday it would help Iraq to tackle endemic graft that is eroding its economy and institutions as Baghdad struggles to defeat Islamic State militants. Oil-rich Iraq ranks 161st out of 168 nations in Transparency International's Corruption Index. Thirteen years after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, the country still suffers a shortage of electricity, water, schools and hospitals, while existing facilities and infrastructure suffer widespread neglect.
|
| Pakistan government faces grilling over bogus bomb detectors Posted: 11 Aug 2016 12:43 AM PDT  Pakistan's government will face a grilling in the senate over its continued use of bogus bomb-detectors to secure high-value facilities, a lawmaker said Thursday, claiming the devices "endangered the lives of millions". A Pakistani government agency has built and sold more than 15,000 of the so-called "Khojis" bomb detectors, earning millions in revenue. "The continuous use of bogus bomb detectors to secure high-risk facilities such as airports and government installations has recently come to light in the media," said opposition Pakistan People's Party senator Sherry Rehman, referring to an AFP report that drew attention to the issue this week.
|
| Horses get scarred refugee children back in the saddle Posted: 11 Aug 2016 12:37 AM PDT  Fritzi is squat, wide in the hips and rather stubborn. According to Claudia Baldeo from charity Ankyra who started the project in 2009, the benefits of stroking, leading and riding the animals quickly become clear. "The parents notice as soon as they get home that the children are calmer, better able to concentrate.
|
| US: 45,000 Islamic State fighters taken off battlefields Posted: 11 Aug 2016 12:06 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — The military campaigns in Iraq and Syria have taken 45,000 enemy combatants off the battlefield and reduced the total number of Islamic State fighters to as few as 15,000, the top U.S. commander for the fight against IS said Wednesday.
|
| Boisterous Brazilian fans rewrite rules of Olympic etiquette Posted: 10 Aug 2016 11:46 PM PDT  RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Forget the snarling traffic and unexpected rainstorms. Foreign spectators and athletes at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro have something else to get used to: The boisterous booing and sometimes thunderous taunts of Brazilian fans who aren't satisfied to just sit back and watch the action unfold.
|
| Attack on police car in Iran kills policeman, wounds 2 Posted: 10 Aug 2016 11:43 PM PDT TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's official news agency is reporting that a policeman died and two of his colleagues were wounded when an attacker on a motorcycle threw an explosive device at their car. |
| Brazil tops Denmark 4-0 to avoid elimination in men's soccer Posted: 10 Aug 2016 08:59 PM PDT  SALVADOR, Brazil (AP) — Brazil finally found its scoring touch in the men's soccer tournament at the Olympics.
|
| Olympics-Soccer-Brazil find form, just in time Posted: 10 Aug 2016 08:56 PM PDT By Andrew Downie RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 10 (Reuters) - After going two games without a goal and being booed off the field by their own fans, the Brazilian men's soccer team found their scoring touch at the Rio Olympics on Wednesday with a 4-0 win over Denmark that sealed their place in the next round. "I'd be lying if I didn't say it wasn't a relief," he added, after grabbing Brazil's second goal. |
| Olympics-Soccer-Brazil advance; Argentina, Mexico out Posted: 10 Aug 2016 08:39 PM PDT * Hosts Brazil advance after beating Denmark * Germany romp past Fiji 10-0 * Portugal, South Korea, Nigeria top their groups (Recasts, adds late result) By Andrew Downie RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Hosts Brazil finally found their form to progress to the quarter-finals of the Olympic soccer tournament with a comprehensive 4-0 win over Denmark on Wednesday, after holders Mexico and twice winners Argentina were sent packing. After drab goalless draws in their first two matches, Brazil needed a win to calm the nerves of a soccer-mad nation and guarantee a place in the last eight, and first-half goals by Gabriel Barbosa and Gabriel Jesus provided a perfect platform. |
