| Khamenei says Sweden has good name among Iranians Posted: 11 Feb 2017 02:36 PM PST  Iran's supreme leader said on Saturday the United States and Western powers are regarded with suspicion in the Middle East because of their interference, but that Sweden has a good name among Iranians and is seen as a reputable economic partner. Iran has had relatively good relations with neutral Sweden which has over the years been often critical of the foreign policy of the United States, the Islamic republic's arch-enemy.
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| How vulnerable is China to a trade war?, After Mosul falls, So-called experts need to stop fearmongering, Standing in solidarity with Muslims, The nauseating hypocrisy of Trump’s vilification Posted: 11 Feb 2017 01:31 PM PST HOW VULNERABLE IS CHINA TO A TRADE WAR? "In the Chinese media, business commentators are all talking about the same thing: The coming trade war with the United States...," writes Ed Zhang. "The business commentators have been explaining to readers why a trade war won't be a good thing. |
| Turkish troops, Syria rebels enter IS-held town: monitor Posted: 11 Feb 2017 01:19 PM PST  Turkish troops and their Syrian rebel allies entered the Islamic State-held town of Al-Bab in northern Syria Saturday, as government forces moved closer to the jihadist bastion, a monitor said. Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency quoted military sources as saying one Turkish soldier was killed and another wounded in clashes with IS in Al-Bab. Turkish forces and allied insurgents have for weeks pressed an operation codenamed Euphrates Shield to drive the jihadists from the flashpoint town.
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| UK sees IS being ousted from Iraq towns this year Posted: 11 Feb 2017 01:12 PM PST  British Defence Minister Michael Fallon said Saturday in Iraq that he expected to see the Islamic State group expelled from the country's major towns by the end of 2017. "We expect to see Daesh (IS) expelled from the major towns and cities of Iraq during the course of the year," he told reporters in Arbil, the capital of Iraq's northern autonomous region of Kurdistan. Iraqi forces are nearly four months into a massive operation to retake nearby Mosul, which is the country's second city and where IS supremo Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed a "caliphate" in 2014.
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| Islamic State's Syrian stronghold should be isolated by spring: UK minister Posted: 11 Feb 2017 12:19 PM PST  Western-backed Syrian forces should isolate Islamic State's de facto capital in Syria "by the spring" before an offensive on the city itself, British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said on Saturday. The Syrian Democratic Forces, which includes the powerful Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, launched the campaign on Raqqa in November. It announced this month the start of a new phase in the offensive, aiming to complete its encirclement of the city and cut off the road to the militants' stronghold in Deir al-Zor, southeast of Raqqa.
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| Rockets hit Baghdad Green Zone after deadly protest Posted: 11 Feb 2017 11:39 AM PST  Rockets were fired at Baghdad's Green Zone Saturday after Iraq's most violent protest in years saw seven people killed in clashes between police and demonstrators advancing on the fortified area. The body coordinating security operations in Iraq said several Katyusha-type rockets were fired from within Baghdad at the Green Zone, which houses most of the country's key institutions. "Several Katyusha rockets fired from the Baladiyat and Palestine Street areas landed in the Green Zone," the Joint Operations Command said in a statement, without specifying who fired them.
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| Rockets hit Baghdad's Green Zone after protests turn violent Posted: 11 Feb 2017 11:09 AM PST  Two rockets landed in Baghdad's highly fortified Green Zone on Saturday night following clashes at anti-government protests that left five dead, according to Iraqi security and hospital officials. The ...
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| Iraqi policeman killed in clashes with pro-Sadr protesters Posted: 11 Feb 2017 11:06 AM PST  By Maher Chmaytelli and Saif Hameed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An Iraqi policeman was killed and seven others wounded in clashes with protesters loyal to prominent Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr who had gathered in Baghdad on Saturday to demand political reforms, the interior ministry said. Thousands had gathered in the central Tahrir Square to demand an overhaul of a commission that supervises elections ahead of a provincial poll due in September. Police tried to disperse them as they attempted to cross the bridge that links the square and the heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses government buildings, embassies and international organizations.
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| Turkey arrests 2 suspected Islamic State militants Posted: 11 Feb 2017 09:41 AM PST  ISTANBUL (AP) — Two men suspected of planning Islamic State group attacks in Europe were arrested in Turkey following 10 days of being interrogated by police, Turkey's state-run agency reported Saturday.
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| Turkish court formally arrests Istanbul New Year attacker: report Posted: 11 Feb 2017 07:33 AM PST  A Turkish court on Saturday ordered the formal arrest of an Uzbek man suspected of killing 39 people on New Year's night at an Istanbul nightclub, local news agency reported. In a massive operation in January, Turkish authorities detained Abdulgadir Masharipov, 34, who spent 17 days on the run following the attack, claimed by Islamic State (IS) jihadists. The private Dogan news agency reported that the suspect was formally arrested after being taken to an Istanbul court.
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| Seven killed as Baghdad reform protest turns violent Posted: 11 Feb 2017 07:11 AM PST  Seven people were killed in clashes that erupted in central Baghdad on Saturday between the security forces and protesters demanding reforms to Iraq's electoral system, police said. The violence was the deadliest to break out at a protest since a wave of demonstrations demanding better services and accusing Iraq's political class of corruption and nepotism began in 2015. Police fired tear gas and rubber-coated bullets at the crowd when some protesters, most of them supporters of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, tried to force a cordon and reach Baghdad's fortified Green Zone.
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| UN chief warns of sectarian tensions after Mosul Posted: 11 Feb 2017 06:46 AM PST  ISTANBUL (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says an operation to liberate Iraq's second-largest city from the Islamic State group should not inflame sectarian tensions.
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| Turkey to hold referendum on stronger presidency on April 16 Posted: 11 Feb 2017 06:33 AM PST  By Nick Tattersall and Gulsen Solaker ISTANBUL/ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey will hold a referendum on April 16 on replacing its parliamentary system with the stronger presidency long sought by incumbent Tayyip Erdogan, electoral authorities announced on Saturday. The proposed constitutional reform would mark one of the biggest changes in the European Union candidate country's system of governance since the modern republic was founded on the ashes of the Ottoman empire almost a century ago. It could also see Erdogan remain in power in the NATO member state until 2029.
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| Iraq says will stay clear of U.S.-Iran tensions Posted: 11 Feb 2017 02:30 AM PST  By Maher Chmaytelli and Saif Hameed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq won't take part in any regional or international conflicts, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told state TV on Saturday. The comment came after Abadi had spoke in a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump during which tensions with Iran were mentioned. A political commentator close to Abadi, Ihsan al-Shammari, said Abadi's comment addressed the U.S.-Iranian tensions.
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| UK to close Iraq war abuse unit, citing false claims Posted: 11 Feb 2017 12:45 AM PST  Britain's government has said it will shut down a unit investigating claims of torture and unlawful killing by British soldiers in Iraq after a law firm representing alleged victims was found to have made false claims. "This will be a huge relief to hundreds of British troops who have had these quite unfair allegations hanging over them," Defence Minister Michael Fallon said in a statement issued late on Friday. "We will put in place new measures now to ensure this never happens again and that there are proper safeguards to prevent completely malicious and unfounded allegations being made against our brave servicemen and women." The Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT) was set up in 2010 and is independent of the military for its investigations.
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| Florida's foreigners living in fear in the era of Trump Posted: 11 Feb 2017 12:25 AM PST  When Venezuelan journalist Eulimar Nunez saw the airport chaos triggered by President Donald Trump's now-suspended executive order on immigration, she decided to try to upgrade her status from permanent resident to US citizen. Like her, many foreigners in Florida -- living in the country legally or illegally -- are in a state of fear and confusion. Some of those arriving from the seven Muslim countries, including Iraq, Iran and Syria, were detained and sent back on the next flight.
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| AP Explains: Trump's options for restoring travel ban Posted: 10 Feb 2017 11:57 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has promised more legal action after a federal appeals court refused to reinstate his ban on travelers from seven predominantly Muslim nations. Trump tweeted "SEE YOU IN COURT" after the decision came out Thursday, but what he has in mind remains to be seen.
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| Trump says he might give travel ban a tweak or a makeover Posted: 10 Feb 2017 11:51 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he might give his refugee and immigration travel ban a second try, either as a revision or as a new order, as he contends with an appeals court ruling that prevents the ban from being enforced.
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| Trump weighs revised travel ban, Supreme Court test still possible Posted: 10 Feb 2017 11:38 PM PST  By Ayesha Rascoe and Steve Holland PALM BEACH, Fla./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump is considering issuing a new executive order banning citizens of certain countries traveling to the United States after his initial attempt to clamp down on immigration and refugees snarled to a halt amid political and judicial chaos. Trump announced the possibility of a "brand new order" that could be issued as soon as Monday or Tuesday, in a surprise talk with reporters aboard Air Force One late on Friday, as he and the Japanese premier headed to his estate in Florida for the weekend. Trump gave no details of any new ban he is considering.
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| Opponents of Trump's travel ban look to score another win Posted: 10 Feb 2017 11:02 PM PST  Opponents of President Donald Trump's travel ban sought Friday to rack up another legal victory against the measure, believing they have the administration on the defensive after a federal appeals court ...
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| Islamic State fighter is first Australian stripped of citizenship: report Posted: 10 Feb 2017 10:29 PM PST Australian Islamic State fighter Khaled Sharrouf has become the country's first dual nationality individual to be stripped of Australian citizenship under anti-terrorism laws, the Australian newspaper said on Saturday. Australia, a staunch ally of the United States and its battle against Islamic militants in Iraq and Syria, is on alert for attacks by radicalized Muslims, including home-grown militants returning from fighting in the Middle East. |
| Today in History Posted: 10 Feb 2017 09:01 PM PST Today in History |
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