World

Kurds plan to declare a federal region in northern Syria

Published on Wed, 03/16/2016 - 2:42pm

BEIRUT — Syrian Kurds are preparing a plan to declare a federal region in the area they control across northern Syria, saying Wednesday it is a model for a more decentralized government in which all ethnic groups would be represented.

Jagger jokes about Penn-Chapo story as Stones rock Mexico

Published on Tue, 03/15/2016 - 4:19pm

MEXICO CITY — The Rolling Stones made a triumphant return to Mexico a decade after they last performed in the country, delighting a crowd of about 60,000 fans who packed a sports stadium in the capital.

Obama abolishes last major restrictions on US travel to Cuba

Published on Tue, 03/15/2016 - 4:15pm

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama sent an unmistakable message to Americans on Tuesday ahead of his historic trip to Havana: Cuba is open for business.

Belgian police kill 1 man in raid linked to Paris attacks

Published on Tue, 03/15/2016 - 4:09pm

BRUSSELS — Belgian and French police investigating a suspected link with the November attacks in Paris stormed a Brussels house Tuesday after being fired upon, and killed a suspect armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle, authorities said.

Three Belgian and one French police officer were slightly wounded in the operation.

Moscow's drawdown in Syria sends a strong message to Assad

Published on Tue, 03/15/2016 - 4:05pm

BEIRUT — Russia's plan to withdraw forces from Syria is sending a strong message to President Bashar Assad, whose hard-line stance is diverging from Moscow's interest in declaring its intervention in the country a success while also accelerating peace efforts.

Putin orders start of Russian military pullout from Syria

Published on Mon, 03/14/2016 - 4:46pm

MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian military to withdraw most of its forces from Syria, timing his move to coincide with the launch of Syria peace talks Monday — an end game that allows the Russian leader to cash in on his gains and reduce his risks in the conflict.

Al-Qaida focuses attention on soft targets in West Africa

Published on Mon, 03/14/2016 - 4:24pm

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — The attack on an Ivory Coast beach resort by an al-Qaida affiliate is the latest sign it is shifting its focus to soft targets associated with foreigners in an effort to destabilize economies and gain the group credibility among jihadis in its rivalry with the so-called Islamic State group.

Palestinian-American IS fighter surrenders to Iraqi Kurds

Published on Mon, 03/14/2016 - 4:19pm

IRBIL, Iraq — A 26-year-old man fighting with the Islamic State group gave himself up to Iraqi Kurdish forces in northern Iraq on Monday and when asked, said he is a Palestinian from the United States.

Mexican official: 250 skulls found in clandestine graves

Published on Mon, 03/14/2016 - 4:09pm

By MARK STEVENSON, Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The top prosecutor in Mexico's Gulf coast state of Veracruz confirmed Tuesday that more than 250 skulls have been found over the last several months in what appears to be a drug cartel mass burial ground on the outskirts of the city of Veracruz.

State Prosecutor Jorge Winckler said the clandestine burial pits appear to contain the victims of drug cartels killed years ago.

But the news came as no surprise to Lucia Diaz, one of the mothers of the disappeared whose group is known as Colectivo Solecito.

Turkey carries out airstrikes after deadly bombing in Ankara

Published on Mon, 03/14/2016 - 10:35am

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey lashed out at Kurdish targets on Monday, bombing military positions in northern Iraq and rounding up dozens of militants across Turkey, after a suicide car bombing in the heart of the capital drew the country even deeper into the complex Syrian conflict.