World

Iraq detains men fleeing IS-held Fallujah, raising tensions

Published on Tue, 06/14/2016 - 4:53pm
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FALLUJAH, Iraq — At a checkpoint outside militant-held Fallujah, hundreds of civilians who fled the fighting between Iraqi forces and the Islamic State group huddled late at night in packed mini-buses on the side of a highway as security forces separated out those suspected of supporting the extremists.

Six men sat blindfolded on the pavement, heads bowed patiently, beside a row of concrete barriers illuminated by the headlights of an SUV and a Humvee.

Across the world, shock and condemnation at Orlando massacre

Published on Mon, 06/13/2016 - 3:32pm
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From across the world, officials and public figures are expressing condemnation and shock over the Florida mass shooting at the Pulse Orlando nightclub on Sunday, when police say a gunman wielding an assault-type rifle opened fire, killing at least 49 people and wounding dozens.

FRANCE

NATO chief: 4 battalions going to Baltic states, Poland

Published on Mon, 06/13/2016 - 3:28pm
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BRUSSELS — NATO's chief announced Monday that the alliance will agree this week to send four multinational battalions to the Baltic states and Poland to boost their defenses against Russia.

Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO secretary-general, said alliance defense ministers will formally approve the deployment plan drafted by NATO military planners at a meeting that begins Tuesday in Brussels.

Obama widens US Afghan role in final months in office

Published on Fri, 06/10/2016 - 3:34pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — Far from ending the two wars he inherited from the Bush administration, Barack Obama is wrestling with an expanded set of conflicts in the final months of his presidency, from Iraq and Afghanistan to Libya and Syria, with no end in sight. In Afghanistan, where a Taliban resurgence has upset Washington's "exit strategy," Obama is giving the U.S. military wider latitude to support Afghan forces, both in the air and on the ground.

US fugitives say Cuba has reassured them they are safe

Published on Fri, 06/10/2016 - 3:30pm

HAVANA (AP) — Two American fugitives who fled to Cuba after they were accused of killing police officers said Friday that Cuban officials have assured them that detente with the United States will not lead to their extradition.

Western-backed forces encircle key town in northern Syria

Published on Fri, 06/10/2016 - 3:29pm
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BEIRUT — Kurdish-led fighters completed their encirclement Friday of a key town held by the Islamic State group in northern Syria, part of a Western-backed offensive that could see a major strategic victory over the militants.

The advance on Manbij, near the Turkish border, coincided with a Syrian army offensive supported by Russian airstrikes that brought troops closer to the city of Raqqa, the IS extremists' de facto capital.

Brazil health minister says Zika not a worry for Olympics

Published on Fri, 06/10/2016 - 3:27pm

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil's new health minister went on the offensive Friday in a bid to dispel worries about the country's Zika outbreak, which has cast a pall over the upcoming Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Speaking at a news conference with the foreign press corps, Ricardo Barros added his voice to the chorus of Olympic and Brazilian officials pledging that the Aug. 5-21 games will be safe. He insisted there's practically "zero" risk of any of the 350,000-500,000 expected foreign visitors contracting Zika.

House passes bill to help ease Puerto Rico's debt

Published on Thu, 06/09/2016 - 4:54pm
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WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a rescue package for debt-stricken Puerto Rico, clearing a major hurdle in the ongoing effort to bring relief to the U.S. territory of 3.5 million Americans.

The strong bipartisan vote was 297-127 for the legislation that would create a financial control board and allow restructuring of some of Puerto Rico's $70 billion debt. The measure heads to the Senate just three weeks before the territory must make a $2 billion payment.

Setbacks seen for Islamic State in Syria, Iraq, Libya

Published on Thu, 06/09/2016 - 3:49pm
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BEIRUT — U.S.-backed fighters in Syria converged from three sides on an Islamic State stronghold near the Turkish border Thursday, while Iraqi special forces pushed deeper into Fallujah, one of the last bastions of the militant group in western Iraq.

In Libya, IS militants were fleeing their stronghold of Sirte as forces loyal to a U.N.-brokered government advanced, with some fighters reportedly cutting off beards and long hair to blend in with civilians.

Israeli options may be limited after Tel Aviv shooting

Published on Thu, 06/09/2016 - 3:38pm
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JERUSALEM — Israel imposed travel restrictions Thursday on tens of thousands of Palestinians and sent hundreds of additional troops into the West Bank in response to a deadly shooting at a popular Tel Aviv tourist spot. But as the nation's leaders vowed tough responses, they stopped short of taking wider-scale military action.