European missile shield marks milestone as new threats emerge – News – Stripes
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The United States on Thursday will move a step closer to establishing a missile shield over Europe at a time when new threats are emerging that could curb its utility.
For those who’ve gambled their reputations on an indictment, it could soon mean swallowing some bitter humble pills.
The judge made his decision after the jury deliberated for eight days in the case against Nicholas Santora, whom prosecutors say they will retry.
Even after the extremists are defeated in Iraq and Syria, the problem will persist. “We’ll be in a perpetual state of suppression for a long time,” he warned…
After a career in the spy world, Clapper argues that intelligence issues are basically simple; it’s the politics surrounding them that are complicated. “I can’t wait to get back to simplicity,” he said, his eye on that calendar.
The decision clears the way for a terrorism trial in the nation’s capital.
Defense attorney Jeffrey D. Robinson added, “Mr. Abu Khattala agrees it was a tragic loss but disagrees he is the person responsible for it.”
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M.N.: I believe that probably no one was more devastated by this tragedy than Hillary Clinton. Most likely, this attack was planned well in advance, meticulously (“professionally”) arranged and executed. Even the known, publicized unclassified descriptions of facts point, hypothetically, in the direction of ultimate responsible party. It was a tragic security and intelligence lapse, the act of war. Just like so many similar incidents before it. And just like them, it was a very hard lesson to learn.
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The president may have sidestepped Mitt Romney, but he still hasn’t addressed key issues about security in the Middle East
Hillary Clinton, the secretary of state, said the buck stops with her but said the actual decision lay with security officials. Obama responded to a Republican call to “man up” and accept responsibility by accepting responsibility at the debate. But he did not address how it was that Stevens was left so vulnerable to an attack.The answer appears to lie in a mix of poor intelligence after a series of earlier relatively minor attacks, financial pressures caused by Republican cuts to the state department security budget and the reality that it’s almost impossible to be prepared everywhere. Look at the 1983 US marine barracks bombing in Beirut which killed 241 Americans or the 1998 bombing of the US embassy in Kenya that left 223 dead…While administration officials said the attack was spontaneous, Republicans argued that it was a planned al-Qaida plot. State department officials conceded that it was clear the assault was planned. But probably in hours to take advantage of a volatile situation in the region over the video, not over days and weeks. And, they noted, not all armed Islamists are al-Qaida. In fact, there is only tangental evidence of an al-Qaida connection.Clinton has said the initial statements were the result of poor intelligence over what happened in a bloody and confusing night of fighting.
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The white, male voters of this coal-mining state left us in no doubt of their support for Bernie Sanders. But among every other demographic, Hillary leads…
Most every hypothetical matchup shows Clinton trouncing Donald Trump in a general. And when Trump does perform competitively, as he did in a trio of swing state Quinnipiac polls that came out today, it may well be because the samples in those polls were unrepresentative in their whiteness – at least, that was the case today.They mislead because white people really do comprise an increasingly small proportion of the electorate. In 1992, they were 87% of voters. By 2012, that had dropped to 72%. In 2016, it will fall still further, to an estimated 69%.If you factor in how much better Clinton is performing with women, the portion of the white electorate disposed to voting against her is cut roughly in half.
Trump, who promised to bring coal jobs back, nearly doubled Clinton’s overall vote count in the West Virginia primary…
“One thing I think is key to distinguish when we look forward to Trump-Clinton potentially in November is that the Republican Party electorate is very different than the general election electorate,” Hickey said. “And so I think what are Trump’s strengths in winning the nomination will be his weaknesses in the fall in the general election.”As unpredictable as Trump’s rise to the Republican nomination has been, Hickey said he does not expect the national vote to be much different than historical races because of voter demographics.“In the general election we can tell by the percentage of African Americans in a state, or the percentage of Hispanic voters in a state or the percentage or urban versus rural. Those are pretty predictable voting patterns in terms of Democratic or Republican presidential candidates,” he said. “I don’t see that Trump will really change that map. If anything I think there will be some kind of anti-turnout. Like Hispanics might not like Hillary Clinton, but if someone says they’re going to build a wall and deport all undocumented workers then they might turn out to vote against that person. So I think those demographic fundamentals will not change in 2016.”
Former adversaries, top GOP leaders have mixed opinions on whether they will support billionaire real-estate mogul, considered a maverick, if he wins party nomination
Democrats say it is difficult to see a path to the White House for Trump…
“It’s a little early in the process for people to wrap their heads around the idea that Donald Trump could have the nuclear launch-codes,” said another Democratic strategist unaffiliated with the Clinton campaign, Evan Stavisky. “As the election comes closer, that suspension of disbelief will end.”Stavisky added that Democrats had some in-built advantages with the electoral college and with the nation’s shifting demographics that Trump would struggle to overcome.“Most polls continue to show Hillary Clinton with a significant lead. Most electoral maps continue to show some advantage to the Democratic candidate,” he said. “And, ultimately, I think most Democrats would have difficulty thinking of Donald Trump as President of the United States, for no other reason than the demographic changes in the country.”
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Two people died Tuesday after a series of stabbings in the city of Taunton…
Authorities said they did not see an ongoing threat from the attacks. “The suspect’s motive remains under investigation but at this point we are aware of no nexus to terrorism,” state police said in a statement.Kerri Devries, 31, DaRosa’s older sister, told the Boston Herald that his brother had been battling depression for years. She said he had been hospitalized for depression just one day before the rampage and was sent home Tuesday.“He went to the ER, they put him in a psych ward,” she told the newspaper. “All he kept saying (Monday) was the devil was playing tricks on him and was going to poison the minds of his children.”“I feel so sorry for those families and what happened, but he’s not completely to blame, he was sick,” she added. “He’s been talking about suicide for the past week. My brother was always a loving person and anybody who knows him knows that … That wasn’t him. He wanted help.”DaRosa’s father and sister told WBZ-TV that DaRosa, who had two children, suffered from psychiatric issues in the past but refused to take medication.
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 РИА Новости |
Путин призвал расследовать выявленные проблемы операции ВКС РФ в Сирии
РИА Новости Президент РФ Владимир Путин на совещании с представителями Министерства обороны и Оборонно-промышленного комплекса РФ в Сочи прокомментировал операцию ВКС в Сирии и заявил о необходимости уделить внимание выявленным проблемам. Более 10 тысяч вылетов ... и другие » |
 Росбалт.RU |
CNN заметил в Сирии масштабное присутствие российских военных
Росбалт.RU Американский телеканал CNN сообщил, что Россия держит в Сирии больше военных, чем принято считать. В отбитой у террористов с помощью российских войск Пальмире на днях побывал корреспондент CNN Фредерик Плейтгейн. Поездка крупной международной группы ... Журналистов CNN впечатлили российские вооружения и военные в СирииРИА Новости МО РФ привезло на базу Хмеймим пять автобусов с иностранными журналистами. Гости в восторгеПравда.Ру CNN впечатлили российские вооруженные силы в СирииMail.Ru Московский комсомолец -Наша Газета (пресс-релиз) (Блог)-Ridus.ru- Пронедра Все похожие статьи: 29 » |
 ТАСС |
США выступают против продажи С-300 Ирану
ТАСС ВАШИНГТОН, 10 мая. /Корр. ТАСС Анатолий Бочинин/. США по-прежнему возражают против продажи Ирану российских зенитно-ракетных комплексов (ЗРК) С-300, однако не считают это нарушением соглашения по ядерной программе Тегерана или резолюций Совета Безопасности ... Пушков: Россия не будет считаться с Обамой при продаже ракет ИрануРоссийская Газета Пушков: Обама утратил влияние на Россию Федеральное агентство новостей No.1 США предупредили об отслеживании поставок российских С-300 в ИранMail.Ru Российский Диалог-Ведомости-Русская Весна (пресс-релиз) (Блог)-Интернет-газета Гарри Каспарова Все похожие статьи: 69 » |
 ФОКУС |
Украина попала в топ худших стран Европы по соблюдению прав ЛГБТ
ФОКУС Украина оказалась среди шести худших в Европе стран по рейтингу соблюдения равноправия в отношении представителей ЛГБТ-сообщества (геев, лесбиянок, бисексуалов и трансгендерных людей), сообщает Deutsche Welle со ссылкой на опубликованные во вторник результаты ... Россию признали одной из худших стран для жизни гомосексуалистовПолит.ру Где геям живется плохо?Агентство новостей "Хакасия-Информ" Украина оказалась среди шести худших стран с соблюдением прав ЛГБТ в ЕвропеНовое Время РИА Новости Украина -ИА REGNUM -Lenta.ru -Новости туризма Турции Все похожие статьи: 25 » |
 РБК |
FT назвала имя арестованного в Лондоне российского брокера
РБК Газета Financial Times раскрыла некоторые детали, связанные с арестом в Лондоне российского брокера. Ранее сообщалось, что его подозревают в отмывании денег. Российского брокера, арестованного в Лондоне по подозрению в отмывании денег, зовут Дмитрий Недзвецкий ... В Лондоне по подозрению в отмывании денег арестован российский брокерИнтернет-газета Гарри Каспарова Все похожие статьи: 59 » |
 РИА Новости |
Канадские нефтяники начали возвращаться к работе, прерванной из-за пожаров
РИА Новости МЕХИКО, 11 мая, РИА Новости. Нефтяные компании, работающие вблизи канадского города Форт Мак-Мюррей, начали возвращаться к работе после недельного перерыва из-за сильных лесных пожаров, сообщает The Canadian Press. Shell Canada заявила во вторник, что ... Нефтезаводы в Канаде, эвакуированные из-за лесных пожаров, возобновляют работуТАСС Канада: нефтяным компаниям позволили работать после лесных пожаровПронедра В Канаде возобновят работу закрытые из-за пожаров нефтяные предприятияИА REGNUM РБК Украина- Утро.Ru-НТВ.ru-Zakon.kz Все похожие статьи: 31 » |
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 STRATFOR |
Turkey Adopts a Defiant Stance Toward Russia
STRATFOR The nature of hostilities between Turkey and Russia are complicated, well beyond the simple downing of a plane or the shooting of a pilot. The countries' fraught relationship is predicated on competition for influence in the Middle East, particularly ... Russia Bans Imports of Lettuce From TurkeySputnik International all 21 news articles » |
На территории округа работают 14 специализированных пунктов отбора граждан на военную службу по контракту.
The Turkish president has wilfully cut himself off from any free flow of critical information
Press TV |
Russia to test-fire massive nuclear missile: Report
Press TV Russia is preparing to start test-firing a highly powerful nuclear missile, which is said to be capable of destroying an entire country in seconds, a report says. Russia's Zvezda TV channel reported on Tuesday that the RS-28 Sarmat missile, dubbed ... Russia to test new generation of nuclear missiles capable 'blowing up FRANCE'Daily Mail US missile shield in Europe poses no critical threat to Russia – GeneralRT Russia to test unstoppable 'Satan 2' stealth nuke capable of wiping out an ENTIRE NATIONMirror.co.uk The Register- The National Interest Online (blog)-Express.co.uk all 28 news articles » |
Survey: Azerbaijan Is Worst Place To Be Gay In Europeby support@pangea-cms.com (RFE/RL)
Azerbaijan has been ranked the worst place to live in Europe for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) citizens, after meeting only 5 percent of a leading rights organization’s criteria for legal equality.
The unnamed woman was abused between the age of five and 15
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Erdogan: Turkey Has Killed 3,000 IS Fightersby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
Turkish forces have killed 3,000 Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says, insisting no other country has matched its efforts against the extremists. In an address Wednesday to Balkan nations' military chiefs, Erdogan denounced those who accused Turkey of supporting the Islamic State group. "There have been those who have ... been vile by showing Turkey as a country that helps Daesh," he said, using another name for the extremist group. He said no other country has struggled as Turkey has. NATO member Turkey reluctantly joined the U.S.-led, anti-IS coalition and has faced criticism that it's not doing enough to protect its borders from fighters moving into Europe. But Turkey says it needs more help from Western allies, particularly near the Syrian border where Turkish territory has been targeted by rocket fire.
U.S.-Georgian Military Drills Beginby support@pangea-cms.com (RFE/RL's Georgian Service)
Joint military exercises involving the United States and Georgia began on May 11.
 Press TV |
US Gears up Missile Defense System in Europe to Russia's Ire
ABC News The United States and NATO say the missile shield — which is able to track and shoot down incoming missiles — is purely defensive and is, in any case, powerless against Russia's large stockpile of intercontinental ballistic missiles. While the ... US activating missiles in Europe despite Russia warningPress TV Polish Officials: NATO Must Send Clear Message to RussiaDefenseNews.com Hagel says NATO deployment could spark a new Cold War with RussiaThe Hill Reuters-Sputnik International -American Thinker all 35 CCTV-America all 27 news articles » |
The United States is expected to formally announce its European missile-defense system operational on May 12, despite protests from Russia.
The United States will switch on its controversial European missile defense system on May 12 despite heightened tensions between Russia and the West.
LIVE UPDATES: LifeNews reports that a Russian woman has been executed by ISIS on charges of spying for Russia.
Welcome to our column, Russia Update, where we will be closely following day-to-day developments in Russia, including the Russian government’s foreign and domestic policies.
The previous issue is here.
Recent Analysis and Translations:
– Does it Matter if the Russian Opposition Stays United?
– Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov Has Invented A Version Of History To Meet His Needs
– Getting The News From Chechnya – The Crackdown On Free Press You May Have Missed
– Aurangzeb, Putin, Realism and a Lesson from History
– Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov Has Invented A Version Of History To Meet His Needs
– Getting The News From Chechnya – The Crackdown On Free Press You May Have Missed
– Aurangzeb, Putin, Realism and a Lesson from History
UPDATES BELOW
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 Reuters |
Georgia begins US-led military exercise, angering Russia
Reuters TBILISI The Georgian army began two weeks of military exercises with the United States and Britain on Wednesday, drawing an angry response from former Soviet master Russia which called the war games "a provocative step". About 650 soldiers from the ... Get Ready, Russia: America Just Placed Lethal M-1 Abrams Tanks Close ByThe National Interest Online (blog) Spring Exacerbation: NATO Drills on Russia's Borders a Preparation for War?Sputnik International all 26 news articles » |
Predominantly post-Soviet states such as Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia are the least LGBTI-friendly in Europe
Joint military exercises with U.S., British, and Georgian troops have begun near Tbilisi. The formal opening ceremony on May 11 included a mass air drop of paratroopers. The exercises, named "Noble Partner 2016", are being held through May 26. (RFE/RL's Georgian Service)
Originally published at - http://www.rferl.org/media/video/georgia-nato-exercises/27728616.html
Originally published at - http://www.rferl.org/media/video/georgia-nato-exercises/27728616.html
Former US Policeman Charged with Shooting Death of Unarmed Man by webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
A white former police officer in South Carolina faces federal charges in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man who was running from the scene of a traffic stop last year. An indictment unsealed Wednesday shows a federal grand jury has charged Michael Slager with violating the civil rights of Walter Scott, obstruction of justice and unlawfully using a weapon during the commission of a crime. Slager, who is white, allegedly shot Scott, a black man, after a traffic stop in April 2015 in the city of North Charleston, South Carolina, a state along the southeastern coast of the U.S. The former officer also faces state murder charges in connection with the shooting. Slager is scheduled to be tried on the murder charges in October. Video of the shooting was captured and widely publicized on television and social media, fueling an already contentious national debate over police use of lethalforce. Slager is only one of 10 officers facing criminal charges stemming from 990 deadly police shootings in 2015, according to a Washington Post newspaper database. The city of North Charleston awarded the Scott family $6.5 million last fall to settle a civil case related to the shooting.
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Armenia's Diplomatic Brinkmanship Over Nagorno-Karabakh (Op-Ed) by By Richard Giragosian
On April 2, the long dormant Nagorno-Karabakh conflict erupted as Azeri forces launched a military offensive. The brief, but intense, four-day war revealed the volatility of this so-called "frozen" Karabakh conflict.
Former Defense Chief to US: ‘Get Serious’ on Foreign Policyby webdesk@voanews.com (Jeff Seldin)
A former top U.S. defense official says the leading presidential candidates, as well as voters, need to start taking a long, hard look at the country’s foreign policy. “Up until now it’s just been goofball stuff and gong show appearances — now it get serious” former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told a roundtable discussion Tuesday at the Atlantic Council in Washington. Of the remaining presidential candidates, likely Republican nominee Donald Trump has garnered the most attention for his foreign policy views, criticizing NATO as “obsolete.” Hagel, who refused to endorse any of the candidates, has been critical of Trump’s disregard for many of Washington’s long-running alliances. He said the question of how best to move forward, however, needs to be asked. “There has not been a coherent, really not just debate, but conversation about what is America’s role in the world,” he added. “The general election candidates will have to articulate with some specificity where they are on these big issues.” Sit down with Putin Hagel also offered some advice for whoever next occupies the White House. “One of the first orders of business for the next president, in my opinion, has got to be to sit down with [Russia’s] Vladimir Putin,” he said. “That may be distasteful, but we know enough about President Putin that he deals leader to leader.” The former defense secretary cautioned it was unlikely Russia could sustain its activities in both Ukraine and Syria, which have caused alarm to U.S. allies around the world. He also underscored that not engaging the Russians still carries tremendous risk. “In the meantime, there’s a lot of damage being done,” he said. “You will continue a proxy war that we’re essentially seeing in the Middle East, in Syria today and I’m not sure where that takes any of us.”
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Sci-Fi Made Real: Pentagon Unveils Stunning Technologyby webdesk@voanews.com (Carla Babb)
Unmanned submarine hunters, gecko-inspired wall climbing material and even "upward falling" containers that spring into action from the ocean floor — that's just a taste of the U.S. military's latest technological innovations on display Wednesday at the Pentagon. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, better known as DARPA, showed off more than 60 of its inventions, concepts and programs as part of the agency's Demo Day. The annual event provides the defense department community with an up-close look at projects in various stages of development and readiness. The technological creations range from those intended for use from undersea to outer space. They aim to improve all aspects of warfare, from ground combat to cyber, even developing "seeds of surprise" – what one official described as projects that are "above and beyond what the enemy would ever expect." Check out VOA's Facebook page later in the day for our Facebook live discussion of some of the most out-there innovations the U.S. military's research wing has to offer. Can't wait? Read below for some of DARPA's most interesting technological breakthroughs: Anti-submarine continuous trail unmanned vessel (ACTUV) This unmanned surface vessel is 40 meters long and just 3.3 meters wide. (Don't worry, only a small-scale version made it into the Pentagon.) It weighs 127 metric tons and can travel 10,000 nautical miles on a single tank of gas. While this skinny ship would be "hyper-cramped" for humans, said DARPA spokesman Jared Adams, it could detect and track enemy submarines, and even could be used to run security perimeters around aircraft carrier groups. ACTUV would therefore decrease the number of sailors needed to defend a carrier, saving the military tens of millions of dollars spent on crew members currently needed to carry out the same level of defense. An ACTUV vessel is stationed off the coast of San Diego. Upward falling payloads (UFP) The Upward Falling Payload concept is intended to create unmanned, nonlethal systems that lie on the ocean floor for years at a time. The military plans to remotely activate these deep-sea nodes when needed to "fall upward," or be pushed to the ocean surface. DARPA's website says these pre-positioned nodes could enable a full range of maritime mission sets in a more cost-effective manner than existing assets. This program is in the second of three phases, according to Adams. Geckskin "Geckskin" is a product of the Z-Man program, which seeks to build synthetic versions of the biological systems of geckos and spiders to optimize a human's climbing ability with heavy combat loads — without the use of ropes and ladders. The synthetically fabricated reversible adhesive was inspired by the gecko's ability to scale various vertical surfaces, according to DARPA's website. Geckskin is a stiff fabric with a rubber-like substance that could enable increased adhesion. DARPA says a "proof-of-concept demonstration in 2012 showed that a 16-square-inch sheet of Geckskin adhering to a vertical glass wall could support a static load of up to 660 pounds," or about 270 kilograms.
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Russia Launches Criminal Investigation Of Prokhorov's RBC Media Holding by support@pangea-cms.com (RFE/RL)
Russian authorities have launched a criminal case against a respected media group whose in-depth reporting has pulled back the curtain on the dealings of the country's business and political elites, including investigations into President Vladimir Putin's circle of friends and family.
In Remote Corner of Iraq, an Unlikely Alliance Forms Against Islamic State by webdesk@voanews.com (Reuters)
They share little more than an enemy and struggle to communicate on the battlefield, but together two relatively obscure groups have opened up a new front against Islamic State militants in a remote corner of Iraq. The unlikely alliance between an offshoot of a leftist Kurdish organization and an Arab tribal militia in northern Iraq is a measure of the extent to which Islamic State has upended the regional order. Across Iraq and Syria, new groups have emerged where old powers have waned, competing to claim fragments of territory from Islamic State and complicating the outlook when they win. "Chaos sometimes produces unexpected things," said the head of the Arab tribal force, Abdulkhaleq al-Jarba. "After Daesh (Islamic State), the political map of the region has changed. There is a new reality and we are part of it." In Nineveh province, this "new reality" was born in 2014 when official security forces failed to defend the Sinjar area against the Sunni Islamic State militants who purged its Yazidi population. A Syrian affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) came to the rescue, which won the gratitude of Yazidis, and another local franchise called the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS) was set up. The mainly Kurdish secular group, which includes Yazidis, controls a pocket of territory in Sinjar and recently formed an alliance with a Sunni Arab militia drawn from the powerful Shammar tribe. "In the beginning we were unsure [about them]," said a wiry older member of the Arab force, which was assembled over the past three months and is now more than 400-strong. "We thought they were Kurdish occupiers." Their cooperation is all the more unusual because many Yazidis accuse their Sunni Muslim neighbors of complicity in atrocities committed against them by Islamic State, and say they cannot live together again. Last month, the YBS-Shammar alliance won its first joint victory against Islamic State in the village of Umm al-Dhiban, a cluster of adobe houses along a highway near the Syrian border, where they are now fortifying their positions. On his hands and knees, a YBS fighter from Sinjar gently loosens a patch of earth with a knife, prising out an unexploded bomb to be used against the militants who planted it there before being pushed back several kilometers. Taking turns with a pick-axe, two other guerrillas hack at the ground until the hole they are making on the edge of a dirt track is large enough to fit two explosive charges that will detonate when Islamic State drives past. The fighters plan to retake other Arab and Yazidi villages in the area, and say they will join the campaign for Islamic State's biggest stronghold, around 160 km (100 miles) to the east: "By the will of God, we will enter Mosul," Jarba said. Different agendas Although fighting Islamic State has given them common purpose, the two sides' agendas appear hard to reconcile. While the Arab militia wants to restore Baghdad's authority over this arid hinterland, the YBS is on a mission to establish its own model of society based on the philosophy of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. Ocalan took the PKK to war against Turkey in 1984 seeking statehood for Kurds, but now advocates a form of grassroots democracy as opposed to state control. "When the comrades liberate a village, they let the community decide for itself," said 18-year old Evin, a Kurdish fighter from Syria who joined the PKK's affiliate there before coming to Sinjar. "The leader's ideology is not just for Kurds". That may be so, but the ideology is alien to the conservative, tribal society in parts of northern Iraq. The Arab fighters have only a vague notion of the man whose mustachioed image decorates YBS fighters' fatigues and a flag now flying beside Iraq's at the entrance to Umm al-Dhiban. "Our life is very different from the life of the Shammar," said a guerrilla from Turkey who is trying to learn some Arabic so he can communicate with them. "We are an ideological force and they are not." The faultline is most visible in the presence of female fighters in the ranks of the YBS -- unusual in a male-dominated part of the world where the sexes are often segregated and women confined to the home. One named Hevidar said the Arab fighters initially avoided talking to her and the other women. "After a month or two they learned," she said, toying with a walkie-talkie as a voice broke through the static, calling "Heval!" (Comrade). Abu Hazaa, a commander of the Arab force, admitted being taken aback by the female fighters: "We thought women were easily frightened, but that view has changed," he said at a joint military outpost in what used to be a medical center. The suggestion that women from his own community could also be deployed provoked laughter. "We are a tribal society," Abu Hazaa said. "We have our customs and traditions and nobody can contravene them". Marriage of expedience For now, the external forces pushing the two groups together are stronger than the differences that could drive them apart. The Arab militia lacks the experience to take on Islamic State without the YBS, whose ranks are stiffened with veterans of the PKK's three-decade insurgency against Ankara. "They are fierce fighters," said Jarba. "They have experience in guerrilla warfare (and) we can benefit from that". For the YBS, partnering with a local Arab force makes them look less like invaders as they push into areas where Kurds are in the minority. The alliance is supported by the central government in Baghdad, which has put both forces on the payroll to regain a foothold in the area, where it has no troops of its own. Baghdad also hopes the two will help curb the ambitions of its autonomous Kurdistan region, whose peshmerga forces have recaptured large areas from Islamic State in the north, effectively annexing territory claimed by Baghdad, including parts of Sinjar. In turn, Kurdish regional authorities are blockading the Arab militia and the YBS. Although both Kurdish, the PKK and its affiliates are rivals of the autonomous region. Some members of the Shammar tribe have sided with the peshmerga in Sinjar. But Abu Hazaa said the only flag he would raise was Iraq's. "We don't want to be subjected to anyone but the central government."
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The paradox of a Russian state that is outwardly strong but internally weak has persisted for centuries, from Ivan the Terrible to Mikhail Gorbachev. Vladimir Putin is the latest embodiment of this quintessentially Russian conundrum. Aggressive foreign policy has won him accolades at home and awed many around the world, yet he has been unable to influence Russia’s domestic development where it matters most for his own political fortunes — improving the daily lives of Russian citizens.
 РИА Новости |
В Сирии после обстрела Хомса боевиками погиб российский военнослужащий
РИА Новости ХМЕЙМИМ (Сирия), 11 мая — РИА Новости. Российский военнослужащий скончался от тяжелых ранений, полученных после обстрела боевиками в сирийской провинции Хомс, солдат был представлен к государственной награде посмертно, сообщил в среду представитель российского ... В Сирии погиб российский военныйРБК В Сирии от ранений скончался российский военнослужащийГазета.Ru Российский военнослужащий скончался от тяжелых ранений в СирииLenta.ru Вести.Ru -Slon.ru - Редакция деловых новостей -Телеканал РЕН ТВ -Псковская Лента Новостей Все похожие статьи: 24 » |
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Italy's Parliament approved a bill on Wednesday to legally recognize civil unions for same-sex couples, though some activists say the bill fell short of granting full equality.
US General: Islamic State in Iraq ‘Getting Weaker’by webdesk@voanews.com (Ken Bredemeier)
Islamic State insurgents are "getting weaker and weaker" in Iraq, a top U.S. military commander says, despite the jihadists claiming responsibility for three suicide bombings in Baghdad that killed at least 88 people. Major General Gary Volesky expressed condolences for the latest carnage in the Iraqi capital while discussing the Iraqi campaign to reclaim territory held by Islamic State and the impending Iraqi effort to retake the northern city of Mosul. Volesky, speaking from Iraq to reporters at the Defense Department outside Washington, said Iraqi forces are making "great progress" in reclaiming land lost to the insurgents. In recent weeks, the United States has said Iraqi forces and others fighting Islamic State in Iraq and Syria have reclaimed 40 percent of the lands once held by the jihadists. But Volesky said he is not concerned whether the figure might even be higher, 45 or 50 percent. "I'm not looking at percentages," he said. "I'm just looking where they are and soon won't be." No timetable for Mosul yet He offered no timetable for an Iraqi attack on Mosul, which Islamic State fighters have held for two years. But he said Iraqi forces, supported by U.S. trainers and advisers, are now positioned 35 to 40 kilometers south of the city. He said Iraqi forces are retaking villages one by one. "They're losing terrain every single day," Volesky said of the Islamic State fighters. "What we have seen is a clear degradation in their ability to mobilize forces." Volesky said Iraqis "clearly understand this is their fight. They are clearly in the lead." He said American troops "are on the tactical edge of this fight. We're there to support their fight." He said that unlike during the U.S. war in Iraq from 2003 to 2011 that toppled one-time Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, U.S. forces now are not "working on their own," but rather are "tied to a specific operation" planned by the Iraqis. Wednesday's car bombs in Baghdad targeted a police station, the Jamiya neighborhood and an outdoor market in Sadr City.
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From 1949 to 1969, under a law inherited from the Nazi regime, some 50,000 men were convicted of homosexuality, and many served prison terms.
U.S. Missile-Defense System In Romania To Go Operational As Russian Fumes by support@pangea-cms.com (Mike Eckel)
The ambitious U.S. plan to protect Europe from ballistic missiles goes online this week, and Russia is already making clear that a stern, if not outright belligerent, response may be forthcoming.
Army Secretary Nomination Is Blocked by One G.O.P. Senatorby By MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT
The nominee, Eric Fanning, waits as Senator Pat Roberts seeks assurance from the Obama administration that it will not move any detainees to Kansas from Guantánamo.
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 ecns |
China warns US against shows of strength in South China Sea
ecns File photo: People pose for a group photo together after landing at the airfield on Yongshu Jiao in the Nansha Islands, Jan. 6, 2016. China successfully carried out test fights of two civilian aircraft on Jan. 6 on a newly-built airfield in the Nansha ... and more » |
Experts: Bullying a Major Public Health Problemby webdesk@voanews.com (Ken Schwartz)
Bullying is not a natural part of growing up and should be recognized as a major public health problem with consequences lasting far beyond childhood, according to experts in a new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Parents and teachers have traditionally brushed off complaints of bullying, telling victims that they must fight back or that they brought the abuse on themselves through their own behavior. But the lead author of the report, pediatrics...
TAUNTON, Mass. (AP) -- Three people were killed and two others injured Tuesday in separate attacks at a shopping mall and a home in Massachusetts, and the suspect was one of the dead, authorities said....
LawNewz |
If Hillary's Not Charged, Don't Dare Accuse FBI Director Comey of Politicization
LawNewz If one only reads certain conservative blogs, however, you might expect an indictment, or at least the request for one, is a foregone conclusion and that the only issue is whether FBI Director James Comey should resign in protest when he recommends ... and more » |
One Dead, Three Injured in German Knife Attackby WSJDigitalNetwork
One person died and three others were seriously injured in a knife attack by a 27-year-old German man at a rail station near Munich on Tuesday, German police said.
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Due to a tanking economy, high unemployment, and a corrupt political class, Brazilians are protesting. CNN's Shasta Darlington explains.
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