Declassified US docs reveal Pinochet ordered killing in US - by Associated Press
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Russia's Syrian bombing gives boost to Iran
Newly declassified U.S. intelligence documents that came to light Thursday reveal that Gen. Augusto Pinochet directly ordered the 1976 assassination of a Chilean diplomat in Washington.
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A group of scientists claim they have discovered a way to identify someone's sexuality with 70% accuracy by looking at their DNA.
What began with Palestinians throwing rocks and firebombs has become a series of random stabbings that have Israel on high alert.
Charles Warner, killed on January 15, was given potassium acetate rather than potassium chloride, autopsy finds
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Russian airstrikes, which experts warn are disproportionately targeting moderate opposition groups, have helped Islamic State make ground in Syria's second-biggest city
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 Middle East Monitor |
Libyan Authorities Detain 300 African Migrants
New York Times BENGHAZI, Libya — A Libyan official with the Islamist-backed government controlling the capital, Tripoli, says they have detained 300 African migrants captured while boarding boats headed to Europe. Military spokesman Mohamed al-Shamy said Friday that ... UN council to vote Friday on EU migrant mission off LibyaReuters Libya Writes to UNSC It Is OK "High Seas" Resolution, Full Text HereInner City Press all 50 news articles » |
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 Washington Post |
Suspect in custody after four people shot — one fatally — at Northern ...
Washington Post One person has been killed and three others wounded in a shooting outside of a Greek-life dormitory at Northern Arizona University, a public institution in Flagstaff, Ariz. A suspect is in custody, the school said, and the injured survivors are being ... Northern Arizona University Shooting Leaves 1 Dead, 3 WoundedNew York Times Suspect in custody after shooting at N. Arizona University leaves 1 deadUSA TODAY One dead, three injured after shooting at university in ArizonaReuters OregonLive.com -San Jose Mercury News -Arizona Daily Sun all 550 news articles » |
The Republican widely expected to become the next speaker of the House of Representatives shocked his colleagues Thursday by announcing he was withdrawing his candidacy. The decision by Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy means the race to succeed retiring Speaker John Boehner is now wide open. VOA National Correspondent Jim Malone reports.
Originally published at - http://www.voanews.com/media/video/house-republicans-chaos-speaker-favorite-withdraws/2998108.html
Originally published at - http://www.voanews.com/media/video/house-republicans-chaos-speaker-favorite-withdraws/2998108.html
Since taking office, President Barack Obama has spoken out or issued statements about 15 mass shootings. The most recent shooting, in which 10 people were killed at a community college, sparked outrage over the nation's gun laws. But changing those laws isn't as easy as many think. VOA's Carolyn Presutti reports.
Originally published at - http://www.voanews.com/media/video/why-gun-laws-so-difficult-congress-tackle/2998127.html
Originally published at - http://www.voanews.com/media/video/why-gun-laws-so-difficult-congress-tackle/2998127.html
 New York Times |
Obama Administration Ends Pentagon Program to Train Syrian Rebels
New York Times LONDON — The Obama administration has ended the Pentagon's $500 million program to train and equip Syrian rebels, administration officials said on Friday, in an acknowledgment that the beleaguered program had failed to produce any kind of ground ... US drops Pentagon program to train Syrian rebels: NYTReuters Pentagon to change training program for Syrian rebelsYahoo News Obama administration ends $500mn program to train Syrian rebels – reportRT all 43 news articles » |
 CBS News |
Small drone crashes near White House despite ban against flights in DC
USA TODAY WASHINGTON – U.S. Park Police confiscated a drone that crashed on the Ellipse near the White House on Friday and issued citations to the operators involved. Two people had been flying a small drone around the Washington Monument, according to Sgt. Two Cited for Flying Drone in 'No Drone Zone' Near White HouseTheBlaze.com 2 men face federal charges in drone crash on White House EllipseWJLA all 19 news articles » |
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian troops and allied militia backed by a fresh wave of Russian air strikes and cruise missiles fired from warships attacked rebel forces on Thursday as the government extended an offensive to recapture territory in the west of the country.
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BEIRUT (Reuters) - Islamic State fighters have captured several Syrian villages from rival insurgents near Aleppo, a monitoring group said on Friday, despite Russian air strikes that Moscow says have targeted the hardline group.
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Four Arabs were stabbed in a town in southern Israel on Friday and a Jewish suspect was arrested, police said. The attacks follow a surge in knife violence by Palestinians against Israelis.
ANKARA (Reuters) - An Iranian Revolutionary Guards general has been killed near Aleppo, where he was advising the Syrian army on their battle against Islamic State fighters, the guards said in a statement on Friday.
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A Jewish man stabbed and wounded four Arabs in southern Israel on Friday in an apparent reprisal attack for Palestinian violence during the worst spell of civil unrest in the region for several years.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Defense Ministry said on Friday its planes had struck the headquarters of the Liwa al-Haqq militant group in Syria, killing 200 insurgents, including two Islamic State field commanders, the RIA news agency reported.
Analysts and Western officials say there are several reasons for President Vladimir V. Putin to move into Syria now, including the Damascus regime’s dwindling power and blocking Western intervention spurred by the refugee crisis.
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President Obama is unwilling to risk escalating the conflict and does not have a new strategy to resolve
it or defeat the Islamic State.
it or defeat the Islamic State.
Op-Ed Contributor: Putin’s Imperial Adventure in Syriaby SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE
For centuries, intervention in the Middle East has been a way for Russia to seek influence and assert power.
Obama Administration Ends Pentagon Program to Train Syrian Rebels by HELENE COOPER and ERIC SCHMITT
The move served as an acknowledgement that the beleaguered program had failed to produce any kind of ground combat forces capable of taking on the Islamic State.
A Top Iranian General Is Killed in Syriaby DAN BILEFSKY and ANNE BARNARD
Gen.Hussein Hamedani and several bodyguards were killed near Aleppo. Iran has been actively supporting President Bashar al-Assad of Syria.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Victoria Nuland, has said the United States will maintain sanctions imposed on Russia over its actions in Ukraine until the terms of the Minsk peace plan are fully implemented.
NATO is open to keeping more troops in Afghanistan than initially planned after 2016, defense ministers said after after a meeting in Brussels October 8.
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Russia's ambassador to NATO says Moscow opposes any attempt to alter the geopolitical balance in Europe.
Kadyrov's Account Of Killing Of IS Fighters In Grozny Less Than Convincing by support@pangea-cms.com (Liz Fuller)
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov's account of a special operation in Grozny in which three militants were killed was, predictably, self-serving, not entirely credible, and left key questions unanswered.
A new poll shows that more than 70% of Russians support President Putin's military intervention in
Syria.
Syria.
A senior commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards has been killed in Syria, Iran says.
Campaigners have questioned whether a hack at credit report company Experian could extend to 200 million customers.
The US will look at "different" approaches to its training programme for Syrian opposition groups, Defence Secretary Ashton Carter says.
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US airman stabbed months after thwarting French train attackby DON THOMPSONJULIE WATSON
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone, hailed as a hero after he was severely cut while helping stop a terror attack on a French train in August, was repeatedly stabbed in what police said was an alcohol-fueled, late-night brawl in a Sacramento nightclub district....
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) -- The latest developments as Syrian troops and other nations battle militants in Syria. All times local in Syria....
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) -- Officials say one person is dead and three others are wounded following an early morning shooting at Northern Arizona University...
LONDON (AP) -- The U.S. will overhaul the failed Syrian rebel training program, working more closely with capable Kurdish and other forces in Syria, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Friday....
The Latest: Police identify gunman in campus shootingby The Associated Press
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) -- The latest on the shooting at Northern Arizona University (all times local):...
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Russia has now deployed more than 100 nuclear warheads in its strategic arsenal above the limits set by the New START arms treaty limits—two years before it must meet treaty arms reduction goals.
New START nuclear warhead and delivery system numbers made public Oct. 1 reveal that since the 2010 arms accord went into force, Moscow increased the number of deployed nuclear warheads by a total of 111 weapons for a total of 1,648 deployed warheads. That number is 98 warheads above the treaty limit of 1,150 warheads that must be reached by the 2018 deadline of the treaty.
At the same time, U.S. nuclear warheads, missiles, and bombers have fallen sharply and remain below the required levels under the New START pact.
The United States during the same period of the Russian increases cut its deployed nuclear arsenal by 250 warheads.
The Russian increases and U.S. cuts bolster claims by critics who say the arms treaty is one-sided in constraining U.S. forces while the Russians appear to be ignoring the treaty limits as part of a major strategic forces buildup of missiles, submarines, and bombers.
Additionally, nuclear analysts say recent actions and statements suggest Russia may be preparing to jettison the New START treaty.
“Russia may pull out of the New START before it requires any Russians reductions,” said former Pentagon nuclear policymaker Mark Schneider. “Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s department of security and disarmament issues, Mikhail Ulyanov, said so in 2014 and 2015.”
U.S. nuclear forces in 2011 included 882 land- and sea-based missiles and bombers, 1,800 deployed nuclear warheads, and 1,124 non-deployed launchers and bombers.
The United States today has 762 ICBMs, submarine-launched missiles and heavy bombers, 1,538 warheads and 898 non-deployed weapons.
For the same categories, Russia added five missiles for a total of 526, and 12 non-deployed launchers and bombers for a total of 877.
The Air Force in August carried out the first showing for Russian nuclear inspectors of a converted nuclear-capable B-52H bomber to a non-nuclear aircraft under the treaty. The bomber exhibition took place in September and thus was not counted in the latest U.S. figures for bomber cuts.
Additionally, the Navy also showed the first nuclear missile submarine with converted launch tubes under the treaty last month.
The United States plans to eliminate 98 launchers and heavy bombers under the treaty to reach the 800 treaty level for launchers and bombers by 2018.
Plans call for converting 30 B-52H bombers and 56 submarine-launched ballistic missile launchers and send 12 B-52Hs to the aircraft bone yard.
“To date, our reductions have been for inactive or weapon systems without a nuclear mission—104 ICBM launch facilities, 51 B-52Gs, and converting B-1s to conventional-only under the treaty,” said one defense official.
By contrast, Russia under Vladimir Putin is embarked on a major strategic nuclear forces buildup that includes new missile submarines, upgrading older missile submarines and adding several new strategic missiles. Moscow, like the U.S. Air Force, is also planning a new bomber.
Additionally, Russia under Putin has announced a new doctrine that places a greater emphasis on nuclear forces.
During the crisis over Russia’s military annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea, Putin made threats to use nuclear forces against the Untied States and NATO if there were intervention to reverse the annexation.
Russian officials also have made nuclear threats against the United States in response to reports that NATO plans to move military forces into Eastern Europe in response to Russian threats.
Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, said Russia “is in the business of violating treaties.”
“From the Intermediate range Nuclear Forces Treaty, to the Open Skies Treaty, to other conventional and unconventional arms control agreements—Russia violates any treaty or agreement that puts limits on capabilities that Mr. Putin and his cronies desire,” Rogers said. “Russia’s arguable adherence to the New START Treaty just indicates how bad a deal it is for the United States.”
The nuclear numbers were disclosed by the State Department’s bureau of arms control, verification, and compliance.
Blake Narendra, a State Department spokesperson for the arms control bureau, said officials are aware of the increase in Russian deployed warheads and delivery vehicles. But he sought to play down the buildup.
“The United States and Russia continue to implement the New START Treaty in a business-like manner,” Narendra said. “We fully expect Russia to meet the New START Treaty central limits in accordance with the stipulated timeline of February 2018.”
By that date, Moscow and Washington must reach limits of no more than 700 deployed treaty limited delivery vehicles and 1,550 deployed warheads.
Despite the U.S. cuts, Narendra said “our declared forces show clearly that the United States maintains a capable deterrent force capable of defending our interests and those of our friends and allies.”
The increase in Russian numbers was anticipated as Moscow replaces older weapons, Narendra said, adding “we have known for a long time about Russia’s modernization of its strategic nuclear arsenal.”
The spokesman defended the utility of the treaty despite the Russian buildup that has included unprecedented nuclear threats against NATO. The treaty provides knowledge of numbers and locations of Russian strategic forces “at a time when we need it the most,” he said.
Schneider, now a senior analyst at the National Institute for Public Policy, said Russia is now at the highest level of deployed nuclear warheads since the New START treaty went into force.
“For the last three reporting periods—18 months—Russia has moved from below New START limits in deployed warheads and deployed delivery vehicles to above them,” said Schneider.
“In all three limited categories—deployed warheads, deployed delivery vehicles and deployed and non-deployed delivery vehicles—Russia is above its entry into force numbers from 2011”.
Schneider said a flaw in the treaty counting numbers allowed the Russians to under count bomber weapons so that Russia may have between 400 to 500 more bomber-delivered warheads than the United States.
“The U.S. left may not think this is very important, but the Russians do and it is their finger on the Russian nuclear trigger,” Schneider said.
Adm. William Gortney, commander of the U.S. Northern Command, which is in charge of defending the continental United States, said Russia is qualitatively building up its military forces, with a new doctrine and, in particular, new cruise missiles capable of hitting the United States from Russian airspace.
“They’ve read our play book and they’re putting in force, they’re fielding cruise missiles that are very, very accurate, very long range,” Gortney said Wednesday in remarks to the Atlantic Council, a think tank.
The new missile has been identified by other defense officials as a KH-101 air launched cruise missile that can be armed with either nuclear or conventional warheads.
The missile can reach U.S. infrastructure targets in Canada and the United States from launch points within Russian air space, Gortney said.
Gortney said the Russians have been “messaging” the United States with long-range nuclear-capable bomber flights along U.S. and Canadian borders.
War game scenarios in recent months have included simulated Russian conventional cruise missile strikes on long-range early warning radar in Alaska, he said.
The military blog Russianforces.org said the increase of 66 Russian warheads and nine launchers since March, when the last treaty numbers were released, probably reflects Moscow’s deployment of new submarine-launched Bulava missiles on the new submarine Alexander Nevsky, launched in April.
Army Lt. Col. Martin O’Donnell, a spokesman for the U.S. Strategic Command, said the treaty “continues to enhance security and strategic stability.”
“We fully expect Russia to meet the New START Treaty central limits in accordance with the stipulated timeline of February 2018,” he said.
Thomas Moore, a former professional staff member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who specialized in arms control, said he is not surprised the Russians are over treaty limits while the the United States is below them.
“But I guess we are under it early because ‘business-like’ implementation of the treaty is a way the administration can appear to be doing something, and they have a base of left-wing support which demands we go lower still, and faster,” Moore said.
Russia has been building up its forces steadily, he added.
“Its raid of Kalibr cruise missiles from the Caspian to targets in Syria is another sign that, along with New START warhead numbers, its nuclear-capable systems, strategic warheads, and overall nuclear capability at all ranges and with all types of weapons is building up, not down.”
The post Russia Adds 111 Warheads Under Arms Treaty appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.
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A Reagan Doctrine for the Twenty-First Centuryby Matthew Continetti
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