John Kerry in Vienna for Syria talks including Iran, Saudis
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VIENNA (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in Vienna for talks on ending the Syrian war with other key nations, including bitter regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Nearly 20 nations have signaled that they will attend but most attention is focused on the major players ...
More than 22,000 veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan suffering from brain injuries and mental health problems have been dismissed from the U.S. Army for "misconduct," an investigation by National Public Radio revealed on Thursday.
Many of the soldiers have not been able to receive crucial retirement and ...
The White House said Thursday that an encounter by Russian warplanes near the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier this week was "not particularly threatening" and that U.S. fighter jets escorted them out of the area.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the U.S. forces were conducting exercises with the ...
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Russian air strikes on Syria have killed nearly 600 people, a third of them civilians, since Moscow started its aerial campaign a month ago, a group monitoring the war said on Thursday.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which collects information from a network of sources on the ground, said the Russian strikes had killed 185 civilians and 410 fighters from various insurgent groups.
Russia has said it is targeting Islamic State fighters and other jihadists in Syria and has denied its bombing has resulted in civilian casualties.
(Writing by Sylvia Westall; editing by John Stonestreet)
The post Month of Russian Air Strikes on Syria Kill Nearly 600 appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.
Members of the European Parliament are urging European Union member states to protect Edward Snowden, the ex-government contractor who faces criminal charges for stealing and leaking classified National Security Agency (NSA) documents, as an “international human rights defender.”
The parliament, one of the legislative arms of the European Union, vote privately Thursday to call on EU member states to “drop any criminal charges against Edward Snowden, grant him protection, and consequently prevent extradition or rendition by third parties, in recognition of his status as whistle-blower and international human rights defender.”
According to a European Parliament news release, the EU politicians decided on the measure in a 285-281 vote.
The United States has extradition treaties with all European countries. A decision by a particular European nation not to extradite Snowden to the U.S. would violate the treaty between the two countries.
Snowden fled the U.S. for Russia after leaking classified documents to media outlets such as theGuardian in 2013. The former government contractor is charged with stealing about 1.7 million NSA documents and leaking some of them to news outlets.
Snowden, who recently joined Twitter, celebrated the vote on social media.
“This is not a blow against the U.S. government, but an open hand extended by friends. It is a chance to move forward,” he tweeted Thursday.
The post EU Politicians Tell Member States to Protect Snowden as ‘Human Rights Defender’appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.
US-led coalition does not know who the terrorists in Syria are – Lavrov Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov © Ivan Sekretarev / Reuters The US-led coalition lacks a common understanding of who the terrorist threat in Syria is coming from, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov believes. He also said that Russia is trying to […]
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Two Russian naval reconnaissance aircraft flew within one nautical mile of the USS Ronald Reagan, prompting the aircraft carrier to scramble its jet fighters, 7th Fleet officials confirmed Thursday.
Germany's top security official complained Wednesday of an "unacceptable" influx of Afghans from relatively safe areas of their country, and warned that many of them will have to return home.
Congress on Wednesday moved a step closer to clearing a bipartisan budget deal that would boost spending for domestic and defense programs over two years while suspending the debt limit into 2017.
Syria berated Saudi Arabia Thursday in bitter comments foreshadowing difficulties ahead for talks gathering key players and focused on ending the conflict.
Some in Turkey see a secretive government cabal, the “deep state,” manipulating events in the nation, an indication of Turkey’s political polarization and instability.
Before the start of business, Just Security provides a curated summary of up-to-the-minute developments at home and abroad. Here’s today’s news.
IRAQ and SYRIA
A multination conference to be held in Vienna on Friday is the best opportunity for finding a political resolution to the Syrian civil conflict, Secretary of State John Kerry said before traveling to Austria for the meetings. [Wall Street Journal’s Felicia Schwartz] Kerry stressed that the US and Russia share “common ground,” both states hoping for a “united, secular Syria.” [BBC]
Despite these comments, the future of the Assad regime will not be on the table for now, consensus stipulating that Moscow and Washington’s disagreement over political transition should not prevent the process from beginning. [Washington Post’s Karen DeYoung]
Saudi Arabia will participate in the talks, marking a further shift, with Riyadh previously saying that Iran should not participate in any negotiations about Syria’s future. [Wall Street Journal’s Ahmed Al Omran and Asa Fitch] The Saudi foreign minister said that the meetings will test whether Moscow and Tehran are “serious” about reaching a political solution to the crisis. [Al Jazeera]
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang today agreed that the Syrian crisis must be resolved politically. [Reuters]
Moscow risks falling into a situation like it found itself in Afghanistan if it does not assist in pushing for political transition in Syria, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini warned. [The Guardian’s Julian Borger]
Defense Secretary Ash Carter acknowledged that American troops are “in combat” in Iraq yesterday, but reiterated that the “overall mission” of US forces there is still to “enable, by equipping, training, advising and assisting.” [DoD News]
The Obama administration is “fumbling” for credibility with its involvement in the Syria conflict, as Iran and Russia step up their “decisive influence” in both Iraq and Syria. [The Guardian’s Simon Tisdall]
The Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war will be published next June or July, Sir John Chilcot has announced, seven years after the inquiry was established. [The Guardian’s Nicholas Watt] An “unofficial Chilcot Inquiry,” from Peter Oborne at the BBC.
Warplanes thought to be Russian attacked Syria’s southern Deraa province for the first time last night, according to a rebel group and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. [Reuters]
US-led airstrikes continue. The US and coalition military forces carried out 14 strikes on Islamic State targets in Iraq on Oct. 27. [Central Command]
The New York Times editorial board observes that by “incrementally increasing its combat role in a vast, complicated battleground, the United States is being sucked into a new Middle East war.”
“So Russia has rained down destruction, but to what end?” Mark Urban provides an analysis of Moscow’s Syria intervention one month in. [BBC]
ISRAEL and PALESTINE
A Palestinian has been shot dead by an Israeli officer after the man stabbed an Israeli soldier in the occupied West Bank today. [Reuters’ Ori Lewis]
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has appealed for UN intervention to diffuse the recent tension between Israelis and Palestinians, calling for the establishment of “a special regime of international protection” for Palestinians. [New York Times’ Nick Cumming-Bruce]
Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians are approaching “catastrophe,” according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein, describing the latest wave of violence as “dangerous in the extreme.” [Al Jazeera]
An Arab Israeli parliamentarian has visited Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, despite a ban by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. [Wall Street Journal’s Rory Jones]
OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
Four administration lawyers made it almost inevitable that Navy SEALS killed Osama bin Laden rather than capturing him. Charlie Savage explains how in the weeks before the raid, the “lawyers worked in intense secrecy,” stretching “sparse precedents.” [New York Times]
The Taliban has offered an informal ceasefire with the central Afghan government in areas affected by this week’s earthquake, saying it did not want to interfere with humanitarian assistance. [Wall Street Journal’s Margherita Stancati and Habib Khan Totakhil]
The Director General of Britain’s MI5 has called for a mature debate on the interception of communications data, using a speech to emphasize that the UK faces the greatest terror threat of his career, one week before the anticipated publication of a bill proposing wide ranging surveillance powers. [BBC; The Guardian’s Ben Quinn]
A BBC journalist has had his laptop seized by British authorities using special powers under the Terrorism Act; Secunder Kermani has reported extensively on UK-born jihadis. [The Guardian’s Ben Quinn]
NATO is exploring an increase in the number of troops it has stationed in member states that share a frontier with Russia and placing those forces under formal alliance command. Germany has expressed reservations about one plan which would see a battalion of roughly 800 to 1,000 troops in Poland and each of the Baltic states. [Wall Street Journal’s Julian E. Barnes]
Alleged 9/11 plotter Walid bin Attash announced he is firing his Pentagon-appointed death-penalty lawyer of four years, insisting he be provided with a new one. [Miami Herald’s Carol Rosenberg]
Corruption in the Middle East and North Africa has been worsened by western nations, primarily the US, the UK, Germany and Russia, by selling states huge quantities of military arsenal with little oversight, according to a new report from Transparency International. [The Intercept’s Yasmine Ryan] The report adds that Arab states are at a high risk of corruption and pose an ongoing threat to international peace and security. [The Guardian’s Ian Black]
A range of atrocities, including gang rape and forced cannibalism, have been committed during South Sudan’s ongoing civil war, according to a newly published report from the African Union. [New York Times’ Jeffrey Gettleman] The ongoing conflict “has been shaped and reshaped by generations-old grudges between and even among different groups,” writes Sam Jones. [The Guardian]
Roughly 300 people, mainly women and children, have been rescued by the Nigerian military after being kidnapped and detained by militant group Boko Haram. [New York Times’ Dionne Searcey]
A US military surveillance blimp escaped from its tethers yesterday and crashed in Pennsylvania, tearing down power lines and cutting electricity supply to tens of thousands of residents. [Washington Post’s Andrea Peterson et al] “What blimps are best at is … making people feel like they’re being watched,” Dan Froomkin and Lee Fang discuss the mixed success of military blimps. [The Intercept]
Hillary Clinton’s performance at the Benghazi hearing last week shows her to be a “major delegator,” suggests Michael Hirsh at Politico Magazine.
“Terrorism is on the march” despite international efforts to stem its proliferation, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said at a counter violent extremism event in Madrid. [UN News Centre]
“While rape is tragically common in war zones, it’s not an inevitable part of war,” opine Elisabeth Jean Wood and Dara Kay Cohen, proposing how the international community can go about reducing its occurrence in conflict. [New York Times]
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Wall Street Journal |
'Something Deeply Disturbing Is Happening All Across America'
Wall Street Journal From a speech by Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James B. Comey at the University of Chicago Law School, Oct. 23: Part of being clear-eyed about reality requires all of us to stare—and stare hard—at what is happening in this country this year. and more » |
China's military will take "all necessary" measures in response to any future U.S. Navy incursions into the islands in the South China Sea.
By Amanda Vicinanzo
HSToday
HSToday
Several weeks ago, the FBI and Secret Service launched an investigation into a report claiming a 13-year-old American high school student hacked into the AOL email account of CIA Director John Brennan, exposing sensitive information.
Security experts are warning that the attack, which occurred in the middle of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, speaks to the current state of cybersecurity in America.
KUTV 2News |
Jason Chaffetz, House committee chair, moves to impeach IRS chief
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AllGov |
Even the IRS has Spied on American Citizens
AllGov The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the latest federal agency known to use electronic cellphone surveillance equipment, according to a new report. Invoices obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by The Guardian show that the IRS purchased ... IRS Expands Surveillance Capacity, Buys Stingray Cellphone TrackersThe New American all 2 news articles » |
The Hill |
Eric Holder rebuffs FBI chief on 'Ferguson effect'
The Hill The comments contrast with those of FBI Director James Comey, who in a pair of speeches in Chicago over the last week appeared to say that police have become more cautious in recent months, following the spread of viral videos of police violence ... FBI chief under fire from liberals for telling the truth about cops, crimeFox News VA Fraternal Order of Police to FBI Director: We are no cowardsWWBT NBC12 News The Insiders: The FBI director is saying something the Democrats need to hear Washington Post (blog) VICE News -The San Diego Union-Tribune-Christian Science Monitor all 197 news articles » |
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FBI: Phone scammers use social media information
San Jose Mercury News Scammers have fleeced many older residents in Santa Cruz County by pretending to be their grandchild in a foreign country who has been arrested, been in a collision or mugged and needs money wired as soon as possible, said FBI spokeswoman Michele ... |
Commander of Israel's Ground Forces Command shares highlights from his strategic blueprint aimed at making the force more decisive than in recent campaigns
An Obama ally has criticized his foreign policy as reactive and stressed the need for an overarching doctrine
The carrier Ronald Reagan scrambled four F/A-18 Hornets to intercept two incoming Russian bombers in 7th Fleet.
October 29, 2015, 5:04 PM (IDT)
Just one day after a top CIA official visited Beirut, Russia announced that it will receive intelligence information from the Lebanese air force as well as military, tactical and ground data from Hizballah to boost its military operations in Syria, reports said Thursday. Lebanon's air force will provide Russia with data on its flights while Hizballah is to inform Moscow of the locations of its positions and the movements of its fighters so the Russian military will not accidentally fire on them, according to the reports.
The announcement came less than 24 hours after David Cohen, deputy head of the CIA, visited Beirut and met with senior Lebanese defense and intelligence officials to discuss the operational needs of the country's intelligence and security services.
The announcement came less than 24 hours after David Cohen, deputy head of the CIA, visited Beirut and met with senior Lebanese defense and intelligence officials to discuss the operational needs of the country's intelligence and security services.
October 29, 2015, 7:02 PM (IDT)
The new “Security Quartet” set up by Russia with Iran, Iraq and Syria, operates out of Baghdad and effectively runs the show in Syria and Iraq, and starting to push the Americans out.
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October 29, 2015, 7:02 PM (IDT)
ISIS was no more impressed by Russia’s military intervention that it was by US military assaults. Its war gains remain intact and seemingly unthreatened from any quarter.
October 29, 2015, 7:02 PM (IDT)
Tehran and Hizballah face rising poplar dissent against their armies’ participation in the Syria war. Iranians question the competence of IRGC officers on the Syrian battlefield, Hizballah leaders are sending their sons abroad to dodge the draft.
October 29, 2015, 7:02 PM (IDT)
Multilateral diplomacy for resolving the Syrian war is racing ahead now that both Russia and Iran see their way to letting Assad be phased out of the Syrian presidency.
 Middle East Monitor |
CIA director rules out Russia holding on to Assad
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European Parliament Urges Protection for Edward Snowdenby JAMES KANTER and SEWELL CHAN
A nonbinding resolution expressed strong support for Mr. Snowden, calling on European Union members to regard him as a whistle-blower and grant him protection.
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