war
Life and Death in Mosul Under Islamic State
When 14 Islamic State militants stormed his home, 22-year-old Mohammed was hiding. His father and brother, both police officers under the Iraqi government, had already been killed. “They asked my mom, ‘Where is Mohammed?' " he tells me a year and a half later in Europe. “She said I was at the...
Star Wars Rogue One trailer released
The first trailer for the new Star Wars movie Rogue One has been released. The one minute, 38 second teaser reveals new look stormtroopers and details about the lead character played by British actress Felicity Jones. At the beginning of the trailer, she states her name as Jyn Erso, and is described as "reckless,...
The Challenge After ISIS
The Islamic State’s recent setbacks in Iraq and Syria may portend the group’s eventual collapse, but the chaos left behind will present a challenge of a different sort, writes ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar. A major deficiency in America’s history of involvement with armed conflict overseas has been inattention...
Possible Push to Elevate US Cyber Command in Fight vs IS
Washington's top cyber warrior said Tuesday that the time has come to elevate the status of U.S. Cyber Command, arguing the move would make efforts more effective against a variety of threats, including the Islamic State (IS) terror group. "A combatant commander designation would allow us to be faster, which would...
Nagorno-Karabakh: Azeri-Armenian ceasefire agreed
Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces have agreed on an immediate ceasefire after nearly four days of fighting in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. The announcement came from the Armenian separatists and Azeri defence ministry. Ethnic Armenians have controlled the mountainous enclave in Azerbaijan and adjacent territory...
Russia says Putin is main target of Panama Papers
MOSCOW — Russia said Monday that President Vladimir Putin was the main target of an unprecedented media leak into the financial activity of wealthy individuals who hold accounts offshore. Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, told the Russian news agency Interfax that it was "obvious" the aim of the anonymous...
South China Sea: Australian troops join Philippines, US for annual Balikiatan military training drills
South China Sea: Australian troops join Philippines, US for annual Balikiatan military training drills THOUSANDS of US and Philippine troops, along with Australian defence forces, began annual drills to prepare to quickly respond to a range of potential crises, including in the disputed South China Sea. The exercises have been...
Panama Papers: Mossack Fonseca ‘helped firms subject to sanctions’
The Panama legal firm at the heart of a massive data leak kept clients who were subject to international sanctions, documents show. Mossack Fonseca worked with 33 individuals or companies who have been placed under sanctions by the US Treasury, including companies based in Iran, Zimbabwe and North Korea. One had links to North...
Al Qaeda explosives experts transferred from Guantanamo Bay
Two of Al Qaeda's former explosives experts were just transferred out of Guantanamo Bay and sent to Senegal, the Defense Department confirmed Monday, marking the latest detainees to be shipped out of the prison camp despite the risk they could return to the battlefield. The two Libyan former detainees were separately...
Greece begins deporting refugees to Turkey under EU plan
Under heavy security, authorities on the Greek islands of Lesbos and Chios deported 202 refugees on boats bound for Turkey — the first to be sent back as part of a controversial European Union plan to limit the amount of migration to Europe. The operation that started at dawn, as refugees were escorted onto small ferries...
Cameron warns ISIS could use drones to spray nuclear material over Western cities
Britain Prime Minister David Cameron warned Western leaders Friday the Islamic State plans to use drones to spray nuclear material over Western cities. The UK Daily Telegraph reported that there is growing concerns among world leaders that extremists are looking to buy commercial drones to launch a dirty bomb attack over major...
Syria’s Pro-Democracy Protesters Show Renewed Defiance in Face of Jihadist Intimidation
The reduction of hostilities in Syria after last month's cease-fire deal has led to a resurgence of demonstrations in rebel-held areas. Thousands of pro-democracy activists have taken to the streets to demand that President Bashar al-Assad relinquish power. And as political activists and ordinary residents again find their...