Hard News
171 killed in Iraq:
15 killed in mortar attacks, air strike in Iraq's Anbar:
A total of 15 people were killed and 36 others were wounded on Thursday in mortar attacks and an air strike targeting a position of the Islamic State (IS) militants in the volatile province of Anbar, APA reports quoting Xinh
Syrian rebels set eyes on divided Aleppo:
The prospect of a rebel offensive in the city is a stark sign of the turn of momentum against President Bashar al-Assad's government, which has lost swathes of territory to fighters in recent months in the northwest, east and south of the country.
Putin reiterates support for Syria's Assad:
"Our fear is that Syria could plunge into the same situation as Libya and Iraq," Putin said on Friday in response to questions at Russia's annual economic forum in St Petersburg.
DIA Director sees Iraq as 'quagmire,' but strikes term from testimony:
U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant General Vincent R. Stewart, the agency's director, personally agreed with Mideast analysts on his staff who used the word "quagmire" to describe the state of the U.S.-led effort against ISIS
Heavy airstrikes across Yemen kill 10 civilians:
Yemeni officials and witnesses say heavy airstrikes by Saudi-led coalition warplanes pounded positions of Shiite rebels and allied forces, killing not only rebel fighters but at least 10 civilians in northern Yemen
Yemen peace talks in Geneva collapse:
The Yemen peace talks in the Swiss city of Geneva have collapsed, with the foreign minister of the government-in-exile blaming the Houthi representatives of refusing to meet with them.
Yemen war ripping society apart:
Burnt out tanks and armored personnel carriers stand amid the concrete skeletons of apartment blocks, hollowed out by weeks of shelling and gun battles.
MoD confirms Britain is arming Saudi Arabia in Yemen conflict:
An MoD spokesperson said the UK's assistance to Saudi Arabia includes providing "precision guided weapons," but added the British government had been assured they will be used in compliance with international law.
U.N. needs $1.6 billion for Yemen aid, warns of 'looming catastrophe':
"Over 21 million people or 80 percent of the population are now estimated to be in need of some form of humanitarian aid and or protection," U.N. spokesman Jens Laerke told a news briefing.
US blasts Yemen for terror financier's role in peace talks:
The U.S. is criticizing Yemen's government for including an accused al-Qaida financier among its delegation to U.N.-brokered peace negotiations. The U.S. added him to a terror blacklist in 2013 for financing Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and helping expand its foothold in Yemen.
Three Hezbollah fighters killed in Syria:
Two of the fighters fell while battling militants in the border region of Qalamoun.The death of the two Hezbollah fighters in Qalamoun raised the number of the party's dead since the operation began on May 4 to at least 41
ISIS commanders, militants killed in Hezbollah attack:
Two ISIS commanders and at least 7 other militants were allegedly killed during two separate Hezbollah attacks on the outskirts of a northeastern Lebanese border town Friday, Al-Manar reported.
Sisi to Lebanese: Prepare for fall of Assad:
The Egyptian president warned "of dramatic developments that could suddenly hit Syria," saying that the regime is in "bad shape" as evidenced by the latest military developments on the ground
Turkish police arrest 3, seize radioactive material:
Turkish news agencies say that authorities have arrested two Georgian citizens who tried to enter the Turkey with radioactive material, including cesium. Cesium-137 is a highly radioactive substance that is a waste product from nuclear reactors. It is used for scientific purposes, but could also be used by terrorists in a dirty bomb to disperse deadly radiation with explosives.
Palestinian shoots Israeli dead near illegal, West Bank squatters homes:
A Palestinian opened fire on two Israeli men near a West Bank settlement on Friday, killing one and wounding the other, authorities said, in what appeared to be yet another lone-wolf attack.
Netanyahu denounces UN's Ban over Gaza children remarks: -
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday denounced what he called the "hypocrisy" of the United Nations after UN chief Ban Ki-moon demanded Israel protect the lives of children in Gaza.
Saeb Erekat: PLO should consider retracting recognition of Israel:
Chief Palestinian negotiator says recognizing Israel should be conditioned on a "reciprocal recognition" of a Palestinian state by Jerusalem.
At least 70 killed in week of Burundi political violence:
"We have identified 70 people killed, mostly by bullets but also grenades ... the majority are civilians, as well as police and soldiers," said Pierre-Claver Mbonimpa, who heads the Burundi rights group Aprodeh.
Four Somalian soldiers killed in Al-Shabaab attack:
Local official Ashor Geasey told Xinhua that the offensive began after militants from the Al-Shabaab attacked military positions of government forces in the region's Ged-Wayn district.
Qaeda in North Africa denies US strike killed ex-chief:
Al-Qaeda in North Africa has denied reports its former leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar was killed in a US air strike last week in Libya, in a statement posted online overnight.
Pakistan: 20 alleged 'militants' killed in army air strikes:
Army say they targeted militant hideouts in part of Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt
Afghanistan: Eight militants killed in Nangarhar air strike:
Four dead bodies, whose identities are yet to be ascertained, have been taken to the district office of Mohmand Dara District from the site.
Putin says Russia weathering sanctions, lectures West:
President Vladimir Putin boasted on Friday that Russia had found the "inner strength" to prevent sanctions causing a deep economic crisis, and told the West to stop using "the language of ultimatums."
Putin: Unilateral US withdrawal from ABM treaty pushing Russia toward new arms race:
"Not military conflicts but global decisions like the US unilateral withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty lead to a Cold War," Putin said. "This more in fact pushes us to a new round of the arms race, because it changes the global security system.
Ukraine conflict can become as dangerous as Cuban missile crisis:
Video report: Stephen Cohen, Professor Emeritus of Russian Studies
NATO flexes muscles in Poland war games:
Around 2,100 soldiers from nine NATO states grouped in the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) took part in the Noble Jump 2 exercises at the Zagan training range north-western Poland. "After tens of years of peace, that peaceful period after the Cold War is now over," Defence Minister Tomasz Siemoniak told reporters in Zagan.
Moscow will respond in kind to seizure of its assets abroad - FM Lavrov:
Lavrov was commenting on the seizure in Belgium and France of Russian state-owned assets. The arrest were made on request of beneficiaries of the now-defunct oil giant Yukos, who were awarded damages from Russia by an arbitration court in The Hague. Russia is in the process of challenging the ruling.
Russian crisis threatens 40,000 Swiss jobs: study:
The Russian economic crisis, fuelled by tensions from the war in Ukraine, threatens more than 40,000 jobs in Switzerland and 2.5 million jobs across Europe, according to a study conducted for three Swiss newspapers and journals from three other countries.
Putin Meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras:
Prime Minister of Greece Alexis Tsipras (retranslated): Mr President, it is a great pleasure and honour for us, for myself and the members of my government and our delegation, to be here in St Petersburg, your native city, and to attend this important forum.
Eurozone leaders to hold emergency summit on Greece:
Finance ministers of 19-nation currency bloc summoned to meet on Monday as Greece's bailout talks remain deadlocked.
Yanis Varoufakis: Greece's Proposals to End the Crisis:
My intervention at today's Eurogroup: The only antidote to propaganda and malicious 'leaks' is transparency. After so much disinformation on my presentation at the Eurogroup of the Greek government's position, the only response is to post the precise words uttered within. Read them and judge for yourselves whether the Greek government's proposals constitute a basis for agreement.
EU shouldn't view itself as 'hub of universe' - Greek PM:
Europe shouldn't view itself as a "hub of the universe" and it has to understand that the center of world economic development is shifting to other regions, said Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, speaking at St. Petersburg International Economic Forum
Greek PM predicts his nation's 'Grexit' will cause the COLLAPSE of Europe's currency :
Russia today said it was ready to consider the question of giving financial aid to Greece.
60 Million people fleeing chaotic lands, UN says:
Nearly 60 million people have been driven from their homes by war and persecution, an unprecedented global exodus that has burdened fragile countries with waves of newcomers and littered deserts and seas with the bodies of those who died trying to reach safety.
WikiLeaks publishes more than 60,000 leaked diplomatic cables from Saudi Arabia:
The organization, which began releasing U.S. diplomatic cables in 2010, said it had obtained email communications between Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry and other countries as well as confidential reports from other Saudi ministries.
Assange marks 3rd anniversary in London's Ecuador embassy:
His room is divided into an office and a living area. He has a treadmill, shower, microwave and sun lamp and spends most of his day at his computer, AFP reports.
Venezuela's Maduro Slams Trump's Attacks on Mexican People :
Maduro told Trump to back off Mexicans, saying the U.S. has already "persecuted and exploited" them enough.
Anger among British Muslims after PM says some Muslims 'quietly condone' IS group:
Prime Minister David Cameron charged Friday that some British Muslims quietly condone the radical ideology of the Islamic State group, prompting accusations that he is scapegoating the large and diverse community.
Worst year for American Muslims since 9/11: News Analysis -
If Ramadan is a time to reflect, then let us reflect on what it means to be Muslim in America today. Based on a number of events in 2015 already, our community is facing the most hostile environment since 9/11
Charleston shooter wanted to start a 'civil war':
As local, state, and federal law enforcement investigates this possible hate crime, the roommate of the suspect said he was planning something like this - he wanted to start a civil war.
This is American terrorism: White supremacy's brutal, centuries-long campaign of violence:
News Analysis - The evidence is clear. The reports are in. There is no other conclusion. It's 2015, and Black people in America are under a sustained and lethal terrorist attack.
Charleston and the South's sordid history of attacks on black churches:
The massacre called to mind the long history of racially-motivated attacks on black churches in the South, which have been targeted precisely because of their role as not just houses of worship but also sanctuaries from racism and a gathering space for community action.
Tensions run high after man makes threats outside of Richmond church:
"I'm gonna kill all you and all you are gonna get killed tonight," is what witnesses said he was yelling as he banged on a door to the church.
Milwaukee Cop Brutally Punches Woman Caught on Police Dash Cam:
The city of Milwaukee has settled a civil rights lawsuit filed in 2014 by a woman who was punched in the face and dragged from a patrol vehicle by an out of control officer- on video. Now taxpayers are stuck with the check, locked in a battle to fire the officer.
VA to grant benefits for Agent Orange exposure:
After years of battling the Veterans Affairs Department for health care and compensation for illnesses related to Agent Orange exposure from aircraft flown after the Vietnam War, a group of up to 2,100 Air Force personnel and reservists finally will receive service-connected benefits.
Drug companies donated millions to California lawmakers before vaccine debate:
Critics of Senate Bill 277, which would eliminate the personal belief and religious exemptions for schoolchildren, accuse the measure's supporters in the Legislature of doing the bidding of donors who make vaccines and other pharmaceuticals.
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