WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has moved surveillance drones into the skies over Libya to gather intelligence and get a better picture of what’s going on in case additional military strikes against Islamic State militants are authorized. The top U.S. military officer told a Senate committee on Thursday, Apr. 28, that the Pentagon has shifted … Continue reading
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Iran asked the United Nations on Thursday, Apr. 28 to intervene with the U.S. government over a Supreme Court ruling that allows nearly $2 billion in frozen Iranian assets to be paid to victims of terrorist attacks for which the Middle Eastern country has been blamed. In a letter to Secretary … Continue reading
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Insurgents shelled a government-held area in the contested city of Aleppo, hitting a mosque and killing at least 15 people as they left Friday, Apr. 29, prayers, while government airstrikes struck rebel-held parts of Syria’s largest city — even as the army unilaterally declared a brief truce in other parts of … Continue reading
JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — South Sudan’s leaders have formed a transitional coalition government bringing together politicians from the government and the armed opposition who have been at war for two and a half years. The new government is led by President Salva Kiir and former rebel leader Riek Machar, who returned to the capital … Continue reading
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranians voted Friday, Apr. 29, in the country’s parliamentary runoff elections, a key poll that will decide how much power allies of moderate President Hassan Rouhani will have in the next legislature after the landmark nuclear deal with world powers. Though Rouhani continues to have popular support after the deal, its … Continue reading
BEIRUT (AP) — Islamic State militants seized five villages from Syrian rebels close to the Turkish border Wednesday, Apr. 27, further weakening the rebels’ foothold in and around the northern city of Aleppo. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a network of activists monitoring the conflict, said the extremist group took five villages in … Continue reading
LESBOS, Greece (AP) — Municipal crews were pressure-hosing streets, pruning trees and touching up building facades on this Greek island where Pope Francis will visit Saturday, Apr. 16, a mission human rights groups hope will highlight the plight of refugees who fled their war-ravaged homes only to be denied entry to Europe. The Vatican insists … Continue reading
LONDON (AP) — Global stock markets were largely lower Friday, Apr. 15, ahead of a raft of U.S. economic figures and a weekend of international meetings, including one of oil producers in Doha, Qatar. KEEPING SCORE: In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares fell 0.5 percent to 6,334 while Germany’s DAX was … Continue reading
JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — Amnesty International on Friday, Apr. 15, called for the release of 35 men the group says are being held illegally and without charge, sometimes for over a year, by South Sudan’s National Security Service. The arrested men include former state governor Joseph Bangasi Bakosoro, journalist George Livio Bahara and Leonzio … Continue reading
BERLIN (AP) — The German government on Friday, Apr. 15, granted a Turkish request to allow the possible prosecution of a German TV comedian who wrote a crude poem about Turkey’s president, an awkward decision for Chancellor Angela Merkel as she seeks Ankara’s help in reducing Europe’s migrant influx. Turkey demanded last week to have … Continue reading
ISTANBUL (AP) — A two-day summit bringing together leaders of the Islamic world concluded in the Turkish city of Istanbul with a pledge to combat terrorism and overcome sectarian divide. The final declaration Friday, Apr. 15, expressed strong condemnation of the Islamic State (IS) group and the role of Iran and its proxies in regional … Continue reading
CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian security forces fired tear gas Friday, Apr. 15, at demonstrators protesting President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi’s decision to hand over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia. Chants of “leave, leave!” directed at el-Sissi marked the first significant wave of street protests since the former army chief became president in 2014. Riot police … Continue reading
BAGHDAD (AP) — Tens of thousands of trapped Iraqi civilians have stalled the government’s advance in the battle against the Islamic State group in the western Anbar province, the spokesman for Iraq’s elite counterterrorism said Friday, Apr. 1. The civilians are trapped between the Iraqi forces’ lines and the IS extremists hunkered down in the … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama urged global leaders Friday, Apr. 1, not to be complacent in the face of an evolving threat from terrorists who he said are eager to unleash a devastating nuclear attack. “It would change our world,” he declared. Hosting his last nuclear security summit, Obama said the world has measurably … Continue reading
PALMYRA, Syria (AP) — Explosions rocked the ancient town of Palmyra on Friday, Apr. 1, and on the horizon, black smoke wafted behind its majestic Roman ruins, as Syrian army experts carefully detonated hundreds of mines they say were planted by Islamic State militants before they fled the town. An Associated Press crew visiting … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 