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Read More »Sun Belt Individual Leaders
Militant known as 'Jihadi John' born into 'stateless' family in poor corner of wealthy Kuwait
KUWAIT CITY – Two members of Kuwait’s so-called “stateless” community say the Islamic State militant known as “Jihadi John” was born to an undocumented family in an impoverished corner of the oil-rich nation. They told The Associated Press on Monday that family members of militant Mohammed Emwazi in the Gulf …
Read More »Governor of Russia's Sakhalin Island arrested on charges of accepting $5.6-million bribe
MOSCOW – A Moscow court has ordered the governor of the Russian Pacific Island of Sakhalin to be held in custody on charges of accepting a $5.6-million bribe. Gov. Alexander Khoroshavin was arrested Wednesday and flown to Moscow, where the Basmanny district court ordered him held pending the probe. Investigator …
Read More »UN Security Council OKs resolution condemning use of chlorine as weapon in Syria
UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. Security Council has approved a United States-drafted resolution that condemns the use of toxic chemicals such as chlorine in Syria without assigning blame, while threatening militarily enforced action in the case of further violations. All members of the 15-seat council approved the resolution except for …
Read More »Colombia's president suspends air attacks on FARC camps, citing progress in peace talks
BOGOTA, Colombia – Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has announced that he has ordered the military to suspend air attacks on camps of the country’s main rebel movement for one month. Colombian troops will continue ground patrols. Santos said during a televised address to his nation Tuesday that his order …
Read More »Special forces kill suspect in attack on restaurant in Mali, army official says
BAMAKO, Mali – A Malian army commander says a suspect in last week’s attack in the capital has been killed by special forces. Army commander Modibo Naman Traore on Friday identified the dead suspect as Mohamed Tanirou Cisse. He said the suspect was believed to have served as a driver …
Read More »UN and Russia worry at reports that Islamic State has established a foothold in Afghanistan
UNITED NATIONS – The top U.N. envoy in Afghanistan says recent reports indicate the Islamic State group has established a foothold in Afghanistan, a view echoed by Russia which urged the Security Council to stop the extremists’ expansion. Nicholas Haysom told the council Monday the U.N. mission’s assessment is that …
Read More »NATO commander: West must contest Russia's social-media postures in 'informational warfare'
BRUSSELS – NATO’s supreme commander says the West must do more to counter Russia by employing a rapid-reaction approach to internet communications that counteracts Russia’s “false narratives” spread on social media. Gen. Philip Breedlove said Sunday that Vladimir Putin’s Russia has been waging information warfare as part of its actions …
Read More »Correction: Japan-Nuclear-Flawed Cleanup story
TOKYO – In a March 24 story about flawed projects at the Fukushima nuclear plant, The Associated Press erroneously described the spending as coming from taxpayer money allocated for the plant’s cleanup. It actually was part of 350 billion yen ($3 billion) paid for by plant operator Tokyo Electric Power …
Read More »Turkish flight diverted to Casablanca in bomb threat hoax
ISTANBUL – Turkish Airlines said it diverted an Istanbul-to-Sao Paulo flight with 256 people aboard to Morocco after finding a note with the word “bomb” in the toilet. The airline later declared Monday’s incident on Flight TK15 a hoax after the Boeing 777 was searched in Casablanca. It said the …
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