Turkey doesn&#39;t mind joining forces with the United States to defeat Islamic State in Syria, Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.&nbsp; 
 
Erdogan said they would do &quot;what is necessary&quot; to expel IS from its de facto capital city of Raqqa in North Syria. 
 
Erdogan said US President Obama and he met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in China to discuss how to beat the IS. 
 
&quot;I said &#39;our soldiers should come together and discuss, then what is necessary will be done&#39;,&quot; Erdogan told the Hurriyet Daily. 
 
&quot;Obama wants to do something together especially on the issue of Raqqa,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;I said there would be no problem from our perspective.&quot; 
 
Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli said though the both countries favoured a joint operation, no decision has been made yet. &quot;As of now, talks between (the two) militaries are continuing,&quot; he said. 
 
Raqqa has been an ugly crucible in the Syrian war, with IS militants taking control of the city in January 2014. The jihadists then made the city its headquarters.&nbsp; 
 
The joint operation plan comes a few days after Turkey launched an offensive dubbed Euphrates Shield against IS in North Syria. 
 
The Turkish forces and Ankara-backed rebel forces have succeeded in ousting the jihadists from the region. 
 
The Turkish operation though came in for criticism as it attacked Kurdish forces who they view as terrorists. 
 
Jarablus was the first town to be retaken on the first day of the operation. Turkey has promised to provide electricity and water to the wartorn town.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP) 
 
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<h2>&nbsp;</h2>

Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said they would do "what is necessary" to expel IS from its de facto capital city of Raqqa

Turkey doesn't mind joining forces with the United States to defeat Islamic State in Syria, Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. Erdogan said they would do "what is necessary" to expel IS from its de facto capital city of Raqqa in North Syria. Erdogan said US President Obama and he met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in China to discuss how to beat the IS. "I said 'our soldiers should come together and discuss, then what is necessary will be done'," Erdogan told the Hurriyet Daily. "Obama wants to do something together especially on the issue of Raqqa," he said. "I said there would be no problem from our perspective." Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli said though the both countries favoured a joint operation, no decision has been made yet. "As of now, talks between (the two) militaries are continuing," he said. Raqqa has been an ugly crucible in the Syrian war, with IS militants taking control of the city in January 2014. The jihadists then made the city its headquarters. The joint operation plan comes a few days after Turkey launched an offensive dubbed Euphrates Shield against IS in North Syria. The Turkish forces and Ankara-backed rebel forces have succeeded in ousting the jihadists from the region. The Turkish operation though came in for criticism as it attacked Kurdish forces who they view as terrorists. Jarablus was the first town to be retaken on the first day of the operation. Turkey has promised to provide electricity and water to the wartorn town. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Turkey, US sound out joint attack plan on IS

US President Barack Obama today praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for&nbsp;ushering &quot;bold&quot; tax reforms in India. 
 
The Indian parliament had cleared a landmark tax law named Goods and Services Tax in August. The law has been broadly lauded&nbsp;for simplifying India&#39;s taxation structure.&nbsp; 
 
Modi first met Obama briefly when they were onstage to pose for a family photograph at the G20 Summit venue in this eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou. The two leaders had another opportunity to exchange views during an informal evening programme. 
 
Obama in his intervention during the G20 summit praised Modi for the recent tax reform as an example of &quot;bold policy&quot; in an otherwise &quot;difficult global economic scenario&quot;. 
 
Later, Modi said that more than just &quot;difficult conversations&quot; needed to be taken to tackle the economic downturn.&nbsp; 
 
China President Xi Jinping also sounded alarm about the current economic climate.

Rise in protectionist policies have pushed global economy to the brink, warned Xi Jinping on the first of the two-day G20 summit. 
 
Jinping stressed the need to come around to work towards righting the depressed global economy.&nbsp; 
 
The comments come a month after Australia stonewalled a Chinese bid of&nbsp;$7.7 billion&nbsp;to buy the country&#39;s biggest energy grid, a move perceived to be being protectionist in nature. 
 
&quot;Growth drivers from the previous round of technological progress are gradually fading, while a new round of technological and industrial revolution has yet to gain momentum,&quot; he said. 
 
Xi also asked the G20 nations to back the talk.&nbsp;&quot;We should turn the G20 group into an action team, instead of a talk shop,&quot; he said. 
 
Meanwhile, the security remained tight in Hangzhou to ensure the summit passed&nbsp;off&nbsp;incident-free.&nbsp;

Modi later stressed about the need to take tough decisions to tide over the current global economic crisis

US President Barack Obama today praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ushering "bold" tax reforms in India. The Indian parliament had cleared a landmark tax law named Goods and Services Tax in August. The law has been broadly lauded for simplifying India's taxation structure. Modi first met Obama briefly when they were onstage to pose for a family photograph at the G20 Summit venue in this eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou. The two leaders had another opportunity to exchange views during an informal evening programme. Obama in his intervention during the G20 summit praised Modi for the recent tax reform as an example of "bold policy" in an otherwise "difficult global economic scenario". Later, Modi said that more than just "difficult conversations" needed to be taken to tackle the economic downturn. China President Xi Jinping also sounded alarm about the current economic climate. Rise in protectionist policies have pushed global economy to the brink, warned Xi Jinping on the first of the two-day G20 summit. Jinping stressed the need to come around to work towards righting the depressed global economy. The comments come a month after Australia stonewalled a Chinese bid of $7.7 billion to buy the country's biggest energy grid, a move perceived to be being protectionist in nature. "Growth drivers from the previous round of technological progress are gradually fading, while a new round of technological and industrial revolution has yet to gain momentum," he said. Xi also asked the G20 nations to back the talk. "We should turn the G20 group into an action team, instead of a talk shop," he said. Meanwhile, the security remained tight in Hangzhou to ensure the summit passed off incident-free.

Obama lauds India PM Narendra Modi for ushering 'bold' tax reforms

Barack Obama is set to begin his last trip to Asia as US President on Saturday and he will aim to seal his signature policy shift towards the Pacific. But the post-Brexit crisis and the battle against IS will be a distraction. 
 
Obama will attend the G20 summit in China and his meeting with the Chinese Premier Xi Jinping will determine the course for his successor, set to be elected in November. 
 
Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton who has served as Obama&rsquo;s former secretary of state and was a co-architect of his Asia strategy, opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, raising concerns from partners in the 12-country pact. 
 
Clinton&rsquo;s Republican rival Donald Trump has shocked &nbsp;allies like Japan and South Korea by suggesting &nbsp;they should pay more for their security and develop their own nuclear weapons to protect against the threat posed by North Korea. 
 
&quot;In Asia, one of the challenges the US has had throughout Obama&rsquo;s presidency is one of reassurance: that we actually say what we mean what we say when we say we intend to rebalance to Asia,&quot; said Derek Chollet, a former defence adviser to Obama told Reuters. 
 
&quot;Asia partners are suspicious that even if we really mean it, that we&rsquo;re easily sidetracked,&quot; said Chollet 
 
Obama and Xi Jinping&nbsp;have cooperated on combating climate change and curbing Iran&#39;s nuclear drive but have failed to clear their countries&rsquo; main differences. 
 
The US has made several &nbsp;accusations of cyber hacking by the Chinese and there are disputes over trade, topped by Beijing&#39;s contested claims in the South China Sea. 
 
Michael Green, Asia adviser to former Republican president George W. Bush, said he did not expect the Obama-Xi meeting to yield much. &quot;No grand joint declaration as we saw early in the administration, no celebration - perhaps some agreements on climate change - but a pretty rough and scratchy relationship,&quot; Green told Reuters. 
 
Obama will also hold talks with NATO ally Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan but the talks will be clouded by strained relations over the strategy on Syrian civil war and war and concerns about Erdogan&#39;s crackdown on opponents after the failed coup in July. 
 
(WION with inputs from Reuters)
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He will attend the G20 summit in China and hold talks with NATO ally Turkish President Erdogan

Barack Obama is set to begin his last trip to Asia as US President on Saturday and he will aim to seal his signature policy shift towards the Pacific. But the post-Brexit crisis and the battle against IS will be a distraction. Obama will attend the G20 summit in China and his meeting with the Chinese Premier Xi Jinping will determine the course for his successor, set to be elected in November. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton who has served as Obama’s former secretary of state and was a co-architect of his Asia strategy, opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, raising concerns from partners in the 12-country pact. Clinton’s Republican rival Donald Trump has shocked allies like Japan and South Korea by suggesting they should pay more for their security and develop their own nuclear weapons to protect against the threat posed by North Korea. "In Asia, one of the challenges the US has had throughout Obama’s presidency is one of reassurance: that we actually say what we mean what we say when we say we intend to rebalance to Asia," said Derek Chollet, a former defence adviser to Obama told Reuters. "Asia partners are suspicious that even if we really mean it, that we’re easily sidetracked," said Chollet Obama and Xi Jinping have cooperated on combating climate change and curbing Iran's nuclear drive but have failed to clear their countries’ main differences. The US has made several accusations of cyber hacking by the Chinese and there are disputes over trade, topped by Beijing's contested claims in the South China Sea. Michael Green, Asia adviser to former Republican president George W. Bush, said he did not expect the Obama-Xi meeting to yield much. "No grand joint declaration as we saw early in the administration, no celebration - perhaps some agreements on climate change - but a pretty rough and scratchy relationship," Green told Reuters. Obama will also hold talks with NATO ally Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan but the talks will be clouded by strained relations over the strategy on Syrian civil war and war and concerns about Erdogan's crackdown on opponents after the failed coup in July. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Obama to begin complicated last trip to Asia as President

&nbsp;US President Barack Obama on Friday will expand the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument off the coast of Hawaii &nbsp;the White House said, making it the world&#39;s largest marine reserve,&nbsp; 
 
This will put a ban on commercial fishing from more than 582,500 square miles of the Pacific Ocean. 
 
Obama will visit the area on September 1 in an attempt to highlight the threat that climate change poses to oceans. 
 
Obama will also travel to Midway Atoll, located inside the protected area. 
 
There he will make the case that climate change &quot;makes protecting our public lands and waters more important than ever,&quot; according to the White House. 
 
The protected area which is already bigger than Greece will be twice the size of France with the expansion. 
 
Papahanaumokuakea houses more than 7,000 marine species, including black coral, which can live more than 4,500 years. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, which is already bigger than Greece, will be twice the size of France with an expansion

US President Barack Obama on Friday will expand the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument off the coast of Hawaii the White House said, making it the world's largest marine reserve, This will put a ban on commercial fishing from more than 582,500 square miles of the Pacific Ocean. Obama will visit the area on September 1 in an attempt to highlight the threat that climate change poses to oceans. Obama will also travel to Midway Atoll, located inside the protected area. There he will make the case that climate change "makes protecting our public lands and waters more important than ever," according to the White House. The protected area which is already bigger than Greece will be twice the size of France with the expansion. Papahanaumokuakea houses more than 7,000 marine species, including black coral, which can live more than 4,500 years. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Obama set to create world's largest marine reserve off the coast of Hawaii

The Pentagon has dropped a claim against a former Navy SEAL who wrote about his experiences in the US raid that killed&nbsp;Osama bin Laden, after he agreed to forfeit earnings from the book, his lawyer said on Friday.

Matt Bissonnette, who in 2012 published a book about his role in the raid titled &quot;No Easy Day,&quot; has finalized a settlement with the US government, Robert Luskin confirmed.

&quot;Mr Bissonnette has agreed to pay the United States all of his past and future proceeds from the publication of &#39;No Easy Day&quot;, Department of Justice spokesperson Nicole Navas said earlier in a statement.

Bissonnette will pay the US government some $6.8 million in book royalties and speaking fees, Luskin said.

The Obama administration had filed a claim against Bissonnette for publishing the book without Pentagon approval and violating non-disclosure agreements.

&quot;After the initial accusations of me leaking all that classified stuff... they found nothing,&quot; Bissonnette told the Daily Beast.

&quot;They were just upset with me and wanted to get me one way or another,&quot; he added. &quot;For four years, they looked into every little thing. Now... one signature and it all goes away.&quot;

The US government had been accused of a double standard for targeting Bissonnette after US officials described the&nbsp;Bin&nbsp;Laden&nbsp;raid in great detail to Mark Boal, the screenwriter for &quot;Zero Dark Thirty&quot;, directed by Kathryn Bigelow. 
 
SEALs and other commando units are shrouded in secrecy and, traditionally at least, the special operators have frowned upon talking publicly about past missions. 
 
(AFP)

This comes after US government had filed a claim against the author for publishing the book without getting Pentagon's approval

The Pentagon has dropped a claim against a former Navy SEAL who wrote about his experiences in the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden, after he agreed to forfeit earnings from the book, his lawyer said on Friday. Matt Bissonnette, who in 2012 published a book about his role in the raid titled "No Easy Day," has finalized a settlement with the US government, Robert Luskin confirmed. "Mr Bissonnette has agreed to pay the United States all of his past and future proceeds from the publication of 'No Easy Day", Department of Justice spokesperson Nicole Navas said earlier in a statement. Bissonnette will pay the US government some $6.8 million in book royalties and speaking fees, Luskin said. The Obama administration had filed a claim against Bissonnette for publishing the book without Pentagon approval and violating non-disclosure agreements. "After the initial accusations of me leaking all that classified stuff... they found nothing," Bissonnette told the Daily Beast. "They were just upset with me and wanted to get me one way or another," he added. "For four years, they looked into every little thing. Now... one signature and it all goes away." The US government had been accused of a double standard for targeting Bissonnette after US officials described the Bin Laden raid in great detail to Mark Boal, the screenwriter for "Zero Dark Thirty", directed by Kathryn Bigelow. SEALs and other commando units are shrouded in secrecy and, traditionally at least, the special operators have frowned upon talking publicly about past missions. (AFP)

Bin Laden raid author to forfeit close to $7m from book earnings

US officials said on Monday 15 inmates from the&nbsp;Guantanamo prison were&nbsp;transferred to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the single largest&nbsp;transfer&nbsp;of&nbsp;Guantanamo detainees during President Barack Obama&#39;s administration.

The&nbsp;transfer&nbsp;of the 12 Yemeni and three Afghan citizens brings the total number of detainees down to 61 at the US naval base in&nbsp;Guantanamo&nbsp;Bay, Cuba. Most have been held without charge or trial for more than a decade, drawing international condemnation.

Obama, who had hoped to close the prison during his first year in office, rolled out his plan in February aimed at shutting the facility. But he faces opposition from many Republican lawmakers as well as some fellow Democrats.

&quot;In its race to close Gitmo, the Obama administration is doubling down on policies that put American lives at risk,&quot; Republican Representative Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement.

&quot;Once again, hardened terrorists are being released to foreign countries where they will be a threat,&quot; he said.

While Obama&#39;s plan for shuttering the facility calls for bringing the several dozen remaining prisoners to maximum-security prisons in the United States, US&nbsp;law bars such&nbsp;transfers to the mainland. Obama, though, has not ruled out doing so by executive action.

&quot;I think we are at an extremely dangerous point where there is a significant possibility this is going to remain open as a permanent offshore prison to hold people, practically until they die,&quot; said Naureen Shah, Amnesty International&#39;s US&nbsp;director for security and human rights.

Shah said keeping&nbsp;Guantanamo&nbsp;open gave cover to foreign governments to ignore human rights.

&quot;It weakens the US&nbsp;government&#39;s hand in arguing against torture and indefinite detention,&quot; she said.

One of the detainees who was&nbsp;transferred is an Afghan national, identified as Obaidullah, who has spent more than 13 years at&nbsp;Guantanamo. He had been accused of storing mines to be used against American forces in Afghanistan.

&quot;The continued operation of the detention facility weakens our national security by draining resources, damaging our relationships with key allies and partners, and emboldening violent extremists,&quot; Lee Wolosky, the State Department&#39;s special envoy for closing the&nbsp;Guantanamodetention centre, said.

&quot;The support of our friends and allies&nbsp;- like the UAE -&nbsp;&nbsp;is critical to our achieving this shared goal,&quot; Wolosky said.

A State Department official speaking on condition of anonymity said the UAE had resettled five detainees&nbsp;transferred in November 2015. 
 
(Reuters) 
 
&nbsp;

Obama rolled out a plan in February aimed at shutting the facility but?faces opposition from some fellow democrats and Republicans

US officials said on Monday 15 inmates from the Guantanamo prison were transferred to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the single largest transfer of Guantanamo detainees during President Barack Obama's administration. The transfer of the 12 Yemeni and three Afghan citizens brings the total number of detainees down to 61 at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Most have been held without charge or trial for more than a decade, drawing international condemnation. Obama, who had hoped to close the prison during his first year in office, rolled out his plan in February aimed at shutting the facility. But he faces opposition from many Republican lawmakers as well as some fellow Democrats. "In its race to close Gitmo, the Obama administration is doubling down on policies that put American lives at risk," Republican Representative Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement. "Once again, hardened terrorists are being released to foreign countries where they will be a threat," he said. While Obama's plan for shuttering the facility calls for bringing the several dozen remaining prisoners to maximum-security prisons in the United States, US law bars such transfers to the mainland. Obama, though, has not ruled out doing so by executive action. "I think we are at an extremely dangerous point where there is a significant possibility this is going to remain open as a permanent offshore prison to hold people, practically until they die," said Naureen Shah, Amnesty International's US director for security and human rights. Shah said keeping Guantanamo open gave cover to foreign governments to ignore human rights. "It weakens the US government's hand in arguing against torture and indefinite detention," she said. One of the detainees who was transferred is an Afghan national, identified as Obaidullah, who has spent more than 13 years at Guantanamo. He had been accused of storing mines to be used against American forces in Afghanistan. "The continued operation of the detention facility weakens our national security by draining resources, damaging our relationships with key allies and partners, and emboldening violent extremists," Lee Wolosky, the State Department's special envoy for closing the Guantanamodetention centre, said. "The support of our friends and allies - like the UAE - is critical to our achieving this shared goal," Wolosky said. A State Department official speaking on condition of anonymity said the UAE had resettled five detainees transferred in November 2015. (Reuters)

15 sent to UAE in single largest transfer of Guantanamo inmates during Obama adminsitration

Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump on Monday unveiled his anti-terrorism plan, saying he would implement &quot;extreme vetting&quot; of immigrants and suspend immigration from certain countries to protect the United States. 
 
In a policy speech in the swing state of Ohio, the billionaire real estate mogul -- who is vying with Hillary Clinton for the White House -- vowed to &quot;crush and destroy&quot; the Islamic State group, accusing Clinton and President Barack Obama of allowing it to grow. 
 
He also pledged to launch a &quot;commission on radical Islam&quot; to root out jihadist networks and stop radicalization of young Americans. 
 
&quot;We should only admit into this country those who share our values and respect our people,&quot; Trump said.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;In the Cold War, we had an ideological screening test. The time is overdue to develop a new screening test for the threats we face today. I call it extreme vetting.&quot; 
 
Trump called for a &quot;new approach&quot; to fighting terror, slamming the policies put in place by Obama and Clinton, who served as his first secretary of state. 
 
&quot;Our current strategy of nation building and regime change is a proven absolute failure. We have created the vacuums that allow terrorism to grow and thrive,&quot; he said. 
 
(AFP) 
 
Trump said he would suspend immigration from &quot;some of the most dangerous and volatile regions of the world, that have a history of exporting terrorism.&quot;

Republican presidential hopeful also spoke about crushing IS in a policy speech made in Ohio

Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump on Monday unveiled his anti-terrorism plan, saying he would implement "extreme vetting" of immigrants and suspend immigration from certain countries to protect the United States. In a policy speech in the swing state of Ohio, the billionaire real estate mogul -- who is vying with Hillary Clinton for the White House -- vowed to "crush and destroy" the Islamic State group, accusing Clinton and President Barack Obama of allowing it to grow. He also pledged to launch a "commission on radical Islam" to root out jihadist networks and stop radicalization of young Americans. "We should only admit into this country those who share our values and respect our people," Trump said. "In the Cold War, we had an ideological screening test. The time is overdue to develop a new screening test for the threats we face today. I call it extreme vetting." Trump called for a "new approach" to fighting terror, slamming the policies put in place by Obama and Clinton, who served as his first secretary of state. "Our current strategy of nation building and regime change is a proven absolute failure. We have created the vacuums that allow terrorism to grow and thrive," he said. (AFP) Trump said he would suspend immigration from "some of the most dangerous and volatile regions of the world, that have a history of exporting terrorism."

Donald Trump vows 'extreme vetting' of immigrants

Republican Donald Trump on Friday backed away from comments calling President Barack Obama and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton the founders of the militant group Islamic State, while the Republican Party sought to project unity behind their candidate.&nbsp; 
 
A new poll showed Trump, whose unfiltered speaking style has repeatedly landed him in hot water, losing ground in three crucial states ahead of the November 8 general election against Clinton. 
 
In a surprise appearance, Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus, who in private expressed fury over some of Trump`s actions earlier this month, introduced the candidate at a campaign event in Erie, Pennsylvania, and the two hugged onstage. 
&quot;We&rsquo;re so honoured to be working with Donald Trump and the campaign,&quot; Priebus told thousands of Trump supporters. 
 
&quot;And don&rsquo;t believe the garbage you read. Let me tell you something. Donald Trump, the Republican Party, all of you, we&rsquo;re going to put him in the White House and save this country together.&quot; 
 
Republican sources earlier this month said Priebus was furious over Trump&#39;s failure to endorse House of Representatives speaker Paul Ryan and his feud with the parents of a Muslim American soldier killed in Iraq. Trump did endorse Ryan a few days later. 
 
Trump brought Priebus on stage later at another rally, in Altoona, Pennsylvania, to thank him for the work he has done as he insisted there is great unity in the party. 
 
&quot;I have to say we have great unification,&quot; Trump said. 
 
Trump on Friday told the rallies in Altoona and Erie that his remarks earlier this week calling Obama and Clinton the founders of ISIS, as Islamic State is also known, had been sarcastic. 
 
&quot;I have been saying because it&#39;s true, but somewhat sarcastically, that he`s the founder of ISIS and she&#39;s a close second,&quot; Trump said in Altoona. 
 
Trump first made the unfounded claim on Wednesday and repeated it through the week. 
 
Trump claimed sarcasm in July as well after he was heavily criticized for inviting Russia to dig up tens of thousands of &quot;missing&quot; emails from Clinton`s time as US secretary of state. 
 
Waning support 
 
A Wall Street Journal/NBC News/Marist poll released on Friday suggested support for Trump is eroding among voters in three battleground states. 
 
Such states are hotly contested because their populations can swing either to Republicans or Democrats and thus play a decisive role in presidential elections, which are ultimately decided by the state-by-state tally of the Electoral College. 
 
The poll found Clinton widening her lead in Colorado, Virginia and North Carolina, while holding her advantage in Florida.&nbsp; 
 
Clinton released her tax returns on Friday, painting the move as a sign of transparency that her campaign says Trump lacks. 
 
U.S. presidential candidates are not required to release their tax returns, but it has become a common custom. 
 
Trump has cited an audit by the Internal Revenue Service in refusing to release his returns. Trump also has said his taxes are no one`s business and that they reveal little. 
 
Trump scheduled a speech in Warren, Ohio, on Monday that will focus on how he would handle the threat posed by Islamic State. Trump has said he would &quot;knock the hell out of ISIS,&quot; without offering details. 
 
Trump has been mired in repeated controversies in recent days. He drew heavy criticism after he suggested gun rights activists could take action against Clinton, a statement he later said was aimed at rallying votes against her. 
 
Nearly one-fifth of registered Republicans now want Trump to drop out of the race for the White House, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday. 
 
Republicans frequently trace the birth of Islamic State to the Obama administration&rsquo;s decision to withdraw the last U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of 2011. 
 
But many analysts argue its roots lie in the decision of George W Bush&rsquo;s Republican administration to invade Iraq in 2003 without a plan to fill the vacuum created by Saddam Hussein&rsquo;s ouster. It was Bush&rsquo;s administration that negotiated the 2009 agreement that called for the withdrawal of all US forces from Iraq by December 31, 2011. 
 
At his Erie event, Trump seemed to acknowledge he is facing a formidable opponent in Clinton as well as a difficult electoral path. 
 
&quot;The Republicans have a tougher path &ndash; not my fault,&rdquo; he said. 
 
He said Clinton`s campaign is smart to keep her out of the spotlight. 
 
&quot;She doesn&rsquo;t talk to reporters very often. ... She doesn&rsquo;t expose what&rsquo;s going on up here, which isn&rsquo;t good,&rdquo; he said, meaning her brain. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s doesn&rsquo;t expose her mind to questions. What they want to do is try to fake it through.&rdquo; 
 
Trump also said in Altoona that the only way he could lose Pennsylvania to Clinton is if &quot;cheating goes on.&quot; 
 
He said he wants authorities to monitor the voting closely. &quot;I know what`s happening here, folks. She can`t beat what`s happening here.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Republican frontrunner also gets public show of support from party's national committee chairman

Republican Donald Trump on Friday backed away from comments calling President Barack Obama and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton the founders of the militant group Islamic State, while the Republican Party sought to project unity behind their candidate. A new poll showed Trump, whose unfiltered speaking style has repeatedly landed him in hot water, losing ground in three crucial states ahead of the November 8 general election against Clinton. In a surprise appearance, Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus, who in private expressed fury over some of Trump`s actions earlier this month, introduced the candidate at a campaign event in Erie, Pennsylvania, and the two hugged onstage. "We’re so honoured to be working with Donald Trump and the campaign," Priebus told thousands of Trump supporters. "And don’t believe the garbage you read. Let me tell you something. Donald Trump, the Republican Party, all of you, we’re going to put him in the White House and save this country together." Republican sources earlier this month said Priebus was furious over Trump's failure to endorse House of Representatives speaker Paul Ryan and his feud with the parents of a Muslim American soldier killed in Iraq. Trump did endorse Ryan a few days later. Trump brought Priebus on stage later at another rally, in Altoona, Pennsylvania, to thank him for the work he has done as he insisted there is great unity in the party. "I have to say we have great unification," Trump said. Trump on Friday told the rallies in Altoona and Erie that his remarks earlier this week calling Obama and Clinton the founders of ISIS, as Islamic State is also known, had been sarcastic. "I have been saying because it's true, but somewhat sarcastically, that he`s the founder of ISIS and she's a close second," Trump said in Altoona. Trump first made the unfounded claim on Wednesday and repeated it through the week. Trump claimed sarcasm in July as well after he was heavily criticized for inviting Russia to dig up tens of thousands of "missing" emails from Clinton`s time as US secretary of state. Waning support A Wall Street Journal/NBC News/Marist poll released on Friday suggested support for Trump is eroding among voters in three battleground states. Such states are hotly contested because their populations can swing either to Republicans or Democrats and thus play a decisive role in presidential elections, which are ultimately decided by the state-by-state tally of the Electoral College. The poll found Clinton widening her lead in Colorado, Virginia and North Carolina, while holding her advantage in Florida. Clinton released her tax returns on Friday, painting the move as a sign of transparency that her campaign says Trump lacks. U.S. presidential candidates are not required to release their tax returns, but it has become a common custom. Trump has cited an audit by the Internal Revenue Service in refusing to release his returns. Trump also has said his taxes are no one`s business and that they reveal little. Trump scheduled a speech in Warren, Ohio, on Monday that will focus on how he would handle the threat posed by Islamic State. Trump has said he would "knock the hell out of ISIS," without offering details. Trump has been mired in repeated controversies in recent days. He drew heavy criticism after he suggested gun rights activists could take action against Clinton, a statement he later said was aimed at rallying votes against her. Nearly one-fifth of registered Republicans now want Trump to drop out of the race for the White House, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday. Republicans frequently trace the birth of Islamic State to the Obama administration’s decision to withdraw the last U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of 2011. But many analysts argue its roots lie in the decision of George W Bush’s Republican administration to invade Iraq in 2003 without a plan to fill the vacuum created by Saddam Hussein’s ouster. It was Bush’s administration that negotiated the 2009 agreement that called for the withdrawal of all US forces from Iraq by December 31, 2011. At his Erie event, Trump seemed to acknowledge he is facing a formidable opponent in Clinton as well as a difficult electoral path. "The Republicans have a tougher path – not my fault,” he said. He said Clinton`s campaign is smart to keep her out of the spotlight. "She doesn’t talk to reporters very often. ... She doesn’t expose what’s going on up here, which isn’t good,” he said, meaning her brain. “She’s doesn’t expose her mind to questions. What they want to do is try to fake it through.” Trump also said in Altoona that the only way he could lose Pennsylvania to Clinton is if "cheating goes on." He said he wants authorities to monitor the voting closely. "I know what`s happening here, folks. She can`t beat what`s happening here." (Reuters)

Obama, Clinton being founders of IS remark 'sarcasm', says Trump

How have Barack Obama&#39;s musical tastes changed in his last year in the White House? Judging from his playlists, he is getting into more indie rock.

Obama&nbsp;on Thursday&nbsp;for the second year in a row released summer playlists on streaming service Spotify, revealing what&#39;s on his speakers as he relaxes with his family on an annual holiday to tony Martha&#39;s Vineyard.&nbsp;Like the previous year, Obama&#39;s two playlists,&nbsp;one for daytime and one for nighttime listening,&nbsp;have plenty of classics including songs from Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Miles Davis and The Beach Boys.

But he also showed a taste for indie rock this year. He listed &quot;Elevator Operator&quot; by Courtney Barnett, the Australian songwriter who has recently built a strong if niche following with her droll lyricism.&nbsp;Obama also picked &quot;Home&quot; by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, indie rockers who incidentally were prominent campaigners for former Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders. 
 
&nbsp;

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Been waiting to drop this: summer playlist, the encore. What&#39;s everybody listening to? <a href="https://t.co/mqh1YVrycj">pic.twitter.com/mqh1YVrycj</a>
&mdash; President Obama (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/763744742072913920">August 11, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="~/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div>

 
While most of Obama&#39;s musical choices steered clear of politics, an exception was &quot;Forever Begins&quot; by the Chicago rapper Common, a track produced by Kanye West that delves into the civil rights struggle and touches on gun violence.&nbsp;The president also chose Fiona Apple&#39;s 1997 hit &quot;Criminal&quot;, a song often interpreted as feminist with its theme of male fragility in the face of female sexuality.

Obama did not confine his selections to US artists. He chose a track by Caetano Veloso, a prominent figure in Brazil&#39;s tropicalia movement and outspoken critic of the country&#39;s former military dictatorship.

Obama chose Veloso&#39;s version of &quot;Cucurrucucu Paloma&quot;, an often-covered Mexican song of longing that was popularised in part by Harry Belafonte, the US singer also active in leftist politics.&nbsp;Also on one of Obama&#39;s playlists was &quot;Me Gustas Tu&quot; by Manu Chao, the Parisian singer of Spanish descent known for his attacks on globalisation.

Other prominent artists whose tracks have Obama&#39;s ear include pop superstar Janet Jackson, reclusive R&amp;B sensation D&#39;Angelo, soul singer Janelle Monae and blues rocker Gary Clark Jr.&nbsp;Obama has often spoken of his love of discovering music and has invited artists to the White House, including the late pop icon Prince and politically conscious rapper Kendrick Lamar. 
 
 
Here are the playlists in full:&nbsp;

Obama&#39;s Summer Playlist: Daytime

&ldquo;LoveHate Thing&rdquo; &ndash; Wale

&ldquo;Smooth Sailin&#39;&rdquo; &ndash; Leon Bridges

&ldquo;Elevator Operator&rdquo; &ndash; Courtney Barnett

&ldquo;Home&rdquo; &ndash; Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

&ldquo;Many the Miles&rdquo; &ndash; Sara Bareilles

&ldquo;Tightrope&rdquo; &ndash; Janelle Mon?e

&ldquo;Classic Man&rdquo; &ndash; Jidenna

&ldquo;So Ambitious&rdquo; &ndash; Jay Z feat. Pharrell

&ldquo;Me Gustas Tu&rdquo; &ndash; Manu Chao

&ldquo;Forever Begins&rdquo; &ndash; Common

&ldquo;The Man&rdquo; &ndash; Aloe Blacc

&ldquo;As We Enter&rdquo; &ndash; Nas &amp; Damian &ldquo;Jr. Gong&rdquo; Marley

&ldquo;Sinnerman&rdquo; &ndash; Nina Simone

&ldquo;U Got the Look&rdquo; &ndash; Prince

&ldquo;Rock Steady&rdquo; &ndash; Aretha Franklin

&ldquo;Good Vibrations&rdquo; &ndash; Beach Boys

&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t Owe You A Thang&rdquo; &ndash; Gary Clark Jr.

&ldquo;Man Like That&rdquo; &ndash; Gin Wigmore

&ldquo;II B.S. (edit)&rdquo; &ndash; Charles Mingus 
 
 
Obama&#39;s Summer Playlist: Night 
&nbsp;

&ldquo;If I Have My Way&rdquo; &ndash; Chrisette Michele

&ldquo;Espera&rdquo; &ndash; Esperanza Spalding

&ldquo;Tell It Like It Is&rdquo; &ndash; Aaron Neville

&ldquo;Alright&rdquo; &ndash; Ledisi

&ldquo;Trapped By A Thing Called Love&rdquo; &ndash; Denise LaSalle

&ldquo;Lady&rdquo; &ndash; D&rsquo;Angelo

&ldquo;So Very Hard to Go&rdquo; &ndash; Tower of Power

&ldquo;Midnight Sun&rdquo; &ndash; Carmen McCrae

&ldquo;Cucurrucuc? ?Paloma&rdquo; &ndash; Caetano Veloso

&ldquo;Green Aphrodisiac&rdquo; &ndash; Corinne Bailey Rae

&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll Be There for You / You&rsquo;re All I Need&rdquo; &ndash; Mary J. Blige / Method Man

&ldquo;Lover Man&rdquo; &ndash; Billie Holiday

&ldquo;Criminal&rdquo; &ndash; Fiona Apple

&ldquo;Acid Rain&rdquo; &ndash; Chance the Rapper

&ldquo;My Funny Valentine&rdquo; &ndash; Miles Davis

&ldquo;Do You Feel Me&rdquo; &ndash; Anthony Hamilton

&ldquo;I Get Lonely&rdquo; &ndash; Janet Jackson

&ldquo;Lean In&rdquo; &ndash; Lizz Wright

&ldquo;All Day Music&rdquo; &ndash; War

&ldquo;Say Yes&rdquo; &ndash; Floetry 
 
(AFP)

The US president listens to indie rock and classics like Nina Simone. Dabbles in politically conscious music like Chicago's Common and Kanye

How have Barack Obama's musical tastes changed in his last year in the White House? Judging from his playlists, he is getting into more indie rock. Obama on Thursday for the second year in a row released summer playlists on streaming service Spotify, revealing what's on his speakers as he relaxes with his family on an annual holiday to tony Martha's Vineyard. Like the previous year, Obama's two playlists, one for daytime and one for nighttime listening, have plenty of classics including songs from Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Miles Davis and The Beach Boys. But he also showed a taste for indie rock this year. He listed "Elevator Operator" by Courtney Barnett, the Australian songwriter who has recently built a strong if niche following with her droll lyricism. Obama also picked "Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, indie rockers who incidentally were prominent campaigners for former Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders. Been waiting to drop this: summer playlist, the encore. What's everybody listening to? pic.twitter.com/mqh1YVrycj — President Obama (@POTUS) August 11, 2016 While most of Obama's musical choices steered clear of politics, an exception was "Forever Begins" by the Chicago rapper Common, a track produced by Kanye West that delves into the civil rights struggle and touches on gun violence. The president also chose Fiona Apple's 1997 hit "Criminal", a song often interpreted as feminist with its theme of male fragility in the face of female sexuality. Obama did not confine his selections to US artists. He chose a track by Caetano Veloso, a prominent figure in Brazil's tropicalia movement and outspoken critic of the country's former military dictatorship. Obama chose Veloso's version of "Cucurrucucu Paloma", an often-covered Mexican song of longing that was popularised in part by Harry Belafonte, the US singer also active in leftist politics. Also on one of Obama's playlists was "Me Gustas Tu" by Manu Chao, the Parisian singer of Spanish descent known for his attacks on globalisation. Other prominent artists whose tracks have Obama's ear include pop superstar Janet Jackson, reclusive R&B sensation D'Angelo, soul singer Janelle Monae and blues rocker Gary Clark Jr. Obama has often spoken of his love of discovering music and has invited artists to the White House, including the late pop icon Prince and politically conscious rapper Kendrick Lamar. Here are the playlists in full: Obama's Summer Playlist: Daytime “LoveHate Thing” – Wale “Smooth Sailin'” – Leon Bridges “Elevator Operator” – Courtney Barnett “Home” – Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros “Many the Miles” – Sara Bareilles “Tightrope” – Janelle Mon?e “Classic Man” – Jidenna “So Ambitious” – Jay Z feat. Pharrell “Me Gustas Tu” – Manu Chao “Forever Begins” – Common “The Man” – Aloe Blacc “As We Enter” – Nas & Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley “Sinnerman” – Nina Simone “U Got the Look” – Prince “Rock Steady” – Aretha Franklin “Good Vibrations” – Beach Boys “Don’t Owe You A Thang” – Gary Clark Jr. “Man Like That” – Gin Wigmore “II B.S. (edit)” – Charles Mingus Obama's Summer Playlist: Night “If I Have My Way” – Chrisette Michele “Espera” – Esperanza Spalding “Tell It Like It Is” – Aaron Neville “Alright” – Ledisi “Trapped By A Thing Called Love” – Denise LaSalle “Lady” – D’Angelo “So Very Hard to Go” – Tower of Power “Midnight Sun” – Carmen McCrae “Cucurrucuc? ?Paloma” – Caetano Veloso “Green Aphrodisiac” – Corinne Bailey Rae “I’ll Be There for You / You’re All I Need” – Mary J. Blige / Method Man “Lover Man” – Billie Holiday “Criminal” – Fiona Apple “Acid Rain” – Chance the Rapper “My Funny Valentine” – Miles Davis “Do You Feel Me” – Anthony Hamilton “I Get Lonely” – Janet Jackson “Lean In” – Lizz Wright “All Day Music” – War “Say Yes” – Floetry (AFP)

Obama releases summer playlists on Spotify via Twitter

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump called President Barack Obama and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton &quot;co-founders&quot; of Islamic State today, in remarks certain to ignite fresh criticism of his campaign style. 
 
The New York real estate developer has previously criticised Obama and Clinton, secretary of state from 2009-13, for how the United States pulled out of Iraq after the war, saying it helped create the militant Islamist group that has seized swaths of Iraq and Syria. 
 
The idea that a sitting US president created a militant group determined to kill Americans and other Westerners took that criticism to a new level. Trump first made the assertion in a speech on Wednesday night in Florida. He repeated it in an interview Thursday morning with CNBC. 
 
His remarks followed a troubled week for the Republican candidate. Party leaders urged Trump to focus on the campaign to beat Clinton after he drew strong criticism for a persistent confrontation with the family of muslim-American soldier who died in Iraq and for his initial refusal to support prominent Republican candidates in their primary races. 
 
Recent opinion polls have shown Trump losing ground to Clinton, a former US senator and first lady, in the race for the November 8 election. An average of polls by RealClearPolitics has Clinton 7.7 percentage points ahead, at 48 per cent to his 40.3 per cent. 
 
&quot;He (Obama) was the founder of ISIS. And so was she. I mean I call them co-founders,&quot; said Trump, who says he opposed the Iraq war. &quot;He shouldn&#39;t have gotten out way he got out. It was a disaster, what he did,&quot; he told CNBC. 
 
Obama had opposed the Iraq war and campaigned for the White House in 2008 on a promise to end it. The United States pulled out combat troops in 2011. 
 
Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS or ISIL, had its roots in the al Qaeda insurgency that arose after the United States led an invasion of Iraq in 2003. Known for its brutality, the group in 2014 declared an Islamic caliphate in Syria and Iraq, where fighting continues to rage. 
 
Clinton spokesman Jesse Lehrich, in response to Trump&#39;s comments, pointed to US advances against the militant group in Libya this week. &quot;FYI &ndash; US-backed militias retook ISIS&#39;s stronghold in Libya today thanks to Obama-authorized air strikes,&quot; he said in a tweet late on Wednesday. 
 
Trump did not back down, asking on CNBC: &quot;Is there something wrong with saying that? Why - are people complaining that I said he was the founder of ISIS? All I do is tell the truth, I&#39;m a truth teller.&quot; 
 
Supporters of Trump, who has never held elected office, like the combative and often insulting style that has drawn him wide criticism, including from some in his party. He said that if that style costs him the election in 90 days, he goes back to a good life. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s not what I&#39;m looking to do - I think we&#39;re going to have a victory but we&#39;ll see,&quot; he said. 
 
In a wide-ranging interview, Trump also said the United States will continue engaging in free trade if he is elected. 
 
&quot;We are absolutely going to keep trading. I am not an isolationist ... I&#39;m a fair trader,&quot; Trump said. 
 
(Reuters)

The idea that a sitting US president created a militant group determined to kill Americans took the criticism to a new level

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump called President Barack Obama and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton "co-founders" of Islamic State today, in remarks certain to ignite fresh criticism of his campaign style. The New York real estate developer has previously criticised Obama and Clinton, secretary of state from 2009-13, for how the United States pulled out of Iraq after the war, saying it helped create the militant Islamist group that has seized swaths of Iraq and Syria. The idea that a sitting US president created a militant group determined to kill Americans and other Westerners took that criticism to a new level. Trump first made the assertion in a speech on Wednesday night in Florida. He repeated it in an interview Thursday morning with CNBC. His remarks followed a troubled week for the Republican candidate. Party leaders urged Trump to focus on the campaign to beat Clinton after he drew strong criticism for a persistent confrontation with the family of muslim-American soldier who died in Iraq and for his initial refusal to support prominent Republican candidates in their primary races. Recent opinion polls have shown Trump losing ground to Clinton, a former US senator and first lady, in the race for the November 8 election. An average of polls by RealClearPolitics has Clinton 7.7 percentage points ahead, at 48 per cent to his 40.3 per cent. "He (Obama) was the founder of ISIS. And so was she. I mean I call them co-founders," said Trump, who says he opposed the Iraq war. "He shouldn't have gotten out way he got out. It was a disaster, what he did," he told CNBC. Obama had opposed the Iraq war and campaigned for the White House in 2008 on a promise to end it. The United States pulled out combat troops in 2011. Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS or ISIL, had its roots in the al Qaeda insurgency that arose after the United States led an invasion of Iraq in 2003. Known for its brutality, the group in 2014 declared an Islamic caliphate in Syria and Iraq, where fighting continues to rage. Clinton spokesman Jesse Lehrich, in response to Trump's comments, pointed to US advances against the militant group in Libya this week. "FYI – US-backed militias retook ISIS's stronghold in Libya today thanks to Obama-authorized air strikes," he said in a tweet late on Wednesday. Trump did not back down, asking on CNBC: "Is there something wrong with saying that? Why - are people complaining that I said he was the founder of ISIS? All I do is tell the truth, I'm a truth teller." Supporters of Trump, who has never held elected office, like the combative and often insulting style that has drawn him wide criticism, including from some in his party. He said that if that style costs him the election in 90 days, he goes back to a good life. "It's not what I'm looking to do - I think we're going to have a victory but we'll see," he said. In a wide-ranging interview, Trump also said the United States will continue engaging in free trade if he is elected. "We are absolutely going to keep trading. I am not an isolationist ... I'm a fair trader," Trump said. (Reuters)

Trump again calls Obama, Clinton 'co-founders' of Islamic State

Japan, on Saturday, marked 71 years since the city of Hiroshima was destroyed by a US atomic bomb, as its mayor urged the world to unite in abolishing nuclear weapons. 
 
The annual ceremony came just months after Barack Obama became the first sitting US president to visit the city, paying moving tribute to victims of the first atomic bomb. 
 
American B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped its deadly payload, dubbed &quot;Little Boy&quot;, on the western Japanese city at 8:15 am local time on August 6, 1945.&nbsp;Much of the city was incinerated by a wall of heat up to 4,000 degrees Celsius (7,232 Fahrenheit), hot enough to melt steel, killing tens of thousands. 
 
Hiroshima mayor Kazumi Matsui recalled the visit by Obama in his peace declaration during the solemn ceremony.&nbsp;&quot;(His visit) was the proof that Hiroshima&#39;s strong wish not to tolerate the &#39;absolute evil&#39; was shared by President Obama,&quot; he said. &quot;It is the time for us to make actions towards the abolition of the &#39;absolute evil&#39;, the ultimate form of inhumanity, united and with passion.&quot; 
 
The bombing claimed the lives of 140,000 people. Some died immediately while others succumbed to injuries or radiation-related illnesses weeks, months and years later. 
 
A second bomb destroyed the city of Nagasaki three days later. Japan announced its surrender in World War II on August 15. 
 
Many in Japan feel the attacks amount to war crimes and atrocities because they targeted civilians and due to the unprecedented destructive nature of the weapons.&nbsp;But many Americans believe they hastened the end of a bloody conflict, and ultimately saved lives, thus justifying the bombings. 
 
Obama, in May, embraced survivors as he made his historic visit to the city and its Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. 
 
&quot;71 years ago, death fell from the sky and the world was changed,&quot; he said of the bomb, adding it &quot;demonstrated that mankind possessed the means to destroy itself&quot;. 
 
Obama offered no apology for the bombings, having insisted he would not revisit decisions made by then president Harry Truman.&nbsp;But his moving tribute and brief conversations with elderly atom bomb survivors, which included an unexpected embrace with one of them, profoundly impressed most Japanese. 
 
Since Obama went to Hiroshima the park and accompanying memorial museum have witnessed an increase in visitors. 
 
But an association of atomic bomb survivors has criticised his speech, saying he failed to explicitly mention US responsibility for the bombing.&nbsp;Abe, who also attended the service, faced harsh criticism last year, especially from A-bomb survivors, for his policy of expanding the role of Japan&#39;s military and opening the door to possibly sending troops into combat for the first time since the war. 
 
(AFP)

Much of the city was incinerated by a wall of heat up to 4,000 degrees Celsius. 140,000 died, some immediately, some weeks and years later

Japan, on Saturday, marked 71 years since the city of Hiroshima was destroyed by a US atomic bomb, as its mayor urged the world to unite in abolishing nuclear weapons. The annual ceremony came just months after Barack Obama became the first sitting US president to visit the city, paying moving tribute to victims of the first atomic bomb. American B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped its deadly payload, dubbed "Little Boy", on the western Japanese city at 8:15 am local time on August 6, 1945. Much of the city was incinerated by a wall of heat up to 4,000 degrees Celsius (7,232 Fahrenheit), hot enough to melt steel, killing tens of thousands. Hiroshima mayor Kazumi Matsui recalled the visit by Obama in his peace declaration during the solemn ceremony. "(His visit) was the proof that Hiroshima's strong wish not to tolerate the 'absolute evil' was shared by President Obama," he said. "It is the time for us to make actions towards the abolition of the 'absolute evil', the ultimate form of inhumanity, united and with passion." The bombing claimed the lives of 140,000 people. Some died immediately while others succumbed to injuries or radiation-related illnesses weeks, months and years later. A second bomb destroyed the city of Nagasaki three days later. Japan announced its surrender in World War II on August 15. Many in Japan feel the attacks amount to war crimes and atrocities because they targeted civilians and due to the unprecedented destructive nature of the weapons. But many Americans believe they hastened the end of a bloody conflict, and ultimately saved lives, thus justifying the bombings. Obama, in May, embraced survivors as he made his historic visit to the city and its Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. "71 years ago, death fell from the sky and the world was changed," he said of the bomb, adding it "demonstrated that mankind possessed the means to destroy itself". Obama offered no apology for the bombings, having insisted he would not revisit decisions made by then president Harry Truman. But his moving tribute and brief conversations with elderly atom bomb survivors, which included an unexpected embrace with one of them, profoundly impressed most Japanese. Since Obama went to Hiroshima the park and accompanying memorial museum have witnessed an increase in visitors. But an association of atomic bomb survivors has criticised his speech, saying he failed to explicitly mention US responsibility for the bombing. Abe, who also attended the service, faced harsh criticism last year, especially from A-bomb survivors, for his policy of expanding the role of Japan's military and opening the door to possibly sending troops into combat for the first time since the war. (AFP)

Japan observes 71st anniversary of Hiroshima nuclear bombing

President Barack Obama on Thursday touted progress he said the United States and its allies had made in the military campaign against Islamic State, but warned that the militant group still can direct and inspire attacks.

The United States is leading a military coalition conducting air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, where the group seized broad swathes of territory in 2014. It has succeeded in breaking Islamic State&#39;s grip on some towns, although it still controls its two de facto capitals, Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria.

The president, criticized for suggesting Islamic State was made up of amateurs, presented a more measured assessment on Thursday.

He said the last two years of the US-led air and ground campaign have proved that the extremist group can be beaten in conventional military fights but that it has shown the ability to carry out damaging, small-scale attacks.

&quot;I am pleased with the progress that we&#39;ve made on the ground in Iraq and Syria,&quot; Obama told a news conference at the Pentagon after meeting with officials directing the campaign, but added: &quot;We&#39;re far from freeing Mosul and Raqqa.&quot;While the campaign against Islamic State in Iraq, Syria and now Libya is making significant gains, the group is adapting, reverting to high-profile attacks and using the internet to recruit and train, and to encourage &quot;lone wolf&quot; attacks.

&quot;They&#39;ve seen the degree of attention they can get with smaller-scale attacks using small arms or assault rifles,&quot; Obama said. &quot;The possibility of either a lone actor or a small cell carrying out an attack that kills people is real.&quot;

The United States must do a better job of disrupting Islamic State networks that can carry out attacks far from the group&#39;s bases in the Middle East, Obama said.

&quot;Those networks are more active in Europe than they are here, but we don&#39;t know what we don&#39;t know, and so it&#39;s conceivable that there are some networks here that could be activated,&quot; he said, while warning against over-reacting to such attacks.

&quot;How we react to this is as important as the efforts we take to destroy ISIL, prevent these networks from penetrating,&quot; he said, using an acronym for the group. &quot;When societies get scared they can react in ways that undermine the fabric of our society.&quot;

Coordinating with Russia

In Syria, where the United States is exploring options to cooperate with Russia militarily to defeat Islamic State, Obama said Russia&#39;s and Syria&#39;s most recent actions have raised doubts about their commitment to a pause in the conflict.

This week, a Syrian rescue service operating in rebel-held territory said a helicopter dropped containers of toxic gas overnight on a town close to where a Russian military helicopter had been shot down hours earlier.

The opposition Syrian National Coalition accused President Bashar al-Assad of being behind the attack. Assad has denied previous accusations of using chemical weapons.

The twin US goals in Syria have been to end the violence that has claimed some 400,000 lives, according to United Nations estimates, and to seek a political process to replace Assad, whom Obama has said &quot;must go.&quot;

Proposals for the United States and Russia to cooperate in Syria would have them share intelligence to coordinate air strikes and prohibit the Syrian air force from attacking rebel groups considered moderate.

But US military and intelligence officials have called the plan naive and said US secretary of state John Kerry risks falling into a trap that Russian President Vladimir Putin has laid to discredit the United States with moderate rebel groups and drive some of their fighters into the arms of Islamic State and other extremist groups.

&quot;The US remains prepared to work with Russia to try to reduce the violence and strengthen our efforts against ISIL and al-Qaeda in Syria, but so far Russia has failed to take the necessary steps,&quot; Obama said, adding that he was not confident Russia or Putin could be trusted. 
 
(Reuters)

He said US-led strikes groups can beat IS groups in conventional military fights, but they have the ability to carry out damaging attacks

President Barack Obama on Thursday touted progress he said the United States and its allies had made in the military campaign against Islamic State, but warned that the militant group still can direct and inspire attacks. The United States is leading a military coalition conducting air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, where the group seized broad swathes of territory in 2014. It has succeeded in breaking Islamic State's grip on some towns, although it still controls its two de facto capitals, Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria. The president, criticized for suggesting Islamic State was made up of amateurs, presented a more measured assessment on Thursday. He said the last two years of the US-led air and ground campaign have proved that the extremist group can be beaten in conventional military fights but that it has shown the ability to carry out damaging, small-scale attacks. "I am pleased with the progress that we've made on the ground in Iraq and Syria," Obama told a news conference at the Pentagon after meeting with officials directing the campaign, but added: "We're far from freeing Mosul and Raqqa."While the campaign against Islamic State in Iraq, Syria and now Libya is making significant gains, the group is adapting, reverting to high-profile attacks and using the internet to recruit and train, and to encourage "lone wolf" attacks. "They've seen the degree of attention they can get with smaller-scale attacks using small arms or assault rifles," Obama said. "The possibility of either a lone actor or a small cell carrying out an attack that kills people is real." The United States must do a better job of disrupting Islamic State networks that can carry out attacks far from the group's bases in the Middle East, Obama said. "Those networks are more active in Europe than they are here, but we don't know what we don't know, and so it's conceivable that there are some networks here that could be activated," he said, while warning against over-reacting to such attacks. "How we react to this is as important as the efforts we take to destroy ISIL, prevent these networks from penetrating," he said, using an acronym for the group. "When societies get scared they can react in ways that undermine the fabric of our society." Coordinating with Russia In Syria, where the United States is exploring options to cooperate with Russia militarily to defeat Islamic State, Obama said Russia's and Syria's most recent actions have raised doubts about their commitment to a pause in the conflict. This week, a Syrian rescue service operating in rebel-held territory said a helicopter dropped containers of toxic gas overnight on a town close to where a Russian military helicopter had been shot down hours earlier. The opposition Syrian National Coalition accused President Bashar al-Assad of being behind the attack. Assad has denied previous accusations of using chemical weapons. The twin US goals in Syria have been to end the violence that has claimed some 400,000 lives, according to United Nations estimates, and to seek a political process to replace Assad, whom Obama has said "must go." Proposals for the United States and Russia to cooperate in Syria would have them share intelligence to coordinate air strikes and prohibit the Syrian air force from attacking rebel groups considered moderate. But US military and intelligence officials have called the plan naive and said US secretary of state John Kerry risks falling into a trap that Russian President Vladimir Putin has laid to discredit the United States with moderate rebel groups and drive some of their fighters into the arms of Islamic State and other extremist groups. "The US remains prepared to work with Russia to try to reduce the violence and strengthen our efforts against ISIL and al-Qaeda in Syria, but so far Russia has failed to take the necessary steps," Obama said, adding that he was not confident Russia or Putin could be trusted. (Reuters)

Obama touts progress on Islamic State, warns of small-scale attacks

Powerful business lobbying bodies on Thursday sued the Obama administration, seeking to strike down recent rules intended to prevent corporate tax avoidance through so-called inversions. 
 
In a rule adopted in April, the US Treasury sought to prevent American companies from moving overseas to reduce their tax burdens, often through reverse mergers. The pharmaceutical giant Pfizer that month abandoned plans for a merger with Botox producer Allergan, based in Ireland, as a result. 
 
In a complaint filed in US District Court in Texas, the US Chamber of Commerce and the Texas Association of Business accused the Obama administration of attempting to re-write US tax laws while bypassing the legislature, which is controlled by Republicans and hostile to the measure. If the rule is allowed to stand, &quot;it is not just mergers that will suffer, it is the rule of law, and the certainty and stability required for effective commerce,&quot; the complaint said. 
 
In a statement, US Chamber President, Tom Donahue, said the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service had &quot;ignored the clear limits of a statute, and simply rewrote the law unilaterally.&quot; 
 
The Treasury Department said on Thursday it had acted within its powers to address what lawmakers had failed to. 
 
&quot;In the absence of congressional action, Treasury proposed regulations to eliminate tax benefits for companies that acquire multiple US firms over a short period of time,&quot; the department said. 
 
&quot;This action was based on strong policy interests and clear legal authority. We will continue to defend these regulations, which will help slow the erosion of our corporate tax base.&quot; 
 
According to the rule adopted in April, companies formed in tax inversions can be subject to higher taxes if the newly formed company does less than 25 per cent of its business in the foreign country where it is incorporated, or if the shareholders in the old American parent company end up owning at least 60 per cent of the new foreign parent. 
 
(AFP)

The US Treasury, in a rule adopted in April, has sought to prevent American companies from moving overseas to reduce tax burden

Powerful business lobbying bodies on Thursday sued the Obama administration, seeking to strike down recent rules intended to prevent corporate tax avoidance through so-called inversions. In a rule adopted in April, the US Treasury sought to prevent American companies from moving overseas to reduce their tax burdens, often through reverse mergers. The pharmaceutical giant Pfizer that month abandoned plans for a merger with Botox producer Allergan, based in Ireland, as a result. In a complaint filed in US District Court in Texas, the US Chamber of Commerce and the Texas Association of Business accused the Obama administration of attempting to re-write US tax laws while bypassing the legislature, which is controlled by Republicans and hostile to the measure. If the rule is allowed to stand, "it is not just mergers that will suffer, it is the rule of law, and the certainty and stability required for effective commerce," the complaint said. In a statement, US Chamber President, Tom Donahue, said the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service had "ignored the clear limits of a statute, and simply rewrote the law unilaterally." The Treasury Department said on Thursday it had acted within its powers to address what lawmakers had failed to. "In the absence of congressional action, Treasury proposed regulations to eliminate tax benefits for companies that acquire multiple US firms over a short period of time," the department said. "This action was based on strong policy interests and clear legal authority. We will continue to defend these regulations, which will help slow the erosion of our corporate tax base." According to the rule adopted in April, companies formed in tax inversions can be subject to higher taxes if the newly formed company does less than 25 per cent of its business in the foreign country where it is incorporated, or if the shareholders in the old American parent company end up owning at least 60 per cent of the new foreign parent. (AFP)

US Big Business sues Obama administration over corporate tax rules

US&nbsp;President Barack Obama on Sunday called for national unity after the killing of three police officers in Baton Rouge, and warned against using the deadly event to inflame political fighting during a charged political campaign.

Three police officers were shot to death and three others wounded in Baton Rouge on Sunday, less than two weeks after a black man was killed by police in the Louisiana capital, sparking nationwide protests.

&quot;Five days ago I traveled to Dallas for the memorial service of the officers who were slain there. I said that that killer would not be the last person who tries to make us turn on each other nor will today&#39;s killer. It remains up to us to make sure that they fail. That decision is all of ours. The decision to make sure that our best selves are reflected across America, not our worst. That&#39;s up to us,&quot; Obama said, in reference to the ambush-style killing of five police officers in Dallas earlier this month.

&quot;This has happened far too often. And I&#39;ve spent a lot of time with law enforcement this past week. I&#39;m surrounded by the best of the best every single day and I know whenever this happens, wherever this happens, you feel it. You families feel it. But what I want you to know today is the respect and the gratitude of the American people for everything that you do for us,&quot; Obama said.

He added the US&nbsp;has its &quot;divisions&quot; but said it is important the nation focuses on &quot;words and actions that can unite this country further.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

US president: Today's killer will not be the last person who tries to make us turn on each other

US President Barack Obama on Sunday called for national unity after the killing of three police officers in Baton Rouge, and warned against using the deadly event to inflame political fighting during a charged political campaign. Three police officers were shot to death and three others wounded in Baton Rouge on Sunday, less than two weeks after a black man was killed by police in the Louisiana capital, sparking nationwide protests. "Five days ago I traveled to Dallas for the memorial service of the officers who were slain there. I said that that killer would not be the last person who tries to make us turn on each other nor will today's killer. It remains up to us to make sure that they fail. That decision is all of ours. The decision to make sure that our best selves are reflected across America, not our worst. That's up to us," Obama said, in reference to the ambush-style killing of five police officers in Dallas earlier this month. "This has happened far too often. And I've spent a lot of time with law enforcement this past week. I'm surrounded by the best of the best every single day and I know whenever this happens, wherever this happens, you feel it. You families feel it. But what I want you to know today is the respect and the gratitude of the American people for everything that you do for us," Obama said. He added the US has its "divisions" but said it is important the nation focuses on "words and actions that can unite this country further." (Reuters)

Obama calls for national unity after Baton Rouge shooting

The United States urged Turkey on Saturday to exercise restraint after a failed military coup sparked a government crackdown, and warned its NATO ally that public suggestions of a US role in the plot were &quot;utterly false&quot; and harmful to relations. 
 
President Barack Obama urged parties on all sides of the crisis to avoid destabilising Turkey and follow the rule of law after the coup attempt against President Tayyip Erdogan. 
 
The coup attempt complicated US-led efforts to combat Islamic State. Turkey closed its airspace to military aircraft and power was cut off to Incirlik air base, which US forces use to launch air attacks against the militant group. 
 
US officials were working with Turkish officials to resume air operations quickly, the Pentagon said. 
 
Secretary of State John Kerry told Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu that authorities should respect the rule of law during their probe of the coup. 
 
He also said &quot;public insinuations or claims about any role by the United States in the failed coup attempt are utterly false and harmful to our bilateral relations,&quot; the State Department said. 
 
Turkey has long been a key US ally but relations have been strained in recent years and Erdogan&#39;s government has accused US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen of being behind the coup attempt. 
 
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said any country that stands by Gulen will be considered at war with Turkey, and Erdogan urged Washington to deport the cleric.&nbsp;Kerry said the United States was willing to help Turkey as it tries to identify those involved in the coup attempt, but made clear it would only act if there was evidence against Gulen. 
 
&quot;We fully anticipate that there will be questions raised about Mr Gulen, and obviously we invite the government of Turkey ... to present us with any legitimate evidence that withstands scrutiny and the United States will accept that and look at it and make judgments appropriately,&quot; he said. 
 
Gulen has condemned the coup attempt and denied any involvement in it. 
 
Obama conferred with his national security and foreign policy advisers on Saturday morning and reiterated his support for the &quot;democratically-elected, civilian&quot; government of Turkey. 
 
&quot;While we have no indications as of yet that Americans were killed or injured in the violence, the president and his team lamented the loss of life and registered the vital need for all parties in Turkey to act within the rule of law and to avoid actions that would lead to further violence or instability,&quot; the White House said. 
 
Obama noted the United States needed continued cooperation from Turkey in the fight against terrorism. 
 
Forces loyal to Erdogan largely crushed the last remnants of the coup on Saturday as he launched a purge of the armed forces to tighten his grip on power.&nbsp;Turkey scrambled jets throughout Friday night to resist the coup launched by a faction within Turkey&#39;s military that saw rebels piloting military aircraft. 
 
The Incirlik air base near Adana in the southeast of the country was running on internal power sources after a loss of commercial power to the base, the Pentagon said. 
 
&quot;US officials are working with the Turks to resume air operations there as soon as possible,&quot; said Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook. &quot;In the meantime, US Central Command is adjusting flight operations in the counter-ISIL campaign to minimise any effects on the campaign.&quot; 
 
Threat to coalition fight 
 
Erdogan has cooperated with Washington in the fight against Islamic State, but relations have been rocky with US criticism of Erdogan&#39;s increasing authoritarianism, Turkey&#39;s support for Islamist opposition groups fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and the slow pace in sealing Turkey&#39;s border with Syria to foreign fighters. 
 
The closing of the airspace over Incirlik effectively grounded US aircraft and drones that have been instrumental in the campaign to crush Islamic State in Syria, including supporting drives by Syrian Kurds and moderate Arabs, who are being advised by US special forces, to seize the militant-held city of Manbij and Raqqa, the &quot;capital&quot; of the caliphate declared by Islamic State. 
 
&quot;Clearly the variable here is how long the closure will last,&quot; said Jeffrey White, a former senior Defense Intelligence Agency analyst now with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. &quot;If we&#39;re unable to fly from Incirlik, it will have a significant impact on the air campaign.&quot; 
 
A Turkish presidency official in Istanbul said the move was temporary and aimed at preventing rogue aircraft from targetting civilians and government buildings. 
 
&quot;This is a short-term measure which won&#39;t have significant effect on coalition operations,&quot; the official said. &quot;We have discussed this measure with our colleagues in Washington as well and they understand our concerns.&quot; 
 
A prolonged closure of Incirlik&#39;s airspace could force the United States to divert aircraft based in the Persian Gulf to the Manbij and Raqqa offensives, constraining the air power available to support Iraqi and US forces involved in operations against Islamic State. 
 
It could also complicate the Pentagon&rsquo;s ability to resupply and aid US special forces inside Syria. 
 
(Reuters)

US President urges to exercise restraint, but also warns NATO-ally against insinuating America had anything to do with the coup

The United States urged Turkey on Saturday to exercise restraint after a failed military coup sparked a government crackdown, and warned its NATO ally that public suggestions of a US role in the plot were "utterly false" and harmful to relations. President Barack Obama urged parties on all sides of the crisis to avoid destabilising Turkey and follow the rule of law after the coup attempt against President Tayyip Erdogan. The coup attempt complicated US-led efforts to combat Islamic State. Turkey closed its airspace to military aircraft and power was cut off to Incirlik air base, which US forces use to launch air attacks against the militant group. US officials were working with Turkish officials to resume air operations quickly, the Pentagon said. Secretary of State John Kerry told Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu that authorities should respect the rule of law during their probe of the coup. He also said "public insinuations or claims about any role by the United States in the failed coup attempt are utterly false and harmful to our bilateral relations," the State Department said. Turkey has long been a key US ally but relations have been strained in recent years and Erdogan's government has accused US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen of being behind the coup attempt. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said any country that stands by Gulen will be considered at war with Turkey, and Erdogan urged Washington to deport the cleric. Kerry said the United States was willing to help Turkey as it tries to identify those involved in the coup attempt, but made clear it would only act if there was evidence against Gulen. "We fully anticipate that there will be questions raised about Mr Gulen, and obviously we invite the government of Turkey ... to present us with any legitimate evidence that withstands scrutiny and the United States will accept that and look at it and make judgments appropriately," he said. Gulen has condemned the coup attempt and denied any involvement in it. Obama conferred with his national security and foreign policy advisers on Saturday morning and reiterated his support for the "democratically-elected, civilian" government of Turkey. "While we have no indications as of yet that Americans were killed or injured in the violence, the president and his team lamented the loss of life and registered the vital need for all parties in Turkey to act within the rule of law and to avoid actions that would lead to further violence or instability," the White House said. Obama noted the United States needed continued cooperation from Turkey in the fight against terrorism. Forces loyal to Erdogan largely crushed the last remnants of the coup on Saturday as he launched a purge of the armed forces to tighten his grip on power. Turkey scrambled jets throughout Friday night to resist the coup launched by a faction within Turkey's military that saw rebels piloting military aircraft. The Incirlik air base near Adana in the southeast of the country was running on internal power sources after a loss of commercial power to the base, the Pentagon said. "US officials are working with the Turks to resume air operations there as soon as possible," said Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook. "In the meantime, US Central Command is adjusting flight operations in the counter-ISIL campaign to minimise any effects on the campaign." Threat to coalition fight Erdogan has cooperated with Washington in the fight against Islamic State, but relations have been rocky with US criticism of Erdogan's increasing authoritarianism, Turkey's support for Islamist opposition groups fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and the slow pace in sealing Turkey's border with Syria to foreign fighters. The closing of the airspace over Incirlik effectively grounded US aircraft and drones that have been instrumental in the campaign to crush Islamic State in Syria, including supporting drives by Syrian Kurds and moderate Arabs, who are being advised by US special forces, to seize the militant-held city of Manbij and Raqqa, the "capital" of the caliphate declared by Islamic State. "Clearly the variable here is how long the closure will last," said Jeffrey White, a former senior Defense Intelligence Agency analyst now with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "If we're unable to fly from Incirlik, it will have a significant impact on the air campaign." A Turkish presidency official in Istanbul said the move was temporary and aimed at preventing rogue aircraft from targetting civilians and government buildings. "This is a short-term measure which won't have significant effect on coalition operations," the official said. "We have discussed this measure with our colleagues in Washington as well and they understand our concerns." A prolonged closure of Incirlik's airspace could force the United States to divert aircraft based in the Persian Gulf to the Manbij and Raqqa offensives, constraining the air power available to support Iraqi and US forces involved in operations against Islamic State. It could also complicate the Pentagon’s ability to resupply and aid US special forces inside Syria. (Reuters)

Any country that stands by Gulen will be considered at war with Turkey: Prime Minister Yildirim

Three police officers were shot to death and several others wounded in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Sunday.&nbsp;One suspect is dead and police are checking the shooting scene with a robot to make sure there are no explosives, Baton Rouge Police spokesman L&#39;Jean Mckneely said. 
 
Police are looking for two suspected surviving shooters, and the injured cops were reported to be in critical condition, according to AFP. 
 
Police told reporters that authorities are seeking more than one suspect and said the public should be on the lookout for people dressed in black and carrying long guns.&nbsp;WBRZ television reported a witness describing a man dressed in black with his face covered who started shooting indiscriminately. 
 
Earlier, a spokesman for the East Baton Rouge Sheriff&#39;s Office said police and sheriff&#39;s deputies were involved in the shooting incident, which occurred around 9am local time (1400 GMT).&nbsp;He said there were no firm numbers on the number hurt or the extent of injuries. 
 
While the scene of the shootings was contained, police warned residents to stay away from the area, near Airline Highway, which is a mile from the Baton Rouge Police Department headquarters, where dozens of protesters were arrested earlier this month. 
 
President Obama briefed 
 
A White House official said President Barack Obama has been briefed on the shooting of police officers in Baton Rouge and will be updated throughout the day. The official added that the White House has also been in contact with local officials and has offered assistance. 
 
(Reuters)

Police are using a robot to check the scene and make sure there are no explosives. President Obama has been briefed

Three police officers were shot to death and several others wounded in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Sunday. One suspect is dead and police are checking the shooting scene with a robot to make sure there are no explosives, Baton Rouge Police spokesman L'Jean Mckneely said. Police are looking for two suspected surviving shooters, and the injured cops were reported to be in critical condition, according to AFP. Police told reporters that authorities are seeking more than one suspect and said the public should be on the lookout for people dressed in black and carrying long guns. WBRZ television reported a witness describing a man dressed in black with his face covered who started shooting indiscriminately. Earlier, a spokesman for the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office said police and sheriff's deputies were involved in the shooting incident, which occurred around 9am local time (1400 GMT). He said there were no firm numbers on the number hurt or the extent of injuries. While the scene of the shootings was contained, police warned residents to stay away from the area, near Airline Highway, which is a mile from the Baton Rouge Police Department headquarters, where dozens of protesters were arrested earlier this month. President Obama briefed A White House official said President Barack Obama has been briefed on the shooting of police officers in Baton Rouge and will be updated throughout the day. The official added that the White House has also been in contact with local officials and has offered assistance. (Reuters)

Louisiana shooting: Cops looking for 2 gunmen believed to be still at large

The US&nbsp;military expects to seek additional&nbsp;troops&nbsp;in Iraq, even beyond the hundreds announced this week, as the campaign against the Islamic State advances, the head of the US&nbsp;military&#39;s central command said.

&quot;As we continue on the mission, I think there will be some additional&nbsp;troops&nbsp;that we will ask to bring in,&quot; US&nbsp;army General Joseph Votel said in an interview in Baghdad on Thursday, without disclosing a number.

Votel, who oversees US forces in the Middle East, said the size of possible future increases were still being discussed within military circles. He did not offer details on the timing of any requests to President Barack Obama&#39;s administration.

His remarks came just three days after Obama&#39;s administration announced a 560 troop increase as part of an effort to facilitate an Iraqi offensive to retake Mosul, Iraq&#39;s second biggest city.

Most of those&nbsp;troops&nbsp;will work out of Qayara air base, which Iraqi forces recaptured from Islamic State militants last week.

They plan to use Qayara as a staging ground for an offensive to retake Mosul.

Votel suggested future requests would similarly be tailored to particular stages of the campaign.

&quot;We try to tie our requests to specific objectives we&#39;re trying to achieve on the ground,&quot; he said.

The recapture of Mosul, Islamic State&#39;s de facto Iraqi capital, from which its leader declared a modern-day caliphate in 2014, would be a major boost for the plans by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and the United States to weaken the militant group.

Abadi has pledged to retake Mosul by the end of the year.

Some US&nbsp;officials caution that retaking the city without a plan to restore security, basic services and governance would be a major mistake and question the ability of Iraq&#39;s Shi&#39;ite-government in Baghdad to mend the sectarian divide fueling the conflict.

Votel broadly acknowledged concerns about the non-military aspects of the campaign but said he felt more upbeat after meetings on Wednesday with top Iraqi officials, including Abadi.

&quot;While there is still a lot of work to do &ndash; a lot of work to do &ndash; I left more encouraged,&quot; he said, stressing the importance that US-backed military operations &quot;pay off on the political side&quot;.

With the latest troop increase, the United States has an official limit of just over 4,600&nbsp;troops formally assigned to Iraq, although the actual figure is higher due to temporary assignments.

Obama has opposed recommitting the United States to another large-scale ground war in the Middle East and any deployment of forces to Iraq would likely need to be measured.

Republican leaders this week called on Obama to ask Congress for additional funds to pay for the deployment of more&nbsp;troops&nbsp;to Iraq, as Congress and the White House debate defense spending amid mandatory budget cuts.

No withdrawal

As Islamic State militants have lost part of their self-proclaimed caliphate in Iraq and Syria, they increasingly have turned to suicide attacks.

These included a bombing in the Iraqi capital last week that left nearly 300 people dead, the most lethal bombing of its kind since the 2003 US-led invasion.

Votel was speaking before a gunman killed 80 people and wounded scores when he drove a heavy truck at high speed into a crowd watching Bastille Day fireworks in the French Riviera city of Nice. No group has claimed responsibility.

Votel cautioned that even after Islamic State eventually loses Mosul and the Syrian city of al-Raqqa, Americans should not expect a rapid, wholesale withdrawal from the country. &quot;What we don&#39;t want to do is declare victory and depart after that. I think we want to see this through,&quot; Votel said.

If Islamic State fighters shift to other locations, outside those cities, Votel said it was important to have US military resources in place &quot;to ensure we can achieve that lasting defeat&quot;.

&quot;If there&#39;s capabilities we don&#39;t need, we will remove them. Likewise if there&#39;s capabilities we do need that we don&#39;t have, we&#39;ll ask for them,&quot; Votel said, describing an evolving campaign that won&#39;t end soon. 
 
(Reuters)

Three days after Obama's administration announced a troop increase in Iraq US?Army general Joseph Votel seeks additional troops

The US military expects to seek additional troops in Iraq, even beyond the hundreds announced this week, as the campaign against the Islamic State advances, the head of the US military's central command said. "As we continue on the mission, I think there will be some additional troops that we will ask to bring in," US army General Joseph Votel said in an interview in Baghdad on Thursday, without disclosing a number. Votel, who oversees US forces in the Middle East, said the size of possible future increases were still being discussed within military circles. He did not offer details on the timing of any requests to President Barack Obama's administration. His remarks came just three days after Obama's administration announced a 560 troop increase as part of an effort to facilitate an Iraqi offensive to retake Mosul, Iraq's second biggest city. Most of those troops will work out of Qayara air base, which Iraqi forces recaptured from Islamic State militants last week. They plan to use Qayara as a staging ground for an offensive to retake Mosul. Votel suggested future requests would similarly be tailored to particular stages of the campaign. "We try to tie our requests to specific objectives we're trying to achieve on the ground," he said. The recapture of Mosul, Islamic State's de facto Iraqi capital, from which its leader declared a modern-day caliphate in 2014, would be a major boost for the plans by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and the United States to weaken the militant group. Abadi has pledged to retake Mosul by the end of the year. Some US officials caution that retaking the city without a plan to restore security, basic services and governance would be a major mistake and question the ability of Iraq's Shi'ite-government in Baghdad to mend the sectarian divide fueling the conflict. Votel broadly acknowledged concerns about the non-military aspects of the campaign but said he felt more upbeat after meetings on Wednesday with top Iraqi officials, including Abadi. "While there is still a lot of work to do – a lot of work to do – I left more encouraged," he said, stressing the importance that US-backed military operations "pay off on the political side". With the latest troop increase, the United States has an official limit of just over 4,600 troops formally assigned to Iraq, although the actual figure is higher due to temporary assignments. Obama has opposed recommitting the United States to another large-scale ground war in the Middle East and any deployment of forces to Iraq would likely need to be measured. Republican leaders this week called on Obama to ask Congress for additional funds to pay for the deployment of more troops to Iraq, as Congress and the White House debate defense spending amid mandatory budget cuts. No withdrawal As Islamic State militants have lost part of their self-proclaimed caliphate in Iraq and Syria, they increasingly have turned to suicide attacks. These included a bombing in the Iraqi capital last week that left nearly 300 people dead, the most lethal bombing of its kind since the 2003 US-led invasion. Votel was speaking before a gunman killed 80 people and wounded scores when he drove a heavy truck at high speed into a crowd watching Bastille Day fireworks in the French Riviera city of Nice. No group has claimed responsibility. Votel cautioned that even after Islamic State eventually loses Mosul and the Syrian city of al-Raqqa, Americans should not expect a rapid, wholesale withdrawal from the country. "What we don't want to do is declare victory and depart after that. I think we want to see this through," Votel said. If Islamic State fighters shift to other locations, outside those cities, Votel said it was important to have US military resources in place "to ensure we can achieve that lasting defeat". "If there's capabilities we don't need, we will remove them. Likewise if there's capabilities we do need that we don't have, we'll ask for them," Votel said, describing an evolving campaign that won't end soon. (Reuters)

US military likely to seek additional troops in Iraq: US general

President Barack Obama on Thursday condemned the deadly attack in Nice and offered any assistance France needed to investigate. 
 
&quot;On behalf of the American people, I condemn in the strongest terms what appears to be a horrific terrorist attack in Nice, France, which killed and wounded dozens of innocent civilians,&quot; Obama said in a statement. 
 
US secretary of state John Kerry, who had been in Paris earlier in the day for a Bastille Day parade, said: &quot;The United States will continue to stand firmly with the French people during this time of tragedy. We will provide whatever support is needed.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
At least 77 people were killed and scores injured when a truck slammed into a crowd in the French Riviera city during Bastille Day celebrations. 
 
According to the Downing Street, the British Prime Minister Theresa May is being briefed on the &quot;terrible incident&quot; and &nbsp;the UK authorities stand ready to assist their French counterparts. 
 
&quot;We are shocked and concerned by the scenes there. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this terrible incident on what was a day of national celebration.&quot; a Downing Street spokesman said, &quot;We stand ready to help any British nationals and to support our French partners.&quot; 
 
May, who became prime minister on Wednesday after six years as Britain&#39;s interior minister, was due to head to Scotland later Friday for talks on the Brexit vote fall-out. 
 
A foreign office spokesman said that &nbsp;they are in touch with the local authorities and are seeking more information. 
 
&quot;If you are in the area, follow the instructions of the French authorities,&quot; he added, in a message to British citizens. 
 
French local government official Sebastien Humbert told BFMTV that the driver of the truck was shot dead after barrelling down Nice`s palm-lined Promenade des Anglais in what he called &quot;a major criminal attack&quot;. 
 
Witness Roy Calley, who said he lived 200 metres from the promenade, told the BBC there was &quot;all hell breaking loose&quot; and the situation was &quot;pretty horrendous&quot;. 
 
&quot;It was a celebratory atmosphere, it was fun, people were enjoying themselves. Suddenly I heard a huge, what I can only describe as maybe an explosion or a crash. A lot of people were screaming. That was followed by what I thought were maybe gunshots.&quot; 
 
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday also pledged his support to France . 
 
&quot;Canadians are shocked by tonight&rsquo;s attack in Nice. Our sympathy is with the victims and our solidarity with the French people,&quot; Trudeau said on Twitter. 
 
Canadian opposition leader Thomas Mulcair, head of the New Democratic Party and a French citizen by marriage also offered his condolences ,&quot;We stand with those injured and the families of the many killed,&quot;
Leaders gathering for the first session of the 2016 Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) stood for a moment of silence on Friday.&nbsp;

&quot;All the participants of the 11th ASEM summit, we are together with the people of France and the people of Europe. I think it&#39;s appropriate to begin our session with one minute silence,&quot; said Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj. 
 
While the United Nations Security Council called the attack &quot;barbaric and cowardly&quot;,&nbsp;European Council President Donald Tusk called it &quot;a sad day for France, for Europe&quot;. He said it was &quot;tragic&quot; that &quot;the subjects of the attack were people celebrating liberty, equality and fraternity.&quot; 
 
&nbsp;Chinese Premier Li Keqiang offered his &quot;condolences&quot; to the victims and said China opposed all forms of terrorism. 
 
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemnerd the attack in a series of tweets.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Appalled by the horrific attack in Nice. I strongly condemn such mindless acts of violence. My thoughts are with the families of deceased&quot;&nbsp;he tweeted.&nbsp;&quot;&nbsp;I hope the injured recover soon. India shares the pain &amp; stands firmly with our French sisters &amp; brothers in this hour of immense sadness.&quot; 
&nbsp;
(Agencies) 
?

US, Britain and Canada offered assistance to French government

President Barack Obama on Thursday condemned the deadly attack in Nice and offered any assistance France needed to investigate. "On behalf of the American people, I condemn in the strongest terms what appears to be a horrific terrorist attack in Nice, France, which killed and wounded dozens of innocent civilians," Obama said in a statement. US secretary of state John Kerry, who had been in Paris earlier in the day for a Bastille Day parade, said: "The United States will continue to stand firmly with the French people during this time of tragedy. We will provide whatever support is needed." At least 77 people were killed and scores injured when a truck slammed into a crowd in the French Riviera city during Bastille Day celebrations. According to the Downing Street, the British Prime Minister Theresa May is being briefed on the "terrible incident" and the UK authorities stand ready to assist their French counterparts. "We are shocked and concerned by the scenes there. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this terrible incident on what was a day of national celebration." a Downing Street spokesman said, "We stand ready to help any British nationals and to support our French partners." May, who became prime minister on Wednesday after six years as Britain's interior minister, was due to head to Scotland later Friday for talks on the Brexit vote fall-out. A foreign office spokesman said that they are in touch with the local authorities and are seeking more information. "If you are in the area, follow the instructions of the French authorities," he added, in a message to British citizens. French local government official Sebastien Humbert told BFMTV that the driver of the truck was shot dead after barrelling down Nice`s palm-lined Promenade des Anglais in what he called "a major criminal attack". Witness Roy Calley, who said he lived 200 metres from the promenade, told the BBC there was "all hell breaking loose" and the situation was "pretty horrendous". "It was a celebratory atmosphere, it was fun, people were enjoying themselves. Suddenly I heard a huge, what I can only describe as maybe an explosion or a crash. A lot of people were screaming. That was followed by what I thought were maybe gunshots." Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday also pledged his support to France . "Canadians are shocked by tonight’s attack in Nice. Our sympathy is with the victims and our solidarity with the French people," Trudeau said on Twitter. Canadian opposition leader Thomas Mulcair, head of the New Democratic Party and a French citizen by marriage also offered his condolences ,"We stand with those injured and the families of the many killed," Leaders gathering for the first session of the 2016 Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) stood for a moment of silence on Friday. "All the participants of the 11th ASEM summit, we are together with the people of France and the people of Europe. I think it's appropriate to begin our session with one minute silence," said Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj. While the United Nations Security Council called the attack "barbaric and cowardly", European Council President Donald Tusk called it "a sad day for France, for Europe". He said it was "tragic" that "the subjects of the attack were people celebrating liberty, equality and fraternity." Chinese Premier Li Keqiang offered his "condolences" to the victims and said China opposed all forms of terrorism. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemnerd the attack in a series of tweets. "Appalled by the horrific attack in Nice. I strongly condemn such mindless acts of violence. My thoughts are with the families of deceased" he tweeted. " I hope the injured recover soon. India shares the pain & stands firmly with our French sisters & brothers in this hour of immense sadness." (Agencies) ?

Obama, Trudeau condemn terror attack in Nice

US President Barack Obama urged Americans on Tuesday to shed despair and rise above racial divides to honour five police officers slain in Dallas in a racially motivated attack, even as he admitted that bias remains a persistent national problem. 
 
Obama&#39;s address to a memorial service for the officers killed last Thursday also followed a series of high-profile police killings of black men in the past two years, including two last week, that have sparked the most intense debate on race and justice the country has seen since the 1960s civil rights movement. 
 
&quot;I understand how Americans are feeling. But Dallas, I&#39;m here to say we must reject such despair. I&#39;m here to insist that we are not as divided as we seem. And I know that because I know America. I know how far we&#39;ve come against impossible odds,&quot; Obama said at the service that was also attended by Vice President Joe Biden and former president George W Bush. 
 
The five Dallas officers were gunned down by military veteran Micah Johnson, who told police he was angered by police killings of black people. Johnson was killed by an explosive-laden robot sent in by police. 
 
Obama noted that the attack in Dallas came during a protest against racial bias in policing that followed the fatal police shootings of black men in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and outside St Paul, Minnesota. Obama said no institution was immune from prejudice. 
 
&quot;Perhaps we&#39;ve heard prejudice in our own heads and felt it in our own hearts. We know that. And while some suffer far more under racism&#39;s burden, some feel to a far greater extent discrimination&#39;s stain. Although most of us do our best to guard against it and teach our children better, none of us is entirely innocent. No institution is entirely immune, and that includes our police departments. We know this,&quot; Obama said. 
 
Obama also praised the police in Dallas and around the country.&nbsp;&quot;When anyone, no matter how good their intentions may be, paints all police as biased or bigoted, we undermine those officers we depend on for our safety,&quot; said Obama. 
 
Bush also addressed the packed hall, where five chairs were empty of people, holding folded American flags, in memory of the slain officers. He also sought to strike a note of unity. 
 
&quot;At times it feels like the forces pulling us apart are stronger than the forces binding us together. Argument turns too easily into animosity,&quot; Bush said. &quot;Too often we judge other groups by their worst examples, while judging ourselves by our intentions.&quot; 
 
After a week when Americans saw video images of angry crowds protesting the police killings of black men and heard the screams of 
Thursday&#39;s sniper attack on police in Dallas, the memorial ended with Obama, Bush and Dallas&#39; police chief and mayor joining hands in a gathering that crossed racial and party lines as a choir sung a hymn.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

Obama, Bush and Dallas' police chief and mayor crossed racial and party lines to join hands as a choir sang a hymn

US President Barack Obama urged Americans on Tuesday to shed despair and rise above racial divides to honour five police officers slain in Dallas in a racially motivated attack, even as he admitted that bias remains a persistent national problem. Obama's address to a memorial service for the officers killed last Thursday also followed a series of high-profile police killings of black men in the past two years, including two last week, that have sparked the most intense debate on race and justice the country has seen since the 1960s civil rights movement. "I understand how Americans are feeling. But Dallas, I'm here to say we must reject such despair. I'm here to insist that we are not as divided as we seem. And I know that because I know America. I know how far we've come against impossible odds," Obama said at the service that was also attended by Vice President Joe Biden and former president George W Bush. The five Dallas officers were gunned down by military veteran Micah Johnson, who told police he was angered by police killings of black people. Johnson was killed by an explosive-laden robot sent in by police. Obama noted that the attack in Dallas came during a protest against racial bias in policing that followed the fatal police shootings of black men in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and outside St Paul, Minnesota. Obama said no institution was immune from prejudice. "Perhaps we've heard prejudice in our own heads and felt it in our own hearts. We know that. And while some suffer far more under racism's burden, some feel to a far greater extent discrimination's stain. Although most of us do our best to guard against it and teach our children better, none of us is entirely innocent. No institution is entirely immune, and that includes our police departments. We know this," Obama said. Obama also praised the police in Dallas and around the country. "When anyone, no matter how good their intentions may be, paints all police as biased or bigoted, we undermine those officers we depend on for our safety," said Obama. Bush also addressed the packed hall, where five chairs were empty of people, holding folded American flags, in memory of the slain officers. He also sought to strike a note of unity. "At times it feels like the forces pulling us apart are stronger than the forces binding us together. Argument turns too easily into animosity," Bush said. "Too often we judge other groups by their worst examples, while judging ourselves by our intentions." After a week when Americans saw video images of angry crowds protesting the police killings of black men and heard the screams of Thursday's sniper attack on police in Dallas, the memorial ended with Obama, Bush and Dallas' police chief and mayor joining hands in a gathering that crossed racial and party lines as a choir sung a hymn. (Reuters)

Obama, George W Bush address memorial for slain Dallas policemen

President Barack Obama pledged on Saturday to seek ways to calm racial tensions and reduce divisions between police and minorities during his final months in office, but he warned that easy access to guns nationwide exacerbated the problem.

Obama spoke at the end of a week in which five policemen were killed by a sniper in Dallas and two black men&nbsp;were killed by police in Minnesota and Louisiana. 
 
He said he would bring together civil rights and law enforcement leaders for talks at the White House next week after returning from a trip to Europe.

Obama, the first black US&nbsp;president, has spoken out on racial issues throughout his time in the White House. 
 
He has also tried but failed to reform American gun laws, stymied by Republicans in Congress who have opposed any measures that they seen as impinging on the Constitutional right to bear arms, despite a series of mass shootings in recent years.

Obama said the Dallas police force reduced murder rates and community complaints by taking the issue of race and police conduct seriously, and said he hoped that would inspire &quot;constructive actions&quot; in the coming weeks.

&quot;That&#39;s the spirit that we all need to embrace. That&#39;s the spirit that I want to build on,&quot; he said during a press conference in Poland.

But the divisive issue of gun control could not be separated from the tension between police and local citizens, he said.

Obama noted that Dallas police on Thursday had to protect themselves and citizens from sniper fire while deciphering who had guns among those taking part in a protest decrying police shootings of black men.

The presence of a gun in the car where Philando Castile, 32, was killed by police in Minnesota on Wednesday contributed to that event, he said.

&quot;In Minneapolis, we don&rsquo;t know yet what happened, but we do know that there was a gun in the car that apparently was licensed, but it caused, in some fashion, those tragic events,&quot; Obama told reporters.

&quot;We can&rsquo;t just ignore that and pretend that that&rsquo;s somehow political ... it is a contributing factor, not the sole factor, but a contributing factor to the broader tensions that arise between police and the communities where they serve.&quot;

Obama is very unlikely to succeed in reviving major gun control reform before he leaves office in January.

Lawmakers in Congress have fought over three rival gun measures since the June 12 mass shootings at a gay nightclub in Orlando. Democrats promised to put pressure on Republicans next week to win votes for measures to expand background checks and allow the Justice Department to block gun sales to people on government watch lists.

Obama said on Saturday he hoped his legacy on the issue of race would be one of urging Americans to listen to each other and understand the country&#39;s difficult relationship with race.

&quot;The legacy of slavery and Jim Crow and discrimination didn&#39;t suddenly vanish with the passage of the Civil Rights Act or the Voting Rights Act or the election of Barack Obama,&quot; he said.

He said he hoped his words as president had conveyed &quot;that things have gotten better, substantially better, but that we&#39;ve still got a lot more work to do.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

It is however unlikely for Obama to succeed in reviving major gun control reform as he leaves office in January

President Barack Obama pledged on Saturday to seek ways to calm racial tensions and reduce divisions between police and minorities during his final months in office, but he warned that easy access to guns nationwide exacerbated the problem. Obama spoke at the end of a week in which five policemen were killed by a sniper in Dallas and two black men were killed by police in Minnesota and Louisiana. He said he would bring together civil rights and law enforcement leaders for talks at the White House next week after returning from a trip to Europe. Obama, the first black US president, has spoken out on racial issues throughout his time in the White House. He has also tried but failed to reform American gun laws, stymied by Republicans in Congress who have opposed any measures that they seen as impinging on the Constitutional right to bear arms, despite a series of mass shootings in recent years. Obama said the Dallas police force reduced murder rates and community complaints by taking the issue of race and police conduct seriously, and said he hoped that would inspire "constructive actions" in the coming weeks. "That's the spirit that we all need to embrace. That's the spirit that I want to build on," he said during a press conference in Poland. But the divisive issue of gun control could not be separated from the tension between police and local citizens, he said. Obama noted that Dallas police on Thursday had to protect themselves and citizens from sniper fire while deciphering who had guns among those taking part in a protest decrying police shootings of black men. The presence of a gun in the car where Philando Castile, 32, was killed by police in Minnesota on Wednesday contributed to that event, he said. "In Minneapolis, we don’t know yet what happened, but we do know that there was a gun in the car that apparently was licensed, but it caused, in some fashion, those tragic events," Obama told reporters. "We can’t just ignore that and pretend that that’s somehow political ... it is a contributing factor, not the sole factor, but a contributing factor to the broader tensions that arise between police and the communities where they serve." Obama is very unlikely to succeed in reviving major gun control reform before he leaves office in January. Lawmakers in Congress have fought over three rival gun measures since the June 12 mass shootings at a gay nightclub in Orlando. Democrats promised to put pressure on Republicans next week to win votes for measures to expand background checks and allow the Justice Department to block gun sales to people on government watch lists. Obama said on Saturday he hoped his legacy on the issue of race would be one of urging Americans to listen to each other and understand the country's difficult relationship with race. "The legacy of slavery and Jim Crow and discrimination didn't suddenly vanish with the passage of the Civil Rights Act or the Voting Rights Act or the election of Barack Obama," he said. He said he hoped his words as president had conveyed "that things have gotten better, substantially better, but that we've still got a lot more work to do." (Reuters)

Obama says US gun rules heighten tension between police, citizens

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in US cities on Friday after a black extremist shot dead five cops in Texas during an otherwise peaceful march against police brutality.&nbsp;Five officers were shot dead in the late Thursday shooting, with seven other officers and two civilians wounded. 
 
The shooting revives an emotional debate over lethal use of force by police, and problems of alleged police bias towards racial minorities, especially African-Americans. 
 
Leaders of the Black Lives Matter protest movement condemned the Dallas violence, but vowed to uphold planned weekend marches.&nbsp;Vast crowds marched Friday in US cities including Houston, New Orleans, Detroit, Baltimore, and San Francisco. One of the largest was in Atlanta, where protesters blocked a major road. 
 
In Phoenix, police in riot gear used pepper spray to disperse a large crowd blocking streets after rocks were hurled at them. At least one person was arrested.&nbsp;Addressing a prayer service honoring the fallen officers, Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings urged Americans to &quot;step up&quot; to heal the country&#39;s racial wounds. 
 
&quot;We will not shy away from the very real fact that we as a city, as a state, as a nation are struggling with racial issues,&quot; he told the crowd. 
 
Rawlings echoed Obama&#39;s message that black lives matter -- and so do &quot;blue&quot; lives, those of police officers.&nbsp;&quot;We must step up our game and approach complicated issues in a different way,&quot; Rawlings said. &quot;And race is complicated.&quot; 
 
&#39;This must stop&#39; 
&nbsp; 
Obama, who ordered flags on government buildings lowered to half-mast for five days, said that there was &quot;no possible justification&quot; for violence against police. 
 
The Dallas shootings sparked chaos as people ran for their lives during a march by several hundred demonstrators in the city of 1.2 million, near the site where president John F Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. 
 
The peaceful protest was one of several nationwide over the deaths of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota that prompted Obama to make an emotional appeal for urgent police reform. 
 
The ambush marks the single biggest loss of life for law enforcement in the United States since the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.&nbsp;&quot;This must stop -- this divisiveness between our police and our citizens,&quot; Dallas police chief David Brown said. 
 
&#39;Every rabbit trail&#39;&nbsp; 
 
Johnson was killed in a tense showdown with police in a parking garage, by a bomb robot sent in by officers after hours of negotiations and an exchange of fire. 
 
&quot;This was a well-planned, well-thought out, evil strategy,&quot; said Brown of the gunman.&nbsp;&quot;He said he was upset about the recent police shootings,&quot; Brown said. &quot;The suspect said he was upset at white people. The suspect stated he wanted to kill white people, especially white officers.&quot; 
 
Earlier, officials said three other people had been detained, but it was unclear if any remained in custody.&nbsp;US homeland security secretary Jeh Johnson said the gunman appeared to have acted alone. 
 
Texas governor Greg Abbott said police would &quot;continue down every rabbit trail... ensuring that we eliminate any other possible suspects or co-conspirators who may have aided this gunman in any way.&quot; 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

It has revived the debate over lethal use of force by cops and systemic bias towards racial minorities, especially African-Americans

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in US cities on Friday after a black extremist shot dead five cops in Texas during an otherwise peaceful march against police brutality. Five officers were shot dead in the late Thursday shooting, with seven other officers and two civilians wounded. The shooting revives an emotional debate over lethal use of force by police, and problems of alleged police bias towards racial minorities, especially African-Americans. Leaders of the Black Lives Matter protest movement condemned the Dallas violence, but vowed to uphold planned weekend marches. Vast crowds marched Friday in US cities including Houston, New Orleans, Detroit, Baltimore, and San Francisco. One of the largest was in Atlanta, where protesters blocked a major road. In Phoenix, police in riot gear used pepper spray to disperse a large crowd blocking streets after rocks were hurled at them. At least one person was arrested. Addressing a prayer service honoring the fallen officers, Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings urged Americans to "step up" to heal the country's racial wounds. "We will not shy away from the very real fact that we as a city, as a state, as a nation are struggling with racial issues," he told the crowd. Rawlings echoed Obama's message that black lives matter -- and so do "blue" lives, those of police officers. "We must step up our game and approach complicated issues in a different way," Rawlings said. "And race is complicated." 'This must stop' Obama, who ordered flags on government buildings lowered to half-mast for five days, said that there was "no possible justification" for violence against police. The Dallas shootings sparked chaos as people ran for their lives during a march by several hundred demonstrators in the city of 1.2 million, near the site where president John F Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. The peaceful protest was one of several nationwide over the deaths of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota that prompted Obama to make an emotional appeal for urgent police reform. The ambush marks the single biggest loss of life for law enforcement in the United States since the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. "This must stop -- this divisiveness between our police and our citizens," Dallas police chief David Brown said. 'Every rabbit trail' Johnson was killed in a tense showdown with police in a parking garage, by a bomb robot sent in by officers after hours of negotiations and an exchange of fire. "This was a well-planned, well-thought out, evil strategy," said Brown of the gunman. "He said he was upset about the recent police shootings," Brown said. "The suspect said he was upset at white people. The suspect stated he wanted to kill white people, especially white officers." Earlier, officials said three other people had been detained, but it was unclear if any remained in custody. US homeland security secretary Jeh Johnson said the gunman appeared to have acted alone. Texas governor Greg Abbott said police would "continue down every rabbit trail... ensuring that we eliminate any other possible suspects or co-conspirators who may have aided this gunman in any way." (AFP)

Protests in US cities as Dallas shooting rocks race relations

The United States on Friday lifted the lid on one of the most controversial tactics of President Barack Obama&#39;s secretive counter-terror campaign, detailing for the first time the number of those killed in air strikes in countries like Pakistan and Libya. 
 
At the same time, the White House released an executive order outlining the steps that should be taken to reduce civilian casualties in America&#39;s ongoing battle against violent extremism. 
 
In a much-anticipated report, the director of national intelligence (DNI) provided fatality estimates for the 473 strikes between 2009 and 2015 that he said were conducted outside America&#39;s principal war zones in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. 
 
The DNI said somewhere between 64 and 116 civilians were killed in the strikes, and up to 2,581 terrorists. 
 
Such attacks are typically conducted via drones, though manned warplanes and missiles have also been used. 
 
Though the US military routinely releases information on strikes targeting the Islamic State group and other organizations, mainly in Iraq and Syria, it is the first time the Obama administration has published a toll from its strikes elsewhere, in countries like Libya, Somalia and Pakistan. 
 
The release comes after rights groups and the media for years demanded better accounting of such military actions under Obama, and many questioned the legality of the strikes. 
 
Critics have long alleged that US strikes, especially by drones, kill far more civilians than the administration claims, and Friday&#39;s release did not appear to change that narrative. 
 
Observers also say that without better transparency, it is impossible to gauge the accuracy of US fatality assessments.&nbsp; 
 
The American Civil Liberties Union, for instance, welcomed the release of information but said it was too narrow in scope and left the US public unsure if the government deploys lethal force legally. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s hard to credit the government&#39;s death count, which is lower than all independent assessments,&quot; said Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU&#39;s National Security Project. 
 
&quot;The government continues to conceal the identities of people it has killed, the specific definitions it uses to decide who can legitimately be targetted, and its investigations into credibly alleged wrongful killings,&quot; Hina added. 
 
Even the DNI seemed to acknowledge the possible weakness of its own numbers. 
 
&quot;Although the US government has access to a wide range of information, the figures released today should be considered in light of the inherent limitations on the ability to determine the precise number of combatant and non-combatant deaths given the non-permissive environments in which these strikes often occur,&quot; the DNI said in a statement. 
 
Often, neither the military nor US intelligence agencies are able to send an operative to the scene of a drone strike, making it all but impossible to definitively assess how many people were hit. 
 
Laura Pitter, senior US national security counsel at Human Rights Watch, said Obama had failed to explain who the campaign targets and why, so there is no way to verify the purported casualty figures. 
 
&quot;Unless details are provided on specific incidents, it&#39;s not possible to determine if individuals killed were civilians, and thus whether the US is complying with its own policy and with international law,&quot; she said.&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, The White House released an executive order that sets out the best practices that can be applied to future strikes, regardless of where they are conducted. 
 
&quot;Civilian casualties are a tragic and, at times, unavoidable consequence of the use of force in situations of armed conflict,&quot; Obama&#39;s order states.&nbsp; 
 
Among its provisions are requirements for the US government to acknowledge responsibility for civilian casualties and to offer condolences and payments to injured civilians and the relatives of those killed. 
 
&quot;The US failure to even acknowledge strikes in the past, let alone compensate for harm caused, has generated an enormous backlash in many communities,&quot; Pitter noted. 
 
The order also undertakes to consider information from other sources, such as non-government organizations, in determining civilian casualties. 
 
However, a future president can easily scrap the order, and critics point to the irony of its timing - coming at the end of Obama&#39;s eight-year term, during which he kept his counter-terror strikes under close wraps. 
 
&quot;If we can press this administration to make good on the commitments that are in this executive order, it could be huge,&quot; said Naureen Shah, a program director at Amnesty International, USA. 
 
(AFP)

It's hard to credit the government's death count, which is lower than all independent assessments: American Civil Liberties Union director

The United States on Friday lifted the lid on one of the most controversial tactics of President Barack Obama's secretive counter-terror campaign, detailing for the first time the number of those killed in air strikes in countries like Pakistan and Libya. At the same time, the White House released an executive order outlining the steps that should be taken to reduce civilian casualties in America's ongoing battle against violent extremism. In a much-anticipated report, the director of national intelligence (DNI) provided fatality estimates for the 473 strikes between 2009 and 2015 that he said were conducted outside America's principal war zones in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. The DNI said somewhere between 64 and 116 civilians were killed in the strikes, and up to 2,581 terrorists. Such attacks are typically conducted via drones, though manned warplanes and missiles have also been used. Though the US military routinely releases information on strikes targeting the Islamic State group and other organizations, mainly in Iraq and Syria, it is the first time the Obama administration has published a toll from its strikes elsewhere, in countries like Libya, Somalia and Pakistan. The release comes after rights groups and the media for years demanded better accounting of such military actions under Obama, and many questioned the legality of the strikes. Critics have long alleged that US strikes, especially by drones, kill far more civilians than the administration claims, and Friday's release did not appear to change that narrative. Observers also say that without better transparency, it is impossible to gauge the accuracy of US fatality assessments. The American Civil Liberties Union, for instance, welcomed the release of information but said it was too narrow in scope and left the US public unsure if the government deploys lethal force legally. "It's hard to credit the government's death count, which is lower than all independent assessments," said Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU's National Security Project. "The government continues to conceal the identities of people it has killed, the specific definitions it uses to decide who can legitimately be targetted, and its investigations into credibly alleged wrongful killings," Hina added. Even the DNI seemed to acknowledge the possible weakness of its own numbers. "Although the US government has access to a wide range of information, the figures released today should be considered in light of the inherent limitations on the ability to determine the precise number of combatant and non-combatant deaths given the non-permissive environments in which these strikes often occur," the DNI said in a statement. Often, neither the military nor US intelligence agencies are able to send an operative to the scene of a drone strike, making it all but impossible to definitively assess how many people were hit. Laura Pitter, senior US national security counsel at Human Rights Watch, said Obama had failed to explain who the campaign targets and why, so there is no way to verify the purported casualty figures. "Unless details are provided on specific incidents, it's not possible to determine if individuals killed were civilians, and thus whether the US is complying with its own policy and with international law," she said. Meanwhile, The White House released an executive order that sets out the best practices that can be applied to future strikes, regardless of where they are conducted. "Civilian casualties are a tragic and, at times, unavoidable consequence of the use of force in situations of armed conflict," Obama's order states. Among its provisions are requirements for the US government to acknowledge responsibility for civilian casualties and to offer condolences and payments to injured civilians and the relatives of those killed. "The US failure to even acknowledge strikes in the past, let alone compensate for harm caused, has generated an enormous backlash in many communities," Pitter noted. The order also undertakes to consider information from other sources, such as non-government organizations, in determining civilian casualties. However, a future president can easily scrap the order, and critics point to the irony of its timing - coming at the end of Obama's eight-year term, during which he kept his counter-terror strikes under close wraps. "If we can press this administration to make good on the commitments that are in this executive order, it could be huge," said Naureen Shah, a program director at Amnesty International, USA. (AFP)

In a first, US releases death toll from drone strikes in Libya, Somalia and Pakistan

Britain&#39;s vote to leave the European Union raises &quot;longer-term concerns&quot; about global growth at a time of already weak economic output, US President Barack Obama said today. 
 
&quot;I think there are some genuine, longer-term concerns about global growth if, in fact, Brexit goes through and that freezes the possibilities of investment in Great Britain or in Europe as a whole,&quot; Obama said, speaking at a North American leaders summit.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;At a time when global growth rates were weak already, this doesn&#39;t help,&quot; he said. 
 
However, the US President, after meeting his Canadian and Mexican counterparts, expressed confidence in the global financial system&#39;s resilience as markets rebounded on Wednesday from post-Brexit losses following a bruising two-day rout. 
 
&quot;Given the vote of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, our economic teams are going to continue to work together so that we remain focused on keeping our economies growing and making sure that the global financial system is stable,&quot; Obama said. 
 
Both Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had made clear their desire to see Britain remain in the 28-member bloc and the fallout from the Brexit was high on their agenda in Ottawa. 
 
(AFP)

Obama pledged to work with other nations to keep the economic system growing and stable

Britain's vote to leave the European Union raises "longer-term concerns" about global growth at a time of already weak economic output, US President Barack Obama said today. "I think there are some genuine, longer-term concerns about global growth if, in fact, Brexit goes through and that freezes the possibilities of investment in Great Britain or in Europe as a whole," Obama said, speaking at a North American leaders summit. "At a time when global growth rates were weak already, this doesn't help," he said. However, the US President, after meeting his Canadian and Mexican counterparts, expressed confidence in the global financial system's resilience as markets rebounded on Wednesday from post-Brexit losses following a bruising two-day rout. "Given the vote of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, our economic teams are going to continue to work together so that we remain focused on keeping our economies growing and making sure that the global financial system is stable," Obama said. Both Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had made clear their desire to see Britain remain in the 28-member bloc and the fallout from the Brexit was high on their agenda in Ottawa. (AFP)

Brexit raises 'genuine concerns' for long-term global growth: Obama

US President Barack Obama will hit the campaign trail for the first time with presumptive Democratic White House nominee Hillary Clinton next Tuesday in North Carolina, her staff announced. 
 
&quot;In Charlotte, President Obama and Hillary Clinton will discuss building on the progress we&#39;ve made and their vision for an America that is stronger together,&quot; Clinton&#39;s campaign said in a statement. 
 
Their debut joint campaign appearance for the 2016 election had been scheduled for June 15 in the state of Wisconsin, but was postponed due to the massacre in Orlando, Florida - the worst mass shooting in US history. 
 
Obama came out and endorsed Clinton on June 9 after months of assiduously avoiding tipping the scales of the Democratic presidential primaries. 
 
&quot;I don&#39;t think there&#39;s ever been someone so qualified to hold this office,&quot; Obama said in a video message that day as he offered his full-throated endorsement of the former secretary of state, senator and first lady. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m with her, I am fired up, and I cannot wait to get out there and campaign for Hillary,&quot; added Obama, who won a brutal, months-long Democratic primary battle against Clinton in 2008. 
 
Their joint appearance comes with US Senator Bernie Sanders refusing to bow out of the race for the Democratic nomination, despite rival Clinton amassing the necessary number of delegates to clinch it outright at next month&#39;s party convention. 
 
Clinton, aiming to make history as the nation&#39;s first female commander in chief, is expected to square off against Republican billionaire businessman Donald Trump in November&#39;s general election. 
 
(AFP)

The two were scheduled to hit the campaign trail together June 15, but delayed because of the Orlando massacre

US President Barack Obama will hit the campaign trail for the first time with presumptive Democratic White House nominee Hillary Clinton next Tuesday in North Carolina, her staff announced. "In Charlotte, President Obama and Hillary Clinton will discuss building on the progress we've made and their vision for an America that is stronger together," Clinton's campaign said in a statement. Their debut joint campaign appearance for the 2016 election had been scheduled for June 15 in the state of Wisconsin, but was postponed due to the massacre in Orlando, Florida - the worst mass shooting in US history. Obama came out and endorsed Clinton on June 9 after months of assiduously avoiding tipping the scales of the Democratic presidential primaries. "I don't think there's ever been someone so qualified to hold this office," Obama said in a video message that day as he offered his full-throated endorsement of the former secretary of state, senator and first lady. "I'm with her, I am fired up, and I cannot wait to get out there and campaign for Hillary," added Obama, who won a brutal, months-long Democratic primary battle against Clinton in 2008. Their joint appearance comes with US Senator Bernie Sanders refusing to bow out of the race for the Democratic nomination, despite rival Clinton amassing the necessary number of delegates to clinch it outright at next month's party convention. Clinton, aiming to make history as the nation's first female commander in chief, is expected to square off against Republican billionaire businessman Donald Trump in November's general election. (AFP)

Obama, Clinton to make first joint campaign stop next week: official

Congressional Republicans on Tuesday accused Hillary Clinton&#39;s state department of failing to protect four Americans killed in a 2012 attack in Libya in a final report that contained no major new revelations, but rekindled debate on the US presidential campaign trail. 
 
In an 800-page report that Democrats derided as a political vendetta, Republicans said Clinton, who served as secretary of state from 2009 to 2013 and is now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, and her staff, showed a &quot;shameful&quot; lack of response to congressional investigators looking into the attacks on a US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. 
 
The report, the culmination of a two-year investigation by a special congressional committee led by Republican representative Trey Gowdy, is likely to be the last official attempt to investigate the attack. Seven other congressional panels have also investigated the attack on the US diplomatic and CIA posts in Benghazi. 
 
The latest investigation has been used by Republicans to attack Clinton&rsquo;s national-security credentials. Opinion polls have shown Americans deeply split along partisan lines over the probe. 
 
Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has repeatedly charged that Clinton is personally responsible for the deaths of a US ambassador and three other Americans killed by militia groups in the September &nbsp;11, 2012 incident. 
 
Clinton&#39;s campaign dismissed the committee&#39;s report, saying it had not found anything that had not been discovered by previous congressional probes. White House press secretary Josh Earnest labelled the effort a &quot;political exercise.&quot; 
 
Clinton, speaking in Denver, said it was crucial to &quot;learn the right lessons&quot; from the Benghazi tragedy. 
 
&quot;No one has thought more about or lost more sleep over the lives that we lost - the four Americans - which was devastating,&quot; said Clinton. 
 
Trump waited until hours after the report&#39;s release to comment. &quot;Benghazi is just another Hillary Clinton failure,&quot; he said on Twitter. &quot;It just never seems to work the way it&#39;s supposed to with Clinton.&quot; 
 
Republican national committee chairman Reince Priebus said Clinton&#39;s actions as secretary of state were &quot;disqualifying.&quot; 
 
&quot;Hillary Clinton was in charge, knew the risks, and did nothing&quot; to protect personnel on the ground in Libya, he said. 
 
Professor Julian Zelizer, a political analyst at Princeton University, called the report &quot;old news&quot; but said that would not stop Trump from trying to exploit the issue going forward. &quot;A story like this, even though it seems familiar, can still serve to mobilise Republicans, and certainly Donald Trump will do that. He&rsquo;ll certainly try,&rdquo; Zelizer said. 
 
Rodell Mollineau, a Democratic strategist, said he doubted the report would influence undecided voters. &quot;Those who are willing to believe that there was wrongdoing on secretary Clinton&rsquo;s part were unlikely willing to vote for her in the first place,&quot; he said. 
 
Systematic security lapses&nbsp; 
 
At a news conference on Capitol Hill, Gowdy, chairman of the special congressional panel, said there was a disconnect between the violence unfolding in Benghazi and the perception among top Obama administration officials that &quot;the fighting had subsided&quot; at the US diplomatic compound. 
 
The committee&#39;s report faulted the state department for providing inadequate security for the US compound in Benghazi, state department officials and the CIA for failing to properly evaluate the threat to US personnel on the ground, and the Pentagon for not being in position to aid the Americans under siege. The report did not dispute assertions by the Obama administration that such a mission would have come too late to help the four who were killed. 
 
None of those conclusions, however, came as revelations. All had been reached by previous probes. 
 
The report also accused the White House of stonewalling the investigation, something aides to Obama have denied. 
 
Democrats on the Benghazi committee issued their own report a day before Tuesday&#39;s release, accusing Republicans of conducting an overzealous investigation. 
 
According to a website maintained by committee Democrats, the investigation cost more than $7.1 million, a figure that excludes money spent on investigations by the seven other congressional committees that investigated the attacks. 
 
The Gowdy committee investigation lasted 782 days, longer than congressional probes of Pearl Harbour, the Kennedy assassination, the Iran-Contra scandal and Hurricane Katrina. 
 
Since it was established in May 2014, the Gowdy committee has held four public hearings, according to its website, which said that it interviewed 107 witnesses, mostly behind closed doors, including 81 who never appeared before the other committees that investigated the attacks. It reviewed about 75,000 pages of previously unexamined documents. 
 
Clinton rebuffed charges 
 
Last October, Clinton, already a Democratic presidential candidate, calmly deflected harsh Republican criticism of her handling of the attack during a testy 11-hour hearing before the Gowdy committee. 
 
In testimony that stretched deep into the night, Clinton rejected Republican accusations that she ignored requests for security upgrades in Libya and misinformed the public about the cause of the attack. 
 
Clinton&#39;s appearance before the panel followed months of controversy about her use of a private home email server for her state department work, a disclosure that emerged in part because of the panel&#39;s demand to see her official records. 
 
A 2012 report by a government accountability review board faulted state department officials for providing &quot;grossly&quot; insufficient security in Benghazi, despite upgrade requests from ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and others in Libya. 
 
(Reuters)

The killing of an ambassador and three other Americans in a US compound in Benghazi has been used by Republicans to flay Clinton repeatedly

Congressional Republicans on Tuesday accused Hillary Clinton's state department of failing to protect four Americans killed in a 2012 attack in Libya in a final report that contained no major new revelations, but rekindled debate on the US presidential campaign trail. In an 800-page report that Democrats derided as a political vendetta, Republicans said Clinton, who served as secretary of state from 2009 to 2013 and is now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, and her staff, showed a "shameful" lack of response to congressional investigators looking into the attacks on a US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. The report, the culmination of a two-year investigation by a special congressional committee led by Republican representative Trey Gowdy, is likely to be the last official attempt to investigate the attack. Seven other congressional panels have also investigated the attack on the US diplomatic and CIA posts in Benghazi. The latest investigation has been used by Republicans to attack Clinton’s national-security credentials. Opinion polls have shown Americans deeply split along partisan lines over the probe. Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has repeatedly charged that Clinton is personally responsible for the deaths of a US ambassador and three other Americans killed by militia groups in the September 11, 2012 incident. Clinton's campaign dismissed the committee's report, saying it had not found anything that had not been discovered by previous congressional probes. White House press secretary Josh Earnest labelled the effort a "political exercise." Clinton, speaking in Denver, said it was crucial to "learn the right lessons" from the Benghazi tragedy. "No one has thought more about or lost more sleep over the lives that we lost - the four Americans - which was devastating," said Clinton. Trump waited until hours after the report's release to comment. "Benghazi is just another Hillary Clinton failure," he said on Twitter. "It just never seems to work the way it's supposed to with Clinton." Republican national committee chairman Reince Priebus said Clinton's actions as secretary of state were "disqualifying." "Hillary Clinton was in charge, knew the risks, and did nothing" to protect personnel on the ground in Libya, he said. Professor Julian Zelizer, a political analyst at Princeton University, called the report "old news" but said that would not stop Trump from trying to exploit the issue going forward. "A story like this, even though it seems familiar, can still serve to mobilise Republicans, and certainly Donald Trump will do that. He’ll certainly try,” Zelizer said. Rodell Mollineau, a Democratic strategist, said he doubted the report would influence undecided voters. "Those who are willing to believe that there was wrongdoing on secretary Clinton’s part were unlikely willing to vote for her in the first place," he said. Systematic security lapses At a news conference on Capitol Hill, Gowdy, chairman of the special congressional panel, said there was a disconnect between the violence unfolding in Benghazi and the perception among top Obama administration officials that "the fighting had subsided" at the US diplomatic compound. The committee's report faulted the state department for providing inadequate security for the US compound in Benghazi, state department officials and the CIA for failing to properly evaluate the threat to US personnel on the ground, and the Pentagon for not being in position to aid the Americans under siege. The report did not dispute assertions by the Obama administration that such a mission would have come too late to help the four who were killed. None of those conclusions, however, came as revelations. All had been reached by previous probes. The report also accused the White House of stonewalling the investigation, something aides to Obama have denied. Democrats on the Benghazi committee issued their own report a day before Tuesday's release, accusing Republicans of conducting an overzealous investigation. According to a website maintained by committee Democrats, the investigation cost more than $7.1 million, a figure that excludes money spent on investigations by the seven other congressional committees that investigated the attacks. The Gowdy committee investigation lasted 782 days, longer than congressional probes of Pearl Harbour, the Kennedy assassination, the Iran-Contra scandal and Hurricane Katrina. Since it was established in May 2014, the Gowdy committee has held four public hearings, according to its website, which said that it interviewed 107 witnesses, mostly behind closed doors, including 81 who never appeared before the other committees that investigated the attacks. It reviewed about 75,000 pages of previously unexamined documents. Clinton rebuffed charges Last October, Clinton, already a Democratic presidential candidate, calmly deflected harsh Republican criticism of her handling of the attack during a testy 11-hour hearing before the Gowdy committee. In testimony that stretched deep into the night, Clinton rejected Republican accusations that she ignored requests for security upgrades in Libya and misinformed the public about the cause of the attack. Clinton's appearance before the panel followed months of controversy about her use of a private home email server for her state department work, a disclosure that emerged in part because of the panel's demand to see her official records. A 2012 report by a government accountability review board faulted state department officials for providing "grossly" insufficient security in Benghazi, despite upgrade requests from ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and others in Libya. (Reuters)

Clinton's culpability over Benghazi attack debate reignites after panel's report

The death toll from flooding in the US state of West Virginia rose to 24 on Saturday, as President Barack Obama declared a major disaster, releasing federal aid for some of the hardest-hit areas. 
 
The president &quot;ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides,&quot; the White House said in a statement. 
 
Days of heavy rain have caused massive flooding in the state, where high waters have washed away cars, trapped hundreds and cut power to large areas. 
 
More than 21,300 people were without power across the state on Saturday evening, according to the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. 
 
Hundreds of homes had been severely damaged or destroyed and more than 60 roads remained closed, it said. 
 
Photos on the division&#39;s Facebook page showed a muddy, swollen river in the West Virginia town of Clendenin, that had spilled over its banks, and inundated a nearby neighborhood with floodwater. 
 
Obama&#39;s disaster declaration makes federal funding available to Greenbrier, Kanawha and Nicholas counties. 
 
The latest fatality from the flooding was reported Saturday in Greenbrier County, bringing the overall tally to 24 people dead, state spokeswoman Jessica Tice told AFP. 
 
Among the dead was an eight-year-old boy who was swept away while walking along a creek bank with his mother and sister, local news station WSAZ reported. His body was found after three hours of searching. 
 
West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin said on Saturday he expected 400 National Guard members to be deployed during the day to assist local emergency responders in their relief efforts. 
 
He said that support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that was released under the disaster declaration would &quot;provide much needed assistance to severely impacted regions.&quot; 
 
In five of the worst-hit counties volunteer centers were being set up, according to the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. 
 
It said that three Red Cross shelters and a number of community-based shelters had also been established across the state. 
 
&quot;We have so many businesses, individuals and churches really rallying together and gathering supplies,&quot; Tice said. 
 
The devastating flooding also forced the PGA Tour to cancel its Greenbrier Classic scheduled for July 7-10 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. 
 
The torrential rains that hit Greenbrier County especially hard caused extensive flood damage to the course beyond what could be repaired in time to stage the event, tour and resort officials said. 
 
(AFP)

Days of heavy rain have caused massive flooding, high waters have washed away cars, trapped hundreds and cut power to large areas

The death toll from flooding in the US state of West Virginia rose to 24 on Saturday, as President Barack Obama declared a major disaster, releasing federal aid for some of the hardest-hit areas. The president "ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides," the White House said in a statement. Days of heavy rain have caused massive flooding in the state, where high waters have washed away cars, trapped hundreds and cut power to large areas. More than 21,300 people were without power across the state on Saturday evening, according to the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Hundreds of homes had been severely damaged or destroyed and more than 60 roads remained closed, it said. Photos on the division's Facebook page showed a muddy, swollen river in the West Virginia town of Clendenin, that had spilled over its banks, and inundated a nearby neighborhood with floodwater. Obama's disaster declaration makes federal funding available to Greenbrier, Kanawha and Nicholas counties. The latest fatality from the flooding was reported Saturday in Greenbrier County, bringing the overall tally to 24 people dead, state spokeswoman Jessica Tice told AFP. Among the dead was an eight-year-old boy who was swept away while walking along a creek bank with his mother and sister, local news station WSAZ reported. His body was found after three hours of searching. West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin said on Saturday he expected 400 National Guard members to be deployed during the day to assist local emergency responders in their relief efforts. He said that support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that was released under the disaster declaration would "provide much needed assistance to severely impacted regions." In five of the worst-hit counties volunteer centers were being set up, according to the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. It said that three Red Cross shelters and a number of community-based shelters had also been established across the state. "We have so many businesses, individuals and churches really rallying together and gathering supplies," Tice said. The devastating flooding also forced the PGA Tour to cancel its Greenbrier Classic scheduled for July 7-10 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The torrential rains that hit Greenbrier County especially hard caused extensive flood damage to the course beyond what could be repaired in time to stage the event, tour and resort officials said. (AFP)

Obama declares disaster as West Virginia flood death toll climbs to 24

The US Supreme Court on Thursday blocked President Barack Obama&#39;s plan to spare millions of immigrants in the country illegally from deportation in a split ruling that heartened political foes who had accused him of overstepping his powers. 
 
The 4-4 ruling, coming seven months before Obama&#39;s term in office ends, marked the latest success that his Republican adversaries have had in thwarting a major policy initiative of the Democratic president. Obama had hoped that overhauling the US immigration system and resolving the fate of the estimated 11 million people in the country illegally would be part of his presidential legacy. 
 
The ruling is likely to further amplify the role that the immigration issue will play in the run-up to the November 8 presidential election in which voters will pick Obama&#39;s successor. It also leaves in legal limbo the roughly 4 million people Obama&#39;s action was meant to help. 
 
Obama unveiled his plan in November 2014. It was quickly challenged in court by Republican-governed Texas and 25 other states that argued that Obama overstepped the powers granted to him by the US Constitution by infringing upon the authority of Congress. His unilateral executive action bypassed the Republican-led Congress. 
 
Because the court was split, a 2015 lower-court ruling invalidating Obama&#39;s plan was left in place. The plan never was implemented because the lower courts had blocked it. 
 
The plan was tailored to let roughly 4 million people - those who have lived illegally in the United States at least since 2010, have no criminal record and have children who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents - get into a programme that shields them from deportation and supplies work permits. 
 
A split ruling was possible because the court was down to eight justices, four liberals and four conservatives, after conservative justice Antonin Scalia died in February. The Republican-led Senate has refused to act on Obama&#39;s nomination of appeals court judge Merrick Garland to replace Scalia. 
 
In an appearance at the White House after the ruling, Obama expressed frustration at the court&#39;s inability to issue a decisive ruling on the merits of the case and at Senate Republicans for &quot;wilfully&quot; keeping the court shorthanded. 
 
&quot;I think it is heartbreaking for the millions of immigrants who made their lives here, who&#39;ve raised families here, who hope for the opportunity to work, pay taxes, serve in our military, and fully contribute to this country we all love in an open way,&quot; Obama said. 
 
Obama said the U.S. immigration system has been broken for two decades and that this ruling set it back even further. 
 
The issue of illegal immigration has featured prominently in the presidential campaign. Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has called for deportation of all illegal immigrants - most of them from Mexico and other Latin American countries - and building a wall along the Mexican border. 
 
The court did not reveal how each justice voted in the ruling, but it was possible the four liberals backed Obama and the four conservatives backed the states. 
 
The court appeared divided along ideological lines during oral arguments on April 18, with liberals indicating support for the administration and conservative opposed. 
 
 
&#39;Major setback&#39; 
The nation&#39;s top elected Republican, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, and others in his party welcomed the ruling. 
 
&quot;This is a major setback to President Obama&rsquo;s attempts to expand executive power, and a victory for those who believe in the separation of powers and the rule of law,&quot; said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican. 
 
The Constitution assigns certain powers to the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the federal government. 
 
The split decision set no nationwide legal precedent on presidential power or immigration law. The ruling indicates that any major immigration policy change that would address the long-term situation of illegal immigrants would have to be enacted by Congress. 
 
&quot;We feel that justice has turned its back on millions of immigrants who, much like our founding fathers and mothers, sought a better future for themselves and their children and yet continue to live in the shadows without the respect and dignity that they deserve,&quot; said Jorge-Mario Cabrera, a spokesman for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles. 
 
The Obama administration could ask the high court to rehear the case, as losing parties in two other cases in which the court has split 4-4 have done. The court has not yet acted on those other petitions. 
 
The Supreme Court decision does not affect a separate 2012 programme aimed at protecting people brought to the United States as children from deportation, which Texas and the other states did not challenge. 
 
Obama took the action after House Republicans killed bipartisan immigration legislation, billed as the biggest overhaul of U.S. laws on the matter in decades and providing a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, that was passed by the Senate in 2013. 
 
Maya Ledezma, an immigrant from Mexico who lives in Maryland, said would have been eligible for Obama&#39;s programme because she has lived in the United States for more than a decade and has an 8-year-old daughter who is a U.S. citizen. 
 
&ldquo;My life would have changed if the vote had been favourable,&rdquo; she said through a translator during a rally outside the Supreme Court. 
 
Republicans have been critical of Obama&#39;s use of executive action to get around Congress on immigration policy and other issues such as gun control and healthcare. 
 
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton criticized the ruling for &quot;throwing millions of families across our country into a state of uncertainty.&quot; Trump said the ruling &quot;blocked one of the most unconstitutional actions ever undertaken by a president.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

Programme would have shielded 4 million people -- who have lived illegally in the US since 2010, have no criminal record -- from deportation

The US Supreme Court on Thursday blocked President Barack Obama's plan to spare millions of immigrants in the country illegally from deportation in a split ruling that heartened political foes who had accused him of overstepping his powers. The 4-4 ruling, coming seven months before Obama's term in office ends, marked the latest success that his Republican adversaries have had in thwarting a major policy initiative of the Democratic president. Obama had hoped that overhauling the US immigration system and resolving the fate of the estimated 11 million people in the country illegally would be part of his presidential legacy. The ruling is likely to further amplify the role that the immigration issue will play in the run-up to the November 8 presidential election in which voters will pick Obama's successor. It also leaves in legal limbo the roughly 4 million people Obama's action was meant to help. Obama unveiled his plan in November 2014. It was quickly challenged in court by Republican-governed Texas and 25 other states that argued that Obama overstepped the powers granted to him by the US Constitution by infringing upon the authority of Congress. His unilateral executive action bypassed the Republican-led Congress. Because the court was split, a 2015 lower-court ruling invalidating Obama's plan was left in place. The plan never was implemented because the lower courts had blocked it. The plan was tailored to let roughly 4 million people - those who have lived illegally in the United States at least since 2010, have no criminal record and have children who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents - get into a programme that shields them from deportation and supplies work permits. A split ruling was possible because the court was down to eight justices, four liberals and four conservatives, after conservative justice Antonin Scalia died in February. The Republican-led Senate has refused to act on Obama's nomination of appeals court judge Merrick Garland to replace Scalia. In an appearance at the White House after the ruling, Obama expressed frustration at the court's inability to issue a decisive ruling on the merits of the case and at Senate Republicans for "wilfully" keeping the court shorthanded. "I think it is heartbreaking for the millions of immigrants who made their lives here, who've raised families here, who hope for the opportunity to work, pay taxes, serve in our military, and fully contribute to this country we all love in an open way," Obama said. Obama said the U.S. immigration system has been broken for two decades and that this ruling set it back even further. The issue of illegal immigration has featured prominently in the presidential campaign. Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has called for deportation of all illegal immigrants - most of them from Mexico and other Latin American countries - and building a wall along the Mexican border. The court did not reveal how each justice voted in the ruling, but it was possible the four liberals backed Obama and the four conservatives backed the states. The court appeared divided along ideological lines during oral arguments on April 18, with liberals indicating support for the administration and conservative opposed. 'Major setback' The nation's top elected Republican, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, and others in his party welcomed the ruling. "This is a major setback to President Obama’s attempts to expand executive power, and a victory for those who believe in the separation of powers and the rule of law," said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican. The Constitution assigns certain powers to the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the federal government. The split decision set no nationwide legal precedent on presidential power or immigration law. The ruling indicates that any major immigration policy change that would address the long-term situation of illegal immigrants would have to be enacted by Congress. "We feel that justice has turned its back on millions of immigrants who, much like our founding fathers and mothers, sought a better future for themselves and their children and yet continue to live in the shadows without the respect and dignity that they deserve," said Jorge-Mario Cabrera, a spokesman for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles. The Obama administration could ask the high court to rehear the case, as losing parties in two other cases in which the court has split 4-4 have done. The court has not yet acted on those other petitions. The Supreme Court decision does not affect a separate 2012 programme aimed at protecting people brought to the United States as children from deportation, which Texas and the other states did not challenge. Obama took the action after House Republicans killed bipartisan immigration legislation, billed as the biggest overhaul of U.S. laws on the matter in decades and providing a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, that was passed by the Senate in 2013. Maya Ledezma, an immigrant from Mexico who lives in Maryland, said would have been eligible for Obama's programme because she has lived in the United States for more than a decade and has an 8-year-old daughter who is a U.S. citizen. “My life would have changed if the vote had been favourable,” she said through a translator during a rally outside the Supreme Court. Republicans have been critical of Obama's use of executive action to get around Congress on immigration policy and other issues such as gun control and healthcare. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton criticized the ruling for "throwing millions of families across our country into a state of uncertainty." Trump said the ruling "blocked one of the most unconstitutional actions ever undertaken by a president." (Reuters)

Split US Supreme Court blocks Obama immigration plan

The US Supreme Court on Thursday dealt President Barack Obama a harsh defeat by blocking his plan to spare millions of illegal immigrants from deportation in a split 4-4 ruling he called frustrating to those aiming to fix America&#39;s broken immigration system. 
 
The ruling, coming seven months before Obama&#39;s term in office ends, marked the latest success that his Republican adversaries have had in thwarting a major policy initiative of the Democratic president. It also guarantees that immigration will remain a prominent part of the campaign ahead of the November-8 election in which voters will pick his successor. 
 
&quot;For more than two decades now, our immigration system ... has been broken, and the fact that the Supreme Court was not able to issue a decision today doesn&#39;t just set the system back even further, it takes us further from the country that we aspire to be,&quot; Obama said at the White House. 
 
The 4-4 decision left in place a 2015 lower-court ruling blocking the plan, which was never implemented. 
 
Obama called the ruling frustrating to those who want to &quot;bring a rationality&quot; to the immigration system and to allow the estimated 11 million immigrants in the country illegally to &quot;come out of the shadows.&quot; 
 
Obama&#39;s 2014 plan was tailored to let roughly 4 million people - those who have lived illegally in the United States at least since 2010, have no criminal record and have children who are US citizens or lawful permanent residents - get into a program that shields them from deportation and supplies work permits. 
 
The issue of illegal immigration has featured prominently in the presidential campaign. Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has called for deportation of all immigrants in the United States illegally - most of them from Mexico and other Latin American countries - and building a wall along the Mexican border. 
 
&quot;In the end, it is my firm belief that immigration is not something to fear,&quot; Obama said. &quot;We don&#39;t have to wall ourselves off from those who may not look like us right now, or pray like we do, or have a different last name, because being an American is something more than that. What makes us American is our shared commitment to an ideal that all of us are created equal.&quot;

The ruling is frustrating to those who want to 'bring a rationality' to the immigration system, Obama says

The US Supreme Court on Thursday dealt President Barack Obama a harsh defeat by blocking his plan to spare millions of illegal immigrants from deportation in a split 4-4 ruling he called frustrating to those aiming to fix America's broken immigration system. The ruling, coming seven months before Obama's term in office ends, marked the latest success that his Republican adversaries have had in thwarting a major policy initiative of the Democratic president. It also guarantees that immigration will remain a prominent part of the campaign ahead of the November-8 election in which voters will pick his successor. "For more than two decades now, our immigration system ... has been broken, and the fact that the Supreme Court was not able to issue a decision today doesn't just set the system back even further, it takes us further from the country that we aspire to be," Obama said at the White House. The 4-4 decision left in place a 2015 lower-court ruling blocking the plan, which was never implemented. Obama called the ruling frustrating to those who want to "bring a rationality" to the immigration system and to allow the estimated 11 million immigrants in the country illegally to "come out of the shadows." Obama's 2014 plan was tailored to let roughly 4 million people - those who have lived illegally in the United States at least since 2010, have no criminal record and have children who are US citizens or lawful permanent residents - get into a program that shields them from deportation and supplies work permits. The issue of illegal immigration has featured prominently in the presidential campaign. Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has called for deportation of all immigrants in the United States illegally - most of them from Mexico and other Latin American countries - and building a wall along the Mexican border. "In the end, it is my firm belief that immigration is not something to fear," Obama said. "We don't have to wall ourselves off from those who may not look like us right now, or pray like we do, or have a different last name, because being an American is something more than that. What makes us American is our shared commitment to an ideal that all of us are created equal."

Obama: Supreme Court decision on immigration sets the system back

US President Barack Obama met the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, at the White House on Wednesday, despite a warning from China that it would damage diplomatic relations. 
 
The meeting came at a time of heightened tensions between the United States and China over Beijing&rsquo;s assertive pursuit of territorial claims in East Asia.&nbsp; 
 
Obama&#39;s fourth White House meeting with the Dalai Lama in the past eight years took place in the White House residence, instead of the Oval Office where the president normally meets world leaders. 
 
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the choice of the residence emphasized the &quot;personal nature of their meeting&quot;. 
 
He said Obama thanked the Dalai Lama for his condolences for the victims of Sunday&#39;s mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. 
 
Earnest added that Obama had in the past spoken of his &quot;warm personal feelings&quot; for the Dalai Lama, appreciation of his teachings and belief &quot;in preserving Tibet&#39;s unique religious, cultural and linguistic traditions&quot;. 
 
At the same time, Earnest said the US position of considering Tibet part of China had not changed. 
 
In an interview with Fox News later on Wednesday, the Dalai Lama said he and Obama talked about the current situation in Tibet. 
 
He denied he was seeking independence and that it was in Tibet&#39;s interests to remain part of China, &quot;provided we should have full right for preservation of our own culture, or rich Buddhist knowledge, knowledge of Buddhist philosophy, these things&quot;. 
 
The Dalai Lama also noted in the interview that Chinese President Xi Jinping had said Buddhism was an important part of Chinese culture. 
 
&quot;So this is something new, for a leader of a Communist party, you see, mentioning some positive things about leader of Buddhism, wonderful.&quot; 
 
&#39;The Tibet card&#39; 
 
China&#39;s foreign ministry said earlier it had lodged diplomatic representations with the United States over the planned meeting, saying it would damage Chinese-US ties. 
 
China considers the Dalai Lama a dangerous separatist, and ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the meeting would encourage &quot;separatist forces&quot;. He urged Washington to abide by its promises to recognise that Tibet is part of China and cease any support for Tibet independence. 
 
A commentary on China&#39;s official news agency, Xinhua, accused Washington of breaking its promise not to support Tibet&#39;s independence by going ahead with the meeting. It said that had &quot;seriously jeopardized China-US relations, and deeply hurt the Chinese people&#39;s feelings&quot;. 
 
&quot;Supporting Tibet&#39;s independence is a clear interference in China&#39;s internal affairs and is in gross violation of the norms of international relations. Playing the &#39;Tibet card&#39; shows the US government is overdrawing its political credit and international prestige.&quot; 
 
When Obama last met the Dalai Lama at the White House in 2014, he angered China by vowing &quot;strong support&quot; for Tibetans&#39; human rights. 
 
The Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet into exile in India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, said in the Fox News interview that China would eventually have to become more open. 
 
&quot;So ... Chinese people, including leaders, I think are getting some new experiences, so things will change,&quot; he said, adding there was no future in maintaining such tight social control. 
 
&#39;Trust, frienship essential&#39; 
 
The Dalai Lama said in an interview that the disputes between China and its neighbours in the South China Sea should be resolved through dialogue. 
 
He said China faced no threat from other Asian countries and as a big and ancient nation should pursue reconciliation and friendship. &ldquo;Long term, it&rsquo;s in China&rsquo;s own interests,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Trust and friendship with neighbouring countries is essential; including the United States also.&rdquo; 
 
On Wednesday, a Chinese observation ship shadowed the US aircraft carrier John C. Stennis in the Western Pacific, the carrier&#39;s commander said, as it joined warships from Japan and India for drills close to waters Beijing considers its backyard. 
 
Japan and the United States worry that China is extending its influence into the Western Pacific with submarines and surface vessels as it pushes territorial claims in the neighbouring South China Sea, expanding and building on islands. 
 
China has been angered by what it views as provocative US military patrols close to the islands. The United States says the patrols are to protect freedom of navigation. 
 
On Tuesday, Beijing also warned Washington to stick to its &ldquo;one-China&rdquo; policy over Taiwan ahead of an overseas trip by Taipei&rsquo;s new president, Tsai Ing-wen, who will transit though Miami from June 24 to 25 and Los Angeles from June 30 to July 1 on her way to and from Panama and Paraguay. 
 
A US State Department spokeswoman, Anna Richey-Allen, said the visit would be &ldquo;private and unofficial&rdquo; and the transits handled in accordance with the &ldquo;unofficial nature of the (US) relationship with Taiwan&rdquo;. 
 
&ldquo;There is no change to the US &lsquo;One-China&rsquo; policy,&rdquo; she said, adding that Tsai would be greeted as a courtesy in Miami and Los Angeles by officials of the American Institute in Taiwan, a de facto embassy that handles US relations with Taiwan. 
(Reuters)

Comes as Japan and the US worry that Beijing is pushing territorial claims in the neighbouring South China Sea

US President Barack Obama met the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, at the White House on Wednesday, despite a warning from China that it would damage diplomatic relations. The meeting came at a time of heightened tensions between the United States and China over Beijing’s assertive pursuit of territorial claims in East Asia. Obama's fourth White House meeting with the Dalai Lama in the past eight years took place in the White House residence, instead of the Oval Office where the president normally meets world leaders. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the choice of the residence emphasized the "personal nature of their meeting". He said Obama thanked the Dalai Lama for his condolences for the victims of Sunday's mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Earnest added that Obama had in the past spoken of his "warm personal feelings" for the Dalai Lama, appreciation of his teachings and belief "in preserving Tibet's unique religious, cultural and linguistic traditions". At the same time, Earnest said the US position of considering Tibet part of China had not changed. In an interview with Fox News later on Wednesday, the Dalai Lama said he and Obama talked about the current situation in Tibet. He denied he was seeking independence and that it was in Tibet's interests to remain part of China, "provided we should have full right for preservation of our own culture, or rich Buddhist knowledge, knowledge of Buddhist philosophy, these things". The Dalai Lama also noted in the interview that Chinese President Xi Jinping had said Buddhism was an important part of Chinese culture. "So this is something new, for a leader of a Communist party, you see, mentioning some positive things about leader of Buddhism, wonderful." 'The Tibet card' China's foreign ministry said earlier it had lodged diplomatic representations with the United States over the planned meeting, saying it would damage Chinese-US ties. China considers the Dalai Lama a dangerous separatist, and ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the meeting would encourage "separatist forces". He urged Washington to abide by its promises to recognise that Tibet is part of China and cease any support for Tibet independence. A commentary on China's official news agency, Xinhua, accused Washington of breaking its promise not to support Tibet's independence by going ahead with the meeting. It said that had "seriously jeopardized China-US relations, and deeply hurt the Chinese people's feelings". "Supporting Tibet's independence is a clear interference in China's internal affairs and is in gross violation of the norms of international relations. Playing the 'Tibet card' shows the US government is overdrawing its political credit and international prestige." When Obama last met the Dalai Lama at the White House in 2014, he angered China by vowing "strong support" for Tibetans' human rights. The Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet into exile in India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, said in the Fox News interview that China would eventually have to become more open. "So ... Chinese people, including leaders, I think are getting some new experiences, so things will change," he said, adding there was no future in maintaining such tight social control. 'Trust, frienship essential' The Dalai Lama said in an interview that the disputes between China and its neighbours in the South China Sea should be resolved through dialogue. He said China faced no threat from other Asian countries and as a big and ancient nation should pursue reconciliation and friendship. “Long term, it’s in China’s own interests,” he said. “Trust and friendship with neighbouring countries is essential; including the United States also.” On Wednesday, a Chinese observation ship shadowed the US aircraft carrier John C. Stennis in the Western Pacific, the carrier's commander said, as it joined warships from Japan and India for drills close to waters Beijing considers its backyard. Japan and the United States worry that China is extending its influence into the Western Pacific with submarines and surface vessels as it pushes territorial claims in the neighbouring South China Sea, expanding and building on islands. China has been angered by what it views as provocative US military patrols close to the islands. The United States says the patrols are to protect freedom of navigation. On Tuesday, Beijing also warned Washington to stick to its “one-China” policy over Taiwan ahead of an overseas trip by Taipei’s new president, Tsai Ing-wen, who will transit though Miami from June 24 to 25 and Los Angeles from June 30 to July 1 on her way to and from Panama and Paraguay. A US State Department spokeswoman, Anna Richey-Allen, said the visit would be “private and unofficial” and the transits handled in accordance with the “unofficial nature of the (US) relationship with Taiwan”. “There is no change to the US ‘One-China’ policy,” she said, adding that Tsai would be greeted as a courtesy in Miami and Los Angeles by officials of the American Institute in Taiwan, a de facto embassy that handles US relations with Taiwan. (Reuters)

Obama meets 'dangerous separatist' Dalai Lama despite warning from China

Speaker of the US House of Representatives,&nbsp;Paul Ryan, has said that the Indian government is going to be America&#39;s &quot;great ally&quot;, and there is a need to nurture this relationship.
In a major foreign policy speech in which he was highly critical of President Barack Obama&#39;s policies, the US-India relationship was the only aspect of it which was appreciated by Ryan.
&quot;I think you need, in particular, specifically under Modi&#39;s leadership, and he and I have discussed this at great length yesterday, (US-India) have a great potential for the future. Particularly with the seas, in the Pacific and in the Indian Ocean, making sure that we help police the global commons and international order. Namely China building, you know, runways on islands in contested areas,&quot; Ryan said.

He said this in the speech at the Council on Foreign Relations on Thursday, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a joint meeting of the US Congress at his invitation.
Modi was the first foreign leader to be invited to address a joint sitting of the Congress under Ryan&#39;s speakership.&nbsp;On Wednesday, Modi and Ryan had a one-on-one interaction before the Prime Minister&#39;s address. Ryan also hosted a lunch for the visiting leader.

A day later, Ryan was all in praise for Modi.&nbsp;&quot;I think the Indian (government), the new Indian government, is going to be a great ally of ours and we have better security cooperation with them. That&#39;s one thing that we need to nurture and grow,&quot; Ryan told the audience at the Council on Foreign Relations, a top American think tank.

&quot;And those of us who are fans of Modi, you know, he&#39;s a conservative who wants, who embraces, free enterprise. He&#39;s bringing needed reform to the country,&quot; Ryan said, according to the remarks released by his office.

&quot;That&#39;s the kind of an alliance that we need to forge and build upon. That stands in stark contrast, I would argue, to the Obama foreign policy of the last eight years where we have neglected our allies and we have basically rewarded our enemies, our adversaries,&quot; said the Speaker of the US House of Representatives.

Except for his comments on India, Ryan slammed Obama&#39;s foreign policy.&nbsp;&quot;We know that this new Obama foreign policy concept, leading from behind, can now be declared an unambiguous failure. It is making us unprepared. It is reducing our military capability and strength,&quot; he alleged.

Though Ryan, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, criticised most of Obama's policies, he appreciated the US-India relationship

Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Paul Ryan, has said that the Indian government is going to be America's "great ally", and there is a need to nurture this relationship. In a major foreign policy speech in which he was highly critical of President Barack Obama's policies, the US-India relationship was the only aspect of it which was appreciated by Ryan. "I think you need, in particular, specifically under Modi's leadership, and he and I have discussed this at great length yesterday, (US-India) have a great potential for the future. Particularly with the seas, in the Pacific and in the Indian Ocean, making sure that we help police the global commons and international order. Namely China building, you know, runways on islands in contested areas," Ryan said. He said this in the speech at the Council on Foreign Relations on Thursday, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a joint meeting of the US Congress at his invitation. Modi was the first foreign leader to be invited to address a joint sitting of the Congress under Ryan's speakership. On Wednesday, Modi and Ryan had a one-on-one interaction before the Prime Minister's address. Ryan also hosted a lunch for the visiting leader. A day later, Ryan was all in praise for Modi. "I think the Indian (government), the new Indian government, is going to be a great ally of ours and we have better security cooperation with them. That's one thing that we need to nurture and grow," Ryan told the audience at the Council on Foreign Relations, a top American think tank. "And those of us who are fans of Modi, you know, he's a conservative who wants, who embraces, free enterprise. He's bringing needed reform to the country," Ryan said, according to the remarks released by his office. "That's the kind of an alliance that we need to forge and build upon. That stands in stark contrast, I would argue, to the Obama foreign policy of the last eight years where we have neglected our allies and we have basically rewarded our enemies, our adversaries," said the Speaker of the US House of Representatives. Except for his comments on India, Ryan slammed Obama's foreign policy. "We know that this new Obama foreign policy concept, leading from behind, can now be declared an unambiguous failure. It is making us unprepared. It is reducing our military capability and strength," he alleged.

Paul Ryan believes Indian government is going to be America's 'great ally'

India and the US welcomed preparations that could lead to the building of six nuclear reactors in India by US-based Westinghouse, in what would be the culmination of some 10 years of work to resolve civil-nuclear issues. 
 
The joint statement said India and the US&nbsp;Export-Import Bank were working to complete a financing package for the project and that the Nuclear Power Corporation of India and Westinghouse had confirmed engineering and site design work would begin immediately. 
 
It said Westinghouse and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India would work toward finalizing the contract by June 2017 - a year later than Westinghouse&#39;s chief executive&nbsp;Daniel Roderick&nbsp;said he had hoped for.&nbsp; 
 
The text of a logistics agreement, which will allow the countries&#39; militaries to&nbsp;use each other&#39;s land, air and naval bases, would be signed soon, a US&nbsp;official said. 
 
Modi&nbsp;told an event organized by the US&nbsp;India Business Council that relations between India and the United States were &quot;closer than ever&quot;. He said the planned reactor purchases would mark new era in nuclear and scientific cooperation. 
 
Modi&#39;s address to a joint session of Congress will be a significant personal step. Although this has become a&nbsp;tradition for Indian prime ministers, he was once banned from the United States for his alleged involvement in 2002 Gujarat riots. 
 
More than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in sectarian riots in Gujarat in 2002 when Modi&nbsp;had just become the state&#39;s chief minister.&nbsp;Modi&nbsp;has denied any wrongdoing, and India&#39;s Supreme Court in 2010 ruled there was no case. 
 
In the joint statement, the United States said it now recognized India as a &quot;Major Defence Partner&quot; and would work on technology sharing &quot;to a level commensurate with that of its closest allies and partners&quot;. 
 
Tensions between the United States and Pakistan, as well as regional concerns about China,&nbsp;have served as a backdrop to increased security cooperation. 
 
Senator John McCain, chairman of the US&nbsp;Senate Armed Services Committee, said the address to Congress was &quot;entirely appropriate&quot; given the new partnership. 
 
&quot;There&rsquo;s no doubt there are significant tensions and challenges in the region, which argues for closer coordination between our militaries,&quot; he said. 
 
While&nbsp;Modi&nbsp;is generally popular with the US&nbsp;lawmakers, they criticize what they see as lingering unfriendliness to US&nbsp;firms and a stifling bureaucracy, in spite of&nbsp;Modi&#39;s pro-business image. They also question New Delhi&#39;s record on human rights. 
 
Modi&nbsp;got a boost on Tuesday when Amazon Inc&nbsp;Chief Executive Jeff Bezos said his company will&nbsp;invest an additional $3 billion in India, increasing&nbsp;its committed investment in the country to over $5 billion.

The US said it now recognized India as a "Major Defence Partner" and would work on technology sharing "to a level commensurate with that of its closest allies and partners"

India and the US welcomed preparations that could lead to the building of six nuclear reactors in India by US-based Westinghouse, in what would be the culmination of some 10 years of work to resolve civil-nuclear issues. The joint statement said India and the US Export-Import Bank were working to complete a financing package for the project and that the Nuclear Power Corporation of India and Westinghouse had confirmed engineering and site design work would begin immediately. It said Westinghouse and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India would work toward finalizing the contract by June 2017 - a year later than Westinghouse's chief executive Daniel Roderick said he had hoped for. The text of a logistics agreement, which will allow the countries' militaries to use each other's land, air and naval bases, would be signed soon, a US official said. Modi told an event organized by the US India Business Council that relations between India and the United States were "closer than ever". He said the planned reactor purchases would mark new era in nuclear and scientific cooperation. Modi's address to a joint session of Congress will be a significant personal step. Although this has become a tradition for Indian prime ministers, he was once banned from the United States for his alleged involvement in 2002 Gujarat riots. More than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in sectarian riots in Gujarat in 2002 when Modi had just become the state's chief minister. Modi has denied any wrongdoing, and India's Supreme Court in 2010 ruled there was no case. In the joint statement, the United States said it now recognized India as a "Major Defence Partner" and would work on technology sharing "to a level commensurate with that of its closest allies and partners". Tensions between the United States and Pakistan, as well as regional concerns about China, have served as a backdrop to increased security cooperation. Senator John McCain, chairman of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, said the address to Congress was "entirely appropriate" given the new partnership. "There’s no doubt there are significant tensions and challenges in the region, which argues for closer coordination between our militaries," he said. While Modi is generally popular with the US lawmakers, they criticize what they see as lingering unfriendliness to US firms and a stifling bureaucracy, in spite of Modi's pro-business image. They also question New Delhi's record on human rights. Modi got a boost on Tuesday when Amazon Inc Chief Executive Jeff Bezos said his company will invest an additional $3 billion in India, increasing its committed investment in the country to over $5 billion.

Obama and Modi talks touch on nuclear power, military cooperation and Big Business

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