Monday, September 15, 2014
Kerry: US won't rule out talking with Iran about helping in Islamic State crisis
PARIS (AP) — As more than two dozen nations pledged Monday to help Iraq fight the Islamic State militants, the United States said it was open to talking to Iran about a role in resolving the crisis, despite Washington's earlier opposition to Tehran even attending the conference.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry ruled out any military coordination with Iran, which in the end was not invited to Paris.
"That doesn't mean that we are opposed to the idea of communicating to find out if they will come on board, or under what circumstances, or whether there is the possibility of a change," Kerry told a small group of reporters.
France and Iraq see Shiite-powerhouse Iran as an interlocutor who could bring its influence to bear in the region against the Sunni extremists of the Islamic State group, but some Arab states, like Saudi Arabia, disagree.
The U.S. opposed a place for Iran at the conference. But Tehran, which has political and military influence with its neighbor Iraq, still managed to be part of the conversation.
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Qatar: A key host to US military forces while hedging bets on outcome of Mideast conflicts
WASHINGTON (AP) — Just miles from where former Guantanamo Bay terror suspects have resettled, American warplanes take off from Qatar's al-Udeid air base in the global war on extremism.
The contrast in images illustrates why tiny but rich Qatar is an intriguing player in what President Barack Obama says will be a long battle to stop and eventually destroy the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.
Qatar plays an outsize role as a U.S. military partner. It gained public praise from Obama for brokering the controversial deal that freed Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from Taliban captivity in May in exchange for the release of five senior Taliban officials who had been imprisoned for years at the U.S.-run Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba. Qatar promised Obama it would keep the five under watch for one year, although they would then be free to leave. The Obama administration also praised Qatar for its role in securing the release of extremist hostage Peter Theo Curtis.
But Qatar also has a reputation as a supporter of Islamist groups in disfavor in Washington. Some in Congress suspect Qatar of funneling money to Islamic State militants, though the State Department says the U.S. has no evidence of it.
Qatari officials in Doha had no immediate comment for this story, but the government has unequivocally denied that it backs the Islamic State group. Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah said last month that his country "does not support extremist groups, including ISIS, in any way."
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Defiant residents in Iraqi city keep children out of school as militants issue new curriculum
BAGHDAD (AP) — The extremist-held Iraqi city of Mosul is set to usher in a new school year. But unlike years past, there will be no art or music. Classes about history, literature and Christianity have been "permanently annulled."
The Islamic State group has declared patriotic songs blasphemous and ordered that certain pictures be torn out of textbooks.
But instead of compliance, Iraq's second largest city has — at least so far — responded to the Sunni militants' demands with silence. Although the extremists stipulated that the school year would begin Sept. 9, pupils have uniformly not shown up for class, according to residents who spoke anonymously because of safety concerns. They said families were keeping their children home out of mixed feelings of fear, resistance and uncertainty.
"What's important to us now is that the children continue receiving knowledge correctly, even if they lose a whole academic year and an official certification," a Mosul resident who identified himself as Abu Hassan told The Associated Press, giving only his nickname for fear of reprisals. He and his wife have opted for home schooling, picking up the required readings at the local market.
The fall of Mosul on June 10 was a turning point in Iraq's war against the jihadi group that calls itself the Islamic State. The U.S.-trained Iraqi military, harassed for months by small-scale attacks, buckled almost instantly when militants advanced on the city. Commanders disappeared. Pleas for more ammunition went unanswered. In some cases, soldiers stripped off their uniforms and ran.
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Gazans rush to enjoy life after devastating conflict, thinly masking widespread despair
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — After a ruinous war, Gaza is rushing back to a veneer of normalcy at astonishing speed. Street cafes and beaches are packed with people until late at night. Families crowd the few public parks. Wedding halls are booked solid.
Gazans who endured 50 days of devastating Israeli bombardment are now eager to enjoy some life. Far from a celebration, however, Gazans themselves acknowledge the revelry is only to thinly mask trauma and widespread despair.
Many complain that none of the gains they hoped for from the war have been realized. Almost none express any optimism for change in the misery in the tiny, densely populated Mediterranean coastal strip, which is suffocating under seven years of blockade by Israel and Egypt and is under the iron rule of the Hamas militant group.
"We go out just to steal a moment of joy," said Rami Ali, a 33-year-old bank employee sitting with friends at a seaside cafe. "We don't know what will happen tomorrow, we might have another war." He said nothing can help them avoid the reminders of the onslaught — "the destruction of homes, the power outages, the lack of any progress on easing the blockade."
The burst of liveliness is startling. Cafes on the streets or on Gaza's Mediterranean beaches are a main venue for nightlife, since under Hamas there are no cinemas or theaters. In the three weeks since fighting ended, coffeehouses have thronged with men, women and families. Commercial streets are choked with shoppers.
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Hurricane Odile causes 'extensive' damage to homes, hotels, businesses in Baja California
CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Odile blazed a trail of destruction through Mexico's Baja California Peninsula on Monday that leveled everything from ramshackle homes to luxury hotels and big box stores, leaving entire neighborhoods as disaster zones.
About 30,000 tourists were being put up in temporary shelters in hotels and Los Cabos international airport remained closed. Emergency officials reported that 135 people were treated for minor injuries from flying glass or falling objects, but there were no serious injuries or deaths so far.
Odile, which made landfall near Cabo San Lucas the previous night as a powerful Category 3 hurricane, toppled trees, power poles and road signs along the main highway, which at one point was swamped by rushing floodwaters. Countless windows were blown out of rental cars and high-end hotel rooms, and resort facades crumbled to the ground.
"From what we have seen around here, everything is pretty much destroyed," said Alejandro Tealdi, a 32-year-old resident of Cabo San Lucas. His home was damaged and suffered some flooding, but nobody was hurt. "In the seven years I've been here, I've never seen anything hit like this."
Luis Felipe Puente, national coordinator for Civil Protection, said most of the area's power poles were blown over, leaving 239,000 people in the state of Baja California Sur without electricity. Many were also without drinkable water. Ports were closed.
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A half-century later, 2 Vietnam War soldiers receive Medal of Honor in White House ceremony
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two Vietnam War soldiers — one still living, one killed in action — received the Medal of Honor in a White House ceremony on Monday, nearly 50 years after they threw themselves into harm's way to protect their brothers in combat. President Barack Obama praised the soldiers as patriots whose sacrifices had never been fully realized by a nation divided over the legacy of the Vietnam War.
Army Command Sgt. Maj. Bennie G. Adkins survived his injuries. Army Spc. Donald P. Sloat did not. It took an act of Congress to allow each to receive the medal so many decades after the fact.
"Over the decades, our Vietnam veterans didn't always receive the thanks and respect they deserved. That's a fact," Obama said. "But as we have been reminded again today, our Vietnam vets were patriots and are patriots."
"You served with valor, you made us proud, and your service is with us for eternity," Obama told the audience, which included Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel — himself a Vietnam veteran — and others who received the Medal of Honor after coming home from the rice paddies of Vietnam.
Drafted into the Army at age 22 from his home in rural Oklahoma, Adkins was deployed three times to Vietnam with the Special Forces. He was already being recognized for actions during his second combat tour when, in 1966, a large North Vietnamese force attacked his camp.
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Generation gap: Young Scots tend to favor independence; older ones say keep things as they are
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Across Scotland, dinner table talk is getting heated as families argue over how to vote in Scotland's independence referendum. A generation gap has opened up, with younger voters more inclined to back independence and their elders tending to say they want to remain in the United Kingdom.
Support for the status quo is strongest among the over-60s, who worry about the consequences that breaking free would have on pensions, health care and savings; the pro-independence movement is largely being driven by under-40s. Neck-and-neck in the polls, the rival campaigns have called on core supporters to make a last ditch attempt to swing the vote by making the debate a family affair.
The young have been urged to visit parents and grandparents to explain why they should support separation. The No camp has launched a counteroffensive by asking seniors to win young hearts and minds with their wisdom.
"I was so proud of my grandpa when he told me he was voting Yes that I burst into tears," said 23-year-old Miriam Brett, a campaigner for Generation Yes. "A Yes vote means so much to my generation. We want to let all our grandparents know that their future is secure in our hands, and with a Yes we can build a better future for ourselves and for our children."
Some polls suggest the No camp is trailing in every age group except the over-60s. Opinion surveys indicate more than 63 percent of that age group is expected to vote in favor of the union. As older people are more likely to be on the electoral roll, there has been a huge drive to get younger people engaged in the Yes campaign.
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Florida's 'Gray Belt' a glimpse at a future where senior services pre-empt schools and roads
INVERNESS, Fla. (AP) — A billboard at the county line advertises home health care services. Local churches try to create a feeling of belonging for elderly members who may be disconnected from family up north. Lawyers and accountants make house calls like doctors. Elderly residents get ferried to stores by a fleet of county minivans.
Welcome to Citrus County, Florida, where more than a third of residents are senior citizens, one of the highest rates in the nation.
The county isn't simply a stereotype of Florida, where in just 15 years, one in four residents will be 65 or older. It's a peek into the not-too-distant future of the nation, where the number will be one in five.
In Citrus County, about 70 miles north of Tampa, health care dominates the labor force. Residents prefer to get their news from a newspaper. Strip malls have an unusually high number of hearing aid businesses. The library offers Medicaid planning seminars. Voters turn out in large numbers, albeit often by absentee ballot.
Having such a high concentration of elderly citizens has its trade-offs. You get an engaged citizenry with high voter turnout and volunteerism, but also an economy based on low-skill jobs such as health-care aides, retail clerks and food service workers.
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3 California wildfires force hundreds to flee their homes; nearly 100 structures burned
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A wildfire that broke out in far Northern California on Monday burned at least 75 structures, forced the evacuation of about 1,500 residents and caused the closure of a major interstate freeway.
Winds gusting up to 40 mph spread the fire near the town of Weed, about 50 miles south of the California-Oregon border, to at least 200 acres, said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Berlant said the fire damaged or destroyed 75 structures, and it forced the evacuation of residents in Weed, Carrick and Lake Shastina.
The fire also prompted the closure of Interstate 5.
Meanwhile, firefighters were trying to gain better access to two raging wildfires that have forced hundreds to evacuate their homes, including one near a lakeside resort that destroyed nearly two-dozen structures.
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Cat Stevens to tour in US for first time since late 1970s; will visit 6 North American cities
NEW YORK (AP) — New Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Cat Stevens is taking the "Peace Train" back on the road.
He announced Monday that he will make a six-city concert tour in North America this December, his first series of shows in the U.S. since 1976. His conversion to Islam followed, putting his music career on hold for a quarter century.
Stevens, who also is releasing a blues album on Oct. 27 produced by Rick Rubin and titled "Tell 'Em I'm Gone," is using that stage name along with Yusuf, the name he took when he converted. The performer of 1970s-era hits "Wild World," ''Morning Has Broken" and "Peace Train" has slowly broken back into secular music during the past decade and has made only a handful of semi-public and television appearances in the U.S.
"I've been a bit slow in coming around to the United States, but there were so many people asking me to do that, that I just felt an obligation," Stevens said in a telephone interview from Dubai, where he lives most of the time now.
The title of the "Peace Train ... Late Again" tour refers to his unhurried music career. Only six dates are scheduled so far — starting Dec. 1 in Toronto and hitting Boston, New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
