Tuesday 16 September 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Jihadists shot down Syrian warplane

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BEIRUT (AFP) - Jihadists shot down a Syrian warplane conducting strikes on the Islamic State stronghold of Raqa on Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.IS fighters fired on a military aircraft which crashed, the Britain-based group said.It is the first aircraft shot down since the regime launched air strikes against the jihadists in July following their declaration of a caliphate in late June, said the group, which relies on a wide network of doctors and activists for its reports.Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP that the plane crashed into a house in the Euphrates Valley city, the sole provincial capital entirely out of Syrian government control.He said there were casualties on the ground.The air force carried out five sorties against IS targets in Raqa on Tuesday morning, he added.A photograph posted on a jihadist Twitter account purported to show the burnt out wreckage of the plane.Allahu Akbar (God is greatest), thanks to God we can confirm that a military aircraft has been shot down over Raqa, another account said, congratulating the lions of the Islamic State.President Bashar al-Assads regime has stepped up its air campaign against IS in eastern Syria in recent weeks, hitting its Euphrates valley strongholds in Raqa and Deir Ezzor provinces and jihadist-held areas of the northeastern province of Hasakeh.An air strike on an IS training camp in the Deir Ezzor town of Tibni killed 17 militants and a child on Saturday.US President Barack Obama announced last week he had authorised the expansion to Syria of the air campaign against IS that he launched in neighbouring Iraq in early August.There have been no US strikes in Syria so far but Obamas announcement, which was made in defiance of the Syrian government, drew protests from Damascus and its Iranian and Russian allies.It is not the first time that a Syrian military aircraft has been downed by rebel fire. One was shot down over the northern city of Aleppo in 2012.

Turkey reluctant to take action against IS

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ANKARA (AFP) - Turkeys military is mulling the prospect of establishing a buffer zone along its border with Syria and Iraq amid an escalating threat posed by Islamic State extremists, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying on Tuesday.The TSK (Turkish Armed Forces) are working on plans and will present them to us and we will decide if it is necessary, Erdogan was quoted as saying by the Hurriyet newspaper and other media, when asked about the possibility of a buffer zone being established.Turkey, a NATO member and Washingtons key ally in the region, has been reluctant to take part in combat operations against Islamic State militants, or allow a US-led coalition to use its airbases for strikes against the jihadists because the extremists are holding dozens of Turkish nationals hostage, including diplomats and children.IS militants are holding 49 Turks in all, abducted from the Turkish consulate in Mosul in Iraq in June.Last week, a senior Turkish official told AFP: Our hands and arms are tied because of the hostages, adding that Turkeys role in the anti-IS coalition would be confined to humanitarian assistance.Erdogan said Turkey wanted to solve the hostage crisis through contacts.Our intelligence units have been working for three months on this, he said, adding that We will provide humanitarian support (in the coalition against IS).

Hafiz Saeed blames deadly floods on India

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PAKISTAN (Reuters) - Hafiz Saeed, widelyconsidered one of South Asias most dangerous militants, has nodoubt who is to blame for devastating floods that have submergedswathes of Pakistani countryside and claimed hundreds of lives.India irrigates its deserts and dumps extra water onPakistan without any warning, the bearded Saeed told Reuters,as he surveyed a vast expanse of muddy water from a rescue boatjust outside the central city of Multan.If we dont stop India now, Pakistan will continue to facethis danger.His comments will surprise few in India, where Saeed issuspected of helping mastermind the 2008 Mumbai massacre whichkilled 166 people, a few of them Americans.Saeed, who also hasa $10 million U.S. bounty on his head, denies involvement.But his presence in the flood-hit area is part of a push byPakistani Islamists, militants and organisations linked to themto fill the vacuum left by struggling local authorities and turnpeople against a neighbour long viewed with deep mistrust.Water is an emotive issue in Pakistan, whose rapidly risingpopulation depends on snow-fed Himalayan rivers for everythingfrom drinking water to agriculture.Many Pakistanis believe that rival India uses its upstreamdams to manipulate how much water flows down to Pakistani wheatand cotton fields, with some describing it as a water bombdesigned to weaken its neighbour.There is no evidence to prove that, and India has longdismissed such accusations as nonsense. Experts say this monthsfloods, which also hit Indias part of the disputed Kashmirregion, were caused by the sheer volume of rainfall.In fact, some Pakistanis accuse their own government offailing to invest in dams and other infrastructure needed toregulate water levels through wet and dry seasons.But others agree with the narrative pushed by Saeed and SyedSalahuddin, head of the militant anti-Indian Hizbul Mujahideengroup and also one of Indias most wanted men.India wants to turn Pakistan into an arid desert,Salahuddin told Reuters in a telephone interview, describinganother scenario feared by some Pakistanis - that India will cutoff supplies of water in times of shortage.If this continues, a new Jihad will begin. Our fighters andall of Pakistans fighters are ready to avenge Indian brutalityin whatever form.CHARITY BRINGS FOOD, IDEOLOGYSaeeds charity, Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), has sent hundreds ofworkers to areas of Pakistan worst affected by the floods, wherethey distribute food and medicine at the same time as spreadingthe organisations hardline ideology against India.JuD is believed by many experts to be a front forLashkar-e-Taiba, the militant group which India says carried outthe Mumbai attack. Saeed was a co-founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba,but he has played down his links to the group in recent years.This is a premeditated plan by India to make Pakistansuffer, Abdur Rauf, who has worked as a JuD volunteer for 16years, told Reuters, as he prepared to distribute medicine andsyringes at a relief camp near Multan.Dont be fooled. This water bomb is no different from theatom bomb. Its worse.Officials in Indias water resources ministry this weekdeclined to respond to charges of water terrorism, saying theywere being stoked by militants, not the Pakistani government.Much of the Indian-held side of Kashmir has also been hit byflooding, the worst in that region for more than a century, andofficials have put the death toll there at more than 200.However, in a country rife with conspiracy theories, largenumbers of Pakistanis buy into the idea of sabotage.This is not a mistake: this is a deliberate act to destroyPakistan and make its people suffer, said Syed Ali, a farmer,as he looked forlornly at the murky waters covering his villageof Sher Shah in central Pakistan.Disagreement over how to share the waters of the Indusriver, which flows from India into Pakistan, has dogged thenuclear-armed rivals since independence in 1947.The neighbours have fought two of their three wars over thedisputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir and observers areworried that the next conflict could be over water.CLAIMS ARE DOWNRIGHT ABSURDThe lives of more than two million people were affected bythis months floods in Pakistan, and more than 300 were killed.Some are critical of their own government, saying the massdevastation caused by the latest floods was a result ofPakistans own inefficiencies.Some people will say India released the waters, YousafRaza Gillani, a former Pakistani prime minister, told Reuters.But my question is: even if there was a timely warning fromIndia that this was about to happen, would we have heeded it?Would this government have taken the right steps? I doubt it.Husain Haqqani, a former Pakistan ambassador to the UnitedStates and now a director at the Hudson Institute in WashingtonD.C., said that water issues are being exploited to keeprelations between the two countries tense.The Pakistani militants claims about floods in Pakistanbeing the result of India releasing torrents of water aredownright absurd, he said.It is part of propaganda rooted in the belief thatPakistanis must be made to see India as their permanent enemy.Blaming India also covers up for Pakistans own failure in watermanagement.CLIMATE CHANGEDisputes over water-sharing are a global phenomenon, stokedby rapidly growing populations and increasingly unpredictableclimate patterns. In South Asia, home to a fifth of humanity,the problem is particularly acute.Regional flooding in South Asia is certainly linked toclimate change effects. In recent years there has been majorglacial recession on Pakistani mountains, and monsoon rains havebeen unusually and even unprecedentedly intense, said MichaelKugelman at the Woodrow Wilson International Center.At the same time, Id argue that ... human-made actions aremaking things even worse. Deforestation in Pakistan, forexample, has caused floodwaters to rage even more, he said.The regions three major rivers - the Indus, the Ganges andthe Brahmaputra - sustain both countries breadbasket states andmany of their major cities, including New Delhi and Islamabad.In Pakistan, agriculture contributes to about a quarter ofits gross domestic product, and the country still relies on anetwork of irrigation canals built by the British.Hoping to resolve the issue once and for all, the twocountries signed the Indus Water Treaty in 1960, but Indiasambitious irrigation plans and construction of thousands ofupstream dams continued to irk Pakistan.India says its use of upstream water is strictly in linewith the 1960 agreement.According to a 2012 Indian government report, the countryoperates 4,846 dams in the region - a huge number compared withjust a few dozen on the Pakistani side of the disputed border.We cant blame India for our own mistakes, said MalikAbdul Ghaffar Dogar, the ruling party lawmaker from Multan.We turn every dam project into a political deadlock and astick to beat our political opponents with, but the truth isthis country needs dams and its just not building any.

Northern Districts takes Lahore Lions through to Champions League T20

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RAIPUR, INDIA: (Dunya News, Web desk) – Lahore Lions defeated Southern Express today (Tuesday) in its final game of the qualifying stages of Champions League Twenty-20 (CLT20) 2014. Lahore Lions defeated the Sri Lankan side by 55 runs.Perera won the toss for Southern Express and chose to field today. Umar Siddiq (18) and Ahmed Shahzad (29) gave Lahore Lions a stable start as both had scored 40 runs off the first 6 overs. Umar Siddiq was the first to go but Ahmad Shahzad and Nasir Jamshed did not take long to follow and it didn’t take Lahore Lions long to find themselves lingering at 52 for the loss of 3 wickets.However, skipper Mohammad Hafeez and saad Nasim changed the complexion of the game completely. Hafeez scored a quick-fire 67 runs off 40 balls glittering with 5 boundaries and 4 sixes. He got dismissed only in the last over but by then the total score of the team had already reached 160 and the team looked set to give tough time to Southern express. Saad Nasim’s 31 off 21 balls also played key role in allowing Lahore Lions to score 164 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. Umar Akmal remained not out at 11 runs off 8 balls.Southern Express came out to bat with an added pressure as any total beyond 150 was going to be tough. The team looked under pressure from the very first ball and skipper Perera was the first to go who was caught by Umar Akmal behind the stumps off Aizaz Cheema’s bowling. Very next ball knocked the stumps out of the ground as Gunathilaka was unable to read his quickie. As Southern Express found itself 2 down for 27 runs only. Cheema struck again in the next over and got Sampath out.Lankans were never able to find their feet back and though Mubarak and AK Perera added 44 runs in 4th wicket partnership but as Mubarak got out after scoring 35 runs off 26 balls, Southern Express lost it completely and lost 3 more wickets within next 8 balls.Aizaz Cheema was pick of the bowlers who took 3 wickets. Wahab Riaz and Adnan Rasool got 2 wickets each while Hafeez and Imran Ali claimed 1 wicket each.It was only a formality afterwards and Southern Express was all out for 109. Lahore Lions won the match by 55 runs and Mohammad Hafeez was Man of the Match for his brilliant 67 off 40 and 1 wicket. We knew we had to win, and win comprehensively, and the boys have done the job”, Hafeez said.But though Lahore Lions had claimed the game, they hadn’t yet qualified for the main round of the tournament because Mumbai Indians were still ahead of them in terms of Run Rate. However, Northern Districts could have knocked Mumbai Indians out completely and made way for Lahore Lions during the process and that was exactly what they did.Though Lahore Lions had claimed the game, they hadn’t yet qualified for the main round of the tournament because Mumbai Indians were still ahead of them in terms of Run Rate. However, Northern Districts could have knocked Mumbai Indians out completely and made way for Lahore Lions during the process and that was exactly what they did.Mumbai Indians never looked convincing after losing the toss and put to bat by DR Flynn. Mike Hussey was the first to go off Tim Southee’s bowling and there was no looking back for the Northern Districts who got Jalaj Saxena for 10, Simmons for 13, Rayudu for 6 and wicket-keeper Tare for 7. Though there was resistance shown by the batsmen who came later, especially skipper Pollard was brilliant for his 31 off 24, but entire team could not make it past 132 and were all out.Williamson and Devcich gave Northern Districts a flying start and at the end of eighth over, Northern Districts were 80 for no loss and were clearly ahead of the required run rate. In the ninth over, Northern Districts lost its first wicket when Devcich came down the wicket on a Harbhajan’s ball and got it caught inside the 25 meters circle. Northern Districts lost its way a bit after fall of this wicket and found itself 115 for 4. However, Mitchell and Styris took the game through and won the game with 16 balls to spare.Scott Styris was the Man of the Match for his 3 wickets. Northern Districts made its way through to the tournament.Though Lahore Lions had to wait for a few hours before celebrating but they surely did when Styris hit Ojha for a triple on second ball of the eighteenth over.Though Lahore Lions had to wait for a few hours before celebrating but they surely did when Styris hit Ojha for a triple on second ball of the eighteenth over.

Flood torrents make their way towards Sindh after causing deadly destruction in Punjab

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Several villages of Ghotki and settlements surrounding Rahim Yar Khan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur and Shaher Sultan submerged as the flood torrents made their way towards Sindh after causing deadly destruction in Punjab, Dunya News reported.Raging water torrents from river Chenab are entering Sindh passing through Rahim Yar Khan.Dozens of villages have sunk due the breach created at Surki, Sikhani and Khangarh. Water level in river Sindh is rising constantly and the locals have continued to migrate.After the water level at river Chenab rose above 430,000 cusec, all the nearby areas have now totally submerged in water. Water level at Chachara Sharif is 270, 529 cusec however the water level is expected to rise.The water flow at Rahim Yar Khan is likely to mount up to 400,000 cusec whereas the breaches created between Qadirabad and Punjand Headworks at river Chenab have reduced the flow of water due to which 400,000 to 500,000 cusec water may flow through Guddu and Sukkur in river Sindh in the next 48 hours.

Parties did not respond to Jirga's recommendations: Sirajul Haq

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LAHORE: (Dunya News) – Jamaat Islami (JI) head Sirajul Haq has said that none of the parties has responded to the recommendations given by the opposition committee (Jirga). He said that government, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) should leave their egos aside for the sake of democracy, people and constitution.While talking to media today (Tuesday) in Mansoor, Lahore, after a meeting of the central leadership of JI, Sirajula Haq said that all parties will have to show some flexibility in order to find out a solution to the political conflict. He said that the jirga’s meeting that was to be held at Senator Rehman Malik’s residence today has been postponed due to Rehman Malik’s unavailability. The meeting will now be held tomorrow, he told.

French prime minister wins confidence vote

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PARIS (AP) - French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has won a vote of confidence in a tense ballot, allowing him to push through economic reforms that have divided the left.The Socialist governments once comfortable margin was diluted in the 269-244 vote Tuesday, with 53 abstentions. The balloting was held after a speech laying out government policy aimed in part at wooing back Socialist dissenters who think he has abandoned his leftist ideals in favor of big business.Of the 53 abstentions, 31 of them were Socialists.Valls was backed by 309 lawmakers in an April vote of confidence when he took office.But the current 25-vote margin allows the prime minister to carry on with reforms aimed at lifting France out of its economic crisis.

Prepared to observe Eid in container, Imran Khan announces 'Go Nawaz Go Day' on Friday

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Tuesday announced to observe ‘Go Nawaz Go Day’ on Friday, urging the protesters to burn their utility bills on this day, Dunya News reported.Addressing the ‘Azadi March’ participants, Imran Khan said that he is prepared to observe Eid-ul-Azha at the protest venue and to slaughter sacrificial animal right in his container.Reiterating his corruption allegations on Sharif family, he challenged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif saying that he would end the sit-in protests if Prime Minister revealed his financial assets.He said that the nation is repaying the national loans with interest with their blood while the ruling elite worry about taxes.PTI chief alleged that the government is recovering the losses from the people instead of capturing the electricity thieves.“How will peasants and labourers pay the double bills?” he asked.Khan said the biggest protest gathering will take place on Friday reiterating that the participants will burn their utility bills down.Lamenting at Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif’s son Salman Shahbaz, Imran Khan alleged that Salman Shahbaz lied just like his father does.Refuting Salman Shahbaz’s claims that Sharif’s did not own any businesses in Jhang, PTI chief showed an image slide on multimedia projector and said “this is the evidence that Sharifs owned businesses in the midst of Jhang and Chiniot”.

US couple sentenced for abusing Ethiopian adoptees

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PITTSBURGH (AP) - An ex-prosecutor and his wife have been sentenced for endangering the welfare of two adopted Ethiopian children after welfare officials found the boy had been underfed and the girl physically abused.Douglas Barbour, 35, who resigned from Pennsylvanias state attorney generals office last year, pleaded no contest to misdemeanor counts in June and was sentenced to five years probation on Monday. Kristen Barbour, a 32-year-old stay-at-home mother who was the childrens primary caretaker, was sentenced to six to 12 months in alternative housing followed by four years probation.The couple was charged in October 2012, when the boy was 6 and found to be malnourished, and the girl was 18 months old and had multiple head fractures in various stages of healing.It was like they were breaking a horse, not raising a child, said Assistant Allegheny County District Attorney Jennifer DiGiovanni. It was unconscionable that this went on. The very minute (the boy) was taken out of their care he began to thrive.Kristen Barbour told the court she decided to adopt the children in March 2012 after making church missions trips to developing countries.Doctors found evidence of abuse when the boy was treated for an infection in September 2012. The boy weighed 37.5 pounds (17 kilograms), nearly 10 pounds (5 kilograms) less than when he had been adopted, and told investigators he was forced to eat meals in the bathroom or stand alone in there whenever he urinated or defecated in his pants. The girls injuries have never been explained.The Barbours have regained custody of two biological children, ages 2 and 5, who were found not to be abused.Another couple has since adopted the Ethiopian children. The boy told his new adoptive mother, Alison Patterson, that it hurt when Kristen Barbour scribbled my face in the carpet when I peed, Patterson testified Monday.Kristen Barbour told the court, Im not a monster as some have portrayed me. She added: I wish the children a good life. I hope they find it in their heart to forgive.

NASA announcing commercial crew winners

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CAPE CANAVERAL (AP) - NASA is a giant step closer to launching Americans again from U.S. soil.On Tuesday, NASA will announce which one or two private companies wins the right to transport astronauts to the International Space Station. The deal will end NASAs expensive reliance on Russian crew transport.NASA officials will make the long-awaited announcement at Kennedy Space Center, next door to where the launches should occur in a few years.The contenders include SpaceX of California, already delivering space station cargo; Sierra Nevada Corp., which is developing a mini-shuttle in Colorado; and Boeing, which would assemble its crew capsules at Kennedy.NASA astronauts have been riding Russian rockets ever since the shuttles retired in 2011. The latest pricetag is $71 million per seat.

Iran agrees new deal with Queiroz as head coach

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TEHRAN (AP) - The Iranian football federation has extended the contract of Carlos Queiroz according to Iranian state TV.Tuesdays report did not elaborate on details of the length of the agreement.The 61-year-old had previously spoken out about leaving his post, citing a failure to agree financial terms over a new deal.However, with a new agreement now in place, Queiroz has vowed to win a medal in next years Asian Cup as well as securing qualification for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.The former Real Madrid head coach took over in 2011 and successfully guided the team to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. However, Queirozs side finished bottom of Group F, which saw group winners Argentina advance to the final with Nigeria finishing runners-up.

Spain basketball coach Orenga quits

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MADRID (AP) - Spains basketball federation says Juan Antonio Orenga resigned as national coach on Tuesday after failing to achieve the results the country had expected at the World Cup.After dominating its first six games and beating France by 24 points in the group phase, Spain appeared to be the main candidate to dethrone the United States in a possible final that would have been a rematch of the past two Olympic gold-medal games.But France avenged that loss with a 65-52 victory over Spain in the quarter finals, ending Spains quest for a second consecutive title and stunning home fans.In a statement, the federation said Orenga would still contribute experience and expertise from a new position still to be decided on.

Say 'go Nawaz go' when irked by mosquitoes, flies: Tahirul Qadri

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri on Tuesday directed the supporters and protesters to chant ‘go Nawaz go’ slogan when irked by mosquitoes, flies and excessive utility bills, Dunya News reported.Addressing the ‘Inqilab march’ participants, Qadri said that the ‘go Nawaz go’ campaign has begin everywhere, adding that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif cannot dare meet the flood affectees.PAT chief said that PAT has sparked the ‘ideological and thought-provoking revolution’. He claimed that the ‘struggle’ of PAT workers is exposing rulers’ corruption.He said democracy has become akin to looting, adding that the parliament has gone deaf and mute.Qadri said that the poor are not getting electricity, food or shelter. He said that Sharif family is getting richer every day.People have recognized real face of rulers & revolution has become movement of whole Pakistan. GoNawazGo Pakistan— Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri (@TahirulQadri) September 16, 2014

Iraq parliament rejects interior, defense nominees

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BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraqi lawmakers rejected Prime Minister Haider al-Abadis nominees Tuesday to lead the defense and interior ministries, leaving the crucial Cabinet posts unfilled as an emerging U.S.-led coalition intensifies its air campaign against Islamic State extremists who have seized a third of the country.Control over the two powerful security portfolios has long been a source of tension among Iraqs feuding political factions, and the failure to agree on the candidates marked the latest in a series of delays in forming a unified government that can confront the Islamic State extremist group.The parliament session was held as the U.S. carried out an airstrike near Baghdad for the first time since launching an aerial campaign in early August, and French warplanes flying from the United Arab Emirates began reconnaissance missions over Iraq.Al-Abadi, Iraqs new prime minister, put forward Sunni lawmaker Jaber al-Jabberi as his candidate for defense minister and Shiite lawmaker Riyad Ghareeb as his pick for interior minister. Parliament, which could confirm the nominees with a simple majority, voted 118-117 against Ghareeb, and 131-108 against al-Jabberi.The failure of the parliament to agree on the candidates to fill the posts of interior and defense ministers shows clearly that the gap among and inside political groups are still huge and that each bloc is pursuing its own ambitions, said lawmaker Mutashar al-Samarie.I think that the posts of defense and interior minister should be kept away from sectarian power sharing. Iraqs problems in Iraq can be solved only by bringing independent and efficient people to fill ministerial posts.Ahead of the vote, two lawmakers, Hussein al-Maliki and Mohammed Saadoun, told The Associated Press that the selection of Ghareeb met with some contention, mostly from the Shiite Badr Brigade, a powerful militia with close ties to neighboring Iran. Ghareeb failed to win approval by a single vote.Hamid al-Mutlaq, a Sunni lawmaker, said that many in parliament felt the two nominees were not qualified to hold the key posts at a time when much of the countrys north and west has fallen under the control of extremists and allied militants.What we need are professional persons who have expertise in security and army issues, said al-Mutlaq.Former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki held both the defense and interior minister posts himself after his re-election in 2010 because lawmakers could not reach an agreement on them. That fueled concerns that he was monopolizing power.Shiite lawmaker Mohammed Saadoun expressed hope that new nominees will be presented at the next parliamentary session on Thursday.Mohsen Laftah Asfour, a lawmaker with Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadrs bloc, was the only lawmaker approved in Tuesdays session and will become Water Resources Minister.Lawmakers approved most of al-Abadis Cabinet on Sept. 8 and officially voted him in as prime minister, bringing a formal end to al-Malikis eight-year rule, but al-Abadi requested a delay in naming defense and interior ministers because lawmakers had not agreed on the proposed candidates.Al-Maliki, former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi and former Speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujeifi were given the largely ceremonial posts of vice president. Kurdish politician and former Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari was named one of three deputy prime ministers, while former premier Ibrahim al-Jaafari was named foreign minister.The U.S. and other countries have been pushing for a more representative government that can reach out to Sunnis, who felt marginalized by al-Maliki. Sunni discontent is widely seen as having fueled the Islamic State extremist groups dramatic advance since June.The U.S. began conducting airstrikes on Aug. 8, providing aerial support to struggling Iraqi and Kurdish forces battling the Sunni militants. U.S. Central Command said it conducted a strike on Monday in support of Iraqi forces southwest of Baghdad.Iraqi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Saad Maan Ibrahim said that the U.S. strike southwest of Baghdad was conducted in coordination with the Iraqi military.This operation is the beginning of other operations that aim to eliminate Daesh in the areas around Baghdad, he said in a Baghdad new conference, referring to the Islamic State group by an Arabic acronym.Police officials said the U.S. airstrikes targeted militant positions near Youssifiyah, 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Baghdad.Meanwhile, French reconnaissance planes equipped with cameras able to collect both day and night images from low and high altitude, left from al-Dhafra air base in the United Arab Emirates Monday as part of Frances commitment to provide aerial support to the Iraqi government.The U.S. hopes to pull together a broad coalition to help Iraq beat back the militants but has ruled out cooperating with neighboring Iran or Syrian President Bashar Assad, both of which also view the Islamic State group as a threat.But Assad met in Damascus on Tuesday with Iraqi National Security Adviser Faleh al-Fayadh. According to the Syrian state-run news agency SANA, the two agreed to strengthen cooperation in fighting terrorism.Fighting terrorism begins by exerting pressure on countries that support and finance the terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq and currently claim to be fighting terrorism, Assad said, in a veiled reference Gulf states which have provided aid to the rebels fighting to topple him.

US poverty rate drops for the first time since 2006

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WASHINGTON (AP) - The poverty rate in the United States has dropped for the first time since 2006, bringing a bit of encouraging news about the nations economy as President Barack Obama and Congress gear up for the November elections.The U.S. Census Bureau, in its annual look at poverty in the United States, said that the poverty rate in 2013 was 14.5 percent, down from 15 percent in 2012. The decrease in the poverty rate was attributed to the growth in year-round employment by 2.8 million jobs in the United States, government officials said.White House officials cheered the positive information in the census release.There is reason to believe that this progress has continued into 2014, as the labor market has strengthened and millions have gained health insurance coverage, said Jason Furman and Betsey Stevenson, members of the White House Council of Economic Advisers. At the same time, the data also offer a clear illustration of the large amount of work that remains to strengthen the middle class in the wake of the worst recession since the Great Depression.The median household income for families was $65,587 in 2013, and $31,178 nonfamily households, which also was not statistically different from the 2012 levels. However, census officials said that income is 8 percent less than it was in 2007, the year before the United States entered the recession.Officials also say that the number of children under 18 in poverty declined from the previous year for the first time since 2000.The number of children in poverty dropped from 21.8 percent in 2012 to 19.9 percent in 2013, and the number of children in poverty also declined from 16.1 million to 14.7 million.The official poverty level is based on a government calculation that includes only income before tax deductions. It excludes capital gains or accumulated wealth, such as home ownership. As a result, the rate takes into account the effects of some government benefits, such as unemployment compensation. It does not factor in noncash government aid such as tax credits and food stamps.Officials also said the percentage of people without health insurance coverage for the entire 2013 calendar year was 13.4 percent, which equaled 42 million people. Census officials said those numbers cannot be compared with previous year numbers because they changed the way they asked the question on their surveys.Because the main coverage expansion under the Affordable Care Act didnt take effect until 2014, the latest census numbers offer a baseline number of uninsured by which increased coverage and effectiveness of the law will be measured.
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