Month: September 2014

U.S. courts skeptical Arab allies in Islamic State fight

September 9, 2014 0
Militant Islamist fighter uses a mobile to film his fellow fighters taking part in a military parade along streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province

By Jason Szep WASHINGTON (Reuters) – After threatening to destroy and degrade Islamic State militants, the United States will court skeptical Gulf Arab allies this week and consider expanding training and arming of moderate Syrian rebels to lead the fight against the jihadists. Secretary of State John Kerry heads to the region on Tuesday, a meeting between the White House and top lawmakers in Congress is expected to discuss a slow-moving $500 million initiative, announced in June, to strengthen a loosely organized group of rebels who have struggled in their fight against the Syrian government and Islamic State. Sources with direct knowledge of the matter said lawmakers have questions over how the money would be spent and whether the United States will end a ban on shipments of powerful weapons to the rebels, such as surface-to-air missiles, due to fears they could be captured or used against the U.S. “There has been a serious reconsideration of this issue driven by the facts on the ground in Syria,” said Fred Hof, a former State Department official involved in formulating Syria policy before joining the Atlantic Council think-tank in 2012.

U.S. Congress seen approving funds if needed for Islamic State campaign

September 9, 2014 0
U.S. President Barack Obama answers a question at a press conference at the conclusion of the NATO Summit at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales

President Barack Obama is expected to pursue a military campaign against Islamic State without seeking special congressional authority now but lawmakers said on Monday they would probably approve any request he made for extra funding. They said there was widespread support in Congress for attacks to stop the advance of the Sunni Islamist militant group, especially after the videotaped beheading of two American journalists by the Islamist group in the last three weeks. The 1973 War Powers Resolution requires that the president consult Congress before introducing U.S. The president, who campaigned for the White House in 2008 on getting U.S.

California capitol star-struck as Schwarzenegger unveils portrait

September 9, 2014 0
Schwarzenegger shakes hand with fans as he arrives on the red carpet for the special screening of "The Expendables 3" in Macau

By Sharon Bernstein SACRAMENTO Calif. (Reuters) – Four years and seven movies after Arnold Schwarzenegger left California’s highest office, the actor and politician drew a packed crowd at the unveiling of his official portrait Monday, a flashbulb-popping event as much about star power as politics. The photo-realistic portrait, painted by Austrian-Irish artist Gottfried Helnwein, shows the 67-year-old former bodybuilder in front of the California state seal, wearing a gray suit and a blue-and-black striped tie, a smile on his lips and his complexion ruddy. “When I was a young man in Austria, I dreamed about coming to California every day,” Schwarzenegger, an immigrant who eventually married into the family of the late U.S. The Republican bodybuilder and prolific film star took the state’s helm in 2003 as the aftermath of the dot-com crash roiled California’s economy and devastated the state budget, leading voters to recall then-governor Gray Davis.

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Release of U.S. Senate CIA “torture” report still on hold

September 9, 2014 0

By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The public release of a long-awaited U.S. Senate report detailing the CIA’s use of harsh interrogation techniques could be held up for weeks as the Senate Intelligence Committee and Obama administration negotiate what material can be included in the document, the committee’s chairwoman said on Monday. The committee had hoped to release its 600-page summary of the report on the Central Intelligence Agency’s use of tactics many label as “torture” before Congress left for its August recess, a target that was pushed to September as discussions continued. On Monday, as Congress returned from its five-week break, Senator Dianne Feinstein said the document would not be released this week, and might not come out before lawmakers leave later this month to campaign for the Nov. 4 congressional elections.