Kurds take 10 villages from Islamic State in north Iraq

Kurdish Peshmerga fighters walk with their weapons as smoke rises from the site of clashes, south of Daquq, north of Baghdad August 26, 2015

Kurdish forces backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes drove Islamic State militants out of 10 villages in Iraq's Kirkuk province on Wednesday in an offensive to secure their territory to the north, Kurdish military sources said.

The assault began at dawn in the Daquq area, around 175 kilometres (110 miles) north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. By evening, Kurdish forces had taken an area of around 250 square kilometres, the sources said.

An aide to a top Kurdish commander taking part in the offensive said five peshmerga had been killed, most of them by improvised explosive devices.

The frontline between Kurdish peshmerga forces and Islamic State in northern Iraq has hardly budged for months.

The Kurds already control most of the territory they claim as their own, and have little incentive to push further into predominantly Sunni Muslim Arab towns and villages, except where they pose a direct threat to their region.

"This area (near Daquq) posed a danger to the main road from Kirkuk to Baghdad and the Kurdish and other villages adjacent to the areas occupied by Daesh," Brigadier General Aras Abdel Rahman said, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

The peshmerga have emerged as an important ally for the United States in its aerial campaign against Islamic State. Together they have pushed back the Sunni insurgents in northern Iraq, and the peshmerga has thus expanded the territory of its autonomous region.

Last summer, the Kurds took full control of the disputed city of Kirkuk after the Iraqi army abandoned its bases there, but western parts of the province such as Hawija remain under Islamic State control.

The Kurds have since carried out several offensives aimed at creating a buffer around the oil-rich city, which they say they will never relinquish.

‪#‎Iran‬ says partisanship damaging US foreign policy

Iran Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham

The fevered partisanship of US politics is damaging the country's foreign policy, Iran said Saturday, hitting out at threats of military action against it should nuclear diplomacy ultimately fail.

The comments in Tehran came after US President Barack Obama said in a letter that all options remain on the table against Iran.

Iran and six world powers led by the US struck a deal last month on Tehran's disputed nuclear programme but it is undergoing a bruising review in Congress and has yet to be implemented.

"Political partisanship and competition have taken US foreign policy hostage," foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said, calling Obama's remarks "repetitive and baseless".

These claims are "showing the uncertainty and depth of confusion of American officials in determining their national interests," Afkham said, according to the official IRNA news agency.

The US president said in a letter to Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat who has announced his support for the deal, that the agreement is good for America, Israel and the Middle East in general.

"We have a wide array of unilateral and multilateral responses that we can employ if Iran fails to meet its commitments," Obama said.

"All of the options available to the United States -- including the military option -- will remain available through the life of the deal and beyond," he added.

Israel, which Iran does not recognise as a state, has been the biggest opponent of the nuclear deal, claiming that it paves the way to Tehran obtaining a nuclear bomb.

Obama has said the deal does precisely the opposite, and Iran denies seeking an atomic weapon.

If Congress chooses to reject the deal, Obama will still be able to veto the move as long as Republicans fail to obtain a two thirds majority against it.

El‪ #‎Sisi ‬, ‪#‎Putin‬ to talk strategic ties this week in ‪#‎Moscow‬

The Egyptian president’s visit to Moscow this week will mark his third trip to Russia since taking office last year

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) shakes hands with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi during a meeting in Cairo February 10, 2015

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi will hold talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow next week in efforts to boost strategic ties and economic cooperation between both states, the presidency announced on Thursday.

El-Sisi's three-day visit, which will begin on 25 August, highlights the "special relations" between Cairo and Moscow and "reflects a common will to consolidate strategic relations between the two countries," the president's office said in a statement.

The talks will focus on promoting bilateral relations, namely bolstering trade and economic cooperation and promoting Russian investment in Egypt, the statement added.

The Kremlin said on Thursday that the discussions will include "extensive exchange on international issues, primarily on the situation in the Middle East and North Africa."

Russia, the world's second-largest arms exporter, has also sought to reinforce military ties with Egypt.

The Egyptian army said earlier this week that Moscow has gifted Cairo with a new missile corvette that was part of the inauguration of the new Suez Canal expansion project earlier this month.

In June, Russia and Egypt held their first ever joint naval exercise.

This is El-Sisi's third visit to Russia in a year, after a trip in May and another last August, months after he came to office.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin visited Cairo in February, marking his first state visit to Egypt since 2005.

Cairo and Moscow began cultivating ties as Egypt’s relations with the US soured following the 2013 ouster of Islamist Mohamed Morsi.

Tensions have recently eased between Cairo and Washington with the US resuming in March its $1.3 million annual military aid to Egypt that was partly suspended following Morsi's ouster to boost Cairo's ability to combat threat by extremists.

‪#‎Obama‬ to unveil 'biggest step ever' in climate fight

President Barack Obama, walks on the South Lawn as he arrives the White House in Washington, from Camp David, Md Sunday, Aug. 2, 2015 

US President Barack Obama will Monday unveil what he called the "biggest, most important step we've ever taken" to fight climate change, a sensitive issue central to his legacy.

The White House will release the final version of America's Clean Power Plan, a set of environmental rules and regulations that will home in on the pollution from the nation's existing power plants, setting limits on power-plant carbon emissions for the first time.

Plants will have to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030.

Laying out how climate change is a threat to the economy, health, wellbeing and security of America, and adding that time was of the essence, Obama said in a video released early Sunday: "Climate change is not a problem for another generation. Not any more."

"Power plants are the single biggest source of harmful carbon pollution that contributes to climate change," added Obama, who made the battle against climate change a core promise of his 2008 election campaign.

"But until now, there have been no federal limits to the amount of that pollution that those plants can dump into the air."

He added that without imposing the unprecedented limits, "existing power plants can still dump unlimited amounts of harmful carbon pollution into the air weekly".

"For the sake of our kids, for the health and safety of all Americans, that's about to change."

Power plants account for some 40 percent of US emissions of carbon dioxide, the most common greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.

In the coming months, Obama is expected to visit Alaska to highlight the impact of climate change and will host Pope Francis at the White House when they are expected to make a collective call for action.

With the end of his presidency drawing ever nearer, Obama argued that the plans will lead to lower energy bills in the future for everyday Americans, create jobs in the renewable energy sector and ensure more reliable energy services.

Quite simply, he said, the United States and the rest of the world need to act now to save the planet, ahead of a major meeting of world powers in Paris in December tasked with doing just that.

In its initial proposal a year ago, the Obama administration had set the target at 30 percent power plant reductions

The tough 32-percent collective reduction drew fierce opposition from the Republican Party, which described the measures as "overreach," "heavy-handed" and said they would have "devastating consequences for our economy."

Gina McCarthy, head of the Environmental Protection Agency, insisted the rules were "reasonable" and "achievable."

"They can cut carbon pollution in whatever way makes the most sense to them," he said. "No plant has to meet them alone or all at once, they have to meet them as part of the grid and over time."

Climate change is a hot-button issue in American politics, and cuts are politically sensitive because coal, among the dirtiest energy sources, remains a major US industry.

Even as natural gas gains in popularity, hundreds of coal-fired power plants dotted across the country provide about 37 percent of the US electricity supply, ahead of natural gas and nuclear energy.

In the video, Obama said that global warming and the reasons behind it were backed up by scientific data -- some Republican opponents dispute the existence of global warming and others cast doubt on whether humans are to blame for the phenomenon.

Hillary Clinton, the Democrat hoping to take over from Obama after the 2016 election welcomed the announcement as a "significant step forward."

New F-16s to fly over Cairo to celebrate arrival from US

Eight F-16 fighter jets will take to Cairo’s skies on Friday in a display celebrating their arrival from the United States.

Eight F-16 fighter jets will take to Cairo’s skies on Friday in a display celebrating their arrival from the United States.

The flyover is scheduled from 16.00 to 16.30 CLT (GMT+2), as reported.

The US embassy in Cairo issued a statement on Thursday saying that the delivery of the aircraft on Thursday and Friday comes as part of the US’s ongoing support to the country, which includes $1.3 billion in aid this year.

The aircraft “provide a valuable capability that is needed during these times of regional instability” said Major General Charles Hooper, a senior defense official at the US embassy who was quoted in the statement.

“Extremists threaten regional security and these weapon systems provide a new tool to help Egypt fight terrorism,” he added.

The eight jets, which were flown to Egypt from Texas, will be integrated into Egypt’s air force once they arrive.

Four more are scheduled to be delivered this autumn, according to the statement.

Earlier in July, Egypt received three Rafale jet fighters from France in a ceremony at a French military base, the first batch of 24 warplanes acquired by Cairo in a 5.2 billion euro ($5.6 billion) deal in February.

They also flew over Cairo in a show to celebrate their delivery.

‪#‎Kerry‬ heads for ‪#‎Egypt‬ and the ‪#‎Gulf‬ to discuss ‪#‎Iran‬ deal, ‪#‎ISIS‬

US Secretary of State John Kerry speaks at a press conference in Beijing on July 10, 2014

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Egypt and the Gulf next week for talks on the recent nuclear deal between major powers and Iran and the fight against Islamic State militants, then he will head to Southeast Asia, where countries share U.S. concerns about China's pursuit of territorial claims.

Kerry will visit Cairo on Aug. 2 for a session of the U.S.-Egypt Strategic Dialogue, a forum that "reaffirms the United States' longstanding and enduring partnership with Egypt," the State Department said on Monday.

On Aug. 3 he will travel to Doha to meet with counterparts from the Gulf Cooperation Council, which comprises Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar, for talks U.S. officials say will concentrate on the Iran nuclear deal, the war in Syria and the battle against Islamic State.

In Doha, Kerry will also meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

Kerry said on Friday that in his talks with Lavrov he planned to discuss combating Islamic State militants and the role Iran could play after Turkey agreed to step up its effort and to allow U.S. jets launch air strikes from a base near the Syrian border.

Russia has been trying to bring about rapprochement between the Syrian government and regional states including Saudi Arabia and Turkey, to forge an alliance to fight Islamic State.

On Aug. 4 Kerry will visit Singapore for talks that will coincide with the city state's 50th independence anniversary.

He will deliver a speech there on U.S. trade and investment in East Asia, before a stop in Malaysia from Aug. 4-6 for meetings with the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations, many of which share U.S. concerns about China's increasingly assertive pursuit of territorial claims in the region.

Kerry will visit Hanoi from Aug. 6-8, where he will participate in an event to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations after the Vietnam War.

Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore and their fellow ASEAN member Brunei are U.S. negotiating partners in a 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, which Washington hopes to conclude this year.

Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and another ASEAN country, the Philippines, are also rival claimants along with Taiwan to territory China claims in the South China Sea.

Last week, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia Daniel Russel said Kerry would repeat a call in Malaysia for a halt to land reclamation and militarization of disputed South China Sea territory.

Thousands turn out for first NY Disability Pride Parade

People on wheelchairs with different disabilities take part in the disability pride parade in New York

Thousands of people marched through the streets of New York for the city's first Disability Pride Parade Sunday.

People in wheelchairs and with guide dogs and parents carrying their disabled children marched during a hot day through the center of Manhattan after Mayor Bill de Blasio kicked off the event.

The event, subtitled "Inclusion, Awareness, Visibility" saw people carrying signs asking for better access to public transport and housing.

"Disabled and proud," said a sign carried by a woman in a wheelchair.

A man carried another sign reading: "Just because I can't speak doesn't mean I don't have a lot to say."

Other signs demanded police stop killing disabled people, an issue recently in the spotlight in the country after police arrests ended in disabled peoples' deaths.

De Blasio said July was "disability pride month" in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

The march organized by the city is scheduled to be an annual event.

#Phoenix braces for 'Draw #Mohammad' contest outside mosque

The Islamic Community Center of Phoenix Monday, May 4, 2015

Arizona police stepped up security on Friday near a mosque for a planned outdoor protest that includes drawing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, weeks after a similar competition in Texas came under attack by two gunmen.

Friday's event is set to run concurrently with evening prayers at the Islamic Community Center of Phoenix.

Most Muslims believe it is blasphemous to create pictures of the Prophet Mohammad.

"Dealing with this type of activity is a challenge that is facing law enforcement across the country," Phoenix police Sergeant Trent Crump said in an email response to questions.

"Dealing with groups of protesters and opposing views is not the difficult part. Our goal and the real challenge are trying to anticipate unlawful activities that might occur in conjunction with these events," he said.

Caricatures of the Prophet and celebrations of them have proven a flashpoint for violence in recent months. In January, gunmen killed 12 people at the Paris office of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in an act of retribution for the magazine's cartoons featuring the Prophet.

A similar attack was foiled outside Dallas in early May when the two gunmen opened fire outside an exhibit of cartoons of Mohammad.

The pair, who had attended the Phoenix mosque targeted in Friday's event, were shot dead by police without killing anyone.

Organizers of the Phoenix event described it as an act of retribution for the May 3 attack in the Dallas suburb of Garland.

"This is in response to the recent attack in Texas where 2 armed terrorists, with ties to ISIS, attempted jihad," organizers said in a Facebook posting, using a shorthand name for the Islamic State.

U.S. officials investigated claims that the Texas gunmen had ties to the Syria- and Iraq-based Islamic State militant group but never established a firm connection.

Phoenix's Mayor, Greg Stanton, said he did not think Friday's event was a "good idea" but said it would be allowed to go forward.

"It's not a good idea," Stanton told CNN. "I wish it wasn't happening in this location, in my city, but as mayor I can balance my responsibilities to the people of this city."

Organizers of the rally and officials at the mosque it is targeting could not be reached for immediate comment.

Phoenix police declined to provide specific details of their preparations.