odiaspora.org

WHY IT MATTERS: Refugees

16 September 2016

WASHINGTON (AP) — THE ISSUE: The United States is the proud home of “the mother of exiles,” the Statue of Liberty. But of the millions of exiles from the Syrian war, only about 10,000 have reached U.S. shores. Other countries are taking in more, though […]

Syrian military begins to withdraw from vital Aleppo road

16 September 2016

BEIRUT (AP) — Syria’s military began withdrawing from a major artery to Aleppo late Thursday as the U.N. envoy accused President Bashar Assad’s government of obstructing aid access to the contested city. A monitoring group reported three civilian fatalities, the first since the U.S.-Russian-brokered cease-fire […]

Iraqi NSA says Arab monarchies promoting Takfiri ideologies

16 September 2016

A top Iraqi official says Persian Gulf Arab states are cultivating the rise of the Daesh group as a way of bolstering their own failing governments. “Some rich (Persian) Gulf countries have been using the measures of their wealth to giving legitimacy to these groups,” […]

Reflective Clinton returns to campaign trail after pneumonia

16 September 2016

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Back on the campaign trail, a reflective Hillary Clinton said Thursday her three-day, doctor-mandated break gave her new perspective on why she’s running to be president. She vowed to close her campaign against Donald Trump by giving Americans “something to vote […]

Economists: Trump’s economic plans depend on unlikely growth

16 September 2016

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump attached a price tag for the first time Thursday to an economic vision promising what many economists say is impossible: lower taxes, a dramatic expansion in some federal programs and a slimmer government running a smaller deficit. In a […]

Carter urges faith leaders to combat ‘resurgence of racism

16 September 2016

ATLANTA (AP) — Jimmy Carter says the United States is experiencing a “resurgence of racism” and he’s calling on Baptist faith leaders to foster change in their churches and communities. The former U.S. president spoke Thursday at a summit hosted by the New Baptist Covenant, […]

Putin’s Party Maintains Tight Grip Over Russian Duma Elections

16 September 2016

Russians will go to the polls on Sunday to elect their lower house of parliament, the Duma. Accusations of blatant vote-rigging and fraud during the last vote in 2011 brought tens of thousands of protestors into the streets. The voting process on Sunday is expected […]

US Sanctions 2 Men as IS Financial Facilitators

16 September 2016

The U.S. government imposed sanctions Thursday on two men identified as financial facilitators for the Islamic State group. Mohamad Alsaied Alhmidan and Hussam Jamous, both based in Turkey, have been designated by the U.S. Treasury Department. The action makes their property and interests in property […]

Libya Report Slams British, French Ouster of Gadhafi

16 September 2016

LONDON — A group of British lawmakers has strongly criticized the intervention by Britain and France in 2011 that led to the ouster of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. The report from the British Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Select Committee said a lack of planning for the […]

Yemen’s Rebels Say They Captured Post Inside Saudi Arabia

16 September 2016

SANAA — Yemen’s Houthi rebels and allied troops have captured a Saudi military post in the border region of Jizan, according to military officials from the Shiite movement. They said the Houthi rebels and their allies attacked the post with artillery, rockets and light arms […]

UN: 3.7 Million Refugees Lack Access to Schools

16 September 2016

When armed conflicts or political instability send people fleeing from countries across the world, children leave behind not only their homes but also in many cases their education. That is the focus of a new report Thursday from the U.N. refugee agency, which says 3.7 […]

Aligned With Russia in Syria, Pentagon Awkwardly Treads on New Terrain

16 September 2016

WASHINGTON — For Pentagon officers who cut their teeth during the Cold War, the prospect of U.S. battlefield cooperation with Russia in Syria is not only uncomfortable. It’s also unprecedented. Against that background, the reactions of U.S. military officials range from caution to outright skepticism […]