Twin bombings kill dozen in Iraq

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Latest reports say two bomb explosions near the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad have killed over a dozen people, security sources say.

Iraqi officials said on Saturday that one explosion struck a police checkpoint in the town of Youssifiyah, killing at least 11 people. Sources say at least four of the victims were soldiers.

Youssifiyah is 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Baghdad.

The other blast, which happened in the volatile town of Latifiyah, killed at least two soldiers. The town is located about 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of Baghdad.

Health officials say nearly 30 other people were also injured in the powerful bombings.

Medical sources said the death toll is expected to rise as some of the injured are reported to be in critical condition.

Such acts of violence and terror are usually blamed by Iraqi officials on the ISIL terrorists who have been wreaking havoc across Iraq in recent months.

Iraqi officials say former Ba’athists are aiding the ISIL in carrying out terrorist attacks.

The developments come as Iraqi army, backed by Kurdish forces and thousands of volunteers, is engaged in fierce fighting with the ISIL militants to push them out of the captured areas.

The ISIL terrorists have threatened various communities, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians and Izadi Kurds, during their advances in Iraq.

They have been committing heinous crimes in the areas they have taken, including the mass execution of civilians as well as Iraqi army troops and officers.

Several gruesome videos were released, purportedly showing members of the ISIL Takfiri terror group brutally killing Shia Muslims in drive-by shootings in Iraq.

The terrorist group has links with Saudi intelligence and is believed to be indirectly supported by the Israeli regime.

JR/AB/SS

Obama: GOP captive to cynical faction

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US President Obama on Friday blamed dysfunction in Congress on a Republican Party he said is captive to an ideologically rigid, unproductive and cynical faction, urging like-minded Democrats to show up for November’s midterm elections.

Addressing Democratic donors at a fundraiser in Rhode Island and another in New York, Obama said Republicans had realized that blocking all progress led Americans to become cynical about government. Republicans consider that “a pretty good thing” because they don’t believe in government to begin with, Obama said.

“It doesn’t have to be that way,” Obama said during a barbecue in Purchase, New York. “There has been a certain cynical genius to what some of these folks have done in Washington.”

Later, at an event in Newport, Rhode Island, he told donors: “The answer to our challenges is actually pretty simple. We need a better Congress.”

The event at Seafair, the gated, crescent-shaped, oceanfront Newport home of businessman Rick Bready and Betty Easton, was expected to raise between $15,000 and $32,400 from each of approximately 60 guests. Also on hand was House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. It was the ninth fundraiser Obama attended this year for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

About 250 people paid up to $32,400 to attend the pre-Labor Day fundraiser at the Purchase home of Wall Street consultant Robert Wolf, an Obama fundraiser who has served on White House advisory boards and also plays golf with the president. The money from that event and another in New Rochelle, New York, went to the Democratic National Committee, which is still paying off debt from 2012.

Reflecting on challenges in the US and abroad, Obama called on Democrats to remain engaged in the upcoming elections, arguing that he needs a Congress willing to work with him to be able to confront the troubles people are facing.

“If you watch the nightly news, it feels like the world is falling apart,” Obama said, referring to crises from the Middle East to Europe. “The good news is that American leadership has never been more necessary.”

In a last-minute change, Obama returned to the White House late Friday, interrupting his weekend trip. He had originally planned to overnight in New York before heading on Saturday to the wedding of Sam Kass, Obama’s personal chef, to MSNBC host Alex Wagner. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama himself made the decision to return to the White House and that it was unrelated to any current events.

Obama planned to travel back to Westchester County in New York on Saturday afternoon to attend the wedding. The trips come as Obama considers how to respond to the ISIS terrorist threat and Russia’s apparent invasion of Ukraine. USA Today

AHTAGB

Helping others makes me not progress?

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helping-others-r
Imam As-Sadiq (a.s.) said:
مَنْ كَانَ فِى حاجَةِ أَخِيْهِ الْمُسْلِم كَانَ اللّهُ فى حاجَتِهِ

Translation
Whosoever engages in fulfilling the requirements and needs of his Muslim brothers, God will fulfill his requests.1

Brief Description
People often think that if they get involved in solving the problems of others, this would retard progress in their own life. Islam has a different viewpoint. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) says that if you engage in solving people’s problems and fulfilling their requirements, God, whose power is beyond your power and all powers, helps you and solves your problems. We have been witnessed how the problems of those who help others get solved in wonderful ways and this is a divine bounty.[divider]
•    1. Bihar al-Anwar, volume 74, page 286, Wasa’il Al-Shia, vol 16, page 359. Mustadrak AlWasa’il, vol 12, page 414. Al-Amali, page 97. Awali Al-Laali, vol 1, page 375.

Praise someone else should have any measure?

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praise-r
Imam ‘Ali (a.s.) said:
الثَناءُ بِأَكْثَرَ مِنَ الاسْتِحْقاقِ مَلَقٌ و التَّقْصِيرُ مِنَ الأسْتِحْقاقِ عَىٌّ أَوْ حَسَدٌ

Translation
When praise and commendation is more than merited and deserved, it is flattery and when less than merited it is either debility in expression or envy. 1

Brief Description
Undoubtedly, the worthy individuals and their good attributes and deeds should be praised and appreciated, and in this way we shall encourage and support them to carry on with their good work.
But praise should be proportionate to the merit. Otherwise, it would have negative and harmful consequences. If it is more than merit, it becomes flattery which hurts the dignity of the speaker and also causes self-conceit and self-admiration in the one who is flattered. And if it is less than merit, it discourages the good doers and shows that the speaker is either envious or weak in his power of expression.[divider]
•    1. Nahjul Balaghah

‘US bans to bring N-talks to impasse’

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The US move to impose new sanctions on Iranian individuals and firms will leave negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear energy program in a gridlock, a senior Iranian lawmaker says.

“The negotiations with the West over Iran’s nuclear energy program will fail to achieve a result given the US excessive demands,” spokesman for the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of Iran’s Majlis Hossein Naqavi Hosseini said on Saturday.

“The Americans have always pursued a policy of double standards and violation of [their] commitments in the nuclear talks. Such a trend will definitely bring the negotiations to a standstill” he said.

“So, the Islamic Republic of Iran should warn the P5+1 that if the Americans refuse to give up such acts and to lift the sanctions, that would mean the negotiating side has no goodwill,” he added.

The Iranian legislator emphasized that the US is the main obstacle in the way of an agreement on Tehran’s nuclear energy program adding  the new US sanctions on Iran showed that Washington is not interested in a final nuclear agreement at all and it is just wasting time.

The US on Friday imposed new sanctions on more than 25 Iranian individuals and companies, including shipping firms, oil companies, airlines and six Iranian banks.

The new sanctions come as Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – Russia, China, France, Britain and the US — plus Germany are in talks to reach a final agreement aimed at resolving the standoff over Tehran’s civilian nuclear work.

The two sides signed a historic interim deal in Geneva last November. The agreement entered into force on January 20 and expired six months later. In July, Tehran and the six states agreed to extend their discussions until November 24 in a bid to work out a final accord.

The new US sanctions violate the terms of the Geneva deal.

SF/NN/HRB

Euroscepticism ‘damaging’ for Scotland

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British authorities’ politics of Euroscepticism are “deeply damaging”  for Scotland, Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has said.

Speaking to BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland programme on Friday, Salmond said the “politics of Euroscepticism that we see in Westminster are deeply damaging for Scotland, and could be even more damaging if we are dragged out of Europe.”

The Scottish National Party (SNP) leader urged authorities to get on with building a constructive relationship with other countries across the European continent, saying Scottish people don’t want their country to leave the 28-member bloc.

“The debate in Scotland is that we should not place ourselves in the position, given that we are only 8 percent of the UK population, of potentially being dragged out of the European Union against our wishes, against our will,” he added.

The Scottish government wants Scotland to remain part of the EU in the event of a yes vote. Opponents of Scottish independence, however, have repeatedly said Scotland would need to reapply for the EU membership if the country votes for independence in the next month’s referendum.

A new poll for the Scottish Daily Mail newspaper published on Friday showed that support for Scottish independence is gaining momentum among voters. The opinion poll shows support for independence has grown by four percent, rising to 47 percent from 43 percent since a similar Survation poll was released earlier this month.

Scotland’s constitutional future will be decided on September 18 in a vote brought about by the Scottish National Party-led government in Edinburgh. The independence referendum could result in Scotland’s breakaway from the UK after more than 300 years of political union.

MOS/HSN

‘Iran to unveil home-made submarine’

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Commander of the Iranian Navy says Iran will unveil the domestically designed and built Fateh (Conqueror) submarine in the next few months.

Fateh will be unveiled on November 28 to display Iran’s might to build submarines, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari told reporters on Saturday.

In recent years, Iran has made major breakthroughs in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing important military equipment and systems.

Iran has so far launched different classes of advanced home-made submarines, including Fateh, Ghadir, Qaem, Nahang, Tareq and Sina.

Sayyari further said the Iranian Navy’s 31st fleet of war vessels currently in the Red Sea is on a mission to ensure the security of commercial vessels and oil tankers in international waters.

The mission spans vast areas including the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden, the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea, the commander noted, adding the flotilla would set sail for other parts of the high seas if tasked with another mission.

On August 24, the Iranian Navy’s 31st fleet of war vessels docked at the Port of Djibouti as the Islamic Republic pursues to expand its naval presence in international waters.

The flotilla, consisting of Bayandor destroyer and Bandar Abbas auxiliary ship, arrived at the port after travelling more than 2,200 nautical miles.

In line with international efforts against piracy, the Iranian Navy has been also conducting patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008, in order to safeguard merchant containers and oil tankers owned or leased by Iran or other countries.

Iran’s Navy has managed to foil several attacks on both Iranian and foreign tankers during its missions in international waters.

SF/NN/HRB

Iraq operations costing $7.5mn per day

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The Pentagon on Friday said American military operations in Iraq are costing an average of $7.5 million per day.

“Roughly right now, it’s about $7.5 million per day,” said Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby during a press briefing.

“That’s based on the snapshot of the operations that have occurred on the 26th of this month,” he said.

President Obama has authorized the deployment of 775 US troops to Iraq since June 16. As of Thursday, there were 768 US troops in and around Baghdad and at a joint operations center in Erbil.

The US military has conducted at least 106 airstrikes in Iraq since Aug. 8, using fighter jets, attack helicopters, a bomber, and armed drones.

The military has also conducted a humanitarian mission to air drop food, water and medical supplies to Iraqis who were stranded on Mt. Sinjar earlier in the month. US cargo planes dropped at least 108 bundles of supplies.

Kirby said the $7.5 million being spent per day in Iraq was the average since mid-June, though the day-to-day costs have varied. He said the costs are being covered by the Overseas Contingency Operations budget, more commonly known as the war fund.

“We think we’ve got it covered in terms of 2014,” he said. “We’re well within the limits.”

The budget picture for 2015 is less clear, since the president is expected to expand military assistance to Iraq after its new government is established, though he has not outlined any decisions so far. The Hill

AT/GJH

French teenage girl planned to join ISIL

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PressTV – French teen detained over attempts to join ISIL Takfiri terrorists

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Takfiri ISIL militants wave a flag and hold up weapons as a vehicle drives on a newly cut road through the Syrian-Iraqi border, June 2014.

  • ‘US attacks on ISIL make no sense’
  • West unleashing death squads in ME

French security officials have arrested a 14-year-old girl and placed her under investigation for allegedly planning to go to Syria and join Takfiri ISIL militants.

The teenager was detained in France’s northwestern region of Quimper on Wednesday and later moved to Paris, where she is being questioned, Radio France Internationale reported on Friday.

Quimper deputy prosecutor Bérengère Prud’homme said the detainee is suspected of wanting to wage militancy, certainly in Syria, or possibly a terror attack.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said the girl risks up to five years in a juvenile prison if the investigation leads to an indictment and conviction.

The unnamed girl was in contact with two other teens, a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old, on social networks, and they were all allegedly planning together to travel abroad and join militancy in Syria despite living in three different regions of France.

French security services estimate that more than 900 people have either left the country to operate against the government in Syria, are on their way or hope to go.

A recent intelligence report has revealed that terrorists from over 81 countries are currently inside Syria operating against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
 
New York-based intelligence firm, the Soufan Group, estimated in June that at least 12,000 terrorists from 81 countries, including some 3,000 European nationals, are fighting in Syria.

Other media accounts estimate that higher numbers of foreign mercenaries are involved in the Syrian war, including over 2,000 Europeans and 100 Americans.

Takfiri ISIL terrorists have been committing horrific crimes against innocent civilians since the outbreak of the crisis in Syria in March 2011.

ISIL terrorists have been behind many of the deadly bomb attacks targeting both civilians and government institutions across Syria over the past three years. They have also mass executed hundreds of people in Iraq and Syria.

MP/HSN




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‘650k Iraqis displaced in recent weeks’

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A UN committee says over 650,000 Iraqi civilians have been internally displaced in the past few weeks mainly because of attacks by the ISIL Takfiri terrorist group.

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination said in a report on Friday that the total number of Iraqis displaced since the beginning of the year has now exceeded 1.5 million.

It added that most of the displaced Iraqis belong to ethno-religious minority groups.

According to the committee, the ISIL militancy and the Iraqi army’s operation against the terrorist group have forced civilians in northern parts of the country to leave their homes.

It added that the ongoing ISIL offensive in Iraq “has a grave impact on a variety of minority groups.”

It also said that in the past weeks, thousands of civilians have been either killed or put at risk of death in Iraq.

Since early this year, Iraq has been facing a growing militancy by the ISIL Takfiri group and its allied militants, who have taken over areas in the country’s west and north. The crisis has deteriorated since June, when the ISIL declared a so-called caliphate in the territories they have seized.

The ISIL terrorists have threatened all communities, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians and Izadi Kurds, in Iraq. They have been committing heinous crimes in the areas they have taken, including the mass execution of civilians as well as Iraqi army troops and officers.

The Iraqi army, backed by Kurdish forces and thousands of volunteers, is engaged in fierce fighting with the ISIL militants to push them out of the captured areas.

DB/HSN