Author: Sunfire

RT

Islamic State has reportedly buried alive dozens of its own militants, after the jihadists refused to fight and fled the battlefield in the face of the Iraqi government’s push to retake ground in northern province of Nineveh, ruled by the terrorists since 2014.

The overall number of militants who have been executed remains ambiguous. AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA) is reporting that 35 fighters were killed, while Iraqi News is reporting that Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) buried 45 of its members alive on charges of fleeing the battlefield.   Continue reading “ISIS buries alive dozens of defectors who fled Iraq battlefield – reports”

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BAGHDAD (AP) — Three separate car bombings in the Iraqi capital Wednesday killed at least 93 people and wounded at least 165. The Islamic State group later claimed responsibility for all three bombings. In recent months, the extremist faction has lost some of the Iraqi territory it conquered in a stunning 2014 blitz. But Wednesday’s carnage demonstrates the group’s lingering ability to launch significant attacks across the country and in the heart of the capital.

In the largest attack of the day, a car bomb ripped through a commercial area in the predominantly Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City Wednesday morning, killing at least 63 people and wounding at least 85.   Continue reading “Additional bombings bring death toll to 93 across Baghdad”

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BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — The Latest on the debate and vote in Brazil’s Senate on the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff (all times local): 12:30 p.m. Pope Francis is addressing the political crisis expected to result in the impeachment of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. He’s calling for “prayer and dialogue” in Latin America’s biggest country.

During his general audience on Wednesday, the pontiff said he hopes that Brazil “proceeds on the path of harmony and peace.” His statement was posted on the Vatican Radio Web site.   Continue reading “Brazil Senate debates impeachment of president”

RT

An 11-year-old African-American boy is being charged with a hate crime in connection with a fire which was lit on a Jewish school bus in Brooklyn. The bus had been parked in front of the Beth Rivkah Hebrew School for girls when a group of children set fire to it.

A surveillance tape released by CrownHeights.info found that approximately seven children had been involved with the arson incident on Sunday. The video shows several children boarding the bus – which had been left open and unattended – with pieces of cardboard in hand. The kids rush out as flames appear in the front of the bus.   Continue reading “11-year-old facing hate crime charges for burning bus”

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Nearly a year after a shooting death along a San Francisco pier sparked a national debate on how the city handles criminal suspects in the country illegally, officials are considering a proposal that would clarify the guidelines under which federal deportation authorities could be contacted.

On Tuesday, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors are to vote on a proposal that directs law officers to notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement only if the person detained is charged with a violent crime and has been convicted of a violent crime within the last seven years.   Continue reading “San Francisco officials take up immigrant sanctuary policy”

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GRAFING, Germany (AP) — A German man was arrested after several people were stabbed at a train station near Munich early Tuesday, authorities said. One victim died in a hospital and three other people were wounded.

The assailant made “politically motivated comments” as he attacked, Ken Heidenreich, spokesman for the Munich prosecutor’s office in charge of the case, told The Associated Press. He said his office was investigating witness reports that he yelled “Allahu akbar,” Arabic for “God is great.”   Continue reading “Germany: 1 dead, 3 wounded in stabbing at train station”

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MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Rodrigo Duterte, the bombastic mayor of a major southern city, was heralded Tuesday as president-elect of the Philippines after an incendiary and populist campaign that projected him alternatively as an emancipator and a looming dictator.

“Our people have spoken and their verdict is accepted and respected,” outgoing President Benigno Aquino III’s spokesman Sonny Coloma said in a statement. “The path of good governance … is already established as all presidential candidates spoke out against corruption.”   Continue reading “New Philippine leader seen as emancipator, looming dictator”

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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Tornadoes destroyed homes, overturned vehicles and stripped the bark from trees as they churned across Oklahoma, part of a strong series of storms that hit the Plains. At least two people died Monday in weather so violent that forecasters declared a “tornado emergency” for communities in the path of one of the twisters. The Storm Prediction Center said 23 tornadoes were reported across five states.

“You are in a life-threatening situation,” forecasters declared while warning the communities of Roff, population 725, and Hickory, population 71, which were ultimately spared major damage. “Flying debris will be deadly to those caught without shelter.”   Continue reading “Tornadoes hit Plains; 2 dead, homes destroyed in Oklahoma”

RT

The Maine Democratic Party have voted to abolish the influence of superdelegates, a group with the power to choose the party’s presidential nominee irrespective of the voters’ choice.

The rule change was passed by a vote during Saturday’s Democratic Party convention in Portland, followed by chants of “Bernie, Bernie!”   Continue reading “Maine Democrats eliminate power of superdelegates in convention vote”

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BEIRUT (AP) — The deputy leader of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group says their candidates and allies won a vast majority of seats in areas where they ran in local elections in eastern Lebanon. Sheikh Naim Kassem said on Monday that Hezbollah and its allies ran in 80 municipalities out of 143 where voting took place the previous day in the Bekaa Valley and won almost all the seats.   Continue reading “Hezbollah, allies win wide areas in east Lebanon vote”

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PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — North Korea’s ruling-party congress has bestowed a new title on Kim Jong Un: party chairman. The move highlights how the country’s first congress in 36 years is aimed at bolstering the young leader.   Continue reading “North Korea congress gives Kim Jong Un new title of chairman”

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BOSTON (AP) — A former FBI agent accused of lying during Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger’s trial is expected to plead guilty to perjury charges. Robert Fitzpatrick is slated to appear Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Boston for a change-of-plea hearing.

The now-76-year-old is accused of lying to jurors and overstating his professional accomplishments during Bulger’s 2013 racketeering trial. Fitzpatrick, who had been second-in-command of the FBI’s Boston division during Bulger’s bloody reign in Boston, was the first witness Bulger’s lawyers called during the high-profile trial.   Continue reading “Ex-FBI agent to plead guilty to perjury during Bulger trial”

North Jersey – by Stefanie Dazio

Detective Sergio Mella, who had served in the prosecutor’s office since 2007, was found dead inside the Grandview Avenue house after 6 p.m, Prosecutor Camelia Valdes said in a statement on Wednesday morning. He had shot himself with his service weapon, the statement said.   Continue reading “Passaic County prosecutor’s detective killed himself in home, authorities say”

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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A state lawmaker and former prosecutor wants to eliminate the statute of limitations on child sex crimes in Illinois, a response to the hush-money case against former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert.

Before being sentenced last week to 15 months in prison for breaking federal banking rules, Hastert admitted sexually abusing teenagers decades ago when he coached high school wrestling in Yorkville, Illinois. Prosecutors said Hastert, 74, paid $3.5 million to silence one accuser who testified in court, but he couldn’t be prosecuted for the underlying sex abuse because too much time had passed.   Continue reading “After Hastert, Illinois weighs change to child sex abuse law”

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RAMADI, Iraq (AP) — This is what victory looks like in the Iraqi city of Ramadi: In the once thriving Haji Ziad Square, not a single structure still stands. Turning in every direction yields a picture of devastation.

A building that housed a pool hall and ice cream shops — reduced to rubble. A row of money changers and motorcycle repair garages — obliterated, a giant bomb crater in its place. The square’s Haji Ziad Restaurant, beloved for years by Ramadi residents for its grilled meats — flattened. The restaurant was so popular its owner built a larger, fancier branch across the street three years ago. That, too, is now a pile of concrete and twisted iron rods.   Continue reading “Iraq routed IS from Ramadi at a high cost: A city destroyed”

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DETROIT (AP) — Detroit schools reopened Wednesday after teachers who had called out sick for two days received assurances from the financially struggling district that they would continue to be paid. But while the teachers are returning to work, their union is sparring with lawmakers over a $500 million plan to restructure the district and its debt.

A House panel on Tuesday advanced the measure, which was intended to ease teachers’ fears that they might not get their paychecks if the district runs out of money. But the union blasted the legislation that would also forbid existing labor agreements from transferring to the new district and restrict collective bargaining over work schedules and school calendars.   Continue reading “Detroit teachers ending 2-day sick-out, fighting legislation”

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DENVER (AP) — An Army vehicle took the wrong road in the dark and was making a U-turn when it tumbled 250 feet off a cliff at a Colorado training range last year, killing one soldier and injuring five, according to a recently released investigative report.

The soldier who died had an unspecified medical condition at the time of the February 2015 crash at Fort Carson, and a physician assistant had recommended that he not go on the training exercise, investigators said.   Continue reading “Army says troops lost their way, went off cliff”

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SHIPROCK, N.M. (AP) — The stranger walked with 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike into the hills of a remote area of the Navajo Nation known for its breathtaking views and the monolithic rock outcropping that stands as a beacon for miles.

As the sun faded, the stranger returned alone with a crowbar tucked in his jacket; the girl was nowhere to be seen. Her body was found hours later. But as he came back, her distraught and scared 9-year-old brother started to run and kept running for more than 2 miles toward the lights he could see on the highway in the distance until a passer-by scooped him up and took him to police.   Continue reading “Girl’s abduction, death leave Navajo community heartbroken”