UK Lawmakers Debate Airstrikes on Militants
LONDON (AP) — British lawmakers have opened debate on whether to join the United States and a coalition of Western and Arab nations in airstrikes meant to thwart Islamic State group militants in Iraq.
Lawmakers are expected to approve the motion, which is supported by all three main parties and comes only days after Iraq's prime minister requested help. The motion does not address any action in Syria. Critics say that would be illegal because Syrian President Bashar Assad has not invited outsiders to help.
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond refuses to speculate on how long the military campaign could last, but lawmakers envision a long-term action.
Hammond tells Sky News, "We are going into this with our eyes open."
US-Led Strikes Hit IS Group Oil Sites for 2nd Day
BEIRUT (AP) — Activists say they don't have concrete figures but there are reports of casualties in the latest raids on Islamic State group territory in eastern Syria.
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Warplanes from the U.S.-led coalition bombed oil installations and other facilities for a second consecutive day, looking to dent a $2 million a day revenue source for the extremists.
Afghanistan: Taliban Behead 12 Civilians
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan official says Taliban insurgents have beheaded 12 civilians and torched some 60 homes in an assault on security forces in the eastern Ghazni province.
The province's deputy police chief says the Taliban have attacked several villages over the past week in the Arjistan district. He says last night they captured and beheaded 12 family members of local and national police and burned down 60 homes. And he says the battling is still going on.
The police official says the Taliban also detonated a car bomb in front of an encampment where some 40 police were posted.
Interpol Expanding Foreign Fighter Database
PARIS (AP) — The head of Interpol says the organization has vastly expanded its database of foreign fighters traveling to join extremists in Iraq and Syria and is testing ways to let banks, hotels and cruise lines access a separate database of lost and stolen passports.
AirAsia is already testing a system of cross-checks, and Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble says a small pilot project is operating in France to see if the idea could apply to banks. He said 43 people have been flagged with stolen passports since the AirAsia program began in May.
Noble also says the Interpol database of would-be jihadis started in April 2013 with three countries and now involves 33 countries and 1,300 names.
FBI: About 12 Americans Fighting in Syria, Not 100
WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI director says the U.S. believes there are about a dozen Americans fighting alongside extremist groups in Syria, not more than 100, an estimate that has been cited by government officials and lawmakers for months.
The 100 figure, however, has taken on an urban legend status over the past few months as the Obama administration makes its case for military action in Iraq and Syria.
FBI Director James Comey (KOH'-mee) says the "more than 100" figure refers to Americans who have gone to Syria and come back or have attempted to go and been arrested.
Comey also says the U.S. believes it has identified the masked man in the videos depicting the beheadings of two American journalists and a British aid worker. He declined to reveal the man's name.
UPDATE: US Considers New Offer to Iran at Nuke Talks
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Diplomats say the U.S. may ease up on its demands on Iran to gut its uranium enrichment program.
Diplomats say the U.S. is now considering a proposal that would allow Tehran to cut the number of operating centrifuges roughly in half - down to about 4,500.
The U.S. ideally wanted no more than 1,500 left operating.
The U.S. fears Tehran may enrich its uranium to weapons-grade level for arm nuclear warheads. Iran insists it wants to use the technology only to make reactor fuel and for other peaceful purposes.
Stewart Says Crash was '100 Percent' Accident
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Tony Stewart says the crash that killed 20-year-old Kevin Ward Jr. on a dirt track in upstate New York was "100 percent" an accident.
Stewart spoke to The Associated Press yesterday from his home in Huntersville, North Carolina. It was his first interview since a grand jury decided against charging the NASCAR star in Ward's death. Stewart could still face a civil lawsuit.
Stewart says during his three-week hiatus from racing after the crash, he stayed in seclusion at his other home in Indiana and didn't want to get out of bed or even leave his room. He asked for professional help to deal with his grief.
Stewart said: "I know 100 percent in my heart and in my mind that I did not do anything wrong. This was 100 percent an accident."
Detroit's Elected Officials Regain Control of City
DETROIT (AP) — The day-to-day operations of Detroit's city government are back in the hands of its elected mayor and City Council.
State-appointed emergency manager Kevyn (kevin) Orr says "the city is more than ready" before signing Order 42.
The measure puts the nine-member council and Mayor Mike Duggan back in charge of Detroit's finances, police department and other facets of city government.
Orr was appointed by the state in March 2013 to manage Detroit's troubled finances, and he took the city into the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history.
His exit becomes effective if and when federal Judge Steven Rhodes approves the city's restructuring plan in bankruptcy court. The plan would wipe out $7 billion of Detroit's $12 billion in long-term, unsecured debt while restructuring city services.
US: Most New Immigrant Families Fail to Report
WASHINGTON (AP) — For nearly three months this summer, the Obama administration carefully avoided answering questions about what happened to thousands of immigrant families caught illegally crossing the Mexican border.
Homeland Security Jeh (jay) Johnson and others would say only that they faced deportation.
It turns out that tens of thousands of those immigrants have not followed the government's instructions to report back to immigration authorities and instead vanished into the interior of the country.
The Homeland Security Department privately acknowledged to immigration advocates that about 70 percent of families hadn't reported as ordered. The disclosure came during a confidential meeting at its Washington headquarters for a federal working group on detention and enforcement policies.
The Associated Press obtained an audio recording of the meeting and separately interviewed participants.
UPDATE: Teacher to Be Re-Sentenced in Montana Rape Case
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A Montana teacher who spent just a month in prison for raping a 14-year-old student who later killed herself, goes back to court Friday to be re-sentenced.
Stacey Rambold is hoping for a sentence of two years in prison and another two years suspended for the 2007 rape of the freshman at Billings Senior High School.
Prosecutors want a 10-year prison sentence with another 10 years suspended.
The case got international attention after the original sentencing judge placed some of the blame on the young victim.
Trial Begins for Man Charged in Auburn Slayings
OPELIKA, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama jury is scheduled to hear opening statements in the capital murder trial of a man accused of fatally shooting two former Auburn University football players.
A judge told a panel of 12 jurors and four alternates to return to court this afternoon for the trial of 24-year-old Desmonte Leonard.
Leonard is charged with killing former Auburn players Ed Christian and Ladarious Phillips at a pool party in Auburn in June 2012. Another man also was slain and three people were wounded.
Testimony in past hearings indicated Leonard was hit with a bottle before the shooting began, and the defense claims he fired in self-defense.
Prosecutors want the death penalty in the shootings.
Leonard was captured after an intense three-day manhunt that followed the killings.
NEW: Foul Ending to the Search for a Stolen Truck
MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — Authorities have finally found a truck containing 37,000 pounds of chicken that a driver was supposed to deliver from Arkansas to Washington state on Aug. 27.
The foul odor of rotting poultry and the dripping of rancid juices has led authorities to a truck stop in western Montana.
Police say 42-year-old Christopher Hall had refused to deliver the $80,000 cargo until he was paid more money.
The trailer's refrigerator apparently continued running until the fuel ran out, finally drawing attention from people, and flies. Now police are looking for Hall.
