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☆ The US Navy's only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan, is leaving Japan after nearly a decade in the Pacific
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Ella Sherman | Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewThe USS Ronald Reagan, the only aircraft carrier in the US Navy forward deployed, or permanently stationed in another country, is leaving Japan after spending nearly a decade in the Pacific. Related storiesIn 2021, USS Ronald Reagan briefly left its forward-deployed position to provide air support during US withdrawal operations in Afghanistan. USS Ronald Reagan traveling through the Straits of Magellan, to San Diego, CA, in a transfer move. US Navy/Photographer's Mate 3rd Class Elizabeth ThompsonThe USS Ronald Reagan already had a history of cooperation with Japan prior to its deployment. "Whether it's aboard USS Ronald Reagan today or USS George Washington in the future, we will continue to strengthen those ties at all levels, on-shore and at-sea."

Persons: —, Ronald Reagan, Ronald Reagan Sailors, Daryle Cardone, Ronald Reagan's, Reagan, Photographer's, Elizabeth Thompson, USS George Washington, George Washington, Greg Newkirk, Anthony Wallace, Gerald R Organizations: Service, US Navy, Business, Nimitz, Carrier Strike, CSG, Fleet, USS, Japan, Self, Defense Force, Navy, Aircraft, Getty, Pacific . Aircraft, US, Pacific Locations: Japan, Yokosuka, China, Afghanistan, Magellan, San Diego , CA, Bremerton , Washington, Israel, Iran, Gaza, Pacific, Russia, North Korea

☆ Israel hit Iran with a half-ton supersonic 'Rampage' missile, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Israel used a "Rampage" missile in its strike on Iran, Israeli media reported. AdvertisementIsrael used a long-range, supersonic missile in its strike on Iran earlier this week, Israeli broadcaster Kan reported, per The Times of Israel. US officials said Israel carried out a missile strike on a military base near the city of Isfahan, Iran, on Friday. While it remains unclear what weapons were used in the strike, Kan reported that Israel used a "Rampage" air-to-surface missile, claiming it was identified in photos and that damage caused by the attack was consistent with a Rampage strike, per The Times of Israel. The Rampage missile was designed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for use against targets such as "communication and command centers, air forces bases, maintenance centers and infrastructure," according to the company's website.

Persons: Israel, —, Kan Organizations: Service, Rampage, Israel Aerospace Industries, YouTube, New York Times, Business, IDF, IAI, Royal Air Force Locations: Iran, Israel, Israeli, Isfahan, Tehran, Ukraine

Roughly 40,000 American troops are stationed across the Middle East, mostly in countries with close ties to the United States. There were more than 160,000 American troops in Iraq alone in 2007, during the war that followed the U.S. invasion. Image Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq in 2019. Credit... Nasser Nasser/Associated PressWhy are so many troops there? A military coalition led by the United States, including forces in Syria and Iraq, defeated it. President Biden has retaliated with attacks on Iran-aligned militants, hitting groups in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

Persons: Jan, Al, Nasser Nasser, Biden, Israel —, Al Tanf, ” Gen, Hossein Organizations: U.S, Al Asad, Al Asad Air Base, Hezbollah, Army, Air Force, Washington, Operations, Navy’s, U.S . Central Command, Associated, Islamic, U.S ., Pentagon, ”, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps Locations: Jordan, Iraq, United States, State, U.S, Al Asad Air, Iraq’s, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Azraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Gaza, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Russia, China, American, Islamic State, Mosul, Raqqa, Israel, Yemen

☆ Houthi rebels took aim at a US aircraft, but the military blew their missiles up before they got a shot off
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US military destroyed a Houthi missile that posed a threat to a US aircraft on Wednesday. It's the latest preemptive action taken by the US, which has destroyed multiple Houthi missiles. AdvertisementUS forces on Wednesday destroyed a Houthi missile that presented an immediate threat to American aircraft, the US military said, marking the latest engagement between Western militaries and the Iran-backed rebels. After initially identifying the missile, the military determined that it "presented an imminent threat" to US aircraft operating in the region. After Wednesday's incident, however, the military specified that it hit a surface-to-air missile and that it posed a threat to US aircraft.

Persons: —, Zachary Elmore, Aden —, Houthis, Pat Ryder, Yemen's, Mohammed Hamoud Wednesday's, Biden Organizations: Command, Service, Central Command, Business, Pentagon, Hornet, Eisenhower, US Navy, British Locations: Yemen, Iran, CENTCOM, Aden, Yemen's Amran, Washington, Iraq, Syria, Jordan

☆ Oil ticks up as Middle East crisis escalates, tankers divert
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

An aerial view of a crude oil storage facility is seen on May 4, 2020 in Cushing, Oklahoma. Oil prices edged slightly higher on Tuesday as the Middle East crisis escalated and ship tracking data showed more tankers altering course away from the Red Sea in response to attacks in the area by Yemen's Houthi movement. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was down 17 cents, or 0.2%, at $72.52 per barrel after a U.S. public holiday on Monday. More oil tankers were steering clear of the southern Red Sea on Monday, due to the disruptions, increasing the cost of shipping and the time it takes to move oil from one place to another. Oil prices rose 2% last week in response to the rising conflict in the region, but the lack of direct impact on oil production could be limiting gains, according to analysts.

Persons: Yemen's, INTERTANKO Organizations: Brent, . West Texas, Combined Maritime Forces Locations: Cushing , Oklahoma, ., U.S, Iran, Yemen, Bahrain, Mandab, Hormuz

☆ A US Navy warship had to gun down more threats as American forces get pulled deeper into fights being fueled by Israel's war with Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A US Navy destroyer responding to the incidents had to battle off multiple drones during the day. It's the latest example of how American forces are increasingly engaging hostile Iran-backed groups. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. American destroyers like the Carney have shot down scores of drones and missiles launched from Houthi-controlled territory in recent weeks. "And so we will continue to focus on that mission, as well as ensuring that our forces are protected."

Persons: —, Carney, Arleigh Burke, CENTCOM, MCS2 Aaron Lau, Khaled Abdullah Analysts, Washington, Pat Ryder Organizations: US Navy, Service, Hamas, Central Command, Pentagon, Washington Institute for Near East, Missiles, REUTERS, Institute for, Business, Pentagon Press, Air Force Locations: Iran, Red, Yemen, Suez, Israel, Iran's, Tehran, Gaza, Hezbollah, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Sanaa, Washington ,, United States, American, Islamic State

☆ Missiles were fired toward a US Navy destroyer responding to an attempted hijacking near Yemen. The same warship was targeted in this area years ago.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Missiles were fired from Houthi-controlled territory toward a US Navy ship responding to an attempted hijacking on Monday. The ship, the destroyer USS Mason, was targeted by the Iran-backed rebels near Yemen a few years ago. AdvertisementMissiles were fired from Houthi-controlled territory on Monday toward a US Navy destroyer that rescued a commercial vessel from an attempted hijacking off the coast of Yemen. When the Mason arrived at the scene alongside allied ships, they demanded the release of the Central Park. The Houthis have launched drones and missiles that US Navy warships in the Red Sea have had to shoot down.

Persons: Mason, —, CENTCOM, Blake Midnight, Michael Erik Kurilla, Arleigh Burke, Dwight D, Houthi, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: US Navy, Service, Missiles, Central Command, Pentagon, Mason Mass, U.S . Navy, AP, Eisenhower Carrier Strike, CSG, Navy, Galaxy Leader, Houthi Military, REUTERS, Business, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces Locations: Iran, Yemen, Israel, Gulf, Aden, Somalia, Suez, Hormuz, Arabian, Red, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria

☆ With mapping robots and blast gel, Israel wages war on Hamas tunnels
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/4] Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari shows what the Israeli military says is a tunnel at a location given as Gaza, in this still image taken from video released November 13, 2023. In Beit Hanoun, where his forces were operating, some gunmen had stormed the Israeli military from tunnel shafts and had been killed, he said. The Israeli military said last week that 130 shafts had been destroyed so far, but gave no figure for demolished tunnels. It has dismissed assertions by Israel that it has a command centre under Gaza's biggest hospital, Al Shifa, which Israeli forces entered on Wednesday. But they know their own village, they know pretty well the tunnel system," the officer said.

Persons: Daniel Hagari, Al Shifa, Beit Hanoun, Timothy Organizations: Israel Defense Forces, REUTERS, Forces Base, Hamas, New, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Gaza Israel, Israel, Beit, Beit Hanoun, Hanoun, Hamas, Gaza's, New York City

The discussions at the Dubai International Air Chiefs’ Conference, held ahead of the biennial Dubai Air Show this week, shows the delicate balancing act the federation of seven sheikhdoms faces. The UAE maintains diplomatic ties with Israel despite widespread and growing anger in the Arab world over the civilian casualties from Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip against Hamas. The Air Chiefs' Conference demonstrates how those ties continue, particularly as Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., an Israeli defense manufacturer, was a sponsor of the summit. Sunday's summit drew attendees from across the world, though it did not appear there were any Israeli military officials on hand. While staying away from discussing the Israel-Hamas war, U.S. Air Force Brig.

Persons: Israel, Rafael, David A, we're, ” Mineau, ”, Mineau, “, Luca Goretti, Goretti Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Sunday, United, Dubai International Air Chiefs ’ Conference, Dubai Air, Hamas, The Air Chiefs, Conference, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd, Dubai Air Show, Israel Aerospace Industries, IAI, Health Ministry, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Houthi, U.S . Air Force, America, American military's, Command, Italian Air Force Locations: DUBAI, United Arab, United Arab Emirates, UAE, Israel, Gaza, West, Saudi Arabia, Iran, India, Stockholm, Qatar, Saudi, Abu Dhabi, Tehran, Sunday's, Western, China, U.S, NATO, Ukraine

☆ Drone attack targets Iraq's Harir base, sirens sound at US embassy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BAGHDAD, Nov 8 (Reuters) - An armed drone targeted al-Harir airbase hosting U.S. forces in northern Iraq, two security sources said on Wednesday, following sirens warning of a possible attack at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. The sirens sounded at the U.S. embassy on Wednesday evening, several people in Baghdad's heavily-fortified Green Zone that houses the embassy said, but there were no reports of projectile impacts or casualties. A spokesperson for the U.S. embassy and an Iraqi government security official did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A group called the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" claimed responsibility for the latest attack, saying in a statement that it targeted al-Harir airbase with two drones. Among the bases were Ain al-Asad in western Iraq, a military base near Baghdad's international airport and Harir in Erbil.

Persons: Mohammed al, Sudani, Asad, Timour Azhari, Grant McCool, Daniel Wallis, Diane Craft Organizations: Harir, U.S, U.S ., Hamas, Israel, Thomson Locations: BAGHDAD, Iraq, Baghdad, Baghdad's, Syria, Israel, Iran, Ain, Harir, Erbil

☆ Armed drones shot down over Iraq airport where US forces based
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CAIRO, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Three armed drones were shot down on Tuesday in two separate attacks over Erbil airport in northern Iraq where U.S. forces and other international forces are stationed, Iraqi Kurdistan's counter-terrorism service said in a statement. The attacks are the latest in a series on U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria as tensions soar in the Middle East over the Israel-Hamas war. A group called the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" said it targeted Al-Harir military base, which is about 70 km northeast of Erbil airport. The defence system at a military base near the airport successfully defended against the drones, the statement said. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani has pledged to pursue those responsible for recent attacks on three military bases in Iraq hosting international coalition advisers, including Ain al-Asad in western Iraq, a military base near Baghdad's international airport and Harir in Erbil.

Persons: Al, Mohammed al, Sudani, Asad, Amina Ismail, Nick Macfie, Jason Neely Organizations: U.S . Defense Department, Coalition, U.S, Iraqi, Thomson Locations: CAIRO, Erbil, Iraq, U.S, Iraqi, Syria, East, Israel, Ain, Harir

☆ When Israel needs to fight Hamas in its tunnels, it turns to an elite band of commandos called the Yahalom unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Clearing out the Hamas tunnels is one assignment for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) amid its ongoing ground invasion of Gaza, now a little more than a week old. To effectively carry out this task, the military has a elite band of commandos who are trained for underground warfare and other subterranean operations known as the Yahalom unit. The unit was created in 1995 and doubled in size after the 2014 Gaza War — known in Israel as Operation Protective Edge — to deal with the growing threat posed by Hamas' tunnels. On Friday, for example, the IDF said Yahalom soldiers working in tandem with other units destroyed Hamas tunnels during "special operations" inside the strip. "Hamas views warfare underground just as it would aboveground, utilizing defense, offense, and retreat," he remarked.

Persons: —, Nir Elias, Krav Maga, Israel, they're, Yaron Beit, Yahalom, John Spencer, Spencer Organizations: IDF, Service, Israel Defense Forces, Combat Engineering Corps, REUTERS, Yahalom Foundation, Military, Telegram, West, Institute, US Locations: Gaza, Israel, Tel Aviv, Beit Hanoun

☆ Israel's missile ships are joining US combat power in the Red Sea as more Iran-backed militants fire weapons its way
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Israel said it deployed missile ships to the Red Sea, where they'll join US Navy vessels in the area. AdvertisementAdvertisementAfter a series of attacks from Iran-backed militants, Israel has deployed several ships capable of launching missiles to the Red Sea, where they will join US Navy vessels already there. The IDF said "all aerial threats were intercepted outside of Israeli territory," with some of them downed by Israeli fighter jets around the Red Sea to the south. Israel Defense ForcesIsraeli Navy ship in the Red Sea. US Missile Defense AgencyThe Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) transits the Suez Canal, Oct. 18.

Persons: Israel, they'll, —, Yemen's, Carney, Arleigh Burke, we've, Pat Ryder, Aaron Lau, Hezbollah —, Lloyd Austin Organizations: US Navy, Service, Navy, Israel Defense Forces, US, IDF, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces Israeli Navy, IAF, Aerial Defense, Pentagon, Air Force, Interceptor, US Missile Defense Agency, Hezbollah, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, U.S Locations: Yemen, Israel, Iran, Israeli, Israel's, Eilat, Red Sea, Red, Suez, Saudi, Tehran, Iraq, Syria

Biden’s diplomatic task gets harderPresident Biden landed in Israel on Wednesday for a high-wire diplomatic mission that is facing new challenges by the minute. All that threatens to become what investors have feared: a rapid escalation of violence that could roil markets, upsetting a fragile global economy. Before departing for Israel, Biden said he was “outraged and deeply saddened” by the blast at Ahli Arab Hospital. Palestinians blamed an Israeli airstrike, and Israelis cited an errant rocket fired by an armed Palestinian faction. Israeli forces are clashing with Iranian-backed Hezbollah forces based in southern Lebanon.

Persons: Biden, Jordan, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Organizations: of Islamic Cooperation, Israel, Arab Hospital Locations: Israel, Gaza, Iran, Palestinian, Lebanon

☆ Factbox: What you need to know about Niger's ousted president
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum participates in a Peace, Security and Governance Forum during the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit 2022 in Washington, U.S., December 13, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/PoolAug 14 (Reuters) - Niger's ousted president Mohamed Bazoum was toppled by a military junta on July 26. Bazoum's victory in the 2021 election led to Niger's first transition from one democratically elected leader to another. Niger strengthened its alliances with Western powers under Bazoum, becoming a hub for French, U.S., German and Italian forces. Days before Bazoum was sworn in as president in 2021, a military unit tried to seize the presidential palace in an attempted coup.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Evelyn Hockstein, Niger's, Bazoum, Mahamadou Issoufou, Abdourahamane Tiani, Alessandra Prentice, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Security, Governance, Africa, REUTERS, Islamic, Nigerien, International Crisis, West, United Nations, Thomson Locations: U.S, Washington , U.S, France, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Nigeria, West Africa's, United States

"Our drone base in Niger is extremely important in countering terrorism in the region," one of the U.S. officials said. FOREIGN ASSISTANCEThe Biden administration has not formally labeled the military takeover in Niger a coup, a designation that would limit what security assistance Washington can provide the country. The U.S. drone base has grown in importance due to a lack of Western security partners in the region. The drone base, known as airbase 201, was built near Agadez in central Niger at a cost of more than $100 million. Wagner's chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has welcomed the coup in Niger and said his forces were available to restore order.

Persons: Abdourahmane Tiani, Balima, Mohamed Bazoum, Russia's Wagner, Biden, Antony Blinken, Nusrat al, Cameron Hudson, Hudson, Terence McCulley, WAGNER, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Idrees Ali, Daphne Psaledakis, Simon Lewis, Michelle Nichols, Don Durfee, Deepa Babington Organizations: REUTERS, Nigerien, Islamic State, Al, West African, Center for Strategic, International Studies, United States Institute of Peace, Wagner Group, ., U.S, Thomson Locations: Niger, Niamey, United States, Sahel, Al Qaeda, France, Africa, insurgencies, Russia, China, Washington, U.S, Mali, Burkina Faso, Agadez, State, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Niger's, Nigerien

"It's all about containing those kinds of capabilities from the north," retired U.S. Major General Gordon B. Davis Jr. told Reuters. "With five submarines we can close the Baltic Sea," Linden told Reuters. The region from the Baltic in the south to the high north may become almost an integrated operating area for NATO. It was first shipped from Germany across the Baltic Sea, then trucked nearly 900 km to the north. "It would make it very difficult for the Russian Baltic Sea fleet to operate in a free way," he said.

Persons: Mika Hakkarainen, Finland –, Major General Gordon B, Davis Jr, Fredrik Linden, Sweden's, Linden, Samu Paukkunen, Paukkunen, Sebastian Bruns, Michael Maus, Kurt Rossi, Rossi, Tuomo Lamberg, Bruns, Nick Childs, Anne Kauranen, Johan Ahlander, Jacob Gronholt, Sabine Siebold, Sara Ledwith Organizations: NATO, Reuters, Fleet, Finnish Institute of International Affairs, Major, Analysts, Northern Fleet, Kiel University's Institute for Security, NATO's, Transformation, Field Artillery, U.S . Army, Baltic, Commission, Security, Cooperation, Naval Forces and Maritime Security, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Fouche, Pedersen, Thomson Locations: TORNIO, Finland, KARLSKRONA, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Stockholm, Ukraine, Moscow, Europe, RUSSIA, Russian, Murmansk, Kola, Barents, North America, Greenland, Iceland, Helsinki, Baltic, Nord, Russia's, Denmark, Kiel, Rovaniemi, Santa Claus, United States, Britain, Germany, –, St, Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Sweco, Swedish, Gotland, Karlskrona, Oeland, London, Birmingham, Tornio, Oslo, Copenhagen, Brussels

☆ Fact Check-Video of train with military vehicles is from Canada, not US
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A video showing a train carrying armoured military vehicles stopped beneath a highway overpass was shot in Montreal, Canada and is not evidence of increased military activity in the United States in June 2023. The video, however, is from Canada and shows Canadian military equipment. A spokesperson for Canada’s Department of National Defence said the video shows vehicles belonging to the Canadian Armed Forces returning from a military exercise held in May 2023. This is a standard, annual military exercise. The video shows armoured vehicles of the Canadian Armed Forces being transported within Canada and is not evidence of any heightened military activity in the U.S.

Persons: Ronald, ”, Read Organizations: Canada’s Department of National Defence, Canadian Armed Forces, Facebook, Twitter, St, Canadian Forces Base, Canadian, Reuters Locations: Montreal, Canada, United States, U.S, Montreal Quebec, Montreal West, Quebec, Wainwright , Alberta, Valcartier

☆ Ukraine stages raids across Dnipro River as counteroffensive looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Olena Harmash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, April 25 (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces based on the western side of the River Dnipro are frequently carrying out raids on the eastern bank near the city of Kherson to try to dislodge Russian troops, a regional official said on Tuesday. Yuriy Sobolevskiy, deputy head of the Kherson regional administration, said the raids were intended to reduce the combat capability of Russian troops who have been shelling Kherson city since being forced to retreat. "Our military visit the left (eastern) bank very often, conducting raids. Russia seized the Kherson region soon after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine 14 months ago, and has continued since then to hold all of the region's territory east the Dnipro. Retaking all the Kherson region would be an important step towards achieving this goal.

☆ U.S., Philippines agree to larger American military presence
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (R) walks past military guards at Camp Aguinaldo on Feb. 2, 2023 in Quezon City, Manila, Philippines. Austin is visiting Manila for meetings with Philippine officials in an effort to boost bilateral ties between the two countries. The agreement was reached as U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was in the country for talks about deploying U.S. forces and weapons in more Philippine military camps. American forces were granted access to five Philippine military camps, where they could rotate indefinitely under the 2014 EDCA defense pact. In October, the U.S. sought access for a larger number of its forces and weapons in an additional five military camps, mostly in the north.

☆ French minister says France still committed to Burkina Faso despite tension
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Benoit TessierOUAGADOUGOU, Jan 10 (Reuters) - A French minister said on Tuesday her government would not stop supporting Burkina Faso in its fight against Islamist militants and wished to remain involved despite growing anti-French sentiment and diplomatic tensions. Relations between France and Burkina Faso, a former French colony, have deteriorated following two military coups this year that were partly spurred by local authorities' failure to protect civilians from jihadist attacks. Tensions flared last month, when the Burkina Faso government requested the replacement of France's ambassador. Protests by opponents of the French military presence surged this year, partly linked to perceptions that France has not done enough to improve security. Zacharopoulou said French troops would remain in Burkina Faso "as long as their presence is desired".

☆ Santa Claus undaunted by arctic blast, U.S. military says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Keith Coffman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The Royal Canadian Air Force's 22 Wing holds it’s annual NORAD Tracks Santa promotion at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) North Bay in North Bay, Ontario, Canada December 9, 2021. Corporal Rob Ouellette/Canadian Forces/Handout via REUTERSDENVER, Dec 24 (Reuters) - U.S. military officials have assured anxious children the arctic blast and snowstorm that wreaked havoc on U.S. airline traffic this week will not prevent Santa Claus from making his annual Christmas Eve flight. The Santa tracker tradition originated from a 1955 misprint in a Colorado Springs newspaper of the telephone number of a department store for children to call and speak with Santa. U.S. and Canadian fighter jet pilots provide a courtesy escort for him over North America, and Santa slows down to wave to them, he added. Reporting by Keith Coffman in Denver; Editing by Steve Gorman and Philippa FletcherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Diplomatic foes Iran and U.S. clash in winner-takes-all contest
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Hritika Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ties have been strained in recent years when then-President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of an Iran nuclear deal. The United States killed a top Iranian general in 2020 and Tehran responded with missile strikes at U.S. forces based in Iraq. The eagerly awaited meeting is a rematch of the 1998 World Cup group stage contest, dubbed the "mother of all games", which Iran won 2-1. Overshadowing Iran's World Cup build-up this year has been civil unrest at home over the September death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, arrested for flouting the country's strict Islamic dress code. They sang quietly on Friday at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, where boos and jeers were heard from Iran supporters.

☆ MH17 verdict: 2 Russians, 1 Ukrainian convicted of murders
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

A Dutch court on Thursday convicted two Russians and a pro-Moscow Ukrainian separatist in absentia of the murders of 298 people who died in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine. None of the defendants appeared for the trial that began in March 2020 and if they are convicted, it’s unlikely they will serve any sentence anytime soon. “The truth on the table — that is the most important thing,” said Anton Kotte, who lost his son, daughter-in-law and his 6-year-old grandson when MH17 was shot down. The most senior defendant convicted is Igor Girkin, a 51-year-old former colonel in Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB. Oleg Pulatovis the only one of the suspects who was acquited represented by defense lawyers at the trial.

☆ Dutch court convicts 2 Russians, 1 Ukrainian of murder in 2014 Malaysian jet downing over Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

President of the court Steenhuis (2ndL) talks prior to verdict in the trial of four men prosecuted for their involvement in the MH17 downing case, in Badhoevedorp on November 17, 2022. A Dutch court on Thursday convicted two Russians and a pro-Moscow Ukrainian separatist in absentia of the murders of 298 people who died in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine and sentenced them to life imprisonment. Outside the court, planes could be heard taking off and landing nearby on a cold, gray day. Oleg Pulatovis the only one of the suspects who was acquited represented by defense lawyers at the trial. They accused prosecutors of "tunnel vision" in basing their case on the findings of an international investigation into the downing while ignoring other possible causes.

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