ECM WORLD WATCH: NATIONAL AND GLOBAL NEWS

September 17, 2015 (San Diego's East County)-- East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

Presidential race

• Candidates use second GOP debate to taunt Donald Trump (NY Times)
• Here’s Exactly Where the Candidates’ Cash Came From  (Bloomberg)
• Bernie Sanders challenges Liberty University students to see income inequality as a moral issue (Huffington Post)
• What The Presidential Candidates Have Said About The Syrian Refugee Crisis NPR

Other national news

• How FBI foiled 9/11 anniversary terror plot (CS Monitor)
• Firefighting Program Offers Juvenile Inmates A Chance To Give Back (NPR)
• More Americans Shot to Death in Last 25 Years Than Died in Every War (Mother Jones)
• Iran accord:  not your usual international treaty (U-T editorial)
• Justice Department targets white-collar criminals (APM Marketplace)
• Obama asks US to take 10,000 Syrian refugees: Is that the right number? CS Monitor
• Marine Corps Release Results Of Study On Women In Combat Units NPR
• Phoenix cops seek ‘domestic terrorism' suspect in mysterious highway shootings CS Monitor
• House Republicans Just Got a Big Win in Their Lawsuit Against Obamacare
• British Airways fire: Why you shouldn't escape with carry-on luggage CS Monitor
• Federal Requests For Immigration Holds Continue To Decline (NPR)

WORLD

Europe and Asia

• UK officials say number of terrorism arrests at record high (AP)
• U.N. says 850,000 to cross sea to Europe this year and next (AP)
• Russia to U.S.: talk to us on Syria or risk 'unintended incidents' (Reuters)
• Northern Ireland first minister steps down amid impasse (AP)
• Turkmenistan set to scrap social benefits as economy worsens (AP)
• 9 get suspended sentences for torching Belgrade US embassy (AP)
• North Korea says its atomic complex has restarted, vows nuclear attack (CS Monitor)
• Japanese River Levee Fails; Flooding Spurs Evacuation Order For 130,000 (NPR)
• As Europe opens its doors, Japan considers clamping down harder on asylum seekers (Reuters)
• Taliban insurgents storm Afghan prison, freeing over 300 inmates (+video) CS Monitor
• The US and China: Will it be collision or cooperation? (CS Monitor)    

Middle East

• Al-Qaida lists Sheldon Adelson, Bill Gates as targets for assassination (JPost)
• 'Zionist regime will cease to exist in 25 years,' Khamenei vows  (JPost)
• Russia sends ships, aircraft and forces to Syria: U.S. officials (Reuters)
• Millions of refugees pushing Middle East nations to 'breaking point' (CS Monitor)
• Gulf States Pressured To Do More To Help Syrian Refugees NPR
• Iran says finds unexpectedly high uranium reserve  (Reuters)
• Iraq's Abadi dismisses 123 senior officials as part of reforms: statement (Reuters)
• U.S., allies launch 28 air strikes against Islamic State: U.S. military (Reuters)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

U.S.

Presidential race

Candidates use second GOP debate to taunt Donald Trump (NY Times)

Determined to prove their mettle, several Republican presidential candidates showed new aggressiveness in lacing into Donald J. Trump on Wednesday night… with Carly Fiorina emerging as an especially tenacious combatant who provided some of the few moments where Mr. Trump looked uncomfortable.

Here’s Exactly Where the Candidates’ Cash Came From  (Bloomberg)

The 22 major candidates running for U.S president, along with an even larger number of independent groups supporting them, raised an unprecedented $388 million in the first half of the year. This shows which neighborhoods this money came from. 

Bernie Sanders challenges Liberty University students to see income inequality as a moral issue (Huffington Post)

In a Monday address to students at Virginia's evangelical Liberty University, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) quoted Bible passages to make the case that it's neither moral nor just for the United States to facilitate extreme levels of economic inequality. 

What The Presidential Candidates Have Said About The Syrian Refugee Crisis NPR

Some say the U.S. should take in additional refugees or send more aid, while others oppose increasing the refugee quota because of security concerns. Here's what they've said in their own words.

Other national news

How FBI foiled 9/11 anniversary terror plot (CS Monitor)

A Florida man has been charged with distributing information relating to explosives, destructive devices, and weapons of mass destruction.

Firefighting Program Offers Juvenile Inmates A Chance To Give Back (NPR)

Among the first firefighters at eastern Washington wildfires this summer was a crew of juveniles inmates. But after one teenager escaped last month, the program is now under review.

More Americans Have Been Shot to Death in the Last 25 Years Than Have Died in Every War (Mother Jones)

.. The chart tallies gun accidents, suicides, and murders, and shows that the number of gun deaths in the United States since 1989 exceeds the number of American combat fatalities in 239 years of US history—from the Revolutionary War to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Iran accord:  not your usual international treaty (U-T editorial)

In July, this editorial page – while applauding the goals and the parameters of the accord struck with Iran on nuclear enrichment and economic sanctions by the United States and five other world powers – described it as a huge gamble. Now that it’s clear the deal will go through, it’s time to make sure its provisions are honored. It’s absolutely crucial for American leaders to have their eyes wide open about Tehran’s behavior..

Justice Department targets white-collar criminals (APM Marketplace)

The Justice Department says it wants federal prosecutors to get tougher on white collar crime. In a memo obtained by the New York Times, the department instructed the government’s lawyers and the FBI to go after not just the companies that break the law, but their employees as well....

Obama asks US to take 10,000 Syrian refugees: Is that the right number? CS Monitor

The increase is certain to run into opposition from those worried about potential national security implications. But refugee advocates criticize the ramping up as too modest in the face of global need.

What The Presidential Candidates Have Said About The Syrian Refugee Crisis NPR

Some say the U.S. should take in additional refugees or send more aid, while others oppose increasing the refugee quota because of security concerns. Here's what they've said in their own words.

Marine Corps Release Results Of Study On Women In Combat Units NPR

The Marine Corps released the results of its year-long study of women in combat units Thursday. The study found all-male units outperformed mixed gender units across the board.

Phoenix cops seek ‘domestic terrorism' suspect in mysterious highway shootings CS Monitor

Over the past two weeks, there have been at least nine confirmed shootings at drivers in the city, mainly on Interstate 10 which runs through the center of Phoenix, officials say. 

House Republicans Just Got a Big Win in Their Lawsuit Against Obamacare

A federal judge ruled yesterday that a lawsuit filed by the House of Representatives against the Obama administration over its implementation of the health law can proceed, an unusual grant of legal standing to one branch of the government to sue another.

British Airways fire: Why you shouldn't escape with carry-on luggage CS Monitor

An engine fire on a Boeing 777-200 in Las Vegas Tuesday prompted an emergency evacuation, and 27 of 170 passengers were injured.  

Federal Requests For Immigration Holds Continue To Decline (NPR)

A research group at Syracuse University has determined that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is decreasing its practice of asking local police to hold detained immigrants. ... Detainer requests dropped 30 percent between October 2014 and April 2015, from 11,355 to 7,993.

WORLD

Europe

UK officials say number of terrorism arrests at record high (AP)

British officials say the number of people being arrested on suspicion of terrorism-related crimes has reached a record high as police and security services cope with the influence of Islamic State militants based in Syria.  The Home Office figures released Thursday show 299 people were arrested in the 12 months that ended in March

U.N. says 850,000 to cross sea to Europe this year and next (AP)

(Reuters) - At least 850,000 people are expected to cross the Mediterranean seeking refuge in Europe this year and next, the United Nations said on Tuesday, giving estimates that already look conservative....  "In 2015, UNHCR anticipates that approximately 400,000 new arrivals will seek international protection in Europe via the Mediterranean. In 2016 this number could reach 450,000 or more," it said in an appeal document

Russia to U.S.: talk to us on Syria or risk 'unintended incidents' (Reuters)

 Russia called on Friday for military-to-military cooperation with the United States to avert "unintended incidents" as it stages navy exercises off the coast of Syria, where U.S. officials believe Moscow is building up forces to protect President Bashar al-Assad.

Northern Ireland first minister steps down amid impasse (AP)

The future of the Catholic-Protestant power-sharing government in Northern Ireland is hanging by a slender thread with First Minister Peter Robinson's decision Thursday to step down, along with all but one of his ministers, because of a series of disputes.

Turkmenistan set to scrap social benefits as economy worsens (AP)

The energy-rich Central Asian nation of Turkmenistan looks set to scrap free provision of electricity, household gas and water to its citizens as the economy shows the strain of reduced demand for natural gas, its chief export.

9 get suspended sentences for torching Belgrade US embassy (AP)

A court in Serbia has sentenced nine suspects to suspended prison sentences for setting fire to the U.S. embassy in Belgrade during riots over Kosovo's independence in 2008.

Asia

North Korea says its atomic complex has restarted, vows nuclear attack (CS Monitor)

“If the US and other hostile forces persistently seek their reckless hostile policy towards” the North, the country “is fully ready to cope with them with nuclear weapons any time,” the unnamed director of the North’s Atomic Energy Institute was quoted as saying by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

Japanese River Levee Fails; Flooding Spurs Evacuation Order For 130,000 (NPR)

Houses were washed away and people raced to high ground in central Japan Thursday, after a major river burst through a levee overwhelmed by torrential rains. The Kinugawa River's banks collapsed around midday, flooding a residential neighborhood.  Nearby areas also sustained severe flooding and mudslides; the government has urged 130,000 people to evacuate.

As Europe opens its doors, Japan considers clamping down harder on asylum seekers (Reuters)

As the worst refugee crisis since World War Two forces Europe to break down hurdles and accept hundreds of thousands of migrants, Japan, which took in just 11 asylum seekers last year, is looking to clamp down even further.... Japan's government does not see escaping war as a legitimate reason for claiming asylum....

Taliban insurgents storm Afghan prison, freeing over 300 inmates (+video) CS Monitor

Officials in Ghazni said that there were attacks by the Taliban in at least 10 different parts of the city overnight.

The US and China: Will it be collision or cooperation? (CS Monitor)

On the eve of Chinese President Xi Jinping's first state visit to the US, a China expert lays out

Middle East

Al-Qaida lists Sheldon Adelson, Bill Gates as targets for assassination (JPost)

Al-Qaida has published a list of major US business figures to be targeted for assassination, including billionaire Jewish businessman Sheldon Adelson, considered a key ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu..... In addition to Adelson, the list includes former Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke... major Republican donors Charles and David Koch, Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.

'Zionist regime will cease to exist in 25 years,' Khamenei vows  (JPost)

Iran's supreme leader says his government won't negotiate with the US on any other issue.... "We negotiated with the US on the nuclear issue for specific reasons. (The Americans) behaved well in the talks, but we didn't and we won't allow negotiation with the Americans on other issues," Ayatollah Khamenei was quoted as saying.

Russia sends ships, aircraft and forces to Syria: U.S. officials (Reuters)

 Russia has sent two tank landing ships and additional aircraft to Syria in the past day or so and has deployed a small number of forces there, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, in the latest signs of a military buildup that has put Washington on edge.

Millions of refugees pushing Middle East nations to 'breaking point' (CS Monitor)

The war has already displaced 1 million people so far in 2015, and that will double by year end, says Syria's UN humanitarian coordinator. The vast majority are now in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, Egypt, but as those nations reach saturation, more refugees will turn to Europe. 

Gulf States Pressured To Do More To Help Syrian Refugees NPR

Humanitarian groups are criticizing Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations. Those countries do not have a tradition of resettling migrants, and analysts say there's little political will to change that.... The U.N. refugee agency and Amnesty International say that none of the Arab Gulf states — including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates — have settled Syrians looking to escape the war.

Iran says finds unexpectedly high uranium reserve  (Reuters)

 Iran has discovered an unexpectedly high reserve of uranium and will soon begin extracting the radioactive element at a new mine, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation said on Saturday.

Iraq's Abadi dismisses 123 senior officials as part of reforms: statement (Reuters)

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has dismissed 123 deputy ministers and general managers as part of a reform push aimed at reducing corruption and mismanagement which has made the country nearly impossible to govern.

U.S., allies launch 28 air strikes against Islamic State: U.S. military (Reuters)

 A coalition led by the United States bombarded Islamic State militants on Wednesday with 10 air strikes in Syria and 18 in Iraq, according to a statement released on Thursday.