US reportedly targets leader of al-Shabaab with Somalia drone strike

A U.S. drone reportedly targeted the leader of the Al Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab group in a strike in southern Somalia Monday. 

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby provided few details about the nature of the operation, the results of which he said were being assessed. 

"We are assessing the results of the operation and will provide additional information as and when appropriate," he said in a statement. There was no immediate comment from al-Shabaab. 

A senior Somali official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press that a U.S. drone targeted al-Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane as he left a meeting of the group's top leaders. The official told AP that intelligence indicated Godane "might have been killed along with other militants." 

Godane, also known as Mukhtar Abu Zubeyr, is the group's spiritual leader under whose direction the Somali militants forged an alliance with Al Qaeda.

The official said that the strike took place in a forest near Sablale district, 105 miles south of Mogadishu, where the group trains its fighters. The governor of Somalia's Lower Shabelle region, Abdiqadir Mohamed Nor, told The Associated Press that as government and African Union forces were heading to a town in Sablale district, they heard something that sounded like an "earthquake" as drones struck al-Shabaab bases.

"There was an airstrike near Sablale, we saw something," Nor said.

After the U.S. strike Monday night, masked Islamic militants arrested dozens of residents suspected of spying for the U.S. and searched nearby homes, a resident said.

"Mass arrests just started, everyone is being detained," said Mohamed Ali, who lives in Sablale district. "They even searched nearby jungles and stopped the nomads transporting milk and grass to the towns for questioning."

The U.S. has carried out several airstrikes in Somalia recent years.

A U.S. missile strike in January killed a high-ranking intelligence officer for al-Shabab, and last October a vehicle carrying senior members of the group was hit in a U.S. strike that killed al-Shabab's top explosives expert.

The U.S. action comes after Somalia's government forces regained control of a high security prison in the capital that was attacked Sunday by seven heavily armed suspected Islamic militants who attempted to free other extremists held there. The Pentagon statement did not indicate whether the U.S. action was related to the prison attack.

Somali officials said all attackers, three government soldiers and two civilians were killed. Mogadishu's Godka Jilacow prison is an interrogation center for Somalia's intelligence agency, and many suspected militants are believed to be held in underground cells there.

The Somali rebel group al-Shabaab, which is linked to Al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack that shattered a period of calm in Mogadishu after two decades of chaotic violence. The attack started when a suicide car bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at the gate of the prison, followed by gunmen who fought their way into the prison.

It was al-Shabaab gunmen who attacked the upscale Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, with guns and grenades last September, killing at least 67 people. Al-Shabaab had threatened retaliation against Kenya for sending troops into Somalia against the extremists. Godane said the attack was carried out in retaliation for the West's support for Kenya's Somalia invasion and the "interest of their oil companies."

Al Shabaab is now mostly active in Somalia's rural regions, after being ousted from the capital by African Union forces in 2011. But the group is still able to launch lethal attacks -- often involving militants on suicide missions -- within Mogadishu, the seat of government.

Somali military officials last week launched a military operation to oust al-Shabab from its last remaining bases in the southern parts of Somalia.  However, on Saturday the town of Bulomarer, which is about 70 miles south of Mogadishu, was seized from militants after hours of fighting.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Defending arming of Kurds, Merkel calls Islamic State a threat to Europe

German Chancellor Angela Merkel defended her government's taboo-breaking decision to send arms to Kurds fighting Islamic State militants in Iraq, telling parliament on Monday that the group posed a major security threat toGermany and Europe.

A day after Berlin announced it would send anti-tank rockets, assault rifles and hand grenades to the Kurds, Merkel said Germany had a responsibility to intervene in the conflict to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in Iraq, citing evidence of ethnic cleansing by Islamic State fighters.

"The far-reaching detribalization of an entire region affects Germany and Europe," Merkel said in a speech to the Bundestag lower house, noting that the Islamist group controlled an area in Iraq and Syria that was half the size of Germany.

"Ladies and gentlemen, when terrorists take control of a vast territory to give themselves and other fanatics a base for their acts of terror, then the danger rises for us, then our security interests are affected," she added.

Germany, weighed down by its Nazi past, has shied away from direct involvement in military missions for much of the post-war era. And even in those conflicts where German troops have been involved, such as Afghanistan, politicians have tended to describe the missions as humanitarian, rebuilding exercises rather than war.

Recent polls show that two in three Germans believe the government should not be sending weapons to Kurdish fighters despite reports of atrocities committed by Islamic State insurgents.

Critics fear the arms could end up in the hands of jihadists. Others worry that Germany, which has not experienced a major attack on its own soil, could become a target itself if it intervenes.

But Merkel noted in her speech that over 400 Germans and hundreds of other Europeans had traveled to the region to join the fight alongside Islamic State, sometimes referred to as ISIS. These fighters could return home at any time, she said, and therefore already represented a direct threat to Germany.

STUNG BY CRITICISM

"We faced a choice: not to take any risks, not to deliver (arms) and to accept the spread of terror; or to support those who are desperately but courageously fighting the barbarous terror of ISIS with limited resources," Merkel said.

"We are aware of the risks of this support, of course we considered them. But we also asked ourselves about the acute risks from ISIS if we do not deliver arms."

Germany has already shipped humanitarian aid and defensive equipment, such as helmets and body armor, to Iraqi Kurds.

On Sunday, the government released a new list which includes 16,000 G3 and G36 assault rifles, 30 Milan anti-tank missile systems, 240 rocket-propelled grenade launchers (RPGs) and 10,000 hand grenades.

The move comes three years after Germany came under sharp criticism from its allies and some critics at home for siding with China and Russia in refusing to back military intervention in Libya in a United Nations vote.

Stung by that criticism, members of Merkel's new "grand coalition" government, including Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, spoke out earlier this year about the need for Germany to assume more responsibility in foreign affairs.

Since then, Berlin has played an active role in mediating in the Ukraine crisis and pushing for European sanctions against Russia. The decision to send arms to Iraq represents yet another step in the direction of a more active foreign policy.

"What is new is that in an acute crisis situation, German arms are being delivered in order to influence the crisis, to help a partner and to prevent danger. This hasn't happened before," Volker Perthes, the head of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs told Reuters. "It is clear that something is changing in Germany."

A cure for ALL cancers is on the way as Israeli scientists make major breakthrough

The discovery by an Israeli specialist was last night hailed as “radical and potentially life-changing”.

In a world first, Professor Aaron Avivi and his team found that cells from the blind mole rat and its cousin the naked mole rat secrete a substance that destroys cancer cells in mammals – including humans.

Experts think harvesting this substance and making it safe to digest could wipe out a disease that kills eight million people each year worldwide. Last night Prof Avivi, of Haifa University in Israel was heading to London where he is due  to present his findings to professionals.

His radical approach studied the two species of rat that both live mostly underground – which the team discovered had led to a dramatic evolution of their metabolism.

Blind mole rats outlive other rodents by at least 20 years with no outward signs of ageing. Researchers have never located a cancerous tumour on one of them.Millions of cancer sufferers are given fresh hope for a cure [picposedby model GETTY]

The team tested the underground rodents and regular mice and rats with two potent carcinogens. Ordinary mice and rats developed tumours – none was found in the subterranean rats.

The study, published in the widely respected BMC Biology Journal, concluded: “Blind mole rats are resistant to spontaneous cancer but also to experimentally induced cancer.

“It shows the unique ability of the blind mole rat to inhibit growth and kill cancer cells, but not normal cells. It has evolved efficient anti-cancer mechanisms.

“Exploring the molecular mechanisms may hold the key for understanding the nature of resistance to cancer and identify new strategies for treating humans.”

The study was described as “exciting” by Prof Penella Woll, of the University of Sheffield’s department of oncology. She said: “Other researchers have taken a similar approach, studying sea creatures with intrinsic cancer resistance to develop the anti-cancer drug ­trabectedin – so we know that this can succeed.”

Cancer care specialist Prof Sam Ahmedzai said: “If Prof Avivi’s research can help us identify what genetic changes have occurred in the blind mole rat – and if that knowledge can allow us to modify humans’ genetic codes – then this is a radically and potentially life-saving treatment.

Even If Your Goals Seem Out of Reach, Stay Motivated With These 6 Strategies By Stephen Key

I’ve been working on one project in particular for what seems like forever now -- and I’m growing frustrated. I have nothing to show for my hard work. The project feels as if it has come to a standstill. Day after day, nothing changes, and I find myself wondering, how long can I keep this up without giving up?

Self-doubt has crept in. I know walking away isn’t the answer, but these negative feelings are starting to eat away at my creativity.

Staying motivated is even harder when it comes to challenging projects that seem to drag on and on. That doesn’t mean we should shy away from them, though. Use these tips and strategies to stay focused and on track.

1. Feed your soul. There are a lot of ways to do this. Professionally, I find that the best way to feed my soul is to surround myself with people who are positive and who have my best interests at heart. I need all the support I can muster, and they help lift me up.

If I’m working in a team, I know how much I benefit from relying on them. I keep in touch. I brainstorm with them. I ask for their opinions. More often than not, simply asking a co-worker or someone I respect for their opinion leads me to a solution for a problem that has been vexing me. And it’s so easy to do!

2. Don’t lose sight of the big picture. What's it all about, anyway? Have you forgotten? Most of us do, to one extent or another, because we’re focusing on the daily grind. Do whatever it takes to keep your goal in sight.

Write it down on a huge sticky note and plaster that note to your computer. Find an image that represents your goal and hang it in your line of vision. Thinking about why I’m working so hard always reenergizes me!

3. Ask for help. When something isn’t working, stop and ask your boss, manager or mentor for their advice. Don’t wait too long to ask! When I find myself feeling stuck, I know someone with more experience might be able to shed some light on my problem. Listen, but also ask a lot of questions.

I still call my mentor when I’m stressed out, because he always helps get me back on track. He can see the big picture when I’ve lost it.

4. Get inspired. When I need a little pick-me-up, I read The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz. It never fails to remind me of what I am capable of, and how to achieve it. What books or blogs inspire you?

5. Have a hobby. What gives you joy outside of work? If you have trouble answering this question, then you may have a problem. I don’t have many hobbies, but I do have one: I love to garden.

My backyard is my domain. I don’t depend on other people to do it and it’s always available to me. When I’m feeling low or overwhelmed, I work in the dirt. I find it very relaxing. Then I return to my desk a little more light-hearted.

6. Give back. Stop focusing so intently on yourself and your business for a bit. Find a way to help someone else. Donate your time. If I’m losing my magic, this helps without fail.

Staying motivated isn’t easy, especially when the goal you’re working towards seems as far out of reach as ever. Try not to get too down on yourself. Likewise, don’t get too excited when things are going well! Success takes time. There will be stops and starts.

You’ve heard this before, but I’ll say it again: You had better try to enjoy the journey, because, speaking from experience, reaching the top won’t feel as great as you think it will.

Libyan Armed Faction Takes Over U.S. Embassy Annex in Tripoli

Members of a Libyan militia have taken over an abandoned annex of the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli but have not broken into the main compound where the United States evacuated all of its staff last month, U.S. officials said on Sunday.

A YouTube video showed the breach of the diplomatic facility by what was believed to be a militia group mostly from the northwestern city of Misrata. Dozens of men, some armed, were seen gleefully crowded onto the patio of a swimming pool, with some diving in from the balcony of a nearby building.

Libya has been rocked by the worst factional violence since the 2011 fall of Muammar Gaddafi, and a Misrata-led alliance, part of it which is Islamist-leaning, now controls the capital.

A takeover of the larger embassy compound could deliver another symbolic blow to Washington over its policy toward Libya, which Western governments fear is teetering toward becoming a failed state three years after a NATO-backed war ended Gaddafi’s rule.

The United States withdrew all embassy personnel from Tripoli on July 26, driving diplomats across the border into Tunisia, amid escalating clashes between rival factions.

The annex, apparently consisting of diplomatic residences and other facilities, lies about a mile (2 km) from the embassy compound. All sensitive materials were destroyed or removed from U.S. diplomatic sites in the capital before the evacuation.

Security in Libya is an especially contentious subject for the United States because of the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, in which militants killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

Republican lawmakers have kept up steady criticism of President Barack Obama over his administration’s handling of the Benghazi attack, and they have also cited Libya’s latest unrest as another example of what they see as the Democratic president’s failed policy in the volatile region.

“Libya now is collapsed into a failed state," U.S. Senator John McCain told CBS's "Face the Nation" program. "That is what happens when you lead from behind."

EMBASSY "SAFEGUARDED"

U.S. Ambassador to Libya Deborah Jones, in a message on Twitter, said the YouTube recording, posted by an amateur videographer, appeared to show “a residential annex of the U.S. mission but cannot say definitively.”

Jones, now based in Malta, said, however, that the embassy compound “is now being safeguarded and has not been ransacked.”

The U.S. government believes that while the annex has been seized, the main compound has not suffered a similar fate, a U.S. government source in Washington told Reuters.

Later on Sunday, a senior State Department official said in a statement: "We've seen the reports and videos and are seeking additional details. At this point, we believe the embassy compound itself remains secure but we continue to monitor the situation on the ground, which remains very fluid.

"The primary reason the United States temporarily relocated our personnel and operations from Tripoli recently was the ongoing fighting between militias occurring very close to our compound," the official said. "We continue to work with the government of Libya and other parties on issues of concern."

The Misrata-led groups refuse to recognize Libya’s central government and elected parliament, which have moved to the remote eastern city of Tobruk.

The Misrata forces have set up an alternative parliament which is assembling a rival government headed by Omar al-Hasi, an Islamist.

Hasi called on Saturday for diplomatic missions to return to Tripoli, saying foreigners would be protected.

The North African oil producer appears at risk of splitting or even sliding into civil war as political divisions and fighting among former rebels who helped topple Gaddafi have created uncertainty and chaos.

Ukraine Accuses Russia of 'Open Aggression' as Rebels Advance

 Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko accused Russiaon Monday of "direct and open aggression" which he said had radically changed the battlefield balance as Kiev's forces suffered a further reverse in the war with pro-Moscow separatists.

Ukraine's military said its troops had been ordered to pull back from a vital airport in the east of the country, near the city of Luhansk, where they had been battling a Russian tank battalion.

Poroshenko said in a speech there would be high-level personnel changes in the Ukrainian armed forces, whose troops fled a new rebel advance in the south which Kiev's Western allies say has been backed up by Russian armored columns.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who called on Sunday for immediate negotiations on the "statehood" of southern and eastern Ukraine, blamed Kiev's leadership for refusing to enter into direct political talks with the separatists.

Putin also hoped "common sense" would prevail in the West over the possibility of imposing additional economic sanctions, despite Moscow's denials that it is helping the rebels. China weighed in, saying more measures would only complicate the crisis, but German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed that accepting Russia's behavior was not an option.

Until last week Ukraine had appeared close to crushing the four-month rebellion in the east, which erupted after a pro-Moscow president was forced out of power by popular protests. But then the rebels opened a new front to the south on the coast of the Sea of Azov, pushing towards the city of Mariupol.

Poroshenko repeated Kiev's belief that Russian forces are helping the rebels to turn the tide of the war.

"Direct and open aggression has been launched against Ukraine from a neighboring state. This has changed the situation in the zone of conflict in a radical way," he said in his speech at a military academy in Kiev.

Speaking during a visit to Siberia, Putin repeated his call for talks. "The current Kiev leadership does not want to carry out a substantive political dialogue with the east of its country," state news agency Itar-Tass cited him as telling journalists.

Putin also said the separatists were trying to force Ukrainian troops from their current positions where they were firing on civilian targets. "The aim of the militia fighters is to push away these armed forces and their artillery to not give them the possibility to shoot on residential areas," he said.

"NEW RUSSIA"

On Sunday, Putin's spokesman said the president's call for talks on the "statehood" of southern and eastern Ukraine did not mean Moscow now endorsed rebel calls for independence for territory they have seized.

Asked if "New Russia", a term pro-Moscow rebels use for their territory, should still be part of Ukraine, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "Of course."

"Only Ukraine can reach an agreement with New Russia, taking into account the interests of New Russia, and this is the only way to reach a political settlement."

Putin made his statehood remarks two days after comparing the Kiev government with Nazis and warning the West not to "mess with us". Europe and the United States are preparing possible further economic sanctions to halt what they say is direct Russian military involvement in the war in Ukraine.

Putin called for the European Union to think twice about stepping up the sanctions, which were first imposed after Russia's annexation of Ukraine in March. "I hope that common sense will prevail and we will work in a normal modern way," the Interfax news agency reported him as saying.

He won support from China, with which Putin wants to trade more as the West tightens its restrictions.

"A political solution is the only way out. Sanctions do not help to solve the underlying problems in Ukraine," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a daily news briefing. "It may lead to new and more complicating factors."

However, Merkel took a hard line, even though she acknowledged the sanctions have also hurt German exporters to the Russian market.

"I have to say there is also an impact when you are allowed to move borders in Europe and attack other countries with your troops," she told a news conference in Berlin. "Accepting Russia's behavior is not an option. And therefore it was necessary to prepare further sanctions."

The United States and EU extended the sanctions to target Russia's financial, defense and oil industries in July after a Malaysian airliner was shot down over rebel territory, killing 298 people. Moscow has responded by banning the import of most Western foodstuffs and shutting down McDonald's restaurants but so far energy shipments to the EU have been unaffected.

PROTECTING OUR ECONOMY

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hinted at further retaliation. "We will first of all start from our own interests - protect our economy, protect our social sphere, protect our businesses and at the same time draw conclusions from the actions of our partners," he said.

Lavrov said there would be no military intervention from Russia in Ukraine. Moscow denies the presence of Russian tanks and troops there, despite what NATO and Western governments have said is overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

The conflict moved onto the sea for the first time on Sunday when the separatists said they had fired on a Ukrainian vessel in the Azov Sea using land-based artillery.

A Ukrainian border guard official said on Monday that the coast guard cutter had been sunk. "We managed to save eight sailors, thanks to other cutters coming to their rescue. Seven of them are injured or burned. Two sailors have gone missing. We are continuing rescue operations," the official, Serhiy Astakhov, told Reuters.

China gives Microsoft 20 days to provide explanation in anti-trust probe

A Chinese anti-trust regulator said on Monday it has given Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) 20 days to reply to queries on the compatibility of its Windows operating system and Officesoftware suite amid a probe into the world's largest software company.

The State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) questioned Microsoft Vice President David Chen and gave the company a deadline to make an explanation, the agency said in a short statement on its website.

Microsoft is one of at least 30 foreign companies that have come under scrutiny by China's anti-monopoly regulators as the government seeks to enforce its six-year old antitrust law. Critics say the law is being used to unfairly target overseas businesses, a charge the regulators deny.

According to a state media report on Monday, Microsoft's use of verification codes also spurred complaints from Chinese companies. Their use "may have violated China's anti-monopoly law", the official Xinhua news agency said on Monday.

Verification codes are typically used by software companies as an anti-piracy mechanism. They are provided with legitimate copies of software and can be entered to entitle customers to updates and support from the manufacturer.

Microsoft has long suffered from piracy of its software within China. Former Chief Executive Steve Ballmer told employees in Beijing that the company made less revenue in China than it did in the Netherlands.

Complaints about verification codes potentially violating anti-monopoly laws are Kafka-esque, said Duncan Clark, chairman of Beijing-based tech consultancy BDA.

"It's hard to make sense of and hard to see how Microsoft can appease," said Clark. "How does an anti-piracy measure constitute monopolistic behavior if other suppliers can also use the same technique?"

SAIC also repeated that it suspected the company has not fully disclosed issues relating to the compatibility of the software and the operating system.

"(A) special investigation team conducted an anti-monopoly investigation inquiry with Microsoft Vice President Chen Shi (David Chen), and required that Microsoft make a written explanation within 20 days," the SAIC said in a statement on its website.

In a statement, Microsoft said it was "serious about complying with China's laws and committed to addressing SAIC's questions and concerns".

Last month, a delegation from chipmaker Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O), led by company President Derek Aberle, met officials at the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) as part of that regulator's investigation of the San Diego-based firm.

NDRC said earlier this year that the U.S. chipmaker is suspected of overcharging and abusing its market position in wireless communication standards.

Microsoft's Nadella is expected to make his first visit to China as chief executive later this month.