A group of 27 Russian children whose mothers are being held in Iraq for belonging to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, ISIS) arrived home in Russia.
The children landed at Ramenskoye airport, near Moscow, on Sunday.
“Twenty-seven Russian children have been repatriated from Baghdad,” a Russian foreign ministry official said.
Thirty other children were sent back to Moscow in late December.
The fathers of the children were killed during three years of fighting between ISIL and Iraqi troops, the official said.
Anna Kuznetsova, Russia’s envoy for the rights of children, confirmed the comments, according to the TASS state news agency.
She said the 27 children were aged from four to 13 and were from 10 different regions in Russia.
ISIL seized large swaths of Iraq in a lightning 2014 offensive, before the government dislodged the group from urban centres and eventually declared victory in December 2017.
Russian children in Iraq Â
The Kremlin announced in early January that 115 Russian children aged under 10, along with eight aged between 11 and 17, were still in Iraq.
Iraqi law allows detainees to be held with their offspring until the age of three, but older children have to live with relatives.
In November, Kheda Saratova, an adviser to Chechnya’s leader Ramzan Kadyrov, estimated “around 2,000” widows and children of Russian ISIL fighters were still in Iraq and neighbouring Syria.
About 100 women and children, mostly from Caucasus republics, have returned to Russia so far.Â
Nearly 4,500 Russian citizens went abroad to fight “on the side of terrorists”, Russia’s FSB domestic intelligence agency said last year.
More than 300 people, including 100 foreign women, have been sentenced to death in Iraq for belonging to ISIL, while others have been sentenced to life in prison.Â
The Minnesota senator becomes the first statewide elected Democrat from the Midwest to join the field.
MINNEAPOLIS â Sen. Amy Klobuchar leapt into the 2020 presidential race Sunday, becoming the first Midwestern state official to join the field taking on President Donald Trump.
The three-term Minnesota Democrat announced her campaign amid driving snow at Boom Island Park with a call to rebuild a âsense of communityâ in America, against the backdrop of the Interstate 35 bridge that collapsed in 2007, killing 13, spurring Klobuchar and lawmakers from both parties to secure funding to rebuild the span in a year.
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âWe are tired of the shutdowns and the showdowns, the gridlock and the grandstanding,â Klobuchar said in a speech to supporters. âOur nation must be governed not from chaos but from opportunity. Not by wallowing over whatâs wrong, but by marching inexorably toward whatâs right.â
Klobuchar used the nearby Mississippi River as a symbol for her âhomegrown,â heartland campaign, and she has prepared a playbook for 2020 focusing on the type of Midwestern voters who have abandoned the Democratic Party â though not Klobuchar herself â in recent years. Klobuchar was reelected to a third term in 2018 with more than 60 percent of the vote, winning 42 counties Trump had carried two years earlier.
âI donât have a political machine. I donât come from money. But what I do have is this: I have grit,â Klobuchar said in the speech. âI have family. I have friends. I have neighbors. I have all of you who are willing to come out in the middle of the winter, all of you who took the time to watch us today, all of you who are willing to stand up and say people matter.â
Klobuchar was joined at the event by Minnesotaâs top Democrats, including fellow Sen. Tina Smith, Gov. Tim Walz, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and several mayors, a tableau of home-state support that has not featured at every presidential launch so far. They helped Klobuchar deliver a message of national unity.
“We may come from different places,” Klobuchar said. “We may pray in different ways. We may look different and love different. But we all live in the same country of shared dreams.”
But Klobuchar was also dogged this past week by a series of news reports detailing the senatorâs mistreatment of staffers, featuring former aides anonymously describing a toxic environment in Klobucharâs office. Her defenders, including other ex-staffers, have pushed back on the criticism, suggesting that they are grounded in sexism. Klobuchar addressed the stories while speaking to reporters after her campaign announcement.
“You know, I love our staff,” Klobuchar said. “And yes, I can be tough. And yes, I can push people. I know that. But in the end, there are so many great stories of our staff that have been with me for years who have gone on to do incredible things. I have, I’d say, high expectations for myself. I have high expectations for the people who work for me. But I have high expectations for this country, and that’s what we need.”
Klobuchar has now joined an ever-growing and diverse pack of Democratic presidential contenders, including four female politicians, two black senators, a Latino former Cabinet secretary and an openly gay mayor. Klobuchar, for her part, became the first woman to serve Minnesota in the Senate when she was first elected in 2006.
She won praise and significant attention in 2018 for her questioning of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh at his confirmation hearings, and she called for automatic voter registration and a slew of new environmental and campaign finance laws. But in a crowd of flashier candidates fighting over a left-leaning primary electorate, Klobuchar hopes to carve out an opening as a tell-it-like-it-is Midwestern pragmatist who can reach independents and moderates, as well as Democrats.
âAs president, I will look you in the eye. I will tell you what I think. I will focus on getting things done. Thatâs what Iâve done my whole life. And no matter what, Iâll lead from the heart,â said Klobuchar, who served as the chief prosecutor in Minneapolisâ Hennepin County before she joined the Senate.
Itâs a path that she wonât have to herself, however. Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, who also won reelection in a Trump state in 2018, toured Iowa last week as he mulls a presidential bid centered on the âdignity of work.â Former Vice President Joe Biden, if he ultimately joins the primary, would likely start with an advantage among the moderate Democrats who want a president to work across the aisle. And a few Western governors, including former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, also plan to pitch themselves as solutions-orientated candidates who donât hail from the coasts.
âTo succeed each of these candidates has to distinguish themselves, [and] thatâs very hard to do when there are so many,â said Mark Mellman, a Democratic pollster. âKlobuchar can occupy a number of lanes, but sheâs going to find company almost everywhere she goes.â
But Klobuchar does start with an edge in Iowa, where sheâs a familiar face after campaigning alongside several down-ballot candidates over the years. Sheâs also a neighbor who has run up wide margins of victory in rural parts of her own state.
âPeople are looking for someone who not only can win the Iowa caucus, but whoâs going to win the presidency and with her rural experience, which is the single most important thing Democrats can talk about here, that works here,â said Steve Drahozal, chair of the Dubuque County Democratic Party. âThatâll appeal to a lot of voters and it may get some folks who are on the fence, who went for Trump last time, back in our column.â
Klobuchar is scheduled to return to Iowa on Feb. 21, when she will headline the Ankeny Area Democrats Winter Banquet and Fundraiser. She will also make a trip to Wisconsin soon.
“We’re going to be in Iowa and in Wisconsin,” Klobuchar said. “I think we’re starting in Wisconsin because as you remember there wasn’t a lot of campaigning in Wisconsin in 2016. With me, that changes.”
Thrilling a Democratic base, which is tacking to the left, may not be an easy task for Klobuchar. In the Senate, sheâs focused on lowering drug costs and protecting consumers, as well as a slate of other progressive issues. But she isnât at the forefront on new policy goals popular with the left, like calling for the abolition of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. She hasnât signed on to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sandersâ single-payer health care bill, instead calling for Medicare-for-all to be âconsideredâ but preferring a âsensible transition.â
âFor candidates whose brand is centered on pragmatism, demonstrating vision for big change is going to be a key early hurdle to clear,â said Ben Wikler, political director for MoveOn, a progressive group.
But last week, Klobuchar announced that she plans to support the Green New Deal, an environmental proposal championed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). Several of the other 2020 contenders also quickly signed on to the legislation.
There aren’t many point guards in the mold of Ben Simmons, a 6’10”, elite athlete who is just as comfortable in the post as he is initiating the fast break.
But Magic Johnson is one of them, and the Los Angeles Lakers president told reporters Sunday, ahead of the team’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, that Simmons “wants to sit down with him this summer to trade some ‘big guard’ secrets if the Sixers, Lakers and the league office all sign off,” according to Marc Stein of the New York Times.
Johnson also praised Simmons’ game:
Ben Mallis @BenMallis
Magic also showered praised upon Ben Simmons, saying “I love his game. I love his vision. I love also, too, in terms of basketball I.Q., he has very high basketball I.Q. Look at him now, the east better watch out.” https://t.co/WO5LHfSorK
Without approval, Johnson chatting up Simmons would be tampering. And given that Simmons is represented by Klutch Sportsâwhich also represents LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the latter of whom the Lakers made serious efforts to acquire before the NBA trade deadline Thursday, to no availâthe Sixers may not be thrilled with such conversations.
The Lakers and Johnson have been fined on more than one occasion for tamperingâand the Pelicans asked the NBA to investigate for tampering when Davis first announced his desire to be tradedâso the organization is plenty familiar with the infraction at this point. That could be another factor in whatever decision the Sixers make regarding any conversations.
Take away the obvious tampering concerns, of course, and Simmons could learn a lot from Johnson, a Hall of Fame point guard who is one of the game’s legends. Johnson was versatile enough to play any position on the court, was one of the best passers in the game’s history and developed a solid jumper over time.
Hardwood Paroxysm @HPbasketball
I think Ben Simmons should absolutely go work out with Magic, arguably the greatest point forward of all time. He should want to. Thatâs awesome.
Itâs Magicâs position as head of basketball operations that causes the issue.
Simmons, to this point, doesn’t have much of a jumper at all. But he can get to the rim against most defenders, is a natural passer and playmaker, and is an underrated defender given his length and athleticism. If that jumper develops, he’ll be a menace.Â
As it stands, he’s one of the game’s brightest young talents, and in most cases it would be completely natural for him to seek the advice of a former superstar. But given all of the context surrounding any potential meeting between Johnson and Simmons, it’s a bit more complicated.Â
Saudi Arabia does not need a UN or international investigation into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi because its “competent legal system” can handle the matter, said its minister of state for foreign affairs.
Adel al-Jubeir told the US TV programme Face the Nation on Sunday that the October 2 slaying of the journalist inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey was “a massive tragedy” and denied it was sanctioned by Saudi Arabia’s leadership.
US intelligence agencies concluded the killing would almost certainly have needed the approval of the kingdom’s de-facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). In December US senators backed a measure accusing MBS of ordering Khashoggi’s murder.
UN: Riyadh ‘undermined’ Turkey’s access to Khashoggi murder scene
“The crown prince had nothing to do with this,” Jubeir said. “There was no order given to murder Jamal Khashoggi and the whole country is shocked by this.
“It was a mistake. It was committed by officials of the Saudi government acting outside their scope of authority. The king ordered an investigation,” said Jubeir.
Eleven suspects have been indicted and referred to trial in Saudi Arabia with five facing the death penalty. The proceedings have not been public.
‘Her own opinions’
Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extra-judicial executions, carried out a week-long inquiry in Turkey into the Khashoggi killing and concluded in preliminary findings it was “a brutal and premeditated killing, planned and perpetrated by officials of the state of Saudi Arabia“.
Her final report is due in June. Â
Callamard said Saudi Arabia also “seriously undermined” Turkey’s efforts to investigate Khashoggi’s killing at its Istanbul consulate.
She has asked for access to Saudi Arabia and expressed “major concerns” about the fairness of proceedings for those facing trial in the kingdom over Khashoggi’s murder.
“The UN rapporteur that you talked to is not engaged in a UN investigation,” Jubeir said.
“She is doing this on her own, in her capacity as rapporteur of human rights, and she went to Turkey and she came back and issued opinions that are her own, these are not United Nations’ opinions,” he said.
He said there was no reason to allow UN access to the country for an investigation.Â
“We have done the right thing. We acknowledged that this happened, we acknowledged that these were officials of the Saudi government, we acknowledged that they had no authority to do this and we jailed them and now we’re putting them on trial,” he said.
‘We don’t know’
An audio recording of Khashoggi’s murder obtained by Turkish intelligence agencies has been shared with officials from Saudi Arabia, the US, Germany, France and the UK, as well as Callamard’s team.Â
The journalist was dismembered inside the consulate. Khashoggi’s remains have not been located.Â
“It is important for us that the body is found, that we have a place at which his beloved ones could say prayers,” said Khashoggi’s fiance, Hatice Cengiz, on Friday.Â
Asked where Khashoggi’s body is, Jubeir said “we donât know”.
He said they have asked the suspects, that there are “a number of possibilities” and “this investigation is ongoing”.Â
“I would expect eventually that we would find the truth.”
Will Saudi Arabia be held to account for Jamal Khashoggi’s murder? 26:00
Manchester City moved back to the top of the Premier League with a swagger on Sunday, as they destroyed a hapless Chelsea 6-0 at the Etihad Stadium. Â
The first half was a demolition job from City, with Raheem Sterling firing them ahead after just four minutes.Â
The floodgates opened after that goal, with Sergio Aguero scoring twice in the space of six minutes, the first of which was a stunning long-range effort. In the 25th minute Ilkay Gundogan made it four when his shot from the edge of the box squirmed past Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
In the second period City took total control and Aguero completed his second hat-trick in a week from the penalty spot. Sterling was then on hand to complete the rout late on with his second of the day.
This emphatic victory for Pep Guardiola’s team sees them go ahead of Liverpool on goal difference. The Reds, who beat Bournemouth 3-0 on Saturday, have a game in hand on City.
Sarri Must Adapt Style to Save Job
While it was well known that Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri would seek to bring his defined style to the club, the flaws of the setup were ruthlessly exposed by City in the opening 25 minutes of the game.
Chelsea pressed high up the field and left spaces for City’s creative players to run riot. Defensively, Jorginho was left exposed in front of the back four, with Ross Barkley and N’Golo Kante also well off their game.
Having lost 4-0 to Bournemouth in their previous away game, it’s clear something isn’t functioning for Sarri at the moment. Daniel Harris of the Guardian thinks the manager needs to adapt:Â
Daniel Harris @DanielHarris
Every manager in football history has changed style and formation depending on the opponent. But Maurizio Sarri, who has a grand total of zero trophies in 29 years, knows better. Er, ok mate.
Results like this mauling and the loss to Bournemouth will heap massive pressure on Sarri, especially with Chelsea now out of the top four. Nevertheless, Blues blogger Russell Saunders thinks the club needs to stick with the Italian:Â
Russell Saunders @bridgeviews
I donât know whether Sarri has âitâ or not. But you donât bring someone like him in to change how a team have been playing for 15 years and then fire him after seven months, just because itâs not immediately great. So the question is: is Sarri the guy we thought we were hiring?
Sarri’s opposing manager on Sunday in Guardiola endured some low points in his first season at City and was able to learn from them. Now he’s a manager who makes subtle changes in his system and personnel depending on the opposition.
It’s imperative the Chelsea boss learns from his example, or he may not be at Stamford Bridge for too much longer.
Ruthless Streak Vital to City’s Title Hopes
There have been times this season when City have let complacency creep into their game after going ahead, with Crystal Palace, Leicester City and Newcastle United all coming from behind to beat them this term. This game was an indication that they have their ruthlessness back.
After Sterling’s opener, City seized on their vulnerable opponents. While Aguero somehow missed from close range, he showed his class with a stunning finish and then a poacher’s effort before wrapping up his hat-trick after the break.
Following on from another treble against Arsenal a week ago, the Argentina international is enjoying one of his best spells of form in a City shirt. Indeed, the forward was able to reach a top-flight landmark:Â
Football journalist Michael Cox praised the way the striker has been able to adapt in crucial games:Â
Michael Cox @Zonal_Marking
Aguero’s miles better than he was a couple of years ago. For all his goals, in big games he sometimes used to cause City tactical problems. You’d never say that now
This ruthlessness will not only win City more points, but in a season where they remain in contention for four trophies, getting into comfortable positions will allow them to conserve energy and rotate players.
On this evidence, they’re a threat in all four competitions and a few more sides will be on the end of similarly lopsided scorelines at the Etihad before the end of the campaign.
What’s Next?
City will face Newport County in Round 5 of the FA Cup on Saturday, while Chelsea are in action in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday when they travel to Malmo.
One of the world’s best-known political operatives offered to work on a campaign to cancel the 2022 Qatar World Cup, according to documents seen by the Guardian newspaper.
Sir Lynton Crosby, a UK-based Australian political strategist, personally signed the pitch that aimed to tarnish Qatar’s reputation to get football’s biggest event awarded to another country, the Guardian reported on Sunday.
Crosby requested the equivalent of $6.4m payable to his lobbying firm, CTF Partners, for a campaign “that would associate Doha with terrorism in the minds of the public”, according to the report.
His services would also include putting pressure on FIFA to “restart the bidding process”, said Crosby.
UAE ‘used spying tool’ to target Qatar’s emir, other rivals
The document named “Project Ball” said CTF Partners could set up full-time war rooms around the world to spread negative stories about Qatar in the mainstream media, run fake grassroots campaigns on social media, and lobby potentially friendly politicians, journalists and academics.
The pitch was seen by the Guardian and the campaign group Spinwatch as part of an investigation into how the UK has become a major centre for global lobbying campaigns, particularly over conflicts in the Middle East.
According to the article, his potential client was “a self-styled Qatari opposition leader based in London named Khalid Al-Hail”.
“Al-Hail has faced repeated questions over his funding and the nature of his campaign activities in London, which include his businesses paying MPs and prominent football players to appear at anti-Qatar events,” wrote the Guardian.
“His events have often aligned with the foreign policy objectives of Qatar’s regional enemies in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.”
The news report cited Crosby’s lawyers as saying no contract with Al-Hail was ever entered into and none of the work outlined in the proposal was undertaken.
‘Disastrously farcical’
CTF Partners confirmed to the Guardian it provided Al-Hail with “a minimal amount of media advice” during last year’s state visit to London by Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
“During this visit a PR company that had previously worked with Al-Hail made a disastrously farcical attempt to pay hundreds of actors to protest outside Downing Street during the emirâs visit to see Theresa May,” the Guardian reported.
Crosby did not respond to the publication’s request for comment on claims his company also provided PR support for Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his state visit to the United Kingdom last year.
Qatar has been under a sea, air and land blockade imposed by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt since June 2017.
The quartet accuses Doha of supporting “terrorism” and seeking closer ties with Iran, accusations Qatar vehemently denies.
Inside Story: What are the limits of foreign lobbying in the UK? (25:00)
Please support the #FreeTheChimp movement, everyone.Â
A group of radical liberationist chimpanzees attempted to break free from their enclosure at the Belfast Zoo in Belfast, Northern Ireland this Saturday. The chimps used a branch as a form of “primate ladder” to climb out of their enclosure and into freedom.Â
At least one chimp successfully escaped to another wall, only to return to their enclosure shortly after.
At least some of the escape was caught on video by zoo visitors.
Zookeepers argued that the zoo enclosure had been weakened by a recent storm, allowing the chimps to escape.
Only one chimp appears to have fully left the enclosure, while others simply sat on their enclosure wall.
“Theyâre intelligent primates and know theyâre not supposed to be out of their enclosure, so got back in themselves,” zookeeper Alyn Cairns told the BBC.Â
This is the second prison breakout for the Belfast Zoo in two months. Last month, a red panda cub also escaped and was found in a garden less than a mile from the zoo.
The first night of the Alliance of American Football drew promising ratings for CBS, averaging 2.9 million viewers from 9 to 11 p.m. ET.
As SportsTVRatings noted, the AAF outdrew ABC’s NBA game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets (2.5 million).
CBS broadcast the inaugural AAF games beginning at 8 p.m. ET. The Orlando Apollos earned a 40-6 win over the Atlanta Legends, while the San Antonio Commanders triumphed 15-6 over the San Diego Fleet.
This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.
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We’ve all lived through a decade worth of news cycles (and aged that much as well) in the two weeks since Saturday Night Live last aired. So as you might imagine, Weekend Update hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost had a field day when the show returned on Feb. 9.
Daily Trends Hunter 