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The video showing the killing of American journalist Steven Sotloff by ISIS militants is authentic, the US has confirmed.
Steven Joel Sotloff, 31, was abducted in northern Syria in August 2013.
President Barack Obama warned the killers that “our reach is long and justice will be served”.
Meanwhile, the UK held a meeting of its emergency Cobra committee after threats to kill a British hostage who was also shown in the latest video.
President Barack Obama, speaking in Estonia, said the killing was a “horrific act of violence and we cannot begin to imagine the agony everyone who loves Steven is feeling right now. Our country grieves with them”.
He added: “We will not be intimidated. This horrific act only unites us.”
US National Security Council spokesperson Caitlin Hayden said: “The US Intelligence Community has analyzed the recently released video showing US citizen Steven Sotloff and has reached the judgment that it is authentic.”
The video showing the killing of American journalist Steven Sotloff by ISIS militants has been confirmed as authentic
UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond also said “preliminary analysis” had suggested the video was genuine.
A spokesman for the Sotloff family had earlier indicated they believed the video was genuine, issuing a statement that said: “The family knows of this horrific tragedy and is grieving privately. There will be no public comment from the family during this difficult time.”
Before the verification was confirmed, US state department spokeswoman Jen Psaki had said: “If the video is genuine, we are sickened by this brutal act, taking the life of another innocent American citizen. Our hearts go out to the Sotloff family.”
Jen Psaki said it was believed that “a few” other Americans were still being held by Islamic State.
Steven Sotloff had appeared in a video last month which showed fellow American journalist James Foley being killed.
The latest video, entitled A second message to America, is about two-and-a-half minutes long and was apparently recorded in a desert.
Next to a masked figure, Steven Sotloff reads out a text addressed to President Barack Obama saying: “You’ve spent billions of US taxpayers’ dollars and we have lost thousands of our troops in our previous fighting against the Islamic State, so where is the people’s interest in reigniting this war?”
The militant has a voice with a British accent similar to that of the man who appeared to carry out the beheading of James Foley.
The man says: “I’m back, Obama, and I’m back because of your arrogant foreign policy towards the Islamic State… despite our serious warnings.”
The jihadist also threatens to kill the British hostage shown in the footage. The family of the British hostage has asked the media not to release his name.
The US has launched more than 120 air strikes in the past month to try to help Kurdish forces curb the IS advance.
ISIS militants have seized large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria in recent months, declaring a new caliphate, or Islamic state, under leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
After the news of the video emerged, President Barack Obama ordered the deployment of another 350 troops to Baghdad to protect US diplomatic facilities.
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President Barack Obama has arrived in Estonia for talks on the Ukraine crisis with Baltic leaders.
Barack Obama is due to hold talks in the capital Tallinn with the presidents of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Correspondents say the three states, which joined NATO in 2004, are worried about Russia’s intervention in Ukraine.
Later in the week Barack Obama will attend a NATO summit that is expected to back plans for a rapid-response force that could be dispatched within 48 hours.
NATO recently announced plans to set up the force to protect Eastern European members against possible Russian aggression.
Russia reacted by saying it would alter its military doctrine to reflect “NATO infrastructure getting closer to Russian borders”.
Meanwhile Russian news agency Rossiya Segodnya announced that one of its photojournalists Andrei Stenin, missing since August 5, has been killed in eastern Ukraine. Russian officials say his remains were identified in a car that came under attack while following a refugee convoy.
Barack Obama has arrived in Estonia for talks on the Ukraine crisis with Baltic leaders (photo Al Jazeera)
The rapid-response force and other security measures will be discussed at a two-day NATO summit in Wales, which begins on September 4.
Barack Obama arrived in Tallinn early on Wednesday. He will later meet Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Lithuania’s Dalia Grybauskaite and Latvia’s Andris Berzins.
According to the White House, Barack Obama would use his trip to Estonia, where about 25% are ethnic Russians, to make it clear that it is “not OK for large countries to flagrantly violate the territorial integrity of their smaller neighbors”.
Pro-Russian rebels have been fighting Ukrainian forces since April. Separatists in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk declared independence after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine.
Since the violence erupted, some 2,600 people have been killed and thousands more wounded.
On September 2, the UN said the conflict had forced more than a million people from their homes in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine’s army has seen several losses in recent days after rebels launched offensives in both the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, and further south around the port of Mariupol.
Russia has denied accusations by the West and the Ukrainian government that it is sending troops and military equipment over the border to support the separatists.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces have accused the rebels of violating a humanitarian deal reached by the two sides. They say the separatists killed as many as 100 Ukrainian troops who were evacuating the town of Ilovaysk via an agreed corridor at the weekend, but the rebels deny this.
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In a Labor Day speech in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, President Barack Obama has said he will continue to press Congress to raise the federal minimum wage as the US rebounds from recession.
Barack Obama said the economy and workers were now better off then when he took office in 2009.
“America deserves a raise,” he said.
His speech comes ahead of mid-term elections in November which will see a close race between Democrats and Republicans for control of the Senate.
“By almost every measure, the American economy and American workers are better off than when I took office,” Barack Obama said to an audience of union members.
He also pledged to protect the right for equal pay for women.
Barack Obama has said he will continue to press Congress to raise the federal minimum wage as the US rebounds from recession (photo AP)
Barack Obama was speaking after recent economic figures showed a one percent decrease in the national unemployment rate and a 4.2% growth in GDP in the second quarter of 2014.
He said these improvements were due to decisions he had made during his first term in office, which included an effort to bail out the US auto industry.
He also said introducing new healthcare legislation had made life better for American workers.
“America is stronger because of decisions we made to rescue our economy and rebuild it on a new foundation asking the simple question: is this good for ordinary Americans?” he said.
Despite the recent economic improvements, figures show America’s long-term jobless rate remains high and real hourly wages have stagnated.
Increasing the minimum wage is a top issue for Barack Obama’s Democratic Party who are fighting to keep control of the Senate in mid-term elections in early November.
The Republicans already have a majority in Congress and blocked an attempt to pass a minimum wage bill earlier this year.
This led to Barack Obama issuing an executive order in February requiring federal contractors to increase the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 from the beginning of next year.
In his Milwaukee speech, Barack Obama said that contrary to Republican arguments, states that had already raised the minimum wage had seen job growth, not reduction.
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President Barack Obama has authorized surveillance flights over Syria in order to gain intelligence on the activities of Islamic State (ISIS).
Correspondents say the move could mark the first step towards US air strikes inside Syria, where the jihadist group controls vast swathes of territory.
The US is already carrying out strikes against IS in neighboring Iraq.
On Monday, the Syrian government said it would work with the international community in the fight against IS.
Western governments have so far rejected suggestions that they collaborate with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in an attempt to counter the growing regional threat posed by IS.
They have repeatedly called on Bashar al-Assad to step down since the beginning of the three-and-a-half year uprising against his rule, in which more than 191,000 people are believed to have been killed.
On Monday evening, US officials said Barack Obama had approved over the weekend reconnaissance flights by unmanned and manned aircraft, including drones and possibly U2 spy planes.
One official later told the Associated Press that they had already begun.
President Barack Obama has authorized surveillance flights over Syria in order to gain intelligence on the activities of Islamic State
The US military has been carrying out aerial surveillance of IS – an al-Qaeda breakaway formerly known as Isis – in Iraq for months and launched air strikes on 8 August.
The president cited the threat to US diplomats and military personnel and the humanitarian crisis in the north, where hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes since June as IS fighters and allied Sunni rebels have taken control of dozens of cities, towns and villages.
Barack Obama has long resisted taking military action in Syria, but Pentagon officials are said to have advised him that the only way the threat from IS can be fully eliminated is to go after the group there.
A spokesman for General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Pentagon was “preparing options to address Isis both in Iraq and Syria with a variety of military tools including air strikes”.
The options reportedly include targeting IS leaders in and around their stronghold of the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, as well as in the east near the Iraqi border.
Last week, IS published a video showing it killing the American journalist James Foley, who was abducted in Syria in 2012. The group threatened to kill other US citizens it was holding in retaliation for US air strikes.
It later emerged that US special forces had attempted to rescue the hostages earlier in July, but that they were not at the location in Syria where the military thought they were being held.
One Obama administration official told the New York Times that the US did not intend to collaborate with the Assad government or inform him in advance of any operation.
“It is not the case that the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” said Benjamin Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser.
“Joining forces with Assad would essentially permanently alienate the Sunni population in both Syria and Iraq, who are necessary to dislodging [IS].”
On Monday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said his government was “ready for co-operation and co-ordination at the regional and international level to fight terrorism”.
However, Walid Muallem warned the White House that it would view any unilateral military action as a breach of sovereignty and an “act of aggression”.
The Western-backed rebel Free Syrian Army, which is fighting IS across northern Syria, meanwhile said its commanders on the ground were ready to co-ordinate with the US.
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President Barack Obama has called for calm in Ferguson, Missouri, after the shooting of black teenager Michael Brown by police sparked two nights of violence.
Barack Obama described the death on Saturday of Michael Brown as heartbreaking and added: “Remember this young man through reflection and understanding.”
In two nights of unrest in the St Louis suburb, dozens were arrested, shops looted and tear gas fired by police.
On Tuesday night, anger had turned to reflection at a community forum.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon told a packed crowd at Christ the King United Church of Christ that the shooting felt “like an old wound torn fresh”.
Ferguson’s mayor and police chief also attended the meeting and were greeted with applause.
Barack Obama has called for calm in Ferguson, Missouri, after the shooting of Michael Brown by police sparked two nights of violence
Earlier, the Reverend Al Sharpton, the civil rights activist, appealed for peace.
“To become violent in Michael Brown’s name is to betray the gentle giant he was,” he said, flanked by Michael Brown’s parents.
He said no-one had the right to take Michael Brown’s name and “drag it through the mud”.
Police say Michael Brown was shot several times after a struggle in a police car, but witnesses have said the unarmed Brown was shot when he had his arms raised.
Speaking after around 50 demonstrators marched on the police headquarters, Al Sharpton joined others in demanding police reveal the name of the officer who shot and killed Michael Brown.
“The local authorities have put themselves in a position, hiding names, not being transparent, where people will not trust anything but an objective investigation,” Al Sharpton said.
Police say death threats on social media have prevented them naming the officer, who has been placed on paid administrative leave.
Protests during the day on Tuesday were peaceful if tense, but they came after police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse a large crowd in Ferguson the night before.
Police said the crowd threw rocks at officers and there was gunfire coming from the crowd.
Thirty-two people were arrested on Sunday night after people looted shops, vandalized cars and stores, and set a building alight.
The FBI is investigating the shooting and US Attorney General Eric Holder said the case deserved a “fulsome review”. The justice department has also sent its community relations team to the area.
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President Barack Obama has led tributes to Robin Williams, who has been found dead, aged 63, in an apparent suicide.
Marin County Police in California said Robin Williams was pronounced dead at his home after officials responded to an emergency call around noon local time.
Robin Williams was famous for films such as Good Morning Vietnam and won an Oscar for his role in Good Will Hunting.
His publicist said he had been “battling severe depression”.
President Barack Obama has led tributes to Robin Williams, who has been found dead in an apparent suicide (photo Getty Images)
Barack Obama was one of many offering condolences to Robin Williams’ family saying: “Williams arrived in our lives as an alien – but he ended up touching every element of the human spirit.
“He made us laugh. He made us cry. He gave his immeasurable talent freely and generously to those who needed it most – from our troops stationed abroad to the marginalized on our own streets.”
In the past Robin Williams had talked, and even joked, about his struggles with alcohol and drugs.
The actor had recently returned to a rehabilitation centre to “fine-tune” his sobriety, the Los Angeles Times reported in July.
The local Sheriff’s office said Robin Williams was found unconscious and not breathing at his home near Tiburon, north of San Francisco.
“At this time, the Sheriff’s Office Coroner Division suspects the death to be a suicide due to asphyxia, but a comprehensive investigation must be completed before a final determination is made,” police said in a statement.
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President Barack Obama has warned it is “going to take some time” to help Iraqi people overcome the jihadist-led Sunni rebellion and stabilize their country.
It would be a “long-term project” to revamp and resupply the military and build support among Sunnis, he said.
Barack Obama stressed that progress would depend on Iraqis coming together and forming an inclusive government.
The Islamic State (IS), formerly known as Isis, has seized swathes of northern and western Iraq in recent months.
Barack Obama has warned it is going to take some time to help Iraqi people overcome the jihadist-led Sunni rebellion and stabilize their country
Barack Obama said air strikes on Friday – the first time US forces have been directly involved in a military operation in Iraq since they withdrew from the country in late 2011 – had destroyed IS arms and equipment.
They had also prevented attacks by the al-Qaeda breakaway on thousands of members of the Yazidi religious minority group stranded on a mountain in the north-west, the president added.
The Yazidis fled to Mount Sinjar a week ago after IS fighters overran a nearby town where many had been sheltering over the past two months.
Earlier, the UK said it had sent a cargo plane to help with the relief operation that has seen US aircraft drop thousands of bottles of water and ration packs in the area over the past two days.
One C-17 and two C-130 transporters dropped 72 bundles of supplies, according to the Pentagon. They were escorted by F/A-18 Hornet jets launched from the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier in the Gulf.
“We feel confident we can prevent [IS] from going up the mountain and slaughtering the people who are there,” Barack Obama said.
“But the next step, which is going to be complicated logistically, is how do we give safe passage for people down from the mountain and where can we ultimately relocate them so that they are safe.”
France would begin deliveries of first aid equipment to Iraq in the next few hours, President Francois Hollande’s office announced.
IS fighters meanwhile began hoisting their black flags at the Mosul dam, Iraq’s largest, and patrolling its perimeter, days after seizing the facility.
Barack Obama said a long-term strategy was needed to confront the jihadists.
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President Barack Obama has authorized targeted air strikes against Islamic militants in northern Iraq but will not send US troops back to the country.
Barack Obama said Islamic State (IS) fighters would be targeted to prevent the slaughter of religious minorities or if they threaten US interests.
No strikes have been made yet but the US has made humanitarian air drops to Iraqis under threat from the militants.
IS has seized Qaraqosh, Iraq’s biggest Christian town, forcing locals to flee.
The Sunni Muslim group, formerly known as Isis, has been gaining ground in northern Iraq since it launched its onslaught in June.
It now controls large swathes of Iraq and Syria and says it has created an Islamic caliphate in its territory.
Speaking at the White House on Thursday evening, Barack Obama said US military aircraft had dropped food and water to members of the Yazidi religious minority community trapped on Mount Sinjar by IS fighters.
Barack Obama has authorized two operations against Islamic militants in northern Iraq
Officials had warned that the Yazidis faced starvation and dehydration if they remained on the mountain, and slaughter at the hands of the IS if they fled.
Barack Obama said the US could not turn a “blind eye” to the prospect of violence “on a horrific scale”, especially when the Iraqi government had requested assistance.
The president said the US would act “carefully and responsibly, to prevent a potential act of genocide”.
US air strikes would target IS fighters, should they threaten Baghdad or move towards Irbil, where there is a significant presence of US diplomats and military advisers, Barack Obama said.
In addition, he authorized strikes “if necessary” to help Iraqi government forces break the siege at Mount Sinjar and rescue the trapped civilians.
“The only lasting solution is reconciliation among Iraqi communities and stronger Iraqi security forces,” Barack Obama added.
The president spoke hours after the UN Security Council met. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was “deeply appalled” by the situation.
As many as 100,000 Christians are believed to have fled their homes ahead of the IS advance, and most of them are thought to have gone toward the autonomous Kurdistan Region.
Kurdish forces, known as the Peshmerga, have been fighting the IS militants’ advance in the area around Qaraqosh for weeks, but on Wednesday night it appeared they had abandoned their posts.
Last month, hundreds of Christian families fled nearby Mosul after the Islamist rebels gave them an ultimatum to convert to Islam, pay a special tax, or be executed.
Iraq is home to one of the world’s most ancient Christian communities, but numbers have dwindled amid growing sectarian violence since the US-led invasion in 2003.
About 50,000 Yazidis, meanwhile, are thought to have been trapped in the mountains after fleeing the town of Sinjar over the weekend – although the UN says some of them have now been rescued.
Almost 200,000 civilians have been displaced from Sinjar town, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has warned.
Those trapped on the mountain are facing dehydration, and 40 children are reported to have died already.
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The House of Representatives has passed a resolution to sue President Barack Obama for allegedly exceeding his constitutional powers.
The 225-201 vote along party lines means House lawyers will now draft legal documents to launch a lawsuit.
Its supporters say Barack Obama exceeded his powers when he delayed an insurance deadline in his healthcare law.
Barack Obama himself has dismissed it as a waste of time.
“Everyone sees this as a political stunt,” he said.
“If they’re not going to do anything, we’ll do what we can on our own,” the president added.
The House of Representatives has passed a resolution to sue President Barack Obama for allegedly exceeding his constitutional powers
“And we’ve taken more than 40 actions aimed at helping hardworking families like yours. That’s when we act – when your Congress won’t.”
The action is reportedly the first time either the House or Senate has brought legal action against a president over the legality of his powers, although members of Congress have sued the president before.
Republicans in Congress have complained that Barack Obama has exceeded his constitutional authority on numerous occasions, in order to bypass Congress by issuing executive orders.
They object, for instance, to his order unilaterally easing deportations of some young illegal immigrants, and the prison exchange that won the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl held captive for five years by the Taliban.
“This isn’t about Republicans or Democrats. It’s about defending the Constitution we swore an oath to,” Speaker John Boehner said during an impassioned debate in the House on Wednesday evening.
“Are you willing to let any president choose what laws to execute and what laws to change?”
At issue was Barack Obama’s decision to twice delay requirements in his 2010 healthcare overhaul that businesses over a certain size provide their workers with health insurance.
Barack Obama has been forthright about his intentions to circumvent the gridlocked Congress when possible, noting frequently that the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has declined even to hold votes on Senate-passed bills on topics from immigration reform to gay rights.
As far back as January, White House aides began referring to the president’s “pen and phone” strategy – using his telephone to convene meetings at the White House and his pen to sign executive orders and changes to federal regulations.
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The House of Representatives is voting to pass a resolution authorizing it to sue President Barack Obama for what Republican leaders describe as his overreach of authority.
The resolution is expected to pass the Republican-controlled chamber in a party line vote onJuly 30.
Its sponsors say Barack Obama exceeded his powers when he delayed an insurance deadline in his healthcare law.
The president himself has dismissed the lawsuit as a waste of time.
“Everyone sees this as a political stunt,” Barack Obama said while in Kansas on Wednesday.
“But it’s worse than that because every vote they’re taking… means a vote they’re not taking to help people.”
The House of Representatives is voting to pass a resolution authorizing it to sue President Barack Obama (photo Reuters)
Republicans in Congress have complained that Barack Obama has exceeded his constitutional authority on numerous occasions, in order to bypass Congress by issuing executive orders.
They object, for instance, to his order unilaterally easing deportations of some young illegal immigrants, and the prison exchange that won the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl held captive for five years by the Taliban.
Specifically at issue in the resolution, which was sponsored by Congressman Pete Sessions of Texas with the full backing of House Speaker John Boehner, was Barack Obama’s decision to twice delay requirements in his 2010 healthcare overhaul that businesses over a certain size provide their workers with health insurance.
Barack Obama has been forthright about his intentions to circumvent the gridlocked Congress when possible, noting frequently that the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has declined even to hold votes on Senate-passed bills on topics from immigration reform to gay rights.
As far back as January, White House aides began referring to the president’s “pen and phone” strategy – using his telephone to convene meetings at the White House and his pen to sign executive orders and changes to federal regulations.
Every US president since George Washington has issued executive orders, and Barack Obama has not stood out in the modern era for the number he has signed.
In his six years in office Barack Obama has issued 183 executive orders, compared to 291 across George W. Bush’s eight years and 381 for Ronald Reagan, according to a study by the American Presidency Project at the University of California-Santa Barbara.
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The US government accuses Russia of violating the 1987 arms control treaty by testing a nuclear cruise missile.
Russia tested a ground-launched cruise missile, breaking the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed in 1987 during the Cold War, the US said.
A senior US official did not provide further details on the alleged breach, but described it as “very serious”.
The bilateral agreement banned medium-range missiles with ranges between 300 to 3,400 miles.
The US government accuses Russia of violating the 1987 arms control treaty by testing a nuclear cruise missile (photo Fox News)
The US claims come at a time of heightened tensions between the two sides, with the US criticizing Russia for its alleged involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.
A senior US official, who was not named, said in a statement that the testing of the missile was “a very serious matter which we have attempted to address with Russia for some time now”.
“We encourage Russia to return to compliance with its obligations under the treaty and to eliminate any prohibited items in a verifiable matter,” the official added.
President Barack Obama has written to President Vladimir Putin over the matter, officials say.
This is the first time the US government has made its accusations public, though the issue has simmered for years.
In January, the New York Times reported that US officials believed Russia had began testing ground-launched cruise missiles as early as 2008.
The US State Department had said at the time that the issue was under review.
The 1987 treaty is at the heart of American-Russian arms control efforts, and was signed by then-Presidents Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in the final years of the Cold War.
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A surface-to-air missile fired from a rebel-held area in east Ukraine brought down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, President Barack Obama has said during a press conference.
The plane crashed on Thursday, killing all 298 people on board.
Barack Obama called the attack “an outrage of unspeakable proportions”, saying he would ensure “the truth is out”.
The US and Russia clashed at the UN Security Council, with Russia’s envoy putting the blame on Ukraine for its army’s attacks on eastern areas.
Up to 20 international observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) reached the crash scene near the village of Grabovo on Friday.
However, Swiss Ambassador to the OSCE Thomas Greminger said the team did not get full access and were stopped by “local illegal armed groups”.
The Boeing 777 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. It fell between Krasni Luch in Luhansk region and Shakhtarsk in the neighboring region of Donetsk.
Latest figures released by Malaysia Airlines show the plane was carrying 189 Dutch nationals, 27 Australians, 44 Malaysians (including 15 crew), 12 Indonesians and 10 Britons, along with a number of other nationalities.
President Barack Obama has said a surface-to-air missile fired from a rebel-held area in east Ukraine brought down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17
Confirming one American was among the plane’s victims, Barack Obama said: “Evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile that was launched from an area that is controlled by Russian-backed separatists inside of Ukraine.”
Thepresident said in a briefing at the White House: “I think it’s important for us to recognize that this outrageous event underscored that it is time for peace and security to be restored in Ukraine.
“Violence and conflict inevitably lead to unforeseen consequences.”
Barack Obama called for an immediate ceasefire in eastern Ukraine. He demanded that full access be granted to investigators and that evidence should not be tampered with.
He said: “This was a global tragedy… The eyes of the world are on eastern Ukraine, and we are going to make sure that the truth is out.”
Barack Obama said it was up to Russia to stop the flow of heavy armaments and fighters into Ukraine.
Earlier at the UN, US envoy Samantha Power said the US could not rule out that Russians had helped the separatists fire the missile.
Samantha Power added: “President Putin has committed on several occasions to working towards dialogue and peace, and every single time he has broken that commitment.
“Russia can end this war. Russia must end this war.”
Russia’s UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said: “Pressure should not be brought on this investigation, trying to prejudge its outcome with broad statements and insinuations that are unjustified.”
He said the Ukrainian military was responsible for “punitive operations on civilian targets and infrastructure, with dozens of civilians killed”, saying the attacks must be stopped as soon as possible.
Vitaly Churkin also criticized the US, which he said had “pushed Ukraine to escalate the crisis and passed the blame on to Russia”.
He also questioned why the Ukrainian aviation authorities had not closed the air space earlier.
The OSCE said its team spent 75 minutes at the site but its movement was restricted and it had not been able to seal off the area or secure a corridor to allow access for investigators.
OSCE spokesman Michael Bociurkiw said it discovered no information about the plane’s flight recorder and it was unclear who was in charge.
The rebels have accused the Ukrainian government of downing the airliner.
However, Ukraine called the disaster an “act of terrorism”. Ukrainian authorities released what they say are intercepted phone conversations that proved the plane was shot down by separatists.
Ukraine accuses Russia of aiding the rebels and supplying them with advanced weapons.
MH17 is the second disaster suffered by Malaysia Airlines this year.
Flight MH370 disappeared en route from Malaysia to China on March 8 and has still not been found.
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Actress Shannon Richardson, who posted ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has been given an 18-year prison term.
Shannon Richardson, 36, from Texas, had accused her estranged husband Nathaniel of sending the three poisoned letters in an apparent attempt to frame him.
“I never intended for anybody to be hurt,” the actress told the court.
Shannon Richardson pleaded guilty in December to the charge of possessing and producing a biological toxin.
Shannon Richardson posted ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg
A federal judge gave her the maximum sentence under that plea deal and ordered her to pay restitution of about $367,000.
Shannon Richardson, a mother of six, has played small roles in The Vampire Diaries and The Walking Dead, according to IMDB.
Prosecutors say that after ordering the ingredients online, Shannon Richardson made the ricin and then posted three letters before going to police and claiming her estranged husband was to blame.
According to a federal indictment, one letter to Barack Obama read, exactly as she wrote it: “What’s in this letter is nothing compared to what ive got in store for you mr president.”
Another letter received by Michael Bloomberg, a gun control advocate, contained a threat to “shoot in the face” anyone who came for the sender’s guns.
A third ricin-laced letter was opened by Mark Glaze, director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a gun control advocacy group founded by Michael Bloomberg.
In asking the judge for leniency on Wednesday, Shannon Richardson apologized and said: “I’m not a bad person. I don’t have it in me to hurt anyone.”
Shannon Richardson asked for “mercy and compassion” and said she’d already been punished by being parted from her six children.
President Barack Obama was interrupted by two people while delivering a speech on the economy on Thursday at the Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas.
The two Hispanic hecklers interrupted the president’s speech with shouts about illegal immigration.
“I’m sorry, what are you yelling about now?” Barack Obama said amid the sudden yelling.
“Sit down, guys. I’m almost done.
Barack Obama was interrupted by two people while delivering a speech on the economy at the Paramount Theater in Austin (photo Daily Texas)
“Come on, sit down. I’ll talk to you afterwards, I promise. I’ll bring you back. I’m wrapping things up here.”
The White House’s transcript of Barack Obama’s remarks in Austin omits what the protesters said, but the president replied: “I understand. See, everybody is going to start – I’m on your side, man. Sit down, guys, we’ll talk about it later, I promise.”
They were invited after the event to meet with Barack Obama about their concerns on immigration reform.
According to a White House press pool report, its staff escorted the protesters behind the stage immediately after Barack Obama’s speech was over and he “began glad-handing with folks in front”.
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President Barack Obama has praised the efforts of the US soccer team in the World Cup in a phone call to two of its star players.
President Barack Obama calling Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard in São Paulo
Despite the US being eliminated from Brazil’s tournament by Belgium, Barack Obama told goalkeeper Tim Howard and team captain Clint Dempsey they had made the nation proud.
“To see the way you guys captured the hearts and the imaginations of the whole country is unbelievable.”
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President Barack Obama has asked the Congress to approve $500 million to fund training and equipment for what he described as “moderate” Syrian opposition forces.
The funds would help Syrians defend against forces aligned with President Bashar al-Assad, the White House said.
The aid would also counter Islamist militants such as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), it added.
ISIS’s advance in neighboring Iraq has led some in Congress to press Barack Obama to take action.
Barack Obama has asked the Congress to approve $500 million to fund training and equipment for Syrian opposition forces
Tens of thousands of people have died and millions more have been displaced in three years of civil war in Syria, as rebels fight troops loyal to Bashar al-Assad.
“This funding request would build on the administration’s longstanding efforts to empower the moderate Syrian opposition, both civilian and armed,” the White House said.
It will also “enable the Department of Defense to increase our support to vetted elements of the armed opposition”.
The money will help stabilize areas under opposition control and counter terrorist threats, the White House said.
The rebels that would receive the funds would be vetted beforehand in order to alleviate concerns of equipment falling into the hands of militants hostile to the US and its allies, the White House said.
President Barack Obama has been under strong pressure from some members of Congress to increase assistance in the area, although it is unclear whether and when Congress would act on his request.
Last month Barack Obama hinted at increased help for the Syrian opposition in a speech at the military academy at West Point.
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House Speaker John Boehner has confirmed he will file a lawsuit against the Obama administration for its use of executive actions to change laws.
John Boehner said: “I believe the President is not faithfully executing the laws of our country, and on behalf of the institution and our constitution standing up and fighting for this is in the best long term interest of the Congress.”
He would not say which executive action the lawsuit would target specifically.
The specifics and mechanics of the suit have yet to be worked out, but John Boehner could enlist an organization called the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group (BLAG) to carry it out.
John Boehner has confirmed he will file a lawsuit against the Obama administration for its use of executive actions to change laws
Because that body is controlled by the Speaker, the Majority Leader, the Majority Whip, the Minority Leader and the Minority Whip, Republicans could order the lawsuit to go ahead even if Democrats objected.
John Boehner insisted Wednesday that the lawsuit does not amount to an effort to impeach the president.
“This is not about impeachment, this is about his faithfully executing the laws of our country,” he said.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said he is confident President Barack Obama has operated well within the confines of the law and that Republicans have brought the suit simply because they disagree with Obama’s policies.
The GOP’s unwillingness to compromise has forced the president to take more executive actions, Earnest said.
“The fact that they are considering a taxpayer-funded lawsuit against the president of the United States for doing his job, I think, is the kind of step that most Americans wouldn’t support,” Josh Earnest said.
“This lawsuit is not going to consume the attention of the White House,” he added.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, on Wednesday called the lawsuit “subterfuge”.
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US troops have been deployed to Iraq to assist the Iraqi army in combating a growing Sunni militant insurgency, the Pentagon has announced.
Nearly half the 300 special operations soldiers promised by President Barack Obama are in Baghdad or on the front lines of the fight.
The rest are expected within days.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry called for regional unity to expel the Sunni ISIS rebels who have taken large swathes of Iraq.
On Tuesday, two teams totaling 40 US troops began work assessing Iraqi troops on the front line, the Pentagon said.
US troops have been deployed to Iraq to assist the Iraqi army in combating a growing Sunni militant insurgency (photo NBC News)
An additional 90 personnel will work in Baghdad to set up a new joint operations command centre.
Those teams will be joined by an additional four teams of 50 troops each in the next few days.
The Obama administration has stressed the troops are not intended as operational forces but instead are there to advise the Iraqis and provide intelligence.
The Iraqi government had requested American air strikes, but Barack Obama has been reluctant to do anything that could lead to accusations the US was taking sides in a sectarian conflict.
The insurgents, spearheaded by Islamists fighting under the banner of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), have overrun much of north and west Iraq, including the second-biggest city, Mosul.
The violence has claimed at least 1,075 lives in Iraq in June alone, most of them civilians, a UN human rights team has reported.
The UN said the figures, which include a number of verified summary executions, should be viewed as an absolute minimum.
President Barack Obama has urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the flow of weapons into Ukraine and halt support for separatists.
The White House said that in the phone call Barack Obama warned of further sanctions if Moscow failed to act.
The Kremlin says Vladimir Putin urged direct talks between Kiev and the rebels in the east. Russia denies arming them.
The separatists have said they will observe a truce initiated by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
President Barack Obama has urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the flow of weapons into Ukraine and halt support for separatists
The week-long ceasefire – part of a 15-point peace plan announced by Petro Poroshenko last week – is due to expire on Friday.
Late on Monday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters: “The president spoke to President Putin and once again urged him to support peace instead of allowing the provision of arms and materiel across the border and continuing support for militants and separatists who are further destabilizing the situation in Ukraine.”
“Russia will face additional costs if we do not see concrete actions to de-escalate the situation,” he said.
The US and EU have already imposed a number of sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes on Russian officials, after Moscow annexed the Ukrainian region of Crimea in March.
Washington said last week that a number of Russian tanks and armored personnel carriers had crossed the border into the east of Ukraine.
The Russian government has strenuously denied that any of its tanks crossed the border into Ukraine.
On Monday, the US State Department said Washington also had new information that tanks were being readied at a site in south-western Russia to be sent into Ukraine.
As diplomatic efforts to ease the crisis continued, Vice President Joe Biden spoke to Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko in a phone call on Monday, telling him that the US would continue to strongly support his peace plan, the White House said.
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First lady Michelle Obama has denied she may run for office after her family leaves the White House.
In an interview with ABC’s Robin Roberts on Monday, Michelle Obama was asked if she might enter politics after President Barack Obama leaves office. The first lady said “definitely” not. Instead, Michelle Obama will opt to pursue something that is “service focused,” though she did not specify what.
Michelle Obama was asked if she might enter politics after President Barack Obama leaves office
Michelle Obama was one of Barack Obama’s most effective surrogates and fundraisers during his successful 2012 re-election campaign. She delivered a well-received speech at the Democratic National Convention, prompting some political onlookers to speculate she could have a political future after her husband’s term is over.
Though Michelle Obama repeated her adamant desire to avoid politics, she did seem to give a nod to another first lady who did enter into the political arena – Hillary Clinton.
When asked about the prospect of a female president, Michelle Obama said she would like to see one “as soon as possible” and that “we have some options”.
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The US will send 300 military advisers to Iraq to help fight Islamist-led insurgents, President Barack Obama has announced.
Barack Obama said the US was prepared for “targeted and precise military action, if and when… the situation on the ground requires it”, but added that US troops would not fight in Iraq.
He went on to insist there was “no military solution” and urged the Shia-led Iraqi government to be “inclusive”.
Barack Obama said that US troops would not fight in Iraq
Iraq has asked the US for air strikes against the Sunni militants.
The gunmen – spearheaded by the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) – have made major territorial gains in the past 10 days.
Barack Obama said it was not the US’s place to choose Iraq’s leaders.
His statement came after a day in which fighting continued for control of the country’s biggest oil refinery.
Officials insisted security forces were “in full control” of the Baiji refinery, about 130 miles north of the capital Baghdad. But militants led by ISIS have surrounded the facility.
For several days, production has been halted at Baiji refinery, which supplies much of the country’s domestic fuel.
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According to Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, President Barack Obama has told Congressional leaders he does not need lawmakers’ approval for any action in Iraq.
Senator Mitch McConnell was speaking after a meeting between President Barack Obama and senior members of Congress.
Iraq has asked for US air strikes against advancing jihadist militants, who have seized key cities and towns.
However, correspondents say any decision on military support from Washington could hinge on political changes in Iraq.
Vice-President Joe Biden discussed possible “additional measures” that could help “roll back the terrorists’ advances” with Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki on Wednesday, but also the need for national unity.
The Obama administration has shown signs of frustration with Nouri al-Maliki – a Shia Muslim who has long been accused of discriminating against the Sunni Arab minority community and monopolizing power.
President Barack Obama has told Congressional leaders he does not need lawmakers’ approval for any action in Iraq
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told a congressional hearing: “This current government in Iraq has never fulfilled the commitments it made to bring a unity government together with the Sunnis, the Kurds, and the Shia.”
Barack Obama met Congressional leaders at the White House on Wednesday to discuss the US response to recent advances by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS).
Speaking afterwards, Senator Mitch McConnell said the president had “indicated he didn’t feel he had any need for authority from us for steps that he might take”.
Correspondents say the White House has so far avoided the thorny question as to whether it needs Congressional authority for any military action in Iraq.
Experts say Barack Obama has several options, including citing the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) against al-Qaeda and its associated forces passed by Congress in 2001; the 2002 AUMF that led to the invasion of Iraq; and his own powers as commander-in-chief.
Last year, President Barack Obamaabandoned plans for punitive military strikes in Syria following a deadly chemical weapons attack once it became clear that Congress would not give its backing.
Administration officials say the president may be able to act unilaterally in Iraq because its government has requested US air strikes against ISIS, which seized the second city of Mosul last week and is advancing southwards towards Baghdad.
ISIS and their Sunni Arab allies are reported to be advancing in Diyala and Salahuddin provinces after they overran Iraq’s second city, Mosul, last week.
They have also launched an assault on Iraq’s biggest oil refinery at Baiji, north of Baghdad.
The administration has not officially responded to Iraq’s request for air support in its response to the offensive.
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Cleveland house of horrors survivors Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus met with President Barack Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden last month at the White House.
Amanda Berry, 28, told People magazine: “It was one of the most unbelievable moments in my life.”
Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus met with President Barack Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden at the White House (photo White House)
Gina DeJesus, 24, said she particularly liked talking to VP Joe Biden because he was “very down-to-earth”. She added that she appreciated how much time VP Joe Biden, a longtime advocate of ending violence against women, spent with them and their families.
Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus visited the White House with Amanda’s older sister Beth Serrano and Gina’s parents.
While the two women were meeting with Joe Biden in the West Wing, President Barack Obama swung by to say hello and the group snapped a picture.
The family trip to D.C. was paid for by the National Center For Missing And Exploited Children and marked the girls’ first flight.
Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus were also treated to a salon visit and a shopping spree.
World heads of state are joining hundreds of veterans in Normandy to mark the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
They will meet at Ouistreham, one of the five beaches where Allied troops landed on June 6, 1944.
French President Francois Hollande will give a speech followed by US President Barack Obama. Queen Elizabeth II and Russian President Vladimir Putin will also go.
World heads of state are joining hundreds of veterans in Normandy to mark the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings
There will be a re-enactment of the landings, which were the start of the invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe.
The day’s commemorations began at midnight with a vigil at Pegasus Bridge near Ouistreham, marking the first assault of the D-Day invasion when British soldiers began the first Allied action of the campaign.
At 00:16 on June 6, 1944, six Horsa gliders carrying 181 men from the Glider Pilot Regiment and the 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, landed silently to capture the strategically-vital bridge and another nearby.
This paved the way for soldiers landing on the Normandy beaches to move inland and reinforce their airborne colleagues. It also prevented the Germans from repelling the invasion on the coast.
Vladimir Putin will be at the ceremony with Prince Charles, who reportedly criticised the Russian president while speaking to a woman during a tour in Canada.
Ukraine’s President-elect Petro Poroshenko is expected to attend, amid tensions between his country and Russia.
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President Barack Obama met Ukraine President-elect Petro Poroshenko, and pledged support for plans to restore peace to the country.
Both presidents are in Warsaw to mark 25 years since the fall of communism in Poland.
Barack Obama called Petro Poroshenko a “wise selection” to lead Ukraine, and said the nation could become a vibrant, thriving democracy if the world community stood behind it.
President Barack Obama met Ukraine President-elect Petro Poroshenko, and pledged support for plans to restore peace to the country
Petro Poroshenko, a billionaire sweet manufacturer, was elected in May and will be inaugurated as Ukraine’s president on Saturday.
Barack Obama pledged $5 million of military assistance to Kiev including body armor and night-vision goggles.
The aid follows $18 million promised since early March for food, clothes, radios and other equipment.
Barack Obama has now arrived in Brussels for a meeting of the G7 major industrial nations, the first since Russia was removed from the G8 in protest over its annexation of Crimea in March.
He is expected to attend the 70th anniversary commemorations of the D-Day landings in Normandy on Friday. Russian President Vladimir Putin will also be at the ceremony but the two leaders have no meeting scheduled.
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