The Libyan government has lost control of its ministries to a coalition of militias that has taken over the capital, Tripoli, in another milestone in the state's disintegration.
''The government reiterates that these buildings and the public headquarters are not safe and [are] inaccessible, because they are under the control of armed men,'' the government said in a statement on Monday. It was issued from the eastern city of Tobruk, where the recently elected parliament has convened in territory controlled by a renegade general who has tried to stage a coup d'etat.
The statement indicated the emergence of two rival centres of government - one in Tripoli and the other in Tobruk, both of them all but powerless.
During the past two months, the militias that have dominated the country since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi three years ago have lined up into two warring factions.
One side, Libya Dawn, aligned with militias from the coastal city of Misrata and the Islamist factions who portray themselves as preventing a counter-revolution. The other side is aligned with the renegade general, Khalifa Hifter, in the east and partisans from the mountain city of Zintan in the west, to fight what they called a battle against Islamist extremists.
A little more than a week ago, the Misrata militia and its allies won a month-long battle for control of the Tripoli airport. The Zintani militias, which now include hundreds of former Gaddafi fighters, fled Tripoli. That left the capital in the hands of the Libya Dawn coalition, mainly the Misrata militia and its Islamist allies. New York Times.

Sudan expels Iranian diplomats and closes cultural centres

Expulsions believed to be linked to government fears that Iranian officials were promoting Shia Islam in majority-Sunni country
Sudan has closed all Iranian cultural centres in the country and expelled the cultural attache and other diplomats, a government source has said, without giving an explanation for the move.
Sudanese media speculated that the expulsions were linked to government concerns that Iranian officials were promoting Shia Islam in the largely Sunni country, but there was no confirmation from authorities.
Sudan, isolated by UN and western sanctions partly linked to its conflict in Darfur, has sought allies and donors across the sectarian divides in the Middle East and further afield. That has often left it balancing competing interests and loyalties in the complex web of regional rivalries.
The country's president, Omar al-Bashir, seized power in 1989 in a bloodless coup backed by Sunni Islamists.
Sudan rejected an Iranian offer to set up air defences on its Red Sea coast after a 2012 air strike that Khartoum blamed on Israel – fearing it would upset Tehran's regional rival, the Sunni superpower Saudi Arabia, Sudan's foreign minister said in May.
But Sudan, where many people follow the traditional Sufi branch of Islam, has also received delegations from senior Iranian politicians.
Saudi Arabia, a key US ally in the region, has been competing with Iran for influence in the Middle East. The rivalry has in effect divided the region into two camps, with countries either allied to Saudi Arabia or to Iran.
"The Sudanese government ordered the closure of Iranian cultural centres in Sudan, and asked the cultural attache and the diplomats working in office at the Iranian cultural attache to leave Sudan within 72 hours," the government source told Reuters.
-

Conflicting Signals? Obama vows to ‘destroy’ ISIS, make it ‘manageable’

President Obama sent seemingly conflicting signals Wednesday about his ultimate goal in the fight against the Islamic State, saying at a press conference in Europe that the aim is to "degrade and destroy" the terror group -- but moments later, claiming he wants to make it a "manageable problem." 
The president spoke as lawmakers on Capitol Hill and others urge the White House and Pentagon to pursue a tough approach against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. 
Those calls mounted after the group released another video showing the execution of an American journalist; the White House on Wednesday confirmed that video as authentic. 
Speaking in Estonia during a visit to Europe, Obama at first took a hard line. He condemned the execution as "horrific" and "barbaric" and vowed "justice will be served." 
After taking some heat for admitting last week that "we don't have a strategy yet" to address the militant group in Syria, Obama said they do have a regional strategy. Ultimately, he said, "our objective is clear, and that is to degrade and destroy ISIL so it is no longer a threat not just to Iraq but also the region and to the United States." 
But later in the press conference, Obama returned to the topic and noticeably softened his tone.

Detroit's creditors seek to derail historic bankruptcy trial as it begins

Saddled with $18bn in debt as its population continues to dwindle, the city’s attempt to restructure its finances comes under intense pressure
After 14 months of intense legal wrangling, a public relations battle, late night mediation sessions and intense number crunching, Detroit finally entered a federal courtroom on Tuesday for a trial that will determine whether or not it can emerge from the nation’s largest municipal bankruptcy to become a smaller, more economically nimble city.
Bankruptcy experts say the size and scope of this case – Detroit is saddled with $18bn in debt, a historic amount in a Chapter 9 bankruptcy – makes it unprecedented. Certain aspects of how the state-run emergency management team negotiated a plan that involves financial pledges from several charitable foundations is also unique. Also a factor is Detroit’s systemic population drain – from 1.5 million in 1970 to about 700,000 today – which is forcing the city to confront what it will look like in the future and, if allowed to shed its debt and move forward, determine if that will become a reality.
“If Detroit is able to successfully restructure its debt and have a sustainable financial plan going forward that isn’t mired in corruption, that will be a blueprint around the country,” says John Pottow, a University of Michigan bankruptcy law professor in Ann Arbor. “There are lot of cities have financial problems that will be looking for different playbooks, so this case matters.”
Starting Tuesday, the first day of what is scheduled to run at least five weeks, the city must prove to US bankruptcy judge Steven Rhodes that its financial recovery plan is feasible, was proposed in good faith with both pension groups and creditors, and does not unfairly discriminate against either.
Two creditor groups are fighting to stop Rhodes from granting Detroit solvency. They say the city is unfairly discriminating against them compared to the public pension groups, which they say are getting a better deal.

Paul Ryan Blames Obama In Rise Of The Islamic State

U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan blamed the Obama administration Tuesday for contributing to the circumstances that led to the swift ascent of the Islamic State, a militant group that purportedly beheaded a second American journalist in two weeks.

Ryan had been taking questions from a panel of reporters during a Milwaukee luncheon when he was asked to respond to a news report that journalist Steven Sotloff had been beheaded. The congressman asked the several hundred people in the audience to observe a moment of silence, and then suggested that the Islamic State's rise to power coincided with a series of Obama missteps.
"I do think a good deal of this rise stem(s) from bad decisions made by the administration in foreign policy with respect to Syria and Iraq," Ryan said, adding, "Those decisions created a vacuum which is now being filled by ISIS," a reference to the Islamic State.
Ryan, who chairs the House Budget Committee and was the Republicans' 2012 vice presidential candidate, is better known for focusing on budget issues and domestic policy than on foreign affairs. But he said he reads intelligence reports and has been getting regular briefings about the Islamic State.

More than 30 teenagers escape from Tennessee prison

Nine teenagers are still being sought after more than 30 held at a juvenile detention centre in Tennessee escaped by crawling through a fence.
They escaped late Monday evening from the Woodland Hills Youth Development Center in Nashville.
Police said some escapees had handed themselves in, some were brought back by parents and some were picked up.
The centre holds juvenile prisoners, many of whom have committed at least three felonies, a state spokesman said.
The teenagers who escaped ranged in ages from 14 to 19, said Rob Johnson of the Tennessee Department of Children's Services.
The escape occurred when a large group of teenagers went outside all at once after a guard shift change, Mr Johnson said.
Officials did not know if it was planned or spontaneous.

Strike cancels first day of school in British Columbia

A teacher's strike in British Columbia has postponed the first day of school for about 500,000 children.
The strike of 40,000 teachers in the Canadian province began in June. A last-minute attempt to bring teachers back failed last week.
Key sticking points between the provincial government and the teacher's union include pay and class size.
The British Columbia government says it will not pass a law to force teachers back to work.
Extended summer camps and childcare options were filling up across British Columbia, broadcaster CBC reports.
The province has offered C$40 ($37; £22) per day per child under 12 to pay for childcare costs, but it will not be paid out immediately.
-