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HONG KONG: The slim World Cup qualification hopes of both China and Qatar could finally end this week while Iran could become the first Asian nation to book their place in next year's finals in Russia.

Carlos Queiroz's team take on Uzbekistan in Tehran on Monday evening knowing a win over the Central Asian nation will ensure the Iranians qualify for the World Cup for the second time in a row, the first time the country will have secured a place at back-to-back tournaments.

The Iranians lead Group A by four points from South Korea with the Uzbeks in third, a further point adrift of Iran with three games remaining.

The Chinese sit in fifth and take on fourth-placed Syria in the Malaysian city of Malacca on Tuesday with coach Marcello Lippi knowing his side must win to retain any possibility of qualification for the nation's first World Cup since 2002.

"It is totally within our capabilities to defeat Syria," said Lippi after seeing his side beat the Philippines 8-1 in a friendly in Guangzhou on Wednesday evening.

"If we lose to Syria both at home and away, then we deserve to be eliminated. If we don't want to give up now, no matter what we have to take down Syria."

The Syrians, who have defied the odds to remain in contention for a place in Russia and have eight points from seven games, won the previous match between the teams prior to Lippi's arrival as coach in November.

China sit on five points and retain a mathematical possibility of taking second place in the group from South Korea, but Lippi and his team need Uli Stielke's side to slip up in Doha when they take on a Qatar team who also need to win.

The Qataris, who will host the 2022 finals, have just four points and cannot finish in one of the top two spots that guarantee an automatic berth in Russia. They can, however, climb up to third, which secures a place in a series of playoffs.

In Group B, Japan can put daylight between themselves and second placed Saudi Arabia with victory over already eliminated Iraq in Tehran on Tuesday.

Japan currently sit level on 16 points with the Saudis and Australia, who defeated the Bert van Marwijk-coached Saudis 3-2 in Adelaide on Thursday evening.

Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates, under new coach Edgardo Bauza from Argentina, must win in Bangkok against Thailand to keep their hopes alive of a first World Cup appearance since 1990.

(Editing by Sudipto Ganguly)

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China, Qatar face elimination as Iran look to Russia - Channel NewsAsia

wbur

Comey testifies. A new FBI Director nominated. Iran terror attack. Our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines.

James Comey above all this week, in testimony on Capitol Hill, and the question: Did the President of the United States attempt to obstruct justice in conversation with the former director of the FBI? The whole country seemed to be listening. In the UK this week, a stunning election result puts Britain and its Brexit in trouble. In the Mideast, a row over Qatar, and terror in Tehran. Weve got Trump on infrastructure. Reality Winner. Bill Cosby on trial. This hourOn Point: Our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines. -- Tom Ashbrook

Lisa Desjardins, correspondent for the PBS NewsHour. (@LisaDNews)

Michael Crowley, senior foreign affairs correspondent for POLITICO.(@michaelcrowley)

Jack Beatty,On Point news analyst. (@JackBeattyNPR)

POLITICO:Comey blasts White House for lies, plain and simple -- "Fired FBI Director James Comey used a blockbuster appearance before the Senate on Thursday to accuse the Trump administration of slandering him with its explanations of his abrupt dismissal, but also said he did not believe President Donald Trump or his aides asked him to stop the broad probe into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election."

New York Times:Who is Christopher Wray? Trumps F.B.I. Pick Is Said to Be Low-Key and Principled "Mr. Wray is a safe, mainstream pick from a president who at one point was considering politicians for a job that has historically been kept outside partisanship. A former assistant attorney general under President George W. Bush, Mr. Wray is likely to assuage the fears of F.B.I. agents who worried that Mr. Trump would try to weaken or politicize the agency."

Tehran Times:Twin terror attacks hit Irans parliament, Imam Khomeini shrine -- "Iran's parliament and the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Revolution, were targeted on Wednesday morning by two simultaneous gun and suicide bomb assaults. The attacks unfolded as a number of gunmen stormed the main gate of the parliament building in central Tehran and opened fire. At the same time, a shooting spree targeted Imam Khomeinis shrine about 25 kilometers away in south Tehran."

Comey Hearing

Lisa Desjardins: "It was quite a hearing, and it had a lot of billing to live up to. I think it did that. I counted 259 questions in just over two and half hours yesterday, so that was more than one a minute. It was essentially a marathon at a sprinter's pace, if that makes sense. And I think what came across from that was more of an overall impression of the direction of the clouds, if you will, over President Trump ... There were some very large red flags that rose higher yesterday, but overall Republicans prosecuted their case against Mr. Comey, trying to bring up the point that, well obstruction of justice may not be something when a president says he 'hopes' you can see to do something. It has to be more clear than that. And Mr. Comey, while he said he felt he was being directed to do something, stressed that it was a feeling he had. This hasn't cleared the bar for obstruction of justice yet, Democrats are still making that case, but Republicans were happy that it seemed to fall short, at least so far.

Michael Crowley: "The Trump team and the Republican party have been hitting back on Comey pretty hard, and I would say given the terrible hand they've been dealt here, relatively effectively. Overall, Comey comes across as a sincere, credible, devoted now-former public servant. And I think that in a vacuum, if you didn't have partisan allegiances, I think most Americans, it's hard to imagine, would not find him incredibly compelling and credible. But there has been this organized counter-attack against his testimony that I think is probably scoring some points, certainly giving something for Republicans and Trump's core supporters to hang on to.

It has to worry them that this crack is going to widen and perhaps engulf them.

Jack Beatty: "This president has shown throughout the campaign, and certainly since his inauguration, that he has a almost wanton disregard for the truth, whether it's lying or dissembling or deceit whatever you want to call it, there's numerical markers for this. And Mr. Comey went right at that that is the character flaw in the president that makes defending him a very difficult proposition. And that has to, at some level, worry Republicans. Yes, I think Michael is right, they're rallying around as far as they can, but it has to worry them that this crack is going to widen and perhaps engulf them.

Britain Election Upset

Michael Crowley: "It really is a surreal turn of events in British politics, which has been chaotic for several years now, and what we're left with is kind of a scrambled egg. And I think people are still sorting through it and trying to figure out what emerges ... This backfired spectacularly on Theresa May, and what we can't be sure of is what role Donald Trump might have played here. Donald Trump, who is very unpopular in the UK and across Europe. May, of course, very early in Trump's presidency, went to the White House. They had a very chummy meeting, they rather famously held hands as they walked along the back of the White House outside the rose garden ... There are just all kinds of tides and currents happening in European politics right now, that I think we don't fully understand, and which are just causing chaos across the Western world.

There are just all kinds of tides and currents happening in European politics right now, that I think we don't fully understand, and which are just causing chaos across the Western world.

Trump's 'Infrastructure Week'

Lisa Desjardins: "We don't what kind of impact this would have on, say, taxes. Is he planning to use tax incentives to try and encourage businesses? That would have a major effect, potentially, on the deficit. There is no actual formal plan yet, there are just sort of bullet points that we've heard from the White House about what they would like to do. I think more than anything I don't want to rain on the infrastructure parade, because it is something that everyone recognizes as a need, and Democrats and Republicans both would like to work on but the truth is that congress is so backed up and so unable, right now, to find the votes for major issues, including health care and then tax reform, that it's not clear at all when a major infrastructure plan could get on the agenda.

Listen to our recent show on Trump's infrastructure plan.

This program aired on June 9, 2017.

Originally posted here:
Week In The News: Comey Hearing, Trump Tumult, Terror In Iran - WBUR

Tehran - Iran voiced its opposition on Saturday to an announcement by Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region that it will organise a vote on independence later this year.

"Iran's principal position is to support the territorial integrity of Iraq," foreign ministry spokesperson Bahram Ghasemi said.

"The Kurdistan region is part of the Iraqi republic and unilateral decisions outside the national and legal framework, especially the Iraqi constitution... can only lead to new problems."

Iraqi Kurdish leaders announced on Wednesday that they will organise an independence referendum on September 25, not only in their three-province autonomous region but also in other historically Kurdish-majority areas they have long sought to incorporate in it.

Iran worries about separatism among its own Kurds, most of whom live in areas along the border with Iraq.

Deadly clashes

Rebels of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) and the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) launch sporadic attacks into Iran from rear-bases in Iraq, triggering sometimes deadly clashes with the security forces.

After an upsurge attacks in 2011, Iranian troops launched a cross-border incursion, forcing KDPI to retreat deeper into Iraq.

The federal government in Baghdad is deeply opposed to the referendum plan of the regional government in Arbil, as is neighbouring Turkey, which has a large and restive Kurdish minority of its own.

Washington has expressed concern that it could distract from the joint fight against the Islamic State group by stoking tensions between the Kurds, and Arabs and Turkmen in northern Iraq.

"An integrated, stable and democratic Iraq guarantees the interests of the whole people [of Iraq] from all ethnic and religious groups," Ghasemi said.

"Today, Iraq more than ever needs peace and national unity and differences between Arbil and Baghdad must be resolved within the framework of dialogue and in compliance with Iraq's constitution."

24.com encourages commentary submitted via MyNews24. Contributions of 200 words or more will be considered for publication.

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Iran opposes Iraqi Kurdish independence vote - News24

SALT LAKE CITY The aromas upon entering Iman Alshrahebs Salt Lake Valley apartment, a world away from where she grew up, deliver a message Iraqi food travels well.

Middle Eastern dishes have a special way of tickling the taste buds. For members of the Alshraheb family, they also help savor memories of their southern Iraqi home in better times. Food is an important cultural lifeline for refugees, who have left almost everything behind to forge new lives in an unfamiliar land.

Recently, Iman, 56, stirred a skillet of onions, peppers, mushrooms, shrimp and spices as she talked with her daughter, Baidaa, 28, about their hometown of Basra and their more recent home as refugees in Jordan. The dish, a stew called magbus rabyan in their native Arabic tongue, is a mainstay in their household.

Iraqi recipes draw from a long history dating back to ancient Mesopotamia and they are influenced by Turkish, Persian and Syrian cultures.

Iman dreams of cooking again for her mother and brother, who remain in Iraq.

I want to see my family again, she said while preparing saffron rice that is traditionally served with the stew. I dont want to lose anyone.

Basra sits along the Shatt-Al-Arab waterway, which runs into the Persian Gulf, 65 miles away. Seafood is a staple of the denizens of the ancient city and surrounding area, Baidaa explained.

Here in Utah, her father, Abdul Rahman Alshraheb, 62, fishes the Jordan River regularly, keeping the refrigerator stocked with carp all summer.

In Iraq, Abdul Rahman owned and operated a car-parts store. The family had a large house surrounded by big, leafy trees in a pleasant neighborhood. On Sundays, the extended family would gather at Baidaas grandmothers house to drink tea in small, glass cups and catch up before a bountiful midafternoon meal.

Before the war, life was good in the city of 1.5 million. There was music and dance, and the family had a wide circle of friends that included writers and poets, Abdul Rahman recalled.

In addition to Baidaa, Iman and Abdul Rahman have three sons. In 1998, the youngest, Asad, then 18 months old, became extremely ill. At the hospital, Iman saw many babies who seemed to be dying. A doctor told her the best treatment for the youngster was in neighboring Jordan.

The family moved to Amman, believing they would return to Basra once Asad was well. That didnt happen. On March 20, 2003, the United States and its allies invaded the country that had been led for decades by strongman Saddam Hussein.

Although southern Iraq now is safer than Baghdad and parts north, violence mostly from car bombs remains unpredictable.

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Savoring memories from Iraq, family finds safety in Utah - Daily Herald

SOUTHWEST ASIA, June 10, 2017 U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 27 strikes consisting of 70 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 21 strikes consisting of 30 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed an ISIS oil refinery.

-- Near Raqqah, 20 strikes engaged 12 ISIS tactical units; destroyed seven fighting positions, four vehicles, three ISIS headquarters, a car bomb, and an ISIS-held building; and suppressed an ISIS tactical unit.

Strikes in Iraq

In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted six strikes consisting of 40 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Al Huwayjah, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed three ISIS-held buildings, a supply cache and an ISIS headquarters.

-- Near Bayji, a strike destroyed three car bombs, two car-bomb staging areas and a tactical vehicle.

-- Near Kisik, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed five fighting positions and a car bomb, and damaged two fighting positions.

-- Near Mosul, three strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units; destroyed seven fighting positions, three ISIS-held buildings, a command and control node, a car bomb, and a car-bomb staging area; and suppressed an ISIS tactical unit and a mortar system.

Previously Unreported

Additionally, seven previously unreported strikes were conducted in Syria and Iraq on June 7-8.

-- On June 7, near Raqqah, Syria, a strike destroyed an ISIS minefield.

-- On June 8, near Raqqah, Syria, three strikes destroyed four fighting positions and a car bomb.

-- On June 8, near Mosul, Iraq, two strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units; destroyed three front-end loaders, a car-bomb facility, a fighting position, a rocket-propelled grenade system, an excavator, and a command and control node; damaged 12 ISIS supply routes and a fighting position; and suppressed two ISIS tactical units.

-- On June 8, near Rawah, Iraq, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed four ISIS-held buildings.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world, task force officials said.

The list above contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft; rocket-propelled artillery; and some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.

Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. A strike, as defined by the coalition, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single or cumulative effect.

For example, task force officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIS-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined, officials said.

The task force does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.

More here:
US, Coalition Continue Strikes to Defeat ISIS in Syria, Iraq - Department of Defense