Obama defends Syria policy, plays down NSA spying ‘ruckus’

U.S. President Barack Obama gestures during a speech at the Belfast Waterfront on Monday, June 17, 2013, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Obama is attending the G-8 summit in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland where leaders are expected to discuss the ongoing conflict in Syria, and free-trade issues. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)President Barack Obama promised in an interview broadcast late Monday that his decision to arm Syrian rebels does not mean the United States is “taking sides in a religious war.” Obama, speaking to PBS’s Charlie Rose, also played down the “ruckus” over the NSA’s controversial surveillance programs. “If you're a U.S. person, then NSA is [...]



Brazil sees largest protests in 20 years

(Blank Headline Received)As many as 200,000 demonstrators marched through the streets.



Plan aims for women in most combat jobs

FILE - In this Sept. 18, 2012 file photo, female soldiers from 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division train on a firing range while testing new body armor in Fort Campbell, Ky., in preparation for their deployment to Afghanistan. Women may be able to begin training as Army Rangers by mid-2015, and as Navy SEALs a year later under broad plans Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is approving that would slowly bring women into thousands of combat jobs, including those in the country’s elite special operations forces, according to details of the plans submitted to Hagel that were obtained by The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)They may train as Army Rangers by 2015 and as Navy SEALs a year later.



Seeking a Syria consensus despite US-Russia divide

President Barack Obama meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, Monday, June 17, 2013. Obama and Putin discussed the ongoing conflict in Syria during their bilateral meeting. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland (AP) — Hunting for a glimmer of common ground, the leaders of major economic powers are declaring themselves dedicated to a political solution to Syria's bloody civil war, even as President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin stake out diametrically opposite stands on which side deserves military support.



Obama: NSA secret data gathering 'transparent'

U.S. President Barack Obama gestures during a speech at the Belfast Waterfront on Monday, June 17, 2013, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Obama is attending the G-8 summit in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland where leaders are expected to discuss the ongoing conflict in Syria, and free-trade issues. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama defended top secret National Security Agency spying programs as legal in a lengthy interview Monday, and called them transparent — even though they are authorized in secret.





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