December 20, 2015 US sending arms to Iraq's Kurds in battle against militants, official says The United States is sending weapons to Kurdish forces in Iraq who have begun to roll back gains made by Sunni militants, a senior U.S. official confirmed to Fox News.
December 20, 2015 Lawyer says American contractor held by Cuba bid farewell to wife, daughter A lawyer for an American who has spent more than four years imprisoned in Cuba said Monday that his client cannot take life in prison much longer and has said his goodbyes to his wife and a daughter.
December 20, 2015 Watchdog: $34M taxpayer-backed soybean program not sprouting in Afghanistan The U.S. Department of Agriculture is forking over millions of dollars for a soybean program in Afghanistan that's running into major problems, with Afghan farmers slow to embrace a product that few Afghans ate before.
December 20, 2015 US sending $22 million more to aid South Sudan The U.S. is sending an additional $22 million in humanitarian assistance to refugees and people displaced by the violence in South Sudan.
December 20, 2015 Kerry seeks to nudge Egypt's new president toward reforms on Cairo visit In a hastily-organized trip marked by extraordinarily tight security, Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Egypt on Sunday, embarking on a weeklong tour of Middle Eastern and European capitals where he will try to rally support for the embattled central government in Iraq.
December 20, 2015 Plan to aid Iraq army against militants was understaffed, marked by distrust, report claims A secret plan to aid the Iraqi army in its fight against Al Qaeda-aligned Sunni Muslim militants was authorized by President Barack Obama late last year, but was handicapped by a lack of resources and mistrust over Iran's influence on the government of Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, according to a published report.
December 20, 2015 Senate panel OKs $48.3 billion State Dep't budget A Senate panel has approved a $48.3 billion budget for foreign aid and State Department work next year.
December 20, 2015 White House mum on pleas from Iraq for airstrikes, as militants gain ground The Obama administration reportedly has rebuffed calls from the Iraqi government to carry out airstrikes against Al Qaeda-aligned militants who are on a violent march that is threatening to take over the nation's north.
December 20, 2015 Obama announces $5M more in non-lethal aid to Ukraine President Obama announced Wednesday that the U.S. would provide the Ukrainian government with $5 million worth of body armor, night-vision goggles and communication equipment in order to aid Kiev's ongoing fight against pro-Russian separatists in that country's east.
December 20, 2015 Obama calls for more spending on military presence, training in Europe On the first day of a four-day European trip that will include a remembrance of D-Day and much discussion about the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, President Obama called on Congress to approve up to $1 billion in spending on additional U.S. air and ground forces in Europe.
