Input: In Britain, Prime Minister Cameron's office issued a statement saying, "While the investigation is still ongoing we cannot say categorically why the Russian jet crashed

Britain

Russian

Cameron's

jet


Input: But as more information has come to light we have become concerned that the plane may well have been brought down by an explosive device.

plane


Input: The Metrojet Airbus took off from the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh for St. Petersburg, Russia Saturday and shortly thereafter disappeared from radar

resort

Egyptian

Sharm El-Sheikh

St. Petersburg

Russia


Input: A team of British aviation experts went to the Sharm-El-Sheikh airport to assess security there before any British flights will be allowed to leave the region

British

British

region

team


Input: White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Wednesday no U.S. air carriers regularly operate out of the Sinai Peninsula

U.S.

Sinai Peninsula

White House

spokesman

Josh Earnest

carriers


Input: But he noted that U.S. air safety experts warned commercial airlines several months ago that they were "at potential risk associated with extremist activity" if they flew over the Sinai

U.S.

Sinai


Input: Several airlines, including Air France, Lufthansa, Dubai-based Emirates and Qatar Airways have stopped flying over the Sinai Peninsula for safety reasons

Emirates

Sinai Peninsula

Air France

Lufthansa

Qatar Airways


Input: Fleet suspended-The Russian Federal Transport Agency said the airliner Metrojet has suspended all flights of Airbus A321 jets in its fleet since the crash

Russian Federal Transport Agency

Airbus

Metrojet

jets

fleet


Input: But Russia's government has rejected that theory, saying it is too early to say what caused the plane to crash

government

plane


Input: Authorities said they have not found any evidence of a missile attack at the time the jetliner crashed Saturday

jetliner

missile

attack

missile


Input: That leaves open the possibility of an explosion aboard the flight, either from a bomb or a mechanical failure

bomb


Input: A U.S. military satellite detected a heat flash at the time the jetliner crashed over the Sinai

U.S.

Sinai

military

jetliner


Input: But no missile launch or missile engine burn was detected

missile

missile


Input: Experts told U.S. media outlets the heat flash could point to a catastrophic event aboard the aircraft, such as an explosion, fire or even just the aircraft parts hitting the ground

U.S.

aircraft

aircraft


Input: Relatives mourn next to a coffin of Alexei Alexeev, a victim of a Russian airliner which crashed in Egypt, during a funeral ceremony at the Bogoslovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg, Russia, Nov. 5, 2015

Russian

Egypt

St. Petersburg

Russia

Bogoslovskoye

Alexei Alexeev


Input: A Kremlin spokesman said Thursday any conclusions before an investigation is completed are "speculation.

Kremlin

spokesman


Input: An Egyptian presidential spokesman has also cautioned against drawing conclusions yet

Egyptian

spokesman


Input: However, at least one Egyptian official is reported to have gone so far as to say the crash was an accident – not an act of terror

Egyptian


Input: The experts also have retrieved both black box flight recorders

experts


Input: In Disguise, VOA Team Ventures Into IS Stronghold-NANGARHAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN — -The so-called Islamic State group has sprung up and gained ground in eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province this year

NANGARHAR PROVINCE

AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province

Disguise

VOA Team Ventures

Islamic State group


Input: News from the area was spotty at best

area


Input: A VOA colleague and I decided to check things out for ourselves

VOA

colleague


Input: With me were cameraman Rahim Gul Sarwan and a local fixer, whose identity I will not reveal for security reasons

cameraman

Rahim Gul Sarwan

a local fixer


Input: Not only were we going to Nangarhar province, the Islamic State (IS) militants’ hub, but we were going to Achin district, their stronghold

Nangarhar province

Achin district

Islamic State

IS


Input: Boys observe as VOA cameraman Rahim Gul Sarwan prepares to shoot video in Achin district in eastern Afghanistan

Achin

Afghanistan

VOA

Boys

cameraman

Rahim Gul Sarwan


Input: Decades of conflict, a weak government and security forces stretched thin as a snare drum – combined with the presence of foreigners seen as flush with cash – have turned Afghanistan into a haven for criminals

Afghanistan

government


Input: No one was sure who the militants were

militants


Input: Other hazards, like roadside bombs and suicide attacks, are more random and harder to mitigate

bombs


Input: You can get hit by shrapnel on your way to a cafe, so you learn to cope with the fear

cafe


Input: We decided on a beat-up Toyota Corolla, a staple in Afghanistan, as our transportation

Afghanistan

Toyota Corolla


Input: Then we needed another vehicle: the right cover story, with fake IDs to match

vehicle


Input: We didn’t want to reveal our identities to hotel staff or local police at checkpoints

checkpoints

police


Input: Word of a visiting foreign journalist could spread quickly, perhaps to an IS spy or criminals looking for targets

IS

journalist


Input: If I wore local clothing and kept my mouth shut, I could pass as Afghan

Afghan


Input: With my Afghan cameraman and fixer, we could pass as a local family

Afghan

cameraman

fixer

family


Input: We picked a low-profile hotel, not a place where foreigners or the wealthy stay, and asked for rooms on the second floor

hotel

floor


Input: Jalalabad is much more conservative than the country's capital, Kabul

Jalalabad

capital

Kabul


Input: A woman standing in front of a camera, even in an abaya, would stick out, so we couldn’t do any street shots until the last day

street

woman


Input: We finished all indoor shooting first and planned street shots that could be finished in less than 10 minutes, and then left for Kabul right away

Kabul


Input: VOA reporter Ayesha Tanzeem, right, meets with a Shinwari tribal elder in Jalalabad, Afghanistan

Jalalabad

Afghanistan

VOA

reporter

Ayesha Tanzeem

a Shinwari tribal elder

meets

Ayesha Tanzeem


Input: On to Achin-But the trip to Achin proved even more nerve-racking

Achin


Input: IS militants have established safehavens in the district, from which they plan and mount attacks on surrounding areas, capturing and beheading hundreds of locals

district

surrounding areas

IS

militants

attacks

militants


Input: Once we left our Jalalabad hotel, using the toilet was not an option

hotel

Jalalabad


Input: Public toilets for women are rare in Afghanistan anyway

Afghanistan

women


Input: In a mostly rural area like Achin, they would be difficult to find

Achin

area


Input: We also knew that the moment we took out our camera or started talking to locals about IS in Achin, our cloak of invisibility would be gone, so we needed protection there and on the way back

Achin

IS


Input: A former mujahid who had fought the Russians and then the Taliban, Ghalib had become a bit of a local media celebrity for his bravery in taking on IS militants

Taliban

media

IS

celebrity

militants


Input: He would provide us security in Achin and escort us back to the highway

highway

Achin


Input: VOA journalist Ayesha Tanzeem visits a police checkpoint in Afghanistan’s Achin district with Colonel Jan Mohammad, left, a local Afghan National Army commander, and Zabihullah Zmaray, right, a Nangarhar provincial council member

checkpoint

Afghanistan’s Achin

Nangarhar

VOA

police

Afghan National Army

council

journalist

Ayesha Tanzeem

Colonel

Jan Mohammad

commander

Zabihullah Zmaray

member

visits

Ayesha Tanzeem

checkpoint


Input: He was another of the few local leaders who spoke up against IS in public, making him a target

IS


Input: Plus, he was an archetypal Afghan host – and I was now his guest

guest


Input: So, when we set out for Achin, we found two armored cars and dozens of men in bulletproof vests and fully loaded AK-47s waiting for us

Achin

men

cars


Input: On the road, we were joined by Afghan National Army troops, men in armored Humvees with rocket-propelled grenades

road

Afghan National Army

troops

men

Humvees

grenades


Input: Had I just been elected president of the country

country

president


Input: But the entourage meant that our VOA team no longer was invisible

VOA

team


Input: I couldn’t help but remember that some people in this region had been attacked by their own guards

region

some people

guards

attacked

guards


Input: Unbeknownst to our armed hosts, our local fixer was following at a safe distance in another beat-up Corolla, different from the one we’d used to travel to Jalalabad

Jalalabad


Input: An Afghan National Army soldier and VOA reporter Ayesha Tanzeem, left, wait at a police checkpoint barrier in Achin, a district in eastern Afghanistan

checkpoint

Achin

Afghanistan

Afghan National Army

VOA

police

soldier

Ayesha Tanzeem


Input: Dangerous road-Achin is a dusty place

Achin


Input: The main road into the district leads through areas that have witnessed fighting between IS and Taliban

road

IS

Taliban


Input: The driver told me that one bazaar on the way was considered particularly dangerous because militants sometimes throw grenades at moving cars

driver

militants

cars

grenades


Input: As we traveled to our final destination – the police checkpoint where the Afghan government’s writ ended – my fellow passengers pointed out holes in the road where explosive devices had recently blown up vehicles

checkpoint

road

police

Afghan government

we

passengers

vehicles

traveled

checkpoint


Input: By this time, we had left the armored cars behind and I was in an armored Humvee, clad in an abaya topped by a bulletproof vest

cars

Humvee


Input: As soon as we got out of the Humvee, we were told to duck and run behind the checkpoint barriers

checkpoint

Humvee


Input: Apparently, IS had long-range sniper rifles they had used to kill soldiers at that post

IS

sniper

soldiers

rifles

kill

IS

soldiers


Input: We got a clearer picture of the IS presence in the area, as well as the group's brutal, repressive tactics and how they’re affecting local people

area

IS


Input: Putin: US Knew Flight Path of Russian Jet Downed by Turkey-Russian President Vladimir Putin says the United States knew the flight path of a Russian jet, shot down by Turkey last Tuesday, and should have informed Turkey, its coalition ally

US

Russian

Turkey

Russian

United States

Russian

Turkey

Turkey

coalition

ally

Putin

Vladimir Putin

jet


Input: "The American side, which leads the coalition that Turkey belongs to, knew about the location and time of our planes' flights, and we were hit exactly there and at that time," Putin said in Moscow Thursday

American

coalition

Turkey

Moscow

location

Putin


Input: "If it was an American aircraft, would they have struck an American?

American

American

aircraft


Input: In an interview with CNN, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country would not apologize for downing the jet

Turkish

country

CNN

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

jet


Input: "I think if there is a party that needs to apologize, it is not us," Erdogan said

Erdogan


Input: "Those who violated our airspace are the ones who need to apologize.

airspace


Input: The Turkish leader sounded somewhat more concilatory in another interview Thursday, telling France 24 television: "Had we known it was a Russian plane, we may have acted differently

Turkish

France

Russian

plane


Input: But our pilots know the rules of engagement and have to do their duty to protect Turkish airspace.

Turkish

airspace

pilots


Input: 'Need to talk'-Erdogan added that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin “need to talk about what happened," but said the Russian leader "has not answered my calls.

Russian

Russian

Erdogan

Vladimir Putin


Input: Russian President addresses newly arrived foreign ambassadors of 15 countries during receiving credentials ceremony in Moscow's Kremlin, Russia, Nov. 26, 2015

Russian

Moscow's Kremlin

Russia


Input: "Why did we give this information to the Americans if they did not pass it along to the rest of the coalition?

Americans

coalition


Input: Earlier Thursday, Putin called the shoot-down "totally inexplicable treacherous stabs in the back from those we believed to be our partners and allies in the fight against terror.

allies

Putin


Input: He again insisted that the plane was shot down in Syrian airspace, calling the incident "against common sense and international law.

Syrian

airspace

plane


Input: "We received no comprehensive apology from Turkey's highest political level, no offer of compensation for the harm and damage, and no promise to punish the culprits of this crime," Putin said

Putin


Input: "One gets the impression that the Turkish government is consciously driving Russian-Turkish relations to a deadlock

Turkish

government


Input: FILE - The Egyptian Bazaar is shown with stalls beautifully displaying spices, dried fruit and nuts, in Istanbul, Turkey, Oct. 29, 2013

Egyptian

Istanbul

Turkey


Input: Russia is tightening restrictions on Turkish imports as tensions remain high between the two countries

Russia

Turkish

countries


Input: Speaking to local officials in Ankara on Thursday, Erdogan said the downing of the plane was "an automatic response" in line with the Turkish military's rules of engagement and that Russia had not been specifically targeted

Ankara

Turkish

Russia

officials

Erdogan

plane


Input: But he said Turkey would respond in "the same way" should "the same violation happen again today.

Turkey


Input: Islamic State oil-Erdogan also denied Russian accusations that Turkey has purchased oil and gas from the Islamic State group, and said his country's fight against the jihadists was "undisputed.

Russian

Turkey

Islamic State

Islamic State

group

Erdogan


Input: The U.S. has an agreement with Russia to avoid aircraft collisions over Syria where both countries are conducting bombing campaigns

U.S.

Russia

Syria

countries

aircraft


Input: He demanded anyone accusing Turkey of buying from the militants show proof of their accusations

Turkey

militants


Input: "Our country's stance against Daesh has been clear since the very beginning," Erdogan said, using the Arabic name for the Islamic State group

Daesh

Islamic State

group

Erdogan


Input: Nobody has the right to dispute our country's fight against Daesh or to incriminate us.

Daesh


Input: He also said Turkey was taking precautions to stop oil smuggling at its borders, which has been a key source of revenue for the militant group

Turkey

borders

group


Input: But Putin said that lines of oil tankers have been observed taking oil from Syria to Turkey and returning empty

Syria

Turkey

Putin

tankers


Input: “We see this every day,” he said, adding that it is hard to imagine that the Turkish government does not know

Turkish

government


Input: Russia also said it would subject Turkish food imports to extra scrutiny

Russia

Turkish


Input: Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, center rear, at a government meeting in Moscow, Russia, Nov. 26, 2015

Russian

Moscow

Russia

government

Dmitry Medvedev


Input: Turkey says it issued repeated warnings that the plane was in its airspace before shooting it down

Turkey

airspace

plane


Input: Medvedev ordered measures drawn up that would include freezing some joint investment projects with Turkey

Turkey

Medvedev


Input: A Kremlin spokesman denied Moscow was imposing an embargo on Turkey, but said the new restrictions were put in place for "various reasons," including the threat of "extremism.

Moscow

Turkey

Kremlin

spokesman


Input: Moscow's agricultural ministry said the reinforced controls on Turkish food and agricultural products were due to "repeated violations" of Russian safety regulations

Turkish

Russian

ministry


Input: Following the order, Russian media reported that trucks carrying Turkish goods were stranded at the border

Russian

Turkish

border

media

trucks

carrying

trucks

stranded at

trucks

border


Input: The step is similar to the apparently punitive restrictions Russia has placed on other countries following disagreements over foreign policy issues in recent years

Russia

countries


Input: He instructed the government to draft sanctions against Turkey within the next two days in a response to the downing of the Russian Su-24, which he described as an "act of aggression against our country.

Turkey

Russian

country

government


Input: Russian officials have disputed Turkey's claim that the plane had violated Turkish airspace and was warned repeatedly before being brought down

Russian

Turkish

airspace

officials

plane


Input: It was the first time in a half-century that a NATO member shot down a Russian plane

Russian

NATO

plane


Input: This frame grab from video by Haberturk TV, shows a Russian warplane on fire before crashing on a hill as seen from Hatay province, Turkey, Nov. 24, 2015

Russian

Hatay province

Turkey

Haberturk TV

warplane


Input: Meanwhile, the war of words between Moscow and Ankara continued

Moscow

Ankara


Input: One of the pilots who parachuted from Su-24 arrived Wednesday at a Russian base in Latakia after being rescued by members of the Syrian army

base

Russian

Latakia

Syrian

army

pilots

arrived

pilots

Latakia


Input: Alexander Orlov, Russia's ambassador to France, said the second pilot of the downed jet was "killed in a savage way.

Russia's

France

Alexander Orlov

ambassador

pilot

jet


Input: Speaking to reporters there, the rescued pilot denied that the jet had entered Turkey's airspace "even even for a single second" and insisted that the Turkish authorities had issued "no warnings whatsoever" to the plane before it was shot down

Turkish

reporters

pilot

jet

plane


Input: Audio recordings-However, Turkey released audio recordings of what it said are the Turkish military's repeated warnings to the pilot of the Russian plane before it was shot down at the border with Syria -- audio that grows increasingly more agitated

Turkey

Turkish

Russian

Syria

border

pilot

plane


Input: The recordings, made available to The Associated Press on Thursday, indicate the plane was warned several times Tuesday that it was approaching Turkey's airspace and asked to change course

Associated Press

plane


Input: In the recordings, a voice is heard saying in broken English: "This is Turkish Air Force speaking on guard

Turkish Air Force


Input: You are approaching Turkish airspace

Turkish

airspace


Input: Putin said the downing of its plane by Turkey was an act of betrayal by a country Russia had thought of as a friendly state

Turkey

country

Russia

state

Putin

plane


Input: The audio that was released only involved Turkish warnings, no replies by a Russian pilot

Turkish

Russian

pilot


Input: It was not clear if Russian replies were received but not released by the Turkish government, or if the Russian pilots never replied to the warnings or if they never heard the warnings

Russian

Turkish

Russian

government

pilots


Input: Security threat-Earlier this week, Erdogan said his country was simply defending its security when it shot down the plane

country

Erdogan

plane


Input: On Thursday, he said the downing of the Russian fighter was an "automatic reaction" in line with standing instructions given to the military

Russian

military


Input: While Erdogan and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said they do not wish to escalate tensions with Moscow, Russia has announced several responses to the downing

Turkish

Moscow

Russia

Ahmet Davutoglu


Input: Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday the military will send its advanced S-400 missile system to Syria's Latakia province, which borders Turkey

Syria's Latakia province

Turkey

Defense

military

Sergei Shoigu

missile


Input: It is also deploying the guided missile cruiser Moskva to the area

Moskva

area

missile


Input: Turkish officials have issued multiple warnings about aircraft violating its airspace during Syria's 4½-year civil war

Turkish

airspace

officials

aircraft


Input: “Had we thought of this, we would have established systems to protect our aircraft.

aircraft


Input: Russia announced Wednesday it is sending S-400 missile system to Syria's Latakia province, which borders Turkey

Russia

Syria's Latakia province

Turkey

missile


Input: Putin said that it was "not possible" for Turkey not to have known that the plane was Russian, as suggested by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on French television

Turkey

Russian

Turkish

French

Putin

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

plane


Input: A Second Night of Chicago Protests Over Police Shooting-Protesters took to the streets of Chicago for the second straight night Wednesday, one day after the city's police department released video of a black teenager being shot to death by a white officer

streets

Chicago

police

department

Protesters

teenager

officer

took

Protesters

Chicago

death

teenager


Input: The protesters rallied in downtown Chicago, following the release of video that showed officer Jason Van Dyke shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times in October 2014

Chicago

protesters

officer

Jason Van Dyke

Laquan McDonald

shooting

Jason Van Dyke

Laquan McDonald

rallied

Chicago


Input: "There are several black men and women who have been killed in the hands of police

police

men

women

killed

women

police


Input: "Man, I'm here to defend everybody from senseless killings, from the police," another protester said

police

protester


Input: "We are all human, we all have families, we all have love and heart

families


Input: And for my family and for Chicago, we are gonna do something about it.

Chicago

family


Input: Police and police vehicles patrolled streets in downtown Chicago amid the protests to ensure safety on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday

streets

Chicago

police

vehicles


Input: Demonstrators also took to the streets Wednesday night in New York City, following a recent incident in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in which five people were shot during a protest conducted by the group Black Lives Matter near a police station

streets

station

New York City

Minneapolis

Minnesota

group

police

Demonstrators

took

Minnesota


Input: Van Dyke was arrested Tuesday and charged with murder

Van Dyke

arrested

Van Dyke


Input: The five were part of a crowd protesting the recent fatal police shooting a black man

police

man


Input: TV footage showed protesters converging on the Macy's department store in downtown Manhattan

Manhattan

protesters


Input: U.S. media reported that police arrested several people during the New York protests

U.S.

New York

media

police

people

arrested

police

New York


Input: Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke is seen in an undated picture released by the Cook County state's attorney's office in Chicago

Chicago

Cook County

Chicago

Jason Van Dyke


Input: Van Dyke fired-In Chicago, Van Dyke turned himself in to authorities Tuesday and has been charged with first degree murder

Chicago

Van Dyke

Van Dyke


Input: He also has been fired from the police department

police

department


Input: The officer is accused of shooting McDonald 16 times, with many of those shots coming after McDonald was on the ground

officer

McDonald

McDonald

shooting

officer


Input: No sound is heard before Van Dyke opens fire and continues firing after McDonald falls to the ground

McDonald

Van Dyke


Input: Demonstrators chanted "16 shots," "don't shoot" and held banners reading "Laquan needs justice," "stop police brutality" and "black lives matter.

police

Demonstrators


Input: The Chicago Tribune newspaper quotes police as saying McDonald was behaving erratically, had drugs in his system, and refused police commands to drop a knife he was holding

Chicago Tribune

newspaper

police

McDonald

police

knife


Input: The Chicago shooting is another in a series of highly publicized police shootings and deadly assaults of young black men by officers -- mostly white, some black

Chicago

police

men

officers


Input: Chicago police have said they will not tolerate criminal behavior during the protests

Chicago

police


Input: But they do not have the right to... acts," Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said Tuesday

Garry McCarthy


Input: A court ordered the city to release the police car camera video of the shooting of Laquan McDonald by officer Jason Van Dyke

city

court

police

Laquan McDonald

officer

Jason Van Dyke

car


Input: The order came after a journalist filed a Freedom of Information (FOIA) request to make the video public

Freedom of Information

FOIA

journalist


Input: They also showed pictures of black people who had been killed by police in recent years and called on people to prevent similar tragedies from happening again

police

black people

killed

police


Input: Protesters arrested-Several people were arrested during the protests

people

arrested

people


Input: Demonstrators took lights off a Christmas tree in a park, according to U.S. media reports

park

U.S.


Input: TV footage showed protesters trying to pull police bicycles away from officers

police

officers


Input: "There is not just him (Laquan McDonald)," one protester said

Laquan McDonald

protester


Input: Role of Terrorism in Shooting Causes Multiple Concerns, Fears -Links between the Islamic State group and Tashfeen Malik, which the Pakistani native confirmed just before she and her husband opened fire with automatic rifles and slaughtered 14 people in California on Wednesday, have greatly expanded concerns about foreign terrorists' influence on American soil

Pakistani

California

American

Islamic State

group

Tashfeen Malik

she

husband

14 people

rifles

fire

husband

rifles

slaughtered

husband

California


Input: Malik, 29, and her American-born husband, Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, are now the principal focus of an enormous effort by U.S. authorities to discover what motivated or inspired the couple to plan and carry out the attacks, which primarily targeted Farook's co-workers in California's San Bernardino County, east of Los Angeles

U.S.

California's San Bernardino County

Los Angeles

Malik

husband

Syed Rizwan Farook

couple

co-workers

attacks

California's San Bernardino County


Input: FILE - Federal Bureau of Investigation assistant director David Bowdich speaks during a news conference in San Bernardino, Calif., Dec. 4, 2015

San Bernardino

Calif.

Federal Bureau of Investigation

director

David Bowdich

conference

David Bowdich

San Bernardino


Input: The San Bernardino shootings could be seen as the worst assault on the United States by Islamic extremists since the multiple attacks on New York and Washington by al-Qaida-sponsored terrorists on September 11, 2001

San Bernardino

United States

New York

Washington

Islamic extremists

terrorists

assault

United States

United States

Islamic extremists

attacks

Washington


Input: Nearly 3,000 people died then – in New York at the site of former World Trade Center, at the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C., and at a rural site in Pennsylvania

New York

Washington, D.C.

Pennsylvania

World Trade Center

people

died

Pennsylvania


Input: Hijacked commercial airliners crashed at each location

airliners


Input: Since the Islamic State group became a fierce and notoriously brutal force in recent years in Iraq and Syria, it has called repeatedly on its followers to stage violent attacks against the United States as well as U.S. coalition partners in Europe and the Gulf

Iraq

Syria

United States

U.S.

coalition

Europe

Gulf

Islamic State

group


Input: Whether Islamic State inspired or directed the attack, "there’s value for ISIS to claim it either way," the director of transnational threats at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies said, using another acronym for the group

Islamic State

ISIS

Center for Strategic and International Studies

group

director


Input: An undated combination of California Department of Motor Vehicles photos shows Tashfeen Malik, left, and Syed Farook, the husband and wife who died in a gunbattle with authorities after a mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., Dec. 2, 2015

San Bernardino

California Department of Motor Vehicles

Tashfeen Malik

Syed Farook

husband

wife

gunbattle

shooting

San Bernardino

died

Syed Farook


Input: A claim lends credibility to the call to battle, Thomas Sanderson explained

Thomas Sanderson


Input: "I think it makes Americans feel to some degree uniformly vulnerable because this was a strike at an office and not a strike on a financial center or a strike on the Pentagon or the FBI headquarters.

office

center

headquarters

Pentagon

FBI


Input: Malik and Farook fled the bloodbath and were at large for several hours Wednesday, until they tried to shoot their way out of a police cordon and died in a volley of hundreds of bullets

police

Malik

Farook

they

bullets

shoot

police

died

they

bullets

fled

Malik


Input: A confirmed link between IS and one or both assailants would also expand "the spectrum of attack techniques," he added

IS

assailants


Input: Women have been active in various terrorist groups and, "in terms of ISIS, they've played various roles as radicalizers and recruits and propagandists," said Hughes, deputy director of The George Washington University’s program on extremism

groups

ISIS

Hughes

director

George Washington


Input: The new study on terrorist infiltration found up to 300 Americans or U.S.-based people sympathetic to the Islamic State group who are active on social media

Islamic State

group


Input: FILE - Women and children attend the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA members prayer vigil for the victims of Wednesday's massacre at the San Bernardino's Baitul Hameed Mosque in Chino, Calif., Dec. 3, 2015

Chino

Calif.

San Bernardino's Baitul Hameed Mosque

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA

Women

children

attend

children

San Bernardino's Baitul Hameed Mosque


Input: Hughes said there is no "typical profile when it comes to ISIS recruits," but he found a husband-and-wife attack team notable: "In terms of the couple, that is a unique dynamic.

ISIS

team

Hughes

recruits

husband-and-wife


Input: It is not clear whether whether Malik or Farook first became radicalized, or when and where

Malik

Farook


Input: Before that bloody ending, however, a message apparently posted by Malik appeared on Facebook in which she pledged allegiance to the Islamic State terror group, and specifically to its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in Syria

Syria

Islamic State

group

Malik

leader

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi


Input: Malik was living in Saudi Arabia; Farook visited there and Pakistan last year, returning with Malik, who was granted a U.S. visa as his fiancée

Saudi Arabia

Pakistan

U.S.

Malik

Malik


Input: The couple married in the United States and had a baby daughter about six months ago

United States

baby

daughter


Input: This is a guy who grew up in America

America

guy


Input: He may have thought that, with a wife and a child, he may not attract … attention.

wife

child


Input: Or Malik may have taken the lead

Malik


Input: That’s what makes it so difficult to identify," said Colin Clarke, a RAND Corp. researcher who focuses on insurgency and counterinsurgency

RAND Corp.

Colin Clarke

researcher


Input: FILE - A police officer picks up a weapon from the scene of the investigation around the area of the SUV vehicle where two suspects were shot by police following a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, Dec. 3, 2015

San Bernardino

California

area

police

police

officer

suspects

vehicle

weapon

shooting

San Bernardino

shot

suspects

police


Input: Immigration-Malik entered the United States on a fiancée visa, which may ratchet up already-heightened interest in how newcomers are screened

United States

Malik

entered

Malik

United States


Input: The coordinated November 13 terrorist attacks in Paris focused attention on refugee resettlement and, more recently, on visa waivers

Paris

attacks

Paris


Input: The White House this week announced tighter screening for the latter program, used by about 20 million visitors to the United States each year

United States

White House


Input: FILE - News media look at documents left inside the home of suspects Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik in Redlands, California, following Wednesday's attacks, Dec. 4, 2015

home

Redlands

California

Syed Rizwan Farook

Tashfeen Malik

attacks


Input: To get a U.S. fiancée visa, or K-1 nonimmigrant visa, requires rigorous screening, says Palma Yanni, a past president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association

U.S.

American Immigration Lawyers Association

Palma Yanni

president


Input: Applicants face a battery of security hurdles, including repeated biometric and biographic testing, international checks for financial and criminal records, and interviews at a U.S. consulate, Yanni said

U.S.


Input: Yanni pointed out applicants must marry within 90 days of entering the United States and must file another set of papers to confirm they married

United States

Yanni

applicants

entering

United States


Input: The post was removed a day later, but messages circulated by Islamic State Saturday claimed Malik and Farook as "soldiers" and "supporters" of the extremist group

Islamic State

group

Malik

Farook

soldiers


Input: IS online radio broadcasts described them as "martyrs.

IS


Input: Terror claims-The Federal Bureau of Investigation's David Bowdich, in charge of that agency's Los Angeles office, appeared before reporters late Friday and announced: "We are now investigating these horrific acts as an act of terrorism.

Los Angeles

The Federal Bureau of Investigation's

David Bowdich

reporters


Input: Bowdich and other law-enforcement officials in California have steered clear of specifically tying Malik and Farook's actions to Islamic extremism

California

officials

Malik


Input: But many investigators and experts who study extremist groups suspect Islamic State's claims about the California couple may be borne out

California

groups

investigators

experts


Input: Activists: Russia’s Rights Crackdown Reminiscent of Soviet Era-MOSCOW — -A Russian court for the first time has sentenced an activist to three years in prison under a 2014 law for repeatedly protesting without permission

prison

Soviet

MOSCOW

Russian

court

activist


Input: Amnesty International called for activist Ildar Dadin to be released immediately after a judge at Moscow’s Basmanny Court issued the decision Monday

Amnesty International

Moscow’s Basmanny Court

activist

Ildar Dadin

judge


Input: One of the people being investigated is 75-year-old Vladimir Ionov, who was the first to face criminal charges under the 2014 law, but has not yet been sentenced

Vladimir Ionov


Input: FILE - A man speaks to police at an unsanctioned protest in Moscow, Russia, Dec. 30, 2014

Moscow

Russia

police

man

speaks

police

Moscow


Input: Rights groups said the raid was an obvious attempt to pressure the station, one of the few remaining broadcasters in Russia willing to give voice to critics of the Kremlin and President Vladimir Putin

station

Russia

Kremlin

groups

Vladimir Putin


Input: The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists expressed alarm at what it sees as Russia’s harassment of Dozhd

Committee to Protect Journalists


Input: In 2014, Russian cable providers dropped the channel after pressure from authorities over a poll questioning if surrender to the Nazis would have been better than the human costs of the 1940s siege of Leningrad

Russian

Leningrad

Nazis


Input: Despite its limited reach, unlike state broadcasters, Dozhd refuses to bow to authorities and often interviews opposition politicians and activists

state

broadcasters


Input: “It seems that the government wants those people who are critical toward its policies and practices to voice their criticism solely within the confines of their kitchens, just like back in the Soviet times, said Tanya Lokshina, Russia program director for Human Rights Watch in Moscow

Soviet

Russia

Moscow

government

Human Rights Watch

Tanya Lokshina

director


Input: The sentence was a year longer than what prosecutors were seeking

prosecutors


Input: “It seems that the government is effectively trying to exterminate independent criticism by attacking non-governmental organizations, by attacking independent media outlets, by attacking individual critics,” Lokshina said

government

organizations

outlets

critics


Input: Since Putin returned to the Kremlin in 2012, amid massive anti-government protests, Russia has enacted tighter controls on freedom of assembly, the press, foreign organizations, and groups that receive foreign funding

Russia

Kremlin

organizations

groups

Putin


Input: FILE - A man passes by the office of "Memorial" rights group in Moscow, Russia, Nov. 21, 2012

Moscow

Russia

Memorial

group

man


Input: The building has the words “Foreign Agent (Loves) USA” spray-painted on its facade

building

USA


Input: ‘Foreign agents’-Russian prosecutors in recent months blacklisted three U.S. groups, the National Endowment for Democracy, Open Society Foundations, and the U.S.-Russia Foundation for Economic Advancement and the Rule of Law, under an “undesirables” law

Russian

U.S.

groups

National Endowment for Democracy

Open Society Foundations

U.S.-Russia Foundation for Economic Advancement

prosecutors


Input: More than 100 Russian organizations have been labeled as “foreign agents,” a term with Soviet-era connotations of spying and accepting foreign funding for activities deemed political

Russian

organizations


Input: Rights groups say many have scaled back operations or closed down because of the label

groups


Input: Activists say the crackdown demonstrates Russian authorities’ fear of greater instability as the country heads into recession, while maintaining what is widely seen as direct military support for rebels in eastern Ukraine and growing military action in Syria

Russian

country

Ukraine

Syria

military

military


Input: "Russia is heading for tougher times, economically, first of all,” says Amnesty’s Krivosheev

Russia

Amnesty’s Krivosheev


Input: The law allows Russian authorities to hand down criminal sentences of up to five years in prison after four unsanctioned demonstrations within a six-month period

prison

Russian


Input: “I think that’s the government preparing for tougher times ahead," he added

government


Input: Dadin was first detained in 2012 for protesting the conviction of anti-government demonstrators

Dadin

demonstrators

detained


Input: He was detained several times since and placed under house arrest in January after his fourth unsanctioned demonstration since 2014

He

detained


Input: Denis Krivosheev, deputy director for Europe and Central Asia at Amnesty International, told VOA three more people are being investigated under the law

Europe

Central Asia

Amnesty International

VOA

Denis Krivosheev

director


Input: “And, I'm saying we expect [a conviction] because, given the state of Russia's criminal justice system and its judiciary, it would be a miracle to expect that there would be a fair trial.

state

judiciary


Input: A Year After Rapprochement, Cubans Still Waiting for Change-WASHINGTON — -A year ago, after months of secret negotiations, the leaders of Cuba and the U.S. announced in almost simultaneous speeches the two nations were restoring diplomatic ties after 54 years

WASHINGTON

Cuba

U.S.

nations


Input: Around noon on national television, President Raul Castro addressed millions of watching Cubans: “As a result of a dialogue at the highest level, which included a phone conversation I had yesterday with President [Barack] Obama, we have been able to make headway in the solution of some topics of mutual interest for both nations.

nations

Raul Castro

[Barack] Obama

conversation

[Barack] Obama


Input: The White House hoped this opening would create a better environment for human rights on the island

island

White House


Input: But so far, according to dissidents and opposition organizations, that has not happened

organizations

dissidents


Input: “It is about time the Obama administration starts to reevaluate its attitude if they see that the Cuban government does not fulfill what it promised,” said Guillermo Fariñas, a Cuban political dissident and winner of the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought awarded by the European Union Parliament

Cuban

Cuban

administration

government

European Union Parliament

Obama

Guillermo Fariñas

dissident


Input: Fariñas argues that in the past year there has been an increase in temporary arrests by government security forces to 1,200 to 1,500 each month

government

forces


Input: Every Sunday for more than 30 consecutive weeks this year, the Damas de Blanco, or Ladies in White, an opposition movement formed by wives and other female relatives of Cuban jailed dissidents, have marched in the Miramar neighborhood of Havana

Cuban

Havana

Miramar

neighborhood

Damas de Blanco

relatives

dissidents


Input: These protesters constantly face the censorship of the Cuban government and according to people on the island, they have also faced increased levels of violence

Cuban

island

government


Input: Human rights-The State Department said it brings up human rights in meetings between U.S. and Cuban delegations every few months

U.S.

Cuban

State Department

meetings

Cuban


Input: The White House said both nations “held a human rights dialogue in Washington, D.C., in March” and the U.S. will “continue to criticize violations of human rights and advocate for the respect of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

nations

Washington, D.C.

U.S.

White House


Input: Cuban cigar-maker Habanos S.A. predicted in February it would gain 25 percent to 30 percent of the U.S. premium cigar market if the U.S. lifts its trade embargo on Cuba

Cuban

U.S.

U.S.

Cuba

embargo


Input: “The unresolved matter is yet to be solved … and that is that the Cuban government restores relations with its people

Cuban

government


Input: That the Cuban government ends, once and for all, the economic and political blockade that it has imposed against the Cuban people, to allow the Cuban people to invest, to be entrepreneurs and to express and associate freely,” 14yMedio's Escobar said

Cuban

Cuban

Cuban

government

14yMedio's Escobar


Input: They also allow more business transactions between the American and Cuban private sectors

American

Cuban


Input: Regulatory changes permitted U.S. telecommunications and Internet companies to engage more on the island, which many hoped would translate into better and faster Internet connectivity for Cubans

U.S.

island

companies


Input: FILE - People surf the Internet at a Wi-Fi hotspot in Havana, Cuba, Nov. 25, 2015

Havana

Cuba


Input: Claudio Fuentes, a Cuban photographer based in Havana, and also a member of Estado de SATS, a policy and cultural organization, said that before all these changes, the Castro administration had blamed economic conditions on the U.S. trade embargo

Cuban

Havana

U.S.

Estado de SATS

organization

administration

Claudio Fuentes

photographer

Castro


Input: And now, the government is digging in its heels

government


Input: … What we see is a series of rejections to any kind of aperture,” Fuentes said

Fuentes


Input: Obama has stated he wants the embargo to be lifted

Obama


Input: This is not likely to happen anytime soon with a Republican majority in Congress that not only opposes lifting it, but the entire process of normalization

Republican

Congress


Input: “The day that embargo or blockage, or whatever you want to call it, ends, that is when we will start to see who is really responsible and the culprit for our difficulties,” Escobar said

Escobar


Input: The government in Havana has what Cubans call a “no rush but no pause” approach to the normalization process and the changes that come with it

Havana

government


Input: FILE - A screenshot from Cuban television shows President Raul Castro addressing the country, in Havana, Dec. 17, 2014

Cuban

country

Havana

Raul Castro


Input: Hardliner dissidents, such as Fariñas, who have opposed the reestablishment of diplomatic ties, say the Obama administration should reassess its relations with the Castro authorities

administration

dissidents

Obama

Castro


Input: The pulse on the island this holiday season is far from positive and hopeful

island


Input: One woman told VOA that malanga, a national food staple, is often hard to find

VOA

woman


Input: “Nothing has changed at all; everything is the same,” said another Cuban, who asked for anonymity fearing retaliation from the Cuban government

Cuban

government

Cuban


Input: The White House has touted the restoration of ties as a positive step for Cubans: “Simply put, our new Cuba policy allows us to more effectively improve the lives of the Cuban people.

Cuba

Cuban

White House


Input: But a year after the historic step, many Cubans say conditions on the island remain the same

island


Input: Issues of concern-According to Cubans interviewed by Voice of America, topics of concern such as human rights, access to the Internet, political prosecution, food shortages and low wages remain unchanged

Voice of America


Input: There were people who had the hope that in less than two months we would have McDonald’s on the corners of Havana and that Internet cables would be connected in less than three or four months,” said Reinaldo Escobar, one of the leading journalists in Cuba and co-founder and editor of 14yMedio, a renowned digital publication

Havana

Cuba

Reinaldo Escobar

journalists

editor


Input: US Air Force Tracks Santa's Progress Around the Globe-His arrival is perhaps the most anticipated moment of the year for many children

US

children


Input: It comes on a glorious night when nine reindeer zoom into the sky at the North Pole and carry his sleigh full of toys around the globe, stopping at house after house where he descends down the chimney with a gift for ever good little boy and girl inside

house

house

chimney

the North Pole

globe

girl


Input: The apps can be set to eight different languages: English, Spanish, Dutch, French, Italian, Portuguese and Chinese

Italian


Input: NORAD’s mission to scan the skies above North America makes it an obvious fit for the task of tracking Santa, but the entire enterprise began by accident

Santa

North America

enterprise


Input: In 1955, the Sears Roebuck & Co. department store placed an ad in a Colorado Springs newspaper with a phone number for kids to call and speak to Santa

Colorado Springs

Sears Roebuck & Co.

kids


Input: But the number was incorrect, and instead went to a phone inside NORAD’s predecessor agency, the Continental Air Defense Command

NORAD’s

agency

Continental Air Defense Command


Input: Fortunately for the kids, the staff working that Christmas leapt into action and put their radar equipment to work keeping tabs on the jolly man in the big red suit

kids

man


Input: There were 2.8 billion people in the world in 1955, and now there are more than two and a half times that number

world


Input: Parents urge kids to go to bed and let visions of sugarplums dance in their heads, lest he arrive to find them awake and dash away to the next house without stopping

house

kids


Input: But the children cannot get the question of the night out of their minds: When will Santa Claus get here

children

Santa Claus


Input: The personnel at Peterson Air Force base in Colorado are answering phone calls from kids across the world with the latest information on Santa’s location on his journey and an estimate of when he will arrive in their town

base

Colorado

town

Peterson Air Force

world

personnel

kids

answering

personnel


Input: Some kids will have their call answered by a special guest, First Lady Michelle Obama, who volunteers every year as part of NORAD’s Santa Tracker

kids

guest

Michelle Obama

answered

Michelle Obama


Input: The program is in its 60th year, and in addition to serving kids by phone it includes a website that shows Santa’s location along with constantly updating statistics about his trip

kids


Input: Analysts: Anti-IS Coalition Strikes in Syria Yielding Results-An Islamic State judge is among the latest top jihadists to be killed in targeted coalition airstrikes that are seen as beginning to take a toll on the leadership ranks of the terrorist army

Syria

coalition

Islamic State

State

army

judge


Input: U.S. officials vow 2016 will see many more strikes aimed at degrading the militant group's command and control structure and especially of its mid-level battlefield leadership

U.S.

officials


Input: Last week, a Pentagon spokesman said 10 Islamic State leaders had been killed since early December, including individuals linked to the planning of the November terror attacks in Paris that left 130 dead

Paris

Pentagon

Islamic State

spokesman

leaders


Input: Colonel Steve Warren, a spokesman for the U.S.-led military campaign against Islamic State, told reporters that the leadership deaths were affecting IS on the battlefield

military

Islamic State

IS

Colonel

Steve Warren

spokesman

reporters


Input: He attributed several successes of anti-IS fighters on the ground in recent weeks, including the retaking of the Iraqi city of Ramadi, to “the fact that the organization is losing its leadership.

Iraqi

city

Ramadi

organization

fighters


Input: Members of Iraq's elite counter-terrorism service flash the "V" for victory sign, Dec. 29, 2015 in the city of Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's Anbar province, about 110 kilometers west of Baghdad, after Iraqi forces recaptured it from the Islamic State (IS)

city

Ramadi

capital

Iraq's Anbar province

Baghdad

Iraqi

Islamic State

IS

forces


Input: The latest targeted strike came Saturday on the Iraqi town of Tel Afar — an attack that killed Sharia Court judge Hisham Hussein Shakhbalar al-Afri and well as the IS security chief in the town, Taha Muhammad Nur Qazzan, according to Iraqi security sources

Iraqi

town

Tel Afar

town

Iraqi

Sharia Court

IS

judge

Hisham Hussein Shakhbalar al-Afri

Taha Muhammad Nur Qazzan

killed

Taha Muhammad Nur Qazzan


Input: They say a missile launched from a drone struck a convoy carrying the judge, killing him and Tel Afar’s security chief along with their 11 guards

judge

Tel Afar’s security chief

guards

convoy

missile

struck

missile

killing

guards


Input: Other top figures from the group killed recently include Abdul Qader Hakim, who was slain in the Iraqi city of Mosul on December 24 and, in Syria on the same day, Charaffe al Mouadan

Iraqi

city

Mosul

Syria

group

Abdul Qader Hakim

Charaffe al Mouadan

slain

Abdul Qader Hakim

Mosul


Input: U.S. and European officials say both men were linked to the Paris attacks and were helping to plan other terrorist assaults in Europe

U.S.

Paris

European

Europe

officials

men


Input: Western governments appear keen to strike back quickly at IS planners responsible for the killing of their citizens, if for no other reason than to reassure their own publics

Western

IS


Input: U.S. commando raids designed to throw the group’s leadership off balance are also more likely

U.S.


Input: Last November, British IS militant Mohammed Emwazi, who was dubbed by the press as “Jihadi John” and who appeared in several beheading videos, was believed to have been killed in a British drone strike in Syria

British

Syria

British IS

Mohammed Emwazi

Jihadi John

dubbed

Mohammed Emwazi

Jihadi John

killed

Mohammed Emwazi

Syria


Input: In August a British drone strike killed Reyaad Khan, a 21-year-old from Cardiff in Wales

British

Cardiff

Wales

Reyaad Khan

killed

Reyaad Khan


Input: In the same month, Junaid Hussain, a 21-year-old hacker-turned-jihadist from Birmingham in Britain, who ran an IS information and recruitment arm from Syria, was killed in a U.S. drone strike near Raqqa

Birmingham

Britain

Syria

U.S.

Raqqa

IS

Junaid Hussain

killed

Junaid Hussain

Raqqa


Input: FILE - A masked, black-clad militant, who has been identified by the Washington Post newspaper as a Briton named Mohammed Emwazi, brandishes a knife in this still image from a 2014 video obtained from SITE Intel Group

Washington Post

SITE Intel Group

Briton

Mohammed Emwazi

knife


Input: “It’s not as easy as looking at an iPhone video of a convoy and then immediately striking,” General Martin Dempsey, who stepped down in September as the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, once cautioned a Senate panel

U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff

Senate

Martin Dempsey

chairman

convoy


Input: With targeted strikes mounting, IS appears ever more concerned about spies helping to direct the bombing runs or spotting possible jihadists to strike

IS

strikes

IS


Input: In the IS propaganda video released Sunday, one of the detained men, Obay Mohammed Abdul Ghani, a 26-year-old, claimed under duress that he was asked to film the tags of a specific car to pinpoint its location so it could be bombed

location

IS

men

Obay Mohammed Abdul Ghani

car

detained

IS

Obay Mohammed Abdul Ghani


Input: This image made from gun-camera video taken on July 4, 2015 and released by United States Central Command shows an airstrike on a bridge near Islamic State group-held Raqqa, Syria, that was a key transit route for the militants

bridge

Raqqa

Syria

United States Central Command

Islamic State

militants

airstrike

Syria


Input: In his forced confession, he said he was asked also for a map of the Islamic court building in Raqqa so that it could be bombed - and told to secure the computer IP address for an Australian member of IS so his location could be pinpointed

building

Raqqa

Australian

Islamic court

court

IS

bombed

Raqqa


Input: The targeted airstrikes appear to be alarming the group — that is if the latest IS propaganda video is anything to go by, analysts say

group

IS


Input: In another forced confession a detainee says he was sent photographs of British IS fighters and asked to pinpoint their locations so they could be attacked

British

IS

fighters


Input: IS appears to have become increasingly concerned about its vulnerability to airstrikes in Syria

Syria

IS


Input: In Raqqa the group has evacuated landmark buildings or thinned out the number of fighters occupying them,and more IS members are showing signs of being security conscious by wearing ski masks

Raqqa

group

IS

fighters

members


Input: Also, more fighters are being housed among the civilian population, according to anti-IS activists

fighters


Input: A gruesome ten-minute execution-style video released at the weekend, featuring five men from the city of Raqqa “confessing” under duress to having helped pinpoint locations and foreign jihadist fighters for bombing runs, suggests that airstrikes are figuring prominently in the minds of IS propagandists

city

Raqqa

men

fighters


Input: None of the men from Raqqa — all were filmed being shot dead at point-blank range — admitted in their forced confessions to having spied for any particular country, although the British-accented IS narrator says on the video they were working for British intelligence

Raqqa

country

British

IS

men


Input: This undated image, taken from video posted online Jan. 3, 2016, by the communications arm of the Islamic State group, purports to show IS militants executing five men who they accuse of having spied for Britain in Syria

Britain

Syria

Islamic State

group

IS

militants

men

executing

militants

men


Input: That allegation is dismissed by British authorities

British


Input: And media activists with Raqqa is being slaughtered silently say the men were linked with their anti-IS network, which documents IS atrocities in the Syrian province

Raqqa

Syrian

network

IS

men


Input: Afzal Ashraf, an analyst with the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank, says it is “doubtful that the men were members of a British spy cell.

British

Royal United Services Institute

Afzal Ashraf

analyst

men

tank


Input: Analysts: Iran-Saudi Crisis Compounds Regional Wars-CAIRO — -Drinking tea on his traditional Yemeni low sofa, Sultan Zaied, a 41-year-old accountant in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, says the diplomatic battle between Saudi Arabia and Iran has already intensified tensions in Yemen, and the crisis is still growing

CAIRO

Yemeni

Yemeni

capital

Saudi Arabia

Iran

Yemen

Sultan Zaied

accountant

battle

Iran


Input: “They are attacking everything,” he said, referring to the Saudi-led coalition air assaults on the Houthis, believed to be supported by Iran

coalition

Iran

Houthis

air assaults

coalition

Houthis


Input: Protesters upset over the execution of a Shiite cleric in Saudi Arabia set fires to the Saudi embassy in Tehran

embassy

Saudi Arabia

Saudi

Tehran

Protesters

cleric

set fires

Protesters

Tehran

execution

cleric

Saudi Arabia


Input: Roots of dispute-The regional rift is far deeper than the current dispute, according to Mark Fitzpatrick, executive director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in the United States

United States

the International Institute for Strategic Studies

Mark Fitzpatrick

director


Input: “Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have all been pretty much in sync with Saudi Arabia concerning the perceived threat from Iran,” he says, adding that the “threat that has been exacerbated by the nuclear deal.

Kuwait

United Arab Emirates

Bahrain

Saudi Arabia

Iran


Input: Iranian demonstrators hold anti-Saudi placards in a rally to protest the execution by Saudi Arabia last week of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent opposition Saudi Shiite cleric, in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 4, 2016

Iranian

Saudi Arabia

Saudi

Tehran

Iran

demonstrators

Nimr al-Nimr

cleric

execution

Saudi Arabia

Nimr al-Nimr


Input: If the nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers is implemented, Tehran is expected to be relieved of sanctions, greatly expanding its economic power and ability to fund militias in the region, like Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen

Iran

Tehran

Lebanon

Yemen

region

Hezbollah

Houthis


Input: But it is not just an economic rivalry, says Fitzpatrick

Fitzpatrick


Input: “This conflict has become more of a Sunni-Shia split and also the ages-long dispute between Persia and the Arab states," he explains

states

Arab


Input: "It’s part of history and it’s part of the worsening of the relations in the region.

region


Input: Additionally, both countries are using the dispute as a power play in domestic politics, says Max Abrahms, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and political science professor at Northeastern University

countries

the Council on Foreign Relations

Northeastern University

Max Abrahms

professor


Input: “The Saudi and Iranian governments are mirroring each other,” he explains, “by directing their rhetoric against the other country in order to shore up support for the hardliners at a time when both governments are accused of going soft for different reasons.

Saudi

Iranian

country

governments


Input: Long-term impact-Regional wars in Syria, Yemen and Libya are less likely to be solved through peace talks if the major players in the region — and on the battlefields — cannot negotiate, according to Cafiero of Gulf State Analytics

Syria

Yemen

Libya

region

Gulf State

players


Input: An outright war between the powers may be unlikely, adds Cafiero, but both Saudi Arabia and Iran may increase their involvement in Syria and Yemen, often seen as a fight between two regional giants

Saudi Arabia

Iran

Syria

Yemen

giants

Cafiero

fight

giants


Input: The sectarian nature of the dispute — regardless of its causes — could deepen divisions in the region, adds Abrahms of Northeastern University

region

Northeastern University


Input: Followers of Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr burn an effigy of King Salman of Saudi Arabia as they hold posters of Sheik Nimr al-Nimr during a demonstration in Baghdad, Iraq, Jan. 4, 2016

effigy

Saudi Arabia

Baghdad

Iraq

Followers

Muqtada al-Sadr

Salman

Sheik Nimr al-Nimr

burn


Input: Angry rhetoric is already fueling the current wars and Shi’ite groups have long vowed revenge in the event of al-Nimr’s execution

groups


Input: Shi’ites across the region have already expressed anger and none of this bodes well for the coming year, according to Abrahms

region


Input: “To a large extent the conflicts in the Middle East are an outgrowth of this sectarian discord,” says Abrahms

Middle East


Input: “And the fact that there is now this fallout at the very beginning of 2016 between the Saudis and the Iranians, that bodes very badly for the rest of the region.

region


Input: As countries and militias line up behind regional giants Iran and Saudi Arabia, analysts say the diplomatic crisis is already having an impact across the region

Iran

Saudi Arabia

region

giants


Input: Almigdad Mojalli contributed to this report from Sana'a

Almigdad Mojalli


Input: If it continues, they add, Middle East wars — including the fight against Islamic State militants — are more likely to expand than to be resolved peacefully

Middle East

Islamic State

militants

fight

Middle East

militants


Input: FILE - A Shi'ite protester carries a poster of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr during a demonstration outside the Saudi embassy in Sanaa, Oct. 18, 2014

embassy

Saudi

Sanaa

protester

Nimr al-Nimr

demonstration

protester

embassy


Input: “This diplomatic crisis has diminished the prospects for peace in Syria and the same can be said about Yemen,” says Gulf State Analytics founder Giorgio Cafiero, speaking by phone from Oman

Syria

Yemen

Oman

Gulf State Analytics

Giorgio Cafiero


Input: Islamic State militants have the most to gain from the crisis, which is spreading the chaos the group thrives on and dividing the region, he adds

region

Islamic State

group

militants


Input: Kuwait is the latest Sunni-dominated country to withdraw its ambassador from Iran, following Bahrain, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates, which have all either cut ties or downgraded their relationships with Iran following an international dispute over the execution of Shi'ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr

Kuwait

country

Iran

Bahrain

Sudan

United Arab Emirates

Iran

ambassador

Nimr al-Nimr

execution

Iran

Nimr al-Nimr


Input: After the execution, the Saudi embassy in Tehran was attacked and Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties

embassy

Saudi

Tehran

Saudi Arabia

attacked

embassy

Tehran


Input: US Marine Appeals Murder Conviction in Death of Transgender Filipino -A U.S. Marine is appealing his conviction in the death of a transgender Filipino woman, his lawyer said Wednesday

U.S. Marine

woman

lawyer

death

U.S. Marine

woman


Input: Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton was found guilty of homicide in December for killing Jennifer Laude after he found out she was a transgender woman

Lance

Corporal

Joseph Scott Pemberton

Jennifer Laude

woman

homicide

Joseph Scott Pemberton

Jennifer Laude


Input: FILE - U.S. Marine Pfc. Joseph Scott Pemberton, third left, is escorted into the courtroom for his scheduled trial, March 23, 2015, at Olongapo city, Zambales province, northwest of Manila, Philippines

courtroom

U.S.

Olongapo city

Zambales province

Manila

Philippines

Joseph Scott Pemberton

escorted

Joseph Scott Pemberton

courtroom


Input: The judge said in her decision that Pemberton did not set out to kill anyone, but instead, in a drunken moment of anger, put Laude in a chokehold, then drowned her in a toilet after he discovered she had a male sex organ

judge

Pemberton

Laude

kill

Pemberton

Laude


Input: 'I'm not content'-At the time of Pemberton's conviction, Laude’s mother, Julita, said she was glad Pemberton was convicted, but the family wanted the crime to be murder, which carries a prison sentence of at least 40 years

prison

mother

Pemberton

family


Input: My son did not die in vain," she said of Jennifer Laude

son

Jennifer Laude


Input: A woman pays her respects to slain transgender Jennifer Laude inside a funeral home in Olongapo city, north of Manila October 21, 2014

home

Olongapo city

Manila

woman

Jennifer Laude


Input: Pemberton, 21, an anti-tank missile operator from New Bedford, Massachusetts, has been detained at a compound guarded by Philippine and American security personnel, at the main military camp in metropolitan Manila, and not in a civilian jail

compound

camp

jail

New Bedford

Massachusetts

Philippine

American

Manila

military

Pemberton

security personnel

missile

detained

Manila


Input: Judge Roline Ginez Jabalde had sentenced Pemberton to six to 12 years in prison, with credit for his confinement, and ordered him to pay nearly $100,000 in damages to the Laude family

prison

Roline Ginez Jabalde

Pemberton

family


Input: Simone Orendain in Manila contributed to this report

Manila

Simone Orendain


Input: On Wednesday, Pemberton asked a regional trial court judge in Olongapo, northwest of Manila, to reverse his conviction, and sought bail and a reduction of his six- to 12-year jail term, said Rowena Garcia-Flores, the Marine's lawyer

jail

Olongapo

Manila

court

Pemberton

judge

Rowena Garcia-Flores

lawyer


Input: "We're going for an acquittal," Flores told The Associated Press by telephone Wednesday.

Associated Press

Flores


Input: [Pemberton] defended himself because he felt he was being conned, but he did not kill Laude.

Pemberton


Input: The court will start to hear Pemberton's appeal on Thursday

court


Input: In December, Jabalde convicted Pemberton of homicide, not the more serious charge of murder as prosecutors and the family sought, and sentenced him to a lighter jail term

jail

Jabalde

Pemberton

prosecutors

family


Input: Flow of Foreign Fighters to Iraq, Syria Unrelenting-New figures on the flow of foreign fighters to Syria and Iraq show the scope of the problem is much bigger than first thought, with would-be militants still finding their way to the battlefront

Iraq

Syria

Syria

Iraq

Foreign Fighters

fighters

militants


Input: For the second time this week, intelligence officials have released updated estimates on the number of foreign fighters, now saying more than 36,500 from at least 120 countries have gone to take part in the fight since the start of the conflict

officials

fighters


Input: "It's tapered off because it's physically gotten harder there and nations are cracking down more, not just the U.S.," said Patrick Skinner, a former intelligence officer now with The Soufan Group, a strategic security intelligence consultancy

U.S.

The Soufan Group

Patrick Skinner

officer


Input: Skinner said a majority of foreign fighters likely traveled to the battlefront following the fall of Mosul to Islamic State militants in June 2014; but, he also warned it has proven difficult to shut down the flow

Mosul

battlefront

Islamic State

Skinner

fighters

militants

traveled

fighters


Input: "As long as people are willing to go there, they can get there," Skinner said

Skinner


Input: The foreign fighter issue has alarmed some U.S. lawmakers

U.S.


Input: "The threat is increasing, not decreasing," House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul told reporters Friday

House Homeland Security Committee

Michael McCaul

reporters


Input: While defense officials say there is growing evidence the Islamic State is being forced to turn to conscription, the group continues to be buoyed by a steady influx of recruits — enough to maintain a constant force of 20,000 to 30,000 fighters

Islamic State

group

officials

recruits

fighters


Input: Through the end of 2015, slightly more than 1,000 foreign fighters a month were joining the Islamic State, a U.S. official familiar with the data told VOA

U.S.

Islamic State

VOA

fighters


Input: The official also said the most popular route continued to be crossing into Syria from Turkey, despite Turkish efforts to crack down along the border

Syria

Turkey

Turkish

border


Input: “All of it is done through smuggling networks in Turkey, operating though Turkey, in Iraq and certainly in Syria,” Mubin Shaikh, an ex-security and Canadian counterintelligence operative, told VOA via Skype

Turkey

Turkey

Iraq

Syria

VOA

Skype

Mubin Shaikh


Input: “But there really isn’t a focus on attacking the networks and making that the framework in which the defeat of ISIS is supposed to be applied.

ISIS


Input: “It’s still a profile that tends to be quite young,” said David Sterman with the New America International Security program

New America International Security

David Sterman


Input: “The average age is 24 — many teenagers within the sample,” he said

teenagers


Input: U.S. counterterrorism officials have also worried that Russia’s entry into the Syrian conflict on behalf of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would spur more would-be militants to join the fight

U.S.

Russia’s

Syrian

Syrian

officials

Bashar al-Assad

militants


Input: The earlier estimates had put the total number of foreign fighters at more than 34,000 from 120 countries, including at least 6,000 Westerners

fighters


Input: “It would not be surprising if ISIL features the Russian build-up as a tie into their apocalyptic narrative, and to help bridge the generational divide among jihadists with Moscow’s actions in Afghanistan and Syria as bookends,” a U.S. counterterrorism official said at the time, using an acronym for the Islamic State

Russian

Moscow’s

Afghanistan

Syria

U.S.

ISIL

Islamic State


Input: Back in October, intelligence officials had estimated there were more than 30,000 foreign fighters from at least 115 countries, including more than 4,500 from the West

officials

fighters


Input: FILE - Two men accused of fighting with the co-called Islamic State militant group hide their faces before their trial in Germany November 30, 2015

Germany

Islamic State

group

men


Input: They said approximately 250 Americans have traveled or attempted to travel to Syria or Iraq "to fight or otherwise support the conflict.

Syria

Iraq

Americans

traveled

Americans

Iraq


Input: Of those, about 24 have been killed in Iraq or Syria

Iraq

Syria

killed

Syria


Input: Officials familiar with the estimates caution that the increase does not indicate a current surge in foreign fighters, but is likely due to improved reporting as well as ongoing intelligence efforts to identify individuals

fighters


Input: US Investigating Iran's Brief Detention of US Sailors-PENTAGON — -The United States welcomed Iran's release of 10 U.S. Navy sailors Wednesday, a day after they drifted into Iranian waters and were detained

US

Iran's

US

United States

Iran's

Iranian

Sailors

U.S. Navy sailors

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Detention

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detained


Input: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said resolution of the incident was a success for diplomacy, and Defense Secretary Ash Carter said he was grateful to have the service members “back in our hands.

U.S.

State

Defense

Secretary

John Kerry

Secretary

Ash Carter

members


Input: The Navy then "found the boats on Farsi Island, parked with no crew.

Farsi Island

Navy

boats


Input: As to whether it was mechanical failure or navigational error that put the sailors in Iranian territorial waters, the official said, "Let the investigation work itself out.

Iranian

sailors


Input: A U.S. defense official added, "We do know that it likely wasn't mechanical failure

U.S.


Input: U.S. sailors under detention in the Farsi Island by Iran's Revolutionary Guards after investigations showed their patrol boats had entered Iranian waters unintentionally, Jan. 13, 2016

U.S.

Iranian

Farsi Island

Iran's Revolutionary Guards

sailors

boats

detention

sailors

Farsi Island


Input: "The [Obama] administration is pretending as if nothing out of the ordinary has occurred," Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona said in a statement, pointing out that under international law, navy boats do not lose their sovereign immune status when they are in distress at sea

Arizona

administration

Republican

Obama

Senator

John McCain

boats


Input: "By failing to affirm basic principles of international law, it places our Navy and Coast Guard vessels and the men and women who sail them at increased risk in the future," McCain said

Navy

Coast Guard

men

women

McCain

vessels


Input: "That this issue was resolved peacefully and efficiently is a testament to the critical role diplomacy plays in keeping our country safe, secure and strong," Kerry said

country

Kerry


Input: American authorities are still unsure of the circumstances surrounding the crews' detention, Carter said, in part because they have not yet been able "to fully debrief the sailors.

American

Carter

sailors


Input: President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 12, 2016

Washington

Capitol Hill

Congress

Barack Obama


Input: The State Department said there was no formal U.S. apology to Iran, since the sailors' intrusion into Iranian waters was accidental

U.S.

Iran

Iranian

State Department


Input: Iranian television broadcast what appeared to be a brief interview with one of the American sailors, who said the crew apologized for entering Iranian waters by mistake

Iranian

American

Iranian

sailors


Input: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif tweeted that he was happy to see "dialogue and respect, not threats and impetuousness, swiftly resolved the sailors episode

Iranian

Mohammed Javad Zarif

sailors


Input: Ramadhan Sharif, a spokesman for the Revolutionary Guards, told Iran’s Aftab News that the U.S. servicemen were questioned while in detention

U.S.

the Revolutionary Guards

Iran’s Aftab News

Ramadhan Sharif

spokesman

servicemen


Input: The situation in the Gulf was unfolding as Obama went to Capitol Hill Tuesday evening to deliver his annual State of the Union message, televised live through the country and abroad

country

Gulf

Capitol Hill

Obama

went

Obama

Capitol Hill


Input: The president did not mention the Gulf incident, but did take note of the nuclear agreement reached last year between Tehran and a group of world powers, saying, "The world has avoided another war.

Tehran

Gulf

world

group

president


Input: The nuclear agreement is expected to be implemented in the coming days, following steps Iran has taken to curb its nuclear activities

Iran


Input: Western governments have agreed in return to lift long-standing economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic

governments

Islamic Republic


Input: The freed Navy crew members — nine men and one woman — are now at a U.S. facility in Qatar

facility

U.S.

Qatar

Navy

members

men

woman


Input: Farsi Island is home to an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps naval base, which may be why the sailors were quickly detained, according to Matthew Kroenig, a senior fellow in The Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security

Farsi Island

Atlantic

Brent Scowcroft Center

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps

International Security

sailors

Matthew Kroenig

detained

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps

sailors


Input: “Most countries would do the same thing if foreign sailors came that close to a naval base,” Kroenig told VOA

base

VOA

sailors

Kroenig


Input: Less than a month ago U.S. officials criticized Iran for carrying out a "highly provocative" rocket test near U.S. boats passing through the Strait of Hormuz in the region

U.S.

Iran

U.S.

Strait of Hormuz

region

officials

boats

rocket


Input: Chris Hannas in Washington, Nike Ching and Pam Dockins at the State Department, and other VOA journalists contributed to this report

Washington

State Department

VOA

Chris Hannas

Nike Ching

Pam Dockins

journalists


Input: Iran also released the two small patrol boats the Americans were using when they were detained

Iran

Americans

boats


Input: WATCH: Related video clip-Video size-width-x-height-pixels-Watch: About the Riverine Patrol Boat-Share this video-0:00:26-▶-0:00:00-/0:00:26-▶-▶-Direct link-270p | 1012.4kB-360p | 1.6MB-720p | 9.0MB-The sailors were traveling through the Persian Gulf from Kuwait toward Bahrain when U.S. controllers lost contact with them Tuesday

Kuwait

Bahrain

U.S.

Persian Gulf

sailors

traveling

sailors

Kuwait

Bahrain


Input: Iranian Revolutionary Guards who patrol the Gulf boarded the U.S. vessels and detained the crew members near Farsi Island, Iranian territory roughly midway between Kuwait and Bahrain

U.S.

Iranian

Kuwait

Bahrain

Gulf

Farsi Island

territory

Iranian Revolutionary Guards

crew members

vessels

detained

crew members

Farsi Island


Input: Questions remain-A U.S. defense official told VOA that Navy tracking equipment found the sailors' boats to be "dead in the water, and in Iranian water.

Iranian

U.S. defense

VOA

Navy

boats


Input: US Republican Candidates Tangle Over Immigration During Debate-WASHINGTON — -Republican presidential candidates on Thursday held their last debates before Monday's Iowa caucuses — the first event in which voters actually make their choices for their parties' next presidential nominees

US

WASHINGTON

Iowa

Republican

Republican

candidates

voters


Input: Most of the candidates quickly addressed FOX News moderator Megyn Kelly’s request to address “the elephant not in the room” Thursday night: that front-runner Donald Trump was not participating in the debate

room

candidates

Megyn Kelly’s

Donald Trump


Input: The bill passed in the Senate but failed in the House of Representatives

Senate

House of Representatives


Input: In a testy exchange with Kelly, Rubio denied he had changed his position on immigration, easily one of the most contentious issues for the Republicans

Republicans

Kelly

Rubio


Input: Chris Christie makes a point as Rand Paul listens during a Republican presidential primary debate in Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 28, 2016

Des Moines

Iowa

Republican

Chris Christie

Rand Paul


Input: He said while he’s not for deporting the millions of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. -- as Trump has suggested he would do -- “we’re not for handing out citizenship either.

U.S.

Trump


Input: Bush attacked Rubio, saying the senator had sought his support as governor on legislation that would allow a pathway to citizenship

Bush

Rubio

governor


Input: Rubio fired back, saying Bush "used to support" a path to citizenship

Rubio

Bush


Input: The former governor responded: "So did you, Marco.

governor


Input: Attacks on Cruz-Cruz also had to answer video clips that showed him saying he would support immigration reform legislation, if some of the amendments he had offered were approved

Cruz

Cruz


Input: "I'm a maniac and everyone on this stage is stupid, fat and ugly, and Ben, you're a terrible surgeon," Texas Senator Ted Cruz said to rival Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, saying that he had now "gotten the Donald Trump portion of the program out of the way.

Texas

Ben

surgeon

Senator

Ted Cruz

Ben Carson

neurosurgeon

Donald Trump


Input: He denied he had changed his stance, saying his amendments were not to fix all of the legislation's problems but to ensure undocumented immigrants in the U.S. couldn't gain legal status

U.S.


Input: Cruz's reply brought attacks from both Paul and Rubio

Paul

Rubio


Input: They accused Cruz of claiming to be the only "true" conservative on the immigration issue, while Cruz accused Rubio of changing his stance on immigration to appeal to donors

Cruz

Cruz

Rubio


Input: Fox, which partnered with Google for Thursday's debate, used questions from various Americans throughout the debate

Google


Input: One such question came from Dulce Candy, an Iraq war veteran who was brought to this country from Mexico as a child

Iraq

country

Mexico

Dulce Candy

child


Input: Audience members listen to the Republican presidential primary debate in Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 28, 2016

Des Moines

Iowa

Republican


Input: Appearing via YouTube, Candy asked how immigrants should feel welcome in the United States, given the harsh rhetoric regarding immigrants and refugees by the party's candidates during the past few months

United States

Candy

candidates


Input: Bush responded, saying Candy "deserves our respect," while Rubio, again calling for reforming the immigration system, told her, "we will always celebrate legal immigration.

Bush

Candy

Rubio


Input: Florida Senator Marco Rubio said while the billionaire candidate is entertaining, Trump is not what the campaign is about

Florida

Senator

Marco Rubio

candidate

Trump


Input: Rubio and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul had a heated exchange over how far the government can go in anticipating domestic terrorism

Kentucky

government

Rubio

Senator

Rand Paul


Input: Rubio, warning the U.S. faces an unprecedented threat from the Islamic State group, said he would go after terrorists "wherever they are" and if caught, "we're sending them to Guantanamo," referring to the detention center for prisoners in Cuba

U.S.

Cuba

Guantanamo

Islamic State

group

Rubio

terrorists

caught


Input: From left, FOX News debate moderators Chris Wallace, Megyn Kelly and Bret Baier wait for the start of the Republican presidential primary debate in Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 28, 2016

Des Moines

Iowa

FOX News

Republican

Chris Wallace

Megyn Kelly

Bret Baier


Input: Paul called Rubio’s plan a “wrong idea

Paul

Rubio’s


Input: ... If you want to defend the country, it begins with border security.

country


Input: A Libertarian, Paul has been one of the most vocal opponents of the National Security Agency's bulk data phone collection program

Libertarian

Paul

opponents


Input: He accused the media of taking Iowa voters out of the political process

Iowa

media

voters


Input: Former business executive Carly Fiorina said she was ignoring the media and putting her faith in Iowans to decide what issues are truly important

Iowans

media

Carly Fiorina


Input: And former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who has often been the target of Trump’s barbs, joked that he missed having the real estate mogul on the stage

Florida

Governor

Jeb Bush


Input: Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee complained that hardworking Americans were not getting what he called a "fair shake" in the economy, and he repeated his determination to outlaw abortion

Arkansas

Governor

Mike Huckabee


Input: Former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore said he was the only military veteran running for president

Virginia

military

Governor

Jim Gilmore

president


Input: He said veterans would be treated with respect by the Department of Veterans Affairs when he is president

the Department of Veterans Affairs


Input: From left, Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz answers a question as Sen. Marco Rubio and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush listen during a primary debate in Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 28, 2016

Florida

Des Moines

Iowa

Republican

Ted Cruz

Marco Rubio

Jeb Bush


Input: But Thursday's spotlight was stolen by the Republicans' leading contender, billionaire real estate mogul Trump

billionaire

Trump


Input: Fox said the flamboyant Trump, a political novice who has surged to the top of political surveys of Republican voters, was welcome at the debate and would be treated fairly

Fox

Republican

Trump

voters


Input: But the network refused to replace moderator Kelly, who angered Trump at an August debate by asking him about slurs he has made over the years about women

network

Kelly

Trump

women


Input: Because of the large number of candidates — 11 — host FOX News split the debates in Des Moines, Iowa, between the seven candidates leading polls and the four bringing up the rear

Des Moines

Iowa

candidates

candidates


Input: However, a Fox News spokesperson rejected Trump's statement Thursday, saying: "The debate is completely sold out

Fox News

spokesperson


Input: Still, Trump was by far the most-searched-for candidate on Google during the first half of the main debate, according to Google Trends data

Google

Google

Trump

candidate


Input: Rick Santorum, Carly Fiorina and Mike Huckabee talk after a Republican presidential primary debate in Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 28, 2016

Des Moines

Iowa

Republican

Rick Santorum

Carly Fiorina

Mike Huckabee


Input: At one point, searches on his name outpaced -- by nearly 4-to-1 -- the second-most-searched-for candidate, Rubio

candidate

Rubio


Input: Trump rally-Trump held a separate event at Drake University for U.S. veterans that coincided with the GOP debate

U.S.

Drake University

GOP

Trump

Trump

veterans


Input: Immigration issue-In the most heated exchanges of the night, moderator Kelly, using video clips of candidates’ previous statements, questioned several candidates regarding their seeming flip-flops on the immigration issue

Kelly

candidates


Input: He told the crowd gathered at his rally: "When you're treated badly, you have to stick up for your rights," adding that "we have to stick up for our country if we're being mistreated.

country

He

crowd

rally

crowd


Input: Trump said his foundation already has raised $5 million for America’s vets

Trump


Input: He said he's putting up $1 million of his own money, and that many of his wealthy friends are giving large contributions as well

friends


Input: Each was invited by Trump to speak briefly

Trump


Input: Ken Bredemeier, Ken Schwarz and Mia Bush contributed to this report

Ken Bredemeier

Ken Schwarz

Mia Bush


Input: Rubio campaigned for the Senate in 2010 on a tough immigration stance, saying he would never support blanket amnesty

Senate

Rubio


Input: He later became part of a bipartisan group of senators called the “gang of eight,” who crafted a comprehensive immigration bill in 2013 that contained a pathway to citizenship

group

senators


Input: Turkey, West in Standoff Over Syrian Refugees-ONCUPINAR, TURKEY — -More than 25,000 Syrian civilians have become the unwitting victims of a standoff between Turkey and Western relief agencies

Turkey

Standoff

Syrian

Syrian

Turkey

West


Input: The Turkish government refuses to admit the refugees, the first in a wave of civilians fleeing an offensive by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the northern Aleppo countryside

Turkish

Syrian

Aleppo

countryside

government

regime

civilians

Bashar al-Assad


Input: A senior EU official told VOA: "We are doing this to try to force Turkey's hand to open the border.

border

EU

VOA


Input: At Turkey’s Oncupinar border crossing, only a few relief trucks crossed Monday into Syria

relief

Syria

border

trucks

crossed

border

trucks

Syria


Input: The trucks that crossed were from the Independent Doctors Association, a private Syrian charity, the Turkish Red Crescent and IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, a Turkish NGO

Syrian

Turkish

Independent Doctors Association

Turkish Red Crescent

IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation

NGO

trucks

crossed

trucks

IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation


Input: Most of the half-dozen trucks carried tents and camp construction material

tents

camp

construction material

trucks

carried

trucks


Input: The supplies are destined for refugees on Syrian territory whom Ankara refuses entry into Turkey

supplies

Syrian

Ankara

Turkey

territory

destined

Syrian


Input: "There are 890 families — just over 6,000 people — right by the border crossing

border

families


Input: Another 530 families — nearly 3,000 people — are in Azaz

families


Input: And about another 9,000 are scattered along the border.

border


Input: Turkish officials say their country has reached the limit on the number of Syrian refugees it can admit

Turkish

country

Syrian

officials


Input: “The only supply deliveries are coming from IDA, our colleagues in the Turkish Red Crescent and IHH,” he confirmed.

IDA

Turkish Red Crescent

IHH

colleagues


Input: He said the refugees are desperate to cross into Turkey

Turkey


Input: “There are about 20 collective tents separate from the semi-permanent camp that has been there for months

tents

camp


Input: The tents measure from 70 square meters to 100 square meters; but, they are not big enough to shelter everyone and some of the tents are for women and children only.

tents

tents

women

children


Input: He added, “There are only five latrines for these people and they are being used just by the women

women


Input: The men have to relieve themselves in the fields

fields

men


Input: “The longer the Assad offensive continues, more villages and towns are impacted

Assad


Input: The Syrian Red Crescent estimates that 25,000 civilians are now close to the border near Oncupinar, some sheltering in nearby villages

border

Oncupinar

Syrian Red Crescent


Input: A delegation of EU lawmakers was told Monday that the border will remain closed

border

EU


Input: Turkish officials put the number at more than 35,000 Syrians

Turkish

Syrians

officials


Input: Members of the press are seen at the Oncupinar border crossing, Turkey, Feb. 8, 2016

crossing

Turkey

Oncupinar

border


Input: Ankara is refusing to allow dozens of Western journalists at Oncupinar eager to cover the refugee story to cross the border into Syria

Ankara

Syria

Western

Oncupinar

border

journalists

cross


Input: Either they will die beneath the bombings and Turkey will ... watch the massacre like the rest of the world, or we will open our borders.

Turkey

world

borders


Input: Erdogan recently said, "If necessary, we have to and will let our brothers in.

Erdogan

brothers


Input: In the meantime, the Syrian Red Crescent's Ibrahim says the Turks are planning to ship across another 250 smaller tents for families

tents

Syrian

Crescent's Ibrahim

families

ship


Input: While the Turkish government is refusing to let in Syrian refugees, it is refusing to allow out dozens of Western journalists at Oncupinar eager to cover the story

Turkish

Syrian

Western

Oncupinar

government

journalists


Input: Despite claiming the country has an “open border policy,” the Turkish government has had most of the crossings along the border closed for refugees for about a year

country

Turkish

border

border

government


Input: "A senior Turkish official told us, 'the refugees will stay [on] the other side of the border,'" an EU lawmaker told VOA

Turkish

border

EU

VOA


Input: Syrians already registered in Turkey are allowed back and forth across the border, especially during religious holidays

Turkey

border


Input: For the past week, even the traders’ corridor has been closed and the normal crowds milling around by the Oncupinar border post have disappeared — replaced by the press corps

Oncupinar border

border


Input: In a bid to pressure the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, United Nations and Western relief agencies are refusing to dispatch aid across the border to the refugees

Western

border

government

United Nations

Recep Tayyip Erdogan


Input: “Some relief organizations have asked us to assist them to transport supplies to help these newly-displaced Syrians, but we have declined,” a U.N. official told VOA

Syrians

organizations

U.N.

VOA


Input: Both officials asked not to be named in this article

officials


Input: 'We Are Fighting Everyone' Syrian Rebels Complain-GAZIANTEP AND ONCUPINAR, TURKEY — -As the doctor cradled Nada, her head and neck swaddled in bandages, at a temporary clinic at the Bab al-Salameh border crossing, 50 kilometers north of Aleppo, the three-year-old Syrian toddler cried, “Cover me, cover me.

clinic

Syrian

Aleppo

Syrian

Bab al-Salameh border

border

doctor

Nada

toddler


Input: She screamed protests at the pain from her wounds, according to an eyewitness, VOA’s translator

translator


Input: The emergency medical charity said displaced people, including young children and the elderly, could be stuck living in the open in freezing conditions, with severe effects on their health

children


Input: As the Assad government moves to press a choke-hold on Syrian rebels in Aleppo and the countryside beyond, backed by relentless airstrikes from Russian warplanes flying around-the-clock sorties, the numbers of civilian casualties are climbing rapidly across northern Syria

Syrian

Aleppo

Russian

Syria

government

Assad

rebels

warplanes

choke-hold

government

rebels

Aleppo

airstrikes

government

warplanes


Input: Rebels fear that not only will opposition-areas in the city of Aleppo be cut off soon, but that Russian warplanes will expand their bombing runs to Idlib city, heralding a twin offensive aimed at interdicting supplies coming from Turkey through the border crossing west of Bab al-Salameh at Bab al-Hawa

city

Aleppo

Russian

Idlib

city

Turkey

border

Bab al-Salameh

Bab al-Hawa

warplanes


Input: FILE - Free Syrian Army fighters look at a Syrian Army jet, not pictured, in Fafeen village, north of Aleppo province, Syria

Fafeen village

village

Aleppo province

Syria

Free Syrian Army

Syrian Army

fighters

jet


Input: Rebels see Western 'passivity'-British officials estimate more than 1,380 civilians have been killed in Russian and Syrian government airstrikes since U.N.-brokered Geneva peace talks stalled last week

British

Russian

Syrian

Geneva

Western

government

officials

civilians

airstrikes

Syrian

killed

civilians

Syrian


Input: And bitterness is rising among Syrian rebel factions and civilians alike, with much of the anger not only directed at Damascus for the destruction it is wreaking but also at the West for what anti-Assad combatants and civilians alike see as Western passivity in the face of an offensive that has turned upside down the five-year-long uprising

Syrian

Damascus

West

factions

combatants

civilians


Input: By failing to act, the rebels say, the West is dooming the revolution to defeat

West


Input: The injuries were sustained earlier in the day in a Russian airstrike on Tell Rifaat, one town in a chain of northern Syrian settlements targeted by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad

Russian

town

Syrian

settlements

Bashar al-Assad


Input: I don’t know how long our fighters can hold on for — I don’t know how they are managing to hold any positions,” General Salem Idris, the former chief of staff of the Western-backed Free Syrian Army, told VOA in an exclusive interview

Free Syrian Army

VOA

fighters

Salem Idris


Input: Idris still advises moderate rebel commanders on tactics

Idris

commanders


Input: “The fighters can’t continue to resist without modern anti-aircraft missiles,” he added

fighters

missiles


Input: He says it is hard to get responses from U.S. military officials

U.S.

military

officials


Input: “Since the offensive started, most of the senior ones have disappeared and aren’t to be found here in Gaziantep,” he says

Gaziantep


Input: FSA commanders have complained that since the start of the Assad offensive, they have been receiving fewer supplies than before

FSA

commanders

Assad


Input: Idris says the weapons come through the Turkey-based Military Operations Center, which is staffed by Arab and Western intelligence personnel - including CIA officials - from 11 nations that support the FSA

Arab

Western

Military

Military Operations Center

CIA

FSA

Idris

officials

weapons


Input: A European diplomat disputes the claim by General Idris that the flow of weapons has been reduced, but says not all of the rebels' requests for specific weapons are being answered

European

diplomat

Idris

weapons

weapons


Input: FILE - U.N. mediator for Syria Staffan de Mistura (R) arrives for a news conference on the Syrian peace talks outside President Wilson hotel in Geneva, Switzerland Feb. 3, 2016

hotel

Syria

Syrian

Geneva

Switzerland

President Wilson hotel

U.N.

R

Staffan de Mistura

arrives

Staffan de Mistura

Geneva


Input: “I think they are trying to force us to accept a deal at Geneva,” says Moayyad Yousef, an official with the Assistance Coordination Unit, which coordinates urgently needed humanitarian aid inside the war-wracked country for the main political opposition group, the Syrian Coalition

Geneva

country

Assistance Coordination Unit

group

Syrian Coalition

Moayyad Yousef


Input: But U.S. officials say there is little to be done to counter militarily the Assad offensive and they argue the vicious Syrian civil war that has left upwards of 250,000 dead won’t be resolved by the clash of arms but through a negotiated political solution

U.S.

Syrian

officials

Assad

war

Syrian


Input: Rebel commanders, including Idris, contend the offensive indeed could be halted, if rebel factions were supplied with shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles, thereby denying Assad control of the skies

factions

commanders

Idris

Assad

missiles


Input: Obama officials have long refused to supply so-called MANPADS and have urged Gulf allies to withhold them, too, fearing that some will be sold to jihadist groups like al-Qaida affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra, much as there has been a steady stream of Western-supplied TOW anti-tank missiles sold to jihadists by FSA factions

allies

Gulf

MANPADS

groups

al-Qaida

TOW

FSA

factions

Obama

officials

missiles


Input: FILE - Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) fighters take position at a stronghold in Kobani, Syria

Kobani

Syria

Kurdish

People's Protection Units

YPG

fighters


Input: Pro-Assad Kurds-Anger is also rising at the role of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, or YPG

Kurdish


Input: Islamist and nationalist FSA insurgent commanders accuse the Syrian Kurds of revealing their true pro-Assad colors and of being in league with Damascus — a long-standing claim by the rebels that has been vehemently denied by YPG leaders in the past

Syrian

Damascus

FSA

YPG

commanders


Input: Nearby on a gurney, an old man from the same town struggled for breath as he bled from grave leg and groin injuries

town

man


Input: “There is no difference between the YPG, the regime’s troops or the Russian forces, because they all attack us,” Abu Yousef Al-Muhajir, a top commander of Ahrar al-Sham, one of the most powerful Islamist militias in Syria, told ARA News, a local pro-opposition broadcaster

Russian

Syria

YPG

militias

ARA News

broadcaster

troops

forces

us

Abu Yousef Al-Muhajir

commander

Ahrar al-Sham

attack

YPG


Input: “The YPG has been combating our forces at the battlefronts in northern Aleppo,” added, calling the Kurdish forces “absolute enemies.

Aleppo

Kurdish

YPG

forces

forces

combating

YPG

forces