US suffers setbacks in Afghanistan

US suffers setbacks in Afghanistan

kabul

The American campaign in Afghanistan suffered a double blow Thursday: The Taliban broke off talks with the U.S., and President Hamid Karzai said NATO should pull out of rural areas and speed up the transfer of security responsibilities to Afghan forces nationwide in the wake of the killing of 16 civilians.

The moves represent new setbacks to America’s strategy for ending the 10-year-old war at a time when support for the conflict is plummeting. Part of the U.S. exit strategy is to transfer authority gradually to Afghan forces. Another tack is to pull the Taliban into political discussions with the Afghan government, though it’s unclear that there has been any progress since January.

Ohio adoptive dad indicted in rapes

COLUMBUS

An adoptive father accused of raping three boys in his care was indicted by a grand jury Thursday after an investigation police say began with an undercover detective talking online with someone who had expressed an interest in taboo sexual encounters.

Troy police Capt. Chris Anderson said between 10 and 15 of the 31 grand-jury charges carry potential sentences of up to life in prison for the man, who The Associated Press is not identifying to protect the children’s identities.

Police have said the 39-year-old man regularly raped the three boys at his home in a quiet residential neighborhood of ranch homes in Troy, a city of 25,000 residents a 90-minute drive west of Columbus.

France: No arms for Syrian opposition

PARIS

France’s foreign minister has rejected weapons requests by the Syrian rebel forces, saying Thursday that arming the Syrian opposition could lead to catastrophic civil war.

The Syrian opposition is divided as it marks one year since its uprising against President Bashar Assad’s regime began, and diplomatic efforts to end the bloodshed are showing few signs of progress.

Tornado rips through Michigan

DEXTER, Mich.

A tornado ripped through a rural southeastern Michigan community Thursday, damaging or demolishing many homes, downing trees and power lines, sparking fires and flooding neighborhood roads.

The slow-moving storm was part of a system packing large hail, heavy rain and high winds. The touchdown was reported in the Dexter and Pinckney areas northwest of Ann Arbor, said Marc Breckenridge, director of Emergency Management for the county.

Crews were assessing damage, but in one neighborhood, a home appeared to be flattened while an adjacent home lost most of its roof and second floor.

Ariz. bill widens birth-control opt-out

PHOENIX

Women in Arizona trying to get reimbursed for birth- control drugs through their employer-provided health plan could be required to prove that they are taking it for a medical reason such as acne, rather than to prevent pregnancy. A bill nearing passage in the Republican-led Legislature allows all employers, not just religious institutions, to opt out of providing contraceptive coverage when doing so would violate their religious or moral beliefs.

When a female worker uses birth-control pills, which can be used to treat a number of medical conditions, the bill would allow an employer who opted out to require her to reveal what she was taking it for in order to get reimbursed.

Associated Press