US-trained Iraqi troops to aid retaking of Ramadi

US-trained Iraqi troops to aid retaking of Ramadi

BAGHDAD

For the first time, Iraqi troops trained by the U.S.-led coalition have been added to the assault force Iraq is using to retake the city of Ramadi, a U.S. military official said Thursday.

The news that about 3,000 U.S.-trained Iraqi army soldiers were added to the fight in recent days was disclosed to U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, who spent the day getting updates and meeting with U.S. and Iraqi officials and commanders in Baghdad. It was Carter’s first visit to Iraq since he took office in February.

Jury: Execution still option for Holmes

CENTENNIAL, Colo.

Jurors decided unanimously Thursday that the Colorado theater attack was cruel enough to justify the death penalty for James Holmes. His defense then urged them to spare his life, despite the horrors he caused.

Jurors determined that capital punishment is justified because Holmes murdered a large number of victims; caused a grave risk of death to others; committed murder in a heinous, cruel or depraved manner; and laid in wait or ambush.

Anti-terror law concerns UN

TORONTO

A United Nations human- rights body raised concerns Thursday about Canada’s new anti-terror legislation, saying it could run afoul of international human rights standards.

The Anti-Terrorism Act, passed by Parliament in June, makes it easier for intelligence officers, border guards and law enforcement officials to monitor and arrest potential terror suspects in Canada. The law could be used to thwart travel plans, cancel bank transactions and covertly interfere with radical websites. Critics say it will make it easier for security officials to place Canadians under surveillance.

The Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Committee said in a report released Thursday that it is concerned that the law grants the government sweeping powers but does not contain enough legal safeguards to protect political and civil rights.

Study: Exercise good for those with Alzheimer’s

WASHINGTON

Exercise may do more than keep a healthy brain fit: New research suggests working up a good sweat also may offer some help once memory starts to slide – and even improve life for people with Alzheimer’s.

The effects were modest, but a series of studies reported Thursday found vigorous workouts by people with mild memory impairment decreased levels of a warped protein linked to risk of later Alzheimer’s – and improved quality of life for people who already were in early stages of the disease.

Wildfires threaten homes, tourism

HELENA, Mont.

Firefighters on Thursday braced for a fresh run by a wildfire that sent tourists fleeing from hotels and campgrounds in Montana’s Glacier National Park, while a blaze threatening hundreds of homes in Northern California shot flames 100 feet in the air.

Both states are ravaged by drought, and rising temperatures and strengthening winds greeted newly arrived crews taking aim at the blaze in the Northern Rocky Mountains. It has burned more than 6 square miles along the eastern side of the Montana park during prime tourist season, when lodges and inns have been booked for months.

Associated Press