As the afternoon sun blazed down on the 9/11 Memorial, Derek Cooper weighed another U.S. military plunge into the Middle East.
"It's hard to say we shouldn't be the world's police, but at the same time, how would the world be if we weren't?" asked the 32-year-old visitor from Vacaville. "I think a lot of times, we should keep our noses out of the business going on in the world. We've been in the Middle East one way or another for this long. What have we really accomplished?"
Going back and forth with himself in the shade near the memorial's twin reflecting pools, amid a scattering of yellow roses and other tokens to the departed, Cooper gave voice to a widely shared ambivalence as the country reluctantly, resignedly faces a new battle in a war seemingly without end.
Islamic State: The Maldives - a recruiting paradise for jihadists
Former president says islands are fertile ground for extremists, with government’s tacit support
It is the most iconic archipelago in the world: famous for its sandy beaches, crystal-clear waters and, as they write in tourist brochures, as close as you can get to “paradise”.
But the tiny island chain of the Maldives, with its population of just 345,000, is becoming famous for something rather less attractive: as a fertile recruiting ground for Islamic State (IS) jihadists.
In an interview with The Independent on Sunday today the islands’ former President Mohamed Nasheed warns that up to 200 Maldivians are currently fighting for IS in Iraq and Syria.
Social media heats up Scottish referendum
Socialnetworkers know it's not long until the Scottish referendum. Just days before the vote, activity on Facebook, Twitter and co. has reached a new high for British politics. DW takes a look at the trends.
In the run-up to the vote, social networks are bubbling with activity, both in Scotland and the UnitedKingdom. As has been the case for nearly every major election since the advent of Facebook and Twitter, campaigners in both camps have utilized social media platforms as a direct channel to their voters. With hashtags such as #indyref, #VoteYes, #LetsStayTogether or #BetterTogether, politicians and their supporters express their - at times emotional - views.
Even celebrities are joining the debate, alienating or adding fans depending on their position. Campaign adverts created for viral effectiveness have launched entirely new trends as they stir up controversy along the way.
Here's a look at the different views expressed through social media in the lead up to the vote on September 18, 2014.
'Turkey directly supported al-Qaeda in Syria'
Turkey has directly supported al-Qaeda's wing in Syria, in defiance of America, the former US ambassador has disclosed.
The Turkish authorities thought they could work with extremist Islamist groups in the Syrian civil war and at the same time push them to become more moderate, Francis Ricciardone, who was until late June the US ambassador to Ankara, told journalists in a briefing. That led them to work with Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaeda offshoot, as well as hardline Salafi Islamist groups such as Ahrar al-Sham. Mr Ricciardone said that he tried to persuade the Turks to close their borders to the groups, but to no avail.
"We ultimately had no choice but to agree to disagree," he said. "The Turks frankly worked with groups for a period, including al-Nusra, whom we finally designated as [being groups] we're not willing to work with." Turkey allowed its borders to be used as a conduit for aid, weapons and volunteers heading to support Syrian rebels from the start of the uprising, and there have long been accusations that it did not do enough to distinguish between "moderate" groups and extremists.
Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has sacked 10 government officials who have been "out of the country without an excuse," amid a national Ebola crisis.
She said the officials had shown "insensitivity to our national tragedy and disregard for authority".
The 10 were given a one-week ultimatum more than a month ago to return home.
Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea are the worst-hit countries in an outbreak that has killed more than 2,400.
The 10 officials include two commissioners, six assistant ministers and two deputy ministers at the justice ministry.
The BBC's Jonathan Paye-Layleh says a press release issued from the presidency on Saturday reported that the officials had been fired "with immediate effect".
Tibet's Dalai Lama hints he could be the last in his line – and Beijing isn't having it
The Dalai Lama implied this week that it would be better to have no Dalai Lama than a weak one. In a curious twist, Beijing – which accuses him of stirring unrest – urged respect for traditional reincarnation.
BEIJING — Does an atheist government run by the Communist Party of China have the right to choose Tibetan Buddhists’ spiritual leader?
Beijing says it does. After the Dalai Lama suggested this week that he might be the last of his centuries-old line, the Chinese government rapped him sharply on the knuckles – by countering that he should respect the practice of reincarnation. That heralded a fight that may one day throw Tibet into chaos.
“The title of Dalai Lama is conferred by the central government,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters on Wednesday. When the 14th Dalai Lama dies, China will follow “set religious procedure and historic custom” to name his successor, she added.
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