Airstrikes Undertaken As US Re-Engages In Iraq

Graphic shows area of U.S. airdrop; 2c x 4 inches; 96.3 mm x 101 mm;

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. fighters dropped bombs on Islamic militants in Iraq Friday, the Pentagon said, carrying out President Barack Obama's promise of military force to counter the advancing militants and confront the threat they pose to Iraqi civilians and Americans still stationed there.

Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said that two F/A-18 jets dropped 500-pound bombs on a piece of artillery and the truck towing it. Kirby said the fighters had taken off from the aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush in the Persian Gulf to conduct the mission. He said it wasn't clear how many militants might have been killed in the strike.

The Pentagon said the militants were using the artillery to shell Kurdish forces defending Irbil. For the United States, it was a re-engagement in the long sectarian war from which American combat forces had been withdrawn — on President Barack Obama's orders — in late 2011.

In a televised speech Thursday night, Obama threatened to renew U.S. military involvement. At the same time, he announced that U.S. military planes already had carried out airdrops of food and water, at the request of the Iraqi government, to tens of thousands of Iraqi religious minorities atop a mountain surrounded by militants and desperately in need of supplies.

"America is coming to help," Obama declared. Speaking to reporters while traveling in India Friday, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the U.S. military has sufficient intelligence resources and assets in place to launch strikes by both manned and unmanned aircraft in the region.

Asked if the Islamic State group could successfully hide among civilians to evade strikes, Hagel said if the Islamic State moves against Irbil, Baghdad or the refugees trapped on a mountain, "it's pretty clear who they are, and they would be pretty identifiable where our airstrikes could be effective."

The Yazidis, who follow an ancient religion with ties to Zoroastrianism, fled their homes after the Islamic State group issued an ultimatum to convert to Islam, pay a religious fine, flee their homes or face death.

"Earlier this week, one Iraqi in the area cried to the world, 'There is no one coming to help.' Well, today, America is coming to help," Obama said. "We're also consulting with other countries — and the United Nations — who have called for action to address this humanitarian crisis."

The announcement reflected the deepest American engagement in Iraq since U.S. troops left. Obama, who made his remarks in a steady and somber tone, has staked much of his legacy as president on ending what he once called the "dumb war" in Iraq.

Mindful of the public's aversion to another lengthy war, Obama acknowledged that the prospect of a new round of U.S. military action would be a cause for concern among many Americans. He vowed anew not to put American combat troops back on the ground in Iraq and said there was no U.S. military solution to the crisis.

"As commander in chief, I will not allow the United States to be dragged into fighting another war in Iraq," Obama said. Even so, he outlined a rationale for airstrikes in the event the Islamic State militants advanced on American troops in Irbil and the U.S. consulate there in the Kurdish region of Iraq. The troops were sent to Iraq earlier this year as part of the White House response to the extremist group's swift movement across the border with Syria and into Iraq.

"When the lives of American citizens are at risk, we will take action," Obama said. "That's my responsibility as commander in chief." He said he had also authorized the use of targeted military strikes if necessary to help the Iraqi security forces protect civilians.

The Pentagon said the airdrops were performed by one C-17 and two C-130 cargo aircraft that together delivered a total of 72 bundles of food and water. They were escorted by two F/A-18 fighters from an undisclosed air base in the region.

The planes delivered 5,300 gallons of fresh drinking water and 8,000 pre-packaged meals and were over the drop area for less than 15 minutes at a low altitude. The president cast the mission to assist the Yazidis as part of the American mandate to assist around the world when the U.S. has the unique capabilities to help avert a massacre.

In those cases, Obama said, "we can act carefully and responsibly to prevent a potential act of genocide." Officials said the U.S. was prepared to undertake additional humanitarian airdrops if necessary, though they did not say how quickly those missions could occur.

Administration officials had said earlier they believed unilateral U.S. strikes would be consistent with international law, in part because the Iraqi government has asked for Washington to take military action. They also said Obama had the constitutional authority to act on his own in order to protect American citizens.

Obama had similarly authorized strikes in Syria last summer after chemical weapons were deployed, but those attacks were never carried out, in part because of domestic political concerns and also because an international agreement to strip Syria of its stockpiles of the deadly gases.

The president has also faced persistent calls to take military action in Syria on humanitarian grounds, given that more than 170,000 people have been killed there. Critics, including some Republicans in Congress, have argued that Obama's cautious approach to Syria has allowed the Islamic State group to flourish there, growing strong enough to move across the border with Iraq and make swift gains.

Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina praised Obama's proposed actions Thursday night but said much more will be necessary. "This should include the provision of military and other assistance to our Kurdish, Iraqi and Syrian partners" who are fighting the militants, airstrikes against the militants' leaders and forces and support for Sunni Iraqis who seek to resist the extremists, they said in a statement.

In light of the militants' advances, Obama dispatched about 800 U.S. forces to Iraq earlier this year, with those troops largely split between joint operation centers in Baghdad and Irbil. More than half are providing security for the embassy and U.S. personnel. American service members also are involved in improving U.S. intelligence, providing security cooperation and conducting assessments of Iraqi capabilities.

Associated Press writers Josh Lederman and Darlene Superville contributed to this report.

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Boko Haram Take Over Military Camps In Southern Yobe

 BY AUGUSTINE AMINU (DAILY TIMES NIGERIA) AuGUST 8, 2014

Insurgents suspected to be Boko haram militants have taken over military camps in the five major towns of Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State.

Residents in the area said it was the aftermath of the destroyed Kadarko bridge which linked Southern Yobe to other parts of the state that forced the existing military camps in Buni Yadi, Buni Gari, Goniri and Gujba towns to withdraw troops from those locations.

A top security source said on condition of anonymity that, “It is not a secret any longer that our forces are no longer in Buni Yadi, Buni Gari and Goniri. We only have our troops at Katarko.

Resident from Buni Yadi also alleged that the insurgents are now in control of the first military camp located at the town's entrance check point and they are now monitoring and screening commuters.

A local resident said, "I met them dressed in military fatique  roaming freely with sophisticated guns without fear or resistance".

A Farmer in the area told our correspondent that the insurgents have established several camps in the bush forcing most farmers to stop work on thier farms.

"They usually warned strictly that they have no business with us if we didn't expose them, otherwise they will kill us and stop farming activity in the area" a farmer in the area said.

“We are facing a very terrible situation. There is no single security in our area. The same in Buni Gari and Goniri. In fact 'Yaaran' referring to Boko Haram have taken over the military camps in the areas.

Obama Authorizes Renewed Airstrike In Iraq

President Barack Obama approaches the podium to speak about the situation in Iraq in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 7, 2014. Obama says he has authorized the U.S. military to launch targeted airstrikes if Islamic militants advance toward American personnel in northern Iraq. He also has announced that the military carried out airdrops of humanitarian aid Thursday to Iraqi religious minorities threatened by the extremists.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama announced Thursday night he had authorized the Pentagon to launch targeted airstrikes if needed to protect Americans from Islamic militants in northern Iraq and help Iraqi security forces protect civilians under siege, threatening to revive U.S. military involvement in the country's long sectarian war.

In a televised late-night statement from the White House, Obama also said American military forces had already carried out airdrops of humanitarian aid to tens of thousands of Iraqi religious minorities desperately in need of food and water.

"Today America is coming to help," he declared. The announcements reflected the deepest American engagement in Iraq since U.S. troops withdrew in late 2011 after nearly a decade of war. Obama said the humanitarian airdrops were made at the request of the Iraqi government. The food and water supplies were delivered to the tens of thousands of Yazidis trapped on a mountain without food and water. The Yazidis, who follow an ancient religion with ties to Zoroastrianism, fled their homes after the Islamic State group issued an ultimatum to convert to Islam, pay a religious fine, flee their homes or face death.

Obama, who has staked much of his legacy as president on ending the Iraq war, acknowledged that the prospect of a new round of U.S. military action would be a cause for concern among many Americans. He vowed anew not to put American combat troops back on the ground in Iraq and said there was no U.S. military solution to the crisis.

"As commander in chief, I will not allow the United States to be drawn into fighting another war in Iraq," Obama said. Even so, he outlined a rationale for airstrikes if the Islamic State militants advance on American troops in the northern city of Irbil and the U.S. consulate there. The troops were sent to Iraq earlier this year as part of the White House response to the extremist group's swift movement across the border with Syria and into Iraq.

"When the lives of American citizens are at risk, we will take action," Obama said. "That's my responsibility as commander in chief." He said he had also authorized the use of targeted military strikes if necessary to help the Iraqi security forces protect civilians.

Obama spoke following a day of urgent discussions with his national security team. He addressed the nation only after the American military aircraft delivering food and water to the Iraqis had safely left the drop site in northern Iraq.

The Pentagon said the airdrops were performed by one C-17 and two C-130 cargo aircraft that together delivered a total of 72 bundles of food and water. They were escorted by two F/A-18 fighters from an undisclosed air base in the region.

The planes delivered 5,300 gallons of fresh drinking water and 8,000 pre-packaged meals and were over the drop area for less than 15 minutes at a low altitude. The president cast the mission to assist the Yazidis, who follow an ancient religion with ties to Zoroastrianism, as part of the American mandate to assist around the world when the U.S. has the unique capabilities to help avert a massacre.

In those cases, Obama said, "we can act carefully and responsibly to prevent a potential act of genocide."

Russia Bans Western Food Over Ukraine Sanctions

People buy imported fruit at a supermarket in downtown Moscow on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2014. The Russian government has banned all imports of meat, fish, milk and milk products and fruit and vegetables from the United States, the European Union, Australia, Canada and Norway, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced Thursday. The move was taken on orders from President Vladimir Putin in response to sanctions imposed on Russia by the West over the crisis in Ukraine. The ban has been introduced for one year.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia on Thursday banned most food imports from the West in retaliation for sanctions over Ukraine — a sweeping move that will cost Western farmers billions of dollars but could also lead to empty shelves in Russian cities.

The decision shows that President Vladimir Putin has no intention of bowing to Western pressure over Ukraine and will instead try to strike back at the West. It also demonstrated that the Kremlin is ready to inflict damage on Russia while pursuing its course in Ukraine.

The U.S. and the EU have accused Russia, which annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March, of fomenting tensions in eastern Ukraine by supplying arms and expertise to a pro-Moscow insurgency, and have imposed asset freezes and loan bans on a score of individuals and companies.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said at a televised Cabinet meeting that Russia's retaliatory ban covers all imports of meat, fish, milk and milk products and fruit and vegetables from the United States, the European Union, Australia, Canada and Norway. It will last for one year.

Russia depends heavily on imported foodstuffs — most of it from the West — particularly in the largest and most prosperous cities such as Moscow. In 2013 the EU's agricultural exports to Russia totaled 11.8 billion euros ($15.8 billion), while the U.S. Department of Agriculture says food and agricultural imports from the U.S. amounted to $1.3 billion.

Experts said that local producers will find it hard to fill the gap left by the ban, as the nation's agricultural sector has continued to suffer from poor efficiency and shortage of funds. The damage to consumers inflicted by the ban will be felt particularly hard in big cities like Moscow, where imported food fills an estimated 60-70 percent of the market.

Medvedev said Russia could go further and ban Western carriers from flying over Russia on flights to and from Asia — a move that would significantly swell costs and increase flight time. He said there has been no decision on that yet, and wouldn't specify when and under what conditions the move could be taken.

Medvedev made it clear that Russia hopes that the sanctions will make the West revise its policy and stop trying to pressure Russia with sanctions. "Until the last moment we hoped that our partners would understand that sanctions only lead to a deadlock, and no one needs them, but they didn't," he said. "We hope our partners will put a pragmatic economic approach above bad policy considerations, and they will start thinking instead of trying to scare us."

If the West doesn't revise its course, Russia may follow up by introducing restrictions regarding imports of planes, navy vessels and cars, Medvedev warned, but added that the government will realistically assess its own production potential.

Israel, Hamas Dig In As Gaza Talks Go On In Cairo

Displaced Palestinian children pass time at a U.N. school where their families had sought refuge during the war in Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2014. The family from the town of Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip said they are scared to move back to their house as they consider the cease-fire still fragile.

JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli Cabinet minister warned Thursday that Israel will respond if Hamas resumes fire after a temporary truce expires in the Gaza Strip.

The statement, along with Hamas' earlier threats, signals that both sides are digging in their positions — presumably to secure best terms for a deal — as negotiations continue in Cairo on a lasting truce and reconstruction for the war-battered coastal territory.

However, the two sides remain far apart and far from anything resembling an agreement. Israel wants the Islamic militant group, which runs the Gaza Strip, to disarm, or at least ensure it cannot re-arm, before considering Hamas' demand to lift a crippling blockade that was imposed by Israel in 2007 and later enforced by Egypt as well.

The temporary 72-hour truce, agreed to by both sides, went into effect on Tuesday morning, which helped launch the talks in Cairo. Israel and Hamas are under heavy international pressure to extend the cease-fire to allow more time for negotiations.

"We are preparing for any situation and if they resume fire, the military will resume operations," Israeli Cabinet minister Gilad Erdan told Israel Radio. He said that, in principle, Israel does not oppose Gaza's "economic rehabilitation," but said the strip's demilitarization was a key priority for Israel.

Hamas has also dug in, sending warnings that the cease-fire may not be extended unless there is progress on its demands. Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouk said Wednesday evening that so far, there has been no deal on extending the truce. Izzat al-Rishq, a senior Hamas member, told the Palestinian news agency that Hamas would condition any extension to the cease-fire on progress in the talks.

Highlighting the wide gap between the sides, a Palestinian official briefed on the talks in Cairo said he did not expect Israel's demand for disarming Hamas to be accepted. "Nobody accepts demilitarization of the weapons in Gaza while the Israeli occupation is continuing and the siege on Gaza is continuing, and the crimes against our people are continuing," said Wasel Abu Yousef, stressing that he was expressing his personal view.

Palestinian officials say nearly 1,900 Palestinians have been killed in the month-long fighting, three-quarters of them civilians, according to the United Nations. Israel says some 900 Palestinian militants were among the dead. Sixty-four Israeli soldiers and three civilians in Israel have also been killed.

One of the triggers for the current round of Israeli-Hamas confrontations was the abduction and killing of three Israeli teens in the West Bank in June, which Israel blamed on Hamas. Israel subsequently carried out a massive ground operation in the West Bank, arresting hundreds of Hamas operatives as part of a manhunt. And in early July, an Arab teenager was abducted and burned alive by Israeli extremists in an apparent revenge attack. Six Jewish Israelis were arrested in that killing. Also, militants in Gaza unleashed barrages of rocket fire on Israel.

The war started on July 8, when Israel launched airstrikes that it said were aimed at stopping the rocket fire. The operation — dubbed "Protective Edge" — was expanded on July 17 when Israel sent in ground forces to destroy a network of tunnels it said were used by militants to stage attacks inside Israel.

In details emerging from the fighting, Hamas' military wing said in a statement late Wednesday that 23 of its fighters had been found alive after being trapped for nearly three weeks inside an underground tunnel attacked and sealed in an Israeli strike.

The militants had staged attacks against Israelis before they became trapped. They survived on water from an underground spring and dates. Hamas said bulldozers freed them on Wednesday.

Barzak reported from Gaza City, Gaza Strip. Associated Press writer Karin Laub contributed to this report from Gaza.

Report: Russia To Block US Agricultural Imports

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with local officials in Voronezh, Russia, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2014. Putin says he has ordered the government to develop measures in response to Western sanctions. In a meeting with state officials in the city of Voronezh on Tuesday, did not specify what the measures might be but said: "I have given the order today to formulate them," Russian news agencies reported.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday hit back hard against countries that have imposed sanctions over the Ukraine crisis, ordering trade cuts that an official said would include a ban on all imports of agricultural products from the United States.

The full list of products to be banned or limited for up to one year is to be published Thursday. But the state news agency RIA Novosti quoted Alexei Alexeenko of Russia's plant and veterinary oversight service as saying "from the USA, all products that are produced there and brought to Russia will be prohibited."

Alexeenko also was quoted as saying he thinks all fruits and vegetables from European Union countries will also be banned. The move follows the latest round of sanctions against Russia imposed by the EU last week, which for the first time targeted entire sectors of the Russian economy.

President Barack Obama said in a news conference Wednesday that U.S. sanctions against Russia over its actions in Ukraine are straining the Russian economy, which has "ground to a halt." The U.S. and the EU have accused Russia, which annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March, of fomenting tensions in eastern Ukraine by supplying arms and expertise to a pro-Moscow insurgency, and have imposed asset freezes and loan bans on a score of individuals and companies.

White House spokeswoman Laura Lucas Magnuson decried the move, saying "Retaliating against Western companies or countries will deepen Russia's international isolation, causing further damage to its own economy."

Russia depends heavily on imported foodstuffs — most of it from the West — particularly in the largest and most prosperous cities such as Moscow. Food and agricultural imports from the U.S. amounted to $1.3 billion last year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and in 2013 the EU's agricultural exports to Russia totaled 11.8 billion euros ($15.8 billion).

Putin's order says the limits are being imposed "with the goal of guaranteeing the security of the Russian Federation" and calls for undertaking measures to guard against quick price hikes. The order appears to show that Russia, although increasingly suffering the effects of Western sanctions, is disinclined to back down on Ukraine. Russia denies allegations that it is supporting the Ukrainian rebels or supplying them with equipment and has rejected claims that its artillery has been firing from across the border.

As tensions over Ukraine rise, a respected newspaper this week cited unnamed sources as saying Russia is considering closing its airspace to European carriers flying to Asia. The report sent the stocks of some airlines sharply lower.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday said he wouldn't comment on "rumors" of airspace being closed, but said "our Western partners should think about their companies and their citizens," the Interfax news agency reported.

Russia last week banned the import of apples and some other fruits from Poland, saying this was because of sanitary concerns, but raising speculation that the move was in retaliation for Poland's support of the Ukrainian authorities.

__ Josh Lederman and Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington contributed to this report.

Obama: US Sanctions Are Straining Russian Economy

President Barack Obama listens to a question during his news conference at US African Leaders Summit, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2014 at the State Department in Washington. Obama and dozens of African leaders opened talks Wednesday on two key issues that threaten to disrupt economic progress on the continent: security and government corruption.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama said Wednesday that U.S. sanctions levied against Russia over its actions in Ukraine are working but that Washington would face a much different set of questions about how to respond if Moscow invaded eastern Ukraine.

Western officials warn that a Russian military buildup on Ukraine's border could herald a major incursion to protect the pro-Moscow separatists fighting Ukrainian forces. Despite bipartisan pressure from lawmakers to send U.S. military aid to Ukraine, however, the Obama administration thus far has said it doesn't believe U.S. military assistance is needed.

"Keep in mind that the Russian army is a lot bigger than the Ukrainian army," Obama said at a news conference. "So the issue here is not whether the Ukrainian army has some additional weaponry." The U.S. and the European Union have accused Russia, which annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March, of fomenting tensions in eastern Ukraine by supplying arms and expertise to the pro-Moscow insurgency.

"At least up until this point, they've been fighting a group of separatists who have engaged in some terrible violence, but who can't match the Ukrainian army," Obama said. "Now if you start seeing an invasion by Russia, that's obviously a different set of questions. We're not there yet."

Obama was asked about the impact of sanctions on the same day that Russian President Vladimir Putin hit back hard against the U.S. for imposing sanctions against Moscow's moves in Ukraine. Russian state news agency RIA Novosti quoted a Russian official as saying all agricultural products produced in the U.S. won't be allowed into Russia.

According to USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. exporters shipped $1.2 billion worth of food and agricultural products to Russia in 2013, which represents less than 1 percent of all U.S. agricultural exports. U.S. poultry exports make up the largest portion of the total, with a little more than $300 million in exports to Russia last year.

"Sanctions are working as intended in putting enormous pressure and strain on the Russian economy," Obama said. "That's not my estimation. If you look at the markets and you look at estimates in terms of capital flight, if you look at projections for Russian growth, what you're seeing is that the economy has ground to a halt.

"It has presented the choice to President Putin as to whether he is going to try to resolve the issues in eastern Ukraine through diplomacy and peaceful means ... or alternatively continue on the course he's on, in which case he's going to be hurting his economy, and hurting his own people over the long term."

As Summit Closes, Obama Hails US-Africa Ties

President Barack Obama listens to a question during his news conference at US African Leaders Summit, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2014 at the State Department in Washington. Obama and dozens of African leaders opened talks Wednesday on two key issues that threaten to disrupt economic progress on the continent: security and government corruption.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Though noting persistent challenges, President Barack Obama heralded Africa as a continent on the rise and a growth market for U.S. businesses as he closed an unprecedented summit Wednesday aimed in part at fostering his own African legacy.

The summit also marked a rare return to Washington for former President George W. Bush, who launched a $15 billion HIV/AIDS initiative while in office and has made public health issues in Africa a priority since leaving the White House. Bush partnered with first lady Michelle Obama to host a daylong event for spouses of the African leaders.

"There's not many things that convince me to come back to Washington," said Bush, who now lives in Dallas and steers clear of politics. "The first lady's summit, of course, is one." While Obama has continued Bush's signature AIDS program, he has also been seeking his own legacy-building Africa initiatives. This week's U.S.-Africa summit, which brought together leaders from more than 50 African nations, was seen as a cornerstone of that effort and Obama pledged to make the gathering a recurring event.

"Africa must know that they will always have a strong and reliable partner in the United States of America," Obama said at a news conference marking the end of the three-day summit. Much of the summit centered on boosting U.S. business ties with Africa, which is home to six of the world's 10 fastest-growing economies and a rapidly expanding middle class.

Yet the summit's final day of discussions underscored the challenges that could undermine that economic growth. Health crises remain among Africa's most pressing problems, including the current outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa.

Obama acknowledged that the public health systems in affected countries have been overwhelmed by the outbreak and said the U.S. was encouraging them to focus their efforts on rapidly identifying and isolating patients.

The president also pledged to expand security cooperation with African nations in order to address threats from terrorism and human trafficking, alluding to U.S. concerns that extremism in North Africa and the Sahel could destabilize the already volatile region.

"The entire world has a stake in the success of peacekeeping in Africa," Obama said. Before taking questions from reporters, Obama convened a session with African leaders on good governance, universal rights and the strengthening of civil societies. And he defended U.S. engagement with countries that have problematic records on those fronts, arguing that America's involvement can help spur those nations to do better.

"We find that in some cases, engaging a country that generally is a good partner but is not performing optimally when it comes to all the various categories of human rights, that we can be effective in working with them on certain areas and criticizing them and trying to elicit improvements in other areas," Obama said.

Among the leaders treated to an elaborate reception the night before at the White House were figures such as Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, who has pleaded innocent regarding his alleged role in organizing violence that left more than 1,000 people dead. Obama has also spoken out repeatedly against recent laws passed in some African countries targeting lesbians and gays, including Uganda, which was represented at the summit.

As Obama participated in summit meetings, his wife convened a gathering of African first ladies, talking about investments in education, health and economic development. She was joined by Laura Bush, reprising an event the two American first ladies held last summer in Tanzania.

Calling Africa "an underappreciated continent," Mrs. Obama said it was incumbent upon the world to develop a better understanding of what it has to offer. "This is the beginning of a lot of work that needs to be done," she said.

Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Bush also focused on the need to educate girls. Mrs. Obama noted that 30 million girls in sub-Saharan Africa do not attend school. "We do need to make sure worldwide that all humans are valued," Mrs. Bush said during the rare joint appearance that highlighted the relationship that has developed between the two first ladies.

George Bush also gave his endorsement for efforts to support women in Africa, declaring, "Taking care of women is good politics." He announced that a global health partnership that helped screen more than 100,000 women in Botswana, Tanzania and Zambia for cervical cancer in the past three years was expanding into Namibia and Ethiopia

The effort is part of Bush's "Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon" women's health initiative that has been a focus of his post-presidency. He has made frequent trips to Africa since leaving the White House, but he rarely visits Washington and weighs in on political debates even less.

A focus on Africa has brought Obama and Bush together in the past. After a scheduling coincidence put them in Tanzania at the same time last summer, they met and laid a wreath in honor of victims of the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombing. Bush and his wife also traveled with the Obamas on Air Force One to South Africa in December for a memorial service honoring South African President Nelson Mandela.

The White House said Obama and Bush did not meet while the former president was in Washington Wednesday.

Associated Press writer Josh Lederman contributed to this report.

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Nigerian Health Minister Says Nurse Died Of Ebola

Nigeria health officials wait to screen passengers at the arrival hall of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria, Monday, Aug. 4, 2014. Nigerian authorities on Monday confirmed a second case of Ebola in Africa's most populous country, an alarming setback as officials across the region battle to stop the spread of a disease that has killed more than 700 people.

ABUJA, NIGERIA (ASSOCIATED PRESS) — A Nigerian nurse has died of Ebola and the country has five other confirmed cases of the disease, Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu said Wednesday.

The nurse had treated a man who flew into Lagos and later died of Ebola last month, Chukwu said in a statement handed to reporters in Abuja, the capital. He said the five confirmed Ebola patients are being treated in isolation in Lagos, sub-Saharan Africa's largest city with 21 million people.

The five with the disease had direct contact with Liberian-American Patrick Sawyer who was sick when he flew into Lagos and died five days later on July 25. Authorities are now following up with others who had contact with Sawyer to see if they are showing Ebola symptoms.

Chukwu said officials are setting up an emergency center to deal with Ebola which will be "fully functional" Thursday. "We are embarking on recruiting additional health personnel to strengthen the team who are currently managing the situation in Lagos," said his statement.

He said special tents would be used to speed up the establishment of isolation wards in all of Nigeria's states.

Michelle Obama, Laura Bush Reunite Again On Africa

irst lady Michelle Obama and former first lady Laura Bush in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Obama and Bush are coming together for the second time in just over a year to promote U.S. ties to Africa. They’re also deepening the personal ties between two first ladies from different generations and opposing political parties.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Michelle Obama and Laura Bush, first ladies of different generations and opposing political parties, are uniting for the second time in just over a year to promote U.S. relations with Africa.

They are taking the stage at the Kennedy Center for a program Wednesday with spouses of the dozens of African heads of state and government who are participating in the third and final day of President Barack Obama's U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit.

The two women will share with their African counterparts their experiences in the high-profile role of first lady, reprising an event they held in Tanzania last summer. The joint appearance will also put on rare public display the warm relationship the two women have developed since the change of power at the White House.

During last summer's event, Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Bush showed flashes of humor as they joked about prison-like aspects of White House life and the scrutiny that women and girls, including first ladies, are subjected to over their looks, including the current first lady's now grown-out bangs. They sat side by side in separate chairs, listening intently and gazing and gesturing toward each other as they spoke.

"It's a really nice prison," Mrs. Obama quipped about her home since 2009. "But with a chef," added Mrs. Bush, who lived there for eight years. When the talk turned serious, they urged their African counterparts to use their unique positions to help their countries.

Former President George W. Bush's institute organized the July 2013 gathering of African first ladies and invited Mrs. Obama to participate after learning that she and her husband would be in Tanzania at the same time. After Obama decided to hold a U.S. summit with African leaders, Obama aides reached out and proposed a repeat collaboration with Mrs. Bush.

Wednesday's daylong program will highlight the role of first spouses and focus on public-private partnerships and investments in education, health and economic development, including the conversation between the current and former first ladies. George W. Bush and Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, are also scheduled to speak.

As with the fraternity of former presidents, which has just four members, the sorority of former first ladies is exclusive. Its five members — Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Laura Bush — are the only ones who understand what it is like being married to the president of the United States.

Being among the select few with that experience in common accounts for some of the mutual admiration between Mrs. Obama, a 50-year-old Democrat from Chicago, and her immediate predecessor, Mrs. Bush, a 67-year-old Republican from Midland, Texas.

Mrs. Obama remains grateful to Mrs. Bush for showing her around the White House after Obama was elected in November 2008, among other courtesies, while Mrs. Bush appreciates a lunch the Obamas hosted at the White House for the entire Bush family after the official portrait of the 43rd president was unveiled in 2012.

"Upstairs I showed her the dressing room window, with its view of the Rose Garden and into the West Wing, and told her the story of my mother-in-law first pointing it out to Hillary Clinton 16 years before," Mrs. Bush wrote about Michelle Obama in "Spoken from the Heart," her 2010 memoir.

At Mrs. Bush's invitation, Mrs. Obama paid a second visit to the White House before her husband's January 2009 inauguration, this time bringing her mother, who now lives at the White House, and daughters Malia and Sasha. Bush daughters Barbara and Jenna came in from out of town to show the Obama girls parts of the White House where they had had fun.

In Tanzania, Mrs. Obama said Laura Bush was one of the reasons she wanted to participate in the program, although it took place the day the Obamas were departing Africa for home. "I like this woman," the first lady said, gesturing toward Mrs. Bush. "It's hard to find people who know what you're going through, who understand the burdens and the fears and the challenges. ... It's kind of therapeutic."

"A sorority, I guess," suggested Mrs. Bush.

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Japan Marks Hiroshima Anniversary, Invites Leaders

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, center left, offers flowers to the atomic bomb victims during a ceremony at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, western Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2014. Japan marked the 69th anniversary Wednesday of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

TOKYO, JAPAN (ASSOCIATED PRESS) — Japan marked the 69th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima on Wednesday, with the city's mayor inviting world leaders to see atomic bomb-scarred cities firsthand to be convinced that nuclear weapons should not exist.

Speaking before a crowd of survivors, their descendants and dignitaries including U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, the mayor urged U.S. President Barack Obama and others to visit, referring to a proposal made at a ministerial meeting in April of the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative in Hiroshima

"President Obama and all leaders of nuclear-armed nations, please respond to that call by visiting the A-bombed cities as soon as possible to see what happened with your own eyes," Mayor Kazumi Matsui said. "If you do, you will be convinced that nuclear weapons are an absolute evil that must no longer be allowed to exist."

About 45,000 people stood for a minute of silence at the ceremony in Hiroshima's peace park near the epicenter of the 1945 bombing that killed up to 140,000 people. The bombing of Nagasaki three days later killed another 70,000, prompting Japan's surrender in World War II.

The number of surviving victims, known as "hibakusha," was just more than 190,000 this year. Their average age is 79, and many of the attendants at the ceremony were their younger relatives and descendants. Hiroshima officials said 5,507 survivors died over the past year.

The anniversary comes as Japan is divided over Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's recent Cabinet decision to allow the country's military to defend foreign countries and play greater roles overseas. To achieve the goal, Abe's Cabinet revised its interpretation of Japan's post-WWII pacifist constitution.

Abe said at the event that as the sole country to suffer nuclear attacks, Japan has the duty to seek to eliminate nuclear weapons. But he did not mention his push for a more assertive defense posture.

Public polls show more than half of the Japanese are opposed to the decision, mainly because of sensitivity over Japan's wartime past. Matsui did not directly refer to Abe's recent change. But he said the pacifist constitution is what has kept Japan out of war for 69 years.