Watching the watchmen

September 08, 2014 - Daily News Briefing

Amid concern about police methods, more oversight – and higher standards – are needed.

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President Obama will deliver a speech to Americans and consult with lawmakers this week to sell his plan to go on the offensive against Islamic State militants, but is trying to head off public concern about another big military escapade. Mr. Obama said that in his remarks on Wednesday he would "describe what our game plan's going to be." He will meet congressional leaders on Tuesday to seek their support for his strategy to halt the militant Islamist group. – Reuters

Clashes broke out Sunday outside the main rebel-held city in eastern Ukraine, throwing the freshly forged cease-fire agreement between government troops and Russian-backed separatists into further doubt. The truce signed on Friday appeared to be holding for much of the following day, but was shattered late Saturday by shelling on the outskirts of the southeastern port town of Mariupol, where Ukrainian troops retain defensive lines against the rebels. The city council said Sunday that one civilian was killed there and a serviceman wounded. – AP

US warplanes launched four air strikes against Islamic State militants threatening western Iraq's Haditha Dam early on Sunday, witnesses and senior officials said, broadening Washington's campaign against the fighters. The leader of a pro-Iraqi government paramilitary force in the west said the strikes wiped out an Islamic State patrol trying to attack the dam – the country's second biggest hydroelectric facility which also provides millions with water. – AP

The British government is scrambling to respond to a lurch in the opinion polls towards a vote for Scottish independence this month by promising a range of new powers for Scotland if it chooses to stay within the United Kingdom. British finance minister George Osborne said on Sunday that plans would be set out in the coming days to give Scotland more autonomy on tax, spending, and welfare if Scots vote against independence in a historic referendum on Sept. 18. – Reuters

A federal appeals court is set to consider gay marriage bans in Idaho, Nevada, and Hawaii. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals has scheduled two hours of arguments Monday on whether such bans should be struck down in Idaho and Nevada. Hawaii legalized gay marriage in December so that appeal may be dismissed. – AP

Japanese fans celebrated Kei Nishikori's stunning win over top-ranked Novak Djokovic at the U.S. Open, staying up to the wee hours of Sunday morning to catch a moment of tennis history. The 24-year-old Japanese ace beat Djokovic 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3 in stifling heat to become the first man from Asia to reach a Grand Slam singles final. – AP

It has been four years since Apple Inc introduced a completely new gadget and the pressure is on for the world's largest tech company to wow at its "special event" in Cupertino, Calif., on Tuesday. Apple has fed the high expectations, with promises by executives that the company's best product pipeline in 25 years is being readied inside its secretive facilities. When Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook takes the stage on Tuesday, technology aficionados, investors, and rivals will be watching closely to see whether Steve Jobs' handpicked successor inherited the magic touch or whether Apple's winning streak is coming to an end. – AP

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