Yulia Skripal Is Awake and at the Center of a Russia-U.K. Confrontation

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Yulia Skripal Is Awake and at the Center of a Russia-U.K. Confrontation Photo A picture of Yulia Skripal obtained from her Facebook account. A month after being poisoned by a rare nerve agent, she is awake and talking. Credit Yulia Skripal LONDON — Russian television broadcast a telephone recording on Thursday said to be of Yulia Skripal, who was poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent a month ago and is at the center of an escalating confrontation between Russia and Britain.
In the recording, which the Rossiya 24 news announcer emphasized could not be verified, Ms. Skripal tells her cousin Viktoria that both she and her father, Sergei V. Skripal, are healthy, and that neither of them have suffered long-term health damage from the poisoning.
The recording contradicted public statements by the British authorities, who have described Mr. Skripal’s condition as “critical but stable,” and said that only Ms. Skripal was conscious.
Within hours of the program’s broadcast, the British poli..

Pentagon Wades Deeper Into Detainee Operations in Syria

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Pentagon Wades Deeper Into Detainee Operations in Syria Photo A Bahraini man suspected of aiding ISIS was detained by Kurdish forces in Syria in February. Several thousand detainees are being held in camps in northern Syria, American and Kurdish officials said. Credit Delil Souleiman/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images WASHINGTON — The United States military is spending about $1 million to help detain thousands of Islamic State fighters and their family members in makeshift camps run by Kurdish militias in northern Syria, pulling the Pentagon deeper into the war zone detention operations it has sought to avoid.
The dilemma is unfolding even as President Trump has pledged to withdraw the 2,000 remaining United States troops in Syria, many of whom are vetting the most dangerous detainees, and suspend more than $200 million in State Department recovery funds for the country.
Defense Department and Kurdish officials said several thousand detainees — including at least 400 fighters from mor..

India Is Close to Buying a Russian Missile System, Despite U.S. Sanctions

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India Is Close to Buying a Russian Missile System, Despite U.S. Sanctions Photo India is on the verge of buying five Russian-made S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile systems like these. Credit Sergei Malgavko/Tass, via Getty Images NEW DELHI — India’s defense minister is visiting Moscow this week to finalize the purchase of a Russian missile defense system, Indian officials say, in a weapons deal that would violate American sanctions against Russia.
The potential $6 billion deal comes at a time when the Trump administration is both weighing more extensive sanctions against Russia and trying to forge a military alliance with India. Indian officials say the agreement could be finalized as soon as this week, with India purchasing five S-400 Triumf systems, an antiaircraft missile array that can also intercept missiles.
If the purchase goes through, the Trump administration would have to choose between punishing India for violating the sanctions or granting an exemption to avoid souring th..