WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama wants to roll back some of the most controversial aspects of the U.S. “war on terror,” but efforts to alter the global fight against Islamist militants will face the usual hurdle at home: staunch opposition from Republicans in Congress.

In a major policy speech on Thursday, Obama narrowed the scope of the targeted-killing drone campaign against al Qaeda and its allies and announced steps toward closing the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Lawmakers introduced fresh legislation on Thursday seeking to address the problem of sexual assault in the military and summoned the nation’s top commanders to testify about the crisis, which has become an embarrassment to the armed forces.

The White House and Congress have demanded changes since seeing a damning report of a steep rise in the number of assaults on members of the military and a spate of high-profile sex-related incidents.

WASHINGTON, May 22 (Reuters) – A U.S. House of
Representatives committee approved legislation on Wednesday
seeking to impose tighter sanctions on Iran, the latest
congressional effort to slow development of the Islamic
Republic’s disputed nuclear program.

The “Nuclear Iran Prevention Act of 2013″ passed the House
Foreign Affairs Committee by a unanimous voice vote and is
expected to easily pass the full 435-member chamber, where it
already has about 340 co-sponsors. A vote by the
Republican-controlled House is likely within the coming weeks.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Senate panel voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to send weapons to rebels fighting Syria’s government, but it was not clear who would get the arms even if the bill succeeds, as Washington struggles to deal with its response to the conflict.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 15-3 for legislation that would send arms to “vetted” moderate members of the Syrian opposition, the first time U.S. lawmakers have approved such military action in the two-year-old civil war.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Senate panel voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to send weapons to rebels fighting Syria’s government, but it was not clear who would get the arms even if the bill succeeds, as Washington struggles to deal with its response to the conflict.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 15-3 for legislation that would send arms to “vetted” moderate members of the Syrian opposition, the first time U.S. lawmakers have approved such military action in the two-year-old civil war.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Republican chairman of a congressional oversight committee on Friday ordered the leader of the investigation into the September 11, 2012, Benghazi attacks to sit for a private interview next week.

As Republicans and Democrats wage a political battle over the attacks in which four Americans were killed, U.S. Representative Darrell Issa issued a subpoena ordering retired Ambassador Thomas Pickering to appear for a taped deposition on Thursday to answer questions about the Accountability Review Board report he prepared on the incident.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The top general in the U.S. Armed Forces warned of a crisis of confidence in the growing ranks of women soldiers due to a rash of sexual assault cases that has prompted lawmakers to act.

The warning by Army General Martin Dempsey came hours before President Barack Obama asked military leaders at a White House meeting to get the problem of sexual assaults under control.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House and U.S. lawmakers went on the offensive against sexual assault in the armed forces on Thursday after a rash of scandals that prompted the nation’s top military officer to warn of a crisis in the ranks.

“We’re losing the confidence of the women who serve that we can solve this problem,” Army General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said as he returned from NATO meetings in Brussels. “That’s a crisis.”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House and U.S. lawmakers went on the offensive against sexual assault in the armed forces on Thursday after a rash of scandals discrediting the military’s efforts to stamp it out.

Lawmakers announced legislation that would take responsibility for prosecution of sexual assault cases away from the chain of command, and President Barack Obama called a meeting with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and other military leaders to discuss the issue.

KIRUNA, Sweden (Reuters) – The Arctic Council agreed on Wednesday to admit emerging powers China and India as observers, reflecting growing global interest in the trade and energy potential of the planet’s Far North.

The organisation, which coordinates Arctic policy, is gaining clout as sea ice thaws to open up new trade routes and intensify competition for oil and gas – estimated at 15 percent and 30 percent respectively of undiscovered reserves.