Stone Cold, Steve Austin Says He Will Not Face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 32

Steve Austin took to Twitter to put the kibosh on rumors saying he might be facing Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 32.

Last week, the WrestleMania rumor mill was on fire with people trying to figure out who Brock Lesnar would be facing at WrestleMania 32, even boiling it down to four wrestlers. And while they all sounded good, there's no way of knowing who will actually be facing the mayor of Suplex City at 'Mania next April... unless one of the rumored opponents officially takes their name off of the ballot.

As the speculation reached a fever pitch, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin took to his Twitter account to shed some light on his rumored involvement in a possible return match against Lesnar:

It makes sense. Stone Cold has been out of the ring officially for almost 12 years. In the condition his body is in, he shouldn't be getting back into the ring, especially for a match against Lesnar. Maybe Austin and Lesnar will discuss it further when Lesnar joins the Stone Cold Podcast live on the WWE Network after Raw on October 19.

In another bit of WrestleMania housekeeping, some insiders are saying that The Rock is currently not scheduled to face Lesnar, either. So, while the big(ger) money match-ups seem to be off of the table, what's left could actually end up being better for Lesnar's opponent overall.

Who would you like to see Brock Lesnar face at WrestleMania 32?

Creative Arts Emmys Winners List: 'Americans,' 'Transparent,' 'House of Cards,' and 'Shameless' Stars, 'Freak Show,' 'GoT' Win Emmys etc

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Reg E. Cathey and Margo Martindale are among the winners at the creative arts Emmy Awards.

Cathey was honored Saturday as best guest actor in a drama for “House of Cards,” while Martindale won for her guest role in “The Americans.”

On the comedy side, Emmys went to Joan Cusack for her guest role on “Shameless” and to “Transparent” guest actor Bradley Whitford.

“Bessie,” a biopic about Bessie Smith starring Queen Latifah as the great blues singer, was honored as best made-for-TV movie.

The creative arts awards largely focus on technical awards, with a handful of honors for on-camera work also presented. A taped version of the ceremony will be telecast Saturday, Sept. 19, on the FXX channel.

The main Emmy Awards ceremony will air live Sunday, Sept. 20, on Fox.

Below is a complete list of winners:

Outstanding Television Movie
Agatha Christie’s Poirot: Curtain, Poirot’s Last Case (Acorn TV)
Bessie (HBO) *WINNER
Grace of Monaco (Lifetime)
Hello Ladies: The Movie (HBO)
Killing Jesus (National Geographic Channel)
Nightingale (HBO)

Outstanding Hairstyling for a Single-Camera Series
Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Downton Abbey (PBS) *WINNER
Game of Thrones (HBO)
The Knick (Cinemax)
Mad Men (AMC)

Outstanding Hairstyling for a Multi-Camera Series or Special
Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
Key & Peele (Comedy Central)
Saturday Night Live (NBC) *WINNER
So You Think You Can Dance (Fox)
The Voice (NBC)

Outstanding Hairstyling for a Limited Series or Movie
American Horror Story: Freak Show (FX) *WINNER
Bessie (HBO)
Grace of Monaco (Lifetime)
Olive Kitteridge (HBO)
The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe (Lifetime)

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program
Tom Bergeron for Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
Anthony Bourdain for The Taste (ABC)
Cat Deeley for So You Think You Can Dance (Fox)
Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn for Project Runway (Lifetime)
Jane Lynch for Hollywood Game Night (NBC) *WINNER

Outstanding Main Title Design
American Horror Story: Freak Show (FX)
Bosch (Aamazon)
Halt and Catch Fire (AMC)
Manhattan (WGN America) *WINNER
Marvel’s Daredevil (Netflix)
Olive Kitteridge (HBO)

Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music
The Dovekeepers (CBS)
Marco Polo (Netflix)
Texas Rising (History)
Transparent (Amazon) *WINNER

Outstanding Makeup For A Limited Series Or A Movie (Non-Prosthetic)
American Horror Story: Freak Show (FX) *WINNER
Bessie (HBO)
Houdini (History Channel)
Olive Kitteridge (HBO)
The Secret Life Of Marilyn Monroe (Lifetime)

Outstanding Makeup For A Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic)
Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Game Of Thrones (HBO) *WINNER
The Knick (Cinemax)
Mad Men (AMC)
Sons Of Anarchy (FX)

Outstanding Makeup For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special (Non-Prosthetic)
Dancing With The Stars (ABC)
Key & Peele (Comedy Central)
The Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special (NBC) *WINNER
So You Think You Can Dance (Fox)

Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup For A Series, Limited Series, Movie Or A Special
American Horror Story: Freak Show (FX) *WINNER
Boardwalk Empire
Game Of Thrones
The Knick
Penny Dreadful
The Walking Dead

Outstanding Picture Editing For Reality Programming
The Amazing Race (CBS)
Deadliest Catch (Discover Channel) *WINNER
Project Runway (Lifetime)
Project Runway All Stars (Lifetime)
Shark Tank (ABC)

Outstanding Picture Editing For Variety Programming
The Colbert Report (Comedy Central) *WINNER
CONAN (TBS)
Key & Peele (Comedy Central)
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO)
Late Show With David Letterman (CBS)

Outstanding Picture Editing For Nonfiction Programming
The Case Against 8 (HBO)
Citizenfour (HBO)
Going Clear: Scientology And The Prison Of Belief (HBO)
The Jinx (HBO) *WINNER
Kurt Cobain: Montage Of Heck (HBO)

Outstanding Costumes for a Period/Fantasy Series, Limited Series or Movie
American Horror Story: Freak Show (FX)
Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Downton Abbey (PBS) *WINNER
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Wolf Hall (PBS)

Outstanding Costumes for a Contemporary Series, Limited Series or Movie
Empire (“The Lyon’s Roar) (Fox)
Empire (“Pilot”) (Fox)
Gotham (Fox)
The Mindy Project (Fox)
Olive Kitteridge (HBO)
Transparent (Amazon) *WINNER

Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Fantasy/Contemporary Program (One Hour or More)
Constantine (NBC)
Game of Thrones (HBO) *WINNER
Gotham (Fox)
House of Cards (Netflix)
True Blood (HBO)

Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Period Program (One Hour or More)
Boardwalk Empire (HBO) *WINNER – TIE
Downton Abbey (PBS)
Mad Men (AMC)
Masters of Sex (Showtime)
The Knick (Cinemax) *WINNER – TIE

India restaurant blast: Police search for shopkeeper

Aftermath of explosion at restaurant in India's Madhya Pradesh state, 13 September 2015

Indian police are searching for the owner of a shop which they say had illegally stored explosives that triggered a blast, killing 90 people.

Most of those who died were at a neighbouring restaurant in Petlawad in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
Police earlier thought a faulty gas cylinder in the restaurant was to blame, but now say the blast was caused by illegally stored mining explosives.
The restaurant was packed with workers and schoolchildren eating breakfast.
Several dozen people were injured.
The shopkeeper, named as Rajendra Kasawa, had a licence for explosives for digging wells, construction and mining, district police official Seema Alava told AFP news agency.

Aftermath of Indian Madya Pradesh restaurant blast, 12 September 2015

But he had stored them "in an unauthorised way in a residential area" and was being sought on suspicion of culpable homicide.
State officials have ordered a judicial inquiry.
The restaurant was close to a busy bus stop. The blast knocked down a neighbouring building and damaged several others.

Map of India showing Madhya Pradesh and Petlawad

50 injured in Multan blast At least seven killed

MULTAN: At least seven people were killed and 50 others injured in an explosion at Vehari Chowk in Multan on Sunday night.

According to sources, the explosion occurred in a rickshaw as a man was exiting the vehicle.

Rescue sources said the injured have been rushed to Nishtar Hospital for treatment.

The Capital Police Officer (CPO) said the bomb disposal squad was trying to ascertain the nature of the blast.

Migrant crisis: Germany start to temporary border controls

Germany is to introduce temporary controls on its border with Austria to cope with the influx of migrants, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere has said.

Earlier, an Austrian rail company spokesperson said trains to Germany had stopped running.
In Munich alone, more than 13,000 migrants arrived on Saturday.
Germany's vice-chancellor said the country was "at the limit of its capabilities".
Germany expects 800,000 migrants to arrive this year.

Image copyright Reuters

Image caption Some migrants spent the night in Munich station

"Germany is temporarily introducing border controls again along [the EU's] internal borders. The focus will be on the border to Austria at first," Mr de Maiziere told a news conference.
"The aim of these measures is to limit the current inflows to Germany and to return to orderly procedures when people enter the country."

Mr de Maiziere did not give details of how the border controls would work.
He called on other EU countries to "abide by the rules" which stipulate that refugees must apply for asylum in the country where they first arrive, saying that refugees could "not choose" their host countries in the EU.

Many migrants have been refusing to register in countries such as Greece or Hungary, fearing it will stop them being granted asylum in Germany or other EU states.
Last month, Mr de Maiziere said the Schengen agreement - which allows free movement between a large number of European countries - could be suspended.
Kronen Zeitung said that Bavarian police will begin to carry out checks "to determine immediately who is entitled to asylum", but it is not clear how such checks would be made.

What are the current border rules?

The European Union's Schengen zone, implemented in 1985, allows passport-free movement between member countries
26 European countries participate, but not the UK or the Irish Republic
Schengen signatories can re-impose border controls for short period for "public policy or national security" reasons after consulting "contracting parties".

Features & Analysis

Kindness contest

A German woman helps two Syrians - and they help her

11 September 2015
From the section Magazine

Full article Kindness contest

Off-roading

The blind man who has hiked thousands of miles alone

11 September 2015

Full article Off-roading

In pictures

Images of the dramatic flooding that has hit north-eastern Japan.

1 hour ago
From the section Asia

Full article In pictures

Fossil footsteps

Scientists are mapping Australia's 'dinosaur coast'

1 hour ago
From the section Australia

Full article Fossil footsteps

Forbidden football

Teaching former jihadists to love sport again

11 September 2015
From the section Africa

Full article Forbidden football

AI fact v fiction

How evil and clever will real robots become?

11 September 2015
From the section Technology

Full article AI fact v fiction

Explainers

Analysing Africa's population boom

11 September 2015
From the section Africa

Full article Analysing Africa's population boom

Q&A: Northern Ireland Executive crisis

10 September 2015
From the section Northern Ireland

Full article Q&A: Northern Ireland Executive crisis

Is it time to make designer babies?

10 September 2015
From the section Health

Facts Every Self-Respecting Beer Drinker Should Know

Credit: Flickr/Thomas Hawk

There was a time in (very recent) history where the depth of knowledge required to order the perfect beer for you was knowing whether you wanted it in a real bottle, or one shaped like a bowling pin. We now live in the midst of a beer renaissance, though, and between all the sours, lagers, stouts, Belgians, and reds out there, getting the right beer means expanding your knowledge.

Luckily, with beer forever being the beverage of the people, the amount of smarts required to get what you like is relatively pocket-sized. These tips will help you navigate beer lists, talk to bartenders and shop clerks, and give you a huge leg up out in the wild. Use them to improve your hard-earned night out. Use them to impress your date. But above all, use them everywhere. Even the bowling alley.

More: Every State in the USA, Ranked by Its Beer

1. Ales and lagers are categories, not stylesWithout jumping into a full-blown lesson in biochemistry, the difference between ales and lagers comes straight down to the yeast used during fermentation. Ale yeasts, which ferment at warmer temperatures, are known for the brighter, fruitier, and spicier flavors they produce, while cool-fermented lager yeasts create much more subtle, smooth-finished flavors. Color, body, and ABV have absolutely nothing to do with the classifications.

More: 23 American Beers to Drink Before You Die

Indian court convicts 12 over deadly 2006 train blasts

New Delhi: An Indian court on Friday convicted 12 people over a series of bombings on commuter trains in the business capital Mumbai that killed around 190 people in 2006.

The men were convicted of murder, conspiracy and waging war against the country over the coordinated series of attacks during the evening rush hour that also injured more than 800 people.

The Press Trust of India news agency said the Mumbai sessions court had acquitted one person and convicted 12 after a trial that has lasted nine years and concluded on August 19. Sentencing will be on Monday.

"I want the strictest possible punishment for them," prosecution lawyer Raja Thakare told AFP by phone.

"Whatever sentence the judge hands out, it should be able to satisfy the public at large."

The bombs were placed in bags that were hidden under newspapers and umbrellas in the trains.

Prosecutors said the bombs were assembled in Mumbai and deliberately placed in first-class coaches to target the city´s wealthy Gujarati community.

They said the bombings were intended as revenge for the riots in the western state of Gujarat in 2002, which left some 2,000 people dead, most of them Muslims.

Over the course of the nine-year trial, the court examined nearly 250 witnesses.

Zardari terms Ali Nawaz Shah’s sentence 'political victimisation

KARACHI: Former president Asif Ali Zardari has termed the sentence awarded to MPA Ali Nawaz Shah ‘political victimisation.’

Zardari said Ali Nawaz had already served his sentence in this case and the PPP was once again being politically victimised.

According to Zardari, Ali Nawaz Shah was respected in political circles.

The former president alleged that federal institutions were being used for the purpose of political victimisation and the result of this would not be good.

Meanwhile, PPP leadership including Chief Minister Sindh Qaim Ali Shah and NA Opposition Leader Khursheed Shah met with the MPA in prison. The PPP leadership and Ali Nawaz Shah discussed options pertaining to filing an appeal against the NAB court’s sentence.

On Thursday, an accountability court convicted and jailed MPA Ali Nawaz Shah and two of his relatives in a land-revenue fraud case. The reference filed in 2001 said Ali Nawaz Shah and others sold some land to the government at inflated prices and later claimed the land as their own.

India violated ceasefire 221 times in 2015

ISLAMABAD: Soldiers of the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) have violated the ceasefire at the Line of Control (LoC) and the Working Boundary with Pakistan 221 times so far in the year 2015, officials said on Friday.

Briefing a session of the Senate Standing Committee on Defence being chaired by Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed today, officials of the interior ministry said that the ceasefire pact signed by the two neighbouring countries in 2003 had been violated by Indian forces a total of 89 times in the last month of August alone.

26 Pakistani citizens were martyred and 78 injured in cross-border shelling and violations this year by Indian security forces, who officials said were intentionally target Pakistani civilian population near the border.

The interior ministry officials further testified that Pakistani forces do not target the Indian civilian population, but respond to aggression by targeting Indian security posts.

Following the briefing, the standing committee passed a resolution urging the United Nations and international community to take notice of Indian aggression and the continued ceasefire violations by its border forces at the LoC and Working Boundary.

The briefing to the senate standing committee comes as a 16-member delegation led by DG Punjab Rangers Major-General Umar Farooq Burki is visiting New Delhi for talks with officials of the Indian Border Security Force

According to reports from Indian media, the talks have been extended for one day in order to devise new strategies to put an end to incidents of ceasefire violations along the LoC. A report in an Indian newspaper said both sides have agreed to maintain peace at the LoC and Working Boundary.

NAP will be intensified to improve security situation in Pakistan: Nisar

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Thursday said those elements spreading mischief in the name of Islam will be brought to justice.

Briefing the media today following the meeting earlier on the National Action Plan (NAP), Nisar said that it was decided to speed up and intensify NAP to improve the overall security situation in the country.

He informed the press that so far as part of Operation Zarb-e-Azab, around 11,000 intelligence based operations have been conducted.

Regarding the recent attacks on media personnel, the minister said terrorists do not have any enmity with the media, their purpose is rather to spread frustration and chaos.

The interior minister said, “We cannot claim complete victory yet, there is still time required.”

Nisar went on to say that several Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Pakistan were operating without authorisation and it is the responsibility of the federal government to monitor the international NGOs, adding that the responsibility of monitoring the local NGOs falls on provincial governments.

He said the purpose of this is to create a database of all the NGOs with the help of NADRA.

Regarding issuance of arms licenses in the country, the interior minister said that people have taken complete advantage in the name of ‘licensed arms’ and all such licenses will be thoroughly reviewed as well as computerised.

The minister went on to say that people in the country are operating ‘security companies’ as a facade for running big businesses. He said these companies do not provide training for their employees and neither do they offer insurance for their guards.

Nisar further said that seminaries across Pakistan will be registered in consultation with their leadership. He added that their leadership will be meeting with the federal government in the coming week.

He also said that the registration forms for seminaries will be kept simple and easy and that the standard curriculum of the country will be implemented in the curriculum of the seminaries.

Regarding the issue of ‘Cybercrime’ in the country, the interior minister said a lot has to be worked upon by the IT ministry.

Speaking about the Imran Farooq murder case, Nisar said the investigation has been completed in Pakistan and that according to the international agreement, all evidence has been shared with Scotland Yard.

Qaim Ali Shah demands limited role of FIA, NAB in Sindh

ISLAMABAD: Expressing his party’s longstanding reservations over actions by the federal institutions in Sindh, Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah during the national apex committee meeting on Thursday demanded a limited role of FIA and NAB in the province.

Highly-placed sources told Geo News that the chief minister urged the top civilian and military leadership of the country to stop the federal institutions from interfering in the provincial matters.

“FIA is a federal institution, it should stop interfering in the province… NAB’s role should also be made transparent,” he was quoted by sources as saying in the high-level meeting, held here to review progress and implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) earlier in the day.

“I am the chief executive of the province and I am not apprised of anything,” he lamented. “All actions must be brought to my attention prior to their execution,” he added.

Shah demanded of the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to curtail the role of NAB and FIA in Sindh by as much as possible. He also raised objections over ‘NAB’s plea bargain’.

“NAB doesn’t take us in confidence on plea bargaining… We should know where the money received from these plea bargains goes.”

Source further said that the prime minister has assured the CM Sindh that his valid reservations will be removed.

Rangers kill four suspected terrorists in Karachi encounter

KARACHI: At least four suspected terrorists were killed by Rangers paramilitary force in a raid carried out near the city’s Northern Bypass on Thursday night.

A spokesperson for the Rangers claimed that the ‘surgical action’ was conducted upon reports of presence of terrorists allegedly involved in the targeted killing of lawyer Hasnain Bukhari earlier in March this year.

He said that suspected terrorists opened fire upon arrival of Rangers troops near Sohrab Goth and were subsequently gunned down during the exchange of fire. One Rangers official also received bullet wounds during the raid, he added.

Arms and ammunition were also recovered from the possession of the terrorists, said the Rangers spokesperson.

The paramilitary force has launched a drive against miscreants involved in the targeted killing of lawyers, policemen, journalists and the citizens.

The Rangers spokesperson extended an appeal to the masses to inform the officials of the law enforcement agency upon any information regarding ‘target killers’ on helpline 1101.

One of the best iOS camera apps just went free ahead of the iPhone 6s launch

There’s little question that the upgraded 12-megapixel camera is one of the most exciting additions to the iPhone 6s, but even with a new sensor, you’ll still probably want to take advantage of the best camera apps on the App Store. As of yesterday, Camera+, one of the most popular apps for the iPhone, now has a free version.

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At some point on Wednesday, amid all the chaos of the Apple event, developer Tap Tap Tap launched Camera+ Free on the App Store. A vast majority of the features from the paid app are available to free users, including multiple shooting modes, 6x digital zoom, intelligent adjustments with Clarity as well as effects and borders.

If you enjoy the app, you can add additional features by purchasing packs on the Camera+ Store within the app. With the Advanced Editing Pack you gain access to enhanced filter control and the Analog Filter Pack adds 9 filters to your collection. You can also buy all five available packs in a bundle for $2.99 (the same price as the paid app).

If you’re looking for an app to improve your iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus camera experience right out of the gate, give the free version of Camera+ a try, as it’ll be compatible with the new phones at launch.

[Download Camera+ Free on the App Store]

Defiant Russia pledges more Syria assistance

Moscow (AFP) - A defiant Russia on Thursday said it was ready to increase military support to Syria's Bashar al-Assad if needed, dismissing suggestions it could hamper Western efforts to fight Islamic State militants.

Washington has accused Moscow of solidifying its foothold in Syria, raising concerns it could throw a wrench in plans by the US-led coalition to step up operations against jihadists in the war-torn country.

The fresh tension erupted just weeks before the UN General Assembly in New York at which Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to speak.

Speaking to reporters, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow wanted to avoid a repeat of the "Libyan scenario" in Syria and would therefore provide greater military assistance to the Syrian president if requested.

"We helped, are continuing to help and will help the Syrian government when it comes to supplying the Syrian army with everything it needs," he said.
But he denied that Moscow was ramping up its military presence in Syria, saying Russia was merely supplying its ally with humanitarian aid and military equipment in accordance with existing contracts.
"Russian is sending planes to Syria with both military equipment in accordance with current contracts and humanitarian aid," he said.

"We have never made our military presence (in Syria) a secret," he said.

"Russia is not taking any additional steps."
US officials said this week that Russia had been sending ships, armoured personnel carriers and naval infantry to Syria in an apparent effort to prop up the besieged regime.
And he rubbished suggestions any greater Russian involvement in Syria could complicate Western plans to fight Islamic State, which has taken control over swathes of Syrian territory.
"This logic is uncomprehensible to me," Russia's top diplomat said. "The Syrian army is the most effective force that can stand up to the terror threat on the ground."
On Wednesday, US officials said two tank-landing ships had arrived at Russia's Soviet-era naval facility at the Syrian port of Tartus along with naval infantry.
The White House warned this week that a Russian military buildup in Syria could spark a "confrontation" with US-led forces carrying out an air campaign against the Islamic State group.
-'Upsidedown logic '-
Lavrov said he had discussed Washington's concerns with US Secretary of State John Kerry who had phoned him twice over the past few days.
He said Kerry was concerned that Russia's support for Assad would ultimately strengthen the Islamic State group because its sponsors would be forced to ramp up their military and financial support.
"Well, that logic has been turned upside down," Lavrov said.

"Once again, this is an attempt to appease those who are using terrorists in their fight against unwanted regimes."

"I believe this is a colossal mistake."

Putin has called for the establishment of a wider coalition to combat IS in Syria and his spokesman said he would raise the issue in his UN address.

Russia "sees as its goal giving support to the Syrian authorities in fighting the dangerous phenomenon that is the so-called Islamic State," spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Some analysts have suggested Russia is keen to deflect attention from the Ukraine crisis and may use its greater role in Syria as a bargaining chip to ease Western sanctions.

Syria was a close ally of Moscow's during the Soviet era, receiving military backing at a time when Russia supported the Arab world in its confrontation with Israel.

American F-16 Fighter

An American F-16 Fighting Falcon takes off from Incirlik Air Base, Turkey.

The United States and its partners are escalating their air war in Syria against the so-called Islamic State, reflecting the allies’ frustration with progress in the military campaign and disappointing efforts to arm friendly rebels on the ground there, as well as alarm over the exploding refugee crisis now engulfing Europe, according to U.S. officials and Western diplomats.

There’s a growing belief in Washington and other Western capitals that “we’re not winning this at the moment, and we need to redouble our efforts collectively,” a senior Western diplomat told reporters on Wednesday.

“A number of Western governments are looking at the combination of the humanitarian crisis, the failure to resolve the situation in Syria and the continued activity of ISIL and concluding that we need to do more to tackle this appalling problem,” the diplomat said, using another name for the Islamic State.

Plans to ramp up the military campaign are intertwined with a “top-to-bottom” reassessment of how Washington and its Western European allies are handling the refugee crisis, a U.S. official said on condition of anonymity.

American, British and French officials say that the past few months of fighting in Syria have been among the bloodiest of that nation’s civil war, fueling the exodus of desperate people. U.S. officials are especially concerned about keeping IS from gaining control of a “very thin corridor” through which roughly 60 percent of the humanitarian aid that flows into Syria from Turkey passes, a Western diplomat told Yahoo News.

Against that backdrop, Britain and France, which have thus far taken part only in missions in Iraq, announced plans to expand their roles to include Syria.

In recent days, French President François Hollande has said he had

ordered surveillance flights over Syria, to set the stage for French airstrikes there.

British Prime Minister David Cameron plans to ask Parliament to vote on extending his country’s role to include airstrikes in Syria, another Western diplomat told reporters on Wednesday. That vote is expected in October.

Britain also recently killed a British terrorism suspect with a drone strike in Syria and indicated that it would target others if necessary.

And Australia, a key U.S. ally in the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, announced it would broaden its airstrikes against the Islamic State to targets in Syria.

“Destroying this death cult is essential, not just to ending the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East but also to ending the threat to Australia and the wider world,” said Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

At the same time, Washington is warning Russia, which has backed the Assad regime for decades, over its decision to send more military personnel to Syria.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Tuesday that Russian personnel could “risk confrontation with the counter-IS coalition that’s operating inside of Syria.”

The senior Western diplomat told reporters that Washington and its allies aren’t sure what Russia’s plans are.

“We’re not entirely clear what this is about. Is this to help the campaign against ISIL? Is this to prop up Assad? Is this to support a Syrian government in the days when there isn’t an Assad anymore? Is it an attempt to take on the elements that the United States, the United Kingdom and others are supporting — the Free Syrian Army, the people that we are training and equipping, the moderate opposition? We don’t know,” the diplomat said.

President Obama will see leaders of countries in the fight against IS when he attends the U.N. General Assembly later this month. It’s unclear when the U.S. review of its refugee policy will conclude or whether the international community could commit to provide more aid or take in more people feeling the deadly violence.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and other top American officials have acknowledged that the program to train and equip Syrian fighters has fallen well short of its goals.

But for now, officials say, there is no talk of a major increase in Western ground troops in the region, despite pressure from critics of Obama’s approach, such as Sen. John McCain, R.-Ariz.

Former CIA director under Obama: 'Someone needs to lose their job' if reports about ISIS intelligence are true

have formally complained that reports on the Islamic State and the Nusra FrontTrouble is brewing at US Central Command (Centcom), the Pentagon's agency covering security interests in nations throughout the Middle East and Central Asia.

According to a report from The Daily Beast, more than 50 intelligence analysts at Centcom have formally complained that reports on the Islamic State and the Nusra Front — Al Qaeda's Syria branch — have been repeatedly altered by senior intelligence officials to fit with the Obama administration's insistence that the US is winning the war against the two militant groups.

Former CIA deputy director Michael Morrell explained on CBS "This Morning" how serious these allegations are.

"One of the central tenants, one of the key aspects of the policy-making process in the United States is that analysts get to say what they think without any interference, without anybody changing it, so this is a very, very serious charge, I think it needs to be fully investigated," Morrell said.

"If there is truth that somebody has been meddling with their analysis, I think somebody needs to lose their job over it and there needs to be full transparency into this because it is so important that analysts be able to say what they really think."

A written complaint was sent in July by two Centcom senior analysts to the Department of Defense Inspector General, an independent agency that provides oversight to the Department of Defense. The complaint was supported by 50 other analysts, according to The Daily Beast.

The Daily Beast published similar allegations last month, citing sources familiar with the terrorism assessments who said senior military and intelligence officials pushed analysts to portray ISIS "as weaker than the analysts believe it actually is" and "paint an overly rosy picture about how well the US-led effort to defeat the group is going." Now it appears that the problem is more widespread than just a few frustrated analysts.

Eleven individuals knowledgeable about the details of the complaint told The Daily Beast that the complaint says crucial parts of intelligence reports were taken out, analysts were subject to an environment in which they did not feel able to give a candid assessment of the situation in Iraq and Syria, and sometimes reports seen as being too negative were sent back to analysts.

(Institute for the Study of War) Questions remain about why Centcom officials have gone to such lengths to alter reports on the Islamic State — assuming The Daily Beast's report is accurate — when the picture painted by the media, independent analysts, and even some administration officials is convoluted at best and pessimistic at worst.

In late July, the Associated Press reported that assessments by the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and others found that the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, is no weaker than it was when US bombing began in 2014.

"We've seen no meaningful degradation in their numbers," a defense official told the AP.

Meanwhile, John Allen, the retired Marine general coordinating the campaign against ISIS, said bluntly, "ISIS is losing," while speaking at the Aspen Security Forum in late July. At the same forum, FBI director James Comey sent a mixed message by calling ISIS "the threat that we're worrying about in the homeland most of all."

Michael Knights, an Iraq analyst, wrote in Foreign Policy in August that the war against ISIS in Iraq had been "slowing down."

"The best that can be reasonably expected in 2015 is the stabilization of the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah," Knights wrote. "No one even talks about liberating Iraq's second-most populous city, Mosul, anymore.”

Mosul is a major stronghold for ISIS in Iraq that used to be a top priority for US plans to defeat the militants.

"At this rate, the United States will still be in Iraq when US President Barack Obama leaves office — an outcome no one, especially the president, wants," Knights wrote.

Brookings Institution fellow Charles Lister recently wrote a similarly negative assessment of the war on ISIS. Lister said progress could "best be described as a series of loosely linked tactical gains, rather than a significant strategic advance."

"The stated coalition objective is to 'degrade and destroy' IS as a militant organization, but it remains a potent armed force capable of capturing valuable territory and inflicting considerable material damage on its adversaries," Lister wrote.

"IS is clearly a determined enemy," he added, "and poses a potent threat that the current coalition strategy is failing to effectively 'degrade and defeat.'"

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An American F-16 Fighting Falcon takes off from Incirlik Air Base, Turkey.

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