57,000 Americans run this all-important hub of the empire

The overseas hub for America's "war on terror" is the massive Ramstein Air Base in southwest Germany. Nearly ignored by US media, Ramstein serves crucial functions for drone warfare and much more. It's the most important Air Force base abroad, operating as a kind of grand central station for airborne war - whether relaying video images of drone targets in Afghanistan to remote pilots with trigger fingers in Nevada, or airlifting special-ops units on missions to Africa, or transporting munitions for airstrikes in Syria and Iraq. Soaking up billions of taxpayer dollars, Ramstein has scarcely lacked for anything from the home country, other than scrutiny.

Known as "Little America" in this mainly rural corner of Germany, the area now includes 57,000 US citizens clustered around Ramstein and a dozen smaller bases. The Defense Department calls it "the largest American community outside of the United States." Ramstein serves as the biggest Air Force cargo port beyond US borders, providing "full spectrum airfield operations" along with "world-class airlift and expeditionary combat support." The base also touts "superior" services and "exceptional quality of life." To look at Ramstein and environs is to peer into a faraway mirror for the United States; what's inside the frame is normality for endless war.

Ramstein's gigantic Exchange store (largest in the US military) is the centerpiece for an oversize shopping mall, just like back home. A greeting from the Holy Family Catholic Community at Ramstein tells newcomers: "We know that being in the military means having to endure frequent moves to different assignments. This is part of the price we pay by serving our country." Five American colleges have campuses on the base. Ellenmarie Zwank Brown, who identifies herself as "an Air Force wife and a physician," is reassuring in a cheerful guidebook that she wrote for new arrivals: "If you are scared of giving up your American traditions, don't worry! The military goes out of its way to give military members an American way of life while living in Germany."

After a four-year review, the World Bank has come up with a final draft of new safeguard policies, meant to prevent it from funding harmful projects. The document fails to state a binding commitment to respect human rights, disappointing advocacy groups.

The third and final draft was published after a subcommittee of World Bank's executive board endorsed it on Thursday. The board is expected to approve the document on August 4. Since 2012, when the policy review was launched, human rights groups have been calling on the bank to include stronger wording that would protect human rights in countries in which it develops projects, but the organization declined to do so.

Rights groups expressed their disappointment over the result of the long work, saying World Bank is missing a historic chance.

"In refusing to acknowledge its rights obligations once again, the World Bank anticipates it will be able to violate human rights without consequence," said Jessica Evans, senior international financial institutions researcher at Human Rights Watch. "Rather than using this review of key environment and social policies to advance human rights and cement its role as a leader in development, the World Bank has done the opposite."

German railways are vulnerable to new terror threats that might happen at any time, after a 17-year-old refugee injured four people with an ax on a commuter train, police have warned, while highlighting fears of reciprocal violence from the far right.

Railways in Germany are subject to increased security threats "that can manifest themselves in a successful attack at any time," the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) said in an internal report cited by Focus magazine.

Threats to railway transport will remain a "considerable issue," the report stressed. It comes days after a 17-year-old refugee, identified as an Afghan, badly injured four passengers with an ax and a knife on a commuter train bound for the town of Wuerzburg in northern Bavaria.

However, the Wuerzburg ax attack could trigger a violent response from the far-right, the BKA warned, adding that asylum seekers would largely be targeted by far-right extremists either "inside or outside"refugee centers.

Although the attacker was shot dead by police while on the run, the case shocked the public. Searching the perpetrator's flat, the police found a hand-painted Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) flag.

The servicemen of the 201st military base deployed in Tajikistan have been woken up on alert, the press service of the central military district said on Friday. Two garrisons located in the cities of Dushanbe and Kurgan-Tyube will hold classes of combat readiness.

"The units have been put on high alert. The personnel is drilling maneuvers aimed at fulfilling surprise tasks such as repelling an attack of conditional enemy at vital facilities," the press service said.

The 201st military base is the biggest military facility in Russia located outside its borders. It is located in three cities - Dushanbe, Kulyab and Kurgan-Tyube. Under an agreement signed in October 2012, the unit will stay in Tajikistan until 2042.

President Barack Obama is reportedly going to rethink his 2015 ban on military-grade equipment sales to law enforcement after eight police officers were killed in attacks in Dallas, Texas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Two police organization directors have told Reuters that President Obama agreed to review each item that was put on the so-called "controlled equipment list," including tracked armored vehicles, grenade launchers, bayonets, explosives and riot equipment.

The ban was imposed in May 2015, amid growing tensions between police and minority communities, as protests grew in response to deadly police shootings of black men in Ferguson, Missouri, Baltimore and other cities. Officers used military-grade riot gear and armored vehicles in response to anti-police brutality protests.

Citing "a substantial risk" of police "overusing" and "misusing"military-style weapons, Obama blocked the government from selling such items, leaving police departments across the US to rely on the private market.

Two Tajikistan nationals were arrested before they manage to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) loyalists in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. The Afghan Intelligence, National Directorate of Security (NDS), said two individuals were arrested from Bati Kot district. According to a statement by NDS, the two men have been identified as Ehsanullah and Asim who were accompanied by two other individuals identified as Rahmullah and Hussain hailing originally from the Parwan province of Afghanistan.

NDS further added that the men were looking to join the loyalists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group in Syria. This comes as the Ministry of Defense (MoD) earlier said Chechens, Punjabis, Arabs, Uzbeks, Uyghur and other foreign terrorists are actively participating in the war in Afghanistan and are continuously killing innocent Afghan civilians.

MoD said the regional intelligence agencies and terrorist groups are imposing on the Afghan nation and have a critical role in the ongoing violence in the country. According to MoD, the terrorists are deployed to Afghanistan with full financial and military support under the name of holy war.

The government of Tajikistan is considering the country's accession of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), Avesta news agency reported with reference to Abdufattokh Goib, the head of Tajikistan's Customs Service. The EEU now consists of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia.

Goib told a news conference in Dushanbe on July 19 that this issue is the focus of attention of not only the media but also the government. Representatives of the Customs Service were included in a working group to assess Tajikistan's possible entry to the EEU. Goib said the Government had been submitted all the necessary materials and a thorough analysis of the issue. "The Government now has to make a decision," the official said.

Earlier this month, Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the Committee of CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots in the Russian Duma (lower house of Parliament) said that Tajikistan would soon announce its intention to join the EEU.

"I think during the nearest year Dushanbe would announce its intention. Tajikistan is interested in that more than any other CIS country," Slutsky was quoted as saying.

The Eurasian Economic Union is an international organization for regional economic integration. It was established by the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union. The EEU provides for free movement of goods, services, capital and labor, and pursues coordinated, harmonized and single policy in the sectors determined by the Treaty and international agreements within the Union.

Only significant economic damage from its 'mad' decision to leave the EU might force Britain to change its mind, the author of the Article 50 divorce clause said. The former Italian PM added that the "safety valve" was never really intended to be used. "When it comes to the economy they have to lose," said Giuliano Amato, as reported by Reuters. Amato, who served as Italian Prime Minister in 1992-1993 and later in 2000-2001, wrote the so-called Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. It is the starting point of the formal process by which the UK can abandon the EU.

The politician added that the prospect of dire consequences for the UK economy could make Britain reconsider its position on exiting the union, although he admitted that it was very unlikely. "The more they realise that they are losing, then the more chance there is that in 2020 someone will do something about it," he said, noting however that this was an "absurd hope."

He added that a slight chance remains that a pro-EU party would take leadership and halt or postpone the Brexit process after Britain's national elections take place in 2020. "I hope that the negotiations are dragged on so they won't be wrapped up by 2020. [Prime Minister Theresa] May wants to wrap things up by 2019, but it will be easy to prolong matters."

Banning the entire Russian Olympic team will cause a chain reaction which will possibly lead to the end of the Olympic movement as we know it today, says Ellis Cashmore, visiting professor of sociology at Aston University.

The ban on Russia's track and field athletes remains in place. The Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected the appeals of 68 Russian athletes who were hoping to be cleared to compete in the Rio Olympics.

Their sport's governing body banned them from the Rio track and field program last month.

Olympics chiefs are considering whether to ban the entire Russian squad from competing in next month's Games in Rio. They're expected to make a decision on Sunday.

The World Anti-Doping Agency has recommended the IOC effectively ban the entire Russian team from the Rio Games. A damning report by an independent commission for WADA accused Russia of complicity in a widespread drugs scheme.

The host committee for the Democratic National Convention wants to keep its donor list under wraps until after the convention even though a state open records agency has ordered its release.

A Philadelphia 2016 Host Committee lawyer told a judge Thursday the release of fundraising records could harm the organization's last-minute efforts to seek donations and negotiate vendor contracts.

Lawyer David Pittinsky said those efforts were still ongoing even though the four-day convention starts Monday.

The host committee set out to raise about $60 million from private sources, but secured a $15 million line of credit from the city as a safety net. The committee must therefore file financial updates with the city.