Kerry: US won’t rule out working with Iran against Islamic State ADVERTISING Kerry: US won’t rule out working with Iran against Islamic State PARIS — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says he won’t shut the door on the possibility
Kerry: US won’t rule out working with Iran against Islamic State
PARIS — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says he won’t shut the door on the possibility of working with Iran against a common enemy in the Islamic State militant group, but the two nations won’t coordinate on military action.
Kerry also ruled out coordinating with the Syrian government, although he vaguely described ways to communicate to avoid mistakes should the U.S. and its allies begin bombing the Sunni extremist group’s safe haven there.
He spoke to a small group of reporters Monday after international diplomats met in Paris, pledging to fight the Islamic State group “by any means necessary.”
Neither Iran nor Syria, which together share most of Iraq’s borders, were invited to the international conference, which opened as a pair of French reconnaissance jets took off over Iraqi skies.
During the meeting, Iraq asked allies to thwart the extremists wherever they find sanctuary.
Generation gap: Young Scots tend to favor independence; older ones say keep things as they are
GLASGOW, Scotland — Across Scotland, dinner table talk is getting heated as families argue over how to vote in Scotland’s independence referendum. A generation gap has opened up, with younger voters more inclined to back independence and their elders tending to say they want to remain in the United Kingdom.
Support for the status quo is strongest among the over-60s, who worry about the consequences that breaking free would have on pensions, health care and savings; the pro-independence movement is largely being driven by under-40s. Neck-and-neck in the polls, the rival campaigns have called on core supporters to make a last ditch attempt to swing the vote by making the debate a family affair.
The young have been urged to visit parents and grandparents to explain why they should support separation. The No camp has launched a counteroffensive by asking seniors to win young hearts and minds with their wisdom.
“I was so proud of my grandpa when he told me he was voting Yes that I burst into tears,” said 23-year-old Miriam Brett, a campaigner for Generation Yes. “A Yes vote means so much to my generation. We want to let all our grandparents know that their future is secure in our hands, and with a Yes we can build a better future for ourselves and for our children.”
Some polls suggest the No camp is trailing in every age group except the over-60s. Opinion surveys indicate more than 63 percent of that age group is expected to vote in favor of the union. As older people are more likely to be on the electoral roll, there has been a huge drive to get younger people engaged in the Yes campaign.
New rules aim to reduce default rates in reverse mortgages amid signs program is rebounding
WASHINGTON — Advertised as a path to an affordable retirement, federally insured reverse mortgages are showing signs of a rebound, drawing the scrutiny of regulators seeking to reduce historically high default rates that have cost the government billions.
Industry analysts expect strong growth as the housing market improves, particularly in once hard-hit Sun Belt areas including Phoenix, Miami and San Diego, California, and aging Americans find value in growing old in their homes.
They are also being boosted by high-appreciation, gentrifying neighborhoods in older cities such as New York’s Brooklyn borough.
Analysts say they expect continued interest as the leading edge of 78 million baby boomers approach 70, the age when a person typically begins to consider a reverse mortgage. A poll by Gallup in April found that 68 percent of Americans ages 50 to 64 said they were “very” or “moderately” worried about having enough money in retirement.
A reverse mortgage allows borrowers 62 or older to receive a line of credit or lump-sum or monthly cash payments off the accumulated equity in their homes. The loan comes due when the borrower dies, moves or sells the house. The borrower’s heirs are not liable if the loan balance exceeds the value of the home — FHA covers the risk. Reverse mortgages have been pitched in slick TV ads featuring actor Henry Winkler and former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson.
By wire sources
