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American-led and Arab-backed air strikes carrying the fight against Islamic State from Iraq into Syria have dragged Washington into a new Middle East war - exactly the kind of conflict Barack Obama spent his presidency trying to avoid.

Google Inc hit back at News Corp on Thursday for calling it a platform for piracy and an "unaccountable bureaucracy," in a point-by-point rebuttal that stressed the Internet search company's commitment to fighting online crime.

Six world power have never been so close to a deal with Iran that would resolve the decade-long nuclear standoff once and for all, but the final phase of the negotiations will be the hardest, Germany's foreign minister said on Thursday.