The Islamic State takes another major Iraqi city

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NEED TO KNOW:

When Iraqi forces retook the city of Tikrit in March, it felt like the tide was turning. The United States said the Islamic State was on the defensive. In the weeks that followed, Iraqi forces began gearing up for an attack on Mosul, the largest city the Islamic State controls.

But now, in a demonstration of its resilience and continuing power, the Islamic State has taken Ramadi, the capital of Anbar Province. About half a million people live there. You might remember the name — it was the site of major fighting during the Iraq War. More than 1,300 Marines and soldiers died in Ramadi after the US-led invasion in 2003.

The loss of Ramadi is a serious setback. Not only is it another major city under the terror group's control, the militants also managed to ransack a major Iraqi military headquarters, seizing a store of weapons. It's a painful loss for Iraqi forces, who are still smarting after their retreat from Mosul nearly a year ago. They had only just begun to regain their confidence. And it is painful for the Americans too. The US government partly — and dubiously — justified its 2003 invasion of Iraq as an effort to stop Al Qaeda. It turned out that Al Qaeda wasn't there. But now its scarier successor is, and in a big way.

So far the United States has only deployed airstrikes to support the local forces fighting the Islamic State on the ground. But some US officials have floated the idea of sending back troops. A few thousand American military advisers are already there, helping to train Iraqi soldiers. And over the weekend a team of US Special Forces went into neighboring Syria and killed a senior Islamic State leader.

The raid was only the second of its kind in Syria. But it could be a sign of things to come.

WANT TO KNOW:

Qatar wants the 2022 World Cup to be remembered. And so it is building new stadiums, new and impressive high-rise hotels, and other massive construction projects. An estimated one million expatriate laborers have come to the country to make it happen.

By all accounts the experience of these laborers is desperate. They are packed into camps out of view of wealthy Qataris and international businessmen. They often live without running water or sewage pipes. Electricity can be scarce. Human rights groups say hundreds of workers — mostly from Nepal, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh — have died.

Despite the conditions, many of them aren't even able to leave. Employers often seize these migrants' passports. Under increasing international pressure, the Qatari government has introduced some regulations to help protect the workers. But those interviewed by GlobalPost in Doha and the Sailiya labor camp said the new rules aren't enforced and little has changed. Striking is not an option. That's illegal in Qatar. And filing complaints with the government's Human Rights Committee is a slow and bureaucratic process.

The government says it is working on further reforms to protect the laborers. In the meantime, it wants the media to stop talking about it all. In two separate incidents this month, police arrested film crews from the BBC and Germany's ARD TV for filming in a labor camp. Police held the German journalists for 14 hours, confiscated their equipment, erased their video and refused to allow them to leave the country for five days.

STRANGE BUT TRUE:

It's not your mother's political party. South Africa's hottest new group of lawmakers call themselves the Economic Freedom Fighters. They dress in red overalls and maid's uniforms as an act of solidarity with the workers they claim to represent. They wear red berets that evoke Che Guevara. They might be mistaken for Robin Hood-style superheros. Except, they probably aren't.

Their leader, Julius Malema, has re-branded himself a champion of the poor. But only after he had a falling out with President Jacob Zuma. Before that he was a darling of the president, who once announced that Malema would someday be president himself. For a time, Malema drove around in a Mercedes-Benz. He had two lavish homes. He wore a watch that cost more than $30,000.

Then he was ostracized from Zuma's political party. He tended farm for awhile at home. Now he is back. And his main agenda is calling attention to the corruption of the president. The whole thing is causing quite a stir in South Africa. The Economic Freedom Fighters could end up being a serious challenge to the African National Congress, which has now been in power for two decades.