President Obama said Monday in Hanoi that the U.S. was fully lifting a half-century old ban on selling weapons to Vietnam. Obama made the announcement during his first visit to the communist country — 41 years after the end of the Vietnam War — saying the historic move “removes a lingering vestige of the Cold War.” Activists had urged the U.S. to continue the embargo to pressure Vietnam on human rights. Others said ending it would help Vietnam counter China’s push into the contested South China Sea.
Iraqi forces launched an offensive to retake the city of Fallujah from the Islamic State, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced Sunday. Ahead of the operation, the government warned residents to leave town or wave the…