Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Review: 'Out of the Furnace' rusted over
• Nine dead in Iraq as militants attack shopping mall
• What's Sen. Mark Pryor doing with Bible in new campaign ad?
• Possible culprits in Hezbollah commander's killing
• Senior Hezbollah commander killed in Beirut
• After execution-style killings, Iraqis await worse
• Attack on intelligence HQ in northern Iraq kills six
• Soldier murder suspect was 'soldier of Allah'
• Iraq PM in talks on Syria during Iran trip
• Iran readies for big oil production hike
• Mohamed ElBaradei to Join Tufts' Fletcher School as Nobel-Laureate-in-Residence
• 10 Years After Abu Ghraib, Textbook Story Often Oversimplified (Op-Ed)
• Pope prays for Syrian nuns held by rebels
• Hizballah’s War of Shadows with Saudi Arabia Comes Into the Light
• UK major threw laptop with sensitive Iraq photos from ferry
• Firm orders for Bombardier's CSeries reach 182 after Iraq deal
• Iran deal validates nuclear blackmail and hurts Israeli-Palestinian peace process
• British plans to combat militancy meet skepticism
• British plans to combat militancy meet scepticism
• U.S. military court finds soldier guilty in prostitution case
• OPEC freezes oil output ceiling
• Public art project elicits the profound, profane
• 'Top Gun' inspiration promoted at Pentagon
• Pope prays for Syrian nuns
• OPEC leaves production target unchanged
• Insurgents attack police headquarters in Iraq
• British major threw laptop with sensitive Iraq photos from ferry
• Brent edges toward $113; U.S. crude boosted by pipeline news

Review: 'Out of the Furnace' rusted over Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:08 PM PST "Out of the Furnace" is an earnestly crafted, passionately acted working-class drama rusted over by its noble intentions of steel-town sympathizing.

Nine dead in Iraq as militants attack shopping mall Posted: 04 Dec 2013 01:54 PM PST Kirkuk (Iraq) (AFP) - A massive attack on a shopping mall in northern Iraq was the deadliest in violence that killed nine people nationwide on Wednesday amid fears of a slide into all-out conflict. The coordinated attack on the complex, which involved a car bomb, gunmen and would-be suicide bombers, came amid a surge in unrest that has claimed more than 6,200 lives this year. Officials have blamed a resurgent Al-Qaeda emboldened by the civil war in neighbouring Syria, but the government has itself faced criticism for not doing enough to address the concerns of Iraq's disaffected Sunni Arab minority. Attacks struck in Baghdad, Mosul, Tikrit and Fallujah, but the ongoing attack on the Jawaher Mall in the ethnically divided northern city of Kirkuk was the deadliest.

What's Sen. Mark Pryor doing with Bible in new campaign ad? Posted: 04 Dec 2013 01:07 PM PST He's talked about it in political gatherings back home, and on Wednesday his campaign unveiled an unusual ad in which Senator Pryor cites the Bible as the wellspring of his political values. "This is my compass, my North Star," says Pryor, holding his Holy Book as he looks straight into the camera.

Possible culprits in Hezbollah commander's killing Posted: 04 Dec 2013 12:34 PM PST Senior Hezbollah commander Hassan al-Laqis was assassinated early Wednesday in southern Beirut — a sharp blow to the Iranian-backed Shiite group. Hezbollah has no shortage of rivals eager to strike at its strongholds and leadership:

Senior Hezbollah commander killed in Beirut Posted: 04 Dec 2013 12:27 PM PST BAALBEK, Lebanon (AP) — The attackers waited in an olive grove around midnight. As the Hezbollah commander pulled into the garage of his nearby apartment building, they went in after him. Five bullets were pumped into his head and neck from a silencer-equipped pistol — an assassination that reverberated across the Middle East.

After execution-style killings, Iraqis await worse Posted: 04 Dec 2013 10:53 AM PST By Suadad al-Salhy BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A spate of execution-style killings in Iraq has rekindled memories of attacks carried out at the height of the country's sectarian bloodshed and raised fears of a widespread return to such violence. In the past week Iraqi police have found the bodies of at least 41 men who were either shot in the head or decapitated in a wave of killings in Baghdad and northern Iraq. Iraqi security officials say these targeted killings have more to do with attempts to fuel instability, and with infighting within the two Muslim sects, than with direct hostility between Shi'ite and Sunni communities. But they warn that such chaos could set off wider sectarian violence, especially when combined with an insurgent bombing campaign led by al Qaeda, which is expected to get worse ahead of parliamentary elections in April next year.

Attack on intelligence HQ in northern Iraq kills six Posted: 04 Dec 2013 10:53 AM PST Suicide bombers and gunmen attacked a police intelligence headquarters in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Wednesday, killing at least six people and wounding dozens more, a health official said. Hospitals in the city, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, counted six people killed and 47 wounded, said Sabah Amir Ahmed, head of the health directorate in Kirkuk. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Sunni Muslim insurgents linked to al Qaeda have regularly hit targets linked to the Shi'ite-led government and security services since the start of 2013. Areas around Kirkuk are strongholds of al Qaeda, according to security officials.

Soldier murder suspect was 'soldier of Allah' Posted: 04 Dec 2013 10:39 AM PST A man accused of hacking a soldier to death on a London street told police he was a "soldier of Allah" fighting a war against Britain but that the killing brought him little joy, a court heard Wednesday. Michael Adebolajo, who is on trial with Michael Adebowale for the brutal murder of Lee Rigby near his barracks in the south London district of Woolwich in May, made the comments during interviews with police after his arrest. Adebolajo has been asked to be referred to as Mujaahid Abu Hamza in court. In recordings of the interviews shown to the jury at the Old Bailey criminal court in London, 28-year-old Adebolajo blamed his actions on "wicked" leaders such as Prime Minister David Cameron and his predecessor Tony Blair.

Iraq PM in talks on Syria during Iran trip Posted: 04 Dec 2013 10:16 AM PST Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki arrived in Iran on Wednesday, state television reported, for two days of talks that will also focus on the conflict raging in Syria. It is Maliki's first visit to Tehran since Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate who champions engagement with the West, became Iran's president in August after defeating a pool of conservative candidates in a June election. Maliki's spokesman Ali Mussawi told AFP in Baghdad the premier's talks would focus on energy cooperation and "the necessity of fighting terrorism".

Iran readies for big oil production hike Posted: 04 Dec 2013 10:02 AM PST Iran indirectly challenged OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, announcing it plans to pump as much oil as it can once sanctions on its crude exports are lifted, even if its extra output drives prices ...

Mohamed ElBaradei to Join Tufts' Fletcher School as Nobel-Laureate-in-Residence Posted: 04 Dec 2013 10:00 AM PST MEDFORD / SOMERVILLE, Mass., Dec. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, director general emeritus of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and co-recipient of the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize with the IAEA for his efforts "to prevent nuclear energy from being used for military purposes and to ensure that nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is used in the safest possible way," will join The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University as Nobel-Laureate-in-Residence in fall 2014. "The entire Fletcher and Tufts community is proud to welcome Dr. ElBaradei, a courageous leader and powerful advocate for international peace and security," said Admiral James Stavridis, the 12th dean of The Fletcher School.

10 Years After Abu Ghraib, Textbook Story Often Oversimplified (Op-Ed) Posted: 04 Dec 2013 09:55 AM PST  Ten years ago, during the months of October, November and December 2003, events that would soon engage the attention of the world were taking place at the Baghdad Central Confinement Facility. This Saddam Hussein-era prison complex was located near Abu Ghraib, Iraq. "Sixty Minutes II" broke the story a few months later, and "Abu Ghraib" soon took its place in the public consciousness, like the My Lai massacre in Vietnam, as a symbol of much that was wrong with an unpopular war.  The events at Abu Ghraib were the subject of several high-level U.S. investigations, and resulted in the court-martial and conviction of 11 soldiers.

Pope prays for Syrian nuns held by rebels Posted: 04 Dec 2013 09:40 AM PST DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Pope Francis called for prayers Wednesday for 12 Orthodox nuns reportedly taken by force from their convent in Syria by rebels. Religious officials in the region have said the women were abducted, but a Syrian opposition activist said they were merely removed for their own safety.

Hizballah’s War of Shadows with Saudi Arabia Comes Into the Light Posted: 04 Dec 2013 09:22 AM PST Speeches by Hizballah head Hassan Nasrallah are usually predictable affairs. But in an interview with Lebanese TV station OTV late Tuesday night, he went radically off script, zeroing in on a new target for his rhetorical darts: Saudi Arabia. Nasrallah rarely mentions Saudi Arabia by name, only referring to the monarchy in vague terms in order to maintain plausible deniability. In doing so he has openly declared a war that has long been fought in the shadows, first in Lebanon where Hizballah-allied parties are at a political impasse with the Saudi-backed Future Movement of Saad Hariri, and now in Syria, where Hizballah, with Iranian assistance, is fighting on the side of President Bashar Assad against Saudi-backed rebels.

UK major threw laptop with sensitive Iraq photos from ferry Posted: 04 Dec 2013 08:54 AM PST By Estelle Shirbon LONDON (Reuters) - A British army major disposed of a computer that contained original photographs of the bodies of Iraqis killed in disputed circumstances by throwing it into the sea from a ferry, a public inquiry heard on Wednesday. James Rands was appearing as a witness at the Al-Sweady inquiry into allegations that British troops executed and tortured Iraqis in the aftermath of a battle near the town of Majar al-Kabir in southern Iraq on May 14, 2004. Rands took photos of the bodies which are now key items of evidence in the inquiry. That act has become a sensitive issue because British lawyers for the Iraqis making the allegations have suggested that he got rid of the laptop to conceal that he had modified the original files to change the timing of the photos.

Firm orders for Bombardier's CSeries reach 182 after Iraq deal Posted: 04 Dec 2013 07:47 AM PST (Reuters) - Bombardier Inc said on Wednesday that Iraqi Airways has signed a firm purchase agreement to acquire five of its larger CSeries jetliners, ending a six-month order drought for the new plane. The $387 million agreement with Iraq's national carrier follows a letter of intent announced last month. It brings the total number of CSeries firm orders to 182. Iraqi Airways has options on 11 additional CS300s, making the potential value of the deal at $1.26 billion at list prices.

Iran deal validates nuclear blackmail and hurts Israeli-Palestinian peace process Posted: 04 Dec 2013 07:42 AM PST The topic was Middle East security after the fall of Saddam Hussein. To the participants' surprise a special guest joined the meeting and gave a speech: Muhssein Rizai, the former commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, and an influential insider of the regime in Tehran. Mr. Rizai sent a clear message to the US administration: If you, the Americans, want to stabilize the Middle East, talk to the hegemonic power – us, the Iranians.

British plans to combat militancy meet skepticism Posted: 04 Dec 2013 07:34 AM PST By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - Britain announced new proposals to tackle political militancy on Wednesday following the murder of a British soldier in London this year, but some experts said measures to tackle radical Islamism were vague and could be counter-productive. Lee Rigby, 25, a veteran of the Afghan War, was hacked to death in broad daylight in the Woolwich district of London in May, a killing which prompted Prime Minister David Cameron to set up a taskforce on tackling 'radicalization'.

British plans to combat militancy meet scepticism Posted: 04 Dec 2013 07:30 AM PST By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - Britain announced new proposals to tackle political militancy on Wednesday following the murder of a British soldier in London this year, but some experts said measures to tackle radical Islamism were vague and could be counter-productive. Lee Rigby, 25, a veteran of the Afghan War, was hacked to death in broad daylight in the Woolwich district of London in May, a killing which prompted Prime Minister David Cameron to set up a taskforce on tackling 'radicalisation'.

U.S. military court finds soldier guilty in prostitution case Posted: 04 Dec 2013 07:09 AM PST A U.S. military court found a soldier guilty of taking part in a suspected prostitution ring at Fort Hood, Texas, one of the largest Army bases in the United States. Army Master Sergeant Brad Grimes, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was charged this year with conspiring to pay a female private for sex. "In the court-martial of U.S. versus Master Sgt. Brad Grimes, a panel found Grimes guilty of conspiring to patronize a prostitute and solicitation to commit adultery," the base's press center said in a statement late on Tuesday. Another soldier, Sergeant First Class Gregory McQueen, is being investigated in accusations of operating a prostitution ring with at least three female soldiers, U.S. authorities have said.

OPEC freezes oil output ceiling Posted: 04 Dec 2013 07:06 AM PST OPEC agreed on Wednesday to hold its crude production ceiling at 30 million barrels per day despite oversupply concerns and competition from cheaper shale oil. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which pumps out about one third of the world's oil, failed again to decide on a new secretary-general amid group tensions, instead keeping Libya's Abdullah El-Badri as its administrative head for 2014. And Libya, where output of crude oil has fallen sharply on unrest in the country, will assume the cartel's rotating presidency for next year, OPEC added in a communique. The cartel, which could see higher production from its members Iran, Iraq and Libya in coming months, nevertheless faces competition from non-OPEC producers of shale oil.

Public art project elicits the profound, profane Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:53 AM PST SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — It is public art made of private wishes.

'Top Gun' inspiration promoted at Pentagon Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:40 AM PST Christine Fox, who inspired the Kelly McGillis character in "Top Gun," has been named acting deputy defense secretary, becoming the highest ranking woman ever to serve in the Defense Department.

Pope prays for Syrian nuns Posted: 04 Dec 2013 06:39 AM PST DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Pope Francis called Wednesday for prayers for 12 Orthodox nuns reportedly taken by force from their convent in Syria by rebels. Religious officials in the region have said the women were abducted, but a Syrian opposition activist said they were merely taken away for their own safety.

OPEC leaves production target unchanged Posted: 04 Dec 2013 05:53 AM PST VIENNA (AP) — OPEC oil ministers have decided to maintain the organization's production target at 30 million barrels a day.

Insurgents attack police headquarters in Iraq Posted: 04 Dec 2013 05:50 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi authorities say insurgents have attacked a security headquarters in a northern city, killing four people.

British major threw laptop with sensitive Iraq photos from ferry Posted: 04 Dec 2013 05:18 AM PST By Estelle Shirbon LONDON (Reuters) - A British army major disposed of a computer that may have contained photographs of the bodies of Iraqis killed by the British in disputed circumstances by throwing it into the sea from a ferry, a public inquiry heard on Wednesday. James Rands was appearing as a witness at the Al-Sweady inquiry into allegations that British troops executed and tortured Iraqis in the aftermath of a battle near the town of Majar al-Kabir in southern Iraq on May 14, 2004. Rands, a captain at the time, was an intelligence officer based at Camp Abu Naji, a military base where 20 Iraqi bodies were taken after a fierce gunfight, the British say. The state of the bodies and the reason why they were at Camp Abu Naji are central issues in the inquiry because Iraqi witnesses say some of them were taken alive and later executed at the camp, and that some of the bodies were mutilated.

Brent edges toward $113; U.S. crude boosted by pipeline news Posted: 04 Dec 2013 12:05 AM PST By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Brent crude climbed towards $113 a barrel on Wednesday, while the U.S. benchmark rose more than $1 to a five-week high after news of the scheduled start of a key pipeline helping to relieve a supply bottleneck at the country's main oil storage hub. U.S. oil built on a more than $2 jump in the previous session, after TransCanada Corp said it would begin operations at its Keystone XL pipeline on January 3. The launch will allow rising inventories at the Cushing, Oklahoma oil hub to move to the U.S. Gulf Coast, where a large share of the country's refining capacity is concentrated. "The market has been full of speculation about when the pipeline would start," said Chee Tat Tan, investment analyst at Phillip Futures in Singapore.

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