Yahoo! News: Iraq

---

• Senators aim to end US Iraq war authority
• Republicans vote in special primary in bellwether Florida district
• Is It the Beginning of the End for West African Lions?
• Analysis: Budget bill locks in conservative gains
• Syria donors urged to demand access to besieged areas
• Bill would provide $25m more for embassy security
• Al Qaeda resurgence in Iraq: why Pentagon sees a silver lining
• French President Needs Some Time to Figure Out Who His First Lady Is
• Three years after uprising, Tunisians celebrate near-model transition
• Iraq violence kills 24, militants stage big attacks near Falluja
• Gunmen win turf in Ramadi as Baghdad attacks kill 18
• Palestinians rally for besieged brethren in Syria's Yarmouk camp
• Attacks kill 19 in Iraq as Iranian diplomat visits
• NGOs pledge $400 mn for Syrians affected by war
• Jihadists retake Syria's Raqa from rival rebels
• UN returns to Kuwait in search of new Syria aid
• Syrian government forces advance as rebel infighting rages
• Erdogan says Turkish corruption probe "black stain" on democracy
• Nigerian Police Are Already Using New Law to Round Up Gay Men
• Iraq attacks kill 8 people in Baghdad
• Al-Qaida-linked group secures hold on Syrian city
• Pope Francis and the Online Trolls Are Making Everyone Nervous
• As al Qaeda revives, Iraq struggles to secure Syria border
• Scholarships Bridge the STEM Education Gap
• Violence kills at least 12 across Iraq
• EU pledges extra 165 mn euros in humanitarian aid for Syria
• Ancient People Fought Demons and Disasters with Eggs
• Iraqi officials: Attacks kill 6 people in Baghdad
• Top Iraq Deputy Warns of Civil War
• Egypt's Day of Rage
• The Corsican Mafia Love Nest
• Turkish anti-terrorist police raid aid agency near Syrian border
• 'At least 30 killed' in Baghdad area attacks
• Huge Dossier Alleges British War Crimes in Iraq
• A Blank Check For War on Iran
• Brent holds above $106 but brighter supply outlook drags
• US soldier who wanted to help al Shabaab sentenced to prison

Senators aim to end US Iraq war authority Posted: 14 Jan 2014 03:32 PM PST Several US lawmakers led by Republican Senator Rand Paul introduced legislation Tuesday that would finally bring to an end Washington's authorization to wage war in Iraq. President Barack Obama's White House backs the efforts, in principle, having withdrawn US forces in December 2011. Obama has declared the war over, yet a loophole in the law green-lighting the March 2003 invasion allows for future US presidents to send troops back to Iraq, still a turbulent country. A bill spearheaded by Paul, a libertarian who consistently seeks to scale back foreign intervention by US forces, and backed by several Democrats would repeal the authorization, known as an AUMF.

Republicans vote in special primary in bellwether Florida district Posted: 14 Jan 2014 01:54 PM PST By Barbara Liston ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - In a race being watched as a potential bellwether for this year's mid-term congressional elections, Republicans cast their votes in a special primary election on Tuesday in a key Florida swing district. The vote in the state's 13th Congressional District was to fill the vacancy left by the death in October of U.S. Representative Bill Young, a moderate Republican who had held the seat for 42 years. Once reliably Republican, the district along Florida's Gulf coast has backed the party's presidential nominee only once since 1988. Former President George W. Bush, a Republican, won 51 percent of the district's votes in 2004 but it went for President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012.

Is It the Beginning of the End for West African Lions? Posted: 14 Jan 2014 01:30 PM PST West African lions, the lean, majestic creatures that used to roam the region, have dwindled down to a population of about 400 and are facing extinction, according to an aptly titled paper, "The Lion in West Africa Is Critically Endangered," published last week in the scientific journal PLOS ONE.   A team of scientists spent six years surveying likely habitats across 11 countries, and were shocked and disappointed to find how much they had underestimated the decline of the lion population. Overall, fewer than 35,000 lions remain on the continent — a fraction of the 100,000 who lived in Africa 50 years ago. According to one of the report's authors, Dr. Philipp Henschel, his team learned that several protected areas have fallen into disrepair: "When we set out in 2006 to survey all the lions of West Africa, the best reports suggested they still survived in 21 protected areas. We surveyed all of them, representing the best remaining lion habitat in West Africa.

Analysis: Budget bill locks in conservative gains Posted: 14 Jan 2014 01:13 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — At an unlikely-to-be-read 1,582 pages, Congress' $1.1 trillion spending bill is precisely the sort of massive legislation that Republicans criticized when they successfully sought power three years ago in the House.

Syria donors urged to demand access to besieged areas Posted: 14 Jan 2014 12:54 PM PST Human Rights Watch called on international donors gathering for a Syria aid conference in Kuwait Wednesday to demand access for relief deliveries to civilians trapped by the fighting. "Syrian authorities have... been unwilling to allow access into besieged areas or civilians to leave towns where an estimated 288,000 people are trapped with little or no aid," the New York-based group said on Tuesday. HRW said the Syrian authorities have taken some steps towards facilitating greater aid access. Though some aid has been allowed into Syria via Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon, Damascus has "steadfastly refused to allow aid from Turkey to reach those in need in northern Syria," said HRW.

Bill would provide $25m more for embassy security Posted: 14 Jan 2014 12:40 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — A spending bill written to fund the government through October would increase security at U.S. diplomatic facilities abroad.

Al Qaeda resurgence in Iraq: why Pentagon sees a silver lining Posted: 14 Jan 2014 12:36 PM PST This is the counter-narrative emerging from analysts who say that Al Qaeda's decision to take the battle to the streets of western Iraq represents what could turn out to be a damaging strategic blunder for the organization. "Al Qaeda made a big mistake in coming out of the shadows," says retired Col. Douglas Ollivant, a senior fellow at the New America Foundation and former director for Iraq at the National Security Council during both the Bush and Obama administrations. Senator McCain, for his part, suggested that President Obama send retired Gen. David Petraeus, the former commander of US forces in Iraq, back to the country. The current violence has flushed out Al Qaeda fighters, which could offer a chance for the Iraqi government to act decisively against them, he adds.

French President Needs Some Time to Figure Out Who His First Lady Is Posted: 14 Jan 2014 12:04 PM PST French President Francois Hollande promised on Tuesday to clarify whether his live-in girlfriend, his alleged mistress, or no one at all, is the First Lady of France before a February visit to the White House. Late last week, a French magazine added some credence to a long-simmering rumor that the French leader was having an affair with actress Julie Gayet, news that apparently sent Hollande's long-time girlfriend Valerie Trierweiler to the hospital suffering from exhaustion. Although the president has not commented directly on his alleged involvement with Gayet, Hollande refused to affirm that Trierweiler (who lives with Hollande in the president's home) is still the First Lady when asked directly by a reporter. These are painful moments." Hollande said he would address the subject in more detail at a later date, before his scheduled state visit to the White House on February 11th.

Three years after uprising, Tunisians celebrate near-model transition Posted: 14 Jan 2014 12:01 PM PST By Patrick Markey and Aziz El Yaakoubi TUNIS (Reuters) - Thousands of Islamist and secular Tunisians marked the third anniversary of autocrat Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali's downfall on Tuesday, celebrating in the closest the Arab world has to a model transition to democracy. Crowds jammed Habib Bourguiba boulevard in the capital, Tunis, waving flags and chanting in friendly rivalry near the interior ministry building where protesters once shouted "Leave" to Ben Ali. Ben Ali's flight from the country on January 14, 2011 inspired uprisings in Libya, Egypt, Yemen and Syria. But while those countries remain in turmoil or outright war, Tunisia's Islamist Ennahda party will compete for power later this year with its secular opponents at the ballot box, not on the street.

Iraq violence kills 24, militants stage big attacks near Falluja Posted: 14 Jan 2014 11:36 AM PST By Alistair Lyon BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Sunni Muslim militants staged coordinated attacks near the western Iraqi city of Falluja on Tuesday, destroying two army tanks and capturing a police station, police said. There was no immediate word on the casualty toll from those assaults, which occurred during a standoff between the army and al Qaeda-linked militants who overran Falluja two weeks ago. Elsewhere, car bombs and shootings killed at least 24 people, mainly in the capital Baghdad, police and medics said. A suicide bomber in an explosives-laden fuel tanker blew it up under a highway bridge near the town of Saqlawiya, about 10 km (six miles) north of Falluja, causing the bridge to collapse and destroying one of two army tanks parked on top, police said.

Gunmen win turf in Ramadi as Baghdad attacks kill 18 Posted: 14 Jan 2014 11:33 AM PST Sunni gunmen, including fighters linked to Al-Qaeda, made gains in the contested Iraqi city of Ramadi Tuesday in a setback for pro-government forces, as attacks killed 18 around the capital. The clashes came after UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appealed to Iraqi leaders to address the "root causes" of nationwide unrest, echoing calls from diplomats for Baghdad to focus more on political reconciliation. But Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has ruled out talks to resolve the standoff, as April 30 parliamentary elections loom and his government faces the worst protracted period of bloodshed since Iraq was emerging from a brutal Sunni-Shiite sectarian war in 2008. Parts of Ramadi and all of Fallujah, just 60 kilometres (40 miles) from Baghdad, fell out of government control more than two weeks ago, the first time militants have exercised such open control in major cities since the height of the insurgency that followed the US-led invasion of 2003.

Palestinians rally for besieged brethren in Syria's Yarmouk camp Posted: 14 Jan 2014 11:18 AM PST The death of at least 28 starving Palestinians in Syria's Yarmouk refugee camp has sparked protests across the Middle East. Fellow Palestinians are calling on the international community and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to help end a siege imposed by the Syrian Army last summer, after the camp became a hub for rebel fighters from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and extremist Islamist groups. For Palestinians here, who often took solace in the support of their compatriots abroad during Israeli military campaigns, a more concerted effort is needed to help Palestinian refugees caught in the brutal Syrian civil war.

Attacks kill 19 in Iraq as Iranian diplomat visits Posted: 14 Jan 2014 11:17 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Bombings and shootings killed at least 19 people in and around the Iraqi capital on Tuesday, as Iran's foreign minister visited the neighboring country amid a backdrop of increasing violence in a restive western region.

NGOs pledge $400 mn for Syrians affected by war Posted: 14 Jan 2014 10:59 AM PST Charity organisations pledged $400 million (292 million euros) Tuesday to help alleviate the humanitarian plight of Syrians affected by their country's civil war, participants at a meeting of charitable NGOs said. Kuwait's International Islamic Charitable Organisation said Kuwaiti charities pledged $142 million, while dozens of NGOs attending the meeting promised the rest. The funds will target people inside and outside Syria, where more than 130,000 people have been killed and millions displaced during the 34-month conflict, IICO said in a statement cited by the KUNA news agency. At a similar meeting last year, NGOs pledged $182 million for Syrian refugees.

Jihadists retake Syria's Raqa from rival rebels Posted: 14 Jan 2014 10:53 AM PST The jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has retaken the Syrian city of Raqa after fierce fighting for the northern provincial capital, a monitoring group said on Tuesday. "ISIL took full control of the city of Raqa after days of clashes," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The jihadist group has been battling a coalition of Islamist and moderate rebels in opposition-held areas across northern Syria. Raqa is the only provincial capital the rebels have managed to fully prise from government control and subsequently became an ISIL stronghold.

UN returns to Kuwait in search of new Syria aid Posted: 14 Jan 2014 10:49 AM PST Relief aid officials are hoping wealthy Gulf states and other international donors gathering for a major fundraising drive in Kuwait will step up their giving to help Syrians affected by the country's ...

Syrian government forces advance as rebel infighting rages Posted: 14 Jan 2014 10:31 AM PST By Oliver Holmes BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian government has retaken territory around the northern city of Aleppo, the military said on Tuesday, after two weeks of rebel infighting that has weakened the insurgency against President Bashar al-Assad. The internecine conflict among various rebel groups will allow Assad to portray himself as the only secular alternative in Syria to a radical Islamist regime when peace talks begin in Switzerland on January 22. His military advances will give the Syrian government delegation greater leverage at the negotiating table. An army statement said government forces had pushed out from their base at Aleppo's international airport, southeast of the city, and were moving towards an industrial complex used as a rebel base and the al-Bab road, needed by insurgents to supply the half of Aleppo under their control.

Erdogan says Turkish corruption probe "black stain" on democracy Posted: 14 Jan 2014 09:27 AM PST By Orhan Coskun and Humeyra Pamuk ANKARA (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday described a corruption investigation shaking his government as a "black stain on Turkey's democratic history" and a worse betrayal than any of the military coups of past decades. Addressing members of his ruling AK Party in parliament, Erdogan said the corruption investigation was being driven by outside forces opposed to Turkey's assertive foreign policy and bent on damaging its economy ahead of elections this year. Erdogan's supporters view the investigation as a plot to undermine him orchestrated by U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, a former ally whose network of followers is influential in the police and judiciary.

Nigerian Police Are Already Using New Law to Round Up Gay Men Posted: 14 Jan 2014 09:19 AM PST Just one day after Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan confirmed that he'd signed a new law criminalizing same-sex unions and all LGBT organizations in the country, police in the northern region of the country arrested dozens of men simply for being gay. According to human rights activists working in the country, police allegedly drew up the list by torturing four gay men into naming others.  Two human rights activists speaking to the AP, however, say that the actual number of arrestees is higher, and that more will almost certainly follow. The arrests seem to be prompted by a false rumor in the country that the U.S. government gave $20 million to gay activists in the region to promote gay marriage.

Iraq attacks kill 8 people in Baghdad Posted: 14 Jan 2014 09:08 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Bombings and shootings killed at least eight people in and around the Iraqi capital on Tuesday, including a judge, officials said.

Al-Qaida-linked group secures hold on Syrian city Posted: 14 Jan 2014 08:51 AM PST BEIRUT (AP) — Activists say an al-Qaida-linked group has pushed out rival rebels to regain full control of a provincial capital in northeastern Syria.

Pope Francis and the Online Trolls Are Making Everyone Nervous Posted: 14 Jan 2014 08:04 AM PST Pope Francis's approach to the papacy is so symbolically different from what The Vatican is used to that it's making some people nervous. And a lot of that paranoia seems to be coming from inside the house, particularly among Vatican power players who are worried the pope just might shake them out of a job. Francis's first round of appointments to the College of Cardinals might not be the most sensational thing he has done over the past year, but it is arguably the most consequential. Here's why: the majority of the new Cardinals are from the Global South, which generally refers to countries outside of North America and Europe.

As al Qaeda revives, Iraq struggles to secure Syria border Posted: 14 Jan 2014 07:10 AM PST By Suadad al-Salhy BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq is struggling to tighten control of its border with Syria, alarmed by a resurgent al Qaeda force that seeks to build an Islamic state across a frontier drawn in colonial times. The Syrian civil war that has inflamed sectarian tensions across the region, and a desolate geography favoring smugglers and guerrillas are just two of Baghdad's difficulties in getting a firm grip on the 600-km (375-mile) desert boundary. Iraq says Sunni Islamists have gone back and forth from Syria during the conflict. Crucially, political and sectarian animosities felt by the Sunni population of the western province of Anbar towards the Shi'ite-led central government weaken its authority there.

Scholarships Bridge the STEM Education Gap Posted: 14 Jan 2014 07:00 AM PST AFCEA Educational Foundation Helps Grow Technical Talent.FAIRFAX, Va., Jan. 14, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Economics experts concur and statistics confirm that the U.S. needs to boost its tech-savvy work force. Expertise in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is a must to remain competitive in a global economy that depends on technology. However, with the cost of higher education soaring, talented students must navigate the gap between pursuing and affording an education addresses this issue.(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire. ...

Violence kills at least 12 across Iraq Posted: 14 Jan 2014 06:07 AM PST At least 12 people were killed in violence across Iraq on Tuesday, mostly in bombings and shootings in Baghdad, police and medical sources said. Four mortar rounds landed on houses in the town of Garma, 30 km (20 miles) northwest of Baghdad, killing four people and wounding six, a local official and hospital sources said. Garma is close to Falluja, a city overrun by al Qaeda militants two weeks ago and now ringed by army tanks and troops. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the spate of attacks in Baghdad but the Shi'ite-led government has blamed Sunni militant groups, including al Qaeda, which have stepped up their incursions since last year and regained ground in western Iraq.

EU pledges extra 165 mn euros in humanitarian aid for Syria Posted: 14 Jan 2014 05:33 AM PST The European Union offered an extra 165 million euros of aid to victims of Syria's unrelenting civil war Tuesday while urging world powers to do more to ensure help reaches those trapped in the fighting. "We see the humanitarian situation going from bad to worse, we have seen no improvement," EU Aid Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva told AFP before departing for a donor conference in Kuwait City, following the UN's largest appeal ever for a single emergency. To get aid where it is needed, the EU's executive has been in contact both with the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and with opposition fighters, as well as with interested parties Russia, Iran and the Gulf states. Inside Syria, "the hardliners, the Jihadists, they are those who are most determined to prevent access" to civilians in need, by attacking and abducting humanitarian workers and preventing the vaccination of children against polio, Georgieva said.

Ancient People Fought Demons and Disasters with Eggs Posted: 14 Jan 2014 05:15 AM PST Residents of Sardis, an ancient city in modern-day Turkey, spent decades rebuilding after a devastating earthquake struck one night in the year A.D. 17. To ward off demons and future disasters, some locals may have sealed eggshells under their new floors as lucky charms, archaeologists found. In the summer of 2013 archaeologists were excavating an ancient building at Sardis that was constructed after the earthquake. The objects in the odd assemblages were important in ancient rituals to keep evil forces at bay, and the archaeologists who found them believe they could be rare examples of how the earthquake affected ancient people on a personal level.

Iraqi officials: Attacks kill 6 people in Baghdad Posted: 14 Jan 2014 04:29 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi officials say bombings and a drive-by shooting have killed six people in Baghdad, including a judge.

Top Iraq Deputy Warns of Civil War Posted: 14 Jan 2014 02:45 AM PST Iraq's second-highest ranking Sunni Arab politician is in D.C. to ask Obama to send election monitors. He believes that free and fair elections will save Iraq from civil war.

Egypt's Day of Rage Posted: 14 Jan 2014 02:45 AM PST Egypt's military rulers want voters to pass a new constitution which they say will protect minorities like Christians and women—opponents say it could pave the way for dictatorship.

The Corsican Mafia Love Nest Posted: 14 Jan 2014 02:45 AM PST As rumors circulate about the president of France's alleged amorous indiscretions, the French media digs up a shadowy link with organized crime.

Turkish anti-terrorist police raid aid agency near Syrian border Posted: 14 Jan 2014 02:38 AM PST Turkish anti-terrorist police raided the offices of an aid agency on the border with Syria on Tuesday, in part of what local media said was an operation in six cities against individuals suspected of links to al Qaeda. The Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) said police had raided its offices in the southern Turkish city of Kilis, which borders Syria, and detained one person. The IHH came to prominence in May 2010 when Israeli marines stormed its Mavi Marmara ship to enforce a naval blockade of the Palestinian-run Gaza Strip and killed nine Turks in clashes with activists. "IHH aid is delivered to Syrian babies, children and those who freeze in the cold ... This is an operation to change perceptions (about IHH) and stop aid from being delivered inside Syria," the group said in a statement.

'At least 30 killed' in Baghdad area attacks Posted: 14 Jan 2014 02:29 AM PST A series of attacks in the Baghdad area, including four car bombs targeting civilians, have killed at least 30 people, security and medical officials said Tuesday. The violence Monday evening was the latest in a months-long surge in bloodshed that, coupled with a deadly weeks-long standoff in Anbar province, has sparked fears Iraq is slipping back into the brutal sectarian war that killed tens of thousands in 2006 and 2007. Car bombs went off in populated civilian areas, both Sunni and Shiite, across the capital, including the Sunni district of Adhamiyah and the mostly Shiite areas of Shaab and Shuala, from about 6:00 pm (1500 GMT) onwards, the officials said. The blasts, which struck a market, a gathering marking the birthday of Islam's Prophet Mohammed and people near a string of alcohol shops, killed at least 27 people and wounded dozens more, according to security and medical officials.

Huge Dossier Alleges British War Crimes in Iraq Posted: 14 Jan 2014 12:37 AM PST The reports is titled "The Responsibility of UK Officials for War Crimes Involving Systematic Detainee Abuse in Iraq from 2003-2008" and was compiled by Public Interest Lawyers and the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights. The ICC has come under criticism recently for not focusing enough on crimes committed by Western nations. The dossier's authors believe that the sheer breadth of the report warrants further investigation, though the ICC receives dozens every year and proceeds on only a few of them. The ICC also only investigates allegations if national jurisdictions are unable or unwilling to do so.

A Blank Check For War on Iran Posted: 14 Jan 2014 12:00 AM PST Today the Senate is about to vote Israel a virtual blank check — for war on Iran. If Israel is "compelled to take military action in legitimate self-defense against Iran's nuclear weapons program," the United States "should stand with Israel and provide ... diplomatic, military and economic support to the Government of Israel in the defense of its territory, people and existence." Inserted in that call for U.S. military action to support an Israeli strike on Iran, S.1881 says that, in doing so, we should follow our laws and constitutional procedures. Nevertheless, this bill virtually hands over the decision on war to Bibi Netanyahu who is on record saying: "This is 1938.

Brent holds above $106 but brighter supply outlook drags Posted: 13 Jan 2014 10:42 PM PST By Florence Tan SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Brent crude held above $106 a barrel on Tuesday after slipping in the previous session as Libyan supply picked up and as the restart of Iranian oil shipments appeared to get closer. Recent weak economic data from the United States has also dampened the outlook for fuel demand in the world's largest oil consumer. February Brent crude had edged down 3 cents to $106.72 a barrel by 0611 GMT after closing down 0.47 percent in the previous session. "Oil markets seem to have weakened in the last few days because of lower U.S. economic indices like employment data and a rise in oil exports from Libya," said Ken Hasegawa, a commodity sales manager at Newedge Japan.

US soldier who wanted to help al Shabaab sentenced to prison Posted: 13 Jan 2014 10:18 PM PST A former U.S. soldier who admitted to trying to help the al Shabaab militant group, an al Qaeda affiliate in Somalia, was sentenced to seven years in prison on Monday, the Justice Department said. Craig Baxam, 24, of Laurel, Maryland, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Baltimore after pleading guilty to destroying records that might be used in a terrorism investigation, the Justice Department said in a statement. Baxam, who had been trained in intelligence and cryptology while in the Army, was arrested by Kenyan police in December 2011 as he tried to cross the border into Somalia to join al Shabaab. Baxam told FBI agents in Kenya that he had destroyed his personal computer to keep U.S. authorities from tracking him and to leave no records behind, the statement said.

You are subscribed to email updates from Iraq News Headlines - Yahoo! News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610