Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• U.S. defense secretary nominee undergoes back surgery
• Higher prices, shortages create pressure for IS
• Former Fox News reporter Dominic Di-Natale found dead in Colorado
• US Senate OKs defense policy bill
• US Congress passes $584 billion defense bill
• Senate OKs defense policy bill
• Ex-CEO admits role in scheme to defraud US gov't
• Ex-CEO admits role in scheme to defraud government
• Germany's new far-right populists rail against Islam
• Pulitzer-winning photojournalist dies in Liberia
• Bomb blast at French cultural centre in Gaza
• War Powers for Obama: How Far Should a President Go?
• 'Shami Witness': Twitter's top Islamic State 'jihadi' outed as a fake
• Here's the poem Cynthia Ozick wrote about the implosion of The New Republic
• Putin tops AFP's choice of 2014's most influential figures
• US Senate poised to OK defense policy bill
• Spending bill cleaves Pelosi from Obama and Senate
• Nobel winner tells US to throw books not bombs at Islamic State
• Mercy Corps Calls on Congress to Take Decisive Steps in Iraq
• Iraq security fears as millions of pilgrims throng Karbala
• Denmark sees 'significant' threat from returning jihadists: report
• Czech Embassy targeted with poison in envelope
• Islamic State target of 27 strikes by U.S. allies
• Falling oil prices shake economies of Iraq, Russia
• Rocket fire on Iraqi Shi'ite pilgrim city kills one
• Indonesian editor accused of blasphemy for cartoon
• Exclusive: Cash-strapped Iraq seeks Kuwait war reparation delay
• Mortar attack kills 8 people in Iraq
• 'Indian executive' exposed as jihadi tweeter
• Pakistan arrests suspected South Asian al Qaeda commander
• UN voices 'serious concern' after Taliban attacks hit Kabul
• Islamic State suicide bomber detonates tank in eastern Syria
• Indonesian editor accused of blasphemy over IS cartoon
• Today in History
• Oscars: Best Picture Race a Battle of the Sexes
• A long-term blank check for 'war' spending

U.S. defense secretary nominee undergoes back surgery Posted: 12 Dec 2014 04:44 PM PST By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ashton Carter, President Barack Obama's nominee to replace Chuck Hagel as U.S. defense secretary, has undergone a long-planned surgical procedure on his back ahead of his confirmation process in the Senate, the White House said on Friday. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a statement that the procedure was successful but did not give details about the operation. "Mr. Carter decided to go ahead with the previously scheduled procedure so that he could complete it before beginning his confirmation process," Earnest added. "Mr. ...

Higher prices, shortages create pressure for IS Posted: 12 Dec 2014 04:30 PM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Saadi Abdul-Rahman was recently forced to pull his three children out of school in the Iraqi city of Mosul, where Islamic State militants have ruled with an iron fist since June. The cost of living has soared there, and the family is barely able to make ends meet, even after putting the kids to work.

Former Fox News reporter Dominic Di-Natale found dead in Colorado Posted: 12 Dec 2014 02:58 PM PST By Keith Coffman DENVER (Reuters) - Fox News correspondent Dominic Di-Natale, whose international reporting took him from Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan to covering protests in Ferguson, Missouri, has been found dead in Colorado, officials said on Friday. The body of Di-Natale, 43, was discovered on Wednesday in the foothills west of Denver, the Jefferson County Coroner's Office said. In an obituary posted on the Fox News website, the network reported that Di-Natale's death was a suicide, citing the Jefferson County Coroner's office. ...

US Senate OKs defense policy bill Posted: 12 Dec 2014 02:55 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress on Friday sent President Barack Obama a massive U.S. defense policy bill that endorses his stepped-up military campaign of air strikes and training of Iraqis and moderate Syrian rebels in the war against Islamic State militants.

US Congress passes $584 billion defense bill Posted: 12 Dec 2014 02:49 PM PST The US Congress adopted a massive US defense spending bill for 2015 Friday which includes emergency funding for military operations against Islamic jihadists in Iraq and Syria, as requested by President Barack Obama. The legislation passed 89 votes to 11 in the Senate one week after it sailed through the House. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was a culmination of months of negotiations. It also includes Obama's $5 billion request for funds to battle the Islamic State extremist group, including $3.4 billion for deployment of US forces as part of operation "Inherent Resolve," and $1.6 billion for a program to equip and train Iraqi Kurdish forces for two years.

Senate OKs defense policy bill Posted: 12 Dec 2014 02:41 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress on Friday sent President Barack Obama a massive defense policy bill that endorses his stepped-up military campaign of air strikes and training of Iraqis and moderate Syrian rebels in the war against Islamic State militants.

Ex-CEO admits role in scheme to defraud US gov't Posted: 12 Dec 2014 02:21 PM PST TRENTON, New Jersey (AP) — The former president and CEO of a New Jersey-based engineering consulting firm pleaded guilty Friday to leading a conspiracy that reaped tens of millions of dollars by overcharging the U.S. government for reconstruction projects overseas, including in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ex-CEO admits role in scheme to defraud government Posted: 12 Dec 2014 02:15 PM PST The former president and CEO of a New Jersey-based engineering consulting firm pleaded guilty Friday to leading a conspiracy that reaped tens of millions of dollars by overcharging the U.S. government ...

Germany's new far-right populists rail against Islam Posted: 12 Dec 2014 01:30 PM PST They march in their thousands every Monday evening, wave German national flags and angrily protest against "criminal asylum seekers" and the "Islamisation" of their home country. In recent months, Germany has witnessed the emergence of a far-right populist movement that has drawn support from hardcore neo-Nazis and also a small but growing anti-euro party, the AfD. Germany was rattled this week when the latest in a series of marches in the eastern city of Dresden by the "Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the Occident", or PEGIDA, drew over 10,000 people. The group's name is in itself "a veritable call to arms by far-right populists", evoking echoes of Christian crusaders and Nazi propaganda, said Hajo Funke of Berlin's Free University.

Pulitzer-winning photojournalist dies in Liberia Posted: 12 Dec 2014 01:28 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Photojournalist Michel du Cille, a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner who recently captured compelling images of Ebola patients and their caretakers, died in Liberia while on assignment for The Washington Post. He was 58.

Bomb blast at French cultural centre in Gaza Posted: 12 Dec 2014 01:10 PM PST A bomb attack slightly damaged the shuttered French Cultural Centre in Gaza City Friday night without causing casualties, two months after a fire forced its closure, police and an AFP photographer said. Police spokesman Ayman Betjeni said "this was a cowardly attack and unfortunately the second incident of this sort in... two months.

War Powers for Obama: How Far Should a President Go? Posted: 12 Dec 2014 12:00 PM PST Amid the uproar over revelations of CIA torture of detainees throughout the early years of President George W. Bush's war on terrorism, 18 Democratic and Republican politicians sat in a Senate conference ...

'Shami Witness': Twitter's top Islamic State 'jihadi' outed as a fake Posted: 12 Dec 2014 11:04 AM PST Social media, for good or ill, has become an important part of covering conflict and a conduit of propaganda for its combatants. Supporters of the Islamic State have taken enthusiastically to Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter, reposting and broadcasting videos of gruesome beheadings and paeans to their martyrs as fast as the services try to take them down.

Here's the poem Cynthia Ozick wrote about the implosion of The New Republic Posted: 12 Dec 2014 10:40 AM PST The TNR take sweepstakes continues with a very long, very detailed New Yorker piece by former New Republican Ryan Lizza. Read the whole thing for an extremely granular exploration of the ins-and-outs of the magazine's implosion. My favorite part is the detail that Cynthia Ozick, who had written for the magazine in the past, wrote a poem about The New Republic  "inspired by Byron's 'The Destruction of Sennacherib,'" which she emailed to former literary editor Leon Wieseltier.

Putin tops AFP's choice of 2014's most influential figures Posted: 12 Dec 2014 10:39 AM PST Russian President Vladimir Putin leads an AFP list of the most influential people of 2014, a year marked by seismic conflicts in Europe and the Middle East and scarred by episodes of extreme brutality. The leader of the Islamic State group Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and the Nigerian schoolgirls from Chibok kidnapped by Boko Haram also feature prominently among the key personalities, reflecting the rise of militant groups with agendas even more radical than Al-Qaeda. The extraordinary dignity showed in the face of deep suffering by the parents of murdered American journalist James Foley was also recognised in the list, which was compiled by senior editors after a consultation with more than 370 AFP journalists around the world. Diane and John Foley never ceased campaigning for their son, an AFP contributor who was the first Western hostage to be executed by the Islamic State group.

US Senate poised to OK defense policy bill Posted: 12 Dec 2014 10:39 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Senate is on track to approve a massive defense policy bill that endorses President Barack Obama's growing military campaign, including air strikes, against Islamic State militants.

Spending bill cleaves Pelosi from Obama and Senate Posted: 12 Dec 2014 10:18 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi was the odd person out when the Democratic-led Senate and the Democratic president joined most House Republicans in backing a $1.1 trillion spending bill she opposed.

Nobel winner tells US to throw books not bombs at Islamic State Posted: 12 Dec 2014 09:39 AM PST The US-led coalition of countries involved in airstrikes against Islamic State will never bomb the jihadist group out of existence, a Nobel peace prize winner warned Friday. Shirin Ebadi was one of Iran's first female judges. She was demoted after the 1979 Islamic revolution and went on to become the country's most prominent rights campaigner.

Mercy Corps Calls on Congress to Take Decisive Steps in Iraq Posted: 12 Dec 2014 09:00 AM PST WASHINGTON, Dec. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The global humanitarian agency Mercy Corps is calling on the United States Congress to expand humanitarian assistance and take a series of other decisive steps to help address ongoing humanitarian concerns in Iraq. In testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, Mercy Corps highlighted multiple challenges in the conflict-torn nation. ...

Iraq security fears as millions of pilgrims throng Karbala Posted: 12 Dec 2014 08:56 AM PST Millions of Shiite Muslim pilgrims thronged the Iraqi city of Karbala Friday for one of the world's largest religious gatherings, in defiance of the threat posed by the Islamic State, a Sunni group. Record numbers of Shiite faithful have been converging on Karbala from across Iraq and other countries for Arbaeen, which marks the end of a 40-day period of mourning following the anniversary of Imam Hussein's death. Hussein is one of the most revered figures for Shiites, who are the largest community in Iraq and the overwhelming majority in neighbouring Iran. This year's pilgrimage has taken on a political dimension as it is the first since the devastating offensive IS launched in Iraq in June.

Denmark sees 'significant' threat from returning jihadists: report Posted: 12 Dec 2014 08:06 AM PST COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark faces a "significant" threat from radicalized Muslim citizens returning home from Syria and Iraq where at least 110 people have gone to fight with jihadist groups like Islamic State, the Danish intelligence service (PET) said on Friday. It said at least 16 of those who had gone to Syria and Iraq from Denmark had been killed in fighting and that about half of the more than 100 who had traveled there had since come home. ...

Czech Embassy targeted with poison in envelope Posted: 12 Dec 2014 07:40 AM PST BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Police say an envelope mailed to the Czech Republic's Embassy in the Slovakia's capital contained the highly toxic substance sodium azide.

Islamic State target of 27 strikes by U.S. allies Posted: 12 Dec 2014 06:32 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies carried out 27 airstrikes on Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq in the past three days, U.S. military officials said on Friday. Fighting positions, buildings and fortifications were hit in seven attacks near the Syrian cities of Kobani and Aleppo and on the border with Iraq, according to a statement from the Combined Joint Task Force for the coalition overseeing the operation. Islamic State was hit with 20 strikes in Iraq near the cities of Ramadi, Ar Rutbah, Mosul, al-Qaim, Samarra, Rawah and al Asad, the statement said. ...

Falling oil prices shake economies of Iraq, Russia Posted: 12 Dec 2014 06:10 AM PST The plunging price of crude oil on international markets has been hailed by consumer analysts who say Americans who are spending less on gasoline and other petroleum products have more to devote to Christmas shopping.

Rocket fire on Iraqi Shi'ite pilgrim city kills one Posted: 12 Dec 2014 05:59 AM PST BAGHDAD (Reuters) - One person was killed by rocket fire on Friday in the Iraqi city of Kerbala where huge crowds of Shi'ite pilgrims have gathered for religious ceremonies, a local police commander said. He said the dead person was a Kerbala resident and the rocket which killed him was fired from north of the city, an area where radical Sunni Islamic State fighters have battled Iraq's army and Shi'ite militia. ...

Indonesian editor accused of blasphemy for cartoon Posted: 12 Dec 2014 04:39 AM PST JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian police accused the top editor of a leading English-language newspaper of blasphemy after the paper published a cartoon depicting the flag of the militant Islamic State group that allegedly insulted Islam.

Exclusive: Cash-strapped Iraq seeks Kuwait war reparation delay Posted: 12 Dec 2014 04:28 AM PST By Dominic Evans BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq is seeking to postpone a final $4.6 billion installment of reparations for its 1990-91 occupation of Kuwait, Finance Minister Hoshiyar Zebari told Reuters, as it faces a cash crisis caused by falling oil prices and war with Islamic State. Since Iraq was first allowed to resume oil sales nearly two decades ago it has paid funds into a United Nations body overseeing compensation for looting and damage inflicted during Saddam Hussein's seven-month occupation of Kuwait. More than a million claimants have been paid and nearly all the $52. ...

Mortar attack kills 8 people in Iraq Posted: 12 Dec 2014 04:24 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Authorities in Iraq say mortar fire targeting a Shiite mosque has killed eight worshippers in a town north of Baghdad.

'Indian executive' exposed as jihadi tweeter Posted: 12 Dec 2014 03:55 AM PST An influential Twitter account supporting the Islamic State group was run by an executive from Bangalore in India, Britain's Channel 4 News reported.

Pakistan arrests suspected South Asian al Qaeda commander Posted: 12 Dec 2014 03:14 AM PST By Syed Raza Hassan ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani authorities have arrested a man they describe as an important commander in al Qaeda's newly created South Asian wing, police told Reuters on Friday. Police arrested Shahid Usman, in his mid-thirties, and four others in the southern city of Karachi late on Thursday. They also seized weapons and 10 kg (22 lb) of explosives. Al Qaeda's new South Asia wing, al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, tried to hijack a Pakistani navy ship in September this year, a few days after the group had announced its formation. ...

UN voices 'serious concern' after Taliban attacks hit Kabul Posted: 12 Dec 2014 02:09 AM PST The UN has voiced "serious concern" about the Taliban's persistent threat after the group killed seven people in two suicide attacks in Kabul, including one targeting a play at a French-financed high school. The bombing late Thursday afternoon at the Istiqlal High School, attached to the city's long-established French cultural centre, killed a foreign national and came just hours after another suicide attack on a bus carrying Afghan troops in the capital's suburbs killed six soldiers. The bomber killed a foreign national and wounded at least seven people, according to Kabul police official General Farid Afzail, who added that the perpetrator is thought to have been a teenager. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, however, said the "barbaric" attack had left several people dead.

Islamic State suicide bomber detonates tank in eastern Syria Posted: 12 Dec 2014 12:27 AM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - An Islamic State suicide bomber detonated a tank at a Syrian air base in the province of Deir al-Zor, one of the last remaining government strongholds in eastern Syria, jihadist social media and a monitoring group said on Friday. One Islamic State Twitter account published two photos of a smiling man it named Abu al-Farouq al-Libi, who it said carried out the "suicide operation". The al Qaeda offshoot Islamic State has been gradually consolidating control of the oil-producing Deir al-Zor region this year. ...

Indonesian editor accused of blasphemy over IS cartoon Posted: 11 Dec 2014 10:02 PM PST The chief editor of a leading English-language newspaper in Muslim-majority Indonesia has been named a suspect in a blasphemy case after the publication of a cartoon about the Islamic State group, police said Friday. The Jakarta Post's Meidyatama Suryodiningrat could be jailed for up to five years if found guilty, and is the latest person to face action under the country's tough blasphemy laws that have been criticised by rights groups as overly harsh and outdated. The cartoon, published in the paper on July 3, shows a man raising a flag emblazoned with the Arabic phrase "There is no God but Allah" over a picture of a skull and crossbones, with armed fighters in the background. Following an outcry from Islamic groups, the Jakarta Post issued a front-page apology and retracted the cartoon five days later, insisting it was meant to "critique the use of religious symbols" and as a "reproach" to IS, a brutal Islamist group which holds vast swathes of territory across Syria and Iraq.

Today in History Posted: 11 Dec 2014 09:00 PM PST Today is Friday, Dec. 12, the 346th day of 2014. There are 19 days left in the year.

Oscars: Best Picture Race a Battle of the Sexes Posted: 11 Dec 2014 09:00 PM PST Come Oscar time, male-skewing movies have taken home the grand prize 78 percent of the time. Translation? 'Gone Girl' and 'Wild' could scare off the guys, while 'Foxcatcher' and 'American Sniper' could click with them

A long-term blank check for 'war' spending Posted: 11 Dec 2014 06:15 PM PST In the federal budget, emergency spending for combat operations is the new normal.

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