Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Suicide car bomber wounds 19 in south Beirut
• Kerry backs Iraq against 'existential' militant threat
• Outrage After Egypt Jails Journalists
• The Ebola Outbreak Is Just Getting Worse
• Sunni tribesmen seize Iraqi border crossing with Jordan: sources
• Obama to award Medal of Honor to New Hampshire man
• Kerry hands dire warning to Iraqis over future
• In Iraq, ISIS militants dramatize Kerry's point: They're a threat to region
• Suicide attacker strikes near cafe south of Beirut
• Egypt deals blow to Jazeera, champion of Arab Spring
• Explosion in Beirut near army checkpoint
• Obama to award Medal of Honor to U.S. ex-paratrooper Pitts
• Iraqi-American who staged wife's murder as hate crime gets life term
• Business Highlights
• Here’s Why We Should Question U.S. Officials Who Say Terrorists Can’t Use Iraq’s Chemical Weapons
• US gets legal protections for forces in Iraq
• Sudanese Christian Sentenced to Death For Apostasy Reportedly Set Free
• U.S. says its forces get immunity guarantees from Iraq
• TSX steady as positive data offsets Iraq concerns
• Syria hands over last of declared chemical weapons
• Canada finance minister warns over global hunt for yield
• Kerry has advice for Maliki, but the US has few good options in Iraq
• Kerry promises 'intense and sustained' support for Iraq
• Iran boosts security along Iraq border over ISIL advance: IRNA
• Husband of slain Iraqi woman gets 26 years to life
• Oil falls as market eyes situation in Iraq
• A guide to daily developments in Iraq
• Husband of slain Iraqi woman sentenced in US
• Kerry to Iraq leaders: sharing power is critical
• Briefing: What is the Islamic State In Iraq and Syria (ISIS)?
• Kevin McCarthy Slams the Brakes on a Gas Tax Hike
• Fed Finds Polarization in DC Drives Inequality
• Iraq upheaval threatens oil development plans
• Conservatives Poll Watchers Will Police the Voter Integrity of Mississippi's Black Democrats
• Iraq at risk again: How did we get here so fast?
• Iraq offers legal assurances to US advisers in Iraq
• The Daily Fix: Central Americans Flee Violence, Journalists Are Convicted in Cairo, and EPA Wins on Pollution
• European stocks close in red as data disappoints
• Iraq’s Sunni 'war of liberation’
• Iraqi Military On the Brink of 'Psychological Collapse'

Suicide car bomber wounds 19 in south Beirut Posted: 23 Jun 2014 04:37 PM PDT A suicide bomber blew up his car in southern Beirut on Monday night near an army checkpoint, killing himself and wounding several people watching the soccer World Cup in a nearby cafe. The bombing came just three days after a failed attempt to kill one of the top security officials in Lebanon, which has suffered a wave of sectarian violence linked to the civil war in neighbouring Syria. Monday's explosion, shortly before midnight (2100 GMT), killed the bomber and wounded 19 people, Lebanon's civil defence force said. Windows in nearby buildings were shattered by the blast, which occurred in a mainly Shi'ite Muslim district of southern Beirut inhabited by supporters of the Shi'ite group Amal, an ally of the militant movement Hezbollah.

Kerry backs Iraq against 'existential' militant threat Posted: 23 Jun 2014 04:25 PM PDT US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday pledged "intense" support for Iraq against the "existential threat" of a major militant offensive pushing toward Baghdad from the north and west. Kerry's surprise visit came as Sunni insurgents led by the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, seized a strategic town in northern Iraq, while security forces retook a border crossing with Syria. The militant advance has not only put Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki under pressure, but displaced hundreds of thousands and threatened to tear the country apart.

Outrage After Egypt Jails Journalists Posted: 23 Jun 2014 04:25 PM PDT Three Al Jazeera journalists have been jailed in Egypt on trumped-up charges of collaborating with the Muslim Brotherhood. The network vows an international campaign for their release, and press freedom.

The Ebola Outbreak Is Just Getting Worse Posted: 23 Jun 2014 04:05 PM PDT The government of Guinea has failed to contain the virus—and now an 'out of control' outbreak has spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone. We could be in for a long, hot summer.

Sunni tribesmen seize Iraqi border crossing with Jordan: sources Posted: 23 Jun 2014 03:53 PM PDT By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - Sunni tribesmen took control of a border crossing between Iraq and Jordan after Iraq's army pulled out of the area following clashes with rebels, Iraqi and Jordanian intelligence sources said on Monday. It was not immediately clear if the tribesmen's seizure of the Turaibil crossing, the only legal crossing point between Iraq and Jordan, late on Sunday was part of the broader advance by Sunni militants led by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The militants earlier overran posts further north along Iraq's border with Syria, pursuing their goal of forming a "caliphate" straddling both countries that has raised alarm across the Middle East and in the West. The withdrawal of the Iraqi army from the Turaibil border crossing left it with no presence along the entire western frontier, which includes some of the Middle East's most important trade routes.

Obama to award Medal of Honor to New Hampshire man Posted: 23 Jun 2014 03:52 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will award the Medal of Honor to a former Army staff sergeant from New Hampshire who fought off enemy fighters during one of the bloodiest battles of the war in Afghanistan despite shrapnel injuries to both legs and an arm that left the young soldier critically wounded and resigned to certain death.

Kerry hands dire warning to Iraqis over future Posted: 23 Jun 2014 03:49 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Warning of the "existential threat" posed by Sunni militants, Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday the U.S. is prepared to take military action even if Baghdad delays political reforms, noting that the risks of letting the insurgency run rampant threaten dangers beyond Iraq's borders.

In Iraq, ISIS militants dramatize Kerry's point: They're a threat to region Posted: 23 Jun 2014 03:48 PM PDT On his hastily planned trip to the Middle East, Secretary of State John Kerry has sought to highlight how the territorial advances of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) pose a grave threat not just to Iraq, but to the region as well. The weekend capture by ISIS militants of border crossings into Iraq's western neighbors dramatically underscored just this point. Iraqi security forces claimed Monday to have retaken the Trebil border post with Jordan and another border crossing into Syria at al-Waleed.

Suicide attacker strikes near cafe south of Beirut Posted: 23 Jun 2014 03:32 PM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-packed vehicle near a checkpoint and a cafe in a neighborhood south of Lebanon's capital early Tuesday, causing several casualties, a Lebanese security official and witnesses said.

Egypt deals blow to Jazeera, champion of Arab Spring Posted: 23 Jun 2014 03:08 PM PDT Jail sentences against Al-Jazeera journalists Monday in Egypt have dealt a blow to the Qatari network that championed Arab Spring revolts which toppled autocratic regimes, analysts said. The pan-Arab news channel has come in for strong criticism in Egypt over its coverage seen as favourable to the Muslim Brotherhood, the movement of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. Three of its journalists, including award-winning Australian Peter Greste, each got seven years in jail by a Cairo court, accused of supporting the blacklisted Brotherhood, a verdict condemned around the world. Eleven defendants tried in absentia, including one Dutch and two British journalists, were given 10-year sentences.

Explosion in Beirut near army checkpoint Posted: 23 Jun 2014 03:01 PM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — A powerful car bomb explosion rocked a neighborhood south of Lebanon's capital early Tuesday, causing several casualties, a Lebanese security official and witnesses said.

Obama to award Medal of Honor to U.S. ex-paratrooper Pitts Posted: 23 Jun 2014 03:01 PM PDT By Ian Simpson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will award former Army Staff Sergeant Ryan Pitts the Medal of Honor, the highest U.S. award for heroism, on July 21 for gallantry during one of the bloodiest battles of the Afghan war, the White House said on Monday. Pitts, of Nashua, New Hampshire, will be the ninth living recipient of the Medal of Honor for fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan, the Defense Department said. Pitts is set to receive the Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony for his actions as a forward observer during a July 13, 2008, battle at Wanat, a village in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar province. He was serving with the 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rdAirborne Brigade, at Vehicle Patrol Base Kahler when the post was attacked by Taliban fighters who broke through U.S. lines, the Pentagon said.

Iraqi-American who staged wife's murder as hate crime gets life term Posted: 23 Jun 2014 02:56 PM PDT By Marty Graham SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - An Iraqi-American convicted of bludgeoning his wife to death in a slaying staged to look like an anti-Muslim hate crime was sentenced on Monday to 26 years to life in prison. A jury in April found Kassim Alhimidi, 50, guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Shaima Alawadi, 32, who was found bloodied and dying by the couple's eldest daughter in the kitchen of their home in suburban San Diego in March 2012. Prosecutor Kurt Mechals said that Alawadi, the mother of five children, was planning to divorce her husband and go to Texas to live near her sister.

Business Highlights Posted: 23 Jun 2014 02:49 PM PDT ___ Ni hao, y'all: US hinterlands woo Chinese firms Burdened with Alabama's highest unemployment rate, long abandoned by textile mills and furniture plants, Wilcox County desperately needs jobs. They're ...

Here’s Why We Should Question U.S. Officials Who Say Terrorists Can’t Use Iraq’s Chemical Weapons Posted: 23 Jun 2014 02:41 PM PDT Last week, jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, known as ISIL or ISIS, and their Baathist partners from Saddam Hussein's former regime took control of the Muthana Complex, the site of a massive chemical munitions stockpile dating back to the Hussein era. Located 45 miles north of Baghdad, the site was deemed safely in government hands when the U.S. military withdrew its last forces from Iraq in 2011.  The site and whatever remains of its chemical stockpiles now belong to terrorists bent on unseating the current Shia-dominated regime in Baghdad and spreading sectarian war across the region. In the early days of the war, not long after Baghdad fell, I took a reporting trip down to the Tuwaitha Nuclear Research Facility, 12 miles south of Baghdad.

US gets legal protections for forces in Iraq Posted: 23 Jun 2014 02:37 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and Iraq have reached an agreement on legal protections for American commandos deploying into Iraq to assess and advise Iraqi forces, three years after efforts to reach a similar pact for a larger U.S. force failed.

Sudanese Christian Sentenced to Death For Apostasy Reportedly Set Free Posted: 23 Jun 2014 02:02 PM PDT Meriam Yahya Ibrahim, the Sudanese woman who was sentenced to death for being a Christian, has reportedly been released from prison following  appeals court, according Sudanese state media. The harsh decision prompted an international outcry, including condemnations from Hillary Clinton, United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron, and Secretary of State John Kerry. Her lawyer, Mohaned Mustafa El-Nour, said that the appeals court found the initial judgment against her faulty. Another lawyer, Elshareef Ali Mohammed, told The Telegraph, "We heard it just now on the state radio.

U.S. says its forces get immunity guarantees from Iraq Posted: 23 Jun 2014 02:00 PM PDT By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iraq has given assurances to the United States that U.S. special operations forces that President Barack Obama has ordered into the country will be shielded from possible prosecution in Iraqi courts, U.S. officials said on Monday. With the agreement, Washington has overcome a major hurdle as it rushes to bolster the U.S. presence in Iraq in the face of militant advances by Sunni Islamists from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, an al Qaeda splinter group. "The commander in chief would not make a decision to put our men and women in harm's way without getting some necessary assurances," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters. The Pentagon said on Monday it hoped the U.S. forces could help improve a still-murky U.S. intelligence assessment of the situation in Iraq, including about the type and quantity of U.S.-made weapons ISIL has seized from the Iraqi military.

TSX steady as positive data offsets Iraq concerns Posted: 23 Jun 2014 01:56 PM PDT By John Tilak TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index was little changed on Monday as worries about political instability in Iraq were balanced by upbeat economic data from China and the United States. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to push for more inclusive leadership as government forces abandoned the border with Jordan, leaving Iraq's entire Western frontier outside government control. "The only thing that's probably going to give wheels to the TSX is if oil wants to keep going," said Keith Richards, portfolio manager and technical analyst at ValueTrend Wealth Management. "I think there are more opportunities on the U.S. side." The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index .GSPTSE closed down 3.34 points, or 0.02 percent, at 15,105.63.

Syria hands over last of declared chemical weapons Posted: 23 Jun 2014 01:43 PM PDT NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Syria finished handing over to Western powers Monday the 1,300 tons of chemical weapons it acknowledged possessing, completing a deal reached last fall under threat of U.S. airstrikes.

Canada finance minister warns over global hunt for yield Posted: 23 Jun 2014 01:20 PM PDT By David Milliken LONDON (Reuters) - Canada's finance minister Joe Oliver warned on Monday that investors could be mispricing risk as they hunt for better investment returns, and said policymakers should keep the issue under close review. Oliver is in London to promote trade and investment, and told Reuters in an interview that the global economy remained vulnerable to financial shocks. Part of that is macroeconomic and monetary issues, but there is a geopolitical issue," he said at the London residence of Canada's envoy to London. Canada was one of the countries which best weathered the 2008-09 global financial crisis, in part because of a tightly regulated banking sector and strong demand for its natural resources.

Kerry has advice for Maliki, but the US has few good options in Iraq Posted: 23 Jun 2014 01:18 PM PDT US Secretary of State John Kerry was in Baghdad today promising "intense" support for Iraq against an "existential threat," without being specific. Jihadis, in alliance with Sunni Arab Iraqis, some clearly former members of Saddam Hussein's military, have been marching in strength across much of Iraq's north and center. Iraqi government soldiers have deserted in droves and Iraq's ethnic Kurds are expanding their territory and mulling independence. The US, both during the George W. Bush administration and under President Obama, has repeatedly urged Mr. Maliki and his government to reach out and allow Iraq's Sunni Arab minority a seat at the table, saying exclusive and sectarian policies would drive Iraq to conflict.

Kerry promises 'intense and sustained' support for Iraq Posted: 23 Jun 2014 12:50 PM PDT By Lesley Wroughton and Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday promised "intense and sustained" U.S. support for Iraq, but said the divided country would only survive if its leaders took urgent steps to bring it together. Hours before Kerry arrived in Baghdad, Sunni tribes who have joined a militant takeover of northern Iraq seized the only legal crossing point with Jordan, security sources said, leaving troops with no presence along the entire western frontier which includes some of the Middle East's most important trade routes. U.S. President Barack Obama has offered up to 300 American advisers to Iraq but held off granting Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shi'ite Muslim-led government's request for air strikes to counter the two-week advance by Sunni militants. Officials have meanwhile called for Iraqis to form an inclusive government.

Iran boosts security along Iraq border over ISIL advance: IRNA Posted: 23 Jun 2014 12:44 PM PDT Iran has stepped up surveillance along its long border with Iraq in precaution against a spread of violence from militants who have siezed a swathe of its neighbor, a senior official said on Monday. Sunni Islamists from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have mounted a lightening advance toward the Iraqi capital, seizing territory in their quest for a border-less caliphate, spanning the region. "Due to the unique situation in Iraq and its proximity to our western regions, we have taken duly precautions to shore up control, watch and fortifications along the border," Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli told reporters. Ruled by Shi'ite Muslim clergy, Iran has been rattled by the advance of ISIL in Iraq.

Husband of slain Iraqi woman gets 26 years to life Posted: 23 Jun 2014 12:40 PM PDT EL CAJON, California (AP) — A California judge sentenced an Iraqi immigrant Monday to 26 years-to-life in prison for his wife's fatal beating — an attack that initially drew international condemnation when authorities believed it was a hate crime.

Oil falls as market eyes situation in Iraq Posted: 23 Jun 2014 12:40 PM PDT The price of oil fell Monday as traders waited to see if an insurgency in Iraq would affect the country's oil production and exports. In a blitz through Iraq's western desert over the weekend, insurgents ...

A guide to daily developments in Iraq Posted: 23 Jun 2014 12:37 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — The U.S. stepped up efforts to persuade Iraqi officials to stick to their official timetable of seating a new government soon in hopes that it can foster national reconciliation where previous efforts have failed in order to stem the rapidly expanding Sunni insurgency led by an al-Qaida breakaway group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Husband of slain Iraqi woman sentenced in US Posted: 23 Jun 2014 12:18 PM PDT EL CAJON, California (AP) — A California judge has sentenced an Iraqi immigrant to 26 years-to-life in prison for his wife's fatal beating, which initially drew international condemnation when authorities believed it was a hate crime.

Kerry to Iraq leaders: sharing power is critical Posted: 23 Jun 2014 12:03 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — America's top diplomat said Monday that leaders of Iraq's factions must keep their commitments to seat a new parliament next week, before a Sunni insurgency sweeps away hopes for a lasting peace.

Briefing: What is the Islamic State In Iraq and Syria (ISIS)? Posted: 23 Jun 2014 11:57 AM PDT The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) was born out of the ashes of Al Qaeda in Iraq, which was established after the US-led invasion in 2003 and ultimately broke with Al Qaeda's core leadership in Pakistan. The group failed in its objectives, but when Syria's war broke out in 2011, hardened Iraqi fighters flowed into Syria and joined up with Syrians and other foreign fighters. What emerged was a group with a vision of a transnational caliphate in Syria and Iraq - at least for starters.  ISIS has fought for control of Sunni Arab areas in Syria against other jihadi groups, including Jabhat al-Nusra (Nusra Front).

Kevin McCarthy Slams the Brakes on a Gas Tax Hike Posted: 23 Jun 2014 11:24 AM PDT Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the newly elected House Majority Leader, dismissed the latest proposal for salvaging the cash-strapped federal highway construction program on Sunday. He opposes a bipartisan effort in the Senate to boost the 18.5 center per gallon federal gasoline tax by an additional 12 cents over the next two years. "No, that's a Democrat idea," McCarthy said during an appearance on Fox News Sunday. McCarthy (R-CA), who was overwhelmingly elected by the GOP Conference last Thursday to succeed the fallen Eric Cantor as majority leader didn't precisely offer up a strong – or realistic -- alternative to the gas tax increase idea that is being floated by Sens.

Fed Finds Polarization in DC Drives Inequality Posted: 23 Jun 2014 11:20 AM PDT The good news out of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on Monday is that political polarization in Washington, DC appears to have little effect on the country's economic growth. The bad news is that it correlates strongly with income inequality. The study, by senior economist Rajashri Chakrabarti and research analyst Matt Mazewski tracked political polarization in Congress going back to the mid-1800s. To be clear, they were not tracking the distribution of seats in either House of Congress, but the ideological distance between the average Democrat and the average Republican, regardless of which party held the majority at any given time.

Iraq upheaval threatens oil development plans Posted: 23 Jun 2014 11:14 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — The turmoil in Iraq has thrown the OPEC member's ambitious plans to boost oil production into doubt, threatening to crimp its most vital economic lifeline.

Conservatives Poll Watchers Will Police the Voter Integrity of Mississippi's Black Democrats Posted: 23 Jun 2014 11:14 AM PDT Here's a story that sounds way too familiar: Mississippi conservatives will be watching the polls during Tuesday's primary, to make sure black Democrats aren't breaking any voting laws. Following incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran's outreach to black voters in his bid to ward off a primary challenger, a coalition of conservatives groups backing his Tea Party opponent Chris McDaniel have formed a "voter integrity project" to "observe whether the law is being followed," as the coalition's advisor told The New York Times. The Senate Conservative Fund, FreedomWorks, and the Tea Party Patriots have teamed up to send "election observers" to watch the polls in areas where Cochran has outreached to black Democrats.

Iraq at risk again: How did we get here so fast? Posted: 23 Jun 2014 10:50 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — It's crumbling so quickly: Just 2½ years after American troops came home, Iraq is back in crisis.

Iraq offers legal assurances to US advisers in Iraq Posted: 23 Jun 2014 10:40 AM PDT Iraq has offered legal guarantees to shield US special forces operatives sent to the country as advisers to help its forces battle Sunni radicals who have seized tracts of territory. The White House said Monday that the guarantee had been provided by the Iraqis in a diplomatic note to Washington. The failure of Iraq's parliament to endorse a Status of Forces deal with Washington led to the complete exodus of all American troops from Iraq at the end of 2011. Many of Obama's political opponents say their exit fostered a power vacuum which the Sunni group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has exploited in a rapid advance across the country.

The Daily Fix: Central Americans Flee Violence, Journalists Are Convicted in Cairo, and EPA Wins on Pollution Posted: 23 Jun 2014 10:40 AM PDT Wander was lucky enough to escape, and he fled the country, but countless others have not been able to elude the bloody gang violence that has grown pervasive in Central America.  In 2009 just over 6,000 immigrants under age 18 were taken into custody by American officials—they're expecting 60,000 this year. In response to the humanitarian crisis of young migrants, the Obama administration is creating emergency shelters in California, Oklahoma, and Texas. Now, American officials must find answers to this question: Who should stay in the U.S., and who should be sent back?

European stocks close in red as data disappoints Posted: 23 Jun 2014 10:20 AM PDT European stock markets closed in the red on Monday as traders reacted to a further drop in eurozone business activity that offset positive news for Chinese manufacturing, analysts said. London's FTSE 100 index of top companies lost 0.36 percent to 6,800.56 points, while Frankfurt's DAX 30 fell 0.66 percent to 9,920.92 points and the CAC 40 in Paris slumped 0.57 percent to 4,515.57 points compared with Friday's closing levels. "Stocks in Europe were weak from the offset today as any hopes of a bounce from positive Chinese data were soon undone by concerns over Iraq and missed expectations for European services and manufacturing data," said Jasper Lawler, an analyst at CMC Markets. Alastair McCaig, market analyst at IG traders said however that mining stocks have been in demand "thanks to the (Chinese) news, which has gone some way to leaving the FTSE as the relative outperformer."

Iraq’s Sunni 'war of liberation’ Posted: 23 Jun 2014 10:16 AM PDT What looked like a blitz by Islamist extremists was actually a broader, long-planned sectarian counteroffensive that now threatens to trap the U.S. in the middle of a civil war.

Iraqi Military On the Brink of 'Psychological Collapse' Posted: 23 Jun 2014 10:09 AM PDT The Iraqi military is facing "psychological collapse" amid desertions and a lack of equipment as the militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) continue to capture more territory in Iraq and overwhelm the regular army's defenses. As The Washington Post's Loveday Morris and Karen DeYoung report, ISIS have taken "significant chunks" of territory that the Iraqi army may not be strong enough to win back now. Desertion is high, morale is non-existent, and the level of desperation and need for regular people to fight back against ISIS means that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is relying on tens of thousands of volunteers to fight. Analysts say that the Iraqi army has, over time, lost the ability (or never had the opportunity) to defend itself.

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