Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Ghana Flew $3 Million in Cash to Brazil to Pay Its World Cup Players
• With new grip on oil fields, Iraq Kurds unveil plan to ramp up exports
• Func Test Sapphire
• US now wrestling with intelligence gaps in Iraq
• Spying drop-off in Iraq preceded fresh insurgency
• Kerry issues warning after Syria bombs Iraq
• Bitter Hillary Supporter Snaps At Reporter For Asking Questions About Clintons’ Wealth
• Oil export ban 101: Why does US have it? Why is it now easing?
• Iraq insurgents seize oilfields, hit air base as U.S. advisers arrive
• Obama meets with Senate Democratic caucus
• US officials: Syria launched airstrikes in Iraq
• Rangel holds off challenge to win primary in NY
• Why Military Films Are So Misleading
• US shrugs off Maliki blast on 'national salvation' govt
• Iraq's Sadr vows to 'shake the ground' against militants
• U.S. stocks end up, bucking weak data; German yields tumble
• Southeast Asia fears militant fallout as Mideast conflict widens
• Iraq's Sadr warns will 'shake the ground' against militants
• Iran is sending drones, weapons to Iraq
• Explosion rocks Beirut hotel during security raid
• Al-Qaida in border town pledges loyalty to rivals
• TSX steady as energy share gains offset weak U.S. data
• Kerry warns Mideast of raising tensions in Iraq
• Gold prices rise for sixth day straight
• Peres meets Obama on farewell trip to Washington
• Study links traumatic brain injury to increased dementia risk
• Fall of Green Beret Officer Jim Gant: Drugs and Booze in Deadly Lands
• In Iraq, former militia program eyed for new fight
• US economy shrank at steep 2.9 percent rate in Q1
• UN triples appeal for aid funding in Iraq
• Suicide bomber wounds 10 in Beirut hotel as police move in
• Iraq crisis threatens food safety in the country, says FAO
• The Daily Fix: Supreme Court Decides Your Phone Is Private, Gay Marriage Bans Lifted in Utah and Indiana
• Obama meets with Israeli President Peres
• Editorial Roundup: Excerpts from recent editorials
• Canada finance minister warns over global hunt for yield
• U.N. endorses Iraq military force against advancing Islamist rebels
• Republican offers Obama a road map for what to do in Iraq
• Suicide bomber hits hotel near Saudi embassy in Beirut
• Top UN envoy: 'Iraq can be saved' if leaders act

Ghana Flew $3 Million in Cash to Brazil to Pay Its World Cup Players Posted: 25 Jun 2014 04:32 PM PDT Ghana's World Cup team was growing quite frustrated since the tournament began, and not just because they haven't won a game yet. The players had not been paid their appearance fees since the World Cup started. Deputy Sports Minister, Joseph Yamin, said the payment delay occurred because players and officials could not settle on the form of payment, and there were difficulties transporting the payment. Just in time for tomorrow's do-or-die match against Portugal.

With new grip on oil fields, Iraq Kurds unveil plan to ramp up exports Posted: 25 Jun 2014 04:17 PM PDT By David Sheppard ARBIL Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq's self-ruling Kurds outlined plans on Wednesday to swiftly ramp up oil exports now that their forces have taken control of Iraq's main northern oilfields, a move that could tear up the settlement holding Iraq together since the fall of Saddam Hussein. Kurdish Natural Resources Minister Ashti Hawrami told Reuters the Kurds had plans to increase their exports eightfold by the end of 2015, including by pumping oil from the fields taken by Kurdish fighters two weeks ago. "We expect to be able to export 1 million bpd by the end of next year, including crude from Kirkuk," he said, although he insisted the Kurds would share the proceeds with Baghdad. "We want to work with Baghdad under the constitution, and they will get their share of the oil they export from Kirkuk." The central government in Iraq firmly opposes Kurdish oil sales, saying they violate the constitution.

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US now wrestling with intelligence gaps in Iraq Posted: 25 Jun 2014 04:07 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — CIA officers in Iraq have largely stayed in their heavily fortified Baghdad compound since U.S. troops left the country in 2011, current and former officials say, allowing a once-rich network of intelligence sources to wither.

Spying drop-off in Iraq preceded fresh insurgency Posted: 25 Jun 2014 04:06 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — CIA officers in Iraq have been largely hunkered down in their heavily fortified Baghdad compound since U.S. troops left the country in 2011, current and former officials say, allowing a once-rich network of intelligence sources to wither.

Kerry issues warning after Syria bombs Iraq Posted: 25 Jun 2014 03:51 PM PDT U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned Mideast nations on Wednesday against taking new military action in Iraq that might heighten sectarian divisions, as reports surfaced that Syria launched airstrikes across the border and Iran flew surveillance drones over the neighboring country.

Bitter Hillary Supporter Snaps At Reporter For Asking Questions About Clintons’ Wealth Posted: 25 Jun 2014 03:48 PM PDT An angry Hillary Clinton supporter snarled at a local San Diego journalist for asking questions about Bill and Hillary's massive bank account, calling the nonplussed reporter an "obnoxious little man" who's "trying to incite things." KUSI reporter Dan Plante turned out Wednesday morning to interview San Diego residents lined up to meet Hillary Clinton as part of her "Hard Choices" book tour. Plante highlighted Hillary's claim that she and Bill were "dead broke" after leaving the White House to a group of older female supporters. The woman claimed she thought it possible they left the White House without a lot of savings.

Oil export ban 101: Why does US have it? Why is it now easing? Posted: 25 Jun 2014 03:27 PM PDT The move symbolizes a new era in which the US feels rich in domestic oil reserves, some industry analysts say. Think back to those images of soaring gasoline prices and long gas lines in the 1970s, when an embargo by Arab nations shook the global economy. It also codified the notion that US-produced crude oil shouldn't be exported. The ban applies to crude oil, not refined petroleum products.

Iraq insurgents seize oilfields, hit air base as U.S. advisers arrive Posted: 25 Jun 2014 03:19 PM PDT By Raheem Salman BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Militants attacked one of Iraq's largest air bases and seized control of several small oilfields on Wednesday as U.S. special forces troops and intelligence analysts arrived to help Iraqi security forces counter a mounting Sunni insurgency. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who is fighting for his job and is under international pressure to create a more inclusive government, said he supported starting the process of forming a new cabinet within a week. He also dismissed the call of mainly Sunni political and religious figures, some with links to armed groups fighting Maliki, for a "national salvation government" that would choose figures to lead the country and, in effect, bypass the election held nearly three months ago. In northern Iraq, the Sunni militants extended a two-week advance that has been led by the hardline Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) but also includes an amalgam of other Sunni groups angered by Maliki's rule.

Obama meets with Senate Democratic caucus Posted: 25 Jun 2014 02:56 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats are meeting in what the White House bills as more of an informal get-together than serious policy discussion.

US officials: Syria launched airstrikes in Iraq Posted: 25 Jun 2014 02:49 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials said Syria launched airstrikes into western Iraq on Tuesday in an attempt to slow the al-Qaida-inspired insurgency fighting both the Syrian and Iraqi governments.

Rangel holds off challenge to win primary in NY Posted: 25 Jun 2014 02:42 PM PDT U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, the face of Harlem politics for generations, held off a strong Democratic primary challenge and moved one step closer to what he says will be his 23rd and final term in the House.

Why Military Films Are So Misleading Posted: 25 Jun 2014 02:36 PM PDT Their purpose is to entertain, not educate, and they've been taking liberties with the truth ever since a tubby 60-something John Wayne charged into battle in The Green Berets. Add to this Hollywood's enduring efforts to dramatize war—recent standouts include The Hurt Locker, Lone Survivor, and HBO's miniseries Generation Kill—and it becomes easy to see how millions of people could be relying on Hollywood as a primary source of information about military life. Yet even in instances like the examples above, which are drawn from events, to the extent filmmakers try to get the facts right, results have been mixed. The latest filmmakers who might be feeling pressure are those involved with two competing productions (so Hollywood!) about Bowe Bergdahl.

US shrugs off Maliki blast on 'national salvation' govt Posted: 25 Jun 2014 02:35 PM PDT The United States on Wednesday shrugged off a warning by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that he would not accept a national emergency government, following US calls for an inclusive coalition to outride the current crisis. US officials said they believed that Maliki was still committed to opening a process on piecing together a government on July 1, following his assurances to that effect to Secretary of State John Kerry. In fact, there was some uncertainty in Washington as to what Maliki was referring when he said "the call to form a national emergency government is a coup against the constitution and the political process." Kerry said there had been no discussion on framing a short-term national salvation government when he met Maliki and other leaders of different ethnic and religious sects in Baghdad this week.

Iraq's Sadr vows to 'shake the ground' against militants Posted: 25 Jun 2014 02:33 PM PDT Powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr vowed Wednesday to "shake the ground" under the feet of advancing Sunni militants as Iraqi premier Nuri al-Maliki warned rivals against exploiting the crisis to sideline him. Sadr, whose movement long battled US forces during Washington's nearly nine-year war in Iraq, also voiced opposition to American military advisers meeting with Iraqi commanders combatting an offensive that has overrun swathes of five provinces, killed nearly 1,100 people, displaced hundreds of thousands and threatens to tear the country apart. His remarks came as security forces continued to repel assaults on critical towns and infrastructure, though fighters from Al-Qaeda's Syrian franchise made a local alliance with the jihadist group leading the charge in Iraq, bolstering its offensive. He added that he only supported "providing international support from non-occupying states for the army of Iraq".

U.S. stocks end up, bucking weak data; German yields tumble Posted: 25 Jun 2014 02:20 PM PDT By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock investors ignored weak economic data and pushed equities higher on Wednesday, as drugmakers' shares rose and a Supreme Court ruling lifted major broadcaster stocks, while German bond yields hit the year's low on safe-haven bids. The dollar and Treasuries yields also fell after data showed the U.S. economy contracted more than thought in the first quarter and durable goods orders unexpectedly fell in May. The data contrasted with Tuesday's stronger-than-expected measures of consumer confidence and new home sales. ...

Southeast Asia fears militant fallout as Mideast conflict widens Posted: 25 Jun 2014 02:07 PM PDT By Stuart Grudgings and Aubrey Belford KUALA LUMPUR/BANGKOK (Reuters) - Four gun-wielding rebel fighters sit relaxing on a wall, their faces concealed by scarves and ski masks. All are Indonesians who came to Syria to join the Islamist insurgency, the cameraman says, speaking Indonesian peppered with Arabic phrases. "Brothers in Indonesia, don't be afraid, because fear is a temptation from Satan," says one of the fighters in the YouTube video, which has since been removed from the Islamist website. As Sunni Islamist rebels surge from Syria into Iraq, security officials in Southeast Asia and Australia worry the conflict is radicalising a new generation of militants, who are being influenced to an unprecedented degree by social media.

Iraq's Sadr warns will 'shake the ground' against militants Posted: 25 Jun 2014 01:57 PM PDT Powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr Wednesday voiced opposition to US military advisers who have begun meeting with Iraqi commanders, and warned that his supporters would "shake the ground" in combatting militants. He added that he only supported "providing international support from non-occupying states for the army of Iraq". The cleric's remarks came days after fighters loyal to him paraded with weapons in the Sadr City area of north Baghdad, vowing to fight a major militant offensive that has alarmed the world and threatens to tear Iraq apart. Iraq's flagging security forces, which were swept aside by the initial offensive but have since at least somewhat recovered, have already been joined by some Shiite fighters, and thousands more are ready to take part.

Iran is sending drones, weapons to Iraq Posted: 25 Jun 2014 01:49 PM PDT Iran is secretly flying surveillance drones over Iraq and sending military equipment there to help Baghdad in its fight against Sunni insurgents, The New York Times reported Wednesday. A "small fleet" of Ababil drones was deployed to the Al Rashid airfield near Baghdad, the newspaper said on its website, citing anonymous US officials. Ababil drones, less sophisticated than US unmanned aircraft, are designed in Iran and have a nearly 10-foot (three-meter) wingspan. About a dozen officers of Iran's paramilitary Quds Force, have also been sent to Iraq to advise Iraqi commanders and help mobilize Shiite militias in the south of the country, the paper said, adding that Iran's General Qassem Suleimani recently made two trips to Iraq.

Explosion rocks Beirut hotel during security raid Posted: 25 Jun 2014 01:48 PM PDT A suicide bomber blew himself up in his room at a Beirut hotel Wednesday as Lebanese security forces raided the premises, sending flames and a dark cloud of black smoke billowing out of the third-floor windows, security officials said.

Al-Qaida in border town pledges loyalty to rivals Posted: 25 Jun 2014 01:45 PM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — A group of fighters from al-Qaida's Syrian affiliate in a border town has defected and joined the rival Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the powerful jihadi faction currently leading a blitz offensive in Iraq, an activist group said Wednesday.

TSX steady as energy share gains offset weak U.S. data Posted: 25 Jun 2014 01:41 PM PDT By John Tilak TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index was little changed on Wednesday as gains in shares of energy producers and Valeant Pharmaceuticals VRX.TO helped overcome the impact of data showing a bigger-than-expected drop in U.S. economic growth in the first quarter. Figures indicated the U.S. economy recorded its worst performance in five years in the quarter. "The increased geopolitical concerns seem to be helping commodities this month," said Youssef Zohny, portfolio manager at Stenner Investment Partners, a subsidiary of Richardson GMP. "We expect it to continue to outperform other global markets, but it's likely vulnerable to some profit-taking in the short term." The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index .GSPTSE closed up 12.28 points, or 0.08 percent, at 14,974.65.

Kerry warns Mideast of raising tensions in Iraq Posted: 25 Jun 2014 01:39 PM PDT BRUSSELS (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is warning Mideast nations against taking new military action in Iraq that might heighten already-tense sectarian divisions.

Gold prices rise for sixth day straight Posted: 25 Jun 2014 01:34 PM PDT Gold prices rose for the sixth straight day on Wednesday as violence in Iraq drew traders to the precious metal. Gold for August delivery rose $1.30 to settle at $1,322.60 an ounce on Wednesday. The price ...

Peres meets Obama on farewell trip to Washington Posted: 25 Jun 2014 01:31 PM PDT Israeli President Shimon Peres told US President Barack Obama on Wednesday he was unsure Iraq could be kept together as sectarian violence threatens to tear the country apart. Peres, on his final foreign trip as president following decades on the world stage, had Oval Office talks and lunch with Obama at the White House. The Israeli president also said it was not the outside world's job to mediate divisions between the Shiite and Sunni sects of Islam or to "decide who is the real heir of Mohammed." The best solution, according to the Israeli president, would be one modeled on the program to dismantle Syria's chemical weapons program, which would involve all components for armaments being taken out of the country.

Study links traumatic brain injury to increased dementia risk Posted: 25 Jun 2014 01:13 PM PDT By Kathryn Doyle NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older military veterans who have suffered a serious head injury are more likely to be diagnosed with dementia than uninjured veterans, according to a new study. The report looked at traumatic brain injury (TBI), which includes concussions, skull fractures and bleeding inside the skull. "There have been a fair number of previous studies that have looked at the relationship between TBI and risk of dementia, and some have found an association while others haven't," said lead author Deborah E. Barnes, from the University of California, San Francisco and the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She and her colleagues sought to clarify the relationship by taking into account other conditions, like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Fall of Green Beret Officer Jim Gant: Drugs and Booze in Deadly Lands Posted: 25 Jun 2014 01:08 PM PDT Pills and Alcohol Cited in Reprimand That Killed Career of Jim Gant, But He's Hardly the Only One

In Iraq, former militia program eyed for new fight Posted: 25 Jun 2014 12:50 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — They were known as the Sahwa, or the Awakening Councils — Sunni militiamen who took extraordinary risks to side with U.S. troops in the fight against al-Qaida during the Iraq War. Once heralded as a pivotal step in the defeat of the bloody insurgency, the Sahwa later were pushed aside by Iraq's Shiite-led government, starved of political support and money needed to remain a viable security force.

US economy shrank at steep 2.9 percent rate in Q1 Posted: 25 Jun 2014 12:04 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy shrank at a steep annual rate of 2.9 percent in the January-March quarter as a harsh winter contributed to the biggest contraction since the depths of the recession five years ago. But the setback is widely thought to be temporary, with growth rebounding solidly since spring.

UN triples appeal for aid funding in Iraq Posted: 25 Jun 2014 11:56 AM PDT The United Nations has tripled its appeal for humanitarian funding for Iraq in 2014 to more than $312 million, with the country battling a fierce militant onslaught. "The funding is urgently needed to help one million people affected by the conflict, including in Mosul and Anbar," said Wednesday Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Speaking to journalists via video conference from Baghdad, UN special envoy for Iraq, Nikolay Mladenov, emphasized that in the country "over one million people have been displaced since January."

Suicide bomber wounds 10 in Beirut hotel as police move in Posted: 25 Jun 2014 11:44 AM PDT A man blew himself up in a Beirut hotel on Wednesday as security forces stormed his room, killing himself and wounding 10 other people, a senior Lebanese official said. An accomplice of the suicide bomber who was also in the room survived the blast, the official said. "When the security forces entered their hotel room, they blew themselves up by detonating the explosives beside them. Three of the other wounded were security personnel, military prosecutor Sakr Sakr said.

Iraq crisis threatens food safety in the country, says FAO Posted: 25 Jun 2014 11:38 AM PDT Iraq's food harvest is under threat with recent violence in the country driving more than a million people from their homes and farms, the UN's food agency said Wednesday. With the conflict hitting in two of the country's breadbasket states, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) warned that the country is "facing serious food security concerns". While Iraq's harvest had looked promising, "now, however, prevailing civil insecurity and associated access problems, labour shortages, and disruptions in transport and marketing are expected to significantly impact harvesting and domestic production and supply," the FAO said. The FAO is calling for $12.7 million (9.3 million euros) in emergency aid before August to provide "urgent support" to farmers, and to mitigate the damage to food, income and employment, the agency said in a statement.

The Daily Fix: Supreme Court Decides Your Phone Is Private, Gay Marriage Bans Lifted in Utah and Indiana Posted: 25 Jun 2014 11:27 AM PDT Some of the aging justices on the Supreme Court may not know a pager from a PDA, but they sure know a privacy violation when they see one. In an extremely rare unanimous decision, the court ruled Wednesday that police "may not generally search the cell phones of people they arrest without first getting search warrants," The Associated Press reports. "Modern cell phones are not just another technological convenience. The defendants in the case—the Obama administration and the state of California—had argued that cell phones shouldn't have any more protections than other things police routinely find in such searches.

Obama meets with Israeli President Peres Posted: 25 Jun 2014 11:22 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has discussed Iraq, Iran and Mideast peace with outgoing Israeli President Shimon Peres.

Editorial Roundup: Excerpts from recent editorials Posted: 25 Jun 2014 11:18 AM PDT Excerpts from recent editorials in newspapers in the United States and abroad:

Canada finance minister warns over global hunt for yield Posted: 25 Jun 2014 11:09 AM 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.

U.N. endorses Iraq military force against advancing Islamist rebels Posted: 25 Jun 2014 11:02 AM PDT By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations on Wednesday issued an unusual call for military force, with a senior U.N. official saying the advance of Islamist militants throughout the north and east of Iraq must be dealt with militarily, though success will hinge on a broad political consensus. Nickolay Mladenov, who as U.N. special envoy to Iraq heads the world body's political mission there, said Iraq's key southern oil reserves remained safe. His remarks came as hardline Sunni militants attacked one of Iraq's largest air bases.

Republican offers Obama a road map for what to do in Iraq Posted: 25 Jun 2014 11:01 AM PDT President Obama must come up with a strategy that "disrupts" the Islamic jihadists controlling swaths of Iraq and Syria, said Rep. Mike Rogers (R) of Michigan, the chairman of the House intelligence committee, at a Monitor breakfast on Wednesday. "You have to directly target command and control and leadership in a way that is disruptive" to the jihadists, known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS).

Suicide bomber hits hotel near Saudi embassy in Beirut Posted: 25 Jun 2014 10:51 AM PDT A suicide bomber killed himself and wounded at least four security officers at a hotel in Beirut close to the Saudi Arabian embassy on Wednesday, Lebanese security sources said, the third blast in Lebanon in less than a week. Television footage showed scores of army officers packing a main street filled with emergency vehicles. Lebanon has suffered a wave of sectarian violence linked to the conflicts in Syria and Iraq. On Monday night, a suicide bomber blew up his car near an army checkpoint in the city, killing himself and a security officer.

Top UN envoy: 'Iraq can be saved' if leaders act Posted: 25 Jun 2014 10:48 AM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The top U.N. envoy in Iraq says "Iraq can be saved" if political leaders reach across religious and sectarian lines to bring the country together, take military action against Sunni extremists who have captured large areas, and stick to the constitution.

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