Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Obama applauds nomination of new Iraqi PM as "step forward"
• Foreign policy crises intrude on Obama vacations
• Obama welcomes new Iraqi leaders as 'step forward'
• Power struggle on Baghdad streets as Maliki replaced but refuses to go
• Pentagon 'very concerned' by IS threat, sees limits to air power, general says
• Iraq's Yazidis who escaped Mount Sinjar haunted by horrors
• Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT
• Obama Pressures Iraqis To Dump Prime Minister
• Gut-Wrenching Images of Yazidi Refugees as They Search for Loved Ones
• U.S. begins direct arms shipments to Kurdish forces
• Top Asian News at 11:00 p.m. GMT
• Haidar al-Abadi: from exile to Iraq PM designate
• Top Asian News at 10:30 p.m. GMT
• WATER IS AN OLD WEAPON IN IRAQI DESERT WARFARE
• US: No plans to expand Iraq strikes
• U.S. to monitor South China Sea for de-escalation after China rebuff
• Clinton distinguishes herself from Obama policies
• US fighters hit Islamic State checkpoints
• Iraq crisis deepens; U.S. directly arms Kurds
• Top Asian News at 10:00 p.m. GMT
• Pentagon warns airstrikes are not enough to roll back ISIL
• Air strikes can't solve Iraq's problems, Obama says. So what's the point?
• Obama Ignores Maliki And Praises Iraq's New Government
• Obama throws support behind Maliki successor in Iraq
• Wall Street ends up for second day on hopes for Russia relief
• Top Asian News at 9:30 p.m. GMT
• Obama calls for new Iraqi government
• Beijing hits out at US South China Sea proposal
• US sends disaster relief teams to Iraq
• US stocks finish higher amid global equity rally
• Top Asian News at 9:00 p.m. GMT
• TSX climbs as geopolitical concerns ease
• Man arrested in New York accused of supporting Islamist rebels: CBS
• Stocks gain on Russia bets but Treasuries fall only marginally
• Iraq crisis deepens; US directly arms Kurds
• Maliki, Iraq's rebel-turned-PM trying to cling to power
• Top Asian News at 8:30 p.m. GMT
• Iraq's president picks new prime minister
• Just How Super Was the Supermoon?

Obama applauds nomination of new Iraqi PM as "step forward" Posted: 11 Aug 2014 04:58 PM PDT By Jeff Mason CHILMARK Mass. (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday Iraq had taken "a promising step forward" in designating a new prime minister, vowing to step up support for a new Iraqi government in a widening conflict that his administration had hoped to avoid. Speaking to reporters in the Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard, where he is vacationing with his family, Obama said Iraq had made important strides toward rebuffing fighters from the Islamic State, an al-Qaeda offshoot, since the United States authorized air strikes last week. "Today Iraq took a promising step forward in this critical effort," Obama said in brief remarks. Obama's comments and a congratulatory telephone call he made to Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Haider al-Abadi signal the administration's expectation, or hope, that Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki's 8-year-rule is all but over, even as Maliki shows no sign of relinquishing power.

Foreign policy crises intrude on Obama vacations Posted: 11 Aug 2014 04:55 PM PDT CHILMARK, Mass. (AP) — Foreign policy crises have a way of intruding on President Barack Obama's Martha's Vineyard vacations.

Obama welcomes new Iraqi leaders as 'step forward' Posted: 11 Aug 2014 04:55 PM PDT CHILMARK, Mass. (AP) — President Barack Obama welcomed new leadership in Iraq as "a promising step forward" Monday amid a political and security crisis in Baghdad, saying the only lasting solution is the formation of an inclusive government.

Power struggle on Baghdad streets as Maliki replaced but refuses to go Posted: 11 Aug 2014 04:42 PM PDT By Michael Georgy and Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's president named a new prime minister to end Nuri al-Maliki's eight-year rule on Monday, but the veteran leader refused to go after deploying militias and special forces on the streets, creating a dangerous political showdown in Baghdad. Washington, which helped install Maliki following its 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, congratulated Haidar al-Abadi, a former Maliki lieutenant who was named by President Fouad Masoum to replace him. Maliki said in a televised speech the president's decision to name a replacement for him was a "dangerous violation" of the constitution and, flanked by political allies, he vowed "we will fix the mistake." Maliki's son-in-law, Hussein al-Maliki, called the move "illegal" and said it would be overturned in court.

Pentagon 'very concerned' by IS threat, sees limits to air power, general says Posted: 11 Aug 2014 04:38 PM PDT While the US airstrikes in Iraq have slowed down and "temporarily disrupted" the advance of the Islamic State (IS) toward the city of Erbil, the defacto capital of Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq, the US military's efforts are "unlikely to affect" the terrorist group's overall capabilities or operations in other parts of Iraq or Syria. Top military officials are "very concerned" about the threat posed by IS in the region, he said, in large part because their fighters now control some of the largest cities in Iraq and have a solid base of operations in war-torn Syria. "They're very well organized, very well equipped, they coordinate their operations and thus far have shown the ability to attack on multiple [fronts]," Lieutenant General Mayville noted. Perhaps most concerning to US military officials is that the Islamist group "remains focused on securing and gaining additional territory throughout Iraq," he said.

Iraq's Yazidis who escaped Mount Sinjar haunted by horrors Posted: 11 Aug 2014 04:36 PM PDT By Isabel Coles DOHUK Iraq (Reuters) - Exhausted and terrorized, many of the Yazidis of northern Iraq who straggled into this Kurdish town after escaping the Islamic State deathtrap of Mount Sinjar recalled the agony of leaving relatives exposed on the mountain. Dakheel, 64, a shepherd who fled with family members into the rocky gullies above the sheep-grazing areas around Sinjar, left his 95-year-old mother when he set off on a grueling, risky walk to safety. He and several thousand others escaped in the last few days by climbing down the west side of the mountain, traversing the dry plain to the Syrian border and traveling north to cross back into Iraq's Kurdish region untouched by Islamic State gunmen. The Yazidis were just one of the communities fleeing their villages from advancing Islamic State fighters who drove looted armored vehicles and fired machine guns and raised their black flag over towns across northwest Iraq in recent weeks.

Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 11 Aug 2014 04:33 PM PDT MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Despite U.S. and Asian calls for self-restraint and new impetus for the resolution of territorial disputes involving China, a high-profile Asian security summit ended over the weekend where it began, with no solution of the rifts in sight. China dismissed a new U.S. proposal for a freeze on hostile actions that could heighten tensions in the disputed South China Sea, leaving Washington unable to overturn an impression that it can do little to back up allies at odds with Beijing over the contested waters and islands. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, remains divided and is similarly unable to pressure China to back down.

Obama Pressures Iraqis To Dump Prime Minister Posted: 11 Aug 2014 04:32 PM PDT President Barack Obama endorsed Iraq's potential new prime minister Monday, and urged the serving prime minister to give up power peacefully. Obama offered a veiled threat, and a promise of greater support, if Iraq replaces current Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. "We are also ready to work with other countries in the region to deal with the humanitarian crisis and counterterrorism challenge in Iraq [and] mobilizing that support will be easier once this new government is in place," suggesting that new military and financial aid will be delivered only if there's a new prime minister. Masum's limited powers include the oversight of new parliamentary governments after each national election. Masum has asked one of Maliki's former supporters, Hairar al-Abadi, to form a new parliamentary majority.

Gut-Wrenching Images of Yazidi Refugees as They Search for Loved Ones Posted: 11 Aug 2014 04:21 PM PDT ISIS Fighters Took an Unknown Number of Yazidis Captive as They Fled

U.S. begins direct arms shipments to Kurdish forces Posted: 11 Aug 2014 04:11 PM PDT By Mark Hosenball and Missy Ryan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government is directly supplying weapons to Peshmerga fighters from Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish region to help them fight Sunni militants, in a deepening of America's military involvement in Iraq, U.S. officials said on Monday. The Kurdish fighters are struggling to stem advances by militants from the Islamic State, an al Qaeda offshoot. The officials said the weapons were supplied by the Central Intelligence Agency but that the Pentagon may soon start arming the Kurdish fighters, who regained control of two strategic towns in northern Iraq on Sunday with help from U.S. airstrikes. Weapons have also been shipped in three deliveries from the Iraqi government in Baghdad to Arbil, capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, consisting mostly of AK-47 assault rifles and ammunition, the U.S. officials said.

Top Asian News at 11:00 p.m. GMT Posted: 11 Aug 2014 04:03 PM PDT MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Despite U.S. and Asian calls for self-restraint and new impetus for the resolution of territorial disputes involving China, a high-profile Asian security summit ended over the weekend where it began, with no solution of the rifts in sight. China dismissed a new U.S. proposal for a freeze on hostile actions that could heighten tensions in the disputed South China Sea, leaving Washington unable to overturn an impression that it can do little to back up allies at odds with Beijing over the contested waters and islands. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, remains divided and is similarly unable to pressure China to back down.

Haidar al-Abadi: from exile to Iraq PM designate Posted: 11 Aug 2014 03:35 PM PDT Haidar al-Abadi, who was nominated Monday as Iraq's next premier, is a former exile and long-serving MP who was close to Nuri al-Maliki until he took his job. "The country is in your hands," President Fuad Masum told Abadi after accepting his nomination by parliament's Shiite alliance in a move slammed by Maliki, who insists he is being robbed of a third term. Abadi was communications minister in the interim government set up after the 2003 overthrow of Saddam Hussein, and is a member of Maliki's Dawa party. "Up until recently, he's been a Maliki surrogate," said Kirk Sowell, the Amman-based publisher of the Inside Iraqi Politics newsletter.

Top Asian News at 10:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 11 Aug 2014 03:33 PM PDT MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Despite U.S. and Asian calls for self-restraint and new impetus for the resolution of territorial disputes involving China, a high-profile Asian security summit ended over the weekend where it began, with no solution of the rifts in sight. China dismissed a new U.S. proposal for a freeze on hostile actions that could heighten tensions in the disputed South China Sea, leaving Washington unable to overturn an impression that it can do little to back up allies at odds with Beijing over the contested waters and islands. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, remains divided and is similarly unable to pressure China to back down.

WATER IS AN OLD WEAPON IN IRAQI DESERT WARFARE Posted: 11 Aug 2014 03:30 PM PDT WASHINGTON -- The news last week that the Islamic State, the formidable terrorist group marching across northern Iraq sowing horror wherever it goes, has now almost certainly taken the huge Mosul Dam opens another chapter in that organization's dark story. It would seem obvious, at first, that such an act would give the super-radical Islamist group control over drinking water for the entire area -- and that would be true. It is less obvious to most observers, but even more horrendous, that were the dam to break, it could flood Iraq for more than 200 miles to Baghdad. ...

US: No plans to expand Iraq strikes Posted: 11 Aug 2014 03:25 PM PDT The United States has no plans to expand its air campaign in Iraq beyond protecting American personnel in the city of Arbil and besieged Yazidi refugees, the Pentagon said Monday. "There are no plans to expand the current air campaign beyond the current self defense activities," Lieutenant General William Mayville told reporters at the Pentagon. On Monday, the Pentagon said US fighter jets had carried out four strikes on IS checkpoints and vehicles around Mount Sinjar in "defense of internally displaced Yazidi civilians in the area." The sight of US jets and drones in action over Iraq again, less than three years after American forces withdrew from the country, has raised fears that Washington is once again being dragged into war.

U.S. to monitor South China Sea for de-escalation after China rebuff Posted: 11 Aug 2014 03:19 PM PDT By Lesley Wroughton SYDNEY (Reuters) - The United States will monitor the South China Sea to see whether "de-escalatory steps" are being taken, a U.S. State Department official said on Monday, a day after China resisted pressure to rein in actions in the disputed waters. The official spoke as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Sydney for talks on regional security with Australian officials, that will also involve Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. A U.S. proposal for a freeze on provocative acts in the South China Sea got a cool response from China and some Southeast Asian nations at a regional meeting at the weekend, an apparent setback to U.S. efforts to thwart China's assertive moves. The U.S. official said the United States would follow up on those talks by assessing an ASEAN-China meeting due in a few weeks time on implementing a 2002 declaration on conduct in the South China Sea, something that "equates to the freeze." "We will also be monitoring the actual situation around the rocks, reefs, and shoals in the South China Sea," he said.

Clinton distinguishes herself from Obama policies Posted: 11 Aug 2014 03:11 PM PDT EDGARTOWN, Mass. (AP) — Laying out a foreign policy vision ahead of a possible run for president, Hillary Rodham Clinton made her most aggressive effort yet to distinguish herself from her former boss, President Barack Obama, rebuking his cautious approach to global crises and saying the U.S. doctrine has to go beyond "don't do stupid stuff."

US fighters hit Islamic State checkpoints Posted: 11 Aug 2014 03:10 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. fighter jets have carried out airstrikes on four checkpoints manned by Sunni militants in northwest Iraq near where thousands of minority Yazidi refugees have been trapped on a mountain to escape violence.

Iraq crisis deepens; U.S. directly arms Kurds Posted: 11 Aug 2014 03:10 PM PDT Iraq's president snubbed incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and picked another politician to form the next government Monday, setting up a fierce political power struggle even as the country battles extremists in the north and west.

Top Asian News at 10:00 p.m. GMT Posted: 11 Aug 2014 03:03 PM PDT CHILMARK, Mass. (AP) — President Obama is giving his approval to the appointment of a prime minister to replace Nouri al-Maliki and urging the formation of a new government in Iraq as soon as possible. In brief remarks delivered at his vacation spot in Martha's Vineyard, Obama said he and Vice President Joe Biden had spoken with Haider al-Ibadi, who was designated prime minister by the new president.

Pentagon warns airstrikes are not enough to roll back ISIL Posted: 11 Aug 2014 02:57 PM PDT President Obama on Monday sent a clear message to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to step aside quietly after Iraq's president moves to replace him, as the Pentagon warned that targeted American airstrikes won't be enough to roll back the bloody advance of the Islamic State of Iraqi and the Levant (ISIL).

Air strikes can't solve Iraq's problems, Obama says. So what's the point? Posted: 11 Aug 2014 02:48 PM PDT President Obama's strategy for stabilizing Iraq and repelling the Islamic State militants gaining ground there is based on the premise that Iraq's core challenge is political, and that no amount of US assistance will make a difference until Baghdad has a new inclusive government.

Obama Ignores Maliki And Praises Iraq's New Government Posted: 11 Aug 2014 02:45 PM PDT President Obama on Monday took a break from his summer vacation to praise the nomination of a new Iraqi prime minister as a "promising step forward" in the nation's battle to hold off a terrorist takeover. Iraq's president chose Haider al-Abadi as a replacement for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and Obama said he and Vice President Joe Biden had each called al-Abadi to pledge support as he tries to form a new government that can stabilize the country against the advances of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Obama's public show of support for al-Abadi, delivered in a brief statement from Martha's Vineyard, was a clear rebuke of al-Maliki, who wants to run for a third term. Maliki challenged Iraq's president, Fouad Massoum, in a late-night televised address, accusing him of a "clear constitutional violation" in deciding to nominate someone other than him for prime minister.

Obama throws support behind Maliki successor in Iraq Posted: 11 Aug 2014 02:43 PM PDT US President Barack Obama on Monday urged a quick political transition in Iraq in a rebuke to controversial prime minister Nuri al-Maliki. Obama said that he as well as Vice President Joe Biden called prime minister-designate Haidar al-Abadi to offer support, as US forces conduct air strikes against Sunni Islamist extremists who have swept across Iraq. Stressing his position that there is "no American military solution" to the Iraq crisis, Obama called Abadi's nomination to replace the controversial Nuri al-Maliki "a promising step."

Wall Street ends up for second day on hopes for Russia relief Posted: 11 Aug 2014 02:38 PM PDT By Akane Otani NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks ended higher on Monday, extending the rally from Friday as investors hoped that Russia's move to send humanitarian aid to Ukraine would ease tensions between the two countries. Earlier in the day, NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen warned of a "high probability" that Russia, using the guise of a humanitarian mission, could intervene militarily in Ukraine. Ukraine has also said that, contrary to Russian reports of de-escalating, Russia has massed 45,000 troops on its border. Investors did not seem fazed by the reports. ...

Top Asian News at 9:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 11 Aug 2014 02:33 PM PDT CHILMARK, Mass. (AP) — President Obama is giving his approval to the appointment of a prime minister to replace Nouri al-Maliki and urging the formation of a new government in Iraq as soon as possible. In brief remarks delivered at his vacation spot in Martha's Vineyard, Obama said he and Vice President Joe Biden had spoken with Haider al-Ibadi, who was designated prime minister by the new president.

Obama calls for new Iraqi government Posted: 11 Aug 2014 02:27 PM PDT President Obama is giving his approval to the appointment of a prime minister to replace Nouri al-Maliki and urging the formation of a new government in Iraq as soon as possible.

Beijing hits out at US South China Sea proposal Posted: 11 Aug 2014 02:12 PM PDT Beijing accused the US of deliberately stoking tensions in the South China Sea as it rejected Washington's proposal for a freeze on provocative actions in the region, the foreign ministry said Monday. The remarks by Foreign Minister Wang Yi came at an ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) overshadowed by disputes over the strategically significant sea. Beijing claims it almost in its entirety, putting it at odds with countries including the Philippines and Vietnam, and there have been several tense encounters in the area over recent months. US Secretary of State John Kerry appeared at the forum to push for a multilateral agreement to end all actions that risk further inflaming regional sensitivities.

US sends disaster relief teams to Iraq Posted: 11 Aug 2014 02:09 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has deployed a disaster response team to Iraq to help distribute humanitarian aid to tens of thousands of people who have been forced from their homes in the fresh wave of violence in the country's north.

US stocks finish higher amid global equity rally Posted: 11 Aug 2014 02:05 PM PDT New York (AFP) - US stocks Monday finished higher, capping a sunny day for global markets in a rally that gained force from a more optimistic perception of conflicts in Ukraine and Iraq.

Top Asian News at 9:00 p.m. GMT Posted: 11 Aug 2014 02:03 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration has begun directly providing weapons to Kurdish forces who have started to make gains against Islamic militants in northern Iraq, senior U.S. officials said Monday, but the aid has so far been limited to automatic rifles and ammunition. Previously, the U.S. sold arms in Iraq only to the government in Baghdad, which has largely failed in recent years to transfer them to the Kurdish forces in the north, American officials have said. Baghdad made some transfers with American help in recent days, since U.S. airstrikes began to support Kurdish forces fighting off the Islamic State advance toward the northern city of Irbil.

TSX climbs as geopolitical concerns ease Posted: 11 Aug 2014 01:57 PM PDT By John Tilak TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index rose on Monday as tensions appeared to cool in Ukraine and Gaza, driving gains in most major sectors. Despite the recent choppy action, however, the Toronto stock market's benchmark index is still up about 12 percent this year. "We're getting back on track for a resumption of the rally," said Rick Hutcheon, president and chief operating officer at RKH Investments. "I think we're going to work our way higher for a while." Hutcheon is bullish on the prospects for the market's natural resource sectors, especially the energy group.

Man arrested in New York accused of supporting Islamist rebels: CBS Posted: 11 Aug 2014 01:53 PM PDT Federal prosecutors have accused a man arrested on gun charges at a New York City airport of sympathizing with Islamic State militants, CBS News reported on Monday. Donald Morgan, 44, of North Carolina was arrested on Aug. 2 for being in possession of a rifle as a felon, according to court documents. He was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport, where he had arrived on a flight from Lebanon, CBS News reported. At Morgan's bail hearing at U.S. District Court in Brooklyn last week, prosecutors asked a judge to deny him bail as he had "pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on Twitter," and was a threat to the community, CBS reported.

Stocks gain on Russia bets but Treasuries fall only marginally Posted: 11 Aug 2014 01:52 PM PDT By Rodrigo Campos NEW YORK (Reuters) - A global gauge of equities rose for a second straight day on Monday, posting its largest daily advance in four months on bets on a reduced risk of direct conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The yield on benchmark U.S. debt rose only slightly while spot gold prices barely ticked lower. Perception among stock buyers of a de-escalation of the conflict in the Russia-Ukraine border held even as Russia was sending an aid convoy to eastern Ukraine, after the West warned Moscow against using humanitarian help as a pretext for an invasion. NATO sees a "high probability" of a Russian invasion of eastern Ukraine as some 20,000 Russian troops massed on the nearby border.

Iraq crisis deepens; US directly arms Kurds Posted: 11 Aug 2014 01:41 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's president snubbed incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and picked another politician to form the next government Monday, setting up a fierce political power struggle even as the country battles extremists in the north and west.

Maliki, Iraq's rebel-turned-PM trying to cling to power Posted: 11 Aug 2014 01:39 PM PDT Nuri al-Maliki, Iraq's rebel-turned-leader who Monday saw his bid for a third term fall apart, rose from anonymous exile to powerful premier but lost support as the country's security collapsed. President Fuad Masum tasked Haidar al-Abadi, a member of Maliki's Dawa party, with forming a new government, ignoring the two-term premier's defiant insistence that he should keep the top job. Maliki, a 63-year-old Shiite Arab, had previously said he would sue Masum, a Kurd, for violating the constitution, and ordered a massive security deployment in Baghdad. It is a dramatic shift from 2006, when Maliki was regarded as a weak compromise candidate who emerged from the shadows to become premier.

Top Asian News at 8:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 11 Aug 2014 01:33 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration has begun directly providing weapons to Kurdish forces who have started to make gains against Islamic militants in northern Iraq, senior U.S. officials said Monday, but the aid has so far been limited to automatic rifles and ammunition. Previously, the U.S. sold arms in Iraq only to the government in Baghdad, which has largely failed in recent years to transfer them to the Kurdish forces in the north, American officials have said. Baghdad made some transfers with American help in recent days, since U.S. airstrikes began to support Kurdish forces fighting off the Islamic State advance toward the northern city of Irbil.

Iraq's president picks new prime minister Posted: 11 Aug 2014 01:32 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's president snubbed incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and picked another politician to form the next government Monday, setting up a fierce political power struggle even as the country battles extremists in the north and west.

Just How Super Was the Supermoon? Posted: 11 Aug 2014 01:29 PM PDT Sunday night marked the arrival of the much awaited "supermoon," the not very scientific-sounding name for when a full moon is closest to the earth.

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