Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• UN expresses 'deep outrage' at Islamic State group
• US prepares to send military advisers to western Iraq
• Exclusive: U.S. probing Standard Chartered over Dubai banking - sources
• U.S. spy budget down by over 15 percent since 2010: official data
• Peshmerga bolster Kurd defenders of Syrian town
• Justice Department issues use of force reforms for Albuquerque Police
• Britain warns traveling nationals of heightened security risk from IS
• Germany ready to train Iraq's Sunnis as well as Kurds to fight IS
• Kurdish peshmerga forces enter Syria's Kobani after further air strikes
• Peshmerga fighters enter Syrian border
• Marine's lawyers seek new judge in war crime case
• 2 Arizona officers killed in car crashes this week
• Analysis: In Syria, no good options for West
• Fired-up Republicans have edge in midterm turnout war
• Britain warns travelling nationals of heightened security risk from IS
• Gas falling under $3 nationwide: What to know
• Top Iraq Shiite cleric urges fighters to protect 'innocents'
• UN: Growing number of foreigners in terror groups
• Foreign jihadists flock to IS despite air strikes
• Italy to end sea rescue mission that saved 100,000 migrants
• Congress to revisit Islamic State war debate after election
• Foreign fighters stream into Syria: US officials
• AJC Delegation Concludes Visit to Australia
• Italy ignores pleas, ends boat migrant rescue operation
• Turkey's Erdogan says Kurdish peace process will continue despite unrest
• White House says Syria strategy working, policy on Assad clear
• Iraq's top Shi'ite calls on Baghdad to help Sunni tribes after killings
• First Look: Plastique Blasts Onto The Flash
• Senate elections 101: Iowa split between two very different candidates
• U.S. says more air strikes target Islamic State near Syria border town
• Three Iraqis arrested in Switzerland, suspected of planning attack
• Bombs at marketplaces near Baghdad kill 15 people
• How ISIS Wages a Brutal and Hideous War on Women
• 10 Things to Know for Today
• Kurds' battle for Kobani unites a people divided by borders
• The Coming November Wars
• 10 Things to Know for Friday
• Crucial Iowa Senate race tied; Romney, Clinton lead for 2016: Reuters/Ipsos poll

UN expresses 'deep outrage' at Islamic State group Posted: 31 Oct 2014 04:29 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council is expressing its "deep outrage" at the killings, kidnapping, rapes and torture by the Islamic State group in Iraq.

US prepares to send military advisers to western Iraq Posted: 31 Oct 2014 04:12 PM PDT US officers are drafting plans to deploy American military advisers to Iraq's western Anbar province and to help arm Sunni tribes to fight Islamic State jihadists, officials said Friday. "It's a plan that's being developed," a senior military officer said on condition of anonymity. About 600 US military advisers are currently based in Baghdad and in the northern city of Arbil. "We're going to have to help stiffen their resistance and provide some help outside of those two cities, Baghdad and Arbil, and specifically to help them in Anbar province," the officer told AFP.

Exclusive: U.S. probing Standard Chartered over Dubai banking - sources Posted: 31 Oct 2014 04:08 PM PDT By Karen Freifeld NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. authorities are investigating London-based Standard Chartered Plc for potential U.S. sanctions violations connected to its banking for Iranian-controlled entities in Dubai, according to people familiar with the probe. The latest investigation involving the bank is based, in part, from evidence that emerged during a separate probe of BNP Paribas, the French bank that pleaded guilty this summer to charges related to sanctions-busting and agreed to pay $8.9 billion in penalties, the people said. During the course of the BNP case, U.S. ...

U.S. spy budget down by over 15 percent since 2010: official data Posted: 31 Oct 2014 03:46 PM PDT By Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The combined budget for U.S. civilian and military intelligence operations has shrunk by more than 15 percent since 2010, official figures show. The total U.S. intelligence budget was $67.9 billion in the fiscal year to Sept. 30, according to official figures. That was up only marginally from $67.6 billion the previous year, but followed a steady decline since a peak in 2010. A variety of factors comes into play, official sources say. ...

Peshmerga bolster Kurd defenders of Syrian town Posted: 31 Oct 2014 02:48 PM PDT Kurdish peshmerga reinforcements entered Syria from Turkey late Friday to bolster defenders in the key border town of Kobane which is under assault by Islamic State group jihadists. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group confirmed the Kurdish fighters had entered the embattled frontier town. The peshmerga drove out of the heavily guarded warehouse and headed for the border to reinforce Syrian Kurds in the battle for Kobane, an AFP correspondent reported. The pro-Kurdish Firat news agency reported that the convoy had crossed the border, 10 kilometres (six miles) south of their start point in the Turkish border town of Suruc.

Justice Department issues use of force reforms for Albuquerque Police Posted: 31 Oct 2014 02:42 PM PDT By Julia Edwards WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Albuquerque, New Mexico, Police Department will undergo reform and be monitored for use of excessive force under an agreement announced on Friday between the city and the U.S. Justice Department. The agreement follows a federal investigation that concluded the department used excessive, even deadly, force against passive civilians. People suffering from mental illness were disproportionately targeted, the investigation found. ...

Britain warns traveling nationals of heightened security risk from IS Posted: 31 Oct 2014 02:27 PM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - Britain on Friday warned its citizens traveling overseas of a heightened risk of attacks against them from militants linked to Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, updating its official travel advice to reflect an increase in the general threat level. "There is considered to be a heightened threat of terrorist attack globally against UK interests and British nationals from groups or individuals motivated by the conflict in Iraq and Syria," a statement from the Foreign Office said. "You should be vigilant at this time. ...

Germany ready to train Iraq's Sunnis as well as Kurds to fight IS Posted: 31 Oct 2014 02:27 PM PDT TEMPLIN Germany (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday that Germany was ready to help train Sunni Muslim soldiers in Iraq to fight Islamic State insurgents in addition to aid it is already giving to Iraqi Kurdish fighters. Merkel praised Baghdad for appointing a Sunni defense minister alongside Shi'ites and Kurds as part of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's efforts to improve national unity and loosen the grip of Islamic State militants on Sunni areas of the country to the north and west. ...

Kurdish peshmerga forces enter Syria's Kobani after further air strikes Posted: 31 Oct 2014 02:27 PM PDT By Humeyra Pamuk and Raheem Salman SURUC Turkey/BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A convoy of Iraqi Kurdish forces in Turkey rolled late on Friday across the border into Syria to help Syrian Kurds defend the besieged town of Kobani that has become the focus of a Western-backed war against Islamic State insurgents. U.S.-led air strikes hit Islamic State positions around Kobani earlier in the day in an apparent effort to pave the way for the heavily-armed Kurdish contingent to enter. ...

Peshmerga fighters enter Syrian border Posted: 31 Oct 2014 02:10 PM PDT SURUC, Turkey (AP) — Iraqi peshmerga fighters began entering the Syrian border town of Kobani Friday night where they were expected to join the battle against Islamist militants besieging the town, activists said.

Marine's lawyers seek new judge in war crime case Posted: 31 Oct 2014 01:52 PM PDT CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) — Attorneys for a Marine sergeant being retried on a murder charge in a major Iraq war crime case have asked a judge to remove himself, saying he's incapable of being impartial and objective.

2 Arizona officers killed in car crashes this week Posted: 31 Oct 2014 01:34 PM PDT CHANDLER, Ariz. (AP) — A suburban Phoenix officer was fatally injured Friday when he was hit by a suspected drunken driver, becoming the second officer from the Chandler Police Department to be killed in motorcycle crashes this week.

Analysis: In Syria, no good options for West Posted: 31 Oct 2014 01:21 PM PDT UNDATED (AP) — With the U.S.-led assault on the Islamic State group, the world community is acting in Syria, but not in the Syrian civil war. When it comes to the issue that has undermined the region — the survival or fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad — there is still no plan.

Fired-up Republicans have edge in midterm turnout war Posted: 31 Oct 2014 12:45 PM PDT By Jason Lange WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A daunting reality looms for President Barack Obama's Democrats ahead of U.S. congressional elections on Tuesday: Voters from the Republican Party are much more fired up. Reuters/Ipsos polling data shows Republicans are more certain they will vote, and see their ballot as a way to voice disapproval of Obama's handling of the Ebola outbreak and his health insurance reform law. The expectation of robust Republican turnout is why many forecasters see strong odds that the party will take over the Senate and expand its majority in the House of Representatives. ...

Britain warns travelling nationals of heightened security risk from IS Posted: 31 Oct 2014 12:42 PM PDT Britain on Friday warned its citizens travelling overseas of a heightened risk of attacks against them from militants linked to Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, updating its official travel advice to reflect an increase in the general threat level. "There is considered to be a heightened threat of terrorist attack globally against UK interests and British nationals from groups or individuals motivated by the conflict in Iraq and Syria," a statement from the Foreign Office said. In August Britain raised its national threat level to its second-highest rating, citing the risks posed by Islamic State fighters returning from Iraq and Syria.

Gas falling under $3 nationwide: What to know Posted: 31 Oct 2014 12:37 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — The sight is so surprising that Americans are sharing photos of it, along with all those cute Halloween costumes, sweeping vistas and special meals: The gas station sign, with a price of $2-something a gallon.

Top Iraq Shiite cleric urges fighters to protect 'innocents' Posted: 31 Oct 2014 12:34 PM PDT Iraq's leading Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, on Friday urged those fighting the Islamic State jihadist group to protect civilians in Sunni battlezones. IS, a Sunni extremist group that has carried out a wave of atrocities, spearheaded a sweeping militant offensive in June that overran large areas of Iraq. Baghdad bolstered its forces by allowing a resurgence of Shiite militias, but rights groups say they have committed crimes against Sunnis including summary executions and torture. "What is requested from you, O heroic fighters and volunteers, is to hold the ground that was cleared of the terrorists and cooperate with the sons of the areas that the terrorists control in order to cleanse it of them," Sistani's representative said on his behalf at Friday weekly prayers.

UN: Growing number of foreigners in terror groups Posted: 31 Oct 2014 11:57 AM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A new United Nations report says the world faces a challenge of foreign fighters in terror groups on an "unprecedented scale," with about 15,000 in Syria and Iraq alone.

Foreign jihadists flock to IS despite air strikes Posted: 31 Oct 2014 11:39 AM PDT The Islamic State group is recruiting foreign jihadists on an "unprecedented scale" despite international efforts to stem the tide, according to experts and extracts of a UN report published by Britain's Guardian newspaper. Latest US figures show that around 1,000 foreign fighters are flocking to fight in Iraq and Syria every month, and experts warn that the newest militants may be more extreme than early recruits. "Many foreign fighters that originally left for Syria really did think they were going out for a humanitarian cause," said Erin Marie Saltman, senior researcher at counter-extremism think tank Quilliam. Russian fighters constitute the biggest single fighting force from a non-Muslim country, numbering over 800, and the US-led air strikes will only strengthen their resolve, according to a local expert.

Italy to end sea rescue mission that saved 100,000 migrants Posted: 31 Oct 2014 11:16 AM PDT By Steve Scherer and Massimiliano Di Giorgio ROME (Reuters) - Italy said on Friday it would close a sea rescue mission that has saved the lives of more than 100,000 migrants from Africa and the Middle East, a move one rights group warned could lead to a "surge of deaths" in the Mediterranean. Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said the Mare Nostrum or "Our Sea" mission would end to make way for a smaller European Union scheme - and to help relieve the strain on Italy's public finances amid a three-year economic slump. ...

Congress to revisit Islamic State war debate after election Posted: 31 Oct 2014 11:10 AM PDT By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When lawmakers return to Washington after Tuesday's congressional elections they will resume a debate they began with some reluctance last month on the U.S.-led fight against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq. With the U.S.-led coalition increasing air strikes but no signs the militants have been weakened, Congress appears ready for a broader discussion on the operations than it was prepared to hold during the run-up to the election. ...

Foreign fighters stream into Syria: US officials Posted: 31 Oct 2014 11:05 AM PDT Foreign fighters are streaming into Syria at a rate of roughly 1,000 a month, with no let-up in the flow despite international efforts to stem the tide, US officials said Friday. The surge in foreign militants heading to Syria surpasses anything seen in previous conflicts in the past 10 years, including wars in Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia or elsewhere, said a US intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. US intelligence agencies now believe there are more than 16,000 volunteers from 80 countries that have traveled to Syria to fight with various militant groups, including the Islamic State jihadists who have seized large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria. There was no sign yet that US-led air strikes against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq or new restrictions aimed at foreign volunteers in several countries had affected the flow, officials said.

AJC Delegation Concludes Visit to Australia Posted: 31 Oct 2014 11:04 AM PDT SYDNEY, Oct. 31, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An AJC senior leadership delegation has concluded a five-day mission to Australia. The visit included stops in Melbourne, Canberra, and Sydney.Earlier, the group traveled to Japan, Indonesia, and Singapore.The program in Australia was coordinated with AJC's longstanding partner organization, AIJAC, led by its executive director, Dr. Colin Rubenstein.The visit to Canberra was highlighted by a private meeting with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott. ...

Italy ignores pleas, ends boat migrant rescue operation Posted: 31 Oct 2014 09:57 AM PDT Italy on Friday ignored the pleas of aid agencies and confirmed the end of its search and rescue operation "Mare Nostrum", responsible for saving tens of thousands of boat migrants stranded in the Mediterranean. "From tomorrow a new operation called 'Triton' begins," deputy prime minister and interior minister Angelino Alfano told journalists at a press conference, referring to a much more limited mission led by the EU border agency Frontex. "Mare Nostrum ends. Italy has done its duty,"

Turkey's Erdogan says Kurdish peace process will continue despite unrest Posted: 31 Oct 2014 08:40 AM PDT PARIS (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday a peace process with Kurdish militants would continue after the killing of four soldiers and riots this month over what Kurds saw as Turkey's refusal to help their kin in Syria. Four soldiers have been shot by members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast over the past week, according to the army, in a blow to peace talks between Ankara and the insurgents. ...

White House says Syria strategy working, policy on Assad clear Posted: 31 Oct 2014 08:36 AM PDT By Doina Chiacu WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House and Pentagon sought to portray a unified stance on Syria on Friday after reports that a memo from Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel criticized U.S. strategy as fuzzy on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said U.S. strategy against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq was working. He denied Washington was focused on weakening the Islamic militants at the expense of its parallel goal of pushing Assad out of power. ...

Iraq's top Shi'ite calls on Baghdad to help Sunni tribes after killings Posted: 31 Oct 2014 06:51 AM PDT By Raheem Salman BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's most senior Shi'ite cleric called on the government on Friday to rush to the aid of Sunni tribes battling Islamic State, after the militant group executed at least 220 tribesmen west of Baghdad this week. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani's comments show how the threat posed by Islamic State, which follows an ultra-hardline version of Sunni Islam, has pushed some Shi'ites and Sunnis to overcome their sectarian differences and face a common enemy. ...

First Look: Plastique Blasts Onto The Flash Posted: 31 Oct 2014 06:48 AM PDT Things are about to get explosive on The Flash. The Nov. 11 episode of The CW superhero series introduces the DC Comics villainess Plastique, aka Bette Sans Souci (played by Kelly Frye). Like Barry Allen (Grant Gustin), Bette, a former bomb disposal expert in Iraq, gained a super power as a result of the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator disaster. In her case it's the ability to turn any object she touches into an explosive device... Read More > Other Links From TVGuide.com Andrew Kreisberg Grant Gustin The Flash Kelly Frye

Senate elections 101: Iowa split between two very different candidates Posted: 31 Oct 2014 06:30 AM PDT The Monitor's "Senate elections 101" series looks at the specific issues that will be driving voters in each of the 10 tossup races.

U.S. says more air strikes target Islamic State near Syria border town Posted: 31 Oct 2014 06:04 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States military continued to target Islamic State militants near the Syrian town of Kobani on Thursday and Friday, according to U.S. Central Command. The four strikes near Kobani, near the border with Turkey, damaged four fighting positions used by the militant group as well as one of its buildings, Centcom said in a statement. In Iraq, four U.S.-led strikes also targeted the militant group, it said. (Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

Three Iraqis arrested in Switzerland, suspected of planning attack Posted: 31 Oct 2014 05:43 AM PDT ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss authorities said on Friday they had arrested three Iraqi citizens in March who are suspected of providing support to Islamic State and planning an attack in Europe. The three are also suspected of using explosives and toxic gases with criminal intent, of pornography offences and encouraging illegal access to and from Switzerland, the Swiss public prosecutor said a statement. The trio, who were not named and have not yet been charged, are still in detention while investigations continue. Switzerland has sought assistance from European authorities, the prosecutors said. ...

Bombs at marketplaces near Baghdad kill 15 people Posted: 31 Oct 2014 05:18 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — A series of bomb attacks struck marketplaces near Baghdad on Friday, killing at least 15 people, Iraqi officials said as security forces recaptured parts of a strategic Sunni oil town north of the capital from Islamic State militants.

How ISIS Wages a Brutal and Hideous War on Women Posted: 31 Oct 2014 03:30 AM PDT To ISIS, women are a threat if they're not completely subservient to the men who rule them — the father, the brother, the husband. Last month in the Iraqi city of Mosul, where 2 million people live, ISIS reportedly executed several notable women, including lawyers, physicians, activists and politicians for various reasons.

10 Things to Know for Today Posted: 31 Oct 2014 03:05 AM PDT Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:

Kurds' battle for Kobani unites a people divided by borders Posted: 31 Oct 2014 02:33 AM PDT By Isabel Coles ARBIL Iraq (Reuters) - Cloaked in Kurdish flags, thousands of people lined the roads to cheer on a military convoy headed for what was -- until recently -- an obscure Syrian border town, now the focus of a global war against the militants of Islamic State. The Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga were on their way to help fellow Kurds defend Kobani in a battle that has assumed huge significance in the United States' campaign to "degrade and destroy" the hardline Islamist insurgency. ...

The Coming November Wars Posted: 30 Oct 2014 10:00 PM PDT As it stands today, Republicans will add seats in the House and recapture the Senate on Tuesday.

10 Things to Know for Friday Posted: 30 Oct 2014 05:45 PM PDT Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Friday:

Crucial Iowa Senate race tied; Romney, Clinton lead for 2016: Reuters/Ipsos poll Posted: 30 Oct 2014 05:12 PM PDT By Gabriel Debenedetti WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The high-profile U.S. Senate race in Iowa is a dead heat, with Democratic Representative Bruce Braley and Republican state Senator Joni Ernst each garnering the support of 45 percent of likely voters, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. Braley and Ernst have been locked in a tight race that has seen an influx of outside money and appearances from prominent national figures on both sides of the aisle. ...

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