Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Hollywood Is Shocked Sony Canceled 'The Interview,' But Doesn't Mind Censoring for China
• UN Experts: Taliban radicals against peace gain prominence
• AP Explains: Stephen Colbert vs. "Stephen Colbert"
• Here's What Happened the Last Time a US President Visited Cuba
• IACA-MO: U.S. Iran Policy Not Blocking Tehran's Path to the Bomb, Senate Panel says
• Top Islamic militants killed; more US troops going to Iraq
• At U.N., Iran urged to show more flexibility in nuclear talks
• The White House Needs a Bigger Fence
• U.S. Secret Service too insular, needs outside leader, more agents: review
• US air strikes kill several IS leaders in Iraq: Pentagon
• U.S.-led air strikes focus on Islamic State Kobani in Syria
• Factbox: U.S. Secret Service's reputation dented by embarrassments
• IS siege of Mount Sinjar broken: Iraqi Kurd official
• Iraqi Kurdish troops battling IS open key corridor in Iraq
• Obama’s Unilateral Moves Change the GOP Agenda
• U.S. Secret Service needs more training, outside leader: WSJ, citing report
• Video claims responsibility for Tunisia killings
• Three top Islamic State leaders killed in air strikes: U.S. officials
• Iraqi Kurds liberate besieged Sinjar mountain, freeing hundreds
• Correction: Home Shootings-Pennsylvania story
• Kurds push back IS in Iraq near Syria border: US general
• Jihadists claim murders in 2013 of Tunisia secularists
• Iowa and New Hampshire voters will listen before they judge Bush
• 10 Things to See: A week of top AP photos
• Kurds press northern Iraq offensive against jihadists
• Iraq wins one-year reprieve on Gulf War reparations due to crisis
• U.N. appeals for $8.4 billion for humanitarian relief to Syrians
• Islamic State fight to take at least three years: U.S. general
• U.N. launches 2015 Syria appeal, focuses on helping refugees' host nations
• Iraq PM drops lawsuits against journalists
• Yellen Will Fight to Keep the Fed Independent from Politics
• Why Jeb Bush is a Last Century GOP Candidate
• Asian Cup wide open after coaching changes
• Book Talk: War on Afghan frontline, by a female soldier
• Executions in United States at 20-year low: report
• Sundance: Edgar Wright, Cary Fukunaga, Winona Ryder to Serve as Jurors
• Palestinians present UN resolution on final peace deal

Hollywood Is Shocked Sony Canceled 'The Interview,' But Doesn't Mind Censoring for China Posted: 18 Dec 2014 04:05 PM PST After the news broke that the Pyongyang may have been behind a giant, criminal computer network hacks at Sony Entertainment and that there had been threats of violence against theaters showing The Interview, a comedy about an assassination plot against North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, Sony canceled the film's release.

UN Experts: Taliban radicals against peace gain prominence Posted: 18 Dec 2014 03:20 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Radical splinter groups within the Taliban movement that oppose any negotiation with Afghanistan's new government are gaining prominence, U.N. experts said in a report circulated Thursday.

AP Explains: Stephen Colbert vs. "Stephen Colbert" Posted: 18 Dec 2014 03:18 PM PST Stephen Colbert leaves Comedy Central's satirical political talk show "The Colbert Report" after nine years Thursday night. He will become host of the "Late Show" on CBS, replacing David Letterman in May. So ends the "Stephen Colbert" character he created: the outlandishly tongue-in-cheek conservative host who leapt from late-night TV to become a political and pop culture phenomenon. Many of his "Colbert Nation" fans are left trying to imagine life without his incessant lampooning of the Washington establishment and TV pundits. Here's a brief explanation of Stephen Colbert and the alter ego he is retiring:

Here's What Happened the Last Time a US President Visited Cuba Posted: 18 Dec 2014 03:03 PM PST When President Obama told ABC News on Wednesday that he has not ruled out visiting Cuba in the future, it opened the doors for the first presidential visit to the island nation since 1928.The last and only American president to visit Cuba while in office was Calvin Coolidge, who traveled there in January 1928. (Former President Jimmy Carter visited in March 2011.)Cuba: How New Relationship Will Affect AmericansExclusive: Obama Doesn't Rule Out Presidential Visit to Cuba: 'Let's See'The world was a different place. ...

IACA-MO: U.S. Iran Policy Not Blocking Tehran's Path to the Bomb, Senate Panel says Posted: 18 Dec 2014 02:45 PM PST WASHINGTON, Dec. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A number of leading Senators and national security experts criticized U.S. policy on Iran as dangerously accommodating and having failed to stop Tehran's nuclear weapons program and its support for terrorism in the region.The briefing, held at the historic Senate Kennedy Caucus Room, featured, Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO), former Senator Joseph Lieberman, Ambassador John Bolton, General Jack Keane, former Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, and former White House Homeland Security adviser Frances Townsend. ...

Top Islamic militants killed; more US troops going to Iraq Posted: 18 Dec 2014 02:26 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Two senior Islamic State group leaders were killed in U.S. and coalition airstrikes in northern Iraq over the last week, U.S. officials said Thursday, as Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel approved new orders for several hundred troops to deploy to Iraq to train Iraqi forces.

At U.N., Iran urged to show more flexibility in nuclear talks Posted: 18 Dec 2014 02:16 PM PST By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Iran has not demonstrated sufficient flexibility in nuclear talks with six world powers aimed at ending a 12-year standoff with the Islamic Republic over its atomic ambitions, France and Britain said on Thursday. The remarks, at the United Nations, came just after the completion of another inconclusive round of negotiations in Geneva this week between Iranian officials and the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China. ...

The White House Needs a Bigger Fence Posted: 18 Dec 2014 02:12 PM PST Fence-jumpers beware: The protective barrier around the White House is likely about to get higher and more difficult to scale.

U.S. Secret Service too insular, needs outside leader, more agents: review Posted: 18 Dec 2014 02:06 PM PST By Doina Chiacu and Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Secret Service needs an outsider to overhaul the insular agency, beef up staffing and improve training - after building a higher fence around the White House, an independent review concluded on Thursday. An executive summary of the highly classified review revealed deep problems at the top of the Secret Service, which is charged with guarding the U.S. president and other senior government officials. ...

US air strikes kill several IS leaders in Iraq: Pentagon Posted: 18 Dec 2014 02:01 PM PST Several leaders of the Islamic State group in Iraq have been killed in US air strikes in recent weeks, dealing a blow to the jihadist forces, the Pentagon said Thursday. "I can confirm that since mid-November, targeted coalition airstrikes successfully killed multiple senior and mid-level leaders" in the IS, spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said in a statement. "We believe that the loss of these key leaders degrades ISIL's ability to command and control current operations against Iraqi Security Forces, including Kurdish and other local forces in Iraq," said Kirby, using an alternative acronym for the jihadists. The bombing raids were carried out mostly in northern Iraq, defense officials said, but they did not say where each leader was killed.

U.S.-led air strikes focus on Islamic State Kobani in Syria Posted: 18 Dec 2014 01:53 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.-led air strikes in Syria focused on the contested city of Kobani near the Turkish border on Thursday, with six air strikes that destroyed seven Islamic State fighting positions, a building and a tactical unit, the U.S. military said. U.S. and partner nations also conducted five air strikes in Iraq on Thursday, targeting Islamic State militants in Tal Afar, Mosul and Ramadi, the U.S. Central Command said in a statement. (Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Bill Trott)

Factbox: U.S. Secret Service's reputation dented by embarrassments Posted: 18 Dec 2014 01:52 PM PST (Reuters) - The U.S. Secret Service, charged with guarding the lives of presidents, their families and other dignitaries, is considered one of the elite protective agencies in the world but it has had its share of failures and embarrassments in recent years. An independent review panel on Thursday recommended an outside leader to spur change at the agency, as well as more agents, better training and a higher White House fence. The following are some of the agency's highest profile blunders and missteps in recent years. ...

IS siege of Mount Sinjar broken: Iraqi Kurd official Posted: 18 Dec 2014 01:49 PM PST A broad peshmerga operation backed by US-led air strikes broke the Islamic State group's weeks-old siege of Iraq's Mount Sinjar on Thursday, a top Iraqi Kurdistan security official said. "Peshmerga forces have reached Mount Sinjar, the siege on the mountain has been lifted," Masrour Barzani, the chancellor of the Kurdistan Regional Security Council, told reporters from an operations centre near the border with Syria. A statement from Barzani's office said the operation launched by the peshmerga on Wednesday morning had been one of the most successful so far against the Islamic State (IS) group. It said the siege was broken at 1530 GMT and was the conclusion of an operation involving 8,000 peshmerga forces.

Iraqi Kurdish troops battling IS open key corridor in Iraq Posted: 18 Dec 2014 01:44 PM PST KOBAN, Iraq (AP) — Iraqi Kurdish forces battling Islamic State militants managed on Thursday to open up a key corridor so that thousands of people from the country's Yazidi minority who have been trapped on a mountain can flee, said a senior Kurdish official.

Obama’s Unilateral Moves Change the GOP Agenda Posted: 18 Dec 2014 01:15 PM PST Within hours of their party solidifying control of both chambers in the Nov. 4 elections, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) began laying plans for a series of rapid votes. Show that the Republicans could actually govern and do more than block President Obama's policies. After that, the GOP leadership hoped to return to "regular order" by passing a new budget  blueprint through both chambers – something not done in the past five years – followed by enacting a dozen spending bills to fully fund the government in fiscal 2016. Marco Rubio of Florida, Ted Cruz of Texas and others have vowed to block implementation of Obama's historic rapprochement with the Cuban communist government, while even some senior Democrats condemned the move as appeasement.

U.S. Secret Service needs more training, outside leader: WSJ, citing report Posted: 18 Dec 2014 12:23 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Secret Service needs more staff, better training and a leader from outside to steer an agency that has become too insular, according to an independent review cited on Thursday by The Wall Street Journal. An executive summary of the highly classified review revealed deep problems at the top of the Secret Service, which is charged with protecting the U.S. president and other senior government officials, the newspaper reported. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson appointed the four-member review panel in October after a Sept. ...

Video claims responsibility for Tunisia killings Posted: 18 Dec 2014 12:18 PM PST TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — A new video has surfaced with the Islamic State group claiming responsibility for the 2013 assassinations of two Tunisian politicians.

Three top Islamic State leaders killed in air strikes: U.S. officials Posted: 18 Dec 2014 12:14 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.-led air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq have killed three of the militant group's top leaders but not senior commander Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, U.S. officials said on Thursday. Among those killed was Abd al Basit, whom the officials described as the group's military 'emir,' and Haji Mutazz, a deputy to Baghdadi. Those strikes took place between Dec. 3 and Dec. 9, they said. ...

Iraqi Kurds liberate besieged Sinjar mountain, freeing hundreds Posted: 18 Dec 2014 11:34 AM PST By Isabel Coles ZUMAR, Iraq (Reuters) - Kurdish peshmerga fighters have fought their way to Iraq's Sinjar mountain and freed hundreds of people trapped there by Islamic State fighters, a Kurdish leader said on Thursday. "The peshmerga have managed to reach the mountain. A vast area has been liberated," said Masrour Barzani, head of the Iraqi Kurdish region's national security council, adding that 100 Islamic State fighters had been killed. "Now a corridor is open and hopefully the rest of the (Sinjar) region will be freed from Islamic State." The assault, backed by U.S. ...

Correction: Home Shootings-Pennsylvania story Posted: 18 Dec 2014 10:57 AM PST PHILADELPHIA (AP) — In a story Dec. 17 about a former Marine believed to have killed six people, The Associated Press misidentified the agency that deemed him free of any suicidal or homicidal thoughts. It was Veterans Affairs, not the Veterans Administration.

Kurds push back IS in Iraq near Syria border: US general Posted: 18 Dec 2014 10:11 AM PST Kurdish forces backed up by US-led warplanes have recaptured a large area in Iraq near the Syrian border in an offensive this week against Islamic State jihadists, a US commander said Thursday. More than 50 air strikes in recent days have allowed the Kurds to recapture some 100 square kilometers (38 square miles) of ground near Sinjar, said Lieutenant General James Terry, head of the US-led campaign against the IS group. Kurdish peshmerga forces said earlier they had captured several villages and were rolling back the IS militants around Sinjar in the country's northwest. It was the seizure of Sinjar by IS jihadists in early August and the plight of the mostly Yazidi minority population there that President Barack Obama cited when he first announced US military intervention in Iraq four months ago.

Jihadists claim murders in 2013 of Tunisia secularists Posted: 18 Dec 2014 09:50 AM PST Jihadists who have joined the Islamic State group claimed Thursday the 2013 murder of two secular politicians that plunged Tunisia into crisis, warning of more killings just days before a presidential runoff election. "Yes, tyrants, we're the ones who killed Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi," Abou Mouqatel, a dual French national wanted for their murders, said in a video released on the Internet. It was not clear where the video was filmed, but Abou Mouqatel claimed they were in an area under the control of IS, which has seized swathes of Syria and Iraq. You will not have a quiet life until Tunisia implements Islamic law," added the militant, whose real name is Boubakr al-Hakim.

Iowa and New Hampshire voters will listen before they judge Bush Posted: 18 Dec 2014 09:35 AM PST By Mark Guarino DAVENPORT, Iowa (Reuters) - Life-long Republican Bob Shelley neatly folds his newspaper and uses it as a coaster, placing his coffee mug over a photo of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who just announced he will explore a bid for the White House in 2016. In a coffee shop in this riverfront city, Shelley, 63, says he is not certain which Republican presidential candidate he'll vote for in 2016 But he knows Bush is not his man. ...

10 Things to See: A week of top AP photos Posted: 18 Dec 2014 09:03 AM PST Here's your look at highlights from the weekly AP photo report, a gallery featuring a mix of front-page photography, the odd image you might have missed and lasting moments our editors think you should see.

Kurds press northern Iraq offensive against jihadists Posted: 18 Dec 2014 09:00 AM PST Nahyat al-Ayadhiya (Iraq) (AFP) - Kurdish forces backed by foreign jets pressed an ambitious operation against the Islamic State group in northern Iraq on Thursday, taking on the jihadists in the heart of their "caliphate". After mass bombing by aircraft of the US-led coalition paved the way for ground troops Wednesday, Iraq's Kurdish peshmerga retook several villages and closed in on the Sinjar area. The anti-IS war's top commander, US Lieutenant General James Terry, said Thursday that 50 air strikes had allowed the Kurds to "regain approximately 100 square kilometres of ground". IS captured Sinjar in early August, and preventing a genocide against its largely Yazidi minority was a reason US President Barack Obama put forward for launching the air war against the jihadists.

Iraq wins one-year reprieve on Gulf War reparations due to crisis Posted: 18 Dec 2014 08:46 AM PST By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - A United Nations body agreed on Thursday to let Iraq postpone its final payment of reparations to Kuwait for the 1990-91 Gulf War, in an effort to help ease Baghdad's cash-strapped budget. The consensus decision, reached by major powers at the U.N. Compensation Commission (UNCC), means Iraq will have until Jan. 2016 to begin paying its oil-rich neighbor $4.6 billion for oil fields destroyed during its invasion and seven-month occupation. ...

U.N. appeals for $8.4 billion for humanitarian relief to Syrians Posted: 18 Dec 2014 08:41 AM PST BERLIN (Reuters) - The United Nations launched its biggest ever humanitarian appeal for Syria on Thursday, seeking $8.4 billion after only securing about half the funding it asked for in 2014. The aid is desperately needed to provide help to 18 million people in both Syria and scattered through the region, as well as the countries and communities struggling to host them, U.N. officials told a donors' meeting in Germany. ...

Islamic State fight to take at least three years: U.S. general Posted: 18 Dec 2014 08:02 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The general in command of U.S. forces involved in the fight against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria said on Thursday he thought it would take a minimum of three years to achieve a turning point against the group. Asked at a Pentagon briefing about progress on the ground, Army Lieutenant General James Terry said that the first U.S. air strikes had taken place only four months ago and counseled patience, estimating it would "at least take a minimum of three years." (Reporting by Phil Stewart and David Alexander; Editing by Susan Heavey)

U.N. launches 2015 Syria appeal, focuses on helping refugees' host nations Posted: 18 Dec 2014 06:37 AM PST By Magdalena Mis LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The United Nations called on Thursday for more than $8.4 billion to help nearly 18 million people in need in Syria, wrecked by civil war, and across the region in 2015. As well as calling for cash for essential humanitarian aid for millions of Syrians inside and outside their homeland, the annual appeal included for the first time development plans to help neighboring countries hosting Syrian refugees. Launched at a donor meeting in Berlin, the 2015 appeal includes $2. ...

Iraq PM drops lawsuits against journalists Posted: 18 Dec 2014 03:54 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Thursday ordered the withdrawal of all government lawsuits against journalists and media outlets, marking a departure from his predecessor Nouri al-Maliki, who was widely accused of using state institutions to target his political enemies.

Yellen Will Fight to Keep the Fed Independent from Politics Posted: 18 Dec 2014 03:45 AM PST It may be a mark of the increasing confidence in the trajectory of the U.S. economy that Federal Reserve Board Chair Janet Yellen, in her quarterly press conference yesterday, faced an unusually large number of questions unrelated to the Federal Open Market Committee's interest rate deliberations. For instance, Yellen was asked what would happen next year, when Republicans control both houses of Congress, and the element of the Republican Party that wants to rein in the Fed's independence when it comes to setting monetary policy will have a much louder voice. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, following his father's example, has been vocal about pushing legislation to "audit the Fed." To be clear, the Fed is already subject to extensive financial auditing. What Paul wants is a policy audit, essentially having the Government Accountability Office – the investigative arm of Congress – review the FOMC's decisions on monetary policy.

Why Jeb Bush is a Last Century GOP Candidate Posted: 18 Dec 2014 02:15 AM PST The 2016 presidential sweepstakes got off to an unusually early start this week, at least in the Republican Party. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush announced the launch of an exploratory committee for a run at the GOP nomination, a move that was not unexpected, but surprising for its timing. It challenges the Republican Party to make a choice between its past and its future -- perhaps much sooner than it otherwise would. On paper, Jeb Bush makes a good contender for a presidential nomination.

Asian Cup wide open after coaching changes Posted: 18 Dec 2014 02:03 AM PST With the start of the Asian Cup only weeks away, a wide-open tournament has become even more unpredictable after a rash of coach firings in recent months left many of the top teams in disarray.

Book Talk: War on Afghan frontline, by a female soldier Posted: 17 Dec 2014 11:12 PM PST By Jessica Donati KABUL (Reuters) - Chantelle Taylor is a former combat medic who fought in one of Britain's bloodiest battles in Afghanistan and wrote about her experience as a rare woman on the front line. Written in a neutral tone, "Battleworn" reads like an ordinary soldier's diary and documents hardship and bravery at a small outpost in Helmand province, where two-thirds of the company was wounded in battle. Publishers told Taylor no one would want to read a war story written by a woman and asked her to sex it up with romance. ...

Executions in United States at 20-year low: report Posted: 17 Dec 2014 09:21 PM PST By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Amid growing concerns about how executions are carried out in the United States, the number of prison inmates being put to death fell to a 20-year low in 2014, the Death Penalty Information Center said in a report issued on Thursday. The 35 executions this year was the lowest since 1994, said the Washington-based nonprofit, which does not take a position on whether the death penalty should be abolished, in its annual survey of national data. ...

Sundance: Edgar Wright, Cary Fukunaga, Winona Ryder to Serve as Jurors Posted: 17 Dec 2014 09:00 PM PST Comedian Tig Notaro will host the festival's feature-film awards ceremony on Jan. 31, which will be live-streamed

Palestinians present UN resolution on final peace deal Posted: 17 Dec 2014 04:53 PM PST The Palestinians on Wednesday presented a draft UN resolution laying out terms for a final peace deal with Israel but sought to avoid a clash with the United States by saying they were open to negotiations on the text. The draft resolution obtained by AFP would set a 12-month deadline for wrapping up negotiations on a final settlement and the end of 2017 as the time frame for completing an Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian territories.

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