Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Top Asian News at 12:30 a.m. GMT
• Obama signs massive defense spending bill
• How Syria policy stalled under the 'analyst in chief'
• Security experts: FBI report light on evidence linking North Korea to Sony hack
• Barbara Walters Talks About Her Meetings With Fidel Castro
• Iraq clashes with IS delay evacuation of Yazidis
• US OKs sale of 175 tanks to Iraq; deal worth $2.4B
• Iraqi Kurds claim more territory after breaking siege of Sinjar
• Global oil impact: Who's hurting, happy, hopeful
• Exclusive: Iran's support for Syria tested by oil price drop
• Iraqi Kurds seize Mt. Sinjar from Islamic State in major victory
• Pentagon: why training Iraqis to take on Islamic State will take '3 years, minimum'
• The Colbert Report Says Goodbye With a Massive Celebrity Singalong (VIDEO)
• Fighting Blatter says he will not abandon FIFA
• Falling Oil Prices
• Fifteen U.S.-led air strikes target Islamic State militants: task force
• IS group threatens to execute Lebanese soldiers held hostage
• Britain moves closer to allowing women in combat
• Bombings kill 11 people in Iraq
• Image of Asia: Celebrating Hanukkah in Myanmar
• Death threats to Sydney siege gunman's lawyers, magistrate
• German consumer confidence on the rise
• In dealings with the West, Erdogan holds all the cards
• Wikileaks Releases CIA Report on High Value Targeting
• 'Colbert Report' Gets All-Star Sendoff
• Today in History
• Ennio Morricone Regrets Not Writing Music for Clint Eastwood
• Leaked CIA document reveals setbacks of targeted killings

Top Asian News at 12:30 a.m. GMT Posted: 19 Dec 2014 04:33 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama declared Friday that Sony "made a mistake" in shelving a satirical film about a plot to assassinate North Korea's leader and pledged the U.S. would respond "in a place and manner and time that we choose" to the hack attack on Sony that the FBI blamed on the communist government. Speaking of executives at Sony Pictures Entertainment, Obama said at a year-end news conference, "I wish they had spoken to me first. ... We cannot have a society in which some dictatorship someplace can start imposing censorship."

Obama signs massive defense spending bill Posted: 19 Dec 2014 03:10 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Friday signed into law a massive U.S. defense policy bill that endorses his plan to fight Islamic State militants, including air strikes and training Iraqis and moderate Syrian rebels.

How Syria policy stalled under the 'analyst in chief' Posted: 19 Dec 2014 02:45 PM PST By David Rohde and Warren Strobel WASHINGTON (Reuters) - (In Oct. 9 story, corrects paragraph 12 to clarify that size of Obama's National Security Council staff has continued to grow, rather than "has nearly doubled", after the White House clarified numbers it had provided to Reuters. ) Throughout 2012, as signs mounted that militants in Syria were growing stronger, the debate in the White House followed a pattern. ...

Security experts: FBI report light on evidence linking North Korea to Sony hack Posted: 19 Dec 2014 02:40 PM PST Even after the Federal Bureau of Investigation's official statement that North Korea was behind the Sony attack, many cybersecurity experts are still skeptical the hermit nation is truly the culprit, citing a lack of new and more convincing evidence.

Barbara Walters Talks About Her Meetings With Fidel Castro Posted: 19 Dec 2014 02:25 PM PST The relationship between the U.S. and Cuba has started warming with landmark changes to international policy announced earlier this week, but the country remains a mystery to many Americans.One American who has had the rare distinction of meeting with Fidel Castro twice over the course of three decades is ABC News' Barbara Walters.Walters reflected on some of the most memorable moments from her meetings with the former Cuban leader in a discussion with ABC News' Byron Potts. ...

Iraq clashes with IS delay evacuation of Yazidis Posted: 19 Dec 2014 01:31 PM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Sporadic clashes between Iraqi Kurdish fighters and Islamic State extremists, as well as other logistics problems, are delaying the evacuation of the last Yazidis still trapped on Mt. Sinjar, an Iraqi lawmaker said Friday.

US OKs sale of 175 tanks to Iraq; deal worth $2.4B Posted: 19 Dec 2014 01:18 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration has approved the sale of 175 Abrams tanks to Iraq in a deal worth an estimated $2.4 billion.

Iraqi Kurds claim more territory after breaking siege of Sinjar Posted: 19 Dec 2014 12:29 PM PST By Isabel Coles DOHUK, Iraq (Reuters) - Kurdish forces claimed to have seized more territory on Friday after breaking the siege of Sinjar mountain in what they called their biggest victory yet in their war against Islamic State. A senior Kurdish official said the peshmerga forces had driven the Sunni Islamist militants out of Snuny district north of the mountain on Friday, bringing them closer to retaking the entire Sinjar area on the border with Syria in northwest Iraq. ...

Global oil impact: Who's hurting, happy, hopeful Posted: 19 Dec 2014 11:40 AM PST NEW YORK (AP) — Oil's plunge is spreading both pain and gain across the globe.

Exclusive: Iran's support for Syria tested by oil price drop Posted: 19 Dec 2014 10:34 AM PST By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian businessmen and trade officials say they are worried the economic lifeline provided by Iran is under strain from plunging oil prices, despite public messages of support from Syria's strongest regional ally. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has relied on oil-producing Iran to help him fight a nearly four-year-old civil war and also prop under a currency under pressure. "If it had not been for Iranian support we could not have survived the crisis," a senior Syrian trade official said from Damascus, requesting anonymity. ...

Iraqi Kurds seize Mt. Sinjar from Islamic State in major victory Posted: 19 Dec 2014 09:55 AM PST Iraqi Kurdish fighters have broken the Islamic State's siege on Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq with the help of US-led airstrikes, freeing hundreds of people from the country's Yazidi minority who were trapped there for months, a senior Kurdish official said Thursday.

Pentagon: why training Iraqis to take on Islamic State will take '3 years, minimum' Posted: 19 Dec 2014 09:28 AM PST The US training of Iraqi security forces is proving to be a complicated job that is going to take "three years, minimum" to bear results, a top US general stressed this week.

The Colbert Report Says Goodbye With a Massive Celebrity Singalong (VIDEO) Posted: 19 Dec 2014 09:12 AM PST On Thursday night, Stephen Colbert said goodbye to both The Colbert Report and the character he's played for the past nine years. "Folks, if this is your first time turning in to The Colbert Report, I have some terrible news," the host warned. "This in fact is your last time tuning in to The Colbert Report. Until 10 years from now when they reboot it directed by J.J. Abrams." Colbert, who will take over for David Letterman on CBS's Late Show next summer, then launched into his final edition of The Word, "Same to You, Pal," which gave him an excuse to reflect on how little has changed since The Colbert Report debuted in 2005 (a Bush governor running for president, troops going to Iraq, etc). "The truthiness is all those incredible things people say I did—running for president, saving the Olympics, Colbert Super PAC, treadmill in space, the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear and/or Cat Stevens' career—none of that was really me. You, the Nation, did all of that. I just got paid for it," Colbert said. Colbert then welcomed Grimmy (a.k.a. the Grim Reaper) onto the show for the recurring segment "Cheating Death with Stephen T. Colbert, D.F.A." However, things took a dramatic turn when Colbert accidentally killed Grimmy, thus defeating Death and becoming immortal. "Now that I can't die, I guess I won't need my bucket list anymore," Colbert mused. "There's a lot of good stuff on here. Visit every continent. Go bungee-jumping. Chicken wings. Popcorn shrimp. Nachos. It kind of turned into a list of things I wanted to eat out of a bucket. The point is, I'm ending the Report and I was going to say goodbye, but now that I'll live forever, who knows?" Colbert said, launching into a rousing rendition of "We'll Meet Again." Randy Newman accompanied Colbert on piano, while the host was joined by Jon Stewart, Bryan Cranston, Willie Nelson, Mandy Patinkin, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Big Bird, Patrick Stewart, Cyndi Lauper, Sam Waterston, Barry Manilow, Katie Couric, Gloria Steinem, Cookie Monster, George Lucas, Alan Alda, James Franco, Jeff Daniels, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Andy Cohen, Colin Meloy of the Decemberists, Tom Brokaw, Ariana Huffington, New Jersey senator Cory Booker, Elijah Wood, former New York governor Eliot Spitzer, Grover Norquist, Michael Stipe, Tim Meadows, Keith Olbermann, Shane Smith, Ken Burns, Mark Cuban, Paul Krugman, Mike Huckabee, and Henry Kissinger. Vince Gillian, who is still being held captive in Colbert's basement, joined in via video, as did the host's Latino alter ego Esteban Colberto, Bill Clinton, an astronaut running on the C.O.L.B.E.R.T. treadmill in space, and Smaug the dragon. Colbert then journeyed to the roof of the building, where, dressed like Captain America, he met up with fellow immortals Santa, Abraham Lincoln (who, it turns out, is a unicorn) and "the one with all the answers," Alex Trebek, so they could fly off together in the reindeer-drawn sleigh. I changed the world!— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) December 19, 2014 Will you miss The Colbert Report ?

Fighting Blatter says he will not abandon FIFA Posted: 19 Dec 2014 09:09 AM PST By Brian Homewood MARRAKECH, Morocco (Reuters) - Sepp Blatter declared FIFA's crisis to be over on Friday and said he would not abandon soccer's governing body. "We have been in a crisis (but) with the decision of the executive committee today, the crisis has stopped," the 78-year-old Swiss told reporters. "If there are problems inside FIFA as we have faced, then it's not the moment for the president, the man at the helm of FIFA, to say he will abandon his work." "Every day, hundreds and thousands of football matches are organized and they believe in FIFA," he added. ...

Falling Oil Prices Posted: 19 Dec 2014 08:24 AM PST The holiday season is upon us, and for many Americans that means … road trip! But if you're bracing for the pain at the pump you've gotten used to over the past few years, think again. Oil prices are the lowest they've been in years, and gas prices have plummeted along with them, hovering at about $2.54 a gallon across the United States. That means this year, it's about 21 percent cheaper to drive to Grandma's house.

Fifteen U.S.-led air strikes target Islamic State militants: task force Posted: 19 Dec 2014 08:09 AM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S.-led coalition conducted 15 air strikes against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria on Friday, the Combined Joint Task Force said in a statement. Eleven strikes in Iraq hit several groups of Islamic State militants as well as other vehicles and a building, among other targets, according to the statement In Syrian, four air strikes hit two units of militant fighters and an Islamic State training compound, among other targets, the task force said. (Reporting by Washington Newsroom; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

IS group threatens to execute Lebanese soldiers held hostage Posted: 19 Dec 2014 06:14 AM PST A French-speaking jihadist threatened Friday to execute Lebanese soldiers held hostage by the Islamic State group, saying three prominent anti-IS Lebanese politicians would be responsible for their deaths. The threat was made in a video AFP obtained from a Salafist cleric, Wissam al-Masri, who is mediating the release of 25 police and soldiers held by IS and the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, the Al-Nusra Front. From his speech, it was not possible to determine if he was from Lebanon, where French is widely spoken, or a third country. The speaker attacked the politicians for what he said is their support for Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, whose fighters are aiding Syrian President Bashar Assad in the civil war against largely Sunni Muslim rebels that include IS.

Britain moves closer to allowing women in combat Posted: 19 Dec 2014 05:22 AM PST LONDON (AP) — Britain's defense minister said Friday that women should be allowed to serve in front-line army combat units, and he hopes the first will be joining within two years.

Bombings kill 11 people in Iraq Posted: 19 Dec 2014 02:49 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi authorities say bombings have killed 11 people in the capital Baghdad.

Image of Asia: Celebrating Hanukkah in Myanmar Posted: 19 Dec 2014 02:28 AM PST In this photo by Khin Maung Win, members of a tiny Jewish community in Myanmar's largest city celebrate Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish holiday also known as the Festival of Lights. They were joined by visitors in Myanmar's only synagogue, the 118-year-old Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue. The Jews in predominantly-Buddhist Myanmar, also known as Burma, are descendants of 19th century migrants from Iraq, Europe and India. Before World War II, more than 2,500 Jews lived in Myanmar, and now only a few dozen remain. They are led by the patriarch of the community, Moses Samuels, who lit candles on a menorah this week together with a Myanmar politician, an Israeli representative and other guests.

Death threats to Sydney siege gunman's lawyers, magistrate Posted: 19 Dec 2014 01:52 AM PST Lawyers who defended the Sydney siege gunman on a string of charges and the magistrate who bailed him have received death threats, officials said Friday, amid growing anger that he was on the streets. Iranian-born Man Haron Monis, a self-styled Islamic cleric, took 17 people hostage at a cafe in the heart of the city's financial district on Monday. Prime Minister Tony Abbott has ordered an urgent enquiry amid mounting criticism that authorities failed to protect the public, with the backlash extending to the magistrate who released Monis and lawyers who represented him. "To make death threats as has been done against members of the profession for doing a job is really an unfortunate reaction," New South Wales Bar Association president Jane Needham told ABC radio.

German consumer confidence on the rise Posted: 19 Dec 2014 12:53 AM PST BERLIN (AP) — German consumer confidence is continuing to improve, supported by expectations of increasing economic strength and a greater willingness to make purchases.

In dealings with the West, Erdogan holds all the cards Posted: 18 Dec 2014 11:04 PM PST By Nick Tattersall ISTANBUL (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan's tightening grip on power is likely to meet little more than symbolic resistance from the West next year, as Turkey's G20 presidency and the fight against Islamic State trump concerns about a slide towards authoritarianism. Critics at home and abroad see Erdogan as an increasingly unpredictable leader, bent on a more powerful presidency and revenge on his political enemies. They fear he is taking Turkey ever further from Western standards on rule of law and free speech. ...

Wikileaks Releases CIA Report on High Value Targeting Posted: 18 Dec 2014 10:14 PM PST Wikileaks has released a CIA document from 2009 analyzing the positive and negative effects of strikes against high value targets.The U.S. military has used high value targeting of insurgent leaders in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the CIA also uses drone strikes to target high value al Qaeda targets in Pakistan and Yemen.The 18 page secret document is dated July 7, 2009 and is entitled "Best Practices in Counterinsurgency: Making High Value Targeting Operations an Effective Counterinsurgency Tool".The anti-secrecy Wikileaks posted the report on its website Thursday. ...

'Colbert Report' Gets All-Star Sendoff Posted: 18 Dec 2014 09:00 PM PST Jon Stewart, James Franco, Bryan Cranston, George Lucas and J.J. Abrams are among the dozens of stars who joined Stephen Colbert's final episode

Today in History Posted: 18 Dec 2014 09:00 PM PST Today is Friday, Dec. 19, the 353rd day of 2014. There are 12 days left in the year.

Ennio Morricone Regrets Not Writing Music for Clint Eastwood Posted: 18 Dec 2014 09:00 PM PST The legendary composer says he turned down the chance out of respect for Sergio Leone

Leaked CIA document reveals setbacks of targeted killings Posted: 18 Dec 2014 07:26 PM PST The US government's program to capture and kill insurgent leaders can backfire, a leaked CIA report said Thursday, citing "limited" results in Afghanistan in particular. The 18-page report was made under former CIA director Leon Panetta just months before President Barack Obama ordered a "surge" of troops in a bid to reverse the Taliban insurgency, defeat Al-Qaeda and quicken an end to the war in Afghanistan. "The Taliban has a high overall ability to replace lost leaders," it said.

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