2015年1月23日星期五

Yahoo! News: Iraq

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Yahoo! News: Iraq


Canadian accused in Iraq bombing extradited to the U.S.

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 04:35 PM PST

By Joseph Ax NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Canadian man has been extradited to the United States to face federal terrorism charges that he helped orchestrate the April 2009 truck bombing of a U.S. base in Mosul, Iraq, that killed five soldiers, U.S. authorities announced on Friday. Faruq Khalil Muhammad 'Isa, 36, is expected to make his initial court appearance in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, on Saturday to answer charges of murder, conspiring to kill Americans abroad and providing material support to terrorists. Prosecutors accused Isa of working with a militant network that conducted multiple suicide bombings against U.S. military personnel in Iraq, including a truck bombing on April 10, 2009, at Forward Operating Base Marez.

Mosul strikes are start of new effort against Islamic State

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 04:16 PM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — An uptick in airstrikes in northern Iraq this past week marks the beginning of a broader effort to disrupt Islamic State supply lines ahead of an expected operation later this year to take back the city from militants, U.S. military officials said Friday.

Colorado woman gets four years for plotting to aid Islamist militants

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 04:15 PM PST

By Keith Coffman DENVER (Reuters) - A 19-year-old Colorado woman and Muslim convert who admitted that she planned to travel overseas to join Islamic State militants was sentenced on Friday to four years in federal prison as she renounced the violence of radical Islam. Shannon Maureen Conley has been held without bond since federal agents arrested her in April at Denver International Airport as she prepared to board a plane bound for Germany. In September, Conley pleaded guilty in Denver federal court to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to Islamic State, designated by the U.S. government as a foreign terrorist organization. Islamic State, also known as ISIS, is a Sunni Muslim militant group that has seized large swaths of Iraq and Syria and has beheaded several Western captives.

Despite new king, US-Saudi relations likely to see more continuity than change

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 04:11 PM PST

There may be questions about the new Saudi king's health, or about rivalries for power within the large Saudi royal family, or about the pace of reform in the kingdom. King Abdullah died early Friday and is being succeeded by King Salman. Despite – or indeed perhaps because of – rising tensions in Saudi Arabia's neighborhood, continuity and stability will be Saudi priorities as well, many regional analysts say.

IS group lost one percent of captured territory in Iraq: US

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 04:06 PM PST

A flag of the Islamic State (IS) is seen in Iraq on September 11, 2014.Islamic State jihadists have lost only a tiny fraction of captured territory in Iraq after five months of US-led air strikes, the Pentagon said Friday. Kurdish peshmerga forces and Iraqi government troops have retaken 700 square kilometers (270 square miles) of ground mostly in northern Iraq, but the IS group still holds 55,000 square kilometers, spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby told reporters.


Canadian due in court over Iraq killings of 5 US soldiers

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 04:04 PM PST

US soldiers secure the area following a road side bomb in the northern city of Mosul, on November 16, 2008A Canadian man will go before a New York court on Saturday accused of murder and conspiracy over the killing of five US soldiers in Iraq, American prosecutors said. Faruq Khalil Muhammad Isa, 36, allegedly helped to orchestrate a truck bombing carried out by a Tunisian jihadist on a US base in Mosul, northern Iraq, on April 10, 2009 that killed the five American soldiers. "We will continue to use every available means to bring to justice those who are responsible for the deaths of American servicemen and women who paid the ultimate price in their defense of this nation," said Loretta Lynch, US attorney for the eastern district of New York. Isa, who was arrested in Canada on Monday and extradited to New York, will appear in a US federal court in Brooklyn.


Reuters Sports Schedule at 0001 GMT on Saturday, Jan 24

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 04:01 PM PST

Reuters sports schedule at 0001 GMT on Saturday: - - - - TENNIS Australian Open, Melbourne (to Feb 2) Serena and Djokovic look to continue march in Melbourne MELBOURNE - Top seeds Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic return to Melbourne Park for their third round matches, while Victoria Azarenka will look to continue her dark horse run against 25th seed Barbora Zahlavova Strycova. ...

New UN program sends 54 convoys to Syria

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 03:38 PM PST

A picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency on July 14, 2014 shows the Red Crescent Society delivering a shipment of United Nations food aid to the Moaddamiet al-Sham area on the outskirts of DamascusThe United Nations says it has carried out 54 aid deliveries to Syrians through newly-authorized convoys from neighboring countries since July, helping around 600,000 people in rebel-held territory. The latest monthly report on the humanitarian situation in Syria will be discussed Wednesday at a UN Security Council meeting. "Access to medical supplies and equipment continued to be restricted by insecurity and constraints imposed on humanitarian operations by parties to the conflict," the report said. The aid convoy program was authorized in July without approval from Damascus.


Army: Fort Hood lacked system to ID threat of 2014 rampage

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 03:06 PM PST

FILE - In this April 2, 2014 file photo, Lt. Gen. Mark Milley, commanding general of III Corps and Fort Hood, speaks with the media outside of an entrance to the Fort Hood military base following a shooting that occurred inside, in Fort Hood, Texas. Fort Hood did not have a system in place that could have anticipated a deadly rampage last April that left four soldiers dead and 16 wounded, according to a U.S. Army report released Friday, Jan. 23, 2015. (AP Photo/Tamir Kalifa, File)FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — The Army's tools for identifying troubled soldiers would not have flagged the man who shot to death three people and wounded 16 others before killing himself at Fort Hood last year, despite previous signs of instability, a U.S. Army report said Friday.


Yemen's Shiite rebels try to avoid overstepping amid protest

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 03:01 PM PST

Yemen's President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi, pictured June 8, 2013, said he could no longer stay in office as the country was in "total deadlock"SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemen's Shiite rebels faced mounting pressures and signs of internal divisions Friday after the U.S.-backed president and his cabinet resigned rather than submit at gunpoint to their increasing demands for greater power.


First U.S. troops head to Middle East to train Syrian opposition

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 02:14 PM PST

By David Alexander and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered the first group of about 100 U.S. troops to head to the Middle East in the next few days to establish training sites for Syrian opposition fighters battling Islamic State militants, the Pentagon said on Friday. Admiral John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, said the troops, mostly special operations forces, were authorized last week and would begin arriving in countries outside Syria in the coming days, with a subsequent wave of several hundred military trainers following in the weeks thereafter. The U.S. focus in the campaign against Islamic State has been mainly on Iraq, with the exception of a large number of air strikes to support Kurdish fighters trying to prevent the takeover of the Syrian town of Kobani near the Turkish border. Kirby said on Friday that Kurdish forces now control about 70 percent of Kobani, which was seen a few months ago as being near collapse, with much of it in the hands of Islamic State.

Female vet harassed for parking in reserved spot resonates with other servicewomen

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 02:06 PM PST

They say that they identify with the experience of Mary Claire Caine of Wilmington, N.C., who served in Kuwait with the Air Force.

Iraqi PM says West and Iran both helping against Islamic State

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 01:59 PM PST

Iraq's prime minister said on Friday the West had increased support to his country to help it fight Islamic State, and Iran was also providing crucial backing. Haider al-Abadi told the World Economic Forum in Davos that help from the West had been slow but had accelerated in recent weeks. The United States and its allies have been carrying out air strikes in both Iraq and Syria to counter last year's dramatic advances by Islamic State, which has declared a caliphate on territory captured in both countries. Washington and Tehran are at odds on most issues, from Iran's disputed nuclear program to the conflict in Syria, but in Iraq they share a common interest in helping Abadi defeat the Sunni militants.

Two journalists among seven killed in Iraq violence

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 12:32 PM PST

An image grab from a video, released Al-Raqqa via YouTube on September 23, 2014, allegedly shows Islamic State group recruits riding in armed trucks in an unknown locationBaquba (Iraq) (AFP) - The Islamic State (IS) group killed seven people Friday, including two journalists, in the Muqdadiyah area north of Baghdad, their employers and officials said.


And the winner is...'American Sniper': Reuters/Ipsos Oscars poll

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 11:46 AM PST

Actress Sienna Miller, director Clint Eastwood and actor Bradley Cooper arrive for the premiere of the film "American Sniper" in New YorkBy Mary Milliken LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - If ordinary Americans voted for the Academy Awards, "American Sniper," Clint Eastwood's portrait of a sharpshooter in the Iraq war, would be the best picture winner, according to the annual Reuters/Ipsos Oscars poll. The film starring Bradley Cooper as the late Navy SEAL Chris Kyle was cited by 22 percent of respondents as the movie that should win the top Oscar among the eight nominees, according to an online survey of Americans conducted Jan. 16-23. The Martin Luther King Jr. biopic "Selma" was the second most popular choice with 8 percent. "Boyhood," the coming-of-age story filmed over 12 years with the same actors and a favorite to win best picture, was third in the survey with 4 percent.


Saudi King Salman cements power with appointments

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 11:42 AM PST

A picture released by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) shows Saudi Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, who will replace his half-brother as kingNew Saudi King Salman, 79, made key nominations Friday paving the way for a "second generation" to succeed him, while cementing power for his branch of the royal family. They came hours after the death of King Abdullah, aged about 90, and the naming of the deputy crown prince, Moqren, as the new heir to the throne. Moqren would be the last of the sons of the kingdom's founder, Abdul Aziz bin Saudi, to sit on the throne. His nephew, 55-year-old Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, would be the first of the "second generation," or grandsons of Abdul Aziz.


5 things to know about political crisis in Yemen

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 11:39 AM PST

Yemeni protesters burn representations of French, American and Israeli flags during a demonstration to show their support for Houthi Shiite rebels in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Jan. 23, 2015. Thousands of protesters demonstrated Friday across Yemen, some supporting the Shiite rebels who seized the capital and others demanding the country's south secede after the nation's president and Cabinet resigned. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)WASHINGTON (AP) — Yemen's U.S.-backed president stepped down this week after Houthi rebels seized the capital of Sanaa, further destabilizing the region and hampering America's ability to fight al-Qaida and other extremists targeting the West. The country's parliament will meet Sunday, but the government's future is unclear.


Army: Texas post lacked system to ID threat of 2014 rampage

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 11:38 AM PST

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Fort Hood did not have a system in place that could have anticipated a deadly rampage last April that left four soldiers dead and 16 wounded, according to a U.S. Army report released Friday.

If Today Was November 8, 2016, Hillary Clinton Would Crush Jeb, Mitt, Rand, Ted, Chris, Mike….

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 11:33 AM PST

If Today Was November 8, 2016, Hillary Clinton Would Crush Jeb, Mitt, Rand, Ted, Chris, Mike….Americans are less turned off by 'dynasty politics' than some political experts and surveys have suggested in assessing Hillary Clinton's prospects in the 2016 presidential campaign. A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows that more than six in ten voting age adults say Bill Clinton's eight-year presidency would have no bearing on whether or not they would support his wife. Twenty-three percent said they would be more likely to vote for the former First Lady and Secretary of State because of her family ties while just 14 percent said they would be less inclined to vote for her. While the Republican presidential field for 2016 becomes more and more cluttered, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton remains a formidable candidate for the Democratic nomination.


Iraq PM says retaking Mosul from IS 'can be done'

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 11:01 AM PST

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi delivers a speech at the World Economic Forum annual meeting on January 23, 2015 in Davos, SwitzerlandIraq's premier expressed confidence Friday that the country's struggling army is capable of retaking the city of Mosul from the Islamic State group. The chief problem, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told a gathering of political and economic leaders in Davos, is that Iraqi forces in the area are currently split and need to join up. "We need to have a liaison between the rest of the Iraqi forces and (Kurdish) peshmerga and the coalition partners, and it can be done," said Abadi, claiming that IS fighters' morale was running low. The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that the United States and Iraq -- whose army is undergoing training by US and other foreigner instructors -- want to retake Mosul by this summer.


Colorado teen to be sentenced for conspiring to aid Islamist militants

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 10:52 AM PST

By Keith Coffman DENVER (Reuters) - A 19-year-old Colorado woman and Islamic convert who admitted that she planned to travel overseas to join Islamic State militants was due to be sentenced by a federal judge on Friday. Shannon Maureen Conley has been held without bond since federal agents arrested her last April at Denver International Airport as she prepared to board a plane bound for Germany. In September, Conley pleaded guilty in Denver federal court to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to Islamic State, designated by the U.S. government as a foreign terrorist organization. Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, is Sunni Muslim militant group that has seized large swaths of Iraq and Syria and has beheaded several Western captives.

Kerry calls for more resources in anti-extremist fight, warns of Islamophobia

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 10:17 AM PST

U.S. Secretary of State Kerry acknowledges the public after making a special address at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss mountain resort of DavosBy Warren Strobel DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Countries must devote more resources to fight global extremism, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday, but the battle would falter if it becomes consumed by sectarian division or Islamophobia. Speaking against a backdrop of deadly Islamist militant attacks in France, Pakistan, Nigeria and elsewhere, Kerry told leaders at the annual World Economic Forum: "These kinds of actions can never be excused. Shortly before, President Francois Hollande of France, which is still reeling from the killing of 17 people by Islamist gunmen in Paris two weeks ago, urged global business leaders to help fight terrorism by cracking down on money laundering and trafficking. Kerry also announced he would travel on Sunday to Nigeria, Africa's most populous country battered by an Islamist Boko Haram insurgency that has killed thousands of people.


New generation enters line to Saudi throne as king mourned

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 10:02 AM PST

Mourners carry the body of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia outside the Imam Turki bin Abdullah mosque in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Friday, Jan. 23, 2015. On early Friday, Saudi state TV reported King Abdullah died at the age of 90. (AP Photo)RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — As Saudi Arabia mourned its late ruler, King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud quickly set the course for the monarchy's future Friday by naming a second-in-line to the throne from the next generation of princes for the first time.


Kerry: Violent extremism is not Islamic

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 09:59 AM PST

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry bows to someone after his speech during a panel session at the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 23, 2015. (AP Photo/Keystone, Laurent Gillieron)DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Violent extremists who are killing children and others in Iraq, Syria, Nigeria and other parts of the world may cite Islam as a justification, but the West should be careful about calling them Islamic radicals, Secretary of State John Kerry told an audience of opinion leaders Friday at the World Economic Forum.


New Saudi king seeks to reassure on succession and policy

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 09:55 AM PST

Saudi King Salman gives a speech following the death of King Abdullah in RiyadhBy Angus McDowall RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's new King Salman pledged continuity in energy and foreign policies on Friday and moved quickly to appoint younger men as his heirs, settling the succession for years to come by naming a deputy crown prince from his dynasty's next generation. King Abdullah, who died early on Friday after a short illness, was buried in an unmarked grave in keeping with local religious traditions. By appointing his youngest half-brother Muqrin, 69, as Crown Prince and nephew Mohammed bin Nayef, 55, as Deputy Crown Prince, Salman has swiftly quelled speculation about internal palace rifts at a moment of regional turmoil. Salman must navigate an intense rivalry with Shi'ite Muslim power Iran playing out in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and Bahrain, open conflict in two neighboring states, a threat from Islamist militants and bumpy relations with the United States.


Syrian air strike on rebel area kills more than 40: monitor

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 09:35 AM PST

Residents react to dead bodies after what activists said was shelling by forces loyal to Syria's President Assad, in Hamouria main square and market, Eastern Al-Ghouta, near DamascusA Syrian air strike killed more than 40 people in a rebel-held area near Damascus on Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group and opposition activists said. Syrian government officials were not immediately available to comment on the reported attack in Hamoria, a district in the Eastern Ghouta area that has been besieged by security forces. Footage posted on YouTube by the opposition Syrian Media Organization showed several bodies lying on a blood-stained floor, some of them children with blast wounds. The Observatory, which monitors the war in Syria, said 42 people had been killed, including six children, in what it described as a massacre.


New Saudi king seen holding line on OPEC policy to keep oil output high

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 09:34 AM PST

By Henning Gloystein and Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's new king is expected to continue a policy of keeping oil output steady to drive out rival producers, though the royal succession has focused market attention on the future of the kingdom's long-serving oil minister. King Abdullah died early on Friday and his brother Salman became king, the royal court in the world's top oil exporter said in a statement. Salman named his half-brother Muqrin as heir, rapidly moving to forestall any succession crisis at a moment when Saudi Arabia faces unprecedented turmoil on its borders. While the new king is not seen as likely to change Abdullah's policies of keeping output high to protect the OPEC cartel's market share, some analysts said the succession has focused attention on the future of the oil minister Ali Al-Naimi.

Iraq's displaced Yazidis hunker down as northern winter bites

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 09:24 AM PST

An Iraqi Yazidi child who fled Islamic State (IS) jihadists in the northern town of Sinjar shovels snow off the top of a temporary shelter at a camp for internally displaced people in the Kurdish city of Dohuk, on January 14, 2015Last summer, tens of thousands of Yazidis faced searing heat as they fled a murderous jihadist onslaught in northern Iraq, but many survivors are now shivering in the snow. They first took precarious refuge on the barren heights of nearby Mount Sinjar, but most of them eventually made their way further afield to safety in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region. Sherzad Hussein lives in the Dawdia camp, in the Kurdish province of Dohuk and is one of the few to have housing units. "The snow that fell a few days ago has melted a bit but it's still freezing at night," said Sherzad Hussein, puffing clouds of warm breath into the frigid air as he energetically shovelled slabs of ice from the roof of his prefabricated shelter.


UK police: Syria-related terror arrests jump 6-fold

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 09:18 AM PST

LONDON (AP) — British police say that the number of arrests for suspected Syria-related terror offenses in the country increased six-fold last year.

Iraq boss defends ref, slams Iran after Asian Cup win

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 08:45 AM PST

Iraq coach Radhi Shenaishil (left) looks on during the first round Asian Cup match against Japan in Brisbane on January 16, 2015Iraq coach Radhi Shenaishil leapt to the defence of embattled referee Ben Williams and slammed Iran boss Carlos Queiroz after temperatures rose in their Asian Cup thriller on Friday. Shenaishil, speaking after Iraq's 7-6 win on penalties, said Iran spent much of the quarter-final trying to pressure the officials and blamed them for causing an ugly atmosphere. Iran were leading 1-0 at the time but arch-rivals Iraq equalised and it finished 3-3 after extra time before the 2007 champions won a marathon shoot-out. "I think Iran's focus after getting the red card was to put pressure on the fourth official to show a red card to one of our players," said Shenaishil.


Oil market upheaval looms over Saudi succession

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 08:33 AM PST

This August 21, 2013 photo shows an oil well near Tioga, North DakotaKing Abdullah's death could not have come at a worse time for Saudi Arabia's vital oil sector as the absolute monarchy seeks to reassert its leadership in a fast-changing industry. After an exceptional decade that saw it build up production capacity and huge financial reserves, Saudi Arabia is facing a major challenge from new market players -- in particular North American shale oil producers. The Gulf powerhouse now finds itself locked in a battle for market share against unconventional producers. "Saudi Arabia will compete very strongly to preserve its leadership in the oil markets," said Jean-Francois Seznec, a professor at Georgetown University and an expert on Gulf oil.


NATO chief ready to meet Russia's Lavrov in February

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 07:28 AM PST

By Fatos Bytyci PRISTINA (Reuters) - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday he was ready to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov next month in Munich, as fighting escalates in eastern Ukraine. Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine on Friday ruled out joining more peace talks and said they would push on with a new offensive to seize territory from government forces. In an interview with Reuters, Stoltenberg described a "substantial increase in Russian heavy equipment" in Ukraine, supplying a conflict that the United Nations says has killed more than 5,000 people, including 262 in the last nine days. "We speak about tanks, armed vehicles, artillery, advanced air defense systems," Stoltenberg said during a visit to Kosovo, where NATO has some 5,000 peacekeepers.

After Abdullah, a new Saudi king, but little prospect for change

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 07:24 AM PST

Already there are concerns that his successor, King Salman, is suffering from dementia. His predecessor, King Fahd, had likewise been out of touch for close to a decade at the time of his death in 2005. Yet Saudi Arabia has largely maintained the same path since Abdullah's father Abdul Aziz al-Saud – often called Ibn Saud – conquered the country and named it after his family in 1932. The death of a Saudi king always brings speculation about palace intrigue and potentially destabilizing conflict among the country's hundreds of princes over who should rule.

New heir to Saudi throne is relatively liberal outsider

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 07:05 AM PST

By Angus McDowall and William Maclean RIYADH/DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's new Crown Prince Muqrin represents the biggest break from the kingdom's tradition of any of his predecessors in the role - both because of his lowly maternal birth and his foreign education. Seen as a relative progressive in the ruling family, with a grasp on the need for long-term reform, Muqrin has also voiced traditional hawkish views on Iran, but it is far from clear how much influence he will have during Salman's reign.

Saudi seen remaining key ally of West after king's death

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 06:54 AM PST

US President Barack Obama walks with then Saudi Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud (C-R) on a visit to the country in March 2014. Salman is replacing his half-brother Abdullah as kingSaudi Arabia is expected to remain a close ally of the West in the fight against Islamic extremism and maintain a wary relationship with rival Iran following the death of King Abdullah, analysts say. Riyadh is part of a US-led coalition carrying out air strikes against Islamic State group militants in Syria and Iraq, and experts say the strategic alliance is likely to continue. "I see the general contours of US-Saudi relations, particularly against IS, as remaining fairly solid," said Frederic Wehrey, a Gulf expert at the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Kuwaiti analyst Ayed al-Manaa said he expects Salman to maintain a "pragmatic relationship" with the West, despite growing signs of US and European rapprochement with Saudi Arabia's regional arch-foe Iran.


Islamic State deadline on Japanese captives passes with no word on fate

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 06:13 AM PST

A passer-by watches a TV news program reporting two Japanese hostages, Kenji Goto, left, and Haruna Yukawa, held by the Islamic State group, in Tokyo, Friday, Jan. 23, 2015. Militants affiliated with the Islamic State group have posted an online warning that the "countdown has begun" for the group to kill a pair of Japanese hostages. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)By Mari Saito TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan said on Friday it was still trying to secure the release of two Japanese hostages held by Islamic State militants after a deadline to pay ransom for their release passed and there was no immediate word on their fate. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government considered whether planned legislative changes would give it the legal basis for a military strike on the Islamic State militants and concluded it did not, according to a briefing document reviewed by Reuters. The capture of two Japanese citizens in Syria represents an "unacceptable act of terror," the document said. In an online video released on Tuesday, a black-clad figure holding a knife stood between journalist Kenji Goto and Haruna Yukawa, threatening to kill them if Tokyo did not pay Islamic State $200 million within 72 hours.


Asian Cup: UAE, Iraq win quarterfinals on penalties

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 06:13 AM PST

Team mates celebrate UAE's Ismail Ahmed's penalty shot that advances them to the semifinals at the end of the AFC Asia Cup soccer quarterfinal match between Japan and United Arab Emirates in Sydney, Australia, Friday, Jan. 23, 2015. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)United Arab Emirates knocked out defending champion Japan and Iraq outlasted a short-handed Iran in penalty shootouts to end thrilling Asian Cup quarterfinals on Friday.


Reuters Sports Schedule at 1400 GMT on Friday, Jan 23

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 05:59 AM PST

Reuters sports schedule at 1400 GMT on Friday: - - - - TENNIS Australian Open, Melbourne (to Feb 1) Federer out, Nadal storms into last 16 MELBOURNE - Rafa Nadal restored a semblance of order to the Australian Open on Friday after Italian Andreas Seppi sent shockwaves through the tournament by toppling Roger Federer in one of the greatest Melbourne Park upsets in recent memory. ...

Iraq, UAE triumph on night of Asian Cup upsets

Posted: 23 Jan 2015 05:58 AM PST

United Arab Emirates fans celebrate after their team beat Japan in the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup in Sydney on January 23, 2015The United Arab Emirates shocked holders Japan and Iraq sent their arch-rivals Iran crashing out as a stunning night of upsets turned the Asian Cup on its head on Friday. A double-header of quarter-finals ended in two penalty shoot-outs in Canberra and Sydney, with UAE and Iraq surviving moments of intense drama to come out on top.


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