Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Documentary Roundtable: Roger Ebert's Final Days, Secret Edward Snowden Meetings
• The U.S. Government's Foreign Language Problem
• Islamic State kills 14 Libyan soldiers, official government says
• EU to set up expert cell to fight jihadist propaganda: report
• Turkey gives go-ahead for first new church in century
• Slew of challenges for Republican-led US Congress in 2015
• Syria wants coordination with Lebanon on new visa rules
• US embassy issues threat warning for Indonesia's Surabaya
• IS kidnaps dozens of men in northern Iraq
• Iraq oil exports highest since 1980 but low prices hit revenue
• Islamic State seeking bases inside Lebanon: Lebanon security chief
• New GOP Senate chairmen aim to undo Obama policies
• Saudi Arabia to reopen Baghdad embassy after 25-year chill
• U.S. embassy in Indonesia issues security alert for city of Surabaya
• The Making of 'American Sniper': How an Unlikely Friendship Kickstarted the Clint Eastwood Film

Documentary Roundtable: Roger Ebert's Final Days, Secret Edward Snowden Meetings Posted: 03 Jan 2015 03:53 PM PST The directors of 'Citizenfour,' 'Life Itself,' 'Last Days in Vietnam,' 'Virunga,' 'The Case Against 8,' 'Tales of the Grim Sleeper' and 'Keep On Keepin' On' reveal why their very dramatic films have attracted the support Quincy  Jones, Leonardo DiCaprio and Steven Soderbergh

The U.S. Government's Foreign Language Problem Posted: 03 Jan 2015 03:52 PM PST For American citizens wishing to serve their government as linguists, career advancement can present a vexing Catch-22. To acquire the language and cultural skills needed to succeed in the job, a linguist typically must spend years within a foreign country, developing ties with residents. But this experience abroad is a career obstacle too. According to a report in the New York Times, several FBI employees with ties in foreign countries have seen their careers stalled as a result due to being placed in a post-9/11 "risk-management" program devised by the agency.

Islamic State kills 14 Libyan soldiers, official government says Posted: 03 Jan 2015 12:05 PM PST BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Supporters of Islamic State, the militant group that has overrun parts of Iraq and Syria, have killed 14 Libyan soldiers in the south of the country, the official government said on Saturday. In separate violence, forces loyal to the internationally recognized government staged air strikes on the port of Misrata, a western city allied to a group that holds the capital Tripoli. ...

EU to set up expert cell to fight jihadist propaganda: report Posted: 03 Jan 2015 10:09 AM PST The European Union plans to set up a cell of advisors in Belgium that member governments can tap to fight jihadist propaganda, a top EU official told a newspaper Saturday. "The idea is for Belgium to welcome a cell of experts who can offer European countries immediate responses to a very serious communications problem," EU counter-terrorism chief Gilles de Kerchove told Le Soir newspaper. Social media has become a powerful recruiting tool for jihadists, with the Islamic State group posting several videos online showing grisly beheadings of Western hostages. The experts taking part in the pilot project will offer "counter-narratives" and other messages to fight the propaganda used by Islamic State and other jihadist groups, de Kerchove said.

Turkey gives go-ahead for first new church in century Posted: 03 Jan 2015 10:02 AM PST Turkey's Islamic-rooted government has authorised the building of the first church in the country in nearly a century, officials said Saturday. The church is for the tiny Syriac community in Turkey and will be built in the Istanbul suburb of Yesilkoy on the shores of the Sea of Marmara, which already has Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Catholic churches. The announcement came after Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met Turkey's religious leaders in Istanbul on Friday and said no faith that has lived in the country could be regarded as foreign.

Slew of challenges for Republican-led US Congress in 2015 Posted: 03 Jan 2015 08:41 AM PST The 113th Congress, which wrapped up December 16, was one of the least productive in modern history. Republican leaders will have plenty on their plate in the first quarter, as the party seeks to roll back President Barack Obama's legislative gains and press its own agenda ahead of the 2016 presidential race. Conservatives are furious at Obama's recent use of executive orders, notably to halt deportations of undocumented immigrants and to begin normalizing US-Cuba relations. Republican legislation, including several pro-jobs bills, should pass relatively easily through the House of Representatives, where Republicans expanded their majority to 247 of 435 seats.

Syria wants coordination with Lebanon on new visa rules Posted: 03 Jan 2015 08:37 AM PST BEIRUT (AP) — Syria's ambassador to Lebanon called on Saturday for coordination with Lebanese authorities after Beirut announced plans to impose unprecedented restrictions on Syrians trying to enter Lebanon.

US embassy issues threat warning for Indonesia's Surabaya Posted: 03 Jan 2015 07:53 AM PST The US embassy in Indonesia warned Saturday of a potential threat against American interests in country's second biggest city Surabaya. "The US Embassy has been made aware of a potential threat against US-associated hotels and banks in Surabaya, Indonesia," the embassy said in a statement published on its website. "The US Embassy recommends heightened vigilance and awareness of one's surroundings when visiting such facilities," it added, without providing any further details. Indonesia has waged a crackdown on extremist groups over the past decade following attacks against Western targets, including the 2002 Bali bombings -- a campaign that has been credited with weakening key networks.

IS kidnaps dozens of men in northern Iraq Posted: 03 Jan 2015 06:17 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Militants linked to the Islamic State group have rounded up dozens of men from two villages in northern Iraq following a quarrel that led to the burning of the extremist group's flag, tribal leaders said on Saturday.

Iraq oil exports highest since 1980 but low prices hit revenue Posted: 03 Jan 2015 05:54 AM PST Iraq's oil exports reached their highest level in decades in December, the oil ministry's spokesman said on Saturday, but vital revenues were being hit by the plummeting prices of crude. Iraq exported 91.141 million barrels of oil in December for an average of 2.94 million barrels per day, the highest daily average since 1980, Assem Jihad told AFP, citing initial figures. The average December price was even lower than the $60 per barrel used to calculate Iraq's 2015 budget, which already includes a more than $19 billion deficit. The dramatic decline in oil prices poses a major problem for Iraq, which depends on oil revenues for the vast majority of government funds.

Islamic State seeking bases inside Lebanon: Lebanon security chief Posted: 03 Jan 2015 05:25 AM PST By Laila Bassam KAWTHARIET ASSIYAD, Lebanon (Reuters) - Islamic State militants holed up in the Qalamoun mountains on the Syrian-Lebanese border are seeking to gain control of nearby Lebanese villages to support their fighting positions, the head of Lebanon's main security apparatus told Reuters. Major General Abbas Ibrahim said Lebanese forces were on high alert to prevent the hardline militants from seizing any Lebanese territory near the Qalamoun mountains, which demarcate Lebanon's eastern border with Syria. ...

New GOP Senate chairmen aim to undo Obama policies Posted: 03 Jan 2015 05:16 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican senators poised to lead major committees when the GOP takes charge are intent on pushing back many of President Barack Obama's policies, setting up potential showdowns over environmental rules, financial regulations and national security.

Saudi Arabia to reopen Baghdad embassy after 25-year chill Posted: 03 Jan 2015 04:46 AM PST By Yara Bayoumy DUBAI (Reuters) - A Saudi delegation will travel to Baghdad in the coming week to start preparations to reopen an embassy in the Iraqi capital for the first time in 25 years, official Saudi media said on Saturday. A thaw in the once chilly relations between Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite-led Iraq could help strengthen a regional alliance against Islamic State militants who have seized territory in Iraq and Syria. Saudi Arabia closed its Baghdad embassy in 1990 after the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. ...

U.S. embassy in Indonesia issues security alert for city of Surabaya Posted: 03 Jan 2015 03:54 AM PST JAKARTA (Reuters) - The U.S. embassy in Indonesia issued a security alert on Saturday for its citizens in the country's second biggest city Surabaya. "The U.S. Embassy has been made aware of a potential threat against U.S.-associated hotels and banks in Surabaya, Indonesia," the embassy said in a statement on its website. "The U.S. Embassy recommends heightened vigilance and awareness of one's surroundings when visiting such facilities," it said. The statement gave no further details. ...

The Making of 'American Sniper': How an Unlikely Friendship Kickstarted the Clint Eastwood Film Posted: 02 Jan 2015 06:58 PM PST The true-life tale of America's most lethal sharpshooter began with talks between Hollywood screenwriter Jason Hall and Navy SEAL Chris Kyle

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