Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• NBC News Chairman Andy Lack Not Convinced Brian Williams Can Return
• Saudis arrest 93 jihadists, say attacks foiled
• Britain's Gurkhas battle to help families after Nepal quake
• Iraqi Kurds arrest alleged IS cell behind US mission attack
• U.S., allies conduct 20 air strikes in Syria, Iraq -military
• EU to set up new counter-terrorism centre
• What Balanced Budget? GOP Pushes a “Spend More” Blueprint
• UK man accused of killing US soldier with bomb in Iraq
• EU officials seek major changes to face security challenges
• CBS Orders Reality Show From 'Biggest Loser' Creator
• Iran's Rouhani warns change coming for 'sanctions busters'
• Saudi Arabia makes Islamic State arrests, thwarting attacks
• Man who fought in Syria detained in Bosnia over police killing
• The Obama paradox: Can a first-term senator win the White House again?
• Kurds arrest five over bombing outside U.S. consulate in Erbil
• 10 Things to Know for Today
• Robert Redford Feted by Film Society of Lincoln Center, Barbra Streisand and Other Friends
• Saudi says arrests 93 Islamic State suspects, foils U.S. embassy attack
• Islamic State has killed over 2,000 off battlefield since June: monitor
• British army Gurkhas join quake relief in Nepalese homeland
• Iraq faces huge challenges dislodging Islamic State in Anbar
• Second suspect in Saudi police killings arrested: ministry
• Islamic State kills five journalists working for Libyan TV station-army official
• Baltimore Erupts in Riots: Hollywood Reacts
• Kerry says Iran, world powers closer than ever to historic nuclear deal
• Sen. Lindsey Graham: Send U.S. troops to topple Assad
• UN peacekeepers must protect cultural sites: UNESCO chief
• Obama envoy John Allen may be turning the tide in the campaign against the Islamic State

NBC News Chairman Andy Lack Not Convinced Brian Williams Can Return Posted: 28 Apr 2015 01:11 PM PDT Because of their history, says one source, Lack may actually be "a tough hurdle" for Williams to clear.

Saudis arrest 93 jihadists, say attacks foiled Posted: 28 Apr 2015 12:57 PM PDT Saudi Arabia has arrested nearly 100 jihadists, mostly linked to the Islamic State group, and foiled several plots to carry out attacks including on the US embassy, authorities said Tuesday. The arrests have taken place since December and most of those detained were Saudis, the interior ministry said in a statement published by the official news agency SPA. US consular services in Saudi Arabia were suspended for a week in March over what the embassy said were "heightened security concerns". The Sunni-dominated kingdom is part of a US-led coalition carrying out air strikes against IS in Syria and Iraq, where the jihadists have seized swathes of territory.

Britain's Gurkhas battle to help families after Nepal quake Posted: 28 Apr 2015 12:14 PM PDT Separated by thousands of miles from their devastated homeland, Britain's community of Gurkha soldiers past and present is rallying to help victims of the earthquake in Nepal. The 2,500-strong Gurkha brigade, soldiers recruited in Nepal, has been part of the British army for 200 years including on the frontlines in Afghanistan and Iraq. As well as serving soldiers, there are still communities of retired Gurkhas dotted around Britain who often settle near military bases after leaving the army. It's not just one village -- it's villages all over the country," Om Prakash Gurung, chairman of the British Gurkha Veterans Association, told AFP.

Iraqi Kurds arrest alleged IS cell behind US mission attack Posted: 28 Apr 2015 11:59 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Kurdish authorities announced Tuesday the arrest of an alleged Islamic State group cell that they said was responsible for the deadly bomb attack two weeks ago next to the U.S. consulate in northern Iraq.

U.S., allies conduct 20 air strikes in Syria, Iraq -military Posted: 28 Apr 2015 11:27 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.-led forces targeted Islamic State militants in Syria with four air strikes from Monday to Tuesday morning and conducted another 16 strikes against the group in Iraq, the U.S. military said on Tuesday. Three of the Syria strikes were near Al Hasakah, where they hit Islamic State fighting positions and destroyed an armored vehicle. Coalition forces also destroyed a fighting position with a strike near Kobani, according to a military statement. ...

EU to set up new counter-terrorism centre Posted: 28 Apr 2015 11:25 AM PDT The EU on Tuesday announced plans for an intelligence sharing centre to help its 28 member states ward off deadly jihadist attacks, but with limited powers that will not amount to the equivalent of a European FBI. Unveiling the bloc's security priorities for the next five years, European Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans told AFP that the counter-terrorism centre would be set up within Europol, the continent's policing agency based in The Hague. "We're creating the centre to see whether the member states can come together more often and learn to work with each other on the basis of trust," Timmermans said in an interview in his Brussels office before travelling to the French city of Strasbourg to brief the European Parliament on the security plan. With jihadists launching deadly attacks in the last 12 months in Brussels, Copenhagen and Paris, the European Commission -- the bloc's executive arm -- is trying to promote counter-terrorism cooperation among member states.

What Balanced Budget? GOP Pushes a “Spend More” Blueprint Posted: 28 Apr 2015 11:15 AM PDT Political pragmatism appears to have once again trumped ideological fervor as the Republicans put the finishing touches on their budget plan for fiscal 2016. The new budget blueprint originally was conceived as a first major step towards wiping out the deficit within the coming decade through a series of draconian spending cuts and changes in Medicare, Medicaid and other costly entitlement programs. GOP leaders made good on their vow to draft new budget rules that would grease to the skids for passage of legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

UK man accused of killing US soldier with bomb in Iraq Posted: 28 Apr 2015 10:12 AM PDT LONDON (AP) — A British man went on trial in London on Tuesday accused of making a roadside bomb that killed a U.S. soldier in Iraq in 2007.

EU officials seek major changes to face security challenges Posted: 28 Apr 2015 09:02 AM PDT STRASBOURG, France (AP) — European Union officials on Tuesday called for sweeping changes in bloc policies and practices to confront new security risks to its 500 million citizens from terrorism, organized crime and cybercrime.

CBS Orders Reality Show From 'Biggest Loser' Creator Posted: 28 Apr 2015 09:00 AM PDT 'The Briefcase' features families experiencing financial setbacks who are presented with a briefcase containing $101,000 and a potentially life-altering decision.

Iran's Rouhani warns change coming for 'sanctions busters' Posted: 28 Apr 2015 08:40 AM PDT President Hassan Rouhani warned Tuesday that middlemen who have circumvented sanctions will need to "think of another job" as a potential final nuclear deal brings changes to Iran's economy. The remarks, at a ceremony in Tehran ahead of Labour Day on Friday, signalled Rouhani's intent to tackle a black market that has thrived in Iran after official trading routes were cut off. Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany have begun drafting a final nuclear accord which is due by June 30. The agreement is intended to ensure the wholly peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of a slew of international sanctions imposed since 2006.

Saudi Arabia makes Islamic State arrests, thwarting attacks Posted: 28 Apr 2015 08:04 AM PDT RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia said Tuesday it has arrested a total of 93 people with ties to the Islamic State group in recent months, foiling their plans to carry out multiple terrorist attacks, including a strike on the U.S. Embassy in the kingdom's capital.

Man who fought in Syria detained in Bosnia over police killing Posted: 28 Apr 2015 07:52 AM PDT By Daria Sito-Sucic SARAJEVO (Reuters) - Two Bosnians, one of whom fought in Syria, were arrested on Tuesday in connection with an assault on a police station by a man shouting "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) that left one officer and the gunman dead and two policemen wounded. Though the precise motive is not yet known, the attack on Monday evening in the eastern, mainly ethnic Serb, town of Zvornik has revived fears of radical Islam in Bosnia, where authorities estimate that up to 200 Muslims have fought alongside militants in Syria and Iraq. The assailant, 24-year-old Muslim Bosniak Nerdin Ibric, was killed in an exchange of fire as he stormed into the police station. Bosnian Security Minister Dragan Mektic said one person who had fought in Syria and been in contact with Ibric had been detained and a second person regarded by authorities as "extremely radical" had been questioned.

The Obama paradox: Can a first-term senator win the White House again? Posted: 28 Apr 2015 07:39 AM PDT Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and Rand Paul all have a Barack Obama problem. All three Republicans are running for president as first-term senators – just as a young Senator Obama did eight years ago. Mr. Obama won the presidency – twice. In fact, the three freshmen may be furthering a whole new paradigm, begun by Obama, for presidential candidacies.

Kurds arrest five over bombing outside U.S. consulate in Erbil Posted: 28 Apr 2015 07:24 AM PDT By Isabel Coles ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - Kurdish authorities have arrested five men they say carried out a car bombing on behalf of Islamic State that killed two people outside the U.S. consulate in their autonomous region of northern Iraq. Four of the men are Kurds from Erbil, the region's Security Council said in a statement on Tuesday, highlighting the threat posed by homegrown militants in the relatively safe region. According to a video of the confessions seen by Reuters, the ringleader was a 25-year old engineering graduate named Darya Homdamin, whom the other three Kurds identified as introducing them to jihadist thought after they met through a local mosque. Darya said he had made contact via Facebook with a Kurdish militant called Mala Shwan, a cleric from Erbil who joined Islamic State and has appeared in a number of the group's propaganda videos.

10 Things to Know for Today Posted: 28 Apr 2015 07:08 AM PDT Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:

Robert Redford Feted by Film Society of Lincoln Center, Barbra Streisand and Other Friends Posted: 28 Apr 2015 07:06 AM PDT The 78-year-old legend became the 42nd recipient of FSLC's Chaplin Award for lifetime achievement.

Saudi says arrests 93 Islamic State suspects, foils U.S. embassy attack Posted: 28 Apr 2015 07:03 AM PDT Saudi Arabia has arrested 93 people suspected of belonging to the Islamic State militant group, including two people who planned a failed suicide car bombing against the U.S. embassy in Riyadh, the interior ministry said on Tuesday. The 93 included at least 77 Saudi nationals, a ministry statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency said. A cell involving two Syrians and a Saudi planned a suicide car bombing against the U.S. embassy in Riyadh but the plot was detected in March. The ministry said earlier on Tuesday it had arrested a second suspect in separate shootings in March and April which killed two Saudi policemen on instruction from Islamic State, in the first alleged attack by the group inside the kingdom.

Islamic State has killed over 2,000 off battlefield since June: monitor Posted: 28 Apr 2015 03:53 AM PDT Ultra-radical Islamic State insurgents have killed at least 2,154 people off the battlefield in Syria since the end of June when the group declared a caliphate in territory it controls, a Syrian human rights monitor said on Tuesday. The killings of mostly Syrians included deaths by beheading, stoning or gunshots in non-combat situations, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, urging the United Nations Security Council to act. Islamic State, which also holds tracts of land in neighboring Iraq, is an offshoot of al Qaeda and has set up its own courts in towns and villages to administer what it describes as Islamic law before carrying out the killings. The Observatory, which tracks the conflict using sources on the ground, said its figure included combatants, civilians and also 126 Islamic State fighters who had tried to flee the group or were accused of being spies.

British army Gurkhas join quake relief in Nepalese homeland Posted: 28 Apr 2015 03:49 AM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - Britain has sent a team of its famed Nepalese Gurkha soldiers to help survivors of the earthquake in their Himalayan homeland, whose prime minister said on Tuesday that the death toll could reach 10,000. The international development ministry said the Gurkha engineers were traveling on a flight carrying more than 1,100 shelter kits and over 1,700 solar lanterns. The Gurkhas are legendary fighters who have served in the British army since 1815 and taken part in two world wars and many other conflicts, from the Falklands to Iraq and Afghanistan. ...

Iraq faces huge challenges dislodging Islamic State in Anbar Posted: 28 Apr 2015 01:14 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi forces are on a westward push to retake Anbar, a sprawling Sunni-dominated desert province captured by the Islamic State group in their offensive last year. But as the battles for Tikrit and Ramadi have shown, it will be a hard slog for a much-diminished Iraqi army — especially given Baghdad's reticence to arm Sunni tribesmen and local fears of the Shiite militias backing government forces.

Second suspect in Saudi police killings arrested: ministry Posted: 28 Apr 2015 12:25 AM PDT Saudi authorities arrested a second man on Tuesday on suspicion of shooting dead two policemen and wounding two others in separate attacks in Riyadh, the interior ministry said. The ministry said last week that the first suspect in the shootings in March and April was acting on instructions from the Islamic State group in Syria, in the first alleged attack by the group inside the kingdom. The suspect, Nawaf Sharif Samir al-Onaizi, opened fire on security forces who returned fire and wounded him, the ministry added. Islamic State last year called on followers in the kingdom to carry out attacks against Saudi authorities, Western expatriates and members of the Shi'ite Muslim minority there instead of traveling to Syria or Iraq to join the group.

Islamic State kills five journalists working for Libyan TV station-army official Posted: 27 Apr 2015 11:55 PM PDT By Ayman al-Warfalli BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Islamic State militants have slit the throats of five journalists working for a Libyan TV station in the eastern part of the country, an army commander said on Monday. The reporters had been missing since August, when they left the eastern city of Tobruk after covering the inauguration of the country's elected parliament to travel to Benghazi. Faraj al-Barassi, a district army commander in eastern Libya, said militants loyal to Islamic State were responsible for killing the journalists, whose bodies were found outside the eastern city of Bayda.

Baltimore Erupts in Riots: Hollywood Reacts Posted: 27 Apr 2015 09:00 PM PDT Kevin Hart, Mark Ruffalo and Donald Trump were among those weighing in on Monday's unrest.

Kerry says Iran, world powers closer than ever to historic nuclear deal Posted: 27 Apr 2015 05:42 PM PDT By Louis Charbonneau and Arshad Mohammed UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States and five other major powers are closer than ever to a deal with Iran that would end a 12-year-old standoff over Tehran's nuclear program, though more tough negotiations lie ahead, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday. Kerry spoke at the United Nations on the opening day of a month-long conference taking stock of the 1970 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and ahead of a meeting in New York with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, their first face-to-face encounter since recent marathon talks in Lausanne, Switzerland. Zarif and Kerry met later on Monday at the Iranian U.N. ambassador's residence across from Central Park and discussed efforts to secure a final agreement between Iran and the six powers by a June 30 deadline.

Sen. Lindsey Graham: Send U.S. troops to topple Assad Posted: 27 Apr 2015 05:36 PM PDT Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina wants to send U.S. troops back to the world's most volatile region to stamp out vicious terrorism and remove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

UN peacekeepers must protect cultural sites: UNESCO chief Posted: 27 Apr 2015 04:34 PM PDT UN culture chief Irina Bokova urged the Security Council on Monday to task peacekeepers with protecting cultural sites and to help prosecute those who destroy historical treasures. International alarm has been growing over the fate of artifacts and monuments in Iraq and Syria after videos surfaced of jihadists destroying priceless works. Bokova deplored the "cultural cleansing" being carried out in Iraq and Syria during a special Security Council meeting. The director of the UN's culture agency UNESCO said protecting national heritage must be included in the mandate of peacekeeping missions as is the case in Mali following the destruction of Timbuktu shrines.

Obama envoy John Allen may be turning the tide in the campaign against the Islamic State Posted: 27 Apr 2015 01:24 PM PDT Not long ago, retired Marine Corps Gen. John Allen was a pretty good argument for the wisdom in the old adage "Be careful what you wish for." As fighters for the so-called Islamic State rolled through Iraq last summer, sources say Allen was privately furious with the Obama administration's tepid response. As the deputy commanding general of Marine forces in Anbar province back in 2006-08, Allen had participated in the Sunni uprising against al-Qaida in Iraq, commonly known as the "Anbar Awakening." And then last September, the Obama administration named Allen as its Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL. The privately fuming critic was suddenly very publicly in charge.

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