Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Blast at explosives factory in Syria kills 25 IS fighters: monitor
• Canada pledges funds to Jordan for refugees, security
• UN Libya envoy says 'difficult to be optimistic' about peace deal
• Saudi king resets succession to cope with turbulent times
• Militants kill two Tunisian reporters kidnapped last year in Libya
• Watchdog group issues dismal report on global press freedom
• Saudi king consolidates power with succession shake-up
• US says ties to Saudi Arabia to stay 'close, enduring'
• France to set up center for returning young jihadists by year-end
• Saudi FM Saud al-Faisal steps down after four decades
• Former Senior U.S. officials: Maryam Rajavi is the right person to testify before US congress on threat of Islamic Fundamentalism
• Nigeria hopes rescued women can offer clues to missing girls
• Cyprus, Greece and Egypt agree to step up 'terror' fight
• EU lawyers must prioritise jihadist cases: counter-terror chief
• Iraq government seeks to counter IS propaganda coup
• U.S. asks India, other to go slow in boosting trade ties with Iran
• This War of Mine adds scenario editor, new locations
• Saudi king recasts line of succession with eye on security
• Obama honoring Texas teacher who works with war refugees
• Iraqi Shiite cleric threatens US over budget provision
• UK trial: US soldier describes chaos after Iraq explosion
• France boosts defence budget in wake of Paris attacks
• Iraqi official blames media for Islamic State war failures
• Libya's Es Sider port, El Feel field still closed
• Air Arabia's Jordanian division to launch flights in May
• Once magnet for foreign mujahedeen', Bosnia now exports them
• World Bank plans help for regions in Iraq recaptured from Islamic State
• Egypt's Sisi pledges elections in 2015
• Saudi foreign minister is Washington insider, confidant of king
• Dutch saltwater potatoes offer hope for world's hungry
• Corker Nixes the GOP’s Budget as ‘Monkey Business’
• In anti-terrorism lawsuits, verdicts are just the first battle
• AP EXPLAINS: Japan's long wait to address US Congress
• Today in History
• Swedish court to hear Assange arrest warrant appeal

Blast at explosives factory in Syria kills 25 IS fighters: monitor Posted: 29 Apr 2015 04:40 PM PDT Twenty-five fighters from the Islamic State group were killed when a powerful blast rocked an explosives manufacturing plant in Syria's eastern Deir Ezzor province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said Wednesday. It was not immediately clear whether the explosion was accidental or the result of a missile strike, the Britain-based Observatory said. "A strong explosion took place this evening in an IS explosives factory in the town of Al–Mayadeen in the province of Deir Ezzor," the monitoring group said. The Islamic State group, which imposes a harsh interpretation of Islamic law, controls most of the oil province of Deir Ezzor, which borders Iraq.

Canada pledges funds to Jordan for refugees, security Posted: 29 Apr 2015 03:08 PM PDT Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper pledged Can$122.8 million Wednesday to help Jordan cope with a massive influx of Syrian refugees and boost its counterterrorism capabilities. Both Canada and Jordan are part of the US-led military mission targeting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria with airstrikes. Jordan has also taken in 1.5 million refugees fleeing fighting in Syria, a number equal to 20-25 percent of its population. The Canadian funding, which totals $102.2 million in US dollars, will be used to help Jordanian communities deal with the "socio-economic challenges" of hosting a large group of refugees as well as to bolster Jordan's counterterrorism capabilities, and enhance its border security.

UN Libya envoy says 'difficult to be optimistic' about peace deal Posted: 29 Apr 2015 02:06 PM PDT By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations Libya mediator said on Wednesday it was "difficult to be optimistic" a peace deal could be reached, but the aim was to try and broker agreement on a unity government before the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan starts in mid-June. The mediator, Bernardino Leon, briefed the U.N. Security Council on the conflict on Wednesday. "The international community would like to see an agreement in Libya before Ramadan," Leon told reporters. "Let me be very cautious about the possibilities for an agreement." Internationally recognized Prime Minister Abdullah al- Thinni, his government and the elected parliament have been confined to eastern Libya since a group called Libya Dawn seized Tripoli in August, set up its own administration and reinstated an assembly.

Saudi king resets succession to cope with turbulent times Posted: 29 Apr 2015 01:27 PM PDT By Angus McDowall RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi King Salman appointed a nephew as new heir and made his young son second in line to rule on Wednesday, a major shift in power towards two princes who have overseen a more assertive stance at a time of almost unprecedented regional turmoil. By making Interior Minister Mohammed bin Nayef, 55, crown prince and Defence Minister Mohammed bin Salman, 30, deputy crown prince, King Salman has effectively decided the line of succession for decades to come in the world's top oil exporter. The announcement means the kingship will pass to a new generation for the first time since 1953, when the throne passed from the founder of the dynasty, King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud, to the first of six of his sons who have held it since. The appointments signal a tougher foreign policy, particularly towards regional foe Iran, but little change to a firm hand against dissent at home, where Riyadh this week said it had detained 93 suspected Islamic State militants.

Militants kill two Tunisian reporters kidnapped last year in Libya Posted: 29 Apr 2015 01:21 PM PDT TRIPOLI/TUNIS (Reuters) - Islamic State militants in Libya have killed two Tunisian journalists kidnapped last year, Libyan officials said on Wednesday, following the murder of five television reporters discovered this week. The Tunisian government will immediately send a delegation to Libya to discuss the case, said a Tunis official, declining to confirm the deaths of Sofian Chourabi and Nadhir Ktari who were kidnapped about eight months ago. A spokesman for Libya's official government based in eastern Libya said an arrested militant had admitted that his group had killed the two reporters. The spokesman said that was the same group of Islamic State militants that had killed five journalists - an Egyptian and four Libyans - working for Libya Barqa TV channel.

Watchdog group issues dismal report on global press freedom Posted: 29 Apr 2015 01:12 PM PDT Terrorists are targeting journalists, authoritarian governments are jailing them and some countries are tightening media controls, developments that help explain why global press freedom in 2014 fell to ...

Saudi king consolidates power with succession shake-up Posted: 29 Apr 2015 12:51 PM PDT Saudi Arabia's King Salman announced a new heir and made his son second in line to rule Wednesday, concentrating power in his inner circle as the kingdom faces enormous regional challenges. The major shake-up in the line of succession and cabinet comes with oil giant Saudi Arabia increasingly assertive in the fight against Islamic extremists and in its rivalry with fellow regional power Iran. Since acceding to the throne following the death of King Abdullah in January, Salman, 79, has been steadily bringing loyalists into the deeply conservative kingdom's upper reaches of power. Salman named as the new crown prince his nephew Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, 55, the powerful interior minister who a decade ago led a crackdown on Al-Qaeda.

US says ties to Saudi Arabia to stay 'close, enduring' Posted: 29 Apr 2015 12:38 PM PDT The United States Wednesday said it would continue its "close, productive relationship" with Saudi Arabia amid a radical shake-up of King Salman's inner circle. Acting State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf also paid tribute to outgoing Saudi foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, who is stepping down after holding the post for four decades. "The alliance, as we all know, between Saudi Arabia and the US is historic and enduring, and we will continue to maintain our close, productive relationship as we work together to address a number of serious challenges," Harf said.

France to set up center for returning young jihadists by year-end Posted: 29 Apr 2015 12:36 PM PDT France will open a center late this year to help reintegrate young French citizens who return from conflict zones such as Syria but are not subject to prosecution, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Wednesday. France is a top Western source country for jihadi volunteers and more than 100 have returned home after fighting in Syria and Iraq, which can land them in prison.

Saudi FM Saud al-Faisal steps down after four decades Posted: 29 Apr 2015 12:07 PM PDT The world's longest-serving foreign minister, Saudi Arabia's Prince Saud al-Faisal steered the oil giant's diplomacy for four decades before stepping down. The aged minister, born in 1940, asked to be relieved of his duties due to health problems, and was replaced Wednesday by envoy to Washington Adel al-Jubeir as part of a major shake-up in the Saudi royal family and cabinet. His departure comes amid serious regional tensions, with Saudi Arabia leading a coalition of Arab states bombing Iran-backed rebels in Yemen and taking part in the US-led campaign against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq. Saud served under four monarchs, most recently taking a new oath of office after King Salman took over following the death of King Abdullah in January.

Former Senior U.S. officials: Maryam Rajavi is the right person to testify before US congress on threat of Islamic Fundamentalism Posted: 29 Apr 2015 11:17 AM PDT WASHINGTON, April 29, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- About two dozen senior former US officials and political dignitaries supported the initiative by the US Congress to invite Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi to testify on the growth of Islamic fundamentalism and ways to confront it.Maryam Rajavi is the President of the broad-based opposition coalition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran. The People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MeK) is the main constituent of the coalition. ...

Nigeria hopes rescued women can offer clues to missing girls Posted: 29 Apr 2015 10:49 AM PDT By Ardo Abdallah and Isaac Abrak BAUCHI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigeria's military said on Wednesday it had transported nearly 300 women and girls rescued from Boko Haram to the hilly border town of Gwoza, as it seeks clues to the whereabouts of other girls whose abduction last year provoked international outrage. The 200 girls and 93 women were freed from four camps during an army operation in northeastern Borno province as the Nigeria military bears down on what are believed to be Boko Haram's final strongholds in the Sambisa forest. The military said on Tuesday initial enquiries suggested the freed women did not include roughly 200 missing schoolgirls seized a year ago from the northern village of Chibok, whose capture drew global attention to the insurgency in Nigeria. Boko Haram, an Islamist militant group, has killed and kidnapped thousands of people since 2009 in Africa's most populous country.

Cyprus, Greece and Egypt agree to step up 'terror' fight Posted: 29 Apr 2015 10:41 AM PDT Cyprus and Greece on Wednesday agreed with Egypt on the need to step up cooperation in the fight against "terrorism" in the troubled eastern Mediterranean region. President Nicos Anastasiades of Cyprus, his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras made the pledge after talks in Nicosia. In a declaration, they said the "scourge of international terrorism" now threatens Europe, the Gulf, and the Middle East and North Africa, as well as the Sahel region and sub-Saharan Africa. The three agreed to jointly combat terrorism and violent extremism for the sake of security in the eastern Mediterranean, a region virtually encircled by conflicts.

EU lawyers must prioritise jihadist cases: counter-terror chief Posted: 29 Apr 2015 10:25 AM PDT European countries must prioritise which jihadists to pursue in court if they are to avoid being overwhelmed by the caseload, the EU's counter-terrorism chief told AFP in an interview. Gilles de Kerchove, in Paris this week for a meeting of EU counter-terrorism magistrates, said jihadists who had clearly engaged with the most brutal militant groups and risked carrying out violence within Europe must be prosecuted. "There is a considerable number of Europeans among the foreign combattants who have travelled to Iraq and Syria, certainly more than 4,000," said Kerchove. "Before Syria, we were talking about dozens of people to monitor.

Iraq government seeks to counter IS propaganda coup Posted: 29 Apr 2015 10:10 AM PDT Iraqi authorities are on the defensive after the Islamic State group scored a major propaganda victory with attacks in Anbar, undermining confidence in Baghdad's attempts to retake the key province. April began with government forces recapturing the city of Tikrit after a lengthy battle, Baghdad's biggest victory in the 11-month conflict with the jihadists. Then Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced that Anbar province, much of which remains under IS control, was next. IS struck back with attacks in Anbar that shifted the narrative from one of government victory to one of impending defeat -- and sparked rumours of a cover-up of the deaths of more than 100 soldiers.

U.S. asks India, other to go slow in boosting trade ties with Iran Posted: 29 Apr 2015 10:00 AM PDT By Nidhi Verma and Douglas Busvine NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The United States wants India and other countries to wait for a final nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers before actively engaging with Tehran, U.S. Under Secretary Wendy Sherman said on Wednesday. We are not quite to an agreement yet," Sherman said, referring to India and other buyers of Iranian oil that want to increase their trade ties with Tehran. Diplomats are negotiating to fill the gaps in an April 2 framework agreement that would curb Iran's nuclear programme, allaying Western fears it could develop an atomic bomb, in return for relief from international sanctions.

This War of Mine adds scenario editor, new locations Posted: 29 Apr 2015 10:00 AM PDT This War of Mine, the game that portrays war from the civilian perspective, has launched a major update today, adding new locations as well as a scenario editor.

Saudi king recasts line of succession with eye on security Posted: 29 Apr 2015 09:59 AM PDT RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia's King Salman redrew the line of succession on Wednesday, appointing a counterterrorism czar as crown prince and placing his own defense minister son in line for the crown — a dramatic reshuffle that reflects the kingdom's mounting security concerns and more assertive foreign policy.

Obama honoring Texas teacher who works with war refugees Posted: 29 Apr 2015 09:37 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — A high school English teacher from Amarillo, Texas, who works with refugees from war-torn countries was honored Tuesday at the White House as America's Teacher of the Year.

Iraqi Shiite cleric threatens US over budget provision Posted: 29 Apr 2015 09:18 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — An influential Shiite cleric threatened Wednesday to attack U.S. interests in Iraq and abroad over a congressional provision to send arms directly to Sunni and Kurdish fighters.

UK trial: US soldier describes chaos after Iraq explosion Posted: 29 Apr 2015 09:18 AM PDT LONDON (AP) — A U.S. soldier has testified at a British court about the carnage after an explosion caused by an improvised bomb in Iraq in 2007.

France boosts defence budget in wake of Paris attacks Posted: 29 Apr 2015 08:26 AM PDT President Francois Hollande announced Wednesday that France would increase its defence budget by close to four billion euros over four years, in response to extremist threats after the Paris jihadist attacks. France has been on high alert since jihadists went on a three-day killing spree in Paris in January that left 17 people dead. Speaking after a meeting with his defence council, Hollande said the decisions were taken to ensure internal security but also the safety of its 9,000 military forces involved in operations abroad. France is engaged against jihadist groups in Africa's troubled Sahel region, is central to peacekeeping efforts in the Central African Republic, and is part of the US-led bombing campaign against IS in Iraq.

Iraqi official blames media for Islamic State war failures Posted: 29 Apr 2015 07:46 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's interior minister summoned dozens of journalists Wednesday to partially blame them for security force setbacks amid the war against the Islamic State group, laying bare the Baghdad's Shiite-led government sensitivity to criticism.

Libya's Es Sider port, El Feel field still closed Posted: 29 Apr 2015 06:58 AM PDT Libya's eastern Es Sider oil export port, the country's biggest, remains closed due to poor security, oil officials said on Wednesday. A month ago, a state oil security force based at Es Sider and Ras Lanuf called on NOC to reopen the two ports, after a force loyal to a non-recognised rival government in Tripoli pulled out from the area following months of fighting. "There are security risks from Es Sider until Sirte," he said, asking not to be named. A spokesman for NOC said force majeure remained in place for the two ports, which have a combined capacity of 600,000 barrels a day.

Air Arabia's Jordanian division to launch flights in May Posted: 29 Apr 2015 06:47 AM PDT DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Middle Eastern budget airline Air Arabia says it plans to launch a new division based in Jordan starting on May 18.

Once magnet for foreign mujahedeen', Bosnia now exports them Posted: 29 Apr 2015 06:46 AM PDT A magnet for foreign jihadists during its 1990s war, Bosnia is now grappling with the threat from home-grown extremists wooed by the conflicts in Iraq and Syria. While most Bosnian Muslims are moderates, a few thousand have adopted the ultraconservative Salafist brand of Sunni Islam introduced by the fighters who flocked to Bosnia from North Africa, the Middle East and Asia during the 1992-1995 conflict between Serbs, Muslims and Croats. Most of those foreign fighters, or "mujahedeen", left Bosnia when the war ended.

World Bank plans help for regions in Iraq recaptured from Islamic State Posted: 29 Apr 2015 05:50 AM PDT By Mariam Karouny BEIRUT (Reuters) - The World Bank is seeking to finance development projects in areas in Iraq that the government has recaptured from Islamic State militants, its regional vice president said. Hafez Ghanem also said he would meet with Iraqi officials and discuss ways to help the government tackle a budget deficit caused by a drop in oil revenues when he visits Iraq this week. Cheap oil is ravaging Iraq's state finances and the government faces rising military spending from its battle against the hardline militant group Islamic State, which has killed thousands and destroyed services and infrastructure. The group overran a third of the country last summer and control territory in Iraq and Syria.

Egypt's Sisi pledges elections in 2015 Posted: 29 Apr 2015 03:47 AM PDT Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi vowed that parliamentary polls, originally set for last month, will be held before the end of the year, in an interview published Wednesday. "I give my word: they will be held before the end of the year," he told El Mundo newspaper in an interview published on the eve of his official visit to Spain. Egypt's parliamentary polls were set to start on March 21 and run until May 7 but were postponed after the constitutional court ruled that parts of the electoral law unconstitutional. The election would be the first for a new parliament since former army chief Sisi overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

Saudi foreign minister is Washington insider, confidant of king Posted: 29 Apr 2015 03:33 AM PDT Saudi Arabia's new foreign minister, a U.S.-educated connoisseur of Washington's diplomatic scene and longtime adviser to the kingdom's rulers, is an articulate spokesman for his country's new assertive approach to the Middle East's growing conflicts. A well-known figure in Washington government circles and on U.S. television, Adel al-Jubeir becomes the first non-royal in the job, succeeding Saud al-Faisal, who served for four decades and has been appointed a special envoy of King Salman. As ambassador to Washington, he translated for former King Abdullah in meetings with U.S. President Barack Obama and shuttled back and forth to the kingdom regularly to brief the king in person. He couched the initiative in terms of checking Iranian influence in a country that Riyadh considers its backyard.

Dutch saltwater potatoes offer hope for world's hungry Posted: 29 Apr 2015 03:14 AM PDT A small field on an island off the Netherlands' northern coast promises one answer to the problem of how to feed the world's ever-growing population: potatoes and other crops that grow in saltwater. The team headed by farmer Mark van Rijsselberghe has planted around 30 types of potato and their approach is simple: anything that dies in the saline environment is abandoned, and anything that lives "we try to follow up on," said Van Rijsselberghe. Van Rijsselberghe, 60, started the "Salty Potato Farm" around 10 years ago in the hope of helping the world's malnourished. "It could be a hundred, it could be 1,000 years ago, they still are capable of coping with saline surroundings," said Van Rijsselberghe.

Corker Nixes the GOP’s Budget as ‘Monkey Business’ Posted: 29 Apr 2015 12:15 AM PDT For weeks, Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) has rolled his eyes at the mention of the emerging Republican budget for fiscal 2016, dismissing it in front of reporters as little more than a gimmicky partisan broadside unworthy of serious discussion. Corker, who sits on the Senate Budget Committee and chairs the Foreign Relations Committee, has been devoting most of his energies to a bill pending on the Senate floor to provide Congress with authority to review any final agreement between the U.S. and Iran that would prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon. Early Tuesday, however, Corker stunned the GOP leadership by refusing to sign a House-Senate conference committee report that is essential to sending the $3.8 trillion budget plan to the House and Senate floors for action this week. The typically affable Tennessee Republican insisted he would not sign off on the final version of the $3.8 trillion budget plan for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 because it would allow appropriators to continue a long-standing practice of claiming "savings" each year by temporarily imposing limits on certain entitlement programs that are outside their domain.

In anti-terrorism lawsuits, verdicts are just the first battle Posted: 28 Apr 2015 10:15 PM PDT The three litigants and their co-plaintiffs all prevailed in court actions, winning judgments that collectively totaled more than $1.3 billion against Syria, an alleged sponsor of the groups involved in the attacks. Instead, plaintiffs in the three lawsuits found themselves in a Chicago court facing entirely new adversaries: each other. In the ten years following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the number of lawsuits filed under the U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act and similar laws more than tripled compared to the decade before, and plaintiffs have won billions of dollars worth of judgments in U.S. courts, according to Westlaw data.

AP EXPLAINS: Japan's long wait to address US Congress Posted: 28 Apr 2015 09:53 PM PDT Washington honors America's closest friends by inviting their leaders to address a joint meeting of Congress, but Wednesday's speech by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be the first by a Japanese leader. ...

Today in History Posted: 28 Apr 2015 09:00 PM PDT Today is Wednesday, April 29, the 119th day of 2015. There are 246 days left in the year.

Swedish court to hear Assange arrest warrant appeal Posted: 28 Apr 2015 06:55 PM PDT Sweden's Supreme Court said on Tuesday it will hear an appeal by Wikileaks founder Julian Assange against his arrest warrant for alleged rape and sexual assault. "The Supreme Court grants leave to appeal," the court wrote in a statement, without specifying a date. Sweden issued an arrest warrant for Assange in 2010 following allegations from two women there, one who claimed rape and another who alleged sexual assault.

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