Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• U.N. council urges end to impunity for attacks on journalists
• Analysis: Against IS, airstrikes may not suffice
• Islamic State sympathizers may have made airline threats: U.S. officials
• Where they stand: Rick Santorum on key campaign issues
• Islamic State suicide attacks in Iraq's Anbar kill 17 troops
• Sinai attacks kill Egyptian policeman, wound 8
• Croatia arts festival to stage Houellebecq play after all
• Former British PM Blair quits as Middle East envoy
• Oil market extends losses under stronger dollar
• Rand Paul blames GOP hawks for rise of ISIS
• In Misrata, Libya’s Sparta, fighters’ goal is to contain Islamic State
• Colorado theater shooting victims relive terror in courtroom
• Temperatures soar across Mideast countries amid sandstorms
• Emboldened in Syria and Iraq, Islamic State may be reaching limits of expansion
• UN demands action for crimes against journalists
• IS 'executes' 20 in Palmyra Roman theatre
• Did GOP create ISIS? Why Rand Paul says so
• Egyptian police general killed in roadside bomb attack in Sinai
• The Latest on IS: Detainees killed at theater in Syria ruins
• Syrians lose hope in face of shocking carnage, devastation: U.N.
• Can Bernie Sanders Push Hillary Clinton Further to the Left?
• Iraq cleric Sadr criticises operation codename choice
• France calls for tougher global mobilization against IS
• Syria says wants more Iraqi coordination in Islamic State fight
• Iraq rebrands military campaign against Islamic State over fears of sectarianism
• Yemen war will end up harming Riyadh, Iran minister says
• Australian boy in Syria creates quandary for government
• Al-Qaida operative pleads guilty to terrorism charges
• Iraqi forces take positions on Ramadi outskirts
• Singapore detains two 'self-radicalized' teens, one aimed to join Islamic State
• White House Brief: Things to know about Rick Santorum
• China touts success of crackdown in restive Muslim region
• Erdogan aims to turn Turkey into major defense industry power
• Bernie-mania! Sanders launches 2016 campaign

U.N. council urges end to impunity for attacks on journalists Posted: 27 May 2015 04:19 PM PDT The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday condemned the frequent attacks against journalists worldwide and demanded an end to the impunity enjoyed by those guilty of violent crimes against members of the press. The appeal came in the form of a unanimously adopted resolution that also called for the release of all media professionals "who have been kidnapped or taken as hostages, in situations of armed conflict." The resolution was drafted by this month's Security Council president, Lithuania, whose Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius presided over the meeting. Mariane Pearl, a journalist and widow of Daniel Pearl, a Wall Street Journal reporter who was beheaded by Pakistani militants in 2002, told the 15-nation council that it was "a troubled time for our profession." "In 2014, impunity in journalism murder cases reached a staggering 96 percent and the remaining 4 percent obtained only partial justice," she said.

Analysis: Against IS, airstrikes may not suffice Posted: 27 May 2015 03:20 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — It's the modern era's military strategy of choice: overwhelming air power delivering precision-guided punishment backed by intelligence on the ground, with minimal exposure for soldiers of the striking side.

Islamic State sympathizers may have made airline threats: U.S. officials Posted: 27 May 2015 03:13 PM PDT Islamic State sympathizers may have been behind more than a dozen threats in the last two days to international flights using U.S. airports or flying over American airspace, U.S. law enforcement and security officials said on Wednesday. The officials said that after 11 threats were received by U.S. law enforcement officers on Monday, at least four more were phoned in late on Tuesday.

Where they stand: Rick Santorum on key campaign issues Posted: 27 May 2015 03:03 PM PDT DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A look at where former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum stands on some key issues as he opens his race for the Republican presidential nomination:

Islamic State suicide attacks in Iraq's Anbar kill 17 troops Posted: 27 May 2015 02:58 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — As Iraqi forces gathered for a major new offensive to try to take back the sprawling Sunni heartland of Anbar province, Islamic State militants struck first, unleashing a wave of suicide bombings that killed at least 17 soldiers.

Sinai attacks kill Egyptian policeman, wound 8 Posted: 27 May 2015 02:21 PM PDT An Egyptian policeman was killed and eight wounded in three roadside bombings on Wednesday in the Sinai Peninsula where an Islamic State-linked group is spearheading an insurgency against security forces. Jihadists have killed scores of police and soldiers in attacks in the peninsula since the army ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. Wednesday's attacks targeted police vehicles near a police station in North Sinai's provincial capital of El-Arish, security officials said.

Croatia arts festival to stage Houellebecq play after all Posted: 27 May 2015 02:17 PM PDT A play by author Michel Houellebecq -- whose book imagining a Muslim-governed France stirred controversy -- will be staged as planned at a Croatian arts festival despite calls for its cancellation over security fears, the culture ministry said Wednesday. The Dubrovnik Summer Festival announced earlier this month it would have to cancel Houellebecq's drama "The Elementary Particles" ("Les Particules elementaires") after the interior ministry deemed it a "security risk".

Former British PM Blair quits as Middle East envoy Posted: 27 May 2015 01:57 PM PDT Tony Blair resigned Wednesday as the Quartet diplomatic group's envoy, his office said, with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict he worked to end as troubled as ever. There was some praise for the former British prime minister's work over eight years as delegate of the Quartet -- the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia. Israel carried out four air strikes on militants in the Gaza Strip, witnesses said.

Oil market extends losses under stronger dollar Posted: 27 May 2015 01:26 PM PDT World oil prices finished lower in choppy trade on Wednesday as the strong dollar weighed and a potential rise in Iraq exports heightened global oversupply worries. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in July fell 52 cents to $57.51 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent North Sea crude for July, the global benchmark, tumbled to $62.06 a barrel in London trade, down $1.66 from Tuesday's settlement.

Rand Paul blames GOP hawks for rise of ISIS Posted: 27 May 2015 01:08 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul is blaming his own party for the rise of the Islamic State group.

In Misrata, Libya’s Sparta, fighters’ goal is to contain Islamic State Posted: 27 May 2015 12:33 PM PDT Mahmoud Shawse, a fighter for the Libya Dawn-allied 166 Brigade, had just stepped out to install a new surveillance camera when a car bomb detonated outside his base in Misrata.

Colorado theater shooting victims relive terror in courtroom Posted: 27 May 2015 12:32 PM PDT CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) — From the witness stand, Christina Blache could finally do what she had most wanted and most feared: She looked for the first time at the man who shot her, who killed her friend, who ravaged so many lives.

Temperatures soar across Mideast countries amid sandstorms Posted: 27 May 2015 11:19 AM PDT CAIRO (AP) — Temperatures soared across the Middle East on Wednesday, with winds and sandstorms driving people indoors as unlucky pedestrians tried to shield themselves from the sun with books, newspapers or anything they could find.

Emboldened in Syria and Iraq, Islamic State may be reaching limits of expansion Posted: 27 May 2015 10:41 AM PDT By Peter Graff LONDON (Reuters) - With its two biggest victories in nearly a year in Iraq and Syria, Islamic State has energized its fighters, littered the streets of two cities with the bodies of its enemies and forced Washington to re-examine its strategy. The near simultaneous capture this month of Ramadi west of Baghdad and Palmyra northeast of Damascus has reinforced the sway of the self-proclaimed caliphate of all Muslims closer to the ramparts of Islam's two great historic capitals. In both Iraq and Syria they have lost ground in recent months as well as gained it.

UN demands action for crimes against journalists Posted: 27 May 2015 10:37 AM PDT The UN Security Council on Wednesday urged world governments to end impunity for those who silence journalists in a resolution applauded as historic by a leading media rights group. The resolution adopted unanimously by the 15-member council expresses "deep concern at the threat to the safety of journalists" from extremists such as the Islamic State. Last year, 66 journalists were killed while on assignment, and more than 90 percent of crimes against reporters go unpunished, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

IS 'executes' 20 in Palmyra Roman theatre Posted: 27 May 2015 10:27 AM PDT The Islamic State group "executed" 20 men in front of a crowd in the UNESCO-listed Roman theatre of Syria's ancient city of Palmyra on Wednesday, a monitor said. Across the border the jihadists claimed to have abolished when they proclaimed their "caliphate" last year, thousands of Iraqi security forces and paramilitaries deployed across Anbar province. Nearly a week after seizing strategic Palmyra, IS gathered 20 men they accused of fighting for the regime in the ruins of the theatre and shot them dead, Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP.

Did GOP create ISIS? Why Rand Paul says so Posted: 27 May 2015 09:33 AM PDT Sen. Rand Paul (R) of Kentucky, who is a candidate for his party's 2016 presidential nomination, has created a national brand as a man unafraid of challenging party orthodoxy.

Egyptian police general killed in roadside bomb attack in Sinai Posted: 27 May 2015 09:01 AM PDT An Egyptian police brigadier general was killed in a roadside bomb attack on Wednesday in North Sinai, the interior ministry said, one of the most high-profile police deaths in the Islamist insurgency raging in the region. The Interior Ministry spokesman said the roadside bomb hit a team of security forces on the al-Samarat road in the provincial capital of al-Arish. Brigadier General Ahmed Ibrahim was a deputy in the criminal investigations department in North Sinai.

The Latest on IS: Detainees killed at theater in Syria ruins Posted: 27 May 2015 08:46 AM PDT 6:45 p.m. (1545 GMT)

Syrians lose hope in face of shocking carnage, devastation: U.N. Posted: 27 May 2015 08:40 AM PDT By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The people of Syria are losing hope in the fifth year of a civil war that has brought levels of death and destruction that are so extreme they should shock the world's collective conscience, the United Nations chief said in a report on Syria. Of the country's roughly 23 million people, some 12.2 million are in need of humanitarian aid, including 5 million children, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his monthly report published on Wednesday. "The level of carnage and devastation throughout the Syrian Arab Republic should shock the collective conscience of the world," said Ban's report, which covers the month of April and was largely prepared by outgoing U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos.

Can Bernie Sanders Push Hillary Clinton Further to the Left? Posted: 27 May 2015 08:26 AM PDT On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders held the first rally in his campaign for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, telling a group of voters in his home state, Vermont, that he will aggressively tackle income inequality. Sanders is one of the most colorful and little-known figures in American politics: He's 73, a former mayor of Burlington, Vermont, and a declared socialist. The question is: Can he push Clinton further to the left?

Iraq cleric Sadr criticises operation codename choice Posted: 27 May 2015 08:20 AM PDT Influential Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr on Wednesday criticised the codename given to a military operation in Sunni areas of Iraq, warning that it risked fanning the flames of sectarianism. The Hashed al-Shaabi, an umbrella for mostly Shiite militias and volunteers, on Tuesday launched an operation aimed at severing the Islamic State jihadist group's supply lines in Anbar province. "This name is going to be misunderstood, there's no doubt," said Sadr in a statement presented as an answer to a question by a religious student.

France calls for tougher global mobilization against IS Posted: 27 May 2015 08:01 AM PDT PARIS (AP) — French Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius called on the international community to strengthen its mobilization against the Islamic State group ahead of an international meeting on Iraq organized next week.

Syria says wants more Iraqi coordination in Islamic State fight Posted: 27 May 2015 07:42 AM PDT Damascus wants more coordination with Baghdad to combat Islamic State fighters who control land in both countries, Syria's foreign minister said on Wednesday, days after the group seized a border crossing and overran a central Syrian city. Islamic State seized al-Tanf border crossing with Iraq last week and has taken over the desert city of Palmyra, the first time the group has captured a large population center directly from the Syrian military.

Iraq rebrands military campaign against Islamic State over fears of sectarianism Posted: 27 May 2015 07:33 AM PDT A campaign led by Shi'ite paramilitaries to drive Islamic State militants from Iraq's Sunni heartland was rebranded on Wednesday after criticism that the name chosen for the push was overtly sectarian. The move was a response to fears that Iraq's reliance on Shi'ite paramilitaries to defeat Islamic State fighters, instead of the disordered and demoralized national army, could alienate Sunni Iraqis and deepen the region's sectarian divide. The United States said it was "unhelpful" that the militias had dubbed the operation to retake Iraq's western province of Anbar "Labeyk Ya Hussein." The name translates to "At your service, Hussein," in honor of one of the most revered figures in Shi'ite Islam.

Yemen war will end up harming Riyadh, Iran minister says Posted: 27 May 2015 05:53 AM PDT Iran's foreign minister urged rival Saudi Arabia to end its military campaign in Yemen, saying the war would "bring harm" to the kingdom, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported on Wednesday. Iran has repeatedly condemned a Saudi-led air offensive against Yemen's Houthi movement, launched in March after the Tehran-allied fighters began battling forces loyal to exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi for control of the country. Zarif's remarks from Kuwait, where he was attending a meeting of the Islamic Organisation Conference (IOC), was one of Tehran's most direct attempts yet to engage Gulf Arab countries on the crisis in Yemen.

Australian boy in Syria creates quandary for government Posted: 27 May 2015 05:24 AM PDT CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A 7-year-old Australian boy who horrified the world a year ago when he was photographed holding the severed head of a Syrian soldier by the hair has created a quandary for the government, which wants to make scores of Australian fighters in the Middle East someone else's problem by revoking their citizenship.

Al-Qaida operative pleads guilty to terrorism charges Posted: 27 May 2015 04:30 AM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — An al-Qaida operative has pleaded guilty to terrorism charges.

Iraqi forces take positions on Ramadi outskirts Posted: 27 May 2015 04:27 AM PDT Iraqi forces took up positions around Ramadi on Wednesday, seizing two districts after clashes with jihadists. Iraqi forces fought IS militants on the southern outskirts of Ramadi, the provincial capital of Iraq's western Anbar province which the jihadists seized on May 17. Hashed al-Shaabi is an umbrella group for mostly Shiite militias and volunteers that the government called in after Ramadi fell to IS.

Singapore detains two 'self-radicalized' teens, one aimed to join Islamic State Posted: 27 May 2015 03:30 AM PDT Singapore has detained two "self-radicalized" teenagers, one of whom wanted to join Islamic State militants in Syria, under an internal security law that allows for detention without trial for two years, the Ministry of Home Affairs said on Wednesday. Authorities in prosperous, multi-ethnic Singapore broke up plots for militant attacks more than a decade ago, after the Sept. 11, 2001, al Qaeda attacks on the United States. Recently, concern has been growing in countries around the world about individuals joining the cause of the Islamic State (IS).

White House Brief: Things to know about Rick Santorum Posted: 27 May 2015 01:26 AM PDT DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator who won the 2012 Iowa caucuses by a hair, is widely expected to enter the race for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination on Wednesday. Here are some key things to know:

China touts success of crackdown in restive Muslim region Posted: 27 May 2015 01:09 AM PDT BEIJING (AP) — China said Wednesday that it has foiled 181 terror plots since it started a crackdown a year ago on Islamic separatists in the northwestern region of Xinjiang that was prompted by a surge of violence that reached as far as Beijing.

Erdogan aims to turn Turkey into major defense industry power Posted: 26 May 2015 11:13 PM PDT By Jonny Hogg and Can Sezer ANKARA (Reuters) - For years Turkey has boasted NATO's largest army, bar only the United States, and now President Tayyip Erdogan wants a defense industry to match. Erdogan's dream that Turkey will make all its own military equipment within a few years reflects his ambition to play a greater role in a turbulent region and achieve independence from long-time allies in the West. Trying to drum up nationalist support as the ruling AK Party heads into tough parliamentary elections next month, Erdogan has also called repeatedly for the country to become a major exporter of everything from rifles to fighter jets.

Bernie-mania! Sanders launches 2016 campaign Posted: 26 May 2015 09:01 PM PDT There were dogs and children playing, people singing, and bikes and beach balls rolling. There was plenty of Ben & Jerry's ice cream eating, and melting, down by the lake. Kayaks and sailboats floated by.

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