Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Brian Williams dropped from NBC's 'Nightly News,' will join MSNBC
• In one city, many views on US church killings
• Cameron to urge Muslim communities to do more to tackle extremism
• US struggling to train moderate Syrian rebels
• Disgraced NBC anchor demoted; black successor makes history
• Brian Williams' fall at NBC ends era of the celebrity news anchor
• Fourth alleged IS suspect arrested in NY area
• U.S. training for Syrian rebels moving slower than expected: Pentagon
• US agrees to pay millions for Agent Orange claims
• Probes started into potential U.S. spending on “ghost schools” in Afghanistan
• Greek coast guard searches seas nightly amid refugee crisis
• Charleston: Live Report
• It's Official: Brian Williams Will Remain at NBC News
• UN chief criticizes Israel over deaths of children in Gaza
• Inside Islamic State group's rule: Creating a nation of fear
• A short chronology of the Islamic State group
• For cigarette smuggler, a perilous life under Islamic State
• Analysis: Obama Asia policy faces toughest test on trade
• Seizure Of Terrorist Bomb-Making Materials Planned For Bahrain And Saudi Arabia
• NBC removes Brian Williams from 'Nightly News'
• Extraditing 1982 Paris attack suspect from Jordan 'difficult'
• Bahrain says seizes explosives meant for use in Saudi Arabia
• Iraq denies Islamic State claim it shot down fighter plane
• UK's Labour seeks a chief to lead it out of the wilderness
• Record 60 million forced to flee war, violence: UN
• 10 Things to See: A week of top AP photos
• A year on, Islamic State 'caliphate' infamous for brutality
• Serbia 'shocked' by Hungary's plans to build border fence
• Iraq village takes radical stand against national woes
• 10 Things to Know for Today
• Islamic State targeted in 22 air strikes by U.S., allies: military statement
• As civil wars spread, world's refugee population at post-WWII high, UN says
• Reports: Williams out as 'Nightly News' anchor
• Coptic Solidarity Conference Provides Key Recommendation to Stop Genocide of Minorities in Middle East
• UN: Global refugee numbers reach alarming levels
• Top Asian News at 10:30 a.m. GMT
• Stop playing politics with Iran's war dead, families say: IRNA
• Afghan officials: 11 police, army dead in Taliban attack
• Arrest warrant for Australian doctor who joined IS
• Quotations in the News

Brian Williams dropped from NBC's 'Nightly News,' will join MSNBC Posted: 18 Jun 2015 04:49 PM PDT By Paricia Reaney NEW YORK (Reuters) - Television newsman Brian Williams, who was suspended for fabricating a story about being on board a helicopter when it was attacked in Iraq, has been dropped as anchor of the top-rated NBC "Nightly News" program, the network said on Thursday. Williams, 56, will join the network's cable channel MSNBC as anchor of breaking news and special reports in mid-August. Lester Holt, who has anchored the "Nightly News" show since Williams' six-month suspension in February, will now be the permanent anchor of the Comcast Corp owned network's flagship news program.

In one city, many views on US church killings Posted: 18 Jun 2015 04:19 PM PDT Charleston, a genteel southern city of 128,000 that was once the US capital of the transatlantic slave trade, was in a stunned state of grief Thursday, a day after a young white man gunned down nine people in a historic African-American church. When police reopened the street that runs past the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, a white 19th century gothic building with a towering steeple, Joyce Gilliard rushed down to pay her respects.

Cameron to urge Muslim communities to do more to tackle extremism Posted: 18 Jun 2015 04:05 PM PDT Prime Minister David Cameron will on Friday call on Muslim communities and families to do more to help tackle extremism, warning that some risk encouraging young people to be radicalised by giving weight to such views. Cameron will highlight two cases this week - a 17-year-old from Northern England who blew himself up in Iraq and three sisters who abandoned their husbands and are believed to be bound for Syria with their nine children - as examples of how people can slide from prejudice to extremism.

US struggling to train moderate Syrian rebels Posted: 18 Jun 2015 03:27 PM PDT The US is struggling to implement its training program for moderate Syrian rebels fighting the Islamic State group, according to figures released Thursday by the Pentagon. Only "100 to 200" fighters have actively begun training at US sites in Jordan and Turkey, according to Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren, of the 5,000 forces the military says it wants to train over the year. Pentagon Chief Ashton Carter told a congressional committee Wednesday that it is difficult to find fighters that are both moderate and willing to take on the IS group as their primary foe.

Disgraced NBC anchor demoted; black successor makes history Posted: 18 Jun 2015 03:15 PM PDT Disgraced US television news anchor Brian Williams was dumped from NBC's nightly news program Thursday, and replaced by the first African American to helm a weekday network evening newscast. The 56-year-old Williams -- whose embellishment of an Iraq war story led to his suspension -- has been shifted to sister cable network MSNBC, where he will take over as anchor of breaking news and special reports in mid-August. Lester Holt -- who has been filling in for Williams -- will permanently take over as anchor of NBC Nightly News, in a breakthrough for black journalists.

Brian Williams' fall at NBC ends era of the celebrity news anchor Posted: 18 Jun 2015 03:09 PM PDT By Piya Sinha-Roy LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Fifty years ago, TV network news anchors such as Walter Cronkite were the trusted, familiar faces watched by millions of Americans who tuned in every night to watch them deliver the news with authority. Now, in an era of news delivered around the clock on the Internet, cable television and social media, the celebrity TV news anchor appears to be a dying breed. NBC may have driven the final nail in the coffin on Thursday.

Fourth alleged IS suspect arrested in NY area Posted: 18 Jun 2015 03:04 PM PDT A fourth US citizen has been arrested in the greater New York area in less than a week on allegations of supporting the Islamic State extremist group, officials said Thursday. Samuel Rahamin Topaz, 21, from Fort Lee, New Jersey, was charged with conspiracy to provide material support to the IS group, which has declared a "caliphate" based in Iraq and Syria. Court papers allege he was in close contact with Munther Omar Saleh, a 20-year-old student from New York who was arrested last Saturday after trying to stab an FBI surveillance officer.

U.S. training for Syrian rebels moving slower than expected: Pentagon Posted: 18 Jun 2015 01:47 PM PDT By David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. effort to build a moderate Syrian opposition force that can stand up to Islamic State rebels is moving more slowly than expected due to complications vetting volunteers and bringing them out of Syria for training, the Pentagon said on Thursday. Army Colonel Steve Warren, a Defense Department spokesman, said between 100 and 200 Syrian fighters were undergoing training in the region, while hundreds more were still being screened or waiting to be brought out of the country.

US agrees to pay millions for Agent Orange claims Posted: 18 Jun 2015 12:55 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Ending years of wait, the government agreed Thursday to provide disability benefits to as many as 2,100 Air Force reservists and active-duty forces exposed to Agent Orange residue on airplanes used in the Vietnam War.

Probes started into potential U.S. spending on “ghost schools” in Afghanistan Posted: 18 Jun 2015 12:15 PM PDT Officials in Washington and Kabul are examining whether U.S. funds were spent for schooling in Afghanistan that never occurred

Greek coast guard searches seas nightly amid refugee crisis Posted: 18 Jun 2015 11:34 AM PDT OFF THE COAST OF LESVOS, Greece (AP) — In the dead of night, a Greek coast guard patrol boat slips its moorings, heading out across the bay toward the Aegean Sea that separates the island of Lesvos from the nearby Turkish coast.

Charleston: Live Report Posted: 18 Jun 2015 11:28 AM PDT Charleston (United States) (AFP) - 17:30 GMT - With the suspect in custody, we are closing our Live Report on the manhunt. Today, prayer services are planned in Charleston to mark the tragedy as the city tries to come to terms with violence in a place of worship. President Obama noted the difficulty in contolling gun and race-based violence in the United States, but said it must be done.

It's Official: Brian Williams Will Remain at NBC News Posted: 18 Jun 2015 11:25 AM PDT Lester Holt becomes the permanent anchor of 'Nightly News,' while executives have carved out a reporting role for Williams at MSNBC.

UN chief criticizes Israel over deaths of children in Gaza Posted: 18 Jun 2015 11:20 AM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday criticized Israel for the death and suffering of Palestinian children during last summer's conflict in Gaza, reiterating his demand for the Israeli government to take immediate steps to prevent such killings.

Inside Islamic State group's rule: Creating a nation of fear Posted: 18 Jun 2015 11:11 AM PDT ESKI MOSUL, Iraq (AP) — When the Islamic State fighters burst into the Iraqi village of Eski Mosul, Sheikh Abdullah Ibrahim knew his wife was in trouble.

A short chronology of the Islamic State group Posted: 18 Jun 2015 11:11 AM PDT April 18, 2010 — U.S. and Iraqi forces kill two top leaders of al-Qaida's branch in Iraq. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi becomes the terror group's new leader.

For cigarette smuggler, a perilous life under Islamic State Posted: 18 Jun 2015 11:08 AM PDT ESKI MOSUL, Iraq (AP) — It was a heart-racing moment. The cigarette smuggler was stuck in line at a checkpoint as, up ahead, Islamic State militants were searching cars. He was running a big risk: The militants have banned smoking and lighting up is punishable with a fine or broken finger. Selling cigarettes can be a death sentence.

Analysis: Obama Asia policy faces toughest test on trade Posted: 18 Jun 2015 10:57 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Critics have long predicted that President Barack Obama's policy to shift America's focus toward Asia is doomed. The legislative battle over his trade agenda could prove the acid test.

Seizure Of Terrorist Bomb-Making Materials Planned For Bahrain And Saudi Arabia Posted: 18 Jun 2015 10:51 AM PDT MANAMA, Bahrain, June 18, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Bahrain's Chief of Police today confirmed reports that security authorities have seized significant quantities of internationally sourced explosives and bomb-making materials planned for use in terrorist attacks against Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. ...

NBC removes Brian Williams from 'Nightly News' Posted: 18 Jun 2015 10:45 AM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — NBC News says that Brian Williams will not return to his job as "Nightly News" anchor, but will remain anchor breaking news reports at the cable network MSNBC.

Extraditing 1982 Paris attack suspect from Jordan 'difficult' Posted: 18 Jun 2015 10:45 AM PDT Extraditing to France the suspected mastermind of a deadly attack on a Paris Jewish restaurant in 1982 may prove difficult, a Jordanian source close to the case said on Thursday. "Jordan does not usually extradite its citizens to other countries, even in the case of an extradition agreement," the source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. Zuhair Mohamad Hassan Khalid al-Abassi, alias "Amjad Atta", was one of three men for whom France issued an international arrest warrant earlier this year over the attack that killed six people and wounded 22.

Bahrain says seizes explosives meant for use in Saudi Arabia Posted: 18 Jun 2015 09:46 AM PDT Bahrain said on Thursday it had seized explosives and bomb-making materials earmarked for use in Bahrain and neighboring Saudi Arabia in what it described as an Iranian attempt to use Bahraini borders as a base for attacking targets in the region. Police chief Major-General Tariq al-Hasan said the methods used to assemble the explosives bore "clear similarities" to those of what he called proxy groups of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp operating in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sunni Muslim-ruled Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, often accuses Iran, a Shi'ite Muslim theocracy, of seeking to subvert the Gulf Arab island monarchy.

Iraq denies Islamic State claim it shot down fighter plane Posted: 18 Jun 2015 09:42 AM PDT Iraq's defense ministry and the U.S. military dismissed a claim by Islamic State on Thursday that it had shot down an Iraqi fighter plane. Islamic State said on one of its Twitter accounts it had shot down the fighter north of the Anbar provincial capital Ramadi, which the group seized last month. The U.S. military dismissed the Islamic State claim, saying all U.S.-led coalition aircraft as well as Iraqi aircraft had been accounted for.

UK's Labour seeks a chief to lead it out of the wilderness Posted: 18 Jun 2015 09:31 AM PDT LONDON (AP) — Defeated political party seeks leader. Compass a plus.

Record 60 million forced to flee war, violence: UN Posted: 18 Jun 2015 08:54 AM PDT The number of people forced to flee war, violence and persecution has soared to a record 60 million, half of them children, the United Nations said Thursday, warning that the situation was raging out of control. The situation is "getting out of control simply because the world seems to be at war," UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres told reporters ahead of the launch of the annual report. The number of displaced stood at 59.5 million worldwide at the end of 2014, "as a result of persecution, conflict, generalised violence, or human rights violations", the report said.

10 Things to See: A week of top AP photos Posted: 18 Jun 2015 08:45 AM PDT Here's your look at highlights from the weekly AP photo report, a gallery featuring a mix of front-page photography, the odd image you might have missed and lasting moments our editors think you should see.

A year on, Islamic State 'caliphate' infamous for brutality Posted: 18 Jun 2015 08:14 AM PDT In the year since it declared its "caliphate," the Islamic State group has become the world's most infamous jihadist organisation, attracting international franchises and spreading fear with acts of extreme violence. IS proclaimed its self-described caliphate on June 29, 2014, urging Muslims worldwide to pledge allegiance to its Iraqi leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, renamed Caliph Ibrahim. Vowing to make "the West and the East... submit", IS has expanded its territory throughout northern and western Iraq and eastern and northern Syria.

Serbia 'shocked' by Hungary's plans to build border fence Posted: 18 Jun 2015 07:59 AM PDT BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Balkan countries and the European Union on Thursday criticized Hungary's plans to build a fence along the border with Serbia to stop the flow of migrants reaching the country.

Iraq village takes radical stand against national woes Posted: 18 Jun 2015 07:36 AM PDT Smoking, horn honking and political debating -- these may sound like a few of Iraq's favourite things, but one village has banned them all to beat the national doom and gloom. "Smoking just isn't good for you," said Kadhim Hassoon, standing proudly by a red-and-white crossed out cigarette sign marking the entrance of Albu Nahadh, a hamlet nestled along a river bank in the fertile heart of Iraq's south. Tobacco is also banned in areas held by the Islamic State group, but that is really all Albu Nahadh has in common with the self-proclaimed caliphate that has brought Iraq to the brink of break-up.

10 Things to Know for Today Posted: 18 Jun 2015 07:00 AM PDT Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:

Islamic State targeted in 22 air strikes by U.S., allies: military statement Posted: 18 Jun 2015 06:21 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and coalition allies staged 22 air strikes on Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria in the latest daily attacks on the militant group, the Combined Joint Task Force said in a statement on Thursday. Sixteen of the strikes were near the Iraqi cities of Baghdadi, Al Huwayjah, Bayji, Fallujah, Ramadi, Sinjar and Tal Afar and hit tactical units, vehicles, fighting positions, buildings and other assets. In Syria, a tunnel system, tactical units, vehicles and fighting positions were struck near Al Hasakah, Dayr Az Zawr and Tal Abyad. ...

As civil wars spread, world's refugee population at post-WWII high, UN says Posted: 18 Jun 2015 05:27 AM PDT The head of the UN refugee agency, Antonio Guterres, called the situation a "paradigm change" and an "unchecked slide" from previous years, largely the result of an upsurge in violence and persecution, including 15 new conflicts in the past five years. Recommended: Do you understand the Syria conflict? The largest toll stems from the four-year civil war in Syria: 7.6 million Syrians are internally displaced and 3.9 million are outside the country.

Reports: Williams out as 'Nightly News' anchor Posted: 18 Jun 2015 04:35 AM PDT Brian Williams won't return as NBC "Nightly News" anchor at the conclusion of his suspension for misrepresenting his role in a news story and following an investigation into other alleged misstatements. ...

Coptic Solidarity Conference Provides Key Recommendation to Stop Genocide of Minorities in Middle East Posted: 18 Jun 2015 04:00 AM PDT WASHINGTON, June 18, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Coptic Solidarity hosted its 6th Annual Conference June 11-12th in Washington, DC to discuss the rising persecution of religious minorities in the Middle East. This past February, ISIS captured and martyred 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians in Libya followed by the murder of 30 Ethiopian Christians. Coptic Solidarity, host of the event, works to help Copts in Egypt and Middle East minorities achieve equal human rights.

UN: Global refugee numbers reach alarming levels Posted: 18 Jun 2015 03:54 AM PDT BERLIN (AP) — Syria overtook Afghanistan to become the world's biggest source of refugees last year, while the number of people forced from their homes by conflicts worldwide rose to a record 59.5 million, the United Nations' refugee agency said Thursday.

Top Asian News at 10:30 a.m. GMT Posted: 18 Jun 2015 03:32 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and top Republicans in Congress joined forces Wednesday on a quick, bipartisan rescue attempt for the administration's trade agenda, left for dead in the House last week in a revolt carried out by Democrats and backed by organized labor. Officials said the Republican-controlled House would vote Thursday on a stand-alone bill to give Obama the enhanced negotiating authority the administration seeks as part of an effort to complete a 12-nation trade deal with Pacific Rim countries.

Stop playing politics with Iran's war dead, families say: IRNA Posted: 18 Jun 2015 03:28 AM PDT By Sam Wilkin DUBAI (Reuters) - The families of Iranian military divers killed in a 1980s war with Iraq have condemned moves to politicize a recent reburial ceremony, state news agency IRNA said on Thursday, in a likely reference to hardliners opposed to compromise with the West. A military spokesman said they had been captured and buried alive by Saddam Hussein's forces in 1986. In state television coverage of the ceremony, some members of the crowd could be seen holding up placards criticizing Iran's negotiations with six world powers, which aim to curb Iran's nuclear program in exchange for relief from international sanctions.

Afghan officials: 11 police, army dead in Taliban attack Posted: 18 Jun 2015 02:41 AM PDT KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — At least 11 members of Afghanistan's security forces have been killed in a Taliban assault on government buildings in an unstable district in southern Helmand province, officials said on Thursday.

Arrest warrant for Australian doctor who joined IS Posted: 18 Jun 2015 12:42 AM PDT An arrest warrant was issued on Thursday for an Australian-trained doctor who appeared in an Islamic State propaganda video which urges other medical professionals to join the jihadists, police said. Tareq Kamleh was shown in the slick video, uploaded to YouTube in April, identifying himself as Abu Yusuf and explaining that he travelled to the city of Raqa in Syria to use his medical skills in the IS cause. Police said he was an Adelaide-trained doctor who has worked in hospitals in South Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Quotations in the News Posted: 18 Jun 2015 12:05 AM PDT "I see these kids all the time and they are just so happy to have gone to this country and the opportunity. I feel like as a country we've failed them." — Sari Kosdon, University of California, Berkeley, graduate student who has lived at Library Gardens, the scene of a balcony collapse that killed six college students, all but one from Ireland.

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