Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Bernie Sanders applied for 'conscientious objector' status during Vietnam, campaign confirms
• Satellite images confirm destruction of famed temple in Syria's Palmyra: UN
• Iran's Parliament speaker says he supports nuclear deal
• Turkish court charges Vice News reporters with terrorism links
• EU struggles for answers as migrant influx raises tensions
• U.S., allies conduct 12 air strikes against Islamic State: U.S. military
• Anti-ISIS coalition falling short, says Canada PM
• France to build Calais camp for 1,500 migrants
• Blast at Syria's Palmyra prompts fears for famed temple
• Merkel says refugee crisis as challenging as reunifying Germany
• Why Islamic State set off explosives at Syria's ancient Bel temple
• Islamic State group seizes 200 residents of Iraqi town
• Greek coastguard rescues 2,500 migrants over three days
• Why GOP Opposition to the Iran Nuclear Deal Fizzled Out
• Turkey to offer rewards for 'denouncing terrorists'
• AP PHOTOS: Editor selections from the Middle East
• Today in History
• A year on, Yazidis so close yet so far from Iraq hub
• Australia urges more European nations to join IS air strikes
• IS burns four Iraqi Shiite fighters alive: video

Bernie Sanders applied for 'conscientious objector' status during Vietnam, campaign confirms Posted: 31 Aug 2015 04:03 PM PDT "As a college student in the 1960s he was a pacifist," Michael Briggs, campaign spokesman added in an email. "My question as a Vietnam veteran is: How on earth could a person claiming to be a conscientious objector become the commander in chief of the most powerful military in the world?" questioned the column author Steve Wikert. According to a profile from the Vermont Senator's hometown newspaper, the Burlington Free Press, his conscientious objector status application was eventually rejected, but by then Sanders was too old to be drafted.

Satellite images confirm destruction of famed temple in Syria's Palmyra: UN Posted: 31 Aug 2015 03:23 PM PDT Satellite images confirm the destruction of another famed temple in Syria's Palmyra, the United Nations said late Monday. "We can confirm destruction of the main building of the Temple of Bel as well as a row of columns in its immediate vicinity," the UN training and research agency UNITAR said, providing satellite images from before and after a powerful blast in the ruins of the ancient city Sunday. The blast had already raised fears Monday that the Islamic State group had damaged another of the Middle East's most treasured heritage sites.

Iran's Parliament speaker says he supports nuclear deal Posted: 31 Aug 2015 01:48 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Iran's Parliament speaker said Monday that he supports the historic nuclear deal with world powers aimed at reining in Tehran's efforts to build a bomb.

Turkish court charges Vice News reporters with terrorism links Posted: 31 Aug 2015 12:57 PM PDT By Seyhmus Cakan and Humeyra Pamuk DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - A Turkish court on Monday formally charged three employees of Vice News with having links to a terrorist organization, the online news channel said, days after they were detained while reporting from the mainly Kurdish southeast. Security sources and local media identified the three as two British reporters and their translator. "Vice News condemns in the strongest possible terms the Turkish government's attempts to silence our reporters who have been providing vital coverage from the region," Kevin Sutcliffe, Vice's head of news programing for Europe, said in a statement.

EU struggles for answers as migrant influx raises tensions Posted: 31 Aug 2015 12:43 PM PDT BRUSSELS (AP) — French and German leaders reminded other European countries Monday of their shared responsibility toward refugees, as one official blamed harsh government policy for the deaths of dozens of migrants crammed into a truck.

U.S., allies conduct 12 air strikes against Islamic State: U.S. military Posted: 31 Aug 2015 10:42 AM PDT The United States and its allies conducted 12 air strikes against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria on Sunday, the Combined Joint Task Force said in a statement on Monday. In Syria, one strike destroyed an excavator near Al Hawl, the military said. The 11 strikes in Iraq included hits on a homemade explosives cache and a resupply boat near Al Baghdadi, as well as attacks near several other towns, the statement said.

Anti-ISIS coalition falling short, says Canada PM Posted: 31 Aug 2015 09:36 AM PDT Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Monday the U.S.-led coalition's campaign against Islamic State was not doing as well as had been hoped in Syria and parts of Iraq. Harper also said Canada, one of the nations helping Iraq to fight the group also known as ISIS, would need "a long and sustained strategy" with its international partners against Islamic State, which controls large parts of northern and western Iraq.

France to build Calais camp for 1,500 migrants Posted: 31 Aug 2015 08:52 AM PDT By Pierre Savary CALAIS, France (Reuters) - France plans to build a camp this winter for as many as 1,500 migrants in the northern port city of Calais where twice that many are living in tents and hoping to make the sea-crossing to Britain. European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans, visiting Calais with French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, said the Commission would contribute 5 million euros ($5.6 million) to the new center which will house people in large tents. Calais mayor Natacha Bouchart said the new facility would be welcome but fell short of what was needed.

Blast at Syria's Palmyra prompts fears for famed temple Posted: 31 Aug 2015 08:35 AM PDT A powerful blast in the ruins of Syria's ancient Palmyra raised fears Monday that the Islamic State group has damaged another of the Middle East's most treasured heritage sites. Both Syria's antiquities chief and a monitor reported Sunday's explosion in the UNESCO World Heritage site, but there was conflicting information on the fate of its famed Temple of Bel. IS destroyed the smaller Baal Shamin temple at Palmyra last week, confirming the worst fears about their intentions for the site, which they seized from Syrian regime forces in May.

Merkel says refugee crisis as challenging as reunifying Germany Posted: 31 Aug 2015 08:32 AM PDT By Noah Barkin and Michelle Martin BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel likened the test Germany faces in coping with a flood of refugees to the challenge of reunifying the country 25 years ago, and called on citizens on Monday to show flexibility, patience and openness. In some of her strongest language to date, she also promised "zero tolerance" towards hate crimes and harassment of refugees.

Why Islamic State set off explosives at Syria's ancient Bel temple Posted: 31 Aug 2015 08:18 AM PDT In its latest assault on Syria's cultural heritage, the self-described Islamic State has used explosives to destroy part of the 2,000-year-old Temple of Bel in the ancient caravan town of Palmyra, local activists say. While the scale of the damage is unclear, IS appears to be stepping up its destruction of such sites for propaganda purposes, signaling to its supporters that its power is unbridled after a year of US-led airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. The temple is considered among the most important at Palmyra, which IS seized in May from Syrian forces.

Islamic State group seizes 200 residents of Iraqi town Posted: 31 Aug 2015 07:13 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — The mayor of a remote, Islamic State-held town in western Iraq said on Monday that some 200 residents have been detained by the group at an unknown location following clashes there.

Greek coastguard rescues 2,500 migrants over three days Posted: 31 Aug 2015 05:48 AM PDT By Angeliki Koutantou ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's coastguard has rescued about 2,500 migrants and refugees off the country's eastern islands over the past three days, authorities said on Monday, as the flow of people trying to cross into Europe continued unabated. The numbers of migrants being picked up by the coastguard have been rising steadily over the past week and the figures for the past three days are at the higher end of those seen this summer, a coastguard official said. After a hiatus of a few days last week, Greek authorities resumed ferrying Syrian refugees to the mainland by ship on Saturday and the latest group of 2,500 refugees arrived at the port of Piraeus earlier on Monday.

Why GOP Opposition to the Iran Nuclear Deal Fizzled Out Posted: 31 Aug 2015 05:00 AM PDT In the run-up to the August recess, congressional lawmakers for and against the Iran nuclear deal girded themselves for a potentially bruising, weeks-long break. Democrats had good reason to be concerned about being put in the cross-hairs over the potentially historic deal. In 2009, with Obamacare in play, angry town halls characterized by heated exchanges between lawmakers and their constituents spawned the Tea Party and cemented conservative opposition to President Obama's signature healthcare law.

Turkey to offer rewards for 'denouncing terrorists' Posted: 31 Aug 2015 03:57 AM PDT Turkish authorities will offer up to 4 million lira ($1.37 million) in rewards for those who help a crackdown on "terrorists", according to a new ruling published Monday. The decision comes after a surge in violence in the southeast between Turkish security forces and Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Kurdish militants which has nullified a 2013 truce. Under the government's plan, informants' rewards will be based on the "value of the information in preventing terrorism crimes and catching the suspects," said a statement in the official gazette, where all new legislation and government rulings are published.

AP PHOTOS: Editor selections from the Middle East Posted: 31 Aug 2015 01:32 AM PDT In the Middle East this past week, workers in Libya collected the bodies of migrants who drowned while trying to make their way across the Mediterranean to Europe. The death toll continued to rise after two boats capsized off the western coastal city of Zuwara with an estimated 500 migrants onboard.

Today in History Posted: 30 Aug 2015 09:00 PM PDT Today is Monday, August 31, the 243rd day of 2015. There are 122 days left in the year.

A year on, Yazidis so close yet so far from Iraq hub Posted: 30 Aug 2015 08:13 PM PDT Jihadists occupying the Iraqi town of Sinjar are so close that Kurdish fighters can watch them without binoculars and battles are often fought with hand grenades. "Sometimes they talk to us on the radio," said Colonel Hashem Seetayi, the commanding officer of Iraq's Kurdish peshmerga forces in the northwestern town. One of the peshmerga's forward positions is protected by a cleft in the mountain, but the water tank towering above it has so many holes that it is possible to see through it.

Australia urges more European nations to join IS air strikes Posted: 30 Aug 2015 06:54 PM PDT Australia on Monday urged more European nations to begin air strikes against Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq as a way of tackling the escalating refugee crisis gripping the continent. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said jihadists were responsible for driving hundreds of thousands of migrants to Europe and a broadening of the coalition fighting them was necessary. "Over 40 percent of the people currently seeking asylum in Europe are from Syria, and we need a united front to defeat the terrorist organisations that are driving the displacement of so many people," she told reporters in Sydney.

IS burns four Iraqi Shiite fighters alive: video Posted: 30 Aug 2015 05:07 PM PDT The Islamic State group strung up four Iraqi Shiite fighters with chains and burned them alive, according to footage posted online, the latest gruesome execution video from the jihadists. The victims -- identified as fighters in the pro-government Popular Mobilisation forces from southern Iraq -- were suspended from a swingset-like metal structure by chains attached to their hands and feet, then set on fire. IS, which overran large parts of Iraq last year and still controls much of the country's west, said the murders were in revenge for the alleged burning of four men by pro-government forces.

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