Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• US is immigrant nation, should welcome refugees: Kerry
• Is Russia trumping US in Syria? Pentagon is of two minds
• Protester killed in unrest in Iraq's Kurdistan region
• U.S. pulls plug on Syria rebel training effort; will focus on weapons supply
• Nobel Peace Prize boosts struggling Tunisian democracy
• Islamic State closes in on Syrian city of Aleppo; U.S. abandons rebel training effort
• IS advances near Syria's Aleppo despite Russian strikes
• UN high post, ensnared in alleged bribe case, ripe for risk
• The Latest: German country declares refugee emergency
• Kremlin turns opinion over Syria with U.S.-style 'shock and awe' media blitz
• Russia turns to backwater navy for Syria missile strikes
• Pope turns bishops' attention to family crises in Mideast
• PKK leader says ready for new Turkey ceasefire
• Six killed in Gaza as Israeli-Palestinian violence widens
• Pentagon scaling back Syria rebel training: officials
• Putin’s Missiles Take Out Terrorist Iranian Cows
• 1,358 died in hajj disaster: foreign data
• Syria air strikes leave Russia at risk of revenge attacks
• Terror funding defendant wants federal case dismissed
• Tunisian mediator group wins Nobel Peace Prize for aiding move to democracy
• U.N. council OKs mission against human trafficking off Libya
• Defense secretary confirms Russian missiles crashed in Iran
• The Latest: Slain Iran general was key figure in Syria war
• Trump Gets an Endorsement from Putin’s Crimean Crony
• AP Photos: Portraits of refugees along Europe migrant trail
• Senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards general killed in Syria: IRGC
• U.S. targets Islamic State with 15 air strikes in Syria, Iraq: statement
• Iran declines to confirm hit by Russia missiles
• Iraq officials: mortar attack in Diyala province kills 35
• Ancient Ethiopian man's genome illuminates ancestry of Africans
• Australian mosque leader tells violent Muslims to leave country
• Paraguay enters first film for consideration for Foreign Film Oscar
• Nuclear opponents, Good Samaritans tipped for Nobel peace award
• Baby dies after migrant boat breaks down off Greek island
• Australian PM calls for calm amid planned anti-Islam protest
• How IS's black flag became the symbol of modern jihad
• EU warships start migrant smuggler patrols as leaders urge unity
• 8 memorable presidents of the UN General Assembly
• Russian missiles aimed at Syria crashed in Iran: US official

US is immigrant nation, should welcome refugees: Kerry Posted: 09 Oct 2015 02:30 PM PDT US Secretary of State John Kerry rebuked those opposed to welcoming Syrian refugees on Friday, insisting that immigrants built and defined America as a nation. Speaking at an event at the State Department to mark Global Diaspora Week, Kerry dismissed calls for the United States to seal its borders to outsiders. "Immigrants built America and immigrants continue to make America what it is today," he declared, to applause from delegates celebrating immigrant communities.

Is Russia trumping US in Syria? Pentagon is of two minds Posted: 09 Oct 2015 02:09 PM PDT US officials see Russia as getting itself involved in its own Iraq War – or more accurately, a reprise of its disastrous intervention into Afghanistan in the 1980s. Recommended: How much do you know about the Islamic State? "If we're joking about Russians getting dragged into the quagmire, well, we're in there, too," notes Anthony Cordesman, a defense analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

Protester killed in unrest in Iraq's Kurdistan region Posted: 09 Oct 2015 02:04 PM PDT Protesters torched an office of the main political party in Iraq's Kurdish north on Friday after at least one demonstrator was killed in the worst unrest the region has seen for several years. Five other people were wounded in the city of Qaladize following a week of strikes and demonstrations in Kurdistan that threaten to destabilize the autonomous region while it is at war with Islamic State militants. In other towns and cities across the region, political parties tightened security around their offices to avert attacks from rivals.

U.S. pulls plug on Syria rebel training effort; will focus on weapons supply Posted: 09 Oct 2015 01:21 PM PDT By Phil Stewart and Kate Holton LONDON (Reuters) - The United States will largely abandon its failed efforts to train moderate Syrian rebels fighting Islamic State, and instead provide arms and equipment directly to rebel leaders and their units on the battlefield, the Obama administration said on Friday. The U.S. announcement marked the effective end to a short-lived $580 million program to train and equip units of fighters at sites outside of Syria, after its disastrous launch this year fanned criticism of President Barack Obama's war strategy. The Pentagon said it would shift its focus away from training to providing weapons and other equipment to rebel groups whose leaders have passed a U.S. vetting process to ensure they are not linked to militant Islamist groups.

Nobel Peace Prize boosts struggling Tunisian democracy Posted: 09 Oct 2015 01:09 PM PDT TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — It was the fall of 2013 and Tunisia's newfound democracy was in grave danger. The assassination of a left-wing politician had prompted the opposition to walk out of the constitutional assembly. The government was paralyzed, the constitution unfinished and the country on the brink of war.

Islamic State closes in on Syrian city of Aleppo; U.S. abandons rebel training effort Posted: 09 Oct 2015 01:00 PM PDT By Dominic Evans and Parisa Hafezi BEIRUT/ANKARA (Reuters) - Islamic State fighters have seized villages close to the northern city of Aleppo from rival insurgents, a monitoring group said on Friday, despite an intensifying Russian air-and-sea campaign that Moscow says has targeted the militant group. News of the advance came as the United States announced it was largely abandoning its failed program to train moderate rebels fighting Islamic State and would instead provide arms and equipment directly to rebel leaders and their units on the battlefield. The Obama administration is grappling with a dramatic change in the four-year-old Syrian civil war brought about by Moscow's intervention in support of President Bashar al-Assad.

IS advances near Syria's Aleppo despite Russian strikes Posted: 09 Oct 2015 12:14 PM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — Islamic State militants captured a string of villages near Aleppo on Friday in a lightning attack that brought them closer to the prized city in northern Syria, despite a major increase in Russian airstrikes that Moscow insists are targeting the extremists.

UN high post, ensnared in alleged bribe case, ripe for risk Posted: 09 Oct 2015 11:31 AM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — This is how a former president of the U.N. General Assembly, arrested this week in an alleged bribery scheme, paid himself, the criminal complaint says: John Ashe accepted more than $3 million from foreign governments and individuals, signed checks to himself and wrote on them "Salary."

The Latest: German country declares refugee emergency Posted: 09 Oct 2015 10:56 AM PDT ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The latest developments as hundreds of thousands of people seeking safety make an epic trek through Europe. All times local.

Kremlin turns opinion over Syria with U.S.-style 'shock and awe' media blitz Posted: 09 Oct 2015 10:40 AM PDT By Andrew Osborn MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and his circle have spent years criticizing what they said was Washington's calamitous 2003 military intervention in Iraq and its pernicious habit of meddling in the Middle East. In Russia, Moscow's Syria intervention is being similarly sold.

Russia turns to backwater navy for Syria missile strikes Posted: 09 Oct 2015 10:40 AM PDT By Jack Stubbs MOSCOW (Reuters) - The sailors of Russia's Caspian fleet have seen little action over the last 300 years but now the war raging in Syria has thrust them into the forefront of Russia's largest military operation abroad since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Better known for oil drilling and sturgeon smuggling than strategic naval importance, the Caspian Sea bordering Central Asia and the Middle East was an unexpected place for Russia to launch a battery of cruise missile attacks against Islamic State targets in Syria on Wednesday. Obtaining permission to fly missiles through the airspace of NATO-member Turkey was an unlikely prospect and a land-based attack was ruled out by the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty which prohibits the use of ground-launched missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 km. "It was simply the only option," said Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Moscow-based Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies.

Pope turns bishops' attention to family crises in Mideast Posted: 09 Oct 2015 10:32 AM PDT VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis directed the attention of the world's bishops to real-world crises Friday by denouncing the escalation of conflicts in Syria and Iraq and urging greater diplomacy to end the "humanitarian crisis of enormous proportions."

PKK leader says ready for new Turkey ceasefire Posted: 09 Oct 2015 10:11 AM PDT The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) is ready for a new ceasefire with the Turkish authorities despite almost three months of deadly violence, one of its leaders told AFP in an interview at its stronghold in northern Iraq. The PKK, which since 1984 has waged an armed struggle for autonomy and greater rights for Kurds in Turkey, declared a ceasefire in March 2013.

Six killed in Gaza as Israeli-Palestinian violence widens Posted: 09 Oct 2015 10:07 AM PDT By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Luke Baker GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli troops shot dead six Palestinians in protests in Gaza and a knife-wielding Jewish man wounded four Arabs in southern Israel on Friday in a wave of violence that has fueled talk of a new uprising against Israel. The soldiers shot across the border into Gaza after the Palestinians came too close to the Israeli frontier, throwing stones and rolling burning tyres, an army spokeswoman said. Gaza medics said six people were killed and 50 wounded.

Pentagon scaling back Syria rebel training: officials Posted: 09 Oct 2015 10:02 AM PDT The Pentagon said Friday it will halt its troubled program to build Syrian rebel units to fight the Islamic State and focus instead on training and arming vetted leaders already on the ground. The switch in tactics will be seen as a tacit admission that the Pentagon's $500 million program to train thousands of "moderate" Syrian rebels has failed. Two small groups of US-trained fighters have crossed into Syria from Turkey this year, but one broke up after coming under attack and the other surrendered much of its equipment to an Al-Qaeda front group.

Putin’s Missiles Take Out Terrorist Iranian Cows Posted: 09 Oct 2015 09:45 AM PDT It appears that cows have begun aligning themselves with terrorist organizations, and Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces are taking the steps necessary to shut down this bovine threat before things get any worse. Shortly after Russian warships in the Caspian Sea launched a reported 26 cruise missiles toward Syria on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu appeared on television to celebrate the success of the attack.

1,358 died in hajj disaster: foreign data Posted: 09 Oct 2015 09:28 AM PDT Dubai (AFP) - Saudi Arabia has yet to provide a breakdown of the nationalities of the 769 Muslim pilgrims it says died in the September 24 hajj stampede, but many countries have announced the deaths of citizens.

Syria air strikes leave Russia at risk of revenge attacks Posted: 09 Oct 2015 09:19 AM PDT By Maria Tsvetkova and Christian Lowe MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin has taken a risk by launching air strikes against Islamists in Syria because they could incite militants to seek revenge by attacking targets inside Russia. The Kremlin has largely contained Islamist violence in Russia by cracking down hard but the bombardment of Syria could prompt global jihadists to put Russia on the list of targets they encourage their followers to attack. Russia has suffered attacks by Islamist militants before, including suicide bombings in Moscow five years ago which killed dozens of people, and more now might turn public opinion against the military intervention in Syria.

Terror funding defendant wants federal case dismissed Posted: 09 Oct 2015 09:12 AM PDT ST. LOUIS (AP) — A Bosnian man has asked a federal judge in St. Louis to toss out an indictment accusing him of supporting terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria, insisting prosecutors lack sufficient facts proving he tried to underwrite terrorism.

Tunisian mediator group wins Nobel Peace Prize for aiding move to democracy Posted: 09 Oct 2015 08:41 AM PDT By Gwladys Fouche and Tarek Amara OSLO/TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisia's National Dialogue Quartet won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for helping build democracy in the birthplace of the Arab Spring, an example of peaceful transition in a region otherwise struggling with violence and upheaval. The quartet of the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA), the Tunisian Human Rights League (LTDH), and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers was formed in the summer of 2013. It helped support the democratisation process when it was in danger of collapsing, the Norwegian Nobel committee said in its citation.

U.N. council OKs mission against human trafficking off Libya Posted: 09 Oct 2015 08:34 AM PDT By Michelle Nichols and Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations Security Council on Friday authorized European Union naval operations for one year to seize and dispose of vessels operated by human traffickers in the high seas off Libya. The resolution approved the second of three phases of an EU naval mission intended to help stem the flow of migrants and refugees into Europe, which has escalated into a major crisis in recent months. Libya initially objected to the draft U.N. resolution on the high seas mission, but its U.N. Ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi wrote to the council Tuesday to say the country's concerns had been allayed and it agreed to the final draft.

Defense secretary confirms Russian missiles crashed in Iran Posted: 09 Oct 2015 07:03 AM PDT LONDON (AP) — The U.S. has indications that four Russian cruise missiles crashed in Iran rather than Syria, suggesting there were malfunctions, Defense Secretary Ash Carter confirmed Friday.

The Latest: Slain Iran general was key figure in Syria war Posted: 09 Oct 2015 06:17 AM PDT DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The latest developments as Syrian troops and other nations battle militants in Syria. (All times local in Syria).

Trump Gets an Endorsement from Putin’s Crimean Crony Posted: 09 Oct 2015 06:00 AM PDT Real estate billionaire and loudmouthed GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump has made a number of statements in the past week that seemed to support Russian President Vladimir Putin's most recent military adventure in Syria. Calling Trump an "extraordinary person," the mayor of Yalta, Andrey Rostenko, has penned an open letter to the former reality television star, praising his positions and inviting him to come visit occupied Crimea after he is elected president, going so far as to suggest the city might name a street for him. "After your victory in the election you plan to establish friendly relations with President Putin – and this is an excellent decision," he wrote.

AP Photos: Portraits of refugees along Europe migrant trail Posted: 09 Oct 2015 05:39 AM PDT Shortly after a dinghy overloaded with refugees from Syria and Iraq reached the Greek island of Lesbos, Mahmoud Naoura stood and raised his hands, chanting "Thank you God, we are safe."

Senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards general killed in Syria: IRGC Posted: 09 Oct 2015 05:32 AM PDT By Parisa Hafezi ANKARA (Reuters) - An Iranian Revolutionary Guards general has been killed near Aleppo while advising the Syrian army on their battle against Islamic State fighters, the guards said in a statement on Friday. The Guards said General Hossein Hamedani was killed on Thursday night and that he had "played an important role ... reinforcing the front of Islamic resistance against the terrorists". Iran is the main regional ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and has provided military and economic support during Syria's four-year-old civil war.

U.S. targets Islamic State with 15 air strikes in Syria, Iraq: statement Posted: 09 Oct 2015 05:07 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S.-lead coalition launched 15 airstrikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria on Thursday, the Combined Joint Task Force leading the operations said. Two strikes in Syria hit near Ar Raqqa and Mar'a, while 15 strikes targeted the militant group near eight cities, including Ramadi, Sinjar and Kisik, the task force said in a statement released on Friday. (Reporting by Susan Heavey, Editing by Franklin Paul)

Iran declines to confirm hit by Russia missiles Posted: 09 Oct 2015 02:39 AM PDT Iran on Friday declined to confirm a claim by a US official that Russian missiles targeting rebels in Syria crashed in its territory this week. "We don't confirm" this information, foreign ministry spokeswoman Afkham Marzieh said when asked about the claim. The US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, had said the missiles crashed in Iran on Wednesday, but did not provide details about where they might have come down or whether they caused any damage.

Iraq officials: mortar attack in Diyala province kills 35 Posted: 09 Oct 2015 01:16 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi police officials say at least 35 people were killed in a mortar attack on villages around the provincial capital of the country's eastern Diyala province.

Ancient Ethiopian man's genome illuminates ancestry of Africans Posted: 09 Oct 2015 12:30 AM PDT By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - DNA extracted from the skull of a man buried 4,500 years ago in an Ethiopian cave is providing new clarity on the ancestry of modern Africans as well as shedding light on an influx of people from the ancient Middle East into the Horn of Africa. Until now, genome sequencing efforts on ancient people have focused on remains from cooler, drier climes that tend to better preserve DNA. The cave, sitting 6,440 feet (1,963 meters) above sea level in southwestern Ethiopia's Gamo highlands, was discovered in 2011, University of Cambridge geneticist Andrea Manica said.

Australian mosque leader tells violent Muslims to leave country Posted: 09 Oct 2015 12:12 AM PDT The leader of the Sydney mosque attended by a 15-year-old who killed a police worker has called for an end to violent extremism, saying Friday that Muslims who reject Australian values should leave the country. Mosque chairman Neil El-Kadomi explained to reporters what he had told the faithful at morning prayers and ahead of a planned evening protest by right-wingers to close the building down. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull also advised people to leave if Australian values were "unpalatable".

Paraguay enters first film for consideration for Foreign Film Oscar Posted: 09 Oct 2015 12:10 AM PDT A total of 81 countries have submitted films for consideration for the 2015 Foreign Language Film Oscar, including first-time entrant Paraguay.

Nuclear opponents, Good Samaritans tipped for Nobel peace award Posted: 08 Oct 2015 11:57 PM PDT The pope, the German chancellor and a Congolese doctor were all tipped as top contenders for Friday's Nobel Peace Prize, but speculation was mounting that the honour could go to two octogenarian survivors of the atomic bombings of Japan 70 years ago. As the annual Nobel prize-giving week reached its peak, the five-member committee was set to unveil the winner of the Peace Prize, the only one of six awards to be presented in Oslo and the one which traditionally garners the most attention and speculation. This year, pundits largely agree the prize is likely to be awarded for efforts to resolve the global refugee crisis, which has been particularly acute in Europe, or in recognition of nuclear disarmament efforts seven decades after the first-ever atomic bombings.

Baby dies after migrant boat breaks down off Greek island Posted: 08 Oct 2015 11:56 PM PDT A baby died after the rubber boat carrying him and another 56 migrants broke down and was left adrift off the Greek island of Lesbos, the Greek coastguard said on Friday. The 1-year-old boy, whose nationality was not made known, was found unconscious on a rubber dinghy which had broken down and went adrift late on Thursday. The coastguard rescued the rest of the migrants, some of whom were in the sea.

Australian PM calls for calm amid planned anti-Islam protest Posted: 08 Oct 2015 11:48 PM PDT By Matt Siegel SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called for calm on Friday as police prepared for clashes between protesters at a planned rally outside a Sydney mosque that was attended by a teenager who killed a police officer a week ago. Farhad Khalil Mohammad Jabar, 15, was shot and killed by police after he opened fire on police accountant Curtis Cheng as Cheng left police headquarters in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta last Friday. The shooting and subsequent arrest of five people in raids in Sydney has stoked anxiety over further militant violence and retaliatory attacks against Muslims.

How IS's black flag became the symbol of modern jihad Posted: 08 Oct 2015 11:32 PM PDT Whether fluttering over the ruins of a captured city in Iraq or Syria, or in the background of gruesome execution videos, the black flag used by the Islamic State group has become an instantly recognisable symbol of modern global jihad. Along with its slick Hollywood-style propaganda videos, experts say IS has harnessed bygone apocalyptic prophecies and Islamic symbols to carve out a brand even more potent than Al-Qaeda at the height of its notoriety. The black standard has become so recognisable that "in the public's mind, any Muslim militant who waves a 'black flag' is ISIS," said William McCants, author of "The ISIS Apocalypse", which uses an alternative name for the group.

EU warships start migrant smuggler patrols as leaders urge unity Posted: 08 Oct 2015 09:38 PM PDT European Union nations agreed to speed up the deportation of failed asylum seekers as they took a harder line toward tackling the bloc's worst migration crisis since World War II. After months of tensions over the more than 600,000 people who have flooded into Europe this year, Brussels is now taking a tougher stance by focusing on tightening border controls and reducing the incentive for people to come to the continent. "Those who do not require international protection must return to their countries of origin," Luxembourg minister Jean Asselborn, whose country holds the EU presidency, told reporters after the talks.

8 memorable presidents of the UN General Assembly Posted: 08 Oct 2015 09:23 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — There have been 70 presidents of the U.N. General Assembly, some memorable for their accomplishments, others for their political views, allegations against them, and the reputations of the countries they represent. The arrest of the 68th president, John Ashe of Antigua, in an alleged bribery case has put the spotlight on the presidency of the 193-member world body, which rotates every year by region. Here is a look at eight memorable General Assembly presidents:

Russian missiles aimed at Syria crashed in Iran: US official Posted: 08 Oct 2015 08:09 PM PDT Four Russian cruise missiles aimed at targets in Syria crashed in Iran, a US official said Thursday, as regime troops backed by Lebanon's Hezbollah pressed a "vast offensive" against rebels in the war-torn country's west. The missiles were thought to be among a salvo fired Wednesday from Russian warships in the Caspian as part of a nine-day-old air war targeting foes of President Bashar al-Assad. Russia hit back at the claims, saying all the shots were on target, and the defence ministry posted a graphic on its website showing 26 missiles flying over Iran and Iraq before striking inside Syria.

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