Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Army blimp breaks loose, drifts over Pennsylvania
• German UN diplomat to take over Libya peace effort
• Austria to build border fence, threatening Schengen zone
• The Latest: Austrian chancellor avoids word "fence"
• In Iraq, young artists seek to heal a musical heritage wounded by war
• An exemplary way to defeat Islamic State
• U.S. steps up diplomacy, rebel support to end Syrian 'hell': Kerry
• For first time in history, refugees can compete in the Olympics
• Vienna talks best chance to save Syria from 'hell': Kerry
• Germany to send 'tens of thousands' of migrants back to Balkans
• No immediate increase in Syria anti-IS campaign
• Thousands demonstrate in Czech Republic against migrants
• US official: Europe could become more involved in Syria
• Europe's refugee crisis: What is Germany actually giving Turkey?
• Saudi Arabia complains U.N. blamed coalition for bombing Yemen hospital
• How Congress Stealthily Shifted to a Two-Year Budget Process
• Arch-rivals Saudi Arabia, Iran to discuss Syria face-to-face for first time
• Syria peace talks need all parties to be meaningful: White House
• Kuwait approves Iraq war reparations payment delay to 2017
• Vatican marks historic end to official anti-Semitism
• Iraq to adjust military spending, hire 10,000 new forces: minister
• Members of Iraq's ruling coalition press PM to consult before ordering reforms
• Ankara bombings were ordered by IS to disrupt vote, say prosecutors
• U.S. reports 14 more air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq
• Iraq to attend Syria talks in Vienna on Friday: foreign ministry
• As U.S. braces for Syrian refugees, mental health services lag
• Factbox: Refugee flows to United States since 1950s
• Culture Clash: How ISIS Could Send Europe Over the Edge
• GOP debate No. 3: A guide to candidates on the big stage
• Who Is Arming the World?
• Islamic State risk for Libya's troubled oil sector
• Iraqi Kurdish PM appoints new ministers after expulsions
• Today in History
• Trump, down in polls, begs Iowa voters for support
• Angry China shadows U.S. warship near man-made islands
• Military solution 'impossible' in parts of Middle East: CIA chief
• U.S. weighs special forces in Syria, helicopters in Iraq

Army blimp breaks loose, drifts over Pennsylvania Posted: 28 Oct 2015 04:05 PM PDT MUNCY, Pa. (AP) — An unmanned Army surveillance blimp broke loose from its mooring in Maryland and floated over Pennsylvania for hours Wednesday with two fighter jets on its tail, triggering blackouts across the countryside as it dragged its tether across power lines.

German UN diplomat to take over Libya peace effort Posted: 28 Oct 2015 04:00 PM PDT UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon plans to appoint German diplomat Martin Kobler, who led the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to head a struggling peace effort in Libya. Kobler will succeed Bernardino Leon as special envoy for Libya just as efforts to end years of turmoil in the north African country have run into hurdles over the formation of a unity government. Libya's internationally-recognized parliament and the Islamist-backed assembly have rejected the latest UN proposals for power-sharing.

Austria to build border fence, threatening Schengen zone Posted: 28 Oct 2015 03:50 PM PDT Austria on Wednesday announced plans to build a fence at a major border crossing with fellow EU state Slovenia to "control" the migrant influx, in a blow to the EU's cherished passport-free Schengen zone. Both countries have become key transit points for tens of thousands of refugees and migrants seeking to reach northern Europe ahead of the winter, and before more potential EU border closures. "We do not believe that the current migrant crisis that Europe is facing can be resolved with the building of fences or walls," German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said.

The Latest: Austrian chancellor avoids word "fence" Posted: 28 Oct 2015 03:24 PM PDT STOCKHOLM (AP) — The latest in the odyssey of hundreds of thousands of people trekking across Europe in search of a new life. All times local.

In Iraq, young artists seek to heal a musical heritage wounded by war Posted: 28 Oct 2015 02:32 PM PDT In an antique stall near al-Mutanabbi street, shop owner Assam al-Ani wipes the dust off a brittle black disc, winds up a gramophone, and plays the multi-layered melodies and melancholy lyrics that are part of Iraq's vanishing musical history. In the region where the world's first musical instruments are believed to have appeared, musical heritage is under siege from war, upheaval and religious fundamentalism. Recommended: How much do you know about the Islamic State?

An exemplary way to defeat Islamic State Posted: 28 Oct 2015 02:19 PM PDT If, in the years ahead, a Nobel Peace Prize is ever given to those most responsible for ending the war with Islamic State, who might they be? Perhaps moderate Islamic scholars who make an irrefutably theological case on Internet forums that Islam is a religion of peace? While these all may be helpful, the best candidates could be those who offer a real alternative to the darkest side of Islamic State – its ability to recruit young, disaffected young Muslims in search of purpose and belonging in their lives.

U.S. steps up diplomacy, rebel support to end Syrian 'hell': Kerry Posted: 28 Oct 2015 02:18 PM PDT By Arshad Mohammed and David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is intensifying its diplomacy to end the "hell" of Syria's civil war even as it increases support for moderate rebels fighting Islamic State militants, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday The chief U.S. diplomat leaves for Vienna later in the day for talks among more than a dozen foreign ministers on ending the four-and-a-half year conflict. Iran is for the first time taking part in such talks, which will also include Russia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

For first time in history, refugees can compete in the Olympics Posted: 28 Oct 2015 01:41 PM PDT For the first time in the history, refugees are welcomed to compete in the 2016 Olympics without an official national identity. Highly qualified athletes who happen to be one of the 20 million refugees worldwide will be invited to Olympic Village in Rio de Janeiro next year, the president of the International Olympic Committee announced Monday at the United Nations General Assembly. "Having no national team to belong to, having no flag to march behind, having no national anthem to be played, these refugee athletes will be welcomed to the Olympic Games with the Olympic Flag and with the Olympic Anthem," IOC president Thomas Bach said.

Vienna talks best chance to save Syria from 'hell': Kerry Posted: 28 Oct 2015 01:38 PM PDT US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Wednesday that this week's international talks on the war in Syria will not find an immediate political solution but nevertheless represent the best hope available. "While finding a way forward on Syria will not be easy -- it's not going to be automatic -- it is the most promising opportunity for a political opening we have seen," he said in a speech on Middle East policy just before he was to set off for Vienna. Kerry was to meet with his counterparts from a dozen world powers in the Austrian capital for a series of bilateral and multilateral talks on Thursday and Friday to find consensus on a political way forward in Syria.

Germany to send 'tens of thousands' of migrants back to Balkans Posted: 28 Oct 2015 01:00 PM PDT Germany will send thousands of rejected asylum applicants back to the Balkans in the coming months, the interior minister said Wednesday, as Berlin toughens its stance on economic migrants in the face of a refugee crisis. "I expect that in the next weeks, the number of repatriations, voluntary returns and deportations will rise significantly," Thomas de Maiziere said. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees has been tasked with dealing with "many unresolved asylum applications" before Christmas, said the minister, adding "that means that tens of thousands of rejected asylum seekers from the Balkans would have to leave our country".

No immediate increase in Syria anti-IS campaign Posted: 28 Oct 2015 12:31 PM PDT The US-led coalition attacking Islamic State militants showed no immediate sign of increasing strikes in Syria, figures released Wednesday showed, even though the Pentagon chief has said America would intensify its campaign. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Tuesday said the coalition would conduct extra bombing runs against IS jihadists in Iraq and Syria, but only two strikes have been conducted in Syria the last six days. The diminished tempo comes as Russia finishes the first month of its own Syria bombing campaign, and observers have suggested the US-led coalition is worried about flying close to areas of Russian action.

Thousands demonstrate in Czech Republic against migrants Posted: 28 Oct 2015 12:29 PM PDT Thousands of people protested against migrants in towns around the Czech Republic on Wednesday, a week after the UN slammed the country's treatment of new arrivals as "degrading". Up to 5,000 people took to the streets in Prague and four other towns on the country's national day. Lutz Bachmann, the founder of Germany's anti-Islam PEGIDA movement, was among the speakers to address the crowd in Prague.

US official: Europe could become more involved in Syria Posted: 28 Oct 2015 11:53 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The president's special envoy for the global coalition to counter Islamic State militants said Wednesday that as the U.S. continues to build its military options in Syrian, European nations might consider combat operations to battle extremists.

Europe's refugee crisis: What is Germany actually giving Turkey? Posted: 28 Oct 2015 11:48 AM PDT When Omar Nassan left his native Syria, he never expected to go to Europe. After fleeing a Syrian regime offensive in Aleppo in 2013, Mr. Nassan settled in Istanbul where he had hoped to wait out the war. "I had a life in Istanbul, yes, but always on my mind was question about the future," he says.

Saudi Arabia complains U.N. blamed coalition for bombing Yemen hospital Posted: 28 Oct 2015 11:40 AM PDT By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia complained on Wednesday that United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had blamed Arab coalition air strikes for hitting a U.N.-supported hospital in Yemen before the incident had been properly investigated. Saudi Arabia's U.N. Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi said the coalition did not carry out Monday's attack on the hospital.

How Congress Stealthily Shifted to a Two-Year Budget Process Posted: 28 Oct 2015 11:26 AM PDT For decades, proposals for shifting the cumbersome, often exasperating congressional budget process from once a year to once every two years were a legislative pipe dream. Although the concept of agreeing on the broad framework for spending and taxation one year and then fine tuning the budget in the second year made perfect sense to budget experts and lawmakers, it regularly ran afoul of entrenched interests within the Budget and Appropriations  committees who didn't want to relinquish any power. Now, as Congress prepares to approve the second two-year budget and debt ceiling plan, congressional leaders and the White House have embraced biennial budgeting – much to the delight of just about everyone except many in the House Freedom Caucus and the leaders of conservative outside groups.

Arch-rivals Saudi Arabia, Iran to discuss Syria face-to-face for first time Posted: 28 Oct 2015 10:35 AM PDT By Angus McDowall and Bozorgmehr Sharafedin RIYADH/DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia and Iran announced they would attend international talks in Vienna on Friday on the war in Syria, in the first meeting between the regional adversaries aimed at ending the four-year-long war. Saudi Arabia said its participation in the talks aimed to gauge the willingness of Russia and Iran, the Syrian government's main backers, for a peace deal, Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Wednesday.

Syria peace talks need all parties to be meaningful: White House Posted: 28 Oct 2015 10:34 AM PDT Upcoming Syrian peace talks will be meaningful only if all relevant parties take part in the discussions, the White House said on Wednesday, adding that Iran's invitation to participate does not absolve it of any role in the crisis. White House spokesman Eric Schultz, asked about Iran's invitation to the talks, which are scheduled for Friday in Vienna, told reporters: "The United States is prepared to work with any nation, including Russia and Iran, to resolve the conflict in Syria." As for questions about any role for the Syrian opposition at the talks aimed and ending the country's four-year-long civil war, Schultz deferred to the U.S. State Department.

Kuwait approves Iraq war reparations payment delay to 2017 Posted: 28 Oct 2015 09:25 AM PDT KUWAIT CITY (AP) — Kuwait says it has agreed to let Iraq postpone a final batch of Saddam Hussain-era war reparations it is owed until early 2017.

Vatican marks historic end to official anti-Semitism Posted: 28 Oct 2015 08:52 AM PDT The Catholic Church on Wednesday marked the 50th anniversary of a landmark declaration by which it ended centuries of officially condoned anti-Semitism and urged bridge-building with all other faiths. The document "Nostra Aetate" (Latin for "In Our Time") most significantly repudiated the charge that all Jews should be held responsible for the death of Jesus. Adopted on October 28, 1965 by Pope Paul VI at the end of the ground-breaking Second Vatican Council, the declaration was credited with revolutionising Catholic relations with Judaism.

Iraq to adjust military spending, hire 10,000 new forces: minister Posted: 28 Oct 2015 08:37 AM PDT By Michael Georgy and Stephen Kalin BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A financial squeeze is forcing Iraq to put major weapons deals on hold, but the country will hire 10,000 additional paramilitary forces seen as critical in the fight against Islamic State, its finance minister said on Wednesday. Baghdad will focus its military spending in 2016 on light and medium weapons such as sniper rifles, as well as anti-mining devices and surveillance equipment as an alternative to heavier weapons like artillery. "There has been a shift in emphasis by the government to improve the quality of the weapons that are needed for this type of war," Hoshiyar Zebari in an interview for the Reuters Middle East Investment Summit.

Members of Iraq's ruling coalition press PM to consult before ordering reforms Posted: 28 Oct 2015 08:35 AM PDT Members of Iraq's ruling coalition will press Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in a meeting on Wednesday night to consult more widely before ordering reforms, parliamentarians said. The same issue was raised in a letter to Abadi from about 60 members of the governing State of Law coalition that was delivered to him on Tuesday night, the MPs told Reuters. In office since September 2014, Abadi has sought to transform a political system that critics say encouraged corruption and incompetence, efforts that have met with resistance from some lawmakers.

Ankara bombings were ordered by IS to disrupt vote, say prosecutors Posted: 28 Oct 2015 07:59 AM PDT A sleeper cell acting on orders from the Islamic State (IS) group carried out the massive bombings on a peace rally in Ankara this month to try to disrupt Turkey's election, prosecutors said Wednesday. The Ankara prosecutor's office said there was "strong evidence" that the cell was also behind other attacks in the country, including one on the border with Syria in July, and was planning more atrocities. "The cell received permission from the terrorist group in Syria to attack all PPK(Kurdistan Workers' Party) and anti-Daesh targets inside Turkey," it said in a statement, using the Arabic acronym for the IS group.

U.S. reports 14 more air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq Posted: 28 Oct 2015 04:39 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies carried out 14 air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq on Tuesday, said a U.S. military statement on Wednesday that reported no air raids against the militant group in Syria. The attacks in Iraq hit Islamic State fighters, weapons and equipment near six cities, including Ramadi and Samarra, the statement said. A U.S.-led coalition has been bombing Islamic State in Iraq and Syria since last year. (Reporting by Mohammad Zargham; Editing by Lisa Lambert)

Iraq to attend Syria talks in Vienna on Friday: foreign ministry Posted: 28 Oct 2015 04:39 AM PDT BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's Deputy Foreign Minister Nazar al-Khairalla will attend international talks on the Syrian crisis taking place on Friday in Vienna, a ministry spokesman said on Wednesday. Iran, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's closest regional ally, and Egypt, which has supported Russian air strikes in Syria, are also expected to attend following a request from Moscow for wider participation. (Reporting by Saif Hameed; Writing by Stephen Kalin Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)

As U.S. braces for Syrian refugees, mental health services lag Posted: 28 Oct 2015 04:08 AM PDT WASHINGTON/DEARBORN, Mich. (Reuters) - More than 20 years after Saddam Hussein's soldiers in Iraq killed his brother in front of him, Ali Alghazally still suffers from night terrors he blames on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a common problem among refugees often left untreated. As the United States prepares to take in 10,000 or more Syrian refugees in the coming year, social service groups are urging more funding for mental health counseling for cases like Alghazally's, saying it makes resettlement easier. The 48-year-old finally began undergoing psychotherapy last year in Dearborn, a southeastern Michigan city that is home to many Arab-Americans - but not before becoming addicted to anti-anxiety pills and leaving his job as a limousine driver.

Factbox: Refugee flows to United States since 1950s Posted: 28 Oct 2015 04:07 AM PDT (Reuters) - Turmoil abroad regularly brings refugees to the United States. British and Germans arrived after World War Two. More recently, Vietnamese and others fleeing war and disorder have arrived on U.S. shores. A wave of Syrians is expected soon.

Culture Clash: How ISIS Could Send Europe Over the Edge Posted: 28 Oct 2015 03:15 AM PDT The dramatic and tragic images of refugees pouring into Europe from the Middle East represent more than a temporary migration of people seeking asylum from persecution. This great migration will change the face of Europe, and as moderate Muslims seek safe refuge from hideous acts of terror and war, radical Islam will gain territory, wealth and influence in the Middle East.

GOP debate No. 3: A guide to candidates on the big stage Posted: 28 Oct 2015 02:23 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — There's an angry young man who matured into an eternally mellow surgeon and politician. A Hispanic firebrand who is most at home in English, and an Anglo who speaks fluent Spanish at home. And that given-to-preening reality show guy.

Who Is Arming the World? Posted: 28 Oct 2015 01:00 AM PDT The global weapons trade is on the rise, but where do arms come from and where do they go? We navigate the dark, murky waters by the numbers.

Islamic State risk for Libya's troubled oil sector Posted: 28 Oct 2015 12:13 AM PDT By Patrick Markey and Ahmed Elumami TRIPOLI (Reuters) - When Islamic State militants attacked a perimeter gate guarding Libya's Es Sider oil terminal this month, they sent gunmen to kill guards before attempting to detonate a car bomb in a bid to breach the port's defences. The assault failed to get closer than a mile (1.6 km) from one of Libya's major oil ports, but it signalled Islamic State's intent to expand beyond their base in the city of Sirte and target the OPEC state's oil infrastructure. Four years after the fall of leader Muammar Gaddafi, Libya is in a conflict with two rival governments each backed by competing armed factions, creating a power vacuum that has allowed Islamic State to establish a foothold in North Africa.

Iraqi Kurdish PM appoints new ministers after expulsions Posted: 27 Oct 2015 11:45 PM PDT The prime minister of Iraq's Kurdistan region has appointed ministers to replace four who were unilaterally expelled from the cabinet by his party during the worst political crisis in years. The dominant Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) suspended the four ministers from their posts earlier this month after accusing the Gorran movement to which they belong of instigating violent unrest for political gain. The expelled ministers were replaced on Tuesday with KDP politicians in what senior Gorran official Mohammed Tofiq described as an "illegal and illegitimate" move.

Today in History Posted: 27 Oct 2015 09:01 PM PDT Today in History

Trump, down in polls, begs Iowa voters for support Posted: 27 Oct 2015 07:44 PM PDT SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Unseated as the front-runner in Iowa polls, a kinder, humbler Donald Trump emerged Tuesday evening at a rally in Sioux City, Iowa, where the billionaire businessman practically begged voters for support.

Angry China shadows U.S. warship near man-made islands Posted: 27 Oct 2015 07:40 PM PDT By Ben Blanchard and Andrea Shalal BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China rebuked Washington for sending a U.S. guided-missile destroyer close to one of Beijing's man-made islands in the disputed South China Sea, saying it had tracked and warned the ship and called in the U.S. ambassador to protest. The USS Lassen's patrol on Tuesday was the most significant U.S. challenge yet to the 12-nautical-mile territorial limits China claims around artificial islands it has built in the Spratly archipelago. Washington's move followed months of deliberation by President Barack Obama's administration and could ratchet up tension in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes and increase strains in U.S.-China relations.

Military solution 'impossible' in parts of Middle East: CIA chief Posted: 27 Oct 2015 07:11 PM PDT A military solution is "impossible" in parts of the Middle East, US CIA chief John Brennan said, arguing that it was hard to picture effective central governments in some countries as they exist today. Brennan, who spoke at an intelligence conference in Washington on Tuesday, was joined by other security officials and industry experts. "A military solution is just impossible in any of these countries," he added.

U.S. weighs special forces in Syria, helicopters in Iraq Posted: 27 Oct 2015 07:02 PM PDT By Phil Stewart and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is considering sending a small number of special operations forces to Syria and attack helicopters to Iraq as it weighs options to build momentum in the battle against Islamic State, U.S. officials said on Tuesday. President Barack Obama, deeply averse to over-committing American troops to unpopular wars in the Middle East, could view some of the options as more viable than others as he approaches the final stretch of his presidency.

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