Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• U.S. says Iraq's PM in 'strong position' amid political unrest
• Storming Iraq's Green Zone: Wake-up call for political reform?
• A confident Trump seeks knockout of Cruz in Indiana
• Oil down 3 percent on OPEC output hike, speculative ramp-up in Brent
• 2 Futuristic Aircraft That Could Replace the Black Hawk Helicopter
• Austria registers spike in far right extremist crime
• Conditions in Iraq detention centre 'shocking': Amnesty
• Norway to send 60 troops to train Syrian fighters
• Iraqi forces retake road to isolated Anbar city
• How Is Sanders Hurting Clinton Right Now? Just Ask Trump
• Q&A: When is a Boot on the Ground not a Boot on the Ground?
• Iraq in political limbo after Green Zone storming
• Buddhist Sculptures Discovered in Ruins of Ancient Shrine
• Iraq: Car bombing kills at least 18 pilgrims in Baghdad
• German establishment rounds on anti-immigration party over Islam
• Far-right crimes rise sharply in Austria amid migrant crisis
• Bombs in Baghdad kill 14, including some Shi'ite pilgrims
• U.S. leads 25 strikes against Islamic State in Iraq, Syria: statement
• Iran to grant citizenship to families of foreign 'martyrs'
• Where they are now? Key players in the bin Laden raid
• Today in History
• Iraq protesters pull back from Green Zone, but warn they may be back
• The Latest: Iraqis announce disbanding of Green Zone protest
• Watchdog looks to counter new chemical weapons threats

U.S. says Iraq's PM in 'strong position' amid political unrest Posted: 02 May 2016 03:29 PM PDT By Phil Stewart STUTTGART, Germany (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is in a strong position despite political unrest in Iraq, thanks in part to battlefield successes and his commitment to a multi-sectarian state, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Monday. Obviously we support him strongly because of what he stands for," Carter told reporters traveling with him shortly before landing in Germany. Carter's full-throated backing of Abadi, one of his most forceful to date, follows months of intense Iraqi political wrangling that has put the country on edge.

Storming Iraq's Green Zone: Wake-up call for political reform? Posted: 02 May 2016 02:11 PM PDT Iraqi protesters delivered a visceral wake-up call to politicians they accuse of corruption and dysfunctional government by breaching the walls of Baghdad's fortified Green Zone and storming the parliament building on Saturday. The event, however, profoundly shook Iraqi politicians, some of whom were reportedly chased from the chamber.

A confident Trump seeks knockout of Cruz in Indiana Posted: 02 May 2016 01:50 PM PDT OSCEOLA, Ind. (AP) — Ted Cruz's conservative crusade for the presidency fought for new life Monday ahead of an Indiana vote that could effectively end the GOP's primary season. The fiery Texas senator hinted at an exit strategy, even as he vowed to compete to the end against surging Republican front-runner Donald Trump.

Oil down 3 percent on OPEC output hike, speculative ramp-up in Brent Posted: 02 May 2016 01:08 PM PDT Oil prices fell about 3 percent on Monday as production from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries neared all-time peaks and record speculative buying in global benchmark Brent sparked profit-taking on last month's outsized rally. Morgan Stanley said it expected the drop in the U.S. rig count that helped crude prices recover to end soon as shale oil producers increase drilling.

2 Futuristic Aircraft That Could Replace the Black Hawk Helicopter Posted: 02 May 2016 12:59 PM PDT The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a workhorse for the U.S. armed forces, but the Pentagon has been looking for its replacement for more than a decade. The Army's Future Vertical Lift program is a potentially $100 billion effort aimed at replacing the service's entire helicopter fleet, including the Black Hawk, the AH-64 Apache, the CH-46 Chinook and the OH-58 Kiowa. As part of that program, the Army is proceeding with its Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator project.

Austria registers spike in far right extremist crime Posted: 02 May 2016 12:57 PM PDT VIENNA (AP) — Austria's interior ministry says xenophobic and racist crimes committed by far right sympathizers have spiked by more than 50 percent in a year, with Muslims, Jews and other minorities the main targets.

Conditions in Iraq detention centre 'shocking': Amnesty Posted: 02 May 2016 11:54 AM PDT The Iraqi authorities are holding often innocent "terror" suspects in dire conditions across the country and have no ability to process cases, Amnesty International said on Monday. A delegation from the rights group, including its secretary general Salil Shetty, was able to visit one such centre in Amriyat al-Fallujah, west of Baghdad, on Saturday. "We visited a detention centre in Amriyat al-Fallujah... where we found 700 people confined, locked up there for months, so-called terror suspects," Shetty told AFP in Baghdad.

Norway to send 60 troops to train Syrian fighters Posted: 02 May 2016 10:48 AM PDT Norway will send some 60 troops, including special forces soldiers, to train, advise and give operational support to Syrian fighters battling Islamic State militants, the country's prime minister said on Monday. The Norwegian Parliament will need to be consulted if the troops are to operate within Syria, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said. Norway had previously sent 120 soldiers to Iraq to help to train Iraqi and Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State in northern Iraq.

Iraqi forces retake road to isolated Anbar city Posted: 02 May 2016 10:20 AM PDT Iraqi forces advancing from two opposite directions in Anbar have joined up, reducing the isolation of the city of Haditha, military sources said on Monday. A statement from Iraq's joint operations command coordinating the fight against the Islamic State group said forces retook several villages from the jihadists along the Euphrates River. The Iraqi army's 7th division had been moving down the river from Al-Baghdadi and eventually joined up with forces from the counter-terrorism service moving up from the town of Heet.

How Is Sanders Hurting Clinton Right Now? Just Ask Trump Posted: 02 May 2016 10:19 AM PDT Just when it appeared that Bernie Sanders realized it would be impossible for him to overtake Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination, the democratic socialist shifted gears over the weekend and vowed to force an open convention in Philadelphia this summer. Short of a miracle, Sanders has no chance of overtaking Clinton for the nomination.

Q&A: When is a Boot on the Ground not a Boot on the Ground? Posted: 02 May 2016 08:43 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — No one disputes that U.S. military forces are fighting in combat in Iraq and Syria -- except maybe President Barack Obama and some members of his administration.

Iraq in political limbo after Green Zone storming Posted: 02 May 2016 08:30 AM PDT Iraq's political reform process was in limbo Monday after protesters demanding a change of government reacted to weeks of stalling by storming parliament. Security concerns were also high due to the presence in Baghdad of thousands of Shiite pilgrims, who were targeted for the second time in three days with a suicide bombing that killed at least 14 people. Demonstrators pulled out of the Green Zone, where parliament is located, on Sunday evening, a day after breaching the walls of the fortified government district.

Buddhist Sculptures Discovered in Ruins of Ancient Shrine Posted: 02 May 2016 06:37 AM PDT Sculptures and carvings dating back more than 1,700 years have been discovered in the remains of a shrine and its courtyard in the ancient city of Bazira. The sculptures illustrate the religious life of the city, telling tales from Buddhism and other ancient religions. Also called Vajirasthana, Bazira is located the in the Swat Valley in Pakistan.

Iraq: Car bombing kills at least 18 pilgrims in Baghdad Posted: 02 May 2016 05:37 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — An explosives-laden car detonated on Monday in the Iraqi capital, killing at least 18 Shiite pilgrims who were commemorating the anniversary of the death of a revered imam, officials said.

German establishment rounds on anti-immigration party over Islam Posted: 02 May 2016 05:21 AM PDT German politicians from across the spectrum criticized the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) on Monday after the party declared Islam incompatible with the constitution. The AfD, which has surged onto the political scene since its launch three years ago, backed a manifesto pledge at a congress on Sunday to ban on minarets and the burqa, the full face and body-covering gown worn by some Muslim women. With concerns about Europe's migrant crisis fuelling the AfD's rise, Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats led criticism of the party.

Far-right crimes rise sharply in Austria amid migrant crisis Posted: 02 May 2016 05:01 AM PDT Austria saw a sharp increase last year in the number of incidents involving xenophobia, Islamophobia and anti-semitism, a report showed on Monday, following the arrival of large numbers of mostly Muslim migrants and refugees. Authorities pressed charges in about 1,690 cases related to right-wing extremism in 2015, the highest number to date in a single year and up from 1,200 in 2014, the report by Austria's domestic intelligence service BVT showed. Austria received around 90,000 asylum requests in 2015, mostly in the last few months of the year, after large numbers of migrants and refugees, many fleeing conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, arrived in the staunchly Roman Catholic country of 8.5 million people.

Bombs in Baghdad kill 14, including some Shi'ite pilgrims Posted: 02 May 2016 05:00 AM PDT By Kareem Raheem BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Three bombs went off in and around Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 14 people, including Shi'ite Muslim worshippers conducting an annual pilgrimage inside the capital, police and medical sources said. The largest blast, which Islamic State said it was behind, came from a parked car bomb in the Saydiya district of southern Baghdad that killed 11 and wounded 30, the sources said. At least a few of the casualties were pilgrims passing through the area on their way to the shrine of Imam Moussa al-Kadhim, a great-grandson of Prophet Mohammad who died in the 8th century.

U.S. leads 25 strikes against Islamic State in Iraq, Syria: statement Posted: 02 May 2016 04:36 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies conducted 25 strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria on Sunday, the coalition leading the operations said in a statement released on Monday. In Iraq, 18 strikes near nine cities hit nine of the militant group's tactical units, a financial center, several tunnels and 12 boats, the Combined Joint Task Force said. Three of the strikes were centered near Mosul, an Islamic State stronghold, it added. ...

Iran to grant citizenship to families of foreign 'martyrs' Posted: 02 May 2016 12:56 AM PDT Iran has passed a law allowing the government to grant citizenship to the families of foreigners killed while fighting for the Islamic republic, the official IRNA news agency reported Monday. "Members of the parliament authorised the government to grant Iranian citizenship to the wife, children and parents of foreign martyrs who died on a mission... during the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988) and afterwards," it said. Citizenship must be awarded "within a maximum period of one year after the request", IRNA added.

Where they are now? Key players in the bin Laden raid Posted: 01 May 2016 11:32 PM PDT Five years ago, United States special forces shot and killed Osama bin Laden, ending a manhunt that began in earnest after his Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked planes and flew them into buildings in New York and Washington in September 2001. Having originally come to office in the aftermath of global financial meltdown, Obama had put America back on track, extricated its forces from the "dumb war" in Iraq and had seemingly won the smarter war against Al-Qaeda by ordering the mission to kill bin Laden.

Today in History Posted: 01 May 2016 09:01 PM PDT Today is Monday, May 2, the 123rd day of 2016. There are 243 days left in the year.

Iraq protesters pull back from Green Zone, but warn they may be back Posted: 01 May 2016 01:20 PM PDT Iraqi protesters announced their withdrawal from Baghdad's International Zone on Sunday night but said they would return if their demands for government reform weren't met swiftly, one day after hundreds ...

The Latest: Iraqis announce disbanding of Green Zone protest Posted: 01 May 2016 09:08 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — The Latest on Iraq's political crisis (all times local):

Watchdog looks to counter new chemical weapons threats Posted: 01 May 2016 03:19 AM PDT With about 92 percent of the world's declared chemical weapons stockpiles destroyed, the watchdog agency overseeing the elimination of poison gas and nerve agents is looking now to counter emerging threats ...

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