Yahoo! News: Iraq

Stranded in France, migrant children forced into crime, prostitution every day: UNICEF
AP FACT CHECK: Is Trump right that US soldiers stole loot?
French PM backs security forces after new terror attack
Iraq says senior military commander killed while fighting IS
Trap tightens on civilians as battles rage in Iraq's Fallujah
Is Trump’s Style Wearing Thin? 70% of Americans View Him Unfavorably
Refugees Compete to Code Their Way to Prosperity
Trump: I Never Said That! (But I Was Right!)
IS mortar round kills Iraqi photographer in Fallujah
US troops staying in Afghanistan? New look at reduction plan
Islamist views on LGBT: what the Quran says, and what it doesn't
Turkey IS trial ends in life sentences for 3 foreigners
Non-required reading: Lehigh University faculty summer picks
NATO ponders getting more involved in anti IS-fight
Kurds ready for new oil deal with Baghdad if they get $1 billion a month
Dolce & Gabbana takes to the streets in new photojournalistic campaign
US urges NATO allies to do more against IS
Falluja abuses hard to prevent, not systematic: Iraqi minister
"Got Your 6" Now Available on Innovative New Giving App: Veterans Call
Islamophobia on the rise in Germany: study
Six Choices for Trump’s VP With Military Cred
DIVIDED AMERICA: In Montana, neighbors at odds over refugees
Donors slow to honor Syria refugee pledge: UNHCR official
Did Islamic State claim credit for latest attacks too soon?
Guns, not roses: Conflicts fire up Bulgaria arms trade
Today in History
Australia teen charged with terror offences
10 Things to Know for Wednesday

Stranded in France, migrant children forced into crime, prostitution every day: UNICEF

Posted: 15 Jun 2016 05:06 PM PDT

By Magdalena Mis LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Migrant children in northern France are forced into crime and prostitution on a daily basis to secure a place to stay in migrant camps or the promise of passage to Britain, the U.N. children's agency said on Thursday. UNICEF said sexual exploitation, violence and forced labor were a constant threat for children traveling alone and urged the authorities to do more to protect them. "We know this has been a long-running problem for over a decade but it's got much more extreme and severe in the last year with the increase in the global refugee crisis," said Melanie Teff, senior humanitarian advocacy and policy adviser at UNICEF UK.

AP FACT CHECK: Is Trump right that US soldiers stole loot?

Posted: 15 Jun 2016 02:18 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — It's not every day a presidential candidate will question the actions of the troops, and it may not make for smart politics. But that's what Donald Trump did at a rally in North Carolina, when he seemed to accuse U.S. soldiers of making off with aid money meant for Iraq's reconstruction.

French PM backs security forces after new terror attack

Posted: 15 Jun 2016 01:30 PM PDT

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls defended the security forces Wednesday after the first deadly jihadist attack on the nation's soil since the Paris massacres last November. President Francois Hollande joined a minute's silence at the interior ministry for the two victims of Monday's assault in which a knife-wielding convicted extremist who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group killed a police officer and his partner at their home. Hollande will preside over a memorial ceremony at the Versailles police headquarters on Friday, according to his office.

Iraq says senior military commander killed while fighting IS

Posted: 15 Jun 2016 12:35 PM PDT

BAGHDAD (AP) — Sniper fire by Islamic State militants killed a senior Iraqi commander near the northern IS-held city of Mosul, the extremist group's main bastion in Iraq, as the U.N. refugee agency warned that thousands of civilians have been newly displaced from that area.

Trap tightens on civilians as battles rage in Iraq's Fallujah

Posted: 15 Jun 2016 12:28 PM PDT

The Islamic State group battled Iraqi forces and held civilians hostage Wednesday to defend its bastion of Fallujah, where three weeks of fighting has forced tens of thousands from their homes. Security forces have retaken significant parts of southern Fallujah since the start of the month and are now attacking the jihadists in the Jbeil neighbourhood, officers said. "Counter-terrorism forces as well as federal and Anbar police continue the operation to liberate Jbeil, in southern Fallujah, and face fierce resistance from Daesh (IS)," a police colonel said.

Is Trump’s Style Wearing Thin? 70% of Americans View Him Unfavorably

Posted: 15 Jun 2016 12:24 PM PDT

After a wild and troubling month in which he denounced the integrity of a federal judge because of his Mexican heritage, doubled-downed on his vow to bar Muslims from entering the country and repeatedly questioned President Obama's loyalty following last weekend's terrorist attack on a gay bar in Orlando, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump appears to be getting his political comeuppance. Trump rewrote the political playbook in the 2016 GOP presidential campaign as he knocked off rivals left and right. Related: Obama to GOP Leaders -- Do You Actually Agree with Trump?

Refugees Compete to Code Their Way to Prosperity

Posted: 15 Jun 2016 11:39 AM PDT

ERBIL, Iraqi Kurdistan—The dust-swept Qushtapa camp in northern Iraq offers shelter to Syrian refugees but few employment or educational opportunities. So when residents heard of a program promising to turn them into employed computer programmers within eight months, they queued up to apply.

Trump: I Never Said That! (But I Was Right!)

Posted: 15 Jun 2016 10:48 AM PDT

The reason, he said, was "inaccurate" coverage of his statements about a mass shooting in Orlando, and the trigger appeared to be a headline that the paper ran after Trump insinuated that President Obama might have known about the Orlando shooting in advance, and turned a blind eye. Related: Obama to GOP Leaders: Do You Actually Agree with Trump?

IS mortar round kills Iraqi photographer in Fallujah

Posted: 15 Jun 2016 09:34 AM PDT

A photographer employed by Iraq's elite interior ministry forces was killed Wednesday by a mortar round during fighting in the jihadist bastion of Fallujah, officers said. An AFP photographer on the scene said the incident took place in the city's southern neighbourhood of Shuhada, which the Iraqi government recently retook from the Islamic State group.

US troops staying in Afghanistan? New look at reduction plan

Posted: 15 Jun 2016 09:20 AM PDT

BRUSSELS (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has told NATO allies America will take a new look at its plans to withdraw thousands of troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year, a British official says, a fresh indication that U.S. involvement in the country is not waning in the final months of Barack Obama's presidency.

Islamist views on LGBT: what the Quran says, and what it doesn't

Posted: 15 Jun 2016 09:08 AM PDT

As reports emerge that Omar Mateen used a gay dating app and patronized the gay nightclub Pulse, so has speculation that he may have been deeply conflicted about his identity. Recommended: How much do you know about the Islamic State? Celebration of the Orlando attack across jihadist social media and in certain Islamist circles highlights the acrimonious relationship Islamist groups have long had with the LGBT community.

Turkey IS trial ends in life sentences for 3 foreigners

Posted: 15 Jun 2016 08:30 AM PDT

ISTANBUL (AP) — A Turkish court handed down multiple life sentences to three foreign Islamic State militants on Wednesday after finding them guilty of murder, according to a lawyer.

Non-required reading: Lehigh University faculty summer picks

Posted: 15 Jun 2016 08:23 AM PDT

BETHLEHEM, Pa., June 15, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A diverse group of faculty members from all four of Lehigh University's colleges in departments from Theatre to Entrepreneurship to Chemical Engineering share their picks for summer reading below following the lead of Lehigh President John D. Simon who discussed the impact of a recent read in the May 27th issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education. In addition, Lehigh's Class of 2020 and the wider community are invited to dive into Lehigh's 2016 selections exploring the theme Food: What Nourishes Us? This year's books are Stealing Buddha's Dinner , by Bich Minh Nguyen and The Dorito Effect: The Surprising New Truth About Food and Flavor , by Mark Schatzker.

NATO ponders getting more involved in anti IS-fight

Posted: 15 Jun 2016 07:46 AM PDT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The NATO alliance says it is considering getting more involved in efforts to combat the Islamic State extremist group.

Kurds ready for new oil deal with Baghdad if they get $1 billion a month

Posted: 15 Jun 2016 07:42 AM PDT

By Maher Chmaytelli and Isabel Coles ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq's Kurds said they are ready to strike an agreement with the central government in Baghdad on a deal to increase oil exports if it guarantees them monthly revenue of $1 billion, more than double what they make currently from selling oil. The Iraqi central government in March stopped oil exports through a Kurdish pipeline to pressure the local authorities to resume talks about an oil revenue-sharing agreement. Iraq's state-run North Oil Company normally exported 150,000 barrels a day through the pipeline that comes out at the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, in Turkey.

Dolce & Gabbana takes to the streets in new photojournalistic campaign

Posted: 15 Jun 2016 07:41 AM PDT

Dolce & Gabbana is bringing its fashion to the streets. The Italian fashion house has released the images for its Autumn/Winter 2016 campaign, with the everyday citizens of Naples taking on a starring role. The brand called in photojournalist Franco Pagetti to shoot the campaign in the historical center of the bustling Italian city, with the starring model Bianca Balti mixing with the town's residents as well as passers-by for a series of fascinating portraits.

US urges NATO allies to do more against IS

Posted: 15 Jun 2016 06:35 AM PDT

US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter on Wednesday urged NATO allies to do more to help the US-led anti-Islamic State coalition finish the job in Iraq and Syria and destroy the jihadi group. NATO defence ministers earlier agreed to extend training of Iraqi troops from Jordan to Iraq itself and to consider deploying AWACS surveillance aircraft. "I would like to see NATO do more," Carter told reporters after ministers met at the alliance HQ in Brussels.

Falluja abuses hard to prevent, not systematic: Iraqi minister

Posted: 15 Jun 2016 05:46 AM PDT

By Stephen Kalin and Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's interior minister said it was difficult to prevent attacks against people fleeing the Islamic State-held city of Falluja, but denied that such actions were systematic and pledged to punish anyone proven guilty of abuses. A regional governor said this week that 49 Sunni men had been executed after surrendering to a Shi'ite militia supporting the army offensive to retake Falluja, and more than 600 had gone missing between June 3-5 after escaping the city. Interior Minister Mohammed al-Ghabban, a senior member of the powerful Shi'ite Muslim political party the Badr Organisation, said paramilitary fighters from the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) had been referred to court over the alleged violations but that no police personnel appeared to be involved.

"Got Your 6" Now Available on Innovative New Giving App: Veterans Call

Posted: 15 Jun 2016 05:00 AM PDT

NEW YORK and WASHINGTON, June 15, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Veterans Call, an industry-leading new app that enables Americans to give back to veterans, active-duty military and their families, announced today that Got Your 6, one of the top U.S. philanthropies in the veterans sector, has joined its roster of trusted veterans' charities. Got Your 6 is a campaign that unites nonprofit, Hollywood, and government partners to empower veterans and strengthen communities across the nation. Veterans Call connects Americans with a national community of donors through a novel and unique app.

Islamophobia on the rise in Germany: study

Posted: 15 Jun 2016 04:40 AM PDT

Islamophobia has risen markedly in Germany, a study published on Wednesday showed, underscoring the tensions simmering in German society after more than one million migrants, mostly Muslims, arrived last year. Every second respondent in the study of 2,420 people said they sometimes felt like a foreigner in their own country due to the many Muslims here, up from 43 percent in 2014 and 30.2 percent in 2009. The number of people who believe Muslims should be forbidden from coming to Germany has also risen, the study showed, and now stands at just above 40 percent, up from about a fifth in 2009.

Six Choices for Trump’s VP With Military Cred

Posted: 15 Jun 2016 04:15 AM PDT

When the next president is inaugurated in 2017, it will be almost a quarter century since America had a commander-in-chief with any significant military experience. "If [Orlando] turns out to have been inspired by ISIS, it will fulfill Donald Trump's prediction of the problem with [Clinton's] candidacy, which is: It's not serious about terrorism," Hewitt said.

DIVIDED AMERICA: In Montana, neighbors at odds over refugees

Posted: 15 Jun 2016 03:15 AM PDT

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — For the world, the photograph of a Syrian 3-year-old in a red T-shirt and black sneakers, his lifeless body washed up on a Turkish beach, was a horrific symbol of the desperation of hundreds of thousands of refugees.

Donors slow to honor Syria refugee pledge: UNHCR official

Posted: 15 Jun 2016 01:44 AM PDT

In February, the richest world powers pledged more than $11 billion to help frontline states in the Middle East cope with the Syrian refugee crisis. "So I think there's a collective failure that will have to addressed," Amin Awad, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees director for the Middle East and North Africa, said in an interview. "I think the frontline states are disappointed and they feel they're left alone," he said in Washington, where he is meeting US officials and experts.

Did Islamic State claim credit for latest attacks too soon?

Posted: 15 Jun 2016 12:41 AM PDT

PARIS (AP) — It took just a few hours for the Islamic State group's opportunistic propaganda machine to capitalize on the latest bloodshed in Florida and in France, with messages claiming the two attackers as its own. It may take the group longer to sort through the implications of a killer whose backstory of conflicted sexuality and heavy drinking is at odds with a carefully crafted public image of its fighters.

Guns, not roses: Conflicts fire up Bulgaria arms trade

Posted: 14 Jun 2016 10:29 PM PDT

Spiralling conflicts in Syria and the Middle East have sparked a flurry of activity in Bulgarian arms factories not seen since the collapse of communism. While main customers include governments in Afghanistan and Iraq, the arms have also found their way into the hands of opposition fighters in Syria's bloody civil war. At one of the country's factories, hundreds of kilometres (miles) from Damascus, in a region known for its cultivation of roses, workers expertly assemble grenades for RPG-7 rocket-propelled launchers on a conveyor belt.

Today in History

Posted: 14 Jun 2016 09:06 PM PDT

Today is Wednesday, June 15, the 167th day of 2016. There are 199 days left in the year.

Australia teen charged with terror offences

Posted: 14 Jun 2016 07:56 PM PDT

A teenager was Wednesday charged in Australia with preparing for or planning a terrorist attack after authorities were alerted by social media posts. The 17-year-old boy was detained at his home in Sydney's south late Tuesday, the latest in a string of arrests by police investigating people suspected of being involved in domestic acts of terrorism. "After being alerted to a number of social media posts, police arrested the youth at his home," the New South Wales state police said.