Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• US charges Afghan-born suspect with NY, NJ attacks
• 'World thirsts for peace', pope tells religious leaders
• U.S. charges NY bomb suspect with use of weapons of mass destruction
• Former National Guard member gets 30 years for plot to attack Illinois base
• Clinton calls national security team after attacks, as Trump challenges her credentials
• Trump skips swing-state cities; opts for rural town instead
• Obama says nations vow to take in twice as many refugees
• Oil ends mixed, extend gains post-settlement on U.S. draw report
• Qatar's emir, a U.S. ally, assails Obama's Syria policy
• UN chief rails against leaders with 'bloody hands' in Syria
• Obama hits at populist strongmen in last UN address
• Syrian opposition: international ceasefire efforts lack credibility
• Pitt expresses sadness over Jolie divorce filing as Hollywood power couple splits
• Jordan votes in election tipped to see Islamist return
• Jordanians elect new parliament in cautious reform move
• Tony Blair winds up government advisory business
• Here's when summer's weather turned weird and violent
• NATO chief plans to meet Russian foreign minister
• Army's Jackson remembered for life of 'promise and purpose'
• The Latest: French wall going up to stop UK-bound migrants
• What voters want in a president on national security
• Stuck on record warm: Earth has unprecedented 16-straight warmest months
• Tony Blair shuts consulting businesses to focus on charity
• Iraq forces launch push on IS-held town
• European Union widens sanctions regime to target Islamist militants
• How did fingerprint errors allow deportees to become US citizens?
• Islamic State digs in behind Mosul moat as battle for city looms
• Mediterranean migrant crossings down, but UN fears deaths on rise
• Iraqi forces launch push to take town near Mosul from IS
• Turkey kills four Kurdish militants in north Iraq: army sources
• 'Awards Chatter' Podcast — Rob Reiner ('LBJ')
• Australia call up young guns for Saudi, Japan games
• The Latest: Trump meets Egypt's president at UN
• Top U.S. general defends Syria targeting after deadly strike
• Soccer-Postecoglou tweaks Australia squad for crunch World Cup qualifiers
• 3 changes to Australia squad for World Cup qualifier

US charges Afghan-born suspect with NY, NJ attacks Posted: 20 Sep 2016 05:37 PM PDT The United States charged an Afghan-born US suspect with multiple terror counts in connection with bomb attacks in New York and New Jersey and other planted devices. US prosecutors said Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28, carried out Saturday's bombings in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood and along the route of a US Marine Corps run in New Jersey, which aborted the race. A total of 31 people were wounded in the Chelsea attack, including a victim from Britain, a driver knocked unconscious and a woman who had ball bearings, metal and wood removed from her body, it said.

'World thirsts for peace', pope tells religious leaders Posted: 20 Sep 2016 04:36 PM PDT Pope Francis said Tuesday the world "thirsts for peace" after praying with faith leaders for an end to religious fanaticism and indifference to the plight of war victims. "We do not have weapons" to end wars and stop those who commit violence in the name of God, the Argentine pontiff told religious heads from across the globe gathered in the central Italian medieval town of Assisi.

U.S. charges NY bomb suspect with use of weapons of mass destruction Posted: 20 Sep 2016 04:34 PM PDT Federal prosecutors on Tuesday charged the Afghan-born man arrested after weekend bombings in New York and New Jersey with four counts including use of weapons of mass destruction and bombing a place of public use. The charges were laid out in a federal complaint that said a handwritten journal was found on the suspect, Ahmad Khan Rahami, that praised Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and accused the U.S. government of slaughtering Islamist fighters in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Palestine. The federal charges come after the father of Rahami, the naturalized American citizen captured on Monday in New Jersey after a shootout with police, said he had reported concerns about his son being involved with militants to the Federal Bureau of Investigations two years ago.

Former National Guard member gets 30 years for plot to attack Illinois base Posted: 20 Sep 2016 04:20 PM PDT A former member of the Illinois National Guard was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Tuesday for planning with his cousin to attack a military installation outside Chicago as part of a conspiracy to support the Islamic State militant group. Hasan Edmonds, 24, and his cousin, Jonas Edmonds, 31, pleaded guilty last year to planning to carry out an armed attack on the military facility where Hasan Edmonds had been training in Joliet, 34 miles (55km) southwest of downtown Chicago. Jonas Edmonds was sentenced to 21 years in prison earlier on Tuesday.

Clinton calls national security team after attacks, as Trump challenges her credentials Posted: 20 Sep 2016 04:00 PM PDT By Amanda Becker and Emily Flitter WASHINGTON/HIGH POINT, N.C. (Reuters) - Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton consulted national security advisers on Tuesday after weekend bomb blasts renewed fears of domestic attacks, as Republican Donald Trump accused her of pushing policies that made the United States less safe. Clinton spoke by phone with former Defense Department official Michele Flournoy, former CIA deputy head Mike Morell and other advisers, her campaign said in an email. "We can't lose our cool and start ranting and waving our arms," Clinton said on the call, according to her campaign in an apparent reference to Trump.

Trump skips swing-state cities; opts for rural town instead Posted: 20 Sep 2016 03:53 PM PDT KENANSVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Donald Trump is spending a lot of time in this critical presidential swing state, but he campaigned Tuesday evening far from cities like Charlotte and Raleigh where many candidates have courted moderate voters in recent years.

Obama says nations vow to take in twice as many refugees Posted: 20 Sep 2016 03:08 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — World leaders gathered at the United Nations pledged Tuesday to take in 360,000 refugees next year, President Barack Obama said, roughly doubling the previous year's allowance in a bid to mitigate the worst refugee crisis since World War II.

Oil ends mixed, extend gains post-settlement on U.S. draw report Posted: 20 Sep 2016 02:53 PM PDT U.S. crude oil settled up on Tuesday on speculation of demand from the planned restart of the country's main gasoline pipeline, before being joined by Brent in a post-settlement rally on data showing a surprise U.S. inventory drawdown. The American Petroleum Institute (API), a trade group, said U.S. crude inventories fell by 7.5 million barrels for the week ended Sept. 16, drawing unexpectedly for a third week in a row. Both U.S. crude and Brent hit six-week lows earlier on the day in volatile trade ahead of the Sept. 26-28 informal talks in Algeria between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other producers on a proposed deal to contain a glut that has weighed on prices for about two years.

Qatar's emir, a U.S. ally, assails Obama's Syria policy Posted: 20 Sep 2016 02:14 PM PDT Qatar's emir criticized U.S. President Barack Obama's policy on Syria on Tuesday, highlighting the growing frustration among U.S. allies at what they perceive to be Washington's lackluster action towards the protracted civil war. Qatar, home to a U.S. base, is a vocal critic of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and, like the United States, has supported rebels seeking to topple Assad. Speaking to the United Nations General Assembly, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, criticized Obama's so-called "red line" on Syria.

UN chief rails against leaders with 'bloody hands' in Syria Posted: 20 Sep 2016 01:57 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon railed Tuesday against leaders who keep "feeding the war machine" in Syria as he bowed out of the world stage, while President Barack Obama said there was no military solution to the five-year conflict and described a globe in the throes of a contest between authoritarianism and democracy.

Obama hits at populist strongmen in last UN address Posted: 20 Sep 2016 01:56 PM PDT President Barack Obama used his farewell UN address Tuesday to castigate strongmen and populists, taking aim at Vladimir Putin's Soviet nostalgia and Donald Trump's rise at home. Obama told the UN General Assembly that democracy remains the "firmest foundation for human progress" as he repudiated "crude populism" that has mushroomed in the United States and around the world. "Some argue the future favors the strongman," Obama said, in remarks that will echo in the 2016 US campaign as much as the Kremlin, or Tiananmen Square.

Syrian opposition: international ceasefire efforts lack credibility Posted: 20 Sep 2016 01:44 PM PDT By John Irish and Yara Bayoumy NEW YORK (Reuters) - Syria's chief opposition coordinator Riad Hijab said on Tuesday that international efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Syria's civil war were doomed without any credible mechanism to designate blame or attribute consequences. Hijab, once a prime minister under Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said in an interview that the failings in the ceasefire deal brokered by the United States and Russia were flawed from the outset.

Pitt expresses sadness over Jolie divorce filing as Hollywood power couple splits Posted: 20 Sep 2016 01:35 PM PDT By Alex Dobuzinskis and Piya Sinha-Roy LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Angelina Jolie has filed for a divorce from actor Brad Pitt, her husband of two years and romantic partner since 2005, her attorney said on Tuesday, signaling the end of one of Hollywood's most glamorous and powerful couples. The Oscar-winning actress filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, citing irreconcilable differences, court documents showed. Jolie sought full physical custody of their six children ages 8 to 15 with visitation rights for Pitt but did not seek spousal support.

Jordan votes in election tipped to see Islamist return Posted: 20 Sep 2016 01:26 PM PDT Jordanians voted Tuesday in an election that could see opposition Islamists re-emerge as a major parliamentary force in the key Western ally. Polling stations closed at 1700 GMT, after the electoral commission extended voting by an hour in major cities including Amman because of the "great crowds" of voters. The focus will be on turnout and the performance of the Islamic Action Front, the political arm of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood.

Jordanians elect new parliament in cautious reform move Posted: 20 Sep 2016 01:13 PM PDT AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Jordanians voted Tuesday for a new parliament under revised rules that officials say are meant to strengthen political parties but are seen by some as a small step, at most, toward democratic reform.

Tony Blair winds up government advisory business Posted: 20 Sep 2016 12:15 PM PDT Former British prime minister Tony Blair told staff Tuesday he is closing down his controversial and lucrative government advisory business to concentrate on his not-for-profit activities. Tony Blair Associates (TBA) has worked with countries including oil-rich Kazakhstan and its autocrat President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has ruled virtually unopposed since before independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Blair, who left office in 2007 after a decade in power, has long faced criticism at home for his work with rulers in nations like the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and China.

Here's when summer's weather turned weird and violent Posted: 20 Sep 2016 12:14 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The summer of 2016 has lurched from one extreme weather disaster to another at great cost in lives and damages. Here are just some of the worst and weirdest, according to insurance statistics and meteorologists:

NATO chief plans to meet Russian foreign minister Posted: 20 Sep 2016 12:03 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg plans to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the 71st United Nations General Assembly in New York to discuss measures to avoid accidental confrontations between the alliance and Russian armed forces.

Army's Jackson remembered for life of 'promise and purpose' Posted: 20 Sep 2016 11:44 AM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — The colors of Brandon Jackson's short life filled the church and helped tell his tale of "promise and purpose."

The Latest: French wall going up to stop UK-bound migrants Posted: 20 Sep 2016 11:18 AM PDT ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The Latest on Europe's response to the influx of refugees and migrants (all times local):

What voters want in a president on national security Posted: 20 Sep 2016 11:12 AM PDT Following a string of terrorist attacks, presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are rushing to respond in ways they think will win over anxious US voters. Both say the so-called Islamic State wants their opponent to win. For Mr. Trump, the party he belongs to may be his most important antiterrorist credential.

Stuck on record warm: Earth has unprecedented 16-straight warmest months Posted: 20 Sep 2016 10:35 AM PDT When it comes to Earth's climate, even the records themselves are breaking records now. Earth just experienced its hottest August on record, according to NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  This means the planet has set a record warm monthly temperature record during every month for the past 16 consecutive months — an unprecedented warm streak, according to NOAA. The year-to-date is also record warm, as was the June through August period, known as meteorological summer in the Northern Hemisphere.  SEE ALSO: 375 top scientists warn against Trump's plan to pull out of climate pact According to NOAA findings released Tuesday, the globally averaged surface temperature for August was 0.92 degrees Celsius, or 1.66 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th century average of 15.6 degrees Celsius, or 60.1 degrees Fahrenheit.  This surpassed all other Augusts in temperature data going back to 1880, beating August of 2015 by 0.05 degrees Celsius, or 0.09 degrees Fahrenheit. Unlike NASA, however, NOAA did not find that August tied July for the title of the hottest month on record.  Based on NOAA's analysis, August was slightly cooler than July, compared to average. The record warm streak has featured months that have shattered previous milestones, with 14 of the 15 highest monthly temperature departures from average occurring since February 2015, NOAA found.  Monthly global average surface temperature anomalies. Image: Gavin schmidt via nasa and climate central For the year-to-date, global average surface temperatures beat out the previous record warm January through August period, which occurred just last year, by 0.16 degrees Celsius, or 0.29 degrees Fahrenheit. Both land and ocean surface temperatures were record warm for the year so far.  Record warmth during the first eight months  of the streak occurred across much of the globe, NOAA found, including western Canada, northern South America, central and southern Africa, Indonesia, northern and southern Asia and Australia. Not a single land area saw cooler-than-average conditions during the January to August period, NOAA said.  "Something that gets lost in the monthly updates to this streak of record-breaking months is the magnitude of change compared to just a couple decades ago," Derek Arndt, chief of climate monitoring at NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information, told Mashable via email.  "Sure, we've broken the record 16 consecutive months, that is evidence that we are in a warm surge following decades of warming. But the magnitude is immense: twenty years ago, in 1996, no year had poked above half a degree Celsius warmer than the 20th century average. Now, we're at a degree above the average. We've doubled that difference in half a generation." Global average temperature anomalies since 1880, including the century-long trend line. Image: NOAA/ncei For the oceans, the only area that was record cold for the year-to-date was the stormy Drake Passage off of South America.  Consequences The extraordinarily warm year of 2016 has brought flood disasters to the U.S. — the most recent of which devastated parts of Louisiana — as well as in China.  Typically hot locations, such as India, Kuwait and Iraq, set new benchmarks for what constitutes their hottest days. Meanwhile, the world's oceans have been suffering through the longest-lasting global coral bleaching event on record, which is now expected to last into 2017. Meanwhile in the Arctic, both the Northwest and Northeast Passages were open for navigation, with a massive cruise ship passing through the Northwest Passage for the first time, carrying more than 1,000 passengers and crew. Arctic sea ice hit the second-lowest level on record, which continues the long-term trend toward a seasonally ice-free Arctic.  Warmest year? While NASA has said that it is virtually certain that 2016 will be the warmest year on record, beating the milestone set just last year, NOAA is hedging on that prediction a bit more.  The agency published a graph showing different scenarios in which 2016 could end up being the second-warmest year. For example, if each month from September through December matches the 1998 monthly values, NOAA scientists found, the year would end up behind 2015 by 0.06 degrees Celsius, or 0.11 degrees Fahrenheit.  The 1998 comparison is apt, since that year also saw an El Niño event at the start of the year, followed by much cooler conditions in the tropical Pacific as the year went on.  Global average surface temperature anomaly horserace for 2016 compared to previous warmest years. Triangles show scenario involving 1998 monthly average temperatures, while circles follow scenario in which September to December match 21st century monthly average temperatures. Image: NOAA/NCEI While part of the warmth is due to an El Niño event in the tropical Pacific Ocean, which tends to boost global average temperatures, that event has subsided, yet warm records have continued to topple. This illustrates the influence of human-caused global warming, which has been driving temperatures upward at a faster pace in recent decades. Without a La Niña event to dampen global average temperatures slightly, it's possible that more monthly temperature records will be set before 2016 is over.

Tony Blair shuts consulting businesses to focus on charity Posted: 20 Sep 2016 09:54 AM PDT LONDON (AP) — Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is shutting down his international businesses to focus on charity work.

Iraq forces launch push on IS-held town Posted: 20 Sep 2016 08:23 AM PDT Iraqi forces launched an operation on Tuesday to retake a northern town from the Islamic State group in the latest move to prepare a broad offensive on jihadist bastion Mosul. Army and tribal forces pushed towards Sherqat, which IS fighters captured more than two years ago when they swept across Iraq's Sunni Arab heartland. IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes and training have since retaken significant ground including the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah.

European Union widens sanctions regime to target Islamist militants Posted: 20 Sep 2016 08:21 AM PDT The European Union agreed on Tuesday to freeze assets of Islamist militants and their financial backers even if they are not on U.N. blacklists, an initiative advanced by France after deadly attacks in Paris, Brussels and Nice. Until now, EU rules allowed only for sanctions on individuals and companies targeted by the United Nations. EU governments could act individually.

How did fingerprint errors allow deportees to become US citizens? Posted: 20 Sep 2016 06:50 AM PDT At least 858 people previously ordered to be deported or removed from the United States under a different name were granted citizenship because of incomplete fingerprint records, according to an internal Department of Homeland Security audit released Monday. The paper records of immigrants from "special interest countries" – countries that pose a national security risk to the US – or neighboring countries with high rates of immigration fraud were not added to fingerprint databases created by both the now-defunct Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the 1990s. Fingerprints taken by immigration officials during the deportation process were also infrequently forwarded to the FBI.

Islamic State digs in behind Mosul moat as battle for city looms Posted: 20 Sep 2016 05:27 AM PDT By Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Islamic State is building a moat around Mosul in northern Iraq, in preparation for a long, hard battle against U.S.-backed Iraqi government forces for the biggest city in the jihadists' self-proclaimed caliphate. The city of 2 million fell to the militants in 2014 in a lightning advance, and the offensive to recapture it will be the biggest battle Islamic State has ever fought. The group has been working hard this month to dig a two-meter by two-meter trench along the city's perimeter and position oil tanks nearby to create a river of fire that would impede advancing troops and hinder aerial surveillance, according to senior Iraq military officers, Mosul residents, and local officials based outside the city.

Mediterranean migrant crossings down, but UN fears deaths on rise Posted: 20 Sep 2016 04:26 AM PDT Fatalities among migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe could outstrip last year's total even though total numbers fell in the first nine months of this year, the UN said Tuesday. "The number of refugees and migrants reaching European shores this year passed the 300,000 mark today," William Spindler, spokesman for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), told reporters. While that is well down on last year's January to September total of 520,000, fatality rates had risen, with 2016 on track to be "the deadliest year on record in the Mediterranean Sea," the agency added.

Iraqi forces launch push to take town near Mosul from IS Posted: 20 Sep 2016 02:19 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi forces have launched a new military operation to recapture a key town north of Baghdad from the Islamic State group.

Turkey kills four Kurdish militants in north Iraq: army sources Posted: 20 Sep 2016 12:03 AM PDT DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkish armed forces shelled a Kurdish militant target in northern Iraq on Tuesday and killed four rebels, military sources said. The Turkish army regularly conducts cross-border air operations against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Iraq's mountainous north, where the rebels are based. The PKK took up arms against Turkey in 1984. ...

'Awards Chatter' Podcast — Rob Reiner ('LBJ') Posted: 19 Sep 2016 09:00 PM PDT The 69-year-old reflects on growing up in his legendary father's shadow, shifting his focus after 'All in the Family' from acting to directing and the 2016 presidential election ("I'm rooting for the gal that Meathead would've voted for," not a "con man").

Australia call up young guns for Saudi, Japan games Posted: 19 Sep 2016 07:56 PM PDT Austrian-based midfielder James Jeggo could earn his first cap for the Socceroos after being named on Tuesday in Australia's squad for World Cup qualifiers against Saudi Arabia and Japan next month. Coach Ange Postecoglou has made three changes to the squad, calling up the uncapped Jeggo and Netherlands-based Craig Goodwin, while defender Bailey Wright returns after missing the first two qualifiers through injury.

The Latest: Trump meets Egypt's president at UN Posted: 19 Sep 2016 06:48 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the U.S. presidential race (all times EDT):

Top U.S. general defends Syria targeting after deadly strike Posted: 19 Sep 2016 06:09 PM PDT By Phil Stewart ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT (Reuters) - The top U.S. general warned on Monday against rushing to judgment after a deadly weekend U.S. air strike that Syria says killed some of its soldiers, as he defended U.S. targeting that his military has used against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. "Maybe before we start going on a path of 'what went wrong,' let's do an investigation and actually ensure that something did go wrong," Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a small group of reporters traveling with him. The remarks are the latest to suggest the U.S. military still believes it may have had good reason to think it was striking Islamic State instead of Syrian army forces onSaturday in the eastern Syrian city of Deir al-Zor.

Soccer-Postecoglou tweaks Australia squad for crunch World Cup qualifiers Posted: 19 Sep 2016 06:02 PM PDT Australia coach Ange Postecoglou has rewarded James Jeggo and Craig Goodwin for their strong club form in Europe by bringing them into his squad for next month's World Cup qualifiers against Saudi Arabia and Japan. Uncapped Austrian-born midfielder Jeggo, who plays for Sturm Graz, and Goodwin, a versatile left-sided player at Dutch club Sparta Rotterdam, were two of the three additions to the squad that started the final round of Asian qualifying with two wins.

3 changes to Australia squad for World Cup qualifier Posted: 19 Sep 2016 05:50 PM PDT SYDNEY (AP) — Australia football coach Ange Postecoglou has named Austria-born midfielder Jimmy Jeggo in his squad for World Cup qualifiers against Saudi Arabia and Japan next month.

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