Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• UN envoy says next phase in Syria talks 'crucial'
• America's top general reminds troops to stay out of politics
• Top Asian News 9:51 p.m. GMT
• With UN envoy in Damascus, IS takes Syrian town from rebels
• Lawyer for 2 Americans detained in UAE says US can do more
• Biden urges 'unified, federal and democratic Iraq' to Abadi, Barzani
• The Latest: Activists: IS militants down Syrian warplane
• Greece blasts Macedonia over migrant border violence
• Carter: Iraq politics won't stall beefed up military fight
• IS bastions 'must fall' in 2016: French defence chief
• Washington to discuss Iraq aid with Gulf allies
• U.N. lifts secrecy in race for next chief, but backroom deal may still prevail
• U.N. says food situation in Iraq's Falluja extremely worrying
• Iraq's parliament to block PM's technocrat cabinet: MPs
• Moroccan man on trial in Germany for New Year's sex assault
• U.S., allies stage 18 strikes in Iraq, Syria against Islamic State: U.S. military
• French defense chief in Iraq for talks on anti-IS campaign
• Philippines army on defensive after bloody clash with militants
• Tensions as Greece, Macedonia trade blame for tear gas incident
• Are These 'Antiques' Imported from Syria Funding Terrorists?
• Team Trump Stirs the Pot Again, Says Cruz Using ‘Gestapo Tactics’
• U.N. parachutes food into Syrian city besieged by Islamic State
• Islamic State regains Syrian stronghold near Turkey border: monitor
• Forget 2022, Qatar focus now on 2018 World Cup

UN envoy says next phase in Syria talks 'crucial' Posted: 11 Apr 2016 03:56 PM PDT The UN peace envoy to Syria said Monday that an upcoming round of negotiations in Geneva would be "crucially important" in finding a solution to the country's brutal five-year war. Staffan de Mistura's comments in Damascus came as offensives by Syria's Al-Qaeda affiliate and allied rebels triggered a spike in violence that could endanger the negotiations due to resume Wednesday. In Damascus, de Mistura said the next round of talks would be vital because they would focus on a political transition for Syria, where the fate of President Bashar al-Assad remains a major sticking point.

America's top general reminds troops to stay out of politics Posted: 11 Apr 2016 03:43 PM PDT The Pentagon's top general is reminding US forces not to express political views during a heated election season marked by Republican candidates calling for contentious military measures, an official said Monday. General Joe Dunford, who is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and serves as the top military advisor to Defense Secretary Ash Carter, is drafting a letter due to be released in the coming days encouraging troops to remain apolitical in public. The document comes after several senior military officials were questioned over whether they agree with views espoused by Republican presidential hopefuls, including Ted Cruz's calls to carpet-bomb parts of Iraq and Syria.

Top Asian News 9:51 p.m. GMT Posted: 11 Apr 2016 02:51 PM PDT HIROSHIMA, Japan (AP) — An emotional John Kerry said Hiroshima's horrible history should teach humanity to avoid conflict and strive to eradicate nuclear weapons as he became the first U.S. secretary of state to tread upon the ground of the world's first atomic bombing. Kerry's visit Monday to the Japanese city included him touring its peace museum with other foreign ministers of the Group of Seven industrialized nations and laying a wreath at the adjoining park's stone-arched monument, with the exposed steel beams of Hiroshima's iconic A-Bomb Dome in the distance. The U.S. attack on Hiroshima in the final days of World War II killed 140,000 people and scarred a generation of Japanese, while thrusting the world into the dangerous Atomic Age.

With UN envoy in Damascus, IS takes Syrian town from rebels Posted: 11 Apr 2016 02:42 PM PDT DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Islamic State militants recaptured a vital border crossing in northern Syria and shot down a government warplane in the country's west Monday as the U.N.'s special envoy urged the warring parties to respect a fragile cease-fire ahead of peace talks set to resume in Geneva this week.

Lawyer for 2 Americans detained in UAE says US can do more Posted: 11 Apr 2016 02:36 PM PDT DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A defense attorney for two Libyan-Americans imprisoned in the United Arab Emirates said Monday the U.S. government can do more to ensure they receive greater medical attention and are released.

Biden urges 'unified, federal and democratic Iraq' to Abadi, Barzani Posted: 11 Apr 2016 02:06 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden made separate calls on Monday to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Kurdish regional President Massoud Barzani to underscore the need for cooperation amid the country's political crisis, the White House said. "The vice president conveyed continued U.S. support for a unified, federal, and democratic Iraq, and encouraged close cooperation between the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government as they take steps to strengthen political unity and economic stability," the White House said in a statement. ...

The Latest: Activists: IS militants down Syrian warplane Posted: 11 Apr 2016 01:37 PM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — The Latest on the conflict in Syria and diplomatic efforts ahead of a the next round of Geneva peace talks(all times local):

Greece blasts Macedonia over migrant border violence Posted: 11 Apr 2016 12:53 PM PDT Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras accused neighbouring Macedonia on Monday of "shaming" Europe by firing tear gas and rubber bullets at migrants desperately trying to break through a border fence. Tensions are still running high after Sunday's violence, which saw 250 refugees and migrants hurt at the flashpoint Idomeni crossing as they tried to force their way into Macedonia. Tsipras said Macedonian police had used tear gas and rubber bullets Sunday against "people who were clearly not armed and constituted no serious threat".

Carter: Iraq politics won't stall beefed up military fight Posted: 11 Apr 2016 12:30 PM PDT MORMUGAO PORT TRUST, India (AP) — Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Monday that struggles within the Iraq government won't stall the U.S. military campaign to beef up the fight against Islamic State militants in the country.

IS bastions 'must fall' in 2016: French defence chief Posted: 11 Apr 2016 12:14 PM PDT The Islamic State group strongholds Raqa and Mosul "must fall" this year, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said during a speech in Baghdad on Monday. The battles to retake Raqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq are expected to be the most difficult of the war against IS, which holds swathes of territory in both countries. Le Drian's remarks are the most specific timetable for the cities' recapture given by a member of the US-led coalition against the jihadists, which has been reluctant to comment on the expected pace of operations.

Washington to discuss Iraq aid with Gulf allies Posted: 11 Apr 2016 11:40 AM PDT The United States and its Gulf allies will discuss providing economic aid to oil-rich Iraq, US defence chief Ashton Carter said Monday, as low global crude prices and ongoing conflict batter Baghdad's economy. Carter was speaking on a trip to India before heading to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia Saturday, where he will attend a Gulf Cooperation Council ministerial meeting ahead of a GCC summit that will include President Barack Obama.

U.N. lifts secrecy in race for next chief, but backroom deal may still prevail Posted: 11 Apr 2016 11:35 AM PDT By Michelle Nichols and Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - In a departure from 70 years of secrecy, candidates for United Nations secretary-general will this week make campaign-style pitches to the General Assembly as it hopes to influence the private Security Council poll that picks the winner. The search for a successor to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon - a former South Korean foreign minister who steps down at the end of the 2016 after two five-year terms - has also sparked a push by more than a quarter of U.N. states for the organization's first female leader. While the 15-member Security Council will formally recommend a candidate to the 193-member General Assembly for election as the eighth U.N. secretary-general later this year, the General Assembly vote has long been seen as a rubber stamp.

U.N. says food situation in Iraq's Falluja extremely worrying Posted: 11 Apr 2016 11:26 AM PDT The food situation for 60,000 civilians trapped in the besieged Iraqi city of Falluja is extremely worrying and likely to deteriorate unless aid gets into the city, the U.N. World Food Programme said on Monday. "For the third consecutive month, respondents from Hay Alwahda sub-district reported that shops and markets had exhausted all food supplies including wheat, sugar, rice, vegetable oil and lentils," the report said.

Iraq's parliament to block PM's technocrat cabinet: MPs Posted: 11 Apr 2016 09:45 AM PDT By Saif Hameed and Stephen Kalin BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's parliament is unlikely to vote on a new cabinet line-up proposed by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in an attempt to curb corruption after lawmakers said on Monday the dominant political blocs would name their own ministerial candidates.

Moroccan man on trial in Germany for New Year's sex assault Posted: 11 Apr 2016 08:13 AM PDT Germany put a 33-year-old Moroccan on trial for sexual assault Monday, the first man accused over a spate of such attacks at New Year's celebrations that shocked the country. The 18-year-old woman told the court of her panic as the man lifted her skirt to touch her buttocks while feeling countless other hands touching her breasts and genital area in a terrifying mob attack. Germany was appalled by the wave of sexual assaults and other crimes targeting women on New Year's Eve, mainly in Cologne but also in several other cities including Duesseldorf, where police received 118 criminal complaints.

U.S., allies stage 18 strikes in Iraq, Syria against Islamic State: U.S. military Posted: 11 Apr 2016 05:54 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies conducted 18 strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria on Sunday, the coalition leading the operations said. In a statement released on Monday, the Combined Joint Task Force said five strikes in Syria, four of them near Mar'a, hit tactical units and destroyed fighting positions, vehicles and a house-borne explosive device. In Iraq, 13 strikes near six cities denied access to terrain and destroyed assembly areas, supply caches and a rocket rail, among other targets, the statement said. ...

French defense chief in Iraq for talks on anti-IS campaign Posted: 11 Apr 2016 05:51 AM PDT PARIS (AP) — French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is in Baghdad for meetings with Iraqi leaders about the international campaign against Islamic State extremists.

Philippines army on defensive after bloody clash with militants Posted: 11 Apr 2016 04:52 AM PDT By Manuel Mogato MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines army defended its operations on Monday after 18 soldiers were killed and more than 50 wounded in a jungle ambush by militants in the south of the country who have pledged allegiance to Islamic State. Security experts and some media criticized the handling of Saturday's encounter with the Abu Sayyaf rebels, which had echoes of a grisly 2011 clash when 19 troops died - some beheaded - and another last year when 44 police commandos were slain. Military spokesman Brigadier-General Restituto Padilla said the troops had been adequately trained and the operation had been well coordinated, but they had been lured into a trap of improvised landmines that could not have been anticipated.

Tensions as Greece, Macedonia trade blame for tear gas incident Posted: 11 Apr 2016 04:04 AM PDT Fresh protests broke out Monday at a flashpoint border crossing, as Greece and Macedonia blamed each other for an incident in which tear gas and rubber bullets were fired on migrants trying to breach the closed border to get to western Europe. Greece lashed out at Macedonia for using "excessive force". Macedonia however hit back and accused police on the Greek side of failing to intervene as around 3,000 migrants "violently" tried to cross the frontier in Sunday's incident.

Are These 'Antiques' Imported from Syria Funding Terrorists? Posted: 11 Apr 2016 03:36 AM PDT "Antiques" with a declared value of $26 million have been imported to the United States from Syria since 2011, when the civil war there began, according to documents that the U.S. Census Bureau provided to Live Science. It's not clear what, exactly, the antiques actually are, nor whether the items were illegally brought here or where the money from any sales is going. The documents say that the bulk of them are brought to New York City where numerous antiquities dealers, art galleries and auction houses are based.

Team Trump Stirs the Pot Again, Says Cruz Using ‘Gestapo Tactics’ Posted: 11 Apr 2016 03:15 AM PDT Maybe they'd all shoot their cuffs, take a breath and remind the electorate that the country will be choosing a president in November, not the person most likely to win the final confrontation on the Jerry Springer show. For the Republican, alas, the week that began with the Donald Trump campaign accusing the party establishment of conspiring to steal delegates from the New York billionaire in order to prevent him from becoming the GOP's nominee did not end on a higher note.

U.N. parachutes food into Syrian city besieged by Islamic State Posted: 11 Apr 2016 02:51 AM PDT The United Nations said it parachuted food supplies to thousands of people besieged by Islamic State militants in the Syrian city of Deir al-Zor on Sunday, in a bid to ease more than two years of blockades and shortages. Many in the eastern city had been reduced to eating grass and wild vegetation, the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) reported. The delivery of 26 pallets loaded with 20 tonnes of food came as one opposition official warned that a cessation of hostilities in Syria's civil war was on the verge of collapse.

Islamic State regains Syrian stronghold near Turkey border: monitor Posted: 11 Apr 2016 01:21 AM PDT Islamic State militants took back a stronghold in Syria near the border with Turkey on Monday, four days after losing it to a grouping of rebels, a monitoring group said. The ultra-hardline Islamist group seized the town of al-Rai from factions fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army, part of months of back-and-forth fighting in northern Aleppo province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. Islamic State has declared a cross-border Islamic caliphate in Syria and neighboring Iraq and is also battling other insurgent groups caught up in Syria's civil war, some of them backed by Turkey and Western powers.

Forget 2022, Qatar focus now on 2018 World Cup Posted: 10 Apr 2016 06:39 PM PDT Of the 12 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) teams anxiously awaiting Tuesday's draw for the Russia World Cup 2018 third round qualifiers, arguably Qatar has the most at stake. This week's draw though -- which will see the dozen remaining AFC sides split into two groups of six, with the top two from each qualifying for Russia -- addresses another criticism, namely that Qatar has little or no footballing past. Russia 2018 represents Qatar's last chance to qualify for a World Cup on merit before automatically playing as hosts in 2022.

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