Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Obama claims progress on Islamic State amid worrying signs
• IS group's 'cause is lost', Obama says
• Obama sees momentum in fight against Islamic State
• New UN proposal aims at extremists use of chemical weapons
• U.S. rights report criticizes China's 'severe' crackdown on lawyers
• Charges of U.S. maid held captive due to 'cultural confusion,' lawyer says
• 'The Beast' gobbling up IS fighters in Iraq: US
• The fight against weakening ISIS enters 'Phase 2'
• ISIS Names Brussels Attackers
• US says global human rights protections declined in 2015
• Russia pushes UN over threat of chemical attacks in Europe
• US cites global governance crisis for declining human rights
• Scuffles in Iraq's parliament following stalled Cabinet vote
• Iraq parliament chaos prevents cabinet vote
• Jordan security services 'shut Muslim Brotherhood HQ'
• Over 100 killed in upsurge in Syria's Aleppo: monitor
• With migrant mission to Greece, pope pushes Ortho
• Homeless Pole tripped Dutch airport security scare
• An Iraqi tank, dubbed 'The Beast,' is on a battlefield tear
• Antiquities Coalition Releases "Culture Under Threat" Mapping Resource
• Bataclan announces first concerts since Paris attacks in November
• Muslim militants behead 2 kidnapped workers in Philippines
• Iraq political crisis worsens as MPs scuffle over anti-graft plan
• Kurdistan government needs support to plug $100 million monthly deficit
• Turkey shells targets in Syria after rockets hit border town: PM
• Iraq may dissolve parliament amid political crisis: state TV
• Mental health care in emergencies 'not an optional luxury': experts
• U.S., allies stage 9 strikes against Islamic State in Iraq, Syria: statement
• In Libya, Islamic State struggles to gain support
• Media watchdog calls on Turkey to catch IS killers of Syrian journalist
• Dutch probe airport security scare in wake of Brussels bombing
• Navy secretary to Marines: Women in combat is irreversible
• CinemaCon: Sony Teases Ang Lee's 'Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk'
• CinemaCon: 'Spider-Man Homecoming' Set as Official Title by Sony

Obama claims progress on Islamic State amid worrying signs Posted: 13 Apr 2016 04:36 PM PDT LANGLEY, Virginia (AP) — President Barack Obama claimed progress Wednesday in the U.S.-led fight against the Islamic State group, even as political turmoil in Iraq and renewed violence in Syria threatened to jeopardize hard-fought gains.

IS group's 'cause is lost', Obama says Posted: 13 Apr 2016 04:32 PM PDT The Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria is on the defensive and "their cause is lost," US President Barack Obama said Wednesday after meeting with CIA chiefs and other security officials. Obama paid a rare visit to CIA headquarters in Virginia to discuss progress of Operation Inherent Resolve, the 20-month-old US-led campaign against IS jihadists in Iraq and Syria. "ISIL is on the defensive, and we are on the offensive," Obama said, using an IS acronym.

Obama sees momentum in fight against Islamic State Posted: 13 Apr 2016 04:16 PM PDT By Jeff Mason LANGLEY, Va. (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Wednesday the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq had put the militant group on the defensive, shrinking its territory and striking key leaders. "We have momentum and we intend to keep that momentum," Obama told reporters after meeting with his national security advisers at the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency. "We will continue to assist Iraq and so must the entire world as it works to stabilize liberated areas and promote governance and development that is inclusive of all Iraqi communities," he said.

New UN proposal aims at extremists use of chemical weapons Posted: 13 Apr 2016 03:56 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia and China introduced a draft U.N. resolution Wednesday aimed at preventing extremist groups like the Islamic State and the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front from developing or using chemical weapons in Syria.

U.S. rights report criticizes China's 'severe' crackdown on lawyers Posted: 13 Apr 2016 03:16 PM PDT The U.S. State Department's annual human rights report on Wednesday criticized Beijing's 'severe' crackdown against Chinese lawyers and law firms handling cases that Beijing considers politically sensitive. The report, which describes human rights practices of governments in 199 countries, said repression and coercion in China against organizations and individuals involved in civil and political rights advocacy had increased.

Charges of U.S. maid held captive due to 'cultural confusion,' lawyer says Posted: 13 Apr 2016 03:10 PM PDT A Southern California couple accused of forcing an Indonesian woman to work as an unpaid live-in maid are victims of "cultural confusion," their attorney said on Wednesday. The case against Firas Majeed and Shatha Abbas, who are originally from Iraq, stems from misunderstandings due to money and language differences among the immigrants, defense attorney Douglas Brown told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Majeed, 44, and Abbas, 38, were arrested this month on charges they forced their housekeeper to work up to 18 hours a day without pay in their San Diego-area apartment.

'The Beast' gobbling up IS fighters in Iraq: US Posted: 13 Apr 2016 02:58 PM PDT An American-made Iraqi army tank that locals have fondly nicknamed "The Beast" is playing a major role driving the Islamic State group from a town on the frontlines, a Pentagon official said Wednesday. Baghdad-based spokesman Colonel Steve Warren recounted the exploits of the M-1 Abrams tank in Heet in response to a question about whether the Iraqi military is taking too long to expel IS jihadists and lacks the will to fight. On Monday, Iraqi security forces (ISF) raised the Iraqi flag over government buildings in Heet, in Anbar province.

The fight against weakening ISIS enters 'Phase 2' Posted: 13 Apr 2016 02:22 PM PDT The number of Islamic State (ISIS) fighters is at its lowest since 2014, owing to extended efforts conducted by the US-led coalition forces, the US State Department announced Wednesday. In September 2014 the group had about 20,000 to 31,500 fighters, according to a CIA report. Since then, ISIS has lost 40 percent of its territory in Iraq, and 10 percent in Syria, according to the State Department. The first phase of the efforts by the coalition forces is now over, and the US and its partners say the second phase, which is underway, will be even more destructive.

ISIS Names Brussels Attackers Posted: 13 Apr 2016 01:50 PM PDT An issue of an ISIS magazine reveals new details about the terrorists involved in the deadly attack in Brussels, Belgium and separately appears to threaten an aide to Hillary Clinton along with a U.S. Congressman. The ISIS magazine, released online overnight, described Brussels bombers Ibrahim and Khalid El-Bakraoui as key logisticians in the terror cell that carried out both the Brussels attack last month and the Paris attacks in November. "All preparations for the raids in Paris and Brussels started with him [Khalid] and his older brother Ibrahim," the magazine says.

US says global human rights protections declined in 2015 Posted: 13 Apr 2016 01:07 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is blaming a global crisis in governance, as well as atrocities by non-state actors, for a decline in human rights standards around the world last year.

Russia pushes UN over threat of chemical attacks in Europe Posted: 13 Apr 2016 01:00 PM PDT Russia on Wednesday pushed for measures at the United Nations to monitor extremist groups fighting in Syria, warning of a "clear and present threat" that they could stage chemical attacks, possibly in Europe. Russia and China presented a draft Security Council resolution that calls on all countries, in particular those neighboring Syria such as Turkey and Iraq, to report any move by armed groups to acquire or produce chemical weapons.

US cites global governance crisis for declining human rights Posted: 13 Apr 2016 12:49 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is blaming a global crisis in governance as well as atrocities committed by non-state actors for a decline in human rights standards around the world.

Scuffles in Iraq's parliament following stalled Cabinet vote Posted: 13 Apr 2016 12:30 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi lawmakers have resorted to throwing water bottles and punching each other a day after a vote on a new Cabinet was postponed.

Iraq parliament chaos prevents cabinet vote Posted: 13 Apr 2016 12:19 PM PDT The political row comes at a critical time for Iraq, which is battling to regain more territory from the Islamic State jihadist group, and Washington has expressed concern that the cabinet dispute could distract from that fight. Iraq is also struggling with a major financial crisis caused by low oil prices combined with inefficiency and corruption, and US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter plans to discuss Gulf states providing economic aid to Iraq during an upcoming trip to the region. Dozens of lawmakers held an overnight sit-in at parliament to protest efforts by influential political blocs to maintain control of ministries, prompting speaker Salim al-Juburi to convene Wednesday's session.

Jordan security services 'shut Muslim Brotherhood HQ' Posted: 13 Apr 2016 12:12 PM PDT Jordanian security services on Wednesday closed the Amman headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood, the country's main opposition force, which denounced the move as politically motivated. Previously tolerated for decades in Jordan, the Brotherhood has had tense relations with the authorities since the Arab Spring uprisings that shook the region in 2011. "Jordanian security searched the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood and evacuated it before sealing off the entrance with red wax," said a lawyer for the group, Abdelkader al-Khatib.

Over 100 killed in upsurge in Syria's Aleppo: monitor Posted: 13 Apr 2016 12:01 PM PDT Over 100 troops, pro-regime militia, jihadists and rebels have been killed in four days of fierce fighting on a strategic front of Syria's Aleppo province, a monitoring group said Wednesday. Since Sunday, fighting around Al-Eis and Khan Tuman in Aleppo's southern belt has killed 61 rebels and members of Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front and 50 troops and pro-regime militia, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "In the past 24 hours alone, 42 rebels and Al-Nusra members died, as well as 34 regime loyalists," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said.

With migrant mission to Greece, pope pushes Ortho Posted: 13 Apr 2016 11:15 AM PDT VATICAN CITY (AP) — When Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, visit migrants on the Greek island of Lesbos this weekend, they'll be doing more than sending a political message about the need to welcome refugees.

Homeless Pole tripped Dutch airport security scare Posted: 13 Apr 2016 11:10 AM PDT A homeless Pole triggered a major security scare and partial evacuation of Amsterdam airport after claiming to be a terrorist, Dutch military police said on Wednesday. Dozens of heavily armed military police had swooped on Schiphol airport late Tuesday, when the alarm was raised three weeks to the day after the deadly suicide bombings in Brussels. Military police were investigating the wide-scale security alert triggered after a bystander phoned police about a "suspicious situation", a military police spokesman had said.

An Iraqi tank, dubbed 'The Beast,' is on a battlefield tear Posted: 13 Apr 2016 10:56 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — "The Beast" is running wild on the streets in Iraq.

Antiquities Coalition Releases "Culture Under Threat" Mapping Resource Posted: 13 Apr 2016 10:26 AM PDT WASHINGTON, April 13, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- To provide a graphical representation of cultural crimes committed by Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL) and other extremist organizations in the Middle East and North African region, the Antiquities Coalition partnered with Hexagon to create the Culture Under Threat Map. The interactive map program base includes current high-resolution satellite imagery maps and displays the destruction of heritage sites in the Middle East and North Africa. The map is being released as part of the #CultureUnderThreat Task Force Report, which is the first comprehensive set of recommendations by respected NGOs to the U.S. government to combat cultural racketeering and cultural cleansing.

Bataclan announces first concerts since Paris attacks in November Posted: 13 Apr 2016 08:48 AM PDT The team running the Paris concert hall where 90 people were killed in last year's jihadist attacks announced Wednesday a series of concerts would be held at the Bataclan in November. British singer Pete Doherty and the Senegalese star Youssou N'Dour and his Super Etoile de Dakar band will play the Bataclan on November 16 and 18 respectively, the managers said in a statement. The Islamic State group, which claimed responsibility for the Paris massacre, has imposed bans on both music and dancing in areas of Syria and Iraq under their control.

Muslim militants behead 2 kidnapped workers in Philippines Posted: 13 Apr 2016 08:48 AM PDT MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Suspected Muslim militants have beheaded two kidnapped sawmill workers while four other captives have been freed in a brutal act in the southern Philippines that appears to have been influenced by the Islamic State group's style of killings, military and police officials said Thursday.

Iraq political crisis worsens as MPs scuffle over anti-graft plan Posted: 13 Apr 2016 08:46 AM PDT By Saif Hameed and Maher Chmaytelli BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's parliamentary speaker Salim al-Jabouri may request the dissolution of the assembly after ministers scuffled during a chaotic parliamentary session on Wednesday over a plan to overhaul the government that aims to tackle graft. The possibility of holding new elections in Iraq was raised after state TV reported that al-Jabouri was considering the future of the current assembly. Parliament convened at the request of several dozen MPs who began on Tuesday evening a sit-in inside the parliament building to demand that Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi sticks to his plan to introduce a cabinet of independent technocrats.

Kurdistan government needs support to plug $100 million monthly deficit Posted: 13 Apr 2016 08:44 AM PDT The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq needs budget support to plug a monthly deficit of $100 million and would accept any conditions that might be placed on the aid, KRG Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani said on Wednesday. "We have absolutely no problems with any conditions that (would) be placed on financial assistance given to us," Talabani said at a think tank conference, saying the KRG had made its need for budget support clear to the U.S. government. The global oil price plunge has compounded Kurdistan's economic woes, which began in early 2014 when Baghdad slashed funding to the region to punish it for exporting crude on its own terms in pursuit of economic independence from Iraq.

Turkey shells targets in Syria after rockets hit border town: PM Posted: 13 Apr 2016 08:28 AM PDT By Ercan Gurses and Akin Aytekin ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey's military struck Islamic State targets in northern Syria in response to rockets that hit the southeastern Turkish border town of Kilis for the third straight day on Wednesday, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said. More than 20 people have been wounded this week alone as multiple rockets struck Kilis, home to an estimated 110,000 Syrian refugees, which has been frequently hit by shells from across the border, a region controlled by Islamic State.

Iraq may dissolve parliament amid political crisis: state TV Posted: 13 Apr 2016 07:03 AM PDT BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's parliamentary speaker Salim al-Jabouri may dissolve the assembly as the country struggles to overcome a political crisis, state TV said. The channel cited an unidentified spokesman for Jabouri. The announcement came after a chaotic parliamentary session in which lawmakers scuffled over a plan to overhaul the government that aims to tackle graft. (Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli and Saif Hameed; editing by John Stonestreet)

Mental health care in emergencies 'not an optional luxury': experts Posted: 13 Apr 2016 07:03 AM PDT By Alex Whiting LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Mental illnesses are the world's leading cause of disability affecting millions and, even during a humanitarian crisis, treating them is not an optional luxury, experts said before a World Bank/World Health Organization meeting on the issue in Washington this week. The number of people affected by humanitarian crises has nearly doubled in the past decade, and the number of people forced to flee their homes - more than 60 million - is at its highest since World War Two. The WHO estimates the prevalence of common mental disorders, including anxiety and depression, can double during a humanitarian crisis to up to 20 percent of the population from 10 percent in normal times.

U.S., allies stage 9 strikes against Islamic State in Iraq, Syria: statement Posted: 13 Apr 2016 04:35 AM PDT The United States and its allies conducted nine strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria on Tuesday, the coalition leading the operations said. In a statement released on Wednesday, the Combined Joint Task Force said two strikes near Al Hawl and Mar'a in Syria hit a tactical unit and destroyed a fighting position. In Iraq, seven strikes near five cities hit several more tactical units and destroyed machine gun positions, assembly areas and a vehicle-borne explosive device, among other targets, the statement said.

In Libya, Islamic State struggles to gain support Posted: 13 Apr 2016 04:04 AM PDT By Aidan Lewis and Ahmed Elumami WADI BEY, Libya (Reuters) - Packed into a battered car, a family of nine joined the steady flow of residents fleeing Islamic State's Libyan stronghold of Sirte. A few kilometers beyond the militant group's zone of control, the family gave an account of life in the city: young men murdered for refusing to pledge allegiance to Islamic State, public beatings for dress violations, property seizures and growing food shortages. "They're killing, kidnapping and torturing." Sirte is a city upended.

Media watchdog calls on Turkey to catch IS killers of Syrian journalist Posted: 13 Apr 2016 03:42 AM PDT By Humeyra Pamuk ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A prominent media advocacy group on Wednesday called on Turkish authorities to protect journalists after a Syrian reporter was gunned down in broad daylight by Islamic State militants in southeastern Turkey - the fourth such in six months. Zaher al-Shurqat, an online broadcaster for Aleppo Today who regularly traveled to Syria to report from the front-line in the fight against Islamic State, was shot in the neck on Sunday by a masked attacker in Gaziantep near the Syria border.

Dutch probe airport security scare in wake of Brussels bombing Posted: 13 Apr 2016 03:19 AM PDT Military police Wednesday probed a major security alert at Amsterdam's busy international airport, with one man still in custody in a jolt to Dutch authorities, three weeks after attacks in Belgium killed 32 people. Dozens of heavily-armed military police swarmed Schiphol airport late Tuesday, partially evacuating parts of the public areas and arresting one suspect. The operation was triggered after a tip-off from a bystander about an unspecified "suspicious situation", a military police spokesman said.

Navy secretary to Marines: Women in combat is irreversible Posted: 13 Apr 2016 01:31 AM PDT CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) — Navy Secretary Ray Mabus had a simple message for 1,500 Marines and sailors: The decision to let women compete for all military combat positions is as irreversible as earlier edicts to integrate blacks and allow gays and lesbians to openly serve.

CinemaCon: Sony Teases Ang Lee's 'Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk' Posted: 12 Apr 2016 09:00 PM PDT "Technology is always second to story, and Billy Lynn's story is an American story," said Sony chair Tom Rothman of the technically bold film.

CinemaCon: 'Spider-Man Homecoming' Set as Official Title by Sony Posted: 12 Apr 2016 09:00 PM PDT The studio also presented the first footage from Jennifer Lawrence-Chris Pratt starrer 'Passengers,' Antoine Fuqua's 'The Magnificent Seven' and Ang Lee's 'Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk.'

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