Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Exclusive: Afghan drone war - data show unmanned flights dominate air campaign
• Regional crises, not human rights, to dominate Obama-Gulf talks
• MPs urge British government to recognise IS 'genocide'
• Neymar to play for Brazil at Rio Olympics, not Copa America
• Neymar to play in home Olympics and not Copa, say Barcelona
• US Army captain helps foil Denmark school attack plot
• Military sexual trauma tied to increased risk of homelessness
• Olympics-Neymar to play in home Olympics and not Copa, say Barcelona
• US ups pressure on IS with first B-52 bomber strike
• First US envoy for gay rights welcomes limited advances
• Obama, Saudi king discuss strained alliance, Middle East conflicts
• Obama, Saudi king discuss U.S.-Saudi ties, conflicts: White House
• Up to 500 feared dead in Mediterranean shipwreck last week
• Oklahoma can consider PTSD in sentencing veterans under proposed law
• Sanders Vows to Stay in the Race Despite Huge NY Loss
• Obama pushes Saudis, Gulf allies to step up Iraq aid
• UK parliament condemns Islamic State violence as genocide
• Germany to consider stripping IS fighters of citizenship: document
• Senior IS figure in Iraq targeted in US-led raid
• Turkey rejected return to talks with Kurdish rebels: opposition leader
• Obama in Saudi Arabia on fence-mending visit
• IOM: Panicked migrants leaped off sinking smugglers' ship
• Yemen must tackle widening sectarian rift, says local peacemaker
• Clinton Can Start Writing Her Nomination Acceptance Speech After NY Win
• Israeli intel cooperation with Egypt at 'unprecedented' level
• Obama meets with King Salman at start of Saudi Arabia visit
• Do more in Iraq, US Pentagon boss tells Gulf
• UAE tycoon launches largest Arab education fund with $1.14B
• Special Report: Yemen's guerrilla war tests military ambitions of big-spending Saudis
• Iran determined to regain oil market share, can handle low price: source
• Iraq's Sadr calls for protests to bring about new cabinet
• Turkish warplanes hit PKK militant targets in northern Iraq: CNN Turk
• Euro 2016 soccer to take place under French state of emergency
• Kosovo passes anti-terror funding law
• Al-Sadr appeals for solution to Iraq's political crisis
• Turkey-EU refugee deal: New arrivals fall as ethical concerns rise
• U.S. defense chief lays ground for Obama meeting with Gulf allies
• Who speaks for Saudi Arabia on oil, rivals and allies wonder
• France to extend state of emergency to cover Euro 2016 soccer tournament
• Sierra Leone 'helped deploy ex-child soldiers to Iraq', academic says

Exclusive: Afghan drone war - data show unmanned flights dominate air campaign Posted: 20 Apr 2016 04:18 PM PDT By Josh Smith KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Drones fired more weapons than conventional warplanes for the first time in Afghanistan last year and the ratio is rising, previously unreported U.S. Air Force data show, underlining how reliant the military has become on unmanned aircraft. U.S. President Barack Obama said in 2013 that the Afghan drawdown after 2014 and progress against al Qaeda would "reduce the need for unmanned strikes", amid concerns from human rights groups and some foreign governments over civilian casualties.

Regional crises, not human rights, to dominate Obama-Gulf talks Posted: 20 Apr 2016 04:11 PM PDT U.S. President Barack Obama aired his human rights concerns with Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Wednesday, but his talking points on that subject are expected to be get less attention when he meets Gulf Arab monarchs on Thursday. Activists have urged the American leader to push Saudi Arabia over its human rights record, but the region's many geopolitical crises are likely to dominate a summit already overshadowed by strained ties between Washington and the Gulf. The president, who arrived on Wednesday, hopes to allay Gulf countries' fears over Iranian influence and encourage them to try to douse sectarian tensions in the region in an effort to confront the threat posed by Islamic State.

MPs urge British government to recognise IS 'genocide' Posted: 20 Apr 2016 04:08 PM PDT British lawmakers voted Wednesday to urge the government to recognise the Islamic State jihadist group's attacks on minorities in Iraq and Syria as genocide. Members of parliament unanimously approved the motion -- which is not binding on the government -- by 278 votes to zero. The vote in the 650-seat lower House of Commons calls on ministers to accept formally that IS actions against Christian, Yazidi and other religious and ethnic minorities in Syria and Iraq constitute genocide.

Neymar to play for Brazil at Rio Olympics, not Copa America Posted: 20 Apr 2016 04:01 PM PDT MADRID (AP) — Neymar will play for Brazil at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics but will skip the Copa America, Barcelona said Wednesday.

Neymar to play in home Olympics and not Copa, say Barcelona Posted: 20 Apr 2016 03:25 PM PDT Neymar will play in the Olympics in August and will miss the Centenary Copa America in the United States in June, his club Barcelona said on Wednesday to end months of speculation. "FC Barcelona expresses its gratitude to the Brazilian Football Confederation and its president Marco Polo del Nero for accepting the club's proposal for Neymar Jr to only play at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro this summer...and not at the Copa America in the United States...," the Catalan club said in a statement.

US Army captain helps foil Denmark school attack plot Posted: 20 Apr 2016 03:19 PM PDT A US Army captain in Iraq helped crack a plot to bomb a Danish school after gleaning crucial details from documents recovered from extremists, the Pentagon said Wednesday. Army Captain Bradley Grimm, who is based at Al-Asad airbase in Iraq's Anbar province, had "helped develop a system to speed the flow of intelligence from here on the ground to various national capitals," Baghdad-based spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said. Grimm gleaned "actionable intelligence" from "captured documents" belonging to foreign fighters with ties to Denmark, Warren said.

Military sexual trauma tied to increased risk of homelessness Posted: 20 Apr 2016 03:18 PM PDT By Andrew M. Seaman (Reuters Health) - Veterans who experienced sexual trauma in the military are at increased risk for homelessness, according to a new U.S. study. Compared to veterans who didn't experience sexual assault, battery or harassment during their military service, those who did were about twice as likely to be homeless during the five-year study, researchers found. "I think what stood out was the magnitude of difference," said lead author Emily Brignone, of Utah State University in Logan.

Olympics-Neymar to play in home Olympics and not Copa, say Barcelona Posted: 20 Apr 2016 03:15 PM PDT Neymar will play in the Olympics in August and will miss the Centenary Copa America in the United States in June, his club Barcelona said on Wednesday to end months of speculation. "FC Barcelona expresses its gratitude to the Brazilian Football Confederation and its president Marco Polo del Nero for accepting the club's proposal for Neymar Jr to only play at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro this summer...and not at the Copa America in the United States...," the Catalan club said in a statement.

US ups pressure on IS with first B-52 bomber strike Posted: 20 Apr 2016 02:53 PM PDT The US Air Force for the first time deployed a B-52 bomber against the Islamic State, the Pentagon said Wednesday as it ramps up a 20-month campaign to smash the jihadists. The bombing mission, in which a hulking B-52 destroyed a weapons storage facility south of Mosul, comes the same week that Defense Secretary Ash Carter visited Baghdad and announced extra US troops, cash and equipment for the anti-IS campaign in Iraq. In other signs of an increasing tempo, US commandos working with Kurdish troops conducted a raid targeting a senior IS group figure and the Pentagon said it has changed how air strikes risking civilian deaths are approved.

First US envoy for gay rights welcomes limited advances Posted: 20 Apr 2016 02:32 PM PDT There is an "emerging consensus worldwide" that the LGBT community should enjoy the same rights as everyone else, Washington's first envoy for gay rights said Wednesday, but warned transgender people are still too often victims of violence. Openly gay Randy Berry made the remarks after spending an "extraordinary" year traveling around the globe to gauge the experiences of gays and transgender people in different countries. "There at once is an emerging consensus worldwide that LGBTI persons should enjoy the same human rights as everyone else.

Obama, Saudi king discuss strained alliance, Middle East conflicts Posted: 20 Apr 2016 01:59 PM PDT By Roberta Rampton RIYADH (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama met Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Wednesday to seek joint action on security threats including Iran and Islamic State - and to talk through tensions between the two allies that have been laid bare in recent weeks. Obama's fourth and likely last visit to the world's top oil exporter has been overshadowed by Gulf Arab exasperation with his approach to the region, and doubts about Washington's commitment to their security. Most of the Gulf Arab monarchies have in private been sorely disappointed by Obama's presidency, regarding it as a period in which the United States has pulled back from the region, giving more space to their arch rival Iran to expand its influence.

Obama, Saudi king discuss U.S.-Saudi ties, conflicts: White House Posted: 20 Apr 2016 01:59 PM PDT President Barack Obama and Saudi Arabia's King Salman discussed the ties between their nations during a two-hour long meeting on Wednesday, a conversation that touched on conflicts around the Middle East and U.S. concerns about human rights in the kingdom. "The two leaders reaffirmed the historic friendship and deep strategic partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia," the White House said in a statement, noting the leaders discussed Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon, among other issues.

Up to 500 feared dead in Mediterranean shipwreck last week Posted: 20 Apr 2016 01:29 PM PDT GENEVA (AP) — As many as 500 people are feared dead after a shipwreck last week in the Mediterranean Sea, two international groups said Wednesday, describing survivors' accounts of panicked passengers who desperately tried to stay afloat by jumping between vessels.

Oklahoma can consider PTSD in sentencing veterans under proposed law Posted: 20 Apr 2016 12:54 PM PDT By Heide Brandes OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - An Oklahoma bill that allows judges to take into consideration a diagnosis of PTSD for veterans unanimously passed the state Senate on Tuesday, adding to a series of U.S. laws seeking to address mental illness among military veterans. Oklahoma House Bill 2595 allows judges to take into account a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a mitigating factor when sentencing veterans who have been diagnosed with the illness.

Sanders Vows to Stay in the Race Despite Huge NY Loss Posted: 20 Apr 2016 12:32 PM PDT Bernie Sanders wasted little time signaling that he would stay in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination to the end –and beyond – after losing big to Hillary Clinton in Tuesday's New York Democratic primary. Senator Sanders, the democratic socialist from Vermont, is just coming down from a month-long high of primary and caucus victories over Clinton and a brief handshake with Pope Francis in a Vatican hotel lobby last weekend. Despite his 58 percent to 42 percent loss to Clinton on Tuesday, Sanders believes momentum is still on his side and that the party will come around to viewing him as the superior candidate.

Obama pushes Saudis, Gulf allies to step up Iraq aid Posted: 20 Apr 2016 12:31 PM PDT RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — With fresh friction wearing on an old alliance, President Barack Obama pressed Saudi Arabia and Persian Gulf nations on Wednesday to step up efforts to defeat the Islamic State group and help rebuild war-torn Iraq.

UK parliament condemns Islamic State violence as genocide Posted: 20 Apr 2016 12:13 PM PDT By Alex Whiting LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - British MPs voted unanimously on Wednesday for a motion declaring that Islamic State violence against ethnic and religious minorities in Syria and Iraq was genocide, and urging the government to do more to bring IS fighters to justice. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, the U.S. House of Representatives, the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe have all described the Islamist militant group's actions as genocide.

Germany to consider stripping IS fighters of citizenship: document Posted: 20 Apr 2016 12:06 PM PDT Germany's ruling coalition plans to look into stripping Islamic State fighters of their German citizenship to prevent them from coming back to the country, a draft document seen by Reuters on Wednesday shows. More than 800 people have traveled from Germany to Syria and northern Iraq in recent years and around 70 returnees took part in combat or military training there, the head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency said earlier this month. "To prevent jihadists from returning to Germany, we want to examine the legal possibilities for depriving people of German citizenship if they fight for a terrorist militia abroad and have another citizenship alongside their German one," read the draft document, which the coalition of conservatives and Social Democrats are to discuss on Thursday.

Senior IS figure in Iraq targeted in US-led raid Posted: 20 Apr 2016 11:29 AM PDT A senior Islamic State figure in Iraq has been targeted in a US-led commando raid, the Pentagon said Wednesday, as Kurdish officials claimed he had been killed. The assault late Sunday, the latest raid by US special operators on a mission to kill or capture IS leaders, occurred at an undisclosed location in northern Iraq and targeted Suleiman Abd Shabib al-Jabouri, Baghdad-based US military spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said.

Turkey rejected return to talks with Kurdish rebels: opposition leader Posted: 20 Apr 2016 11:00 AM PDT By Ayla Jean Yackley ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Militants of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) wanted a return to talks with the Turkish government a few months ago amid the worst violence in decades but Ankara rejected the overture, an opposition party leader said on Wednesday. A 2-1/2-year peace process between the outlawed PKK and the government broke down last July and fighting since then has claimed thousands of lives, including around 500 civilians. Chairman Selahattin Demirtas said his Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), which has Kurdish origins, had persuaded PKK leaders based in the Qandil mountains of northern Iraq to return to the negotiating table.

Obama in Saudi Arabia on fence-mending visit Posted: 20 Apr 2016 10:31 AM PDT President Barack Obama held talks with Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Wednesday as he began a two-day visit hoping to ease tensions with the historic US ally. Riyadh and its Sunni Arab Gulf neighbours have bristled at what they see as Washington's tilt towards their regional rival Shiite Iran after Tehran's landmark nuclear deal with world powers. Obama, making probably his last visit to Riyadh as president, attends a summit of Gulf leaders on Thursday hoping to focus on intensifying the fight against the Islamic State group and resolving the wars in Syria and Yemen.

IOM: Panicked migrants leaped off sinking smugglers' ship Posted: 20 Apr 2016 10:11 AM PDT STRASBOURG, France (AP) — The Latest on Europe's response to the wave of migration from Syria and other countries (all times local):

Yemen must tackle widening sectarian rift, says local peacemaker Posted: 20 Apr 2016 10:10 AM PDT By Sebastien Malo NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - As Yemen war foes re-assess the prospects for high-level peace talks planned in Kuwait this week, a different kind of peace plan is in the making among non-governmental peacemakers. Peace efforts have so far ignored the growing sectarian face of the conflict, which has intensified the divisions and made it harder to reach peace, the Yemen head of Search for Common Ground, an international non-profit, said in a recent interview. Long-awaited talks to end a civil war that has killed about 6,200 people in Yemen - half of them civilians - and created a humanitarian crisis failed to start on Monday as planned, but negotiators were under United Nations pressure to meet.

Clinton Can Start Writing Her Nomination Acceptance Speech After NY Win Posted: 20 Apr 2016 10:00 AM PDT Just when it looked as if Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign might start coming unglued, her adopted state of New York gave her a decisive victory Tuesday night that moved her much closer in the delegate count she needs to sew up the Democratic nomination. After fending off weeks of verbal attacks from Democratic rival Sen. Bernie Sanders for her coziness with Wall Street and questionable judgment on Iraq and other foreign policy and trade issues,  Clinton last night savored an impressive 16-point win that stemmed her slide and broke Sanders's recent string of victories.

Israeli intel cooperation with Egypt at 'unprecedented' level Posted: 20 Apr 2016 09:59 AM PDT Israel has seen "unprecedented" intelligence cooperation with Egypt and Jordan as the fight against the Islamic State group nudges them to work together more closely, a military chief said Wednesday. Major General Yair Golan said "there is a strong feeling in the region... that we have to put aside past animosities and concentrate on mutual interests and working together" to deal with the jihadist threat. The Israeli military's deputy chief of staff spoke of an "unprecedented level of cooperation" mainly regarding intelligence.

Obama meets with King Salman at start of Saudi Arabia visit Posted: 20 Apr 2016 09:25 AM PDT RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Reassuring an anxious ally, President Barack Obama sat down Wednesday for a meeting with King Salman as he opened a trip to Saudi Arabia shadowed by the kingdom's deep opposition to his Iran nuclear deal and skepticism about his approach to Syria.

Do more in Iraq, US Pentagon boss tells Gulf Posted: 20 Apr 2016 08:10 AM PDT US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter pleaded Wednesday for greater Gulf financial and political involvement in Iraq, which is battling both Islamic State jihadists and an economic crisis. Carter made the comments after meeting in Riyadh with his counterparts from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council. "I encourage our GCC partners to do more, not only militarily as the Saudis, as the UAE have been doing -- and I really appreciate that -- but also politically and economically," Carter told reporters after the talks.

UAE tycoon launches largest Arab education fund with $1.14B Posted: 20 Apr 2016 08:05 AM PDT DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A billionaire businessman from the United Arab Emirates launched the Arab world's largest education fund on Wednesday, setting aside $1.14 billion (4.2 billion dirhams) in grants for underserved youth from the region.

Special Report: Yemen's guerrilla war tests military ambitions of big-spending Saudis Posted: 20 Apr 2016 07:58 AM PDT The United States would sell scores of F-15 fighters, Apache attack helicopters and other advanced weaponry to the oil-rich kingdom. The arms, both sides hoped, would fortify the Saudis against their aggressive arch-rival in the region, Iran. The biggest stumble has come in Yemen.

Iran determined to regain oil market share, can handle low price: source Posted: 20 Apr 2016 06:46 AM PDT Iran is determined to recover its share of the world oil market following the lifting of sanctions, and can withstand low prices since it has sold oil for as little as $6 a barrel in the past, a source close to Iranian oil policy said. The source was speaking after Russia, one of the participants at last weekend's meeting of oil producing nations which failed to deliver an agreement to freeze output, indicated it could raise supply. "We paid for our barrels with our centrifuges," the source said, referring to Iran's acceptance of curbs on its nuclear program in order for Western sanctions on Tehran to be lifted.

Iraq's Sadr calls for protests to bring about new cabinet Posted: 20 Apr 2016 06:30 AM PDT By Saif Hameed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's powerful Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Wednesday called for renewed protests demanding that parliament approves a long-delayed new cabinet and end political and sectarian wrangling that is hampering a vote on the matter. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced an overhaul of the government in February in a bid to tackle corruption. In a statement received by email, Sadr called for "continuing peaceful protests in the same intensity and even more in order to pressure the politicians and the lovers of corruption." "Nobody has the right to stop it otherwise the revolution will take another turn," he said in the statement, in an apparent reference to Abadi's decision to restrict protests in Baghdad to the central Tahrir Square.

Turkish warplanes hit PKK militant targets in northern Iraq: CNN Turk Posted: 20 Apr 2016 06:16 AM PDT ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish warplanes have struck militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq, broadcaster CNN Turk on Wednesday reported the Turkish armed forces as saying. No details were immediately available. The Turkish military has frequently carried out such air strikes in recent months. (Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by David Dolan)

Euro 2016 soccer to take place under French state of emergency Posted: 20 Apr 2016 05:57 AM PDT France plans to extend the state of emergency in place since November's attacks on Paris by two months, to maintain security through the Euro 2016 soccer tournament, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Wednesday. The announcement came hours after police simulated an armed response to a militant attack and hostage-taking at a Paris railway station, and a day after a government pledge to ensure anti-terrorism units could get to any attack site within 20 minutes. "The state of emergency cannot be permanent, but on the occasion of these big events ... we have decided to prolong," Valls said on France Info radio.

Kosovo passes anti-terror funding law Posted: 20 Apr 2016 05:19 AM PDT PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — The Kosovo government says draft measures against terror funding and money laundering have been given the go-ahead to go to Parliament for approval.

Al-Sadr appeals for solution to Iraq's political crisis Posted: 20 Apr 2016 05:10 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — An influential Iraqi Shiite cleric on Wednesday called on the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to help find a solution to the country's simmering political crisis "even through holding early elections."

Turkey-EU refugee deal: New arrivals fall as ethical concerns rise Posted: 20 Apr 2016 04:57 AM PDT Since its inception, the deal struck between Turkey and the European Union to stem a tide of refugees has been labelled inhumane and illegal. Critics say the EU is breaking its own rules on expulsions and failing asylum seekers fleeing war zones. The EU says the pact is having an impact: The number of migrants crossing from Turkey to Greece by sea has fallen sharply since February.

U.S. defense chief lays ground for Obama meeting with Gulf allies Posted: 20 Apr 2016 04:49 AM PDT By Yeganeh Torbati RIYADH (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter and his Gulf Arab counterparts met in Riyadh on Wednesday to discuss ways to counter Iranian influence and fight the Islamic State group, hours before President Barack Obama arrived in Saudi Arabia. Obama will meet Saudi King Salman before a summit with all the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), also in Riyadh, on Thursday, with shared security and defense issues likely to dominate the agenda.

Who speaks for Saudi Arabia on oil, rivals and allies wonder Posted: 20 Apr 2016 04:28 AM PDT By Rania El Gamal, Vladimir Soldatkin and Dmitry Zhdannikov MOSCOW/DOHA (Reuters) - As far as Venezuelan oil minister Eulogio Del Pino is concerned, his counterpart Ali al-Naimi, the world's most influential oil official for the past two decades, is no longer the voice of authority for Saudi Arabia. Del Pino is still trying to find who is. As prospects for the first deal between OPEC and non-OPEC in 15 years faded on Sunday due to last-minute demands from Saudi Arabia, ministers gathered in Qatar appealed to Naimi to save the agreement, Del Pino said.

France to extend state of emergency to cover Euro 2016 soccer tournament Posted: 20 Apr 2016 12:13 AM PDT France plans to extend the state of emergency in place since November's attacks on Paris for a further two months to ensure security at the Euro 2016 soccer tournament, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Wednesday. "Faced with an event this big ... which must take place in conditions of security and which at the same time should be a celebration ... we have to ensure security," he said on France Info radio. "The state of emergency cannot be permanent, but on the occasion of these big events... we have decided to prolong." Euro 2016 starts June 10 and runs for a month.

Sierra Leone 'helped deploy ex-child soldiers to Iraq', academic says Posted: 20 Apr 2016 12:02 AM PDT By Tom Esslemont LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Sierra Leone's government helped British private security service firms recruit former child soldiers to work as guards in Iraq from 2009, said a Danish academic who has spent years investigating the issue. By 2009, with Iraq in chaos, impoverished Sierra Leone was looking for a way to engage its workforce, said Maya Mynster Christensen, a researcher at the Danish Institute Against Torture who made repeated trips to the West African country. "From a Sierra Leone government perspective the recruitment was supposedly quite a good deal because it could take the local troublemakers and send them to Iraq for a couple of years," the anthropologist told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

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