Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Truck slams into revelers in Nice, at least 75 dead
• Blair, Bush, Clinton advocate cooperation at forum
• US offers Russia closer cooperation to save Syria plan
• Feds ask judge to toss case about Olympics snooping claim
• Russia hopes new foreign secretary Johnson can mend relations
• US confirms strike on IS commander 'Omar the Chechen'
• Thousands of Vets May Have Been Diagnosed With Brain Injuries They Don’t Have
• Top Asian News 8:59 p.m. GMT
• What the death of Omar Al-Shishani could mean for the war against ISIS
• Death of Islamic State's Shishani may damage foreign recruitment
• US airstrike targets Islamic State leader once thought dead
• FBI warns about 'terrorist diaspora' after IS defeat
• Concerns over violence as protesters head to Cleveland
• Boris Johnson: Britain's top envoy anything but diplomatic
• Boris Johnson's long record of insults, gaffes
• Year after nuclear deal, Iran’s high expectations not met
• Refugees lead to record German immigration: statistics office
• France's state of emergency will be lifted, Hollande says
• UNESCO: 5 Libyan World Heritage Sites in danger
• Russia hopes new UK foreign minister Johnson can mend relations
• FBI director says four arrested in last month for Islamic State plots
• Assad says Russia 'never' spoke of his departure
• IS recruits in SE Asia a rising threat despite weak attacks
• Is Terrorism Getting Worse?
• Iraq holds parade to celebrate victories over IS
• Rape, murder, famine — and $2.1 million for K Street PR
• Cameroon is abusing rights in its fight against Boko Haram: Amnesty
• Iraq marks national holiday with military parade
• Mali World Heritage site in danger: UNESCO
• Today in History
• Top Asian News 3:44 a.m. GMT
• Trump Time Capsule #37: 'Breached the Boundaries'

Truck slams into revelers in Nice, at least 75 dead Posted: 14 Jul 2016 05:56 PM PDT NICE, France (AP) — A truck loaded with weapons and hand grenades drove onto a sidewalk for more than a mile, plowing through Bastille Day revelers who'd gathered to watch fireworks in the French resort city of Nice late Thursday. At least 75 people were killed, authorities said, and some officials and witnesses called it a deliberate attack.

Blair, Bush, Clinton advocate cooperation at forum Posted: 14 Jul 2016 05:36 PM PDT LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Tony Blair and the two U.S. presidents he worked with as Britain's prime minister said Thursday they're worried about the growing divisiveness that is making it harder for people to work together to find solutions.

US offers Russia closer cooperation to save Syria plan Posted: 14 Jul 2016 04:34 PM PDT Top US diplomat John Kerry met Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Thursday to offer him closer military cooperation in the hope of salvaging the stalled Syria peace process. Ahead of the meeting, pessimistic US officials were careful to say it was not a last chance for diplomacy to work, but stressed they were running out of patience with Moscow. The new proposal, as revealed in a leaked document, was an offer for the US military to work with Russia against the Al-Nusra Front and Islamic State (IS) jihadist groups.

Feds ask judge to toss case about Olympics snooping claim Posted: 14 Jul 2016 03:49 PM PDT SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The National Security Agency asked a judge Thursday to dismiss a lawsuit from a former Salt Lake City mayor who says the agency conducted a mass warrantless surveillance program during the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Russia hopes new foreign secretary Johnson can mend relations Posted: 14 Jul 2016 03:31 PM PDT Russia hopes new Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson can improve dismal relations between Moscow and London, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, while the Kremlin said it thought his role would force him to moderate his rhetoric. Relations between the two countries are at their lowest point since the Cold War after a British inquiry concluded it was probable senior Kremlin officials had ordered the 2006 killing of Kremlin foe Alexander Litvinenko in London. Britain has been one of the most vocal supporters of punitive European Union sanctions imposed on Russia over its role in the Ukraine crisis and of NATO beefing up its military presence in the Baltic States and Poland to deter Russia.

US confirms strike on IS commander 'Omar the Chechen' Posted: 14 Jul 2016 03:25 PM PDT The Pentagon Thursday acknowledged targeting a top Islamic State group commander, Omar al-Shishani, in an airstrike, but stopped short of confirming his reported death. The militant group itself announced Wednesday that Shishani, whose nom de guerre means Omar the Chechen, had been killed. The Pentagon had already claimed in early March that coalition forces had killed the high-profile rebel leader.

Thousands of Vets May Have Been Diagnosed With Brain Injuries They Don’t Have Posted: 14 Jul 2016 02:06 PM PDT Thousands of veterans, many of whom served in Afghanistan and Iraq, were diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI) by medical personnel at Veterans Affairs hospitals who were unqualified to make such judgments, according to Military Times. The investigation by KARE11News in Minneapolis said only one out of 21 medical personnel who conducted examinations at the local VA hospital was qualified to do so. At a hearing on Wednesday by the House Veterans Affairs subcommittee, Chairman Ralph Abraham (R-LA), a physician, called TBI the "signature injury" from Afghanistan and Iraq.

Top Asian News 8:59 p.m. GMT Posted: 14 Jul 2016 02:00 PM PDT LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — The United States has put a $10 million bounty on his head, labeling him a terrorist. He is one of the most wanted men in India. Yet, Hafiz Saeed walks free in his home country of Pakistan, denouncing Washington and New Delhi in public speeches. Now the man identified by the U.S. as a founding member of the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group is weighing in on the flare-up of violence in Kashmir, the mountainous region divided between Pakistani and Indian control, where dozens have died in clashes with protesters after Indian security forces killed a top rebel leader.

What the death of Omar Al-Shishani could mean for the war against ISIS Posted: 14 Jul 2016 01:31 PM PDT A news agency affiliated with the so-called Islamic State militant group has confirmed the death of the group's "minister of war," Tarkhan Batirashvili – known by nom de guerre Omar Al-Shishani, or Omar the Chechen – saying the key leader had been killed in combat in the Iraqi town of Shirqat, south of Mosul. The report, published on the website of the Amaq news agency the Islamic State fighters frequently use for announcements, conflicts with a March claim from the Pentagon that Mr. Al-Shishani had died in a US airstrike in Syria. Appearing unmasked and red-bearded in propaganda videos, Al-Shishani was one of the group's most distinctive faces, and perhaps one of its most important recruitment tools – particularly for non-Arab Muslims attracted to his image as a prototypically fierce Chechnyan fighter.

Death of Islamic State's Shishani may damage foreign recruitment Posted: 14 Jul 2016 12:44 PM PDT By Stephen Kalin and Phil Stewart BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The death of Islamic State's "minister of war" may disrupt its operations, a senior U.S. military officer said on Thursday, and an Iraqi security expert said it could damage the group's important recruitment efforts in ex-Soviet republics. Abu Omar al-Shishani (the Chechen), a close military adviser to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed in combat in the Iraqi district of Shirqat, south of Mosul, Amaq, a news agency that supports IS, said on Wednesday. It was the first confirmation of Shishani's death, which the Pentagon said in March had probably occurred as a result of a U.S. air strike in eastern Syria.

US airstrike targets Islamic State leader once thought dead Posted: 14 Jul 2016 11:35 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says that a top Islamic State commander believed to have been killed earlier this year was likely at an IS meeting Sunday near Mosul, Iraq, that was hit by an airstrike.

FBI warns about 'terrorist diaspora' after IS defeat Posted: 14 Jul 2016 11:28 AM PDT Senior US national security officials on Thursday warned about a possible rise in extremist violence with the spread of a "terrorist diaspora" once the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria is defeated. "We all know there will be a terrorist diaspora out of the caliphate as military forces crush the caliphate," FBI Director James Comey told a hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee, referring to the Islamic state proclaimed by the jihadist group. The IS group's defeat in Iraq and Syria will make it "desperate to demonstrate its continued vitality, and that is likely to take the form of more asymmetric attacks, of more efforts at terrorism," Comey said.

Concerns over violence as protesters head to Cleveland Posted: 14 Jul 2016 11:02 AM PDT COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — As Donald Trump seeks to unify the fractured GOP around his presidential candidacy, protest groups will gather outside the Republican National Convention to raise their voices on issues from the party's nominee and agenda, to immigration reform and poverty, and race relations and police accountability.

Boris Johnson: Britain's top envoy anything but diplomatic Posted: 14 Jul 2016 10:20 AM PDT LONDON (AP) — He's insulted everyone from the president of the United States to the people of Papua New Guinea. Now the remarkably undiplomatic Boris Johnson, his political career miraculously revived, has become Britain's top diplomat.

Boris Johnson's long record of insults, gaffes Posted: 14 Jul 2016 10:14 AM PDT LONDON (AP) — Britain's new foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, has a long history of making provocative and sometimes insulting comments that are distinctly undiplomatic in their tone. Here are some examples:

Year after nuclear deal, Iran’s high expectations not met Posted: 14 Jul 2016 10:07 AM PDT Joy erupted on the streets of Tehran a year ago Thursday, when Iran signed a landmark nuclear deal with six world powers hailed as a victory of diplomacy over war. The deal was marketed by both sides as a "win-win": Iran would dismantle the most controversial aspects of its nuclear program – minimizing the chance of acquiring a nuclear weapon for at least a decade – in exchange for the lifting of sanctions that crippled its economy. Recommended: How much do you know about Iran?

Refugees lead to record German immigration: statistics office Posted: 14 Jul 2016 09:14 AM PDT It said around 45 percent of the 2.14 million immigrants who arrived in Germany last year were citizens of other European Union countries, 13 percent were from non-EU European countries, and 30 percent were from Asia, mainly from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. The Interior Ministry said earlier this year that 1.1 million migrants entered Germany last year with the aim of seeking asylum but the number of migrants who applied for asylum last year was much lower at 476,649. A record 998,000 people left Germany last year, a 9 percent increase compared with 2014.

France's state of emergency will be lifted, Hollande says Posted: 14 Jul 2016 09:09 AM PDT PARIS (AP) — France's state of emergency in place since attacks in January claimed by the Islamic State group will be lifted July 26, the president said Thursday, but he stressed that the threat continues.

UNESCO: 5 Libyan World Heritage Sites in danger Posted: 14 Jul 2016 08:12 AM PDT ISTANBUL (AP) — UNESCO is putting five Libyan sites on its list of World Heritage in Danger.

Russia hopes new UK foreign minister Johnson can mend relations Posted: 14 Jul 2016 08:05 AM PDT Russia hopes new British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson can improve dismal relations between Moscow and London, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, while the Kremlin said it thought his role would force him to moderate his rhetoric. Relations between the two countries are at their lowest point since the Cold War after a British inquiry concluded it was probable senior Kremlin officials had ordered the 2006 killing of Kremlin foe Alexander Litvinenko in London. Britain has been one of the most vocal supporters of punitive European Union sanctions imposed on Russia over its role in the Ukraine crisis and of NATO beefing up its military presence in the Baltic States and Poland to deter Russia.

FBI director says four arrested in last month for Islamic State plots Posted: 14 Jul 2016 07:53 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI has arrested four people within the last month in order to disrupt Islamic State-inspired plots, FBI Director James Comey told a panel of U.S. lawmakers on Thursday.

Assad says Russia 'never' spoke of his departure Posted: 14 Jul 2016 07:53 AM PDT Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Thursday he has never faced pressure from Russia to step aside, as Moscow prepared to host US Secretary of State John Kerry on reviving peace efforts. Speaking to NBC News in Damascus, Assad insisted his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had never raised the issue of his departure or a political transition. Assad's fate is a key question in efforts to bring about a negotiated settlement to Syria's five-year civil war.

IS recruits in SE Asia a rising threat despite weak attacks Posted: 14 Jul 2016 07:09 AM PDT JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Ineffectual attacks by the Islamic State group's followers in Southeast Asia have shown them to be fragmented and lacking in the expertise that has produced devastating death tolls elsewhere in the world.

Is Terrorism Getting Worse? Posted: 14 Jul 2016 04:00 AM PDT These days, terrorism seems not just more lethal and more common, but more widespread. The death toll in recent weeks speaks for itself: 22 people dead in Bangladesh, 49 gone in the United States, 44 gone in Turkey, 292 gone in Iraq, then another 37, another 12, yet another 12.

Iraq holds parade to celebrate victories over IS Posted: 14 Jul 2016 03:12 AM PDT Iraqi security forces paraded through Baghdad on Thursday to celebrate victories over the Islamic State jihadist group, but an unannounced rehearsal two days earlier put a damper on the festivities. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi reviewed the forces from a pavilion as they passed through central Tahrir Square, and military jets and helicopters overflew the city. The parade was held to mark "the liberation of Fallujah and Ramadi and all the Iraqi territory that was liberated," defence ministry spokesman Brigadier General Tahseen Ibrahim told AFP, referring to two key cities recaptured from the jihadists.

Rape, murder, famine — and $2.1 million for K Street PR Posted: 14 Jul 2016 02:00 AM PDT South Sudan is the latest human rights violator to buy an image makeover in Washington, D.C.

Cameroon is abusing rights in its fight against Boko Haram: Amnesty Posted: 14 Jul 2016 01:25 AM PDT Authorities in Cameroon have arbitrarily arrested more than 1,000 people as part of their fight against Islamist militant group Boko Haram and dozens have died of disease or been tortured to death, Amnesty International said on Thursday. Up to eight people are dying each month in Maroua Prison in the capital of Far North region and prisoners are kept in inhumane, overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, Amnesty said in a report. "Cameroon is pursuing the right objective, but in arbitrarily arresting, torturing and subjecting people to enforced disappearances the authorities are using the wrong means," said Alioune Tine, regional director for the human rights group.

Iraq marks national holiday with military parade Posted: 14 Jul 2016 01:03 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq on Thursday marked the anniversary of the 1958 overthrow of the monarchy and recent victories over the extremist Islamic State group with a military parade staged in central Baghdad amid tight security.

Mali World Heritage site in danger: UNESCO Posted: 14 Jul 2016 12:34 AM PDT A World Heritage site in central Mali that features elaborate pre-Islamic mud houses is in danger of deteriorating because it cannot be protected adequately in the face of insecurity, UNESCO said on Wednesday. The Old Towns of Djenné includes four archeological sites with nearly 2,000 houses whose decorative facades have remained intact since the 3rd century B.C. The buildings are among the most famous in Mali, a country that also boasts the ancient town of Timbuktu. The World Heritage Committee said insecurity was preventing measures to safeguard the site against the deterioration of construction materials, urbanization and erosion.

Today in History Posted: 13 Jul 2016 09:01 PM PDT Today in History

Top Asian News 3:44 a.m. GMT Posted: 13 Jul 2016 08:44 PM PDT TOKYO (AP) — Japan's Emperor Akihito has expressed his intention to retire and relinquish his title in the next few years, rather than reduce his duties as he ages, the country's public television reported Wednesday. The 82-year-old Akihito in recent years has referred to his old age and admitted to making small mistakes at ceremonies, and the Imperial Household Agency has suggested reducing his duties, while giving more responsibility to Crown Prince Naruhito. The NHK report, citing unidentified agency sources, said Akihito has told palace officials that he doesn't wish to cling to his title with drastically reduced responsibility or by arranging a substitute.

Trump Time Capsule #37: 'Breached the Boundaries' Posted: 13 Jul 2016 04:53 PM PDT Senator Theodore Bilbo, a dominant figure in Mississippi politics through the first half of the 20th century, is deplored in history's eyes as a Klan member and racist bitter-ender. After Bilbo's time, racist arguments in national-level campaigns had generally become coded ("Southern Strategy," "Willie Horton") rather than overt and explicit. Now the press is dealing with the reality that Donald Trump ("they're sending rapists") is making them explicit once again.  (Library of Congress, Public Domain)

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