Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Former Australian government minister visits Iraq front line
• U.S. lawmakers may change Sept. 11 law after rejecting veto
• U.S. lawmakers may change September 11 law after rejecting veto
• US 'on verge' of ending Syria talks with Russia: Kerry
• For French protester, a surprising discovery in Calais migrant 'Jungle'
• Army names new Fort Riley commander to replace fired officer
• US eyes trove of intelligence after Mosul fight
• Mimicking Nature to Fight Climate Change
• In Central Europe, a Nationalist Turn to the Right
• A look at some of Israel's prime ministers
• The OPEC Production Cut Might Not Happen — and Might Not Matter
• Arab responses to 9/11 bill point to US interventions abroad
• Pope visits Georgia, Azerbaijan with peace message
• Air strikes kill 18 Islamic State 'leaders' in last month: U.S.
• U.N. says may struggle to accommodate refugees from Mosul battle
• Wife of officer charged in shooting details threats, bills
• 700,000 will need aid once Mosul offensive starts: UN
• UN warns of 'disaster' once Iraqi troops take on IS in Mosul
• Congress Passes Bill to Help Wounded Veterans Start Families
• Iraq PM tells Kurds not to use Mosul battle to expand territory
• Iraq's OPEC revolt shows Saudi-Iran oil deal fragility
• UNIDOHappiness Founder "Safe, Alive and Well" as Massive Airstrikes, New Ground Assault Pound Aleppo, Syria
• Exclusive: Genel Chairman Tony Hayward to step down next year - sources
• Iraqi activist Yanar Mohammed wins Norway rights prize
• Pope urges greater efforts for peace in the Middle East
• Tumult to tranquility: Migrant family finds peace in Germany
• Saudi Arabia may still fight back against 9/11 lawsuit bill
• The Iraqi Fighter Who's Either a War Hero or a War Criminal
• Kurdish militants kill three Turkish militia members: sources
• The son of Baghdad who fathered Iraqi Frankenstein
• Iraq questions OPEC method on oil output estimates
• Today in History
• New Yorkers to Get Special Look at Ang Lee's Hyper-Realistic Football Movie
• Obama defends Syria policy in face of renewed criticism
• U.S. to send more troops to Iraq ahead of Mosul battle
• 10 Things to Know for Thursday

Former Australian government minister visits Iraq front line Posted: 29 Sep 2016 05:35 PM PDT CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A former Australian government minister was branded "stupid" by the prime minister on Friday for visiting the Iraqi front line in a battle between the Islamic State movement and Kurdish Peshmerga.

U.S. lawmakers may change Sept. 11 law after rejecting veto Posted: 29 Sep 2016 04:20 PM PDT By Patricia Zengerle and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers expressed doubts on Thursday about Sept. 11 legislation they forced on President Barack Obama, saying the new law allowing lawsuits against Saudi Arabia could be narrowed to ease concerns about its effect on Americans abroad. A day after a rare overwhelming rejection of a presidential veto, the first during Obama's eight years in the White House, the Republican leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives opened the door to fixing the law as they blamed the Democratic president for not consulting them adequately. "I do think it is worth further discussing," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters, acknowledging that there could be "potential consequences" of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, known as JASTA.

U.S. lawmakers may change September 11 law after rejecting veto Posted: 29 Sep 2016 03:05 PM PDT By Patricia Zengerle and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers expressed doubts on Thursday about Sept. 11 legislation they forced on President Barack Obama, saying the new law allowing lawsuits against Saudi Arabia could be narrowed to ease concerns about its effect on Americans abroad. A day after a rare overwhelming rejection of a presidential veto, the first during Obama's eight years in the White House, the Republican leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives opened the door to fixing the law as they blamed the Democratic president for not consulting them adequately. "I do think it is worth further discussing," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters, acknowledging that there could be "potential consequences" of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, known as JASTA.

US 'on verge' of ending Syria talks with Russia: Kerry Posted: 29 Sep 2016 01:38 PM PDT US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Thursday that Washington is on the brink of ending its talks with Russia on the Syrian conflict over the assault on Aleppo. "I think we are on the verge of suspending the discussion because, you know, it's irrational in the context of the kind of bombing taking place, to be sitting there, trying to take things seriously," Kerry said. "There is no notion or indication of seriousness of purpose with what is taking place right now," he told a conference in Washington.

For French protester, a surprising discovery in Calais migrant 'Jungle' Posted: 29 Sep 2016 01:14 PM PDT Amid friends' stories of pick-pocketing by migrants in town and attacks on truck drivers heading out of it, Nicole Cordier didn't hesitate to join a protest earlier this month in Calais, the port city aside the French terminus of the Channel Tunnel. Hundreds of protesters accompanied by truck drivers and farm tractors blocked highways to call for the teeming migrant camp on the city's edge, known as the Jungle, to be closed down. Hours later, however, she found herself in the center of the migrant camp, after she met an NPR reporter covering the protest who offered to take her to see the Jungle for herself.

Army names new Fort Riley commander to replace fired officer Posted: 29 Sep 2016 12:05 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army on Thursday named a new commander at Kansas' Fort Riley to replace an officer fired three days earlier, just weeks before soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division deploy to Iraq.

US eyes trove of intelligence after Mosul fight Posted: 29 Sep 2016 12:02 PM PDT The Pentagon hopes to obtain a raft of intelligence on the Islamic State group, including its foreign networks, during its planned offensive to retake Mosul from the fighters, a military spokesman said Thursday. Many of the 615 additional soldiers Washington is sending to Iraq are intelligence specialists who will help the Iraqis use any intelligence gathered from the northern city as quickly as possible. "When you free a city like Mosul, you can expect a tremendous lot of intelligence," Colonel John Dorrian, a coalition spokesman, said in a videoconference from Baghdad.

Mimicking Nature to Fight Climate Change Posted: 29 Sep 2016 11:15 AM PDT Can nature teach us to how to mitigate the effects of climate change, or even to reverse it? The competition is the latest iteration of the institute's ongoing Biomimicry Global Design Challenge, which most recently asked teams to submit ideas for products composed of living elements. Biomimicry has a lot of potential in the area of climate change, said Megan Schuknecht, director of design challenges for the Biomimicry Institute.

In Central Europe, a Nationalist Turn to the Right Posted: 29 Sep 2016 11:10 AM PDT PRAGUE, Czech Republic -- Recently, a group of 20 people gathered at a shady corner outside the Saudi Arabian Embassy in the Czech capital, preparing to stage a particularly controversial brand of protest.

A look at some of Israel's prime ministers Posted: 29 Sep 2016 11:03 AM PDT JERUSALEM (AP) — Shimon Peres, who died Wednesday, was both a former president and prime minister, the only person in Israel to hold both jobs. Of Israel's 12 prime ministers, three are still living: current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; his predecessor, Ehud Olmert, who is in prison after a bribery conviction; and Ehud Barak, who appears to be plotting a comeback.

The OPEC Production Cut Might Not Happen — and Might Not Matter Posted: 29 Sep 2016 10:46 AM PDT Wednesday's report that OPEC officials had agreed, in principle, to their first output cut in eight years sent crude prices surging 5.3 percent to $47.05 a barrel, their best one-day gain since April. The price of crude slipped Thursday morning before climbing back above $48, swayed by uncertainty about just what the OPEC news might mean. The agreement in principle would see OPEC cut output by between 200,000 and 700,000 barrels per day from the 33.2 million pumped in August.

Arab responses to 9/11 bill point to US interventions abroad Posted: 29 Sep 2016 10:26 AM PDT DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A bill passed by Congress allowing the families of 9/11 victims to sue the Saudi government has prompted reactions of outrage and ridicule among some in the Arab world. Many critics say the bill reinforces a long-held perception in the Middle East that the U.S. only demands justice for its own victims of terrorism, despite decades of controversial U.S. interventions around the world.

Pope visits Georgia, Azerbaijan with peace message Posted: 29 Sep 2016 10:11 AM PDT VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis is wrapping up a Caucasus pilgrimage that began in June in Armenia and ends this weekend with a visit to two other countries with tiny Catholic communities: the Orthodox Christian bastion of Georgia and the largely Shiite Muslim nation of Azerbaijan.

Air strikes kill 18 Islamic State 'leaders' in last month: U.S. Posted: 29 Sep 2016 09:33 AM PDT Air strikes by the United States and its allies have killed 18 Islamic State "leaders" in the last 30 days, 13 of them in Mosul, the group's de facto Iraqi capital, a U.S. military spokesman said on Thursday. Earlier this week the Pentagon announced that the United States would send around 600 new troops to Iraq to assist Iraqi forces in the battle to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants, who control parts of Iraq and Syria.

U.N. says may struggle to accommodate refugees from Mosul battle Posted: 29 Sep 2016 09:17 AM PDT By Tom Miles GENEVA (Reuters) - More than a million people could flee the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul when the Iraqi army launches an assault on the city, the United Nations said, warning it lacked facilities to house about 400,000 of them. Bruno Geddo, chief of the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR in Iraq, said Emergency camps would include 18,000 tents in open areas, and those not lucky enough to get a tent might get one of 50,000 emergency shelter kits. "An emergency shelter kit is a sack of 15kg which includes hammer, rope, wire, nails, plastic sheeting and timber.

Wife of officer charged in shooting details threats, bills Posted: 29 Sep 2016 09:15 AM PDT ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The telephone death threats to the home of Officer Dominique Perez began soon after he and an Albuquerque police detective ended a hillside standoff by opening fire on a homeless man who died after being hit in the arms and back.

700,000 will need aid once Mosul offensive starts: UN Posted: 29 Sep 2016 09:02 AM PDT The UN said Thursday it expected at least 700,000 people in Iraq's second city of Mosul would need assistance once an expected offensive on the Islamic State group stronghold begins. "Mosul has the potential to be one the largest... disasters of many, many years," warned Bruno Geddo, the United Nation's refugee agency's main representative in Iraq. Iraq is already facing one of the world's biggest displacement crises, with around 3.3 million people forced to flee their homes in the country since 2014.

UN warns of 'disaster' once Iraqi troops take on IS in Mosul Posted: 29 Sep 2016 08:56 AM PDT GENEVA (AP) — A looming Iraqi military operation against the Islamic State group in Mosul could spark "one of the largest man-made disasters" in years, the U.N. refugee agency's top official in Iraq warned Thursday, urging the international community to keep up support for displaced Iraqis before a battle that could mark a turning point for the war-ravaged country.

Congress Passes Bill to Help Wounded Veterans Start Families Posted: 29 Sep 2016 07:52 AM PDT WASHINGTON, Sept. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Veteran service organizations (VSOs) and other advocates are congratulating Congress for approving fertility coverage for wounded veterans and their families. Without this coverage, an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 veterans would be unable to start or grow their family due to their injuries sustained in service to our country. While the Department of Defense offers fertility treatment for service members injured while on active duty, this benefit was not previously available to wounded veterans.

Iraq PM tells Kurds not to use Mosul battle to expand territory Posted: 29 Sep 2016 07:09 AM PDT Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi asked Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani not to exploit the war on Islamic State to expand the Kurds' territory, according to a government statement published after their meeting on Thursday in Baghdad. The meeting discussed the preparation for the battle to dislodge Islamic State from Mosul, the largest city under the ultra-hardline Sunni group's control, in northern Iraq. Barzani's Kurdish Regional Government has already expanded its control to Kirkuk, an oil-rich region historically claimed by the Kurds, after the Iraqi army collapsed in the face of Islamic State's sweeping advance two years ago.

Iraq's OPEC revolt shows Saudi-Iran oil deal fragility Posted: 29 Sep 2016 05:20 AM PDT By Rania El Gamal and Alex Lawler ALGIERS (Reuters) - For years, debates in the OPEC conference room were dominated by clashes between top producer Saudi Arabia and arch-rival Iran. Iraq overtook Iran as the group's second-largest producer several years ago but kept its OPEC agenda fairly low-profile. What it did, however, pleased neither Saudi Arabia nor Iran.

UNIDOHappiness Founder "Safe, Alive and Well" as Massive Airstrikes, New Ground Assault Pound Aleppo, Syria Posted: 29 Sep 2016 04:54 AM PDT ALEPPO, Syria, Sept. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- United Nations International Day of Happiness Founder and CEO at Illien Global Public Benefit Corporation Jayme Illien is 'safe, alive and well' as Syrian Government, Russia launch massive aerial bombardment and biggest ground assault since the 2011 beginning of Syria Civil war to retake Aleppo.Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160929/413265LOGOPhoto - http://photos.prnewswire. ...

Exclusive: Genel Chairman Tony Hayward to step down next year - sources Posted: 29 Sep 2016 04:40 AM PDT Tony Hayward, the former BP boss, is set to step down next year as chairman of Genel Energy, which he founded in 2011 and became the biggest oil and gas producer in Iraqi Kurdistan, three sources close to the company said. Today, Genel is struggling with a drop in oil prices, regional conflict and a large reserves downgrade. "Genel is committed to having a strong board and, as you would expect, carefully considers succession planning in order to ensure a smooth transition of key roles at appropriate times," the company said.

Iraqi activist Yanar Mohammed wins Norway rights prize Posted: 29 Sep 2016 04:25 AM PDT Norway's Rafto Prize for human rights was on Thursday awarded to Yanar Mohammed of Iraq for her efforts to help minorities and women subjected to sexual abuse in the war-torn country, the jury said. Mohammed, 55, a journalist and feminist fighting for democratic principles and human rights, is the co-founder and head of the Organisation of Women's Freedom in Iraq, which provides protection to women victims of violence. "Sexual violence is often part of battle plans, and Iraq is just one of many places where women's rights are sacrificed for political and military objectives," the Rafto Foundation said.

Pope urges greater efforts for peace in the Middle East Posted: 29 Sep 2016 04:15 AM PDT VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis is urging the world not to look the other way from war and suffering in the Middle East and appealed to leaders "for greater and renewed efforts to achieve peace throughout the Middle East."

Tumult to tranquility: Migrant family finds peace in Germany Posted: 29 Sep 2016 03:56 AM PDT ELZACH, Germany (AP) — They fled Iraq just ahead of an Islamic State group onslaught in which thousands of their fellow Yazidis were enslaved or slaughtered. Months as refugees on the fringes of Turkish society, a nearly fatal trip across the Aegean and a long trek through the Balkans and Austria north to Germany came next.

Saudi Arabia may still fight back against 9/11 lawsuit bill Posted: 29 Sep 2016 02:58 AM PDT DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia's lobbying and warnings to Congress were not enough to blunt the passing of legislation allowing families of Sept. 11 victims to sue the kingdom for the attacks.

The Iraqi Fighter Who's Either a War Hero or a War Criminal Posted: 29 Sep 2016 01:00 AM PDT It's hard to know which characters matter in the soup of Iraqi politics. This guy? He does - and quite the character he is.

Kurdish militants kill three Turkish militia members: sources Posted: 28 Sep 2016 11:45 PM PDT Kurdish militants killed three members of a state-backed militia in a firefight in southeastern Turkey on Thursday, security sources said. Members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fired on a "village guard" unit patrolling a rural area of Hakkari province, which borders Iraq and Iran, the sources said. Village guards are local residents who are armed and funded by the state and sometimes fight alongside security forces in their battle against the autonomy-seeking PKK, which took up arms in 1984.

The son of Baghdad who fathered Iraqi Frankenstein Posted: 28 Sep 2016 11:34 PM PDT When Ahmed Saadawi finished writing "Frankenstein in Baghdad", a dark fantasy about the war that tore Iraq apart a decade ago, he thought his novel dealt with the past. A fresh wave of violence in Iraq and the region has given renewed relevance to the novel, which was published in 2013, as the Arab Spring gave way to chaos and before a third of Saadawi's native Iraq fell to ultra-violent jihadists. Saadawi won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2014 and became one of the new stars of the regional literary world.

Iraq questions OPEC method on oil output estimates Posted: 28 Sep 2016 10:01 PM PDT Iraq on Wednesday questioned one of the two methods OPEC is using to estimate the oil production of its members, signaling the issue could be a problem for the country to join output limits that the group agreed to start implementing this year. OPEC uses two sets of figures for output estimates - submissions by the countries themselves and estimates by secondary sources, which are usually lower but are seen as better reflecting real output. "These figures (secondary sources) do not represent our actual production," Iraqi Oil Minister Jabar Ali al-Luaibi said.

Today in History Posted: 28 Sep 2016 09:01 PM PDT Today in History

New Yorkers to Get Special Look at Ang Lee's Hyper-Realistic Football Movie Posted: 28 Sep 2016 09:00 PM PDT The Oscar-winning filmmaker promises 'Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk' will look like nothing anyone's ever seen before, and Big Apple festgoers will be the first to see it.

Obama defends Syria policy in face of renewed criticism Posted: 28 Sep 2016 08:21 PM PDT President Barack Obama defended his refusal to use military force to end Syria's brutal civil war Wednesday, as diplomatic efforts faltered and a humanitarian crisis of historic proportions unfolded in Aleppo. With just months left in office, the besiegement and bombardment of Syria's second city has put Obama's polices back under the spotlight and exposed deep unease within his administration. "There hasn't been probably a week that's gone by in which I haven't reexamined some of the underlying premises around how we're dealing with the situation in Syria," Obama told a CNN town hall debate.

U.S. to send more troops to Iraq ahead of Mosul battle Posted: 28 Sep 2016 06:03 PM PDT By Stephen Kalin and Yeganeh Torbati BAGHDAD/ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (Reuters) - The United States will send around 600 new troops to Iraq to assist local forces in the battle to retake Mosul from Islamic State that is expected later this year, U.S. and Iraqi officials said on Wednesday. The new deployment is the third such boost in U.S. troop levels in Iraq since April, underscoring the difficulties President Barack Obama has had in extracting the U.S. military from the country. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a statement that his government asked for more U.S. military trainers and advisers.

10 Things to Know for Thursday Posted: 28 Sep 2016 06:03 PM PDT Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Thursday:

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