Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Trump rewards loyalty, considers economic picks as he molds Cabinet
• Hunter Who Helped Kill Cecil the Lion Gets Charges Dropped
• Both sides accused of abuses in battle for Mosul
• Trump govt needs $1 bn effort to fight extremism: experts
• Unprecedented International Audience Growth to 278 million
• Assad says Trump a natural ally if he fights 'terror'
• Never mind closing Guantanamo, Trump might make it bigger
• 'I was forced to kill my best friend', former DRC child soldier says
• Germany bans Islamist 'True Religion' group, raiding mosques and flats
• Trump leans toward loyalists as he mulls Cabinet picks
• Supporters float Jim Webb’s name for top Trump Defense or State job
• Hollande wants state of emergency until presidential vote
• Iraqi children return to school in village freed of IS group
• Is Giuliani the right man to be Trump's bridge with the rest of the world?
• In eastern Mosul, civilians clamor for food, cigarettes
• Two Minnesota men sentenced for trying to aid Islamic State: local media
• Despite Lippi, China's World Cup dreams still fading
• Lippi World Cup reality check, Aussies held in Bangkok
• Turkey eyes reset with U.S. under Trump, but honeymoon may be brief
• Soccer-Thailand joy at last, South Korea and Japan win
• The Plastic Polluting the Oceans Smells Like Lunch to Marine Life
• Russia has long-term ambitions in the Middle East: Israeli official
• Iraq's ancient Nimrud recaptured but heavily damaged
• Assange questioning in London ends after two days
• Thailand swaps mourning for cheers in WCup qualifier
• Wounded, hungry, determined to stay: life in the line of fire in Mosul
• At Iraq's Nimrud, remnants of fabled city IS sought to destroy
• Former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Odierno Joins Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation
• Wounded Warrior Project Welcomes Four New Board Members
• French government seeking new extension to emergency powers: Valls
• European 'concern' over returning jihadist fighters: Belgium
• Germany bans Islamic organization, police search 190 sites
• Reuters Sports Schedule at 1400 GMT on Tuesday, Nov 15
• 9 Can't-Miss Museums in Chicago
• Islamic State kills civilians in Mosul to deter support for army
• Iraq Christians tell tales of survival in the 'caliphate'
• Iraq's children of caliphate face stateless future
• Special Report - The road to Ward 17: A journalist's battle with PTSD
• The Trump presidency: What's in store for US allies?

Trump rewards loyalty, considers economic picks as he molds Cabinet Posted: 15 Nov 2016 04:53 PM PST WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump closed in on naming two early Wall Street backers to key economic positions but jettisoned a national security expert from his transition team on Tuesday, a sign of the premium he places on loyalty as he confronts the task of building his administration. Trump, a Republican outsider who won a surprise election victory last week, is considering campaign finance chair and Wall Street veteran Steve Mnuchin as his treasury secretary, and longtime backer and billionaire investor Wilbur Ross for commerce secretary, according to Trump ally and activist investor Carl Icahn. Mike Rogers, a former U.S. representative from Michigan who had been mentioned as a possible pick for CIA director, suddenly left the transition team.

Hunter Who Helped Kill Cecil the Lion Gets Charges Dropped Posted: 15 Nov 2016 04:33 PM PST In the aftermath of discovering Zimbabwe's beloved black-maned lion Cecil had been shot and killed by Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer, Zimbabwe officials called for Palmer to be extradited and said others involved in the hunt would be "made accountable" for their illegal actions. More than a year later, Palmer has been cleared, and now a Zimbabwe court has agreed to drop charges against Theo Bronkhorst—the professional hunter who is said to have charged Palmer $50,000 to hunt Cecil in July 2015. Bronkhorst's lawyer, Perpetua Dube, told South African news site News24 that the charges against his client were too vague to enable the defense to properly mount a defense.

Both sides accused of abuses in battle for Mosul Posted: 15 Nov 2016 04:31 PM PST Islamic State militants summarily killed 21 civilians in Mosul in the last three days, most of them accused of collaborating with the Iraqi forces who are attacking the city, a medical source in Mosul said. No bodies have emerged, unlike last week when 20 corpses were strung up across Mosul in a public warning against cooperating with the army. Human Rights Watch meanwhile said that Iraqi soldiers, militiamen and civilians had mutilated the bodies of Islamic State militants south of Mosul.

Trump govt needs $1 bn effort to fight extremism: experts Posted: 15 Nov 2016 03:51 PM PST The incoming government of Donald Trump needs to create a top-level office for battling Islamic extremist ideology, experts led by ex-CIA chief Leon Panetta and former British premier Tony Blair said Tuesday. While the United States has laid out billions in the armed fight against Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State group and others, it sorely lacks a coordinated effort for the "long war" of preventing their ideology from affecting Muslim youth at home, they said. Current spending on such programs, according to a new report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies on how to fight extremism, is just 0.1 percent of the country's counter-terrorism budget.

Unprecedented International Audience Growth to 278 million Posted: 15 Nov 2016 03:40 PM PST WASHINGTON, Nov. 15, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Broadcasting Board of Governors today released its annual impact numbers which show the agency had its largest ever increase in its weekly worldwide audience to 278 million people, up from 226 million in 2015. These increases occurred across all platforms with digital platforms seeing the largest percentage growth, followed by radio and television."The unprecedented growth we've seen this year further illustrates the need for U.S. ...

Assad says Trump a natural ally if he fights 'terror' Posted: 15 Nov 2016 01:36 PM PST Syria's Bashar al-Assad said in an interview aired on Tuesday that Donald Trump will be a "natural ally" if the US president-elect fulfils his pledge to fight "terrorists". In his first reaction to Trump's election victory last week, the Syrian president struck a note of caution and said he was unsure the American billionaire would be able to keep his word and step up the fight against jihadists. "We cannot tell anything about what he's going to do, but if... he is going to fight the terrorists, of course we are going to be ally, natural ally in that regard with the Russian, with the Iranian, with many other countries," he told Portugal's RTP state television.

Never mind closing Guantanamo, Trump might make it bigger Posted: 15 Nov 2016 01:08 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Never mind closing Guantanamo. It might be getting bigger.

'I was forced to kill my best friend', former DRC child soldier says Posted: 15 Nov 2016 12:48 PM PST By Lin Taylor COVENTRY, England (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - It was during an ordinary game of soccer when Michel Chikwanine was abducted at age 5 by rebel soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo and recruited into the army. Herded onto a truck with his friend Kevin, Chikwanine was blindfolded, handed an AK-47 gun so heavy he could barely lift it and ordered to shoot. "So I pulled the trigger," Chikwanine told a conference on conflict and migration issues on Tuesday, where activists, advocates and others met to discuss such issues as the estimated 250,000 child soldiers in the world today.

Germany bans Islamist 'True Religion' group, raiding mosques and flats Posted: 15 Nov 2016 12:26 PM PST By Caroline Copley and Madeline Chambers BERLIN (Reuters) - Police launched dawn raids across Germany on Tuesday on about 190 mosques, flats and offices linked to an Islamist group after the government banned the organization, accusing it of radicalizing youngsters. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the DWR "True Religion" group had persuaded about 140 people to join militants in Iraq and Syria. DWR, also known as "READ!" made no reference to the raids on its website and did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump leans toward loyalists as he mulls Cabinet picks Posted: 15 Nov 2016 12:24 PM PST President-elect Donald Trump jettisoned a respected national security expert from his transition team on Tuesday in a sign that he may be settling on loyalists such as former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and conservative hard-liners like former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton to staff his administration. Mike Rogers, a former U.S. congressman from Michigan who had been mentioned as a possible pick for CIA director, was pushed out in part because Trump's advisers believed he did not pursue Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton aggressively enough when he headed the House of Representatives intelligence committee, a source familiar with the decision said.

Supporters float Jim Webb’s name for top Trump Defense or State job Posted: 15 Nov 2016 12:02 PM PST Former Democratic Sen. Jim Webb's name was floated as a possible choice for secretary of defense or state at a Tuesday foreign policy event in Washington, D.C. Webb has not been mentioned by the Trump transition team as a possible choice, so it was not clear Tuesday if the move was an effort by allies to push his name into consideration. Regardless, Webb would be a fascinating alternative for President-elect Trump for multiple reasons.

Hollande wants state of emergency until presidential vote Posted: 15 Nov 2016 11:46 AM PST PARIS (AP) — French President Francois Hollande says he wants the country's state of emergency prolonged until its presidential election next spring.

Iraqi children return to school in village freed of IS group Posted: 15 Nov 2016 11:42 AM PST AWSAJA, Iraq (AP) — Their smiles and eyes wide with anticipation say it all — for the first time in two years, Iraqi children in a village south of Mosul that was freed from the Islamic State group are back in school.

Is Giuliani the right man to be Trump's bridge with the rest of the world? Posted: 15 Nov 2016 11:42 AM PST After promoting an "America First" approach throughout his campaign, President-elect Donald Trump is considering a friend and former mayor of New York City to steer his foreign policy. Rudolph "Rudy" Giuliani is the leading candidate for secretary of State in the Trump administration, according to numerous sources. John Bolton, the former ambassador to the United Nations for former President George W. Bush, is also in the conversation.

In eastern Mosul, civilians clamor for food, cigarettes Posted: 15 Nov 2016 11:12 AM PST MOSUL, Iraq (AP) — Explosions and gunfire rattled parts of eastern Mosul and Islamic State militants fired mortars from apartment windows Tuesday as Iraqi special forces waged fierce urban combat in the country's second-largest city.

Two Minnesota men sentenced for trying to aid Islamic State: local media Posted: 15 Nov 2016 10:59 AM PST Senior U.S. District Judge Michael Davis sentenced Hamza Ahmed, 21, to 15 years in prison, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper. In November 2014, Ahmed was pulled off a plane scheduled to travel from New York to Turkey, which people who have fought for Islamic State have used as a gateway to Syria. The militant group holds territory in Iraq and Syria and has sympathizers and recruits around the world who have carried out shootings and bombings of civilians.

Despite Lippi, China's World Cup dreams still fading Posted: 15 Nov 2016 10:30 AM PST BANGKOK (AP) — Marcello Lippi's first game as China coach ended in a 0-0 draw with Qatar in the third round of qualification for the 2018 World Cup on Tuesday.

Lippi World Cup reality check, Aussies held in Bangkok Posted: 15 Nov 2016 10:30 AM PST Marcello Lippi's dreams of taking China to the next World Cup received a reality check on Tuesday, while Asian champions Australia were made to sweat in a near-nightmare in Bangkok. China's 0-0 draw with Qatar did nothing to boost their dwindling hopes of reaching Russia 2018, even after World Cup-winning coach Lippi was appointed last month. Mile Jedinak scored twice from the spot as Australia came from behind to draw 2-2 with Thailand, dropping out of Group B's automatic qualifying places as a result.

Turkey eyes reset with U.S. under Trump, but honeymoon may be brief Posted: 15 Nov 2016 10:19 AM PST By Nick Tattersall and Orhan Coskun ANKARA (Reuters) - In the hours after Donald Trump secured the U.S. presidency, supporters of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan triumphantly took to social media, hailing the election of a man who had threatened to ban Muslims from entering the United States. At first glance, Trump seemed an unlikely hero for millions of Turks who support the Islamist-rooted AK Party founded by Erdogan in the predominantly Muslim nation. Anti-American sentiment in Turkey - a NATO ally key to the U.S.-led fight against Islamic State in neighboring Syria and Iraq - has risen sharply since a failed military coup in July.

Soccer-Thailand joy at last, South Korea and Japan win Posted: 15 Nov 2016 10:00 AM PST (Adds UAE vs Iraq) By Peter Rutherford SEOUL, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Thailand's national soccer team gave the country a lift by holding Asian champions Australia to a shock 2-2 draw in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday while South Korea and Japan took the heat off their under-fire coaches with matching 2-1 wins. The Koreans gave coach Uli Stielike the perfect 62nd birthday gift with a come-from-behind victory over Uzbekistan in Seoul that lifted them into second spot in Group A behind Iran, who were held to a 0-0 draw by Syria. Japan coach Vahid Halilhodzic took the bold step of dropping Keisuke Honda and Shinji Kagawa to the bench against Group B leaders Saudi Arabia in Saitama and the gamble paid off big time as the 'Blue Samurai' picked up three crucial points.

The Plastic Polluting the Oceans Smells Like Lunch to Marine Life Posted: 15 Nov 2016 09:43 AM PST Not so for many seafaring bird species, which rely on an acute sense of smell to locate swarms of tiny krill and fish swirling in currents on the ocean surface. "They're like bloodhounds," said Gabrielle Nevitt, professor of animal behavior and biological sciences at the University of California, Davis. If these birds have such a keen sense of smell, why do they tend to ingest plastic at a rate higher than other birds and marine animals?

Russia has long-term ambitions in the Middle East: Israeli official Posted: 15 Nov 2016 09:35 AM PST By Luke Baker JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel should be concerned about the deepening disconnect between Russia's aims in the Middle East and its own goals, according to a senior Israeli official who held high-level meetings in Moscow last week. Avi Dichter, chairman of Israel's foreign affairs and defense committee and the former head of the Shin Bet intelligence agency, said Russia's views on Iran, Syria's Bashar al-Assad and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah were in sharp contrast to Israel's and a growing source of potential conflict.

Iraq's ancient Nimrud recaptured but heavily damaged Posted: 15 Nov 2016 08:38 AM PST Iraqi forces have retaken the ancient city of Nimrud, but it has been heavily damaged by the Islamic State group, an AFP journalist who visited the site on Tuesday said. Iraqi forces announced that Nimrud, which was founded in the 13th century and became the capital of the Assyrian empire, was recaptured on Sunday as part of the massive operation to retake Mosul, the last IS-held city in the country. IS overran Nimrud along with swathes of other territory in 2014, but Iraqi forces have since regained much of the territory they lost to the jihadists.

Assange questioning in London ends after two days Posted: 15 Nov 2016 08:26 AM PST WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's questioning at the Ecuadoran embassy in London over a longstanding rape allegation ended on Tuesday, Swedish prosecutors said. Swedish prosecutor Ingrid Isgren, Ecuador's ambassador to Britain, Carlos Ortiz, and an Ecuadoran lawyer representing Assange were all present as the former hacker was grilled with questions provided by Swedish officials. The 45-year-old Assange sought refuge in Ecuador's embassy in London's upmarket Knightsbridge neighbourhood in June 2012, fleeing allegations of rape and sexual assault in Sweden dating back to 2010.

Thailand swaps mourning for cheers in WCup qualifier Posted: 15 Nov 2016 07:36 AM PST BANGKOK (AP) — There were times when the World Cup qualifier between Thailand and Australia felt like a game of football, and there were other times when it seemed so much more.

Wounded, hungry, determined to stay: life in the line of fire in Mosul Posted: 15 Nov 2016 07:32 AM PST By John Davison MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Shrapnel split open Amir Faro's face a few days ago in an explosion near the frontline. "As long as Daesh (Islamic State) aren't coming back - which they won't - I'll be here," the 39-year-old said, his head and face wrapped in a crude makeshift bandage to cover up his wound. My family and I will stay." The army entered Zahra, Faro's district in eastern Mosul, 11 days ago, and commanders say they now have the area under full control.

At Iraq's Nimrud, remnants of fabled city IS sought to destroy Posted: 15 Nov 2016 07:20 AM PST Ali al-Bayati clambered onto the remains of a giant winged bull statue that once stood as a protector of Iraq's fabled ancient Nimrud before the Islamic State group came. Iraqi forces announced that they had recaptured Nimrud -- located some 30 kilometres (18 miles) south of Mosul, the country's last city still held by the Islamic State group -- two days before. The capital of the kingdom of Assyria some 3,000 years ago, Nimrud was one of the richest archaeological sites in the region.

Former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Odierno Joins Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation Posted: 15 Nov 2016 07:00 AM PST ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 15, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation (www.themedalofhonor.com) has appointed former Army Chief of Staff retired Gen. Raymond T. Odierno to its board of directors. "Gen. Odierno is one of our nation's most respected leaders and patriots and we're thrilled to have him join the Board," said Louis Chênevert, Foundation co-chairman. "I'm proud to join the Medal of Honor Foundation," said Odierno.

Wounded Warrior Project Welcomes Four New Board Members Posted: 15 Nov 2016 06:55 AM PST JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Nov. 15, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) welcomes to its board of directors four new members with the appointments of Lt. Gen. (ret) Richard Tryon, the Honorable Juan Garcia, Mr. Ken Fisher, and Dr. Jonathan Woodson, and plans to appoint additional members in the new year. "Our newest board members bring a broad range of valuable experience: from military, business, and nonprofit to government, education, and medicine," said Mike Linnington, WWP chief executive officer.

French government seeking new extension to emergency powers: Valls Posted: 15 Nov 2016 06:51 AM PST The French government will ask parliament for a second extension to the state of emergency imposed in the wake of the November 2015 attacks in Paris, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Tuesday. Speaking to lawmakers, Valls said France's upcoming elections and its backing for the Western coalition fighting Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria meant that the threat of further atrocities could not be ignored. "France must also be lucid about the threat," Valls said.

European 'concern' over returning jihadist fighters: Belgium Posted: 15 Nov 2016 06:28 AM PST EU countries must step up intelligence cooperation to tackle growing numbers of jihadist fighters returning home from battlefields in Syria and Iraq, Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said Tuesday. Reynders told a press briefing in Brussels there is "concern" that "foreign fighters" were increasingly returning to Europe as US-backed coalition forces drive Islamic State group from territory in Syria and Iraq. "Today, thanks to the progress that we are making with the military coalition in Iraq and in Syria, we see that cities and entire provinces are being recovered," Reynders said, flanked by French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault.

Germany bans Islamic organization, police search 190 sites Posted: 15 Nov 2016 06:12 AM PST BERLIN (AP) — The German government announced Tuesday it had banned an Islamic group, "The true religion," which is suspected of targeting teenagers to radicalize to fight in Syria and Iraq. At the same time, police raided about 190 offices, storehouses, mosques and apartments of members and supporters.

Reuters Sports Schedule at 1400 GMT on Tuesday, Nov 15 Posted: 15 Nov 2016 06:05 AM PST Reuters sports schedule at 1400 GMT on Tuesday (times GMT): SOCCER Asian World Cup qualifying, third round Group A South Korea v Uzbekistan China v Qatar Syria v Iran Group B Japan v Saudi Arabia Thailand v Australia United Arab Emirates v Iraq (1520) Decisive round of Asian qualifying reaches halfway stage South Korea beat Uzbekistan 2-1 to keep up with Group A leaders Iran, who play Syria in Malaysia. Japan host pacesetters Saudi Arabia in Saitama and Australia visit Thailand in Group B as the third round of Asian qualifying reaches the halfway point. ...

9 Can't-Miss Museums in Chicago Posted: 15 Nov 2016 06:00 AM PST The Midwest's largest city first earned its place on the planet's cultural map when it hosted the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. Its largest museums were established then and continue to thrive today. For first-time visitors to Chicago, here are some of the city's best museums according to some of its most knowledgeable residents: Chicago hotel concierges.

Islamic State kills civilians in Mosul to deter support for army Posted: 15 Nov 2016 05:59 AM PST By Dominic Evans and John Davison BAGHDAD/QAYYARA, Iraq (Reuters) - Islamic State has summarily killed 21 civilians in Mosul it accused of collaborating with U.S.-backed security forces, which said their offensive to recapture the city from the jihadists had made further advances. The killings, reported on Tuesday by a medical source, indicate that the ultra-hardline group has maintained its ability to police Mosul, more than four weeks after the start of the offensive on the northern Iraqi city. Counter terrorism forces breached Islamic State defenses in the east of the city two weeks ago but have faced resistance from the militants who have deployed suicide car bombs, snipers and waves of counter-attacks.

Iraq Christians tell tales of survival in the 'caliphate' Posted: 15 Nov 2016 05:44 AM PST They were threatened, forced to spit on a crucifix or convert to Islam, but a handful of Iraqi Christians miraculously survived more than two years under Islamic State group rule. When the jihadists swept across the Nineveh Plain in northern Iraq in August 2014 and told Christians to convert, pay tax, leave or die, around 120,000 of them fled. Now that Iraqi forces have retaken many of those areas around the city of Mosul, stories are emerging of those who did not get a chance to leave and faced one of the three other options.

Iraq's children of caliphate face stateless future Posted: 15 Nov 2016 05:29 AM PST By Stephen Kalin DEBAGA, Iraq (Reuters) - Ali and Sara, born in Islamic State's self-styled caliphate in northern Iraq, escaped to a camp for displaced people only to confront a new challenge -- with no identity documents, they risk joining a generation of stateless children. After seizing large parts of Iraq and neighboring Syria in 2014, Islamic State imposed its strict interpretation of Islamic law and began to establish the basic frameworks of statehood such as taxes and regulation.

Special Report - The road to Ward 17: A journalist's battle with PTSD Posted: 15 Nov 2016 04:41 AM PST By Dean Yates EVANDALE, Australia (Reuters) - When the psychiatrist diagnosed me with post-traumatic stress disorder at the end of our first session early this March, I finally had to accept I was unwell. The term is relatively new.

The Trump presidency: What's in store for US allies? Posted: 15 Nov 2016 04:00 AM PST This is a testing time for America's friends around the world. From Canberra to Copenhagen, governments are crossing their fingers that President-elect Donald Trump did not mean everything he said on the campaign trail. Mr. Trump has repeatedly questioned the value of those alliances, suggesting that America does not need them.

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