Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Australia arrests seven people suspected of plotting Christmas Day bombing
• Obama scraps registry for some immigrant men, mostly Muslims
• Virginia man charged with trying to aid Islamic State group
• Five and a half years of conflict in Syria
• Oil prices up in quiet session as year-end approaches
• Syrian army retakes full control of Aleppo: statement
• 5 things to know about Syria's Aleppo
• Subdued Christmas for fearful Syrian Christians
• Iraq bombs kill 23, disrupt return to normal life in Mosul
• 310,000 dead, 4.8m refugees: Syria's war in numbers
• Morocco searching for authors of posts praising Russian ambassador's assassination
• Saudi Arabia announces 2017 budget with more spending
• Berlin attack suspect emerged from jail with 'totally different mentality'
• Iraq attacks kill 34 near IS-held Mosul
• Christmas cheer in Bethlehem as more tourists expected
• Islamic State claims suicide car bombs that killed at least 23 east of Mosul
• The Latest: Bombs in Iraq's Mosul kill 23
• Iraq's Defense Ministry says car bombs in east Mosul market kill at least 15 civilians, 8 police
• Aid workers killed in mortar attacks in Mosul, U.N. says
• OAPEC official: oil supply, demand should rebalance by first-half of 2017
• Soccer-Halilhodzic eager for Japan to exact revenge over UAE
• UN says Mosul attacks killed 11, including 4 aid workers
• Faces of 2017: Ten to watch for Europe
• German market attack suspect left Tunisia seven years ago - Tunisian radio
• Fall of Aleppo shines harsh light on UN
• Lake Chad most neglected crisis in 2016 despite hunger on "epic scale"
• After years fleeing IS, tragedy hits Iraqi family in Mosul
• Iran scores victories but faces limits: experts
• Today in History
• The unlikely saviours of Libya's Roman remains

Australia arrests seven people suspected of plotting Christmas Day bombing Posted: 22 Dec 2016 04:50 PM PST Australian police said on Friday they had foiled a plot to attack prominent sites in the city of Melbourne with a series of bombs on Christmas Day that authorities described as "an imminent terrorist event" inspired by Islamic State. Six men and a woman, all in their twenties, were arrested in dawn raids across Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city, Victoria state police said in a statement. "This is a significant disruption of what we would describe as an imminent terrorist event in Melbourne," Australian Federal Police Commissioner Andrew Colvin told reporters in Sydney.

Obama scraps registry for some immigrant men, mostly Muslims Posted: 22 Dec 2016 01:25 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration on Thursday officially scrapped the last vestiges of a U.S. registration system for Muslim immigrants. If President-elect Donald Trump now wants to introduce an expanded version of the program, he will have to start from scratch.

Virginia man charged with trying to aid Islamic State group Posted: 22 Dec 2016 01:19 PM PST SUFFOLK, Va. (AP) — The investigation began six months ago after a Virginia man allegedly pledged allegiance to Islamic terrorists on Facebook. It ended Wednesday with his arrest on charges he gave $250 to FBI informants pretending to buy weapons for the Islamic State group in Iraq, federal prosecutors said Thursday.

Five and a half years of conflict in Syria Posted: 22 Dec 2016 12:42 PM PST Syria has been wracked by a devastating civil war for more than five and a half years. Peaceful pro-reform protests against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, which began on March 15, 2011, were met with repression, prompting an armed uprising that later descended into a multi-sided nationwide conflict. More than 312,000 people have been killed in the war since 2011, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.

Oil prices up in quiet session as year-end approaches Posted: 22 Dec 2016 12:39 PM PST Oil prices rose in subdued trading on Thursday, supported by strong U.S. economic data and optimism that crude producers would abide by an agreement to limit output. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude settled up 46 cents, or 0.9 percent, to $52.95 a barrel. Overall volume for front-month crude futures was about 350,000 contracts, less than two-thirds of the total daily average over the last 200 days, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Syrian army retakes full control of Aleppo: statement Posted: 22 Dec 2016 11:59 AM PST The Syrian army said it had retaken Aleppo completely and brought "security and safety" back to the city, as the last group of rebel fighters were evacuated on Thursday. The evacuation of the rebels, who had been holed up in a small, battered enclave in Aleppo, puts the city entirely under the control of the army and its allies after years of fighting, state television said. Broadcasting live, state media showed footage of a convoy crossing from the Ramousah highway junction in south Aleppo to al-Rashideen in the countryside just southwest of the city.

5 things to know about Syria's Aleppo Posted: 22 Dec 2016 11:39 AM PST BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces and years of fighting have laid waste to much of the city of Aleppo, but he has won it back after nearly six years of war.

Subdued Christmas for fearful Syrian Christians Posted: 22 Dec 2016 11:35 AM PST Having to live with deserted streets, road blocks and the constant fear of jihadist attack, Christians in the Syrian town of Qamishli have little heart for Christmas this year. Few decorations are to be seen in the streets of Wusta, the main Christian quarter of the Kurdish-majority town in the northeast of war-torn Syria. Owner Nidal Zahawi said last year's attacks on New Year's Eve had already badly affected his livelihood.

Iraq bombs kill 23, disrupt return to normal life in Mosul Posted: 22 Dec 2016 11:33 AM PST IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Zaid Ahmed's barber shop in the Gogjali district of Mosul was packed with customers Thursday when the first of three car bombs ripped through the outdoor food market outside. Ahmed was unharmed, but when he made a dash for safety, the second blast hit.

310,000 dead, 4.8m refugees: Syria's war in numbers Posted: 22 Dec 2016 11:31 AM PST Syria's conflict has killed more than 310,000 people, uprooted over half the population and left much of the country in ruins since it erupted almost six years ago. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said last week it had recorded the deaths of 312,001 people since the conflict began with anti-government protests in March 2011. In a country with a population of some 23 million before the war, the United Nations estimates around 6.6 million people have been internally displaced by the fighting.

Morocco searching for authors of posts praising Russian ambassador's assassination Posted: 22 Dec 2016 09:38 AM PST Morocco's government said on Thursday it was working to identify the authors of social media posts praising the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey this week. Ambassador Andrei Karlov was gunned down by an assassin while giving a speech in an art gallery in Ankara on Monday. Morocco has been trying to develop ties with Moscow as it seeks new business partners and builds support on the United Nations Security Council for its proposal to offer the disputed Western Sahara region autonomy under its sovereignty.

Saudi Arabia announces 2017 budget with more spending Posted: 22 Dec 2016 09:30 AM PST RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia announced its 2017 budget on Thursday, projecting an increase in spending and a lower budget deficit as the Saudi king acknowledged "very turbulent economic conditions."

Berlin attack suspect emerged from jail with 'totally different mentality' Posted: 22 Dec 2016 08:38 AM PST By Mohamed Argouby, Joseph Nasr and Steve Scherer OUESLATIA, Tunisia/BERLIN/ROME (Reuters) - In his impoverished Tunisian hometown, Anis Amri drank alcohol and never prayed, his brothers say. Now he is prime suspect in this week's attack on a Berlin Christmas market and two of his brothers, Walid and Abdelkader, fear the failed asylum seeker may have been radicalized by radical Islamists while he spent almost four years behind bars. "He doesn't represent us or our family," Abdelkader told Sky News Arabia.

Iraq attacks kill 34 near IS-held Mosul Posted: 22 Dec 2016 08:14 AM PST Mortar fire and car bombs killed more than 30 people including aid workers near Mosul Thursday as Iraqi forces battled to seize the city from the Islamic State group. A triple car bombing on a market killed at least 23 people in Gogjali, a few kilometres (miles) east of Mosul, the army said. Gogjali was retaken by pro-government forces on November 1, two weeks into a massive operation to oust IS jihadists from their last stronghold in Iraq.

Christmas cheer in Bethlehem as more tourists expected Posted: 22 Dec 2016 07:26 AM PST Preparations for Christmas are in full swing at the site of Jesus's birthplace, with Bethlehem shops, hotels and church officials planning for more visitors than 2015, when violence put a damper on celebrations. At Manger Square next to the Church of the Nativity, built on the site where Christians believe Jesus was born, the annual giant Christmas tree covered in gold ornaments is in place. Only a handful of Palestinians could be seen taking pictures near the tree on Wednesday while a number of tourists were walking around the city, located a short drive from Jerusalem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Islamic State claims suicide car bombs that killed at least 23 east of Mosul Posted: 22 Dec 2016 06:02 AM PST Islamic State claimed three suicide car bombs that killed at least 15 civilians and eight Iraqi policemen on Thursday in an eastern suburb of Mosul, according to a military statement. A military spokesman said the car bombs went off in a market. The U.S.-backed assault on Mosul, the jihadists' last major stronghold in Iraq, was launched by a 100,000-strong alliance of local forces on Oct. 17.

The Latest: Bombs in Iraq's Mosul kill 23 Posted: 22 Dec 2016 05:24 AM PST The Latest on the Iraqi offensive to retake Mosul (all times local): 4:15 p.m. Iraq says three car bombs have ripped through an outdoor market in Mosul, killing at least 15 civilians and eight policemen. ...

Iraq's Defense Ministry says car bombs in east Mosul market kill at least 15 civilians, 8 police Posted: 22 Dec 2016 04:59 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's Defense Ministry says car bombs in east Mosul market kill at least 15 civilians, 8 police.

Aid workers killed in mortar attacks in Mosul, U.N. says Posted: 22 Dec 2016 03:04 AM PST Four Iraqi aid workers and at least seven civilians were killed by mortar fire this week during aid distribution in Mosul, the United Nations said, as the campaign to retake the city from Islamic State continued to make slow and punishing progress. On Thursday, three vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs) claimed by Islamic State went off in Kokjali, an eastern suburb that the authorities said they had retaken from the jihadists almost two months ago. Amaq news agency, which supports Islamic State, said in a statement circulated online that suicide bombers had targeted the army.

OAPEC official: oil supply, demand should rebalance by first-half of 2017 Posted: 22 Dec 2016 02:49 AM PST Supply and demand in global oil markets should rebalance during the first or second quarter of next year, the head of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries' (OAPEC) Executive Bureau said on Thursday. "There will be a rebalancing of supply and demand in the first or second quarter of 2017," Talal Nasser Al Athbi told Reuters on the sidelines of an OAPEC meeting in Cairo. OAPEC, unlike the similarly named Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), does not set oil production policy for its member countries.

Soccer-Halilhodzic eager for Japan to exact revenge over UAE Posted: 22 Dec 2016 02:44 AM PST Japan will seek to avenge a loss to the United Arab Emirates when they travel to face the West Asian side at the resumption of the final round of regional World Cup qualifying in March, coach Vahid Halilhodzic said. Japan's 2-1 home defeat by UAE in September was marred by controversial refereeing decisions as the Samurai Blue appeared to have been denied an equaliser after the ball looked to have crossed the line. "The UAE defeat was a slap in the face for us.

UN says Mosul attacks killed 11, including 4 aid workers Posted: 22 Dec 2016 02:31 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — The United Nations says two mortar attacks in the Iraqi city of Mosul earlier this week killed four aid workers and seven other civilians.

Faces of 2017: Ten to watch for Europe Posted: 22 Dec 2016 02:04 AM PST By Alastair Macdonald BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union enters 2017 under siege from without and within, facing challenges to the east, west and south and experiencing a surge by anti-EU nationalists across the continent itself. THERESA MAY "Brexit means Brexit." The British prime minister will have expand on her catchphrase when she sends Brussels a letter by March 31 to trigger the two-year countdown to divorce.

German market attack suspect left Tunisia seven years ago - Tunisian radio Posted: 21 Dec 2016 11:33 PM PST A Tunisian man suspected in the Berlin Christmas market attack left Tunisia seven years ago as an illegal immigrant and spent time in prison in Italy, his father and security sources told Tunisia's Radio Mosaique on Wednesday. The radio reported on its website that security sources had named the suspect as Anis Amri from Oueslatia in rural central Tunisia. The father told the radio station that his son had left for Germany a year ago.

Fall of Aleppo shines harsh light on UN Posted: 21 Dec 2016 11:24 PM PST The warning from the UN envoy could not have been starker: Pounded by a near-daily barrage of air strikes, Aleppo would be totally destroyed by Christmas unless the United Nations stopped the carnage. During the weeks that followed Staffan de Mistura's distress call in early October, there was a global outcry as Syrian forces, backed by Russia, tightened their grip on the city, but little action at the United Nations. With the fall of Aleppo, the world body founded on the post-World War II promise of "Never Again" is once again facing questions about its ability to confront conflicts.

Lake Chad most neglected crisis in 2016 despite hunger on "epic scale" Posted: 21 Dec 2016 11:19 PM PST By Emma Batha LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The humanitarian catastrophe in Lake Chad basin, where conflict has left over 8 million people destitute with many "teetering on the brink of famine", was the most neglected crisis in 2016, according to a survey of aid agencies. Following Lake Chad in a Thomson Reuters Foundation poll of 19 leading aid groups were Yemen, where children are starving, and South Sudan where U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon fears genocide is about to start. Overshadowed by the wars in Syria and Iraq and the global refugee and migrant crisis, Lake Chad barely made the headlines this year, but aid organisations said the crisis was "on an epic scale" with "terrifying rates of child malnutrition".

After years fleeing IS, tragedy hits Iraqi family in Mosul Posted: 21 Dec 2016 10:11 PM PST IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — The 15-year-old Iraqi boy was lying in a hospital bed recovering from his wounds when his brother brought him the news: Their father, a few rooms over, had just died from the shrapnel lodged in his head from the same Islamic State mortar attack.

Iran scores victories but faces limits: experts Posted: 21 Dec 2016 09:44 PM PST Iran has scored a string of victories across the Middle East, and decades of isolation mean it is well-placed to weather the uncertainties of a Trump presidency. "The liberation of Aleppo... reinforces the political strength of Islamic Republic of Iran. The new American president must accept the reality that Iran is the leading power in the region," Yahya Safavi, top foreign policy adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told reporters last week.

Today in History Posted: 21 Dec 2016 09:01 PM PST Today in History

The unlikely saviours of Libya's Roman remains Posted: 21 Dec 2016 04:57 PM PST Ali Hribish stands by the Arch of Septimius Severus which dominates Libya's ancient city of Leptis Magna, brandishing letters of thanks for his efforts to protect the site. The former electricity company employee in his 50s has become the Roman city's unlikely saviour, protecting it from looting and vandalism as chaos rocks the country following the 2011 downfall of dictator Moamer Kadhafi. Despite having no background in archaeology, Hribish gathered a band of fighters who dedicated themselves to preserving the ancient Roman city, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

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