Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• US judge rules in favor of Yemenis hit by Trump travel ban
• Imam disputes man's claim that mom died due to travel ban
• Tillerson's job as chief U.S. diplomat got harder before it began
• Trump honors fallen Navy SEAL during unannounced trip
• Islamic State turns to drones to direct suicide car bombers
• Judge orders halt to Trump's ban for immigrant visa holders
• Trump likely to face questions over travel ban in meeting with CEOs
• Report: Intelligence on fight against IS wasn't falsified
• Travel ban is 'step backward': 7 major US hospitals
• What Unearthed Radio Recordings Tell Us About Steve Bannon's Worldview
• Trump travel curbs pose revenue challenges for U.S. colleges
• What would 'extreme vetting' actually do?
• Libyan officials criticize U.S. travel ban, doubt over February conference
• UAE says Trump travel ban an internal affair, most Muslims unaffected
• Flynn Violated Constitution With Russia Speech, Democrats Say
• Tillerson's job as chief U.S. diplomat got harder before it began
• Journalist says he was wrongly detained under Trump order
• Sport and politics don't mix at Super Bowl
• Aid group joins Massachusetts lawsuit over Trump travel ban
• France's Fillon battered by scandal, blames opposition plot
• Severely burned Iraqi boy alone in U.S. after travel ban
• Top Asian News 8:03 p.m. GMT
• UAE minister says Trump travel ban not anti-Islam
• UN chief calls for lifting US travel ban
• Pentagon report says intel not falsified in anti-IS fight
• Syrian army dash to al-Bab risks Turkey clash
• Brother of Brussels bomber barred from US
• Syrian man with family turned back in Philadelphia in shock
• The Latest: Vatican expands criticism of Trump's travel ban
• U.N. chief says Trump travel ban 'not best way to protect U.S.'
• Experts: UN faces test in response to Trump refugee plan
• US defense chief begins Trump's plans to grow Pentagon
• Iraq family turned back by US says cleared for entry
• Petraeus says Trump order is blocking Iraqi general from US
• World's most vulnerable refugees struggle as US welcome mat shrinks
• Tunisian held in Germany linked to 2015 Tunis museum attack
• Concerned about refugees, U.N. experts add to censure of Trump move
• Pentagon auditor says U.S. military did not falsify intelligence
• Vatican expresses 'concern' on Trump's wall, travel ban
• Reuters memo: We’re ready to cover a hostile Trump administration

US judge rules in favor of Yemenis hit by Trump travel ban Posted: 01 Feb 2017 05:35 PM PST In yet another challenge to President Donald Trump's travel ban, a California federal judge has issued a court order barring the US government from preventing more than two dozen Yemenis with valid visas from flying to Los Angeles. US District Judge Andre Birotte handed down his temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction Tuesday following an emergency motion filed by immigration attorney Julie Goldberg and her associate Daniel Covarrubias-Klein on behalf of 28 plaintiffs.

Imam disputes man's claim that mom died due to travel ban Posted: 01 Feb 2017 04:52 PM PST DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — A Detroit-area woman whose son told television stations that she died because President Donald Trump's travel ban prevented her from returning to the U.S. for medical care actually died several days before the order was signed, the leader of a mosque said.

Tillerson's job as chief U.S. diplomat got harder before it began Posted: 01 Feb 2017 04:40 PM PST By Arshad Mohammed and Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Rex Tillerson's job as chief U.S. diplomat became harder before it even began because of White House moves that have antagonized Muslim nations, European allies, Mexico and U.S. bureaucrats, current and former U.S. officials said. The Senate confirmed Tillerson as the 69th secretary of state on Wednesday by a 56-43 vote, making the former Exxon Mobil Corp CEO the chief foreign affairs adviser to Republican President Donald Trump.

Trump honors fallen Navy SEAL during unannounced trip Posted: 01 Feb 2017 04:31 PM PST DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. (AP) — Assuming the somber duties of commander in chief, President Donald Trump made an unannounced trip Wednesday to honor the returning remains of a U.S. Navy SEAL killed in a weekend raid in Yemen.

Islamic State turns to drones to direct suicide car bombers Posted: 01 Feb 2017 03:49 PM PST Faced with a diminishing number of fighters, the Islamic State group is relying on retrofitted commercial drones to guide suicide car bombers to their targets and to launch small-scale airstrikes on Iraqi ...

Judge orders halt to Trump's ban for immigrant visa holders Posted: 01 Feb 2017 03:17 PM PST LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal judge in Los Angeles has ordered the U.S. government to allow people holding immigrant visas from seven majority-Muslim nations into the United States despite President Trump's executive order banning them.

Trump likely to face questions over travel ban in meeting with CEOs Posted: 01 Feb 2017 03:10 PM PST U.S. President Donald Trump will likely face questions about his executive order restricting some travel to the United States when he meets with the CEOs of major U.S. companies at the White House on Friday. Companies whose chief executives are expected to attend the meeting of the president's business advisory panel include JPMorgan Chase & Co , General Motors Co , Blackstone Group LP , IBM Corp , Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] and Walt Disney Co , two officials briefed on the meeting said on Wednesday.

Report: Intelligence on fight against IS wasn't falsified Posted: 01 Feb 2017 02:39 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — An independent Pentagon probe concluded Wednesday that U.S. military leaders didn't falsify intelligence about progress in the fight against the Islamic State group. Still, it found many analysts strongly believed their reports were distorted to paint a more positive picture of the campaign.

Travel ban is 'step backward': 7 major US hospitals Posted: 01 Feb 2017 02:29 PM PST Seven of the top hospitals in the United States lashed out at President Donald Trump's refugee and travel ban on Wednesday, saying it would harm medicine and take the nation backward. The lead author of the commentary article in the New England Journal of Medicine was Katrina Armstrong, physician in chief at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). "Immigration policy that blocks the best from coming to train and work in the United States and blocks our trainees and faculty from safely traveling to other countries is a step backward, one that will harm our patients, colleagues, and America's position as a world leader in health care and innovation," it said.

What Unearthed Radio Recordings Tell Us About Steve Bannon's Worldview Posted: 01 Feb 2017 02:27 PM PST Newly surfaced audiotapes of Steve Bannon, one of President Donald Trump's most influential advisers, offer a deeper look into his worldview. Bannon left Breitbart after it was announced that he was joining the Trump campaign last August. Trump recently named Bannon as a permanent member of the National Security Council's Principals Committee — a decision that was criticized by former members of the NSC and other security experts.

Trump travel curbs pose revenue challenges for U.S. colleges Posted: 01 Feb 2017 01:51 PM PST NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's travel restrictions on people from seven countries could dampen international enrollment at U.S. colleges, at a time they have become increasingly reliant on tuition revenue from overseas students. "International student growth is important for many institutions," said Roy Eappen, municipal research analyst at Wells Fargo. Analysts said international student applications could be hit by the White House travel order.

What would 'extreme vetting' actually do? Posted: 01 Feb 2017 01:50 PM PST In the coming months, America will likely get a closer look at what President Trump means by "extreme vetting."

Libyan officials criticize U.S. travel ban, doubt over February conference Posted: 01 Feb 2017 01:47 PM PST By Aidan Lewis TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libya's U.N.-backed government has criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's temporary ban on its nationals and those of six other countries entering the United States, which put in question attendance at a high-profile conference on Libya planned in Washington for mid-February. The executive order by Trump comes at a time of uncertainty over U.S. policy in Libya, which remains mired in the chaos that followed the NATO-backed 2011 uprising against long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi.

UAE says Trump travel ban an internal affair, most Muslims unaffected Posted: 01 Feb 2017 01:47 PM PST The United Arab Emirates' foreign minister said on Wednesday President Donald Trump's travel ban on citizens of seven mainly Muslim countries was an internal affair not directed at any faith, a more measure reaction than others from the region. Trump's order affecting Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen has triggered protests across the United States and beyond.

Flynn Violated Constitution With Russia Speech, Democrats Say Posted: 01 Feb 2017 01:35 PM PST Congressional Democrats are questioning whether President Trump's new National Security Advisor violated Pentagon policy and the Constitution when he accepted money from a Russian state television network for a speaking engagement. Democrats made the allegations in a letter to the Pentagon seeking more details about the payments to retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who has acknowledged the paid engagement to appear with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a televised banquet for the state-owned news channel RT in late 2015 and talk about radical Islam. Flynn has declined to provide details about any payments from RT, which he has told reporters came through a speaker's bureau.

Tillerson's job as chief U.S. diplomat got harder before it began Posted: 01 Feb 2017 01:23 PM PST By Arshad Mohammed and Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Rex Tillerson's job as chief U.S. diplomat became harder before it even began because of White House moves that have antagonized Muslim nations, European allies, Mexico and U.S. bureaucrats, current and former U.S. officials said. The Senate confirmed Tillerson as the 69th secretary of state on Wednesday by a 56-43 vote, making the former Exxon Mobil Corp CEO the chief foreign affairs adviser to Republican President Donald Trump.

Journalist says he was wrongly detained under Trump order Posted: 01 Feb 2017 01:22 PM PST ATLANTA (AP) — A CNN editor and producer from Iraq was wrongly detained at Atlanta's airport because of the President Donald Trump's ban on entry for citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, according to a lawsuit filed this week.

Sport and politics don't mix at Super Bowl Posted: 01 Feb 2017 01:17 PM PST They say sport and politics should never mix -- and so far at the Super Bowl, everyone has been doing their best to abide by the maxim. America's most-watched sporting showpiece will kick off on Sunday against the backdrop of a political firestorm that escalated with President Donald Trump's imposition of travel restrictions on citizens from seven Muslim-majority nations last week. The furor triggered nationwide protests at several airports and has highlighted the bitter divisions between Trump's supporters and his opponents.

Aid group joins Massachusetts lawsuit over Trump travel ban Posted: 01 Feb 2017 12:36 PM PST A U.S. anti-poverty group said on Wednesday it is joining a Massachusetts lawsuit to strike down President Donald Trump's travel ban, as the law has blocked overseas partners from meeting with officials in Washington. Boston-based Oxfam America joined the ACLU of Massachusetts and state Attorney General Maura Healey in challenging the order which halts refugee resettlement for 120 days and travel into the United States by people with passports from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days.

France's Fillon battered by scandal, blames opposition plot Posted: 01 Feb 2017 12:16 PM PST By Emile Picy and Sophie Louet PARIS (Reuters) - France's Francois Fillon accused his opponents in the government on Wednesday of fomenting a scandal in an attempt to scuttle his presidential campaign, as a new poll showed him no longer favorite to win power. The scandal, which surfaced a week ago when a newspaper said the 62-year-old ex-prime minister had paid his wife Penelope 500,000 euros for work she did not seem to have done, forced Fillon to cancel a trip to Iraq and Lebanon to deal with the crisis. The poll by Elabe pointed to rising support for far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen and made centrist Emmanuel Macron the candidate now most likely to win the presidency, with voters appearing to desert Fillon in large numbers.

Severely burned Iraqi boy alone in U.S. after travel ban Posted: 01 Feb 2017 12:04 PM PST Among those affected by President Trump's travel ban is a badly burned Iraqi boy who has been separated from his family, CBS Boston reported.

Top Asian News 8:03 p.m. GMT Posted: 01 Feb 2017 12:03 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Other than a tweet, President Donald Trump hasn't said how he'll stop North Korea from threatening America with a nuclear weapon. And as his Pentagon chief visits key allies in Asia, neither Trump nor his GOP allies in Congress seem settled on any plan. The fight against the Islamic State group is the new administration's top national security priority, but Defense Secretary Jim Mattis chose South Korea and Japan for his first official overseas trip. Departing Wednesday, Mattis will look to reassure the nations on the front line against North Korea. Americans are seeking reassurance, too. Concern has surged on both sides of the Pacific about the North's weapons programs, after leader Kim Jong Un warned in his annual New Year's address that the country is in the final stages of readiness to test-launch an intercontinental ballistic missile that could potentially threaten the continental United States.

UAE minister says Trump travel ban not anti-Islam Posted: 01 Feb 2017 11:45 AM PST US President Donald Trump's travel ban on citizens of seven Muslim-majority nations is not anti-Islam, the United Arab Emirates foreign minister said on Wednesday. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan, whose country like neighbouring Saudi Arabia is a close ally of Washington, said it was "wrong to say" that the decision by the new US administration was "directed against a particular religion". "The United States has made... a sovereign decision," he said at a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, pointing out that it was "provisional" and did not apply to "the large majority" of the world's Muslims.

UN chief calls for lifting US travel ban Posted: 01 Feb 2017 11:42 AM PST UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called for lifting a US ban on travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries, saying the measures would not prevent terrorists from entering the United States. "I think that these measures should be removed sooner rather than later," Guterres told reporters. "Those measures indeed violate our basic principles and I think that they are not effective if the objective is to, really, avoid terrorists to enter the United States," he said.

Pentagon report says intel not falsified in anti-IS fight Posted: 01 Feb 2017 11:16 AM PST Leaders at the US military's Central Command did not falsify intelligence relating to the fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, a Pentagon report said Wednesday. Intelligence analysts in 2015 had complained that senior military officials altered assessments so as to downplay the strength of IS, and an interim congressional report released last year found frequent attempts to distort or suppress intel. "Only a few witnesses described intelligence assessments as false, and they did not provide specific examples that supported the allegation," the report states.

Syrian army dash to al-Bab risks Turkey clash Posted: 01 Feb 2017 11:05 AM PST By Laila Bassam and Humeyra Pamuk BEIRUT/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A rapid advance by the Syrian army towards the Islamic State-held city of al-Bab risks sparking a confrontation with Turkey as Damascus seeks to stop its neighbor penetrating deeper into a strategically important area of northern Syria. Northern Syria is one of the most complicated battlefields of the multi-sided Syrian war, with Islamic State now being fought there by the Syrian army, Turkey and its rebel allies, and an alliance of U.S.-backed Syrian militias. In less than two weeks, Syrian army units have moved to within 6 km (4 miles) of al-Bab, a city that is also being targeted in a campaign waged by the Turkish military and its allies, groups fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner.

Brother of Brussels bomber barred from US Posted: 01 Feb 2017 10:55 AM PST A Belgian taekwondo athlete who is the younger brother of a Brussels suicide bomber was barred from a flight to the United States two days before President Donald Trump imposed a travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries. Mourad Laachraoui, brother of Najim who took part in the Brussels airport bombings on March 22 last year, was among three people prevented from boarding a flight to the United States on January 25, the Belgian taekwondo association AFBT said.

Syrian man with family turned back in Philadelphia in shock Posted: 01 Feb 2017 10:33 AM PST DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — A Syrian man who was detained with his family upon arrival in Philadelphia and forced to board a plane back home because of Donald Trump's executive order said Wednesday he is still in shock but that he will apply for another U.S. visa and try again.

The Latest: Vatican expands criticism of Trump's travel ban Posted: 01 Feb 2017 10:27 AM PST CAIRO (AP) — The Latest on the global reaction to President Donald Trump's temporary suspension of immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries (all times local):

U.N. chief says Trump travel ban 'not best way to protect U.S.' Posted: 01 Feb 2017 10:21 AM PST By Ned Parker UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump's travel restrictions on people with passports from seven countries and a freeze on refugee resettlement was "not the best way to protect the U.S." and should be lifted sooner than later. Guterres' comments were his first to directly address Trump's signing of an executive order last Friday on immigration amid a drumbeat of criticism from around the world and protests.

Experts: UN faces test in response to Trump refugee plan Posted: 01 Feb 2017 10:19 AM PST GENEVA (AP) — The United Nations is facing a challenge over how to respond to U.S. President Donald Trump's controversial decisions to suspend entry for refugees and visitors from seven predominantly Muslim countries to the United States.

US defense chief begins Trump's plans to grow Pentagon Posted: 01 Feb 2017 09:40 AM PST US Defense Secretary James Mattis on Wednesday outlined initial plans to further grow America's vast military, after President Donald Trump vowed a "great rebuilding" of the US armed services. In a short memo, Mattis highlighted critical areas where the Pentagon could immediately use some extra cash. Trump last week signed an executive order to begin increasing the size of the US military, promising new aircraft, naval ships and more resources for the Pentagon.

Iraq family turned back by US says cleared for entry Posted: 01 Feb 2017 09:17 AM PST Fuad Sharef, an Iraqi man barred along with his family from the United States by President Donald Trump's travel ban, has been informed they can now enter the country, he said Wednesday. Sharef, his wife, and three children -- who all hold valid US visas -- were prevented from boarding a flight to New York's JFK airport while transiting through Cairo on Saturday and flew back to Arbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region.

Petraeus says Trump order is blocking Iraqi general from US Posted: 01 Feb 2017 09:07 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Former CIA Director David Petraeus says President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration and refugees is blocking a senior Iraqi military official from traveling to the U.S. to meet with his American counterparts.

World's most vulnerable refugees struggle as US welcome mat shrinks Posted: 01 Feb 2017 09:03 AM PST With US security clearance and health tests completed, Ied Hamid, his wife, and five children were awaiting their tickets to Dallas when they heard the news. President Trump had suspended Syrian resettlement to the US indefinitely. Now, the Syrian refugee family is back where it started two years ago, eking out an existence in Jordan while looking for Western specialists to treat their son Abdullah, who was badly injured in a 2013 missile strike in Homs, Syria.

Tunisian held in Germany linked to 2015 Tunis museum attack Posted: 01 Feb 2017 08:29 AM PST A Tunisian man arrested in Germany on Wednesday on suspicion of recruiting for the Islamic State group is also accused of involvement in the deadly 2015 attack on the Bardo Museum in Tunis, German prosecutors said. The 36-year-old is wanted by Tunisian authorities on suspicion of "participating in planning and carrying out" the attack, which killed more than 20 foreigners, the prosecutor's office in the western state of Hesse said in a statement.

Concerned about refugees, U.N. experts add to censure of Trump move Posted: 01 Feb 2017 08:14 AM PST (Reuters) - U.N. human rights experts warned that asylum seekers could face torture if not given safe harbor and the Vatican called for openness to other cultures on Wednesday, adding to a drumbeat of international criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump's travel curbs. Trump's executive order last Friday put a 120-day halt on the U.S. refugee program, barred Syrian refugees indefinitely and imposed a 90-day suspension on people from seven predominantly Muslim countries - Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Pentagon auditor says U.S. military did not falsify intelligence Posted: 01 Feb 2017 08:05 AM PST A Pentagon report published on Wednesday found that leaders at U.S. Central Command, which oversees combat operation in the Middle East and South Asia, did not distort or exaggerate progress being made in the fight against Islamic State militants. The findings contradict a Republican congressional report last year that said Central Command painted too rosy a picture of the fight against Islamic State in 2014 and 2015 compared with events on the ground and grimmer assessments by other analysts. The congressional report found "widespread dissatisfaction" among analysts at Tampa-based Central Command who felt their superiors were distorting their research.

Vatican expresses 'concern' on Trump's wall, travel ban Posted: 01 Feb 2017 07:56 AM PST Rome (AFP) - The Vatican on Wednesday voiced "concern" over President Donald Trump's executive orders to build a wall on the US-Mexican border and impose a travel ban on nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries.

Reuters memo: We’re ready to cover a hostile Trump administration Posted: 01 Feb 2017 07:34 AM PST "The first 12 days of the Trump presidency (yes, that's all it's been!) have been memorable for all — and especially challenging for us in the news business," Reuters editor in chief Steve Adler wrote in a memo to staffers on Tuesday. "We don't know yet how sharp the Trump administration's attacks will be over time or to what extent those attacks will be accompanied by legal restrictions on our news-gathering," Adler continued.

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