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Iraqi elections face possible delay

BAGHDAD, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- A dispute between lawmakers and a vice president of Iraq threatens to derail plans to hold a parliamentary election on schedule in January, officials said.

Disregarding a veto by the vice president of measures it had already passed, the Iraqi parliament Monday passed new amendments the official immediately said he would also veto, The New York Times reported.

"Now we have only bad choices," Ahlam Asad, a Kurdish member of the Council of Representatives, said.

The council apparently lacks a three-fifths majority required to override a veto and several lawmakers said that would make it impossible to conduct constitutionally required elections in January, the Times said.

The timing of a planned withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq has been pegged to the January election, the newspaper said.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in Washington she hoped the election would be conducted as scheduled but conceded it "might slip by some period of time until this is worked out," the Times said.

The amendments adopted Monday were pushed through by Kurdish and Shiite lawmakers despite objection by Sunni Arabs, who maintain they were disenfranchised in 2005 elections.

Dozens of Sunni lawmakers walked out on Monday's session of parliament in protest of the amendments, which provide a new formula for apportioning seats that have the effect of reducing Sunni representation in government, The Washington Post reported.

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Report: Obama to propose greenhouse target

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama is set to propose a target for greenhouse gas emission cuts to present at a climate change summit, an administration official said.

Citing a senior administration official, The New York Times reported Monday Obama will announce a near-term target "in coming days." The United States will present the proposal at the United Nations climate change summit in Copenhagen in December, the newspaper said.

The official said the president's announcement might present a range of possible reductions and not a single number because Congress has yet to decide on climate legislation. Obama is unable to commit the United States to deliver more than Congress will agree to, the official said, but if Washington does not bring a concrete proposal to Copenhagen the United States could be held responsible if there is no international climate agreement, the Times said.

The administration official said Obama is close to a decision on whether he will attend the Copenhagen summit. Obama has said he would consider attending if he thinks that would help lead to an agreement.

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Obama, Cabinet discuss job summit ideas

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Even though the economy is growing, the overall downturn still is impacting many Americans, President Barack Obama said Monday after a Cabinet meeting.

Obama praised the work taken early on in his economic team saying, "we were able to stabilize the financial system and ensure that the economy didn't slip back into a depression."

"Our economy is growing for the first time in more than a year, and we know that economic growth is a prerequisite for job growth," Obama said. "But, having said that, what I emphasize today is we cannot sit back and be satisfied, given the extraordinarily high unemployment levels that we've seen. We have only taken the first step."

Obama, speaking to reporters, said a key purpose of the Cabinet meeting was to "generate good ideas" for the White House jobs summit Dec. 3.

"We are going to be bringing together people from all across the country -- business, labor, academics, non-for-profits, entrepreneurs, small and large businesses -- to explore how we can jump start the hiring that typically lags behind economic growth, but we don't want to wait," Obama said. "We want to see if we can accelerate it."

The president said he also provided an update to Cabinet members on national security, the budget and the healthcare legislation.

Obama said reiterated to the Cabinet "the urgent need for us to get to the finish line and provide relief, both in terms of costs and the quality of coverage that Americans are getting in their healthcare."

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Minn. Somali case nets terrorism charges

MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Charges were filed Monday against eight men in an FBI probe into the alleged recruitment of 20 Minneapolis men to fight with the terrorist group al-Shabaab.

The eight also were charged in Minneapolis with providing financial support and fighting for al-Shabaab, a Somali organization designated by the U.S. government as a terrorist group tied to al-Qaida, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

So far, 14 people have been charged or indicted in the case, thought to be one of the most far-reaching terror investigations since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, the U.S. attorney for Minnesota said.

"The sad reality is that the vibrant Somali community here in Minneapolis has lost many of its sons to fighting in Somalia," B. Todd Jones said. "These young men have been recruited to fight in a foreign war by individuals and groups using violence against government troops and civilians. Those tempted to fight on behalf of or provide support to any designated terrorist group should know they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

Court records indicate September 2007-October 2009, about 20 young men, all but one of Somali descent, left Minneapolis for Somalia to train and fight with al-Shabaab. After arriving in Somalia, they reportedly stayed in safe houses and attended terrorist training camps.