Kerry warns Iraq on Iran flights to Syria

BAGHDAD (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says he's made it clear to Iraq that it shouldn't allow Iran to use its airspace to ship weapons and fighters to Syria.

Kerry told reporters Sunday during an unannounced trip to Baghdad that the Iranian overflights were a major point of discussion in his private talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Kerry said he told Maliki that anything that supports President Bashar Assad and his regime was, quote, "problematic."

Kerry also said that U.S. lawmakers and the American people are watching what Iraq is doing and "wondering how it is a partner."

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Pentagon suspends F-35 flights due to engine blade crack

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon on Friday suspended the flights of all F-35 fighter planes after a routine inspection revealed a crack on a turbine blade in the jet engine of an F-35 test aircraft in California.

The F-35 program office said it was too early to know the fleet-wide impact of the engine issue, but it was suspending all flights until an investigation into the issue was completed.

It said it was working closely with Pratt & Whitney, the United Technologies Corp unit which builds the engine for the fighter, and Lockheed Martin Corp, the prime contractor for the radar-evading warplane, to ensure the integrity of the engine and return the F-35 fleet to flight as soon as possible.

(Reporting By Andrea Shalal-Esa; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)

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