2012年7月31日星期二

Yahoo! News: Iraq

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Yahoo! News: Iraq


New Iran sanctions: why President Obama is tightening the screws

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 04:55 PM PDT

Appearing anything but brutally tough with Iran over its nuclear program is one of the last things President Obama wants going into the politically critical month of August in an election year.

India duo promise record boxing medal haul

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 04:20 PM PDT

Serdar Hudayberdiyev (R) of Turkmenistan and Manoj Kumar (L) of IndiaIndia's two boxers at the Olympics both won through to the second round on Tuesday to keep alive hopes of a record Games medal haul.


Army reinstates medical center head in PTSD probe

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 03:50 PM PDT

The Army has reinstated the head of a West Coast medical center and changed its screening system after an investigation into whether officials reversed soldiers' post-traumatic stress diagnoses to save money, senior leaders announced Tuesday.

House, Senate negotiators back new Iran sanctions

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 03:11 PM PDT

FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011 file photo, an Iranian security guard stands at the Maroun Petrochemical plant at the Imam Khomeini port, southwestern Iran. Iranian officials unleashed sharper attacks against tightening Western sanctions Tuesday, equating the financial pressure to ``warfare'' and vowing to counter by retooling the country's oil-dependent economy. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)A new package of severe sanctions on Iran's energy, shipping and financial sectors gained strong congressional support Tuesday as lawmakers sought to ratchet up the economic pressure in hopes of halting Tehran's suspected nuclear weapons program.


Baghdad bombs kill 19, police battle suicide attackers

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 03:04 PM PDT

Civil defence personnel work at the site of a bomb attack in central BaghdadBAGHDAD (Reuters) - Twin car bombs hit central Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least 19 people, and security forces fought off a separate attack inside a police station by two suicide bombers trying to free al Qaeda prisoners. The major assault underscored the seriousness of Iraq's struggle with insurgents more than seven months after the last U.S. troops left behind a country still grappling with political instability and sectarian tensions. ...


Obama tightens sanctions on banks helping Iran sell oil

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 03:03 PM PDT

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at the 113th VFW National Convention in RenoWASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama announced new U.S. sanctions on Tuesday against foreign banks that help Iran sell its oil and said the measure would increase pressure on Tehran for failing to meet its international nuclear obligations. Obama's decision, in an executive order, came ahead of congressional votes on new sanctions intended to further strip Iran of its oil-related revenues. It also followed criticism from Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney that the White House is failing to act strongly enough to stop Iran's suspected pursuit of a nuclear weapon. ...


By the Numbers: Is Romney or Obama More Accessible to the Press?

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 02:58 PM PDT

Mitt Romney concluded his trip overseas to England, Israel, and Poland Tuesday and the headlines reverberating across the pond are not of his foreign policy pronouncements, but of gaffes and, today, limited press access. During his three nation trip, the presumptive GOP nominee held one...

Al Qaeda decline hard to reverse after Bin Laden killing: U.S.

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 02:48 PM PDT

Video frame grab of Osama bin Laden videos released by the PentagonWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Osama bin Laden's death sent al Qaeda into a decline that will be hard to reverse, the United States said on Tuesday in a report that found terrorist attacks last year fell to their lowest level since 2005. Describing 2011 as a "landmark year," the United States said other top al Qaeda members killed last year included Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, reportedly the militant organization's No. 2 figure after bin Laden's death, and Anwar al-Awlaki, who led its lethal affiliate in Yemen. ...


Boxing: U.S. Marine determined to keep team spirits up

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 02:47 PM PDT

Herring of the U.S. reacts as he leaves the ring after losing to Kazakhstan's Yeleussinov in the Men's Light Welter (64kg) Round of 32 boxing match during the London 2012 Olympic GamesLONDON (Reuters) - His London Olympics may have only lasted nine minutes but Jamel Herring will not be getting down about it. A veteran Marine of two tours of duty in Iraq, the U.S. team boxing captain knows he has his men to think about. The 26-year-old sergeant, who served as a field electrician during the Iraq war, is just part of the military backbone of an American team led by officer Basheer Abdullah, head coach of the army's boxing program for 15 years. ...


US imposes new sanctions on Iran oil sector

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 02:46 PM PDT

A general view shows the Lavan oil refinery quay in IranUS President Barack Obama on Tuesday imposed new economic sanctions on Iran's oil export sector and on a pair of Chinese and Iraqi banks accused of doing business with Tehran.


Sharp Decline in Terror Attacks After Bin Laden Death

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 02:39 PM PDT

The number of worldwide terror attacks fell to 10,283 last year, down from 11,641 in 2010 and the lowest since 2005, the State Department reported today. What's made the difference? The State Department cites the killing of Osama bin Laden and other top al Qaeda members...

US warns Al-Qaeda branches on rise, as Iran stirs terror

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 01:25 PM PDT

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (R) meets with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem (L) in TehranAl-Qaeda affiliates pose a rising threat exploiting poverty and upheavals in the world's most vulnerable regions even as the core network is on the decline, the US State Department warned Tuesday.


Texas Senate runoff gives GOP voters stark choice

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 01:10 PM PDT

Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is backed by supporters outside a Houston deli as he answers reporters questions Tuesday, July 31, 2012. Dewhurst faces former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz in the Republican primary runoff election for U.S. Senator. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)The question for voters in Tuesday's Texas runoff isn't whether a Republican will likely succeed Kay Bailey Hutchison in the U.S. Senate, but what kind of Republican? The answer figures to reverberate far beyond the Lone Star State.


Obama orders new sanctions on Iran

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 01:09 PM PDT

Seeking to ratchet up pressure on Iran, President Barack Obama on Tuesday ordered new sanctions on Iran's energy sector and on foreign banks in China and Iraq that the U.S. says help the Islamic republic evade international penalties.

Air Force: There Never Was a 'Smoking Gun' for F-22 Fighter Problems

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:58 PM PDT

Air Force: There Never Was a 'Smoking Gun' for F-22 Fighter ProblemsTop Official Says Potentially Deadly Air Problems Solved, But No Single Malfunction to Blame


What Iraq Vets Have to Say About Iraq

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:34 PM PDT

What Iraq Vets Have to Say About IraqA feature that ran Tuesday on The Associated Press, in which combat veterans share their impressions of the war in Iraq now that the U.S. mission there is over, does exactly what that wire service is best at: Collect interesting information and present it simply and directly, without editorial comment. If you've ever wanted to ask a bunch of combat vets exactly how they feel about the war in Iraq, the violence there now, and how that makes them feel about their mission, but you don't know a bunch of combat vets, this is the closest you'll come.


Bombs kill 21, underlining Iraq chaos

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:29 PM PDT

A double bombing struck at an upscale neighborhood Iraq's capital Tuesday, killing at least 21 even though police stopped three attackers storming a counterterror unit, as the government strained to control al-Qaida-based chaos gripping the country.

Stark choice for GOP voters in Texas Senate runoff

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:10 PM PDT

Former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz, center, is surrounded by supporters and media at a voting precinct Tuesday, July 31, 2012, in Houston. Cruz faces Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in the Republican primary runoff election for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)The question for voters in Tuesday's Texas runoff isn't whether a Republican will likely succeed Kay Bailey Hutchison in the U.S. Senate, but what kind of Republican? The answer figures to reverberate far beyond the Lone Star State.


Soccer: Cold War edge as U.S. women beat North Korea

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:09 PM PDT

Lauren Cheney of the U.S. and North Korea's Kim Song-hui fight for the ball during their women's football first round Group G match at Old Trafford in Manchester during the London 2012 Olympic GamesMANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - The U.S. women's soccer team beat North Korea 1-0 on Tuesday in a politically charged Olympic clash between the isolated Asian country and the global superpower it has loathed since they fought a Cold War conflict six decades ago. A mixture of curious Britons and enthusiastic Americans piled into the stands at Old Trafford, home of English Premier League club Manchester United, to watch the contest, with no North Korean spectators in evidence. ...


New alliance further fractures Syria opposition

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:59 AM PDT

CAIRO (Reuters) - A group of exiled Syrian activists announced a new opposition alliance on Tuesday that aims to form a transitional government - a challenge to the Syrian National Council (SNC), a longer established group that they said had failed. The launch of the "Council for the Syrian Revolution" marks the latest effort by Syria's divided opposition to forge a political alternative to President Bashar al-Assad whose forces are trying to put down a 16-month armed uprising. ...

Obama orders new sanctions on Iran in face of election year criticism from Romney

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:58 AM PDT

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is levelling new sanctions on banks in China and Iraq that the White House says have helped Iran evade international sanctions.

US wants tougher Pakistani action against Haqqanis

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:48 AM PDT

U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan-nominee Richard G. Olson, arrives for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Tuesday, July 31, 2012, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)The Obama administration expressed renewed frustration with Pakistan on Tuesday, urging its reluctant counterterrorism ally to break remaining links between its security services and the Haqqani network and stem the flow of bomb-making material into Afghanistan.


Man assaults girlfriend after seeing Romney photo on her Facebook page

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:48 AM PDT

Lowell Turpin of Claxton, Tenn., suspected that his girlfriend was planning to cheat on him. His fears were confirmed — or so he thought — when he looked at her Facebook page and saw a photo of another man.

Romney visit: 'Poland stands as defender of freedom'

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 09:59 AM PDT

In Gdansk, Poland yesterday, the final stop of his three-country overseas tour, Mitt Romney met with former Polish President and Nobel Prize winner Lech Walesa and the country's Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

22 PKK militants killed in Turkey clashes: TV

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 09:28 AM PDT

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Twenty-two Kurdish militants were killed during clashes in eastern Turkey over the last three days, CNN Turk television said on its website on Tuesday, adding to Ankara's concerns over gains by Kurdish groups in neighboring Syria. Fighting, including bombardment with helicopters and war planes, continued on the outskirts of the town of Semdinli, CNN Turk reported. ...

Iraq car bombs kill 14: officials

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 09:27 AM PDT

A fire engine arrives at the scene following twin car bombs in the Karrada area of the capital BaghdadTwin car bombs in Baghdad killed 12 people and wounded at least 47 others on Tuesday, while another attack west of the capital killed two and wounded three, security and medical officials said.


Iraq says will force out Iran dissident group

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 09:27 AM PDT

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq on Tuesday told an Iranian dissident group that was given a base in Iraq by Saddam Hussein but is now out of favor with a government that is close to Iran that it must move out of the camp immediately or be forced to leave. Iraqi authorities have been locked in a protracted row with the Mujahadin-e Khalq (MEK) over their plan to move 3,000 MEK members from Camp Ashraf to a large former U.S. military base - a step toward expelling the group from Iraqi territory. ...

Soccer: British Marxist roots for North Korean women

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 09:25 AM PDT

Members of the North Korea team warm up before their women's football first round Group G match against the U.S. at Old Trafford in Manchester during the London 2012 Olympic GamesMANCHESTER (Reuters) - North Korean fans were nowhere to be found at Manchester's Old Trafford stadium an hour before the pariah state's women's soccer team were scheduled to take on the United States in an Olympic pool match on Tuesday. But the North Koreans could count on the support of at least one fan: British pensioner David Greenhough, 70, an independent Marxist historian proudly carrying the North Korean flag. "There are 22 million North Koreans and they're not all Kim Jong-il, they're not all a scheming axis of evil," Greenhough told Reuters outside Old Trafford. Former U.S. ...


French Total signs Iraqi Kurdistan oil deal

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 09:25 AM PDT

An Iraqi welder works at an oil refinery near the village of Taq TaqFrench energy giant Total said on Tuesday it has signed an oil exploration deal for areas in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq, putting it on a collision course with the central government in Baghdad.


US vets mix regret, detachment on Iraq violence

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 08:31 AM PDT

Former Marine Lance Cpl. Andrew Rothlein poses for a photograph, Thursday, July 26, 2012, in League City, Texas. Rothlein fought in a unit in Fallujah in 2004, going building to building hunting insurgent snipers in one of the bloodiest battles of the war. (AP Photo/Dave Einsel)Just months after the U.S. military departed, violence in Iraq is increasing. Hundreds of people have died in recent weeks in bombings and drive-by shootings, some claimed by al-Qaida insurgents.


Total to hunt for oil in Iraq's Kurdish north

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 07:58 AM PDT

French oil giant Total S.A. said Tuesday it has acquired an interest in two oil exploration areas in Iraq's Kurdish north from Marathon Oil Corp., joining U.S. oil majors Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. in the self-rule region.

Hiring Trend Update: ABS Adds More Military Veterans to Service Desk Team

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 07:16 AM PDT

ABS Veterans Leverage their Military Service Skills to Provide Outstanding Customer SupportSchaumburg, IL (PRWEB) July 31, 2012 As a 100% US based help desk outsourcing provider, ABS Associates, Inc. employs an all American staff from diverse backgrounds so it should be no surprise that many of its personnel are culled from the ranks of the United States Armed Forces. A company that prides itself in seeking service desk agents with Personality, Energy, and a Professional presence (PEP) returning service men and women have become a logical choice in ABS's own recruiting efforts. ...

France's Total buys stakes in Iraqi Kurdish oil

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 06:55 AM PDT

Marathon Oil says it has sold an interest in two oil exploration areas in Iraq's northern Kurdish region to French oil giant Total.

Thousands of Syrians trapped in Aleppo: UNHCR

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 06:18 AM PDT

GENEVA (Reuters) - Battles between the Syrian army and rebels in Aleppo have forced many terrified civilians to flee the city by perilous routes or take refuge in safer areas, a United Nations official said on Tuesday. "Thousands of frightened residents are seeking shelter in schools, mosques and public buildings," said Melissa Fleming, spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). ...

Humanitarian problems grow in besieged Aleppo

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 06:11 AM PDT

This image made from amateur video released by the Ugarit News and accessed Monday, July 30, 2012, purports to show Free Syrian Army soldiers in Anadan 16 kilometers (10 miles), from Aleppo, Syria. Syrian government forces mounted new ground attacks against rebel-controlled neighborhoods in Syria's commercial hub of Aleppo, the state media said Monday, July 30, but failed to dislodge the opposition from their strongholds, according to activists. (AP Photo/Ugarit News via AP video) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS HANDOUT PHOTOHumanitarian conditions have grown even more dire in the besieged Syria city of Aleppo with activists reporting on Tuesday dwindling stocks of food and cooking gas and only intermittent electricity supplies as droves of residents flee 11 days of intense clashes between rebels and regime forces.


In southern Iraq, heritage of other eras decays

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 06:03 AM PDT

Kut is home to two cemeteries -- one for British and Indian soldiers, the other for Turkish veteransLooking at the spray paint on the cross and the rusting scooter seat in the weeds, it is hard to argue with the local landowner who laments, "Iraq is not like Egypt -- here, nobody gives a damn about our heritage."


Officials: 14 killed in twin Iraq car bombs

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 05:19 AM PDT

Iraqi officials say twin car bombings within five minutes of each other have killed 14 people in an upscale Shiite neighborhood in the nation's capital.

Romney praises Polish spirit, creativity in Warsaw

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 04:43 AM PDT

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney stands with Mayor of Warsaw Hanna Gronkiewicz, as he visits the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, July 31, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)WARSAW, Poland (AP) —


AP PHOTOS: US vets on renewed Iraq violence

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 04:30 AM PDT

In this Monday, July 23, 2012 photo, retired U.S. Marine Todd Kennedy poses on his front stoop with his pet, Malcolm, in San Diego. Kennedy served two tours in Iraq. He no longer follows the news there, focusing instead on studying history and anthropology at San Diego State University. American military members who fought in the Iraq war are reacting to the increasing violence there since the U.S. military withdrawal in December.


10 Things to Know for Tuesday

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 03:55 AM PDT

Commuters talk on mobile phone inside a Metro station after Delhi Metro rail services were disrupted following power outage in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, July 31, 2012. A massive blackout hit northern and eastern India on Tuesday afternoon, leaving 600 million people without electricity in one of the world's most widespread power failures. The outage came just a day after India's northern power grid collapsed for several hours leaving cities and villages across eight states powerless.(AP Photo/ Rajesh Kumar Singh)Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today (times EDT):


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