Yahoo! News: Iraq

---

• With Assange inside, British police guard Ecuador embassy
• Britain backs Brahimi appointment to Syria role
• Ryan downplays his signature issue on campaign trail
• New Syria envoy says all conflicts can be solved
• UN: Algeria's Brahimi will replace Annan in Syria
• U.N. names Algerian diplomat as Syria envoy; refugee crisis dire
• Brahimi to become new Syria conflict envoy
• Syria fighting deeply scars Aleppo neighborhoods
• U.N. confirms Algeria's Brahimi to replace Annan as Syria envoy
• Thousands flee Syria, Damascus diarrhea outbreak: U.N
• Suicide 'epidemic' in Army: July was worst month, Pentagon says
• Governments make new efforts to avoid strategic shocks
• To the Beat of Whose Drum? Top Musicians in Politics
• Syria: clashes near airport in contested Aleppo
• Syria's battling economy may hold on with help from friends
• Brent crude falls on possibility of reserves release
• White House wants to know more on new UN Syria envoy's role
• Syria Gets a New Peace Broker, Lakhdar Brahimi
• No war too 'hopeless' for Brahimi
• Exclusive: White House studying potential oil reserve release
• Russia cancels meeting meant to spur Syria action
• Is Jesus Christ a Republican — or a Democrat?
• Iraq officials: Over 90 dead in Thursday's attacks
• During Ramadan, Pakistanis dodge tax collectors
• Wave of attacks that killed 82 overshadow Eid in Iraq
• Why Do Afghan Police Keep Killing U.S. Troops?
• In Afghanistan, an Increase in ‘Green-on-Blue’ Killings
• Police guard London Ecuador embassy, Assange inside
• Maradona sues China web companies for $3.2 million
• Iraqi officials say daylong wave of attacks across Iraq claimed more than 90 lives on Thursday
• Analysis: Israel pushing Washington to up the Iranian ante
• UN monitors quit, saying Syrians choose "path of war"
• War Is Also Hell on Art and Antiquities
• Australia passes law to send boatpeople offshore
• US Army reports spike in suicides
• Securing Syria chemical weapons may take tens of thousands of troops
• U.N. Syria mission to end, new blow to peace efforts

With Assange inside, British police guard Ecuador embassy Posted: 17 Aug 2012 04:58 PM PDT Julian Assange remained holed up in Ecuador's London embassy Friday with police guarding its exits, after Britain warned that a diplomatic standoff over the WikiLeaks founder could go on for years.

Britain backs Brahimi appointment to Syria role Posted: 17 Aug 2012 04:37 PM PDT Britain said Friday it "fully supports" the appointment of veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi as the new international envoy for the conflict in Syria.

Ryan downplays his signature issue on campaign trail Posted: 17 Aug 2012 04:24 PM PDT WASHINGTON/SPRINGFIELD, Virginia (Reuters) - In his first week as a Republican U.S. vice presidential candidate, Paul Ryan has quietly moved away from the Medicare reform plan that has defined his political career. At campaign stops, Ryan has made little mention of the Medicare and budget savings that conservatives cheered when presidential candidate Mitt Romney announced his running mate. When Medicare comes up, it's more often than not in an attack on Democratic President Barack Obama. ...

New Syria envoy says all conflicts can be solved Posted: 17 Aug 2012 04:18 PM PDT After two decades as a diplomatic troubleshooter in hotspots from Afghanistan to Iraq, Lakhdar Brahimi firmly believes that every conflict can be solved.

UN: Algeria's Brahimi will replace Annan in Syria Posted: 17 Aug 2012 04:17 PM PDT Lakhdar Brahimi, a former Algerian foreign minister and longtime U.N. diplomat known as a strong-willed, independent broker, has agreed to replace former Secretary-General Kofi Annan as peace envoy to Syria, the United Nations announced Friday.

U.N. names Algerian diplomat as Syria envoy; refugee crisis dire Posted: 17 Aug 2012 04:09 PM PDT BEIRUT/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations on Friday confirmed that veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi would become the new international mediator on Syria, as the 17-month-old conflict slid deeper into civil war and refugees fled to Turkey in increasing numbers. President Bashar al-Assad's forces have turned increasingly to air power to hold back lightly armed rebels in the capital Damascus and Aleppo, a northern commercial hub. More than 18,000 people have died and some 170,000 have fled the country as a result of the fighting, according to the U.N. ...

Brahimi to become new Syria conflict envoy Posted: 17 Aug 2012 03:09 PM PDT Lakhdar Brahimi, a veteran diplomat troubleshooter, will take over from Kofi Annan as the international envoy on the Syria conflict, the United Nations said Friday.

Syria fighting deeply scars Aleppo neighborhoods Posted: 17 Aug 2012 02:31 PM PDT Entire neighborhoods of Syria's largest city bear battle scars: buildings toppled by government shells, charred tanks blown up by rebels and trash-strewn no-man's lands where neither side has full control after nearly a month of deadly street battles.

U.N. confirms Algeria's Brahimi to replace Annan as Syria envoy Posted: 17 Aug 2012 01:56 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations on Friday confirmed that veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi will replace former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan as the international mediator on Syria as the 17-month-old conflict slides deeper into civil war. "The Secretary-General appreciates Mr. Brahimi's willingness to bring his considerable talents and experience to this crucial task for which he will need, and rightly expects, the strong, clear and unified support of the international community, including the Security Council," said U.N. spokesman Eduardo del Buey. ...

Thousands flee Syria, Damascus diarrhea outbreak: U.N Posted: 17 Aug 2012 01:51 PM PDT GENEVA (Reuters) - Syrians are pouring across the borders to escape fighting in their homeland and diarrheal disease has broken out in rural areas near Damascus, U.N. aid agencies said on Friday. More than 170,000 Syrians have been registered in the neighboring countries of Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, the U.N. refugee agency said. Some 3,500 Syrians fleeing the northern areas of Aleppo, Azaz, Idlib and Latakia reached Turkey's Hatay and Kilis provinces between Tuesday and Wednesday, spokesman Adrian Edwards of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said. ...

Suicide 'epidemic' in Army: July was worst month, Pentagon says Posted: 17 Aug 2012 01:20 PM PDT It is perhaps the greatest source of frustration and heartache within the US military, even as the war in Afghanistan winds down: the continuing rise of the suicide rate among troops.

Governments make new efforts to avoid strategic shocks Posted: 17 Aug 2012 01:03 PM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - Blindsided by the "Arab Spring", taken aback by the speed of the economic and geopolitical shift to Asia and apparently always a step behind on the Eurozone, Western governments are putting new effort into "horizon scanning" for coming seismic global shifts. For the United States and its allies, some worry the heightened focus on Iraq, Afghanistan and the "war on terror" meant the bigger picture was far too often ignored. ...

To the Beat of Whose Drum? Top Musicians in Politics Posted: 17 Aug 2012 12:36 PM PDT Musicians Have Political Leanings, Too

Syria: clashes near airport in contested Aleppo Posted: 17 Aug 2012 12:12 PM PDT Government troops fought back rebels near the airport of battle-scarred Aleppo, Syria's state media said Friday, in the first official acknowledgement combat had neared a strategic gateway to the country's largest city.

Syria's battling economy may hold on with help from friends Posted: 17 Aug 2012 10:56 AM PDT The Syrian economy has been hit hard by more than 17 months of revolt but may still hold on despite international sanctions with the help of friendly countries such as Russia, Iran and Iraq, experts say.

Brent crude falls on possibility of reserves release Posted: 17 Aug 2012 10:38 AM PDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brent October crude futures fell 1 percent on Friday on talk of a possible release of U.S. strategic petroleum reserves and expectations that North Sea output will rebound after maintenance curbs production in September. Front-month U.S. September crude showed resilience, edging up in choppy trade, but gasoline and heating oil futures fell sharply in tandem with Brent's decline. ...

White House wants to know more on new UN Syria envoy's role Posted: 17 Aug 2012 10:27 AM PDT The White House on Friday called on the United Nations to explain the mandate of its new envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi, but called him a "capable" and "seasoned" diplomat.

Syria Gets a New Peace Broker, Lakhdar Brahimi Posted: 17 Aug 2012 10:07 AM PDT After Kofi Annan quit the job in frustration, the United Nations announced on Friday it had officially named veteran negotiator and former Algerian foreign minister Lakhdar Brahimi as its new envoy to Syria, a move that sounds like it took some work. Brahimi is a great choice: He worked with the United Nations from 1994 to 2005, serving as envoy to both Afghanistan and Iraq, according to the Associated Press and his U.N. biography. ...

No war too 'hopeless' for Brahimi Posted: 17 Aug 2012 10:06 AM PDT Some might say that Lakhdar Brahimi is crazy to try to end the Syria conflict, but the veteran troubleshooter says he has never believed there is a war that is too "hopeless" to tackle.

Exclusive: White House studying potential oil reserve release Posted: 17 Aug 2012 10:05 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House is "dusting off old plans" for a potential release of oil reserves to dampen prices and prevent high energy costs from undermining sanctions against Iran, a source with knowledge of the situation said on Thursday. U.S. officials will monitor market conditions over the next few weeks, watching whether gasoline prices fall after the September 3 Labor Day holiday, as they historically do, the source said. It was too early to detail the size of any release from the U.S. ...

Russia cancels meeting meant to spur Syria action Posted: 17 Aug 2012 08:58 AM PDT Russia canceled a hastily called meeting Friday of key nations and international organizations which it hoped would issue an appeal to the Syrian government and opposition to end the 19-month conflict and start political talks.

Is Jesus Christ a Republican — or a Democrat? Posted: 17 Aug 2012 08:48 AM PDT "Jesus would send all these right-wing pseudo-Christians straight to hell."

Iraq officials: Over 90 dead in Thursday's attacks Posted: 17 Aug 2012 08:27 AM PDT Iraqi officials said Friday that a blistering string of attacks across the country the previous day killed at least 93 people and wounded many more, as the extent of the violence grew clearer and mourners began to bury their dead.

During Ramadan, Pakistanis dodge tax collectors Posted: 17 Aug 2012 08:24 AM PDT During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Muhammad Tashfeen Khan does what millions of other Pakistanis do: tries to keep his money from the government's religious tax collectors.

Wave of attacks that killed 82 overshadow Eid in Iraq Posted: 17 Aug 2012 08:21 AM PDT A spate of attacks that killed 82 people in Iraq overshadowed preparations Friday to mark the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, amid warnings insurgents would look to carry out deadly strikes.

Why Do Afghan Police Keep Killing U.S. Troops? Posted: 17 Aug 2012 07:01 AM PDT This year, U.S. troops in Afghanistan are dying at a rate of one per day thanks in part to the dramatic escalation of Afghan security forces turning their weapons on U.S. allies in so-called green-on-blue attacks. Today, as CBS News' Tucker Reals reports, two U.S. troops were killed when an Afghan Local Police officer shot at them in the western Afghan province of Farah. Last Friday, two more green-on-blue attacks left six American troops dead. ...

In Afghanistan, an Increase in ‘Green-on-Blue’ Killings Posted: 17 Aug 2012 05:05 AM PDT With seven attacks in two weeks, the Pentagon is investigating a rise in so-called "green-on-blue" killings, where Afghan security forces are turning their weapons on the U.S. soldiers tasked with training them.

Police guard London Ecuador embassy, Assange inside Posted: 17 Aug 2012 04:55 AM PDT Julian Assange was holed up in Ecuador's London embassy on Friday with police guarding its exits after Britain warned that the diplomatic standoff over the WikiLeaks founder could go on for years.

Maradona sues China web companies for $3.2 million Posted: 17 Aug 2012 04:29 AM PDT Argentine football great Diego Maradona attended a Beijing court hearing Friday which was considering his $3.2 million image rights claim against two Chinese Internet companies, state media said.

Iraqi officials say daylong wave of attacks across Iraq claimed more than 90 lives on Thursday Posted: 17 Aug 2012 04:00 AM PDT BAGHDAD - Iraqi officials said Friday that a blistering string of attacks across the country the previous day ultimately killed at least 93 people, as the extent of the violence grew clearer and mourners started to bury their dead.

Analysis: Israel pushing Washington to up the Iranian ante Posted: 17 Aug 2012 03:45 AM PDT JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An upsurge in Israeli rhetoric warning of an imminent attack on Iran is aimed more at Washington than Tehran, and does not mean that the warplanes are firing up their engines. A plethora of media reports over the past week has sent shivers through financial markets by suggesting that Israel might strike at Iran's nuclear facilities ahead of U.S. presidential elections in November. ...

UN monitors quit, saying Syrians choose "path of war" Posted: 17 Aug 2012 01:27 AM PDT BEIRUT/ALEPPO (Reuters) - Syria's government and rebels have "chosen the path of war", a U.N. peacekeeping chief said as the world body ended its doomed monitoring mission to Damascus and deadlock persists among world powers over how to contain the spreading conflict. Two weeks after former U.N. secretary-general Kofi Annan quit as mediator in frustration with the failure of a four-month-old truce, military observers have no peace on the ground to monitor and U.N. officials said on Thursday the last of the few dozen remaining team members would quit Damascus by August 24. ...

War Is Also Hell on Art and Antiquities Posted: 17 Aug 2012 12:28 AM PDT The news out of Syria seems to get worse every day. The Guardian reported in July that, "An activist group claims that more than 2,750 people have been killed in Syria so far this month, bringing the death toll since the conflict began to more than 19,000."

Australia passes law to send boatpeople offshore Posted: 17 Aug 2012 12:11 AM PDT Australia's parliament has passed a law allowing it to transfer asylum-seekers arriving by boat to other countries, despite objections that refugees could be held indefinitely in remote camps.

US Army reports spike in suicides Posted: 16 Aug 2012 08:07 PM PDT Suicides among US Army soldiers more than doubled in July compared to June, the Pentagon said, the latest evidence of a worrisome trend that has vexed military leaders.

Securing Syria chemical weapons may take tens of thousands of troops Posted: 16 Aug 2012 06:48 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies are discussing a worst-case scenario that could require tens of thousands of ground troops to go into Syria to secure chemical and biological weapons sites following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad's government, according to U.S. and diplomatic officials. These secret discussions assume that all of Assad's security forces disintegrate, leaving chemical and biological weapons sites in Syria vulnerable to pillaging. ...

U.N. Syria mission to end, new blow to peace efforts Posted: 16 Aug 2012 06:33 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations' four-month-old observer mission in Syria will withdraw from the country next week, diplomats and U.N. officials said on Thursday, yet another blow to the world body's efforts to broker an end to the conflict. "The mandate of UNSMIS is over on the 19th of August ... UNSMIS will fade out," said French U.N. Ambassador Gerard Araud, who is the president of the Security Council for the month of August. ...

You are subscribed to email updates from Iraq News Headlines - Yahoo! News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610