Yahoo! News: Iraq

Budget cuts end White House tours, but not finger-pointing
Businesses in military towns brace for budget hit
Hagel's re-introduction to Afghan war begins with bombing
Freed U.N. peacekeepers cross into Jordan from Syria
For Biden chief of staff Bruce Reed, less is more
Older, quieter than WikiLeaks, Cryptome perseveres
Less is more for veep's chief of staff Bruce Reed
Iraqi security forces surround protest site
Survey: Many conflicted on gov't spending cuts
Less is more for Biden chief of staff
Bin Laden Son-in-Law Could Yield Info on Al-Qaida

Budget cuts end White House tours, but not finger-pointing

Posted: 09 Mar 2013 11:37 AM PST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The sixth-grade class at St. Paul's Lutheran School in Waverly, Iowa, sent a message this week that was heard in the White House briefing room. "The White House is our house," the class said in a video posted on Facebook. "Please let us visit." But their trip to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, which had been set for March 16, is off. White House tours will be suspended starting on Saturday due to mandated across-the-board spending cuts known as "sequestration." The move will save the federal government an estimated $74,000 a week. ...

Businesses in military towns brace for budget hit

Posted: 09 Mar 2013 11:26 AM PST

Like many who make their living in the commercial strip outside the gates of Fort Bragg, Mike Thomas is confident the $85 billion in automatic military spending cuts will hurt sales at his used car lot ...

Hagel's re-introduction to Afghan war begins with bombing

Posted: 09 Mar 2013 11:13 AM PST

KABUL (Reuters) - Chuck Hagel's first full day in Afghanistan as U.S. defense secretary began with the sound of a suicide bombing about a kilometer away from one of his morning briefings. "I wasn't sure what it was," Hagel said, asked about his initial reaction to the blast that killed nine civilians outside the Afghan defense ministry. "But we're in a war zone. I've been in war ... So (we) shouldn't be surprised when a bomb goes off or there's an explosion. ...

Freed U.N. peacekeepers cross into Jordan from Syria

Posted: 09 Mar 2013 09:35 AM PST

AMMAN (Reuters) - Twenty-one United Nations peacekeepers held by rebels for three days in southern Syria crossed into Jordan on Saturday, after an ordeal which highlighted how Syria's civil war is ratcheting up tensions on its volatile borders. The Filipino peacekeepers - part of the U.N. Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) that has been monitoring a ceasefire line between Syria and Israel in the Golan Heights since 1974 - were seized by the Martyrs of Yarmouk rebel brigade on Wednesday. ...

For Biden chief of staff Bruce Reed, less is more

Posted: 09 Mar 2013 09:19 AM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Understated. Self-effacing. Nonthreatening. Refreshingly old-fashioned.

Older, quieter than WikiLeaks, Cryptome perseveres

Posted: 09 Mar 2013 09:05 AM PST

NEW YORK (AP) — The FBI came calling after maps of urban rail tunnels and gas lines were posted online. Microsoft aggressively complained following the website's publication of a confidential handbook on company policies for helping police. Other critics have gone further, warning that some of the postings could aid America's enemies.

Less is more for veep's chief of staff Bruce Reed

Posted: 09 Mar 2013 06:55 AM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Understated. Self-effacing. Nonthreatening. Refreshingly old-fashioned.

Iraqi security forces surround protest site

Posted: 09 Mar 2013 03:57 AM PST

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi authorities deployed security forces around the main rallying point for Sunni protests in western Iraq overnight and warned on Saturday that the area had become a haven for terrorists.

Survey: Many conflicted on gov't spending cuts

Posted: 09 Mar 2013 01:21 AM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — As President Barack Obama and lawmakers spar over huge federal deficits, they're confronted by a classic contradiction: Most Americans want government austerity, a survey shows, but they also want increased spending on a host of popular programs: education, crime fighting, health care, Social Security, the environment and more. Less for defense, space and foreign aid.