2013年3月12日星期二

Yahoo! News: Iraq

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Yahoo! News: Iraq


Soldier said to have used comrade's rifle in Iraq shootings

Posted: 12 Mar 2013 06:11 PM PDT

Sgt. Russell, Army sergeant accused of killing five fellow soldiers in Iraq, is seen in military photo provided by his father, Wilburn in ShermanBy Laura L. Myers TACOMA, Washington (Reuters) - An Army prosecution witness identified a rifle used in a shooting rampage at a military combat stress center in Baghdad as his, and testified on Tuesday that it had been taken from him on the day of the spree by accused killer Sergeant John Russell. Russell, of the 54th Engineer Battalion based in Bamberg, Germany, is accused of killing five fellow servicemen in 2009 in an attack the military said at the time could have been triggered by combat stress. ...


Soccer-Australia's Cahill returns for World Cup qualifier

Posted: 12 Mar 2013 06:08 PM PDT

SYDNEY, March 13 (Reuters) - Attacking midfielder Tim Cahill was recalled to the Australia squad for this month's World Cup qualifier against Oman on Wednesday having missed his country's previous friendly match. Cahill, who plays his club football in the United States with the New York Red Bulls, won his 60th cap for the Socceroos in their 2-1 win over Iraq in a qualifier in Doha last October. Australia are second in Group B of Asia qualifying, eight points behind Japan and equal on five points with Iraq and Oman with four matches remaining in their campaign. ...

Tribeca Festival unveils short film lineup

Posted: 12 Mar 2013 02:27 PM PDT

By Brent Lang LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - The 2013 Tribeca Film Festival will screen 60 short films as part of the annual Big Apple gathering for movie lovers. Thirty of those films will be world premieres, which the festival's backers say represents a new record. Though short films are not usually mainstream in their appeal, this year's lineup includes some big names, such as Lauren Ambrose ("Six Feet Under"), Elle Fanning ("Somewhere"), Dominic West ("The Wire") and Elijah Wood ("Lord of the Rings"). ...

Audio of GI's statement on WikiLeaks case released

Posted: 12 Mar 2013 02:07 PM PDT

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) — Some supporters of an Army private charged with aiding the enemy released a leaked audio recording Tuesday of Pfc. Bradley Manning explaining why he sent hundreds of thousands of classified documents to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks.

Ex-Army employee sentenced in NJ for kickbacks

Posted: 12 Mar 2013 01:51 PM PDT

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Federal prosecutors in New Jersey say a former Army employee who pocketed nearly $4 million in kickbacks has been sentenced to 13 years in prison.

First Person: Family's Love Helped Solider Beat Back PTSD After Returning From Iraq

Posted: 12 Mar 2013 12:10 PM PDT

First Person: Family's Love Helped Solider Beat Back PTSD After Returning From IraqAs we near the 10-year anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq, Yahoo News asked U.S. servicemen and women who served to share their perspectives and discuss how it changed them. Here's one story.


Cyber attacks leading threat against U.S.: spy agencies

Posted: 12 Mar 2013 12:06 PM PDT

To match Special Report USA-CYBERSECURITY/By Mark Hosenball and Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Intelligence leaders said for the first time on Tuesday that cyber attacks and cyber espionage have supplanted terrorism as the top security threat facing the United States. That stark assessment, in an annual "worldwide threat" briefing that covered concerns as diverse as North Korea's belligerence and Syria's civil war, was reinforced in remarks by the spy chiefs before the Senate Intelligence Committee. They expressed concern that computer technology is evolving so quickly it is hard for security experts to keep up. ...


U.S. spy chief says Syrian opposition remains disorganized

Posted: 12 Mar 2013 11:54 AM PDT

Director of National Intelligence Clapper testifies at a security threat hearing on Capitol Hill in WashingtonBy Patricia Zengerle and Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Forces seeking to oust Syrian President Bashar Al Assad are gaining strength and territory, but the Syrian opposition remains fragmented and is grappling with an infusion of militant foreign fighters, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said on Tuesday. Two years into an uprising against Assad's rule, U.S. intelligence agencies do not know how long the Syrian leader will keep his hold on the country, Clapper said at a Senate Intelligence Committee on global security threats. ...


10 years since Iraq invasion: Delusion is worse than lies

Posted: 12 Mar 2013 11:53 AM PDT

Next Tuesday, March 19, marks the 10th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq; a war propelled by the assertion that Saddam Hussein's regime possessed weapons of mass destruction that threatened the U.S.

New cyber medal production stopped, being reviewed

Posted: 12 Mar 2013 11:40 AM PDT

This image released by the Defense Department shows the reverse view of the newly announced Distinguished Warefare Medal. The military has stopped production of a new medal for remote warfare troops _ drone operators and cyber warfighters _ as it considers complaints from veterans and lawmakers over the award, a government official said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Department of Defense)WASHINGTON (AP) — The military has stopped production of a new medal for remote warfare troops — drone operators and cyber warfighters — as it considers complaints from veterans and lawmakers over the award, which was ranked higher than traditional combat medals like the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.


Official: Production stopped on new cyber medal

Posted: 12 Mar 2013 10:52 AM PDT

This image released by the Defense Department shows the reverse view of the newly announced Distinguished Warefare Medal. The military has stopped production of a new medal for remote warfare troops _ drone operators and cyber warfighters _ as it considers complaints from veterans and lawmakers over the award, a government official said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Department of Defense)WASHINGTON (AP) — The military has stopped production of a new medal for remote warfare troops — drone operators and cyber warfighters — as it considers complaints from veterans and lawmakers over the award, the Pentagon announced Tuesday.


Republicans unveil 10-year plan to shrink deficit

Posted: 12 Mar 2013 09:48 AM PDT

House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan holds a news conference to unveil the House Republicans' FY2014 budget resolution in WashingtonBy Richard Cowan and David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A 10-year, $4.6 trillion balanced budget proposal unveiled by Republicans on Tuesday could either be shelved within weeks or help jump-start negotiations with President Barack Obama toward a major deficit-reduction deal. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's plan - his latest version of the "Path to Prosperity" measure that has been rejected by Democrats previously - likely will be approved this month by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. ...


Controversy spurs Pentagon's Hagel to review new 'Nintendo' medal

Posted: 12 Mar 2013 09:28 AM PDT

Since its debut last month, the new Distinguished Warfare Medal – promptly dubbed the "Nintendo" medal by troops – has been a magnet for controversy. Now, new Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is apparently reconsidering whether such a medal – which could be awarded to cyber specialists, say, or remote operators of Predator or Reaper drones that kill enemy forces threatening the lives of troops on the ground – should retain its high ranking in the medal pecking order.

Iraq war: The day the conflict changed

Posted: 12 Mar 2013 09:06 AM PDT

For a long while the Iraq war kept its distance from the enclave centered around Baghdad's Hamra Hotel.

Iraq war: On the road to Baghdad for 17 days

Posted: 12 Mar 2013 09:04 AM PDT

When I crossed into Iraq from Kuwait on March 22, 2003, I was reminded of the scene at the end of the movie "Field of Dreams." A glowing line of car headlights snakes into the distance as the sun sets over Iowa, the cars heading to the baseball field.

Ten years after invasion, Iraq remains dangerously divided

Posted: 12 Mar 2013 09:03 AM PDT

Outside the Iraqi parliament, a tan-colored crane lifts slabs of concrete. Soldiers maneuver them into place, adding a second layer of blast walls near the entrance to what is already one of the most fortified buildings in the Iraqi capital.

With aid to Afghanistan, past performance is a predictor of future returns

Posted: 12 Mar 2013 07:52 AM PDT

In Afghanistan, it's not so much that the US is failing to learn from history. It's that it also seems to be failing to learn from the present.

Art Auction Scheduled to Raise Money for NYPD Drone Artist Facing Felony Charges

Posted: 12 Mar 2013 06:24 AM PDT

ESSAM, the artist whose controversial street art brought national attention to the domestic use of drones, is out on bail and raising money to help pay for his legal fees. Several top NYC artists have rallied in his support, and a Free ESSAM art auction, concert and fundraiser will take place March 14th. ...

PIRA Energy Group's Weekly Oil Market Recap for the Week Ending March 10, 2013

Posted: 12 Mar 2013 06:16 AM PDT

Midcontinent Crude Oil Fundamentals Improve in February.New York, NY (PRWEB) March 12, 2013 NYC-based PIRA Energy Group reports that Midcontinent crude oil fundamentals improved in February, with the exception of Cushing. On the week, U.S. product stocks declined and crude stocks increased, while Japanese crude stocks drew strongly. ...

3 Energy Pipelines That Could Shake Up Geopolitics

Posted: 12 Mar 2013 04:22 AM PDT

Three of the most volatile parts of the Middle East—Iran, Iraq and Israel—are the scene of oil and gas initiatives that could shake up geopolitics there and beyond. The efforts center on three energy pipelines, at least two of which seem likely to be built. 

Kuwait expresses dismay to U.N. over Iraqis' border protest

Posted: 12 Mar 2013 03:45 AM PDT

DUBAI (Reuters) - Kuwait has expressed dismay to the United Nations over a protest by stone-throwing Iraqis against the demarcation of the border, state media reported, underlining lingering tensions between the Arab neighbors a decade after Saddam Hussein was overthrown. Iraq formally accepted a U.N.-demarcated border line in 1994 after the first Gulf War - when Iraqi strongman Saddam sent his troops into Kuwait in 1990 and was forced out by a U.S.-led coalition. But many Iraqis in the area remain opposed to it, saying the line robbed them of property and territory. ...

U.S. soldier charged in 2009 Iraq shootings to appear in court

Posted: 12 Mar 2013 03:12 AM PDT

By Eric M. Johnson SEATTLE (Reuters) - A U.S. soldier accused of killing five fellow servicemen at a military combat stress center in Baghdad is set to appear at a pre-trial hearing on Tuesday as Army prosecutors and defense attorneys present motions concerning his mental health. Sergeant John Russell, who could face the death penalty if convicted, is accused of going on a shooting spree at Camp Liberty, near the Baghdad airport, in a 2009 assault the military said at the time could have been triggered by combat stress. ...

The Case for Padre Sean

Posted: 12 Mar 2013 01:45 AM PDT

The Case for Padre SeanWith a history of tirelessly helping the poor, Cardinal Sean O'Malley has shown just the kind of qualities the world needs in a new pope, argues Christopher Dickey.


With new group, Obama team seeks answer to Karl Rove

Posted: 11 Mar 2013 10:02 PM PDT

U.S. President Barack Obama announces new cabinet members in the East Room of the White House in WashingtonBy Samuel P. Jacobs NEW YORK (Reuters) - On Wednesday, some of President Barack Obama's most dedicated donors will fly to Washington and pony up $50,000 to attend a fundraiser for Organizing for Action, a progressive new kid on the block trying to counter the likes of Karl Rove and the Koch brothers. Obama will give a speech to the group, an independent non-profit that is trying to use the data, know-how, and connections of the president's campaign to improve the chances of passing new gun laws and immigration reform. ...


Senate rebuffs Obama request to shift funds for IMF

Posted: 11 Mar 2013 09:57 PM PDT

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at the Department of Interior in WashingtonBy Lesley Wroughton and David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers late on Monday rebuffed a request by the Obama administration to approve a permanent increase in U.S. funding to the International Monetary Fund in a setback for IMF reforms to boost the voting power of emerging economies. The reforms need congressional approval because they involve shifting and making permanent a $65 billion U.S. contribution to an IMF crisis fund. The U.S. ...


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