Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• US calls out China, Russia over human trafficking
• Defense: US man never joined Syrian al-Qaida group
• U.S. cites Russia, China among worst in human trafficking: report
• U.S. aerospace companies seek to reassure public on drones
• UN says 45.2 million refugees and displaced people
• The Re-Invention of Miss Utah Will Be Televised
• World powers to meet on Syrian rebel demands
• Bombings kill 7 people in Iraq
• Pa. guardsman sues Target over 'no show' firing
• CAIR Seeks Hate Crime Charges for 2nd Attack on Va. Muslim Cabbie
• Obama's 2008 Berlin Speech vs. Today's, by the Numbers, Words, and Themes
• Why do we still put refugees in tents? IKEA has a new idea.
• Iraqi Shi'ites flock to Assad's side as sectarian split widens
• Every 4.1 seconds someone becomes a refugee
• Correction: Jordan-Syria-War Games story
• Kurdish rebel commander warns Turkish state sabotaging peace
• Iraq officials say suicide attack kills politician
• In last Gomez-Markey debate, distinct styles but fuzzy policy differences
• UK says soldier deaths' court ruling will hit combat missions
• Suicide bomber embraces and kills Sunni politician in Iraq
• Obama's Germany trip can't be business as usual
• Special Report: Syria's Islamists seize control as moderates dither
• Afghanistan suspends security pact talks with U.S.
• UN says 45.2 million refugees, displaced globally
• Award-winning journalist Michael Hastings dies
• Australia, Iran and S.Korea head for Brazil
• Soccer-Australia fans celebrate World Cup entry with Sydney party
• UN says number refugees, displaced at 18-year high
• 'Days of Rambo Are Over': Military Details Plans for Integrating Women Into Combat Units
• Journalist who brought down U.S. general is killed in Los Angeles car crash
• U.S. says surveillance thwarted NYSE attack, Somali funding
• U.N. recommends bringing Iraq closer to ending 1990s sanctions
• Pentagon unveils plans for moving women into combat roles

US calls out China, Russia over human trafficking Posted: 19 Jun 2013 04:48 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. accused China and Russia of failing to meet minimum standards in fighting human trafficking, ranking them on a par with North Korea and Syria.

Defense: US man never joined Syrian al-Qaida group Posted: 19 Jun 2013 02:18 PM PDT ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A U.S. Army veteran was confused and mistaken when he told authorities he fought with an al-Qaida group seeking to topple the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, his defense lawyer said Wednesday in court papers.

U.S. cites Russia, China among worst in human trafficking: report Posted: 19 Jun 2013 02:17 PM PDT By Susan Heavey WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An annual U.S. State Department report on Wednesday cited Russia and China among the world's worst offenders in fighting forced labor and sex trafficking, which could lead to U.S. sanctions. The U.S. designation drops Russia and China, which already often are at odds with Washington, in the same category as North Korea and Iran. The State Department ranks countries according to the efforts they make to fight human trafficking and Russia, China and Uzbekistan all fell to the lowest level, Tier 3, in the new report. ...

U.S. aerospace companies seek to reassure public on drones Posted: 19 Jun 2013 02:14 PM PDT By Andrea Shalal-Esa PARIS (Reuters) - U.S. aerospace companies, keen to benefit from billions of dollars in possible future orders for civilian drones, are mobilizing to assuage public concerns about privacy and safety. The Aerospace Industries Association, the U.S. industry's biggest lobbying group, released a new poll on Wednesday at the Paris Airshow, which showed that 54 percent of Americans favor use of drones for civilian purposes, including border patrol, weather prediction and disaster response. ...

UN says 45.2 million refugees and displaced people Posted: 19 Jun 2013 12:44 PM PDT GENEVA (AP) — The Syrian civil war contributed to pushing the numbers of refugees and those displaced by conflict within their own nation to an 18-year high of 45.2 million worldwide by the end of 2012, the U.N. refugee agency said Wednesday.

The Re-Invention of Miss Utah Will Be Televised Posted: 19 Jun 2013 12:34 PM PDT There was no way Miss Utah was going to fade into obscurity after unleashing that incoherent stream of consciousness upon the world on Sunday night at the Miss USA pageant. ...

World powers to meet on Syrian rebel demands Posted: 19 Jun 2013 11:33 AM PDT PARIS (AP) — World powers will meet this weekend in Qatar to decide on how to answer a list of requests for help from Syrian rebels, a French diplomat said Wednesday.

Bombings kill 7 people in Iraq Posted: 19 Jun 2013 11:31 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Bomb attacks in Iraq have killed seven people, including a local political leader and four of his relatives, authorities said Wednesday.

Pa. guardsman sues Target over 'no show' firing Posted: 19 Jun 2013 10:47 AM PDT A member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard has sued Target Corp., saying he was wrongly fired from one of the chain's Pittsburgh-area stores for violating its "no-call, no-show" policy ...

CAIR Seeks Hate Crime Charges for 2nd Attack on Va. Muslim Cabbie Posted: 19 Jun 2013 10:18 AM PDT WASHINGTON, June 19, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, said today it is asking prosecutors to bring charges against a woman whose anti-Muslim rant and alleged assault targeting a Virginia Muslim taxi driver was caught on 911 recordings and on the cabbie's tablet computer.This is the second time CAIR has sought hate crime charges for an assault on a Muslim cabbie in that state. ...

Obama's 2008 Berlin Speech vs. Today's, by the Numbers, Words, and Themes Posted: 19 Jun 2013 09:18 AM PDT President Obama's speech in Berlin today intentionally echoed his 2008 speech in the city as a candidate. But, perhaps unintentionally, the themes in each speech were also largely the same: the war on terror, international relations, climate. An analysis of the content of each speech, however, shows how the President's priorities have (and haven't) changed.

Why do we still put refugees in tents? IKEA has a new idea. Posted: 19 Jun 2013 09:09 AM PDT Nothing says misery like a hot tent in a refugee camp. That's especially true when a family spends year after year under a triangle of canvas meant to last only six months.

Iraqi Shi'ites flock to Assad's side as sectarian split widens Posted: 19 Jun 2013 09:03 AM PDT By Suadad al-Salhy BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Among the Iranian pilgrims, foreign executives and tourists in the departure lounge at Baghdad airport, a group of young Iraqis prepare to wage religious war in Syria - not for the rebels trying to topple President Bashar al-Assad but against them. Dressed in jeans, their hair cropped short, the 12 men awaiting their flight are Iraqi Shi'ites, among hundreds heading for what they see as a struggle to defend fellow Syrian Shi'ites and their holy sites from the mainly Sunni Muslim rebels. ...

Every 4.1 seconds someone becomes a refugee Posted: 19 Jun 2013 09:03 AM PDT A look at the growing number of people displaced by war and other crises

Correction: Jordan-Syria-War Games story Posted: 19 Jun 2013 08:29 AM PDT ZARQA, Jordan (AP) — In a June 18 story about U.S.-led war games in Jordan, The Associated Press reported erroneously the organization that employs Tawfiq Hennawi. He works for the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization, not the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Kurdish rebel commander warns Turkish state sabotaging peace Posted: 19 Jun 2013 06:50 AM PDT ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A top Kurdish militant commander warned on Wednesday a fragile peace process had been jeopardized by increased military activity and a lack of concrete steps by the government, including the continued detention of Kurdish politicians. Members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) began a withdrawal from Turkish territory to bases in northern Iraq last month, part of a deal brokered between the state and the group's jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan earlier this year aimed at ending a conflict that has claimed 40,000 lives since 1984. ...

Iraq officials say suicide attack kills politician Posted: 19 Jun 2013 06:30 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi officials say a suicide attack has killed a local political leader and four of his relatives in northern Iraq.

In last Gomez-Markey debate, distinct styles but fuzzy policy differences Posted: 19 Jun 2013 06:20 AM PDT With a week remaining until the June 25 special election for John Kerry's former US Senate seat in Massachusetts, the two candidates met Tuesday night in a debate that set the tone for the final days of the campaign: energetic, divisive, and at times downright petty.

UK says soldier deaths' court ruling will hit combat missions Posted: 19 Jun 2013 05:37 AM PDT By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - The British government warned on Wednesday that future combat operations could become more difficult after a court ruled that families of three soldiers killed in Iraq could sue the military for failing to protect troops on active duty. Britain's Supreme Court upheld the claim of relatives that the Human Rights Act applied to troops serving in battle abroad, and rejected the Ministry of Defence's argument that it was protected by a doctrine of combat immunity. ...

Suicide bomber embraces and kills Sunni politician in Iraq Posted: 19 Jun 2013 05:08 AM PDT MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - A suicide bomber blew himself up as he embraced a Sunni Muslim political leader in northern Iraq on Wednesday, killing the man and four of his family a day before elections in the area. Al Qaeda's local wing has increased its attacks this year, often targeting moderate Sunni Muslim leaders in a bid to ignite sectarian upheaval and undermine Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shi'ite-led government. Pretending to be a guest at a family gathering, the attacker hugged Younis al-Rammah before detonating an explosive vest. ...

Obama's Germany trip can't be business as usual Posted: 19 Jun 2013 05:00 AM PDT President Obama needs to offer some fresh ideas for the future of America's most important alliance – its partnership with Europe. After wrapping up the G8 summit this week in Northern Ireland, Mr. Obama is in Berlin today for his first official visit to Germany. There he will give a speech at the Brandenburg Gate, which has come to symbolize Berlin's post-cold war reunification. This itinerary is entirely appropriate, given Germany's ascendancy as the Continent's pivotal power.

Special Report: Syria's Islamists seize control as moderates dither Posted: 19 Jun 2013 02:14 AM PDT By Oliver Holmes and Alexander Dziadosz ALEPPO, Syria (Reuters) - As the Syrian civil war got under way, a former electrician who calls himself Sheikh Omar built up a brigade of rebel fighters. In two years of struggle against President Bashar al-Assad, they came to number 2,000 men, he said, here in the northern city of Aleppo. Then, virtually overnight, they collapsed. Omar's group, Ghurabaa al-Sham, wasn't defeated by the government. It was dismantled by a rival band of revolutionaries - hardline Islamists. The Islamists moved against them at the beginning of May. ...

Afghanistan suspends security pact talks with U.S. Posted: 19 Jun 2013 01:17 AM PDT KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai has decided to suspend talks on a security pact with the United States, accusing Washington of mixed messages regarding peace talks with the Taliban, his spokesman said on Wednesday. "In a special meeting chaired by President Hamid Karzai, the president has decided to suspend talks about a security pact with the U.S. because of their inconsistent statements and actions in regard to the peace process," spokesman Aimal Faizi told Reuters. ...

UN says 45.2 million refugees, displaced globally Posted: 19 Jun 2013 12:36 AM PDT GENEVA (AP) — The Syrian civil war contributed to push the numbers of refugees and those displaced by conflict within their own nation to an 18-year high of 45.2 million worldwide by the end of 2012, the U.N. refugee agency said Wednesday.

Award-winning journalist Michael Hastings dies Posted: 19 Jun 2013 12:24 AM PDT LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Hastings, the war correspondent whose unflinching reporting from Afghanistan led to the resignation of a top U.S. army general, has died in a car accident in Los Angeles, according to his employer and family.

Australia, Iran and S.Korea head for Brazil Posted: 19 Jun 2013 12:16 AM PDT By Patrick Johnston (Reuters) - Australia and Iran booked their fourth World Cup finals appearances with nervous 1-0 victories in a dramatic finale to Asian qualifying on Tuesday. South Korea joined them and Japan in qualifying for the finals after sneaking through on goal difference and Uzbekistan and Jordan retained hope of making it five Asian sides in Brazil after taking the third spots in the groups to set up a playoff. The teams will meet over two legs in September with the winners taking on the fifth-placed side in South America in a similar playoff in November for a place at the ...

Soccer-Australia fans celebrate World Cup entry with Sydney party Posted: 18 Jun 2013 11:24 PM PDT By Michael Sin SYDNEY, June 19 (Reuters) - Australia's soccer team celebrated with hundreds of fans at a victory party in Sydney on Wednesday after eking out a nervous win over Iraq that sealed their ticket to the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil. Their victory drew bleary-eyed fans young and old to Sydney's Customs House, all draped in green and gold, keen to meet the players, who were welcomed with wild cheers and applause and threw bright yellow soccer balls into the crowd. ...

UN says number refugees, displaced at 18-year high Posted: 18 Jun 2013 11:17 PM PDT GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. refugee agency says more than 45.2 million people were forced to flee homes last year, an 18-year high mainly due to wars in Syria, Afghanistan and other countries.

'Days of Rambo Are Over': Military Details Plans for Integrating Women Into Combat Units Posted: 18 Jun 2013 10:21 PM PDT Military Details Plans for Integrating Women Into Combat Units

Journalist who brought down U.S. general is killed in Los Angeles car crash Posted: 18 Jun 2013 08:38 PM PDT LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Journalist Michael Hastings, whose 2010 Rolling Stone magazine profile of the U.S. military chief in Afghanistan, Stanley McChrystal, led to the general being relieved of command, died on Tuesday in a car wreck in Los Angeles, his employer said. A statement from the editor-in-chief of online news outlet BuzzFeed reporting that Hastings, 33, had been killed, gave no details of the accident, and neither Los Angeles police nor the county coroner's office would confirm his death. ...

U.S. says surveillance thwarted NYSE attack, Somali funding Posted: 18 Jun 2013 05:28 PM PDT By John Shiffman and Mark Hosenball (Reuters) WASHINGTON - U.S. intelligence officials on Tuesday identified two of the more than 50 classified cases in which they say National Security Agency eavesdropping helped thwart terrorist plots including a planned attack on the New York Stock Exchange. The other, a San Diego money laundering investigation tied to financing for a Somali militia, is among the 27 cases cited in a Reuters report Tuesday in which the U.S. government filed public notice that it used a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant. ...

U.N. recommends bringing Iraq closer to ending 1990s sanctions Posted: 18 Jun 2013 05:18 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday recommended bringing Iraq one step closer to ending all U.N. sanctions imposed on Baghdad more than two decades ago after former leader Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait In 1990. Despite the toppling of Saddam in 2003 after a U.S.-led invasion, the United Nations has not fully lifted the sanctions. U.S.-led troops drove Iraq out of Kuwait in the 1991 Gulf War. If the U.N. ...

Pentagon unveils plans for moving women into combat roles Posted: 18 Jun 2013 05:08 PM PDT By David Alexander and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top U.S. military official declared "the days of Rambo are over" as the Pentagon unveiled its plans on Tuesday for integrating women into combat infantry positions following 12 years of war in which they fought and died in Iraq and Afghanistan while barred from front-line fighting jobs. The plans, which call for gender-neutral job requirements like scaling walls and lifting 55-pound (25-kg) tank ammunition, will require more years of study, education and training before some services open combat jobs to women. ...

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