2013年9月1日星期日

Yahoo! News: Iraq

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Yahoo! News: Iraq


Citing sarin use, US seeks Congress' OK for action

Posted: 01 Sep 2013 03:40 PM PDT

In this image from video U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks from the State Department in Washington Sunday, Sept. 1, 2013, making a case for U.S. intervention in Syria. Kerry appeared at State in a series of interviews on Sunday news shows to say that the case for intervention in Syria's 2 1/2-year civil war was strengthening each day and that he expected American lawmakers to recognize the need for action when the "credibility of the United States is on the line." He said President Barack Obama has the authority to launch retaliatory strikes with or without Congress' approval, but Kerry stopped short of saying the president would do so if the House or Senate withholds support. (AP Photo/APTN)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration geared up for the biggest foreign policy vote since the Iraq war by arguing Sunday that new physical evidence shows the Syrian government used sarin gas in a deadly August attack. With its credibility on the line, the United States must respond, the country's top diplomat said.


Syria dismisses Obama as confused, moves troops

Posted: 01 Sep 2013 03:29 PM PDT

President Barack Obama stands with Vice President Joe Biden as he makes a statement about the crisis in Syria in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2013. Delaying what had appeared to be an imminent strike, Obama abruptly announced Saturday he will seek congressional approval before launching any military action meant to punish Syria for its alleged use of chemical weapons in an attack that killed hundreds. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria on Sunday derided President Barack Obama's decision to hold off on punitive military strikes, but also took precautions by reportedly moving some troops and military equipment to civilian areas.


German candidates clash on euro and taxes in tight TV duel

Posted: 01 Sep 2013 02:55 PM PDT

People watch a TV duel of German Chancellor Merkel of the CDU with her challenger, the top candidate of the SPD in the upcoming German general elections Steinbrueck, in a culture centre in BerlinBy Noah Barkin and Stephen Brown BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Social Democrat challenger in this month's German election clashed over the euro, tax policy and U.S. spying in a television debate on Sunday that produced no clear winner. The only TV duel of the campaign, watched by an estimated 15 million viewers, was one of SPD candidate Peer Steinbrueck's last chances to change the momentum in a race in which he has trailed the popular Merkel from the very start. ...


Iranian exiles report deaths in Iraq camp

Posted: 01 Sep 2013 01:53 PM PDT

FILE - In this file photograph taken on Friday, Feb. 17, 2012, Iraqi security forces enter through the main gate of Camp Ashraf in Khalis, northeast of Baghdad, Iraq. Members of an Iranian dissident group have been killed inside a contested camp in Iraq, according to the opposition organization and the Iraqi government, though their accounts of the circumstances differ. The deaths occurred at Camp Ashraf, a Saddam Hussein-era community that is home to about 100 members of the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File)BAGHDAD (AP) — Deadly violence erupted at a contentious Iranian exile camp inside Iraq early Sunday, leaving international observers scrambling to determine the cause of the bloodshed and the number of casualties.


Arab states urge action against Syrian government

Posted: 01 Sep 2013 01:53 PM PDT

CAIRO (Reuters) - Arab states on Sunday urged the international community to take action against the Syrian government over a chemical gas attack that killed hundreds of civilians. The final resolution passed by an Arab League meeting in Cairo urged the United Nations and international community to "take the deterrent and necessary measures against the culprits of this crime that the Syrian regime bears responsibility for". The League foreign ministers also said those responsible for the attack should face trial, as other "war criminals" have. ...

Iranian dissidents killed in Iraq camp, U.N. demands inquiry

Posted: 01 Sep 2013 01:47 PM PDT

By Kareem Raheem and Sylvia Westall BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least 47 people were reported killed at an Iranian dissident camp in Iraq on Sunday, the United Nations said, urging Baghdad to investigate the "tragic events" at a site north of the capital. The violence took place hours after a mortar bomb attack on the camp which the dissent group Mujahadin-e-Khalq (MEK) blamed on the Iraqi army. Two Iraqi security sources said that army and special forces had opened fire on residents who had stormed a post at the entrance to Camp Ashraf, a site that Iraq's government wants closed down. ...

Syria opposition chief, Saudi plead for Syria strikes

Posted: 01 Sep 2013 12:30 PM PDT

Arab League secretary general Nabil Al Arabi (L) and Egypt Foreign Affairs minister Nabil Fahmi (C) on September 1, 2013Saudi Arabia and the head of the Syrian opposition National Coalition on Sunday made passioned appeals for US-led strikes on Syria, urging Arab nations to back them.


Tavis Smiley: U.S. 'Dishonoring' MLK with 'Deeds in Syria'

Posted: 01 Sep 2013 12:09 PM PDT

Tavis Smiley: U.S. 'Dishonoring' MLK with 'Deeds in Syria'Reflecting on the 50-year anniversary of the March on Washington, radio host Tavis smiley said on the "This Week" powerhouse roundtable that the U.S. was days away from "dishonoring" Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with "deeds in Syria." "Just days ago we were celebrating 50...


As Obama mulls Syria attack, high stakes for Israel

Posted: 01 Sep 2013 11:52 AM PDT

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli leaders remained mum a day after President Barack Obama's surprise announcement he would seek congressional approval for a proposed punitive strike on Syria. But their silence today is not out of disinterest.

Analysis: Putin sees chance to turn tables on Obama at G20

Posted: 01 Sep 2013 11:32 AM PDT

Russia's President Putin looks on during a meeting with journalists in VladivostokBy Timothy Heritage MOSCOW (Reuters) - Less than three months after Vladimir Putin was cast as a pariah over Syria at the last big meeting of world leaders, the Russian president has glimpsed a chance to turn the tables on Barack Obama. The U.S. president's dilemma over a military response to an alleged poison gas attack in Syria means Obama is the one who is under more pressure going into a G20 summit in St Petersburg on Thursday and Friday. Obama stepped back from the brink on Saturday, delaying any imminent strike to seek approval from the U.S. Congress. ...


Clashes as Iran exiles claim dozens dead in Iraq raid

Posted: 01 Sep 2013 10:04 AM PDT

Iraqi SWAT forces standi guard outside Camp Ashraf in Diyala province on December 9, 2011Clashes and explosions were reported in a camp housing Iranian exiles on Sunday, with the group claiming Iraqi troops killed more than 50 of their members, charges officials steadfastly denied.


Citing sarin use, US seeks to bolster Syria case

Posted: 01 Sep 2013 09:53 AM PDT

In this image from video U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks from the State Department in Washington Sunday, Sept. 1, 2013, making a case for U.S. intervention in Syria. Kerry appeared at State in a series of interviews for Sunday news shows to say the case for intervention in Syria's two-and-a-half-year civil war was strengthening each day and that he expected American lawmakers to recognize the need for action when the "credibility of the United States is on the line." (AP Photo/APTN)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration on Sunday confidently predicted congressional backing for limited military action in Syria and asserted that the Assad government used sarin gas in the deadly chemical attack that threatens to draw the U.S. into another Mideast conflict.


Obama's bid to Congress on Syria part of push for global backing: U.N.

Posted: 01 Sep 2013 09:46 AM PDT

U.N. Secretary General Ban listens during a ceremony at the city hall in ViennaBy Louis Charbonneau and Edith Honan UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama's decision to seek congressional approval for possible military action against Syria can be seen as part of an effort to forge a global consensus on responding to the use of chemical arms anywhere, the United Nations said on Sunday. The world body was responding to Obama's announcement on Saturday that he will ask for congressional consent before taking military action against Syria for a poison gas attack on Syrian civilians that he blames on President Bashar al-Assad's forces. ...


Pope announces day of fasting for peace for Syria

Posted: 01 Sep 2013 09:38 AM PDT

Pope Francis waves to faithful after reciting the Angelus prayer from his studio window overlooking St.Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2013. Francis is asking people to join him next weekend in a day of fasting for peace in Syria. The pontiff invited people of all faiths to join him Saturday evening in St. Peter's Square to invoke the "gift" of peace for Syria, the rest of the Middle East and worldwide where there is conflict. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis on Sunday condemned the use of chemical weapons, but he called for a negotiated settlement of the civil war in Syria, and announced he would lead a worldwide day of fasting and prayer for peace there on Sept. 7.


Syrians relieved, disappointed at Obama strike delay

Posted: 01 Sep 2013 09:06 AM PDT

(The reporter's name has been withheld for security reasons) DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Syrians reacted with a mixture of relief, disappointment and scorn to U.S. President Barack Obama's decision to seek Congressional approval before any strike on their country. Some concluded an attack would never happen. "I have to admit this morning was the first time I felt I could sleep in," said Nawal, a mother-of-five who works as a housekeeper in Damascus. "I felt so relieved after hearing his speech. But I don't understand why he put us through all that suspense," she said. ...

Syria becomes high-stakes gamble for Obama, Congress

Posted: 01 Sep 2013 08:34 AM PDT

The civil war in Syria has become a high-stakes political gamble for President Obama and for the United States Congress.

Iranian agency drops Rafsanjani remarks critical of Syrian government

Posted: 01 Sep 2013 08:24 AM PDT

Former President Rafsanjani casts his ballot in a parliamentary election in TehranDUBAI (Reuters) - An Iranian news agency quoted former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani as saying Syria's government had attacked its own people with chemical weapons, but later replaced the report with a different version that did not attribute blame for the raid. The second version by the semi-official Iranian Labour News Agency reported him as saying on Sunday: "On the one hand the people of Syria are the target of a chemical attack, and now they must wait for an attack by foreigners. ...


As US weighs war, fears of power of jihadis in Syria

Posted: 01 Sep 2013 08:13 AM PDT

When Mahmoud al-Ahmed returned to his battle-scarred village in the Aleppo countryside after seven months away, he found it filled with people he didn't recognize – some of them foreigners, and almost all of them conservative Islamists.

Pope announces world day of fasting, prayer for Syria

Posted: 01 Sep 2013 08:00 AM PDT

Pope Francis waves from the window of his apartment to pilgrims gathered on St. Peter's Square, September 1, 2013Pope Francis called Sunday for the world to unite in a day of fasting and prayer for Syria and said "God and history" would judge anyone using chemical weapons.


Obama's history-defying decision to seek Congressional approval on Syria

Posted: 01 Sep 2013 07:32 AM PDT

US President Barack Obama speaks about Syria outside the White House in Washington, DC on August 31, 2013It may be the most important presidential act on the Constitution and war-making powers since Harry Truman decided to sidestep Congress in 1950.


Iraq oil exports 'rebound in August'

Posted: 01 Sep 2013 06:16 AM PDT

The Al-Dora refinery complex, Baghdad on September 16, 2010Iraq's oil exports rebounded in August from a 16-month low, as increased sales and rising prices lifted revenues to their highest level this year, a spokesman said on Sunday.


UN says over 800 people killed in Iraq in August

Posted: 01 Sep 2013 05:34 AM PDT

BAGHDAD (AP) — More than 800 people were killed in Iraq in violence throughout August, the UN said Sunday. That was down somewhat from July, but still one of the highest monthly tolls in recent years.

Attacks killed 800 Iraqis in August: U.N.

Posted: 01 Sep 2013 05:25 AM PDT

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - About 800 Iraqis were killed in August, the United Nations said on Sunday, condemning a wave of violence in the country that has reached levels not seen since 2008. Most of the 804 killed were civilians, targeted in shootings and bombings mainly claimed by the Iraqi wing of al Qaeda. More than 2,000 people were wounded, the U.N. figures showed. The number of people who were killed last month was however lower than in July, when the U.N. reported that there were 1,057 victims, the highly monthly toll since 2008. ...

Hard trail for Syria refugees desperate to reach Europe

Posted: 01 Sep 2013 05:20 AM PDT

A migrant sits on the ground after being apprehended by the Serbian border police, having illegally entered the country from Macedonia, near PresevoBy Valerie Hopkins and Tsvetelia Tsolova PRESEVO, Serbia/SVILENGRAD, Bulgaria (Reuters) - Oliver Ivanovic's patience paid off. Shortly before midnight, on a hilltop in no-man's land between Serbia and Macedonia, dozens of grainy figures shuffled through the sights of his thermal goggles. "I have a feeling we're going to get lucky tonight," the Serbian border patrol officer said with a grin. Among the 34 illegal immigrants netted that night trying to steal into Serbia was Mohammad Bakr. ...


Pope asks other faiths to join day of prayer for peace in Syria

Posted: 01 Sep 2013 04:58 AM PDT

Pope Francis leads his Sunday Angelus prayer in Saint Peter's square at the VaticanBy Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday invited people of all faiths to join him and the world's Catholics in a day of prayer and fasting on September 7 to end the conflict in Syria. Addressing tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square, he issued a long, impassioned appeal for peace in Syria and across the Middle East, saying God and history would be the judge of those who promoted violence or prevented peace. Francis condemned the use of chemical weapons, blamed by Western powers on Syrian government forces, but added: "War, never again". ...


Obama goes to Congress on Syria: Big mistake

Posted: 01 Sep 2013 02:12 AM PDT

President Barack Obama speaks about Syria next to Vice President Joe Biden at the Rose Garden of the White House on Aug. 31.On its face, it might seem like a good idea to ask Congress for permission to strike Syria over Bashar al-Assad's reported use of chemical weapons on his own people. It's not. Here's why:


Today in History

Posted: 31 Aug 2013 09:01 PM PDT

Today is Sunday, Sept. 1, the 244th day of 2013. There are 121 days left in the year.

President Obama Seeks Congressional Approval for Syria Action

Posted: 31 Aug 2013 06:14 PM PDT

President Obama Seeks Congressional Approval for Syria ActionPresident Obama to Seek Approval from Congress on Syria


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