2013年9月13日星期五

Yahoo! News: Iraq

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Yahoo! News: Iraq


Cost of flying Northrop's Global Hawk down over 50 percent: sources

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 04:52 PM PDT

An undated U.S. Air Force handout photo of a RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraftBy Andrea Shalal-Esa WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The cost of flying Northrop Grumman Corp's RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned spy plane has dropped more than 50 percent over the past three years, reflecting higher use and efforts to lower operating costs, a source familiar with the program said. Government records show that it cost $18,900 per hour to fly the high-altitude reconnaissance and surveillance drone in mid-2013, compared to $40,600 in 2010, according to the source, who was not authorized to speak publicly. ...


Why journalists are like cops and firefighters

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 03:14 PM PDT

By Jack Shafer (Reuters) - When some of our friends in academia read the top news about Syria on a website or in a newspaper, they do so through a lens ground by UCLA political scientist John Zaller. In a 2003 paper, Zaller analyzed two modes of news production that journalists often employ. While working in patrol mode, the press surveys the landscape for trouble and writes up what it finds, like a cop walking a beat and writing the occasional ticket or making the routine arrest. ...

Americans want diplomacy on Syria, are unmoved by Obama speech: Reuters/Ipsos poll

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 02:03 PM PDT

U.S. President Barack Obama addresses the nation about the situation in Syria from the East Room at the White House in WashingtonBy Gabriel Debenedetti WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three-quarters of Americans support efforts to resolve the crisis in Syria through an international agreement to control chemical weapons, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll that shows steady opposition to U.S. military action. The poll of 776 Americans, conducted over three days this week, indicates that just 25 percent of Americans oppose diplomacy to deal with the crisis that was ignited by the August 21 chemical attack in a Damascus suburb that U.S. officials say killed more than 1,400 adults and children. ...


Obama Hopeful Syria Talks Will 'Bear Fruit'

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 01:18 PM PDT

Obama Hopeful Syria Talks Will 'Bear Fruit'President Obama said today he hopes negotiations between Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on how to neutralize Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles will "bear fruit," but reiterated that any agreement must be "verifiable and enforceable." Speaking at the end of...


Al Qaeda Leader Calls for Followers to Aim Lower in Attacks

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 01:17 PM PDT

Al Qaeda Leader Calls for Followers to Aim Lower in AttacksTerror Experts: Bin Laden Successor Ayman Al-Zawahiri Influence Waning, Message Could Betray Weakness


Al Qaeda calls for attacks inside United States

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 12:52 PM PDT

Still image from video shows Al Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri speaking from an unknown locationDUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri urged small-scale attacks inside the United States to "bleed America economically", adding he hoped eventually to see a more significant strike, according to the SITE monitoring service. In an audio speech released online a day after the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 strikes, Zawahri said attacks "by one brother or a few of the brothers" would weaken the U.S. economy by triggering big spending on security, SITE reported. ...


Syrian rebels skeptical of chemical weapons deal

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 12:48 PM PDT

John Kerry, left, US Secretary of State, Lakhdar Brahimi, center, UN Joint Special Representative for Syria and Sergei Lavrov, right, Russian Foreign Minister, attend a press conference after their meeting at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Friday, Sept. 13, 2013. Kerry and Lavrov say the prospects for a resumption in the Syria peace process are riding on the outcome of their chemical weapons talks. (AP Photo/Keystone, Martial Trezzini)BEIRUT (AP) — Syria's main opposition group in exile was "deeply skeptical" Friday about Damascus signing an international treaty banning the production and use of chemical weapons, saying a U.N. resolution was needed to enforce compliance.


Bombing in Sunni mosque in Iraq, attacks kill 33

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 12:21 PM PDT

Iraqi women and children gather outside of a Sunni mosque after a suicide bomber struck during Friday prayers in the village of Umm al-Adham in Diyala province, a former militant stronghold 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Sept. 13, 2013. Iraq is weathering it deadliest bout of violence in half a decade, raising fears the country is returning to the widespread killing that pushed it to the brink of civil war following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.(AP Photo)BAGHDAD (AP) — A bomb hidden inside an air conditioner exploded Friday at a Sunni mosque packed with worshippers northeast of Baghdad, the deadliest in a series of attacks in Iraq that killed 33 people, officials said.


US-Ukraine Observer: "America's Need for New Friends"

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 11:14 AM PDT

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is being released by the US-Ukraine Observer:Writing in the US-Ukraine Observer, Michael Morris analyzes why "in Europe today Ukraine could become one of America's most trusted friends":"America's Need for New Friends""It is no secret to anyone, whether politician or ordinary citizen, that many countries no longer number among America's friends. Even if some were only superficial friends, they nonetheless demonstrated their friendship. ...

War in Syria: The stakes for Jordan

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 10:52 AM PDT

Part of a series of articles looking at the regional interests at stake in Syria's civil war. The full list is on the left of your screen.

War in Syria: The stakes for Russia

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 10:52 AM PDT

Part of a series of articles looking at the regional interests at stake in Syria's civil war. The full list is on the left of your screen.

The Search for Assad’s Chemical Weapons: Lessons from Libya and Iraq

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 10:51 AM PDT

So, a Middle East strongman says he is ready to give up his chemical weapons, albeit under intense pressure from Western leaders, and the threat of being bombed. Can the West believe him?

In US arsenal, lessons for Syria chemical weapons

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 10:09 AM PDT

FILE - In this Jan. 21, 2010 file photo Debra Michaels, Chemical Operations Manager uses a flashlight to inspect mustard agent shells in one of the bunkers at the Pueblo Army Chemical Storage facility in Pueblo, Colo. Three decades after the United States started destroying its own chemical weapons, the nation's stockpile stands at more than 3,000 tons _ about three times what the U.S. now says Syrian President Bashar Assad controls. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — It's not easy or quick to get rid of a nation's chemical weapons. Just ask the United States.


Al Qaeda faction in Syria announces offensive on fellow rebels

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 09:21 AM PDT

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Al Qaeda-linked rebels in Syria have declared an offensive against two other insurgent factions, underlining growing turmoil and infighting in the 2-1/2-year-old conflict. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) accused the two other groups of attacking its forces and suggested they may have even collaborated with the government. Activists and analysts have reported a surge in clashes between rebels in recent months, saying they were more to do with rivalry over territory and spoils of war than ideology. ...

Destroying Syria's chemical weapons is a daunting task

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 09:15 AM PDT

A handout photo from Hotzone Solutions Group shows "Mustard gas filled artillery shells stored in the open at Al Muthanna, in Iraq 1993 " as described by Dieter Rothbacher in The HagueBy Anthony Deutsch AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - There are no easy answers and a striking lack of precedents when it comes to the practicalities of destroying Syria's stockpile of poisonous munitions, one of the largest in the world. The international body that would take on the task, if it is ever finalized, has never shipped such weapons abroad to be destroyed, because of the risks of transporting them, and it is not clear where they could go. Neither, however, has it ever sent inspectors into a war zone for a cleanup operation. ...


Occidental seeks buyers for 40 percent of Middle East unit: report

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 08:34 AM PDT

(Reuters) - Occidental Petroleum Corp is looking to sell 40 percent of its Middle East operations for $8 billion, Bloomberg reported on Friday, as Oxy seeks investment in the unit as part of a broader plan to split up the company. Chief Executive Steve Chazen has talked openly since April about a potential deal for its Middle East and North Africa assets, which run across countries from Libya to Iraq to Yemen. Analysts also say its California operations could be spun out. ...

Two roadside bombs kill 30 outside mosque in Baquba: Iraqi police

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 08:29 AM PDT

A woman reacts inside a Sunni mosque after two roadside bombs attacks on Sunni Muslim worshippers following Friday prayers in BaqubaBAQUBA, Iraq (Reuters) - Two roadside bombs killed 30 people outside a mosque in the Iraqi city of Baquba just as Sunni Muslim worshippers were leaving following Friday prayers, police said. The civil war in neighboring Syria has strained relations between Islam's two main denominations across the region, contributing to a resurgence of sectarian violence in Iraq. A further 25 people were wounded in the Baquba explosions, which occurred about ten minutes apart in the ethnically and confessionally mixed city, situated around 65 km (40 miles) northeast of the capital Baghdad. ...


Iraq attack against Sunni-Shiite prayer kills 30

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 08:08 AM PDT

Iraqis inspect the site of a suicide car bomb attack in Samarra, on July 5, 2013Two nearly simultaneous bombs targeted worshippers streaming out of joint Sunni-Shiite prayers north of Baghdad on Friday, killing at least 30 people in the latest deadly surge in violence.


Bombing in Sunni mosque in Iraq kills 28

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 07:55 AM PDT

Iraqi women and children gather outside of a Sunni mosque after a suicide bomber struck during Friday prayers in the village of Umm al-Adham in Diyala province, a former militant stronghold 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Sept. 13, 2013. Iraq is weathering it deadliest bout of violence in half a decade, raising fears the country is returning to the widespread killing that pushed it to the brink of civil war following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.(AP Photo)BAGHDAD (AP) — A bomb struck a Sunni mosque during Friday prayers north of Baghdad, killing 28 people in the latest eruption of violence to rock the country, officials said.


Thousands of Syrians flee Egypt for Italy: UNHCR

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 06:12 AM PDT

Demonstrators wave Syrian National Coalition flags as they rally against Bashar al-Assad in Rome on April 13, 2013Around 3,300 Syrians have arrived in Italy by boat over recent weeks, many fleeing troubled Egypt where they had first found a haven from war, the UN refugee agency said Friday.


Attack on US consulate in Afghanistan may cast a shadow over Syria debate

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 05:42 AM PDT

The Taliban claimed responsibility for a dawn attack on a US consulate in Afghanistan Friday that killed at least three locals, and that underlines continued security woes in the country 12 years after the US intervened there.

Iraq officials: Bombing inside mosque kills 28

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 04:35 AM PDT

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi officials say a bomb has struck a Sunni mosque during prayers north of Baghdad, killing 28 people in the latest eruption of violence to rock the country.

Syria: The end of America's role as global cop?

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 04:16 AM PDT

Sick of being sheriff? With talks on seizing Syria's chemical arsenal in full swing, President Obama has backed away from threats of military action against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Most Americans, however, have made it abundantly clear all along that they have no desire to get more deeply involved in yet another overseas war.


Republicans, Independents Unite on Syria Opposition

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 02:56 AM PDT

This week's United Technologies/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll, which found deep and broad resistance to proposed U.S. military action against the Syrian government, showed the extent to which Republicans and independents are now aligned in their opposition to U.S. foreign intervention under President Obama.

3 ways the Syria peace plan could backfire on Vladimir Putin

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 01:40 AM PDT

Maybe this whole Syria gambit won't work out for Russian President Vladimir Putin after all.Russian President Vladimir Putin is looking pretty clever these days. By pouncing on an apparently off-the-cuff remark by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Putin has effectively put the brakes on U.S. plans to punitively bomb his ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, for using chemical weapons on his own citizens. In doing so, Putin has again made Russia a big power broker on the world stage.


Celebrity Silence on Syria

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 12:00 AM PDT

In the era of "warmonger" Republicans in the White House, the Toronto International Film Festival would have been fertile ground for bold, outspoken "dissent" from actors against war in the Middle East. Now with Obama on the brink of missile attacks in Syria, you would expect the same agitation, but this time coupled with a dash of betrayal.

Congress Must Recapture Its Lost War Powers

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 12:00 AM PDT

"It was a damn near-run thing," said the Duke of Wellington.

A Relationship or a One-Night Stand?

Posted: 12 Sep 2013 09:53 PM PDT

The popular uprising against potential military intervention in Syria has scrambled Washington's typical left-right politics. Just consider some scenes around the capital this week.

How It Can Still Go Wrong for Obama

Posted: 12 Sep 2013 09:33 PM PDT

The sudden swerve toward international diplomacy offers President Obama the opportunity of a better outcome in Syria—at the risk of creating an enervating standoff that weakens him in all the other struggles barreling his way this fall.

Today in History

Posted: 12 Sep 2013 09:00 PM PDT

Today is Friday, Sept. 13, the 256th day of 2013. There are 109 days left in the year. The Jewish Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, begins at sunset.

Qaeda chief calls for US attacks, economic boycott

Posted: 12 Sep 2013 06:34 PM PDT

Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri is shown October 26, 2012 in speaking in an as-Sahab videoAl-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri, in a speech marking the 12th anniversary of 9/11, called for attacks on the United States and a boycott of the world's largest economy.


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