2013年10月23日星期三

Yahoo! News: Iraq

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Yahoo! News: Iraq


Despite high-tech arms, war requires ground troops: Army chief

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 04:09 PM PDT

General Ray Odierno holds a news conference at Camp Victory in BaghdadBy David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Even with drones, smart bombs and precision weapons, war remains a clash of human wills that ultimately requires boots on the ground, and the notion that land forces are obsolete is naive and dangerous, the top U.S. Army general said on Wednesday. "Technology will not solve the problems alone," General Ray Odierno, the Army chief of staff, told a panel discussion at the annual conference of the Association of the U.S. Army, a military support group. ...


NSA spied on 124.8 billion phone calls in just one month: watchdog

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 02:36 PM PDT

The National Security Agency monitored nearly 125 billion phone calls in just one month, according to a number of new reports.

Afghan bomb squads in short supply as NATO prepares to leave

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 02:06 PM PDT

An Afghan army soldier from an improvised explosive devices (IED) school performs a demonstration in Mazar-e-SharifBy Jessica Donati MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan (Reuters) - The Afghan soldiers studying the art of controlled detonations of explosive devices would have to wait until another day for a practical demonstration due to an unspecified security threat. NATO trainers were ordered to observe a 72-hour lockdown and suspend classes at what was, until this month, the only school in Afghanistan dedicated to countering the most deadly weapon in the Taliban's locker -- the improvised explosive device (IED). ...


Obama turns to trusted adviser on health care woes

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 01:32 PM PDT

FILE - In this Aug. 1, 2012 file photo, Jeffrey Zients testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. President Barack Obama is calling Zients to help correct problems with the new federal health care website. The White House says Zients will assist a team that is said to be working around the clock on the site, www.healthcare.gov. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — A career management consultant with a knack for taming bureaucratic backlogs is the man President Barack Obama is now counting on to help turn around a problem-plagued website that has marred the rollout of Obama's signature health care law.


Syria releases 13 women detainees

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 12:19 PM PDT

In this photo, which AP obtained from Syrian official news agency SANA and which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, President Bashar Assad, right, gestures as he speaks during an interview with Lebanon's Al-Mayadeen TV, at the presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, Monday, Oct. 21, 2013. Syria's president said Monday that the factors that would allow a landmark conference aimed at ending the country's civil war do not yet exist, throwing further doubt on international efforts to hold peace talks that have already been repeatedly delayed. (AP Photo/SANA)BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian government released 13 female detainees, an official and an activist group said Wednesday, in a move that appeared to be part of an ambitious regional prisoner exchange.


Attacks across Iraq kill 16 as violence rages on

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 11:30 AM PDT

Mourners grieve for a man killed in a bomb attack during a funeral in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Oct. 21, 2013. A suicide bomber slammed his explosive-laden car into a busy cafe on Sunday killed and wounded dozens of people, officials said. The bombing at the cafe in a primarily Shiite neighborhood of Baghdad happened as it was full of customers. The cafe and a nearby juice shop is a favorite hang out for young people, who filled the area at the time of the explosions. (AP Photo/Jaber al-Helo)BAGHDAD (AP) — Bombings at marketplaces and busy streets around Iraq's capital and other attacks killed 16 people Wednesday, officials said, the latest in a wave of violence roiling the country.


'White widow' lived near other Kenyan mall

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 11:19 AM PDT

FILE - This undated file image provided by Interpol shows fugitive Briton Samantha Lewthwaite, dubbed the "white widow" by some news media, whom Interpol has issued an arrest notice for. One of the world's most wanted women, the British-born Muslim convert called "the white widow" by London's tabloids, lived close to Nairobi's Junction Mall in 2011 but likely was not carrying out surveillance on it, a Kenyan security official said Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013. (AP Photo/Interpol, File)NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — One of the world's most wanted women, a British-born convert to Islamic extremism, lived close to one of Nairobi's major malls in 2011 but likely wasn't carrying out surveillance on it, a Kenyan security official said Wednesday.


Analysis: Saudi move reflects fears U.S. falling for Iranian charm

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 11:12 AM PDT

U.S. President Obama meets with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia at the White House in WashingtonBy Angus McDowall and William Maclean RIYADH/DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's warning that it will downgrade its relationship with the United States is based on a fear that President Barack Obama lacks both the mettle and the guile to confront mutual adversaries, and is instead handing them a strategic advantage. Riyadh is locked in what it sees as a pivotal battle over the fate of the Middle East with its arch-rival Iran, a country it believes is meddling in the affairs of allies and seeking to build a nuclear bomb, charges Tehran denies. ...


Top Marine, survivors remember 1983 Beirut blast

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 10:46 AM PDT

Former Marine Ed Ayers of Scranton, Penn., hangs his head and weeps at the Beirut Bombing Memorial in Jacksonville, N.C., on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013. Wednesday was the 30th anniversary of the terrorist bombing at a Beirut Marine barracks3 that killed 241 U.S. service members. Ayers, who did two tours in Lebanon, said the peacekeeping mission there was worth it but, "I wish it was handled differently." (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (AP) — The Marine Corps' top general said Wednesday the deadly Beirut barracks bombing 30 years ago helped define the start of America's war against terrorists.


Iraq PM warns of 'war of genocide' as attacks kill 49

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 10:44 AM PDT

Iraqi security forces stand guard at the police headquarters in the western city of Fallujah following an attack on October 21, 2013Baghdad (AFP) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki warned on Wednesday that the country is facing a "war of genocide," as officials said militants killed 49 people in two days of attacks.


Bipartisan Policy Center's Turkey Initiative Co-Chairs and Former U.S. Ambassadors Mort Abramowitz and Eric Edelman Unveil Recommendations for Building U.S.-Turkish Cooperation Amid an Increasingly Unstable Middle East

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 10:21 AM PDT

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Bipartisan Policy Center's (BPC) Turkey Initiative, co-chaired by former U.S. Ambassadors to Turkey Mort Abramowitz and Eric Edelman, issued a report today analyzing the difficulties confronting greater cooperation between the United States and Turkey in the Middle East and concluding that the state of Turkey's domestic politics is of vital importance to its future stability and its ability to wield influence in the region. ...

Three Honorees To Receive Victory Awards® Honoring Those With Disabilities

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 09:47 AM PDT

MedStar NRH 2013 Gala Victory Awards® In Washington, D.C. Wed., Oct. 30WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- MedStar National Rehabilitation Network will be hosting its 2013 Gala Victory Awards®, Wednesday, October 30 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel (2500 Calvert St., NW, Washington, D.C., 20008) at 6 p.m. For details go to MedStarNRH.org.Sen. and Mrs. John McCain and Sen. and Mrs. Timothy Johnson and will serve as Honorary Co-Chairs. Boston Marathon bombing survivor Adrianne Haslet-Davis, Rep. ...

US, NATO, Afghanistan confident on post-2014 troop accord

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 08:14 AM PDT

US Secretary of Defence Chuck Hagel talks to the media following a meeting of the defence ministers held at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on October 23, 2013Brussels (AFP) - The United States, its NATO partners and Afghanistan voiced confidence Wednesday an agreement will soon be reached to allow some alliance troops to remain after next year's withdrawal.


Was Pope Francis too lenient on the Bishop of Bling?

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 07:24 AM PDT

Pope Francis is known and lauded for living frugally.Pope Francis is mostly getting a thumbs-up from Catholics for suspending Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, a.k.a. the "Bishop of Bling," from his diocese in Limburg, Germany.


Why is Saudi Arabia distancing itself from the US?

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 06:15 AM PDT

A daily summary of global reports on security issues

13 jailed Syrian women released

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 06:02 AM PDT

In this photo, which AP obtained from Syrian official news agency SANA and which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, President Bashar Assad, right, gestures as he speaks during an interview with Lebanon's Al-Mayadeen TV, at the presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, Monday, Oct. 21, 2013. Syria's president said Monday that the factors that would allow a landmark conference aimed at ending the country's civil war do not yet exist, throwing further doubt on international efforts to hold peace talks that have already been repeatedly delayed. (AP Photo/SANA)BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian government has released 13 jailed women, an official and an activist group said on Wednesday — a move that may be part of an ambitious regional prisoner exchange.


Attacks in and near Iraqi capital kill 14 people

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 05:33 AM PDT

BAGHDAD (AP) — A string of attacks in and around Baghdad, including bombings at marketplaces and busy commercial streets, killed 14 people and wounded dozens on Wednesday, Iraqi official said, the latest in a wave of violence roiling the country.

Activists: 13 jailed Syrian women released

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 05:04 AM PDT

BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian government has released 13 jailed women, an official and an activist group said on Wednesday — a move that may be part of an ambitious regional prisoner exchange.

Attacks in and near Iraqi capital kill 9 people

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 04:51 AM PDT

BAGHDAD (AP) — A string of attacks in and around Baghdad, including bombings at a market and in a commercial street, killed 9 people and wounded 18 on Wednesday, Iraqi official said, the latest in a wave of violence roiling the country.

Obama calls trusted fixer to help health care site

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 04:47 AM PDT

FILE - In this Aug. 1, 2012 file photo, Jeffrey Zients testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. President Barack Obama is calling Zients to help correct problems with the new federal health care website. The White House says Zients will assist a team that is said to be working around the clock on the site, www.healthcare.gov. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — When a federal program that promised cash rebates to people who traded in their clunkers for more fuel-efficient vehicles was overrun by demand, President Barack Obama assigned Jeffrey Zients, his deputy budget director, to help eliminate the backlog.


Iraq raises death toll in attacks on police to 19

Posted: 23 Oct 2013 02:04 AM PDT

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi officials have raised the death toll from attacks on police in the western Anbar province the previous night to 19.

5 other botched rollouts of government programs

Posted: 22 Oct 2013 11:42 PM PDT

"Postcard incident" aside, the Peace Corps has been humming along since the 1960s.The Obama administration's struggle with debugging the HealthCare.gov website is causing critics to ask whether ObamaCare is "Obama's Iraq war," and to dismiss Obama's signature policy achievement a "quagmire."


U.S. broke international law by killing civilians with drones: rights groups

Posted: 22 Oct 2013 05:29 PM PDT

People gather at the site of a drone strike on the road between Yafe and Radfan districts of the southern Yemeni province of LahjBy Susan Cornwell and Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Human rights groups on Tuesday accused the United States of breaking international law and perhaps committing war crimes by killing civilians in missile and drone strikes that were intended to hit militants in Pakistan and Yemen. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch released separate reports detailing the deaths of dozens of civilians in the two countries. They urged the Obama administration and Congress to investigate, and end a policy of secrecy on the attacks. "In some of the cases we looked at ... ...


Saudi Arabia warns of shift away from U.S. over Syria, Iran

Posted: 22 Oct 2013 05:27 PM PDT

Prince Bandar bin Sultan, Secretary-General of Saudi Arabia's National Security Council shakes hands with Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as they meet in MoscowBy Amena Bakr and Warren Strobel DOHA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Upset at President Barack Obama's policies on Iran and Syria, members of Saudi Arabia's ruling family are threatening a rift with the United States that could take the alliance between Washington and the kingdom to its lowest point in years. Saudi Arabia's intelligence chief is vowing that the kingdom will make a "major shift" in relations with the United States to protest perceived American inaction over Syria's civil war as well as recent U.S. overtures to Iran, a source close to Saudi policy said on Tuesday. ...


Damian Lewis to pine for Nicole Kidman in Werner Herzog's 'Queen of the Desert'

Posted: 22 Oct 2013 08:39 AM PDT

Damian Lewis plays the former prisoner of war Sergeant Nicolas Brody on the TV drama "Homeland."The actor who plays the mysterious Sergeant Nicholas Brody in "Homeland" is in talks to join "Queen of the Desert," a historical biopic on the life of British explorer and author Gertrude Bell.


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