Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Budget deal seen as boon to Pentagon. So why wouldn't veterans be happy?
• Yes, Virginia, there will be an Iran sanctions bill
• Oakland settles claims with U.S. veteran hurt in Occupy protests
• Budget deal offers stability to Pentagon spending
• News outlets urge Syria rebels to halt abductions
• NSA: No better way to protect US than surveillance
• US, Britain halt nonlethal aid in northern Syria
• US and UK suspend Syria non-lethal aid as winter bites
• Gulf Arabs urge foreigners out of Syria, drawing regime ire
• Decade after arrest, Saddam legacy looms over Iraq
• U.S., Britain suspend aid to north Syria after Islamists seize weapons store
• Jihadist site urges Syria militants to free journalists
• Iraq president on 'road to full recovery'
• UK halts non-lethal aid to Syria
• Lopsided Support for Upping Financial Pressure on Iran
• News Summary: US-Pacific trade pact delayed
• Syrian refugees in Lebanon bundle up against storm
• First snow in Syria camps presages lethal winter to come
• US suspends non-lethal aid to northern Syria
• Al Qaeda tightens grip on western Iraq in bid for Islamic state
• Iraq's ailing President Talabani on road to recovery: office
• IEA raises oil demand outlook on European, US growth
• What's in a name? For Saddam Husseins, only trouble
• Delay in Pacific trade pact hurts US shift to Asia
• O Come, Let MSNBC Adore Lord Obama
• Today in History

Budget deal seen as boon to Pentagon. So why wouldn't veterans be happy? Posted: 11 Dec 2013 03:37 PM PST The budget deal released to much fanfare at a Capitol Hill press conference this week, if approved, would allow the Pentagon to breathe a sigh of relief, since it would side-step the most dire of the threatened across-the-board cuts to its bottom line. The proposed deal, widely considered a victory – if a modest one – for defense hawks, would also allow the Pentagon to kick some tough choices about strategic spending down the road. "Politically, the Pentagon has won the skirmish. At the same time, though, the deal is likely to anger veterans groups, who note that military retirees – and future retirees – will see their cost of living allowance (COLA) shrink in their retirement pay.

Yes, Virginia, there will be an Iran sanctions bill Posted: 11 Dec 2013 03:05 PM PST Congress will act, whether the White House likes it or not.

Oakland settles claims with U.S. veteran hurt in Occupy protests Posted: 11 Dec 2013 02:34 PM PST By Laila Kearney SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The City of Oakland has agreed to pay $645,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by a U.S. veteran of the war in Afghanistan who was injured during a confrontation with police at an Occupy protest two years ago, a city official said on Wednesday. Former Army Ranger and protester Kayvan Sabeghi was arrested in November 2011 and hospitalized for five days after clashes between police and protesters in one of a series of Occupy rallies that erupted in the streets of Oakland in 2011 and 2012. The Oakland City Council, which gave a preliminary nod to the settlement in a closed session on Tuesday night, admitted no wrongdoing in the case, said Alex Katz, spokesman for the Oakland City Attorney's Office. Sabeghi filed a lawsuit in November 2012 alleging wrongful beating and imprisonment by Oakland police, saying he was struck repeatedly with batons and suffered from internal bleeding.

Budget deal offers stability to Pentagon spending Posted: 11 Dec 2013 02:33 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Working-age military retirees would see fewer dollars in their federal pensions and the Pentagon would get some long-sought stability in spending under Congress' budget deal.

News outlets urge Syria rebels to halt abductions Posted: 11 Dec 2013 02:14 PM PST BEIRUT (AP) — Major international news organizations sent a letter to the leadership of the armed opposition in Syria Wednesday, calling for urgent action against rebel groups increasingly targeting journalists for kidnappings.

NSA: No better way to protect US than surveillance Posted: 11 Dec 2013 01:45 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The NSA chief said Wednesday he knows of no better way his agency can help protect the U.S. from foreign threats than with spy programs that collect billions of phone and Internet records from around the world.

US, Britain halt nonlethal aid in northern Syria Posted: 11 Dec 2013 12:58 PM PST BEIRUT (AP) — The U.S. and Britain said Wednesday they were suspending deliveries to rebels in northern Syria of nonlethal aid such as communications equipment and laptops after some of the gear was seized by Islamic militants.

US and UK suspend Syria non-lethal aid as winter bites Posted: 11 Dec 2013 12:48 PM PST The United States and Britain suspended non-lethal aid to rebels in northern Syria on Wednesday, a day after Islamists overran a border crossing in the snow-swept region near Turkey. Gulf Arab states meeting in Kuwait demanded foreign militias withdraw from Syria and said President Bashar al-Assad must have no future role, in a declaration his regime denounced as meddling. Thousands of Syrian refugees in neighbouring Lebanon also had to battle the elements when their makeshift camps were lashed by a winter storm that brought snow, rain and freezing temperatures. The US and British decision to suspend non-lethal aid to the opposition in northern Syria came after Islamist rebels seized the Bab al-Hawa border crossing and key supply bases from the mainstream Free Syrian Army.

Gulf Arabs urge foreigners out of Syria, drawing regime ire Posted: 11 Dec 2013 12:45 PM PST Gulf Arab states demanded foreign militias quit Syria and said President Bashar al-Assad must have no future role Wednesday, in a declaration his Iran- and Hezbollah-backed regime denounced as meddling. Wrapping up a two-day annual summit in Kuwait City, the Gulf Cooperation Council's leaders welcomed what they described as the new Iranian government's shift to a positive policy toward the six-nation bloc. Adopting a firm stance on Syria, the GCC "strongly condemned the continued genocide that Assad's regime is committing against the Syrian people using heavy and chemical weapons". It called "for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Syria," in a clear reference to Iran-backed Shiite militias from Iraq and Lebanon's Hezbollah movement which are supporting Assad's troops against Sunni-led rebels.

Decade after arrest, Saddam legacy looms over Iraq Posted: 11 Dec 2013 12:35 PM PST A decade after Saddam Hussein's arrest, the now-executed Iraqi dictator's legacy of conflicts, sanctions and repression still exact a heavy toll on the country. And as oil-rich Iraq grows increasingly important to the global economy and regional diplomacy, his legacy of a slow-moving, hierarchical bureaucracy and corrupt decision-making processes have hamstrung a country looking to rebuild. Former members of Saddam's now-banned Baath Party are still regularly barred from public office, politicians tar opponents as "Baathists", and surging violence is typically blamed on some combination of Saddam supporters and Sunni militants. At the same time, public services that fell into disrepair during the years of conflict have yet to be fully upgraded, unemployment remains high, corruption and nepotism are rampant and analysts say members of Saddam's Sunni Arab minority have yet to fully reconcile to losing power to Iraq's Shiite majority.

U.S., Britain suspend aid to north Syria after Islamists seize weapons store Posted: 11 Dec 2013 11:08 AM PST By Dasha Afanasieva and Humeyra Pamuk ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The United States and Britain suspended non-lethal aid to northern Syria after Islamist fighters seized Western-backed rebel weapons warehouses, highlighting fears that supplies could end up in the wrong hands. The rebel Free Syrian Army fighting President Bashar al-Assad said the U.S. and British moves were rushed and mistaken. "We hope our friends will rethink and wait for a few days when things will be clearer," FSA spokesman Louay Meqdad said. In Washington, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the United States was concerned about reports that Islamic Front forces had seized the buildings belonging to the Syrian Military Council, which is nominally in charge of the FSA.

Jihadist site urges Syria militants to free journalists Posted: 11 Dec 2013 10:55 AM PST An online forum that frequently features statements from jihadists has called on an Al-Qaeda-linked militant group to free two Spanish journalists who were kidnapped in September in Syria. The Honein jihadist forum urged "our brothers the mujahedeen (holy warriors) in the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) militant group to free reporter Javier Espinosa and photographer Ricardo Garcia Vilanova, in a statement accompanied by their photos posted online on Tuesday. The site said the two journalists were a "good hand for advocating our issues in Iraq and Syria, and carrying the silenced truth," adding "there are those among us who know them well, and were working with them to serve our issues."

Iraq president on 'road to full recovery' Posted: 11 Dec 2013 10:45 AM PST Iraqi President Jalal Talabani is on the "road to a full recovery" from a stroke he had last December, a statement from his office on Wednesday said. Talabani, who has played a key role as mediator in Iraq's fractious politics, has been in Germany for treatment for almost a year. His doctor confirmed the "improvement of President Talabani's health", and said he had "passed an important stage" in his treatment, the statement on the presidency's website said. Talabani's wife Hero, shown sitting with him in photographs accompanying the statement, confirmed the "stability of President Talabani's health", it said.

UK halts non-lethal aid to Syria Posted: 11 Dec 2013 09:32 AM PST BEIRUT (AP) — The United States and Britain said Wednesday they were suspending delivery of all non-lethal military aid destined for rebels fighting President Bashar Assad's forces in northern Syria, citing fears the aid could fall into the hands of al-Qaida linked militants.

Lopsided Support for Upping Financial Pressure on Iran Posted: 11 Dec 2013 09:26 AM PST 77% of Americans favor negotiations plus increased sanctions, 86% prefer pro-sanctions senatorWASHINGTON, Dec. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- By lopsided margins supporters of both political parties overwhelmingly favor deepening sanctions against the Iranian government, regardless of current negotiations, according to a new national survey [PDF].The Luntz Global survey of 900 likely voters was conducted Dec. 7-9, and is the first poll conducted jointly by two fast-growing websites covering news of the Middle East, the Arabic-language Al-Masdar.net and TheTower. ...

News Summary: US-Pacific trade pact delayed Posted: 11 Dec 2013 09:22 AM PST MISSED DEADLINE: The failure to complete a landmark trans-Pacific trade pact this year as planned is a blow to President Barack Obama's effort to shift the U.S. foreign policy focus to Asia after a decade ...

Syrian refugees in Lebanon bundle up against storm Posted: 11 Dec 2013 08:48 AM PST MARJ, Lebanon (AP) — A blustery storm dropped torrential rain and snow on Lebanon and Jordan on Wednesday, forcing aid agencies to scramble to distribute desperately needed winter supplies like blankets and plastic tarps to Syrian refugees who have sought safe haven in the countries.

First snow in Syria camps presages lethal winter to come Posted: 11 Dec 2013 08:30 AM PST By Stephen Kalin TEL SARHAN CAMP, Lebanon (Reuters) - The season's first snow settled in parts of Lebanon on Wednesday and refugee children who have fled the war in Syria took the opportunity to have a snowball fight outside their tents. But the worst of winter is yet to come for 2.2 million refugees living outside Syria and millions more displaced inside the country. A storm named Alexa is sweeping across Syria and Lebanon, bringing with it high winds and freezing temperatures - and marking the beginning of the third winter since the Syrian conflict began in March 2011. The snow wreaked havoc across the region and grounded the start of a humanitarian airlift that was meant to start bringing supplies from Iraq into the northeastern Kurdish areas of Syria, where tens of thousands of people have been out of reach.

US suspends non-lethal aid to northern Syria Posted: 11 Dec 2013 08:16 AM PST ISTANBUL (AP) — The United States has suspended all non-lethal assistance destined for rebels fighting President Bashar Assad's forces in northern Syria, U.S. officials said Wednesday, citing fears the aid could fall into the hands of al-Qaida linked militants.

Al Qaeda tightens grip on western Iraq in bid for Islamic state Posted: 11 Dec 2013 06:52 AM PST By Suadad al-Salhy BAGHDAD (Reuters) - In Iraq's western desert near the Syrian border, in a landscape of sand and rock, a signpost announces that you are entering al Qaeda's Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). A short video of the sign was broadcast on jihadi websites last month and reflects a long-held goal of al Qaeda fighters to establish an Islamic emirate. ISIL insurgents have increased attacks on strategic targets in parts of western Iraq in the past three months in a bid to make their putative state a reality, security officials and analysts say. "Al Qaeda believes these areas do not have strong security and social ties to the central government so it would be easy to separate them from Iraq," independent analyst Hashim al-Habobi said.

Iraq's ailing President Talabani on road to recovery: office Posted: 11 Dec 2013 06:07 AM PST Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, who suffered a stroke a year ago, is on his way to a full recovery in Germany, his office said on Wednesday, publishing photos of him with his wife. Talabani's doctor has repeatedly said the 80-year-old is responding to treatment in Germany, but rumors about his condition have been rife. In the official photographs, dated December 8, Talabani is shown in casual clothes, sitting at a table talking to his wife. Talabani has "passed through the important stages of the treatment", a statement on the presidency's website said, citing his doctor, who said the Kurdish statesman was "on the way to a full recovery." As president, Talabani has used his extensive connections to help mediate disputes between Iraq's Sunni Muslim, Shi'ite and ethnic Kurdish factions, which have worsened since the withdrawal of U.S. troops in December 2011.

IEA raises oil demand outlook on European, US growth Posted: 11 Dec 2013 03:11 AM PST The International Energy Agency issued an upbeat outlook for the United States and Europe on Wednesday, saying economic recovery in the advanced economies is expected to lift global oil demand. The IEA, highlighting strongly growing consumption in the United States as economic recovery takes hold, said that it was raising its oil demand forecast for 2013 and 2014. And despite the stronger-than-expected performance by the world's richest economies, it is the non-OECD economies which are still forecast to continue leading oil demand growth. The IEA raised its estimate of the growth of global oil demand this year by 1.3 percent to 145,000 barrels per day (bpd).

What's in a name? For Saddam Husseins, only trouble Posted: 11 Dec 2013 02:22 AM PST Aziziyah (Iraq) (AFP) - In a predominantly Shiite town near Baghdad, Saddam Hussein roams the streets unmolested, joking with checkpoint guards and shaking the hands of passers-by, proudly announcing his name. But the man, clad in a long black robe and leather jacket, is not the Saddam known the world over. From Saddam's hometown of Tikrit in the north to the western desert province of Anbar, down through the southern provinces, Sunnis and Shiites carry a name once given in tribute, but which has since become an albatross. "Saddam oppressed so many people, so those who were oppressed by him had strong feelings against him," said Saddam Hussein Ulaiwi, a 35-year-old generator operator living with his family in the town of Aziziyah, southeast of Baghdad.

Delay in Pacific trade pact hurts US shift to Asia Posted: 11 Dec 2013 12:31 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The failure to finalize a landmark trans-Pacific trade pact this year as planned has dealt a blow to President Barack Obama's policy shift to Asia.

O Come, Let MSNBC Adore Lord Obama Posted: 11 Dec 2013 12:00 AM PST The most defining moment of how MSNBC sees President Barack Obama came when a positively giddy Chris Matthews stated the night before his interview with the president, "I got the Christmas Eve excitement brewing right here at 'Hardball' because tomorrow night at precisely this time ... the president of the United States is going to join us." This means that to Matthews, Obama is either the Christmas gift he's always wanted or still the messiah figure to die-hards at MSNBC. An objective interviewer would be expected to ask Obama how he could have been as oblivious as he's said he was to how badly the website was tanking.

Today in History Posted: 10 Dec 2013 09:00 PM PST Today is Wednesday, Dec. 11, the 345th day of 2013. There are 20 days left in the year.

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