Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Obama warns will not 'stand still,' ready to bypass Congress
• State of the Union speech: what to expect on the issues
• Marine says he was 'devastated' by word of retrial
• Seven Iraqi security personnel killed as unrest surges
• Lawmakers revisit COLA cut for military retirees
• Iraq says Syria war spillover hinders oilfields, pipelines
• American folk singer and activist Pete Seeger dies at 94
• Folk singer, activist Pete Seeger dies in NY
• Obama hopes to defy ill omens in State of the Union
• Syria army edges forward in Aleppo
• Kerry’s focus on Israeli-Palestinian peace comes at great expense
• For UN's patient Brahimi, no war is irresolvable
• Officials: 2 attacks kill 7 people in Iraq
• SOTU's Monumental Moments
• Iraq will take action if Kurds export oil before deal reached
• Is Kerry In Denial?
• Marine calls retrial in Iraq killing 'devastating'
• Today in History
• Asian Cup expansion sparks debate
• U.S. Marines will retry sergeant accused of killing Iraqi civilian
• US Senate panel OKs sale of helicopters to Iraq

Obama warns will not 'stand still,' ready to bypass Congress Posted: 28 Jan 2014 04:11 PM PST President Barack Obama was to warn Tuesday that he will bypass Congress if it thwarts his battle against inequality, in a State of the Union address meant to lift US spirits and his own political fortunes. Obama was to step up in the House of Representatives in US television's primetime seeking new momentum for a presidency that stumbled through a disastrous first year of his second term. "What I offer tonight is a set of concrete, practical proposals to speed up growth, strengthen the middle class, and build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class," Obama was to say, according to advance excerpts of his speech released by the White House.

State of the Union speech: what to expect on the issues Posted: 28 Jan 2014 01:30 PM PST The president's annual State of the Union address, delivered to a joint session of Congress, is often compared with a laundry list: a little of this, a little of that, all thrown into a big tumbler. White House officials face intense lobbying each year in the run-up to SOTU, as the biggest speech of the year is affectionately called. • Inequality. Mr. Obama has referred to growing income inequality, and a lack of upward mobility by the lower and middle classes, as "the defining challenge of our time." Critics say he is engaging in "class warfare," but Obama is undaunted – and likely sees this populist message as central to Democrats' chances in the fall midterms. And to spur Congress on, Obama will announce that he plans to sign an executive order requiring workers hired under new or renewed federal contracts be paid a higher minimum wage, at least $10.10 an hour.

Marine says he was 'devastated' by word of retrial Posted: 28 Jan 2014 12:56 PM PST SAN DIEGO (AP) — A Marine sergeant said he was devastated when he learned the corps will retry after twice-overturned murder convictions — the latest twist in a nearly decade-old Iraq war crime case.

Seven Iraqi security personnel killed as unrest surges Posted: 28 Jan 2014 11:57 AM PST Gun attacks north of Baghdad killed seven members of Iraq's security forces Tuesday, the latest in a surge in violence fuelling fears the country is slipping back into all-out conflict. Coupled with a deadly standoff between security forces and anti-government fighters in the western province of Anbar, unrest this month has left more than 850 people dead, the worst prolonged period of bloodshed since Iraq began emerging from a brutal sectarian war in 2008. On Monday the United States said it plans to sell Iraq 24 Apache attack helicopters in a $4.8 billion deal to help the country fight militants while foreign leaders have urged the Shiite-led government to address long-term grievances in the disaffected Sunni community to undercut support for militancy. In Tuesday's deadliest violence, five soldiers and one Sahwa anti-Qaeda militiaman were killed in a gun attack on their joint checkpoint near the restive city of Baquba, north of Baghdad, security and medical officials said.

Lawmakers revisit COLA cut for military retirees Posted: 28 Jan 2014 11:52 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is revisiting its decision to cut annual cost-of living adjustments to pensions for most working-age military retirees after talk of the cuts drew outrage from veterans groups and others.

Iraq says Syria war spillover hinders oilfields, pipelines Posted: 28 Jan 2014 11:36 AM PST By Peg Mackey, Lin Noueihed and Julia Payne LONDON (Reuters) - Spillover attacks from the civil war in Syria have hindered development of Iraq's gas and oil reserves and a major pipeline to the Mediterranean has been blown up dozens of times, Iraq's top energy official said on Tuesday. Violence in Iraq climbed back to its highest level in five years in 2013, with nearly 9,000 people killed, most of them civilians, according to the United Nations. "The ongoing conflict in Syria has resulted in an increasing number of terrorists using vast desert areas between Syria and Iraq to establish bases from which they have carried out attacks against the civilian population and economic targets and infrastructure," Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Hussain al-Shahristani said. "The attacks have been focused on oil export pipelines, power generation and transmission lines." The al Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which is also fighting in neighboring Syria, has taken control of the Iraqi city of Falluja west of Baghdad with the help of armed tribesmen.

American folk singer and activist Pete Seeger dies at 94 Posted: 28 Jan 2014 11:29 AM PST Pete Seeger, who helped create the modern American folk music movement, co-wrote enduring songs like "If I Had a Hammer" and became a leading voice for social justice, died on Monday at the age of 94. He was hailed in social and traditional media as a "hero," "America's conscience" and "a man of the people." Seeger died of natural causes at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, his record company, Appleseed Recordings, said. Seeger was well known for his liberal politics. He protested U.S. wars from Vietnam to Iraq, participated in the civil rights movement, supported organized labor and helped found an environmental group that played a key role in cleaning up the polluted Hudson River.

Folk singer, activist Pete Seeger dies in NY Posted: 28 Jan 2014 11:23 AM PST ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Unable to carry his beloved banjo, Pete Seeger used a different but equally formidable instrument, his mere presence, to instruct yet another generation of young people how to effect change through song and determination two years ago.

Obama hopes to defy ill omens in State of the Union Posted: 28 Jan 2014 11:09 AM PST President Barack Obama will seek to rally confidence-sapped Americans and his own compromised political prospects Tuesday, in his showpiece annual State of the Union address. Obama will step up in the House of Representatives at 9pm (0200 GMT), wielding the issue of economic inequality as a cudgel against Republicans holding his second term hostage. White House aides say Obama will be "ambitious" in the speech to lawmakers, cabinet members, Supreme Court justices, military top brass and millions of television viewers. A new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll pegged Obama's approval rating at 43 percent, the worst level for any president apart from George W. Bush, heading into his sixth year State of the Union address since World War II.

Syria army edges forward in Aleppo Posted: 28 Jan 2014 08:59 AM PST The Syrian army is edging its way towards southeastern Aleppo as it battles rebel fighters for control of the northern city, a monitor and a pro-government daily said Tuesday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was a "limited advance" but the first by government troops in more than a year, and that residents fearing a major operation were fleeing the region. The troops have gained some ground in Aleppo in the past few weeks, taking advantage of the fact that rebels who hold larges swathes of territory have turned their guns against jihadist fighters. "The Syrian army made a limited advance, for the first time in more than a year, and seized the Karm al-Qasr district on the southeastern fringes of Aleppo," held by the rebels, said the Observatory.

Kerry’s focus on Israeli-Palestinian peace comes at great expense Posted: 28 Jan 2014 06:50 AM PST He has assigned himself the task of bringing the Israelis and Palestinians to a peace deal, and has devoted his time accordingly. But the truth of the matter is that an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal would not significantly alter the broader, more complex forces at work in the Middle East, or impact the challenges America faces in other parts of the world. In the 12-plus years since 9/11, the landscape of the Middle East has changed dramatically.

For UN's patient Brahimi, no war is irresolvable Posted: 28 Jan 2014 04:33 AM PST GENEVA (AP) — Lakhdar Brahimi has seen faces like these before, barely able to remain in the same room, much less speak to each other. Lebanese, Afghans, Iraqis, now Syrians. Even, two decades ago, Algerians like himself.

Officials: 2 attacks kill 7 people in Iraq Posted: 28 Jan 2014 03:33 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Authorities in Iraq say two separate attacks against the country's security forces have killed seven soldiers and police officers.

SOTU's Monumental Moments Posted: 28 Jan 2014 02:45 AM PST Clinton kept quiet post-Lewinsky, while Ford was downright depressing—a look back at presidents professing from the podium.

Iraq will take action if Kurds export oil before deal reached Posted: 28 Jan 2014 02:20 AM PST Iraq will take action, including fiscal measures, if the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) exports oil before an agreement is reached with Baghdad, Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Hussain al-Shahristani said at a conference in London on Tuesday. Shahristani reiterated that only Iraqi state marketer SOMO is authorized to export the country's oil. "Any oil that leaves Iraq without the permission of SOMO is illegal and Iraq will have to take action to protect its oil wealth," Shahristani said.

Is Kerry In Denial? Posted: 28 Jan 2014 12:00 AM PST Does John Kerry understand the world he inherited? At Davos, Switzerland, Kerry called it a "myth" that America is withdrawing, and "the most bewildering version of this disengagement myth is about a supposed U.S. retreat from the Middle East." How else does Kerry describe Obama's pullout of all U.S. troops from Iraq, and from Afghanistan by year's end? Syria is "someone else's civil war," says President Obama.

Marine calls retrial in Iraq killing 'devastating' Posted: 27 Jan 2014 10:46 PM PST SAN DIEGO (AP) — A Marine sergeant said he is devastated to learn that the corps will retry him on a twice-overturned murder conviction — the latest twist in a nearly decade-old Iraq war crime case.

Today in History Posted: 27 Jan 2014 09:01 PM PST Today is Tuesday, Jan. 28, the 28th day of 2014. There are 337 days left in the year.

Asian Cup expansion sparks debate Posted: 27 Jan 2014 08:31 PM PST A proposal to expand the Asian Cup to 24 teams has sparked a debate among the region's football bodies, with commercial and developmental considerations on one side, and on the other a fear that it will dilute the quality of the competition.

U.S. Marines will retry sergeant accused of killing Iraqi civilian Posted: 27 Jan 2014 07:47 PM PST By Dan Whitcomb LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A U.S. Marine sergeant who was found guilty of murder in the 2006 death of an Iraqi civilian, only to have his conviction overturned, will face a retrial on the same charges, a Marine spokesman said on Monday. Sergeant Lawrence Hutchins III will be arraigned at the Camp Pendleton Marine Base in California on Wednesday, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Kloppel said. Hutchins was the leader of a squad of Marines that went on a mission aimed at stopping militants' use of improvised explosive devices in the village of Hamdania, Iraq, in the early morning hours of April 26, 2006. Witnesses said Hutchins and another Marine shot 52-year-old Hashim Ibrahim Awad, a father of 11 and grandfather of four, and placed an AK-47 and a shovel next to the corpse to suggest he had been planting a bomb.

US Senate panel OKs sale of helicopters to Iraq Posted: 27 Jan 2014 12:58 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. congressional panel has signed off on the sale of Apache helicopters to Iraq as it battles the growing threat from al-Qaida militants within its borders.

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