Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Senate fashions bipartisan VA reform deal to address 'crisis'
• Tired of Being Ignored by Washington, Military Families Are Taking Charge in Politics
• 'Wounded Warrior' Poised to Make Motocross History on Prosthetics
• Obama's Bergdahl Strategy Underestimated America's Complicated Relationship with War
• Kerry, Lavrov: Ukraine shouldn't be 'pawn'
• Jewish museum shooting suspect resists extradition
• Militant attack north of Baghdad kills 7 troops
• 7-way race to succeed longtime Va. Rep. Moran
• Iraq dislodges insurgents from city of Samarra with airstrikes
• Iraqi goes from translator for US Army to soldier
• Red Cross suspends Libya operation after murder
• Militants launch attack on city north of Baghdad
• Five Best Thursday Columns
• Six killed as militants assault Iraq's Samarra
• China offers $16 million in aid for Syria refugees
• Red Cross: Staffer killed by armed men in Libya
• US Spies Worry About Gitmo 5’s New Home
• Iowa's Ernst wins primary by emphasizing her life
• Today in History
• G7 warns Russia to curb Ukraine unrest or face more sanctions
• Soccer-World-Australia's international results since August 1 2012
• ISIL chief vies with Qaeda's Zawahiri

Senate fashions bipartisan VA reform deal to address 'crisis' Posted: 05 Jun 2014 03:40 PM PDT In the Senate Thursday, Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, an Independent who caucuses with Democrats, and Republican John McCain announced compromise legislation that aims to cut wait times for veterans seeking medical care while also holding accountable Department of Veterans Affairs officials responsible for systemic problems at the VA. Under the proposal, veterans who live more than 40 miles from the nearest VA medical facility or who have had to wait more than 30 days for treatment would be able to seek care at non-VA hospitals and other medical centers. The proposal also authorizes the VA to lease 26 new health facilities in 18 states, and it directs $500 million in funding already authorized to be spent hiring additional doctors and nurses. Also, it would let the VA immediately fire as many as 450 senior regional executives and hospital administrators for poor performance.

Tired of Being Ignored by Washington, Military Families Are Taking Charge in Politics Posted: 05 Jun 2014 02:40 PM PDT Last winter, as Congress debated cutting retirement benefits for America's veterans, Patie Powers started listening. For most of her adult life, Powers had been too busy pursuing a career, raising three kids, and moving around the world with her Navy pilot husband.  But as the wife of a recently retired veteran and a professional financial advisor to military families, Powers realized her own family's fate was in the hands of people who knew little or nothing about the sacrifices and realities of military life.  Generations ago, the campaign trail was rife with uniformed members of the armed services—a stint in the military was practically a prerequisite for getting elected to political office in America.

'Wounded Warrior' Poised to Make Motocross History on Prosthetics Posted: 05 Jun 2014 02:11 PM PDT Off road in the California desert, Jesse Williamson is getting ready for the Baja 500, a grueling 500-mile dirt bike race that takes place on Mexico's Baja California peninsula. But Williamson also faces an additional challenge. Unlike the other racers, he is attempting to become...

Obama's Bergdahl Strategy Underestimated America's Complicated Relationship with War Posted: 05 Jun 2014 12:55 PM PDT There are two theories on how the mostly conservative backlash to the Bowe Bergdahl trade will play out: conservatives will alienate most Americans, or Americans will continue to have a complicated, messy relationship with war. The Obama administration believes that if it lets Fox News draw this out, the network and other conservative outlets will eventually alienate Americans, reminding them that no soldier left behind is a "sacred rule." The other theory, laid out in Time's cover story, is that Bergdahl's homecoming, like the Afghanistan war, was too complicated to be a feel-good moment.  President Obama said on Thursday he wasn't surprised by the backlash over trading prisoner of war Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five members of the Taliban. But, according to Politico, he also didn't expect questions of Bergdahl's alleged desertion to be the focal point.

Kerry, Lavrov: Ukraine shouldn't be 'pawn' Posted: 05 Jun 2014 12:30 PM PDT PARIS (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday Ukraine should not be a "pawn" in a power struggle between East and West, but allowed that significant differences between Washington and Moscow could hurt efforts to prevent that.

Jewish museum shooting suspect resists extradition Posted: 05 Jun 2014 09:50 AM PDT VERSAILLES, France (AP) — The French suspect in the killing of three people at the Brussels Jewish Museum replied with a soft but firm "no" in a high-security courtroom Thursday when asked if he agrees to be extradited to Belgium.

Militant attack north of Baghdad kills 7 troops Posted: 05 Jun 2014 09:24 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Militants launched an attack on a Sunni-dominated city north of Baghdad on Thursday, killing seven members of the Iraqi security forces and setting off a day-long battle that eventually forced them to retreat from the city.

7-way race to succeed longtime Va. Rep. Moran Posted: 05 Jun 2014 08:38 AM PDT ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Gunning for the front-runner in a seven-way congressional primary in Virginia, Democrat Patrick Hope figured he couldn't let a minor setback like a broken rib get in the way.

Iraq dislodges insurgents from city of Samarra with airstrikes Posted: 05 Jun 2014 08:18 AM PDT By Ghazwan Hassan TIKRIT Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi helicopters bombed the city of Samarra after insurgents overran parts of it early on Thursday, bringing them within striking distance of a Shi'ite shrine the destruction of which in a 2006 attack unleashed a bitter sectarian war. The offensive is part of an escalating conflict between Iraq's Shi'ite Muslim-led government and Sunni Islamist militants who have been regaining momentum in the past year, particularly in the west of the country bordering Syria. The Iraqi army and SWAT forces had regained control in Samarra, killing dozens of insurgents and forcing the rest to retreat from the city after they moved in overnight, the Samarra Operations Command said. Militants advanced on Samarra in pick-up trucks, raiding checkpoints along the way and blowing up a police station in an attack that killed several policemen, security sources said.

Iraqi goes from translator for US Army to soldier Posted: 05 Jun 2014 08:15 AM PDT FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky (AP) — In the months after American forces invaded Iraq in 2003, Abdulla Mizead would look warily as soldiers carrying heavy weapons patrolled his neighborhood in Najaf.

Red Cross suspends Libya operation after murder Posted: 05 Jun 2014 07:39 AM PDT The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is suspending operations in Libya while it investigates the killing of a staff member there, a spokesman said on Thursday. Michael Greub, the Swiss head of a sub-delegation of the ICRC, was shot in the central coastal town of Sirte on Wednesday as he left a meeting with two colleagues in an unmarked car. Anarchy is spreading in the North African oil-producing country where violence and political infighting have reigned since the 2011 uprising that ousted Muammar Gaddafi, and militias operate at will, beyond central government authority. We just need to pause the operation," ICRC spokesman Wolde-Gabriel Saugeron said in Geneva.

Militants launch attack on city north of Baghdad Posted: 05 Jun 2014 07:16 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Militants in Iraq launched an attack on a Sunni-dominated city north of Baghdad on Thursday, killing seven members of the security forces and taking control of some areas of the city, officials said.

Five Best Thursday Columns Posted: 05 Jun 2014 05:49 AM PDT Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole and John McCain all had to deal with it, and 2016 prospect Hillary Clinton is already fielding ham-fisted Republican references to her age and health. Before Drudge, there was Karl Rove, who reportedly wondered whether Clinton's 2012 concussion and blood clot might have led to brain damage," Lawrence writes. Hillary Clinton is no Bob Dole.

Six killed as militants assault Iraq's Samarra Posted: 05 Jun 2014 03:44 AM PDT Samarra (Iraq) (AFP) - Militants launched a major attack on the Iraqi city of Samarra on Thursday, killing six people and occupying neighbourhoods, in the latest display of their reach and the weakness of security forces. The militants, travelling in dozens of vehicles, some mounted with anti-aircraft guns, attacked a major checkpoint on the southeast side of Samarra, killing the security forces guarding it and burning their vehicles, witnesses said. They then took control of several areas of the city, north of Baghdad, according to witnesses, who reported seeing the bodies of both security forces and gunmen in the streets. The police officer said security forces have withdrawn from other areas to defend a revered Shiite shrine in central Samarra, which was bombed in February 2006, sparking a brutal Sunni-Shiite sectarian conflict that killed tens of thousands.

China offers $16 million in aid for Syria refugees Posted: 05 Jun 2014 03:08 AM PDT BEIJING (AP) — China offered $16 million in humanitarian assistance Thursday for refugees from the conflict in Syria as part of Beijing's growing engagement with the Arab world.

Red Cross: Staffer killed by armed men in Libya Posted: 05 Jun 2014 03:06 AM PDT BERLIN (AP) — Armed men killed a 42-year-old Red Cross staffer in the coastal Libyan city of Sirte, firing at his car after he left a meeting, the organization said.

US Spies Worry About Gitmo 5’s New Home Posted: 05 Jun 2014 02:45 AM PDT Under the terms of the deal to free Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, Qatar will keep the senior Taliban figures in house arrest for a year. But U.S. officials say relying on the emirate is unwise.

Iowa's Ernst wins primary by emphasizing her life Posted: 04 Jun 2014 09:05 PM PDT DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Joni Ernst, a mother from farm country and Iraq war veteran who was little known outside her rural legislative district only months ago, surprisingly won Iowa's Republican Senate primary going away and now appears well positioned to compete for a seat that could help determine whether the GOP wins control of Congress.

Today in History Posted: 04 Jun 2014 09:00 PM PDT Today is Thursday, June 5, the 156th day of 2014. There are 209 days left in the year.

G7 warns Russia to curb Ukraine unrest or face more sanctions Posted: 04 Jun 2014 08:07 PM PDT World leaders urged Vladimir Putin on Wednesday to stop destabilising Ukraine or face further sanctions as they met without the Russian president for the first time since the 1990s. Putin reached out a hand despite being banned from the Group of Seven summit following Russia's annexation of Crimea in March, saying that he was ready to meet Ukraine's president-elect. But G7 leaders said that while they still hoped for "constructive" talks with Putin on the sidelines of D-Day commemorations in France this week, Moscow could face further punitive measures. In a joint communique after their summit they said Putin must recognise the results of Ukraine's May 25 presidential election, won by Petro Poroshenko, stem destabilisation in the east of the country, and pull Russian troops back from the border.

Soccer-World-Australia's international results since August 1 2012 Posted: 04 Jun 2014 06:07 PM PDT SYDNEY, June 5 (Reuters) - Since August 1, 2012, Australiahave played 23 matches, won 10, drawn 5 and lost 8, with a goaltally of 51-38: 2012Aug 15 F Scotland Edinburgh L 1-3 BrescianoSep 9 F Lebanon Beirut W 3-0 Cahill, Mckay, ThompsonSep 11 WCQ Jordan Amman L 1-2 ThompsonOct 16 WCQ Iraq Doha W 2-1 Cahill, ThompsonNov 14 F South Korea Hwaseong W 2-1 Rukavytsya, Cornthwaite Dec 3 EAC Hong Kong Hong Kong W 1-0 Emerton Dec 5 EAC North Korea Hong Kong D 1-1 ThompsonDec 7 EAC Guam Hong Kong W 9-0 Mooy, Babalj 2, Marrone, Thompson 3 (1pen), Milligan, Garcia Dec 9 EAC Taiwan Hong Kong W 8-0 Garcia, ...

ISIL chief vies with Qaeda's Zawahiri Posted: 04 Jun 2014 05:02 PM PDT The shadowy leader of thousands of Islamist fighters in Syria and Iraq, many of them Westerners, appears to be surpassing Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri as the world's most influential jihadist. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant -- known for its ruthless tactics and suicide bombers -- is arguably the most capable force fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and has even held control of a major Iraqi city for the past five months, in tandem with other groups. Western governments fear it could eventually emulate Al-Qaeda and strike overseas, but their biggest worry for now is likely the eventual return home of foreign fighters attracted by ISIL and Baghdadi. Among them are men like Mehdi Nemmouche, a 29-year-old Frenchman who allegedly carried out a deadly shooting on a Jewish museum in Belgium last month after spending a year fighting with ISIL in Syria.

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