Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Sex crimes trial starts for U.S. Army brigadier general
• Factbox: Details of U.S. President Obama's fiscal year 2015 budget
• Foreign policy in US national security interest
• With 2015 budget, Pentagon looks beyond Afghanistan
• The Military's Suicide Rate Is Much More Complicated Than Combat Stress
• Obama's budget: Election-year themes to rally Dems
• Pentagon wants to keep war chest despite Afghan exit
• Defiant Putin drops cool demeanor in Ukraine talk
• Syria's 'third force' Kurds may emerge stronger from conflict
• 2015 defense plan would keep links to Europe
• Putin speaks tough on Ukraine
• High-ranking U.S. military officer goes on trial for sex charges
• Agency-by-agency summary of Obama budget
• Pentagon:2015 US budget would keep links to Europe
• Pentagon: 2015 budget would keep links to Europe
• Obama 2015 budget focuses on boosting economy
• New campaign from Troops Need You: US Navy personnel exposed to Fukushima nuclear radiation, medical expenses not covered by DoD/VA
• Turkey's Davutoglu cheered for speaking Kurdish in Iraq
• Syrian army advancing on rebel town near Lebanon
• Pentagon plans $80 bln war budget despite Afghan exit
• U.S. activist says Egyptian police beat her: 'They stomped on me'
• Bahrain arrests 25 for alleged ties to deadly bomb
• Suicide bombers attack Iraq city council HQ, kill five
• Obama Is a Horrible Dictator Who Is Also a Wimp
• Russia Today anchor speaks out against invasion of Crimea, now faces assignment in Crimea
• High-ranking U.S. military officer to stand trial for sex charges
• Vietnam veterans sue U.S. military for discharge upgrades over PTSD
• Trial set to begin for general facing sex charges
• U.S. rights activist alleges Egypt police abuse
• US-Kurdistan Business Council Hosts Reception For Top US Diplomat In Kurdistan Region Of Iraq
• National Summit examines tightly held beliefs about Israel on March 7
• Gunmen storm government complex in Iraq's Samarra
• Spies, Lies & Rape in the Military
• Powers to give Lebanon military, economic boost against Syria spillover
• Militants storm local council HQ in Iraq, kill 6
• NYC Trial for Bin Laden Kin
• Neo-Isolationism in America
• Militants seize Iraq city council HQ, take hostages
• Osaka to host all-star concert on Int'l Jazz Day
• As China looks on, Putin poses risky dilemma for the West

Sex crimes trial starts for U.S. Army brigadier general Posted: 04 Mar 2014 04:17 PM PST By Kelly Twedell FORT BRAGG, North Carolina (Reuters) - The court-martial of Army Brigadier General Jeffrey Sinclair on sexual assault charges that could send him to prison for life began on Tuesday, a rare proceeding against a top U.S. military officer in recent decades. Sinclair, 51, a married father of two, is accused of twice forcing oral sex during a three-year affair he admitted to having with a junior female officer during deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and back home in the United States. The accusations saw him removed from command in Afghanistan in 2012 and sent back to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where the trial is being held. The military judge hearing the case refused to dismiss the charges based on defense attorneys' argument that top military leaders had improperly injected themselves into the case.

Factbox: Details of U.S. President Obama's fiscal year 2015 budget Posted: 04 Mar 2014 03:21 PM PST (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama released his fiscal year 2015 budget request to Congress on Tuesday, and lawmakers will promptly ignore it. Obama outlined how he would parcel out $1.014 trillion on government agencies' discretionary programs ranging from the military to national parks. The level, barely above this year's spending cap of $1.012 trillion, was set by a recent budget deal and forces Obama to make some difficult cuts to fund the programs he wants. If the president wants to spend more, he will have to sell Congress on the idea of raising additional revenues.

Foreign policy in US national security interest Posted: 04 Mar 2014 03:09 PM PST Washington (AFP) - The US State Department unveiled a request Tuesday for a heftier $46.2 billion for its 2015 budget, saying investing in foreign policy was a "strategic imperative."

With 2015 budget, Pentagon looks beyond Afghanistan Posted: 04 Mar 2014 03:03 PM PST By David Alexander and Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon unveiled a $496 billion base budget on Tuesday that looks beyond Afghanistan to future U.S. security challenges after a dozen years of war, cutting the military to afford more training and new weapons as it adapts to an era of tighter spending. The spending plan released on Tuesday means the Pentagon's base budget for the 2015 fiscal year essentially would remain flat for a third consecutive year as the department responds to directions to cut nearly $1 trillion in spending over a decade. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the budget "supports - and is informed by - our updated defense strategy" as outlined in the Quadrennial Defense Review, an examination of strategy and priorities that was released alongside the budget. Representative Buck McKeon, the Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, expressed dismay at the shrinking security spending and flatly rejected the strategy review, vowing to make the Pentagon rewrite it.

The Military's Suicide Rate Is Much More Complicated Than Combat Stress Posted: 04 Mar 2014 02:42 PM PST Why are so many American soldiers killing themselves? According to the largest study ever undertaken focusing on suicide rates in the military, suicide rates among soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan more than doubled from 2004 to 2009, with more than 30 suicides per 100,000. "A simple explanation that war is hell and you send people to war and bad things happen to those people is an incomplete explanation," says Michael Schoenbaum, the lead author on the study. Researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health studied the records of nearly a million soldiers. Around a quarter of troops reporting having some form of psychiatric disorder, and one in 10 have multiple mental health issues.

Obama's budget: Election-year themes to rally Dems Posted: 04 Mar 2014 02:26 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's election-year budget seeks to rally fellow Democrats with new help for the working poor and fresh money for road-building, education and research. It also pulls back from controversial cuts to Social Security that had been designed to lure Republicans to the bargaining table.

Pentagon wants to keep war chest despite Afghan exit Posted: 04 Mar 2014 02:17 PM PST The Pentagon wants to keep its $80-billion war chest even though most or all US troops are to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of this year, officials said Tuesday. "Overseas contingency operations" funds are separate from the main Pentagon budget and have financed wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and counter-terrorism efforts elsewhere for more than a decade. When President Barack Obama came into office, his deputies vowed to shift war spending back into the Pentagon's main budget. But the Defense Department's proposed budget, released on Tuesday as part of the White House's annual spending plan, calls for $79.4 billion in war funding for fiscal year 2015.

Defiant Putin drops cool demeanor in Ukraine talk Posted: 04 Mar 2014 02:10 PM PST MOSCOW (AP) — In some ways, the venue Vladimir Putin chose and the emotional lecture he gave the world about Russia's actions in Ukraine said it all.

Syria's 'third force' Kurds may emerge stronger from conflict Posted: 04 Mar 2014 02:00 PM PST As President Bashar al-Assad's grip has loosened, the roughly 2 million Kurds in Syria's northeast have made their strongest bid yet to break away from Damascus. Earlier this year, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the Syrian Kurds' dominant political force, created a new regional government. Nor do they have a seat at the table at Syria's troubled peace talks.

2015 defense plan would keep links to Europe Posted: 04 Mar 2014 01:44 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon said Tuesday its spending plan for 2015 would begin to reshape the military after more than a decade of war without lessening America's commitment to support European allies at a time of tension with Russia.

Putin speaks tough on Ukraine Posted: 04 Mar 2014 01:32 PM PST MOSCOW (AP) — In some ways, the venue Vladimir Putin chose and the emotional lecture he gave the world about Russia's actions in Ukraine said it all.

High-ranking U.S. military officer goes on trial for sex charges Posted: 04 Mar 2014 01:29 PM PST By Kelly Twedell FORT BRAGG, North Carolina (Reuters) - Army Brigadier General Jeffrey Sinclair's court-martial on a sexual assault charge that could send him to prison for life got under way on Tuesday, one of the few such proceedings against a top U.S. military officer in recent decades. Sinclair, a 51-year-old married father of two, is accused of twice forcing oral sex during a three-year affair he admitted to having with a junior female officer, including during deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. The allegations saw him removed from his command in Afghanistan in 2012 and sent home to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where the closely watched trial is being held. The court-martial takes place as the Department of Defense has struggled to deal with a spate of high-profile cases of sexual assault, including some involving personnel charged with combating the crime.

Agency-by-agency summary of Obama budget Posted: 04 Mar 2014 12:57 PM PST Here is an agency-by-agency summary of President Barack Obama's proposed budget for fiscal 2015, beginning next Oct. 1.

Pentagon:2015 US budget would keep links to Europe Posted: 04 Mar 2014 11:27 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon on Tuesday unveiled a proposed 2015 U.S. defense budget that shrinks the armed forces while keeping a commitment to support European allies at a time of tension over Russia's military involvement in Ukraine.

Pentagon: 2015 budget would keep links to Europe Posted: 04 Mar 2014 11:20 AM PST The Pentagon on Tuesday unveiled a proposed 2015 defense budget that shrinks the armed forces while keeping a commitment to support European allies at a time of tension over Russia's military involvement ...

Obama 2015 budget focuses on boosting economy Posted: 04 Mar 2014 11:14 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama sent Congress a $3.9 trillion budget Tuesday that would funnel money into road building, education and other economy-bolstering programs, handing Democrats a playbook for their election-year themes of creating jobs and narrowing the income gap between rich and poor.

New campaign from Troops Need You: US Navy personnel exposed to Fukushima nuclear radiation, medical expenses not covered by DoD/VA Posted: 04 Mar 2014 11:12 AM PST WASHINGTON, March 4, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the third anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear meltdown approaches on March 11th, most people are not aware of the American face of that disaster. Hundreds of US Navy sailors and Marines conducting humanitarian operations nearby were exposed and need financial assistance to pay for their radiation-related medical needs. Sadly, DoD and VA refuse to pay these medical costs. While officials acknowledge broad nuclear radiation exposure, they insist no sailors were exposed enough to suffer symptoms.

Turkey's Davutoglu cheered for speaking Kurdish in Iraq Posted: 04 Mar 2014 10:47 AM PST Sulaimaniyah (Iraq) (AFP) - Turkey's foreign minister, whose government has long been at odds with Kurdish nationalists at home and abroad, drew cheers Tuesday when he opened a speech in Iraq using the Kurdish language. "I am happy to be at the forum in Sulaimaniyah," Ahmet Davutoglu said in Kurdish to a gathering of academics and politicians at the American University of Iraq in the autonomous Kurdistan region's second city of Sulaimaniyah.

Syrian army advancing on rebel town near Lebanon Posted: 04 Mar 2014 10:25 AM PST SAHEL, Syria (AP) — Syrian government troops are tightening their grip on the last rebel stronghold near the border with Lebanon a day after taking control of a key village in the area, a field commander told reporters on Tuesday.

Pentagon plans $80 bln war budget despite Afghan exit Posted: 04 Mar 2014 10:23 AM PST Washington (AFP) - The Pentagon has proposed $79.4 billion in war funding in 2015 even though most or all US troops are due to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of the year, officials said Tuesday.

U.S. activist says Egyptian police beat her: 'They stomped on me' Posted: 04 Mar 2014 09:57 AM PST Anti-war activist Medea Benjamin charged Tuesday that she suffered a dislocated left arm and severe trauma after being detained on arrival in Egypt and then forced by security officials from a jail cell at the Cairo airport onto a Turkey-bound flight.

Bahrain arrests 25 for alleged ties to deadly bomb Posted: 04 Mar 2014 09:38 AM PST MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Bahraini authorities have arrested 25 people on suspicion of involvement in a deadly bomb attack on police and listed an activist network and two little-known anti-government groups as terrorist organizations, authorities in the Gulf Arab nation said Tuesday.

Suicide bombers attack Iraq city council HQ, kill five Posted: 04 Mar 2014 09:30 AM PST Samarra (Iraq) (AFP) - Suicide bombers attacked the city council headquarters in the Iraqi city of Samarra on Tuesday, took employees hostage and eventually blew themselves up, killing a total of five people. The attack, which followed a similar operation last December, illustrates the impunity with which militants in Iraq can strike even targets that should be highly secure, as the country suffers its worst violence in years. Two bombers dressed in police uniforms shot dead a policeman and took control of the council headquarters with employees inside, a police lieutenant colonel said. Clashes broke out between the militants and security forces, and a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle near police and Sahwa anti-Al-Qaeda militia forces when they arrived at the scene.

Obama Is a Horrible Dictator Who Is Also a Wimp Posted: 04 Mar 2014 07:28 AM PST Those of you with good political memories might recall a time when President Obama was a strongman hell-bent on subverting democracy. A dictator. Well, that was way back in February. Now, Obama's critics point out that he is an untough wimp who, in the evocative words of Sarah Palin, "wears mom jeans." A man models mom jeans.

Russia Today anchor speaks out against invasion of Crimea, now faces assignment in Crimea Posted: 04 Mar 2014 07:26 AM PST Abby Martin, a news anchor with RT (also known as Russia Today), gave a brief editorial on Crimea during the conclusion of the English language news program "Breaking the Set."

High-ranking U.S. military officer to stand trial for sex charges Posted: 04 Mar 2014 07:03 AM PST By Kelly Twedell FORT BRAGG, North Carolina (Reuters) - Army Brigadier General Jeffrey Sinclair's court-martial on a sexual assault charge that could send him to prison for life gets underway on Tuesday, one of the few such proceedings against a top U.S. military officer in recent decades. Sinclair, 51, is accused of twice forcing oral sex during a three-year extramarital affair he admitted to having with a junior female officer, including during deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. The allegations saw him removed from his command in Afghanistan in 2012 and sent home to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where the closely watched trial will be held. The court-martial takes place as the Department of Defense has struggled to deal with a spate of high-profile cases of sexual assault, including some involving personnel charged with combating the crime.

Vietnam veterans sue U.S. military for discharge upgrades over PTSD Posted: 04 Mar 2014 06:59 AM PST By Scott Malone BOSTON (Reuters) - Five Vietnam War veterans sued the U.S. military on Monday, saying they were denied some veterans services after receiving other-than-honorable discharges for actions that resulted from post-traumatic stress disorder. The men, including one who was the victim of a poison gas attack on his first day in Vietnam and another whose duties included sorting through body parts of soldiers killed in combat, called on the military to upgrade the discharges of veterans of the conflict who suffer from PTSD. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Connecticut, seeks class action status for what it estimates are tens of thousands of veterans who can now be shown to suffer from PTSD, a condition not recognized by the military in the 1960s and early 1970s at the time of the U.S. war in Southeast Asia. "The military gave these service members other than honorable discharges based on poor conduct such as unauthorized absence without leave, shirking, using drugs, or lashing out at comrades or superior officers," the lawsuit said.

Trial set to begin for general facing sex charges Posted: 04 Mar 2014 06:34 AM PST FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) — Once a rising star among the U.S. Army's top battle commanders, Brig. Gen. Jeffrey A. Sinclair is now fighting sexual assault charges that could land him life in a military prison if convicted.

U.S. rights activist alleges Egypt police abuse Posted: 04 Mar 2014 06:21 AM PST By Noah Browning CAIRO (Reuters) - A U.S. rights activist on Tuesday accused Egyptian police of breaking her arm after they detained her in Cairo airport while she was on her way to a humanitarian visit to neighboring Gaza. Egypt police," tweeted Medea Benjamin, founder of protest organization Code Pink, which rose to prominence for opposing the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. She said she was now in Turkey after being held in a poor conditions in a cell at Cairo airport. A Code Pink spokesperson said Benjamin had traveled to Egypt to meet international activists and bring lanterns to the neighboring Gaza Strip, which is blockaded by Israel and Egypt and suffers chronic power shortages.

US-Kurdistan Business Council Hosts Reception For Top US Diplomat In Kurdistan Region Of Iraq Posted: 04 Mar 2014 06:05 AM PST ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, March 4, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The United States Kurdistan Business Council (USKBC) hosted a well-attended reception in Erbil in honor of United States Consul General (CG) Joe Pennington, the top American diplomat in the Kurdistan region. Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) minister Qubad Talabani, a senior advisor to KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani also made brief remarks at the reception attended by dozens of American and Kurdish companies as well.  Hunt Consolidated Inc., a USKBC founding corporate board member, sponsored the event. Pennington said that a delegation of US franchises will be visiting Kurdistan soon to consider establishing locations in the region. David Tafuri, a senior advisor of the USKBC, highlighted the council's work and the benefits of joining it, and said that word of the business opportunities in the Kurdistan region was starting to get out to more US companies.

National Summit examines tightly held beliefs about Israel on March 7 Posted: 04 Mar 2014 06:00 AM PST WASHINGTON, March 4, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The March 7 National Summit to Reassess the U.S.-Israel "Special Relationship" at the National Press Club ballroom will present the following panel presentations: 1. How does the Israel lobby influence Congress?  9:00 AM Paul Findley - Should the executive outmaneuver Congress to save Palestine and Israel? Janet McMahon - The Israel lobby network and coordinated PACs that finance U.S. elections. Cynthia McKinney - In the Israel lobby's cross-hairs. Delinda Hanley - U.S. aid to Israel in numbers. 2. ...

Gunmen storm government complex in Iraq's Samarra Posted: 04 Mar 2014 05:32 AM PST By Ghazwan Hassan TIKRIT, Iraq (Reuters) - Gunmen in military uniform broke into the city council and court house complex in Samarra in northern Iraq on Tuesday, trapping a number of staff inside, police and witnesses said. At least three policemen were killed, while 25 policemen and eight civilians were wounded, including the deputy head of the city council, Ammar Ahmed, the Samarra hospital's Doctor Omar al-Obeidi said. The gunmen stormed the area after a suicide bomber detonated his vest at the entrance of the compound, which is sealed off with blast walls, Police Lieutenant Dhafir Ahmed said. Gunmen had taken the city council's second floor and its roof.

Spies, Lies & Rape in the Military Posted: 04 Mar 2014 03:45 AM PST Jane Neubauer was just out of basic training when a secretive military unit recruited her for an undercover mission. She claims she was raped on duty. The Air Force isn't so sure.

Powers to give Lebanon military, economic boost against Syria spillover Posted: 04 Mar 2014 03:44 AM PST By John Irish PARIS (Reuters) - France is preparing to seal a multi-billion-dollar plan to help modernize Lebanon's armed forces as part of international efforts to stabilize a country hard hit by spillover from Syria's civil war next door. At a meeting in Paris on Wednesday, the International Support Group for Lebanon, which includes the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, will also muster more help for almost 1 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon and create a fund to mitigate the economic fallout from Syria's conflict. "This group's objective is to avoid the differences that we have on Syria spreading to Lebanon," a French diplomatic source said.

Militants storm local council HQ in Iraq, kill 6 Posted: 04 Mar 2014 03:02 AM PST BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi officials say militants have stormed a government building in a city north of Baghdad, killing at least six people.

NYC Trial for Bin Laden Kin Posted: 04 Mar 2014 02:45 AM PST One of Osama bin Laden's right hand men gets his day in federal court. A chosen jury, who may not claim to be his peers, does promise to be 'fair.'

Neo-Isolationism in America Posted: 04 Mar 2014 02:45 AM PST The majority of Americans are on the same page when it comes to military involvement overseas: Unless our national interests are at stake, stay out of it.

Militants seize Iraq city council HQ, take hostages Posted: 04 Mar 2014 02:42 AM PST Samarra (Iraq) (AFP) - Militants seized the city council headquarters in the Iraqi city of Samarra and took employees hostage Tuesday, officials said, in the second such attack in the central Salaheddin province in recent months.

Osaka to host all-star concert on Int'l Jazz Day Posted: 04 Mar 2014 01:56 AM PST NEW YORK (AP) — Herbie Hancock reckons he's performed more often in Japan than in his hometown of Chicago during his professional career. The pianist will be back next month for an all-star concert at Osaka Castle Park highlighting the third annual International Jazz Day.

As China looks on, Putin poses risky dilemma for the West Posted: 04 Mar 2014 12:39 AM PST One senior Obama administration official called Vladimir Putin's actions in the Ukraine "outrageous." A second described them as an "outlaw act." A third said his brazen use of military force harked back to a past century. "What we see here are distinctly 19th and 20th century decisions made by President Putin," said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity to a group of reporters. "But what he needs to understand is that in terms of his economy, he lives in the 21st century world, an interdependent world." James Jeffrey, a retired career U.S. diplomat, said that view of Putin's mindset cripples the United States' response to the Russian leader. "All of us that have been in the last four administrations have drunk the Kool-Aid," Jeffrey said, referring to the belief that they could talk Putin into seeing the western system as beneficial.

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