Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Pope to start delicate Middle East trip in Jordan
• Jordan Christians prepare for pope, hope for defender in Mideast
• Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows
• U.S. Republicans map campaign attack plan on veterans scandal
• Democrat Nunn calls for VA secretary to resign
• New U.S. homeland security chief steps out of Pentagon shadows into spotlight
• The Daily Fix: Civil War Vets Showed Signs of PTSD, Obama Struggles to Close Guantánamo, and Officials Monitored Occupy
• Iraq files case against Turkey over Kurdish oil exports
• Iraqi Kurds ship oil through region's own pipeline
• In Honor Of Memorial Day, American Humane Association's Pet Life Radio Show Salutes Veterans Of The Two- And Four-Legged Kind
• Attacks kill nine as pilgrims converge on Baghdad
• Egypt's Brotherhood struggles to regroup in exile
• Ancient warrior myths help veterans fight PTSD
• Iraq's Kurdish region concludes 1st oil sale
• Nigeria's Boko Haram kills 29 in village attack: sources
• Report: Iran's army begins 2-day military exercise
• How America Treats Illegal Aliens vs. Veterans
• APNewsBreak: Marines say raid did not taint cases
• Marine Threw Himself On Grenade, Will Receive Medal Of Honor [VIDEO]

Pope to start delicate Middle East trip in Jordan Posted: 23 May 2014 03:11 PM PDT By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - Pope Francis arrives in Jordan on Saturday to start an intense three-day trip to the Middle East, bringing hope to the dwindling Christian population and an appeal to members of all religions to work together for peace. "This is not a protocol visit," Patriarch Louis Sako, Iraq's senior Churchman, told reporters in Amman on the eve of the visit. The Christian population has been declining steadily across the Middle East for generations. In Israel and the occupied West Bank, more Palestinian Christians are looking to leave, blaming Israel for withering their economic prospects and hobbling their freedom of movement.

Jordan Christians prepare for pope, hope for defender in Mideast Posted: 23 May 2014 02:53 PM PDT From Mount Nebo, with its views of the Holy Land, to sandstone churches in dusty villages, Jordan's Christians are preparing for a papal visit they hope will boost their standing in the Middle East. Pope Francis arrives in Amman on Saturday for the first leg of a three-day trip which will take him to the Palestinian Territories and Jerusalem with a message of interreligious dialogue and peace for the troubled region. While Christians in neighbouring countries have been increasingly persecuted following the Arab Spring uprisings, Christian communities in Jordan appear to be thriving, their numbers boosted by an influx of foreign workers and refugees. "We Christians have been in this region a long time, the early Christians lived here.

Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows Posted: 23 May 2014 01:48 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Guest lineups for the Sunday TV news shows:

U.S. Republicans map campaign attack plan on veterans scandal Posted: 23 May 2014 12:49 PM PDT By David Lawder and Mark Felsenthal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans who hope to wrest control of the U.S. Senate from Democrats see medical care delays for veterans as a potent line of attack and are devising ways to keep the issue in the news in the months leading up to the November congressional elections. They are planning a long summer of investigations and hearings on problems at the Veterans Affairs agency to highlight what they say is a pattern of mismanagement in President Barack Obama's administration. Republicans have tread lightly so far to avoid appearing callous in exploiting an issue involving allegations that veterans died while waiting for VA care. But lawmakers, aides and campaign strategists in the party say they are now ready to go on the offensive, attacking Obama for his slow response to the scandal.

Democrat Nunn calls for VA secretary to resign Posted: 23 May 2014 12:20 PM PDT ATLANTA (AP) — Democrat Michelle Nunn, who's seeking Georgia's open Senate seat, has joined a chorus of congressional candidates from both parties calling for Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to leave amid a growing crisis over veterans' health care.

New U.S. homeland security chief steps out of Pentagon shadows into spotlight Posted: 23 May 2014 11:43 AM PDT By Doina Chiacu WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When anti-war activists projected a movie about drones onto the brick front of Jeh Johnson's home in November, President Barack Obama's nominee to become homeland security secretary did not try to pull the plug. Instead, the former Pentagon top lawyer slipped out a back door and approached Codepink, asking, "Would you like to talk?" In March, Johnson kept his promise to meet with the protest group, which questioned counterterror operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. "It was a constructive conversation," Johnson said during an interview at the Department of Homeland Security's headquarters in Washington. Since assuming office five months ago, Obama's newest cabinet member has encouraged engagement - with Congress, the media and his agencies - as he tries to recharge the government's third-largest department, with 240,000 employees and a portfolio that stretches from tornadoes to terrorism.

The Daily Fix: Civil War Vets Showed Signs of PTSD, Obama Struggles to Close Guantánamo, and Officials Monitored Occupy Posted: 23 May 2014 10:27 AM PDT After the Civil War, union soldier Edson Bemis was just not right. As historians begin to figure out what happened to soldiers who suffered "an epidemic of emotional, psychological and neurological trauma" during the Civil War, they're recognizing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries, and other problems.  Now, Veterans Affairs officials estimate more than 5.2 million American adults will develop PTSD in a year, and that includes up to 20 percent of veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Back then, the stigma of mental health problems led to little treatment, and veterans suffered, laboring "under emotional and psychological stress in ways that are disturbingly similar to the present.

Iraq files case against Turkey over Kurdish oil exports Posted: 23 May 2014 09:39 AM PDT Baghdad launched legal action against Ankara Friday after oil from Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region was exported to international markets without the cental government's consent, potentially worsening already-poor ties between the neighbours. The sudden decision to call for arbitration by Iraq, which came after shipments began on Thursday evening, is the latest move in a years-long row in which Baghdad has insisted it has the sole right to export Iracaught itqi crude. The dispute over the exports, which the US has said could further destabilise Iraq, also throws into doubt Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's bid for re-election after polls last month, with his campaign expected to hinge on whether or not he can secure Kurdish backing. The central government's oil ministry said in a statement that it has "filed a request for arbitration against the Republic of Turkey and its state-owned pipeline operator BOTAS... with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris."

Iraqi Kurds ship oil through region's own pipeline Posted: 23 May 2014 08:33 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's self-ruled northern Kurdish region said Friday that it has made its first oil shipment through its own pipeline to the international market, bypassing the central government in Baghdad, which insists that it has the sole right to develop and market the country's natural resources.

In Honor Of Memorial Day, American Humane Association's Pet Life Radio Show Salutes Veterans Of The Two- And Four-Legged Kind Posted: 23 May 2014 07:05 AM PDT WASHINGTON, May 23, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Just in time for Memorial Day Weekend, the latest episode of American Humane Association's weekly radio show pays tribute to America's veterans, both human and dog alike. This special edition of "Be Humane™ with Dr. Robin Ganzert," part of the Pet Life Radio Network, the number one pet radio network on the planet, features in-depth, engaging interviews with two members of the United States Army, Sergeant First Class Charles Shuck and Sergeant Jason Bos, who each have a unique story to tell about the dogs they served with on previous tours of duty in Iraq. Sergeant First Class Shuck and his partner MWD Gabe, a former shelter dog who was given a second chance, served our country by completing more than 210 combat missions with 26 explosive and weapons finds in Iraq, saving countless lives. For his actions, Gabe took home not the 2012 Military Dog of the Year at that year's American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards™, but he also received top honors as the 2012 American Hero Dog.

Attacks kill nine as pilgrims converge on Baghdad Posted: 23 May 2014 06:39 AM PDT Violence in Baghdad and north Iraq killed nine people on Friday as throngs of Shiite pilgrims converged on the Iraqi capital for annual commemoration rituals. The unrest came amid tight security measures in Baghdad, as Iraq grapples with a protracted surge in bloodshed that has left more than 3,700 people dead so far this year and fulled fears the country is slipping back into all-out conflict. Friday's deadly violence struck in the capital and the restive northern province of Nineveh, leaving nine people dead and 22 others wounded, security and medical officials said. Mortar fire in north Baghdad killed three people, while two men were shot dead in the west of the capital.

Egypt's Brotherhood struggles to regroup in exile Posted: 23 May 2014 05:33 AM PDT By Amena Bakr and William Maclean DOHA/DUBAI (Reuters) - Exiled leaders of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood are struggling to regroup, targeted by hostile Arab powers, cut off from senior colleagues imprisoned back home and challenged by angry young followers tempted to seek change by violence. Gathered over the past 10 months in Qatar, Turkey, Britain and elsewhere, hundreds of activists have set about trying to isolate Egypt's army-backed government diplomatically for last year's removal of an elected Brotherhood-backed administration. The senior figures keep busy, shuttling between London, Doha and Istanbul to strategize in countries that still tolerate the movement, the standard-bearer of mainstream Sunni political Islam since it was founded in Egypt in 1928. Former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who deposed the Brotherhood's elected president Mohamed Mursi last year and has since led a violent crackdown against its followers, is all but certain to win Egypt's presidency in an election next week.

Ancient warrior myths help veterans fight PTSD Posted: 23 May 2014 03:07 AM PDT A soldier returns home from battle but has brought the war with him. He stares off into the distance, unable to take joy in his family or friends, still hyperalert to threats he no longer faces. Unable to heal his invisible wound, he takes his own life.

Iraq's Kurdish region concludes 1st oil sale Posted: 23 May 2014 02:33 AM PDT Iraq's self-ruled northern Kurdish region says it has completed its first oil shipment to the international market, bypassing the central government in Baghdad. Baghdad's Arab-led government and ethnic ...

Nigeria's Boko Haram kills 29 in village attack: sources Posted: 23 May 2014 01:31 AM PDT By Lanre Ola MAIDUGURI Nigeria (Reuters) - Suspected militants from Islamist group Boko Haram shot dead 29 farm workers as they tilled their fields in remote northeast Nigeria, a police source said on Thursday, amid a mounting insurgency increasingly targeting civilians. Boko Haram, which grabbed world headlines last month by kidnapping more than 200 schoolgirls further north in Borno, has stepped up its five-year-old campaign to carve an Islamic state out of the religiously mixed oil producer. Bomb attacks are growing more sophisticated, including two on the capital Abuja last month, and massacres of villagers in the area where Boko Haram is based are an almost daily occurrence. Boko Haram initially attacked mostly security forces, government officials and sometimes Islamic clerics who spoke out against it.

Report: Iran's army begins 2-day military exercise Posted: 23 May 2014 01:19 AM PDT TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian state television is reporting the Islamic Republic's army has begun a two-day ground and air military exercise that will include testing short-range missiles.

How America Treats Illegal Aliens vs. Veterans Posted: 23 May 2014 12:00 AM PDT A government that fails to secure its borders is guilty of dereliction of duty. A government that fails to care for our men and women on the frontlines is guilty of malpractice. A government that puts the needs of illegal aliens above U.S. veterans for political gain should be prosecuted for criminal neglect bordering on treason. In Sacramento, Calif., lawmakers are moving forward with a budget-busting plan to extend government-funded health insurance to at least 1.5 million illegal aliens.

APNewsBreak: Marines say raid did not taint cases Posted: 22 May 2014 11:49 PM PDT CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) — A Marine Corps review into a raid by military investigators on defense lawyers' offices at Camp Pendleton found the unusual search did not compromise cases, though at least one defendant is asking a judge to weigh in, saying he feels he can't get a fair trial now.

Marine Threw Himself On Grenade, Will Receive Medal Of Honor [VIDEO] Posted: 22 May 2014 08:02 PM PDT Kyle Carpenter threw himself on a grenade to protect his friends on Nov. 21, 2010. His right arm was shattered, his left arm, wrist and hand had multiple breaks, his right lung collapsed and he had shrapnel wounds in his legs."

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