2014年5月25日星期日

Yahoo! News: Iraq

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Yahoo! News: Iraq


Syria refugees denied cancer treatment, says UNHCR

Posted: 25 May 2014 04:34 PM PDT

Syrian families queue to be registered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on November 19, 2013 in Arsal, in the Lebanese Bekaa valleyLack of funds is forcing aid workers to deny Syrian war victims and other refugees with cancer the care they need, the UN refugee agency's top medical expert warned on Monday. With millions of Syrians driven from their homes by three years of conflict, and huge numbers having fled a decade of violence in Iraq, health systems in the region have been overwhelmed. "We can treat everyone with measles, but we can't treat everyone with cancer," said Paul Spiegel, UNHCR's medical chief. Doctors are therefore having to make heart-rending decisions about who gets cancer care and who is left to fend for themselves.


US honors veterans over Memorial Day weekend

Posted: 25 May 2014 04:19 PM PDT

Marine veteran, retired Staff Sgt. Tim Chambers salutes riders in the annual Rolling Thunder 'Ride for Freedom' motorcycle rally in Washington, Sunday, May 25, 2014. (AP Photo/Molly Riley)NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Marine Corps' chaplain, speaking Sunday to a congregation that has tied gold ribbons on the church's fence in honor of fallen soldiers since the Iraq War began, lauded the sacrifice of veterans around the world as President Barack Obama made a surprise visit to Afghanistan for Memorial Day.


Obama signals US to keep limited Afghanistan role

Posted: 25 May 2014 03:45 PM PDT

President Barack Obama waves as he arrives for a troop rally after arriving at Bagram Air Field for an unannounced visit, on Sunday, May 25, 2014, north of Kabul, Afghanistan. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (AP) — President Barack Obama slipped into Afghanistan for a surprise visit Sunday and made clear that the U.S. will likely maintain a limited role here even after its combat mission ends this year and America's longest war comes to a close.


Whistleblower Says Two Killed Themselves Waiting for Treatment

Posted: 25 May 2014 02:17 PM PDT

Whistleblower Says Two Killed Themselves Waiting for TreatmentMargaret Moxness, a former VA psychiatrist in West Virginia, says she never saw any "secret waiting lists" that hid the fact that mentally troubled patients were being forced to wait an inordinate amount of time for follow-up visits. But Moxness said she saw plenty of evidence that traumatized Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans often had to wait months for follow-up appointments at a Charleston, W.Va., VA medical center where she worked between 2008 and 2010. During an appearance this morning on Fox News Sunday, Moxness said the frequent delays in follow-up appointments for vets suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome was a highly dangerous practice. Moxness said that when her superiors at the VA began ignoring her verbal and written warnings about the delays, she concluded it was better not to see new patients at all than to subject them to partial, episodic treatment.


Obama's Afghanistan trip planned with 'maximum discretion'

Posted: 25 May 2014 01:39 PM PDT

By Steve Holland BAGRAM AIR BASE (Reuters) - It takes a combination of careful planning and cloak-and-dagger secrecy to transport the president of the United States halfway around the world into a danger zone while making sure almost nobody knows about it in advance. Barack Obama's visit on Sunday with U.S. troops at Bagram Air Base - unannounced ahead of time - has been in the works for several weeks as White House officials looked for an opportunity for him to make his fourth and most likely last trip here as president. But again, we've done it several times, so in some respects it gets easier each time," said White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes. Obama's trip was the latest in a string of secretive missions overseas that began when Republican President George W. Bush discreetly left his ranch in Crawford, Texas and popped up in Baghdad to celebrate Thanksgiving with U.S. troops in 2003.

Former US Marine Imprisoned in Iran seeks retrial

Posted: 25 May 2014 12:54 PM PDT

FILE - This undated file photo released by his family via FreeAmir.org shows Amir Hekmati. Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine being held in Iran over the past two years on accusations of spying for the CIA. The former U.S. Marine convicted of criminal charges in Iran after being accused of working for the CIA will appeal for a new trial after already seeing his sentence reduced once, an Iranian news agency reported Sunday, May 25, 2014.(AP Photo/Hekmati family via FreeAmir.org, File)TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A former U.S. Marine convicted of criminal charges in Iran after being accused of working for the CIA will appeal for a new trial after already seeing his sentence reduced once, his lawyer said Sunday.


1,000th day in prison nearing, Marine asks retrial

Posted: 25 May 2014 12:21 PM PDT

FILE - This undated file photo released by his family via FreeAmir.org shows Amir Hekmati. Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine being held in Iran over the past two years on accusations of spying for the CIA. The former U.S. Marine convicted of criminal charges in Iran after being accused of working for the CIA will appeal for a new trial after already seeing his sentence reduced once, an Iranian news agency reported Sunday, May 25, 2014.(AP Photo/Hekmati family via FreeAmir.org, File)DETROIT (AP) — A former U.S. Marine who has spent almost 1,000 days in an Iranian prison after being accused of working for the CIA will appeal for a new trial after already seeing his sentence reduced once, an Iranian news agency reported Sunday.


Lawmakers call for tighter grip on VA hospitals

Posted: 25 May 2014 11:45 AM PDT

FILE - This May 15, 2014 file photo shows Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki testifying on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Department of Veterans Affairs says it will allow more veterans to obtain health care at private hospitals and clinics. Shinseki announced the change Saturday. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairmen of House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees on Sunday decried long waits and backlogs at the nations VA hospitals but stopped short of calling for the resignation of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki.


Obama to outline case for a limited foreign policy

Posted: 25 May 2014 10:54 AM PDT

FILE - In this May 22, 2010, file photo, addressing the graduates of the U.S. Military Academy, President Barack Obama outlined a foreign policy vision using diplomacy and a strong military together, in West Point, N.Y. Obama will soon outline a strategy for his final years in office that aims to avoid overreach as the second of the two wars he inherited comes to a close. The president will make the case for that seemingly more limited approach during a commencement address Wednesday, May 28, 2014, at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — Confronting critics of his foreign policy, President Barack Obama will soon outline a strategy for his final years in office that aims to avoid overreach as the second of the two wars he inherited comes to a close.


Health law: Embrace, avoid or in between for Dems

Posted: 25 May 2014 10:50 AM PDT

FILE - This May 17, 2014 file photo shows Kentucky Democratic Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes speaking in Franklin, Ky. Democrats in this midterm election-year are figuring out whether to embrace or eschew President Barack Obama's health care overhaul _or something in-between_ as the president argues that his party shouldn't apologize or be defensive about his signature accomplishment. The candidates aren't so sure. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)ATLANTA (AP) — Democratic candidates are trying to figure out whether to embrace or avoid President Barack Obama's health care overhaul — or land somewhere in between.


World War I's lasting bootprint

Posted: 25 May 2014 10:39 AM PDT

It was the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France. The same could be said of the French Army, and the German. Each force on Europe's Western Front was a metropolis requiring not just soldiers, guns, and ammunition, but every necessity of life, from toothbrushes to rubber stamps. 

Obama slips into Afghanistan to visit US troops

Posted: 25 May 2014 10:31 AM PDT

President Barack Obama, left, speaks during a briefing by Marine General Joseph Dunford, commander of the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), after arriving at Bagram Air Field for an unannounced visit, on Sunday, May 25, 2014, north of Kabul, Afghanistan. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (AP) — President Barack Obama, on a surprise holiday visit to this sprawling military base, said Sunday he was close to a decision about the number of U.S. troops who will remain after year's end in America's longest war.


A snapshot of US troop commitment in Afghanistan

Posted: 25 May 2014 10:21 AM PDT

President Barack Obama, right, is greeted by US Ambassador to Afghanistan James Cunningham, center, and Marine General Joseph Dunford, commander of the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), as he steps off Air Force One after arriving at Bagram Air Field for an unannounced visit, on Sunday, May 25, 2014, north of Kabul, Afghanistan. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. and British forces began launching airstrikes into Afghanistan on Oct. 7, 2001, in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks against America. The initial strikes were aimed at Taliban troops, training camps and air defenses. By early November there were about 1,300 U.S. troops in Afghanistan.


Iraqi Kurds slam Baghdad legal action over oil shipment

Posted: 25 May 2014 09:46 AM PDT

Oil rigs in the Kurdish town of Derik (al-Malikiyah in Arabic), in the northeastern Hasakeh governorate on November 25, 2013Iraq's Kurdistan region on Sunday slammed legal action filed by the central government against Turkey, saying it was illegitimate and likely to fail, in the latest sign of worsening ties with Baghdad. The Kurdish Ministry of Natural Resources statement came just days after Baghdad's Oil Ministry filed a request for arbitration against Ankara at the Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce after crude from Kurdistan was exported to international markets via a Turkish port.


Report: Imprisoned ex-US Marine seeks Iran retrial

Posted: 25 May 2014 08:13 AM PDT

FILE - This undated file photo released by his family via FreeAmir.org shows Amir Hekmati. Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine being held in Iran over the past two years on accusations of spying for the CIA. The former U.S. Marine convicted of criminal charges in Iran after being accused of working for the CIA will appeal for a new trial after already seeing his sentence reduced once, an Iranian news agency reported Sunday, May 25, 2014.(AP Photo/Hekmati family via FreeAmir.org, File)TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A former U.S. Marine convicted of criminal charges in Iran after being accused of working for the CIA will appeal for a new trial after already seeing his sentence reduced once, an Iranian news agency reported Sunday.


Set to rule divided Egypt, Sisi faces biggest test

Posted: 25 May 2014 08:10 AM PDT

By Michael Georgy CAIRO (Reuters) - Along a busy Cairo roundabout, a poster portrays presidential frontrunner Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as a teacher, engineer, doctor and judge, reassuring supporters who see him as Egypt's savior. But in other neighborhoods, opponents splash red paint on the image of the face of the man who toppled Egypt's first freely-elected president, and who they say has blood on his hands for ordering a violent crackdown. The former army chief is expected to easily win a May 26-27 presidential election, taking over a polarized country with immense challenges: from an energy crisis to an Islamist militant insurgency that has sharply worsened since he overthrew the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi last year. Sisi has gained cult-like adulation among backers since removing Mursi.

Kurds say Iraqi bid to thwart oil exports via Turkey will fail

Posted: 25 May 2014 07:20 AM PDT

Iraq's bid to thwart exports of oil from Kurdistan via Turkey by filing for arbitration is a "hollow threat" that will fail, the autonomous region said in a statement on Sunday. The Iraqi Oil Ministry said on Friday it was taking legal action against Turkey and state-owned pipeline operator BOTAS after the first cargo of crude to be piped from Kurdistan was sold without Baghdad's consent. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said it was undeterred by "hollow threats" from Baghdad and accused the Iraqi Oil Ministry of flouting the country's constitution.

Private hospitals could take some pressure off VA

Posted: 25 May 2014 07:08 AM PDT

FILE - This May 15, 2014 file photo shows Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki testifying on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Department of Veterans Affairs says it will allow more veterans to obtain health care at private hospitals and clinics. Shinseki announced the change Saturday. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration's decision to allow more veterans to get care at private hospitals could take some pressure off backlogged Veterans Affairs facilities struggling to cope with new patients from the wars on terrorism as well as old soldiers from prior conflicts.


Rivals challenge Iraq PM's election success

Posted: 25 May 2014 03:53 AM PDT

Nuri al-Maliki casts his vote at a polling station in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone on April 30, 2014Nuri al-Maliki may be in pole position to remain Iraq's prime minister, but allegations of malpractice during last month's polls are clouding the prospect of forming a government anytime soon. Iraq's political parties have already begun meeting and manoeuvring as they seek to build post-election alliances, but forming a new government could still take months.


Journalists take care of the censorship as Sisi poised to rule

Posted: 25 May 2014 01:49 AM PDT

By Asma Alsharif and Yasmine Saleh CAIRO (Reuters) - During Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak's autocratic rule, the state often shaped media coverage to make him appear flawless, hauling in editors who did not fall into line. After next week's presidential election, which former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is expected to win, authorities may not have to impose glowing reviews of his performance. Many journalists now eagerly engage in self-censorship. We feel that Egypt is facing danger and we will perform our duties to protect the country," said Samir El Sayid, an editor at state-run Al-Ahram, Egypt's most well-known newspaper.

Car bomb at liquor store in northern Iraq kills 12

Posted: 25 May 2014 12:38 AM PDT

Iraqi security forces conduct body checks on Shiite pilgrims as they march to the shrine of Imam Moussa al-Kadhim in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, May 24, 2014. Shiite pilgrims are expected to converge on the shrine in northern Baghdad during their annual march to commemorate the eighth-century death of Imam Moussa al-Kadhim, a key Shiite saint. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)BAGHDAD (AP) — A car bomb exploded outside a liquor store in northern Iraq overnight, killing at least 12 civilians, a senior police officer said Sunday.


Car bombing at liquor store in north Iraq kill 12

Posted: 25 May 2014 12:11 AM PDT

BAGHDAD (AP) — A senior police officer in Iraq says a car bomb targeting a liquor store in the country's north has killed at least 12 civilians.

Police say car bomb targeting a liquor store overnight in northern Iraq killed 12 people

Posted: 25 May 2014 12:06 AM PDT

BAGHDAD (AP) — Police say car bomb targeting a liquor store overnight in northern Iraq killed 12 people.

Marine whose leg was blasted drives to victory

Posted: 24 May 2014 05:39 PM PDT

In this photo provided by LAT Photo USA for IMSA, U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Liam Dwyer, right, and Tom Long left, pose for a photo after winning the Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park, Saturday, May 24, 2014, in Lakeville, Conn. Dwyer always knew that despite losing much of his left leg in combat, he could find racing success if he got the chance. That came Saturday when Dwyer teamed with Tom Long to win the ISMA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge event Saturday. (AP Photo/Scott R LePage, LAT Photo USA for IMSA)Marine Staff Sgt. Liam Dwyer always knew that despite losing much of his left leg in combat he could win races if he got the chance.


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