Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Hagel: Afghan anti-terror planning still underway
• Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT
• Asia pivot absent from Obama foreign policy speech
• Obama fights foreign policy critics, pledges aid to Syria groups
• At least 54 killed in Iraqi violence
• Ten Questions on the Obama Administration's Release of Criminal Aliens
• West Point grads ready for post-Afghanistan future
• Obama at West Point: US must lead by 'empowering partners'
• AJC Praises President Obama's Vision for U.S. Global Leadership
• Obama seeks ground between intervention, isolation
• Assad's supporters abroad vote in Syrian election
• Obama's speech gets mixed response overseas
• UN: Al-Qaida foreign fighters expand global reach
• Highlights of Obama's foreign policy speech
• Old Flaws in Obama's New Foreign Policy
• Attacks around Iraq kill at least 29 people
• A look at America's post-Cold War foreign policy
• Iraq attacks kill 38 as 2014 toll tops 4,000
• Iraq attacks kill 33 as 2014 toll tops 4,000
• Obama warns US must not rush to war
• Iraq attacks kill 22 as 2014 toll tops 4,000
• Taliban condemn US exit strategy from Afghanistan
• To host ever more refugees, Jordan wants extra cash - no strings attached
• Obama says U.S. to boost support to Syrian opposition groups
• Syrians abroad vote ahead of national election
• Obama: US must lead globally but show restraint
• Courting Kurdish vote, Turkey's Erdogan warns against sabotaging peace
• Text of Obama's remarks at military graduation
• Obama: Syrian opposition needs more support
• Iraq: Attacks kill at least 14 people
• UK fraud office probes GSK after claims of foreign bribery
• Iraq attacks kill 14 as 2014 toll tops 4,000
• President Obama Says His Foreign Policy Critics Are 'Misreading History'
• Boko Haram too extreme for 'al Qaeda in West Africa' brand
• Iraq: Attacks kill at least 10 people in capital
• Syria chemical weapons inspectors shelter in Damascus after surviving ambush
• Origins of Inebriation Revealed
• Obama seeks to recast postwar foreign policy
• Obama Bets It All on These Commandos
• French riot police evacuate Calais immigrant camps

Hagel: Afghan anti-terror planning still underway Posted: 28 May 2014 04:41 PM PDT ABOARD A US MILITARY AIRCRAFT (AP) — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Wednesday it was not clear yet how many troops the U.S. will use to battle terrorists in Afghanistan in the coming two years, but he expressed some confidence that the Afghan forces will improve enough to secure and govern their own country.

Top Asian News at 11:30 p.m. GMT Posted: 28 May 2014 04:33 PM PDT BANGKOK (AP) — The last time Thailand's army seized power, in 2006, some called it "the smiling coup." Residents of Bangkok who supported the overthrow of an elected government they accused of corruption poured into the streets, handing out flowers to soldiers who had deployed tanks across this metropolis of glass skyscrapers and ornate Buddhist temples.

Asia pivot absent from Obama foreign policy speech Posted: 28 May 2014 04:19 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama laid out a sweeping vision for U.S. foreign policy on Wednesday but made no mention of what has been a signature tune of his administration's diplomacy: the "pivot" to Asia.

Obama fights foreign policy critics, pledges aid to Syria groups Posted: 28 May 2014 03:58 PM PDT By Steve Holland WEST POINT, N.Y., Reuters) - President Barack Obama fought back against critics of his foreign policy on Wednesday by insisting U.S. reliance on diplomacy over military intervention was working to resolve global crises like Ukraine and Iran, and he pledged to ramp up support for Syria's opposition. In the commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, Obama laid out his approach to foreign affairs for the rest of his presidency built on a commitment to act in concert with other nations, and he shifted the fight against terrorism from Afghanistan to more diffuse threats globally. Obama, stung by unrelenting criticism that he has been passive and indecisive as a world leader, spent a large section of his address countering Republicans in Congress and foreign policy experts in Washington who argue for a more aggressive approach to crises from Ukraine to Syria.

At least 54 killed in Iraqi violence Posted: 28 May 2014 03:52 PM PDT Violence rocked Iraq on Wednesday as at least 54 people died in car bombings, suicide attacks and assassinations around the country. The bloodshed hit mostly Shi'ite sections of Baghdad and the troubled northern city of Mosul, where an al Qaeda breakaway faction, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), holds sway. The bombings and killings were a reminder in the month since national elections were held that the pace of bloodshed has shown no signs of diminishing In one attack in Baghdad's Sadr City, a minivan pulled into a line of taxis and the driver abandoned the vehicle minutes before it exploded, police said. Four people were killed and 14 were wounded, police and medical sources said.

Ten Questions on the Obama Administration's Release of Criminal Aliens Posted: 28 May 2014 03:45 PM PDT WASHINGTON, May 28, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Many questions remain after a report from the Center for Immigration Studies revealed that the Obama administration released 36,007 convicted criminal aliens into American neighborhoods in 2013. Despite the obvious threat to public safety, the Obama administration has remained largely silent and has not explained fully why these convicted criminal aliens, who had been convicted of a total of nearly 88,000 crimes, were released. Listed below are 10 questions that, if answered, will shine some light on the administration's policies and the impact on American communities. How many individuals with criminal convictions were released by the administration from 2009 to 2012?

West Point grads ready for post-Afghanistan future Posted: 28 May 2014 02:40 PM PDT WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) — With combat in Afghanistan winding down, members of the U.S. Military Academy's Class of 2014 insist they're equally prepared for the alliance-building future outlined by President Barack Obama at their graduation ceremony Wednesday.

Obama at West Point: US must lead by 'empowering partners' Posted: 28 May 2014 02:16 PM PDT President Obama on Wednesday laid out a vision for American leadership in the world that rejects both the reliance on military action of the past decade and today's growing isolationism by putting the emphasis on strengthening alliances and international cooperation. Delivering the commencement address at the US Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., Mr. Obama told the graduates that while "American isolationism is not an option," a "willingness to rush into military adventures" since the 9/11 terror attacks had produced "some of our most costly mistakes." Having closed the Iraq war, aiming to end the US military presence in Afghanistan by 2016, and with 31 months left in his presidency, Obama appeared to be closing the book on the era of George W. Bush, who 12 years ago had outlined his doctrine of preventive war and unilateral intervention in a similar West Point address. Instead, he said, America must lead by "empowering partners" with like values of freedom and democracy to meet the threats, from extremism to climate change, that if unaddressed overseas end up threatening US national security.

AJC Praises President Obama's Vision for U.S. Global Leadership Posted: 28 May 2014 01:55 PM PDT NEW YORK, May 28, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As a global advocacy organization that has long supported U.S. leadership as an essential means to advance and ensure peace and security around the world, AJC welcomes President Obama's policy address today at West Point. "Projecting core American values, promoting democracy and human rights, are central to the U.S. mission globally," said AJC Executive Director David Harris. "We wholeheartedly agree with President Obama that, 'In the 21st century, American isolationism is not an option.'" President Obama also pointed out that "because of America's efforts – through diplomacy and foreign assistance, as well as the sacrifices of our military – more people live under elected governments today than any time in human history."

Obama seeks ground between intervention, isolation Posted: 28 May 2014 01:53 PM PDT WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) — Seeking to redefine America's foreign policy for a post-war era, President Barack Obama on Wednesday declared that the United States remains the only nation with the capacity to lead on the world stage but argued it would be a mistake to channel that power into unrestrained military adventures.

Assad's supporters abroad vote in Syrian election Posted: 28 May 2014 12:21 PM PDT YARZE, Lebanon (AP) — Tens of thousands of supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad voted Wednesday at embassies abroad, clogging entrances to the Lebanese capital for hours and clashing with soldiers overwhelmed by their sheer numbers a week before national elections widely expected to give him a third seven-year term.

Obama's speech gets mixed response overseas Posted: 28 May 2014 12:10 PM PDT LONDON (AP) — President Barack Obama's speech emphasizing soft power and alliances over military might crystallized into a single speech what many experts said Wednesday was an inevitable — and welcome — evolution of U.S. foreign policy.

UN: Al-Qaida foreign fighters expand global reach Posted: 28 May 2014 12:07 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Al-Qaida's recruitment of foreign fighters has expanded the terrorist network's global reach and could lead to new pan-Arab and pan-European networks of extremists, the chair of the U.N. committee monitoring sanctions against al-Qaida said Wednesday.

Highlights of Obama's foreign policy speech Posted: 28 May 2014 11:51 AM PDT President Barack Obama pushed back against critics of his foreign policy in his commencement speech Wednesday at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. He argued for restraint before embarking on more military ventures and called for partnering with other countries to deal with many problems.

Old Flaws in Obama's New Foreign Policy Posted: 28 May 2014 11:45 AM PDT At West Point, Obama takes the U.S. out of the Afghan frying pan only to leap back into the Mideast fire, where a crucial shift in Syria policy may be in store.

Attacks around Iraq kill at least 29 people Posted: 28 May 2014 11:00 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — A series of bombings and attacks across Iraq killed at least 29 people Wednesday, authorities said, as politicians prepared to start negotiations to form a new government following parliamentary elections.

A look at America's post-Cold War foreign policy Posted: 28 May 2014 04:47 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Wednesday outlined his vision for American foreign policy in the 21st century, an era he expects will be rife with challenges that demand U.S. leadership.

Iraq attacks kill 38 as 2014 toll tops 4,000 Posted: 28 May 2014 10:39 AM PDT Attacks across Iraq, including a spate of car bombs in Baghdad, killed 38 people Wednesday, the latest in a months-long surge in violence that has left more than 4,000 dead this year. Shootings and bombings, which left dozens more wounded nationwide, also struck in restive areas of the north and west, fuelling fears Iraq is slipping back into the sectarian war that killed tens of thousands in 2006 and 2007. In the deadliest attack, a suicide car bomb exploded in the mainly Shiite neighbourhood of Kadhimiyah in north Baghdad, killing at least 16 people and wounding 50, security and medical officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The blasts were the latest in a trend of militants setting off vehicles rigged with explosives during the evening, when Baghdad's residents visit markets, restaurants and cafes.

Iraq attacks kill 33 as 2014 toll tops 4,000 Posted: 28 May 2014 10:12 AM PDT Attacks across Iraq killed 33 people on Wednesday, the latest in a months-long surge in violence that has left more than 4,000 people dead this year. The shootings and bombings struck in Baghdad and restive parts of the north and west, leaving dozens more wounded, security and medical officials said. The protracted spike in bloodletting has fuelled fears that Iraq is slipping back into the all-out conflict that plagued it in 2006 and 2007, when a brutal sectarian war left tens of thousands dead. In the deadliest attack, a suicide car bomb exploded in north Baghdad, killing at least 16 people and wounding 50 others, security and medical officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Obama warns US must not rush to war Posted: 28 May 2014 10:07 AM PDT West Point (United States) (AFP) - President Barack Obama mounted a defiant defense of his global leadership Wednesday, rebuking critics who see him as weak but warning that not every global threat justifies a US military response. In a major speech at the West Point military academy, Obama denied US power had ebbed under his watch, after he withdrew troops from Iraq and as he does the same in Afghanistan. He also pledged to ramp up support for Syrian rebels, vowed to stand up to Russia over Ukraine and promised to make drone strikes against terror suspects more transparent. "To say that we have an interest in pursuing peace and freedom beyond our borders is not to say that every problem has a military solution," Obama said.

Iraq attacks kill 22 as 2014 toll tops 4,000 Posted: 28 May 2014 09:29 AM PDT Attacks across Iraq killed 22 people Wednesday, the latest in a months-long surge in violence that has left more than 4,000 people dead this year. The shootings and bombings struck in Baghdad and restive parts of the north and west, leaving dozens more wounded, security and medical officials said. The protracted spike in bloodletting has fuelled fears that Iraq is slipping back into the all-out conflict that plagued it in 2006 and 2007, when a brutal sectarian war left tens of thousands dead. In the deadliest attack, a suicide car bomb exploded in north Baghdad, killing at least eight people and wounding 49 others, interior ministry spokesman Brigadier General Saad Maan said.

Taliban condemn US exit strategy from Afghanistan Posted: 28 May 2014 09:14 AM PDT Taliban insurgents Wednesday denounced US plans to keep troops in Afghanistan up to the end of 2016, threatening to wage war against the "occupation" until the very last foreign soldier pulls out. But outgoing President Hamid Karzai welcomed the timetable for the US's complete withdrawal and called on the insurgents to seize a "historic" opportunity to seek peace after more than a decade of war. Outlining the US strategy to end America's longest war, President Barack Obama confirmed on Tuesday that the 32,000-strong US deployment in Afghanistan would be scaled back to around 9,800 by the start of 2015. But underscoring the instability still roiling Afghanistan, two Americans were slightly wounded in an attack on a US consulate vehicle in Afghanistan's western city of Herat on Wednesday.

To host ever more refugees, Jordan wants extra cash - no strings attached Posted: 28 May 2014 09:05 AM PDT The three-year request is part of a new "National Resilience Plan," hinting at Amman's goal for the Syrian war: ride it out. By the end of 2014, the country expects to host between 800,000 and 1 million Syrian refugees. That will require an additional $471 million this year alone. New aid money will be vital, but Jordanians are chafing at demands, including pressure from oil-rich Gulf country donors to join them in backing the Syrian rebels. Until now, Jordan has remained neutral, at least in public, fearful of emboldening extremist groups and getting dragged into a regional proxy war. The Gulf countries have been the most important source of aid to Jordan since 2011, when the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) promised Amman $5 billion over five years to protect a wobbly Jordanian monarchy against Arab Spring-inspired protests and an economic crisis.

Obama says U.S. to boost support to Syrian opposition groups Posted: 28 May 2014 08:30 AM PDT WEST POINT N.Y. (Reuters) - In a major foreign policy address on Wednesday, President Barack Obama said he will work with Congress to ramp up U.S. support for Syrian opposition groups that are the best alternative to President Bashar al-Assad. "We will step up our efforts to support Syria's neighbors - Jordan and Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq - as they host refugees, and confront terrorists working across Syrian borders," Obama said in his prepared remarks. (Reporting by Jeff Mason, Steve Holland, Roberta Rampton; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

Syrians abroad vote ahead of national election Posted: 28 May 2014 08:25 AM PDT YARZE, Lebanon (AP) — Hundreds of Syrians desperate to vote for President Bashar Assad tried to rush their embassy near Beirut on Wednesday, scuffling with Lebanese troops using batons and sticks to beat them back as voting abroad started ahead of next week's national election.

Obama: US must lead globally but show restraint Posted: 28 May 2014 08:24 AM PDT WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) — In a broad defense of his foreign policy, President Barack Obama declared Wednesday that the U.S. remains the world's most indispensable nation, even after a "long season of war," but argued for restraint before embarking on more military adventures.

Courting Kurdish vote, Turkey's Erdogan warns against sabotaging peace Posted: 28 May 2014 08:06 AM PDT By Seyhmus Cakan DIYARBAKIR Turkey (Reuters) - Kurdish demonstrators have blocked a highway in southeast Turkey and seized a soldier in protest at the building of military outposts, exposing the fragility of a peace process which Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan hopes may help him win the presidency. Erdogan launched a peace process with Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan in 2012 to try to end a three-decade insurgency which has killed 40,000 people, a move long unthinkable in the face of strong nationalist opposition. Erdogan is widely expected to run in Turkey's first direct presidential election in August and support from its Kurdish minority, which accounts for around a fifth of the population, could be key to his chances of success.

Text of Obama's remarks at military graduation Posted: 28 May 2014 08:06 AM PDT A text of President Barack Obama's remarks at the U.S. Military Academy graduation ceremony in West Point, New York, as provided by the White House:

Obama: Syrian opposition needs more support Posted: 28 May 2014 07:44 AM PDT WEST POINT, New York (AP) — President Barack Obama says he'll work with Congress to increase support for members of the Syrian opposition who offer the best alternative to terrorists and to Syrian President Bashar Assad (bah-SHAR' AH'-sahd).

Iraq: Attacks kill at least 14 people Posted: 28 May 2014 07:08 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — A suicide car bomber struck a police checkpoint in Baghdad, killing at least six people in the deadliest in a series of attacks on Wednesday that left 14 people dead in Iraq, officials said.

UK fraud office probes GSK after claims of foreign bribery Posted: 28 May 2014 06:45 AM PDT By Ben Hirschler LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's fraud office has launched a formal criminal investigation into GlaxoSmithKline , posing a new challenge to the drugmaker, which already faces claims of bribery in China and four other countries. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said late on Tuesday that its director had "opened a criminal investigation into the commercial practices of GlaxoSmithKline and its subsidiaries", confirming an earlier brief statement from the company. "GSK is committed to operating its business to the highest ethical standards and will continue to cooperate fully with the SFO," the company said. Neither the SFO nor GSK gave any further details about the case, and a company spokesman declined to elaborate.

Iraq attacks kill 14 as 2014 toll tops 4,000 Posted: 28 May 2014 06:43 AM PDT Attacks across Iraq killed 14 people on Wednesday, the latest in a months-long surge in violence that has left more than 4,000 people dead this year. The shootings and bombings struck in Baghdad and restive parts of the north and west, leaving dozens more wounded, security and medical officials said. The protracted spike in bloodletting has fuelled fears that Iraq is slipping back into the all-out conflict that plagued it in 2006 and 2007, when a brutal sectarian war left tens of thousands dead. Shelling in the militant-held city of Fallujah, a short drive west of Baghdad, killed three more people, a day after New York-based Human Rights Watch criticised the Iraqi government for possibly violating the laws of war by shelling the city's main hospital.

President Obama Says His Foreign Policy Critics Are 'Misreading History' Posted: 28 May 2014 06:34 AM PDT Update: In his commencement address to West Point's graduates, President Obama addressed criticism of his foreign policy agenda, stating that those "who suggest that America is in decline, or has seen its global leadership slip away – are either misreading history or engaged in partisan politics." America, the President said, is and will be "the one indispensable nation" in the world." He then laid out his foreign policy vision for the rest of his term.

Boko Haram too extreme for 'al Qaeda in West Africa' brand Posted: 28 May 2014 06:32 AM PDT By Tim Cocks ABUJA (Reuters) - When Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan branded Boko Haram "al Qaeda in West Africa", it was sure to turn up the alarm among Western policy-makers, if its kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls was not enough. Yet while Jonathan's remarks, made at a meeting of regional leaders in Paris this month, hold some truth, analysts say Boko Haram is overall not an al Qaeda affiliate in West Africa - nor is it likely to become one. Boko Haram's own aims remain thoroughly local and its behaviour, especially killing Muslim civilians and kidnapping girls, runs against the al Qaeda leadership's current thinking.

Iraq: Attacks kill at least 10 people in capital Posted: 28 May 2014 06:31 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi officials say separate attacks in the capital have killed at least 10 people.

Syria chemical weapons inspectors shelter in Damascus after surviving ambush Posted: 28 May 2014 05:52 AM PDT An international team investigating reports of chlorine attacks in Syria is in Damascus after surviving an ambush in rebel-held territory on Tuesday. Both the Syrian regime and rebel groups blamed each other for the attack, underscoring their bitter enmity and the difficulty of conducting international missions in Syria. The incident occurred less than a week before Syria's June 3 presidential election.   The inspectors from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons were on a fact-finding mission to rebel-controlled Kafr Zita, where opposition groups accuse the regime of using chlorine gas against rebels and locals.

Origins of Inebriation Revealed Posted: 28 May 2014 05:37 AM PDT Many Eurasian cultures are known to have an ancient history with psychoactive substances, as evidenced by early written documents. "It is generally thought that mind-altering substances, or at least drugs, are a modern-day issue, but if we look at the archaeological record of prehistoric Europe, there are many data supporting their consumption," said study author Elisa Guerra-Doce, a prehistory expert at the University of Valladolid in Spain. "Apart from the presence of macrofossil remains of plants with these [mind-altering] properties, there are artistic depictions of opium poppies, for instance, and some designs in megalithic tombs may have been inspired by altered states of consciousness." [Trippy Tales: The History of 8 Hallucinogens] Despite numerous indications, archaeologists have largely overlooked the use of mind-altering substances in Eurasian prehistory.

Obama seeks to recast postwar foreign policy Posted: 28 May 2014 05:07 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — As the nation emerges from more than a decade of war, President Barack Obama is seeking to recast U.S. foreign policy as an endeavor aimed at building international consensus and avoiding unilateral overreach.

Obama Bets It All on These Commandos Posted: 28 May 2014 02:45 AM PDT The Daily Beast gets an exclusive look at the Afghan special operations forces that are key to President Obama's Afghan counterterrorism strategy.

French riot police evacuate Calais immigrant camps Posted: 28 May 2014 01:33 AM PDT French riot police started evacuating three campsites housing hundreds of immigrants in the northern port town of Calais on Wednesday, days after the anti-immigrant National Front party hammered the ruling Socialists in a European election. Calais has for years attracted floods of immigrants who flee poverty or conflict in countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq, many of them hoping to cross the narrow sea channel to Britain by ferry or the sub-sea train tunnel. "I'll move my tent somewhere else ... but I am staying put (in Calais). I did not come here just to give up now." Many of the estimated 600-800 immigrants living in the three camps had moved out before the well-publicized evacuation ordered by Denis Robin, prefect for the Pas-de-Calais region.

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