Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Obama accepts veterans affairs chief resignation with 'regret'
• US Veterans Affairs secretary resigns amid scandal
• Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows
• Obama taps Army Ranger as interim head of troubled veterans agency
• Palestinian team qualifies for Asian Cup
• Tiananmen leader: US didn't care about crackdown
• Eric Shinseki is out: 3 big ideas for his successor to fix the VA
• Shinseki resigns amid vets' health care problems
• Shinseki had support of many vet groups until end
• Palestine qualify for their first Asian Cup
• Thousands flee Syrian cities ahead of election
• Behind Syrian regime, a familiar US adversary: Iran
• Is Iran’s Missing General in America?
• Tanker with piped Iraqi Kurdish oil U-turns away from U.S.
• Shinseki resigns amid veterans' health care issues
• Veterans Affairs chief Eric Shinseki quits. Will that solve VA's problems?
• ‘No Drama’ Obama Finally Takes Charge
• Iraqi Kurds' oil sale widens split with Baghdad
• Jihadists kidnap nearly 200 Kurds in Syria: NGO
• Shinseki resigns amid veterans' health care uproar
• Obama plans 'serious conversation' with Shinseki
• Five Best Friday Columns
• Can the NSA Remotely Turn On Mobile Phones?
• POGO Blows the Lid Off Veterans Affairs Scandal
• Inside the Cult of CrossFit
• Libertarianism 3.0: Koch And A Smile
• Q&A: How do US veterans get health care?
• Al Qaeda renegade group kills 15 Kurds in northern Syria
• Is Obama Blundering Into a Syrian Quagmire?
• Britain's Iraq inquiry to see parts of Blair-Bush letters
• New threats will not distract U.S. from Asia, Hagel says
• Legacy at risk, Obama struggles to redefine foreign policy
• China Hacking Is Deep and Diverse, Experts Say

Obama accepts veterans affairs chief resignation with 'regret' Posted: 30 May 2014 03:25 PM PDT By David Lawder and Mark Felsenthal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned on Friday after a political firestorm over widespread delays in veterans' medical care, leaving President Barack Obama with a freer hand to address systemic problems bedeviling the agency. Obama announced that he accepted Shinseki's resignation "with considerable regret," after the two met on Friday to review initial findings of an internal audit of scheduling abuses at VA facilities across the country. The audit found that patient appointment wait times had been misrepresented at least once at over 60 percent of the 216 VA sites surveyed. It also said, with growing demand for services, a 14-day goal for medical appointments instituted under Shinseki was "simply not attainable" for the VA and should be scrapped.

US Veterans Affairs secretary resigns amid scandal Posted: 30 May 2014 03:07 PM PDT President Barack Obama's under-fire Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned Friday, paying the price for an expanding scandal over failures in health care for America's retired warriors. "Secretary Shinseki offered his resignation. The president said that an initial review by Shinseki, 71, had found that delays and other management failures in veterans' health care were not confined to one facility in Arizona, but were systemic and nationwide.

Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows Posted: 30 May 2014 02:30 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Guest lineups for the Sunday TV news shows:

Obama taps Army Ranger as interim head of troubled veterans agency Posted: 30 May 2014 01:35 PM PDT By Mark Felsenthal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In naming Sloan Gibson as acting secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, President Barack Obama turned to a staunch defender of the agency who has a background in both the military and in the corporate world. Gibson, the son of a World War II Army Air Corps tail gunner and grandson of a World War I veteran, went to West Point before joining the elite Army Rangers. He joined the VA only three months ago as deputy secretary. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony in April for a VA trauma center in Tampa, Florida, Gibson praised the "cutting-edge medical care" at the center and touted the dedication of VA employees.

Palestinian team qualifies for Asian Cup Posted: 30 May 2014 01:32 PM PDT MALE, Maldives (AP) — Ashraf Al Fawaghra scored with a brilliant free kick to give the Palestinian team a 1-0 victory over Philippines in the final of the AFC Challenge Cup on Friday and its first ever place in next year's Asian Cup.

Tiananmen leader: US didn't care about crackdown Posted: 30 May 2014 01:23 PM PDT An exiled leader of the Tiananmen Square protests deplored Friday the US stance 25 years ago, saying the ambassador confided to her that Washington didn't "care" about the crackdown. Chai Ling, who was commander-in-chief of the students agitating for democracy in Beijing, said that she had hoped the United States would intervene as Chinese troops crushed the uprising on the night of June 3-4, 1989. "We stood at Tiananmen Square until 6:00 am in the morning. We were hoping Americans would come to help us, and America never came," Chai told a congressional hearing ahead of the 25th anniversary of the uprising.

Eric Shinseki is out: 3 big ideas for his successor to fix the VA Posted: 30 May 2014 01:17 PM PDT President Obama accepted the resignation of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) chief Eric Shinseki Friday, after a follow-up Inspector General report found that misconduct involving creating "secret" waiting lists grossly delaying veterans' care is not limited "to a few VA facilities," Mr. Obama said, "but many across the country." These are charges that remain under investigation, but have already resulted in the elimination of any performance bonuses for senior VA officials this year. The president said he made the move "with considerable regret." Shinseki himself is a veteran, a former four-star general "who left part of himself on the battlefield." Shinseki rocketed to US notice in the early days of the Iraq war, when he warned that winning would require more troops than then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had claimed. A majority of Americans may be pleased with Shinseki's departure. Preliminary results from a Christian Science Monitor/TIPP poll, started Tuesday, indicated that 54 percent of respondents who were following the story said the VA chief should resign.

Shinseki resigns amid vets' health care problems Posted: 30 May 2014 01:15 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Beset by growing evidence of patient delays and cover-ups, embattled Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned from President Barack Obama's Cabinet Friday, taking the blame for what he decried as a "lack of integrity" in the sprawling health care system for the nation's military veterans.

Shinseki had support of many vet groups until end Posted: 30 May 2014 01:04 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — He's one of them — a disabled veteran who lost part of his right foot to a mine in Vietnam, a soldier who riled his superiors in the Bush years by telling Congress the U.S. needed more troops in Iraq than the administration wanted.

Palestine qualify for their first Asian Cup Posted: 30 May 2014 12:20 PM PDT Malé (Maldives) (AFP) - Palestine qualified for their maiden Asian Cup appearance with a 1-0 win over injury-hit Philippines in the final of the AFC Challenge Cup in Maldives on Friday. Ashraf Alfawaghra scored the winner with a free kick in the 59th minute to help Palestine, ranked 34th in Asia, enjoy a memorable night at the National stadium in Male. Palestine, who ended the eight-nation tournament without conceding a goal in five matches, booked a place in the Asian Cup to be held in Australia next January.

Thousands flee Syrian cities ahead of election Posted: 30 May 2014 11:42 AM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — Thousands of people have fled government-held Syrian cities after opposition fighters warned they will attack during next week's presidential election to disrupt the vote, opposition activists said Friday.

Behind Syrian regime, a familiar US adversary: Iran Posted: 30 May 2014 11:06 AM PDT Abdollah Eskandari was, by one count, the 60th Iranian officer to die as a "martyr" in Syria. Together with its Lebanese Shiite proxy Hezbollah, Iran has provided military and economic support that has enabled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to turn the tide in a three-year civil war.  For Iran those results boost its two-track strategy of pushing for a negotiated solution in Syria, while doing what it can to ensure the survival of the regime. But the cost for Iran has been high, in blood and treasure, as well as in tarnished reputation – certainly among Sunnis in the Middle East – for engaging in a Shiite-vs-Sunni sectarian war in which its Syrian ally targets civilians with barrel bombs and chemical weapons.

Is Iran’s Missing General in America? Posted: 30 May 2014 10:50 AM PDT He was said to be a key player in the Beirut embassy bombing in 1983 and in the founding of Hezbollah—until he disappeared in 2007. Now a new book claims he's under CIA protection.

Tanker with piped Iraqi Kurdish oil U-turns away from U.S. Posted: 30 May 2014 10:40 AM PDT By Julia Payne LONDON (Reuters) - A crude oil tanker at the center of a dispute between Iraqi Kurdistan and Baghdad has reversed course from its route towards the United States, ship-tracking data showed on Friday, indicating that the shipper may not have a buyer. The United Leadership oil tanker has become a symbol of a wider conflict between Baghdad and Iraqi Kurdistan over oil sales from the autonomous northern enclave, as it contains the first crude to come out of the region's newly built pipeline into Turkey. Since loading at the Turkish port of Ceyhan last week, the United Leadership set course for the U.S. Gulf Coast, according to ship-tracking and market sources.

Shinseki resigns amid veterans' health care issues Posted: 30 May 2014 10:35 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki has resigned amid widespread troubles in the VA health care system.

Veterans Affairs chief Eric Shinseki quits. Will that solve VA's problems? Posted: 30 May 2014 10:31 AM PDT Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki resigned under pressure on Friday as it became apparent that mismanagement at VA health facilities was more serious and more widespread than officials had previously acknowledged. An interim report from the VA inspector general released on Wednesday concluded that hidden waiting lists and delays in obtaining care were common throughout the VA hospital system. Democrats had begun calling for Secretary Shinseki to go, and in the end the combined pressures proved too much for him to withstand.

‘No Drama’ Obama Finally Takes Charge Posted: 30 May 2014 10:13 AM PDT As usual, the president waited too long to act. Meanwhile, let's judge Eric Shinseki on his entire record of service, not just this.

Iraqi Kurds' oil sale widens split with Baghdad Posted: 30 May 2014 10:11 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — The split is growing between Iraq's central government and the Kurds after the autonomous Kurdish administration for the first time unilaterally sold oil from their region in the north, a symbolic show of economic independence from Baghdad that could build momentum for an outright break.

Jihadists kidnap nearly 200 Kurds in Syria: NGO Posted: 30 May 2014 09:34 AM PDT Beirut (AFP) - Syria's most extremist group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), have kidnapped nearly 200 Kurdish civilians from the Aleppo area, a monitor said on Friday.

Shinseki resigns amid veterans' health care uproar Posted: 30 May 2014 09:25 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki apologized in public and then resigned in the privacy of the White House on Friday, driven from office by a mushrooming scandal over the agency's health care system that serves millions of the nation's former warriors.

Obama plans 'serious conversation' with Shinseki Posted: 30 May 2014 08:15 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama said Friday he plans to have a "serious conversation" with Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki about whether he can stay in his job as the agency head apologized for the systemic problems plaguing the veterans' health care system.

Five Best Friday Columns Posted: 30 May 2014 07:33 AM PDT Daniel Ellsberg at the Guardian on why Edward Snowden won't get a fair trial. "John Kerry was in my mind Wednesday morning, and not because he had called me a patriot on NBC News. On the Today show and CBS, Kerry complimented me again – and said Edward Snowden 'should man up and come back to the United States' to face charges. But John Kerry is wrong, because that's not the measure of patriotism when it comes to whistleblowing, for me or Snowden, who is facing the same criminal charges I did for exposing the Pentagon Papers," Ellsberg writes. The doctrine laid out in President Barack Obama's commencement address Wednesday at the U.S. Military Academy sounded eerily familiar.

Can the NSA Remotely Turn On Mobile Phones? Posted: 30 May 2014 05:30 AM PDT Is it possible for the National Security Agency (NSA) to remotely power up a mobile phone and use it as a listening device? In an interview that aired last night (May 28), American NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden told NBC's Brian Williams that the agency can. "Can anyone turn it on remotely if it's off?" Williams asked Snowden, referring to the "burner" smartphone Williams used for travel to Russia.

POGO Blows the Lid Off Veterans Affairs Scandal Posted: 30 May 2014 03:00 AM PDT The Project on Government Oversight, an independent firm based in DC, which has been flagging government waste and fraud since 1980, teamed up with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) to develop a whistleblower website that provides agency employees and veterans with an encrypted platform independent of the VA to expose wrongdoings within the department. Instead of relying on government auditors alone to identify potential wrongdoing, the groups say providing people with a reporting tool to hold the VA accountable without having to go through federal channels, may be more effective. Adam Zagorin, a resident journalist who has been with POGO since 2009, spoke with The Fiscal Times about the watchdog's efforts. VAOversight.org launched two weeks ago, after news broke that a VA hospital in Phoenix, AZ, allegedly kept hidden wait lists that resulted in at least 40 potentially preventable deaths.

Inside the Cult of CrossFit Posted: 30 May 2014 02:45 AM PDT The punishing workout's fans are obsessive—and extremely vocal. What gives with this latest workout craze that some call dangerous and others call salvation?

Libertarianism 3.0: Koch And A Smile Posted: 30 May 2014 02:45 AM PDT The visionary brothers' new paradigm will frustrate the left and alter the right by fusing social tolerance with fiscal responsibility.

Q&A: How do US veterans get health care? Posted: 30 May 2014 01:59 AM PDT The Department of Veterans Affairs, which oversees pensions, education, health care and other benefits for veterans and their families, faces allegations about treatment delays and falsified records at its hospitals around the country.

Al Qaeda renegade group kills 15 Kurds in northern Syria Posted: 30 May 2014 01:03 AM PDT An al Qaeda renegade group killed 15 Kurdish people, seven of them children, in an attack on a village in northern Syria, a monitoring group and a photographer at the scene said on Friday. The attack by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which was disowned by al Qaeda's central command earlier this year, occurred during a six-month-old ISIL offensive against Syrian Kurds and various rebel groups that has weakened the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad and killed thousands. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and a freelance photographer said the attack took place on Thursday near the Kurdish town of Ras al-Ain after militants stormed a village. Ras al-Ain, 600 km (375 miles) from Damascus, is part of Syria's northeastern oil-producing province of Hasaka, home to many of the million-strong Syrian Kurdish minority.

Is Obama Blundering Into a Syrian Quagmire? Posted: 30 May 2014 12:00 AM PDT With his address at West Point, President Obama succeeded where all his previous efforts had failed. A glance shows that the New York Times and Washington Times, the Financial Times and Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal were all disappointed with it. What Obama has is less a foreign policy doctrine than a foreign policy disposition. He got us out of Iraq and is taking us out of Afghanistan.

Britain's Iraq inquiry to see parts of Blair-Bush letters Posted: 29 May 2014 10:42 PM PDT Britain's government agreed to give extracts of letters from Tony Blair to George W. Bush to an inquiry into the Iraq war, overcoming the main hurdle to publication of the long-awaited report. The probe will receive "gists and quotes" of communications from former prime minister Blair to ex-president Bush in the run-up to the conflict in 2003, inquiry chief John Chilcot said in an official letter. But Bush's replies will not be included in the report, which is examining Britain's involvement in the war, Chilcot said.

New threats will not distract U.S. from Asia, Hagel says Posted: 29 May 2014 07:34 PM PDT By David Brunnstrom ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT (Reuters) - The United States will not be deterred from plans to strengthen its military position in Asia by emerging threats elsewhere, the U.S. defense secretary said on Thursday as he prepared to meet allies in the region worried by an increasingly assertive China. President Barack Obama, in a keynote foreign policy speech on Wednesday, surprised and disappointed some in Asia when he made no specific reference to what has been a signature policy theme of his administration, the rebalancing of U.S. military, political and economic focus toward Asia. U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters en route for Singapore, where he will speak at a regional security forum before heading on to Afghanistan and Europe, that the U.S. commitment to Asia was as strong as ever. "What the president said yesterday and his explanation in addressing the emerging threats in all corners of the word will not inhibit, or shorten, or lessen our asset position here in the rebalancing to the Asia Pacific," he said when asked if resources earmarked for Asia after the winding down of the Iraq and Afghan wars might be rediverted to deal with the new threats Obama referred to.

Legacy at risk, Obama struggles to redefine foreign policy Posted: 29 May 2014 05:41 PM PDT By Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's second term was supposed to be a crowning opportunity to make his mark on the world stage, but instead he's leading an intense effort to redefine his foreign policy record – and the odds look stacked against him. An administration-wide public relations blitz, which Obama launched with a big foreign policy speech this week, has done little to quell critics who frequently pan his global approach as rudderless, as the White House lurches from crisis to crisis. While Obama has outlined a strategy that includes both a strong military and the diplomatic tools of alliances and sanctions to provide global leadership, it is unclear if he and his aides have the vision – let alone time - to change the perception of a presidency with eroding global influence. "And he faces a series of problems in which quick-and-easy American fixes are really not available." Topping the list is Ukraine, where Obama and other Western leaders were powerless to prevent Russia's seizure of Crimea.

China Hacking Is Deep and Diverse, Experts Say Posted: 29 May 2014 05:24 PM PDT China's Internet espionage capabilities are deeper and more widely dispersed than the U.S. indictment of five army officers last week suggests, former top government officials say, extending to a sprawling hacking-industrial complex that shields the Chinese government but also sometimes backfires on Beijing. Some of the most sophisticated intruders observed by U.S. officials and private-sector security firms work as hackers for hire and at makeshift defense contractors, not the government, and aren't among those named in the indictment. In recent years, engineers from this crowd have broken into servers at Google Inc., Lockheed Martin Corp. and top cybersecurity companies, former U.S. officials and security researchers alleged. This structure brings "a political gain to being able to say 'we can't control all attacks,' " said Adam Segal, a China and cybersecurity scholar at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.

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