Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Iraq hospital bombing kills 14
• Ex-Marine convicted in NY in Iraq shooting case
• Fallout from Snowden affair still rocks US one year on
• Obama's counterterrorism doctrine: Let locals lead the fight
• Ex-Marine convicted of lying about Iraq accidental shooting
• U.N. aid chief to re-elected Assad: Put Syria's people first
• Bombings strike busy areas in Iraq, killing 25
• Syria's election shows depth of support for Assad
• Voters Go Hog Wild for Joni Ernst in Iowa
• Return to Kuwait sought for Guantanamo prisoner
• What Obama's former Syria ambassador really thinks of US policy
• Kerry says Lebanon needs president to meet security challenge
• Venice mayor under house arrest in flood barrier graft case
• Bowe Bergdahl video: Why did Taliban release it now?
• Jewish Museum attack suspect wants French trial
• Iraq, Iran Top World's Unhappiest Countries List
• Joni Ernst, one-time hog castrator, is GOP's newest darling
• Germany launches drive to make military attractive
• Car bombs strike Iraq's Kirkuk as attacks kill 17
• Bob Woodward Joins Former Speaker Dennis Hastert For U.S. Association Of Former Members Of Congress/National Archives Free Lecture Series
• Venice mayor arrested in corruption scandal
• Double car bombing kills 8 people in Iraq's Kirkuk
• Correction: Captured Soldier story
• California voters support plan to spend $600 million for homeless veterans
• Suicide attack kills 8 people in western Iraq
• Turkish security forces, Kurds clash in southeast as protests widen
• The real NSA scandal is overseas
• Germany charges 3 over Syria radical group
• Analysis: GOP Senate picks delight party leaders
• Iran at crossroads 25 years after Khomeini
• Ernst wins Iowa Republican primary for US Senate
• Iraq attacks kill 20
• Lockheed to deliver first of 36 F-16s to Iraq this week

Iraq hospital bombing kills 14 Posted: 04 Jun 2014 04:39 PM PDT A car bomb exploded near a hospital in the southern Iraqi city of Hilla late on Wednesday, killing at least 14 people, police and medical sources said. No-one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Shi'ites are often a target for Sunni Islamist insurgents who have been regaining ground and momentum in Iraq over the past year. The blast occurred around 20 meters from the main gate of Hilla General Hospital, outside a busy coffee shop where patients' relatives often sit to rest and buy food and drinks in the predominantly Shi'ite Muslim city. "I was on my way to buy some juice for my sick uncle who was in the hospital when I saw a big fireball," said eyewitness Ahmed Shirba.

Ex-Marine convicted in NY in Iraq shooting case Posted: 04 Jun 2014 04:30 PM PDT NEW YORK (AP) — A former Marine corporal has been convicted in a federal case in New York of making false statements about the accidental shooting of a fellow U.S. serviceman.

Fallout from Snowden affair still rocks US one year on Posted: 04 Jun 2014 03:48 PM PDT A year after Edward Snowden revealed the vast scope of the US data dragnet, America is still reeling from the fallout, which damaged ties abroad and triggered fears of "Big Brother" government. In the latest twist since Snowden handed over thousands of US intelligence secrets last June, Germany has launched a criminal probe into snooping on Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone. The timing is embarrassing, just as US President Barack Obama is in Europe for Friday's events marking the 70th anniversary of D-Day, also being attended by Merkel. Former intelligence contractor Snowden, 30, remains on the run from US espionage charges, having been given temporary political asylum in Russia.

Obama's counterterrorism doctrine: Let locals lead the fight Posted: 04 Jun 2014 03:30 PM PDT By David Rohde NEW YORK (Reuters) - (This May31 story corrects spelling of byline to Rohde, not Rhode) In a foreign policy address this week, U.S. President Barack Obama gave his clearest outline yet of his counterterrorism strategy. Al Qaeda splinter groups remain the largest threat to the United States, he said, but Washington must respond to it in a new way: by training local security forces, not deploying American ground troops.    "We have to develop a strategy that matches this diffuse threat - one that expands our reach without sending forces that stretch our military too thin, or stir up local resentments," Obama said. "We need partners to fight terrorists alongside us." But critics say America's past efforts to train local security forces have had mixed results. Washington has a poor track record of applying the long-term resources, funding and attention needed to carry out such efforts successfully. And in Afghanistan, the United States failed to mount a major training effort until nine years after the fall of the Taliban.

Ex-Marine convicted of lying about Iraq accidental shooting Posted: 04 Jun 2014 02:53 PM PDT By Joseph Ax NEW YORK (Reuters) - A former Marine corporal was convicted on Wednesday of lying to military investigators about an accidental 2008 shooting in Iraq that partially blinded a Navy corpsman. A federal jury in New York rendered a split verdict, finding Wilfredo Santiago guilty of one count of making false statements but acquitting him of a second. The unusual case wound its way from a U.S. base in Iraq to a civilian courtroom in Manhattan more than six years after the shooting, following a series of bureaucratic delays within the military that drew scathing criticism from the trial judge, Colleen McMahon. Prosecutors in New York secured an indictment in 2013, just 10 days before the five-year statute of limitations was set to expire and years after Santiago left the Marines.

U.N. aid chief to re-elected Assad: Put Syria's people first Posted: 04 Jun 2014 02:11 PM PDT By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations' aid chief appealed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday to put his country's people first after the warring parties in the three-year conflict ignored U.N. Security Council demands for greater humanitarian access. About 9.3 million people in Syria need help, and 2.5 million have fled, according to the United Nations. Aid chief Valerie Amos told a news conference that some 241,000 people were still trapped in areas besieged mostly by government forces. As Assad's re-election for a third term with almost 89 percent of the vote was announced on Wednesday, Amos said: "If I were able to speak to him right now, I would say 'Put the people of Syria first.'" "If you put the people of Syria first, then I think the rest falls from that in terms of our ability to make sure people are properly fed, that they have enough water, that they have proper sanitation, that they have healthcare," Amos said.

Bombings strike busy areas in Iraq, killing 25 Posted: 04 Jun 2014 12:50 PM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Bombings tore through busy areas in the Iraqi capital and cities to the north and south on Wednesday, killing at least 25 people, officials said.

Syria's election shows depth of support for Assad Posted: 04 Jun 2014 12:35 PM PDT DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — For all the serious flaws in Syria's election, it underscored the considerable support that President Bashar Assad still enjoys from the population, including many in the majority Sunni Muslim community.

Voters Go Hog Wild for Joni Ernst in Iowa Posted: 04 Jun 2014 11:38 AM PDT In contrast to the political chaos in Mississippi, the Iowa GOP contest was a model of political decorum. Iowa Republicans chose a consensus candidate acceptable to both establishment and Tea Party Republicans ...

Return to Kuwait sought for Guantanamo prisoner Posted: 04 Jun 2014 11:27 AM PDT MIAMI (AP) — A lawyer for one of the last two prisoners from Kuwait held at Guantanamo Bay told a government review panel Wednesday that his client will be closely monitored if returned to his homeland.

What Obama's former Syria ambassador really thinks of US policy Posted: 04 Jun 2014 10:52 AM PDT US Secretary of State John Kerry is in Lebanon today, where he announced a $290 billion aid package for the millions of refugees generated by the civil war in Syria. Mr. Kerry told reports in Beirut that a "human catastrophe is unfolding before our eyes" in Syria and its neighbors, which have been flooded with refugees, and blamed Iran, Lebanon's Hezbollah, and Russia for prolonging the war. Just a day before Kerry's trip, Ambassador Ford broke the silence he has maintained since his resignation earlier this year, going on a media blitz to criticize the US government's response to the war. Last night, in an interview with PBS Newshour, he was asked what the greatest Obama administration mistake in Syria has been.

Kerry says Lebanon needs president to meet security challenge Posted: 04 Jun 2014 09:56 AM PDT By Lesley Wroughton and Alexander Dziadosz BEIRUT (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged Lebanon's politicians on Wednesday to overcome their "deeply troubling" stalemate and elect a new president to help respond to the damaging fallout of civil war in neighbouring Syria. Kerry, on a brief visit to Beirut, also announced more aid to help Lebanon and other countries in the region struggling to cope with millions of Syrian refugees. "Lebanon's security for years has been of paramount concern to the United States, and that is why I have to say that the current political stalemate here in Lebanon is deeply troubling," he said after meeting Prime Minister Tammam Salam. Lebanon has been without a president since May 25, when Michel Suleiman's six-year term expired.

Venice mayor under house arrest in flood barrier graft case Posted: 04 Jun 2014 09:44 AM PDT By Sara Rossi MILAN (Reuters) - Italian authorities put the mayor of Venice under house arrest on Wednesday and issued warrants for more than 30 people for suspected corruption over a 5-billion-euro ($6.8-billion) flood barrier project, the latest scandal to engulf Italian politics. The Moses project, designed to save the famed canal city from sinking into the lagoon it is built on, was first mooted back in 1966 but construction did not start until 2004, due to wrangling over its design, funding and environmental impact. In a statement, Venice prosecutors said they had issued 25 jail warrants and 10 for house arrest - on allegations of corruption, illicit party financing and tax fraud. Police sources said Venice's center-left mayor, Giorgio Orsoni, was among those placed under house arrest.

Bowe Bergdahl video: Why did Taliban release it now? Posted: 04 Jun 2014 08:59 AM PDT The Taliban has released a video showing the handover of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl to US Special Forces in eastern Afghanistan. The 17-minute tape is a narrative of the entire event, starting with the freshly shaven Sergeant Bergdahl waiting inside a silver and red quarter-ton pickup and ending with US troops hustling him inside a waiting Blackhawk helicopter to safety. If there's a theme the Taliban fighters wish to convey, it may be summarized by the words which come on screen after the handover is complete: "Don't come back to Afghanistan." The first word is misspelled as "Don," but the idea comes across anyway. At one point, the Taliban say the same thing to Bergdahl, with evident amusement.

Jewish Museum attack suspect wants French trial Posted: 04 Jun 2014 08:57 AM PDT PARIS (AP) — The lawyer of the French suspect in the Jewish Museum killings in Brussels said Wednesday there is no proof his client is the shooter and argued he should be tried in France and not in Belgium.

Iraq, Iran Top World's Unhappiest Countries List Posted: 04 Jun 2014 07:48 AM PDT Do you live in one of the world's unhappiest places? A new study released this week by Gallup cited Iran as the country with the highest negative emotions — a close second behind Iraq. Just last month, six Iranians were arrested in the country for...

Joni Ernst, one-time hog castrator, is GOP's newest darling Posted: 04 Jun 2014 07:04 AM PDT The one-time farm girl, who grew up castrating hogs, won a resounding victory in Iowa's GOP Senate primary Tuesday. In a party eager to develop female talent, state Senator Ernst is a dream come true.

Germany launches drive to make military attractive Posted: 04 Jun 2014 07:02 AM PDT Germany's defense minister plans to equip the country's newly all-volunteer military with better childcare, more attractive barracks and Internet access — giving it a face-lift as it competes with business ...

Car bombs strike Iraq's Kirkuk as attacks kill 17 Posted: 04 Jun 2014 07:00 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Back-to-back car bombs rocked the ethnically mixed northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Wednesday, in the deadliest of a string of attacks across the country that left 17 people dead.

Bob Woodward Joins Former Speaker Dennis Hastert For U.S. Association Of Former Members Of Congress/National Archives Free Lecture Series Posted: 04 Jun 2014 07:00 AM PDT WASHINGTON, June 4, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Veteran Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward, former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, and former Members of Congress Chris Shays and John Tanner, will take part in a free panel discussion at the National Archives that examines Congress' role in managing international conflicts. The panel will be moderated by Mike McCurry.

Venice mayor arrested in corruption scandal Posted: 04 Jun 2014 06:58 AM PDT Venice's mayor and more than 30 other people were arrested Wednesday in a sweeping corruption scandal in which politicians are accused of financing election campaigns with some 25 million euros ($34 million) ...

Double car bombing kills 8 people in Iraq's Kirkuk Posted: 04 Jun 2014 06:24 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — A provincial police officer says a double car bombing in northern Iraq has killed at least eight people.

Correction: Captured Soldier story Posted: 04 Jun 2014 05:15 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — In a story June 3 about the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, The Associated Press reported erroneously that John McHugh was the Army chief of staff and a general. McHugh is the civilian secretary of the Army.

California voters support plan to spend $600 million for homeless veterans Posted: 04 Jun 2014 04:04 AM PDT By Jennifer Chaussee BERKELEY Calif. (Reuters) - California residents have voted for a plan to spend $600 million to build houses for homeless veterans in the state with the highest number of ex-servicemen without a roof in the United States. Under the plan backed by voters in a primary election on Tuesday, the state will sell bonds to build apartments and temporary shelters for qualifying veterans or those recovering from physical injuries or mental health issues. California has about 25 percent or 19,000 homeless veterans, according to the Coalition for Veterans Housing support group. With the winding down of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, many of those returning need housing, employment, and mental health and drug treatment.

Suicide attack kills 8 people in western Iraq Posted: 04 Jun 2014 04:00 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — A suicide bomber targeted a group of pro-government, anti-militant Sunni militiamen west of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, killing eight people and wounding 14, officials said Wednesday.

Turkish security forces, Kurds clash in southeast as protests widen Posted: 04 Jun 2014 03:15 AM PDT By Seyhmus Cakan DIYARBAKIR Turkey (Reuters) - Turkish security forces fired tear gas and water cannon in dawn operations on Wednesday against Kurdish demonstrators blocking highways in southeast Turkey, in an effort to end protests which have spread across the region over the last 12 days. The unrest presents a challenge for Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who hopes to win Kurdish support for his expected bid for Turkey's presidency in an August election. The protests also highlight the fragility of peace talks launched by Erdogan in 2012 with jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan that aim to end a 30-year-old insurgency which has killed an estimated 40,000 people. In the Lice district of Diyarbakir province, dozens of protesters hurled petrol bombs, fireworks and stones in response to the gendarmerie police intervention, security sources said.

The real NSA scandal is overseas Posted: 04 Jun 2014 03:12 AM PDT Last week Edward Snowden popped up from his exile in Moscow for an exclusive interview with NBC News anchor Brian Williams. Like much of the public narrative that has emerged since Snowden absconded with reams of classified documents from the National Security Agency, the interview further muddied the waters about what his historic leaks have revealed.

Germany charges 3 over Syria radical group Posted: 04 Jun 2014 02:51 AM PDT BERLIN (AP) — German prosecutors have filed terrorism charges against a Lebanese man accused of belonging to a hard-line Islamic group in Syria, and two suspected accomplices.

Analysis: GOP Senate picks delight party leaders Posted: 04 Jun 2014 12:43 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican Party continues its disciplined march toward an impressive lineup of candidates this fall, when it hopes to wrest the Senate majority from Democrats and control both chambers of Congress during President Barack Obama's final two years.

Iran at crossroads 25 years after Khomeini Posted: 03 Jun 2014 08:34 PM PDT A quarter of a century after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's death, Iran remains at a crossroads in navigating its way out of economic and diplomatic troubles, against a backdrop of political infighting. Wednesday marks 25 years of the Islamic republic without its founder, the charismatic spiritual and political leader who remains ever-present on bank notes, portraits in public offices and countless posters. Khomeini is held in awe by the revolutionaries for toppling a US-backed dynasty, with the stated mission of ridding Iran of what he deemed Western decadence and poisonous corruption in government. Dina Esfandiary, an Iran expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, believes Tehran's regional influence has taken a beating, with support for its traditional ally Syria, which is engulfed in a civil war, proving exhausting.

Ernst wins Iowa Republican primary for US Senate Posted: 03 Jun 2014 07:53 PM PDT DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Joni Ernst, an Iowa state legislator whose ads about guns and hog castration helped her shore up support among conservatives, won the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate Tuesday to set up a fall matchup that Republicans are eyeing as a prime opportunity to pick up a seat.

Iraq attacks kill 20 Posted: 03 Jun 2014 05:42 PM PDT A wave of attacks across Iraq, including twin car bombs in an ethnically mixed tinderbox city, killed 20 people Wednesday as a year-long surge of violence showed no signs of let-up. Nearly 50 people were also wounded in the violence, which struck in and around Baghdad, as well as in Salaheddin and Kirkuk provinces to its north, all areas afflicted by near-daily bloodshed. In the deadliest attack, two vehicles rigged with explosives went off in the centre of Kirkuk, killing eight people and leaving nine wounded, said provincial health chief Sabah Mohammed. Kirkuk, an oil-rich ethnically diverse city, lies at the centre of a swathe of territory that Iraqi Kurdistan wants to incorporate into its three-province autonomous region over the objections of the central government in Baghdad.

Lockheed to deliver first of 36 F-16s to Iraq this week Posted: 03 Jun 2014 04:54 PM PDT By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp this week will deliver the first of 36 F-16 fighter jets to Iraq, marking what Baghdad's envoy to the United States called a "new chapter" in his country's ability to defend its vast borders with Iran and other neighbors. Iraqi Ambassador Lukman Faily will travel to Lockheed's Fort Worth, Texas, plant on Thursday for a ceremony at which Lockheed and the U.S. government will formally deliver the first F-16 to Iraq. A group of three or four new jets will be ferried to Iraq before the end of the year. "Iraq is a large country with over 3,600 km of borders, and we need to protect them," Faily told Reuters in a telephone interview.

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