Iraq

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Iraqi War Zone Sees Big Spike in Birth Defects

Fallujah reports unusually high rate of abnormalities

(Newser) - Doctors in Fallujah are seeing an alarming rise in the number of birth defects and early life cancers. They have no definitive evidence, but suspicion has naturally fallen on toxic materials left behind after years of modern warfare, reports the Guardian. The rate of birth defects—including multiple tumors, nervous...

American Adviser to Kurds Outed as Oil Shareholder

Galbraith's policy push won him $100M

(Newser) - An influential American advocate for Iraqi Kurds, who helped successfully secure Kurdish control over new oil finds in northern Iraq in the country's constitution, stands to reap more than $100 million from the policy he shaped. Peter Galbraith, it turns out, received rights to an enormous oil stake in Kurdistan...

Blackwater OK'd $1M Bribe Fund After '07 Iraq Shooting

Money was destined for officials critical after 17 killed

(Newser) - Security firm Blackwater set aside $1 million for secret payments to critical Iraqi officials after the 2007 Baghdad shootout that left 17 civilians dead. With Blackwater fearing it could lose its lucrative operating license in the country, former executives tell the New York Times , then-president Gary Jackson authorized the bribe...

Iran Accuses American Hikers of Espionage

Opinion on 3 arrested in July 'in the not distant future:' prosecutor

(Newser) - The three American hikers detained by Iran in July have been accused of espionage, a senior Iranian prosecutor says. The three, who the US maintains were on a hiking vacation in Iraq when they accidentally strayed across the poorly-marked border, "have been accused" and the investigation is ongoing, he...

Muslims in US Military Suffer Conflicts, Criticism

Face distrust from military, flak from mosques

(Newser) - As the American Muslim community takes pains to distance itself from Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the Fort Hood shootings add misery to the already complicated lives of Muslims serving in the armed forces. Drawn to the military by patriotism, Muslim soldiers arrive in Afghanistan or Iraq to find themselves confronting...

Iraq Passes Election Law, Clears Way for US Pullout

Vote set for Jan. 21, US will begin withdrawal 60 days later

(Newser) - Iraq's parliament passed a long-delayed law yesterday paving the way for the planned January election to go forward, sidestepping a crisis that could have delayed the US troop withdrawal. The head of Iraq's electoral commission quickly proposed Jan. 21 for the election, five days after the earlier scheduled date. The...

Months of Clues Missed in Hasan Rampage

Shrink grew increasingly agitated, but superiors didn't act

(Newser) - Signs that the Fort Hood gunman could snap emerged not just days before his deadly rampage, but months earlier, say witnesses. Major Nidal Malik Hasan bought a gun soon after he arrived at the base last summer, and grew increasingly agitated and vocal over years about his opposition to the...

2 US Pilots Die in Iraq Chopper Crash

'Hard landing' north of Baghdad yesterday

(Newser) - A chopper's "hard landing" in Salahuddin province north of Baghdad took the lives of two US pilots yesterday, bringing the total count of Americans killed in Iraq since the war began in March 2003 to at least 4,361. The military released no further details about the crash, but...

Iraqis Swear by Pricey, Useless Bomb Detectors

US forces say handheld device is no better than a magic wand

(Newser) - Go through any checkpoint in Iraq, and someone will probably wave a small, hand-held device over your vehicle. Dubbed the ADE651, it’s supposed to detect bombs. But in reality it’s totally useless, US military and technical experts tell the New York Times, with one retired officer saying it...

McChrystal Lied About Tillman's Death: Krakauer

New book draws attention to general's role in cover-up

(Newser) - A new book is dredging up some uncomfortable history for Stanley McChrystal at an inconvenient time. Just as the general's credibility is on the line in Afghanistan, Jon Krakauer’s paints McChrystal as the central figure in the cover-up of Pat Tillman’s friendly fire death. McChrystal says he made...

Kurds Threaten to Block Iraqi Election

Dispute over Kirkuk holds up passage of new election law

(Newser) - A dispute over the oil-rich province of Kirkuk is threatening to delay the Iraqi elections scheduled for January and push Arab-Kurd tensions past the breaking point. Kurdish lawmakers in the Iraqi parliament have vowed to block a vote on a new election law unless authorities agree to use voter records...

Metallica Singer 'Proud' of Music's Role in Torture

Tunes represented something detainees didn't like: Hetfield

(Newser) - Metallica frontman James Hetfield is rather proud his band's music was played at top volume to break down the resistance of Guantanamo detainees under interrogation. "It’s strong, it’s music that’s powerful,” he told an interviewer from a German TV network. “It represents something that...

CIA Kept Prisoners Alive So It Could Torture More

Abuse 'sickening': human-rights lawyer

(Newser) - Detainees tortured to the brink of death were sometimes given medical treatment to keep them alive so CIA operatives could torture them further, a human-rights lawyer alleges. “The CIA engaged in some horrendous abuses, but they appear to have taken precautions to have actually prevented people from dying—which...

Latest SF Bridge Snafu Sparks Fear, Anger

Commuter inconvenience only most immediate after cable snaps

(Newser) - Today’s revelation that high winds caused a recent repair to come undone and shut down the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge for 24 hours—and counting—has area commuters worried not only for their safety but also about how well state officials are spending tax dollars in the ongoing construction...

Hate-Crime Law Marks Fork in Road for Obama
Hate-Crime Law Marks Fork in Road for Obama
ANALYSIS
Oct 28, 2009 8:00 PM CDT

Hate-Crime Law Marks Fork in Road for Obama

Are more equality measures on the way, or is this the token?

(Newser) - President Obama today signed a bill extending hate-crime protection to homosexuals, a victory for equality advocates after more than a decade of pushing for such a law. But, Chris Geidner wonders, will this open the floodgates for more action—eliminating Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, for instance—or will...

White House, Fox News Reach a 'Truce'

Analysts skeptical about how long it'll last

(Newser) - The White House and Fox News appear to have called a “truce” in their war of words after a meeting today between Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs and Fox exec Michael Clemente. Clemente then returned to the channel’s DC bureau and asked staff to remain “fair and...

Radical Muslim Cleric Killed in FBI Raid

6 others held after series of operations in Detroit area

(Newser) - The leader of a radical Islamic sect was killed by the FBI today in a shootout in a Detroit suburb, part of a series of raids against the group, said to be plotting “an offensive jihad” in order to establish a state governed by Sharia law. Luqman Ameen Abdullah,...

Sarko's $400K Shower Steams French
 Sarko's $400K 
 Shower Steams French 
CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION
Oct 28, 2009 2:58 PM CDT

Sarko's $400K Shower Steams French

French president's turn as EU chief cost double the usual amount

(Newser) - The French Senate is perhaps understandably miffed at the outrageous price tag of Nicolas Sarkozy’s 6-month stint as president of the European Union. The half-year job of hosting meetings and events appears to have cost $262 million, which is borne mostly by the host nation, an official tells the...

Meet Hollywood's New 'It Girl'

Carey Mulligan's role in An Education reminiscent of Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman

(Newser) - Thanks to her lauded role in An Education, Carey Mulligan is Hollywood's latest "It Girl," poised to join the ranks of Julia Roberts and Audrey Hepburn. "She has fragility, she has humor, she can be very moving, she's bright, and she's great to look at," says...

Verizon Unveils Droid Smartphone
 Verizon Unveils 
 Droid Smartphone 
bloggers' first look
Oct 28, 2009 12:44 PM CDT

Verizon Unveils Droid Smartphone

All looks promising, but some think OS is still no match for iPhone

(Newser) - Verizon's Droid smartphone—built by Motorola and powered by Google's Android—goes on sale Nov. 6 for $200. Some early opinions on the iPhone challenger:
  • The phone is "almost not worth writing about," notes Chris Dannen in Fast Company . It's "fine" but "doesn't advance" the Android
...

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