War in Iraq

Iraqi MPs on Sunday approved a law to govern the country's general election in early 2010, paving the way to finalise a date for a vote seen as crucial ahead of a US military exit from the country. The law was passed after weeks of delays and following huge pressure from the United Nations, religious leaders and the United States, with intense lobbying at parliament on Sunday from American ambassador Christopher Hill. US President Barack Obama congratulated the MPs, saying the law is an important step towards ensuring a lasting peace. Key to approval were provisions governing the conduct of the vote -- slated ... Read Full Story

Iraq's fractious MPs on Sunday finally approved a law to govern the country's general election in early 2010, a move hailed by US President Barack Obama as an important step towards a lasting peace. The decision paves the way towards finalising a date for the second national vote since the American-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein from power in 2003, a poll seen as crucial to ensuring a complete US military exit in 2011. The law was passed after weeks of delays and following huge pressure from the United Nations, religious leaders and Washington. "This is an important milestone as the Iraqi people continue ... Read Full Story

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's parliament Sunday passed a long-delayed election law paving the way for a national vote in January after overcoming a potentially explosive row over the disputed city of Kirkuk, lawmakers said. The parliamentary election next year is a crucial test for the world's 11th largest crude oil producer as it emerges from sectarian carnage unleashed by the U.S. invasion in 2003 and starts to stand on its own feet while U.S. troops pull out. A delay in passing the law because of disagreements on how to conduct the ballot in Kirkuk had thrown the January 16 election date into doubt, and ... Read Full Story

LATIFIYA, Iraq (Reuters) - In what was once one of Iraq's deadliest areas, women who survived sectarian carnage and insurgency now fight a new battle to feed families whose menfolk have been killed, jailed or left jobless. Violence has abated in the past 18 months in the infamous "Triangle of Death" hotbed of insurgent activity near Baghdad, but years of daily attacks in rural towns like Latifiya have killed scores of men and left the rest in prison or unemployed. Men who once held well-paid jobs as officers or agents for former dictator Saddam Hussein now rue their fate over tea and waterpipes, leaving ... Read Full Story

DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has regained control of territory seized by Yemeni rebels in a cross-border incursion last week that prompted a military response from Riyadh, a top official was quoted as saying. "The situation is calm ... especially in Jabal Dukhan, of which full control has been regained," Prince Khaled bin Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz, assistant minister for defense and aviation, said on Saturday, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). Saudi Arabia on Thursday launched air strikes on rebels in northern Yemen after the Shi'ite insurgents crossed the border into the kingdom and said they had taken control of an area called ... Read Full Story