self.document.write('<div style="margin : 0px; width : auto; height : auto; border : solid 0px; overflow : hidden; font-size : 1em; font-family : \'Verdana\'; color : black; background : inherit;"> <div style="padding : 3px;" > <ul style="margin : 0px; padding-left : 0px;"> <li style="margin-bottom : 4px;list-style : none;"> <div style=""> <a href="http://feeds.chron.com/~r/houstonchronicle/nation/~3/gQfBZheWLGo/6730333.html" target="_blank" style="font-weight : bold; font-size : 1em; color : inherit;" >Senators\' Fort Hood panel warned of homegrown terror</a> </div> <div style="margin : 2px 0px; font-size : inherit ; color : inherit;"> The Fort Hood attack that killed 13 and wounded 43 is the latest evidence of homegrown terrorism by a handful of U.S.-born Muslims who are becoming radicalized and more aggressive as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan drag on, experts told a Senate committee Thursday. </div> <div style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;"> <a href="http://chron.com" target="_blank" style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;">chron.com</a> - 2009-11-20 07:52:57 GMT </div> </li> <li style="margin-bottom : 4px;list-style : none;"> <div style=""> <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2010307035_apmliraq.html?syndication=rss" target="_blank" style="font-weight : bold; font-size : 1em; color : inherit;" >Iraq sentences militia leader to death</a> </div> <div style="margin : 2px 0px; font-size : inherit ; color : inherit;"> An Iraqi court on Thursday sentenced the Sunni leader of a government-allied paramilitary group to death for murder and kidnapping in a case that highlighted tensions over the treatment of former insurgents who turned against al-Qaida. </div> <div style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;"> <a href="http://seattletimes.com" target="_blank" style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;">seattletimes.com</a> - 2009-11-19 20:34:31 GMT </div> </li> <li style="margin-bottom : 4px;list-style : none;"> <div style=""> <a href="http://www.journal-news.com/news/content/shared-gen/ap/National/US_Iraq_Contractor_Assault.html?cxtype=rss&amp;cxsvc=1&amp;cxcat=0" target="_blank" style="font-weight : bold; font-size : 1em; color : inherit;" >Woman awarded $3M in assault claim against KBR</a> </div> <div style="margin : 2px 0px; font-size : inherit ; color : inherit;"> HOUSTON - An arbitrator has awarded a woman nearly $3 million to settle her claims that she was raped in Iraq by a State Department employee in 2005 while working for a former Halliburton Co. subsidiary. </div> <div style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;"> <a href="http://journal-news.com" target="_blank" style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;">journal-news.com</a> - 2009-11-19 18:52:47 GMT </div> </li> <li style="margin-bottom : 4px;list-style : none;"> <div style=""> <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2010307035_apmliraq.html?syndication=rss" target="_blank" style="font-weight : bold; font-size : 1em; color : inherit;" >Iraq paramilitary leader gets death sentence</a> </div> <div style="margin : 2px 0px; font-size : inherit ; color : inherit;"> An Iraqi court has sentenced the leader of a government-allied paramilitary group to death for murder and kidnapping. </div> <div style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;"> <a href="http://seattletimes.com" target="_blank" style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;">seattletimes.com</a> - 2009-11-19 18:37:30 GMT </div> </li> <li style="margin-bottom : 4px;list-style : none;"> <div style=""> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/full_print_edition/~3/-xbhKoLpils/story01.htm" target="_blank" style="font-weight : bold; font-size : 1em; color : inherit;" >Iraq and its neighbours: A regional cockpit</a> </div> <div style="margin : 2px 0px; font-size : inherit ; color : inherit;"> <p>As Americans prepare to leave, Iraq’s biggest neighbours vie for influence <p>OF ALL the foreign officials an American general or ambassador would least want to be seen with, General Qassem Suleimani would—you may think—be high on the list. For he commands the Quds Force, an elite arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, and thus runs the dirty war that Iran has been conducting for decades against American interests in the Middle East. The White House has called him a terrorist. A UN Security Council resolution singles him out as a suitable target of sanctions. So why—if a report leaked to The Economist proves correct—would he recently have had a chat with General Raymond Odierno and Ambassador Christopher Hill, America’s two most senior officials in Baghdad? <p>The answer is that regional diplomacy requires Iran’s involvement if a stable Iraq is to have a chance of emerging after the election due in January. General Suleimani has great influence in Iraq through a web of politicians and insurgents. It was he who brokered a peace deal last year after Iraq’s security forces fought against the Mahdi Army militia loyal to a Shia cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, who has spent most of the past two years in Iran. With American combat troops due to leave Iraq next year, American officials reluctantly, it seems, turned to General Suleimani. General Odierno and Mr Hill, who deny the event, are said to have met him in the office of Iraq’s president, Jalal Talabani, who has known the Quds Force commander for decades. “It’s a complicated world,” says an American official. ... </div> <div style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;"> <a href="http://economist.com" target="_blank" style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;">economist.com</a> - 2009-11-19 17:46:20 GMT </div> </li> <li style="margin-bottom : 4px;list-style : none;"> <div style=""> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/economist/full_print_edition/~3/46-a8ww0g3E/story01.htm" target="_blank" style="font-weight : bold; font-size : 1em; color : inherit;" >Lexington: Sarah Palin reloads</a> </div> <div style="margin : 2px 0px; font-size : inherit ; color : inherit;"> <p>She\'s back, and this time she\'s selling books <p> ONE day in January last year, Sarah Palin was watching her son graduate from boot camp. As she gazed at the ranks of “tall and strong and serious” young men marching in perfect unison, all of them “ready to sacrifice all in a fight for freedom”, she recalled something Senator John Kerry once told students in California. If you study hard, he said, “you can do well. And if you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.” “What a loon,” thought Governor Palin. “What an elitist loon.” <p>This vignette captures rather well the secret of Mrs Palin’s appeal. John Kerry, of course, was a war hero, but these days he is the kind of senator who really annoys Mrs Palin’s fans. She, like most military mothers, thinks her son went to Iraq because he is brave and honourable. Mr Kerry implies that he went because he was too lazy or stupid to do anything else. Many Americans find this attitude condescending. These coastal liberals, some heartlanders grumble, think we all are brainless hicks—even the soldiers who defend them. ... </div> <div style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;"> <a href="http://economist.com" target="_blank" style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;">economist.com</a> - 2009-11-19 17:46:20 GMT </div> </li> <li style="margin-bottom : 4px;list-style : none;"> <div style=""> <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2010307035_apmliraq.html?syndication=rss" target="_blank" style="font-weight : bold; font-size : 1em; color : inherit;" >Iraq struggles over election law dispute</a> </div> <div style="margin : 2px 0px; font-size : inherit ; color : inherit;"> Iraqi lawmakers will vote Saturday on how to break a deadlock over a key election law after a vice president vetoed the legislation, causing a crisis that could delay a national vote scheduled for January and affect the timetable for an American troop withdrawal. </div> <div style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;"> <a href="http://seattletimes.com" target="_blank" style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;">seattletimes.com</a> - 2009-11-19 16:33:52 GMT </div> </li> <li style="margin-bottom : 4px;list-style : none;"> <div style=""> <a href="http://www.detnews.com/article/20091119/NATION/911190389/1020/rss09" target="_blank" style="font-weight : bold; font-size : 1em; color : inherit;" >Veto threatens Jan. vote in Iraq</a> </div> <div style="margin : 2px 0px; font-size : inherit ; color : inherit;"> <p> Baghdad -- Iraq\'s path toward political stability after years of war threatened to veer off course Wednesday when a vice president vetoed part of a key election law, a move likely to delay a national vote slated for January. </div> <div style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;"> <a href="http://detnews.com" target="_blank" style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;">detnews.com</a> - 2009-11-19 06:43:25 GMT </div> </li> <li style="margin-bottom : 4px;list-style : none;"> <div style=""> <a href="http://newsblaze.com/story/20091118113656zzzz.nb/topstory.html" target="_blank" style="font-weight : bold; font-size : 1em; color : inherit;" >Brokedown Cadillac to Visit Troops in Iraq Thanksgiving Week</a> </div> <div style="margin : 2px 0px; font-size : inherit ; color : inherit;"> Nashville-based country group BROKEDOWN CADILLAC have confirmed plans to perform for the troops during a Thanksgiving week tour of military bases in Iraq. </div> <div style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;"> <a href="http://newsblaze.com" target="_blank" style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;">newsblaze.com</a> - 2009-11-18 19:54:12 GMT </div> </li> <li style="margin-bottom : 4px;list-style : none;"> <div style=""> <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120536159&amp;ft=1&amp;f=1001" target="_blank" style="font-weight : bold; font-size : 1em; color : inherit;" >Election-Law Veto Is Likely To Delay Iraq Vote</a> </div> <div style="margin : 2px 0px; font-size : inherit ; color : inherit;"> Iraq\'s Sunni Arab vice president vetoed part of a key election law, a move that could delay national polls slated for January even as the top U.S. commander in Iraq said the timetable for American troop drawdown is on track. </div> <div style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;"> <a href="http://npr.org" target="_blank" style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;">npr.org</a> - 2009-11-18 17:26:38 GMT </div> </li> <li style="margin-bottom : 4px;list-style : none;"> <div style=""> <a href="http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/usatoday-NewsTopStories/~3/YJZRCmaMEZE/2009-11-18-iraq-elections_N.htm" target="_blank" style="font-weight : bold; font-size : 1em; color : inherit;" >Iraq Sunni VP rejects parts of election law, puts polls into jeopardy</a> </div> <div style="margin : 2px 0px; font-size : inherit ; color : inherit;"> Iraq\'s Sunni Arab vice president on Wednesday vetoed part of a key election law, throwing national polls slated for January and ... </div> <div style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;"> <a href="http://usatoday.com" target="_blank" style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;">usatoday.com</a> - 2009-11-18 13:30:57 GMT </div> </li> <li style="margin-bottom : 4px;list-style : none;"> <div style=""> <a href="http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-11-18-voa5.cfm?rss=topstories" target="_blank" style="font-weight : bold; font-size : 1em; color : inherit;" >Iraq VP Vetoes Part of Election Law</a> </div> <div style="margin : 2px 0px; font-size : inherit ; color : inherit;"> Tariq al-Hashemi says he wants more representation for Iraqis living abroad, many of whom are Sunni Arabs </div> <div style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;"> <a href="http://voanews.com" target="_blank" style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;">voanews.com</a> - 2009-11-18 11:49:34 GMT </div> </li> <li style="margin-bottom : 4px;list-style : none;"> <div style=""> <a href="http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=49303" target="_blank" style="font-weight : bold; font-size : 1em; color : inherit;" >CORRUPTION: Afghanistan, Iraq Near Bottom of Transparency Index</a> </div> <div style="margin : 2px 0px; font-size : inherit ; color : inherit;"> WASHINGTON, Nov 17 (IPS) - Despite billions of dollars spent by the U.S. and other countries to improve governance in Afghanistan and Iraq, the two countries remain among the world\'s most corrupt nations, according to the latest edition of Transparency International\'s (TI) Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). </div> <div style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;"> <a href="http://ipsnews.net" target="_blank" style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;">ipsnews.net</a> - 2009-11-18 01:22:31 GMT </div> </li> <li style="margin-bottom : 4px;list-style : none;"> <div style=""> <a href="http://www.news.com.au/story/0%2C10117%2C26363791-401%2C00.html?from=public_rss" target="_blank" style="font-weight : bold; font-size : 1em; color : inherit;" >Schwarzenegger visits troops in Iraq</a> </div> <div style="margin : 2px 0px; font-size : inherit ; color : inherit;"> ARNOLD Schwarzenegger has visited Iraq on a morale-boosting visit for troops, drawing cheers from servicemen and women. </div> <div style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;"> <a href="http://news.com.au" target="_blank" style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;">news.com.au</a> - 2009-11-17 18:25:04 GMT </div> </li> <li style="margin-bottom : 4px;list-style : none;"> <div style=""> <a href="http://www.kpho.com/news/21636805/detail.html" target="_blank" style="font-weight : bold; font-size : 1em; color : inherit;" >Afghanistan, Iraq Among Most Corrupt Nations</a> </div> <div style="margin : 2px 0px; font-size : inherit ; color : inherit;"> Afghanistan and Iraq, countries that receive billions of dollars a year in international support, are among the world\'s most corrupt nations, a watchdog group said in a report released Tuesday. </div> <div style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;"> <a href="http://kpho.com" target="_blank" style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;">kpho.com</a> - 2009-11-17 12:57:16 GMT </div> </li> <li style="margin-bottom : 4px;list-style : none;"> <div style=""> <a href="http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/21636805/detail.html" target="_blank" style="font-weight : bold; font-size : 1em; color : inherit;" >Afghanistan, Iraq Among World\'s Most Corrupt</a> </div> <div style="margin : 2px 0px; font-size : inherit ; color : inherit;"> Afghanistan and Iraq, countries that receive billions of dollars a year in international support, are among the world\'s most corrupt nations, a watchdog group said in a report released Tuesday. </div> <div style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;"> <a href="http://clickondetroit.com" target="_blank" style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;">clickondetroit.com</a> - 2009-11-17 12:35:41 GMT </div> </li> <li style="margin-bottom : 4px;list-style : none;"> <div style=""> <a href="http://pheedo.msnbc.msn.com/click.phdo?i=b3ce5bde6245f34293f1d4a79bbf259e" target="_blank" style="font-weight : bold; font-size : 1em; color : inherit;" >Baghdad\'s ravaged zoo comes back to life</a> </div> <div style="margin : 2px 0px; font-size : inherit ; color : inherit;"> <p> More than six years after the U.S. invasion left Iraq\'s main zoo a wasteland of starving animals and deserted cages, the park in central Baghdad is enjoying a vigorous revival. Iraq - Baghdad - United States - Middle East - Zoo </div> <div style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;"> <a href="http://msnbc.com" target="_blank" style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;">msnbc.com</a> - 2009-11-17 12:30:42 GMT </div> </li> <li style="margin-bottom : 4px;list-style : none;"> <div style=""> <a href="http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Arnold-Schwarzenegger-Visits-US-Troops-At-Camp-Victory-In-Iraq-Tells-Them-To-Work-Out-Every-Day/Article/200911315455224?f=rss" target="_blank" style="font-weight : bold; font-size : 1em; color : inherit;" >Pump Up Every Day, Arnie Tells The Troops</a> </div> <div style="margin : 2px 0px; font-size : inherit ; color : inherit;"> Arnold Schwarzenegger has dropped in on US troops in Iraq - reminding them to keep pumping iron every day. </div> <div style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;"> <a href="http://sky.com" target="_blank" style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;">sky.com</a> - 2009-11-17 09:46:23 GMT </div> </li> <li style="margin-bottom : 4px;list-style : none;"> <div style=""> <a href="http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=50715970f59b917793ff94d3b517d55f" target="_blank" style="font-weight : bold; font-size : 1em; color : inherit;" >Kuwait-based military contractor accused of inflating food prices</a> </div> <div style="margin : 2px 0px; font-size : inherit ; color : inherit;"> A major Kuwait-based military contractor was indicted Monday for allegedly defrauding the U.S. government by submitting inflated bills and false claims under contracts through which it has supplied $8.5 billion in food and other products to the American military in Iraq, Kuwait and Jordan over the... </div> <div style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;"> <a href="http://washingtonpost.com" target="_blank" style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;">washingtonpost.com</a> - 2009-11-17 06:27:16 GMT </div> </li> <li style="margin-bottom : 4px;list-style : none;"> <div style=""> <a href="http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Actor-California-Governor-Arnold-Schwarzenegger-Visits-US-Troops-At-Camp-Victory-In-Iraq/Article/200911315455224?f=rss" target="_blank" style="font-weight : bold; font-size : 1em; color : inherit;" >Pump Up Every Day, Arnie Tells Troops In Iraq</a> </div> <div style="margin : 2px 0px; font-size : inherit ; color : inherit;"> Arnold Schwarzenegger has dropped in on US troops in Iraq, reminding them to keep pumping iron every day. </div> <div style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;"> <a href="http://sky.com" target="_blank" style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;">sky.com</a> - 2009-11-17 04:41:22 GMT </div> </li> <li style="margin-bottom : 4px;list-style : none;"> <div style=""> <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2010283018_apmliraqusschwarzenegger.html?syndication=rss" target="_blank" style="font-weight : bold; font-size : 1em; color : inherit;" >Schwarzenegger drops in on US troops in Iraq</a> </div> <div style="margin : 2px 0px; font-size : inherit ; color : inherit;"> California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has dropped in on U.S. troops in Iraq, thanking them for the sacrifices they and their families are making. </div> <div style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;"> <a href="http://seattletimes.com" target="_blank" style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;">seattletimes.com</a> - 2009-11-16 20:36:54 GMT </div> </li> <li style="margin-bottom : 4px;list-style : none;"> <div style=""> <a href="http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/32158/f/414204/s/72c0807/l/0L0Sitn0O0Cb6fb360A27aee61b120Ad59fe9ce73c5d50Bhtml/story01.htm" target="_blank" style="font-weight : bold; font-size : 1em; color : inherit;" >Army officer \'abused Iraqi prisoners\'</a> </div> <div style="margin : 2px 0px; font-size : inherit ; color : inherit;"> The only soldier convicted in connection with the death of Baha Mousa has accused a former Army officer of prisoner abuse in Iraq. <p>Related Stories MoD to investigate torture and rape allegations </div> <div style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;"> <a href="http://itn.co.uk" target="_blank" style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;">itn.co.uk</a> - 2009-11-16 16:37:35 GMT </div> </li> <li style="margin-bottom : 4px;list-style : none;"> <div style=""> <a href="http://www.news24.com/Content/World/News/1073/d7c6809eabdd4e148a87b8bf309b7e9b/16-11-2009-04-21/We_kicked%2C_punched_Iraqis" target="_blank" style="font-weight : bold; font-size : 1em; color : inherit;" >\'We kicked, punched Iraqis\'</a> </div> <div style="margin : 2px 0px; font-size : inherit ; color : inherit;"> A British soldier convicted of a war crime in Iraq says troops there frequently punched and kicked Iraqi prisoners. </div> <div style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;"> <a href="http://news24.com" target="_blank" style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;">news24.com</a> - 2009-11-16 14:59:36 GMT </div> </li> <li style="margin-bottom : 4px;list-style : none;"> <div style=""> <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2010280221_baghdadbingo16.html?syndication=rss" target="_blank" style="font-weight : bold; font-size : 1em; color : inherit;" >Beloved bingo is back in Baghdad</a> </div> <div style="margin : 2px 0px; font-size : inherit ; color : inherit;"> While it is only a small snapshot of Iraq, bingo mania reflects the growing sense of security in Baghdad and the resurgence of a community that wants no part of the religious divisions that almost destroyed the city. They are Sunnis, Shiites, Christians - and nobody seems to care. </div> <div style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;"> <a href="http://seattletimes.com" target="_blank" style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;">seattletimes.com</a> - 2009-11-16 08:37:06 GMT </div> </li> <li style="margin-bottom : 4px;list-style : none;"> <div style=""> <a href="http://newsblaze.com/story/20091115065343tsop.nb/topstory.html" target="_blank" style="font-weight : bold; font-size : 1em; color : inherit;" >Army Says Morale in Afghanistan has Plummeted: Give Thanks to Our Troops</a> </div> <div style="margin : 2px 0px; font-size : inherit ; color : inherit;"> Americans are already preparing to spend time with their families during Thanksgiving and the holidays. But many families are separated from their loved ones who are fighting for our freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. </div> <div style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;"> <a href="http://newsblaze.com" target="_blank" style="font-size : 1em; color : inherit;">newsblaze.com</a> - 2009-11-15 14:50:35 GMT </div> </li> </ul> </div> </div>');