International Business News - Iraq http://www.ibtimes.com All articles are copyrighted by IBTimes.com 400 100 http://www.ibtimes.com/ http://www.ibtimes.com/images/top_logo_ibt2_3.gif The last major remnant of Saddam Hussein's nuclear program--a huge stockpile of concentrated natural uranium--reached a Canadian port Saturday to complete a secret U.S. operation that included a two-week airlift from Baghdad and a ship voyage crossing two oceans. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080705/ap-exclusive-us-removes-uranium-from-iraq.htm Sat, 05 Jul 2008 14:04:54 EDT Muntadhar al-Sharify stood shivering Saturday in Baghdad's searing heat, a smile on his young face. The Iraqi boy had just completed a rite of passage known to children around the world--his first swim. But his fun also marked something broader: Another small step in Baghdad's halting progress from violence to more normal life. http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/86348-iraq-weather.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080705/iraqi-boys-first-swim-hopeful-sign-of-progress.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080705/iraqi-boys-first-swim-hopeful-sign-of-progress.htm Sat, 05 Jul 2008 13:45:54 EDT As of Friday, July 4, 2008, at least 4,113 members of the U.S. military have died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080704/us-military-deaths-in-iraq-war-at-4-113.htm Fri, 04 Jul 2008 20:07:55 EDT Gunmen on a motorcycle assassinated an official of Iraq's biggest Shiite party Friday in the southern city of Basra, police said. Sheik Salim al-Dirraji was gunned down in the Hayania district, which had been a stronghold of the Mahdi Army of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr until a security crackdown last spring. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080704/gunmen-assassinate-shiite-official-in-iraq.htm Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:03:43 EDT It's Staff Sgt. Edgar Covarrubias' second Fourth of July in Iraq. No family barbecue, no fireworks, but Covarrubias says he'll call his mom, wife and kids to share the day anyway. http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/86048-aptopix-iraq-independence-day.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080704/us-soldiers-in-iraq-mark-fourth-of-july.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080704/us-soldiers-in-iraq-mark-fourth-of-july.htm Fri, 04 Jul 2008 20:36:09 EDT Syria has returned a marble artifact to Iraq that was stolen from one of the country's archaeological sites. The marble block roughly 4 feet tall and 1 1/2 feet wide contains an engraving of a bearded man kneeling in prayer and several lines of cuneiform writing. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080704/syria-returns-stolen-marble-artifact-to-iraq.htm Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:48:53 EDT Democrat Barack Obama struggled Thursday to explain how his upcoming trip to Iraq might refine, but not basically alter, his promise to quickly remove U.S. combat troops from the war. http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/85452-obama-2008.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080704/obama-says-iraq-trip-could-refine-his-policy.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080704/obama-says-iraq-trip-could-refine-his-policy.htm Fri, 04 Jul 2008 01:42:12 EDT Barack Obama's policy for bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq as stated on his Web site: "Obama will immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq. He will remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months. Obama will make it clear that we will not build any permanent bases in Iraq. He will keep some troops in Iraq to protect our embassy and diplomats; if al Qaeda attempts to build a base within Iraq, he will keep troops in Iraq or elsewhere in the region to carry out targeted strikes on al Qaeda." http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080703/obamas-past-comments-on-iraq-troop-withdrawal.htm Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:39:10 EDT The State Department on Thursday denied charges by a House committee that it inappropriately encouraged a Texas-based oil company to strike an exploration deal with the Kurdish government in Iraq. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080703/state-denies-it-pushed-for-texas-iraq-oil-deal.htm Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:33:16 EDT Democrat Barack Obama struggled Thursday to explain how his upcoming trip to Iraq might refine, but not basically alter, his promise to quickly remove U.S. combat troops from the war. http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/85177-obama-2008.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080703/obama-opens-door-to-altering-iraq-policy.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080703/obama-opens-door-to-altering-iraq-policy.htm Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:46:33 EDT Jordan's King Abdullah II plans to visit Iraq soon in the first trip by an Arab head of state since Saddam Hussein was deposed in 2003, Iraqi officials said Thursday. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080703/jordans-king-to-visit-iraq.htm Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:25:40 EDT Iraq's prime minister plans trips to Europe and the Persian Gulf this month, apparently hoping improved security at home will pay dividends in greater international support--including from a country that did not back the U.S. invasion. http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/85305-iraq-humanitarian-aid.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080703/iraqi-government-bans-pictures-in-vote.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080703/iraqi-government-bans-pictures-in-vote.htm Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:06:27 EDT Bulgaria's Finance Ministry says Iraq has paid $360 million to settle its debts to Bulgaria. A ministry statement says Wednesday's payment follows a 2007 agreement that revised Iraq's total debt to Bulgaria from US$1.86 billion to US$3.5 billion. The calculation took into account inflation and interest accrued. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080702/iraq-pays-360m-debt-to-bulgaria.htm Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:37:13 EDT Iraq's foreign minister said Wednesday his government and the U.S. have almost finished negotiating a new security pact that could give Iraqis a role in planning and executing joint military operations. http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/84225-iraq-bodies.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080702/iraqi-forces-arrest-2-sadrists-leaders.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080702/iraqi-forces-arrest-2-sadrists-leaders.htm Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:55:29 EDT As of Tuesday, July 1, 2008, at least 4,113 members of the U.S. military have died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080701/us-military-deaths-in-iraq-war-at-4-113.htm Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:47:16 EDT The number of Iraqi refugees admitted into the United States continued to rise in June, crossing the halfway point on the Bush administration's goal of 12,000 by the end of September. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080701/us-admitted-1-721-iraqi-refugees-in-june.htm Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:35:27 EDT U.S. TROOP LEVELS: _October 2007: 170,000 at peak of troop buildup. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080701/iraq-by-the-numbers-key-figures-in-the-war.htm Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:15:14 EDT Hezbollah instructors trained Shiite militiamen at remote camps in southern Iraq until three months ago when they slipped across the border to Iran--presumably to continue instruction on Iranian soil, according to two Shiite lawmakers and a top army officer. http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/83689-iraq-hezbollah-in-iraq.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080701/hezbollah-said-to-train-shiite-militiamen-in-iraq.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080701/hezbollah-said-to-train-shiite-militiamen-in-iraq.htm Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:19:52 EDT Hospital officials say a truck bomb has wounded at least 15 people near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. Local police say the bomb was planted near the house of a Sunni sheik, Abdul-Razaq al-Waqaa, who had turned against al-Qaida. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080701/truck-bomb-wounds-at-least-15-near-mosul-iraq.htm Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:13:47 EDT Frustrated Iraqis trying to tank up their cars faced miles-long gas lines in temperatures soaring above 100 degrees Tuesday--a stark reminder that a country with one of the world's largest oil reserves still has major challenges delivering fuel to its people. http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/83337-iraq-no-gas.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080701/iraq-miles-long-gas-lines-despite-oil-riches.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080701/iraq-miles-long-gas-lines-despite-oil-riches.htm Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:20:02 EDT