Ten years ago: British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced his country would withdraw around 1,600 troops from Iraq in the coming months; Denmark, meanwhile, said it would withdraw its 460 troops. A U.S. helicopter was shot down north of Baghdad; all aboard were safely evacuated by a second helicopter.
Five years ago: The 17-nation eurozone approved a $170 billion bailout for Greece, which received the news with a mixture of relief and foreboding. Publisher Barney Rosset, 89, who introduced the U.S. to such underground classics as "Tropic of Cancer" and "Lady Chatterley's Lover," died in New York.
One year ago: Bombings claimed by the Islamic State group in the Syrian cities of Damascus and Homs killed nearly 130 people. Pope Francis, speaking at the Vatican, urged Catholic leaders to show "exemplary" courage by not allowing executions "in this Holy Year of Mercy." Denny Hamlin won the Daytona 500, edging Martin Truex Jr. by inches at the finish line.
