String of bombings kill 76 in Baghdad
Rapid-fire bombings and mortar strikes in mostly Shia neighborhoods of Baghdad killed 76 people and wounded nearly 200 on Tuesday, calling into question the ability of Iraqi security forces to protect the capital.
The blasts _ at least 13 separate attacks _ came just two days after gunmen in Baghdad held a Christian congregation hostage in a siege that ended with 58 people dead. Tuesday morning, hundreds of Christians gathered at a downtown church to mourn their lost brethren. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. But the coordination of the blasts, the complexity of the operation and the predominantly Shia targets point to al-Qaeda-linked Sunni insurgents. Iraq has been plagued by conflict between Shia and Sunni Muslim sects since the 2003 collapse of Saddam Husseins regime, which was dominated by the minority Sunnis. It was supplanted by a Shia-dominated government that remains in power until today. The bombings began at about 6:15 pm. The assailants used booby-trapped cars, roadside bombs, mortars and at least one suicide bomber on a motorcycle. Though most of the neighborhoods hit were Shia-dominated, a couple struck Sunni neighborhoods as well. The attacks stretched from one side of Baghdad to the other and were spread out over hours, indicating a high degree of coordination and complexity from an insurgency that just a few months ago US and Iraqi officials were saying was all but defeated. The casualty information all came from police and hospital officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
String of bombings kill 76 in Baghdad
Rapid-fire bombings and mortar strikes in mostly Shia neighborhoods of Baghdad killed 76 people and wounded nearly 200 on Tuesday, calling into question the ability of Iraqi security forces to protect the capital.
The blasts _ at least 13 separate attacks _ came just two days after gunmen in Baghdad held a Christian congregation hostage in a siege that ended with 58 people dead. Tuesday morning, hundreds of Christians gathered at a downtown church to mourn their lost brethren. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. But the coordination of the blasts, the complexity of the operation and the predominantly Shia targets point to al-Qaeda-linked Sunni insurgents. Iraq has been plagued by conflict between Shia and Sunni Muslim sects since the 2003 collapse of Saddam Husseins regime, which was dominated by the minority Sunnis. It was supplanted by a Shia-dominated government that remains in power until today. The bombings began at about 6:15 pm. The assailants used booby-trapped cars, roadside bombs, mortars and at least one suicide bomber on a motorcycle. Though most of the neighborhoods hit were Shia-dominated, a couple struck Sunni neighborhoods as well. The attacks stretched from one side of Baghdad to the other and were spread out over hours, indicating a high degree of coordination and complexity from an insurgency that just a few months ago US and Iraqi officials were saying was all but defeated. The casualty information all came from police and hospital officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Nothing dramatic expected from visits: Krishna
June 24, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
MUMBAI: India today said “nothing spectacular or dramatic” was expected from a series of forthcoming high-level political contacts with Pakistan because of the complexity of bilateral ties.
“I don”t expect anything spectacular or dramatic because the Indo-Pak relationship is so complex”, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna told reporters here.
He said Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao”s visit to Pakistan was primarily “to prepare the ground for my visit to Islamabad next month”.
Besides Krishna, Home Minister P Chidambaram is also scheduled to visit Pakistan in July to attend a meeting of SAARC Interior Ministers.
Krishna was here to visit ailing cartoonist R K Laxman who is undergoing treatment at Breach Candy Hospital here.
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao is set to land in Islamabad on Thursday, Jun 24 to meet her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir. This is the first time an Indian diplomat will be visiting Pakistan since the Mumbai terror attacks in Nov 2008.
Home Minister P Chidambaram is also scheduled to visit Pakistan in Jul 2010 to attend SAARC Interior Ministers meeting.
The Pregnancy Pact True Story
The Pregnancy Pact True Story updates :- The “pregnancy pact” story breaks in Time magazine (as it did in 2008), bringing a media frenzy upon the small town. This is illustrated through clips drawn from real-life newscasts, making the initial disclaimer seem even more mealy-mouthed and lawyerly.
For all that, the movie delivers several emotional moments — from the denial exhibited by Travis’ mother, who insists her daughter is “not that kind of girl;” to the painfully naive teens, who harbor a view of pregnancy derived from “a Huggies commercial,” as Birch’s character states, leaving them desperately in need of a “reality check.”
Ultimately, “The Pregnancy Pact” would have possessed more power had the producers gotten off the fence — either developing an original story or more closely adhering to the one that motivated it. And the movie still doesn’t quite capture the complexity of where the educational process with these girls broke down.
Credit Lifetime with an earnest attempt to tackle an important issue, down to the obligatory public-service announcement and outreach campaign. Any resemblance between this and a fully realized movie, however, is purely coincidental.
Camera, John Aronson; production designer, Warren A. Young; editor, Tod Feuerman; music, Richard Marvin; casting, Tammara Billik, Jason Wood. RUNNING TIME: 120 MIN.
The Pregnancy Pact True Story was first posted on January 24, 2010 at 9:38 am.
