IS claims responsibility for car bombing in Iraq's BasraOctober 6, 2015 - 12:27 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a car bombing in Iraq's southern, predominantly Shiite city of Basra that killed at least 10 people, the Associated Press reports. IS says in a statement posted on a Twitter account linked to the group that it carried out Monday, October 5 attack in Basra's southwest suburb of al-Zubair, targeting Shiites. The Sunni-dominated al-Zubair is located 50 kilometers (31 miles) southwest of Basra. The attack was part of a series of bombings across Iraq that killed at least 57 people. The Associated Press could not immediately verify the authenticity of the statement, but its language and phrasing is consistent with past IS claims of responsibility. IS controls large swaths of Iraq's north and west, including its second-largest city of Mosul and most of Anbar province. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |