Twin blasts kill 10 in western IraqJune 29, 2013 - 15:32 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Two bombs have killed at least 10 people in Ramadi, western Iraq, BBC News said. One bomb went off inside a Sunni militiaman's car, killing him and other officials, and a second device went off minutes later as people gathered around the wreckage. The attacks come a day after a series of bombings struck cafes in and around the capital, Baghdad. There has been a recent surge in sectarian violence in Iraq, with last month the bloodiest since June 2008. Public places such as mosques, restaurants and local markets have been singled out for attack. Many of Friday, June 28 victims were members of the Sahwa militias formed in 2006 to fight al-Qaeda militants. Since then, the group has been a target for Sunni insurgents who consider its members traitors for remaining loyal to the Shia-led government. Tensions between Iraq's Shia Muslim majority and minority Sunnis have been steadily growing since last year. Sunnis have accused Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of discriminating against them - a claim the government denies. 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 | Russia warns Armenia against “falling into West’s trap” Zakharova maintained, however, that anything that will benefit the people of Armenia can only be welcomed. CSTO: Armenia has not participated in secretariat’s work recently Recently Armenia has not participated in the work of the secretariat of the CSTO, Imangali Tasmagambetov said. Meeting with U.S., EU not against third parties, says Armenia The meeting scheduled for April 5 is dedicated to strengthening of the Armenia-EU-US cooperation, Yerevan added. Ucom launches network modernization efforts in few regions of Armenia In particular, on March 28, the legacy Mobile Switching Subsystem will be replaced with a new one. |