UPI NewsTrack TopNews - July 30, 2007
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Mon, 30 Jul 2007 15:51:24 GMT |
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Central Baghdad car bomb kills six
BAGHDAD, July 30 Six people were killed and at least 30 others wounded Monday by a car bomb in central Baghdad's Tayaran Square, Iraqi Interior Ministry officials reported.
The blast targeted a minivan hours after an overnight curfew, imposed to curb violence after Iraq's 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in Sunday's Asian Cup soccer tournament in Indonesia, ended, CNN reported.
Meanwhile, The U.S. military said coalition forces killed eight insurgents and detained 40 other suspects during operations Monday and Sunday targeting al-Qaida in Iraq in central Iraq, Voice of America reported.
The U.S. military also released a statement saying two of its soldiers were killed Sunday in incidents in northern and eastern Baghdad, Kuwait's KUNA news agency reported.
The deaths brought the U.S. July fatality toll to 69, while the total reached 3,648 U.S. military personnel since the invasion in March 2003.
Iraqis fleeing to neighboring countries
BAGHDAD, July 30 The United Nations is having difficulty raising enough money to care for the thousands of Iraqis who are spilling into neighboring countries.
In what is being called the greatest mass exodus in the Middle East, some 14 percent of Iraqis have fled their homes out of fear of being killed, The Independent reported.
To complicate matters, the newspaper said the U.N. High Commission for refugees is having difficulty raising the $100 million needed for relief.
The two countries caring for the greatest proportion of Iraqi refugees, Syria and Jordan, have received next to nothing from the world community, the Independent reported in an article Monday.
Some 1.4 million Iraqis have fled to Syria while Jordan has taken in 750,000 Iraqis. Egypt and Lebanon report 200,000 Iraqis have crossed into their countries, the newspaper said.
Iran rejects U.N. nuclear timeout offer
TEHRAN, July 30 Iran isn't accepting a U.N. offer of a "timeout" to ease sanctions in exchange for halting nuclear activities, state media said on Monday.
Speaking to reporters in Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said National Security Council chief Ali Larijani rejected the offer, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.
Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency had made the proposal but Hosseini said Larijani felt it was out of line.
"The place to discuss subjects like the 'timeout' plan is during negotiations (with the IAEA) and this is Iran's stand in this regard," Hosseini said.
He said the third round of Iran-IAEA talks would be Aug. 20 in Tehran, the Fars news agency said.
Iran claims its nuclear program is solely for electricity generation but there are international concerns its uranium enrichment program could produce nuclear weapons.
U.S. legislating immigration case-by-case
WASHINGTON, July 30 With national immigration reform stalled in the U.S. Congress, legislators have begun filing bills on behalf of individuals, The Washington Post reported.
There are about 60 private bills pending debate in Congress that would prevent the deportation of individuals, the Post said.
Among them is one filed by Sen. Carl M. Levin, D-Mich., on behalf of Genevieve Vang, her husband and two children. The Laotian family has been living in Dearborn, Mich., for 17 years but was denied asylum status after 10 years.
Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., is another sponsor of a private immigration bill on behalf of 34 Mexican, Polish, Tanzanian and Serbian immigrants, the Post said.
"Some have been working for a number of years, and the family is getting ready to be broken up," Rush said.
Lawmakers have introduced more than 500 private immigration bills since 1996, which critics such as conservative blogger Michelle Malkin calls "instant amnesty," the Post said.
Britain winds down Ulster mission
BELFAST, Northern Ireland, July 30 British troops in Northern Ireland were preparing Monday to end their security mission after 38 years and transforming into a new Territorial Army brigade.
Operation Banner employs some 5,000 soldiers but their numbers will be reduced to about 2,000 after midnight Tuesday, The Times of London reported. Since 1969, more than 300,000 British troops have fought militants and 763 were killed in the process, the Times said.
British army Col. Wayne Harber said there would be no celebration.
"I think that everyone is glad that it's over," he told The Times. "I have only got 27 years' experience here but there have only been one set of losers: the people of Northern Ireland.
"You should not have the army on your streets -- it is an aberration."
In the foreword to the summarizing report, British army Gen. Michael Jackson wrote the operation was "the longest to date; one of the very few waged on British soil; and one of the very few ever brought to a successful conclusion by the armed forces of a developed nation against an irregular force."
Copyright 2007 by UPI
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