Iraq's new PM: 'historic day'
I bet the 24 Iraqi workers that died outside, so loved the democracy Georgie and his gang of thugs, Bestowed upon them.
By Mariam Karouny in BaghdadMay 20, 2006
Democracy and bloodshed ... Iraqi civilians watch the new PM IRAQ'S Parliament finally approved a new national unity government on Saturday, ending months of deadlock as bomb attacks that killed 24 people served a grim reminder of the security challenges it will face.Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's cabinet was approved by a show of hands, minister by minister, after a turbulent start to the parliamentary session, when some minority Sunni leaders spoke out against the last-minute deal and several walked out.
Eleventh-hour battles over the key posts of interior and defence left those jobs vacant for now, filled respectively by Maliki, a tough-talking Shi'ite Islamist, and his Sunni deputy premier, Salam al-Zobaie.
The main Sunni Arab leadership, which controls the bulk of the Sunnis' 50-odd seats in the 275-member chamber, held firm after the walkout by the dissidents. Washington hopes their presence at last in a full, sovereign government can draw Saddam Hussein's once dominant minority away from revolt into politics.
"We will work within a framework that will preserve the unity of the Iraqi people," Maliki told parliament as he listed 34 policy priorities highlighting security and the economy.
The chamber then approved the program clearing the way for the Government to be formally sworn in.
Sectarian wrangling has delayed formation of a government since an election in December. Faction fighting over cabinet jobs within the main groups, Sunnis, Shi'ites and Kurds, added to Maliki's difficulties since he was nominated a month ago.
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Labourers killed in Baghdad blast
Saturday 20 May 2006, 11:25 Makka Time, 8:25 GMT
The scene of the explosion in the poor district of al-Sadr City
A bomb has exploded in a Shia district of Baghdad, killing at least 19 people and wounding up to 56.
Police Major Hashim al-Yasir said the blast occurred at about 6.30am near a food stand in Sadr City where men gather for jobs as day labourers. Such spots have been hit in the past.
Witnesses and police said the bomb appeared to have been planted in a spot where the attackers knew large crowds of men would gather shortly after dawn, hoping to be hired for a day's casual work.
One witness, Muhammad Hamid, who works in a bakery nearby, said: "It was a huge explosion. We carried many of the injured to ambulances and helped remove the bodies."
Many of the injured were taken to the Imam Ali hospital nearby, where hallways were filled with doctors and nurses treating the wounded.
A dozen bodies, their faces covered with cardboard, lay in the hospital garden.
Meanwhile, a bomber killed at least five people and wounded 10 after detonating his explosives' belt in a police station in the town of Qaim, close to the Syrian border, police and hospital officials said on Saturday.
Fifteen corpses were also discovered in the town of Musayib, south of Baghdad, showing signs of gunshot wounds and torture, a defence ministry source said.
The violence occurred ahead of a planned meeting of Iraq's parliament which was to approve the new Cabinet of Nuri al-Maliki, the prime minister-designate.
Link Here
By Mariam Karouny in BaghdadMay 20, 2006
Democracy and bloodshed ... Iraqi civilians watch the new PM IRAQ'S Parliament finally approved a new national unity government on Saturday, ending months of deadlock as bomb attacks that killed 24 people served a grim reminder of the security challenges it will face.Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's cabinet was approved by a show of hands, minister by minister, after a turbulent start to the parliamentary session, when some minority Sunni leaders spoke out against the last-minute deal and several walked out.
Eleventh-hour battles over the key posts of interior and defence left those jobs vacant for now, filled respectively by Maliki, a tough-talking Shi'ite Islamist, and his Sunni deputy premier, Salam al-Zobaie.
The main Sunni Arab leadership, which controls the bulk of the Sunnis' 50-odd seats in the 275-member chamber, held firm after the walkout by the dissidents. Washington hopes their presence at last in a full, sovereign government can draw Saddam Hussein's once dominant minority away from revolt into politics.
"We will work within a framework that will preserve the unity of the Iraqi people," Maliki told parliament as he listed 34 policy priorities highlighting security and the economy.
The chamber then approved the program clearing the way for the Government to be formally sworn in.
Sectarian wrangling has delayed formation of a government since an election in December. Faction fighting over cabinet jobs within the main groups, Sunnis, Shi'ites and Kurds, added to Maliki's difficulties since he was nominated a month ago.
Link Here
Labourers killed in Baghdad blast
Saturday 20 May 2006, 11:25 Makka Time, 8:25 GMT
The scene of the explosion in the poor district of al-Sadr City
A bomb has exploded in a Shia district of Baghdad, killing at least 19 people and wounding up to 56.
Police Major Hashim al-Yasir said the blast occurred at about 6.30am near a food stand in Sadr City where men gather for jobs as day labourers. Such spots have been hit in the past.
Witnesses and police said the bomb appeared to have been planted in a spot where the attackers knew large crowds of men would gather shortly after dawn, hoping to be hired for a day's casual work.
One witness, Muhammad Hamid, who works in a bakery nearby, said: "It was a huge explosion. We carried many of the injured to ambulances and helped remove the bodies."
Many of the injured were taken to the Imam Ali hospital nearby, where hallways were filled with doctors and nurses treating the wounded.
A dozen bodies, their faces covered with cardboard, lay in the hospital garden.
Meanwhile, a bomber killed at least five people and wounded 10 after detonating his explosives' belt in a police station in the town of Qaim, close to the Syrian border, police and hospital officials said on Saturday.
Fifteen corpses were also discovered in the town of Musayib, south of Baghdad, showing signs of gunshot wounds and torture, a defence ministry source said.
The violence occurred ahead of a planned meeting of Iraq's parliament which was to approve the new Cabinet of Nuri al-Maliki, the prime minister-designate.
Link Here
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 1:06 PM
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