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Obama more agressive against al Qaeda

2009-08-07T06:08:00.000-04:00

President Obama's top counterterrorism adviser Thursday vowed the U.S. would defeat al Qaeda and declared the president has urged him to be more aggressive in destroying the terrorist organization.

White House adviser John Brennan says al Qaeda is seriously damaged but resilient. John Brennan, Obama's senior adviser on counterterrorism and homeland security, projected an assertive stance toward the battle against al Qaeda -- which Brennan said "remains the most serious threat" the U.S. faces -- and al Qaeda's allies in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

He made clear that predator drone attacks would continue, while minimizing collateral damage that enemies can exploit for propaganda. "President Obama is under no illusions about the imminence and severity of this threat," Brennan told a gathering at a Washington think tank.
Brennan said the president's strategy starts with pushing the Taliban out of key population areas in Afghanistan.

"Not only has he approved these operations, he has encouraged us to be even more aggressive, even more proactive, and even more innovative to seek out new ways and new opportunities for taking down these terrorists before they can kill more innocent men, women, and children," Brennan said.

Brennan said al Qaeda "has been seriously damaged and forced to replace many of its top-tier leadership with less experienced and less capable individuals."
"Nevertheless," he said, "al Qaeda has proven to be adaptive and highly resilient and remains the most serious terrorist threat we face as a nation."
Brennan said the aggressive immediate campaign to destroy al Qaeda must be coupled with a longer-term plan to confront violent extremism generally. He said that includes economic help to restore legitimate institutions.

"In Afghanistan this means a dramatic increase in our development efforts. ... In Pakistan it means $1.5 billion in direct support every year for education, health care and infrastructure," Brennan said.

Brennan said closing the prison camp at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will help in combating terror recruitment.

He stopped short of an iron-clad promise that the prison would be entirely empty by January.
"It is our full intention to close it down to meet the deadline," Brennan said. However, he added that it is unknowable whether detainees will still be there in January.

U.S. journalists return from N. Korea

2009-08-05T16:05:00.002-04:00

Two American journalists jubilantly reunited with family and friends early Wednesday upon returning to the United States with former President Bill Clinton, whose diplomatic trip to North Korea secured their release nearly five months after their arrests.

The jet carrying Euna Lee and Laura Ling, reporters for Al Gore's San Francisco-based Current TV, and Clinton arrived at Burbank's Bob Hope Airport at dawn. Clinton met with communist leader Kim Jong Il on Tuesday to secure the women's release.

Lee emerged from the jetliner first and was greeted by husband Michael Saldate and 4-year-old daughter Hana. She hugged the girl and picked her up before all three embraced in a crushing hug as TV networks beamed the poignant moment live.Ling embraced her husband, Iain Clayton, as teary family members crowded around."

The past 140 days have been the most difficult, heart-wrenching days of our lives," Ling said, her voice cracking.Thirty hours ago, Ling said, "We feared that any moment we could be sent to a hard labor camp."Then, she said, they were taken to another location.

"When we walked through the doors, we saw standing before us President Bill Clinton," she said to applause. "We were shocked but we knew instantly in our hearts that the nightmare of our lives was finally coming to an end, and now we stand here, home and free."Clinton came down the stairs to applause.

He hugged Gore, then chatted with family members.Gore described the families of the two women as "unbelievable, passionate, involved, committed, innovative.""Hana's been a great girl while you were gone," he told Lee. "And Laura, your mom's been making your special soup for two days now."He also thanked the State Department for its help in the release.

"It speaks well of our country that when two American citizens are in harm's way, that so many people will just put things aside and just go to work to make sure that this has had a happy ending," he said.After 140 days in custody, the reporters were granted a pardon by North Korea on Tuesday, following rare talks between Clinton and the reclusive North Korea leader. They had been sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for entering the country illegally.The women were kept in enforced isolation and fed poor-quality food, Ling's sister said."They were kept apart most of the time. ...

On the day of their trial, they hugged each other and that was it," Lisa Ling told reporters outside her sister's home in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles."She's really, really anxious to have fresh fruit and fresh food. She said there were rocks in her rice. Obviously, it's a country that has a lot of economic problems."The little bit that she was able to recount of her experience of the last 4 1/2 months has been challenging for us to hear," Lisa Ling said. "She's my little sister but she's a very, very strong girl and a determined person." Ling's husband told reporters that his wife had spent more time in North Korea than in their North Hollywood home, which they bought in November shortly before she went overseas. "It was very lonely," Clayton said.

"One of the hardest things was obviously coming home every night, and there were reminders of her in the house." The women, dressed in short-sleeved shirts and jeans, appeared healthy as they prepared to leave North Korea. They shook hands with Clinton before getting into the jet, exclusive APTN footage from Pyongyang showed. Clinton waved, put his hand over his heart and then saluted. North Korean state TV showed Clinton's departure, and North Korean officials waving to the plane, but did not show images of the two journalists.

Speaking on the White House lawn just before leaving on a trip to Indiana, President Barack Obama said the administration is "extraordinarily relieved" that the pair has been set free. He said he had spoken to their families once the two were safely aboard a plane out of Pyongyang. "The reunion we've all seen on television, I think, is a source of happiness not only for the families but also for the entire country," Obama said.

Ling was later seen entering her mother's home in the Los Angeles suburb of Toluca Lake, while Lee was spotted going into her home in Los Angeles. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Clinton will fill in Obama's national security team on what transpired during his trip as a private envoy to Pyongyang.

He reiterated that Clinton did not carry a message from Obama to Kim. "If there wasn't a message, there certainly couldn't have been an apology," Gibbs said. When asked whether the release of the journalists could lead to a breakthrough on other issues such as North Korea's nuclear program, Gibbs said that will depend on the actions of the communist regime. "The people that walked away from the obligations they agreed to were not anybody involved on our side," Gibbs said.

"It was the North Koreans." Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton hailed the journalists' release. "I spoke to my husband on the airplane and everything went well," she told reporters in Nairobi, Kenya. "They are extremely excited to be reunited soon when they touch down in California.

It was just a good day to be able to see this happen." Ling, a 32-year-old California native, is the younger sister of Lisa Ling, a correspondent for CNN as well as "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and "National Geographic Explorer."

Lee, 36, is a South Korean-born U.S. citizen. They were arrested near the North Korean-Chinese border in March while on a reporting trip for Current TV.

Software - InventoryPower

2009-08-05T08:17:00.000-04:00

InventoryPower is an inventory software that designed specially to meet the requirements of small and medium sized enterprises (SME), such as computer stores, cell phones stores, bookstore, boutique, shoe store, antique store, book store, retail stores, online shopping malls or home business etc.

It is easy to create invoice, do inventory control like invoice management, stock balance management, goods management, goods category management, staff sales records management and staff permission management, backup and restore stock by Inventory Power's user friendly interface and functionalities. And Inventory Power supports full customizable company info, logo, tax code and value, invoice number etc.

Review about banks from USA

2009-08-05T08:04:00.000-04:00

The US has been at the heart of the financial crisis. Of total losses of $1040.7bn in the financial sector worldwide, the US accounts for more than half, at $582.6bn. Of the top 10 worst losses during the crisis, six of them are from the US. Between them, banks in the top 10 of the North American ranking have lost a staggering $473.66bn since the crisis began. In 2008, the 152 US banks present in the Top 1000 made a pre-tax loss $91,078m.

It may seem ironic, then, that the top three biggest banks in the world are from the US, and that the Top 25 banks in North America by Tier 1 capital remains remarkably stable. Four out of the five same banks as in 2008 continue to jockey for the top slot.

This year JPMorgan is at number one, courtesy of its acquisitions of Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual, which boosted its Tier 1 capital by 53%, making it almost twice as big as China's ICBC.

Bank of America may be struggling to digest its acquisition of Merrill Lynch, but the deal has increased its capital by 45%, keeping it at second place in North America and pushing it up from fifth to second globally. Wells Fargo's acquisition of Wachovia (19th in last year's global ranking) increases its capital base by a whopping 136% and propels it from 23rd globally last year to sixth, and from fifth to fourth in North America.

However, US bank size is not matched by profitability. After years of being among the leaders in terms of pre-tax profit, this year there is not one US bank in the top 10. This instead is composed of Chinese (led by ICBC and China Construction Bank), Spanish, UK and Italian banks. Only two US banks make it into the top 25: Bank of America at 22 and US Bancorp at 25.

Canadian banks are faring better, with Royal Bank of Canada the world's 10th most profitable bank by pre-tax profits, and Toronto Dominion at 24. RBC's success highlights the disparate fortunes of the US and Canada during the crisis. Canadian banks, prevented from overleveraging by their regulatory environment, have avoided the worst of the financial meltdown. On aggregate, Canada's banks generated profit on capital of 12.91%, versus the US's -2.59%.

Hillary Clinton in Africa

2009-08-05T07:28:00.001-04:00

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton started the first leg of her African tour Wednesday with a message of support for Africa's developing economies.

Hillary Clinton urged African nations to trade more within Africa to boost opportunities.
"We believe in Africa's promise. We are committed to Africa's future and we will be partners with Africa's people," Clinton said at the African Growth and Opportunity Act conference in Kenya.
The conference was born out of U.S. efforts to create access for African business people into American markets.
During her speech, in front of representatives of more than 35 African nations, Clinton talked about economic initiatives that are working in Africa. She also said African countries can focus on good governance and women's rights as ways to build economic growth.
"The social, political and economic marginalization of women across Africa has left a void in this continent that undermines progress and prosperity every day," she said.
"Yet we know across Africa women are doing the work of a whole continent."
Clinton was expected to meet Kenyan leaders after the speech.
U.S. statements about Kenya's handling of its presidential election have brought criticism from its leadership in the past.
Days before her arrival, Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga was quoted in the local media as saying that Kenya does not need any more lectures on its governance and needs more advice on how to build trade with the rest of the world.

Citigroup and Bank of America report profits

2009-07-17T11:16:00.001-04:00

Bank of America and Citigroup, giants that have come to symbolize the troubles plaguing the nation’s banking industry, announced Friday that they were once again turning handsome profits. Bank of America reported a $3.2 billion profit for the second quarter. Citigroup said it earned $4.3 billionduring the period.

But behind the figures was a sober reality: Those happy results were driven by billions of dollars in one-time gains — in the case of Bank of America, by a profit from the sale of a stake in a big Chinese bank and, in the case of Citigroup, by a bonanza from a new joint venture for its Smith Barney division. Without those one-offs, the banks, despite two taxpayer-financed bailout dollars apiece, would have lost billions.

Like Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase, which stunned Wall Street earlier this week with robust earnings reports, Bank of America and Citigroup got big increases from their trading operations.Still, the results exceeded analysts’ expectations. Bank of America announced earnings of 33 cents a share, and Citigroup reported earnings of 49 cents a share. The results at Citigroup far outstripped the loss of 18 cents a share that analysts had predicted.

Still, analysts said before the report that Bank of America might need to buttress its capital further. The bank said that its global card business lost $1.6 billion in the second quarter due to “weakening economies in the U.S., Europe and Canada.” “I think they will need to build billions of dollars of loan loss reserves this quarter,” said Jeff Harte, a banking analyst at Sandler O’Neill before the report was released. “It’s going to cost them significantly.”

The bank’s chief executive, Kenneth D. Lewis, acknowledged in a statement that “difficult challenges lie ahead from continued weakness in the global economy.”

At Citigroup, the chief executive, Vikram S. Pandit, echoed that view. “Our most significant challenge now remains consumer credit,” Mr. Pandit said in a statement. “Losses in our consumer businesses have been growing for some time, but we see positive signs of moderation in those loss trends.”

Both executives are widely seen being under considerable pressure. Controversy continues to swirl over Mr. Lewis’s decision to buy Merrill Lynch last December, a move he has said he was urged to make at the behest of federal officials. Mr. Pandit, meantime, has worked to mend strained relationships with federal regulators.

Both banks are deeply entrenched in traditional services like consumer and commercial lending, and as unemployment and wage numbers continue to worsen and households fall behind on bills, loan and credit card losses are piling up. Small corporations are increasingly defaulting on loans as the business environment remains stagnant — as evidenced by the turmoil at the commercial lender CIT. The outlook is murkiest at Citigroup, long considered to be in the worst shape among the major banks.

Further bumps are at the end of the month, when Citigroup is expected to convert preferred shares to common stock, raising the government’s stake in the bank to 34 percent. Existing shareholders will be heavily diluted.

from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/business/18bank.html?_r=1&hp

Intel's sales on the rise

2009-07-17T10:09:00.000-04:00

Intel Successfully Completes Wind River Acquisition

2009-07-17T10:02:00.002-04:00

Wind River is a leading software vendor in embedded devices, and is part of Intel's strategy to grow its processor and software presence outside the traditional PC and server market segments into embedded systems and mobile handheld devices. Embedded systems and mobile devices include smart phones, mobile Internet devices, other consumer electronics (CE) devices, in-car "info-tainment" systems and other automotive areas, networking equipment, aerospace and defense, energy and thousands of other devices.

"The acquisition will deliver to Intel robust software capabilities in embedded systems and mobile devices, both important growth areas for the company," said Renee James, Intel vice president and general manager of the company's Software and Services Group. "This multi-billion-dollar market segment is increasingly becoming connected and more intelligent, requiring supporting applications and services as well as full Internet functionality."

As a wholly owned Intel subsidiary, Wind River will continue to develop innovative, commercial-grade software platforms that support multiple hardware architectures that are optimized for the needs of its many embedded and mobile customers. The acquisition will boost Wind River's Intel-architecture focused sales as it gains access to Intel's technology investments, brand, employees and global sales force.

Wind River will continue with its current business model of supplying leading-edge products and services to its customers worldwide. Wind River is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel, reporting to the Software and Services Group. For full details of the results of the initial and subsequent tender offers and other details regarding the merger, please see www.sec.gov.

Bloggers Unite for Human Rights 2009 // Bloggers Unite

2009-07-12T15:00:00.001-04:00

Bloggers Unite for Human Rights 2009 // Bloggers Unite

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Office 2010 is comming

2009-07-12T14:39:00.003-04:00

Be ready for the new office version, directly from Microsoft:

“Today, at our annual TechEd event held in the US we are announcing that attendees will make up the first segment of our limited Technical Preview program that will kick off in July. We have some additional content we will be releasing going into this milestone so keep checking back. So while we aren't ready to start demoing and sharing all of the features quite yet, we have heard the feedback loud and clear that requirements for running our software needs to be available ASAP (you will see if you look here that our server products have released similar information). To that end, this post will cover the preliminary system requirements for Office 2010.

1. Office 2010 will be available in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.

2. Office 2010 will run on Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista, and Windows 7.

3. You don't need to replace hardware that is capable of running 2007, it will support Office 2010. Like Windows 7 has demonstrated, we realize that taking advantage of the hardware you already own is just as important as supporting all the new technology coming out. “

Visit Microsoft Official webpage!

Human rights !

2009-07-10T18:23:00.002-04:00

Objective:

Unite for human rights and make a statement that all people are born with basic rights and freedoms - life, liberty, and justice!

On July 17 Bloggers Unite from around the globe will unite unite for human rights and make a statement that all people are born with basic rights and freedoms - life, liberty, and justice! Let’s come together and all blog about Human Rights. There are dozens and dozens of human rights issues that you can write about. The one you choose is up to you.

Topics to Consider

*The wrongful imprisonment of journalists covering assemblies.

*Governments that ignore the plight of citizens left tot he mercy of gangs.

*The censorship of the Internet in order to prevent freedom of expression.

*Harsh punishments that include torture, forced labor, and starvation.

*Sexual assault against women by members of military or militia.

Learn More About Human Rights

There are many organizations that promote human rights and work to protect people. We’ve picked three to help you learn more and find breaking topics.

Amnesty International (www.amnesty.org/) is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights for all. They work to improve human rights through campaigning and international solidarity.

Human Right Watch (www.hrw.org/) is dedicated to protecting human rights of people around the world. They stand with victims and activists to prevent discrimination, uphold political freedom, protect people from inhumane conduct in wartime, and to bring offenders to justice.

Youth For Human Rights (www.youthforhumanrights.org) is an independent non-profit that educates people about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights so they become valuable advocates for tolerance and peace. We have an entire group discussion dedicated to Bloggers Unite www.bloggersunite.org/discuss where you can add more organizations that you think are worth including.

How To Join Bloggers Unite! To join, simply click on Join this Event. Add an Action Badge to your blog by clicking on one of the choices from below.

Then, on July 17th, write a blog post that shares awareness about human rights.

Bio - Johny Depp

2009-07-10T18:09:00.002-04:00

Actor, director, musician. Born John Christopher Depp, Jr. in Owensboro, Kentucky, on June 9, 1963, to parents John and Betty Sue Depp. Johnny's father worked as a civil engineer, and his mother came from full-blooded Cherokee stock, and worked as a waitress and homemaker. The youngest of four children, Depp was withdrawn and a self-admitted oddball. "I made odd noises as a child," he later revealed in an interview. "Just did weird things, like turn off light switches twice. I think my parents thought I had Tourette's syndrome." Johnny and his family moved frequently to accommodate his father's job, finally landing in Miramar, Florida, when Johnny was seven years old. The family lived in a motel for nearly a year, until his father found a job. Depp hated his new home and, by the age of 12 began smoking, experimenting with drugs, and engaging in self-harm due to the stress of family problems. "Puberty was very vague," he has said. "I literally locked myself in a room and played guitar."

In 1978, when Depp was 15, Johnny's parents divorced. As the youngest of four, it became Johnny's job to go to his father's office and pick up the weekly child-support money. The split caused a rift between Johnny and his father.

A year later, Depp fell into acting when his wife introduced him to her ex-boyfriend, actor Nicolas Cage. Cage saw potential in Depp, and introduced the hopeful musician to a Hollywood agent. After several small roles as a film extra, Depp landed his first legitimate movie role in the horror film Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). By 1985, the Kids had broken up—and so had Depp's marriage. After his split with Allison, Depp met actress Sherilyn Fenn, whom he met on the set of the short film, Dummies (1985). The couple dated, and were briefly engaged, but split shortly after. After their break-up, Depp then met and proposed to actress Jennifer Grey; their romance was also short-lived.

In 1998, Depp split from long-time girlfriend Moss, and took the role of journalist Hunter S. Thompson's alter ego in Terry Gilliam's adaptation ofFear and Loathing in Las Vegas. During filming, Depp cultivated a strong friendship with Thompson, which lasted until Thompson's death in 2005. Depp would later finance the writer's funeral.

Around this time, Depp also met another person who would become an important figure in his life; while filming the sci-fi drama The Ninth Gate(1999) in France, Johnny met French actress, singer and model Vanessa Paradis. Paradis became pregnant with the couple's first child later that year. In May of 1999, the couple welcomed daughter Lily-Rose Melody Depp.

For Depp's next film project, he tried his hand at sci-fi horror with The Astronaut's Wife in 1999. The same year, he teamed up with Burton once again on Sleepy Hollow, starring as a prim, driven Ichabod Crane. He appeared the following year in the small but popular romantic drama Chocolat, followed by a big-budget role as real-life cocaine kingpin George Jung in Blow in 2001. Depp's next film was the terror drama From Hell in 2001 and Robert Rodriguez's Once Upon a Time in Mexico in 2002. In April of that year, Paradis gave birth to the couple's second child, Jack.

In 2004, Depp earned an Academy Award nomination for his starring role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the family adventure Pirates of the Caribbean. The film was a box office smash, and led to the creation of a Pirates franchise. At the end of that year, Depp also turned in a critically acclaimed performance in Finding Neverland, in which he starred as Peter Pan creator J.M. Barrie. The film earned him more than 10 award nominations, including both Academy and Golden Globe nods.

In 2006, Depp returned as Captain Jack Sparrow for the sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which broke a box office record in reaching the highest weekend tally ever. The third installment fared well too.Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) was released on Memorial Day weekend, bringing in $138.8 million. Saying goodbye to Captain Jack, Depp took on one of theater's most notorious characters in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, also in 2007. Directed by Tim Burton and co-starring Helena Bonham Carter, the dark and gory musical tells the tale of a barber kills some of his customers who then turned into pies made by his downstairs neighbor. Depp netted a Golden Globe Award for his work on the film.

Most recently, three Depp films—The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Public Enemies, and Rum Diary—are all slated to premiere in 2009. A film adaptation of the Lewis Carroll classic, Alice in Wonderland, is set to hit theaters in 2010

U.S. President Barack Obama’s visits Moscow

2009-07-10T16:57:00.000-04:00

Russia's Dmitry Medvedev hailed Barack Obama as "my new comrade" Thursday after their first face-to-face talks, saying the US president "can listen" -- even if little progress was made on substance.

The Russian president contrasted Obama as "totally different" to his predecessor George W. Bush, whom he blamed for the "mistake" of US missile shield plans fiercely opposed by Moscow. Obama agreed to visit Moscow in July after his talks with Medvedev on Wednesday on the sidelines of a G20 summit in London aimed at fixing the battered world economy.

U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Moscow was a master class par excellence in presidential leadership. He knew exactly why he was coming to Russia and took away with him everything he had wanted. Even while lavishing praise on the Russian leaders, Obama did not give ground on a single position. He achieved what was on his agenda in his negotiations with President Dmitry Medvedev while at the same time giving tremendous support to Russia’s civil society. This is not just a new president. This is a completely new type of global leadership. If Obama is able to manage the unprecedented challenges facing him, and if luck goes his way, he has a chance of becoming one of the greatest presidents in U.S. history.

The top foreign policy priorities for the Obama administration include the dangerous region spanning Afghanistan and Pakistan, strengthening the Iraqi state while gradually withdrawing U.S. troops from that country, Iran’s nuclear program, and the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Coalition forces are currently waging a major offensive in southern Afghanistan. Given that situation, Moscow’s decision to allow U.S. aircraft to pass through Russian airspace is extremely valuable and marks an important victory for Obama. Russia gains from the arrangement as well because it is no less interested in stabilizing the huge powder keg on its southern flank.

Michael Jackson Public Memorial Service

2009-07-10T09:56:00.001-04:00

Michael Jackson Public Memorial Service will be held Tuesday, July 7, 2009, 1:00 PM EST/10:00 AM PST at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Tickets were distributed via a lottery system organized by AEG. "It was our wish to allow as many of Michael's fans to be a part of the memorial, and we wish to thank everyone for their support and understanding at this difficult time," the Jackson family said in a statement. Live coverage of the Michael Jackson public memorial service will begin on Tuesday at 12 PM EST / 9 AM PST on many major media outlets.

The Jackson family today announced the participants for the Michael Jackson memorial at the Staples Center:

Ron Boyd (family friend); Kobe Bryant; Mariah Carey; Andrae Crouch Choir; Berry Gordy; Jennifer Hudson; Shaheen Jafargholi (finalist on Britain's Got Talent); Magic Johnson; Martin Luther King III; Bernice A. King; John Mayer; Lionel Richie; Smokey Robinson; Rev. Al Sharpton; Brooke Shields; Pastor Lucious Smith (family friend); Usher; and Stevie Wonder.

This list is preliminary and subject to change. There will be no further information regarding the program.

Poll: Nearly three-quarters favor pullout from Iraqi cities

2009-07-09T13:57:00.001-04:00

The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll comes Tuesday, the day of the long-anticipated deadline for American troops to pull out of Iraqi towns and cities.The U.S. military gradually has been moving its combat troops out of Iraq's population centers for months to meet the deadline agreed to by Washington and Baghdad.

Since January, Americans have handed over or shut down more than 150 bases across the country, leaving U.S. troops in a little more than 300 locations that gradually will be handed over to Iraqi control.

Bomb blasts kill 64 as violence surges in Iraq

2009-07-09T13:55:00.003-04:00

It is the latest in a series of attacks across Iraq that have killed at least 64 people and wounded 167 others over the past two days.

The deadliest attack happened earlier in the day when a double suicide bombing killed at least 35 people and wounded 65 others in the city of Tal Afar in Nineveh province, also in northern Iraq. Political tensions have recently increased in the region between Arabs and Kurds.

The Tal Afar bombings occurred a day after attacks on mainly Shiite targets in Nineveh province, including a car bomb in a Turkmen area of the provincial capital Mosul, left at least 19 people dead and dozens wounded.