Suicide bombing kills 12 in Abu Ghraib
Reuters, Baghdad
At least 12 people were killed and 32 wounded early on Tuesday when a suicide bomber wearing a vest packed with explosives attacked a mosque in Abu Ghraib, about 25 km (15 miles) west of the Iraqi capital, police and medics said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, the first in or around Baghdad since the government declared victory over Islamic State militants in Falluja, further west, which was seen as a launchpad for such attacks.
Worshippers were gathered at the mosque, in a predominantly Sunni Muslim area, for prayers during the holy month of Ramadan during which the ultra-hardline militants have called on supporters to step up attacks.
35 dead in Yemen suicide attacks
AFP, Yemen
A wave of suicide bombings targeting Yemeni troops killed at least 35 people on Monday in the southeastern city of Mukalla, officials said, in attacks claimed by the ISIS.
The capital of Hadramawt province, Mukalla had been under the control of Al-Qaeda for one year until pro-government troops backed by a Saudi-led coalition recaptured the city in April.
But ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying in a statement that eight of its suicide bombers killed 50 members of Yemen’s security forces, according to US-based monitor SITE Intelligence Group.
The governor of the vast province, Ahmed Saeed bin Breyk, told AFP previously that Mukalla had “witnessed five suicide attacks in four areas”.
US SC strikes down Texas abortion law
Reuters, Washington
The US Supreme Court on Monday handed a victory to abortion rights advocates, striking down a Texas law imposing strict regulations on abortion doctors and facilities that its critics contended were specifically designed to shut down clinics.
The 5-3 ruling held that the Republican-backed 2013 law placed an undue burden on women exercising their constitutional right to end a pregnancy established in the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. The normally nine-justice court was one member short after the February 13 death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, who consistently opposed abortion in past rulings.
Conservative Justice Anthony Kennedy joined liberal members of the court in ruling that both key provisions of the law violate a woman’s constitutional right to obtain an abortion.
