Three bombs kill seven in Kirkuk

According to latest reports, three bombs have hit Iraq's northern city of Kirkuk killing at least seven people and injuring more than 70. The bombs exploded in quick succession near Kurdish security headquarters, two police officers are reported to be among the dead.

Kirkuk's Police Chief Maj Gen Jamal Tahir told AP news agency that, early this morning, a suicide bomber slammed his pickup truck into a wall near the Kurdish security headquarters. The second blast was near a gas station, the third occurred down a street from the first and was followed by gunshots.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but reports have emerged that militant extremists, Ansar al-Islam, have made threats. Kirkuk, which has a third of Iraq's oil reserves, is a disputed territory claimed by the central government in Baghdad and the Kurdish authorities in the north.

Sources: BBC News, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Euronews

For more news and expert analysis about Iraq, please see Iraq Focus.

Nouri al-Maliki has 30 days to form new government

Iraq's President Jalal Talabani has appointed Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to form a new government. Al-Maliki has 30 days to negotiate potential obstacles as he delegates ministerial portfolios to various Iraqi political factions.

Iraq has been without a new government for a record breaking eight months, following inconclusive result returned during March parliamentary elections. After months of limbo and political wrangles, a deal was finally reached two weeks ago allowing al-Maliki to remain in his post.

His task to divide-up ministries among Iraq's notoriously fractions political parties might prove more difficult than initially thought. The new government is expected to comprise of all the major factions, including the Kurds and Shi'a political parties aligned with Iran. It is also to include Iyad Allawi's Sunni backed al-Iraqiyya coalition bloc, which won more seats than al-Maliki's largely Shi'a National Alliance, but lost out in the negotiations.

Source: BBC News

For more news and expert analysis about Iraq, please see Iraq Focus.