KIRKUK - Attacks in Baghdad and northern Iraq killed 35 people as hundreds attended the funeral of a Sunni lawmaker who died in a suicide attack a day earlier, amid a political crisis engulfing Iraq. The latest violence, which also left more than 220 people wounded, comes with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki facing several protests hardening opposition against his rule and calls for his ousting from many of his erstwhile government partners. AFP
SYDNEY - The Australian government says North Korea is seeking to reopen its embassy in the nation's capital. Foreign Minister Bob Carr said he had welcomed the request by Pyongyang. Carr told ABC it would give Australia the opportunity to express its concerns about what it views as North Korea's "catastrophic position on human rights". North Korea closed its embassy in Canberra in 2008, citing financial reasons. AP