:
SOME IRAQI DEVELOPMENTS (4#) -

# Unidentified gunmen blew up the Lion of Babylon statue in central Basra during the early hours of Sunday, eyewitnesses said. The statue, carved in basalt, was a historical landmark built in the 1920's.

# Abdul Khaliq al-Habir al-Anbaki, a young political cartoonist in al-Mutamar newspaper, affiliated with the Iraqi National Congress party, headed by Ahmed al-Chalabi, was killed along with his 11-member-family in a car bombing attack that took place last Thursday in Karrada, central Baghdad.

# Iraqis celebrated their soccer win... But:

"The team's players do not live in Iraq, and they earn their wages playing for teams across the Middle East. Because of tenuous security at home, wars and United Nations sanctions, the team has not played a home game in 17 years and must train and practice abroad."

#Salam Adil's weekend
dispatch for his Iraqi Blogodrome:

Salam writes that veteran blogger Zeyad has had his Yo*Tube account permanently suspended and all his videos deleted. Explanation included.

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