Deadliest attacks in Iraq since US troop pullout

BAGHDAD (AP) — Here is a look at the deadliest attacks in Iraq since the withdrawal of U.S. troops on Dec. 18, 2011:

—May 21, 2013: Car bombing at a Sunni mosque kills at least 20 people.

—May 20, 2013: A wave of attacks, some at markets and in rush hour crowds, kills 113 people inShiite and Sunni areas.

—May 18, 2013: Shootings and bombings kill at least 16 people, including an anti-terrorism police captain and his family.

—May 17, 2013: Bombs rip through Sunni areas in Baghdad and surrounding areas, killing at least 76 people.

—May 16, 2013: Car bombs hit Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad and attacks elsewhere in the country leave 21 people dead.

—May 15, 2013: A car bomb goes off near a bus station in Baghdad's main Shiite district, the deadliest of explosions that killed at least 33 people nationwide.

—May 14, 2013: A convoy of gunmen opens fire on a row of liquor stores in eastern Baghdad, killing 11 people.

—April 29, 2013: A wave of car bomb blasts tears through Shiite areas south of Baghdad, killing at least 36.

—April 25, 2013: More than 40 people are reported killed in fighting in the key northern city of Mosul.

—April 24, 2013: Clashes between the army and armed Sunni tribesmen who sealed off a central Iraqi town kill 22 people.

—April 23, 2013: Security forces storm a Sunni protest camp in the north, sparking deadly clashes in several towns, which combined with other attacks leave 56 people dead.

—April 18, 2013: A suicide bomber detonated explosives at a Baghdad cafe crowded with young people, killing 32 people.

—April 15, 2013: At least 36 are killed in string of attacks across the country ahead of provincial elections.

—April 6, 2013: A suicide bomber blows himself up at a lunch hosted by a Sunni candidate ahead of regional elections, killing 20 people.

—Mar. 19, 2013: Insurgents carry out a wave of bombings that kills at least 65 people on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion. An al-Qaida in Iraq front group claims responsibility.

—Mar. 14, 2013: Militants unleash a carefully planned assault on the Justice Ministry, killing 30.

—Mar. 4, 2013: Gunmen attack a convoy of Syrian soldiers who had crossed into Iraq for refuge, killing 48.

—Feb. 17, 2013: Car bombs tear through shopping areas in Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad, killing at least 37.

—Jan. 23, 2013: A suicide bomber strikes a packed funeral ceremony at a Shiite mosque in northern Iraq, killing at least 25.

—Jan. 17, 2013: Insurgents unleash a string of bomb attacks mainly targeting Shiite Muslim pilgrims across Iraq, killing at least 26.

—Jan. 16, 2013: A wave of bombings against the offices of a major Kurdish party and Kurdish security forces headquarters in Kirkuk province kills at least 33.

—Nov. 27, 2012: Insurgents launch attacks against Shiite mosques, security forces, and other targets in central and northern Iraq, killing at least 30.

—Nov. 6, 2012: A suicide bomber detonates his explosives-laden car near a military base north of Baghdad, killing at least 33.

—Sept. 9, 2012: Insurgents gun down soldiers at an army post, bomb police recruits waiting in line to apply for jobs, and stage other attacks that kill 92.

—Aug. 16, 2012: A blistering string of bombings and shootings across the country kills at least 93.

—July 23, 2012: Attacks aimed largely at security forces kill 115 in the country's deadliest single day in two years.

—July 3, 2012: Bombs pound six cities and towns, killing some 40 and raising suspicion that security forces may be assisting attacks on Shiites.

—June 13, 2012: Car bombs target an annual Shiite pilgrimage, killing 72 people in 16 separate explosions.

—April 19, 2012: Bombs rip through 10 Iraqi cities, killing at least 30 and shattering a month of relative calm. Al-Qaida later says the attacks aimed to punish the Shiite-led government and its allies.

—March 20, 2012: Insurgents bent on derailing an Arab League meeting in Baghdad kill 46 in attacks on Shiite pilgrims in the holy city of Karbala, bombings in Kirkuk, and strikes on security and government officials around the country.

—Feb. 23, 2012: Attackers kill at least 55 as car bombs go off near an elementary school in the town of Musayyib, a restaurant in a Shiite neighborhood in Baghdad, and various checkpoints and secure areas.

—Jan. 28, 2012: A suicide car bomber strikes a Shiite funeral procession, killing 33 in southwestern Baghdad.

—Jan. 14, 2012: A bomb tears through a procession of Shiite pilgrims in southern Iraq, killing at least 53.

—Jan. 5, 2012: Coordinated bombings target Shiite Muslims, killing 78 in Baghdad and near the southern city of Nasiriyah, just days before a Shiite holy day.

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Millions falling into poverty in recession-racked Italy: report

A homeless man sleeps in front of Saint Peter's Square in Rome March 7, 2013. REUTERS/Max Rossi

ROME (Reuters) - Millions of Italians cannot afford to heat their homes properly or eat meat as their country is racked by recession and soaring unemployment, said a report which found the number of people considered seriously deprived had doubled in the past two years.

The findings from national statistics institute ISTAT underline the scale of the challenge faced by the new coalition government of Enrico Letta, which has vowed to stimulate growth and tackle a youth jobless rate of almost 40 percent.

A recession that has lasted almost two years has taken a heavy toll on ordinary Italians who are increasingly digging into their savings, ISTAT said in its annual report.

Italy has the highest level in Europe of young people who are neither in education nor employment, at 23.9 percent, the study showed. In Italy's impoverished south, one in three people aged 15-29 fell into this group.

The number of people living in families considered to be seriously deprived has doubled in the past two years to 8.6 million, or about 14 percent of the population, ISTAT said.

Families who meet more than four of nine poverty indicators are considered seriously deprived. These include not being able to heat their home adequately, which affected one in five people in 2012 according to the report, twice as many as in 2010.

The percentage of people in families who could not afford to eat a protein-based meal such as meat every two days rose to 16.6 percent in 2012 from 12.4 the previous year and 6.7 percent in 2010.

More than 50 percent were unable to afford one week of holiday away from home last year, ISTAT said, with the figure rising to 69 percent in the south.

About 14.9 million people, or a quarter of Italy's 61 million population, are living in families that meet three of more of ISTAT's poverty indicators.

Just 57.6 percent of young people who graduated within the last three years are in employment, well below a European average of 77.2 percent, the data showed.

Italians' purchasing power fell by 4.8 percent last year, an "exceptionally steep" decline caused largely by aggressive tax hikes aimed at strengthening public finances, following four years of smaller falls, ISTAT said.

A traditionally high savings rate in Italy has dwindled steadily and is now far below those of France and Germany, with the situation becoming particularly acute in the poor south, the report said.

(Reporting by Gavin Jones, Naomi O'Leary and Roberto Landucci; Editing by Catherine Hornby and Pravin Char)

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