Tourists Return to Iraq

Oslo tops the list while crisis-proof Switzerland lands spots #2 and #3

(NEWSER) - If you happen to be flush with cash, then this list of the 15 most expensive places to visit on the globe should not limit your vacation plans. Otherwise, steer clear or prepare to splurge. The list, courtesy of US News' Travel site , is compiled from UBS' Prices and Earnings report . More»

Suicide bomber hits Shiite funeral

(AP) - A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-packed car near a funeral procession in southeastern Baghdad today, killing at least 28 people in the latest brazen attack since the US troop withdrawal. Police officials said the blast occurred at 11am in the predominantly Shiite neighborhood of Zafaraniyah, where mourners had gathered for the funeral of a person killed the day before. They said 61 people were wounded. More»

Brit firm founder an ex-soldier who removed section of toppled Baghdad statue

(NEWSER) - A British company official has been arrested after auctioning a buttock section of the massive Saddam Hussein bronze statue toppled when US forces stormed Baghdad in 2003. The arrest was made after the Iraqi government issued a complaint to British police following an auction in Derby, where the two-foot hunk of metal failed to fetch the minimum price of $375,000 set for the sale. Under a 2003 British law , all cultural property seized in Iraq must be handed over to police, reports the BBC . The bronze butt was offered for sale by Trebletap, a company that specializes in turning war memorabilia into art. Company director Jim Thorpe was busted and has been released on bail. More»

Panama, Finland, and Myanmar top the list

(NEWSER) - If you like cool design, upscale safaris, or a forbidden communist island, the New York Times can recommend 45 locales to visit in 2012. Among them:

• Panama. See the world-famous canal before its expansion, then stay for Panama City's economic boom and Frank Gehry's first design in Latin America—a natural history museum called BioMuseo.

Heightens fears that attacks will increase now that US has withdrawn

(AP) - A wave of bombings targeting Shiites in Iraq killed 72 people today, deepening sectarian tensions that exploded just after the last American troops left the country in mid-December. The bombings began early in the morning when explosions struck two Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad, killing at least 27 people. A few hours later, a suicide attack hit Shiite pilgrims heading to the holy Shiite city of Karbala, killing 45; those explosions took place about 200 miles southeast of Baghdad. More»