** UPDATE: Bomber Strikes Shiite Mosque in Iraq, Killing At Least 36 ** Gunmen Kill Two Iraqi Police Chiefs; IBM-Lenovo Deal Gets OK; ID Thieves Strike Another Big Data Firm

Up to 36 Are Said to Be Killed in Blast at Shiite Mosque in Iraq

A suicide bomber struck a Shiite Mosque in the northern city of Mosul Thursday, killing at least 36 and wounding 25. According to The New York Times, U.S. troops responded to the blast by surrounding the area and directing civilian vehicles to transport the wounded to a local hospital. The bomber attacked during a funeral.

For more details, read the full article in The New York Times.

Gunmen Kill Two Iraqi Police Chiefs

Iraqi insurgents continuted their recent wave of violence as gunmen killed two police chiefs in separate attacks Thursday. According to the Associated Press, the first attack came in western Baghdad as two gunmen opened fire on a truck carrying Col. Ahmed Abeis, the head of Salihiyah police there. In another attack, insurgents killed the chief of Jisr Diyala in southeast Baghdad, Col. Ayad Abdul-Razaq. The Iraqi police forces are often seen by insurgents as collaborators with U.S. forces, making them targets for attacks.

For more details, read the full Associated press article in The New York Times.

IBM-Lenovo Deal Gets OK

The Bush administration has given the go-ahead for IBM’s planned sale of its personal computer business to Lenovo of China after completing its national security review. According to The New York Times, the scrutiny comes as Washington becomes more wary of China’s ascent as an economic and military power. Some speculate that other Chinese companies will look to make similar purchases in the United States. “The lesson from the I.B.M. experience is that the government is going to be difficult on them all,” said William A. Reinsch, president of the National Foreign Trade Council and a former trade official in the Clinton administration. Investigations like this one occur in fewer than one percent of cross-border deals, said some former committee members. Representatives from the Homeland Security, Defense, Justice, Treasury and Commerce Departments participated in the review.

For more details, read the full article in The New York Times.

ID Thieves Strike Another Big Data Firm

Information broker Lexis-Nexis said Wednesday that it had been hit hackers who used passwords to obtain information on some 30,000 Americans. The Los Angeles Times reports that the breach occurred about two months ago and was reported to law enforcement about two weeks ago. With the recent identity theft incidents at ChoicePoint and Bank of America, the issue is getting a lot of attention on Capitol Hill. “If criminals can breach these security arrangements, there is danger that terrorists may also be able to,” Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) said in a statement Wednesday.

For more details, read the full article in the Los Angeles Times.