Special report: Tension escalates in Iraq

    BAGHDAD, July 15 (Xinhua) -- An Iraqi minister survived a roadside bomb explosion near his convoy in eastern Baghdad on Tuesday morning, an Interior Ministry source said.

    "Waheed Kareem, minister of electricity, escaped unhurt from a roadside bomb explosion targeting his convoy in Zayouna neighborhood," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

    Kareem was heading for his work during the attack which wounded two bystanders, the source said.

    Sporadic attacks continue in Baghdad despite the U.S. and Iraqi officials' announcement of a relative lull in violence during the past few months.