BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter plane crashed on Thursday southwest of Baghdad, but the pilot managed to eject safely, U.S. Central Command said in a statement.The cause of the crash was under investigation, it said. The pilot was rescued about an hour after the plane came down and taken to a medical facility for treatment.
"The aircraft was flying from a forward-deployed air base in Southwest Asia supporting operations in Iraq."
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The good news for Baghdad residents is that it is possible to get married legally once again, after a two-month hiatus during the U.S.-led war.
The bad news is that they can't get divorced.
Adhamiya civil court, the only functioning civil court in the Iraqi capital, began registering marriages again on May 22. Since then, chief judge Jamal al-Rawi has approved more than 800 marriage contracts.
Before the court system collapsed during the war that deposed leader Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), he processed around 20 a month.
Sitting behind a desk piled high with papers as young couples and their families crowded outside his office waiting to get their marriages approved, a weary Rawi said that he was working as fast as he could. But rebuilding the legal system will take a lot of time and effort, he said.
"All the other civil courts in Baghdad were looted or set ablaze," he said. "This is the only one left. Everybody who wants a marriage contract has to come here now. And there was a backlog of weddings because of the war. It has been very busy."
The court is so overwhelmed and under-resourced that the only service it currently provides is approving marriages. Rawi says he hopes to restart hearing divorce cases and settling family disputes later this month.
"Divorces can take a long time," he said. "It's fine if both parties agree, but usually there is a disagreement and they are quarrelling and there are all sorts of things to resolve. We can't handle that sort of thing at the moment."