BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least seven people were killed and 17 more wounded on Tuesday when two roadside bombs targeted worshippers as they were leaving a Sunni Muslim mosque in southern Baghdad, police said. (Reporting by Kareem Raheem; writing by Patrick Markey)

After a quick glance in his rear-view mirror, Mustafa smiled confidently. With a flick of the wrist, the 22-year-old launched his motorcycle into a wheelie for the delighted crowd. But then, moments after he revved his bike and shifted into gear, sirens blared and suddenly police were everywhere as the assembled youths dispersed manically in all directions. "It's always like this -- the police don't want us to have any fun," muttered Ahmed, an organiser of the weekly gathering of young Iraqi motorcycle enthusiasts in the capital's up-scale Jadriyah neighbourhood.

During Baghdad's darkest days, often the only light at night was that of gunfire and mortar rounds. But the Iraqi capital now looks a world apart, with packed restaurants, parks and even the odd nightclub. Though still a long way from its once-lofty status as one of the region's most dynamic nightspots, and with the social scene out of reach for many Baghdadis, the options after sunset offer a rare bright spot for a violence-wracked country.

A string of apparently coordinated blasts struck near Iraqi government offices close to Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone on Thursday, a security official and witnesses said. The explosions went off near the foreign ministry, culture ministry and an office of the communications ministry in the Allawi neighbourhood in the centre of the capital at around 1:30 pm (1030 GMT). It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties, and no group claimed responsibility.