Assailants attack buses in Pakistan, kill 18

Assailants ambushed four passenger buses in northwest Pakistan, pulled out Shiite males and killed 18 of them Tuesday, police said.
Pakistani officials swiftly condemned the attack, with President Asif Ali Zardari saying the "culprits of such a heinous crime will not be spared."
The attack took place in the mountainous Kohistan district in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, senior police official Muhammad Ilyas said.
The interior minister, Rehman Malik, immediately formed a team to investigate the incident and promised a report within three days, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
The buses were carrying passengers from Rawalpindi to the city of Gilgit in northwest Pakistan, Ilyas said.
Assailants stopped the buses early Tuesday morning and ordered the passengers out, he said.
They then singled out the male Shiite passengers, lined them up and shot them, Ilyas said.
Eight others were injured in the attack, but Sunni passengers were unharmed, he said.
Even though the area is not known for militant activity, Pakistan -- a majority Sunni Muslim nation -- has a long history of sectarian violence.
In a similar attack in October, gunmen boarded a passenger bus and opened fire, killing 14 in Balochistan province.
Shiite processions on religious holidays are also regularly targeted by Sunni militants. In January, 14 people were killed and 20 injured in a bomb blast in the town of Khan Pur.

Unions strike across India, results mixed

Members of Trade unions and left-wing political parties participate in a protest rally during the one day general strike in Hyderabad.

A one-day strike by India's unions closed businesses and slowed public transit Tuesday as workers protested rising prices and what they say are the government's anti-labor policies.
Several markets were shuttered in West Bangal, a formerly communist-ruled state seen as a hotbed of union activity, residents said.
"Traffic is also very light," said Sikha Sengupta, a retired executive in Kolkata, West Bengal's capital.
However, state police reported that government offices were functioning as usual.
In the southern province of Kerala, the strike hit government-run transport services hard, authorities said.
Most marketplaces in the state were also closed, Kerala police spokesman S. Sudhir said. Government offices were open, he added.
Nationally, there was little impact on private services and there was no major disruption in rail services across the sprawling nation.
Eleven trade unions called the one-day work stoppage, including a group affiliated with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's ruling Congress party. Singh's government faced massive street protests last year over its handling of corruption as a raft of scandals rocked his administration, now in its second term.
Protesters are demanding social security coverage for workers in India's massive informal labor sector, as well as an end to contract-based jobs.
The unions also have warned the government against selling its stakes in state-run companies.
"We demand the government come out with proposals in relation to our demands," said G. Sanjeeva Reddy, president of the Indian National Trade Union Congress that is linked to Singh's party.
The strike appeared to have little impact in bustling New Delhi.
The city's ubiquitous taxis and auto rickshaws largely stayed off the roads, but other vehicles still packed the streets.
While markets in the city remained open, at least one branch of the State Bank of India in New Delhi was hit hard by the strike, with senior executives picking up the slack. Services appeared normal at private banks.

Bhopal victims urge UK government to drop Dow as 2012 sponsor

The Bhopal disaster is the worst industrial tragedy in India's history. Here, protestors demonstrate

                                           Victims and  campaigners from the Bhopal disaster of 1984 have staged a "die-in" outside the UK's sports ministry to protest at the sponsorship role Dow Chemical Company will play in the London 2012 Olympics.
The demonstrators object to the International Olympic Committee's 10-year deal with Dow, who in 2001 became owners of the firm that caused one of the worst industrial disasters in India, when nearly 4,000 people were killed by a gas leak at the Union Carbide plant.
An estimated 45,000 others were said to be affected by the emission of poisonous gas at the site in Bhopal, which has caused cancer, disability and renal failure.
The demonstrators want the Indian government to boycott the 2012 Games if the IOC keeps Dow as a sponsor, and said they will continue their protests after the Olympic body insisted their partner was not responsible for the tragedy.
The campaigners are lobbying the UK government to rectify what it claims are "transparent errors of moral judgment and legal reasoning" in its failure to remove all support for Dow's sponsorship.
India's government has written to the IOC to ask it to drop ties with Dow, while the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has threatened to withdraw from the Games if no action is taken.
In a letter to the IOA, Jacques Rogge, president of the IOC, said: "IOC recognizes that the Bhopal tragedy in 1984 was an horrific event for India and the world.
"The Olympic Movement sympathizes with the grief of the victims' families and regrets the ongoing suffering people face in the region.
"Dow had no connection with the Bhopal tragedy. Dow did not have any ownership stake in Union Carbide until 16 years after the accident and 12 years after the $470 million compensation agreement was approved by the Indian Supreme Court.
"We only enter into partnerships with organizations that we believe work in accordance with the values of the Olympic Movement."
But with the Indian Supreme Court reviewing the case for a third time, the protestors claimed Dow was engaged in an "unethical refusal to deal with its unresolved legal and moral liabilities in Bhopal."
They also claimed Dow are misrepresenting facts and "prolonging the suffering of thousands of people in Bhopal, including that of unborn generations."
Officials from the protest group met with representatives from the UK's high commission and handed over a petition complete with 21,000 signatures that asked for Dow to be dropped as an Olympic sponsor.

41 killed Tuesday in Syria, but official claims regime cares about civilians

While carnage mounts in the streets of Syria, the war of words rages on as well.
"We are not happy to see brothers killing each other," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said, insisting that no regime cares more about the Syrian people than his government.
The foreign minister told reporters no one is dying in Syria because of hunger or sickness, and said that despite an "economic international boycott," his government is providing all necessary services.
His words fly in the face of opposition activists and world leaders who say the regime's sustained slaughter has killed thousands.
At least 41 people were killed across Syria on Tuesday alone, said the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, a network of opposition activists.
The deaths include 22 in the Hama suburbs, where hundreds were also injured during a fifth day of shelling, the LCC said. Twelve others died in the opposition stronghold of Homs, which has been pummeled by government forces for more than three weeks.
Another opposition group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said five members of the Syrian army were killed in pre-dawn clashes with defected soldiers in Daraa province.
The rash of morning deaths followed a particularly gruesome day Monday, when 144 people were killed across the country, the LCC said.
Meanwhile, international abhorrence of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime continues to escalate.
The U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva is meeting Tuesday to hear more on a report saying Syrian government officials were responsible for "crimes against humanity" committed by security forces against opposition members.
And on Monday, the European Union slapped new sanctions against the Syrian government.

The EU will freeze the assets of seven al-Assad regime ministers, spokeswoman Susanne Kiefer said. Those ministers will also be denied entry into the EU.
In addition, the international body will freeze the Syrian Central Bank's assets in the EU. Legitimate trade will be allowed to continue, Kiefer said, but must be authorized first.
The decisions "will put further pressure on those who are responsible for the ruthless campaign of repression in Syria," Catherine Ashton, the EU foreign policy chief, said in a statement. "The measures target the regime and its ability to conduct the appalling violence against civilians. As long as the repression continues, the EU will keep imposing sanctions."
The LCC said about 9,000 people have been killed since the government launched its crackdown on dissidents in March. The Syrian government says that more than 2,000 members of its security forces have been killed by "terrorists" during that same period.
media outlets cannot independently verify opposition or government reports because Syria has severely limited access to the country by foreign journalists. But the vast majority of reports from the ground indicate that government forces are massacring citizens in an attempt to wipe out civilians seeking al-Assad's ouster.

Dazzling Kohli ton keeps India alive

Virat Kohli was "in the zone" during his 133 not out off 86 balls

Turnarounds don't come any better. Fortunes don't change more dramatically. And emotions don't bear a starker contrast. At the halfway stage, Sri Lanka would have felt they had one foot in the final, having left the India bowlers deflated after a dominating performance with the bat. And they would have been right to think that way, the Indian batting having shown little promise in the series and the team on the brink of elimination.

But Virat Kohli put on an imperious display of strokemaking, his malleable wrists powering an Indian fightback conspicuous in its absence on what had been, until now, two forgettable overseas trips. Kohli's innings made a mockery of an imposing score, kept India's finals hopes alive and left Sri Lanka with the unenviable task of beating the form team in the tournament to knock India out.

Given India's poor outings with the bat in their recent games, one would have expected them to struggle to chase a target of 321 in 50 overs. They achieved it in 36.4 - needing to chase it in 40 to stay alive in the series - and did so with Kohli finishing things off in a blaze of glory. Kohli was, as Nathan Astle said after his whirlwind 222 against England in 2002, "in the zone". He dismissed anything that came his way with clinical precision, found the boundary at will whether the field was in or pushed back, ran swiftly between the wickets to catch the fielders off guard and middled the ball with scarcely believable consistency.

While Kohli was the protagonist in India's successful chase, the other characters played their due part. Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar would have wanted to do more but gave India the explosive start they desperately needed to stage a counterattack; Gautam Gambhir continued to be fluent, just four boundaries in a knock of 63 in 64 balls showing the toil behind the runs and Suresh Raina, under pressure to perform, gave Kohli valuable company in a match-winning stand with a spunky cameo.

If the Indians were insipid with their bowling, the Sri Lankans were far worse as wides flowed, gift balls were doled out on the pads with regularity and the fielding buckled under the pressure of an unexpected fightback. Both innings were replete with fumbles, misfields, wayward throws - one of them, had it been on target, could have got Kohli run-out - making batting even more profitable on the easiest track in the series thus far. The brisk start to the chase and the subsequent consolidation by Gambhir and Kohli meant India were in with a fighting chance with two Powerplays still remaining, and both proved highly lucrative.

Kohli made both his own, first targeting Nuwan Kulasekara in the 31st over - which began with India needing 91 in 10 overs for a bonus point - carting three consecutive fours as attempted yorkers failed to meet their desired lengths and served as tempting length balls. Two were whipped - in trademark Kohli fashion, a momentary turn of the wrists imparting tremendous force on the ball - and the other, sliced over point in an act of improvisation.

The Sri Lankan seamers misfired badly but even when they got it right, like an accurate yorker from Malinga, Kohli was able to shuffle across and expertly work it past the short fine fielder. He took 24 from Malinga in the 35th over, flicking him for six and picking four fours past short fine, and finished the game with two thunderous drives through the off side, the second being the clinching blow. A pump of the fists was followed by a roar of elation and relief as a perennially inanimate MS Dhoni calmly trudged on to the field to join in the celebrations.

Wounded India's last attempt to stay alive

Big Picture

On a tour of many disappointments for India, Tuesday's contest against Sri Lanka offers them a chance, albeit an extremely difficult one, of prolonging their fight to stay alive in the tri-series. Going by recent results - three straight defeats - the bonus-point win that India need to entertain any hope of qualifying for the finals seems a long shot.

Their bowling attack is weakened due to injuries, their batsmen have struggled, there's been talk of a communication gap between players, their captain wasn't even aware the team stood a chance of qualifying going into their final league game and they are up against opponents who've peaked impressively.

There is much at stake for India in what might or might not be their last match of the trip. A shot at a place in the finals aside, there'll be those in the team who'll be under pressure to keep their spots in the ODI side as the selectors meet to pick the squad for the Asia Cup on Wednesday. The misery of the India teams of the 90s when touring overseas has returned to haunt this side and Tuesday's contest is as much an opportunity to restore some pride, to slightly repair a damaged reputation - something that, if achieved, will mark a significant rise from a spate of on-field problems that has let the team down.

A bonus-point win is only the first step - India's fate will then hinge on the result of Sri Lanka's game against Australia on March 2 - but it will be a sign of determination to fight back, a strong urge to reach the finals and give some back to a team that's been responsible for the misery inflicted on them over the last two months.

Sri Lanka are well-equipped to thwart any such turnaround after three straight wins, the third a hard-fought one against Australia in Hobart, the venue for Tuesday's game. Both Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene have scored at the top, their young middle order has been productive, and the bowling largely consistent and free of injury. A defeat is a possibility, a cataclysmic fall that will concede a bonus point a very distant one.

Nepali villager, 72, declared world's shortest man

A Guinness World Records team measured Chandra Bahadur Dangi at 54.60 centimeters (21.5 inches)

KATHMANDU, Feb 27 (bdnews24.com/Reuters) - Home to Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, the scenic country of Nepal on Sunday added another height-related superlative - of having the world's shortest man.

A Guinness World Records team measured Chandra Bahadur Dangi at 54.60 centimeters (21.5 inches), declaring the 72-year-old even shorter the previous title holder, Junrey Balawing, from the Philippines, who stood at 23.5 inches at the age of 18 last year.

"The good news is that Chandra Bahadur Dangi is the world's shortest living man," Guiness Records Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday told reporters after measurements were taken.

"If he is really 72 years old he is the oldest person to be awarded the shortest-man record," Glenday said, adding Dangi was also the shortest person ever measured by the Guinness World Records.

From a poor and uneducated family in a remote part of Nepal, Dangi said he had never heard of Mount Everest and was unaware of the world record title before a timber merchant visited his remote village last month and decided to measure him.

His diminutive size has since made him a celebrity in the impoverished nation of 26.6 million people and he took a plane for the first time last week to travel from his village, Rimkholi, 267 km (167 miles) west of Kathmandu, to meet the Guiness World Records officials in the capital.

"I am good. I feel happy," Dangi said holding two framed certificates. "I want to travel around the world and spread the name of my country."

Dangi, whose parents died when he was still in his teens, lives with his brother with, he said, no desire to marry.

His family has no idea when he stopped growing as many Nepali villages still lack basic health care. Dangi has never seen a doctor in his life. Five of his brothers and two sisters are of normal size.

Dangi mostly stays at home, needing assistance to move around, preparing head straps used by villagers to carry loads.

Before Balawing, who was declared the shortest man in the world in June last year, another Nepali man, Khagnedra Thapa Magar, who stood 26.4 inches tall, held the title.

The Artist triumphs at the Oscars

The cast and crew of The Artist had good reason to celebrate with five awards

 

Silent movie The Artist has triumphed at the Oscars, winning five awards including best picture, best director and best actor for Jean Dujardin.

Director Michel Hazanavicius - winning on his first ever nomination - thanked the dog, Uggie, who appears in the film but added: "I don't think he cares."
Dujardin said of his character: "If George Valentin could speak, he would say 'Wow! Victorie! Genial! Merci!'"
The film also won the Oscars for best original score and best costumes.
Martin Scorsese's Hugo also won five Oscars, mainly in technical categories.
Meryl Streep won best actress for her portrayal of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady - her 17th Oscar nomination and third Oscar win.
She thanked the Academy "for this inexplicably wonderful career".
"When they called my name I had this feeling I could hear half of America going: 'Aww no. Not her again'. But, you know, whatever.
"I look out here and I see my life before my eyes. My old friends, my new friends. This is such a great honour but the thing that counts the most for me is the friendships… Thank you. All of you, departed and here," she added.
Dujardin broke into his native French language in celebration shouting: "Wow, victory!"
"Thank you to the Academy. It's funny because in 1929, it wasn't Billy Crystal but Douglas Fairbanks who hosted the first Oscars ceremony. Tickets cost $5 and it lasted 15 minutes. Times have changed."
1929 was the last year that a silent movie won an Oscar.

Canadian actor Christopher Plummer became the oldest Oscar winner at 82 by taking the best supporting actor prize.

He was widely tipped to win for his portrayal of a father who comes out as a gay man after his wife dies in Beginners.
Plummer thanked his real-life wife who, he said, deserved "the Nobel Peace Prize for coming to my rescue every day".
The Help's Octavia Spencer won the best supporting actress Oscar and gave an emotional acceptance speech, receiving a standing ovation from the audience.

Afghan airport hit by Taliban 'revenge' car bombing

The blast he detonated was powerful enough to destroy four cars

A Taliban suicide car bomber has killed at least nine people and wounded 10 others in an attack at Jalalabad airport in eastern Afghanistan.

The insurgents said the bombing was in revenge for a Koran-burning incident at a US air base a week ago.
The burning, which the US says was unintentional, has sparked violent protests across the country.
Nato said it had no reports of international forces being among the casualties in Jalalabad.
The airport serves both civilian and international military aircraft. Witnesses reported seeing at least four destroyed cars at the gates.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in an email to media: "This attack is revenge against those soldiers who burned our Koran.''
President Hamid Karzai has appealed for calm amid anger at the incident at Bagram air base near Kabul.
In his televised address on Sunday, Mr Karzai "condemned with the strongest words" the treatment of the Korans but added: "Now that we have shown our feelings it is time to be calm and peaceful."

Syria army shells Homs and northern towns in Idlib

Binnish has for the past week been under the control of anti-Assad forces

A Syrian military offensive is continuing in opposition-held areas of the north-western province of Idlib.

A BBC correspondent says troops have been firing artillery, mortars and anti-aircraft guns at civilian areas in Binnish, west of the city of Idlib.
The city of Homs also continued to be hit, activists reported, as France's president said a solution was in sight to rescue wounded Western journalists.
China meanwhile dismissed US criticism of its Syria policy as very arrogant.
A commentary in the Chinese Communist Party's official newspaper said that after the experience of Iraq, the US had no right to speak for the Arab people.
"Even now, violence continues unabated in Iraq and ordinary people enjoy no security. This alone is enough for us to draw a huge question mark over the sincerity and efficacy of US policy," it stated.
China's comments follow a blunt statement by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the Chinese and Russian veto of a UN Security Council resolution on Syria was "despicable" while "people are being murdered".
Beijing believes Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should be allowed to carry out reforms to try to end the bloodshed.
Meanwhile, the European Union has imposed further sanctions on Syria, including a freeze on the European-held assets of its central bank.

Foreign ministers meeting in Brussels also agreed to issue travel bans against seven more close associates of Mr Assad, while cargo flights from Syria into the EU have been banned, and restrictions have been imposed on the trade in gold and precious metals.

The BBC's Chris Morris, in Brussels, says the latest sanctions are being portrayed as part of an international effort to impose an economic stranglehold on the Syrian government.

Osama Bin Laden compound being demolished in Pakistan

Pakistan is more than half way through its demolition of the compound where US forces killed Osama Bin Laden, in the north-western city of Abbottabad.

Work began late on Saturday and bulldozers and pneumatic machinery could be heard through the night.
The al-Qaeda leader was shot dead at the compound in the garrison town on 2 May 2011. He had been hiding there for several years.
No official reason for the demolition has been given.
Residents around the three-storey compound have speculated that the authorities do not want it turned into a shrine.
But it is more likely that the demolition is part of a process by the government to put the whole embarrassing episode behind them, says the BBC's Aleem Maqbool in Abbottabad.
'Should be razed' Journalists and residents were prevented from getting too close to the compound by a ring of several hundred police and soldiers as work got under way.
Bulldozers worked under floodlights to smash through the concrete structure, with trucks carrying away the debris.
By Sunday morning, the high walls of the compound and more than half of the building inside had been torn down, the Associated Press reports.
Officials say the compound was handed over by the military to the civil authorities before the operation started.
They say the demolition was decided soon after the May raid, but it was put off when the government set up a judicial commission to investigate the operation by US forces.
"Since the commission has almost completed its work and did not need the compound for any further investigation, it was decided it should be razed," an official said.
Stealth operation Osama Bin Laden is said to have lived in the compound with his wives and children for several years - raising questions as to how he could have remained in the garrison town for so long without the Pakistani government knowing about it.
On 2 May, a team of US special forces flew from Afghanistan to Bin Laden's hiding place during the night in stealth helicopters in a secret operation not disclosed to Islamabad beforehand.
The troops swept through the buildings within the high-walled enclosure and shot dead a total of five people, including Bin Laden.
Some 40 minutes later they left, taking with them Bin Laden's body and a hoard of computer data devices and other information containing intelligence about al-Qaeda and Bin Laden's activities.

Syria votes on new constitution referendum amid unrest

The Syrian government is holding a referendum on a new constitution as violence continues around the country, killing at least 20 people.

The new constitution calls for a multi-party parliamentary election within three months.
The opposition has boycotted the vote, calling it a farce and demanding President Bashar al-Assad stand down.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said "there's every possibility" Syria could descend into civil war.
But she warned "outside intervention" could exacerbate the situation. "I think that as you try to play out every possible scenario, there are a lot of bad ones that we are trying to assess," she told the BBC.
Activists say more than 89 people died across Syria on Saturday.

Bollywood's Amitabh Bachchan back home after surgery

Bachchan has suffered several abdominal complaints in the past

Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan, who had successful abdominal surgery recently, has been discharged from hospital and is recovering at home.

"Am back home in familiar surroundings, gently taking in all that now engulfs me," the actor wrote on his blog.
The 69-year-old actor, who has a history of abdominal ailments, was operated on in the western city of Mumbai on 11 February.
He has acted in more than 180 films and remains India's most popular actor.
"Home. A joy to be back in familiar surroundings... thank you all for your blessings and prayers... I made it again," Bachchan posted on the micro-blogging site Twitter on Friday morning.
'Discomfort' On his blog, he wrote: "The surgery discomfort and soreness persists, but will take a while to finally erase itself from the pain glands.
"God's grace and prayers of the extended family have put me back on track again."
The actor complained that journalists had "blocked his car not allowing it to move, insensitive to need of ailing occupant to get securely home".
After the surgery at Seven Hills Hospital nearly two weeks ago, his family said it had gone well and "everything was normal".
But after he complained of acute abdominal pain, his stay at the hospital was extended amid reports of another operation.
Bachchan had surgery for an intestinal condition at the same hospital in 2005. Three years later, he was admitted to a hospital with abdominal pains.
The actor suffered a near fatal injury during the shooting of an action scene on the set of a film in 1982 and was critically ill for several months.
Last year Bachchan returned as the celebrity host of Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire - one of the most watched shows on Indian television.
He is also to make his Hollywood debut in a new film adaptation of The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, due to be released late this year.

Chinese 'netizens' inundate Obama's Google+ page

Despite China's Great Firewall, internet users have been able to reach Barack Obama's Google+ page

President Obama's page on Google's social network site has been inundated with messages in Chinese after restrictions in China were removed.

Every current topic on Mr Obama's Google+ page attracted hundreds of Chinese comments.
Some contributors made jokes; others said they were occupying the site in the style of western Occupy campaigns.
Google+ is normally blocked in China along with other social media that the authorities deem unacceptable.
Since Google+ was launched in 2011, software known informally as the Great Firewall had appeared to block it within China.
But on 20 February 2012 internet-users in many parts of China found they could gain access to the site - prompting some to suggest occupying it, in a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Occupy Wall Street campaign.
On 24 and 25 February, to the consternation of American readers, every current topic on President Obama's 2012 election campaign page attracted hundreds of comments, apparently from China.
Their exact provenance cannot be verified, but the expressions contributors used were in the style of mainland China and in simplified Chinese.
A few appealed for the liberty of the civil rights activist Chen Guangcheng, who is under house arrest.
Others asked about a recent political intrigue in south-west China, in which one of the country's top policemen, Wang Lijun, spent a day in the US consulate in Chengdu for undisclosed reasons.
But many simply voiced delight at their freedom to speak: they talked about occupying the furniture and bringing snacks and soft drinks.
The White House in Washington has not commented on the upsurge of Chinese interest in President Obama's campaign site.
But it has prompted one poster to suggest that if China ever abandoned its internet restrictions, the United States would have to protect its social media with a Great Firewall of its own.

Australia in finals after 87-run win

It was another struggle for India's batsmen on tour

India succumbed meekly to the pressure of a chase of 253 - a chase they were required to nail to remain in serious contention in the triangular series - and were bowled out for 165 by an Australia side that eagerly grabbed the chance to seal its own spot in the competition deciders.

Short of a bonus-point victory in their final match against Sri Lanka and a subsequent loss to the hosts by Mahela Jayawardene's flourishing side, India will fly home earlier than desired from an Australia tour that peaked all too early with Rahul Dravid's Bradman Oration and has disintegrated steadily ever since.

Australia's stand-in captain Shane Watson compensated for a poor showing with the bat by nipping out Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina, and generally led his team soundly in the field in the absence of the injured Michael Clarke. He had a bonus point victory in front of 33,639 spectators to show for it.

The folding of India's batting was a familiar tale of patterns and misadventures. Virender Sehwag extended his horrid run on tour by punching a return-catch to Ben Hilfenhaus, Sachin Tendulkar found another way to fall short of 100 international centuries when he was run-out after a mid-pitch collision with Brett Lee, and Gautam Gambhir battled for fluency then dragged Clint McKay onto the stumps.

All this rather undercut the efforts of the touring bowlers, who had done well to restrict Australia to 9 for 252. India were given a fine start by the intelligent and miserly bowling of Praveen Kumar, whose opening spell of six overs harvested two wickets at a cost of 14 runs, including only one boundary. Umesh Yadav also made a mark with his speed and aggression.

Praveen's victims included Shane Watson, playing his first international of the summer as Australia's stand-in captain while Michael Clarke recovers from a flare-up of the back trouble that has been an intermittent problem across his career. Australia have now had four captains of the national side in various formats this summer - Clarke, George Bailey, Ricky Ponting and Watson.

David Warner fared the best of the batsmen, striking his way to 68 from 66 balls before skying Ravindra Jadeja. Suresh Raina claimed the catch despite a heavy collision with Irfan Pathan that left both fielders laid out on the outfield. Matthew Wade and Hussey also chimed in, but the latter was perhaps fortunate to get past 17.

Running a single, Hussey held out his hand to block Suresh Raina's return from the edge of the fielding circle - whether this was an attempt to simply prevent getting hit was unclear - and MS Dhoni immediately appealed either for handling the ball or the recently changed laws for obstructing the field, which forbid a batsman from changing his running line to intercept a ball headed for the stumps. After a lengthy television consultation the appeal was rejected, much to the consternation of the visitors. They exchanged plenty of words with Hussey when he was dismissed, 37 runs later.

On a night when a rapid half-century might have set his side on the path to victory, Sehwag's exit in the second over arrived courtesy of a fine Hilfenhaus take, scooping up a low catch near his ankles. Tendulkar and Gambhir prospered briefly against the new ball, but when the former was called through for a single, both he and Lee ran in more or less the same direction. Lee's pursuit of the ball ended when he saw David Warner in better position, and Tendulkar had his path interrupted by the bowler as Warner threw down the stumps.

Kohli again hinted at a decent score, only to be undone when Watson introduced himself to the attack. Following Lee, Watson's seamers were noticeably slower, and the reduction in pace had Kohli playing too early as he looped a catch to Daniel Christian.

McKay ended Gambhir's cussed stay, and Watson struck again when he angled the ball across Raina to induce a simple edge to Matthew Wade. Ravindra Jadeja fell in a similar manner, though his edge from Daniel Christian flew to Watson at first slip, where he held on to the catch having earlier grassed a chance to pouch Dhoni.

For as long as Dhoni remained at the crease India had a chance, however slight, so there was plenty of relief in Australia's huddle when Hilfenhaus pinned him in front of the stumps for a painstaking 14. The rest melted away.

The match appeared destined for a closer contest when Australia's early progress was slowed by Praveen's wiles, though more runs were collected from Pathan at the other end. Watson pulled at a delivery shaping away from him and managed only to spoon a catch to mid-on, while Peter Forrest fell to a slower delivery that he dragged onto the stumps.

Warner's innings provided the hosts with some momentum, but he lost Michael Hussey due to a running mix-up, and his own bright stay was ended by Jadeja. David Hussey's reprieve offered him and Wade the chance to regather the innings, which they did well enough in a stand of 94.

Wade's stay was ended when he steered a swift Yadav delivery into Dhoni's gloves, before Hussey fell to the same combination, snicking behind in his attempt to pull Yadav from outside off stump. The fact that Hussey appeared to walk did little to soothe India's frustration about the earlier incident.

Clint McKay was not long in staying before he wafted at Virender Sehwag and was stumped, and late blows from Christian and Xavier Doherty took the tally past 250. It looked a mediocre total, but then there have been times on this tour when India would have given much to achieve such mediocrity. So it would be again this night.

Guide: Syria Crisis

The Syrian authorities have responded to anti-government protests with overwhelming military force since they erupted in March 2011. The protests pose the greatest challenge to four decades of Assad family rule in the country.

Here is an overview of the uprising, in which the UN says more than 5,000 civilians have been killed by security forces and 14,000 others detained. The government says 2,000 members of the security forces have died.
How did the protests start? The unrest began in the southern city of Deraa in March when locals gathered to demand the release of about 15 school children who were arrested and reportedly tortured after writing on a wall the well-known slogan of the popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt: "The people want the downfall of the regime." The protesters also called for democracy and greater freedom, though not President Assad's resignation.

The peaceful show of dissent was, however, too much for the government and when people marched though the city after Friday prayers on 18 March, security forces opened fire, killing four people. The following day, they shot at mourners at the victims' funerals, killing another person.

Within days, the unrest in Deraa had spiralled out of the control of the local authorities. In late March, the army's fourth armoured division - commanded by the president's brother, Maher - was sent in to crush the emboldened protesters. Dozens of people were killed, as tanks shelled residential areas and troops stormed homes, rounding up those believed to have attended demonstrations.
But the crackdown failed to stop the unrest in Deraa, instead triggering anti-government protests in other towns and cities across the country, including Baniyas, Homs, Hama and the suburbs of Damascus. The army subsequently besieged them, blaming "armed gangs and terrorists" for the unrest. By mid-May, the death toll had reached 1,000.
What do the protesters want and what have they got? Protesters began somewhat cautiously by calling for democracy and greater freedom in what is one of the most repressive countries in the Arab world. But once security forces opened fire on peaceful demonstrations, people demanded that Mr Assad resign.
The president has resolutely refused to step down, but in the few public statements he has made since March he has offered some concessions and promised reform. Activists say that - as long as people continue to be killed - his promises count for very little.

Berlusconi trial: Judges throw out corruption case

Silvio Berlusconi says the charges against him are politically motivated

Judges have thrown out a bribery case against former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, because it expired under the statute of limitations.

Mr Berlusconi was accused of paying his former British tax lawyer, David Mills, to lie in court to protect his interests.
The case dates back to the 1990s.
Mr Berlusconi, who denies wrongdoing, says this and other court cases against him are all part of a politically-motivated smear campaign.

He is on trial separately on charges of tax fraud and sex with an under-age prostitute.

The prosecution alleged Mr Mills was given $600,000 (£382,000) to lie in court about Mr Berlusconi's business interests.
Mr Mills - who was not on trial - denies that any such payment was made.
In December he told a court he was "deeply ashamed" for falsely claiming that Mr Berlusconi had given him $600,000.
Mr Mills said the money had actually come from an associate he had not wanted to admit dealing with.
Of the other three cases Mr Berlusconi still faces, potentially the most damaging for the former Italian leader involves Moroccan nightclub dancer Karima El Mahroug, also known as Ruby.
Prosecutors allege Ms Mahroug attended several parties at Mr Berlusconi's residence last year and was paid for sex while she was still 17, an offence according to Italian law. Both she and the prime minister deny having sex. She says she did receive 7,000 euros (£5,900), but it was as a gift after a party.

Nato pulls out of Afghan ministries after Kabul attack

Any attacker would have had the highest clearance

Nato has withdrawn all its personnel from Afghan ministries after two senior US officers were shot dead in the interior ministry building in Kabul.

Nato said an "individual" had turned his gun on the officers, believed to be a colonel and major, and had not yet been identified or caught.
Nato commander Gen John Allen condemned the attack as "cowardly".
The shootings come amid five days of deadly protests over the burning of copies of the Koran by US soldiers.
Taliban statement The interior ministry was put in lock-down after the shootings, officials said.
The BBC's Orla Guerin in Kabul says eight shots were reported inside the building, which should be one of the safest in the capital, and that any Afghan who carried out the attack would have had the highest clearance.
Local media reports said the gunman was an Afghan policeman but this has not been confirmed.
The reports suggest the incident followed a "verbal clash".
Gen Allen said he condemned the attack, adding: "We will pursue all leads to find the person responsible. The perpetrator of this attack is a coward whose actions will not go unanswered."

He said: "For obvious force protection reasons, I have also taken immediate measures to recall all other Isaf personnel working in ministries in and around Kabul."

But Gen Allen added: "We are committed to our partnership with the government of Afghanistan to reach our common goal of a peaceful, stable and secure Afghanistan in the near future."
The UK Foreign Office confirmed it had "withdrawn civilian mentors and advisers from institutions in the city as a temporary measure".
The Pentagon said the US condemned the killings "in the strongest possible terms".
Press secretary George Little said Afghan Defence Minister Gen Abdul Rahim Wardak had called US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta to apologise for the shootings.
Mr Little said Mr Panetta was calling on Afghanistan to take decisive action to protect Nato forces.
Isaf spokesman Brig Gen Carsten Jacobson said that Nato could not yet reveal the identity of those killed.
He also said: "We cannot confirm where the killer came from, what his nationality was, whether he was in uniform or not, all these questions are not known."
Early reports suggest the two officers were shot in the ministry's command and control centre.
The BBC's Bilal Sarwary in Kabul says this is where representatives of 34 provinces meet to plan security.
He quotes sources as saying that Interior Minister Bismullah Khan was having a meeting with senior Western officials elsewhere in the building when the shooting took place.
The Taliban said in a website statement that it carried out the attack in response to the Koran burnings.
But Gen Jacobson would not be drawn on any link to the protests.
He said: "We have seen an emotional week, we have seen a busy week - but it would be too early to say this incident was linked."
He added: "It is very regretful to see the loss of life again on this day, and that includes the loss of life that we have seen around demonstrations."
Obama apology

Senegal holds contentious election as Abdoulaye Wade runs again

Mr Wade's candidacy has sparked violent protests

People in Senegal are set to vote in a presidential election, with incumbent Abdoulaye Wade seeking a controversial third term.

Mr Wade's re-election bid sparked protests in which several people died.
Last month the country's highest court, the Constitutional Council, announced that he could stand for a third term despite a two-term limit.
The court also barred world-renowned singer, Youssou N'Dour, from standing in the election.
He said that allowing Mr Wade to run amounted to a constitutional coup d'etat.
The court ruled in January that 85-year-old Mr Wade could stand in Sunday's election. Judges said his first term did not count as it had begun before the two-term limit was introduced in 2001.
Once a veteran opposition leader himself, Mr Wade was first elected in 2000 - ending 40 years of rule by the Socialist Party.
Senegal, a former French colony, is seen as a stable democracy with an unbroken series of elections since independence in 1960.
It remains the only West African country where the army has never seized power.

Syria votes on new constitution referendum amid unrest

The referendum takes place amid regular anti-Assad demonstrations

The Syrian government is holding a national referendum on a new constitution, amid continuing violent unrest and a boycott by the opposition.

The new constitution calls for a multi-party parliamentary election within three months.
The opposition has dismissed Sunday's vote as a farce and demands President Bashar al-Assad stand down.
The vote comes amid ongoing violence, with activists saying more than 80 people died across Syria on Saturday.
'Laughable' The government has pressed ahead with organising the referendum despite the unrest, setting up more than 13,000 polling stations for 14.6m voters.
State television has been holding discussions about the new document, which allows for more opposition to Mr Assad's Baath Party, and telling people how they can vote.
However, the constitution has been rejected out of hand by the opposition.
One group described the new constitution as fraudulent and the referendum as a farce.
It pointed out that the regime had never respected the old constitution, which enshrines freedom of speech and peaceful demonstrations and bans torture.
The BBC's Jim Muir in neighbouring Beirut says how the vote can plausibly be held in the current situation remains to be seen.
Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu echoed this view at a news conference in Istanbul, asking: "On one hand you say you are holding a referendum and on the other you are attacking with tank fire on civilian areas.
"You still think the people will go to a referendum the next day in the same city?"
The US has dismissed the referendum as "laughable".

Syria crisis: Red Cross resumes Homs evacuation bid

Video footage posted on the internet appears to show continuing attacks in Homs

The Red Cross says it is resuming its attempts to rescue more Syrians trapped by shelling in the city of Homs.

On Friday it evacuated several people for the first time since the army began bombarding areas of Homs last month.
Two foreign journalists are among the wounded but it is not clear if they are among those being brought out.
Meanwhile, international pressure is mounting on President Bashar al-Assad to end his government's 11-month crackdown on opponents.
On Friday, following long negotiations, three Syrian Arab Red Crescent ambulances drove into the suburb of Baba Amr which has borne the brunt of the government attack.
They brought out 20 women and children as well as seven people who were sick or wounded.
The wounded were transferred to a hospital in Homs, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a statement.
"The ICRC will continue its discussions and negotiations with the Syrian authorities and members of the opposition so we are able to pursue these rounds of evacuations," the statement continued.
"The idea is to be able to evacuate all those wounded and sick, those who are in a desperate situation to reach medical facilities for urgent medical treatment."

Afghanistan Koran protests claim more lives

 "Apologies from US officials are not cooling anger on the streets of Afghanistan"

 

 

Thousands of enraged Afghans have taken to the streets for a fourth day, after US soldiers inadvertently set fire to copies of the Koran.

In the deadliest day of unrest so far, at least 12 people died across the country, as mobs charged at US bases and diplomatic missions.
More than 20 people have been killed since the unrest began, including two US soldiers who died on Thursday.
President Barack Obama has apologised for the Koran-burning incident.
In a letter to his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai, Mr Obama said the books had been "unintentionally mishandled".
US personnel apparently put the books into a rubbish incinerator at Bagram air base, near Kabul.
Spreading unrest
Most of the deaths reported on Friday were in western Herat province, which had seen little unrest previously.

A group of demonstrators tried to attack the US consulate in Herat city, burning police vehicles and leaving several officers injured.

Hospital officials confirmed four people had been killed, but it was unclear how they had died.
Another four people died near the town of Adraskan, 70km (45 miles) south of Herat city.
Elsewhere in Afghanistan:

Egypt poll candidate Abu al-Futuh in carjack

Abdul Moneim Abu al-Futuh is one of the candidates hoping to replace toppled President Hosni Mubarak

      A presidential candidate in Egypt is recovering in hospital after an attack in which his car was stolen.

Masked gunmen stopped Abdul Moneim Abu al-Futuh's car on the edge of the capital, Cairo, as he returned from an election rally.
He was hit on the head with a rifle-butt and suffered concussion.
His campaign has asked for better police security. It is unclear if the attack was politically motivated, but the area is notorious for carjacking.
The BBC's Cairo correspondent Jon Leyne says the crime has become increasingly common since the revolution last year.
But members of Mr Abu al-Futuh's campaign have said they believe the car was stolen to disguise what was really a politically motivated attack.
They say a number of people asked suspicious questions about the candidate's route and travel details before he left the rally.
Expelled It is not clear who might have been behind such an attack. Police say they are investigating the incident.
Abdul Moneim Abu al-Futuh is a former senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Islamist movement has decided not to put up a candidate for president, so when he announced that he was going to stand, he was expelled.
The BBC's Jon Leyne says Mr Abu al-Futuh does still have a good degree of political support in Egypt.

Pakistan PM urges Afghan Taliban to talk to Kabul

The Taliban have mounted a highly successful insurgency against Nato-led forces

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has urged the Afghan Taliban to hold direct peace talks with the Afghan government.

Mr Gilani said he hoped the Taliban and other militant groups would respond to his appeal. There is no word yet from the Taliban.
Correspondents say this is the first time Pakistan has made such an appeal.
Pakistan's role is crucial to the peace process because of its long standing ties with the Afghan Taliban.
Policy change? Mr Gilani's statement said he had made the appeal after being asked to by President Hamid Karzai, who visited Pakistan last week.
"It is now time to turn a new leaf and open a new chapter in the history of Afghanistan," said Mr Gilani.
"In this spirit, I would like to appeal to the Taliban leadership as well as to all other Afghan groups, including Hezb-e-Islami [of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar], to participate in an intra-Afghan process for national reconciliation and peace."
His statement is seen as a potentially significant shift in Pakistan's public stance towards Afghanistan. The relationship has been dogged by years of mistrust.
"It's the first public statement of its kind from a Pakistani leader," senior analyst Rahimullah Yusufzai told the BBC. "But it's not clear whether this will lead to a change in policy."
Mr Gilani's statement comes a day after the Taliban said they did not want to waste their time talking to Mr Karzai's government.
A senior Taliban spokesman told the BBC that as far as the insurgents were concerned there were only two sides in the Afghan conflict - America and the Taliban.
But BBC correspondents say Mr Gilani's statement will go down well in Kabul, which has complained of being sidelined in the talks process.
A Taliban office is currently being set up in Qatar while exploratory contacts take place.
Pakistan's militant links Afghan officials believe Pakistan not only has influence with the Afghan Taliban but protects its senior leadership, which Pakistan denies.
For years insurgents have used the country's border regions to launch attacks in Afghanistan, despite the presence of thousands of Pakistani troops in the area.
Observers say Pakistan's military is selective in which insurgents it goes after, seeing some groups such as the pro-Taliban Haqqani network as potentially useful in influencing future events in Afghanistan.
It is not clear, however, how much control Pakistan's powerful military has over such groups or whether it fully goes along with the civilian prime minister's statement, correspondents say.

Syria unrest: Red Cross begins Homs evacuation

Unverified footage shows an apparent attack by opposition fighters on one of President Assad's tanks, as Bridget Kendall reports from Tunis

 

 

 

The Red Cross has begun moving women and children from part of the besieged Syrian city of Homs, officials say.

Syrian Arab Red Crescent ambulances are moving them from the suburb of Baba Amr, which has been under heavy attack, after negotiations earlier in the day.
Injured journalists are among those awaiting rescue, but the International Committee of the Red Cross says it wants to evacuate all those in need.
The news comes as a major conference in Tunisia is pushing for aid access.
Delegates from 70 countries have gathered to ratchet up the pressure on President Bashar al-Assad, demanding a ceasefire and humanitarian help for the worst-affected areas.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the conference that the government would have "more blood on its hands" if it failed to allow in life-saving aid.
The conference has already endorsed the main opposition umbrella group, the Syrian National Council, as a "credible" voice of opposition, while making clear it did not exclude other groups - thereby stopping short of declaring it a plausible government-in-waiting.
A formal conference declaration is expected later on Friday evening.
Activists say more than 7,000 people have died in the 11-month uprising - more than 90 on Thursday alone.
Much of the conference's attention has been focused on Homs, which has been under rocket and shell attack for two weeks.
The Red Cross confirmed it was now in talks with both the Syrian authorities and the opposition about bringing the injured to safety.
Spokesman Hicham Hassan told the BBC the situation there was getting worse by the hour.
Two injured journalists have made video appeals for help.

Bolivia's disabled clash with police over subsidies

Protesters hit the officers with sticks and crutches

Dozens of disabled people have clashed with police in Bolivia during a protest calling for higher state subsidies.

Several protesters were hurt as they tried to break through a police cordon in the country's main city of La Paz.
Riot police used pepper spray to prevent the demonstrators from entering the presidential square.
The protesters - who had made a 100-day trek to La Paz - wanted an annual state subsidy of about $400 (£254). They currently receive about 30% of that.
The caravan of about 50 disabled protesters - many in wheelchairs or on crutches - covered more than 1,500km (932 miles), living off the charity of people they met on the way.
In La Paz, the demonstrators were met by the riot police, who blocked off a street towards the presidential square.
The protesters then tried to break through, hitting officers with sticks and crutches.
Domitila Franco, who uses a wheelchair, told the BBC she was struggling to make ends meet.
"It's very hard to be a person with a disability. Even our own husbands abandon us because they feel ashamed of us. I look after my four children alone, washing and ironing clothes for people, and doing whatever I can," she said.
Living with a disability in Bolivia is not easy, especially if you are poor, the BBC Mattia Cabitza reports.
Most buildings are not accessible to wheelchairs, and people with disabilities often cannot go to work or school,

Afghanistan Koran protests claim more lives

BBC's Orla Guerin: "Apologies from US officials are not cooling anger on the streets of Afghanis

Thousands of enraged Afghans have taken to the streets for a fourth day, after US soldiers inadvertently set fire to copies of the Koran.

In the deadliest day of unrest so far, at least 12 people died across the country, as mobs charged at US bases and diplomatic missions.
More than 20 people have been killed since the unrest began, including two US soldiers who died on Thursday.
President Barack Obama has apologised for the Koran-burning incident.
In a letter to his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai, Mr Obama said the books had been "unintentionally mishandled".
US personnel apparently put the books into a rubbish incinerator at Bagram air base, near Kabul.

Chevron Nigeria gas well fire 'may burn for months'

Local people fear that the fire may have contaminated the fish they normally eat

A gas-fuelled fire, with flames as high as 5m, may burn for months in waters off the Niger Delta in south-east Nigeria, Chevron has told the BBC.

Two workers died after January's explosion at the KS Endeavour exploration rig, owned by the US firm.
Friends of the Earth says this is the world's worst such accident in recent years.
Chevron spokesman Lloyd Avram says, despite the fire, the situation is now under control and no oil is leaking.
Nigeria is the largest oil producer in Africa.

Pouring cement

A fire is burning in a 40m-wide area on the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, 10km off the Nigerian coast.
The company is trying to put out the fire by piercing a hole in the original gas well - through which cement will be poured.
"There'll be 10,000ft of drilling and interestingly we need to hit an area that is approximately 12sq inches," Mr Avram told the BBC.
"It is going to take some time, but I cannot predict how long that is going to be - conceivably months," he said.
Scientists are conducting tests to find out if local food and water has been contaminated by the gas in the ocean - after local people raised concerns.
Almost 100 people have left towns close to the fire and local chiefs are asking Chevron to relocate more.
A major build-up of gas pressure from drilling caused the explosion that set the rig on fire in the middle of January, according to the Nigeria's state run oil company.

Egypt court to deliver Mubarak trial verdict on 2 June

Relatives of people killed in the revolution shouted outside the court in Cairo, demanding the death penalty for Mr Mubarak

The judge in the trial of Egypt's former President Hosni Mubarak has said he will deliver his verdict on 2 June.

On the final day of six months of hearings, Mr Mubarak turned down the chance to address the court.
His former interior minister, who is also on trial, blamed "foreigners" for the deaths of protesters last February.
The two men deny ordering the killing of protesters during the uprising that forced the former dictator to step down after three decades in power.
The former Interior Minister, Habib al-Adly, addressed the court for an hour and a half during the final hearing on Wednesday, according to Egyptian state media.
Mr Mubarak told the judge he had no comment.
"What the lawyer said is enough," he said, according to Associated Press news agency.
Both men could face the death penalty if convicted, along with six senior police officers, who are co-defendants.
Mr Mubarak's two sons - one-time heir apparent Gamal, and Alaa - are facing separate charges of corruption with their father in the same trial.
The business tycoon, Hussein Salem, is also being tried in absentia.
All the defendants have denied the charges.
The former dictator has been held in a military hospital since the trial began last year.
Prosecutors told the court at Wednesday's hearing that the medical wing of Cairo's Tura prison was now ready to receive Mr Mubarak, according to Agence France-Presse news agency.

Pakistan: 'Eight dead' as bomb hits Peshawar bus stop

At least eight people have been killed and 30 injured after a bomb hit a bus stop in the city of Peshawar in north-west Pakistan, police officials say.

Several vehicles are reported to have been damaged in the powerful blast.
No group has said they carried out the attack as yet.
Peshawar is close to the border with Pakistan's tribal region and has been the target of several bomb attacks in recent years.
"The bomb was planted inside a bus terminal. There was a heavy rush of passengers when it exploded," police official Tahir Ayub told the Reuters news agency.
Television footage showed emergency vehicles racing the wounded to the hospital. Reports say the death toll is likely to rise.
Although the frequency of high-profile bombings decreased in Pakistan last year, there have been several deadly attacks on civilian targets over the last two months.
Last Friday dozens were killed when a bomb targeted the north-western town of Parachinar in the tribal district of Kurram.
And at least 30 died last month when a bomb hit a bus terminal in the Khyber tribal district.

Iraq violence: Baghdad bombings and shootings kill 33

At least 33 people have been killed and dozens injured in a wave of bombings and shootings across Baghdad.

Officials said the attacks appeared to be targeting police officers.
Nine people were killed in the worst attack, in the central Karrada district, which is mainly Shia. The blast, near a police checkpoint, shook buildings and damaged shops.
No group has yet said it was behind the violence. Attacks in Iraq have risen since US troops withdrew in December.
In other attacks on Thursday, six people were killed by a car bomb in al-Kadhimiya, north of Baghdad, while gunmen in the Sarafiya district of the capital also killed six at a police checkpoint.
Last week, at least 18 people were killed in a suicide attack near the Iraqi police academy in the capital.
There are fears the death toll from Thursday's violence could rise.
There are also reports of bombings in the provinces of Salahuddin, Diyala and Kirkuk.
The capital of Salahuddin province is Tikrit, the home town of former leader Saddam Hussein, who was executed in 2006.
Shia targets have come under increasing attack since the government of Shia Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki moved against senior members of the predominantly Sunni Iraqiya political bloc.

Somalia al-Shabab militant base of Baidoa captured

Al-Shabab militants are under attack on several different fronts

Ethiopian and Somali troops have taken a strategic stronghold of Islamist militants in south-western Somalia.

Eyewitnesses told the BBC that about 50 vehicles, including some 20 tanks, had entered Baidoa, which was not defended.
After the southern port of Kismayo, the town was the most important al-Shabab base.
The news comes as the UN Security Council voted to increase the African Union force in Somalia from 12,000 to 17,731.
These developments come ahead of a major conference to be hosted by the UK on Thursday aimed at ending two decades of conflict in the troubled country.
Al-Shabab, which has recently joined al-Qaeda, confirmed that it had withdrawn its forces from Baidoa as part of a "tactical retreat" and threatened to start a guerrilla war in response.
"The takeover does not mean that the enemy will enjoy the city, there will be more bloodshed," said Sheikh Mohamed Ibrahim, an al-Shabab commander, according to the AFP news agency.
A Somali government military commander in the town said his forces were moving to the outer edges of the town to ensure they had full control of it.
"We have taken control of Baidoa without a single shot, it is a great day for the people who are now welcoming us warmly," Muhidin Ali said, according to AFP.

Journalists Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik 'die in Homs'

Two Western journalists have been killed in the Syrian city of Homs when shells hit the building they were staying in, opposition activists say.

They have been named as Marie Colvin, the highly respected American Sunday Times reporter, and Remi Ochlik, an award-winning French photographer.
Several other people were reportedly killed when the shell hit the makeshift media centre in the Baba Amr district.
Opposition-held areas of Homs have been besieged by troops since 4 February.
Activists said more than 40 people died on Tuesday, including Rami al-Sayed, a man who broadcast a live video stream from Homs used by world media.
Mr Sayed was fatally wounded by shrapnel during the shelling of Baba Amr. His brother posted a video of his body in a makeshift hospital.
The Red Cross has called on the government and rebels to agree to a daily ceasefire, to allow medical supplies to reach the worst affected areas and get civilians out, but there is no sign yet of this being agreed.
'Dreadful events' Ms Colvin and Mr Ochlik were reportedly staying in a house in Baba Amr that was being used by activists as a media centre when it was hit by a shell on Wednesday morning.