A round-up of other world stories in brief...
Blasts kill at least 3 in holy city of Karbala
BAGHDAD – Three explosions killed at least three people and wounded 40 in Iraq’s Karbala yesterday, security and health officials said, in a rare attack in one of the holiest cities for Shia Muslims.
Despite the decline in violence over the last 18 months, Iraq remains one of the world’s most dangerous places. A police source said three people were killed and 40 injured in the attacks in Karbala, 80km (50 miles) southwest of the Iraqi capital. But other sources put the death toll as high as 12 or as low as one.
In a separate incident, gunmen killed at least seven people and wounded 10 in a robbery of gold merchants in a Baghdad market. – (Reuters)
Abortion numbers drop worldwide
NEW YORK – The number of women having an abortion or unintended pregnancy is dropping worldwide as the use of contraception increases, a report said yesterday.
Abortions fell from an estimated 45.5 million in 1995 to 41.6 million in 2003, the research showed. But experts from the Guttmacher Institute – a not-for-profit sexual health organisation based in the US – said too many women are still undergoing unsafe abortions, with 32 countries having laws that make abortion illegal. The study said 40 per cent of women live in countries with “highly restrictive” abortion laws. – (PA)
Singer Al Martino dies at age of 82
PHILADELPHIA – US singer Al Martino who had Britain’s first number one single in 1952 has died at the age of 82.
Martino, who played the Frank Sinatra-type role of Johnny Fontane in The Godfather and recorded hits including Spanish Eyes and the Italian ballad Volare in a 50-year musical career.
Martino died at his childhood home in the Philadelphia suburb of Springfield.
Starting in 1952, Martino was known for hit songs including Here in My Heart and Can’t Help Falling in Love. He topped the first UK chart in 1952 with Here In My Heart. – (PA)