A round-up of today's other news stories in brief
Baghdad bomb kills 41 at Shia funeral
BAGHDAD – A car bomb ripped through a funeral tent in a mainly Shia area of Baghdad yesterday, killing at least 41 people.
The blast and three other small bombings yesterday were the latest in more than a week of attacks that have killed at least 200 people, raising fears of a rise in violence as the US military prepares to withdraw from the country.
The violence has mainly targeted the majority Shia community and Iraqi security forces, posing a major challenge to prime minister Nouri al-Maliki and his fragile coalition government, which took office last month.
The car that exploded had been parked with the vehicles of other mourners so as not to raise suspicion, police said.
At least 41 people were killed and 75 wounded, according to police and hospital officials. – (AP)
Man locked up his wife for 16 years
RIO DE JANEIRO – A Brazilian man has been arrested on suspicion of keeping his wife locked in a basement for 16 years while he lived with another woman in the same house.
Acting on a tip, police yesterday found Sebastiana Aparecida Groppo (64) in the cellar of the house in the city of Sorocaba in Saõ Paulo state. Joao Batista Groppo and the woman who had been living with him both were arrested on charges of illegal imprisonment. The pair could face up to eight years in prison. – (Reuters)