BAGHDAD — A series of bombings and shootings around Iraq on Tuesday claimed 13 lives, including four policemen, an Iraqi army general and a 9-year-old girl, Iraqi officials said.
While violence has dropped overall across the country, the attacks underline the continued threat to government employees and members of the security forces, who are often targeted by insurgents trying to destabilize the country.
The four policemen were killed when an explosives-laden car detonated next to a police patrol in the town of Beiji. A civilian in a nearby vehicle was also killed and at least seven civilians were wounded in that attack.
In the volatile Diyala province, gunmen shot dead four members of a Sunni family, including a 9-year girl, as the family was walking near their house in the town of Khalis, 50 miles north of Baghdad, said local police officials.
Britain: Huntington’s study
British officials say there may be twice as many cases of Huntington’s disease in Britain than previously thought. To investigate how often the rare and inherited degenerative disease actually occurs, a government group is starting a new study of Huntington’s that will comb health databases for patients and track down how many people are being treated by hospitals and charities.
China: 107 feared dead
Hope of finding survivors of a landslide that trapped at least 107 people was diminishing Tuesday as rescuers used heavy machinery including bulldozers to move debris in rain-hit southwestern China. Villagers huddled in tents set up at the site as rescuers searched for their family members. The first body was pulled out late Tuesday, the official Xinhua News Agency said, only identifying it as that of a child.
Amusement ride accident
An accident on a space-themed ride at a southern Chinese amusement park has killed six people and injured 10. A statement today from the city government in Shenzhen said the accident occurred on the Space Journey ride at OCT East theme park Tuesday afternoon.
Ghana: 80 trapped in mine
Ghanaian officials say police have arrested the owner of an illegal mine where 80 miners are believed to be trapped after the mine collapsed. Municipal chief Peter Owusu-Eshia says the abandoned gold mine collapsed Sunday after heavy rains. He said Tuesday police arrested a man who is alleged to have hired 136 people to work the mine.
Local fire official D.O. Adusa says rescuers are struggling because survivors are withholding information about the illegal mining operation.
S. Africa: Bad circumcisions
South African health officials say they are concerned about the rise in deaths among men who have had botched traditional circumcisions. The health department said Tuesday that 39 young men have died in the last month after undergoing the traditional rite in the Eastern Cape, the province where the ceremony marking the transition to manhood is most often practiced. The custom has drawn criticism because the circumcision is generally performed by unqualified traditional leaders in unsanitary conditions. Health officials say there is a high risk of infection, which can lead to amputation or even death.
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