Suicide attack on Iraqi holy city

BBC

At least 36 people have been killed and more than 160 hurt in a suicide car bomb attack in Iraq's holy city of Karbala, officials say.

The attacker detonated explosives at a crowded bus station in the city close to a shrine holy to Shia Muslims, at around 0915 local time (0515 GMT).

Many of the casualties were said to be women or children.

Meanwhile in Baghdad at least 10 people died in a truck bomb attack on a key bridge in the south of the city.

The driver of the pick-up detonated his bomb near a checkpoint on the Jadariya bridge, across the River Tigris. The bridge appears to have been left intact.

This follows a truck bomb which partially destroyed the Sarafiya bridge in northern Baghdad on Thursday, killing eight people.

The attacks come as a US-led security operation enters its third month.

The surge has brought down the rate of sectarian murders in the capital but has failed to stop bomb attacks.

Correspondents say the latest attacks suggest a change in tactics by insurgents, who are targeting infrastructure in an attempt to undermine confidence in the crackdown...