Blasts hit Shias in Iraq; 17 killed

A series of car bombs near Shia mosques targeting worshippers attending weekly prayers killed at least 17 people yesterday, the latest in a spike in unrest ahead of Iraq's first polls since 2010.
The blasts, which also wounded left 95 people, struck within an hour of each other in the Baghdad neighbourhoods of Binook, Qahira, Zafraniyah and Jihad, as well as in an area of southern Kirkuk city.