Baghdad blast kills 16

Baghdad, March 5 (Reuters): A car bomb exploded today in the area of Mutanabi Street, a Baghdad district lined with book shops, killing at least 16 people and wounding many more, a Reuters witness and police said.

“There are many shops set on fire and more than 15 cars were burned out,” said the witness, who works for Reuters, saying he helped several injured women into a police car that took seven casualties away to hospital. “They were covered with blood.”

Pak planes

Karachi (Reuters): British and German authorities have barred around three-quarters of Pakistan International Airlines’ ageing fleet from flying to their countries because of safety concerns.

Camilla

London (Reuters): Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wife of Britain’s heir to the throne Prince Charles, had a hysterectomy at a London hospital on Monday, Charles’s office said.

Japan slaves

Tokyo (Reuters): Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday that Japan would not apologise again for forcing women to act as wartime sex slaves even if US lawmakers adopt a resolution calling for an apology.

Bangla freeze

Dhaka (Reuters): Bangladesh's National Board of Revenue asked banks on Monday to freeze the accounts of former law and parliamentary affairs minister Moudud Ahmed, his wife and children.

Spain target

Madrid (Reuters): Islamist radicals decided to blow up commuter trains in Madrid because Spain was the easiest target of the three main countries involved in the invasion of Iraq.