World Briefs

At least 36 killed in Iraq blasts
BAGHDAD – More than 20 bombs hit cities and towns across Iraq yesterday, killing at least 36 and wounding more than 100, police and hospital sources said, raising fears of sectarian strife in a country keen to show it can now maintain security.

In Baghdad, three car bombs, two roadside bombs and one suicide car bomb hit mainly Shi’ite areas in what looked like coordinated attacks, killing 15 people and wounding 61, the sources said.Two car bombs and three roadside bombs aimed at police and army patrols in the northern oil city of Kirkuk killed eight people and wounded 26, police and hospital sources said.Press forgives King over huntMADRID – Spain’s press bowed in praise before King Juan Carlos yesterday after he apologised for taking a luxury African elephant-hunting safari in the midst of a recession.The 74-year-old king, who hobbled out of a Madrid hospital on Wednesday after surgeons replaced a hip he broke on the trip in Botswana, won over the media with an unprecedented mea culpa.’I am sorry. I made a mistake and it won’t happen again,’ he said as the television cameras recorded his departure from hopital.’The humility of a king,’ declared the front page of the daily ABC, a traditional supporter of the monarchy.The centre-left El Pais, Spain’s leading paper, declared: ‘The king made a gesture that honours him.’Obama leads, Romney gainsWASHINGTON – US President Barack Obama holds a narrow lead over Mitt Romney, but his Republican rival is gaining ground and perceived as stronger on the economy, a poll showed yesterday.The Quinnipiac University poll gave Obama a narrow 46-42 pe cent lead over Romney, but the Republican is leading on economic issues, which are expected to be key in November’s presidential election.Romney, a businessman and former Massachusetts governor, all but clinched his party’s nomination earlier this month when chief rival Rick Santorum suspended his campaign.Romney beat Obama 47-43 per cent in the survey on the overall economy, and led 45-42 per cent on creating jobs, 44-31 percent on petrol prices and 43-39 per cent on immigration.