Dozens dead after twin blasts in central Baghdad

The US embassy has intercepted at least three rockets fired into the Green Zone as the anniversary of the assassination of Iran's top general approaches.

Youssef Abdelkarim's storefront on one of Baghdad's most historic streets is a time capsule - literally. Thousands of wristwatches fill the tiny shop, where three generations have repaired Iraq's oldest timepieces. The dusty display window on Rasheed Street features a single row of classic watches in their felt boxes right at the front, with a mountain of haphazardly piled pieces behind it and others hanging from hooks overhead.

The kidnapping of a successful Iraqi party organizer suggests the government is powerless against militias that have become a law unto themselves. The dreams of Iraq's youth are falling victim to their growing influence.

A rare twin suicide bombing has killed nearly 30 people and wounded another 73 in central Baghdad, Iraqi state media said, the deadliest attack in the city in three years.

A woman and child were among those killed when a car bomb exploded in the city of Azaz, monitors said. A separate blast targeted a checkpoint in northern Syria, which is controlled by Turkish-backed rebels.

Iranian diplomat Assadolah Assadi was convicted of attempted terrorism Thursday by a court in Belgium for his role in a 2018 bomb plot targeting an Iranian opposition group in France. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Smoke billows at the scene of an explosion at a marketplace in Baghdad's densely populated majority-Shiite Sadr City. The army reported one civilian killed and 12 injured. They did not say who or what caused it.

Iraqi firefighters battle a fire that ravaged a Covid-19 hospital overnight in Baghdad leaving at least 82 dead and 110 wounded. Many of the victims were on respirators when the blaze at Baghdad's Ibn al-Khatib hospital started with an explosion caused by "a fault in the storage of oxygen cylinders", medical sources reported.

The massive blast hit a guest house as people were breaking their fast during Ramadan. High school students are reportedly among the casualties.

After decades of #conflict, #terrorism and government mismanagement, #Baghdad's monumental buildings are increasingly dilapidated and under threat. Many fear that without laws and protection, they could gradually perish, taking much of Iraq's cultural heritage with them. Our correspondents Jack Hewson and Lucile Wassermann report.

Thousands of people have been evacuated from a neighbourhood of Germany's financial capital Frankfurt following the discovery of a massive World War II bomb.

The vehicle belonged to Marco Doria, a local official responsible for restoring parks and who has, according to reports, received threats in the past. Mayor Virginia Raggi has expressed her "full solidarity."