41 killed in Iraq car bombs

BAGHDAD - A SERIES of apparently co-ordinated car bombs targeting police across Iraq on Wednesday killed 41 people, including women and children, one day after the US military confirmed a major troop reduction.

In Baghdad, a suicide car attacker blew up his vehicle at a police station in the northeastern suburb of Qahira, killing 15 people, including two women, two children and two police, and wounding dozens, security and medical officials said.

The attack in the mixed Sunni and Shiite neighbourhood took place around 8 am (5:03 pm S'pore time), according to an interior ministry official who gave the toll.

In an equally lethal attack, a car bomb at a passport office in Kut, 160 km southeast of Baghdad, killed 15 people, including at least 10 police, and wounded 45 people, most of them police, Lieutenant Ali Hussein told AFP.

A series of car bomb attacks in five other towns and cities raised the nationwide toll to 41, and almost 200 wounded.

A spike in unrest over the past two months has triggered concern that Iraqi forces are not yet ready to handle security on their own, and with no new government formed in Baghdad since a March 7 general election.

Quick Tip: Summer Car Rental Tips

You should also try to rent from off-airport locations, which tend to be cheaper, especially on the weekends, and pre-pay when you book the rental to get a discount.

What about insurance coverage for your rental? Will the credit card you have give you the coverage you need?

Credit Cards and Car Rental Insurance

All the major cards offer you some form of secondary coverage. If you get in an accident, you file a claim with your auto insurance company and the credit card will cover most extra charges, including deductibles that you need to pay. However, there are many exclusions.

Top 10 Back to School Cars

The approach of a new school year often necessitates the start of a new (or used) car search. Choosing a ride that will make everyone happy - students, parents, friends, prospective love interests -- is as easy as finding a car that's at once affordable, reliable, versatile, fuel-efficient, safe, tech-savvy, fun and expressive. Piece of cake, right?

To lend a helping hand, every year we put together a list of the Top 10 Back-to-School Cars - five new, five used. New cars offer all the latest and greatest safety and technology advancements and a full warranty. Used cars typically deliver more car for the money. Each has merit.

In choosing the new cars, we considered everything available with a New Car Blue Book Value under $18,000. For the used entries, we narrowed it down to 2005 model year and newer vehicles that had a Kelley Blue Book Suggested Retail Value of less than $12,000 (with base-level equipment and average mileage).

This year, we mixed new and used together, and ranked them 10 to 1. Click through to see which cars made the list, and which one we crowned the best of the best back-to-school rides.