3 car bombings kill 41 in Iraq

BAGHDAD, DEC 12 (AP): Three car bombs exploded in quick succession in the market district of a southern Iraqi city on Wednesday, killing at least 41 people and injuring 150 in a Shiite region that has largely escaped the country's sectarian bloodshed.
The police chief in Amarah was fired, an immediate driving ban went into effect, and soldiers deployed on the streets.