Iraq car bomb kills 12 Shiite pilgrims

IRAQI officials say a car bomb has struck a procession of Shiite pilgrims south of Baghdad, killing at least 12 and wounding dozens.

A police official says the bomb exploded late Thursday afternoon in the town of Musayyib, about 60 kilometres south of the Iraqi capital.

He says the bomb hit the pilgrims as they were returning from the holy city of Karbala to commemorate the Arbaeen.

The religious event marks the passing of 40 days after the anniversary of the seventh century martyrdom of the revered Shiite saint Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.

A hospital official confirmed the casualty toll. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to release the information to reporters.

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Hot cocoa 'tastes better in orange cup'

EUROPEAN scientists say they have found further evidence that how you serve food and drink matters hugely in the perception of taste.

Researchers at the Polytechnic University of Valencia and the University of Oxford recruited 57 volunteers and asked them to taste hot chocolate served in plastic cups with four different colours - white, cream, red and orange with white on the inside.

The chocolate was the same in all the samples, but the volunteers found that the flavour was better when the drink was served in the orange or cream-coloured cups.

"The colour of the container where food and drink are served can enhance some attributes like taste and aroma," Betina Piqueras-Fiszman of the Polytechnic University of Valencia said in a press release.

The findings could be beneficial to chefs and food manufacturers, Ms Piqueras-Fiszman added.

Previous research has found that yellow containers boost the perception of flavour of lemons in soft drinks; beverages with cold colours, like blue, seem more thirst-quenching than warm colours like red; and if drinks are pink, they are perceived as being more sugary.

The study appears in a specialist publication, the Journal of Sensory Studies.

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Bin Laden report out, but not public

A PAKISTAN judicial commission submitted findings Thursday from its investigation into how Osama bin Laden lived in the country undetected for years until his killing by US special forces, officials said, but the report might never be revealed.

The commission was appointed 18 months ago, in what was welcomed as a chance to get to the bottom of one of the most embarrassing episodes in Pakistani history, but its findings could remain classified.

The Pakistani government set up the five-member panel after US Navy SEALs conducted a secret raid on a compound in the garrison city of Abbottabad on May 2, 2011, killing bin Laden without informing Islamabad until afterwards.

Parliament demanded an independent investigation into how bin Laden had been able to hide and whether there was any government or military collusion.

The commission's chairman, retired judge Javed Iqbal, submitted the report to Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Thursday, a statement from Ashraf's office said.

Pakistani officials say Ashraf will decide whether to keep the report classified or make it public, but observers have said they expect little of substance to be revealed.

The commission interviewed senior civilian and military officials and the three widows of bin Laden before they were deported to Saudi Arabia in April last year.

Pakistani-US ties drastically deteriorated over the bin Laden raid, which prompted accusations of incompetence or complicity against the military.

Relations slumped to a fresh low after botched US air strikes killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November 2011, but diplomats say the relationship improved after Pakistan re-opened its Afghan land crossings to NATO goods after a seven-month suspension.

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US stocks ease after strong rise

US stocks have headed lower after rising strongly for two straight sessions driven by Congress's long-awaited deal to avert the "fiscal cliff".

Five minutes into trade on Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Index was down 36.05 points, or 0.27 per cent, at 13,376.50.

The broad-based S&P 500 slipped 2.66 points, or 0.18 per cent, to 1,459.76.

The Nasdaq Composite lost 6.96 points, or 0.22 per cent, at 3,105.30.

On Wednesday the markets opened the New Year with a grand rally, the S&P 500 surging 2.5 per cent and the Nasdaq gaining 3.1 per cent.

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Man in hospital after Sydney home invasion

A MAN is in hospital after being bashed by three men and stabbed in the arm with a chisel when he answered the front door of his home in Sydney's west.

The 45-year-old man was confronted at his front door in Smithfield about 2.45pm (AEDT) on Thursday by a man who started punching him, police said.

Two other men appeared and also started assaulting him.

Police said he was struck to the body with a spirit level and stabbed in the arm with a chisel, both tools belonging to the victim.

He was taken to Fairfield Hospital for treatment to non-life threatening injuries.

Police describe the first man as being of Middle Eastern/Mediterranean appearance, 30 years old, 170cm to 175cm tall, medium build with black hair.

The second man has been described as being of Caucasian appearance in his mid-20s, 180cm to 185cm tall with a large build. He was wearing brown shorts and a blue shirt.

The third man has been described as being of Middle Eastern/Mediterranean appearance, 25 to 30 years of age, 170cm to 175cm tall with a muscular build and wearing a black T-shirt.

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141 journalists killed in 2012: watchdog

LAST year was one of the deadliest on record for journalists, with 141 killed in 29 different countries and Syria the most dangerous place on earth for reporters, a media watchdog says.

The Swiss-based Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), which fights for the protection of journalists, said the figure was up by 31 per cent on 2011.

At least 37 journalists, among them 13 working for foreign media, were killed in Syria, it said in a statement.

Four journalists are reported missing or detained: Ukrainian Anhar Kochneva, Jordanian-Palestinian Bashar Fahmi, freelance US reporter Austin Tice and another American reporter James Foley, who has contributed video to Agence France-Presse.

The situation in Somalia has deteriorated dramatically, where 19 were killed, said the PEC.

Three Latin American countries followed among the most dangerous places: Mexico with 11 journalists killed, Brazil also with 11 dead, and Honduras, where six journalists were killed.

The Philippines ranked number seven with six killed, followed by Bangladesh and India with four each, said the PEC.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists for its part said last month that 67 reporters were killed in 2012, up 42 per cent from the previous year, due in large part to the Syria conflict, shootings in Somalia, violence in Pakistan and killings of reporters in Brazil.

The Paris-based press rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) meanwhile put the number of those killed at 88 last year.

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Armed guards at US paper after gun outcry

A NEW York state newspaper that created a public outcry when it published the names and addresses of residents with handgun permits is being protected by armed guards.

"The safety of my staff is my top priority," Journal News publisher Janet Hasson told The New York Times.

The newspaper last month published online maps with the names and addresses of pistol permit holders in two counties it covers. It sought the public records after the school shooting in nearby Newtown, Connecticut.

Some critics said the publication was an invasion of privacy and could put gun owners at risk.

Others compared it to lists of sexual predators or other criminals and said it was tantamount to presenting gun permit holders as wrongdoers.

Hasson said the newspaper knew the publication would be controversial, but that "we felt sharing information about gun permits in our area was important in the aftermath of the Newtown shootings".

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