Iraq-info box

• A suicide attacker blew up his car bomb at the main market in the oil-rich southern city of Basra on Saturday, killing at least 15 people and injuring 30, police said. The explosion occurred in the late afternoon when a large number of people were in the square, police Capt. Mushtaq Kadhim said. Hundreds gathered around the blast site, which was drenched in blood and the charred remains of several vehicles.

* Gunmen attacked a car belonging to the Russian Embassy in Baghdad on Saturday, killing one diplomat and kidnapping four employees, police and the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The attack occurred at about 1:45 p.m. The statement said authorities were working with Iraqi and international authorities to secure the hostages' release. According to police, witnesses at the scene said gunmen opened fire on the car in west Baghdad's upscale Mansour district. Interior Ministry Lt. Col. Falah al-Mohamedawi said one person was killed in the incident, which took place just outside the embassy.