Five babies dead in orphanage fire
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina, April 22 (UPI) -- An orphanage fire in Sarajevo killed five babies and injured at least 17 other children early Sunday, Bosnian police reported.
A nurse was burned while trying to save the children from the early morning fire, the BBC reported.
Firefighters said three baby boys and two girls died of smoke inhalation from the flames in their bedroom. They said the fire took about 10 minutes to extinguish.
A hospital spokeswoman said two of the injured babies were in critical condition.
Police were investigating the cause of the fire.
Dual Baghdad blasts kill 12
BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 22 (UPI) -- Baghdad police said 12 people were killed Sunday and 75 others wounded by two car bombs at the city's Hay Al-Elam crossroad.
A police source said the bombers drove cars full of explosives into structures at the intersection, detonating the explosives with the attackers still in the cars, the Kuwait News Agency KUNA reported Sunday.
A total 35 of the wounded were police officers.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Army said Sunday a U.S. soldier was killed by small arms fire Saturday in the eastern section of Baghdad. One other soldier was injured in the attack.
"The deceased soldier's name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin and release by the Department of Defense," said the army statement.
The death marks the 71st U.S. fatality in Iraq since the start of April.
The U.S. Defense Department said the total U.S. fatalities since the 2003 invasion had reached 3,312 Saturday.
Eight Palestinians killed
NABLUS, West Bank, April 22 (UPI) -- Eight Palestinians were killed in weekend fighting with Israeli Defense Forces and a Palestinian rocket struck a Sderot, Israel, home.
Two Palestinian gunmen were killed and one IDF soldier was wounded Sunday morning in Nablus, West Bank, YNetNews reported. A rocket fired by Palestinian militants shortly after the battle failed to cause any property damage or casualties in Sderot.
On Saturday, five Palestinians were killed in operations in the Jenin, West Bank, area, including the teenage sister of a wanted Islamic Jihad member.
One man in Gaza was killed by an Israeli airstrike, Alalam, Arab satellite television, reported.
"This action will not frighten us," Zakaria Zubeidi, commander of al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades in Jenin, told YNet. "Lately we have been committed to the calm, but the Israelis have proven that they are not interested in it. From this moment on we are no longer committed to the calm. Our response will be harsh, painful and deep within Israel."
Three Qassam rockets were fired at Israel after the Jenin operation, one of which struck a home. Three of the six occupants were treated for shock at a local hospital.
Polls open in French presidential race
PARIS, April 22 (UPI) -- Polls opened Sunday in France's hotly contested presidential election.
French voters began selecting a leader from a list of 12 candidates at 8 a.m. Sunday with voting set to conclude Sunday evening, the BBC reported Sunday.
The election is expected to be dominated by center-right candidate Nicolas Sarkozy, socialist Segolene Royal, centrist Francois Bayrou and far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen.
Sarkozy has promised a "rupture" with the past and comprehensive economic reforms, while Royal -- who is seeking to become the country's first female president -- promised she would actively seek to create a fairer society. Bayrou said he would seek to create a national unity government to bring together elements from the left and right.
Le Pen based his platform on patriotism and immigration.
The French media has predicted a close race between the top four candidates, with newspaper Le Parisien declaring: "Anything can happen!" CNN reported.
