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Five blasts kill at least 112 in Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- A series of bombings Tuesday in Baghdad left at least 112 people dead and at least 198 wounded, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said.

The first of the blasts occurred when a vehicle blew up in Baghdad's Dora district, followed by four other car bombs about 30 minutes later, CNN reported.

Three of the bombings, striking in the heart of the Iraqi capital, occurred within minutes of each other, officials said. One explosion hit the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, while the two others detonated in the busy commercial districts of Nahdha and al-Qashla Square.

A fifth bomb exploded outside of the Karkh Civil Court building in Baghdad's Mansour district.

Sporadic gunfire and emergency sirens could be heard following the attacks, the Interior Ministry said. Smoke from the blast sites could be seen billowing against the sky.

Multan blast kills 12

MULTAN, Pakistan, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- A bomb Tuesday in Multan, Pakistan, killed at least 12 people a day after similar blasts killed dozens more in other Pakistani cities, authorities said.

Multan is in the Punjab province, southwest of the state capital of Lahore where two near-simultaneous blasts in a busy market area the previous day killed at least 45 people. The Dawn newspaper said the Lahore death toll had now risen to 49.

The Multan blast, which also injured 18 people, occurred at a security check post in the Qasim Bela military headquarters area, authorities said. The blast damaged several buildings, Dawn reported.

A CNN report said the attack scene is also near the building of ISI, the country's intelligence service. A doctor told CNN those killed included four soldiers and four children. Others were believed to be civilians.

Tuesday was the first time Multan was hit in the current wave of militant violence, which is seen as a retaliation for the military's counterinsurgency offensive that began on Oct. 17 against the Taliban, al-Qaida and other terror groups in the tribal regions of South Waziristan.

Since last Friday, militants also have struck the cities of Rawalpindi and Peshawar. The death toll since last Friday, including the Multan blast, exceeded 110.

The Lahore and Multan attacks may indicate the insurgency is spreading even to cities far away from the tribal areas.

Obama to discuss plans to juice economy

WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Providing more help to the U.S. economy, specifically the private sector, is the main point President Barack Obama plans to discuss during a Washington speech.

Obama was to deliver his remarks on the economy Tuesday at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank, the White House said.

While visiting Allentown, Pa., last week, Obama referred to Tuesday's speech on the economy.

"I'm going to speak in greater detail about the ideas I'll be sending to Congress to help jump start private sector hiring and get Americans back to work," he told an audience Thursday.

Obama was in the Allentown area as part of his Washington to Main Street tour to discuss ways to stimulate job creation and economic growth.

Obama and Vice President Joe Biden were to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday.

FBI team arrives in Mumbai, India

MUMBAI, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- A U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation team is in India as part of the investigation of David Coleman Headley in the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

The team is India for the probe into the terror attacks last year in India's financial capital Mumbai in which more than 160 people died, Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna said.

"The FBI team is here and we have been assured of all cooperation from the U.S.," Krishna said, the Economic Times-IANS reported.

Charges in the Mumbai attacks were filed Monday in Chicago against Headley, a U.S. national who was arrested in that city in October. U.S. authorities said he allegedly attended training camps in Pakistan operated by the banned Lashkar-e-Toiba terror group and allegedly conspired with the group's members and others in planning and executing attacks in both Denmark and India. The charges against the 49-year-old include conspiracy to bomb public places in India, conspiracy to murder and maim persons in India and Denmark, and aiding and abetting the murder of U.S. citizens in India.

The FBI team held discussions with Indian investigators about Headley and Pakistan-born Tahawwur Rana, who is also in U.S. custody, the Press Trust of India reported.

The PTI report quoted sources that the U.S. investigators assured the Indians they would share more information on the progress of the investigation. Rana's lawyer, reportedly has denied the allegations against his client.

The Economic Times report said Indian intelligence alleges Headley and Rana traveled in India extensively prior to the Mumbai attacks, and that Headley provided maps, photographs and other details to the 10 LeT attackers who reached Mumbai by sea from Karachi.

Paramedics called to Woods' home

WINDERMERE, Fla., Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Paramedics were called to the Orlando, Fla.-area home of golfer Tiger Woods early Tuesday on a medical emergency, officials say.

Orange County Fire Rescue spokeswoman Genevieve Latham told the Orlando Sentinel the patient at the address refused to be transported to the hospital.

WESH-TV, Orlando, however, reported a radio log indicated an adult female was taken to an Ocoee, Fla., hospital while on "advanced life support." The TV station also shot video footage that appeared to show a woman on a stretcher being attended to by paramedics at Woods' $2.6 million home, NBC reported.

The broadcaster also cited video footage posted by WFTV.com showing a Cadillac Escalade resembling Woods' parked outside a hospital and describing the driver as a blonde woman.

The latest incidents came as reports surfaced that Woods' wife, Elin Nordegren, had moved out of the mansion and has reportedly purchased an island retreat near Stockholm.

The New York Post Tuesday cited comments from unnamed "neighbors and sources close to Woods" published by RadarOnline.com indicating Nordegren. 29, was now living at a residence near Woods' Windermere, Fla., home.

Blizzard moves to Plains; South gets rain

OMAHA, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- A dangerous blizzard, whipped by 40-mph winds and packing lots of snow, headed to the Plains and Upper Midwest of the United States Tuesday, forecasters said.

The winter storm's combination of plunging temperatures, high winds and more than a foot of snow could leave motorists stranded along Interstates 35, 79, 80 and other roadways, AccuWeather.com warned.

The early-winter storm has been blamed for three deaths from weather-related accidents, CNN reported. The first two occurred Sunday in northern California, the area first hit by the weather. The third happened Monday near Indianapolis.

Law enforcement agencies in states experiencing the storm reported a rash of traffic accidents. Forecasters also warned that the approaching storm could cause power outages through Wednesday, CNN said.

The heaviest band of snow was predicted to fall in a line from Omaha to Des Moines, Iowa, to Madison, Wis., forecasters said. However, other major cities that could get substantial snow or a wintry precipitation mix include Kansas City, Minneapolis, Milwaukee and Chicago.

Traveling by road and air was expected to be difficult, if not delayed, along the storm's path.

Meanwhile, a storm that dropped up to 3 feet of snow on the Sierra Nevada was pushing inland over the Southwest, dumping heavy rain over Southern California. The heaviest rain and gusty winds will threaten coastal areas from Los Angeles down to San Diego into Tuesday evening, with forecasters predicting up to several inches of rainfall.

In the Northeast, residents can expect a mix of snow, ice and rain, again accompanied by the potential for major travel headaches by Wednesday. Forecasters said rain would fall mainly along the coast, transitioning to ice and snow over much of the interior.

Thunderstorms will rumble across the South all day Tuesday, forecasters said. Severe weather was expected to be confined to parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, but other Southern cities could expect another round of heavy rain.