Restaurant bombing in India kills eight
PUNE, India, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- Officials in western India said Saturday at least eight people were killed in the bombing of a restaurant in Pune, India.
Maharashtra state officials told the BBC the bombing occurred at the German Bakery, a restaurant popular with tourists.
Officials said Saturday's bombing also left 33 people injured, including at least four foreigners.
The nationalities of the eight people killed in the bombing are unknown. The extent of the injuries of those hurt in the blast was not released.
The act of terror in the western Indian city occurred as the restaurant was filled with diners, the BBC said.
Anti-terror investigators have been sent to the scene of the bombing.
Violence spreads ahead of March elections
BAGHDAD, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- A U.S. military attack in southern Iraq was an excessive use of force that killed eight people, including one woman, a provincial governor said.
"What happened this morning in the province was a massacre," said Mohammed Shyaa al-Sudani, governor of Maysan province, which borders Iran.
U.S. and Iraqi soldiers were targeting Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-supported militia, when they encountered fire Friday from houses in the village of Ali ash Sharqi, U.S. military officials told The Washington Post.
The soldiers returned fire, killing at least five people and arresting 12 more deemed to be enemy combatants, U.S. military officials said.
Hours later, at least six pilgrims were killed in bombings outside of Najaf, also in southern Iraq, The Post reported, noting dozens of pilgrims have been killed in the region in recent weeks.
The bombings suggest extremists are trying to spread havoc before the March 7 parliamentary elections in southern provinces that until recently had been among the least violent in Iraq, The Post reported.
Track used in luge death to be modified
WHISTLER, British Columbia, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- Officials with the Vancouver Olympic committee said the Canadian luge track where a Georgian athlete died during a training run will be modified.
Committee members, along with International Luge Federation officials, said while no deficiencies were found with the Whistler Sliding Center luge track, the curve where luge athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili crashed will be altered to prevent future accidents, CNN reported.
Kumaritashvili, 21, crashed and was thrown from his sled near the end of the 4,500-foot-long course Friday during his final training run for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Officials said the track was scheduled to reopen Saturday as members of the British Columbia Coroners Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have completed their investigations of the site.
Officials with the committee and the federation said in a joint statement the changes to the track's curve 16 would include raising the walls at the curve's exit, altering the curve's so-called ice profile.
"This was done as a preventative measure, in order to avoid that such an extremely exceptional accident could occur again," the two groups said.
Two people win $176 million jackpot
LONDON, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- A single lottery player in Britain has won nearly $88 million on the EuroMillions Lottery -- the largest prize every won in the United Kingdom, officials said.
The British player, whose name has yet to be announced, will share the $176 million total jackpot with a player in Spain who picked the same winning numbers -- 05, 45, 01, 38 and 18, The Daily Telegraph reported Saturday.
The jackpot won Friday night exceeded the $142 million paid out in November on two tickets held by Les and Sam Scadding of Caerleon, South Wales, and a syndicate of workers from Merseyside, England.
Nine countries play EuroMillions -- Britain, France, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, Portugal and Switzerland.
