In Iraq, at least nine people were killed and 70 others injured on Thursday in a bomb and a car bomb explosions in the city of Hilla, south of Baghdad. Police said an explosive charge went off at a parking lot in the center of Hilla, in the afternoon. Minutes later, a car bomb parked at the site went off after Iraqi security forces and onlookers gathered at the scene. The explosions also destroyed several nearby cars and shops. Two police officers were among the killed and many policemen were among the wounded. The double attacks came as the city like other Iraqi Shiite cities are marking the Ashura religious ritual, which commemorates the death of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, in 680 AD.<br/> <br/>