<span style="color: #222222;">In Iraq, a renowned novelist Alaa Mashzoub was gunned down by unknown assailants on Saturday night in the city of Karbala. Police said that he was killed after he left a literary event and was heading home on his motorcycle. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Mashzoub has 20 published books and has written extensively about Karbala's history and culture. He has also written about Iraq's once-thriving Jewish minority.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">In recent times, Iraq has seen a number of political assassinations, particularly of outspoken activists. </span><br />''  <br />