Iraqi city of Kirkuk hit by deadly bombings

At least 17 people have been killed and many more wounded in a series of bombing that appear to have targeted police in the northern Iraqi town of Kirkuk. The three blasts are reported to have gone off within an hour of each other. Security officials said the first explosion occurred in a car park in Kirkuk police headquarters. The second is reported to have gone off as police and emergency services arrived on the scene. Shortly thereafter the third bomb exploded near a police convoy. The blasts are a violent reminder of the problems that still hamper Iraq's progress. Kirkuk has long been seen as one of the most intractable, it’s an ethnically mixed city at the heart of an oil rich region.