Shi'ite leaders in Iraq have called on their people to show restraint after a series of car bomb attacks in two of their holiest cities left dozens dead and injured many more.
The first blast took place in a bus station in Kerbala, just south of Baghdad, in which up to 12 people were killed.
Witnesses said the car had tried to enter a nearby police recruiting centre but drove to the bus station instead when the street was sealed off.
The second explosion took place near a shrine in the holy city of Najaf, where it is reported that up to 48 people were killed.
A senior Shia cleric said the attacks were part of an attempt to ignite a sectarian civil war and prevent elections planned for January from going ahead on time.
In Baghdad, three staff working at an Iraqi election office have been killed. They had been working on next month's elections when they were shot dead by unknown attackers.
In another development, three armed groups in the country have threatened to kill 10 Iraqi hostages they said were working for an American security firm.
The threat was broadcast in a video on the Arab television network, Al-Jazeera.
The video showed the men blindfolded and with their hands tied. One of the men appeared to be injured and in pain.
