At least two people have been killed and 20 wounded after a car bomb was detonated in the parking area of the state-owned Iraqi daily al-Sabah in Baghdad.

The explosion took place at about 9am (0500 GMT) on Sunday and destroyed nearly 20 cars owned by the newspaper's staff.

The publication's offices were also partly damaged.

Karim al-Rubaiya, head of the newspaper's technical department, said: "Thank God the blast took place early in the day. There were fewer casualties as many employees had not reached the office yet. Part of the building collapsed."

Al-Sabah is in a Sunni-dominated neighbourhood in northern Baghdad and part of the government-run Iraqi Media Net group, which includes Iraqiya Television channel.

Violence continues

There were several other attacks in and around Baghdad on Sunday.

A bomb planted in a mini-van was detonated outside a hotel in central Baghdad, killing at least six people and injuring 16.

The bomb was exploded shortly before noon, outside the Palestine Hotel, near a pedestrian entry point to the facility. The attack caused a fire to break out.

A bomb planted inside a food market killed at least five people and wounded 15 in the town of Khalis, 80km north of Baghdad.

Gunmen killed two brothers and their cousin in Abara, just north of Baquba, 65km north of Baghdad.

Mahmoud Faisal, a lieutenant-colonel in the Iraqi army, was killed in the town of Muqdadiya, 90km northeast of Baghdad.

Photo Caption

The map of Iraq