Baghdad - An explosion on Sunday struck a neighbourhood restaurant in eastern Baghdad. The number of casualties is still unknown, witnesses told the Voices of Iraq (VOI) news agency.

Police cordoned off Palestine street in eastern Baghdad where the detonation took place.

Separately, gunmen disguised in police uniforms broke into a house in Diyala province, north-east of Baghdad, killed a woman and injured three others from the same family, police told VOI.

Baghdad/Cairo - Iraqis, blaming President George Bush for the chaos in their country since the fall of Saddam Hussein, would welcome Democrat Barack Obama's election on Tuesday for the change it would bring, although doubts remain about his plans for pulling out US troops.

Washington, Nov 2 : Being unemployed can have long-term and possibly permanent psychological effects, including low self esteem, depression and anxiety, on an individual, according to a new study.

The research team led by Arthur H. Goldsmith, the Jackson T. Stephens Professor of Economics at Washington and Lee University said that as the period of unemployment increases the effects often become chronic.

“In the first phase of unemployment, people have a benign ignorance and think it will turn out fine, that they are not going to be emotionally damaged by this, because they’ll just go out and get a job,” said Goldsmith.

San Francisco, Nov. 2 : While recognizing the concerns of non-immigrants residing in the United States of America, the Democratic Party''s Vice Chairman Mike Honda has said that there is need for a comprehensive immigration reforms and his party would bring in such reforms if they were voted to power. 

Taking to ANI after attending an election campaign meeting for Barack Obama, in the Silicon Valley on Saturday, Congressman Honda said that it was for all Americans. 

Washington, Nov 2 : Soccer ace David Beckham feels honoured to be called the ‘gayest straight man in Britain’ and ‘blackest white man’ in history.

In an interview to GQ magazine, the 33-year-old midfielder said he loves to be called a gay and black icon.

“When people talk to me about being a gay icon I think of it as a great honour,” the Daily Star quoted him, as saying.

“To have that kind of affect on so many people around the world, I was honoured,” he added.

Washington, Nov 2 : Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin was “mildly bemused” at knowing from French-Canadian comedian, who while impersonating as French President Nicolas Sarkozy, told her that his wife Carla Bruni was “hot in bed”. In her response, the Alaska Governor chuckled and complimented him for his “beautiful family”.