Bomb strikes Baghdad eatery, killing 8

BAGHDAD – Iraqi police say a car bomb has killed eight people and wounded 32 outside a restaurant in the southwestern Baghdad.

The Monday evening blast could be heard across the Tigris River, several kilometers away.

Authorities said the explosion happened in the mixed Sunni-Shiite neighborhood of Baiyaa. It came hours after the Iraqi wing of al-Qaida claimed responsibility for countrywide attacks on Sunday that killed 92 and left more than 350 injured.

The militant group warned in a statement of "black days" ahead. It was issued as the Sunni vice president rejected a death sentence against him for masterminding the murder of his rivals.

Medics at Yarmouk Hospital confirmed Monday's casualties. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release the information.