Bombings in Baghdad; Nelson Mandela's Health
FOSTER: Remember this controversial headline? Well, last year, a tabloid newspaper in Uganda printed the names of what it called the country's "100 top homos" and called for them to be executed. Now, a leading gay rights activist who was on that list has been murdered. We'll bring you the full story ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Max Foster in London. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. And Iraqi police are investigating a wave of bombings across Baghdad that left dozens of people dead. More Iraqis have now been killed in the past 10 days than in the entire month of December. Jomana Karadsheh has more.</s>JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The deadliest attack on Thursday was when a parked car bomb detonated near a funeral tent in Northwestern Baghdad in a predominantly Shia part of the capital. According to an interior ministry official, more than 150 people were killed and wounded in that attack. With this bombing, this brings the death toll in Iraq to more than 200 people killed in a little over a week. We have seen persistent attacks, high profile suicide and car bombings across the country, taking place almost on a daily basis and mainly targeting Iraq's security forces and the country's Shiites. In that attack on Thursday, following the attack, we are being told by police sources that people started protesting and throwing stones at security forces at the scene of the attack. And after security forces were not able to handle the protesters, they withdrew and an Iraqi Army unit had to intervene later on to disperse the crowd and a vehicle ban was imposed on the neighborhood. Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Baghdad.</s>FOSTER: There's a new wrinkle in the sex scandal swirling around Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi. Prosecutors have now linked him to a second underage girl. Mr. Berlusconi is already is facing allegations he paid to have sex with a nightclub dancer known as Ruby. She was 17 at the time. Both Ruby and the prime minister deny it. South Africa is on edge, awaiting more details about Nelson Mandela's health. The 92-year-old former president was hospitalized for what his office says are routine tests. Robyn Curnow joins me now from CNN Johannesburg with more on -- on this -- Robyn, how serious is it?</s>ROBYN CURNOW, HOST, MARKETPLACE AFRICA: Good question, Max. It's a question all of South Africa is asking today. It's been a day of huge concern, because nobody knows exactly what is wrong with him. His office coming out saying on Tuesday that he was in hospital for routine tests. But it's his second night that he's spending in hospital and no word whatsoever on what is wrong with him and if he's getting better or worse. And this has created a real concern among many South Africans, because let me just give you some examples. Here is a newspaper headline in Afrikaans saying, literally, "Concern about Madiba, which is his clan name, Mandela. There's another headline here saying, "Madiba Called for Calm." And the reason people are anxious and are worried about just how serious this health scare is that there's been a long trooping of family and friends, of great ministers, of army generals, of political icons going into the hospital to see him. And many people say, listen, if it's more than just routine tests, why are all these people going to visit him?</s>FOSTER: Yes. And the other thing soaking (ph) this, really, is a - - a sense of secrecy around everything, as well. Why do you think that is?</s>CURNOW: I mean, again, a good question. And I -- and I think many South Africans are saying, well, why is the government not coming out and giving some updates or the hospital saying, listen, this is what the situation is and this is his status. But there is a lockdown, also, amongst the Mandela inner circle. I think many people are too scared to be seen to be leaking any information about what is wrong with him. So on all levels, on an official public level, the government, the - - the hospitals are saying, you know, no comment. The -- the family is not saying anything. And that, of course, breeds a sort of rumor and conjecture and a whole lot of speculation. And, of course, that's not helpful for anyone. That said, it is a very sensitive issue, Mandela's health. And I think many people are quite unsure of how to deal with this step, if this is what some people think is happening, that it is particularly serious. But we just don't know and we all -- everybody in this country, I think, is just on tenterhooks, not quite sure what to expect in the coming days.</s>FOSTER: Robyn Curnow in Johannesburg, thank you very much, indeed. Now, rescuers in Northeastern Columbia, meanwhile, are scrambling to find four miners missing after a coal mine explosion. A buildup of methane gas is believed to have caused the blast yesterday. The bodies of 17 miners have been recovered. Another six survived, but have serious injuries. An explosion at the same mine killed 31 people in 2007. In Davos, Colombian president, Juan Manuel Santos, talked about preventing future accidents.</s>JUAN MANUEL SANTOS, COLUMBIAN PRESIDENT: By putting more controls. I was informed today that we have very few people controlling the -- the mines, how they themselves control the safety of the mines. And we have to upgrade the regulation and the controls.</s>FOSTER: Well, President Santos says he'll return to Columbia on Friday to address the mining disaster. Smugglers use tunnels and airplane, boats, and, of course, people. But this video shows what's -- what has to be a unique method to move drugs across the Mexico-US border. Mexican smugglers used a catapult to launch marijuana over a fence. A video surveillance camera tipped off U.S. Border Patrol agents, who contacted Mexican officials. The smugglers fled before they could be caught, though. Agents did seize 20 kilograms of marijuana, a car and the catapult. Just ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD, a gay rights activist has been murdered in Uganda. It comes just months after his name appeared in a tabloid paper hit list. The full story coming up. Plus, a spike in the Muslim population could dramatically transform our world. A look at the numbers ahead.