In Brief: Iraq slaughter fuels Syria fear

Syria's year-long turmoil could stoke violence in neighbouring Iraq, where more than 600 people have been killed in religion-related attacks in the first three months of this year, a UN official said.

"Terrorist attacks have continued to target pilgrims and resulted in the killing and wounding of scores of defenceless people practising their religion," Martin Kobler, the UN special representative to Iraq, told the Security Council.

Mr Kobler said 613 civilians died and 1,835 were injured in "communal attacks" through March 31, 2012 -- slightly fewer than the same period in 2011.

Boy (5) shows off heroin haul

A five-year-old boy found 50 packets of heroin inside a jacket he had taken to his Connecticut school and showed them to his kindergarten classmates.

Schools superintendent Paul Vallas said he believed the boy took his stepfather's jacket to school without knowing the drugs were inside it.

The boy's stepfather, Santos Roman (35) went to the school and recovered the jacket, but police had already seized the drugs. He was arrested when he returned to the school after apparently discovering the heroin was missing.

Rock guitarist killed himself

The death of rock guitarist Ronnie Montrose, who formed an eponymous band in the 1970s and played with Van Morrison has been ruled a suicide.

The coroner has concluded that Montrose took his own life last month at his home in California.

His widow, Leighsa Montrose, said her 64-year-old husband was tormented by clinical depression for much of his life.

Jazz legend Herbie tells all

Jazz legend Herbie Hancock is ready to tell his life story

The composer, who is 72 this week, has a deal with Viking for a book expected in 2014.

"Quincy Jones he keeps saying to me, 'You've got to do a book'," Hancock said from Shanghai, where he is on tour.

"I want to share what I've learned."