Reports: Violence stains first Iraq vote since US withdrawal

Iraqis went to the polls Saturday for the first time since the United States withdrew its military forces, but a series of bombings marred the process and highlighted Iraq's fragile transition from occupied country to functioning democracy.

At least four people were injured when a series of mortar rounds struck near a voting station in Latifiya, a town south of Baghdad, Reuters reported.

Other bombs hit near polling stations in at least three other regions, including the northern towns of Tikrit and Samarra, without casualties, according to the news service, which cited local police sources.

Another bomb was detonated near a polling center in Jibala, in the south, the Associated Press reported, and mortars rounds hit a station in Baghdad. 

For the most part, however, the process was moving smoothly, the AP reported, citing United Nations officials monitoring the elections. No deaths had been reported, the news agencies said, which is seen as progress surrounding an election cycle in which no fewer than a dozen candidates were killed leading up to Saturday's vote.

The elections for provincial council seats are the first in Iraq since President Obama pulled U.S. troops from the embattled country in December of 2011, almost a decade after the United States invaded in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Saturday's vote is being watched closely as a precursor of next year's national parliamentary elections.

Local terrorist groups, including a wing of al-Qaeda and Sunni rebels, have intensified their attacks this year in hopes of overturning the Shi'ite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

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Peregrine Pharma reports smaller 3Q loss

TUSTIN, Calif. -- Drug developer Peregrine Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Tuesday it took a smaller loss in the fiscal third quarter as it received more revenue and spent less on clinical trials.

Peregrine said its revenue more than doubled and its research and development costs fell by about 40 percent. The company does not have any approved products. Its most advanced drug candidate is bavituximab, a potential treatment for non-small cell lung cancer.

The company lost $4.9 million, or 4 cents per share, over the three months ended Jan. 31. A year earlier it took a loss of $11.1 million, or 13 cents per share. Revenue grew to $7 million from $3.3 million over the three months ended Jan. 31.

Analysts forecast a loss of 7 cents per share on $4.1 million in revenue, according to FactSet.

In September Peregrine said patients who were treated with bavituximab lived twice as long as patients who received only chemotherapy in a clinical trial, and its shares rose to a three-year high. In February the company revised its report, saying the bavituximab patients lived only 60 percent longer. Peregrine said the problem appeared to be tied to another company that was contracted to code and distribute the product.

The company is preparing to meet with Food and Drug Administration and hopes to begin a late-stage trial of bavituximab by year-end.

Shares of Peregrine Pharmaceuticals fell 4 cents to $1.58 Tuesday. In after-hours trading the shares gained 5 percent, or 8 cents, to $1.66.

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Reports: Oklahoma freshman threatened

Authorities are investigating death threats against Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), according to an aide to the freshman congressman.

Mullin’s chief of staff, Karl Ahlgren, said that Mullin and his family are being protected, the Associated Press reported.

Ahlgren said his office would have no further comment, according to the AP.

U.S. Capitol Police Officer Shennell Antrobus told the news service that the agency is investigating, but would not specify the threat.

Mullin, the owner of a plumbing business, won the open race to replace Rep. Dan Boren (D-Okla.), a Blue Dog Democrat who chose to retire.

Earlier this month, Mullin joined House Republicans who warned the Obama administration they would oppose any attempt to bypass Congress on the issue of gun control by issuing a White House executive order that limits access to guns.

Mullin accused the administration of trying to usurp the ability of Congress to write the nation's laws.

"Under the U.S. Constitution, Congress is required to be the primary source of federal legislation, and I will fight to ensure that Congress does not abandon our responsibility to the American people by delegating our role in government to the executive branch, particularly regarding such an important issue as the Second Amendment," he said.

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