During the reign of Saddam Hussein, Shias suffered terribly in Iraq. After the US invasion they were in command. And now they are fighting to hold off the threat of Isis. writes Janine Di Giovanni

Barack Obama has stated that the Syrians have crossed the red line in using chemical weapons.

The Book of Fate

Rockets and mortar rounds struck a refugee camp for Iranian exiles next to Baghdad’s international airport today, killing six people and wounding about 40, police and UN officials said.

In reference to a letter from Daniel Teegan (Jul 25), firstly his “He must be aware that Iran has not gone to war against another nation” remark: It would be interesting to hear his definition of the Iran-Iraq war, with widespread use of chemical weapons and estimates of up to 1.5m dead.

The late Gerry O’Sullivan was a pioneer in the field of cancer research. But he had a playful side, too, his daughter Orla Dolan recalls for Helen O’Callaghan

As US forces pulled out of Iraq, Political Reporter Juno McEnroe travelled to the country to investigate how Irish funds are being used to clear the countryside of landmines

China confirmed today that it met Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s aides in July on a visit to buy arms.

Iranian forces crossed into neighbouring Iraq and killed 30 fighters from a group Tehran said was involved in last week’s bombing of a military parade, state TV reported.

A bomb exploded among a crowd of spectators at a military parade in western Iran today, killing seven people and injuring 20 others.

SADDAM HUSSEIN’S notorious cousin “Chemical Ali” was convicted yesterday of crimes against humanity, receiving a death sentence for his involvement in one of the worst poison gas attacks ever against civilians – one of several he faces.

Saddam Hussein’s notorious cousin “Chemical Ali” was convicted today of crimes against humanity, receiving a death sentence for his involvement in one of the worst poison gas attacks ever against civilians – one of several he faces.

Saddam Hussein’s former foreign minister Tariq Aziz was convicted of crimes against humanity and jailed for 15 years today for the 1992 execution of 42 traders accused of profiteering while Iraq was under UN sanctions.

IRAN will stop any attacker before he can “pull the trigger” and sanctions intended to isolate the Islamic republic have not worked, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has told a military parade.

An Iraqi appeals court today upheld death sentences imposed against “Chemical Ali” al-Majid and two other Saddam Hussein lieutenants convicted of crimes against humanity for their roles a massacre of Kurds, a judge said.

TWO former Saddam Hussein aides were removed from a Baghdad courtroom for unruly behaviour yesterday on the second day of a trial over the brutal crushing of a 1991 rebellion in Iraq by Shi’ite Muslims.

Two former Saddam Hussein aides were ejected from a Baghdad courtroom for unruly behaviour today on the second day of a trial over the brutal crushing of a 1991 rebellion in Iraq by Shiite Muslims.

The United States will not achieve its goals in the Middle East, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned today on state television.

US officials are investigating allegations that an Iraqi politician took part in the 1983 bombing of the US and French embassies in Kuwait and is a conduit for Iranian weapons and supplies smuggled to Shiite militias, a spokesman said today.

Admiral William Fallon, who is poised to become the top American commander in the Middle East, says the United States miscalculated the ability of Iraqi forces to take control and underestimated the enemy’s persistence.

Iran today hailed the execution of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein as "enforcer of the most horrendous crimes against humanity", but many Iranians said Saddam should have stood trial for invading Iran and Kuwait before being hanged.

After nearly a quarter-century of severed ties, Iraq said it would resume diplomatic relations with neighbouring Syria – a move seen as a possible step toward stemming some of the unrelenting violence, which claimed another 100 lives.

Gunmen killed the brother of the chief prosecutor in Saddam Hussein’s Kurdish genocide trial today, even as the ex-president called in an open letter for insurgents to forgive their American enemies and for Iraqis to forgive each other and stop sectarian killings.

The chief judge in Saddam Hussein’s trial today brushed aside prosecution demands to step down for letting the ex-president make political statements, as more witnesses told of chemical attacks against Kurds – a charge for which the ex-president could receive a death sentence.

SURVIVORS yesterday told Saddam Hussein’s trial how poisonous clouds of gas killed children and blinded residents during a military offensive against Kurds in 1987.

The defence team in the trial of Saddam Hussein protested today over the arrest of four of its witnesses, saying some of them were beaten by Iraqi guards.

Oil prices were hovering around record highs today amid international tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme and disruptions to supply in Nigeria.

Swedish police are to re-question some witnesses in the unsolved case of the 1986 murder of Prime Minister Olof Palme after new information emerged in a TV documentary, the lead investigator said today.

IRAQIS gathered around televisions to watch Saddam Hussein's trial yesterday, with Shi'ite victims of his regime calling the proceedings long-overdue justice, but some Sunni Arabs condemning it as unfair humiliation of the former leader.

ACCORDING to officials production of petrol in the US has fallen to a tenth of its usual rate following the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, prompting the price of crude oil to soar on the international market as the US government prepares to dip into its strategic reserves (normally only used in times of war) to ease the crisis.

Saddam Hussein’s legal representatives today made an appeal to justice ministers in Sweden to consider staging the former dictator’s trial for crimes against humanity.

Hard-line students burned US flags today and effigies of US President George Bush to mark the 25th anniversary of the takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran.

Saddam Hussein’s trial raises the spectre of another international disagreement over Iraq – should the deposed dictator be put to death?

Legal custody of Saddam Hussein and 11 others was transferred to the Iraqis today, an international official said in Baghdad.

Iraqis and the world will get their first glimpse of Saddam Hussein since his capture in December when he and 11 of his top lieutenants are brought to court tomorrow to face war crimes charges likely to include the 1988 chemical weapons massacre of Kurds and the 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

SADDAM HUSSEIN will be transferred to Iraqi legal custody and face charges in an Iraqi court this week but he won't go on trial for months.

A roadside bomb containing sarin nerve agent has exploded in Iraq near a US military convoy, said a US military spokesman today.

IRAQ’S US-picked leaders approved a new flag for the country, making a dramatic change that drops the Saddam Hussein-era slogan God is great, changes the colours and introduces symbols of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

Iraq’s US-picked leaders approved a new flag for the country, making a dramatic change that drops the Saddam Hussein-era slogan God is great, changes the colours and introduces symbols of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

The suicide boat attacks struck at the heart of Iraqi hopes for reconstruction and future prosperity.

Iraqi leaders have set up a tribunal of judges and prosecutors to try ousted dictator Saddam Hussein.

Iraqi authorities expressed surprise and disappointment today at reports that Pentagon lawyers have determined that Saddam Hussein has been a prisoner of war since American forces captured him last month.

THREE gunmen with their faces covered with red and white Arab head-dresses assassinated the police chief in Iraq's Sunni Triangle yesterday in an ambush at a traffic roundabout.

The US navy has deployed highly trained dolphins in the Gulf to help protect coalition ships and piers against terrorist attacks by providing early warning of hostile swimmers.