A new judge will take charge temporarily of the tribunal trying Saddam Hussein and seven co-defendants in the 1982 massacre of more than 140 Shiites, an Iraqi official said Monday.

One of the five judges in the Saddam Hussein trial has stepped down after learning that one of the defendants may have been involved in the execution of his brother, a court official said today.

War started in Iraq early today with a bold attempt to assassinate Saddam Hussein with cruise missiles and precision guided bombs.

Iraqi military forces are setting up a two-layer defence ring around Baghdad in preparation for any US military assault, it was reported today.