Gunmen killed 21 people, including a dozen students, after they dragged them off buses north-east of Baghdad.

Hamas’ political leader today reaffirmed the organisation’s hard stance at the start of a three-day visit to Russia aimed at denting the Palestinian militant group’s international isolation.

THE US and Britain last night faced an uphill struggle in obtaining their demands for “unobstructed and unfettered” access to Saddam Hussein’s weapons programme after Russia criticised the need for a new United Nations resolution.