US and Iraqi forces set up extra checkpoints, boosted patrols, and blocked traffic across a main Baghdad bridge today, one day before the expected announcement of a verdict – and possible death sentence – in the trial of former leader Saddam Hussein.

Bombs ripped through crowds of Iraqi shoppers stocking up on sweets and other delicacies ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, killing at least five people, police said today.

At least nine people were killed and 71 wounded in Iraq today when a series of bomb blasts went off in rapid succession in a Baghdad shopping district.

Bombs struck a busy outdoor market and a police patrol in a predominantly Shiite area of Baghdad today, killing at least 19 people and wounding more than 50 others.

At least five people were killed and 57 wounded in a bomb blast at a Baghdad pet market this morning.

Iraq’s prime minister declared a state of emergency in once peaceful and oil-rich Basra, as the sectarian and militia violence engulfing the country’s capital spread to its southern economic heartland.

Roadside bombs and a drive-by shooting killed four Iraqis and wounded 24 in Baghdad today as Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's new national unity government held its first meeting to discuss issues such as improving Iraq's security.

As Iraqis awaited the inauguration of their new national unity government, roadside bombs and other attacks killed 10 Iraqis and wounded 26 people today, including a US soldier riding through Baghdad in a minesweeper.

A large explosion in east Baghdad today set fire to a US tank, said Iraqi police Lt. Ali Abbas.

Three bombs exploded within an hour in Baghdad today, killing at least 23 people and injuring 56.

Three bombs exploded today within an hour in Baghdad, killing 17 people and injuring 48.

A SUICIDE bomber detonated an explosive belt yesterday in a line of Iraqis waiting to receive government payments, killing eight people and wounding about 30, including children, police said.

A suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt today in a line of Iraqis waiting to receive government payments, killing 10 people and wounding about 40, including children, police said.

A suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt today in a line of people waiting to receive government payments, killing six other people and wounding about 30, including children.

A three-day holiday began for Sunni Arabs in Iraq today, ending a month of fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, and unusual signs of celebration emerged in war-torn cities such as Tikrit, Saddam Hussein’s hometown.

Insurgents launched a number of attacks across Baghdad today, leaving at least 12 people dead, police said.

In separate attacks, insurgents targeted Iraqi police in Baghdad today, leaving at least three people dead, police said.

A suicide car bomber drove up to a US vehicle crowded with Iraqi children and detonated his vehicle today, killing one American soldier and at least seven Iraqi children, the US military said.

THE bravery of Iraqi orphan Ali Abbas, who lost both his arms in the war in his home country, was yesterday celebrating at a star-studded ceremony.

AN Iraqi boy who lost both arms in the Gulf War had his first appointment at the hospital rehabilitation centre where he is expected to be fitted with state-of-the-art prosthetic arms worth around £20,000.

AN Iraqi boy who lost his arms and his parents in an Allied bombing raid arrived in Britain from Kuwait yesterday, where he will receive medical treatment.

India today claimed that one of its diplomatic staff has been abducted in Islamabad by Pakistani intelligence personnel, apparently in retaliation for the arrest of a Pakistani diplomat earlier in the week.