A series of explosions rocked Baghdad this morning, killing at least nine people and wounding 26, police said.

A suicide car bomb struck a market in the Shiite district of Sadr City and police said 17 people died today, a day after a blast targeting university students killed 70 in what appeared to be a renewed campaign of Sunni insurgent violence against Shiites.

A BOMB exploded outside a bank in the northern city of Kirkuk yesterday, killing at least 22 people, including child street vendors and pensioners waiting for their checks.

An Iraqi council member running for governor in the southern port city of Basra was killed as he left for work today, along with his driver and bodyguard.

An estimated quarter of a million people marched in London today to protest against any possible war on Iraq.