A CAR BOMB exploded in an upmarket shopping district of Baghdad yesterday, killing at least six Iraqis and setting fire to an apartment building, in a surge of violence that has left at least 130 people dead since a new government was formed last week.

A car bomb exploded in an upscale shopping district of Baghdad today, killing at least six Iraqis and setting fire to an apartment building, in a surge of violence that has left at least 127 people dead since a new government was formed last week. A British soldier died in fighting in southern Iraq.

A day after insurgents killed at least 36 Iraqis in a series of attacks, including the bombing of a funeral, militants set off three explosions in Baghdad today, including one that narrowly missed a top Iraqi security official, police said.

A SUICIDE car bomb exploded at the funeral of a Kurdish official in northern Iraq yesterday, killing 20 Iraqis and wounding more than 30 and bringing the death toll in three days of insurgent attacks to at least 100.