IRAN said yesterday it had successfully test fired what it described as two long-range missiles, flexing its military muscle in the face of mounting Western pressure over its nuclear programme.

A car bomb exploded near a busy market and cinema in eastern Baghdad today, killing at least 17 people and wounding 65, police said.

Two US Marines were killed and 14 wounded when an explosive device hit their troop transport vehicle during a large American offensive being fought against suspected insurgents in western Iraq, the military said today.

A car bomb exploded near a market in eastern Baghdad today, killing at least six people and wounding 13, police said.

Two car bombs exploded in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk today, including one targeting a Shiite mosque.