A suicide bomber driving a minibus blew himself up in front of the Baghdad office of a popular Arabic news station today, killing six people, and burying a politician alive under the rubble of his collapsed home.

A suicide truck bomber struck a police station in a mainly Sunni area of Baghdad today, killing at least 18 people, police said, as insurgents apparently step up their campaign against fellow Sunnis seen as collaborating with the US and the Iraqi government.

A SHARPLY divided US House of Representatives voted yesterday to order President George W Bush to bring combat troops home from Iraq next year — a victory for Democrats in an epic war-powers struggle and Congress’ boldest challenge yet to the administration’s policy.

Iraq’s Sunni deputy prime minister was wounded today in a suicide bombing near the heavily fortified Green Zone that killed as many as six, authorities said.

Masked Shiite gunmen went on a rampage in western Baghdad today, pulling Sunni Arabs from cars and off the street and killing at least 41 people, police said.