EIA data released yesterday showed stock build in crude unchanged on the week.

More than 1,000 British and Danish troops stormed five houses in southern Iraq today, using ground forces, boats, helicopters and jets in a raid that detained five Iraqis and confiscated a large cache of weapons.

GUNMEN wearing Iraqi special forces uniforms yesterday kidnapped a wealthy banker and his son after killing five of their bodyguards.

SHI'ITE Muslim militants were in full control of two key Iraqi cities yesterday as violence escalated and Sunni fighters killed a US marine in the battle for Fallujah.

A British soldier was killed in action near Al Zubayr in southern Iraq last night, military sources said.