Twenty-one people were killed and nearly 100 others injured today when five bombs struck Shiite pilgrims during an important religious ritual for the Muslim sect.

THE United States handed over control of the Green Zone and Saddam Hussein’s presidential palace to Iraqi authorities yesterday in a ceremonial move described by the country’s prime minister as a restoration of Iraq’s sovereignty.

Iraqi officials say they have approved plans to build a five-star hotel in the International Zone in Baghdad.

The United States has suspended all land travel by US diplomats and other civilian officials throughout Iraq, except in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone.