A bomb targeting worshippers attending Friday prayers at a Sunni mosque north of Baghdad has killed 16 people and wounded dozens more, the top medical official in the province said.

In city squares and living rooms, ballrooms and villages, the citizens of the world cheered the election of Barack Obama as US president, increasing hopes that America’s first black commander-in-chief would herald a more balanced, less confrontational America.

The man set to become the next US Attorney General vowed to abide by international treaties on prisoner treatment today.

Crude futures rose to a new high near $49 a barrel as the threat of sabotage to Iraqi oil infrastructure loomed larger than promises from Baghdad to boost exports in coming days.

Videos capturing the actions of a US military squad assigned to subdue disobedient prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have emerged as key pieces of evidence as American politicians look into complaints of abuse.