The New York Times’ website went down for several hours in its second major disruption this month, with a hacker group calling itself the “Syrian Electronic Army” claiming responsibility.

A car bombing in Baghdad has left at least 51 killed, Iraqi police said tonight.

Lawyers are advising the Defence Department not to publicly release any more photographs of Iraqi prisoners being abused by US soldiers, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said today at the outset of a hastily-arranged visit to Iraq aimed at containing the abuse scandal.