Gunmen slay senior Iraqi judge

Gunmen have assassinated a senior Iraqi judge and killed his bodyguard today in a series of shootings of government employees and policemen that highlight grave security risks ahead in the run-up to this weekend’s elections.

Clashes erupted this morning in Baghdad’s eastern Rashad neighbourhood as Iraqi police fired on insurgents who were handing out leaflets warning people not to vote in Sunday’s national elections. Armed men attacked a police station in the neighbourhood and US troops intervened.