News summary

There has been no let up in Iraq where US tropos are backing Iraqi forces in Mosul and meanwhile in Sadr City, seven people died in fighting between Shiite militias and government forces. In western Afghanistan a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded market killing multiple victims. In Zimbabwe the opposition is lashing out against Mugabe’s government for its plan to delay a runoff election. Police in Italy have arrested hundreds of Romanians and North Africans in a crackdown against illegal immigration and crime. Oil prices surged to nearly $2 a barrel today against the dollar’s decline against the Euro. This week the US government concluded that the survival of the polar bear is threatened by global warming.