At least eight people have been killed in the Iraqi capital Baghdad after a robbery by gunmen in a row of jewellery shops ended in a shoot-out with security forces. Jim Muir reports from Baghdad.
The raiders arrived in the targeted area in several cars. First they set off a small explosion which wounded two civilians and caused panic. Then they stormed a row of jewellery shops, shooting dead three of the goldsmiths and stealing everything they could lay their hands on. But security forces intervened. There was a prolonged shoot-out in which two policemen, two soldiers and two of the attackers were killed, according to the police account. Some of the assailants managed to escape with their loot. It's the latest in a series of raids, which have followed an identical pattern.
There has been a new upsurge of violence in Pakistan's largest city Karachi. More than 20 people have died in clashes between political rivals. Vehicles were set ablaze and there were bursts of gunfire in the Orangi district. The violence coincided with a by-election for a seat in the provincial assembly. Two main parties are linked to the violence, the MQM and the Awami National Party, which represents mostly ethnic Pashtuns.
And finally, Nicaragua has declared a nationwide state of emergency after 16 people died this month as a result of catching the leptospirosis virus. A hundred and fifty cases of the disease have been reported so far. Humans contract the virus by coming into contact with water or vegetation contaminated by diseased animals.