reassure

people; he said that the security forces had only fired when they themselves came under attack. And he said that it would be safe soon, that the whole thing was under control. And that the aim was just to contain the area, not to clear it of protesters while even that is proving a very tough task for the security forces.

Police in Iraq say a suicide bombing at a football stadium has killed at least ten people and injured more than 100. It happened in the northern Iraqi town of Tal Afar, near the city of Mosul. From Baghdad, here is Gabriel Gatehouse.

Police in Tal Afar say that a suicide bomber detonated explosives hidden inside his vehicle near the local stadium where a football match was underway. A crowd of people standing at the entrance to the ground

bore the brunt of

the blast. Witnesses said that the first bombing was then followed by at least one other explosion. Earlier on Friday, a website linked to al-Qaeda in Iraq announced that it would replace the senior militant who'd been killed last month in a joint operation by Iraqi and US forces. The statement warned of what it called "dark days of blood to come".

Share prices and the value of the euro have fallen sharply as investors become concerned that economic measures designed to

tackle

big debts in Greece, Spain and Portugal will stifle growth in the eurozone. The euro hit its lowest level against the dollar for 18 months. Stock markets closed more than 3% down in London and Frankfort and 4.6% down in Paris. The Spanish stock market index closed more than 6% lower.