Baghdad (Reuters): Ali Ismaeel Abbas, 12, was fast asleep when war shattered his life. A missile obliterated his home and most of his family, leaving him orphaned, badly burned and blowing off both his arms.

Irbil, Iraq (Associated Press): U.S. aircraft mistakenly bombed a joint convoy of Kurdish fighter's mid U.S. Special Forces in northern Iraq on Sunday, kill ing at least 18 people and imjuring at least 45 others, a Kurdish party spokesman said.

Baghdad (Agence France-Presse): U.S. -led forces have surrouned Baghdad, but the Iraqi government still controls large parts of the city, Pentagon officials said on Sunday.

Kabul (Agence France-Presse): Afghan forces killed 150 suspected Taliban fighters in northwest Afghanistan in an operation late March and captured the ousted hardline militia's former governor of Badghis province, an official revealed on Sunday.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras (Associated Press): Rival gang members fought and set fire to a prison on Saturday in northern Honduras, sparking a riot that ended with 86 prisoners dead, dozens of others injured and an unknown number on the loose, authorities said.

Baghdad (Reuters): U.S. forces burst into the heart of Baghdad on Monday and entered two palace complexes of President Saddam Hussein, but Marines hit tough resistance at key bridges on the capital's eastern flank. U.S. officers described the assault as a show of force rather than a final attack to take Baghdad, key prize in the 19-day-old war to oust Saddam.

Baghdad (Reuters): Two U.S. Marines were killed and many were injured on Monday in fighting to secure two bridges over a river on the edge of Baghdad, key objectives for U.S. forces advancing on the city, the U.S. military said.

London (Agence France-Presse): The Iraqi opposition plans to end the country's state monopoly on oil, opening the door to international companies to play a lead role in the industry after the fall of Saddam Hussein, a leading exile said here on Saturday after a U.S.-backed policy meeting.

Washington (Agence France Presse): U.S. businesses, partially paralyzed by the build-up and launch of the U.S.-led war on Iraq, axed 108,000 jobs in March, the government said.

Duluth, Georgia (Agence France-Presse): Lee Janzen who has not won since claiming his second US Open title in 1998, built a two-stroke lead on Saturday at the damp US$4 million PGA BellSouth Classic, carding a third-round five-under-par 67.