This marks a new stage in the disintegration of the Iraqi government

This marks a new stage in the disintegration of the Iraqi government.The government is seeking to restore order by extending the curfew in Baghdad, where at least 53 people have been killed, and in Salahudin, north of Baghdad. It has closed the road outside the Abu Hanifa, the most important Sunni mosque in Baghdad.The Sunni Muslim Clerics Association sounded unapologetic about the attack in Samarra, saying it pointed “the finger of blame at certain Shia religious authorities for calling for demonstrations”. In all, 25 people are known to have died in the mainly Shia city. In Baquba, north of Baghdad, a bomb targeting an army patrol killed 16 people, including eight soldiers and eight civilians.A particularly worrying factor in the present wave of violence is that frequently the sectarian killers either disguise themselves as army or police officers or really are soldiers or policemen. The scale and intensity of the violence increasingly resembles Lebanon at the start of its bloody civil war 30 years ago.The number of dead in the vicious circle of violence provoked by the bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra was rising by the hour yesterday.

More than 130 people are known to have been killed in tit-for-tat killings by Shia and Sunni, but the true figure is certainly much higher. The militant Sunni Clerical Association of Muslim Scholars said 168 Sunni mosques had been attacked, 10 imams had been killed and 15 abducted.
Among those to die in the crescendo of violence were a correspondent of al-Arabiya television and two members of her crew who were taken away by gunmen when they were interviewing people in Samarra.Overnight, 12 prisoners were taken out of a jail in Basra and 11 of them killed. Gunmen at a makeshift checkpoint south of Baghdad murdered 47 people who had been demonstrating against the destruction of the Shia shrine at Samarra, bringing Iraq close to a sectarian bloodbath. The victims were Shia and Sunni returning from a demonstration in the town of Kenaan, when they were dragged from their cars and killed Their bodies were left in a ditch by the side of the road. Insolvency specialists will submit a full report on the collapse of the company to the Department of Trade and Industry.. It’s like taking a Van Gogh painting and burning it.”Back in London, as liquidators began the long task of sifting through the wreckage of Gizmondo yesterday, it emerged that the company had collapsed owing between £25m and £30m to the Inland Revenue in relation to share issues made to staff. Chris Banning, who is the leader of the Los Angeles Ferrari Owners’ Club said: “He destroyed one of the finest cars on Earth, maybe the finest.

However, Mr Eriksson is still the proud owner of three Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLRs, police said.Other Enzo owners include the actor Nicolas Cage and the pop star Britney Spears. Sgt Philips said: “We found it surprising that you don’t know the name of the guy driving your million-dollar car. We will be contacting him to straighten out the inconsistencies in his story.”Police said the car was the property of the Bank of Scotland and was in the process of being repossessed. No traces were found on the passenger’s side.He told investigators that the car was being driven by a German acquaintance he knew only as Dietrich. The driver was spotted leaping out of the wreckage and disappearing into a canyon. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department carried out a three-and-a-half-hour helicopter search. Mr Erikkson, now a Bel-Air resident, denied being at the wheel, but police found blood on his lip and on the driver’s airbag.

Driving the route has become a cult among sports car owners.The 44-year-old Swede, who was paid more than $3.22m (£1.8m) plus a car allowance of $231,324 during his time as executive officer at the company which collapsed this week with debts of £210m, was found to be over the drink-drive limit after the crash.The Enzo was cut in half after striking a power pole although miraculously no one was hurt. Malibu police are waiting to re-interview Stefan Eriksson, a member of the so-called “Swedish Mafia” who were at the helm of the hi-tech firm which it is claimed blew millions of pounds of investors’ money on fast cars and pop stars, after his $1m Ferrari Enzo was written off during a high-speed road race.
Sgt Philip Brooks of Malibu traffic department said the Enzo, one of only 400 ever produced, was doing “considerably more” than 120mph as it raced a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren along the Pacific Coast Highway at dawn on Tuesday. The spectacular collapse of the computer gaming company Gizmondo appears to have done little to dampen the appetite of one of its former senior executives for life in the fast lane. “There has been a fundamental shift in the paradigm of politics,” he said “I don’t think Republicans even realise this.”.

Eric Massa In New York’s 29th Congressional district, Mr Massa, a Navy veteran who once served as an aide to General Wesley Clark, is staging a long-shot challenge to Republican John “Randy” Kuhl in a Republican-leaning district. James Webb Mr Webb, a Vietnam veteran, was secretary of the navy in the Reagan administration. He is to challenge Republican George Allen for one of the Senate seats in Virginia. Mr Allen is testing the waters for a 2008 presidential run and Republicans fear Mr Webb could eat into his base of conservative voters with links to the military. Last year, Mr Hackett, an outspoken war critic, almost won an election in Ohio’s heavily Republican 2nd Congressional district. Analysts say the 8th is considered a swing district and Mr Murphy has a good chance of ousting the Republican, Michael Fitzpatrick.