police receives a Videotape where a man identifying himself as an Al-Qaeda spokesman says the organisation claims responsibility for the attack, according to an announcement from the country's interior minister. The authenticity of the video has not been verified. The al-Qaeda claim overshadows voting in the General Election . (BBC)(BBC)(Toronto Star)
soldiers are killed over the weekend in three separate Insurgent roadside bomb attacks, two in Baghdad and one in Tikrit . This occurs amidst the largest U.S. troop rotation since World War II .
Voting takes place in the Russia n Presidential Election . Incumbent Vladimir Putin wins by a large majority. The election is widely criticised by external observers who said Russian state television was very biased towards Putin during the campaign. (BBC)(Reuters)
