Tens of thousands of people turn out in
Baghdad for the funeral procession of the murdered
Shia Muslim leader Ayatollah
Sayed Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim.[1] The
Iraqi police handling the investigation say they have arrested 19 men in connection with the blast, many of them foreigners and all with admitted links to
al-Qaeda.[2]
The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency declassifies
carbon dioxide as a pollutant, a move seen as leading to the elimination of restrictions on industrial emissions of the controversial gas. Climate scientists have debated carbon dioxide's role in
global warming for over a decade, with most voices (though notably fewer within the US) calling it the biggest factor, while others call it negligible.[3]
Occupation of Iraq: American and
Iraqi officials are discussing the possibility of forming a large Iraqi
militia or paramilitary force to help improve security in the country.[4]
Afghanistan:
Soldiers are killed in a remote region (near the town of
Shkin) near the Pakistani border.
Taliban reinforcements moved into mountainous region in southern Afghanistan where U.S. and Afghan forces have been attacking hideouts in a battle over the past week.[6]