Northern Iraq
Friendly fire incidents
Heavy exchanges of fire intensified this evening in southern Baghdad, with artillery, mortar, machine-gun and rocket blasts heard loudly from the centre of the Iraqi capital.
There was no immediate indication who fired the mortars or whether there were casualties from the shelling.
Planes repeatedly flew over Baghdad as US troops moved to encircle the city.
Iraqi television meanwhile showed footage of President Saddam Hussein chairing a meeting of top political and military advisers, including his two sons.
Earlier, the first US military warplane landed at Baghdad Airport, which is now under the control of American forces.
US troops are also in control of most of the access routes to Baghdad.
As an all out battle for the capital draws nearer, a spokesman for the US Central Command said they had reliable information that the Iraqis were using mosques and hospitals there to conduct military operations.
In Southern Iraq, the British Military now control virtually all of Basra.
They encountered little or no little resistence in their push to the centre of the city earlier today.
However, the British Ministry of Defence says that three British soldiers died during the rapid advance in Iraq's second city.
Further north heavy fighting continues between US forces and shiite moslem militia in Karbala.
Russian envoy injured
A Russian diplomatic convoy which left Baghdad today was attacked and several people including Ambassador Vladimir Titorenko were wounded.
It was not clear whether the attack was by US or Iraqi forces.
It is also reported that a US bomb was dropped on a Kurdish convoy in northern Iraq.
US Central Command in Qatar says it will investigate a friendly fire incident in Northern Iraq today in which four American soliders and at least 12 Kurdish fighters were killed.
Dozens more were injured when US aircraft mistakenly bombed the joint convoy about 30 miles southeast of the city of Mosul.
Wajih Barzani, head of special forces of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and brother of KDP leader Massoud Barzani, was seriously injured.
The convoy is reported to have included American Special forces.
The BBC's John Simpson was travelling with convoy and was injured in the attack.
Iraq says the 18-day-old war has claimed 1,250 civilian lives.
Thousands of refugees have been pouring out of Baghdad where the Red Cross said several hundred wounded civilians had been taken to hospitals on Friday alone.
Baghdad curfew
Iraqi television has announced that the Baghdad city authorities have banned travel into or out of Baghdad from 6.00pm to 6.00am.
American forces are massing in large numbers, saying they now control all but one access route to the Iraqi capital.
A combat engineering unit will go to the international airport, southwest of the city centre, to clear debris, carry out repairs and prepare the runway.
7,000 troops are at the airport and will establish a small military village there.
American officials say there will be more incursions into Baghdad, following a sweep through the south west of the city by US tanks and armoured vehicles yesterday.
Meanwhile, the bombing of of the city continued overnight and this morning. Earlier, around a dozen mortar bombs landed in the busy Saadun commercial area in the heart of the city, but there are no immediate reports of casualities.
The Americans also said they have been involved in hand-to-hand combat with the Republican Guards to the south east of Baghdad, where US marines are pushing towards the city.
The Pentagon has acknowledged that there may have been some US casualties after yesterday's three hour incursion.
