Baghdad - Iraqi forces took over security responsibility in the western province of Anbar on Monday amid military celebrations - and heightened security.

The Sunni province of Anbar is the eleventh province to take responsibility for its own security duties after undergoing a remarkable transition since 2006, when it was the focus of Sunni resistance to the US occupation.

Baghdad - Four people were killed in an armed attack near the central Iraqi city of Baquba, a security official said, stating that a leader of the anti-terrorist Awakening councils was among the dead.

The attack which took place in al-Ihbas village, 45 kilometres south-west of Baquba, is believed to have been carried out by an armed group belonging to the al-Qaeda terrorist network, the official told the Voices of Iraq news agency.

Awakening (or Sahwa) Councils consist of tribal Sunni fighters who turned against al-Qaeda in a number of provinces in Iraq alongside US forces.

Baghdad- Most of the issues in the long-term security agreement being negotiated between Iraq and the United States remain unresolved, an Iraqi legislator said on Friday, ruling out the likelihood that the deal would ever reach parliament for approval.

Abdel Kareem al-Samarraie, a member of parliament's Security and Defence Committee, said issues related to the continued presence of US troops and their status before a final pullout needed to be cleared up.

"Differences revolve around a schedule of the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq as well as their powers and the description of these troops," he told the Voices of Iraq news agency.

London, August 28 : Iraqi authorities are inviting companies to submit designs to make a giant Ferris wheel in Baghdad, as part of a strategy to make the capital a leisure friendly city.

The Baghdad Eye, as the Ferris wheel in the city will be called, will soar more than 650 feet over the city and feature air-conditioned compartments.

Adel al-Ardawi, a media official with Baghdad''s municipality, revealed that the wheel would carry up to 30 passengers.

"This wheel will be taller than the iconic 443-foot London Eye," the Daily Express quoted al-Ardawi as saying.

Baghdad - An earthquake that measured 5.13 on the Richter scale hit Iraq's southern provinces of Basra and Maysan during the early hours of Thursday, causing no damage or casualties, according to news reports.

The epicenter of the earthquake was in the northeast of Amarah city in Maysan province. It occurred at 01.15 am (0415 GMT), the Voices of Iraq news agency reported, quoting an official from the earthquake monitoring department in Basra.

The tremor was followed by a number of aftershocks, the official said.