An Iraqi policeman watches TV coverage of the execution of the former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein for crimes against humanity.

The order to carry out his death by hanging was signed by Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri Maliki.

To convince the world that the order had been carried out, Iraqi TV showed images of the signing, the warrant itself and of Saddam Hussein's last moments.

The news that Saddam Hussein had been hanged was greeted with delight on the streets of Sadr City, a Shia stronghold in Baghdad.

Free drinks were handed out to the crowds who had gathered to celebrate.

There were jubilant scenes in the southern Shia city of Basra too.

However, in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, steadfast Saddam Hussein supporters protested against his death.

News of the execution rippled across the globe. Here a man watches television in a shop in South Korea.

His death was front page news just about everywhere.

But just a few hours after the execution, Iraq's insurgents struck again - at least 30 people died in a bomb attack in Kufa.