'Chemical Ali' to be executed by hanging

The last legal hurdle to the long-delayed execution of "Chemical Ali", a cousin of Saddam Hussein and once one of the most feared men in Iraq, has been removed, Iraqi officials said on Friday.

Iraq's presidency council, made up of President Jalal Talabani and the two vice-presidents, has given the go-ahead for Ali Hassan al-Majeed to be hanged, they said, although no date has been set for his execution.

"They approved it two days ago," a source at the presidency council told reporters, without explaining why the decision had been kept secret.