PROGRESS

U-S authorities in Iraq have relaxed the nighttime curfew in the capital city of Baghdad.

Officials say improvements in security and a reduction in crime since the collapse of the Saddam Hussein regime are the reasons for the move.

Effective immediately, the curfew will run from midnight until 4 a-m. The curfew had begun each night at 11 p-m.

The U-S military says the scale-back of curfew hours is another sign that conditions in Iraq continue to improve.