BAGHDAD – U.S. and Iraqi commanders on Saturday hailed a big improvement in security over the past year, while al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden accused the Americans of seeking to exploit Iraq’s oil wealth.

TBILISI – Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili is likely to win a new term in a snap election on January 5, but the vote will have to be squeaky clean if he is to regain his tattered reputation as a champion of democracy.

KARACHI – Two suspected suicide bombers were killed in Pakistan’s central Punjab province early on Sunday when the devices they were carrying exploded prematurely in an apparent botched attack on a former minister, police said.