Iran has played a vital role in the agreement between the two Iraqi Shiite leaders Abdul Aziz Al Hakim and Muqtada Al Sadr to avoid an “open war” among the Iraqi Shiites, Iraqi politicians and analysts said.

Oct. 9 (Bloomberg) — The execution of 15 prisoners in Afghanistan, the second confirmed use of the death penalty since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, is a concern, the United Nations envoy in the country said.

SYDNEY (AFP) — Prime Minister John Howard said Tuesday an Australian soldier killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan died for a just cause while fighting “brutal terrorism”.