Former Sunni insurgents asked the US to stay away, then ambushed members of Al Qaeda in Iraq, killing 18 in a battle that raged for hours north of Baghdad, an ex-insurgent leader and Iraqi police said Saturday.

Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D’Alema held talks Saturday in Libya on a joint treaty to settle the question of compensation for Italy’s colonisation of the country.

Freed from house arrest, Pakistani opposition leader, Benazir Bhutto has had a busy day, attending anti-government rallies and demanding an end to the country’s state of emergency.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi is scheduled to arrive here in Tehran on Tuesday.

Acclaimed Iranian director Majid Majidi was in India to launch his first Indo-Iranian joint venture. He directed Academy-nominated best foreign film ‘Children of Heaven’ and will be shooting extensively in India for his new film which will have an entire Indian cast.

Pakistan and Iran have finalized a contract for a gas export deal scheduled to be signed within a month.

First Vice-President Parviz Davoudi called on Iranian and Malaysian officials to utilize the existing potentials and possibilities to further expand ties between the two countries.

Iranian Science Minister Mohammad Mehdi Zahedi met with his Togolese counterpart Fidel Nouboukpo here in Tehran on Saturday.

Commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari said that despite enemies’ threats and plots, the Islamic Iran enjoys security and tranquility.

Iranian and Pakistani presidents are expected to sign by next month the final contract on a $7.4 bln pipeline project which would take Iran’s gas to Pakistan and India, a senior Iranian oil ministry official said here on Saturday.