Iraq: Iraqi officials say more than 30 people have been killed in several attacks, one day after the government asked neighbors for help in stopping the daily violence.
Police said today (Sunday) a suicide bomber killed at least 10 people in eastern Baghdad when he blew himself up aboard a mini-bus as it passed near Mustansiriya University.
Reports say another bomber targeted a truck carrying Shi'ite pilgrims returning from religious ceremonies in the southern city of Karbala. At least 19 people died.
A bomb blast in the northern city of Mosul killed three people at the headquarters of the country's largest Sunni political party - the Iraqi Islamic Party.
At a regional conference Saturday, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki asked the delegates to help block the networks aiding extremists inside Iraq. He warned that mounting terrorism and sectarian violence could spread across the Middle East.
Afghanistan: Afghan officials say Taleban militants have ambushed a police patrol in southern Afghanistan, killing eight officers and wounding two.
An Afghan border security chief (General Mohammad Raziq Khan) says insurgents fired on the police patrol late Saturday in (the Arghasan district of) Kandahar province, near the Pakistan border, sparking a brief gun battle. The official says the attackers later fled the area, and appeared not to have suffered any casualties.
In another development, an Internet statement by an Islamic militant group threatens attacks on Germany and Austria if they do not withdraw their troops from Afghanistan, where they serve as part of a NATO force.
The group issued the threat in a video statement posted Saturday on (the "Voice of the Caliphate") a Web site used by militants linked to al-Qaida. Germany has around 27-hundred troops in Afghanistan, while Austria has only five.
Mauritania Election: Voters in Mauritania are casting ballots in a presidential election that marks the final stage in the West African nation's transition from military to civilian rule.
Men and women lined up early today (Sunday) to choose among 19 candidates.
The election in the Islamic republic is the result of a promise made by the country's military government, which ended 21 years of dictatorship by toppling President Maaouiya Ould Taya in a 2005 coup.
Last June, the military leaders of Mauritania organized a constitutional referendum to limit a president's term. And to guarantee transparency during this election, the military barred its members from standing for political office.
A candidate must earn more than 50 percent of the vote to win the election, or face a runoff with the closest rival later this month.
Russia Elections: Russians are voting in regional elections, with the country's two main parties - both loyal to President Vladimir Putin - expected to post landslide victories.
Experts predict the pro-Putin "United Russia" and "Fair Russia" parties will win the majority of the local legislative and mayoral races today (Sunday).
Smaller opposition parties in many of the regions were barred from participating because of bureaucratic measures that critics say are designed to quash opposition. The absence of independent observers also has prompted complaints in many areas.
The elections in 14 of Russia's 86 regions are seen by many as a test of Mr. Putin's political clout ahead of parliamentary elections in December, and the country's presidential election next March.
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