Baghdad, September 06, 2010: Six people died and several were injured Monday in a series of attacks in Iraq, a day after violence that left 12 dead in Baghdad was used as a pretext for new U.S. military actions.

Security sources informed that unidentified assailants killed a Defense Ministry brigadier on a road near the town of Al-Amiriya in western Baghdad on Monday while he was driving his car.

Near the same site, three police agents were wounded by a bomb explosion in the town of Al-Ghazaliya.

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In addition, an official from the Agriculture Ministry was seriously injured when explosives detonated in his car, in the Al-Harthiya area.

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Monday's attacks followed the explosion Sunday of an explosives-laden minibus at an army base in Baghdad, an attack that killed 12 and injured 20, leading the government to ask for U.S. support.

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Kabul, September 06, 2010: The death of a US soldier in eastern Afghanistan brought the death toll of occupation troops to 500 this year so far.

According to icasulaties.org website, that figure reveals the increasing number of US and NATO fatalities this year, compared to the 521 registered in 2009.

The latest U.S. casualty was the fifth American to die in September to date, and the 321st since the year began, making it the deadliest year for the United States since it first invaded Afghanistan in October 2001.

Baku, September 03, 2010: Azerbaijan has agreed to increase substantially its gas exports to Russia, the CEO of Russian energy giant Gazprom said on Friday.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev came for talks in Baku on Thursday. Medvedev and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilkham Aliev concluded a new gas deal, stipulating a strong increase in the volumes of Azerbaijani gas supplies for Russia in 2011-2012.

"The signed contract is unique; it does not outline a ceiling volume of purchase. The basic agreement stipulates purchases at the level of 500 million cubic meters. Azerbaijan offered to increase it to 1 billion cubic meters," Alexei Miller commented on the new Russian-Azerbaijani gas agreement.

Riyadh, September 06, 2010: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad expressed confidence that the United States and Israel would not dare unleash a war against the Islamic republic.

The current U.S. pressure on Iran is just a psychological war, Ahmadinejad said at a joint press conference with Qatar's Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani on Sunday in Doha, the Saudi media said. "There will be no war against Iran," Xinhua news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying. "All the talk in this regard is only psychological war, and we believe that there are rational men in the United States that who do not support taking such a step."

Tegucigalpa, September 05, 2010: A network of dealers trading the organs of minors and undocumented people operates in the Honduras-Mexico corridor, according to an official report submitted to the Supreme Court of Justice.

The criminal group could involve founders of the Restored Christian Church and Honduran citizens, the document indicates.

The traders have deceived children and migrants to take their organs and then sell them, La Tribuna daily says in a report.