Iraq Iraq counted its dead after a three-day suicide bombing spree as a radical Shiite cleric justified the hardline resistance to the US occupation while Britain was considering troop withdrawal from the war-torn nation a year from now. Britain The war in Iraq gave a "boost" to Al-Qaeda and made Britain especially vulnerable to attacks like those of July 7 in London, a research center said in a report as the government prepared to introduce new anti-terrorism laws. Germany-Spain-Syria Germany's highest court ordered the release of a suspected top Al-Qaeda operative citing objections to a new European Union arrest warrant that would have allowed his extradition to Spain. Serbia A former secret police commander accused of masterminding the murder of Serbian prime minister Zoran Djindjic was sentenced to 40 years in jail for the assassination of a former president. Britain Tributes poured in for former British leader Sir Edward Heath who has died aged 89, with fellow political veteran Margaret Thatcher describing him as a "political giant" and Prime Minister Tony Blair calling him a "man of great integrity". Spain Eleven volunteer firefighters died fighting a forest fire in Spain's central Guadalajara region, the deadliest blaze in the country in 15 years, officials said. Taiwan Typhoon Haitang pounded central Taiwan with heavy winds and rain, injuring 34 people and shutting down airports, schools, government offices and financial markets in the most powerful storm to hit the country in 15 years. EGuinea Sixty people were killed when a Russian-built Antonov plane crashed in flames in Equatorial Guinea shortly after takeoff from the capital Malabo, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema said.