Iraq An Islamist group linked to the Al-Qaeda network, Ansar al-Sunna, claimed that it had shot dead 15 members of the Iraqi army, in a statement published on its Internet site. Iraq At least 12 people were killed and 25 injured in a suicide attack on a Shiite wedding party south of Baghdad, according to the chief of the village where the blast occurred. Iraq-China China's embassy in Iraq confirmed that eight Chinese hostages held by Iraqi insurgents had been released, the official Xinhua news agency reported from Baghdad. Mideast-Palestinian-Israel The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a Palestinian armed group linked to the mainstream Fatah faction, said it was ready to agree a "mutual and conditional" ceasefire with Israel. Asia Tamil Tiger rebels announced they were putting on hold their struggle for greater autonomy for Sri Lanka's Tamil minority in order to deal with the aftermath of the tsunami disaster. Asia Indonesia ramped up its peace bid for tsunami-hit Aceh, saying it would consider anything except independence in talks with separatist insurgents, while promising relief aid was safe from corruption. Asia More than 150 nations pledged to build early warning systems and make disaster preparation a budget priority in the wake of the Asian tsunamis, with the United Nations vowing to halve the deaths due to nature in a decade. Iran The European Union played down the threat of a US strike on Iran, saying that a diplomatic solution to Tehran's nuclear ambitions would ultimately be found. Russia Scores of people who lost family in the Beslan school hostage massacre last autumn blocked a major highway for a third day, accusing Russian officials of not providing accountability for the tragedy and demanding an independent probe. Russia-politics-social-demos MOSCOW: Thousands of Russians unhappy with market-oriented reforms of various state services protested in Moscow and several other cities with demands ranging from the resignation of President Vladimir Putin to the reinstatement of Soviet-era social benefits. Sudan Amid scenes of wild jubilation, the head of the former rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) arrived in the new provisional capital of southern Sudan for the first time since signing historic peace deal.