Iraq Australian soldiers came under fire in Baghdad as a wave of deadly explosions and gunbattles erupted across the country, the day after the discovery of almost 50 new army recruits killed in a mass execution by Islamist extremists. Mideast Twelve Palestinians, including a child, were killed in a major army offensive in the Gaza Strip as the Israeli parliament prepared to debate a controversial plan to pull out from the territory it has occupied for almost 40 years. Tunisia Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has won re-election for a fourth term by an overwhelming margin in a vote denounced by several opposition leaders as "surreal" and an insult to democracy. Sudan Sudanese government envoys sat down with leaders of the rebellion in the western Darfur region as African Union peace talks took off here with a likelihood of bitter rows over security arrangements. US Former president Bill Clinton made his long-awaited comeback to the campaign trail, boosting fellow Democrat John Kerry's campaign in the final week of the deadlocked White House race. Iran Marking a major shift in its standoff with the international community on its nuclear activities, Iran said it was willing to consider European demands for an unlimited suspension of uranium enrichment. Japan More strong aftershocks jolted central Japan as exhaustion took its toll on thousands of people spending a third night in shelters after the country's worst earthquake in nearly a decade killed 25. Pitcairn Six men were convicted of multiple sex abuse crimes on Pitcairn Island after a trial which exposed the dark side of the remote Pacific community, populated by descendants of the 18th century HMS Bounty mutiny. EU Incoming European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso said he remained hopeful of winning the European Parliament's support in a crunch vote this week, warning against a power vacuum in Brussels.