Iraq Hundreds of tonnes of powerful explosives that could be used in conventional missiles, or as a trigger for nuclear devices, have disappeared from a military installation in Iraq left unguarded by the US army, the International Atomic Energy Agency said. Mideast Israel's premier made an impassioned defence of his fiercely contested Gaza pullout plan at the start of a crunch debate in parliament as 16 Palestinians were killed by troops in the territory. Iraq An aide to Iraq's most wanted man, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was killed when US warplanes bombed the rebel-held city of Fallujah, west of Baghdad, in a pre-dawn strike, the US military said. Iran Iran said it was ready to consider a European request to maintain a suspension on enriching uranium, in what could be a major breakthrough towards ending a standoff over its nuclear programme. Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf called for a national debate on ways to resolve Pakistan's dispute with India over Kashmir, with options to include independence or joint control of the Himalayan state. US Former president Bill Clinton brought his political star power to shine on his Democratic party's candidate John Kerry, as President George W. Bush was forced on the defensive over the disappearance of powerful explosives in Iraq. SKorea South Korea's frontline military units were put on their highest state of alert over fears that North Korean commandos may have entered the South through the heavily fortified border, defense officials said. Afghanistan Hamid Karzai was set to become Afghanistan's first elected president after winning historic October 9 polls by a landslide, but a fraud inquiry and a slow final count delayed a formal announcement. Japan The death toll from Japan's worst earthquake in nearly a decade rose to 27 after two elderly men died, with 2,500 people injured and three still missing, police said. Thailand Thailand's troubled south was rocked by sporadic violence overnight despite a curfew imposed after clashes between security forces and demonstrators left six dead and dozens injured, officials said. Cuba Cuba will stop allowing commercial sales in dollars on the communist island starting November 8, the Central Bank said in a statement, blaming tougher US policies for the decision.