Iraq An Iranian diplomat has been freed in Iraq after a 55-day hostage ordeal at the hands of the same Islamic militants holding two French newsmen, as 12 people were killed in fresh violence across the country. Iraq Three people were killed and six wounded in US airstrikes on the rebel Iraqi city of Fallujah, medics said. US Crude oil futures smashed the 50-dollar barrier in after-hours New York trading, and analysts said they saw little relief and possibly even higher prices ahead. Lebanon A suspected leader of the Al-Qaeda network arrested in Lebanon last week over bomb plots against Western targets has died of a heart attack, security officials said. US President George W. Bush sharpened his jabs against Democratic challenger John Kerry, who called for an end to the nasty advertising war that he said was scaring off voters three days before the rivals' first televised debate. Haiti More than 2,000 people in the northern Haitian city of Gonaives are feared to have perished in floods, the city's mayor said as bodies kept appearing 10 days after Tropical Storm Jeanne struck. Mideast Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian in the West Bank town of Jenin, Palestinian security sources said. Thailand A Thai woman who died from bird flu probably caught the illness from her sick daughter, according to a public health ministry statement. Mideast Seven Palestinians have been killed in a series of violent incidents across the occupied territories as Israel warned Syria to stop harbouring "terrorists" after the slaying of a Hamas leader in Damascus. Pakistan Pakistan has claimed it has dealt Al-Qaeda a crushing blow after killing a top militant said to have masterminded attempts on President Pervez Musharraf's life and to have arranged the beheading of US reporter Daniel Pearl. Afghanistan Gun-wielding militia commanders seeking to intimidate voters pose a much bigger threat to Afghanistan's first presidential election next month than Taliban-led militants, a report by Human Rights Watch said.