In Iraq, the interim government has reinstated the death penalty for a limited range of crimes including murder, kidnapping and drug offences.
Capital punishment was suspended after the toppling of Saddam Hussein in April last year.
An official said the death penalty would go into effect once it had been published in a government gazette.
Rockets and mortars fired in Baghdad
Insurgents fired several mortar bombs and rockets over a period of several hours in central Baghdad tonight, wounding at least four people and inflicting material damage.
At least two mortars hit a street in the Iraqi capital near the Baghdad Hotel, which is used by foreigners, shortly after sunset, wounding three people, one of them seriously.
Black smoke rose over the area from two cars that caught fire as they were driving by at the time. The casualties were evacuated to hospital.
Allawi announces amnesty
The Iraqi interim prime minister, Iyad Alawi, has announced a 30-day amnesty for minor crimes to bolster security in the country.
It follows three days of fighting between US forces and Shia Muslim militias loyal to the radical cleric Moqtada Sadr in the holy city of Najaf.
The amnesty will cover those dealing in small arms or explosives for the insurgency.
But an aide to radical cleric Moqtada Sadr said the resistance was legitimate and did not need an amnesty.
Iraqi Militants kidnap Iranian diplomat
The Iranian Embassy in Baghdad has confirmed that an Iranian diplomat has been seized by militants.
The diplomat named as Fereidoun Jahani is the Iranian consul in the mainly Shi'ite city of Kerbala.
The first indication that he'd been seized came in a video handed to al Arabiya television station based in Dubai.
