The latest wave of militant attacks in Pakistan has led to calls on the government to launch a major offensive against the Pakistani Taliban in the restive North Waziristan tribal region, their last stronghold.
Both delegations of the Syrian government and opposition arrived in Geneva, Switzerland on Tuesday evening to embark on a dialogue for the first time since the eruption of the conflict in Syria nearly three years ago.
The UN secretary-general has withdrawn his invitation to Iran to join this week's Syria peace talks, saying he is "deeply disappointed" by Iran's statements Monday.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon decided Monday the Syrian peace conference would proceed without Iran, despite his earlier invitation extended to Tehran.
Iran has halted its most sensitive nuclear activity under a preliminary deal with world powers, winning some relief from economic sanctions on Monday in a ground-breaking exchange that could ease the threat of new war in the Middle East.
Seven bomb explosions killed 26 people and wounded 67 in the Iraqi capital on Monday, police and medics said, as security forces battled Sunni Muslim militants around the western cities of Falluja and Ramadi.
Iran will participate in the upcoming Geneva II conference on Syria without accepting the 2012 Geneva communique.
Syria's main, Western-backed opposition says it will not attend UN-hosted peace talks in Geneva aimed at ending the country's civil war if Iran comes to the gathering.
Iran's nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi said that Iran would halt production of 20 percent enriched uranium by noon (0830 GMT) on Monday, the official IRNA news agency reported.
At least 13 people were killed and over 20 others injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up near a police check post jointly owned by police and Pakistan army on Monday morning, officials said.
World powers and Iran are due to start implementing a landmark deal on Monday curbing Tehran's nuclear programme, amid hopes that it will pave the way for a broad settlement of a decade-old standoff and ease fears of a new Middle East war.
Iran said on Monday it will start its suspension of uranium enrichment up to 20 percent in a few hours.