Hours after the former Iraqi president was sentenced to death by hanging, Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Sunday that Saddam Hussein "is facing the punishment he deserves."

A Hamas official warned on Sunday that the ongoing Israeli offensive in northern Gaza Strip could endanger the life of an Israeli soldier held by Palestinian militant groups.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on Sunday that the UN peacekeeping mission has now nearly reached the strength and earlier its commander considers sufficient, Lebanon's local Naharnet news website reported on Sunday.

Nepali Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and guerrilla top leader Prachanda held talks in the presence of the United Nations General Secretary's personal representative to Nepal Ian Martin in Kathmandu Sunday evening.

The American ambassador in Iraq said that the verdicts on Sunday shaped an "important milestone" for the Iraqi people although they may face "difficult days in the coming weeks."

Officials in Pakistan's North Waziristan said on Sunday that unidentified gunmen have kidnapped a local official.

Pakistan and Malaysia on Sunday signed two documents for enhancing their bilateral relations in banking and construction sectors.

Japan and South Korea agreed on Sunday to cooperate in handling the issue regarding the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear development, after the meeting of their foreign ministers in Tokyo.

Visiting Secretary General of the Arab League (AL) Amr Moussa on Sunday called for an AL emergency meeting to discuss regional issues, the official SANA news agency reported.

The Finnish presidency of the European Union (EU) on Sunday called for Iraq not to use the death penalty against former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, a statement said.