The head of the Sunni Endowments(a quasi-government agency charged with overseeing Sunni mosques and the distribution of some of their donations)(the capital that provides income for an institution) in Iraq, Mahdi al-Sumaidi, along with three of his security staff, was killed today in a car bombing on his convoy, west of Baghdad. Iraqi media said, the explosion occurred as Sumaidi left the Omar al-Mukhtar Mosque after finishing Eid al-Fitr prayers. He recently defended Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s stance that there should not be foreign intervention in Syria’s civil war, which angered Sunni moderates and extremists alike.

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The Security Council has extended the mandate of the UN mission in Iraq for another year and asked all communities there to participate in the country's political process.

The resolution extended the mandate of the UNAMI, which expires on Saturday, to July 31, next year.

In a unanimously adopted resolution, the 15-member body encouraged the Iraqi government to continue strengthening
democracy and the rule of law, improving security and public
order and combating terrorism and sectarian violence across the country.

The Security Council voiced its support to the people and the government of Iraq in their efforts to build what it called a secure, stable, federal, united and democratic nation based on the rule of law and respect for human rights.

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) is a political mission established by the Council in 2003, at the request of the Iraqi government.

It is mandated to advise and assist in areas like advancing political dialogue and national reconciliation, assisting in the electoral process, facilitating regional dialogue between Iraq and its neighbours, and promoting the protection of human rights and judicial and legal reform.

The Council welcomed improvements in Iraq's security situation, while stressing that challenges remain and that improvements need to be sustained through meaningful political dialogue and national unity.

The Council also underscored the need for all communities in Iraq to participate in the political process and an inclusive political dialogue, as well as for the communities to refrain from making statements and actions which could aggravate tensions.

In the area of human rights, the Council urged the government to continue to promote and protect human rights and also to consider additional steps to support the Independent
High Commission for Human Rights in carrying out its mandate.

A 5.5-magnitude earthquake shook Iran- Iraq border today. According to the Iranian Seismological Centre, the quake occured at 2.09 p.m. (local time). The epicenter of the tremor was at a depth of ten kilometres and it was located in the Murmuri region in Iran's Ilam province bordering Iraq.

Local Mehr news agency said the people of Dehloran city, close to the quake area, rushed out of their houses to the streets in panic and a cloud of dust has covered the air of the city. No immediate report has been released about the possible damage or casualties so far.

The Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki is in neighbouring Iran for two days of top level talks. Mr. Maliki who is leading a delegation of political and economic staff, will meet the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, the Speaker of Iranian Parliament and Iran's Chief Negotiator on its controversial nuclear programme. Iran said, the visit would strengthen ties between the two countries which fought a bitter war in the 1980s.

Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) oil output rose in March to its highest since October 2008. The higher supply from Iraq and further recovery in Libya’s production helped offset a decline in oil shipments from Iran.

The Supply from the 12 members of the OPEC averaged 31.26 million barrels per day, up from 31.16 million in February. 

A survey at oil companies, OPEC officials and analysts found that exports from Iran are falling as some buyers stop or scale back purchases because of sanctions. Concern about Iranian supply has helped drive a 15 per cent rally in oil prices this year to $123 a barrel.

OPEC is pumping far more than its official production target of 30 million barrels per day. In March, the biggest increase in OPEC supply came from Libya, where output continues to recover after the shut down during the uprising against Gaddafi’s regime last year.

Iraq provided the second-largest boost as exports rebounded after weather-related disruptions in February and a new Gulf shipping outlet.

The Arab summit meeting began on a low key note in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Thursday. Only 10 of the leaders of the 22-member Arab League are attending the conference amid a divide among the Arab countries on how to tackle the crisis in Syria. The Emir of Kuwait was the lone head of state to attend from the six GCC countries. Two explosions were heard in the capital Baghdad as the summit opened.

A senior Iraqi intelligence official said a mortar hit near the Iranian Embassy, just outside the Green Zone where the summit was being held. There has been no word on the second explosion and no casualties have been reported so far. The explosions during the summit have once again exposed the fragile security in Iraq.

Baghdad had hoped that the summit would mark its return to the Arab fold after two decades of isolation. But the absence of more than half of the Arab leaders have raised questions over the importance of the meet. Experts say it might be an indication of the increased Sunni-Shia tensions across the region in the aftermath of last year's Arab Spring uprisings. The fault lines have been exposed in Syria where a minority Shiite offshoot Alawite sect is ruling over the majority Sunnis On the other hand, the majority Shiites Bahrain are ruled over by the minority Sunnis.

Amnesty International says there was an alarming surge in the number of executions carried out in a small number of countries in 2011. The group said the steepest rise of 50 per cent was in four countries in West Asia - Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Amnesty said China continues to execute thousands of prisoners each year although the exact figures are a state secret.