Russia says Syria's army has halted its attacks in Aleppo to allow trapped civilians to be evacuated.

A tribal chief in the turbulent Iraqi city of Fallujah led a raid that freed four Jordanian hostages kidnapped a week ago, it emerged today.

Four Jordanian hostages in Iraq have been freed, the brother of one of them said today.

US secretary of state Colin Powell said the United States would speed delivery to Iraq of billions of dollars in reconstruction aid, as Nato countries agreed to send a 40-member team as soon as possible to begin training Iraqi security forces.