In Brief

* BLAST – A prominent former mujahedin commander allied to the government and at least one other person were killed in a bomb blast in volatile southern Afghanistan, government officials said.

* UNREST – Most of the 38 African Union peacekeepers taken hostage by rebels in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region were released, an AU official said, as the mission’s commander visited the area. * AIRLIFTED – Morocco was to start airlifting home more than 1 000 migrants who had been trying to reach Europe via the north African country, an interior ministry source said.* VOTE – Polish voters took another decisive step to the right when they gave Donald Tusk of the centre-right Civic Platform the most votes in the race to find a successor to left-wing President Aleksander Kwasniewski.* TRIAL – Saddam Hussein is to stand trial on October 19, but the first day will likely consist of a simple reading of charges against him and top aides along with motions by defence lawyers, a source close to the court said.* RIOT – Azerbaijani riot police beat dozens of opposition activists holding an unsanctioned rally to call for free elections, amid a violent crackdown ahead of parliamentary polls seen as a test of stability in this oil-rich republic.* SUMMIT – The prospects of a summit this week between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas looked bleak as negotiations aimed at finalising the agenda broke up without agreement.- Nampa-AFP* AIRLIFTED – Morocco was to start airlifting home more than 1 000 migrants who had been trying to reach Europe via the north African country, an interior ministry source said.* VOTE – Polish voters took another decisive step to the right when they gave Donald Tusk of the centre-right Civic Platform the most votes in the race to find a successor to left-wing President Aleksander Kwasniewski.* TRIAL – Saddam Hussein is to stand trial on October 19, but the first day will likely consist of a simple reading of charges against him and top aides along with motions by defence lawyers, a source close to the court said.* RIOT – Azerbaijani riot police beat dozens of opposition activists holding an unsanctioned rally to call for free elections, amid a violent crackdown ahead of parliamentary polls seen as a test of stability in this oil-rich republic.* SUMMIT – The prospects of a summit this week between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas looked bleak as negotiations aimed at finalising the agenda broke up without agreement.- Nampa-AFP