CNN 2008-03-17

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I am Asieh Namdar at the CNN Center in Atlanta. Here's a look at what's happening NOW IN THE NEWS.

 Clashes between police and militants² in Iraq's Diyala province have left at least seven people dead. Similar clashes in the city of Kut killed at least six people. The spate³ of violence involved a militia⁴ loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and Iraqi police. Sadr has ordered his Mahdi Army to stick to a ceasefire but the cleric admits there are breakaway factions⁵ in his movement.

 In Pakistan state-run television reports at least 20 people were killed in a missile strike in a tribal⁶ area near the Afghan border. The house of a suspected militant¹ leader in Waziristan was destroyed, but it's not clear who fired the missiles. Pakistani and US troops have been battling Islamic militants in the region. Villagers say they have heard a drone in the sky just before the blasts.

 In Iran, official results aren't due for another few days but the Interior Ministry⁷ says the conservatives have won about two thirds of the seats in parliament. Reformists made some headway winning a number of seats despite having many of their candidates, some 1700, disqualified. Iranian television calls election “free and fair”.  Western observers say it was neither.

 After months of furious campaigning, the Democratic presidential candidates are taking a breather. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have no scheduled events today. Clinton returned to Washington after attending St. Patrick's Day festivities in Pennsylvania. She will deliver speech on Iraq tomorrow, Obama spending the day in Chicago.  Tomorrow he will resume campaigning in Pennsylvania, site of the big primary in April. Obama widened his lead this weekend while Iowa reassigned some delegates won by John Edwards to Obama, but he still doesn't have enough to take the nomination⁸.

 Meanwhile the man who will likely be the Republican presidential nominee⁹ is in Iraq. It's John McCain’s eighth visit since the war began five years ago. Critics accuse McCain of using taxpayer¹⁰ money to finance a political stunt¹¹. McCain says he's there to get a firs- hand look at how well the troop surge is working.

 Those are the headlines of this hour. For more on this stories and other news of the day, CNN is your source online, on TV or when you are on the go.