WORLD BRIEFING / BRITAIN

Britain’s international spy agency has a new chief -- a top U.N. diplomat who had a senior role in talks about Iran’s disputed nuclear program.

John Sawers will take up his new post in November, the prime minister’s office said in a statement.

He replaces John Scarlett, whose career has been dogged by concerns over the intelligence used to build the case for the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Scarlett is retiring after five years.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s Downing Street office said Sawers, 53, was rejoining MI6 -- but declined to give details of his previous appointment with the intelligence agency, formally known as the Secret Intelligence Service