Historic talks with Iraq
TEHRAN, (Reuters): JALAL TALABANI, the first Iraqi president to visit Iran for nearly four decades, received assurances yesterday that Tehran supported its neighbour's transition to democracy.

Cheney blasts senators who claim Bush lied on Iraq
WASHINGTON (AP): VICE-PRESIDENT DICK Cheney charged yesterday that some Senate Democrats were "dishonest and reprehensible" for suggesting that President George W. Bush lied to the nation about going to war in Iraq...

Conservative candidate gaining on front-runner
MEXICO CITY (AP): MEXICO'S LONGTIME presi-dential front-runner, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, is suddenly in a close race with conservative candidate Felipe Calderon, according to a poll published yesterday.

Angela Merkel to take office today... But only after serious policy compromises
BERLIN, Germany (AP): ANGELA MERKEL becomes Germany's eighth post-war chancellor today - but only after being forced into awkward compromises on taxes and welfare-state reforms that could undermine her coalition...

Referendum on draft constitution
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP): KENYANS VOTED yesterday in a referendum on a draft constitution that would revise the charter for the first time since the country gained Independence from Britain. But scores said their names were missing from voters' rolls...

No reprieve on execution as pressure strengthens
SINGAPORE (AP): THE UNITED Nations has joined the Australian government and human rights groups in a last-ditch effort to save an Australian man sentenced to death in Singapore for drug trafficking.