CANADA: Harper's softer tone pays off in Canada election win
CALGARY, Alberta, (Reuters): IN CANADA'S 2004 election campaign, Conservative leader Stephen Harper seemed to wince every time he shook a voter's hand. He went on to lose.

CANADA: Martin won't stay on long as Liberal boss
MONTREAL (Reuters): OUTGOING CANADIAN Prime Minister Paul Martin, whose Liberals lost Monday's national election, said yesterday he would step down as party leader before Canada next went to the polls.

IRAQ: Troubled Saddam trial postponed again
BAGHDAD (Reuters): THE TRIAL of Saddam Hussein was delayed again yesterday, with judges apparently divided after a series of setbacks that defence lawyers said proved political interference with the United States-sponsored Iraqi court.

IRAN: PRESIDENT AHMADINEJAD CANCELS VISIT TO AHVAZ - Six killed in bombings
TEHRAN, Iran (AP): TWO BOMBS killed six people and wounded 46 others yesterday in Ahvaz, a city in south-western Iran with a history of violence involving members of Iran's Arab minority, Iran's official news agency reported.

ITALY: PARLIAMENT APPROVES NEW LAW - Shooting a thief no longer a crime
ROME (Reuters): ITALY'S PARLIAMENT approved yesterday a law that allows citizens to shoot robbers in self-defence, a measure that critics say will encourage people to take the law into their own hands.

MIDDLE EAST: Ballot boxes under tight police guard
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP): THOUSANDS OF police guarded ballot boxes yesterday and rival militants pledged not to disrupt voting on the eve of the first Palestinian parliament election in a decade, a cliffhanger vote on whether to pursue peace...

UNITED STATES: Senate panel approves Alito for top court
WASHINGTON (Reuters): A SHARPLY divided Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday approved President George W. Bush's nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, moving the 55-year-old conservative a step closer toward confirmation...

UNITED STATES: Sex harassment affects most college students
WASHINGTON (Reuters): NEARLY TWO thirds of United States college students are affected by sexual harassment - ranging from offensive jokes and gestures to touching and grabbing, according to a study released yesterday.