CONFRONTATION: Parliament elected Yousuf Raza Gilani prime minister by a vote of 264 to 42 yesterday. His first move has set him on a collision course with the president
Pakistan's new prime minister yesterday ordered the release of judges detained by President Pervez Musharraf, triggering a showdown with Musharraf just minutes after being elected.

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SECURITY `FRAGILE': Police were still hunting for several suspects in the assassination attempt that left the president in an Australian hospital
East Timor extended by one month a state of emergency imposed after last month's assassination attempts on the president and prime minister.

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A KLM flight headed for Hyderabad in India's south skipped its destination and flew across India because the pilot was unaware the city had a brand-new airport, a report said yesterday.

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STAGE FRIGHT: Scenes depicting the persecution of Falun Gong practioners led Beijing to object to the performance, though the sponsor insists that the show is independent
The Malaysian government canceled a live stage dance that contained a performance based on the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, the US-based organizer said yesterday.

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Malaysia's prime minister has declared unconstitutional the appointment of a chief minister in a northern state, in a rare showdown with the nation's royal rulers and the ruling government, reports said yesterday.

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Authorities in Singapore arrested a suspected Muslim terror group member who once trained with militants in Afghanistan, the government said.

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EVENTFUL: As Kurdish new year celebrations descended into violence, Turkey arrested PKK leader Dogu Perincek, alleging he was part of a plot to topple the government
A third day of unrest in the Kurdish region of southeast Turkey on Sunday left two people dead and two police officers injured, officials and witnesses said on Sunday.

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INITIATIVE: The two sides agreed to the rebuilding of security forces loyal to the unity government rather than to factions. But implementation could take time
Fatah and Hamas agreed on the goal of uniting in a single Palestinian government, but failed to resolve the crucial question of how the rival factions should share power.

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With Palestinian complaints about Israeli settlement expansion fresh in his ears, US Vice President Dick Cheney turned his attention to Israel's top concerns yesterday as he sought to nudge the two sides closer to a Middle East peace agreement.

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Zimbabweans go to the polls on Saturday with long-ruling President Robert Mugabe battling for survival in the tightest contest since independence from Britain in 1980.

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Zimbabwe has been accused of printing millions of surplus ballot papers, raising the risk of vote-rigging in the presidential and legislative elections on Saturday.

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The elegant, tapering signature of the Eiffel Tower is to be reshaped, altering the Paris skyline, in time for the structure's 120th anniversary next year, the Societe d'exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (Sete) announced.

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ADMISSION OF GUILT: Colombia's defense minister said his country's troops had killed an Ecuadorean on March 1, but urged the Quito government not to react rashly
Colombia's defense minister said on Sunday that an Ecuadorean was killed during Colombia's controversial March 1 raid on a rebel camp across the border in Ecuador.

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TIME WARP: Raul Castro has said progress will take time, but expectations are seldom high in a country where the average person cannot buy homes or cars
Cubans expecting their new president to transform their strained lives are tempering their hopes as they gradually accept him at his word: Small improvements will come with time, but nothing will happen overnight.

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The new pastor of Senator Barack Obama's Chicago church said during Easter Sunday services that recent national scrutiny of the church is a test that will only make the congregation stronger.

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A police patrol has been attacked in Peru's northern jungle during protests against Argentine oil company Pluspetrol Norte, killing one officer and wounding 11.

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While the number of US troops killed in Iraq since the 2003 invasion stands at 4,000, up to three times as many Iraqi soldiers have died -- and the number of civilians killed runs into tens and probably hundreds of thousands.

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Bald eagles, wolves, snails, butterflies and many other species native to the US have long been at risk. Many have made it on to the country's endangered species list, but not under the administration of US President George W. Bush over the last two years.

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