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TOP STORIES
Iraq's Allawi open to all in coalition talks
BAGHDAD - Iraq election winner Iyad Allawi says he is open to alliances with any faction and wants to quickly form a government that would build strong relationships with its regional neighbours (IRAQ-ELECTION/ , moved, pix, tv, by Rania El Gamal and Muhanad Mohammed, 650 words) + See also:
- IRAQ-ELECTION/ (INSTANT VIEW), moved, 700 words
- IRAQ-ELECTION/ (SNAP ANALYSIS), moved, 650 words
- IRAQ-ELECTION/ALLAWI (FACTBOX), moved, 300 words
- IRAQ-EXPLOSION/ (UPDATE 1), moved, 350 words
Israelis quit Gaza after worst clash in over a year
GAZA - Israeli troops and tanks leave Gaza Strip after bloodiest clash in Hamas-ruled enclave in 14 months killed two soldiers and one Palestinian. (PALESTINIANS-ISRAEL(UPDATE 5), moved, pix, tv, by Nidal al-Mughrabi, 600 words)
Thai protesters surround PM's office
BANGKOK - Thousands of Thai "red shirt" protesters surround office of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, raising fears of confrontation after repeated threats to expel troops guarding Bangkok's old city (THAILAND-POLITICS/ (UPDATE 1), moved, pix, tv, by Chalathip Thirasoonthrakul, 800 words)
New Iran sanctions: a question of when, not if
UNITED NATIONS - China is slowly and reluctantly falling in line with Russia and four Western powers by backing the idea of new U.N. sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, but Beijing wants any new steps to be weak (IRAN-NUCLEAR/SANCTIONS (ANALYSIS), moved, by Louis Charbonneau, 900 words)
MIDDLE EAST
Egypt's Mubarak flies home after German surgery
CAIRO - President Hosni Mubarak returns to Egypt, landing in Sharm El Sheikh where he will reassume presidential powers while recovering from gallbladder surgery in Germany, state television shows (EGYPT-MUBARAK/ (UPDATE 3), moved, by Marwa Awad and Yasmine Saleh, 500 words)
Arab League eyes alternatives to peace process
SIRTE, Libya - Arab states should prepare for the possibility that the Palestinian-Israeli peace process may be a total failure and come up with alternatives, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa says (ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS/MOUSSA (UPDATE 4), moved, by Lamine Ghanmi, 650 words)
UNITED STATES
Can Republicans win by opposing Obama?
WASHINGTON - Can Republicans ride all the way to Election Day in November by opposing most of President Barack Obama's major policies? So far they are sticking with this strategy (USA-POLITICS/REPUBLICANS (ANALYSIS), moved, by Steve Holland, 650 words)
AMERICAS
Serra widens lead in Brazil presidential poll
SAO PAULO - Sao Paulo state governor Jose Serra, the main opposition candidate in Brazil's presidential election in October, widens his lead over the ruling party contender as his popularity grows among poor voters and women, pollster Datafolha says (BRAZIL-POLITICS/POLL (UPDATE 1), moved, 400 words)
EUROPE
Merkel, Erdogan trade barbs before Turkey trip
BERLIN - Differences over Iran and Turkey's bid to join the European Union will dominate talks when German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Turkey Monday (GERMANY-TURKEY/MERKEL (PREVIEW), moved, by Brian Rohan, 450 words)
Polish party picks Komorowski for presidential race
WARSAW - Poland's ruling Civic Platform names parliamentary speaker Bronislaw Komorowski as its candidate for presidential election, with polls showing he is likely to beat incumbent Lech Kaczynski (POLAND-POLITICS/ (UPDATE 2), moved, by Gabriela Baczynska, 400 words)
British parties clash over future of economy
NOTTINGHAM, England - Prime Minister Gordon Brown says the opposition Conservatives would wreck Britain's economic recovery if they won the general election expected in a few weeks' time (BRITAIN-ELECTION/), moved, by Adrian Croft, 600 words) + See also:
- BRITAIN-ELECTION/POLL, moved, 400 words
- BRITAIN-ELECTION/PLEDGES (FACTBOX), moved, 250 words
British Airways cabin crew stage second strike
LONDON - British Airways cabin crew begin four-day strike, second walkout this month, that will cost the company millions of pounds and lead to more travel chaos before the busy Easter holiday period (BRITAIN-BA/ (UPDATE 1), moved, by Michael Holden, 650 words)
ASIA
Myanmar junta chief warns against "divisive acts"
NAYPYITAW, Myanmar - The leader of Myanmar's military junta warns against foreign meddling in upcoming elections and says "divisive acts" could spark anarchy and derail the transition to democracy (MYANMAR/, moved, pix, by Aung Hla Tun, 800 words)
S.Korea rules out navy ship sunk by North
BAENGNYEONGDO, South Korea - South Korea all but rules out the chance that North Korea was involved in the sinking of one of its navy vessels near their disputed border (KOREA-SHIP/ (UPDATE 4), moved, pix, tv, by Jo Yonghak, 750 words) + See also:
- KOREA-SHIP/NORTH (ANALYSIS), moved, by Jon Herskovitz, 450 words
- KOREA-NORTH/ (TIMELINE), moved
AFRICA
LRA killed hundreds in late 2009 Congo massacre -UN
KINSHASA - Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels killed at least 290, and maybe over 300 people in Congo in a previously unreported December 2009 massacre, United Nations officials tell Reuters (CONGO-DEMOCRATIC/MASSACRE (UPDATE 1), expect by 2000, 400 words)
ENVIRONMENT
Tuvalu to Taiwan; landmarks switch off for Earth Hour
SYDNEY - Landmarks such as Sydney's Opera House, Beijing's Forbidden City and Taiwan's Taipei 101 office tower temporarily go dark as nations dim the lights for Earth Hour 2010 to call for action on climate change (CLIMATE-EARTHHOUR (UPDATE 1), moved, pix, tv, graphic, 600 words)
