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Obama hints he may make Al Gore his vice-president
US: BARACK OBAMA would consider appointing former vice-president Al Gore to a cabinet-level position or even vice-president, he told a town hall meeting in Pennsylvania yesterday. Denis Staunton reports from Washington. p

US wants more Nato troops for Afghanistan
ROMANIA: THE UNITED States is putting pressure on European members of Nato to send more troops to Afghanistan and to lift objections to Ukraine, Georgia and Macedonia joining the alliance, as its biggest summit to date gets under way in Romania, writes Daniel McLaughlin . p

Mugabe loses control of Zimbabwe's parliament
ZIMBABWE : ZIMBABWE'S PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe lost his grip on the country's parliament yesterday after the official electoral body released results revealing the opposition had won a majority in the lower house. p

Other World Stories

Zanu-PF starting to disintegrate as 'tipping point' is reached
ZIMBABWE: After 28 years in charge of Zimbabwe, many members of the Zanu-PF party realise they could soon lose power, writes ALEC RUSSELL. p
Born leader who may lack political killer punch
ZIMBABWE: BILL CORCORAN profiles Morgan Tsvangirai who, despite some ill-judged and undemocratic actions, has united Zimbabweans in support of his campaign. p
Interrogators told by US justice department to ignore torture laws
US: THE UNITED States justice department told military interrogators of suspected terrorists that they could ignore federal and international laws forbidding torture and cruel treatment, according to a newly declassified 2003 memo. p
Lawsuit threatened to close ruling AK Party in Turkey
TURKEY: A top Turkish state prosecutor says he will take legal action against officials or media who have criticised his decision to seek the closure of the ruling AK Party for suspected Islamist activities. p
Syrian economy now striding forward
SYRIA: Falling oil revenues forced Syria to make economic reforms, writes MICHAEL JANSEN in Damascus p
Argentine farmers suspend their three-week strike over tax increases
ARGENTINA: Argentine farmers yesterday suspended a three-week strike over a tax hike on soy exports that has paralysed grain exports, caused food shortages and sparked a political crisis. p
Saudi Arabia still largest funder of al-Qaeda - US official
US: SAUDI ARABIA remains the world's leading source of money for al-Qaeda and other extremist networks and has failed to take key steps requested by US officials to stem the flow, the Bush administration's top financial counterterrorism official has reported. p
Hamas chief signals possibility of tacit recognition of Israel
MIDDLE EAST: HAMAS SUPPORTS the creation of a Palestinian state along 1967 borders, the Islamic movement's dominant figure said in an interview yesterday. p
Darfur peace process on brink of collapse
SUDAN: DARFUR'S PEACE process has all but collapsed, principals here say, raising questions about the viability of a new UN peacekeeping force and the future of an international aid campaign approaching its sixth year. p
Tiny Italian party may delay election over technicality
ITALY: ITALY'S FORTHCOMING general election, scheduled for April 13th and 14th, may yet be postponed on a technicality. A council of state ruling this week has re-admitted a tiny ex-Christian Democrat (DC) party initially excluded from the elections because its symbol too closely resembled that of another ex-DC party, the Unione di Centro (UDC). p
French on alert to treat Farc hostage
FRANCE: A FRENCH humanitarian mission was last night poised to head to Colombia in an attempt to deliver medical aid to one of the most high-profile hostages being held by rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, Farc. p
Al-Qaeda accused gives police the slip
MAURITANIA: An al-Qaeda suspect accused of the Christmas Eve killing of four French tourists in Mauritania escaped from police in the west African country yesterday, lawyers and officials said. p
Judge cites longevity in opposing lifetime alimony
US: HE IS A 59-year-old luxury car salesman who won divorce from his wife of 38 years in May 2007. She is the same age, a high school graduate with few skills whose health problems prevent her from working. p
Forget high heels - surgeon has a hair-raising idea
SPANISH: A LEADING Spanish plastic surgeon has pioneered a procedure to increase a person's height by up to 4 cm (1½ inches) without using radical surgery. p
Berlin paper's staff agree to be vetted after editors exposed as Stasi agents
GERMANY: STAFF AT Germany's Berliner Zeitung newspaper are to undergo background checks after two senior editors were exposed as informers for the East German secret police, the Stasi. p
In short
A round-up of today's other stories in brief. p

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Obama hints he may make Al Gore his vice-president

US wants more Nato troops for Afghanistan

Mugabe loses control of Zimbabwe's parliament

Zanu-PF starting to disintegrate as 'tipping point' is reached

Born leader who may lack political killer punch

Interrogators told by US justice department to ignore torture laws

Lawsuit threatened to close ruling AK Party in Turkey

Syrian economy now striding forward

Argentine farmers suspend their three-week strike over tax increases

Saudi Arabia still largest funder of al-Qaeda - US official

Hamas chief signals possibility of tacit recognition of Israel

Darfur peace process on brink of collapse

Tiny Italian party may delay election over technicality

French on alert to treat Farc hostage

Al-Qaeda accused gives police the slip

Judge cites longevity in opposing lifetime alimony

Forget high heels - surgeon has a hair-raising idea

Berlin paper's staff agree to be vetted after editors exposed as Stasi agents

In short

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